Elon Musk Dragged for Hypocrisy After Pathetic Plea to X Users

Elon Musk is asking you to make X a more upbeat place.

The tech billionaire pleaded with his 209 million X followers on Sunday, placing the onus of change for his dwindling social media investment on site users rather than himself.

“Please post a bit more positive, beautiful or informative content on this platform,” Musk posted.

X accounts were quick to throw the ball back into Musk’s court, urging him to create an algorithm where positive content could actually proliferate.

“You first,” snapped back lawyer and bluegrass banjo player Steve Martin.

“Getting tired of the toxic wasteland you created?” replied author Karen Piper.

Musk likely began to notice his site’s more toxic elements after he became enmeshed in a far-right feud over H-1B work visas last week. Last week, Musk vowed to “go to war on this issue,” insisting that foreign tech workers need to be allowed to work in the U.S. due to a “permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent.” That resulted in a backlash that has framed Musk and other H-1B proponents, like unofficial DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy, as MAGA targets amid Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. (The H-1B visa program has an annual cap set by Congress, admitting 65,000 foreign workers per year. In 2023, it was estimated that there were more than 700,000 H-1B visa holders in the U.S., according to data from the American Immigration Council.)

But surely, if anyone is to blame for the site’s increasingly volatile and disturbing content, it’s none other than Musk himself.

In the early days of Musk’s takeover, Twitter witnessed a mass exodus of employees, with Musk claiming he was simply trimming fat by firing upwards of 80 percent of site staff. His “free speech agenda” has further capped and undermined the site’s content moderation abilities, allowing dangerous rhetoric to flow freely on his platform. His dismantling of the site’s infrastructure has also translated to monumental changes on the website that have proved overwhelmingly unpopular. His tweaked algorithm has aggressively promoted advertisements and reshare accounts, restructured threads to the point that they no longer elevate relevant replies, and has even swapped code to ensure his own posts universally appear at the top of users’ timelines.

But despite his plea, even the most unsavory posts haven’t seemed to disturb Musk, who has himself spread Nazi conspiracies via his personal account, and allowed 105 percent more antisemitic hate speech to spread on the platform, according to a 2023 study.

Last year, the tech billionaire admitted that the site had lost 90 percent of its value since he acquired it for $44 billion in 2022.

A three-star U.S. Army general thinks that Elon Musk’s foreign business relationships could make him a significant threat to national security. 

Retired Lieutenant General Russel Honoré argued in a Sunday New York Times column that the SpaceX CEO’s willingness to capitulate to Chinese demands over the years should make his recent influence within Trump’s circle all the more questionable.  

Honoré referenced 2023 quotes from Musk’s DOGE buddy Vivek Ramaswamy to make his case. “I have no reason to think Elon won’t jump like a circus monkey when Xi Jinping calls in the hour of need,” Ramaswamy said in an interview. “It’s deeply concerning that @elonmusk met with China’s foreign minister yesterday to oppose decoupling and referred to the U.S. & Communist China as ‘conjoined twins,’” he wrote in another statement that year. “The U.S. needs leaders who aren’t in China’s pocket.”

Ramaswamy has since made amends with Musk, but his concerns still apply. Musk and SpaceX have already been flagged thrice by the Air Force, the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General, and the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security for failing to disclose his meetings with foreign leaders, something his current security clearance requires him to do. And his China business isn’t going anywhere either. 

Musk has borrowed at least $1.4 billion from Chinese government–controlled banks to pay for his massive Tesla “gigafactory” in Shanghai. He borrowed this money knowing full well that China’s laws allow the Chinese Communist Party to demand information from any company doing business in China in exchange for doing business there—a huge red flag for Honoré.

“Mr. Musk’s business dealings in China could require him to hand over sensitive classified information, learned either through his business interests or his proximity to President-elect Donald Trump. No federal agency has accused him of disclosing such material, but as Mr. Ramaswamy put it, China has recognized that U.S. companies are fickle,” Honoré wrote. “Mr. Musk’s relationship with China’s leaders could prove a problem for America’s national security given that SpaceX has a near monopoly on the United States’ rocket launches … the last thing the United States needs is for China to potentially have an easier way of obtaining classified intelligence and national security information.”

This has drawn the ire of Democrats and Republicans alike. In 2022, Senator Marco Rubio accused Tesla of obstructing justice for the CCP, and in 2023 he introduced a bill to stop NASA and other federal agencies from giving contracts to companies connected to the Chinese Communist Party. Two Democratic senators very recently called for a probe into Musk’s “reliability as a government contractor and a clearance holder” because of his reported phone call with Vladimir Putin. 

