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Politics

Elon Musk reacts to Gov. Greg Abbott’s feedback

Elon Musk reacts to Gov. Greg Abbott's comments

Elon Musk declined to take Texas abortion law directly into account on Thursday after Governor Greg Abbott said the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX endorsed his state’s “social policy” after implementing the severely restrictive measure.

“In general, I believe the government should seldom impose its will on people while trying to maximize their cumulative happiness,” Musk told CNBC in a tweet.

“But I’d rather stay out of politics,” said Musk, whose companies and private foundations are expanding their businesses in Texas.

Abortion rights advocates and vendors say the law sets the precedent for abortion protection set in 1973 under Roe v. Wade was set to effectively cancel. President Joe Biden and others in his administration, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, have vowed to do so after the Supreme Court refused to block the law from going into effect.

Earlier Thursday, Abbott told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that the new law and other politically divisive laws on social issues will not make his state any less attractive to businesses or individuals.

“You need to understand that there are a lot of companies and a lot of Americans who like the social positions of the state of Texas,” Abbott said.

“This is not slowing down the companies coming into the state of Texas at all. In fact, it is speeding up the process of companies coming into Texas,” Abbott said.

He added that Musk “had to get out of California because of California’s welfare policy, and Elon keeps telling me that he likes Texas welfare policy.”

Musk personally moved to Texas from California last year, which could save him billions of dollars in taxes. He had not shared his thoughts on the Heartbeat Abortion Act, which also empowers private individuals to sue anyone who “aids” and “incites” most abortions.

Musk has shown little reluctance to meddle on political issues in the past.

For example, in early 2020, amid the early waves of the pandemic, Musk slapped government stay-at-home orders, calling them “fascist” in a text over Tesla’s earnings call for the first quarter of 2020.

Under his direction, Tesla then filed a lawsuit against California’s Alameda County and eventually withdrew it, alleging its health ordinances were in conflict with state policy on business closings.

Last year, Musk donated to three Republican anti-abortion lawmakers and four Democratic lawmakers who support abortion law, giving $ 2,800 each, according to money-in-politics tracker OpenSecrets.org.

Both Tesla and SpaceX have sizable operations in Texas. Tesla is currently building its second US auto plant outside of Austin. And SpaceX has been operating in the state since 2003.

Musk said on March 31 that the company will need to hire more than 10,000 people for the new Texas facility by 2022.

Tesla’s headquarters are currently still in Palo Alto, California, and Tesla operates its first U.S. auto assembly plant nearby in Fremont. But last May, Musk threatened to move these headquarters and future development to Texas and Nevada in protest of pandemic-related restrictions in the Golden State.

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Entertainment

After Uproar, Matt Damon Tries to Make clear Feedback on Anti-Homosexual Slur

After Uproar, Matt Damon Tries to Clarify Comments on Anti-Gay Slur

In the face of a backlash after being quoted as saying that he recently decided to “withdraw” a homophobic libel, actor Matt Damon said in a statement Monday that “I don’t use any insults.”

The statement followed an interview published this week by The Sunday Times in which Mr. Damon recounted a conversation he had with his daughter in which he “made a joke” that led her to write him an essay on the historical damage caused by it to write what she calls “the”. f-Slur for a homosexual. ‘”

“She went into her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how dangerous that word is,” said Mr Damon, according to The Sunday Times, a British newspaper. “I said, ‘I’m pulling back the visor arch!’ I have understood.”

In the statement Variety received, Mr. Damon said that in his “personal life” he had never called anyone “someone” the word and that he understood why his framing in the interview “led many to assume the worst” .

He added that while speaking with his daughter, he remembered hearing how evil was used on the street as a kid in Boston “before I even knew what it was related to.”

“I explained that this word was used constantly and casually and was even a line of dialogue in one of my films back in 2003; She, in turn, expressed her disbelief that there could ever have been a time when that word was used thoughtlessly, “said Mr. Damon in the statement. “To my admiration and pride, she made it very clear about how painful that word would have been for someone in the LGBTQ + community, regardless of how culturally normalized it was. I not only agreed with her, but was enthusiastic about her passion, her values ​​and her desire for social justice. “

“This conversation with my daughter was not a personal awakening,” he continued. “I don’t use bows of any kind.”

