MAGA misses the mark in Romania
NICUSOR DAN'S victory in Romania's presidential election on May 18th afforded the country's liberals a rare moment of joy. Mr Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, is a French-trained mathematician known for fighting corruption. His rival, George Simion, a MAGA-friendly nationalist, had been favoured to win after taking 41% of the vote in the election's first round to Mr Dan's 21%. Mr Simion had cosied up to Hungary's Viktor Orban; denounced Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission; and pledged to end aid to Ukraine. Romania seemed poised to join the club of countries that are driving a populist wedge into the European Union.
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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Bitter Trump-Musk breakup forces allies to take sides as MAGA influencers quip Don's ‘not invited to Mars anymore'
LAWMAKERS have been forced to pick sides after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's bromance came to a screeching halt. Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to pledge their allegiance after Musk called for Trump's impeachment and hurled unfounded accusations about the Epstein files. 7 Elon Musk's feud with President Donald Trump has left some MAGA loyalists picking sides Credit: Reuters 7 The feud erupted over Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' which proposed stripping billions in government subsidies from Tesla Credit: AP 7 The drama unfolded when Musk disapproved of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," calling it a "massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill." Trump said the world's richest man was furious because the bill proposes stripping billions in government subsidies from Musk's electric vehicle company Tesla. The two exchanged digital blows with searing social media posts until late Thursday night, when White House aides were said to have scheduled a call between the bitter rivals. RECONCILIATION REJECTED Musk appeared to have offered a possible olive branch when he responded to a post on X from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. Ackman called for reconciliation, "for the benefit of our great country," and said, "We are much stronger together than apart." In a telling reply, Musk said, "You're not wrong." Speaker Mike Johnson raced to try to get Musk on the phone to negotiate a peace offering. He said they were trying to nail down a time to chat, but haven't been able to iron things out yet. But that all fell apart on Friday morning when Trump blasted Musk again and said he wasn't interested in talking anytime soon. Despite glimmers of hope, politicians and thought leaders have rushed to pick sides and share their two cents on the matter. Trump crushes hopes of 'peace talks' call with Musk as he insists Elon has 'lost his mind' after feud went nuclear Though many of them have been quick to stick to President Trump, not everyone is falling in line. TRUMP SUPPORTERS RALLY Support for Trump was immediate and forceful as allies rallied around the president. Johnson, who oversaw the passage of Trump's "big beautiful bill" in the House that prompted Musk's initial shot across the bow when he called the legislation a "disgusting abomination," was among the first to come to the president's aid. "Look, I know all of you are very concerned about [Musk's] tweets, but I think the American people are concerned about things that really matter," Johnson told reporters Thursday. How did Musk and Trump's relationship crumble? ELON Musk and Donald Trump spent Thursday launching insults on social media as their relationship quickly went sour. The Tesla owner called for Trump's impeachment as the president hit back and warned the government could end all federal contracts with Musk's companies. Here's how it went down: On Tuesday, Musk tweeted that Trump's signature "big beautiful" spending bill was a "disgusting abomination" that would add billions to the federal deficit On Thursday in the Oval Office, Trump addressed Musk's criticism of the bill and accused Musk of trying to kill it because the bill ends federal subsidies for electric vehicles Musk responded by live-posting on X as Trump spoke, initially shrugging off the president's assessment with an unbothered "Whatever," before tearing into the bill's other spending provisions Trump escalated the feud after the Oval Office meeting with multiple posts on Truth Social, saying he told Musk to leave the White House instead of continuing to work with Doge and threatening to dump Musk's federal contracts, which are worth billions Musk fired back on X by saying he was "decommissioning" the Dragon spacecraft made by SpaceX that brought the stranded Nasa astronauts back from the International Space Station in March Musk also escalated the war of words by reposting and replying "Yes" to a tweet claiming that Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance Musk further fanned the flames by claiming that Trump is named in the infamous "Epstein files" and making unfounded accusations that its the reason they haven't been released to the public. "That is making their taxes low, making their economy work, making the border secure, making energy dominance a big thing again, and that's what our bill is going to do." Johnson said he supported Trump's massive tax and spending cuts bill, and called it a "historic step forward." Vice President JD Vance rushed to his bosses aid and blasted "lies the corporate media tells about President Trump." "One of the most glaring is that he's impulsive or short-tempered," he wrote. "Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that's ridiculous." