Category: News

During his speech to the Economic Club of New York, Donald Trump expressed his intention to appoint billionaire Elon Musk to head a special commission tasked with achieving comprehensive government reform.

Does Musk’s new position represent another step towards realizing the Project 2025 agenda?

Former President Trump announces that if re-elected, he plans to adopt Elon Musk’s proposal for a government efficiency commission to cut federal spending, adding that Musk has agreed to lead the commission “if he has the time.” https://t.co/HomjPC2l3e

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 5, 2024

While Trump has recently tried to distance himself from Project 2025, the guide developed by various right-wing groups for an ultra-conservative government, some are linking the drastic measures it proposes to Musk’s new duties in a potential Trump administration, comparing them to the recommendations of Project 2025.

According to Trump, the commission’s mission would be to conduct a thorough review of the federal government’s finances and performance, with the ultimate aim of implementing major reforms within the US government.

This seems to align with the proposals of Project 2025, which advocates reform to shrink the federal government. Suggested measures include the elimination of several agencies, such as the Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The remaining departments would be largely privatized, including the Transportation Security Administration.

Trump says the move is necessary, as he believes government spending is unsustainable. However, he didn’t seem to care about this issue during his first term, during which he added an estimated $7.8 trillion to the U.S. national debt!

Musk claimed the commission would be able to target wasteful spending and streamline federal agency operations, but Trump and Musk provided few details on how it would work.

It’s worrying to see Musk potentially heading a large-scale government commission, given the way he runs his companies, particularly X (formerly Twitter).

Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, the company’s value has declined considerably. According to recent estimates, Twitter’s value has plummeted from nearly $40 billion to around $15 billion, representing a loss in value of around $25 billion.

This decline is attributed to several factors, including management changes, mass layoffs, as well as controversies related to the platform’s management and Elon Musk’s controversial comments.

These statements, often made on social networks, have also preoccupied Tesla’s board of directors, who have had to deal with turbulence for the company, such as investigations by regulators and significant fluctuations in the share price.

Over the past year, Trump and Musk, increasingly embroiled in controversy, have become friends.

For some, this new collaboration portends a duo more evil than dynamic…

Kari Morrissey, the New Mexico prosecutor in charge of the Alec Baldwin trial, has asked the judge to reconsider her decision to drop the criminal case against the actor. She argues that the reasons that led to the unexpected abandonment of the trial in July are not justified.

This request comes after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the trial with prejudice in July, following the discovery of evidence that had not been disclosed to the defense.

The prosecutor in the “Rust” case has asked the judge to reconsider her decision to throw out the manslaughter charge against actor Alec Baldwin, and suggested the government may seek to reinstate the case on appeal. https://t.co/K0xc5QQLgb

— Variety (@Variety) September 5, 2024

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer’s decision in July was prompted by the revelation that evidence had been deliberately withheld from the defense, according to Baldwin’s lawyers.

This decision has major consequences, as it prohibits the filing of new charges against the actor, making it impossible to hold a new trial without new charges.

For her part, the prosecutor has rejected any malicious intent and now asserts before the judge that the evidence withheld – ammunition turned over to the sheriff’s office last March, shortly after the trial of Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the Rust gunsmith currently sentenced to 18 months in prison for manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, ended – had no connection with the ammunition used on set at the time of the incident.

It should be recalled that Alec Baldwin had been charged with manslaughter following the death of Halyna Hutchins, when a revolver Baldwin was holding discharged during a rehearsal. Baldwin has since claimed that he did not pull the trigger, but simply pulled the hammer back, which would have triggered the shot.

During his trial this summer, the case came to an unexpected end when, during witness testimony, it was revealed that ammunition had been delivered to the New Mexico Sheriff’s Office by Troy Teske, a friend of Hannah Gutierrez Reed’s stepfather. The judge ultimately concluded that the prosecution had omitted crucial evidence and that it was impossible for the court to correct this error.

