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DeSantis does not have to listen to Trump, after the two men saw their relationship fray amid DeSantis' national rise and his failed 2024 presidential campaign. “I think that pick makes a lot of sense, and would be great for Florida,” said a Trump ally who acknowledged there is interest from Trump world in seeing DeSantis appoint Lara Trump. "I have heard that too," a DeSantis ally said of Lara Trump getting in the mix for the Senate appointment. Two DeSantis advisers told NBC News that it is very unlikely DeSantis would appoint himself, even though the option remains open. “She would avoid a really nasty primary in two years.”“I’m giving her my full backing” she continued of Lara Trump, who is a North Carolina resident.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Sen, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Lara, Rubio, Trump, wouldn't, Lara Trump, ”, DeSantis, “, James Uthmeier, Trump's, Commerce Wilbur Ross, Uthmeier, James, it's, Gov, Jeanette Nunez, General Ashley Moody, Paul Renner, Jose Oliva, Laurel Lee, Susie Wiles, Wiles, Ron, I’ve, Florida Sen, Rick Scott, Marco Rubio’s, Anna Paulina Luna, Benny Johnson, “ I’m Organizations: Florida Gov, Senate, State Department, Trump, Florida Republicans, NBC, Commerce, NBC News, Republican, Florida, Gov Locations: TALLAHASSEE, Fla, Florida, U.S, North Carolina

A firebrand legal adviser to the President-elect and a conservative lawyer under consideration for the post of Attorney General appear to be setting the stage for investigations and prosecution of Donald Trump’s legal adversaries, including Special Counsel Jack Smith and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The threats come as Trump campaign aides say that the president-elect considers his choice for attorney general to be his most important single appointment. Paoletta is among several people under consideration to run the Justice Department, people familiar with the matter tell NBC News. All of those people have claimed—without citing any specific evidence— that the federal prosecutions of Trump by Smith were politically motivated. The Trump Justice Department will have access to every text, email and memo written by everyone on the Smith team on government phones and computers during the investigation.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith, Letitia James, Mike Davis, Trump, Smith, James, “, ” Davis, Benny Johnson, Davis, ”, Tom Williams, — Mark Paoletta —, Paoletta, ” Paoletta, Missouri Sen, Eric Schmitt, Utah Sen, Mike Lee, John Ratcliffe, Matt Whitaker, Donald Trump, can’t, —, Bill Barr, John Durham, Russia’s, “ Jack Smith Organizations: New York, Trump, Justice Department, Republican, Washington , D.C, Inc, Getty, NBC News, Department, DOJ, NBC, Justice, Democratic, DoJ, CIA, FBI, Trump Justice Department Locations: Washington ,, Missouri, Utah, Newsmax

Those rules were designed to prevent a repeat of the abuses of Richard Nixon, who improperly used the Justice Department to punish his political enemies. A new president appoints roughly 300 senior Justice Department officials, including the U.S. attorneys who run offices across the country. All 300 must be confirmed by the Senate, but multiple former Justice Department officials said they fear Trump would install partisans willing to do his bidding. Justice Department officials have risen to the occasion and defied presidential overreach in the past. You go in and just whack a good portion of the workforce,” the former Justice Department official said.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Trump, don’t, Richard Nixon, “, ”, Joyce Vance, Barbara McQuade, Sen, JD Vance, Vance, Vance’s, Biden Justice Department’s, Hunter Biden, Robert Menendez, Eric Adams, Jack Smith, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Jeffrey Clark, Clark, Mike Davis, influencer Benny Johnson’s, Davis, Joe Biden, Jan, gulag ”, ” Trump, ” Vance, “ Trump, Stephen Gillers, Gillers, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, ” Gillers, Ilya Somin, Somin, Nixon, Archibald Cox, wouldn’t Organizations: NBC, Google, National Public Radio, NBC News, Justice Department, FBI, Trump, Department, U.S, Senate, Drug, Administration, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, DOJ, Biden Justice, Robert Menendez of New, New York, U.S . Capitol, ABC News, Republican, Politico, D.C, gulag, Service, NYU School of Law, George Mason University, senior Locations: U.S, Alabama, Ohio, Georgia, Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, New, —, acquittals

