Latest news with #Trump-aligned
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Rubio says 'world will never forget' Tiananmen crackdown
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed Tuesday not to let China erase the memory of the Tiananmen Square demonstrators crushed 36 years ago, in a rare return to human rights rhetoric. The Chinese Communist Party "actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget," Rubio said in a statement. "Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989," he said. Rubio during a long Senate career was an outspoken advocate for human rights, especially in China, and he spearheaded legislation imposing sanctions in response to the country's treatment of the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority. As President Donald Trump's top diplomat, Rubio has been more selective, focusing his rights criticism on US adversaries including China and Cuba. In a restructuring of the US State Department, Rubio has gutted the office focused on human rights, which he accused of bias against Israel and Trump-aligned right-wing populists in Hungary, Poland and Brazil, and Trump made no public mention of rights during a business-oriented tour last month of energy-rich Gulf Arab monarchies. Rubio's predecessors have issued statements each year to mark the anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in central Beijing, an episode that China's rulers have sought to eliminate from public memory, especially online. But Rubio's statement also had subtle differences his Democratic predecessor Antony Blinken last year urged China to accept recommendations in a UN-backed rights review and to respect freedoms enshrined in the post-World War II Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rubio did not reference the United Nations, a frequent target of criticism by the Trump administration. Instead, Rubio said that the Tiananmen protesters' "courage in the face of certain danger reminds us that the principles of freedom, democracy and self-rule are not just American principles. They are human principles the CCP cannot erase." sct/jgc
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Who is Curtis Yarvin? Meet the ‘intellectual source code' of the second Trump administration
Curtis Yarvin, a tech entrepreneur turned political theorist, has emerged as one of the most controversial and influential minds behind the radical ideological shift shaping Donald Trump's second presidency. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Known online by his former pseudonym Mencius Moldbug, Yarvin champions a vision of government that replaces democracy with a CEO-style autocracy. Once confined to obscure blogs, his ideas are now seeping into mainstream conservative politics, embraced by figures close to Trump's inner circle. Yarvin's journey from Silicon Valley coder to anti-democracy philosopher offers insight into the new authoritarian playbook being tested in real time in Washington. Curtis Yarvin's influence on Trump's second term While Yarvin has never held public office, his ideas have penetrated Trump-aligned circles in striking ways. The Trump administration's second-term playbook featuring the purge of career civil servants, erosion of checks and balances, and elevation of loyalist executives bears strong resemblance to Yarvin's vision of streamlined, top-down control. Often described as the 'intellectual source code' of this new governance model, Yarvin has provided the ideological framework for dismantling liberal democratic norms. Figures such as Vice President J.D. Vance have echoed his call to dismantle the so-called 'deep state,' while tech billionaires like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk have embraced Yarvin-esque principles of elite rule, efficiency over democratic process, and corporate-style governance. Musk's expanding influence in areas from space to education has even led some to describe him as an unelected 'czar' — a real-world manifestation of Yarvin's authoritarian, CEO-led state. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now From math prodigy to tech dropout Born in 1973 into a liberal, secular family, Curtis Yarvin was raised in Maryland by a diplomat father and a Protestant mother. His paternal grandparents were Jewish-American communists, marking a sharp contrast to the ideology he would later adopt. A child prodigy, he entered Johns Hopkins's Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth and graduated high school by age 15. He studied at Brown University and briefly pursued a PhD in computer science at UC Berkeley before dropping out to join the 1990s tech boom. Immersed in Silicon Valley's libertarian culture, he became increasingly drawn to right-wing philosophy. The birth of a radical ideology Yarvin's intellectual transformation was heavily shaped by libertarian thinkers like Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard, whose distrust of empiricism and belief in rule-by-logic appealed to his analytical mind. In the mid-2000s, writing under the name Mencius Moldbug, Yarvin began articulating a new political philosophy that would become known as the 'neo-reactionary' or 'dark enlightenment' movement. At its core, Yarvin's ideology calls for