The line between civilian and elected official has become blurrier as Musk further cements himself as part of Trump’s inner circle. As Honoré wrote, the world’s richest man funding Trump’s return to the presidency “does not give the incoming White House the license to look the other way at the national security risks he may pose.”

President Joe Biden is funneling funds to Ukraine before Donald Trump takes the reins on America’s response to the international conflict.

The departing leader announced $6 billion in additional military and budget assistance to Ukraine on Monday. Approximately $1.25 billion in military aid stems from U.S. stockpiles, with another $1.22 billion coming from the final Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package from Biden’s term, reported Reuters. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also said that the U.S. has made available $3.4 billion in additional budget aid to Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.

“The Department of Defense is in the process of delivering hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles which will strengthen Ukraine’s hand as it heads into the winter,” Biden said in a statement. “At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office.”

The funds will be used for critical resources and longer-term supplies of air defense, artillery, and other weapons systems, according to Biden.

More than 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia invaded the Eastern European nation in February 2022. Cities have been leveled, and 370,000 injuries have been reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier this month. But Biden’s exit from the White House could mark the end of the U.S. commitment to aiding the war-torn nation.

One of Trump’s biggest and boldest campaign promises was that he would immediately end the Russian invasion of Ukraine—though his philosophy on how to achieve that was suspiciously scant of details and, at times, veered toward solutions that would invariably aid Russia.

In June, details dished by some of Trump’s advisers suggested that Trump would be open to an increase in U.S. weapons aid to Ukraine so long as it shows up for peace talks with Russia. The advisers envisioned that the peace talks would also quietly include Ukraine ceding part of the country that is currently occupied by Russian forces.

And some of Trump’s domestic decisions are reportedly “thrilling” Russian mouthpieces. Margarita Simonyan, the editor in chief of the Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT, claimed earlier this month that some of Trump’s most unqualified choices for his Cabinet—such as DOGE co-chair nominee Vivek Ramaswamy and director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard—are friendly faces that bring the Kremlin “lots of joy.”

Meanwhile, NATO (which Trump has long threatened to withdraw the U.S. from) is preparing for escalations on the Russian front. In early December, NATO chief Mark Rutte warned members that the international alliance must shift to a “wartime mindset,” predicting years of conflict with Russia as the superpower batters down Ukrainian forces.

“Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us,” Rutte said during a speech in Brussels in which he highlighted the short distance to where “Russian bombs are falling … Iranian drones are flying,” and “North Korean soldiers are fighting.”

“We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years,” the secretary-general continued. “It is time to shift to a wartime mindset, and turbocharge our defense production and defense spending.”

Donald Trump’s request for a new trial in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation and sexual abuse case against him was shut down by a federal appeals court Monday.

In a new 77-page filing, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the original verdict from the district court that Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996, then defaming her in 2022.

“On review for abuse of discretion, we conclude that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,” the filing stated. “Further, he has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial.”

Trump’s attorneys had argued that the May 2023 verdict should be thrown out because U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan should not have allowed jurors to hear testimony from two other women, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who also accused the president-elect of sexual misconduct.

The appeals court, however, ruled that the district court “did not abuse its discretion” in admitting their testimonies into evidence.

Trump’s lawyers also tried to argue that the judge should not have allowed the jury to view the 2005 Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump claimed that “when you’re a star” women will let you “grab them” by their genitals, a video that many people not on the jury have also seen.

The court ruled that the inclusion of the tape into evidence was “relevant to prove that the alleged sexual assault actually occurred.”

This story has been updated.

American flags will be flying at half-mast for Trump’s January 20 inauguration after the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Sunday at age 100.

Federal guidelines state that the flag must be “half-staff for 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the president or a former president.”

President-elect Trump has yet to mention the flags, and offered condolences to the Carter family.

“I just heard of the news about the passing of President Jimmy Carter. Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday that angered some of the MAGA faithful. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Given Trump’s general obsession with appearances, such as the crowd size at his first inauguration, he may well feel emasculated by a half-mast American flag at his second one.

Nearly half of Republicans support Donald Trump’s plan to use the U.S. military to forcibly round up undocumented immigrants into camps and deport them en masse.

A postelection survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI, found that 46 percent of Republicans supported using the military to enact sweeping deportation raids and widespread internment.

Meanwhile, only 9 percent of Democrats and 19 percent of independents endorsed the idea. Twenty-six percent of all voters surveyed endorsed the plan.

