Around the Nation

He shot onto the political scene seemingly out of nowhere.But Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, made his presence known in short time.After acquiring Twitter in 2022 and wading into the controversial politics of free speech and misinformation, Musk’s first big move was to dump more than $50 million of his own cash into a dark money political action committee called Citizens for Sanity, which ran ads promoting conservative culture war causes.Then, he helped bankroll Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s ill-fated 2024 presidential run to the tune of $10 million.When DeSantis’ campaign collapsed, Musk went all-in for Donald Trump, appearing with him at rallies and promoting his falsehoods and conspiracy theories to anyone who would listen.It would be a beneficial relationship, he was betting. If Trump won, Musk could count on Trump to create favorable operating conditions for his many businesses, from SpaceX to Tesla, Neuralink to X.Trump, for his part, would get support from his favorite kind of person — a wealthy one — and boy did he. Columnist Columnist By the end of the 2024 cycle, Musk would spend $288 million to help elect Trump and other Republicans.After the election, Musk was rewarded with a cushy post in the West Wing near Trump and a lofty new position — overseeing a Department of Government Efficiency.And then he was seemingly everywhere.He was in the Oval Office, leading spontaneous press conferences in his black MAGA hat and T-shirt.He was sitting for Fox News interviews with his DOGE team and posting controversial takes on social media.He was at Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, ridiculously wielding a chainsaw.He was so visible, in fact, many were collectively wondering, "Who’s running the country — Trump or Musk?"That feels like years ago.Musk is now quietly exiting the scene he once dominated, his reputation torn to shreds.According to a new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, just 35% of Americans said they approve of his job performance for the Trump administration.Tesla’s Q1 report was abysmal, with earnings down 34.89%.His acquisition of Twitter saw a subsequent increase in hate speech and misinformation, with former users complaining that it’s now just a platform for MAGA, trolls, and bots.His political influence seems to have waned as well. He backed a Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate, even appearing in Green Bay wearing a cheesehead hat and handing out checks for $1 million to supporters. His candidate ended up losing by 10 points, his $19 million summarily rebuked by voters.As CNN’s Harry Enten put it, “he became political Kryptonite.”It’s even unclear if his signature project, DOGE, was a success. While he laid off upward of 280,000 federal workers — which hardly endeared him to voters — the department promised to find $2 trillion in savings by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.DOGE, however, in all its convenient secrecy, has only publicly reported a small amount of cuts. DOGE is also being sued by multiple bodies.Furthermore, a damning Senate report alleged that Musk could end up personally avoiding up to $2 billion in legal liability stemming from DOGE.Now out of the West Wing, Musk is attempting to clean up what’s left of his reputation. And he’s criticizing the man and the administration with whom he was once so cozy."DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything," he complained to the Washington Post. "So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it."In an upcoming interview with "CBS News Sunday Morning," he also slams Trump’s "Big, Beautiful Bill.""You know, I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not decrease it, and undermines the work the DOGE team is doing."And, "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion."But Trump doesn’t seem to care what Musk’s personal opinion of the bill is. He’s a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy, and Musk is clearly being dumped.In a clear sign of his dwindling utility, his next move at DOGE, far less grandiose than his initial one, will be to modernize the federal government’s computers.It’s a humiliating end to what was often a humiliating tenure as a wannabe political figure. Many in Trump’s inner circle, with whom he often had confrontations, are glad he’s gone.To be sure, Musk still has an ungodly amount of money and an inarguably significant political win under his belt with the re-election of Trump. But it all came at a huge cost to his reputation.In with a bang, out with a whimper.S.E. Cupp is the host of “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” on CNN.Send letters to letters@suntimes.comGet Opinions content delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here.