the abolition of democracy, which he considers corrupt, inefficient, and irredeemable. He proposes replacing it with a CEO-style government led by a singular, powerful executive much like a monarch or corporate boss who rules without elections or opposition. Yarvin also supports a rigid social hierarchy, rejecting the notion of political equality in favour of order, elitism, and stratification. Key concepts: The Cathedral and patchwork rule One of Yarvin's most influential concepts is 'the Cathedral', his term for the network of universities, media, and bureaucracies that he believes enforces liberal ideology and suppresses dissent. According to Yarvin, these institutions maintain cultural dominance in the West and must be overthrown to enable true political reform. Yarvin also advocates for 'patchwork sovereignty', a model in which the world is divided into autonomous, city-sized 'sovereign corporations' (SovCorps). Each one would be run like a business, governed not by public vote but by executive fiat. In this vision, citizens would act as customers rather than voters free to exit but without democratic input or protections. Controversy, criticism, and legacy Yarvin is frequently criticised for promoting 'human biodiversity', a euphemism for race-based intelligence theories. Though he denies being a white nationalist, his work is widely condemned as providing intellectual cover for racist and elitist worldviews. His admiration for authoritarian regimes in China and Rwanda, which he describes as 'efficient,' has raised alarm about his disregard for civil liberties and human rights. Critics argue that Yarvin's work is a pseudo-intellectual justification for totalitarianism, masking authoritarian ambitions in dense, provocative prose. He often uses irony and satire to deflect responsibility for the more extreme interpretations of his writing, but the impact is real: his language, metaphors, and frameworks are now reflected in mainstream policies and talking points on the American right. Why he matters now Curtis Yarvin is no longer a marginal internet theorist. His anti-democratic, elitist vision is shaping real-world policy in one of the world's most powerful democracies. By calling for the destruction of democratic institutions, the elevation of an unelected elite, and the transformation of government into a hierarchical corporate structure, Yarvin has become the intellectual vanguard of a post-democratic future. In the second Trump administration, that future may no longer be hypothetical.
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Poland elections: Exit polls show near tie in presidential runoff; Both candidates claim victory
Exit polls in Poland's presidential runoff on Sunday showed the two candidates in a statistical tie, as the first one showed liberal Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski with a slight lead over conservative historian Karol Nawrocki. Two hours later, however, an updated 'late poll' showed Nawrocki winning 50.7%, more than Trzaskowski with 49.3%, an AP report said. Though the final result was still unclear with the two locked in a near dead heat, both men claimed to have won in meetings with their supporters in Warsaw. 'We won," Trzaskowski told his supporters to chants of 'Rafał, Rafał.' Nawrocki, speaking to his supporters at a separate event in Warsaw, said he believed he was on track to win. 'We will win and save Poland,' he said. 'We must win tonight." Nawrocki received direct help from the White House, having visited Trump briefly in Washington last month. On a visit to Poland last week, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urged Poles to vote for Nawrocki to ensure Poland enjoys close ties with Trump. The final results were expected Monday. According to a Bloomberg report, the decisive presidential runoff pitted Trzaskowski, a liberal pro-EU politician, against Nawrocki, a conservative historian backed by the right-wing Law and Justice party and aligned with US conservatives, including President Donald Trump. The ballot will determine whether one of the EU's fastest-growing economies and one of NATO's biggest defense spenders remains a reliable partner within the 27-member bloc, which is under mounting pressure from Trump's tariffs and Russia's threat to the east. At stake is the agenda of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose coalition ousted Poland's nationalists in 2023. Their eight years in power brought scrutiny from Brussels over the rule of law and raised questions about Poland's allegiance to the liberal West. An ally in the president's office would remove an obstacle for Tusk, whose program has been stalled by outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a nationalist ally, the report said. The vote has effectively become a referendum on Poland's future, including its role in Europe, women's rights, national identity and assistance to neighboring Ukraine. It's also a reality check for revved-up Polish assets, which have broadly rallied since Prime Minister Donald Tusk's alliance won power two years ago. The ballot came two weeks after voters in Romania's presidential election delivered a victory for another centrist mayor, Nicusor Dan of Bucharest, over a Trump-aligned far-right candidate, showing the limits of the MAGA appeal in Europe, Bloomberg added. (With inputs from agencies)
