Pentagon announces new contract with Musk's Grok AI just a week after its anti-Semitic turn
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Bill Maher clashes with Hollywood actor John Leguizamo over immigration into US
Actor John Leguizamo told Bill Maher that America should take on more migrants because 'there's plenty of room here'. The liberal's assertion came during a fiery episode of Maher's Club Random podcast that laid bare the political fault lines between the two liberal voices. 'There's plenty of room in America, come on. There's no lack of room in America,' Leguizamo insisted, as Maher pushed back. 'It can't just be like, "come one, come all," Maher countered. 'It's never about room. It's about resources… Countries have to have a border.' The episode, which dropped on Monday saw the two clashing not just over immigration policy but race, identity, and even past personal encounters with Donald Trump himself. Maher, 69, a longtime liberal comedian known for skewering both the left and right, accused the Biden administration of mishandling the border crisis, prompting Leguizamo, 64, to launch into a passionate defense of immigrants and a scorching attack on what he sees as systemic racism in US history. 'We've been here since the beginning,' Leguizamo declared, referring to Latino communities in the United States. 'The first European language spoken in America was not English - it was Spanish. But we haven't moved up. We've stayed in the same place because this is the fourth mass deportation of Latinos since 1830.' He launched into a historical recounting of Latino persecution: 'After Mexico became America and they invaded and took from Mississippi to the Pacific, they started lynching people, stealing their land, stealing their political wealth. In the 1930s, with the Repatriation Act, two million Latinos - most of them American citizens - were deported.' Maher, who has been critical of both Trump and Biden's immigration policies looked at the modern day issue. 'Part of this is a backlash to how badly Biden handled the immigration situation… You can't just open the gates. 'Something like 200 million people around the world, when asked, "Would you come to America if you could?" - "Yes, I would." Why wouldn't they? Lots of countries, excuse me, are s***tholes, and they would love to be here.' Leguizamo was quick to push back: 'The places aren't s***holes.' 'Well, they are,' Maher replied. 'That's why they want to come.' 'It's usually because of America,' Leguizamo shot back. 'What America's done, especially in Latin America, is beat up every democracy that was burgeoning. They destroyed it to keep their oil or their resources or bananas.' The sharp exchange spiraled into more personal territory when Leguizamo recounted a past encounter with Trump, long before the real estate mogul entered politics. 'I met him a time I was giving an award at Trump Tower,' the actor recalled. 'He came up to me and goes, "Oh, you're so articulate."' Leguizamo said he interpreted that comment as a racist slight: 'White people always tell you that if you're a Latin person and you can speak, that you're so articulate -which I know is code for "I thought you were all dumb." Maher acknowledged the offense, calling the remark 'just obnoxious,' but rejected the notion that Trump himself was a racist: 'He's not a racist. He's a product of his time.' Leguizamo pushed back again: 'Some of us overcome our times.' 'That is true and fair to say,' Maher agreed. The exchange grew even more heated when the two addressed Trump's adviser, Stephen Miller, widely regarded as the architect of the Trump administration's hardline immigration policies. 'He's not on the level of racism that Stephen Miller is,' Leguizamo said. 'Nobody is at the level of Stephen Miller's racism. He grew up in Santa Monica with Latinos and I guess they bullied him - and he's got a chip on his shoulder.' Throughout the conversation, Maher tried to temper Leguizamo's moral urgency by citing how border towns and liberal cities were overwhelmed buckling under migrant inflows. 'Even the governor of New York was like, "We can't take all these people," Maher said. 'Mayor Adams was like - and he's right - it's like, you know, these people live here and now this is their burden.' Leguizamo, who hosts MSNBC's Leguizamo Does America, argued that immigrants were not a burden but the backbone of the country. 'The immigrants that are coming here are building the country,' he said. 'They're the essential workers. They're the first responders. They're doing all your construction, painting, plumbing, raising all your food, cooking all your food, serving all your food, taking care of your kids. We do all the work that nobody wants to do.' Maher responded, 'Yes, they are. Absolutely. But… there has to be some order to it.' Leguizamo seemed unmoved by the call for moderation. 'Let's fix the legal immigration,' he demanded. 'It's a broken system. People who've been here for 30 years can't be naturalized. That's insane.' In a rare moment of agreement, Maher conceded the legal system is failing many long-time immigrants. 'Fix the quotas,' he said. 'Fix the blockage.' The conversation went back and forth between barbed humor and some tense disagreements, with Maher even joking about the kinds of countries where 'you can take a chicken on a bus' being what he called 's***hole countries.' He clarified: 'It doesn't mean you're a s***hole person. You have the misfortune of being born there.' Leguizamo, while acknowledging the hardships, insisted that the answer was not shutting the door, but swinging it open. 'Immigrants are the life source of this country,' he said.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Asian shares rise, dollar strengthens ahead of US earnings; JGB yields surge
TOKYO, July 15 (Reuters) - Asian shares climbed and the dollar held gains on Tuesday as trade talks remained in the spotlight in a week that will see key readings on U.S. inflation and bank earnings. Oil prices edged lower after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 50-day deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine to avoid energy sanctions. Japanese government bonds yields jumped to multi-decade high as a critical upper house election neared. Trump signalled he was open to discussions on tariffs after his weekend threat to impose 30% duties on the European Union and Mexico from August 1. Japan is reportedly trying to schedule high-level talks with the U.S. this Friday. Market reaction to the tariff uncertainty has been rather benign, making earnings in the United States this week all the more important for cues, said National Australia Bank strategist Rodrigo Catril. "It'll be interesting to see what companies are saying, in particular in terms of the forward-looking outlook, in terms of where they see the next quarter, how they see their margins, are they going to get squeezed, or are they planning to pass it on," Catril said in a NAB podcast. "I think that this idea of complacency is also because we're not quite sure how this whole thing is going to play out," he added. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab was up 0.4%, after U.S. stocks ended the previous session with meagre gains. Japan's Nikkei (.N225), opens new tab gauge added 0.2%. The EU accused the U.S. of resisting efforts to strike a trade deal and warned of countermeasures if no agreement is reached. Trump said he was open to further discussions with the EU and other trading partners. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is arranging to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo on Friday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, ahead of an August 1 deadline before 25% tariffs are due to take effect. Ishiba also has an election to contend with on Sunday, with polls showing his ruling coalition may lose their majority in the upper house to political opponents who are advocating for expansive spending. The benchmark 10-year JGB yield jumped to 1.595%, highest since October 2008, while the 30-year yield hit an all-time high of 3.195%. Meanwhile, the U.S. earnings season is set to begin on Tuesday, with second-quarter reports from major banks. S&P 500 profits are expected to rise 5.8% year-over-year, according to LSEG data. The outlook has dimmed sharply since the early April forecast of 10.2% growth, before Trump launched his trade war. Investors are also waiting for U.S. consumer price data for June, due on Tuesday, and will monitor for any upward pressure on prices from tariffs. The dollar was little changed at 147.71 yen after touching a three-week high. The euro was flat at $1.1672. U.S. crude dipped 0.3% to $66.80 a barrel. Trump announced new weapons shipments for Ukraine on Monday, and threatened sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal in 50 days. Gold inched up 0.1% at $3,348.35 per ounce, while spot silver gained 0.1% to $38.15 per ounce, after hitting its highest level since September 2011 in the previous session. In early trades, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures were up 0.1%, German DAX futures were up 0.1%, and FTSE futures were up 0.2%. U.S. stock futures, the S&P 500 e-minis , were down 0.1%.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Photos show the aftermath of a fatal fire at an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
