Latest news with #GulfofAmerica
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Elon Musk's Starbase town in Texas warns residents might ‘lose the right' to use their property
Elon Musk's SpaceX-controlled town in Texas warned local residents that they might 'lose the right to continue' using their property, according to a report. Starbase, formerly known as Boca Chica Village, is run by current and former SpaceX employees who will hold a hearing on June 23 to consider rezoning the 1.6 square-mile town located in the Rio Grande Valley, CNBC reported. 4 Elon Musk speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House and wears a 'Gulf of America' hat in April. AP Advertisement In a letter to homeowners, Starbase administrator Kent Myers said a new ordinance proposes creating a 'Mixed Use District' for 'residential, office, retail, and small-scale service uses.' 'The City is required by Texas law to notify you of the following: THE CITY OF STARBASE IS HOLDING A HEARING THAT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER YOU MAY LOSE THE RIGHT TO CONTINUE USING YOUR PROPERTY FOR ITS CURRENT USE,' Myers wrote in the letter obtained by CNBC. SpaceX did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment. Advertisement 4 A man wearing a Starbase t-shirt in the town formerly known as Boca Chica Village. AP Starbase was officially made a 'type-C municipal corporation' earlier this month after Musk's aerospace and defense contractor won a local election. The company town has a population of roughly 500 people, around 260 of whom are employed by SpaceX, according to the Texas Tribune. Most of the other residents are relatives of SpaceX employees. Starbase includes the launch facility where SpaceX's massive Starship rockets are tested. Advertisement 4 SpaceX's Starship spacecraft launches atop its Super Heavy booster earlier this week. REUTERS The town is actively trying to gain permission so it can close a main road and beaches for launches during the week. Musk's space firm earlier this week conducted its ninth test flight from the Texas facility of its huge Starship rocket, which exploded for the third time in a row after a major fuel leak. 4 A resident protests SpaceX's takeover of Boca Chica Village with a pinata of Elon Musk. AP Advertisement The Starship stands about 400 feet tall when stacked with the Super Heavy booster for a launch. SpaceX aims to use the Starship to transport people and equipment around Earth, to the Moon and to eventually colonize Mars, according to Musk. The FAA said there were no reports of injuries to people or damages to public property as a result of the failed launch. The billionaire's space firm is one of the largest government contractors, receiving more than $20 billion since 2008.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
When facts become seditious, it's time to hit the panic button
Dear Leader had another open Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. For two hours, Donald Trump sat with his loyal sycophants and revelled in their professed unconditional love and appreciation. Pam Bondi told Donald Trump no one has ever done anything better in the history of mankind, or something like that. So after listening to people like Pete Hegseth, who probably texted the entire meeting to his family and a reporter from the Atlantic on his Signal app, you'd have thought Trump was once again shooting rainbows out of his nether regions while handing out gold nuggets like candy to an adoring populace. According to members of the Cabinet, and others including Elon Trump, or Donald Musk, who literally wore two hats on his head to celebrate the momentous occasion, the president has brought the world to the brink of Nirvana. Trump had placed promotional hats on the table for his Cabinet members (no word as to whether he sold those hats at discount prices, or just gave them away) but only Musk picked up the 'Gulf of America' hat and put it over his black Doge hat. 'Elon, I love the double hat,' President Trump said to him. Of course he did. It was too much to take for those of us who had to watch this broken circus. Even Ann Coulter, who's always making a bid to be relevant, criticized him, calling the meeting 'Kim Jong Il-style tributes.' It wasn't all fun and games, though. The economy has contracted for the first time since 2022, and Trump wants interest rates lowered, but Trump also had his favorite excuse ready for the downturn in the economy, and it has nothing to do with him being held accountable or responsible. On Truth Social, he said, 'This is Biden's Stock Market, not Trump's.' That's, of course, a contradiction to what he said on Jan. 29, 2024, when he posted, 'This is the Trump Stock Market because my polls against Biden are so good that investors are projecting I will win.' I know contortionists who aren't as physically limber as Trump is verbally, but every limbo boy and girl has made it 100 days into this limbo world, yet no one knows how low Donald the limbo artist can go. The best we can say is that we have all survived 