Elon Musk showcases grip on Washington by impeding spending bill

The world's richest man flexed his muscles to tank lawmakers' first pass at a spending bill - will they fare better in round two?

• What is the debt ceiling?

Using the power of the social media platform he owns and the threat of spending millions against Republicans in primaries, Elon Musk effectively tanked a bipartisan congressional spending bill that would have kept the government running.

After their initial failure at Musk's hands, House Republicans on Thursday scrambled to put together another deal, which they said would provide a few months of spending and, according to reports, suspend the debt limit at Donald Trump's request. The pared-down spending bill failed to pass the US House in a vote on Thursday evening.