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr. Damon seemed to imply that the word had come up in a joke.

“The word my daughter calls ‘f-slur for a homosexual’ was used a lot in my childhood, with a different application,” said Mr Damon in the interview. “I made a joke months ago and got a memoir from my daughter. She left the table. I said, ‘Come on, this is a joke! I say it in the movie “Stuck on You”! ‘”

In the interview, he did not state which of his daughters the interaction took place with.

Many on social media were unimpressed by Mr. Damon’s story, saying he should have known better years – not months – ago. Some also wondered why Mr. Damon was telling the story in the first place.

Charlotte Clymer, a former spokeswoman for the human rights campaign, said on Twitter that while she got the mood of the story, “It’s like more than 10 years ago. And he knows better. “

This is not the first time Mr Damon has been controversial with comments about LGBTQ people.

In 2015, he told The Guardian that the critical thing about acting was that “people shouldn’t know about your sexuality because that’s one of the secrets one should be able to play,” adding that he imagined “That it must be really difficult”. “For gay actors to make their sexuality public. On the Ellen Show, Mr. Damon defended the remarks, saying that “actors are more effective when they’re a secret”.

In his statement on Monday, the actor admitted that “open hostility” towards LGBTQ people is not uncommon.

“To be as clear as possible, I stand by the LGBTQ + community,” he said.

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Politics

ESPN sits Rachel Nichols for NBA Finals over Maria Taylor feedback

ESPN sits Rachel Nichols for NBA Finals over Maria Taylor comments

ESPN was unable to air reporter Rachel Nichols ‘scheduled NBA afternoon show Tuesday, hours after she stopped her from doing side coverage of the NBA finals because she suggested to LeBron James’ key adviser that black colleague Maria Taylor last Year had gotten a hosting gig because of their breed.

The drama about the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports occurred in the hours before the final between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, which was supposed to give a tip in Phoenix.

Nichols, who is white, was the primary sideline reporter for ESPN during the NBA playoffs. The expectation had been that she would continue this role through the finale.

But on Sunday the New York Times published a bombshell report detailing the circumstances of Nichols’ accidentally taped call to James advisor Adam Mendelsohn in July 2020 and the backlash it caused within Walt Disney’s own sports cable television giant .

In that call, Nichols Mendelsohn, who is also white, suggested that Taylor got a plum stain because of her race that is hosting the 2020 final shows, the Times reported. Nichols expected to get this seat.

“If you have to give her more to do because you’re feeling pressure from your shitty long-standing record of diversity – which I know personally from the female side, by the way – then do it,” said Nichols of the call, the audio of which was released by The Times has been.

ESPN presenter Rachel Nichols faces the camera after the Phoenix Suns game against the LA Clippers during the fifth game of the 2021 Western Conference Finals of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on June 28, 2021 at the Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

Michael Gonzales | National Basketball Federation | Getty Images

“Just find it somewhere else. You won’t find it from me or take my thing away, ”she said.

According to the Times report, Mendelsohn said in that call shortly after, “I don’t know. I am exhausted. I have nothing left between Me Too and Black Lives Matter. “

Nichols laughed at his remark.

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The conversation was taped and fed into the ESPN Connecticut control room from a live camera in Nichols’ Florida hotel room. A tape of that call quickly circulated on ESPN that Nichols reportedly never disciplined for what she said about Taylor during the call.

On Tuesday, ESPN announced that Nichols would not appear on the sidelines during the finals or NBA Countdown, the pre-game and halftime show for the championship series.

Taylor will host this show with fellow ESPN reporters, the network said.

ESPN also announced that Malika Andrews – who is Black – will be doing the side coverage during the finale. But the network said Nichols will be performing on their show “The Jump” on location from the finals “for weekday shows.”

Hours later, “The Jump” didn’t come out on Tuesday at 4pm as planned. Instead, two other ESPN presenters, Jalen Rose and David Jacoby, appeared on their show “Jalen and Jacoby”.