Jerry Seinfeld walked back his remarks about the "extreme left" killing comedy in an interview with the "Breaking Bread with Tom Papa" podcast on Tuesday. Seinfeld, co-creator and star of his eponymous 1990s sitcom, criticized political correctness in an interview with The New Yorker in April. This is the result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.”On Tuesday, Seinfeld expressed regret over his comments and said they are "not true." "I don't think, as I said, 'the extreme left' has done anything to inhibit the art of comedy," Seinfeld said in the podcast. Elon Musk also shared Seinfeld's comments at the time, with the caption, "Make comedy legal again!"

Persons: Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Papa, Seinfeld, there’ll, Sean Hannity, Benny Johnson, Elon Musk, Julia Louis, Dreyfus, Papa, didn't, John F, Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, Sean Connery Organizations: Yorker, Conservative, Fox News Locations: ”

☆ Fact check: During speech in which he used teleprompters, Trump falsely claims he doesn’t use teleprompters
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed at a Friday rally that Vice President Kamala Harris used a teleprompter during her Univision town hall on Thursday. Trump said at the Friday rally in Aurora, Colorado: “Did you see where she did a town hall yesterday and she used a teleprompter? The teleprompter that displays a text written in Spanish was a support element for the town hall moderator. Last month, he falsely claimed that Harris used notes in a televised interview with CNN. The right-wing commentators’ inaccurate posts claiming Harris used a teleprompter at the Univision town hall relied on a 12-second clip that was posted Thursday by the Trump campaign’s “Trump War Room” account.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Trump, teleprompters, Harris, Benny Johnson, Charlie Kirk, Greg Price, Sean Hannity, Daniel Coronell, Kamala, ”, Enrique Acevedo, ” Acevedo, Coronell, Johnson, Kirk, Hannity, Price, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Univision, Univision News, Trump, Fox News, CNN, “ Trump Locations: Univision, Aurora , Colorado, Spanish, ”, Price

☆ TikTok purges accounts tied to Russian media RT and Sputnik over ‘covert influence’ efforts ahead of US election
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —TikTok has removed accounts associated with two Russian media groups for trying to exercise what it called “covert influence” on the upcoming US presidential election, in violation of its guidelines. The covert influence campaign was aimed at the American public ahead of the presidential election, US officials said. Tenet Media boasts a slate of high-profile right-wing, pro-Trump commentators, including Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson and several others. After the Justice Department announcement, RT responded with mocking statements that did not address the specifics of the US allegations. TikTok, for its part, has itself faced questions over whether or not the Chinese government can manipulate its algorithm to influence the American public.

Persons: London CNN — TikTok, Rossiya, Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Joe Biden Organizations: London CNN, Novosti, Sputnik, Meta, CNN, US Justice Department, Tenet Media, Trump, Department Locations: United States

☆ How Elon Musk amplified content from a suspected Russian election interference plot
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Is A Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Musk did not respond to an email Tuesday asking about the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report and about his sharing of Tenet Media content. Representatives for X also did not respond to a request for comment about Musk or about X’s handling of Tenet content. In posts on X, Musk has appeared unconcerned about Russia’s influence operations. The day after the indictment dropped, Musk accused The Associated Press of pushing anti-Trump “propaganda” in its coverage of Tenet Media. Southern and other commentators formerly employed by Tenet Media have said that they did nothing wrong.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tenet’s, Donald Trump, Trump, Musk’s reshare, Tenet, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Christopher Wray, ” Tenet, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Musk, X, Ben Shapiro, Josephine Lukito, ” Lukito, ”, Tim Pool, Rubin’s, Sen, Mark R, Martin Riedl, Lauren Southern, “, ” Musk, ” Southern Organizations: Elon, Tenet Media, NBC, Republican, White, Tenet, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Social Design Agency, Associated Press, Trump, University of Texas, “, Tech, Senate Intelligence, Meta, Microsoft, Warner, Democratic, CNBC, School of Journalism, Media, University of Tennessee, NASA Locations: Russian, Russia, Radio Free Europe, Moscow, Knoxville, Europe