The prosecutor hopes to convince the judge that the omission was unintentional.

Her co-prosecutor, who resigned after this surprising discovery during Baldwin’s trial, also shares this sentiment, claiming that it was not a deliberate act.

Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha, nicknamed Hollywood’s “Ketamine Queen”, among the main defendants in the case of actor Matthew Perry’s tragic death in October 2023, have finally been granted a date for their trial concerning the death of the actor from Friends and several other films and series.

“Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia's joint trial is set for March 4, 2025. https://t.co/MHnsTTzwdl

— Variety (@Variety) September 4, 2024

Plasencia and Sangha, who both deny the charges against them, are charged, after a months-long investigation, with distribution of ketamine.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 19, with the trial set to begin on March 4, 2025.

Perry was discovered dead in his Pacific Palisades home, having succumbed to the “acute effects of ketamine”, which led to his accidental drowning.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia is charged primarily with conspiracy to distribute ketamine. The prosecution also alleges that he falsified records and distributed ketamine outside normal medical practice and without medical justification.

According to the indictment, Plasencia sold vials of ketamine to Matthew Perry and even showed the actor’s long-time personal assistant Kenny Iwamasa, also charged, how to administer the drug.

Sangha, meanwhile, allegedly ran a drug-dealing ring from her home in North Hollywood, specializing in transactions with celebrities and high-end clients…

She faces charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, as well as several ketamine-related charges.

Plasencia could face a hefty sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Sangha faces a life sentence if convicted.

Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite Internet service, has announced that it will comply with the Brazilian Supreme Court’s decision to block access to social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The decision comes as Elon Musk has been embroiled in a legal dispute with the Brazilian government for several months.

Starlink, the satellite internet service owned and operated by SpaceX, says it will block the social network X in Brazil to continue operations there without the threat of losing its license. https://t.co/FVdxPDdTT4

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 3, 2024

A judge had ordered Elon Musk and X to appoint a legal representative in Brazil to receive judicial notifications and facilitate the deletion of certain accounts spreading disinformation.

After several weeks of refusal on Elon Musk’s part, the judge finally ordered that X be blocked throughout Brazil by all ISPs, including Starlink.

This comes after X closed its office in Brazil and fired its legal representative in response to the Brazilian government’s request to remove political content containing disinformation from its platform.

Initially, Elon Musk, through Starlink, had announced that he would refuse to comply with the Supreme Court order.

However, Starlink then changed its position and decided to block X.

This will no doubt bring relief to around 250,000 Starlink customers in Brazil…

In a message on X, Starlink indicated that it would use all possible legal means to challenge the decision while respecting the Brazilian order to block the social media platform.

Linkin Park is back in the spotlight seven years after the tragic loss of singer Chester Bennington, unveiling a new line-up with the integration of two new official members!

With a new lineup, tour, album and collective outlook, @linkinpark is BACK — prepping its first album in eight years 'From Zero' with newcomers Emily Armstrong & Colin Brittain.

Go inside their secret comeback in Billboard's exclusive digital cover story: https://t.co/iEO23C3IOJ pic.twitter.com/tln6cBD58L

— billboard (@billboard) September 5, 2024

Emily Armstrong, Dead Sara’s co-vocalist, has been chosen as lead singer, while Colin Brittain, producer and songwriter, has been selected for the position of drummer. This new adventure promises to be an emotional one for fans.

The band made this major announcement simultaneously with the release of The Emptiness Machine, the first single from their forthcoming album, From Zero, due for release in November.

The single is their first original track since 2017’s One More Light , which was tragically released just two months before Chester Bennington passed away.

In addition to the two new recruits, two of Linkin Park’s three original co-founders, Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson, return to the band, alongside bassist Dave Phoenix Farrell and DJ Joe Hahn.

In parallel with the release of its album, Linkin Park has announced a mini-tour, From Zero World Tour, to mark this new beginning celebrating the band’s past, present and future.