India Today
5 days ago
- Health
- India Today
US admits errors in Make America Healthy Again report, calls it formatting issues
The White House plans to correct errors in a high-profile federal report led by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The report, titled Make America Healthy Again, takes aim at the nation's food supply, pesticide use and pharmaceutical last week, the sweeping document cites hundreds of studies to support its claims. However, a review by the news organisation NOTUS revealed that some of the referenced studies could not be found or did not asked about the discrepancies, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the report will be updated to address the issues. 'I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated.' Leavitt told reporters during her briefing. 'But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government.'Kennedy has consistently pledged to introduce 'radical transparency' and uphold 'gold-standard' science within public health he has declined to disclose who authored the 72-page Make America Healthy Again report, which advocates for greater scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule and portrays American children as overmedicated and the lack of disclosure, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the administration maintains 'complete confidence' in Secretary citation and formatting errors have been corrected,' HHS Spokesman Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement. He described the report as a 'historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children.'On Thursday, NOTUS reported that at least seven of the more than 500 studies cited in Secretary Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report appear to have never been researcher, whose name was included, confirmed she had studied childhood anxiety but did not author the report cited. In several cases, studies were also misinterpreted, particularly those related to children's screen time, medication use, and MAHA report had already raised concerns among Trump-aligned critics, including farmers who objected to how it portrayed chemicals used in US report is intended to inform a set of policy recommendations expected later this year. Meanwhile, the White House has requested an additional $500 million in congressional funding to support Kennedy's MAHA Watch
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Which ex-US president could be banned from Trump Jr.'s exclusive new D.C. club?
The famed comedian Groucho Marx once quipped that he'd never want to belong to a club that would have him as a member. That might not be a problem for a former U.S. president — and his ex-staffers — as Donald Trump Jr. gets ready to open a hyper-exclusive new club in Washington, D.C.'s already hyper-exclusive Georgetown neighborhood. President Donald Trump's oldest son is set to open the club, dubbed Executive Branch, next month, with a membership price of $500,000. Some insiders have reportedly offered $1 million to join the club, CNBC reported. So who's never going to get past the velvet rope at the new venue that, according to The New York Times, is tucked behind Georgetown Park via a set of stairs next to the mall's parking garage? That'd be former President George W. Bush and nearly everyone who ever worked for him, The Daily Mail reported. A bit of background: The club was founded by Trump Jr.; crypto czar David Sacks; Zach and Alex Witkoff; the sons of Trump's Middle East envoy, Omeed Malik, who leads 1789 Capital, and Chris Buskirk, who cofounded the conservative donor group Rockbridge Network. But Bush-era Republicans should save their money, Sacks indicated on his podcast last month. There's a new sheriff in town, after all. 'To the extent there are Republican clubs, they tend to be more Bush-era Republicans as opposed to Trump-era Republicans,' he said. 'So we wanted to create something new, hipper and Trump-aligned.' An insider familiar with the club's plans told CNBC that prospective Executive Branch members must be heavily vetted and approved by its founders. 'We don't want members of the media or just a lot of lobbyists joining,' the source said. 'We want people to feel comfortable having conversations in privacy.' That might not be much of an issue for the nation's 43rd chief executive, who, if his Instagram account is any indication, is living a full enough post-White House life. In any case, Bush said in a 2021 interview that 'so much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment.' And that alone might be enough to keep out of Trump Jr.'s orbit. Not to mention the well-documented history of bad blood between the two presidential families. SCOTUS rejects Mass. student's challenge to school's 'two genders' T-shirt ban Latest Donald Trump approval ratings: New poll finds changes Mass. Sen. Markey, Rep. Neal call on feds to keep Springfield Small Biz Admin office open A 'historic battle': Mass pols protest Medicaid cuts in 'Big Beautiful Bill' | John L. Micek Trump administration orders pause on scheduling student visa applicant interviews Read the original article on MassLive.
