Broadcaster makes outrageous claim about NYC mayoral candidate
Chaffetz's inflammatory remarks are part of broader accusations from conservatives and centrist Democrats smearing Mamdani as antisemitic, largely due to his stance on the phrase 'globalize the intifada'.
Mamdani has clarified he does not use or endorse the 'globalize the intifada' phrase, stating his role is not to police language and that 'intifada' can mean 'resistance'; he has also vowed to combat antisemitism.
Mamdani has faced other false accusations, including not condemning the Holocaust, despite consistently commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Beyond the antisemitism claims, Mamdani has been criticized by Chaffetz and others, including Donald Trump, for his progressive policies on wealth redistribution and law enforcement, with Trump threatening to arrest Mamdani if he interfered with ICE raids.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Starmer denies Reeves cried over him, says she'll remain in her role
Sir Keir Starmer today denied making Rachel Reeves cry and backed her to remain his Chancellor 'into the next election and for many years after' - saying she has done an 'excellent job' - following her tears in the Commons yesterday. The Labour MP looked crushed and sobbed in the chamber, triggering a new political and economic crisis, amid rumours she was about to be sacked after the Prime Minister refused to back her at PMQs. But last night Sir Keir denied a rift between them and said her tears had 'nothing to do with politics' or Labour's embarrassing U-turns on benefits - insisting she cried over something 'personal' without expanding further. 'That's absolutely wrong,' he said. '[it's] nothing to do with what's happened this week. It was a personal matter for her, I'm not going to intrude on her privacy by talking to you.' Asked if he was going to sack her, he went on to insist that Ms Reeves would remain in government - with him as PM. 'She's done an excellent job as chancellor and we have delivered inward investment to this country in record numbers. She and I work together, we think together', he said. 'In the past there have been examples - I won't give any specifics - of chancellors and prime ministers who weren't in lockstep. We're in lockstep.' The Chancellor is said to have told Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle she was 'under so much pressure' minutes before taking her seat for an extraordinary session of Prime Minister's Questions. She was forced to listen in silence as Sir Keir Starmer refused to say in front of MPs that she was secure in her job, as he was battered over his welfare surrender to Labour rebels. But the the truth about her tears is yet to be revealed. In an extraordinary moment that spooked markets, tears appeared to roll down Ms Reeves' cheek as Kemi Badenoch demanded a guarantee she would stay in No11 - something the premier did not give. She was seen being comforted by her sister Ellie - also a Labour minister - as she left the chamber, although Sir Keir did not speak to her. Ms Reeves' spokesman insisted afterwards that it was a 'personal matter' and he would not be 'getting into' the reasons. Downing Street said the Chancellor 'is going nowhere', had not resigned, and retains Sir Keir's 'full backing'. No10 and No11 both denied claims Ms Reeves had an argument with Sir Keir before they entered the Commons. Last night, Sir Keir told BBC Radio 4's Political Thinking show he worked 'in lockstep' with Reeves and she was 'doing an excellent job as chancellor'. But the Guardian reported that she told the Speaker about the strain she was under. She apparently broke down when she was privately rebuked by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle for giving long answers during Treasury questions yesterday. Health Secretary Wes Streeting (pictured) last night said Ms Reeves has 'toughness and hard-headedness... in spades' as he spoke out in support of the Chancellor. 'It's why with the choices she's made, not always the most popular choices, is creating the conditions for our economy to grow,' he told ITV's Peston. Mr Streeting added Ms Reeves has 'something going on personally, not professionally'. 