PRRI surveyed 5,772 U.S. adults between November 8 and December 2.

Robert P. Jones, PRRI’s president and founder, told Axios on Monday that there was good news and bad news.

“I guess the good news is that three-quarters of the country rejects this idea that we should be putting immigrants in the country illegally into internment camps guarded by the military,” Jones said. The bad news is that support for Trump’s extreme plot is apparently supported by nearly half the members of a mainstream political party.

Trump has claimed he will use the military to carry out mass deportations and has promised to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1789 to expel suspected members of drug cartels from the country without due process. Trump’s extreme immigration views suggest that his administration would plan to target more than violent criminals, undermining protections for legal immigrants as well.

Trump’s new “border czar,” Tom Homan, previously said that he expected support from the U.S. military and special operations to carry out their immigration blitz.

Alt-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer’s fiery spat with Elon Musk has quietly ended with a bent knee and a plea for the X chief to reinstate her blue check status on his website.

“I appreciated the conversation last night with @AdrianDittmann and others,” Loomer wrote, referring to an individual that has been widely speculated to be Musk’s burner account. “It was productive & informative, and I look forward to more of these conversations in the future. I also hope that @elonmusk will agree to reinstate my @premium features.”

Loomer, a self-described journalist and “white advocate,” went head-to-head with Musk last week over the billionaire’s ardent defense of the H-1B work visa program.

In several posts, Loomer accused Musk of having “bought his way into MAGA,” claimed he was a pawn of China, and said that the “divorce” between the “stage 5 clinger” and President-elect Donald Trump was on the horizon.

That was apparently enough back talk to strip Loomer of her verified status on the site—a loss that, for her, warranted backtracking on her previous positions.

“My comments do not come from hate, but rather compassion for the struggle of the everyday American,” she continued in a separate post. “I believe loyalty is the most important quality, and I am loyal to my country and my people. I want what’s best for Americans. And I will always keep fighting for Americans.”

Loomer’s renowned Islamophobia and xenophobia were extreme enough to shove her temporarily away from the MAGA movement earlier this year after she posted that Vice President Kamala Harris’s ascendency to the Oval Office would make the White House “smell like curry.” Loomer has also taken credit for urging Trump to utter the Haitian migrant conspiracy theory that wrecked Ohio in the months leading up to the election.

Meanwhile, the account that supposedly convinced Loomer to concede the fight has some otherwise inexplicable ties to the Tesla CEO. Dittmann also purports to be a South African billionaire with identical beliefs to Musk. The account frequently responds to Musk’s posts, supporting his decisions related to his forthcoming government positions and the way in which the tech leader is raising his children. But the account also, at times, goes so far as to speak on behalf of Musk, organizing events with Musk’s friends while continuing to claim that the two aren’t affiliated.

X users felt that the illusion was completely shattered over the weekend, when Dittman participated in an X space using his actual voice—and, suspiciously, had the exact same cadence, accent, and vocal intonations as Musk himself.

Donald Trump’s public condolences for former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday, sparked an uproar among his own fans.

“I just heard of the news about the passing of President Jimmy Carter. Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday.

“The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude,” Trump wrote. “Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers.”

Apparently, that relatively simple statement was too much for some in the MAGA crowd, according to RawStory.

“Lol, I know you’re being nice. But you’re tripping,” replied an account called Theodore Winters. “Carter was a terrible president and damaged The United States Of America to such an extent that we are STILL dealing with his horribly policy decisions and his inflation repercussions in 2024.”

“I get it. He just passed. And we have to be respectful and nice. But let’s still keep it real,” Winters added.

An account called Commieskillpuppies noted that the president-elect’s words wouldn’t have any political value. “I appreciate your graciousness toward him but it won’t win you any points from the leftists,” the user wrote. “They’re soulless.”

One user, John55, who identified himself as an “America First” veteran on his profile, complained that Carter had pardoned draft dodgers during the Vietnam War—with no recognition that Trump himself dodged the Vietnam War draft.

“Jimmy Carter pardoned all the Vietnam draft dodgers that forced other men to take their place! Many of these men did not come home,” the user wrote. “Personally, I think Carter lived a long life to suffer for the pardons to the draft dodgers he pardoned.”

It’s possible that these reactions were just adjusting to the shock of the president-elect’s standard condolence statement, especially seeing how Trump has disparaged Carter in the past.

After Joe Biden’s disastrous presidential debate performance in June, Trump claimed that Carter was the “happiest guy around” because he now “looked like a genius” compared to Biden. The thirty-ninth president was in hospice at the time.

