Latest news with #CaliforniaDemocraticConvention
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Musk calls out media hypocrisy over Booker ‘Nazi salute' hand gesture
(WTVO) — Elon Musk has called out 'legacy media' for hypocrisy over how news agencies covered Sen. Cory Booker's (D-N.J.) arm gesture after the tech billionaire faced a firestorm over a similar gesture earlier this year. While speaking at the California Democratic Convention on Saturday, Booker put his hand on his heart and then extended his arm toward the crowd. , with users placing it side-by-side with a nearly identical gesture made by Elon Musk on President Donald Trump's inauguration day. Musk's gesture sparked headlines and controversy over whether the Tesla CEO was giving a Nazi salute. 'Legacy media lies,' Musk in a comment to a user's tweet on X, comparing news coverage of Booker's gesture to his own. He also posted between Newsweek headlines on both incidents, with one reading '80 Years After Auschwitz, Elon Musk Keeps the Facist Salute Alive' and the other 'MAGA Accuses Democratic Senator Cory Booker of Doing 'Nazi Salute'.' 'Fate loves irony, but hates hypocrisy,' Musk wrote. At the time, Musk claimed the media misrepresented his gesture, which he said was intended to be a symbol of love. 'My heart goes out to you,' Musk said after making the gesture. 'And it's thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to Musk's defense, '@elonmusk is being falsely smeared. Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.' The Anti-Defamation League also opined, 'It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge.' Maya Krishna-Rogers, deputy communications director for Booker, denied the Senator had made a 'Nazi salute.' 'Cory Booker was obviously just waving to the crowd. Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk's gesture is operating in bad faith. The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - The Democrats' new campaign agenda: No more Mister Nice Guy
The long process of selecting the next Democratic presidential nominee is beginning, with potential candidates speaking already to gatherings of party faithful. 'We can — and we must — condemn Donald Trump's reckless actions,' Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) told about 800 people at the South Carolina Democratic Party's Blue Palmetto Dinner. The nation's only Black governor said Democrats must also advance their own agenda and be 'the party of action,' supporting policies that will quickly improve the lives of Americans. Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), last year's Democratic vice presidential nominee, told the South Carolina Democratic Convention that Democrats should 'be a little meaner' in standing up to what he called President Trump's bullying. He then flew across the country to speak to the California Democratic Convention and urged Democrats 'to find some goddamn guts to fight for working people,' because the party 'lost a big chunk of the working class' in last year's election. 'That last election was a primal scream on so many fronts,' he said. Neither Moore, Walz, nor any other Democrat has announced a 2028 presidential run so far, but Democrats have many excellent potential candidates. Former Vice President Kamala Harris (D) may seek the presidency a second time or run for governor of California in 2026. Other Democrats who may run for president include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and several others. Democrats are trying to figure out the winning recipe to cook up some wins following Republican victories last year. However, Republicans would like nothing better than to make former President Joe Biden's alleged mental decline in office — something Biden strongly denies — a major issue in their campaigns. I have known Biden for decades and believe he was an outstanding president. But debating his fitness for office is pointless. He will never run for office again. Democrats must look ahead, because voters will cast ballots for candidates they believe will give them a better future. Trump and congressional Republicans are doing an abysmal job governing. They embrace policies that threaten our liberties and the rule of law, give the richest Americans unjustified tax cuts and make massive cuts to vital government programs that benefit millions of people. They have eliminated hundreds of thousands of federal employees' jobs and support huge tariffs that raise consumer prices, reduce American exports and force U.S. businesses to lay off workers. Their legislation also harms our health and environment, weakens colleges and universities and ends diversity, equity and inclusion programs that open the door to the American Dream wider. They have worsened relations with other nations, endangered U.S. national security and seek to deport 1 million unauthorized immigrants, often without due process, and weaken freedom of the press and speech. Democrats should explain, in easily understandable language, how they would replace extremist Trump policies with better ones. For example, Democrats should point out that Trump and Republicans are prioritizing GOP tax cuts that would bring little or no benefit to most Americans. The Internal Revenue Service reports that in 2022 the 1 percent of taxpayers with the highest incomes paid about 40.4 percent of federal income taxes, while the top 50 percent of taxpayers paid 97 percent of all federal individual income taxes. The 50 percent of taxpayers with the lowest incomes paid only 3 