Latest news with #resignation
Gizmodo
43 minutes ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
MAGA Senator Mike Lee Falls for Fake Letter That Appears to Be Generated by AI
Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, posted an extremely excited tweet on Tuesday about Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and a letter announcing his resignation. The only problem? The letter was fake, something that's previously been a big problem for Lee. 'Powell's out!' Lee declared in the since-deleted tweet captured by writer Ben Jacobs in a screenshot. The letter shared by Lee says that 'new leadership' was needed to carry on the important work of the Fed, so Powell will be stepping down. 'After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, effective at the close of business today, July 22, 2025,' the fake letter reads. The letter contains typos and formatting errors, including a random comma followed by a capitalized letter as though the idea was to start a new sentence. President Donald Trump will often capitalize random words for no reason, but that's not typical of educated people like Jerome Powell. The word 'institution's' is also split onto two lines in a way that no normal word processor would attempt. On top of everything, the letter includes a large watermark that features garbled text, a likely sign that it was generated by AI. Lee seems to have picked up the letter from one of countless accounts on X that were sharing the fake news, though it's not clear where he got it exactly. When news breaks, people on X often rush to post letters without giving any indication of where they found them. And that was clearly the case here. The big difference between Lee and the fake news peddlers who try to go viral on X is that Lee is a sitting senator, which makes him one of the 100 most powerful people in the country. But Lee wasn't the only relatively prominent person to fall for the fake tweet. Benny Johnson, another far-right influencer, also shared a screenshot of the letter. But what makes Tuesday's mistake particularly funny is that Lee has a history of falling for fake news on X, especially since billionaire Elon Musk bought the platform. Last year, Lee fell for a letter that appeared in a tweet claiming that President Jimmy Carter had died. In fact, that hoax was July 23, 2024, almost to the day that Lee fell for it again. The Jimmy Carter hoax was even more ridiculous than the Powell resignation hoax, with the Carter letter referring to former First Lady Nancy Reagan by the sexually crude term, 'throat goat.' It also referred to Rosalynn Carter as 'the original Brat.' President Carter really did die many months later on Dec. 29, 2024. Why is Lee such an easy mark for fake tweets? That part isn't clear. The dude went to law school and is supposed to be a smart guy, at least on paper.
CNA
43 minutes ago
- Business
- CNA
David Boling on political uncertainty in Japan and US-Japan trade deal
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has denied resignation rumours after an electoral blow, as US President Donald Trump announces a "massive" trade deal with Japan. CNA's Angela Lim speaks with David Boling, Director of Japan & Asian Trade at Eurasia Group.
CTV News
an hour ago
- Business
- CTV News
Japan's Ishiba denies resignation plans despite election loss, says he will focus on U.S. trade deal
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to the media after President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP) TOKYO — Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied again on Wednesday plans for resignation following a historic defeat of his ruling party in a weekend election despite growing calls for him to step down, saying he wanted to ensure the appropriate implementation of a new tariff agreement with the United States. Ishiaba met with heavyweights from his ruling Liberal Democratic Party and former prime ministers Taro Aso, Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday at party headquarters. He told reporters afterward that they did not discuss his resignation or a new party leadership contest, but only the election results, voters' dissatisfaction and the urgent need to avoid party discord. Despite his business-as-usual demeanor, Ishiba is under increasing pressure to bow out after his ruling party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, lost Sunday their majority in the 248-member upper house, the smaller and less powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament, shaking his grip on power. This came after a loss in the more powerful lower house in October, and so his coalition now lacks a majority in both houses of parliament, making it even more difficult for his government to pass policies and worsening Japan's political instability. Ishiba had announced Monday he intended to stay on to tackle pressing challenges, including tariff talks with the U.S., so as not to create a political vacuum despite calls from inside and outside his party for a quick resignation. Japanese media said he is expected to soon announce plans to step down in August. The conservative Yomiuri newspaper said in an extra edition on Wednesday Ishiba had decided to announce his resignation by the end of July after receiving a detailed report from his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, on the impact of the U.S. tariffs on the Japanese economy, paving the way for a new party leader. Ishiba denied the report and said he wants to focus on the U.S. trade deal, which covers more than 4,000 goods affecting many Japanese producers and industries. He welcomed the new agreement, which places tariffs at 15 per cent on Japanese cars and other goods imported into the U.S. from Japan, down from the initial 25 per cent. Still, local media are already speculating about possible successors for the ruling party. Among them are ultra-conservative former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, who lost to Ishiba in September. Another conservative former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi, and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former popular Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, are also seen as potential challengers. In Sunday's election, voters frustrated with price increases exceeding the pace of wage hikes, especially younger people who have long felt ignored by the ruling government's focus on senior voters, rapidly turned to an emerging conservative Democratic Party for the People and right-wing populist Sanseito. None of the opposition parties have shown interest in forming a full-fledged alliance with the governing coalition, but they have said they are open to cooperating on policy. Associated Press writer Reeno Hashimoto in Tokyo contributed to this report. Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press
CNA
2 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
Japanese PM Ishiba says "absolutely no truth" to resignation reports
Japan's prime minister quashed media speculation of his imminent resignation hours after his government secured a trade deal with the US. Shigeru Ishiba has been under growing pressure to step down after his ruling Liberal Democratic Party's defeat in the Upper House election. CNA's Michiyo Ishida walks us through the turn of events and why Mr Ishiba may not be out of the woods just yet.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Japan's PM denies he plans to quit after election drubbing
STORY: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday denied he had decided to step down. That comes after a source close to the leader and media reports said he planned to announce his resignation following a recent election defeat in the government's upper house. When asked about the reports at his party's headquarters on Wednesday, the embattled leader said, quote, "I have never made such a facts reported in the media are completely unfounded." The reports came as Ishiba announced a long-sought trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. That deal lowers tariffs on imports of Japanese autos and spares Tokyo punishing new levies on other goods. The source said Ishiba chose not to quit straight after the election to prevent political instability ahead of the August 1 deadline for the trade deal. They asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to talk to the media. Japanese media reported earlier that Ishiba would announce his resignation next month. Ishiba's departure less than a year after taking office would trigger a succession battle within his ruling Liberal Democratic party. The LDP is working to strengthen support after a Sunday election in which the ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the upper chamber… …and shed votes in the contest to opposition parties, particularly on the right. Ishiba's successor's immediate priority would be to secure support from enough opposition party lawmakers to win confirmation as prime minister. The source told Reuters the incoming leader is unlikely to call a general election straight away, and would likely first move to strengthen the party's appeal before seeking a mandate from voters. Solve the daily Crossword