'It's easy to forget that we're all humans as politicians and we have lives like everyone else,' he continued. Interest rates on 10-year and 30-year gilts - effectively the cost of government borrowing - spiked and the pound slipped sharply against the US dollar as the Commons scenes unfolded earlier. Just a year on from his election landslide, Sir Keir's authority has been left in tatters after his extraordinary surrender to avert defeat at the hands of Labour rebels. Ms Badenoch said he had made 'mistake after mistake', highlighting volte faces over grooming gangs and winter fuel allowance. She also pointed to a visibly-upset Reeves, sitting next to the PM, saying she looked 'miserable' and was being used as a 'human shield'. Last night Sir Keir effectively tore up his benefits reforms, which had been due to shave £5billion a year off spirallling costs by the end of the Parliament - but will now actually increase spending by £100million. The move heaped misery on Ms Reeves, who was already struggling to fill a black hole in the public finances that could amount to tens of billions of pounds. Touring broadcast studios this morning, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden warned there would be 'financial consequences' - hinting that the tax burden will need to rise again. Ms Reeves has insisted Labour will stick to manifesto pledges of no hikes to income tax, employee National Insurance or VAT. And she had been adamant that she will not break her 'cast iron' fiscal rules. But she refused to guarantee yesterday that the hated freeze in tax thresholds will not be extended. In highly emotional scenes at PMQs, Ms Badenoch said: 'This man has forgotten that his welfare bill was there to plug a black hole created by the Chancellor. Instead they're creating new ones. They're creating new ones. '(Ms Reeves) is pointing at me, she looks absolutely miserable. Labour MPs are going on the record saying that the Chancellor is toast, and the reality is that she is a human shield for his incompetence. In January, he said that she would be in post until the next election. Will she really?' Sir Keir replied: '(Mrs Badenoch) certainly won't. I have to say, I'm always cheered up when she asks me questions or responds to a statement because she always makes a complete mess of it and shows just how unserious and irrelevant they are. She talks about the black hole, they left a £22billion black hole in our economy and we're clearing it up, and I'm really proud that in the first year of a Labour Government, we got free school meals, breakfast clubs, childcare, got £15 billion invested in transport in the North and the Midlands. We're cutting regulation, planning and infrastructure is pounding forward, building 1.5 million homes, the biggest investment in social and affordable housing, and of course the three trade deals.' Mrs Badenoch replied: 'How awful for the Chancellor that he couldn't confirm that she would stay in place.' Challenged afterwards why Sir Keir failed to give Ms Reeves the vote of confidence, the PM's press secretary said: 'He has done so repeatedly. The Chancellor is going nowhere. She has the Prime Minister's full backing. He has said it plenty of times, he doesn't need to repeat it every time the Leader of the Opposition speculates about Labour politicians. The Chancellor and the Prime Minister are focused entirely on delivering for working people. It's thanks to the Chancellor's management of the economy that we managed to restore stability, which has led to four interest rate cuts, wages rising faster than inflation and she recently delivered a spending review that invested in Britain's national renewal.' Asked whether the Prime Minister still had confidence in Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall (pictured), the press secretary said: 'Yes.' A spokesman for the Chancellor said: 'It's a personal matter which, as you would expect, we are not going to get into. The Chancellor will be working out of Downing Street this afternoon.' Aides to Speaker Lindsay Hoyle refused to comment on claims he had a row with Ms Reeves shortly before the PMQs session began. But MPs believe Sir Lindsay only rebuked Ms Reeves for giving excessively long answers at Treasury questions yesterday, with the Speaker surprised that she immediate became upset. The pair had already exchanged words on the subject during the session yesterday. One MP told MailOnline that the cause was a spat with the PM before that clash. 'There has been a major row before, just before she walked in. I think it was with Keir,' they said. However, both No10 and No11 denied that there was any argument between Ms Reeves and Sir Keir. After the session, Mrs Badenoch's spokesman said 'personal matter doesn't really clear it up' and 'you normally tell people what the personal matter is'. He added: 'I'm not going to speculate… I think we should find out what's going on.' Labour circles have been in a frenzy over how the Chancellor will handle the crisis in the public finances. One MP said: 'She is in massive trouble. This government has lost control. It is the worst politics of anybody - it doesn't matter whether you are left or right. Governments get this after four years, but we're not even at one year.' Rather than leaving the Commons immediate after PMQs as usual, Sir Keir remained on the estate for about two hours having meetings. Meanwhile, rebel ringleaders gloated that they had 'power' over the PM and stepped up demands for a lurch to the Left. Rachael Maskell (pictured), whose fatal amendment sparked the benefits shambles, urged