percent of income taxes. This means that Trump's tax cuts would save the richest Americans millions of dollars every year, but would save most Americans little or nothing. And Democrats should accept the reality that in swing congressional districts and states, they need independent and sometimes a slice of moderate Republican votes to win elections. Embracing far-left progressive policies will help Republicans get elected. Rather than fighting over ideological purity, Democrats should focus on defeating Republicans. Democrats also need to reach out to low-turnout young voters and people of color with every method available. Personal contact is more effective than paid ads in reaching nonvoters. Beyond any speculation about 2028 and the presidential race, Democrats should first prioritize this year's statewide elections in New Jersey and Virginia, and then the 2026 midterm elections for Congress, state legislatures and governorships. Nearly half the members of the House and Senate are former state legislators. Capturing at least one house of Congress would give Democrats the power to block some of Trump's legislative initiatives, call on administration officials to testify under oath and file lawsuits against illegal and unconstitutional actions by Trump. Democrats have an excellent chance of winning control of the House in 2026. Republicans now have a slim majority of 220 to 212. Three vacancies were created by the deaths of Democratic members, who are likely to be replaced by other Democrats in special elections. The president's party has lost House seats in 18 of the 20 midterm elections since the end of World War II. We don't know how popular Trump will be in 2026, but I'm betting his popularity falls as his policies hurt growing numbers of Americans, dragging down Republican candidates with him. A Gallup poll found that Trump had a public approval rating of 43 percent in May and a disapproval rating of 53 percent. The only post-World War II president with a lower approval rating in May after being elected was Trump himself, with an approval rating of 39 percent in May 2017. Democrats will have a harder time winning a Senate majority than taking control of the House, but good candidates attuned to their state's electorates can help to prove the political prognosticators wrong. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Thirty-five seats will be on the ballot in 2026, 23 of which are held by Republicans. Democrats had an awful 2024, marked by election defeats. America and the world are having an awful 2025 as a result of Trump's erratic, incompetent and dangerous leadership and Republicans' blind loyalty. Democrats are tired of looking back at what went wrong last year. We are rebuilding the party, holding town halls in Republican congressional districts where Republicans are too scared to do so and filing lawsuits challenging Trump's efforts to govern by executive order as if he were a king. A new era is beginning for Democrats. I look forward to better days ahead when my party starts winning elections against the radical Republicans who have abandoned Ronald Reagan's principled conservatism and embraced Trump and his MAGA movement's reckless extremism. Donna Brazile is a political strategist, a contributor to ABC News and former chair of the Democratic National Committee. She is the author of 'Hacks: Inside the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Business
- The Hill
The Democrats' new campaign agenda: No more Mister Nice Guy
The long process of selecting the next Democratic presidential nominee is beginning, with potential candidates speaking already to gatherings of party faithful. 'We can — and we must — condemn Donald Trump's reckless actions,' Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) told about 800 people at the South Carolina Democratic Party's Blue Palmetto Dinner. The nation's only Black governor said Democrats must also advance their own agenda and be 'the party of action,' supporting policies that will quickly improve the lives of Americans. Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), last year's Democratic vice presidential nominee, told the South Carolina Democratic Convention that Democrats should 'be a little meaner' in standing up to what he called President Trump's bullying. He then flew across the country to speak to the California Democratic Convention and urged Democrats 'to find some goddamn guts to fight for working people,' because the party 'lost a big chunk of the working class' in last year's election. 'That last election was a primal scream on so many fronts,' he said. Neither Moore, Walz, nor any other Democrat has announced a 2028 presidential run so far, but Democrats have many excellent potential candidates. Former Vice President Kamala Harris (D) may seek the presidency a second time or run for governor of California in 2026. Other Democrats who may run for president include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and several others. Democrats are trying to figure out the winning recipe to cook up some wins following Republican victories last year. However, Republicans would like nothing better than to make former President Joe Biden's alleged mental decline in office — something Biden strongly denies — a major issue in their campaigns. I have known Biden for decades and believe he was an outstanding president. But debating his fitness for office is pointless. He will never run for office again. Democrats must look ahead, because voters will cast ballots