
World Series champion blasts AOC over response to Colorado attack
After the tragic events in Boulder, Col., earlier this week, a former MLB all-star known for earning walks isn't giving congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a free pass.
Article content
Kevin Youkilis, who earned the nickname 'The Greek God of Walks,' during his 10-year MLB career, called out the representative from New York for 'virtue signaling' with her social media post after the alleged antisemitic hate crime.
Article content
Article content
Article content
More than a dozen people were injured in a firebomb attack on Sunday in Boulder, with the horrific incident being treated by the FBI as a hate crime after suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman told police that he tried to kill demonstrators demanding the release of Hamas' Israeli hostages, according to an FBI affidavit.
Article content
AOC condemned the 'horrific attack' in a post on Monday.
Article content
Article content
'I am horrified by last night's horrific attack in Boulder. My heart is with the victims and our Jewish communities across the country,' she wrote.
Article content
'Antisemitism is on the rise here at home, and we have a moral responsibility to confront and stop it everywhere it exists.'
But her words were not enough for Youkilis, who is Jewish and served as the hitting coach for Team Israel at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Article content
'Jews are targeted with violence and it's the same virtue signal post time and time again,' he wrote on X. 'What have you done to confront those calling for intifadas in NYC? Until you create a plan of action, your repeated virtue signaling after the violence occurs holds no weight.'
Article content
Jews are targeted with violence and it's the same virtue signal post time and time again. What have you done to confront those calling for intifadas in NYC? Until you create a plan of action, your repeated virtue signaling after the violence occurs holds no weight. https://t.co/V3uIVpUiK1
— Kevin Youkilis (@GreekGodOfHops) June 2, 2025
Article content
Youkilis was apparently referencing pro-Palestinian rallies in New York, where chants of 'long live intifada' reportedly were chanted by demonstrators.
Article content
Article content
'Intifada' is an Arabic word for a rebellion used to describe Palestine's various uprisings against Israeli occupation.
Article content
Many claim the term and slogan 'Globalize the Intifada' inherently are antisemitic.
Article content
Youkilis, who has been an outspoken supporter of Israel, won two World Series during his time with the Boston Red Sox and made three all-star teams.
Article content
He also played for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees during his career and is a brother-in-law of NFL icon Tom Brady after marrying his sister in 2012.
Article content

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


CTV News
33 minutes ago
- CTV News
From bros to foes: How the unlikely Trump-Musk relationship imploded
Elon Musk, left, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the finals for the NCAA wrestling championship, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) WASHINGTON -- When Donald Trump met privately with White House officials on Wednesday, there was little to suggest that the U.S. president was close to a public break with Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman who helped him win a second term in office. Two White House officials familiar with the matter said Trump expressed confusion and frustration in the meeting about Musk's attacks on his sweeping tax and spending bill. But he held back, the officials said, because he wanted to preserve Musk's political and financial support ahead of the midterm elections. By Thursday afternoon, Trump's mood had shifted. He had not spoken to Musk since the attacks began and was fuming over what one White House aide described as a 'completely batshit' tirade by the Tesla CEO on X, his social media platform. Musk had blasted Trump's tax bill as fiscally reckless and a 'disgusting abomination.' He vowed to oppose any Republican lawmaker who supported it. The bill would fulfill many of Trump's priorities while adding, according to the Congressional Budget Office, US$2.4 trillion to the $36.2-trillion U.S. public debt. Privately, Trump had called Musk volatile. On Thursday, he told his team, it was time to take the gloves off. Sitting next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters he was 'very disappointed' in his former adviser. Musk quickly hit back on social media, and the back-and-forth devolved from there. 'The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon's government subsidies and contracts,' Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media site. Within minutes, Musk said it might be time to create a new political party and endorsed a post on X from Ian Miles Cheong, a prominent Musk supporter and right-wing activist, calling for Trump's impeachment. The Trump-Musk relationship at its height was unprecedented in Washington - a sitting president granting a billionaire tech CEO access and influence inside the White House and throughout his government. Musk spent nearly $300 million backing Trump's campaign and other Republicans last year. For months, Musk played both insider and disruptor - shaping policy conversations behind the scenes, amplifying Trump's agenda to millions online, and attacking the bureaucracy and federal spending through his self-styled Department of Government Efficiency. Just