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☆ RFK Jr. once praised scathing description of Trump and his base as “idiots,” “Nazis” and “bootlickers”
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-21 | by ( Andrew Kaczynski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Asked in August whether he would ever serve in Trump’s cabinet, Kennedy said, “No.” but weeks later, he ended his campaign and endorsed Trump. Kennedy has since refrained from any public criticism of Trump, aligning himself with the former president on issues like government censorship and public health. Trump, left, greets Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona, on August 23. “And you can see that every statement that Donald Trump makes is fear-based,” Kennedy said on his radio show in December 2016. “And, you know, he’s not like Hitler,” Kennedy said.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump’s, ”, ” Kennedy, “, Trump, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Kennedy, Hitler, “ Hitler, President Trump, demagogues, Adriana Zehbrauskas, Trump’s, Francisco Franco, Mussolini, Huey Long, Father Coughlin, Donald Trump, Obama, barker, George Wallace, …, ’, ‘, Matt Taibbi’s, ’ ” Kennedy, Taibbi, he’s, He’ll, Michael Mann, “ Michael Mann, Erik McGregor, “ Trump, Andrew Wheeler Organizations: CNN, Health, Human Services, Trump, HHS, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Democratic Party, New York Times, Civil Rights Movement, Alabama Gov, ”, Pipeline, EPA Locations: Glendale , Arizona, White, America, Paris, Albany , New York

☆ 'White Dudes for Harris' fundraiser thinks Elon Musk might have suspended his account. He's going to keep using Twitter.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewOn Monday night, a group calling itself "White Dudes for Harris" hosted an online fundraiser aimed at … white dudes who support Kamala Harris. Organizers said thousands joined the call, and that the event raised more than $4 million for the Harris presidential campaign. But good luck understanding why Musk makes any decisions at Twitter about content moderation or anything else. AdvertisementAnd in cases like White Dudes for Harris, when it's unclear if he's done anything at all, people will be that much more inclined to believe he has done something. That includes Nellis, who says he'll continue to use the platform to promote White Dudes For Harris.

Persons: —, Harris, Kamala Harris, Mike Nellis, Nellis, @elonmusk, we've, we're, …, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, I've, Twitter, haven't, Musk, Bari Weiss, Matt Taibbi, Trump's, he'll, We're Organizations: Service, Twitter, Business, Nellis, Meta, Trump PAC, Trump

☆ Elon Musk is handing a truckload of mess to Twitter's new CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk is finally ready to share his Twitter mess with someone else. The billionaire has found a new CEO to succeed him, but the mess they'll need to address is huge. It's been a long time coming but Elon Musk is finally ready to do it: he's about to hand over his Twitter mess to someone else. Twitter's finances are a messThe first challenge Musk's decidedly bumpy reign has left for his successor is Twitter's financial mess. If news organizations are continuously maligned, Twitter's new CEO will need to solve an identity crisis.

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter is roughly breaking even. That looks like vindication for his haphazard management but he'll need a sharper plan to get to profitability.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk's reign of chaos at Twitter may have saved it from collapse, but there's a long way to go. This was better than the $1.1 billion Twitter lost in 2020, but still indicative of the firm's struggle for consistent profitability. Another, possibly terminal, issue: Musk seems not to have quite figured out what he wants Twitter to be. But if he wants Twitter to make money consistently, Musk needs users coming back for the long run. Chaos won't do that.

☆ Elon Musk and Substack are beefing. Here's a rundown of the back and forth between the Twitter CEO and the blogging site.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Twitter users began noticing Substack links were being suppressed beginning Thursday evening. One of these claims is that Substack was trying to "download a massive portion of the Twitter database," Musk wrote on Twitter Saturday, to help support its recently announced Twitter competitor, Substack Notes. Thursday evening: Users begin reporting that Substack links are being suppressedSubstack bloggers who use Twitter to promote their work began noticing Thursday evening the Substack links seemed to be suppressed on Twitter, and Twitter users who tried to interact with posts that contained Substack links would receive an error message. Saturday: Musk clarifies that Twitter never blocked Twitter notesMusk clarified in a tweet early Saturday that Substack links were never blocked on Twitter. In the same post, Musk called Substack Notes a "Twitter clone" and claimed that Substack was "trying to download a massive portion of the Twitter database to bootstrap" their new feature.