☆ Meta bans Russian state propaganda outlets
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced Monday that it has banned Russian state media broadcaster RT and other Kremlin-controlled networks, alleging the outlets have engaged in deceptive influence operations and attempted to evade detection. “After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. Prior to Monday’s ban, RT had 7.2 million followers on Facebook and 1 million followers on Instagram. After the US Justice Department announcement, RT responded with mocking statements that did not address the specifics of the US allegations.

Persons: Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson Organizations: CNN, Meta, Facebook, US Justice Department, Tenet Media, Trump, US, Department, Microsoft, Senate

☆ Right-wing influencers say they were dupes in an alleged Russian influence operation. They’re keeping their millions, for now
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Jon Passantino | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The right-wing social media stars who were allegedly paid millions of dollars in a nefarious Russian influence operation to shape public opinion around the 2024 US presidential election are remaining mum. Tenet Media boasts a slate of high-profile right-wing, pro-Trump commentators including Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson and several others. The influencers all say they are “victims,” and that the FBI has contacted them for voluntary interviews. The Tenet co-founder then wrote to the Russian state media staffers, stressing that the personality was “really insisting on seeing some materials (profile, article, whatever) on Eduard before (he) feels comfortable moving forward. Two Russian state media employees, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, were charged by the Justice Department with money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Persons: Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Rubin, Johnson, Brandon Van Grack, Robert Mueller’s, Pool, —, “ We’ve, ”, Ben Shapiro, “, Tenet, Eduard Grigoriann, “ Grigoriann, Eduard, ” Rubin, Lauren Chen, Liam Donovan, Grigoriann, Chen, Donovan, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, Elena Afanasyeva, Van Grack, CNN’s Hadas Gold Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Tenet Media, Kremlin, Trump, RT, FBI, Pool, Tenet, Justice Locations: Tennessee, Russian, Russia, Brussels

☆ How Lauren Chen went from ‘alt-lite’ YouTuber to alleged Russian asset
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

The DOJ did not name Tenet Media but NBC News identified the company based on its description in the indictment. Unlike the influencers alleged to have been victims of RT and Tenet Media, who denied knowing they were working for Russia, Chen has said nothing since the indictment made news. “By connecting to and interacting with one another through YouTube videos, influencers with mainstream audiences lend their credibility to openly white nationalist and other extremist content creators,” Lewis wrote. Following the unsealing of the indictment, TheBlaze fired Chen and Turning Point USA removed her author page from its website. YouTube terminated all four of Chen’s pages, erasing thousands of videos and nearly a decade of work, including the channel for Tenet Media.

Persons: Lauren Chen, Chen, Liam Donovan, Candace, Jason Davis, Dave Rubin, Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Lauren Southern, — Chen, “, Michael Knowles gushed, Richard Spencer, ” Knowles, Tenet, Milo Yiannopoulos, ” Yiannopoulos, she’s, Yiannopoulos, Spencer, Rebecca Lewis, Ben Shapiro, Lewis ’, ” Lewis, Evie, Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze, TheBlaze, ”, Fuentes’s, Nikki Haley “, Matt Christiansen, Donovan “ Organizations: Department of Justice, DOJ, NBC News, Tenet Media, Trump, RT, Getty, YouTube, Tenet, University of Southern, College Republicans, Brigham Young University, Facebook, Southern Poverty Law Center, Data & Society, ”, “, Scouting, United Nations Locations: Russian, Russia, Nashville, Tenn, Southern, Canadian, Shanghai, Singapore, London, “, University of Southern California, Charlottesville , Virginia, Stanford, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine

☆ How some of the biggest right-wing media stars ended up as unwitting puppets of Russian propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Now, the Justice Department is alleging that some of the biggest stars in right-wing social media were, unwittingly, part of a sinister Russian operation to influence the 2024 US election. What is Tenet Media? “Overt shilling”The Russians also pushed Tenet to promote videos that were going viral on social media, according to the indictment. Tenet Media has not responded to requests for comment and stopped posting content on Wednesday. After the 2016 US presidential election, congressional and federal investigations showed Moscow had successfully co-opted unwitting Americans to stage protests, run social media accounts and host events at its behest.

