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3 hours ago
As the Trump administration continues its full-throttle attack on federal organisations and to shutter venerable American institutions at a dizzying rate, those opposed to how the White House intends to make America great again have found a clear focus for their anger in Elon Musk, the president’s chainsaw-wielder-in-chief.
For our big story, Lauren Gambino examines how growing difficulties for Musk have given heart to Democrats as they see his recognition factor and billionaire status as an easy rallying point to rebuild their own battered political fortunes. Donald Trump, sensing the growing backlash against his major donor, joined Musk to showcase a Tesla car on the White House lawn but the iconic electric car is bearing the brunt of protest, as Dara Kerr and Nick Robins-Early report.
The catalogue of attacks on Tesla vehicles and dealerships involving graffiti, eggs, faeces, slashed tyres and worse is continuing to rise in the US and Europe. But there is an alternative to violence as Gaby Hinsliff notes, wryly observing that choosing not to buy a brand won’t get anyone arrested but clearly riles Trump and Musk.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | On the frontline of the tariff wars
Leyland Cecco takes the pulse of Hamilton, Ontario’s steel-making hub, after the Trump administration imposed a 25% levy on imports of Canadian steel and aluminium
Environment | Loess regained
The Loess plateau was the most eroded place on Earth until China took action and reversed decades of damage from grazing and farming, finds Helen Davidson
Feature | A Syrian civil war survivor
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad chronicles the life of Mustafa, determined to succeed in the new Syria even with his past as a forced soldier for the Assad regime
Opinion | Trump’s every misstep brings chaos
The honeymoon is over for a president who seems to personify the law of unintended consequences, says Simon Tisdall
Culture | A painter in her own write
Celia Paul tells Charlotte Higgins about her relationship with Lucian Freud and the struggles of being out of step with the art world
What else we’ve been reading
The piece that has stayed with me most over the past week is John Harris’s touching account of the struggles and joys of bringing up his autistic son, James, and the shared love of music that brought them together. I cried on the bus as I read the final paragraphs about the pair’s performance in a school talent show. Clare Horton, assistant editor
With the city of Goma besieged by M23 rebels and Rwandan troops, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo turned to foreign mercenaries to bolster their weakened armed forces. Instead of the promised experienced, battle-hardened soldiers, the resulting ‘circus’ saw a humiliation of ill-equipped supermarket guards, truck drivers and ‘very big mistakes’. Neil Willis, production editor
Other highlights from the Guardian website
Audio | Israel shatters Gaza ceasefire
Video | Can the UK fix its broken prison system?
Gallery | Did you catch that? On the boats with Cornish fishers
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