☆ The IRS Makes a Strange House Call on Matt Taibbi
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Democrats are denouncing the House GOP investigation into the weaponization of government, but maybe that’s because Republicans are getting somewhere. That includes new evidence that the Internal Revenue Service may be targeting a journalist who testified before the weaponization committee. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter Monday to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen seeking an explanation for why journalist Matt Taibbi received an unannounced home visit from an IRS agent. We’ve seen the letter, and both the circumstances and timing of the IRS focus on this journalist raise serious questions.

☆ WSJ Opinion: Matt Taibbi's 'Twitter Files' Testimony
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How Jerome Powell Became the U.S.’s Most Powerful Economic VoiceJerome Powell, as the chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, appears to hold the country’s economic health in his hands. It’s a coveted role that has earned him both praise and criticism. Here’s how balancing aggressive and conservative policy got him to the top. Illustration: John McColgan for The Wall Street Journal

Persons: Jerome Powell, It’s, John McColgan Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, Wall Street

☆ Elon Musk says it was 'not cool' for Democrats to ask Twitter Files reporter Matt Taibbi to reveal his sources in a hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk said it wasn't cool for Democrats to ask journalist Matt Taibbi to reveal his sources. Rep. Sylvia Garcia asked Taibbi if Musk first approached him, but he refused to answer. In response to a clip shared from the hearing, Musk tweeted: "I'm not his source, but, yeah, obviously asking journalists to reveal sources is not cool." Garcia asked Taibbi in the hearing if Musk was his direct source behind the files. Plaskett tweeted on Thursday: "No one was interested in revealing 'journalists'' sources.

☆ Elon Musk Is Transforming Twitter, Not Killing It
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Dennis Kneale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

On March 9, 2023, journalists Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger testified before a congressional hearing on the growth of 'a censorship-industrial complex' that violates the right to free speech. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyElon Musk is building Twitter into something better, bigger, safer and, above all, freer. The eccentric billionaire is creating one of the most powerful media platforms the world has ever seen. The CEO’s quick-witted lesson on free expression has since made the rounds on the platform, racking up well over 20 million views. That’s impressive reach—as was the company’s performance during the World Cup, when it hosted 147 billion impressions in about four weeks.

☆ Elon Musk says federal probe of Twitter is a 'weaponization of a government agency for political purposes' and a 'serious attack on the Constitution'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The FTC has requested access to Twitter's internal communications, The Wall Street Journal reported. Elon Musk called this a "serious attack on the Constitution" as it pertains to freedom of the press. But it's the FTC's request to "identify all journalists" who can access internal systems that appeared to have most incensed Musk. The Journal reported that the government agency had asked Twitter for detailed information on layoffs because it's worried it now cannot properly protect users' data. In November, Insider reported that Musk told Twitter staff he would do "whatever it takes" to comply with the FTC's regulations.

☆ Elon Musk gets a kick out of seeing information from the 'Twitter Files' released onto the platform, Matt Taibbi says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matt Taibbi says Elon Musk gets a kick out of seeing information released via the "Twitter Files." "He gets a kick out of seeing all this stuff come out on Twitter," Taibbi said on the podcast, referring to Musk. Taibbi is one of the journalists who released the "Twitter Files," which came about after Musk acquired the platform. As part of the Twitter Files, Taibbi has posted lengthy threads containing leaked internal emails, messages, and other information he found. Later that month, Musk accused "corporate journalism" of failing to side with the people over the "Twitter Files."

☆ Here's what we know about Hamilton 68, the Russian online influence tracker called into question by the 'Twitter Files'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

A recent "Twitter Files" drop revealed deep concerns among Twitter executives about a database that claimed to track Russian propaganda in "near real time." The now defunct database, Hamilton 68, was widely cited by media outlets, including Insider, before it was shut down in 2018. He wrote that based on his analysis, Hamilton 68 "falsely accuses a bunch of legitimate, right-leaning accounts of being Russian bots." Berger and ASD did not respond to a request to provide Insider with the list of accounts Hamilton 68 tracked. Roth also claimed, after reverse-engineering the list of accounts that Hamilton 68 tracked, that they were "neither strongly Russian nor strongly bots."

