New reporting finds that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was warned by a confidential informant that the far right saw a December 2020 tweet from President Donald Trump as “a call to arms” to attack the Capitol on January 6, 2021, adding to a mountain of evidence that federal agencies were unprepared on the day of the attack despite having had ample warning. Weeks before the attack… Source Source / Read More: Informant Told FBI Trump Tweet Was “Call to Arms” Weeks Before Jan. 6 Attack
Warren: Musk Is Using Tesla to Prop Up Twitter’s Debts and Failures
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) is raising alarm that Elon Musk is shirking legal responsibilities, misappropriating resources and ignoring potential conflicts of interest in his ownership of Twitter, saying in a new letter to Tesla’s board chair that Musk is treating the social media website as a “private plaything.” In her letter sent on Sunday, Warren raised concern over the way that… Source Source / Read More: Warren: Musk Is Using Tesla to Prop Up Twitter’s Debts and Failures
Musk Gives Right Wingers Access to Internal Twitter Systems to Spread Propaganda
Right-wing billionaire Elon Musk has given prominent conservative figures access to Twitter’s internal systems this week to create and publicize the so-called Twitter Files — a trove of information that Musk is using to “expose” the social media platform’s supposed left-wing bias under its previous management but that, in reality, only serves to spread far right conspiracy theories and propaganda. Source Source / Read More: Musk Gives Right Wingers Access to Internal Twitter Systems to Spread Propaganda
GOP-Run Account Deletes Tweet Praising Ye After His Latest Antisemitic Diatribe
A Twitter account managed by Republican lawmakers who are part of the House Judiciary Committee deleted a tweet praising Kanye West after the rapper praised Adolf Hitler and denied the existence of the Jewish Holocaust during World War II during an interview on Thursday. The tweet, authored by the House Judiciary Committee Republicans account, was posted on October 6 and was meant to show support… Source Source / Read More: GOP-Run Account Deletes Tweet Praising Ye After His Latest Antisemitic Diatribe
Warren, Sanders Lost Over 100k Twitter Followers Each After Elon Musk Takeover
In the weeks following right-wing billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter in late October, Republican members of Congress gained hundreds of thousands of followers on the platform, while Democrats experienced a purge of followers, a new report finds. According to an analysis of ProPublica data by The Washington Post, the biggest shifts in follower counts for Republicans have almost all been gains, with the biggest winner being white nationalist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), followed by far right Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), both gaining over 300,000 followers each. Senators Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Kentucky) both gained roughly 200,000…
Twitter Employees Are Being Fired for Criticizing Musk on Slack
In Elon Musk’s first three weeks as CEO of Twitter, he has orchestrated a firing spree at the company, laying off thousands of workers and, this week, seeking to crush dissent among employees by reportedly firing workers who have criticized him. Overnight on Tuesday, Musk fired around 20 employees who have criticized him on the company’s Slack, a workplace instant messaging platform, according to tech newsletter Platformer. Workers were told that their “recent behavior has violated company policy” in emails, some of which employees received overnight. “My twitter account was protected at the time, so I can only assume this…
Employees Sue Twitter After Musk Gives Little Notice for Mass Layoffs
Twitter employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company over CEO Elon Musk’s recently-announced plan to lay off half of the staff, or about 3,700 workers, with little to no notice. The lawsuit was filed in San Francisco federal court on Thursday by five current or former employees, who say that the company was in violation of a federal law, known as the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, that requires employers to give workers advance notice of 60 days before carrying out mass layoffs. Workers had already begun receiving notice that they were fired on Thursday —…
AOC Says Her Twitter Account Hasn’t Worked Properly Since She Criticized Musk
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) hit back at Twitter CEO Elon Musk on the website on Wednesday after Musk, perhaps bothered by comments Ocasio-Cortez made earlier that week, attempted to criticize her in a tweet. Musk tweeted a screenshot of Ocasio-Cortez’s merchandise website, showing a campaign sweatshirt on sale for $58, with the price circled in an attempt to criticize the lawmaker for selling merchandise at that price point. “Proud of this and always will be,” Ocasio-Cortez shot back. “My workers are union, make a living wage, have full healthcare, and aren’t subject to racist treatment in their workplaces. Items…
After Twitter Takeover, Elon Musk Tweets Far Right Conspiracy on Pelosi Attack
Twitter’s new owner, billionaire Elon Musk, amplified a false conspiracy theory on Twitter on Sunday about the violent attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-California) husband. Later on, he deleted the tweet containing the disinformation and tried to downplay his actions by joking about reports on what had transpired. Musk was replying to a tweet from former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who condemned the attack and disparaged Republicans for using violent rhetoric online and in person. Paul Pelosi’s assailant, who fractured his skull with a hammer in the encounter in the Pelosis’ home, has shared far right conspiracy theories…
Elon Musk Completes Twitter Takeover With Help From Saudi Prince
Tesla CEO Elon Musk completed his $44 billion purchase of Twitter on Thursday after a chaotic, months-long buyout process, leaving the richest man on the planet in control of one of the world’s most widely used social media and communication platforms. Musk wasted no time imposing himself on the company, swiftly firing several top executives including CEO Parag Agrawal. “The bird is freed,” Musk tweeted late Thursday. A self-described free speech absolutist who has proven in practice to be anything but, Musk has yet to fully detail his vision for Twitter, but critics of the takeover fear that the billionaire’s…