The tour will include six concerts, scheduled in Los Angeles, New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul and Bogota, between September 11 and November 11.

The From Zero album is scheduled for release on November 15.

Donald Trump’s entry into social media via Trump Media & Technology Group and Truth Social has taken a tumultuous turn. Trump, who owns 60% of the shares, has seen the value of his stake plummet.

The stock price of Donald Trump’s once-high-flying media company is sinking just as the lockup period from its blank-check deal is about to end https://t.co/ZEEgyKxnSN

— Bloomberg (@business) September 5, 2024

The value of his shares in Trump Media & Technology Group fell from $4.9 billion to just $2 billion in a short space of time.

What’s more, TMTG’s share price fell below $17, before rising just above it this morning (September 6), wiping out virtually all the gains made.

Truth Social’s core platform seems to be struggling to attract a wider audience, raising concerns about its long-term viability in an extremely competitive social media sector.

The share lock-up agreement in place for TMTG, designed to stabilize prices after the IPO, will expire on September 19. This suggests that Trump could liquidate his shares immediately thereafter, putting the stock’s future in an uncertain position.

Donald Trump’s recent return to X (formerly Twitter) is also unlikely to improve Truth Social’s popularity.

A 12-person jury in Colorado has found Republican election official Tina Peters guilty of seven criminal counts, including attempting to influence a public official.

This case is directly associated with the conspiracy theories about the 2020 elections promoted by Mike Lindell concerning Dominion Voting Systems.

Ex-county clerk found guilty of election interference https://t.co/3jbt1fOjsl

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 13, 2024

According to a statement from Jena Griswold, Colorado Secretary of State Tina Peters deliberately compromised her own election materials in order to support Trump’s false claims. Griswold added that the jury’s verdict was unequivocal: no effort to compromise the security of our elections will be tolerated.

After a nearly two-week trial, Peters was found guilty of three misdemeanors, including attempting to influence a public official and conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. The offenses include gross official misconduct, refusal to obey an order of the Secretary of State and dereliction of duty. However, she was acquitted of the charges of criminal impersonation and conspiracy to impersonate.

It is important to note that Tina Peters pleaded not guilty after her indictment in March 2022. She is accused of facilitating unauthorized access to voting system files and passwords, which were subsequently leaked online, seriously jeopardizing the security of election systems.

During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Peters had used an employee’s security badge to facilitate access to a person linked to Mike Lindell. With this action she had allowed someone, posing as an employee, to manipulate a Dominion Voting Systems hard drive.

Prosecutors claim that Peters was aware of the seriousness of her actions and had adopted discreet measures, such as turning off surveillance cameras and using disposable cell phones. She also communicated via Signal, an encrypted messaging app, and had expressed fears of imprisonment when she learned of the investigation.

Peters could face more than 20 years in prison when she is sentenced on October 3.

As President Biden nears the end of his term in office, and his political career, he is fully committed to a project close to his heart: the fight against cancer.

President Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, announced eight research centers, including one at Tulane University, that will collectively receive $150 million in research awards aimed at pioneering new methods of precision cancer surgery. https://t.co/hlPltuFwLJ

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 14, 2024

Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited New Orleans to announce $150 million in grants to advance cancer research.

This financial support underscores their deep commitment to revolutionizing cancer treatments and reducing mortality.

This cause is particularly dear to the president, who lost his son Beau in 2015 to brain cancer, an event that deeply affected the president as well as the first lady.

These multi-million dollar grants for advanced cancer treatments, aim to boost research across the country, including at Tulane University, where the announcement was made.

Biden’s involvement in the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative is motivated not only by his personal family tragedy, but also by a sense of public duty, given that cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. He hopes to see cancer deaths halved over the next twenty-five years.

Joe Biden hopes that the commitment to the fight against cancer will extend well beyond his term of office, stressing the importance of continuing to support advances in cancer treatment and research.