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Tesla’s stock jumped more than 8% in New York trading on Monday after CEO Elon Musk disclosed that he purchased more than 2.5 million shares worth roughly $1 billion through a trust. The purchase marks his first open-market buy of Tesla stock in over five years.

According to a regulatory filing, Musk acquired various amounts of shares (between $372 and $396 per share) for a total of 2.57M shares, marking the largest single purchase he has made since first investing in the company two decades ago. Musk’s last direct buy was in February 2020, when he spent $10 million to pick up 200,000 shares at about $50 apiece.

Investors interpreted the move as a strong vote of confidence in the electric vehicle maker he founded, fueling a pre-market rally of over $30 per share. Tesla’s stock opened at $428.05 on the NASDAQ. This momentum adds to what has already been a strong quarter for Tesla. Since hitting a low of $293.94 on July 7, the stock has gained more than 25%.

The company’s performance earlier in the year was less encouraging. Tesla faced backlash in the U.S. and Europe, where sales slowed amid controversy surrounding Musk’s close ties to President Donald Trump and his prominent role in the administration’s cost-cutting and jobs program.

The timing of Musk’s purchase is notable. Just a week earlier, Tesla announced plans to ask shareholders to approve a massive $975 billion compensation package for its CEO. The payout would be tied to Musk’s ability to deliver a sweeping turnaround strategy focused heavily on autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

To unlock the package, Musk must also drive Tesla’s market capitalization from its current level of around $1.3 trillion to an unprecedented $8.5 trillion. For perspective, today’s largest U.S. tech leaders — Apple, Microsoft, and NVIDIA — are valued between $2.6 trillion and $3.2 trillion. If those ambitious targets are achieved, Musk’s voting power would increase to between 25% and 29%, aligning with his previous statements that he would only consider steering Tesla more aggressively toward AI once his control was closer to 25%.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the United States and China have struck a “framework for a TikTok deal.” The announcement comes just days before another deadline that could have banned the popular app in the United States.

Bessent, who is in Madrid for trade talks with China, said President Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping will speak on Friday to “complete” the details. Bessent himself offered few details about the agreement, including a key sticking point about who would control TikTok’s algorithm (which dictates what users see on the app). Bessent said: “we’re not going to talk about the commercial terms of the deal, it’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon.”

Bessent continued: “We were very focused on TikTok and making sure that it was a deal that is fair for the Chinese and completely respects U.S. national security concerns, and that’s the deal we reached,” He added that the U.S. wanted to “ensure that the Chinese have a fair investment environment in the United States, but always that U.S. national security comes first.”

Acording to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang confirmed the two sides reached a “basic framework consensus properly resolving TikTok-related issues through cooperative means, reducing investment barriers, and promoting relevant economic and trade cooperation.”

Earlier on Monday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that an ongoing trade meeting between the United States, Europe and China is going well, and said that he’ll be speaking with President Xi Jinping on Friday. Trump teased that a deal was reached over TikTok, but did not provide any more details, writing: “A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!! President DJT”

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The 22-year-old man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is refusing to cooperate with authorities, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed Sunday, citing information also shared by two law enforcement officials.

Cox appeared on several Sunday morning talk shows, and said that investigators are still working to determine what drove the suspect, Tyler Robinson, to carry out the shooting. He noted that additional details could emerge after Robinson’s scheduled court appearance on Tuesday.

Robinson was arrested Friday and booked into the Utah County Jail on counts of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and felony discharge of a firearm resulting in serious injury, according to jail records. Authorities have described the shooting as a deliberate act, and the incident has drawn condemnation across the political spectrum. Investigators also revealed that the ammunition recovered from the weapon carried messages engraved with mocking and anti-fascist slogans tied to online meme culture. One casing bore the phrase: “Hey, fascist! Catch!”

Cox said in an interview with ABC News‘ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz that “he [Robinson] has not confessed to authorities. He is not cooperating .. But all the people around him are cooperating. And I think that’s very important.”

Cox said on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ that “there’s so much more that we’re learning, and so much more that we will learn,” There will be official charges filed on Tuesday, and there will be much more evidence and information available then. And again, we’re interviewing all kinds of people, everyone that knows him, and trying to learn more about what that motive actually was.”

Kirk, 31, co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot Wednesday while addressing an outdoor debate at Utah Valley University. He leaves behind his wife, Erika, and their two young children.

Governor Cox said that according to investigators, Robinson held left-leaning views and expressed animosity toward Kirk, a detail corroborated by those close to him: “that information comes from his friends and family” Cox said on CNN.

Cox also told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the suspect was in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who is cooperating with authorities. Cox said of the roommate: “what we have learned specifically is that this person did not have any knowledge, was shocked when they found out about it.” That person “is a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female,” Cox said, confirming earlier reports, and added that the roommate has been “very cooperative.”

State election records list Robinson as an unaffiliated, inactive voter, meaning he had not cast ballots in the last two elections: and he was too young to vote in 2020. Court documents further show Robinson had no criminal record—no felonies, misdemeanors, or history of violent offenses—prior to last week’s arrest.

Robinson was raised near St. George in southern Utah, and was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a child, according to church spokesperson Doug Andersen.

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Israel on Sunday morning, where he held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu focused on the ongoing war in Gaza. Before his departure, Rubio posted on social media outlining the priorities of his visit: securing the release of hostages, ensuring humanitarian aid reaches civilians, and confronting the threat posed by Hamas. Rubio said that “Hamas cannot continue to exist if peace in the region is the goal.”

As Rubio meets with Netanyahu, an Arab-Islamic summit will be held Monday in Qatar’s capital, Doha, where preparations have begun. The meeting seeks to draft a response to Israel’s attack in Qatar, as Arab nations face pressure to take meaningful action rather than making statements that have been viewed as ineffective. After Israel’s strike, the United States reportedly asked the Persian Gulf nation to continue its mediation efforts as Prime Minister Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said in a statement that Qatar “reserves the right to respond” to the attack. (per UPI).

Upon arriving at Ben Gurion Airport, Rubio and his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, were welcomed by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet. Shortly after, Rubio met privately with Netanyahu before the two made a joint visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, one of Judaism’s holiest sites. Netanyahu noted that he and Rubio placed a handwritten note in the cracks of the ancient stones, a longstanding tradition at the site. The visit included a tour of the archaeological area surrounding the Western Wall, joined by Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, as well as Rubio’s wife and the Huckabees.

Speaking about Rubio’s presence, Netanyahu said, “I think his visit here is a testament to the resilience and strength of the American-Israeli alliance, which is as durable and strong as the stones of the Western Wall that we just touched.”

According to a statement from Netanyahu, he and Rubio also offered a joint prayer for the hostages still held in Gaza, along with a prayer honoring President Donald Trump, whom the Israeli leader described as “a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.” Netanyahu went on to praise the U.S. partnership under Trump and Rubio’s leadership, stating that “under President Trump, Secretary Rubio and their entire team, this alliance has never been stronger, and we appreciate it very much. Not only on behalf of the people of Israel today, but also on behalf of the generations of Jews who came before us, in the hope that we will rebuild our country with friends like you. Thank you, Marco.”

According to the U.S. State Department, Rubio is expected to “convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming U.S. commitment to Israeli security” during his meetings with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.

High on the agenda is Israel’s planned operation to take control of Gaza City, the largest urban center in the Gaza Strip. Israel issued evacuation orders last week for city residents, warning that military operations there would be conducted “with great force.”

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