Margaret Arnolds voted back as JHB speaker
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27 minutes ago
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Elon Musk says he's formed a new political party. But it's not clear if he actually has
Elon Musk has said that he's formed a new political party, but it's unclear what steps — if any — he's taken to do so, or how the effort might affect upcoming elections. Musk has not yet released any additional information. Spokespeople for Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, didn't immediately comment Monday. While there are many recent federal elections filings that reference the Tesla and SpaceX CEO or his companies, Musk himself has even gone on his social media platform batting down at least one filing as fake. The possible new political party marks another development in the rift between Musk and President Donald Trump over the Republican's sweeping tax cuts law, which the tech billionaire has called 'insane.' The fissures between Trump and his one-time top surrogate and Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutter-in-chief have exposed not only the fragile nature of relations between two of the country's most visible personalities but also the potential political consequences of disagreeing with the priorities of either man. The squabble could be particularly costly for Musk, whose businesses rely on billions of dollars in government contracts, and whose publicly traded company Tesla has taken a market hit. Here's what we know — and what we don't — about Musk's new political party: Musk says he's formed the America Party Musk said Saturday on X that he had formed the America Party 'to give you back your freedom.' He'd teased the move for days, threatening to make his own party if 'this insane spending bill passes' Congress. He spent part of Sunday taking feedback from X users about the party, which he indicated he'd use to get involved in the 2026 midterm elections. Some new Musk-related parties seem fishy The Federal Election Commission database has teemed with newly formed political entities that make reference either to Musk or one of his companies, but there are details that cast doubts on their authenticity. As of Monday afternoon, there were multiple political parties listed in the Federal Election Commission database formed in the hours since Musk's Saturday X post, with versions of 'America Party' or 'DOGE' or 'X' in the name, or Musk listed among people affiliated with the entity. But none appeared to be real, listing contacts for the organization as email addresses such as ' wentsnowboarding@ ″ or untraceable Protonmail addresses. Several listed Vaibhav Taneja — the chief financial officer of Tesla — as a contact for the party, along with a Texas address for a building affiliated with X. Several pointed to a home in Maryland. When a Musk supporter posted screengrabs of one of the formation documents to X, Musk took to X Sunday to say that the 'filing is false and has been reported as such to the FEC.' What could Musk do with a new party? While indicating earlier this year that he might play less of a role in elected politics moving forward, Musk — the world's richest man who spent at least $250 million supporting Trump in the 2024 election — could use a new party to try to do the opposite. New political parties are often formed but typically struggle to pull any significant support away from the Republican and Democratic parties. But Musk could impact next year's elections determining control of Congress if he is willing to spend significant amounts of money — through a new party or existing ones. During the tax cuts debate, Musk pledged to work toward supporting primary challengers for members of Congress who backed the bill. He also said he would support Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican targeted by Trump for opposing the measure. What has Trump said about Musk's new party? Trump on Sunday called Musk's proposition 'ridiculous,' going on to tout 'tremendous success with the Republican Party.' Trump later posted on social media that he was 'saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK,' saying the only thing third parties are good for 'is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.' What does it take to make a new political party? There are official steps, like setting up a tax identification number, bank account and treasurer, who can be held liable if future paperwork isn't filed properly. According to the FEC, any new party that intends to operate in federal elections has to register with the commission 'when they raise or spend money over certain thresholds in connection with a federal election.' Federal campaign finance laws and regulations govern how political parties can take in money. Parties have to file regular reports with the FEC. But even a federally designated political party has to gain access to ballots state by state, making the entire process, according to University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias, 'complicated and expensive.' ___ Kinnard can be reached at
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
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Kenya human rights watchdog says 10 killed, 29 hurt in anti-government protests
NAIROBI (Reuters) -Ten people died in protests in Kenya on Monday, the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said, with 29 injured after scattered anti-government demonstrations broke out across the country.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
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Factbox-US corporate heads who got involved in politics
(Reuters) -Tesla CEO Elon Musk last week announced on social media the formation of a new political party in the United States called the "America Party" after heavy criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill. Musk had been a close ally of the president before a falling-out that began earlier this year. Musk wouldn't be the first executive who has either tried to form a third party or run for office without previous political experience. Here are a list of other top U.S. executives who have shifted to politics: DONALD TRUMP The real estate mogul and former head of the Trump Organization ran for and won the 2016 presidential election, campaigning on the slogan of "Make America Great Again" geared around the issues of border security and immigration. After losing his re-election to Democratic nominee Joseph Biden in 2020, Trump returned to the White House four years later, campaigning on issues similar to his previous run. ELON MUSK The automotive and space billionaire last week announced the formation of the "America Party" after Trump's tax bill was signed into law. Prior to their public falling out, Musk was a large political donor to the president, contributing over a quarter of a billion dollars to help get Trump elected. ROSS PEROT The tech billionaire and founder of Electronic Data Systems ran as an independent candidate during the 1992 presidential race, campaigning on addressing the federal budget deficit and fiscal responsibility. He received nearly 19% of the popular vote but lost the election to Democrat Bill Clinton. In 1996, he started the Reform Party and ran again for the White House, this time capturing 8% of the popular vote. MEG WHITMAN The former eBay CEO ran for the governor of California in 2010 and poured millions of dollars into her campaign but lost to Jerry Brown. CARLY FIORINA The former CEO of Hewlett Packard unsuccessfully ran for a spot in the U.S. Senate and then ran for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination but dropped out of the race. MITT ROMNEY The former CEO of Bain & Company and co-founder of private equity firm Bain Capital had multiple runs for office through his political career. Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2003, ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2008, won the Republican nomination in 2012 but lost the general election to Barack Obama and also served as a U.S. senator from Utah. VIVEK RAMASWAMY A Trump ally and former Republican presidential candidate, Ramaswamy has never held elected office, but has said he will run for governor of Ohio in 2026. The founder and former CEO of biotechnology company Roivant Sciences was also named co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency in late 2024, but left to run for elected office. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG Media mogul Michael Bloomberg, the co‑founder and majority owner of financial data and media company Bloomberg LP, was elected mayor of New York City in 2001 as a Republican and served three terms, later becoming an independent. He entered the 2020 presidential race as a Democrat, but did not gain traction and later endorsed then-nominee Biden.
