politics !politics@lemmy.world

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

2. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
3. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is

Members

19,563

Posts

17,856

Active Today

4,496

Created

2 yr. ago

Moderators

Summary

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Elon Musk after he made a gesture during Trump’s inauguration resembling a Nazi salute.

Musk and his allies dismissed the comparison, calling such accusations exaggerated.

Ocasio-Cortez, however, called the gesture unacceptable, emphasizing America’s history of opposing Nazis and the Confederacy.

She also condemned the Anti-Defamation League for defending Musk, accusing it of losing credibility.

Her comments sparked broader debate on symbols, gestures, and their implications amid Trump’s return to office.

Summary

Representative Sarah McBride, the first out trans congresswoman, criticized Donald Trump’s executive order defining gender as strictly male or female.

McBride points out that biologically all embryos develop as female until the SRY gene activates weeks after conception.

The order, which ties gender to reproductive cells at conception, unintentionally categorizes all humans as female from conception based on biological facts.

McBride’s remarks highlight scientific flaws in the policy.

Summary

TikTok users reported that searches for anti-Trump content, such as "Donald Trump rigged election," returned "No results found" messages in the U.S., while the same searches worked abroad.

Users demonstrated via VPNs that the restrictions seem specific to U.S. accounts, sparking accusations of censorship and claims TikTok is becoming "Trump's propaganda arm."

Some anti-Trump hashtags also appear blocked, while pro-Trump terms remain visible.

TikTok has not commented on the issue, fueling further concerns about free speech and potential political influence over the platform.

Summary

Trump supporters are calling to defund PBS after it reported that Elon Musk's post-inauguration gesture resembled a Nazi salute.

PBS described it as "similar to the 'Sieg Heil' used by Nazis," sparking conservative backlash, with figures like Tomi Lahren and Rep. Andy Biggs accusing PBS of propaganda.

Musk denied the claim and criticized "legacy media" and Wikipedia for bias.

Calls to defund PBS align with longstanding conservative goals and plans like Project 2025, which includes eliminating public media funding under a new Trump administration.

Summary

During a National Prayer Service, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde urged Donald Trump to show mercy to immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, prompting Trump to criticize her on Truth Social as a “Radical left hard line Trump hater.”

Trump dismissed the service as “boring” and accused Budde of politicizing religion.

Budde, known for her advocacy on justice issues, later explained her appeal aimed to encourage broader compassion.

Despite her message, Trump demanded a public apology, claiming her remarks were ungracious and uninspiring.

"If the purges [of potential voters], challenges and ballot rejections were random, it wouldn’t matter. It’s anything but random. For example, an audit by the State of Washington found that a Black voter was 400% more likely than a white voter to have their mail-in ballot rejected. Rejection of Black in-person votes, according to a US Civil Rights Commission study in Florida, ran 14.3% or one in seven ballots cast."

"[...] Democracy can win* despite the 2.3% suppression headwind.

And that’s our job as Americans: to end the purges, the vigilante challenges, the ballot rejections and the attitude that this is all somehow OK."

Summary

Elon Musk faced backlash for performing a Nazi salute twice during Donald Trump's inauguration, with some media outlets downplaying the act as an "awkward gesture" or a "controversial hand gesture."

Journalists are calling out these outlets for their hypocrisy, highlighting the double standard in prioritizing pronoun usage over such a blatant display of Nazi symbolism.

Critics argue that media outlets should have the courage to call out the salute for what it is, emphasizing the importance of truthful reporting in the face of such actions.

Summary

Donald Trump called TikTok "worthless" and suggested he might not intervene to lift its nationwide ban, which took effect on January 19 over national security concerns about its Chinese ownership.

Previously, Trump had pledged to save TikTok, citing its role in his campaign's social media success, but his latest remarks hinted at demands for U.S. ownership of the platform.

House Speaker Mike Johnson supported the ban, citing fears of Chinese influence on TikTok's algorithms.

Summary

Vivian Wilson, Elon Musk's transgender daughter, criticized her father for performing a Nazi salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

While Musk’s gesture sparked controversy, some outlets, including the Anti-Defamation League, downplayed it as an “awkward gesture.”

Wilson mocked the justifications, calling for accountability and citing Musk’s history of alleged cruelty toward her.

Wilson legally severed ties with Musk in 2022, citing gender identity and past mistreatment, and has since been outspoken against his actions and behavior.

Summary

Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal bishop at the Washington National Cathedral, directly confronted Donald Trump during his inaugural prayer service, urging him to show compassion for marginalized groups.

She criticized his policies on LGBTQ rights, mass deportations, and immigration, calling for mercy toward undocumented immigrants and children fearing family separation.

Trump dismissed the sermon as "not too exciting," while his supporters condemned Budde’s remarks as inappropriate.

Budde’s bold address marked the first public challenge to Trump’s agenda during his second term.