a £24billion 'wealth tax' to pay for more handouts. Deputy PM Angela Rayner (pictured) is said to have brokered the deal with rebels, fueling speculation that she is positioning to succeed Sir Keir. Opponents jibed it is obvious that Sir Keir will not now lead the party into the next election. Appearing on ITV's Lorraine show, Ms Rayner insisted she did not want the top job, joking that it would 'age me by 10 years'. Told that Sir Keir looked 'tired' and 'exhausted', she said: 'It's a very challenging job. To be fair for Keir Starmer there's been a lot going on... There's a lot going on and the PM's been here there and everywhere doing the job for Britain.' Amid carnage at Westminster yesterday, the PM's carefully assembled truce with rebels dramatically disintegrated. Facing the threat of a massive revolt, Sir Keir opted to make yet another major concession just 90 minutes before the vote. Ministers pledged that changes to disability handouts will not be finalised until after a review - meaning that the package as it stands will actually make the current system more expensive than before up to 2029. Sir Keir - who is days away from marking the first anniversary of his election landslide - had already agreed that the benefits curbs would only apply to new claimants. There was mocking laughter in the chamber as Social Security Minister Stephen Timms (pictured) was asked how much the proposals would save now, and merely replied that the government would 'set out figures in the usual way'. Despite the humiliating manoeuvres, when the vote was held 44 Labour MPs still backed the fatal amendment and others abstained - although it was comfortably defeated by 328 to 149 as Tories largely stayed away. Shortly afterwards, the Bill cleared second reading stage by 335 to 260, with the rebellion growing to 49. It will now be scrutinised at committee, where there could be further problems. Mr McFadden told BBC Breakfast he is 'not going to speculate' on what could be in the Autumn Budget but there would be 'financial consequences'. 'This is one moving part of the budgetary picture, it does have a financial consequence yesterday,' he said. 'I'm not going to speculate on where the budget lands, because there are so many other different moving parts in it, and it wouldn't make sense for me to do that.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Gold and its miners may enjoy a 'critical mineral' upgrade
LAUNCESTON, Australia, July 3 (Reuters) - Is gold the next metal to be added to the list of "critical minerals"? Gold is not a vital component of advanced manufacturing like other critical minerals such as rare earths, lithium and copper. But the precious metal appears to be undergoing a subtle shift in how it is viewed by governments and investors. Since countries moved away from the gold standard by the early 1970s, gold has largely been viewed as a relatively niche part of investment portfolios and government reserves. Gold was something that was added to portfolios as an inflation hedge or during times of heightened geopolitical tensions. In some ways, the role of gold in both central bank and investment portfolios was overtaken by bonds, with U.S. Treasuries becoming the most important of these assets. But the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency is leading to a global reassessment of the relative safety of U.S. assets, the independence of the Federal Reserve and the likely worsening of the U.S. fiscal position. Add in Trump's attacks on the rule of law in the United States and the likely hit to both the U.S. and global economies from his trade policies, and the stage is set for a reevaluation of the role of gold. The precious metal has gained 32.3% from a low of $2,536.71 an ounce hit on November 14 in the days after Trump's victory over his Democratic Party rival, former Vice President Kamala Harris. It reached a record high of $3,500.05 an ounce on April 22, and has since retreated slightly to close at $3,357.08 on Wednesday. While gold's day-to-day moves are still largely driven by the news cycle, the overall backdrop looks supportive. The World Gold Council released a report last month in which it surveyed 73 central banks, and 95% of them expected the official sector to increase holdings in the coming 12 months. "This is a record high since it was first tracked in the 2019 survey and represents a 17% increase from the 2024 findings," the council said. Central banks are also moving to repatriate more of their holdings back to their home countries and away from the United States, a further sign that there is a loss of confidence in U.S. assets and the policies of the Trump administration. Gold is also well-placed as one of the few viable alternatives if more governments, fund managers and private investors outside the United States form the view that the era of U.S. exceptionalism is over and that U.S. Treasuries