100 days of Donald Trump's second administration. There are only 1,360 days to go! A reminder: John F. Kennedy only governed for 1,036 days total. He's still considered one of the best presidents we've had despite his shortened term. Wonder where we'll be 1360 days from now? I do. But whether you love him and claim his first 100 days are the best in history as the members of his junk box, err cabinet, claim – or you believe as Michael Cohen (his former fixer) does that Trump's first 100 days have been a quick trip to hell, we have to come to grips with an unshakeable truth; free speech no longer exists. Every positive thing that Trump claims he's done, he can back up because he's stifled dissent. Everything his detractors say he's done to the detriment of the country begins and ends with the same reason. Without dissent, without facts, without the ability to speak truth to power, you cannot have due process. You cannot educate. You cannot inform, and you certainly can't govern democratically. The most recent example of this occurred in a Tuesday briefing when White House press secretary (forever after to be referred to as the 'Pep' Secretary) Karoline Leavitt was asked a question about Amazon. The company said it would display tariff costs alongside its marketplace items' original prices. 'Why didn't Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in four years?' the Pep Secretary said, adding that 'it's not really a surprise' that Amazon would do such a thing since it has, per the Trump administration, 'partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm.' Trump went further. He called it a 'hostile and political act.' When providing facts to the American people so they can decide what's best for them is a hostile and political act, then you are living under a dictator and facts become seditious. When facts are seditious, it's time to hit the panic button. The White House took aggressive aim at Amazon, with President Trump putting in a call to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos Tuesday morning. As CNN reported, two senior White House officials told them that Trump called Bezos to complain about the reports that Amazon was considering displaying the cost of US tariffs next to prices for certain products on the company's website. Amazon caved a short time later. Trump later said it was a 'good call.' 'Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific,' Trump told reporters on Tuesday. 'He solved the problem very quickly. Good guy.' Of course, Trump would think that. Bezos already killed a Kamala Harris endorsement prior to the election to satisfy Trump. Trump doesn't like the facts. But does like to have his, ahem, ring kissed. When he was interviewed by ABC's Terry Moran, he held up a poorly photoshopped photo of Kilmar Abrego Garcia (the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador) and claimed Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang. When Moran pushed back, Trump said the reporter wasn't nice and asked him why he just couldn't admit it was proof that Garcia was a gang member. Facts. That's why. We need them. Trump does not and doesn't want us to have them unless he dictates them to us. Trump is at his absolute worst when he can't accept the facts that counter things he has stated publicly. He exploded at the New York Times for that newspaper's coverage of Trump's implied threats against CBS's parent company, Paramount, that led to executive producer Bill Owens of '60 Minutes' resigning. Trump sued CBS last year in a case stemming from an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that Trump said was deceptively edited. The New York Times piece included a comment from correspondent Scott Pelley, who said that Paramount 'began to supervise our content in new ways,' and that Owens 'felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.' Trump, of course, now wants to threaten the Times into silence with a lawsuit. Seth Stern, the Director of Advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said that Trump's lawsuits are classic examples of SLAPP, 'Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.' 'SLAPP strategy isn't to win. The plaintiffs don't intend to win. The point is to intimidate, to bleed opponents dry, that's what Trump is doing,' Stern explained. 'He can use those lawsuits as bargaining chips against corporations and media conglomerates that have other interests, other business before the government. He is essentially laundering bribery through the court system; file a frivolous lawsuit, demand a settlement. If this was done in a dark alley it would be an illegal bribe, but since a judge signs the settlement agreement, it's okay – or at least it is so far.' There are other examples of Trump's dismantling of free speech, according to Stern. 