Persons: CNN — They’re, weren’t, Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen, Matt Christiansen, Dave Rubin, Johnson, MAGA influencers, Rubin, Glenn Beck’s, Enrique Tarrio, Jack Posobiec, Pool, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Christiansen, Lauren Chen, Liam Donovan, Chen, Donovan, ”, Donald Trump’s, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Evgenia Novozhenina, “, Trump, Q, Justin Trudeau, Putin, Trudeau, Israel, ” Rubin, Eduard Grigoriann, “ Grigoriann, Tenet, Tucker Carlson, Carlson fawned, I’ll, Nina Jankowicz, ’, unvarnished ’, Renee DiResta, Donie O’Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Justice, Justice Department, Tenet Media, Kremlin, Vice Media, Independent, Young Turks, YouTube, Tenet, Google, Proud Boys, Blaze Media, Ukraine, The Justice Department, Republican Party, Trump, Democrats, ”, United, ISIS, Hungary's, Reuters “, Canadian, Hamas, FBI, Fox News, American Sunlight, Media, DOJ, Soviet, Stanford Internet Observatory Locations: Tennessee, Russia, Ukraine, ”, “ Ukraine, United States, Moscow, Russian, Colorado, American

☆ Pro-Trump influencers are rushing to explain after the DOJ said their work was funded by Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Hannah Abraham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Major pro-Trump influencers worked for a company the DOJ alleges was funded by Russia. Prosecutors say Tenet Media got nearly $10 million from Russia to spread its message in the US. AdvertisementAfter the Department of Justice accused a US media company of being bankrolled by Russia, several conservative influencers who've worked for the company denied any knowledge of Russian involvement. In an indictment this week, the DOJ said an unnamed Tenessee firm took almost $10 million from the Russian state media company RT. The aim, according to the DOJ, was to "create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian government messaging."

Persons: Trump influencers, — Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, —, influencers who've Organizations: DOJ, Russia, Prosecutors, Media, Service, Department of Justice, Business Locations: Russia

☆ A photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist after being shot has already become the defining image of his reelection bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Hannah Abraham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A photograph of President Donald Trump raising his fist in defiance after he was shot at his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday has already become the most iconic image of his reelection among Republicans. Donald Trump Jr. posted the image on X with the caption, "He'll never stop fighting to Save America." Related storiesFlorida Senator Marco Rubio shared both of their posts, before sharing the photo again with the caption, "God protected President Trump." Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy echoed his sentiments, sharing the photo with a similar caption: "Grateful to President Trump for his sacrifice. "We learned one very important thing tonight — President Donald Trump is willing to die for this country.

Persons: Donald Trump, Evan Vucci, Donald Trump Jr, He'll, Eric Trump, Marco Rubio, Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, Candace Owens, Donald J Trump, Blake Masters, Shakeel Jahangir, Willing, Benny Johnson, Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Organizations: Republicans, Associated Press, Trump, Secret Service, Business, Save, America, Republican, Conservative, Venture, Christians Union, America Christian, Democratic Locations: Pennsylvania, Florida, United States