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the feud was an "unfortunate episode from Elon," adding that he wasn't happy with the bill because "it does not include the policies he wanted." "As a businessman, he has a right to speak for his companies, but as president, President Trump has a responsibility to fight for this country," she told Fox News. CJ Pearson, who is the co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory, made it clear who had his vote and confidence. "I'll be on the side of the guy that took a bullet for his country. Simple as that," he told the Daily Mail. 7 Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, slammed Musk's claims, but added that he should be respected Credit: Getty 7 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the 'big beautiful bill' when she was asked about the feud Credit: Splash EPSTEIN CLAIMS 'RIDICULOUS' Other Republicans fumed over Musk's unfounded claim that Trump is named in files on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and should be impeached. Leader of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, Anna Paulina Luna, said the Epstein accusation was bogus. "The fact is, I do not believe that President Trump is in the Epstein files," she said. Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who Musk supported, disagreed that Trump should be impeached but added that he still respects the Tesla CEO. "This is the language Trump speaks in. [Musk] is speaking it back to him," he said. Meanwhile, Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett argued that if Trump were in the files, it would've already be used against him politically. "Honestly, if any of that stuff was true on Trump, don't you think the Biden administration would have brought it out? I mean, that's just ridiculous," he said. There's no evidence that Trump had any involvement in Epstein's crimes. 7 Vice President JD Vance blasted the 'corporate media' for portraying Trump as short-tempered Credit: AP MAGA INFLUENCERS CAUTIOUS MAGA influencers remain divided on the feud, including Emily Wilson, known as Emily Saves America, who said that she "doesn't agree with doing this publicly and it's not a good look for us… compared to Democrats, our party at least goes for it. "We go with what we think and feel, we don't just fall in line with each other. I feel like Democrats are all shady and do everything behind closed doors and eat their own." Raquel Debono, who runs Make America Hot Again, jokingly said: "I guess Trump's not invited to Mars anymore." However, activist Robby Starbuck said MAGA is stronger "with Trump and Elon working together," and hopes the two can come together. "Elon is right to want a balanced budget and Trump is right to want his signature legislation. "Remember, our founders in America did great things, often fought and later made up. "This doesn't need to be a breakup if they let cooler heads prevail." Meanwhile, podcaster Joe Rogan, who endorsed Trump as president, called for Musk's phone to be thrown away. 7 White House aides reportedly set up a phone call between Musk and Trump to clear the air, but it fell through Credit: AP DEMOCRATS DIVIDED ON MUSK PRAISE The feud has had some in the Democratic party praising Musk, which has earned the ire of Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. "The Dems, we've been dumping all over Musk and vandalizing Teslas or whatever, and now, suddenly, we might be more back into him," he said. Fetterman warned the party against fawning over the billionaire. "It wasn't that long ago that Tesla was like the virtue-signaling kind of accessory for Dems," he said. "I would never want to vandalize Teslas, and the 'big, beautiful bill' is wrong for America. So, from my perspective, I've just tried to be consistent through that." WHO'S STAYING QUIET Some key decision makers are keeping to themselves until tensions cool. "I'm staying out of it," Representative Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, told NBC News. "There's a good verse in Proverbs, 'Stay out of fights.' I'm staying out of this one." Representative Richard Hudson, a Republican from North Carolina, said that he has faith the feud will "blow over." When he was asked whether the two would make up, he merely shrugged.
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The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Fox News rushes to Trump's defense after Elon Musk says he's ‘in the Epstein Files': What about Bill Clinton?!