NEW YORK — White Sox right fielder Mike Tauchman was searching for the right words to describe the Sox' approach at the plate Wednesday.After a beat, he found the two words: Selective aggression."We want to be aggressive; that's how you do damage," he said following the Sox' 9-4 win over the Mets at Citi Field. "But we want to be aggressive to our pitches and strengths."After going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position, the Sox pounced on the Mets early and capitalized on their run-scoring chances, going 3-for-13 on their chances Wednesday.The Sox (18-38) wore down starter Griffin Canning, forcing him out of the game after three innings, by stringing together quality at-bats. Canning threw 80 pitches and allowed five runs (three earned), four hits and four walks.What was most impressive about the Sox' offensive showing Wednesday was that they kept adding to their run total. This year, the team would often score early in the game and fail to provide any insurance runs. The Sox scored in every inning except the fourth, fifth, and ninth."It was good to get a lead early and keep scoring throughout the game," left fielder Andrew Benintendi said. "There have been times when we’ve scored early and left it at that. So to keep the pressure on, especially against a team like that, was nice to see."The run support was also necessary because right-hander Shane Smith, who has been a revelation in the rotation, wasn't his best self on Wednesday. He struggled with his command and walked a career-high five batters in 3 ⅔ innings innings, the shortest outing of his major-league career.Relievers Mike Vasil, Miguel Castro, Brandon Eisert and Bryse Wilson combined to allow one run over 5 ⅓ innings."I was the one guy today that didn’t do his job today," said Smith, who allowed three runs on two hits with five strikeouts.But the offense was able to lift up Smith being patient, grinding at-bats and using its selective aggression."[The] hitting staff as a whole and the position-player group that we have is making a concerted effort to be aggressive," Tauchman said, "and consistently string quality at-bats together.Robert's absenceAfter only pinch hitting on Tuesday and not being in the lineup Wednesday, questions were starting to arise about oft-injured center fielder Luis Robert Jr.Manager Will Venable said pregame Robert's absence was only precautionary because of some right knee soreness Robert is dealing with. But it's noteworthy that when speaking to reporters last week, Robert also mentioned the knee soreness."Just a good opportunity to give him a little bit of rest and he’ll be back in there on Friday [against Baltimore]," Venable said.Any injury is notable with Robert given his injury history. He's already scuffling at the plate this season, batting .190/.276/.307 with a major-league-leading 21 stolen bases entering play Wednesday.Injury updateCastro left Wednesday's game in the ninth with an apparent right knee injury. The reliever was being evaluated further after the game.Castro was trying to cover first base after a groundball by superstar Juan Soto. Castro lost his footing when he stepped on first and immediately went down before being helped off the field by trainers.

A group of port workers at Iroquois Landing, where Lake Michigan and the Calumet River meet, were on strike for the seventh day Wednesday to protest logistics operator QSL America’s unfair labor practices, said the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. Workers picketed near the entrance of Iroquois Landing, as well as at two other QSL sites in Chicago.The labor union claims that Iroquois Landing is operating at reduced capacity. Cargo, including international shipments, is being unloaded at a slower rate, according to a Local 150 news release. Members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 hold a rally against unsafe labor practices by QSL America, near the entrance of the Illinois International Port Iroqouis Landing at South Kreiter Avenue and East 95th Street.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times But QSL said in an emailed statement on Wednesday that its “operations continue uninterrupted, and we continue to provide excellent service to our customers. We are currently communicating with our employees to ensure that they understand the law and their rights in this situation.”Local 150 represents more than 24,000 workers in Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. Members operate and maintain heavy equipment in various industries, such as heavy construction and steel mill service.The labor union cited grievances such as dangerous working conditions at QSL America sites, failure to pay overtime, wrongful terminations and retaliation against outspoken employees.QSL America, operating as North America Stevedoring Co., has three sites in the Chicago area. Parent company QSL is based in Canada.Workers are picketing at the three facilities, including Iroquois Landing, Lake Calumet Terminal on 130th Street and 106th Street Warehouse, said Local 150.At Iroquois Landing, about 25 workers are on strike out of 46 total, including supervisors. They picketed and carried signs outside the terminal on Wednesday afternoon.In response to the strike, “QSL America has recruited four out-of-state workers and brought in two temporary employees who were previously dismissed,” said Kristine Kavanagh, IUOE Local 150 communications director.QSL said in an emailed statement, “The Operating Engineers, Local 150, has targeted a small number of our employees at the Iroquois Landing port. … As part of their effort to organize our employees at Iroquois Landing, Local 150 is conducting demonstrations at the Iroquois Landing port.”Local 150 claims workers lack proper training that increases safety risks and unsafe machinery. The union also cited a “hostile work environment where employees endure relentless electronic surveillance through cameras. This invasive monitoring, coupled with intimidation tactics, makes workers feel threatened if they express concerns or fail to meet unreasonable demands,” according to a news release.Local 150 last week filed charges of unfair labor practices against QSL with the National Labor Relations Board. The charges were related to wrongful terminations of outspoken workers.“Workers at QSL America, Inc. have reported exploitation for years, and now they are fighting for their livelihoods,” Kavanagh said in an emailed statement. “We appreciate the support from other unions who are honoring our picket. Local 150 will stand in solidarity with QSL America, Inc. workers as long as necessary so that they receive what they need and rightfully deserve.”