☆ Republicans held a hearing to prove Twitter’s bias against them. It backfired in spectacular fashion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Despite no real evidence to support this weighty and consequential claim, Republicans were unrelenting in peddling it to the American public. Republicans showed, once again, that they are married to pushing claims that Silicon Valley is intentionally and unjustly censoring conservative views, even when the facts do not contort with their narrative. Ironically, the hearing appeared to reveal that Twitter had acquiesced to Trump and changed its policies after it concluded that he had violated its rules. And the hearing hinted that the Trump White House attempted to censor the speech of at least one American: Chrissy Teigen. Strangely enough, Republicans showed no interest in drilling down on this allegation of censorship.

☆ Elon Musk just changed his Twitter bio to 'state-affiliated media'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has updated his Twitter bio to read: "State-affiliated media." Musk then changed his Twitter bio to "state-affiliated media" in the early hours of Monday. It comes after the release of more Twitter Files, tweeted by journalist Matt Taibbi, on Saturday. Following his acquisition of Twitter in late October, Musk changed his bio to "Chief Twit," signaling he was in charge of the platform. After laying off thousands of employees in November, Musk updated his bio to "Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator."

☆ Elon Musk slams 'corporate journalism' over its response to the Twitter Files: 'Why is it rushing to defend the state instead of the people?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk accused "corporate journalism" of failing to side with the people over the Twitter Files. Musk retweeted a Substack article that criticized CNN for a report that denied his accusations. Musk added: "Why is corporate journalism rushing to defend the state instead of the people?" FBI agents then sent emails to Twitter staff suggesting certain accounts be banned for spreading misinformation about issues such as election integrity, per the Twitter Files. But Musk and some freelance journalists are annoyed that the Twitter Files haven't received more support from the press.

☆ Tesla investors plead with Elon Musk to leave Twitter and refocus on the electric car company in 'a vote of no confidence in Elon'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some high profile investors agreed Tesla's stock is down because Musk is distracted with Twitter. Musk is trying to get new investment for the platform, and just sold $3.6 billion in Tesla stock. "We all know why Tesla stock is down and it has nothing to do with the company," Gerber said. Both Gerber and Black suggested that Musk is selling Tesla stock to invest in Twitter, a company that Black noted "makes no money and probably never will." That should make a long-term stock investment like Tesla more intriguing to investors.

☆ Rep. Ro Khanna says balancing regulation and ethics online is key to ensuring technology remains a force for good: 'We need technology to democratize voice in America'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"I think the trajectory of technology is still a force for good," he told Politico. Despite his concerns about Twitter, Khanna remains optimistic about the potential for technology companies to benefit society. "I think we need technology to solve climate," Khanna told Politico. We need technology to democratize voice in America. The office of Rep. Khanna did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Democrats criticize Elon Musk for suspending journalists covering Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Amanda Terkel | Amanda Is Senior Politics Editor For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — Democratic members of Congress had harsh words for Elon Musk on Thursday night after Twitter suddenly suspended a number of high-profile journalists who have been covering the company and Musk, its billionaire CEO. In November, shortly after he took over Twitter, Musk tweeted that he would not ban the account. Musk tweeted Thursday night. "Ro Khanna is great," Musk tweeted in response to one of some of the Twitter files. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., tweeted: "Twitter can suspend whoever it wants.

☆ Elon Musk has divided Silicon Valley friendships in the same way Donald Trump divided American families, according to former Facebook executive
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Tom Dotan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Musk's fans and critics in Silicon Valley find it increasingly hard to get along, according to Alex Stamos, Facebook's former CISO. Stamos, who helped oversee content moderation at Facebook during the turbulent post-2016 election period, compared the situation to Donald Trump's divisiveness. "There's a scary impulse in the valley right now [to defend Musk]," Stamos said. "The fact that he has become this pied piper for otherwise serious people...it feels in Silicon Valley like after Trump was elected and families got a little riven." Stamos also predicted that as the Musk-Twitter experiment continues to unravel, Musk's Silicon Valley supporters will recant their position if his free-for-all approach results in real-world consequences.