☆ 1 in 3 Republicans believes baseless Taylor Swift election conspiracy theory, poll finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —About one-third of Republicans say they believe Taylor Swift is involved in a covert government effort to help Joe Biden win the 2024 presidential election, a poll published Wednesday from Monmouth University found. The goal of the purported plot is that the Chiefs’ victory on Sunday would present Swift with an even larger pulpit from which to endorse Biden, swinging the 2024 presidential election in his favor. “The supposed Taylor Swift PsyOp conspiracy has legs among a decent number of Trump supporters,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. While just under half (46%) of the 902 US adults surveyed for the poll reported they’d heard something about the conspiracy theory, one in five US adults (18%) said they believe the conspiracy, with 32% of Republicans — easily the largest of any political ideology — agreeing it is legitimate, the Monmouth poll found. Notably, however, 42% of those who said they believe the conspiracy theory to be true hadn’t heard about it before being contacted for the poll, showing either a bias against the president or a predilection for conspiracy theories.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Joe Biden, Travis Kelce, Biden, ” Patrick Murray, hadn’t, ” Murray, they’d, Republicans —, —, Swift, Vivek Ramaswamy, Jack Posobiec, Benny Johnson, Donald Trump, ”, “, Travis, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, Monmouth University, Kansas City Chiefs, Chiefs, Trump, Monmouth University Polling Institute, Republicans, Biden, Liberal Locations: Monmouth

☆ Right-wing media targets Taylor Swift with Super Bowl conspiracy theory ahead of the Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Oliver Darcy | Andrew Kaczynski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Right-wing media is burning red at Taylor Swift. “Taylor Swift is an op,” Benny Johnson, a right-wing media personality who boasts millions of followers across different social media platforms, wrote on X. You’re being played.”“The Democrats’ Taylor Swift election interference psyop is happening in the open,” added Laura Loomer, a self-described Islamophobe who has been embraced and promoted by Trump. “It’s not a coincidence that current and former Biden admin officials are propping up Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. They are going to use Taylor Swift as the poster child for their pro-abortion GOTV Campaign.”“The NFL is totally RIGGED for the Kansas City Chiefs, Taylor Swift, Mr. Pfizer (Travis Kelce),” agreed Mike Crispi, a Salem Media host.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Joe Biden, Swift, Jesse Watters, Travis Kelce, Biden, ” Vivek Ramaswamy, ” Ramaswamy, Jack Posobiec, Roseanne Barr, Posobiec, ” Donald Trump, Barr, “ Taylor Swift, ” Benny Johnson, You’re, ” “, ’ Taylor Swift, ”, Laura Loomer, “ It’s, “, Mike Crispi, ‘, ’ Joe Biden, Kelce, ” Crispi, drivel, Jared Holt, ” Holt, they’re Organizations: New York CNN, Kansas City Chiefs, Media, NFL, Democratic Party, Fox News, Pentagon, Chiefs, Pfizer, The New York Times, Super, Trump, Biden, Salem Media, KC, MAGA Media, Republican Party Locations: New York, Salem

☆ Andrew Tate, Ashley St. Clair, and Billy Markus are among the Twitter personalities who say they're getting thousands of dollars under the site's new ad-revenue program
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In some cases, Twitter has told them to expect tens of thousands of dollars. Billy Markus, the creator of Dogecoin who has 2.1 million followers, tweeted on Thursday that he was getting $37,050. Several accounts connected to Musk were told they'd also be getting payments. Sawyer Merritt, a Tesla investor who posts regular commentary about Musk's businesses, tweeted that Twitter would pay him $6,465. "It makes a lot of cents to create here!," Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted on Thursday after the program was announced.

Persons: they're, Andrew Tate, Elon Musk's, Billy Markus, Dogecoin, Brian, Ed Krassenstein, Ed, Ashley St, Claire, she'd, Ian Miles Cheong, Benny Johnson, he'd, Rogan O'Handley, Wokeness, Twitter, Musk, Zuby, they'd, Jonas Lismont, Sawyer Merritt, podcaster Jason Calacanis, Linda Yaccarino Organizations: Morning, Twitter, Meta Locations: Romania

☆ Elon Musk reportedly admits Twitter may have been wrong to label NPR as 'state-affiliated media'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Britney Nguyen | Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Twitter added a "US state-affiliated media" label to NPR's account on Tuesday. NPR reported Thursday that Elon Musk told the outlet the tag might be an error after learning more about the outlet. The mention of the BBC, which did not see the label added to its accounts, remains on the page. A screenshot of NPR's Twitter profile on Wednesday shows a label reading "US state-affiliated media." Twitter/@NPR"We were disturbed to see last night that Twitter has labeled NPR as 'state-affiliated media,' a description that, per Twitter's own guidelines, does not apply to NPR," NPR President and CEO John Lansing said in a statement shared with Insider.