for candidates they believe will give them a better future. Trump and congressional Republicans are doing an abysmal job governing. They embrace policies that threaten our liberties and the rule of law, give the richest Americans unjustified tax cuts and make massive cuts to vital government programs that benefit millions of people. They have eliminated hundreds of thousands of federal employees' jobs and support huge tariffs that raise consumer prices, reduce American exports and force U.S. businesses to lay off workers. Their legislation also harms our health and environment, weakens colleges and universities and ends diversity, equity and inclusion programs that open the door to the American Dream wider. They have worsened relations with other nations, endangered U.S. national security and seek to deport 1 million unauthorized immigrants, often without due process, and weaken freedom of the press and speech. Democrats should explain, in easily understandable language, how they would replace extremist Trump policies with better ones. For example, Democrats should point out that Trump and Republicans are prioritizing GOP tax cuts that would bring little or no benefit to most Americans. The Internal Revenue Service reports that in 2022 the 1 percent of taxpayers with the highest incomes paid about 40.4 percent of federal income taxes, while the top 50 percent of taxpayers paid 97 percent of all federal individual income taxes. The 50 percent of taxpayers with the lowest incomes paid only 3 percent of income taxes. This means that Trump's tax cuts would save the richest Americans millions of dollars every year, but would save most Americans little or nothing. And Democrats should accept the reality that in swing congressional districts and states, they need independent and sometimes a slice of moderate Republican votes to win elections. Embracing far-left progressive policies will help Republicans get elected. Rather than fighting over ideological purity, Democrats should focus on defeating Republicans. Democrats also need to reach out to low-turnout young voters and people of color with every method available. Personal contact is more effective than paid ads in reaching nonvoters. Beyond any speculation about 2028 and the presidential race, Democrats should first prioritize this year's statewide elections in New Jersey and Virginia, and then the 2026 midterm elections for Congress, state legislatures and governorships. Nearly half the members of the House and Senate are former state legislators. Capturing at least one house of Congress would give Democrats the power to block some of Trump's legislative initiatives, call on administration officials to testify under oath and file lawsuits against illegal and unconstitutional actions by Trump. Democrats have an excellent chance of winning control of the House in 2026. Republicans now have a slim majority of 220 to 212. Three vacancies were created by the deaths of Democratic members, who are likely to be replaced by other Democrats in special elections. The president's party has lost House seats in 18 of the 20 midterm elections since the end of World War II. We don't know how popular Trump will be in 2026, but I'm betting his popularity falls as his policies hurt growing numbers of Americans, dragging down Republican candidates with him. A Gallup poll found that Trump had a public approval rating of 43 percent in May and a disapproval rating of 53 percent. The only post-World War II president with a lower approval rating in May after being elected was Trump himself, with an approval rating of 39 percent in May 2017. Democrats will have a harder time winning a Senate majority than taking control of the House, but good candidates attuned to their state's electorates can help to prove the political prognosticators wrong. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Thirty-five seats will be on the ballot in 2026, 23 of which are held by Republicans. Democrats had an awful 2024, marked by election defeats. America and the world are having an awful 2025 as a result of Trump's erratic, incompetent and dangerous leadership and Republicans' blind loyalty. Democrats are tired of looking back at what went wrong last year. We are rebuilding the party, holding town halls in Republican congressional districts where Republicans are too scared to do so and filing lawsuits challenging Trump's efforts to govern by executive order as if he were a king. A new era is beginning for Democrats. I look forward to better days ahead when my party starts winning elections against the radical Republicans who have abandoned Ronald Reagan's principled conservatism and embraced Trump and his MAGA movement's reckless extremism. Donna Brazile is a political strategist, a contributor to ABC News and former chair of the Democratic National Committee. She is the author of 'Hacks: Inside the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Musk rips media over hypocrisy over Booker gesture