“The Jump” should be broadcast again on Wednesday as planned.

ESPN declined to comment.

On Monday, Nichols apologized for the controversy when she opened the show on “The Jump”.

“I don’t want to let this moment go by without saying how much I respect and appreciate our colleagues here at ESPN,” said Nichols.

“I am deeply sorry for disappointing those I hurt, especially Maria Taylor, and how grateful I am to be a part of this team,” she said.

On Sunday, The Times reported that Taylor’s colleagues were discussing in May whether they would refuse to appear at the “NBA Countdown” in protest of changes to production that they believed would benefit Nichols.

Mendelsohn apologized for his comment on the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements in an email to CNBC on Sunday after being asked about it.

“I made a stupid, careless comment rooted in privilege and I am sincerely sorry,” said Mendelsohn, who co-founded James’ Black Voter Advocacy Group More Than A Vote last year.

“I shouldn’t have said it or even thought it,” Mendelsohn said in an email.

“I work to support these movements and I know that the people affected by these problems are never exhausted or left with nothing. I need to keep reviewing my privilege and working to be a better ally, ”he added.

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Politics

Biden Walks Again Impromptu Feedback That Imperiled Bipartisan Deal

Biden Walks Back Impromptu Comments That Imperiled Bipartisan Deal

WASHINGTON – President Biden on Saturday stepped back from comments jeopardizing a bipartisan deal for $ 579 billion in new infrastructure spending, and said in a statement that he “left the impression that I was against the very plan I was about.” had agreed to have issued a threat of veto ”. . “

He added that that was “certainly not my intention”.

The admission was an attempt by the White House to save what for a fleeting moment was one of the signature successes for a president hoping to cement a legacy as a bipartisan deal maker. On Thursday, Mr Biden proudly announced the infrastructure deal in front of the west wing, flanked by an equal number of legislators from both parties.

But in an isolated comment at the end of a press conference an hour later, the president deviated from the script, saying that he would not sign the compromise law that had just been announced unless Congress also passed a larger measure, only for Democrats, by much to enact the remainder of Mr. Biden’s $ 4 trillion economic agenda.

“If this is the only thing I can think of, I won’t sign it,” said Mr Biden, answering a reporter’s question at the time of his legislative agenda. “I’m not just signing the bipartisan law and forgetting the rest.”

In essence, Mr Biden was saying aloud what the Liberals in his party wanted to hear. But in the process, the president detonated a political hand grenade in the middle of his own short-lived victory. His Republican opponents took up his statements to suggest that he had negotiated with bad faith. And moderates – who had just left the White House ceremony – were furious at his suggestion that weeks of work be at the mercy of a Democratic wish list.

“No blackmail deal!” South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Twitter after approving an initial framework this month. “It was never suggested to me during these negotiations that President Biden hold the bipartisan infrastructure proposal hostage unless a liberal reconciliation package was also passed.”

In his statement, Mr Biden accused Republicans of trying to thwart the infrastructure measure in order to build opposition to the larger spending plan. He blamed Republicans for rejecting the bipartisan infrastructure plan for supporting the other bill called the American Families Plan.

Updated

June 25, 2021, 7:09 p.m. ET

“Our bipartisan agreement doesn’t stop Republicans from trying to thwart my family plan,” Biden said, adding, “We’ll let the American people – and Congress – decide.”

But the president also tried to allay concerns among moderate lawmakers who had negotiated the bipartisan measure that he still supports it.

“The bottom line is, I’ve given my word to support the infrastructure plan, and that’s exactly what I intend to do,” wrote Biden. “I intend to vigorously pursue the adoption of this plan, which the Democrats and Republicans agreed on Thursday. It would be good for the economy, good for our country, good for our people. I stand behind it wholeheartedly, without reservation or hesitation. “

On Saturday it was unclear whether Mr Biden had done enough. But the drama doesn’t seem to have failed the deal just yet. Key senators and aides said Saturday they would go ahead, work out details and legislation, and lobby for the 60 votes required to clear the Senate’s filibuster.