An off-duty security guard who allegedly shot at people from underneath a sidewalk grate near the Chicago Theatre told police he fired the gun because he was being followed by people and wanted them to know he had a gun without saying it.Rayvon Savary, 24, allegedly told officers no one was above the grate when he fired a shot Monday morning in a CTA ventilation shaft on State Street in front of the Chick-fil-A at Lake Street.But two men were indeed walking over the grate at the time, according to a document prepared by the Cook County state's attorney's office and read in court Wednesday.The pair felt debris and smelled and saw smoke emanating from where they narrowly missed the gunfire, prosecutors said in the document.They were uninjured. But they promptly called police who arrived and heard a voice coming from below the grate, prosecutors said. The officers went down a CTA Red Line catwalk to confront Savary in the vent shaft below.In the tunnel, police spoke with Savary in an attempt to lure him into view, but the officers heard the racking of a gun and took cover, the prosecutor said.More officers showed up and tried to convince Savary to climb up to the top of the ventilation shaft, according to prosecutors. Meanwhile, the CTA shut down track power to allow officers to get to the shaft that Savary was hiding in.Officers eventually persuaded Savary to come down the vent shaft and surrender peacefully, prosecutors said.Police allegedly found a 9 mm handgun holstered on Savary's hip. The gun had a spent casing stuck in the chamber, prosecutors said. Officers allegedly found another spent shell casing in Savary's jacket pocket, as well as one live round.Surveillance video shows Savary walk down the catwalk of the subway, then emerge at the State and Lake Red Line station, cross train tracks then go up into the ventilation shafts, prosecutors said. Savary told police he was "being followed by people" as he walked from a train, through a tunnel and into the shaft. Prosecutors said Savary "is a security guard and fired the firearm because [he] wanted people to know [he] had a firearm without saying it."The court proffer does not say if surveillance video showed Savary being followed. Savary has an up-to-date firearm ownership license, but no concealed-carry permit, prosecutors said.Savary graduated from Chicago Military Academy in 2019 and attended Tuskegee University in Alabama, Assistant Public Defender Jessica Becker said. He works as a security guard at Prudential Defense Solutions, and is involved in programming and creative arts at Chicago Public Schools, she said. He lives on the South Side with his family.Judge Susana Ortiz ordered Savary held pending trial on felony counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the life prison sentence of Larry Hoover, the notorious co-founder of the Gangster Disciples street gang, the White House confirmed.The White House did not share details of the commutation, but Hoover attorney Justin Moore said Trump commuted Hoover’s sentence to time served. He still faces essentially life in prison on a state murder conviction.“We did what so many said was impossible,” Moore told the Sun-Times by text message. “We got Larry Hoover out of federal prison.”Moore also wrote that “the federal government has done its part. Now it’s time for the State of Illinois to finish the job.” Related Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover’s quest for freedom faces key test this week Hoover still has a state-court murder sentence to serve, and Illinois prison officials have previously said he’d likely serve it in the federal system. An Illinois Department of Corrections official could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.For now, prison records show Hoover is still being held in the so-called supermax facility in Florence, Colorado.The news comes eight months after U.S. District Judge John Blakey heard a mercy bid from Hoover. The judge challenged Hoover’s attorneys during that hearing, asking “how many murders is he responsible for?”Hoover’s lawyers ultimately responded by asking the judge to disqualify himself from the case. Blakey hasn’t ruled in the months since.Hoover and David Barksdale created the Gangster Disciples in the late 1960s, ruling as “King Larry” and “King David” until Barksdale was killed in 1974.Hoover was convicted of murder after a trial in December 1973, and a judge sentenced him to 150 to 200 years in state prison. That didn’t stop Hoover from running the gang, though.Eventually, Hoover was charged in federal court with 40 crimes, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, and a jury found him guilty on May 9, 1997.The late U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber handed down Hoover’s life sentence in 1998, telling him he’d misused a “gift” from God.Wallace “Gator” Bradley, a former Gangster Disciples enforcer and longtime advocate for Hoover’s release, said he prays that Gov. JB Pritzker follows suit to commute Hoover’s life sentence for murder in Illinois.“I think it should have happened under Biden. They should have done it under Barack Obama,” Bradley says. “I commend Trump for doing it.”Bradley says the last time he spoke to Hoover was in 2014 when Bradley was in Mississippi on a tour for his book, “Murder to Excellence: Growth & Development for the Millennial Generation.”“His wife had him on a speaker phone and he was telling people to stop the violence,” Bradley says.This is a developing story.