Fox News suddenly found itself in a pickle on Thursday when a high-stakes feud erupted between the two leading lights of the MAGA universe – President Donald Trump and the world's richest man, Elon Musk. While the breakup always seemed inevitable due to the egos involved, as well as Trump's history of shedding one-time loyalists and stabbing them in the back on the way out, the hosts at the conservative cable giant have appeared to be in mourning over their two heroes duking it out. Since the spat exploded, the network's top MAGA personalities have been careful not to fully take a side, especially considering the media power Musk wields due to his control of the social media platform X. They've also expressed hope that the president and his former 'first buddy' will eventually work it out, essentially saying the two are 'just blowing off steam' like a couple of college bros. At the same time, though, there was one Rubicon that Musk crossed that was a bridge too far for many of Fox's opinion hosts – the loaded accusation that Trump was in the so-called 'Epstein Files' and this was 'the real reason' why the administration has yet to release them in full. During his off-the-rails tweetstorm on Thursday that escalated the war of words to nuclear levels, the Tesla CEO brought up the president's previous relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Considering right-wing media's long-standing obsession with Epstein's supposed client list, which they've speculated would include a number of high-profile Democrats and celebrities who engaged in sex crimes with Epstein, the Musk allegation seemed primed to sow division within MAGA world. This has especially been the case since many of the president's supporters are still bitter over Attorney General Pam Bondi's botched release of the FBI's documents on Epstein and the FBI's leaders – who were Epstein conspiracists themselves when they were MAGA media figures – now saying Epstein actually committed suicide and wasn't murdered in jail. Sean Hannity, the Trump confidant who also serves as the 'White House shadow chief of staff,' was crestfallen that the back-and-forth between Trump and the one-time DOGE chief had grown so 'personal,' specifically with Musk's Epstein claims. Hannity, meanwhile, decided the best way to address the accusation was to pivot to another famous friend of Epstein's. 'Wasn't it Donald Trump who booted Epstein out… because he was one of the first people to realize just how horrible Epstein really was?' Hannity wondered, referencing the falling out between the president and the deceased sexual predator. 'I guess if Donald Trump felt that Epstein had something on him, he probably wouldn't have kicked him out of his club.' After insisting that Trump was fully in the clear when it came to his past ties with Epstein, Hannity then fully pivoted to former President Bill Clinton, who also associated with Epstein in the past. 'Now, Democrats and the media – I'm just thinking out loud here – I truly wonder, is Bill Clinton in those files also? If I was a betting man, I know where I'd put my money,' the Fox News star openly speculated. Hannity's primetime colleague Jesse Watters, meanwhile, took a slightly different tack when it came to the billionaire's shot at Trump. 'Elon's calling the president a pedophile. Wow! I don't think Musk has seen the Epstein Files and if Trump was in them, Biden probably would have released them,' Watters declared on Thursday night. 'And everyone knows that Trump kicked Epstein out of his clubs and cooperated with the victims' attorneys,' he continued. 'But the silver lining is that now Democrats are demanding the release of the Epstein Files.' Watters went on to say that it's up in the air if Musk and Trump will 'patch it up,' acknowledging that if someone 'said I was on the Epstein list, it might take me a little while' to get over it. At the same time, he insisted that 'guys get over stuff' easily and that 'both men are patriots and hopefully they will do the right thing.' Elsewhere on the network, afternoon host Will Cain was a bit more critical of the SpaceX founder, taking issue with his abrupt about-face and wondering why Musk was such a supporter of Trump if he believes he had nefarious dealings with Epstein in the past. 'Elon Musk is — he seems to be unstable right now on X. He is talking about impeachment. He is talking about the Epstein files, if I were to believe that would be true, why would Joe Biden not have used them in trying to get elected over Donald Trump?' Cain asserted. 'I hate it when people say this, but it's not a good look for Elon Musk.'Later on in his program, Cain said he wanted to ask Musk about his suggestion that Trump is 'in the Epstein Files,' wondering if the billionaire would have remained silent on it if the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' had met his satisfaction. 'What is this truth-teller today exposing about the guy yesterday, if everything is true that Elon is saying?' Cain added. Meanwhile, on the president's favorite morning show on Friday, the hosts made sure to let Trump know where their loyalties lay, at least when it came to Musk's Epstein claims. 'The Epstein file thing was way over the top and just crazy to say that Trump was in the Epstein files,' co-host Brian Kilmeade exclaimed. 'I mean, sometimes when people get drunk. They do crazy things. But this is a total escalation by Elon Musk.' Still, as was the case with much of Fox News programming over the past 24 hours, the curvy couch crew was trying not to explicitly take a side in the spat, seemingly waiting to see how it developed throughout the day and weekend. Instead, they mostly expressed hope that the two would eventually smooth things over for the good of the Republican Party, adopting the role many of Trump's allies have taken in trying to broker a Trump-Musk peace. 'Maybe I am a little too optimistic, but they're both alpha males,' Lawrence Jones insisted. 'They fight. It's dirty. I got a friend like this. I love him to death. But when we fight – I don't know what gets over us. We don't do it publicly, but we love each other.' This was similar to how Watters explained the situation the previous evening, likening the feud to a pair of fraternity bros who got into a brawl because of a love triangle. 'Guys sometimes will punch you in the face, and the next night you're having beer; sleep with your girlfriend, and you patch things up,' Watters bizarrely proclaimed at one point. Kilmeade, meanwhile, went on to praise Trump for his 'measured' response to Musk, all while claiming that the spending bill at the center of this blowup 'might actually get better because of Musk.' For now, though, the network's MAGA hosts continue to be a bit despondent over the entire affair, urging the two to 'knock it off' for the good of the country and that the whole situation makes them sad. And though many express optimism that Musk and Trump will make up, Laura Ingraham is worried that they may have already gone past a point of no return. 'I talked to an insider today who said it is irreparable,' she sighed on Thursday night.