Mr Biden will be publicly promoting it with an event in Wisconsin on Tuesday, officials said.

“People are very committed to what we’ve done,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire and one of the negotiators. “I didn’t understand that the president was in that position, so I’ll keep working and try to build support for the infrastructure package.”

Legislative text for the bipartisan agreement has yet to be written as Democrats are also working on the second, potentially multi-trillion dollar package that is a priority for liberal lawmakers. But this second package, which is expected to be adopted as part of the reconciliation process, may not be ready for voting until the autumn, given the tough budgetary hurdles it has to overcome.

“There’s no question that there’s still work to be done and he’s ready to roll up his sleeves and work like hell,” said Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, at a briefing Friday.

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Business

CNN Drops Rick Santorum After Dismissive Feedback About Native People

CNN Drops Rick Santorum After Dismissive Comments About Native Americans

Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and Republican presidential candidate, has been dropped from his role as a CNN political commentator amid controversy over recent remarks in which he seemed to erase the role of Native Americans in U.S. history.

Matt Dornic, head of strategic communications at CNN, confirmed in an email on Saturday that the network had “parted ways” with the former senator.

Mr. Santorum’s departure from CNN came after comments he made about Native Americans at a Young America’s Foundation event last month.

“We birthed a nation from nothing — I mean, there was nothing here,” Mr. Santorum said at the event. “I mean, yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly, there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”

Days after the event, Mr. Santorum walked back his comments on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time.”

“I misspoke,” Mr. Santorum told the program’s host, Chris Cuomo. “I was talking about the founding of our country. I had given a long talk about the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the ideas behind those, and that I was saying we sort of created that anew, if you will. And I was not trying to dismiss Native Americans.”

In a statement on Saturday, Mr. Santorum said: “When I signed on with CNN, I understood that I would be providing commentary that is not regularly heard by the typical CNN viewer. I greatly appreciate the opportunity CNN provided me over the past four years and I am committed to continuing the fight for our conservative principles and values.”

After Mr. Santorum’s comments were made public, many called for him to be dropped from the network, including Fawn R. Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians.

“It wasn’t a matter of if, but when,” Ms. Sharp said on Twitter on Saturday after Mr. Santorum’s departure from CNN was reported. “Justice is served.”

The National Congress of American Indians did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Before Mr. Santorum’s departure, Ms. Sharp said in a letter dated April 26 that any media organization should fire him or face a boycott from more than 500 tribal nations.

“Rick Santorum is an unhinged and embarrassing racist who disgraces CNN and any other media company that provides him a platform,” Ms. Sharp wrote in the letter. “Do you stand with white supremacists justifying Native American genocide, or do you stand with Native Americans?”

After Mr. Santorum’s comments in April, the Native American Journalists Association also called on CNN to dismiss the former senator and urged its members to avoid working with the network.

“With a lack of accountability or ethics around multiple racist and insensitive comments from CNN staff, the Native American Journalists Association urges its members to avoid working with the network to avoid harassment and racism,” the association said in a statement. “NAJA also calls on advertisers, funders and journalism diversity organizations to withdraw their support from CNN indefinitely.”

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Business

Piers Morgan quits ‘Good Morning Britain’ after Meghan Markle feedback

Piers Morgan quits 'Good Morning Britain' after Meghan Markle comments

Photographer | Collection | Getty Images

Piers Morgan is leaving ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” newscast after encountering backlash over comments he made on Meghan Markle on Monday.

The news comes shortly after UK broadcaster Ofcom said it was investigating Morgan after more than 41,000 people complained.

“After talking to ITV, Piers Morgan has decided that now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain,” the network said in a statement on Tuesday. “ITV accepted this decision and nothing more to add.”

Just hours earlier, Morgan was called by co-host Alex Beresford on Good Morning Britain for his behavior towards the Duchess of Sussex. Beresford said Morgan has been relentlessly critical of Meghan over the past few years, citing Morgan’s recent comments questioning Meghan’s truthfulness when she spoke about her suicidal thoughts.