Tech billionaire Elon Musk slammed the 'legacy media' over the weekend, alleging hypocrisy in how news outlets covered Sen. Cory Booker's (D-N.J.) recent arm gesture after he faced criticism for a similar gesture earlier this year. Booker, while speaking at the California Democratic Convention on Saturday, placed his hand on his heart before extending his arm toward the crowd. Videos of the moment quickly spread on social media, with some users placing it alongside a video of Musk making a similar arm gesture on Inauguration Day. Musk's gesture drew days of headlines as scrutiny grew over whether the Tesla CEO made a Nazi salute. Responding to screenshots comparing the news headlines that covered Musk's and Booker's gestures, Musk wrote 'Legacy media lies' in a Sunday his social platform X The user Musk was responding to had written, 'Terrible legacy media and how they went after Elon Musk. Now they are defending Cory Booker for the same hand gesture.' In another repost comparing headlines from Newsweek, Musk wrote, 'Fate loves irony, but hates hypocrisy.' 'Legacy media like Newsweek lie relentlessly,' he added. Newsweek declined to comment. 'Legacy media is one big psy op,' Musk wrote in another repost of a user listing major outlets that had not covered Booker's gesture but did cover Musk's earlier this year. Musk also reposted another user who shared pictures of prominent Democrats such as former President Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton making similar gestures in past speeches. The user wrote, 'We know where Cory Booker learned his Nazi salute from.' Musk reposted it with an emoji of a face with a raised eyebrow. Musk reposted several other users criticizing the lack of scrutiny on Booker, including one who wrote, 'If Elon Musk is a Nazi for doing this gesture…Cory Booker is one too. Sorry, I don't make the rules.' A spokesperson for Booker told The Hill the senator was 'obviously just waving to the crowd.' 'Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk's gesture is operating in bad faith. The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda,' Booker spokesperson Maya Krishna-Rogers wrote in a statement. Musk has increasingly criticized what he and others on the right call 'legacy media' for their coverage. During an interview on CNBC last month, he blamed the 'legacy media propaganda' for the public's backlash against him since he entered the political fold. When asked for an example of this, Musk said, 'That I'm a Nazi, for example. And how many legacy media publications, talk shows, whatever, try to claim that I was a Nazi because of some random hand gesture at a rally where all I said was that my heart goes out to you.' 'I was talking about space travel, and yet the legacy media promoted that as though that was a deliberate Nazi gesture, when in fact, every politician, any public speaker who's spoken for any length of time, has made the exact same gesture,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Hill
Musk rips media over hypocrisy over Booker gesture
Tech billionaire Elon Musk slammed the 'legacy media' over the weekend, alleging hypocrisy in how news outlets covered Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)'s recent arm gesture after he faced criticism for a similar gesture earlier this year. Booker, while speaking at the California Democratic Convention on Saturday, placed his hand on his heart before extending his arm toward the crowd. Videos of the moment quickly spread on social media, with some users placing it alongside a video of Musk making a similar arm gesture on Inauguration Day. Musk's gesture was widely reported last January as scrutiny grew over whether the Tesla CEO made a Nazi salute. In a repost of screenshots comparing the news headlines that covered Musk's and Booker's gestures, Musk wrote on X Sunday, 'Legacy media lies.' The user reposted by Musk wrote, 'Terrible legacy media and how they went after Elon Musk. Now they are defending Cory Booker for the same hand gesture.' In another repost comparing headlines from Newsweek, Musk wrote, 'Fate loves irony, but hates hypocrisy.' 'Legacy media like Newsweek lie relentlessly,' Musk added. Newsweek declined to comment. 'Legacy media is one big psy op,' Musk wrote in another repost of a user listing major outlets that had not covered Booker's gesture but did for Musk earlier this year. Musk also reposted another user who shared pictures of prominent Democrats like former President Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Vice President Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, making similar gestures in past speeches. The user wrote, 'We know where Cory Booker learned his Nazi salute from.' Musk reposted it with an emoji of a face with a raised eyebrow. Musk reposted several other users criticizing the lack of scrutiny on Booker, including one who wrote, 'If Elon Musk is a Nazi for doing this gesture…Cory Booker is one too. Sorry, I don't make the rules.' A spokesperson for Booker told The Hill the senator was 'obviously just waving to the crowd.' 'Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk's gesture is operating in bad faith. The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda,' Booker spokesperson Maya Krishna-Rogers wrote in a statement. Musk has increasingly criticized what he and others on the right call 'legacy media' for their coverage. During an interview on CNBC last month, he blamed the 'legacy media propaganda' for the public's backlash against him since he entered the political fold. When asked for an example of this, Musk said, 'That I'm a Nazi, for example, and how many legacy media publications, talk shows, whatever, try to claim that I was a Nazi because of some random hand gesture at a rally where all I said was that my heart goes out to you.' 'I was talking about space travel, and yet the legacy media promoted that as though that was a deliberate Nazi gesture, when in fact, every politician, any public speaker who's spoken for any length of time, has made the exact same gesture,' he added.