'We've got the weaponization of the FCC under Brendan Carr, an FCC chair who wears a golden bust of Donald Trump as a lapel pin who has pursued all sorts of frivolous threats against outlets from CBS to ABC to NPR to Odyssey-owned radio stations that had the nerve to report on an ICE raid.' But nothing compares to how we in the press have failed to hold Trump accountable in the Brady Briefing room. Because the parent companies have fallen in line, most reporters have done the same. Trump asks who a reporter works for when asked a question, and makes a note if he likes or dislikes what comes out of a reporter's mouth. How the question is asked, and who the reporter works for, could determine whether or not we ever see that reporter in the pool again. We have done little or nothing to stand against the tide. As bad as this administration is, we in the press are worse. Congress is even worse than we are. When Trump was asked who he'd support as Pope, he said himself. Senator Lindsey Graham then tweeted out that while Trump was a 'dark horse' candidate, he'd make an excellent Pope – and several media platforms took the bait and debated the merits of such lunacy. The jokes about it were even worse – simple hack comic Trump administration has successfully infiltrated the corporate media ranks and replaced the most experienced and critical reporters with mostly friendly reporters in the briefing room and in the press pool, or at least compliant reporters. Trump has taken it a step further and is now hosting special press briefings for the right-wing social media ('New Media') in the South Court auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. You can imagine what that's like. It's like the village idiot convention in a Woody Allen satire. 'My Uber drivers finally speak English again, so thank you for that,' MAGA influencer Arynne Wexler said before asking a question about transgender athletes in the first 'New Media' press briefing Monday morning. Former Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer asked Leavitt why legacy media weren't outright being excluded from the White House. After all, why ask for facts and challenge the president? The room erupted in applause as Leavitt wrapped up the meeting. 'Thank you, I'm going to walk off now,' she said as the influencers clapped and cheered. Gone are the days when stalwart reporters like Sam Donaldson and Helen Thomas populated the ranks of those covering the White House and asked tough questions of any and all presidents. That used to be our job. Time after time it was drilled into me as a young reporter that even if you like a president, you ask them the hard questions. 'Because if the guy I voted for can't stand up to the challenge, I and the rest of the country need to know that,' I was told by Donaldson, Thomas, and every other reporter I admired back then. We knew we were battling the President – and the president knew it. It's built into the Constitution. And as Mike McCurry, the best secretary I ever worked with, told me, 'Brian, we learn as much from the reporters in those briefings as you learn from us. It's necessary to hear opposition so we can adapt our policy. We can't be brittle and refuse to listen to anything other than compliments. That does nobody any good.' Today, if we're not kissing the ring, we aren't wanted. What Trump wants and needs is a room full of sycophants like his junk drawer, errr, Cabinet, and media influencers who applaud the lunacy that has destroyed free speech. That's why Trump is an unmitigated disaster, and the next 1,360 days will be fraught with peril. But, on the upside, your Uber driver speaks English.
India Today
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- India Today
Tesla board began CEO search to potentially replace Elon Musk: Report
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Tesla board members began searching for a successor to CEO Elon Musk about a month ago, reaching out to several executive search firms. The move comes amid growing investor concern over Musk's divided attention, especially due to his role heading the US Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration and Tesla's declining stock the board has narrowed its search, it remains unclear whether Musk is aware of the discussions or how the succession planning will unfold. Tesla's sales have plummeted as protests and boycotts intensify over Elon Musk's alignment with far-right politics. The company's profits have dropped by two-thirds this year, while competitors from China, Europe, and the US seize the opportunity to gain market and Musk did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. ALSO READ: 'Gulf of America' hats take center stage at Trump's 100-day cabinet meetingLast month, Elon Musk said that he'll be spending less time in Washington slashing government costs and more time running Tesla after his electric vehicle company reported a big drop in said on a conference call with analysts that 'now that the major work of establishing Department of Government Efficiency is done,' that he will be 'allocating far more of my time to Tesla' starting in May. Musk said he now expects to spend just 'a day or two per week on government matters.'advertisementTesla struggled to sell vehicles as it faced angry protests over Musk's leadership of DOGE, a