DOGE staffers who are working at the Department of Energy do not have access to U.S. nuclear secrets, Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC in an interview Friday.
“I’ve heard these rumors. They’re like seeing our nuclear secrets. None of that is true at all,” Wright told CNBC’s Brian Sullivan in an exclusive interview. One of the core responsibilities of the department is maintaining and modernizing the U.S. nuclear stockpile.
The secretary said three staffers from the Elon Musk-led advisory team that the Trump administration calls the Department of Government Efficiency are working in the Energy Department’s offices.
“I know exactly who they are,” the secretary said. “They run through, checked by our security, and they have access to look around, talk to people and give us some good feedback on how things are going.”
Wright’s comments come after people familiar with the matter told CNN that a 23-year-old representative from DOGE was given access to the Energy Department’s IT system over objections from members of the general counsel and chief information offices.
The people identified the staffer to CNN as a former SpaceX intern named Luke Farritor. He was granted access to basic IT systems such as email and Microsoft 365, one of the people told CNN.
CNBC has reached out to the Department of Energy for comment on the details of CNN’s report.
DOGE staffers’ access to government systems has raised privacy concerns. Wright told CNBC that the staffers “don’t have anybody’s proprietary information.” The secretary compared the staffers to “young gun management consultants coming in to take a critical look at how things are run.”
A DOGE staff member, Marko Elez, resigned Thursday after The Wall Street Journal connected the 25-year-old to a social media account that made racist posts. Elez had received approval from a federal judge earlier in the day to access the Treasury Department’s payment system, but the judge restricted his ability to share data from that system.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a fun, dependable, sporty crossover that still looks great, even years after its initial launch. And despite the very vocal whining of the internal combustion purists, this very real Mustang outsold its internal-combustion siblings by more than 2:1 in August.
“Pony cars” like the Camaro and Mustang aren’t great commuters, and aren’t especially practical, either. That’s why, throughout their history, they’ve been largely seen as second cars, young people’s cars, or one of the Mustang’s OG nicknames from the 1970s and well into the 90s, “secretary’s sports cars.” As such, when the economy is uncertain, pony cars don’t sell that well – and even though the Camaro is dead and the new electric Charger is struggling to find an audience, the ICE Mustang is feeling some of that negative pressure.
Through August, a total of 31,015 internal combustion Mustangs have been sold, representing more than an 8% decline from the same period in 2024 and less than 10% of the total number sold from January-August in the Mustang’s record sales year (~607,000 units in 1966).
Still a great car
Mustang Mach-E Rally testing; via Ford.
The Mustang Mach-E is only slightly outpacing the ICE Mustang at 34,319 units through the first eight months of 2025, representing a nearly 7% increase from 2024, when demand was artificially low while buyers waited for supercharger access and/or NACS ports. But it’s that eight month we really want to look at, with Ford delivering a total of 7,226 Mustang Mach-E crossovers compared to just 3,235 ICE models.
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And, before you get too excited, that’s a solid month for a modern era ICE Mustang, with 3,235 representing a 2.2% increase in sales compared to 2024. All of which is to say: no, EV sales aren’t slowing – Americans just don’t understand fractions.
If you’re interested in seeing what all the fuss is about, you can score 0% interest financing for up to 75 months on new Mustang Mach-Es in some markets, plus $7,500 and free “standard” home charger installation. There are probably some great deals on ICE Mustangs, too, if you’re into that sort of thing. You can click on the links below to find local offers on both Mustangs in your area:
Ford sold 10,671 electric vehicles in August, up more than 19.3% from last year, with sales of hybrid Fords also surging nearly 24% compared to 2024. EVs and hybrid continue to outpace the rest of the market in general, and the same is true at Ford, which is up “just” 4% across all models for the first eight months of 2025.
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Combining the unique qualities of Liebherr Stereoloaders with an innovative BEV drivetrain, the six-ton L 507 E raises the bar for electric construction equipment – which is why, when this Danish recycling company decided to get serious about decarbonizing, they chose Liebherr.
Danish waste management company Amager Ressourcecenter (ARC) manages waste recycling for a numober of municipalities in the greater Copenhagen area. Recently, ARC announced plans to make serious reductions to its harmful carbon emissions by investing in new, zero-emission vehicles. To that end, the company has already deployed more more than 200 EVs – including eight (8) new Liebherr L 507 E electric wheel loaders.
