National Park Protesters Unveil Giant Elon Musk Bust
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A large bust of Elon Musk complete with the slogans "MAKE AMERICA WAIT AGAIN" and "Now With Longer Lines Thanks to DOGE Cuts!" was spotted on Saturday at Arches National Park in Utah.
Newsweek contacted Musk, via the Tesla and SpaceX press offices, and the National Park Service for comment on Thursday via email outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Musk headed up the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) between January 2025, when it was established by President Donald Trump, and April, when he stepped back from the role before dramatically falling out with Trump in early June.
DOGE oversaw significant cuts to federal employment, including by the National Park Service, as it sought to reduce government spending. However critics argue it has had a negative impact for national park visitors.
The bust seen on Saturday shows there are still those who want to blame the cuts specifically on Musk, despite his recent criticism of the president over his "Big Beautiful Bill" spending package.
What To Know
The white sculpture of Musk's head was spotted sitting on a trailer near the entrance to Arches National Park, off the U.S. 191 on Saturday
Speaking to Mormon media outlet Deseret News, Nancy Charmichael, a park visitor who photographed the bust, said it was around 12 feet tall and was moved to different points around the park during the day.
Four photographs of the bust attributed to Charmichael were shared on X by local network KSL 5 TV.
A bust of Elon Musk was seen in Arches National Park.
According to the tipster that saw it, "it was probably ten or twelve feet tall and had a self-satisfied smirk and a big sign that said, 'Make America Wait Again' and 'Longer Lines Thanks to DOGE Cuts.'"
📷Nancy C pic.twitter.com/WW8qssTxsw — KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) July 14, 2025
The sculpture was mounted on a flatbed trailer being pulled by a white Dodge pickup, with a wooden perimeter around Musk's head and the slogans written on a board in front of his face.
Speaking to Business Insider, Karen Henker, an acting public affairs specialist for Arches National Park, said "lines to get into Arches are very common and have been for years." She added that lines to get into the park have not been longer in 2025 than in previous years.
A visitor to Arches National Park near Moab, Utah, photographs the park's best known attraction, Delicate Arch.
A visitor to Arches National Park near Moab, Utah, photographs the park's best known attraction, Delicate Arch.
Robert Alexander/GETTY
According to the campaign group National Parks Conservation Association, 24 percent of the National Parks Service's permanent employees have lost their jobs since January.
On Tuesday a House subcommittee marked up the 2026 fiscal bill for the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, an advocacy group, said this will cut the National Park Service's budget by $176 million.
What People Are Saying
Discussing the bust with Deseret News Charmichael said: "I think everyone thought it was kind of cool. I don't think anyone was upset. Maybe it was meant to be a serious thing, but personally, I just thought it was funny and something you don't see every day."