are now a riskier asset as the country's fiscal position deteriorates. Another factor that is showing the positive story for gold is the performance of gold mining equities. Major gold producers have seen their share prices rise at a far faster pace than the actual metal. There are several reasons why this could be the case, including the expectation that shareholders will receive higher dividend payouts in the future and that companies are being rewarded for showing capital discipline in prior years. But it also may be that investors are starting to re-rate gold mining companies in the expectation that gold becomes a more vital and larger part of portfolios, both public and private. For example, shares in Newmont (NEM.N), opens new tab, the world's largest listed gold miner, have risen 63% from their most recent low on December 30 to close at $60.06 on Wednesday. Canada's Barrick Mining ( opens new tab has seen its shares gain 40.6% in U.S. dollar terms from its recent low on December 19 to the close on Wednesday. Anglogold Ashanti (AU.N), opens new tab shares in New York have surged 108% from the low on December 30 to the close of $46.66 on Wednesday, while Gold Fields (GFIJ.J), opens new tab has seen a gain of 88% in U.S. dollar terms from its November 14 low to the close on Wednesday. If gold does become a more central part of investment strategies, the listed miners are likely to become more attractive, given the difficulty of finding and developing new projects and the long time between exploration and production. Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), your essential new source for global financial commentary. ROI delivers thought-provoking, data-driven analysis of everything from swap rates to soybeans. Markets are moving faster than ever. ROI can help you keep up. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, opens new tab and X, opens new tab. The views expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Tesla sales hit three-year low as Musk feuds with Trump
Sales at Elon Musk's Tesla have fallen to a three-year low amid the billionaire's public spat with Donald Trump. The electric carmaker said customer deliveries fell by 13.5pc in the second quarter of the year, a period in which Mr Musk left his role in the White House and publicly fell out with the US president over his tax and spending bill. Sales were 384,122 between April and June, down from 443,956 compared to the same quarter a year ago. It is the second straight double-digit drop in quarterly deliveries for Tesla, meaning sales for the year so far are at their lowest since 2022. The figures put Tesla on track for a second successive year of declining sales. Falling demand in recent months has been blamed partially on a political backlash against Mr Musk over his support for Mr Trump. However, growing competition from low-cost Chinese manufacturers has also threatened Tesla's grip on the electric vehicle (EV) market, with Shenzhen-based BYD overtaking Tesla in sales across Britain and Europe in recent months. Driverless taxis Meanwhile, Mr Musk has also increasingly focused on Tesla's efforts on his Robotaxi project. The company last week started offering driverless taxi rides in Texas, and Mr Musk has said Tesla will begin production of a Cybercab next year. The decline in Tesla's sales led to heightened scrutiny of Mr Musk's work at the White House, where he sat in on cabinet meetings and spearheaded the department of government efficiency (Doge). This prompted some Tesla investors to raise concerns that Mr Musk was not focused enough on running the company. In April, Tesla revealed that quarterly sales had fallen by 13pc – its biggest drop since 2012. Investors had hoped that an upgrade to its best-selling Model Y would revive sales, but the drop in the second quarter was almost as severe. 'Disgusting abomination' Tensions between Mr Musk and Mr Trump exploded in the last month, shortly after the South African-born businessman stepped down from the White House. The Tesla boss, who described Mr Trump's 'big beautiful bill' as a 'disgusting abomination', previously claimed the president should be impeached. Mr Trump hit back by threatening to cancel federal contracts for Mr Musk's rocket company, SpaceX. The two briefly held a truce, but the row was reignited this week when Mr Musk threatened to start a new political party and Mr Trump suggested he could deport him. Mr Musk has publicly criticised Mr Trump's bill for adding to the ballooning US deficit, but the legislation also cuts incentives for electric cars and renewable energy, which have boosted Tesla sales. The company's shares fell by 5pc on Tuesday amid the widening rift between the pair, although they rose on Wednesday because the sales drop was less severe than some analysts had feared. Mr Musk has predicted that Tesla will have millions of robotaxis in operation this year.