jobs-cutting group that has divided the country. The Austin, Texas, company reported a 71% drop in profits and a 9% decline in revenue for the first quarter.'Investors wanted to see him recommit to Tesla,' said Wedbush Securities' Dan READ: Rubio dials S Jaishankar, Shehbaz Sharif: India and Pak should de-escalate tensions'There will be millions of Teslas operating autonomously in the second half of the year,' Musk said in a conference call after the results were announced. He later added about the personal use of autonomous vehicles, 'Can you go to sleep in our cars and wake up at your destination? I'm confident that will be available in many cities in the US by the end of this year.'Tesla's revenue fell from $21.3 billion to $19.3 billion in the January through March period, also below Wall Street's forecast.(With input from Reuters, Associated Press)
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Elon Musk spotted with neck scar at Trump cabinet meeting; social media reacts
Elon Musk , head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sparked a wave of social media reactions after being spotted with a visible neck scar during US President Donald Trump's recent cabinet meeting. Seated beside the President, Musk stood out not only for his unusual fashion choice—wearing both a DOGE cap and a "Gulf of America" hat stacked atop one another—but also for the prominent mark on his neck, which quickly drew attention on social media. — nicksortor (@nicksortor) During the meeting, Trump playfully acknowledged Musk's headgear, quipping, 'I love the double hat, by the way. He's the only one who can get away with it.' Musk replied with his signature wit: 'I told you I wear a lot of hats. Even my hat has a hat.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 10 Mysterious Photos That Cannot Be Explained True Edition Undo While all Cabinet members had the rebranded "Gulf of America" hats in front of them, it was Musk's appearance—and specifically, the scar—that sparked online speculation. Musk's appearance quickly became a talking point on social media, with netizens zeroing in on the noticeable scar on his neck. Users on X shared screenshots from the meeting, posting questions and speculations. 'So, what's up with Elon's neck at today's Cabinet meeting at the White House?' one user asked. Another wrote, 'Hi @Grok, what happened to Elon Musk's neck? Is that a scar?' What is the scar on Musk's neck ? The scar is believed to be the result of a 2020 surgery Musk underwent to remove a bone spur from his C5-C6 vertebrae—a condition that developed after he injured his spine during a sumo wrestling match at his 42nd birthday party. Attempting a judo throw, Musk reportedly damaged a disc, which later required surgical intervention. Earlier, Musk revealed he had undergone another neck procedure in January 2025, sharing with followers, 'Recovering from neck surgery . Hurts a lot, but it was necessary.' Sharing a post on X, Musk opened up about his chronic spinal issues, saying, 'I've had five neck/back operations. The third one, a C5-C6 fusion, actually worked in improving the pain from excruciating to livable… Basically, my spine got reamed.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pam Bondi Makes Head-Spinning Claim Trump Saved 258M American Lives
Attorney General Pam Bondi made the head-spinning claim Wednesday that Donald Trump saved 258 million American lives as a result of fentanyl seized at the U.S. border. During a Cabinet meeting, Bondi said that if not for the president, about 75 percent of Americans would be dead. 'Since you have been in office, President Trump, your DOJ agencies have seized more than 22 million fentanyl pills—3,400 kilos of saved—are you ready for this, media?—258 million lives,' Bondi claimed. When asked how the attorney general arrived at that number, the Department of Justice provided a formula to the Daily Beast: 3,400,000 grams of fentanyl multiplied by the 'current purity level' of .1518, divided by .002, the lethal amount per gram. The result: 258,060,000. On Tuesday, Bondi had made a lesser, nine-figure claim about the lives the Trump administration saved by seizing 'fentanyl-laced pills.' 'Today is Fentanyl Awareness day,' the attorney general wrote in a social media post that afternoon. 'In President Trump's first 100 days we've seized over 22 million fentanyl laced pills, saving over 119 Million lives.' Bondi highlighted on Wednesday one recent seizure of 20,000 molly pills laced with fentanyl. 'That's 20,000 lives saved because of you,' she told Trump. This seizure, the DOJ said, was from a Drug Enforcement Agency operation in Los Angeles in February. Bondi's praise for the president at the Cabinet meeting—in which members of the administration took turns flattering the president while seated in front of red 'Gulf of America' hats—went above and beyond. 'Your first 100 days has far exceeded that of any other presidency in this country, ever. Ever. Never seen anything like it. Thank you,' she gushed. Trump's approval rating, though, shows otherwise.