In a statement earlier this month the National Parks Conservation Association said: "The park staff who remain are being asked to do more with less, and it's simply not sustainable."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen if Saturday's bust sighing will be a one off or if the Musk sculpture will make further appearances, either at Arches National Park or other sites.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Microsoft Issues Alert After Critical SharePoint Server Attacks
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Microsoft has issued an urgent security alert warning of "active attacks" targeting SharePoint servers used by government agencies and businesses worldwide. The attacks, discovered over the weekend, exploit a previously unknown vulnerability in the document-sharing software, prompting immediate action from both Microsoft and federal investigators. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) told Newsweek on Sunday that it is aware of the incidents and working with federal and private-sector partners to address the threat. The Washington Post first reported the hacks, citing unidentified actors who exploited the flaw to target U.S. and international agencies and businesses over the past few days. Newsweek reached out to Microsoft and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Sunday via email for comment. Why It Matters This zero-day attack represents a significant cybersecurity threat to organizations relying on SharePoint for internal document management and collaboration. The vulnerability affects government agencies, schools, healthcare systems including hospitals, and large enterprise companies, with attackers bypassing multi-factor authentication and single sign-on protections to gain privileged access. What To Know The vulnerability affects only on-premises SharePoint servers used within organizations, not Microsoft's cloud-based SharePoint Online service. Michael Sikorski, CTO and Head of Threat Intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, told Newsweek in an email statement that "attackers are bypassing identity controls, including MFA and SSO, to gain privileged access. Once inside, they're exfiltrating sensitive data, deploying persistent backdoors, and stealing cryptographic keys." According to Sikorski, the attackers have already established footholds in compromised systems, making patching alone insufficient to fully remove the threat. The compromise extends beyond SharePoint due to its deep integration with Microsoft's platform, including Office, Teams, OneDrive and Outlook. "What makes this especially concerning is SharePoint's deep integration with Microsoft's platform," Sikorski said. "A compromise doesn't stay contained—it opens the door to the entire network." Microsoft has released a security update for SharePoint Subscription Edition and is developing patches for 2016 and 2019 versions. The company recommends organizations that cannot immediately apply protective measures should disconnect their servers from the internet until updates become available. FILE - A Microsoft sign and logo are pictured at the company's headquarters, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Redmond, Wash. FILE - A Microsoft sign and logo are pictured at the company's headquarters, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Redmond, Wash. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond, File What People Are Saying Microsoft Security Team in a statement: "We recommend security updates that customers should apply immediately." Michael Sikorski, CTO and Head of Threat Intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, told Newsweek: "If you have SharePoint on-prem exposed to the internet, you should assume that you have been compromised at this point. This is a high-severity, high-urgency threat. We are urging organizations who are running on-prem SharePoint to take action immediately and apply all relevant patches now and as they become available, rotate all cryptographic material, and engage professional incident response." The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said on Sunday: "CISA is aware of active exploitation of a new remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability enabling unauthorized access to on-premise SharePoint servers. While the scope and impact continue to be assessed, the new Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE), CVE-2025-53770, is a variant of the existing vulnerability CVE-2025-49706 and poses a risk to organizations. This exploitation activity, publicly reported as "ToolShell," provides unauthenticated access to systems and enables malicious actors to fully access SharePoint content, including file systems and internal configurations, and execute code over the network." The FBI told Newsweek in an email response that they are: "Aware of the attacks and working closely with federal and private-sector partners," though they declined to provide additional operational details. What Happens Next Organizations using affected SharePoint versions face immediate decisions about disconnecting servers from the internet until patches become available. Palo Alto Networks is actively notifying affected customers and working closely with Microsoft's Security Response Center to provide updated threat intelligence. Microsoft continues developing patches for older SharePoint versions, with timeline details yet to be announced.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
X Plans to Launch AI Text-to-Video Option, New AI Companions
