Everyone Is Buying Time in an Unstable World
Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven't yet, sign up here.
In an age when decisions of great consequence are announced — and reversed — in an instant on social media, it may seem like a paradox that governments worldwide are looking to buy time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mark Cuban says left-leaning Bluesky's ‘lack of diversity of thought' driving users back to Elon Musk's X
Mark Cuban says Bluesky has 'grown ruder and more hateful' and warned that a 'lack of diversity of thought' on the platform is pushing users back to Elon Musk's X, the social network formerly known as Twitter. The billionaire entrepreneur and longtime tech enthusiast had been one of Bluesky's most visible champions, but now says the platform's predominantly left-leaning user base has created a hostile echo chamber where dissenting or even mildly nuanced opinions are met with outrage. 'The lack of diversity of thought here is really hurting usage,' Cuban wrote this week in a series of critical posts. 'There used to be great give and take discussions on politics and news. Not so much any more. Doesn't have to be this way.' Cuban, the tech billionaire who once owned the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and who recently concluded a lengthy stint as one of the investor 'sharks' on the hit reality show 'Shark Tank,' posted a link to a Washington Post opinion piece titled: 'The Bluesky bubble hurts liberals and their causes. In the piece, columnist Megan McArdle argued that the platform's left-leaning user base fosters a political silo. Cuban agreed with the piece's assessment. 'The moderation and block tools on here are so advanced, if you see someone you don't want to see on here, just block them. Don't attack them,' he added. He supported Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election but didn't donate to her campaign, joined Bluesky in late 2024 and has posted nearly 2,000 times since. His first post — 'Hello Less Hateful World' — set a hopeful tone. But that optimism has since faded. 'Engagement went from great convos on many topics, to agree with me or you are a nazi fascist,' Cuban wrote. 'We are forcing posts to X.' He said even small disagreements are met with outsized hostility. 'Even if you agree with 95% of what a person is saying on a topic, if there is one point that you might call out as being more of a grey area, they will call you a fascist etc.,' Cuban wrote. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Cuban's net worth stands at approximately $8.35 billion. Some users didn't take kindly to Cuban's critiques — and they made their feelings known in blunt, often profane language. In response to his concerns, one user wrote, 'Go wipe your crocodile tears with a wad of hundreds you tw-t. People are over the idea of 'cool' billionaires.' Another told him, 'Man if I were as rich as you I'd probably be less of a p—y,' while a third simply said, 'F–kin leave then, p—y.' Yet another post, which Cuban also reposted, read: 'It's like you, as a billionaire, are a despicable bastard and we want you to stop pushing AI and big business here and just Go Away.' Bluesky launched as a decentralized social media alternative and saw explosive growth in the aftermath of Elon Musk's full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump's reelection campaign in late 2024. Musk's backing of Trump triggered an exodus from X, driving millions of liberal-leaning users to Bluesky in search of a quieter, more ideologically aligned environment. Between November 2024 and May 2025, Bluesky's user base tripled — from roughly 10 million to over 30 million — according to Pew Research Center. That analysis also found that many of the platform's most prominent news influencers lean left politically. Bluesky CEO Jay Graber acknowledged the politically driven migration in a June 4 podcast interview with Vox's Peter Kafka. 'It's people wanting to just try something new. It's people finding their community here,' she said. 'I think in general it's both people looking for something and people looking to get away from something.' But for Cuban, that community appears to have turned inward. He now worries the platform is discouraging debate and becoming a digital echo chamber. The Post has sought comment from Bluesky.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Brazil's Supreme Court justices agree to make social media companies liable for user content
The majority of justices on Brazil's Supreme Court have agreed to make social media companies liable for illegal postings by their users, in a landmark case for Latin America with implications for relations with the U.S. (AP Video: Lucas Dumphreys)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
California Sen. Alex Padilla handcuffed at Noem news conference in LA
LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration defended its handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla on Thursday, saying the Secret Service believed he was an attacker during a news conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Padilla of "disrespectful political theater" and said officers "acted appropriately" in a statement following the incident. Noem and Padilla met for 15 minutes after the press conference, she said. The forcible removal and handcuffing of the California senator just as he was identifying himself marked the latest escalation between the Trump administration and Democrats over immigration, with members of Padilla's party roundly denouncing the encounter. Video provided by Padilla's office shows the senator approaching the lectern as Noem was speaking. He was stopped and shoved back by multiple men. 'I'm Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,' he said. He tried to speak further as he was forcibly removed into an adjoining room, where he yelled 'Hands off!' The video shows Padilla being forced to the ground and his arms handcuffed behind his back. The outburst came as Noem was touting federal law enforcement's immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, highlighting individuals with violent criminal records who were caught in the raids. Earlier in the week, Noem had described Los Angeles as a 'city of criminals' while slamming the immigration protests. Speaking to the media not long after the confrontation, Padilla said he was in the federal building for a scheduled briefing when he decided to drop by Noem's news conference down the hall. He said he began to ask the secretary a question when he was 'forcibly removed' from the room, forced to the ground and handcuffed. 'If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question … you can only imagine what they're doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers,' Padilla said. 'We will hold this administration accountable.' In Washington, Democratic senators walked out of their final vote of the day visibly agitated by the video. 'As this event with Senator Padilla shows, the Republicans evidently embrace using fists,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told POLITICO. 'Violence is never the answer. … It's looking more and more like a fascist state out there every day.' 'It's very disturbing,' Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia told POLITICO. 'We need answers.' Sen. Adam Schiff of California said he was 'disgusted by what I saw,' adding that Padilla has 'every right to ask questions.' He said, 'Kristi Noem should never have been appointed to that office. She should resign from that office.' He called for an investigation into the conduct of the officers who detained Padilla. The confrontation earned a swift rebuke from other fellow Californians in Congress, who quickly gathered on the Capitol steps to protest Padilla's treatment. 'Forcibly removing a United States Senator from a press conference is disgraceful,' Rep. Pete Aguilar, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said on X. 'This administration's chaos and corruption is out of control.' Gov. Gavin Newsom called the treatment of Padilla 'outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful' in a social media post shortly after the incident. 'Trump and his shock troops are out of control,' he wrote. Asked about the confrontation at the news conference, Noem said, 'I'll visit with the senator and find out, really, what his concerns are and what we can do.' Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina suggested Padilla got what he was looking for out of the exchange. 'He got what he wanted, he's on TV,' Graham said. He said, 'What he ought to be doing, in my view, is making sure that we have rational immigration policy. And Senator Padilla, who's a nice man, sat on the sidelines for four years, watched the border completely be blown apart. People come in by the millions, and it's created problems for our country.' Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he had seen video of the incident but wanted 'to get the facts and find out exactly what happened before we make any comments about it." At least one Republican senator, however, expressed astonishment about how Padilla was treated. "It's horrible,' said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. 'It is shocking at every level. It's not the America I know." Jordain Carney and Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.
