Dan Mitchinson: US Correspondent on Elon Musk's exit, a tariff update on the forever chemicals found in American beer

In a surprise ... many saw coming, Elon Musk has announced he is leaving his role in the United States Government.

The billionaire's role was dedicated to reducing federal spending, work which became known as DOGE.

He has complained that DOGE had become a “whipping boy” for dissatisfaction with the administration.

US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about his step away, a tariff update and the forever chemicals found in American beer.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
International correspondence with Ends and Eye Insurance, Peace of Mind
for New Zealand Business, Jan Matchison, US correspondence with US
Hello Dan.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hello Heather?

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Where have you been?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
You mean in general today the last.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Haven't you haven't been on the show with us for days?
Where have you been?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Oh? Oh, I had an anniversary that's right earlier this week,
so you're.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
We're a marriage anniversary.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
No, it was a marriage anniversary. What goal have you
achieved nine years? Which is I know, I know, it's
just a drop in the bucket, but thank you, thank
you very nice.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Now you should celebrate nice things in your life. I'm
glad you in to made the most of it. Dan,
Where are we at with the Tariff's? What's going on?
I honestly thought Trumpy would take this as an opportunity
to just bail out of them and go, oh look
we was too hard and don't worry about it.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
But no, no, no, no, no, Actually it's kind of funny.
I saw this trending, I think yesterday, so I had
a sort of google it and find out what they
were talking about. Taco trade, which is what Wall Street
analysts have now coined this phrase because it's it's their
belief that the President Trump always chickens out from imposing
these these steep import taxes. And so he was asked

(01:13):
about this in the Oval office and he said, you know,
that's a nasty question. But basically, yeah, like you just
said in the world wires, I mean, the US Court
of International Trade has ruled that he exceeded his authority
on the power. So the court gave the White House
ten days to remove almost all the tariffs. The White
House appealed, and then the Federal Appeals Court has now
stayed the court's ruly, which means as a going to

(01:33):
stay in place for the time being, in one way
or the other. I mean, these tariffs are going to
go through. I mean, this has been a huge part
of his agenda for the first one hundred plus day.
So I think they'll find a way to tack these
on somehow.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
All right, now, what has happened with the Elon musk.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Gosh, you know, I'm trying to think back to maybe
it was six months ago you had somebody on your show.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Good Try, Okay, So what happened was what was the
it was? It was no Vimba Teeth of No Zimba
twenty twenty four when one Dan Mitchinson made this prediction.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
I think in six months from now, we're going to say, hey,
whatever happened to that bromance, and he's going to be
on to somebody else. Honestly, I think that's why.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, so let me just count some one of him
December January, februy, March April, so you're just a month out.
But that's pretty good.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
That is That is yeah. Actually, I mean it was
only a matter of time. I mean, he sat down
for this big interview with CBS Sunday morning, it's going
to be it's going to be airing, and he says,
you know, he agrees with a lot of what the
administration does, but he says he also has a difference
of opinion, and he says there are things that he
doesn't entirely agree on, and I think we've seen that
more and more of the last thirty and sixty days.
But he says, it's kind of hard to bring that

(02:41):
up if you're appear to be criticizing the president, because
it's a bone of contention, And he says, I'm kind
of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I
don't want to speak up against administration, but I don't
want to take responsibility for everything that they're doing. So,
you know, he says, I'm kind of stuck. And so
I think these two are just sort of having a
parting of the ways, which one.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
I mean, it doesn't sound like it's terribly hostile, is it.
I mean, it doesn't sound like it's total bromance, but
it's not hostile either.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
No, No, I don't think so. I mean, you know,
the Musk wasn't going to stay there for the entire
four years, and you know, Tesla and the board of
directors right now are saying you got to get back
and focus on your number one priority because you know,
stock and sales are down, you know, thirty forty percent
right now. So I think that's what he's going to
be turning his attention to. But you know, there's definitely,
I think, been a little bit more tension in the

(03:29):
last few months than there was back in November and
December in the early part of this year between the two.
But I'm glad. You know, every once in a while,
unlike what my kids might say or even my wife
on occasion, I can be right.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
About so almost right, almost right.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Yes, almost right, Yes, yes, Now, these three.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Of the chemicals have been found in American beer. How
do they end up there?

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, I mean ninety five percent of beers that they
tested had these synthetic chemicals in them, and they're basically
coming in from the water that's used to brew beer.
I mean they're called forever chemicals, and the Environmental Protection
Agency had established a limit for them in drinking water,
and then researchers said, well, wait a minute, this isn't
good because they're linked to cancer and thyroid disease and

(04:12):
liver damage and fertility problems. And so they're testing in
certain parts of the country right now. I think North
Carolina had the highest you know number of these toxins.
And bottom line is it means the standard of water
filtration over here right now for some of these systems
and breweries is not effective enough. And it means we
need better ways to treat our water, and not just
you know, breweries, but also at local water plants that

(04:34):
we're drinking here and there. And I'll have to go
back when you were talking about the best water, the
best water ever comes out of a hose tap. In
my opinion, I still as a kid, I look back
on that I think that's the best tasting water.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
N Dan, it tastes like the hose.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Though, oh no, no, no, da hot.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
Time, Dan, it tastes like the hose, which means that
you like the taste of the hose.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Well, it's better. And then the one of your listeners
was seeing the sewage or they had a nutty taste.
I mean, I'll take the hose over that any deal.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
Well, I think we all would. Okay, that's kind of weird,
but I love that. Dan Mitchison always an odd man,
our US correspondent, that hoes always it always because especially
in the summer a it's been like that hose has
been sitting there cooking. You know what I'm talking about it?
You know, when you drink like you get the kids.
You get the kids, You give the kids the little
rubbery cups and plates and stuff so they don't smash
everything while the while they're busy pretending to eat and

(05:30):
you drink something out of it, and hm, I can
taste m Yesterday's rah ro in this water, do you
know what I mean? And it's the same thing with
the hose, isn't it. That hose has been sitting there
in the summer in the baking sun, and it's just
it's just cooked up a nice little hose taste. And
then you put the water through it, you taste that hose.
You absolute weirdo Dan Anyway. For more from Heather Duplessy

(05:50):
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