Sean Duffy is Trump pick for NASA interim head
"He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time," Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday, July 9.
NASA funding: Dozens of NASA space missions could be axed under Trump's budget
Here's everything to know about Duffy, the former Wisconsin Republican Congressman and reality TV star who will lead the world's largest space agency.
Trump picks transportation secretary Sean Duffy for NASA acting administrator
Duffy will serve as the interim administrator of NASA as the Trump administration continues to search for a candidate to formally take over the post for the rest of the president's term.
"Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country's Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Congratulations, and thank you, Sean."
???? Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let's launch. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/ZBoEgPnwz4 — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 10, 2025
In his own post on X shortly after the president's announcement, Duffy said he is "honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let's launch.
Who is Sean Duffy? What to know about NASA's new head
Duffy, 53, was confirmed Jan. 28 by the Senate as U.S. transportation secretary.
His tenure was immediately marked by tragedy after a fatal aviation crash near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people
At his confirmation hearing on Jan. 15, Duffy said he would prioritize adding more air traffic controllers to improve aviation safety while promising to work with Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates Boeing, to restore international confidence in the plane manufacturer after fatal crashes overseas.
Prior to serving in the Trump Administration, Duffy represented Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.
But long before his political career, Duffy was a reality television star. He began his television career on MTV's "The Real World: Boston" during its sixth season and even met his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, who hosts "Fox & Friends Weekend," while filming for an MTV show.
Duffy to replace Janet Petro
Since Trump's inauguration, NASA has been led by Acting Administrator Janet Petro.
A veteran NASA executive, Petro will step down from her role to make way for Duffy, the New York Times reported.
Why did Trump drop Jared Isaacman as NASA nominee?
Billionaire Jared Isaacman, who has been to space twice under missions he bankrolled with SpaceX, had been Trump's first pick to lead NASA.
Isaacman's nomination was well-received by most of the space community and members of Congress.
But at a critical time when the U.S. space agency is preparing to return humans to the moon and send the first astronauts to Mars, Trump suddenly pulled Isaacman's bid in late-May. The decision came after Isaacman had cleared the Senate Commerce Committee in April and appeared on track for a full Senate vote.
A bit of clarification--though I don't think my circumstances are particularly interesting or consequential. That said, and regardless of the points below, the President is entitled to assemble the leadership team he believes will best serve his administration.
I have been... pic.twitter.com/mTGD53QcP6 — Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) July 7, 2025
Trump discussed Isaacman's nomination July 6 in a long social media post bashing his former ally and advisor Elon Musk, saying he thought it would have been "inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon ... run NASA."
Trump further said of Isaacman that he "was surprised to learn that he was a blue-blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before."
Isaacman pushed back against Trump's claims in a post Monday, July 7 on X, describing himself as an apolitical "right-leaning moderate."
Could more than 2,000 senior employees quit at NASA?
Duffy is set to take over an agency that has undergone workforce reductions and is preparing for a potential massive looming budget cut.
Trump's proposed budget for the next fiscal year would slash NASA funding by nearly 25% - from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion - mostly by eliminating a significant portion of the agency's science portfolio.
And on July 10, news broke that around 2,145 senior-ranking employees at NASA are set to leave under a push to shed staff, Politico reported, citing documents obtained by the news outlet. Most employees leaving are in senior-level government positions, the report said, adding that the agency has offered staff early retirement, buyouts and deferred resignations.
Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY; Reuters
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
He was a Congressional aide gunned down a mile from the White House. His shocking death raises new fears about the lawless state of the nation's capital
Eric Tarpinian-Jachym believed he had nothing to fear. The 21-year-old congressional intern was standing not far from the seat of power in the heart of the capital, a place that should be the most protected in the United States. He was loving life in Washington - the people, the walks, the invitations to dinners for rising political stars, the hustle and bustle so different to the rural town of his childhood in Massachusetts. But on the night of June 30, Eric was heading toward Mount Vernon Square Metro station to grab a late meal when gunfire erupted. 'My son had a false sense of security that time of night in that area,' his mother, Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym, 62, told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview. 'It happened a mile away from the White House. 'Eric took the bullet for a 16-year-old. He was an innocent bystander. I think America needs to know that they're not safe in D.C. My son paid the ultimate price.' That randomness makes the pain all the more devastating. Eric was not the intended target. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in the line of fire in a city struggling to get its streets under control. He became Washington's 85th homicide of the year, one of several shooting victims in a weekend of violence. A woman and a teenage boy suffered serious injuries in the same incident near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, among others elsewhere in the capital. Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, worked for Republican Congressman Rob Estes of Kansas as a congressional intern. He died when gunfire erupted in an altercation between two groups on June 30 Eric, pictured with his mother Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym celebrating his 17th birthday, had a close relationship with his parents Days later, over the Fourth of July holiday, at least four were killed, including three-year-old Honesty Cheadle, struck by a stray bullet while sitting in a car after watching the fireworks with her family. The growing reach and unpredictability of the crime wave was perhaps underscored by the arrest of a man in December for physically assaulting congresswoman Nancy Mace inside the Rayburn Office Building just steps from where lawmakers conduct daily business. Despite a modest drop in overall homicides compared with this time last year, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Department chief Pamela Smith are under pressure to address the recent spate of shootings, stabbings, car jackings and robberies. There is talk now of potential political fallout from some Congress members using Eric's death and the latest violent crime as a way to repeal the District of Columbia's Home Rule Act. 'These two women have to get on the same page and work collaboratively with the federal government if they need assistance to help make Washington D.C. and the District of Columbia safe for the people who live there, work there, and the people who visit from all over the world,' Tamara said. 'This is not a political issue. It is a safety issue. If it happened to my son it could happen to anyone. We need to have more police officers at night on the streets. This is a problem in the nation's capital. It should be the safest place in America.' Asked about the shooting of Eric at a Fourth of July Preparedness press briefing, Smith said the police department was working with the FBI to help enhance grainy video footage captured of the suspects, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. 'Major Crime Unit Detectives are doing good work making sure we can kinda bring this case to a close,' she said, before adding that she had expressed condolences to the family. But with Monday marking two weeks since the tragedy, Tamara said she was still uncertain about how her son died. 'I don't know anything,' she said. 'They don't tell the family. I am being sincere about that. I know it's a homicide and they are being very tight-lipped and want to catch these people. 'But no one told me: 'The FBI is getting involved, Ms Jachym.' Nobody called me to say: 'They are increasing the reward [from $25,000 to $40,000], Ms Jachym.' 'No communication. I don't know where that is coming from, not even letting us know. I know it is an investigation but hearing it on the news? We are the parents. That is what is hurtful to us.' Eric pictured with his family: (l-r) brother Jeremy, 27; father Bob, 71; mother Tamara, 61; and sister Angela, 31 at a friend's wedding on Long Island in August 2024 Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department responded to reports of gunfire around 10.30pm, near 1200 7th Street. Pictured: Police cordon off the area near the shooting Multiple masked suspects exited a vehicle and opened fire on a group of people, striking three individuals, according to police. Pictured: Yellow police tape blocks off area around the shooting Upon arrival, officers found Eric Tarpinian-Jachym unconscious, along with two other victims who were conscious When the Daily Mail inquired if anyone from the Metropolitan Police Department had contacted the victim's family, Tom Lynch, a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist, said he would look into it. By Friday afternoon, there was still no response. Lynch said that he did not have significant updates to provide on the investigation. 'We continue to implore the public to come forward with tips,' he added. Eric's mother has been left piecing together the details of her son's last moments as best she can. Friends have said that he was texting them while heading to the Metro en route to McDonald's. On the night of the shooting, she learned, several masked men got out of a black Acura SUV, and opened fire. A man in a wheelchair flung himself off a nearby stoop and tried to take cover. He later described it as: 'Bullet after bullet after bullet', and then someone called 911. There had apparently been an argument earlier in the day between one of the gunshot victims and this group of people, and the situation subsequently escalated. Though the shooting took place on the Monday night, Tamara did not learn until two days later that it was Eric who had been 'gunned down and murdered'. Her daughter, Angela, 31, a social worker, was at home the morning after the shooting when a call came in from the office of Representative Rob Estes to say that Eric had not shown up for work which was 'not like him. He's very conscientious.' Far from fearing the worst, Tamara assumed that her son, who had a heart condition and bad asthma, might have experienced a medical episode. His friends pinged Eric's phone and contacted her to say that it was at the police department. Though concerned by now, she was not yet panicked. Her immediate reaction was, 'Oh, my God, what the heck did that kid do? Did he lose his phone? God, I hope he didn't get mugged?' While Tamara was calling the police to seek information, Angela saw a news report that there had been a shooting in DC. 