NBC News
8 hours ago
- NBC News
Hidden invasion: Rwanda's covert war in the Congo
Open secret From the start, Rwanda has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal its intervention in the Kivu provinces in eastern Congo, which went from a couple of hundred soldiers in 2021 to an estimated 5,000 today. But there have been lapses in Rwanda's secrecy. In May 2022, Congolese forces announced they had captured two Rwandan soldiers who had entered the country. Rwanda denied this, claiming the soldiers were kidnapped across the border. NBC News obtained a Rwandan military report that admitted that these soldiers were captured while taking part in an M23 attack on barracks at Rumangabo military base. The internal report says members of the Rwanda Defence Force crossing the border were supposed to leave cellphones behind and strip identifying insignia from their uniforms. It recommends punishment for the soldiers' commander for failing to ensure the captured soldiers did so. In a bid to remove witnesses, Rwandan soldiers forced Congolese villagers to evacuate areas they occupied, according to a contractor hired to provide intelligence for the Congolese military. Operations like this drove hundreds of thousands from their homes. 'This is not business as usual in the DRC,' Antoine Sagot-Priez, DRC country director for the aid agency Concern Worldwide, said in March, commenting on the mass displacement. 'We need people to know what is happening here.' These villagers ended up living in 17 camps around the city of Goma, the capital of Congo's North Kivu province, that would eventually swell to hold 400,000 to 500,000 people. Reports drawn up by the same contractor state that Rwandan forces were moving their mortars in and out of Congo — sometimes each day — apparently to avoid detection. Rwandan soldiers also often don outfits usually worn by the M23 rebels. Much of the information used in this report was compiled by Western military experts, who included former French army officers, Romanians, Poles and Bulgarians, hired by Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi in 2022 when he realized his army was disastrously losing ground. They were assigned the task of protecting cities in the east and providing Congo's artillery with key information — thanks to a small fleet of Chinese drones. In March 2023, these new hires helped turn the tables on the Rwandans attacking the town of Sake, west of Goma, by hitting their mortar positions with Sukhoi fighter jets. The entire Rwandan force in Congo withdrew the following day. Military contractors believe this was the moment Rwanda — one of Africa's poorest states and heavily dependent on foreign aid — went on an international military shopping spree, placing orders in Poland and Turkey for sophisticated anti-missile systems, drones and signal-jamming equipment. Then in late 2023, Rwandan forces began returning to Congo. This time the numbers were 10 times higher than before — 3,000 to 5,000 men, according to the same military contractor. The Congolese army put its new drones to devastating use. Satellite imagery shows a sudden, dramatic increase in the number of graves at Kanombe Military Cemetery, Rwanda's main military burial ground in the capital, Kigali. It expanded by some 350 graves between mid-2023 and early 2024, according to a manual count carried out by NBC News. The images also show that from late 2021 to today, the cemetery has added 900 graves, even though the country says it is not engaged in any military conflict in Congo. Rwanda's government spokesperson declined to comment on the fresh graves, saying: 'Speculation about a military cemetery in Kigali has no basis in reality.' The DRC's air superiority did not last long. According to senior Congolese army officers, Rwanda used the opportunity presented by a U.S.-negotiated truce to install Chinese-made Yitian anti-missile systems in Congo. The addition in early 2024 of GPS-jamming equipment turned the war's tide, making it nearly impossible for the DRC's hired contractors to deploy their drone fleet. 'The new equipment changed everything,' said Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, a Congolese army spokesman. 'When we were asked by the Americans for a ceasefire to calm things down, the Rwandans used it as a chance to bring in these systems.'