The incident in the air caused Morgan to walk off the set.

Morgan’s recent comments on Meghan relate to an explosive interview she and Prince Harry gave Oprah Winfrey that aired in the US on Sunday and in the UK on Monday. More than 17.1 million people in the US have tuned in to the event and more than 12 million viewers have watched the broadcast in the UK, according to ITV Tuesday.

The interview delved into the reasons the couple had decided to leave England and break away from their royal duties. Meghan and Harry brought up what they said was a lack of support Meghan received when she went to the palace about mental health issues, the denial of security protection for the family, and the concerns of some kings about how the skin tone of their son Archie would be if he did it once was born.

Queen Elizabeth said Tuesday the royal family would address allegations of racism at Buckingham Palace by Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex.

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World News

5 Reader Feedback Simply Value a Information Web site $124,000

5 Reader Comments Just Cost a News Website $124,000

BANGKOK – Like many online news outlets, Malaysiakini’s Malaysian news site allows readers to post comments at the end of articles. That proved costly on Friday when a court ruled that the news site was legally responsible for reader comments that were viewed as an insult to the judiciary.

A seven-judge appeals court found Malaysiakini guilty of disregard of the court and fined it nearly $ 124,000, more than double the prosecutor’s request, for five comments left by readers.

The news agency’s co-founder and editor-in-chief Steven Gan, who was acquitted of the same charge, said the heavy sentence was an attempt to put Malaysiakini out of business.

“It will have a tremendous chilling effect on the discussion of issues of public concern and will deal a severe blow to our ongoing anti-corruption campaign,” Gan said after the hearing.

Much of the media in Malaysia has been allied with the government for decades, but independent news outlets – mostly online – have sprung up to provide critical coverage and voice to the opposition. Mr. Gan’s supporters said he and Malaysiakini were fined for carefully reporting the point of sale.

Readers’ comments have been published on a story about the Malaysian judiciary that carefully protects its reputation. They were later removed from the article, but not quickly enough to avoid fees.

In their ruling, the judges concluded that Malaysiakini should have reviewed the comments and should not publish those that portrayed contempt for the court.

The panel rejected defensive arguments that Mr Gan and the news agency were not legally responsible for their readers’ comments and that prosecutors should have shown that they intended to publish scandalous material.

The 500,000 Malaysian ringgit fine was way more than the 200,000 ringgit, roughly $ 50,000, that prosecutors requested. The defense had requested a fine of no more than 30,000 ringgits as it was the first time such a case was brought against a news agency.

Within four hours of the ruling, defense fund donors had contributed more than enough to cover the entire fine, according to Malaysiakini.

The website’s defenders had argued that a guilty verdict would affect the freedom of expression of 33 million people in the country, which has been shaken in recent years by charges of high-level government corruption.

Amnesty International Malaysia said the ruling was deeply troubling, calling it “a travesty of justice” and “a serious setback for freedom of expression in the country”.

“The use of contempt of court law to censor online debates and silence independent media is another example of the shrinking space in which people in the country can express themselves freely,” said the group’s executive director Katrina Jorene Maliamauv.

The US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, also expressed concern about the ruling. “Freedom of expression, including for the press and the general public, is fundamental to public discourse and the democratic principles that support accountability and good governance,” it said in a statement.

The case was brought in June by Malaysia’s Attorney General Idrus Harun. He was appointed to the post by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who took power less than a year ago at the head of an unelected government.

Muhyiddin’s ruling coalition includes former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is accused of withdrawing billions of dollars from a state-owned mutual fund he once controlled.

In one of Mr. Idrus’ first acts as attorney general, the government dropped money laundering against Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz, a Hollywood producer. Critics said he was keeping $ 83 million of the quarter billion government funds he was accused of receiving.

Mr. Najib has been charged with more than 40 offenses and is currently on trial in some cases. Malaysiakini, along with other news outlets, has been reporting on the scandal for years.

“I’m terribly disappointed,” said Mr. Gan. “What crime has Malaysiakini committed that we are forced to pay 500,000 when there are individuals accused of abuse of power for millions and billions running free?”