'Oh, Angela,' she told her daughter, 'that's not Eric. Come on.' But Angela's instincts told her otherwise. Tamara began to call and text her son, asking, 'Eric, are you okay? Please, Eric?' There was no reply. The MPD is offering a $40,000 reward for information on the shooting death of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym At this point, she asked the police to do a welfare check at his apartment at the Wharf, a waterfront neighborhood in Southwest DC. One of his two roommates broke the locked bedroom door down but Eric wasn't there. Tamara began pleading for any information available from a police officer, who told her that he wasn't able to share anything and she would be called in a few hours. When mother and daughter finally got someone on the line, all they were given was a contact number in Washington to call on arrival and, by early morning Wednesday, Eric's parents were on a plane heading to DC. When they arrived, Tamara asked a detective: 'I want to know if my son is dead or alive. Is he the one in the hospital?' She had packed enough clothing for a month, still thinking that her son was merely wounded. 'I didn't know if Eric was on a ventilator in a hospital. I honestly thought my son was the boy shot. I didn't think he was dead.' But she was soon to learn that a bullet hit and killed Eric and that the intended target, a teenager, had been paralyzed from a spinal injury. She barely recalls handing over her son's dental records to a detective. 'Every national paper was calling for me to make a comment and I just found out my baby died,' she said through tears. 'It was surreal. Like a bad dream. 'You're prepared for an illness that might take them. Yes, it's not easy. You're prepared for a car accident, maybe, because kids are kids and everyone's distracted. I've always been prepared for that with all my children. Like, God, I don't want it to happen. But you never think a homicide.' Until that moment, Eric had overcome many adversities in his short life with enormous determination and grit, Tamara said, from almost dying during childbirth to ongoing health challenges and severe dyslexia. 'He had a 135 IQ. He couldn't read, and writing was a struggle but he worked really hard to read and he become a good writer. He was very good at mathematics, taught himself multiplication. A doctor told him he had exceptional deductive reasoning. He also taught himself chess.' Eric, standing by the Rose Garden near The White House, loved DC, his mother said Eric started his internship with US Republican Representative Ron Estes for Kansas in June And, so, there he was in April, standing outside the White House Rose Garden, texting his mother photographs of himself dressed in khakis and a pink shirt. 'He said, 'Mom, the military band was so beautiful. It was the best day of my life. Thank you.'' 'He looked so preppy in that photo. But he loved to be in the woods.' It was only last month that she heard the same excitement in his voice again, when he met some influential political leaders. 'He called me and said: 'Mom, I sat behind Chairman Powell [talking] about the reserve and interest rates and C-Span was there, and I learned so much.'' 'He was so humble, a very kind person, and he liked all people. He didn't care what race you were, what party you were with.' Representative Ron Estes issued a statement, saying he will remember Eric's 'kind heart' Passionate about public service and intent on making a positive difference, Eric had thrown himself into working for Estes, the Republican representative for Kansas, after a fellowship at the Fund for American Studies. In a statement issued soon after his death, Estes said: 'I will remember his kind heart and how he always greeted anyone who entered our office with a cheerful smile. We are grateful to Eric for his service to Kansas' 4th District and the country.' Eric was also an accomplished outdoorsman and professional archer in the USA Archery Nationals but was forced to put down his bow for good after becoming unwell during the COVID pandemic. A member of many recreational clubs, the Pioneer Valley Boat and Surf appointed him as the youngest person on the board of directors and wanted Eric to be club president because of his 'perseverance and how he respected life, animals and fishing'. One of his greatest joys was going on fishing trips all over Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York with his father. Tamara shared a picture from late May when they went to Block Island together - Eric beams out, holding a giant striped bass. 'They fished all day and he said to his father, 'Dad this was the best day with you and I will never forget it,'' she said. The two would go to Dunkin Donuts every day at 4pm whether Eric was at home in Granby or studying finance and political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Bob ordered coffee and his son a Refresher before looking at the goings-on in the stock market and talking about fishing. One of Eric's greatest joys was going on fishing trips all over with his father, Bob. Above, he proudly holds the catch of the day - a striped bass - during a trip to Block Island on May 28 Another massive catch for Eric who was night fishing in Quonnie, Rhode Island with a friend The waiting - for answers and for Eric's body - has compounded Tamara and Bob's loss. After so many agonizing days, they finally learned late last week that their son would be coming home for a funeral mass at St Cecilia Parish in Wilbraham at 11am on Thursday. 'His father has aged 20 years,' she said. 'My husband's 72. This is killing him, not knowing and just getting bits of pieces of information.' Eric had been acutely aware that his time in Washington was coming at the cost of being with his parents, Tamara said. 'I feel jipped,' he once explained to her. 'You guys had me so late in life. You were 40 and Dad was 50. My siblings had Dad longer and I just want to spend every minute with you both because I know you're getting older and will die, and I don't want that.' Tamara wept recounting the conversation. Eric had been right that their time left together was going to be short but, in the end, it was they who lost him too soon. In honor of Eric's life and the values he embodied, a scholarship is being established by his family and the Fund for American Studies. The Eric Tarpinian-Jachym Memorial Scholarship will support future undergraduate students to attend the Fund's programs in Washington, D.C.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Jeffery Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is ready to reveal 'truth' of the pedophile client list, say insiders. So, why are Republicans blocking her?
