The operation was driven with a frenetic focus by the billionaire, who channeled his resentment of regulatory oversight into a drastic overhaul of government agencies.

For Musk, the world’s richest man and Tesla’s largest shareholder, those are just paper losses. He owns and runs several other companies — among them SpaceX, Twitter, and artificial intelligence startup xAI — so Tesla’s recent decline is just a flesh wound.

Making sense of Musk’s takeover. Plus: the danger Trump poses to Ukraine; why the public remains fascinated by the Pope; and an 1887 opera by a Black composer resurfaces.