last week, Trump hosted a farewell for Musk and declared that 'Elon is really not leaving.' Now he had not only left but had turned into a top critic. Hours after Trump's Oval Office remarks, a third White House official expressed surprise at Musk's turnaround. It 'caught the president and the entire West Wing off guard,' she said. Musk did not respond to emails seeking comment about the downturn in relations. His super PAC spending group, America PAC, and spokeswoman Katie Miller did not respond to calls and texts requesting comment. In a statement, the White House called the breakup an 'unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.' From allies to adversaries The Musk-Trump breakup sent Tesla's stock price plunging 14% on Thursday and drove uncertainty among Trump's allies in Congress, who are working to pass the monumental spending package that Democrats and a small number of vocal Republicans oppose. The breakup could reshape both men's futures. For Trump, losing Musk's backing threatens his growing influence among tech donors, social media audiences, and younger male voters — key groups that may now be harder to reach. It could also complicate fundraising ahead of next year's midterm elections. For Musk, the stakes are potentially even higher. The break risks intensified scrutiny of his business practices that could jeopardize government contracts and invite regulatory probes, which might threaten his companies' profits. Some of Musk's friends and associates were stunned by the fallout, with a number of them only recently expressing confidence that the partnership would endure, according to two other sources familiar with the dynamics. The split had been simmering for weeks, said the first two White House officials, but the breaking point was over personnel: Trump's decision to pull his nomination of Jared Isaacman, Musk's hand-picked candidate to be NASA administrator. 'He was not happy' about Isaacman, one of the White House officials said of Musk. Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and close Musk ally, was seen as key to advancing Musk's vision for space exploration and commercial space ventures. After his nomination was scuttled, Isaacman posted on X: 'I am incredibly grateful to President Trump, the Senate and all those who supported me.' The move was viewed within the administration as a direct snub to Musk, the two officials said, signaling a loss of political clout and deepening the rift between him and Trump's team. Before the Isaacman episode, top White House aides behind the scenes had already begun limiting Musk's influence — quietly walking back his authority over staffing and budget decisions. Trump himself reinforced that message in early March, telling his cabinet that department secretaries, not Musk, had the final say over agency operations. At the same time, Musk began to hint that his time in government would come to a close, while expressing frustration at times that he could not more aggressively cut spending. His threats and complaints about Trump's bill grew louder, but inside the White House, few believed they would seriously alter the course of the legislation — even as some worried about the fallout on the midterms from Musk's warnings to cut political spending, the first two White House officials said. Still, a fourth White House official dismissed the impact of Musk's words on the president's signature bill. 'We're very confident,' he said. 'No one has changed their minds.' But there was bafflement at the White House at how a relationship that only last week had been celebrated in the Oval Office had taken such a turn. Time will tell whether the rift can be repaired. A separate White House official said aides had scheduled a call between the two men on Friday. The official did not give a time for the call. By Nandita Bose and Jeff Mason, Reuters


CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Trump and Musk to speak on Friday after alliance descends into public feud
A war of words is beginning to emerge between U.S. President Trump and Elon Musk following the billionaire's White House exit. Joy Malbon has the details. A war of words is beginning to emerge between U.S. President Trump and Elon Musk following the billionaire's White House exit. Joy Malbon has the details. CTV National News: Elon Musk and Trump lashing out against each other WASHINGTON, -- Donald Trump's aides scheduled a call between the U.S. president and Elon Musk for Friday after a huge public spat that saw threats fly over government contracts and ended with the world's richest man suggesting Trump should be impeached. A White House official said the two men would speak on Friday. The official did not give a time for the call, which could ease the feuding after an extraordinary day of hostilities - largely conducted over social media - that marked a stark end to a close alliance. Shares in Musk's Tesla closed down over 14 per cent on Thursday, losing about US$150 billion in market value in the largest single-day decline in value in its history. In pre-market European trading on Friday they pared some of those losses, rising 5 per cent after the news that the two men were scheduled to speak. Politico first reported the planned call. Musk had bankrolled a large part of Trump's presidential campaign and was then brought as one of the president's most visible advisers, heading up a sweeping and controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. The verbal punches erupted on Thursday after Trump criticized Musk in the Oval Office and the pair then traded barbs on their social media platforms: Trump's Truth Social and Musk's X. The falling-out had begun brewing days ago when Musk, who left his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency a week ago, denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill. The president initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, saying it would add too much to the nation's $36.2 trillion in debt. Trump broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was 'very disappointed' in Musk. 'Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore,' Trump said. As Trump spoke, Musk responded on X. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' wrote Musk, who spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year's election. In another post, Musk asserted that Trump's signature import tariffs would push the U.S. into a recession later this year. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Trump posted. Minutes after the closing bell, Musk replied, 'Yes,' to a post on X saying Trump should be impeached, something that would be highly unlikely given Trump's Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress. Musk's businesses also include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink. Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the U.S. government's space program, said that as a result of Trump's threats he would begin decommissioning SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Dragon is the only U.S. spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Late on Thursday, Musk backed off the threat. In another sign of a possible detente to come, Musk subsequently wrote: 'You're not wrong,' in response to billionaire investor Bill Ackman saying Trump and Musk should make peace. Punching back Trump and Musk are both political fighters with a penchant for using social media to attack their perceived enemies, and many observers had predicted a falling-out. Musk hit at the heart of Trump's agenda earlier this week when he targeted what Trump has named his 'big, beautiful bill,' calling it a 'disgusting abomination' that would deepen the federal deficit. His attacks amplified a rift within the Republican Party that could threaten the bill's prospects in the Senate. Nonpartisan analysts say Trump's bill could add $2.4 trillion to $5 trillion to the nation's $36.2 trillion in debt. A prolonged feud between the pair could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in next year's midterm elections if it leads to a loss of Musk's campaign spending or erodes support for Trump in Silicon Valley. 'Elon really was a significant portion of the ground game this last cycle,' said a Republican strategist with ties to Musk and the Trump administration who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. 'If he sits out the midterms, that worries me.' On Tuesday, Musk posted that 'in November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.' Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending in the future. Musk's increasing focus on politics provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk's attention was too divided. By Nandita Bose and Andrea Shalal, Reuters Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Joey Roulette and Jarrett Renshaw; Writing by Costas Pitas, Joseph Ax and Charlie Devereux; Editing by Don Durfee, Michael Perry and Frances Kerry


CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
New U.S. travel ban is ‘cruel,' Myanmar community association says
TORONTO — The head of an association for the Myanmar community in Ontario says a new travel ban announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is 'cruel' to the people of his country. Napas Thein, president of the Burma Canadian Association of Ontario, says the people of Myanmar are already facing difficulties in their own country with a military coup and new law mandating military service, and the ban will make it harder to move to a safer place. He says members of his community in Canada will not be allowed into the United States to study or visit due to the new ban, which takes effect Monday. Thein says he and others from the Myanmar diaspora who are Canadian citizens feel uneasy about crossing the border and some have already started cancelling plans to attend conferences or visit their families in the United States. Trump announced Wednesday that citizens of 12 countries — Myanmar, Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — would be banned from visiting the United States. Seven more countries — Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela — face heightened travel restrictions. Some of the 12 countries on the banned list were targeted by a similar measure Trump enacted in his first term. Dawit Demoz, vice-president of the Eritrean Canadian Community Centre in Toronto, says his organization is 'deeply concerned' about the implications of the new travel ban for the Eritrean diaspora. He says many families in the Eritrean community south of the border remain separated due to the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in their home country, and the new ban further complicates their efforts to reunite. '(The ban) creates additional fear and uncertainty for those seeking safety and connection across borders,' he said. 'For our community, policies like this do not just impact travel but they deepen isolation, delay reunification and compound the emotional toll experienced by displaced individuals.' --- With files from The Associated Press. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press