Representative Cori Bush is on her way out of Congress. Her only regret? That she “could’ve flipped a few more tables.”

The progressive Squad member gave an exit interview to Politico published Wednesday addressing her time in Congress and what lies ahead for herself and the country.

Bush, who was defeated by AIPAC-backed prosecutor Wesley Bell in the Democratic primary, said she wishes she had fought harder for a ceasefire in Israel’s assault on Gaza.

I don’t really operate in regret, but I will say I wish that I could have pushed harder as it relates to our cease-fire now resolution, and done more to save lives.

I left it all on the field. I put my life and my livelihood on the line, because so many have lost their lives. I wish that I could have done more, and I wish that my colleagues who later have said, “OK, this is too much. It’s gone too far,” I wish they would have heard us when we first started to speak to this, because our work was coming from a place of wanting to save as many people as we could — the lives of all people, whether Israeli or Palestinian, people abroad and people in the United States.

I probably could have flipped over a few more tables.

Bush was one of a handful of representatives to call for a ceasefire in Gaza soon after Hamas’s October 7 attack and Israel’s disproportionate response, filing a ceasefire resolution on October 16 of that same year. And she was one of a very small group of congressmen to consistently call for said ceasefire, even donning a keffiyeh and holding a sign reading “STOP SENDING BOMBS” during President Biden’s State of the Union address in March.

Bush also spent ample time in the interview deriding the corporatism of the Democratic Party.

“Democratic leadership must make the decision that this corporate money should not be able to be used in Democratic primaries. Because that was the deciding factor in this race,” she told Politico. “Democrats have to ban corporate PAC donations, and specifically have to speak up and push to ban the super PAC spending in our Democratic primaries. That is the only way that this does not happen again, because I wasn’t unseated because I didn’t take care of my community.”

She told Politico she’ll always consider herself a Squad member.

“The Squad is big.… The number of people in Congress on the team will just be smaller. But they’ve never been silent. Anyone who underestimates our power is severely mistaken, because we aren’t going anywhere,” Bush said. “The one thing that we all had in common, or at least most of us had in common entering Congress, was to be authentically ourselves … because we felt like those voices were missing in the Congress. The voices of, for me, being the nurse, Jamaal [Bowman] being the principal, [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] being a bartender.… I don’t think that will change.”

Bush also noted that she wished she knew how expensive being a congresswoman was before she started, and how deeply hierarchical the party was.

“Seniority plays so much of a role in who gets what committee assignment, what bills are brought to the floor.… We see in the Republican conference they don’t seem to go by seniority as much. I think that the Democrats, we need to pay attention to that.”

Bush refused to rule out a return to politics in the near future.

The Murdoch family, which owns Fox News, the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and several other conservative media outlets, could soon have the details of their internal succession battle exposed to the public.

The voting machine company Smartmatic, which sued Fox News for defamation over false claims about the company committing election fraud during the 2020 election, is trying to gain access to evidence from the battle over 93-year-old patriarch Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, CNN reports.

In Nevada probate court earlier this year, members of the Murdoch family secretly fought over who gets to inherit the many properties Rupert owns. The original plan was to have the eldest Murdoch hand off control of the media properties to his three children in a power-sharing agreement, but Rupert sought to change the trust to give his oldest, most conservative son, Lachlan, control of the Fox Corporation.

That attempt was rejected by a probate commissioner, who criticized Lachlan and Rupert for acting in “bad faith” in their attempts to change the family trust and attacked Rupert for proposing a “carefully crafted charade.” The commissioner noted that Rupert’s representatives “demonstrated a dishonesty of purpose and motive.” Lachlan and Rupert can appeal the decision, which was sealed but obtained by The New York Times earlier this month.

An anonymous source told CNN that Smartmatic thinks testimony in the Nevada battle contradicts Fox’s claim in the defamation lawsuit’s proceedings that who controls the company doesn’t affect Fox News’s editorial direction. According to the source, Rupert claimed in Nevada that Lachlan has to take over after him in order to continue Fox News’s right-wing stances. An outside party to the Nevada case filed a motion just last week, though the records are still sealed.

Smartmatic’s lawsuit is being aided by billionaire Reid Hoffman, who has invested in the company to help fund its legal expenses. The trial is set to begin next year in New York, barring an out-of-court settlement, and Smartmatic’s attempt to gain access to the Nevada records is part of the discovery process in the defamation case.

In April 2023, Fox News settled a similar defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million. It remains to be seen if Smartmatic’s case will be resolved in the same way, or if the conservative news network will be dragged into public court proceedings next year.