NPR's Michel Martin speaks with GOP strategist Tricia McLaughlin about how incoming presidential advisor Elon Musk helped hold up a federal spending deal, showcasing his growing political influence.

Michel Martin: The emails from your office to the Trump transition ... Elizabeth Warren: Think of it this way… Elon Musk owns many companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and X. The federal government has many touchpoints with all of those ...

Mass., wants incoming presidential advisor Elon Musk to sign an ethics pledge. She speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about what she says are Musk's conflicts of interest.

Michel Martin: The emails from your office to the ... Elizabeth Warren: Think of it this way… Elon Musk owns many companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and X. The federal government ...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wants incoming presidential advisor Elon Musk to sign an ethics pledge. She speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about... Sen. Warren urges Trump to hold Musk ...

TRICIA MCLAUGHLIN: Good morning, Michel. MARTIN ... He has great relationships both with Donald Trump, with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. MARTIN: OK. But you can see where these are very rich ...

Even as Musk has publicly criticized the F-35, it would appear the U.S. Department of Defense is sticking with the manned fifth-generation fighter. Last Friday, Lockheed Martin was awarded a nearly $12 billion contract to produce an additional 145 Lightning IIs for the U.S. military and its international allies.

Martin Short kicked off his monologue for his fifth time hosting "Saturday Night Live" by joking that he had to get through it quickly, because "I have 10 sketches to get to where I play an elf." He then added: "Also,

Congress has approved a short-term spending bill to fund the government until March 14. President Biden signed the legislation on Saturday.

The third attempt to avert a shutdown comes as House Republicans have spent the week trying to balance President-elect Donald Trump's policy demands with the realities of Congress. The trouble for Johnson began when Trump and his top advisors, namely Tesla founder Elon Musk, trashed a bipartisan deal that died soon thereafter.

Federal agencies run out of money at midnight tonight and lawmakers are scrambling to pass legislation before the deadline.

Congressional leaders released a stop-gap spending bill to fund the government until March 14 but Republicans, including President-elect Trump, are objecting to additional spending in the bill.