☆ Jack Dorsey apologizes for his Twitter moderation choices, saying he did the 'wrong thing for the internet and society' despite calling his decisions the 'right thing' at the time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Dorsey condemned attacks on his former colleagues and laid out his thoughts for the future of social media. As CEO, Dorsey said he led Twitter to do the "wrong thing for the internet and society." When he co-founded Twitter in 2006, Dorsey's approach to content moderation was seen as pro-free speech and the company "had to be dragged" into content moderation, J.M. Berger, a researcher on extremism on social media like Twitter, told Insider. Dorsey, Musk, and representatives for Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Newsletter writer Matt Taibbi got access to Twitter's internal systems like Slack as Elon Musk continues his 'Twitter Files' campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter CEO Elon Musk gave newsletter writer Matt Taibbi access to internal company tools. Taibbi is part of Musk's release of internal content moderation decisions dubbed "Twitter Files." Conservative commentator Bari Weiss was previously given access to company systems. Newsletter writer Matt Taibbi now has access to internal Twitter systems amid CEO Elon Musk's continued release of the "Twitter Files," or internal information about the company's past content moderation decisions. Last weekend, Taibbi was the first to begin tweeting about what Musk dubbed the "Twitter Files."

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter is working on a feature to show users if they've been shadowbanned
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk wants Twitter users to know if they've been "shadowbanned." The move follows the "Twitter Files", which claimed to show the "secret" suppression of some users. The announcement followed the release of "episode 2" of the "Twitter Files" by conservative commentator Bari Weiss. One of the accounts mentioned in Weiss's Twitter thread was the anti-LGBTQ Twitter account, Libs of TikTok. Thursday's Twitter thread followed a similar release of internal Twitter documents last week by journalist Matt Taibbi.

☆ Elon Musk says 'controversial decisions' at Twitter were often made without Jack Dorsey's approval
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk said "controversial decisions" at Twitter were often made without Jack Dorsey's approval. While CEO of Twitter, Dorsey was "unaware of systemic bias" at the company, Musk said. Musk's comments came after part two of the so-called Twitter Files were published Thursday. Responding to Weiss' tweet, and appearing to back Dorsey, Musk said: "Controversial decisions were often made without getting Jack's approval and he was unaware of systemic bias. Dorsey hasn't responded to the Twitter Files' claims but he told Musk on Wednesday to "just release everything without a filter."

☆ The 'Twitter Files' part 2 claimed to 'reveal' that the platform limited some accounts' reach, but that was already public knowledge — and in line with Elon Musk's new 'freedom of speech, not freedom
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Erin Snodgrass | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Twitter first announced in 2018 it would effectively hide some tweets from conversations and search results, according to The Washington Post's Will Oremus. Critics, and there were many, especially as prominent Republicans were impacted, referred to Twitter's practice of limiting certain tweets' visibility as "shadowbanning." In her thread, Weiss said Twitter's Strategic Response Team - Global Escalation Team, known as SRT-GET, was the body tasked with deciding which users were marked for "visibility filtering." The description outlined by Weiss of Twitter's internal moderation policy appears to fall in line with Musk's own recently-announced approach to content moderation on the site: "Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom of reach. But Weiss, a former New York Times columnist, is not thought to be a current employee at Twitter.

☆ Elon Musk says a controversial new feature is coming to Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Last month, Musk said Twitter’s “new” policy is “freedom of speech, not freedom of reach,” echoing an approach that is something of an industry standard. Musk on Friday shared Weiss’ thread in a tweet and added, “The Twitter Files, Part Duex! The release of internal documents from Twitter’s prior leadership comes as Musk attempts to reshape the platform in his image. But Musk has also said he doesn’t want Twitter to “become a free-for-all hellscape” and plans to moderate content in a way that appears largely consistent with Twitter’s prior policies. “Freedom of speech,” the blog post stated, “not freedom of reach.”

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