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. It looks like X will soon integrate its AI-generated text-to-video tool Hotshot, which it acquired back in March, with X owner Elon Musk noting that they're developing a new AI process to 'make creative viral videos fast.' The new process, which Elon says will be called 'Imagine,' looks set to integrate Hotshot's functionality with xAI's Grok engine, in order to give X users their own text-to-video generation tool. Before being acquired by xAI, Hotshot had developed a range of text-to-video and text-to-GIF AI models, and had gained traction among AI enthusiasts for its rapidly developing AI tools. The logical next step for the technology is to enable text-to-video generation direct on X, which would give the platform similar capacity to Google's Veo model, which has already sparked a range of viral trends. Though, of course, the idea is always the seed, and while technical capacity is a big step in video creation, without a good idea, it doesn't mean a heap. But then again, giving more people the capacity to explore their ideas should lead to more creative concepts, and it'll be interesting to see how X users apply 'Imagine' when it does get a release. Though I imagine some level of misuse and/or abuse of such will also come with that. On that front (well not exactly, but…), X has also shared a preview of its coming male AI companion, which it's calling 'Valentine.' As you can see in these examples, X users will soon be able to build a relationship with an AI-powered male character, which is designed to offer companionship, in all that the term implies. Indeed, Elon says that Valentine "will make your heart race." X already offers two AI companions, in the Anime-inspired 'Ani,' and a misbehaving red panda called 'Rudy.' Elon Musk says that Valentine will be a combination of 'Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from 50 Shades,' enabling more users to live out their fantasies with an AI partner that'll engage in NSFW interactions. Which feels pretty weird. I mean, no judgment, people can do whatever they want, so long as they're not hurting anybody else. But the fact that the X team is encouraging people to go on virtual dates with their companions seems potentially problematic. Maybe? Either way, X clearly thinks this is a valuable market, and it's looking to more companion types in future. So soon, you'll be able to create videos based on your text, and even spoken prompts via X's AI tools, and have a relationship with an Anime character. The future is here. This is what you wanted. Are you not entertained? Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
This Move From Tesla Screams Desperation
Key Points Tesla is beginning to import vehicles to sell in India. Tariffs and duties can add 100% to the cost of import vehicles in India. Investors need to tune in to Tesla's shareholder meeting in November. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › When it rains, it pours, and that's a saying that Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) investors know all too well right now. If consumer backlash against CEO Elon Musk's political stint wasn't enough, a number of executives have left the company recently, sales are in decline globally, its vehicle lineup is aging, its Cybertruck was a commercial flop, and it's facing a growing number of lawsuits surrounding its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems, among other developments -- it's certainly raining. The bad news? Tesla's latest move could signal just how desperate the automaker is right now. To India!? Entering the world's third-largest automotive market can't be the worst strategic move, right? While that would be the common thought process, the scenario is a bit different between Tesla and India. That's because while India is the third-largest automotive market, Tesla's Model Y, which the company recently launched in India, will target an electric vehicle segment that represents a modest 4% of overall sales. To make matters worse, Musk himself has long criticized India for its steep tariffs on import vehicles. In fact, importing vehicles into India can often result in tariffs and related duties that can exceed 100%, drastically driving up the price for consumers. Tesla's strategy is simple: Take excess inventory from countries where demand and sales have plunged, and move it to a new market. The problem is that, due to tariffs and duties, Tesla's Model Y starts at about $70,000 in India -- the highest price among major markets. That compares unfavorably to roughly $45,000 in the U.S., $36,700 in China, and $53,700 in Germany. On one hand, it seems like a worthwhile attempt to stoke some sales globally, but on the other hand, it does seem like a move of desperation as the company deals with global sales adversity for the first time. That said, this isn't the first time Tesla has flirted with India. The company once considered opening a factory there and has commented that it still hopes to do research and development and manufacturing in India one day. What's next for investors? Some of the best investing advice can be summed up with "invest in what you know." That's the dilemma for some long-term and potential Tesla investors. The automaker is almost in an identity crisis, figuring out whether it's a vehicle manufacturer, a robotaxi company, a robotics company, an artificial intelligence business, or some combination of the above. Not only do Tesla investors have to worry about Musk's time being divided between SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), Neuralink, and xAI, among others, but there's also concern about a deepening tie to politics. "Tesla is heading into one of the most important stages of its growth cycle with the autonomous and robotics future now on the doorstep and cannot have Musk spending more and more time creating a political party which will require countless time, energy, and political capital," wrote Dan Ives, a Wedbush Securities analyst known for being a Tesla bull, according to CNN Business. That's why it'll be as important as ever for investors to tune in to Tesla's annual shareholder meeting, scheduled for November, to see what insights and vision management has going forward. For long-term investors, backlash will likely eventually fade, although it'll take time to mend the trust with consumers. However, for new potential investors, it may be wise to watch this from the sidelines until Tesla figures out its identity. Should you buy stock in Tesla right now? The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $652,133!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,056,790!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 15, 2025 Daniel Miller has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This Move From Tesla Screams Desperation was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
