In the first weeks of Donald Trump’s second term in office, Elon Musk has been busy seizing control of instruments of government power, causing many to wonder who is really in charge. “Elon Musk is President,” The Atlantic ’s Jonathan Lemire declared. “There has never been a private citizen like him.”

Texas becomes the first US state to ban the Chinese AI app DeepSeek, citing national security risks. The move follows concerns about data security, with fears that the Chinese government could access sensitive information stored in China.