
"He's Just A Dick": Senator Tina Smith Has Zero Regrets Over Calling Elon Musk An "A-Hole," And It's The Energy We Need
Smith made the comments on Musk's X platform, calling him a 'billionaire asshole' boss over his insistence that federal workers send an email about what they'd done in the last week. On Wednesday, she was asked about her posts by CNN 's Brianna Keilar, who noted that Democratic voters want 'more' from her party and want the party to oppose President Donald Trump 'in a more fulsome way.'
'So, I mean, I ask you this sincerely, like, what's the value in that kind of language and communication? Is that the best way to communicate the stakes of the moment that the country's in?' Keilar asked.
Smith swiftly replied, 'Well, what I'm hearing from voters at home and what I heard on your show is that people want to see some fight.'
'They want to see some urgency in this moment that we're in and they, I think with that tweet that I did, it touched a nerve with millions of people,' she continued.
On CNN on Wednesday, Keilar, playing devil's advocate, asked if there was a way for the senator to reflect her constituents' outrage without 'the limited vocabulary of curse words.'
Smith continued to defend her language in the posts, 'I know that my constituents, sometimes they swear, sometimes they don't swear.'
CNN
'What matters is that people feel like you're actually expressing what you really think, that you're not sugarcoating it, as my mother used to say — who also had a tendency to swear a fair amount, let me just be honest with you.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Republicans clobber Democrats in Congressional Baseball Game for fifth straight year
Republican lawmakers crushed their Democratic counterparts Wednesday at the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Washington, DC. The GOP's 13-2 win over the Dems in Nationals Park marks the fifth straight year Republicans have defeated their political rivals on the diamond. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), who was seriously injured in a ladder fall two years ago, pitched five innings for the GOP, striking out seven Democrats. 9 The Democratic team stood on the field during the national anthem at the annual Congressional baseball game. Getty Images 9 Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) pitched for his party on Wednesday. Getty Images 9 Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) sported his red uniform as he hit a ball during the event. Getty Images 'I am going to take an ice bath tomorrow,' Steube quipped after the game. The MVP award went to Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), who made a spectacular diving catch to end the first inning after Democrats loaded the bases. Pfluger's close play went viral on social media. 'Proud to have been selected MVP for this year's Congressional Baseball Game!' the Texas Republican wrote on X. 'Couldn't have asked for a better support team here in DC! Another huge win for Republicans.' The game was far more subdued than last year's edition, which saw anti-Israel protesters disrupt the national anthem and climate change activists rush the field. 9 U.S. House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) fist bumps Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX). Getty Images 9 Scalise holds the trophy after the Republicans win the annual Congressional baseball game at Nationals Park. Getty Images 9 U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) reacts during the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on June 11, 2025. REUTERS Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) greeted her colleagues in the Democratic dugout at one point during the game and received cheers from the blue team's fans. More than 30,000 tickets were sold for the game, which raised $2.8 million for dozens of charities. 'Team GOP takes the WIN!! 🏆🇺🇸 Proud to take the field with my Republican colleagues tonight and bring home the win,' House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) wrote on X. 'We raised $2.8 million for local charities. We're not tired of winning!' 9 U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson was spotted in the crowd during the game. REUTERS 9 U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) celebrates after running to home plate. Getty Images 9 Both teams celebrate on the field after the Republicans defeated the Democrats. REUTERS In 2017, Scalise was shot by a left-wing extremist during a GOP team practice in Alexandria, Va., a day before that year's edition of the game. Republicans hold an overall edge over Democrats in the series by five games, with 47-42 record.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US to withdraw some personnel from the Middle East
STORY: The United States is pulling personnel out of the Middle East, according to President Donald Trump on Wednesday: 'Well, they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place and we'll see what happens. But they are being… we've given notice to move out and see what happens.' Reuters reported earlier in the day that the U.S. is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy in Baghdad, according to US and Iraqi sources, and that Washington will let military dependents leave locations around the Middle East over heightened security risks. It has bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. It's less clear why this is happening now. Iraq has been the site of heightened tension and violence since the the start of the war in Gaza in 2023. Iran-aligned armed groups repeatedly attacked U.S. troops, but that has subsided since last year. However, the news coincides with deadlocked US-Iran nuclear talks. Trump nodded to that on Wednesday, too: JOURNALIST: 'Is there anything that can be done to dial the temperature down in the region?' TRUMP: 'They (Iran) can't have a nuclear weapon, very simply.' In a podcast interview out Wednesday Trump said he was less confident Tehran would agree to stop its nuclear program. Meanwhile CNN has reported that U.S. intelligence suggests Israel is preparing for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Benchmark oil futures rose $3 on the news of the Baghdad pullout, with Brent crude going above $69 a barrel. The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is due in the coming days. Tehran is expected to hand over a counter proposal after rejecting an offer by Washington.


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dozens of LA-area mayors demand the Trump administration stop intensified immigration raids
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S. But there were no signs President Donald Trump would heed their pleas. About 500 of the National Guard troops deployed to the Los Angeles protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations, the commander in charge said Wednesday. And while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said it's too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down. 'We are expecting a ramp-up,' said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, noting that protests across the nation were being discussed. 'I'm focused right here in LA, what's going on right here. But you know, I think we're, we're very concerned.' Hours later, a demonstration in Los Angeles' civic center just before start of the second night of the city's downtown curfew briefly turned chaotic when police in riot gear — many on horseback — charged at a group, striking them with wooden rods and later fired crowd control projectiles, including one that struck a woman who writhed in pain on the ground. After the curfew went into effect, a handful of arrests were made before the area cleared out and the evening quieted down. The LA-area mayors and city council members urged Trump to stop using armed military troops alongside immigration agents. 'I'm asking you, please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents,' said Brenda Olmos, vice mayor of Paramount, who said she was hit by rubber bullets over the weekend. 'You need to stop these raids.' Speaking alongside the other mayors at a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the raids spread fear at the behest of the White House. The city's nightly curfew will remain in effect as long as necessary. It covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section of downtown where the protests have been concentrated in the city that encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). 'If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,' Bass said. Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court. The administration has cited the protests in its decision to deploy the military. Governor asks court to step in California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has asked a federal court to put an emergency stop to the military helping immigration agents in the nation's second-largest city. This week, guardsmen began standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday. The Trump administration called the lawsuit a 'crass political stunt endangering American lives" in its official response on Wednesday. The military is now closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised in his crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests must be made by law enforcement. The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city 'would be burning to the ground' if he had not sent in the military. Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in Los Angeles and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more along with about 700 Marines, Sherman said. Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press and ABC, Sherman initially said National Guard troops had already temporarily detained civilians in the Los Angeles protests over immigration raids. He later said he based his comments on photos and footage he had seen that turned out not to be a representation of Guard members in Los Angeles. Curfew continues in downtown LA Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of the curfew and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters. But officers were more aggressive in controlling demonstrators Wednesday evening and as the curfew took effect, police were beginning to make arrests. Los Angeles police have made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department. There have been a handful of more serious charges, including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine police officers have been hurt, mostly with minor injures. Some were transported to a hospital and released. Protests have spread nationwide Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made. In New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the majority of demonstrators were peaceful. A 66-year-old woman in Chicago was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening, police said. Video showed a car speeding down a street where people were protesting. In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office said Texas National Guard troops were 'on standby" in areas where demonstrations are planned. Guard members were sent to San Antonio, but Police Chief William McManus said he had not been told how many troops were deployed or their role ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety said the Texas National Guard was present at a protest downtown.