On Tuesday, for example, Fox News host Sean Hannity said Republicans “have been unwilling for whatever reason” to vote early and by mail. Ahead of the general election, registered Democrats held an 8-point edge over registered Republicans in Georgia in early voting. Now about to enter his seventh term, Schweikert said that Republicans in his state used to enjoy a robust early voting edge. Kirk, who had raised concerns about mail-in voting, changed his tune after the November midterms, tweeting that Republicans must recognize the “power of early voting.” But Johnson has called for a ban on mail-in voting. At the forefront of GOP concerns over early voting is Pennsylvania, where Democrats enjoyed an edge so substantial that Republicans did not come close to overcoming it.

While Maricopa County election officials initially categorized the problem as a "hiccup," it took hours before a solution was identified early Tuesday afternoon. An adjucation board reviews ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center on Tuesday in Phoenix. John Moore / Getty ImagesIn 2020, Joe Biden won Maricopa County by about 6,000 of the more than 2 million votes cast there. When Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema won her seat in 2018, she did so with 50% of the statewide vote, including the 51% she took in Maricopa County. Maricopa County election officials responded that the tweet was inaccurate and "all voters are being served."

Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery — although Twitter owner Elon Musk may not see it that way. The decisions to lock all three out of their Twitter accounts come as Musk, a self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist," draws intense scrutiny for how he handles speech issues on the platform. Griffin, Klein and Sommer all appeared to change their account names on their verified profiles to "Elon Musk" without indicating that they were parodying his account. As of Monday morning, many Twitter accounts still featured "Elon Musk" in their display names, while others added the "parody" disclaimer. In a caption to one of the screenshots, Klein wrote: "Comedy is dead elon musk killed it."

☆ Elon Musk jokes that AOC's Twitter troubles were 'a naked abuse of power'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk joked that when AOC's Twitter account stopped working it was "a naked abuse of power." The lawmaker said her account stopped working after a spat with Musk, who now owns Twitter. It was a naked abuse of power." Their latest spat began after Ocasio-Cortez criticized Musk's plan to charge Twitter users $8 for blue ticks. Twitter, Musk, and representatives for Ocasio-Cortez didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Elon Musk set the tone for his first full day as head of Twitter with a response to @catturd2. “I will be digging in more today,” Musk tweeted in response Friday morning. As of Friday morning, Trump’s account was still suspended, and trending topics included everything from the news of the day (Paul Pelosi) to culture (#FridayFeeling, Rihanna). “Elon” was one of the top trending topics of the morning, and many conservative influencers who had been critical of Twitter’s moderation were already celebrating what they saw as a tectonic shift. Those downloads, however, are still less than 5,000 per day, while Twitter often still sees hundreds of thousands of downloads per day, according to Adam Blacker, vice president of insights at Apptopia.

☆ Conservatives and anti-vaxxers are frantically lobbying Elon Musk to lift Twitter bans on their idols after he took over
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An assortment of conservatives are lobbying Elon Musk to undo Twitter bans on prominent allies. Musk has said he opposes permanent bans and plans to roll back moderation on Twitter. But Twitter is enforcing legal sanctions on the networks in the EU and UK which prevents people seeing their content. Twitter has said it never shadowbans anybody, though Musk said Friday he was "digging in" to the allegations. Evolutionary biologist and podcaster Bret Weinstein, who has long questioned COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, also called for Musk to reinstate anti-vaxxer Dr Robert Malone.

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