Ghislaine Maxwell is willing to speak in front of Congress about The Epstein Files, sources tell Daily Mail. Maxwell, 63, is the only person behind bars - serving 20 years on child sex trafficking charges - despite the fact that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein allegedly controlled a web of underage girls.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Elon Musk rips Trump's ‘boys and gals' defense of AG Pam Bondi over Epstein-gate: ‘Worst post ever'
Elon Musk dug the knife into Donald Trump's side again on Saturday as the fallout over the White House's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continues to damage the president and his team. The Twitter and Tesla billionaire weighed in as a response to an X user who screenshotted a particularly oddly-worded Truth Social post from Trump on Saturday, who wrote a lengthy post urging his followers to drop the matter. 'This is in the running for worst post ever made,' wrote the X user. 'Seriously,' Musk responded. 'He said 'Epstein' half a dozen times while telling everyone to stop talking about Epstein. 'Just release the files as promised.' According to reports, the deputy FBI director grew heated at Bondi during a Wednesday meeting in the Oval Office attended by White House chief of staff Susie Wiles this past week. Bongino did not report to the FBI headquarters on Friday after the heated discussion with Bondi in the Oval Office, where the deputy director accused his superior of mismanaging the review of the investigation into Epstein, who died in 2019 in a Manhattan detention facility while awaiting prosecution on sex crimes, multiple outlets reported. After being blamed internally for a minute of tape seemingly missing from a video released by the FBI of the area outside of Epstein's cell on the night of his death, Bongino — who as a Fox News host fanned the flames of conspiracy theories about Epstein's death in jail — and others were incensed by the ferocity of the blowback on the right. That is now an open civil war among the MAGA crowd over the shuttering of the case. Administration officials, including Bongino, kicked off a firestorm with a declaration that Epstein's death was a suicide, and that there was no evidence to support the existence of a list summarizing the disgraced pedophile's accomplices. 'Bongino is out of control furious,' the person who has spoken with the deputy FBI director said. 'This destroyed his career. He's threatening to quit and torch Pam unless she's fired.' Bondi remains at the center of Bongino's ire and general accusations of mismanagement of the Epstein review largely due to a comment she made on Fox News earlier this year. During an interview, Bondi said that she had the client list 'on her desk'. She responded to an interviewer's question about the list being made public: 'It's sitting on my desk right now to review.' But in recent days Bondi has explained that she was referring to the full investigation itself, not a 'client list', sitting on her desk. It's an explanation that has satisfied few on the MAGA right, and a wide range of Trump-aligned influencers are calling on Bondi and others to resign or be fired. Trump himself has found himself accused of involvement, given his known friendship with Epstein before the latter's criminal conviction. The inner tension within the administration spurred the president's post Saturday evening. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?'' Trump wrote on his social media platform. 'They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!' It also triggered one of the White House comms office's typically angry statements. 'This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all,' wrote spokesman Harrison Fields. Musk fueled the fire once before earlier this summer, when he tweeted that Trump's inclusion on the supposed client list was the reason it was not being released. "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files," he tweeted in June. "That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" That comment was largely ignored at the time, given reports of Musk's alleged drug use and very public fallout with the president over the GOP budget reconciliation plan. With a habit for embracing utter falsehoods and nonsense, the onetime DOGE overlord's tweet was dismissed by Trump's allies. The bill eventually passed, despite Musk's opposition. He would, after a few days, delete his initial accusation of the president. The re-embrace of Epstein conspiracy-shopping by Musk is no surprise, given that the pendulum of MAGA popular opinion has suddenly shifted in his favor.