That’s a serious investment and a very serious amount of money. As you can imagine, the decision wasn’t an easy one.
“After an intensive selection process, we decided in favor of battery-electric wheel loaders L 507 E from Liebherr,” explains Casper Schwartz Glottrup, Waste & Tender Consultant at ARC. “This model convinced us and our operators the most and fulfills our requirements perfectly.
“Our eight new wheel loaders have now been in operation for around six months,” adds Glottrup. “The battery-electric drive concept works perfectly. The battery life of the wheel loaders is sufficient for a full working day at our recycling centers without intermediate charging. We are very satisfied with our investment, which we financed with our own funds and without state subsidies.”
Liebherr L 507 E
L 507 E electric wheel loader, via Liebherr.
The “Stereoloader” stereo steering developed by Liebherr gives its wheel loader operators incredibly precise control over machines like the L 507 E by combining articulated steering with an independently steered rear axle. The result is a machine that combines the advantages of two different steering systems in one machine. It’s a genuinely trick piece of engineering, and one that’s already proven itself over decades of deployment in conventional, ICE-powered Liebherr wheel loaders.
The L 507 E’s standard 32.2 kWh li-ion battery promises up to 8 hours of continuous run time. But because it’s modular, you can drop in another battery for a total of 64.4 kWh and sixteen (!) hours of continuous operation. More than enough to handle several shifts of heavy work.
The loader’s battery is capable of DC fast charging back to full capacity in about 1.5 hours, or 3 hours in 64.4 kWh configuration.
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Hyundai is keeping the savings going after extending its EV deals yet again. With leases starting as low as $179 a month, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 is hard to pass up right now.
Hyundai extends IONIQ 5, IONIQ 9 lease deals
After a “breakout” month for IONIQ 5 sales in August, Hyundai looks to keep the momentum rolling. At least for another month.
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 remains a top-selling EV in the US, and might be your best bet if you’re looking to go electric.
Through its Hyundai Getaway sales event, the 2025 IONIQ 5 was listed for lease for as low as $179 per month in August. Although the deals were set to end on September 2, Hyundai has extended them until the end of the month.
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The 2025 IONIQ 5, now with more range, an NACS port, and a stylish new design, can still be leased for just $179 per month.
That’s for the Standard Range SE trim with a driving range of 245 miles. The extended range IONIQ 5 SE, with up to 318 miles of range, is available from $199 per month.
The new 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Limited with a Tesla NACS port (Source: Hyundai)
You can even snag the souped-up XRT trim for under $300 a month right now. All the offers are for a 24-month lease with $3,999 due at signing.
The deals include the $7,500 EV Lease Bonus, which is also set to expire at the end of September. With the bonus, the net cap cost drops to just $24,380 (SE Standard Range RWD model).
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Trim
EV Powertrain
Driving Range (miles)
Starting Price*
Monthly lease price September 2025
IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range
168-horsepower rear motor
245
$42,500
$179
IONIQ 5 SE RWD
225-horsepower rear motor
318
$46,550
$199
IONIQ 5 SEL RWD
225-horsepower rear motor
318
$49,500
$209
IONIQ 5 Limited RWD
225-horsepower rear motor
318
$54,200
$309
IONIQ 5 SE Dual Motor AWD
320-horsepower dual motor
290
$50,050
$249
IONIQ 5 SEL Dual Motor AWD
320-horsepower dual motor
290
$53,000
$259
IONIQ 5 XRT Dual Motor AWD
320 horsepower dual motor
259
$55,400
$359
IONIQ 5 Limited Dual Motor AWD
320-horsepower dual motor
269
$58,100
$299
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 price, range, and lease price in September
Hyundai also extended the offers for its new three-row electric SUV, the IONIQ 9. Leases for the 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 start at $419 per month. If you choose to finance it, Hyundai is offering a $5,000 cash bonus on all trims.
Both the 2025 IONIQ 5 and 2026 IONIQ 9 are built at Hyundai’s EV plant in Georgia, enabling them to qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit. With the credit set to expire at the end of September, the savings will likely disappear. It will be up to the automakers to step in with significant incentives to keep lease prices as low as they are.
Want to lock in the deals before they are gone? Check the links below to find local offers on the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 2026 IONIQ 9 in your area.
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