Latest news with #RuthBenGhiat
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Authoritarianism Expert Issues 'Leader Cult Alert' Over Wild Trump Official Clip
Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Thursday issued a pointed warning in response to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce's latest praise of President Donald Trump. Ben-Ghiat, author of 'Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,' reposted footage of Bruce commending Trump's deal-making skills with a four-word caution on X (formerly Twitter): 'Authoritarian leader cult alert.' In the clip, Bruce also suggested Trump's 'attitude' should serve as 'the north star of what's possible here' in terms of brokering a truce between Israel and Iran. Authoritarian leader cult alert — Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) July 10, 2025 It's not the first time Bruce has lavished praise on the president. She's previously described Trump as 'very honest' and 'transparent,' and hailed 'the power of his personality and leadership.' Ben-Ghiat, meanwhile, has long warned of Trump's authoritarian instincts, describing his approach to his presidency as a form of 'personalist rule.' 'It's a type of authoritarianism where you have a very strong one person,' she previously explained. 'The purpose of the party—and ultimately the government—is to solve the legal and financial and other problems of the leader. So everybody becomes a personal tool to the leader. That's what is happening now. Everybody is folding to his will.' OOPS!! Stephen Miller's Fox News Glitch Goes Viral For Most Poetic Reason George Conway Flags Trump's Awkward New Admission As Fresh Proof He's 'A Fool' Trump Was Asked About A Key Promise. What Followed Was Pure Gibberish. This Statue Of Liberty Street Art Made MAGA Mad — And The Artist Is Unrepentant
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paramount Global Blasted For Settling Donald Trump's '60 Minutes' Lawsuit: 'Threatens Journalists' Ability To Do Their Job,' WGAE Says
Paramount Global is already facing sharp criticism over its decision to settle Donald Trump's lawsuit over the way that CBS' 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. The $16 million settlement, announced late on Tuesday, came after months of wrangling and protest within CBS News. The lawsuit was seen by many legal observers as meritless, but Paramount Global needs Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance Media. More from Deadline Paramount Global Settles Trump Lawsuit Over '60 Minutes' Segment For $16M Paramount Settles Donald Trump Lawsuit, Clearing Path For Skydance Merger; $16M Payment But No Apology In '60 Minutes' Affair After Dodgers Incident With Federal Agents, Stephen Miller Co-Founded Legal Group Files Employment Complaint Over Team's DEI Efforts The Writers Guild of America East, which represents writers at 60 Minutes and elsewhere in the news division, said that they stand 'behind the exemplary work of our members at 60 Minutes and CBS News. We wish their bosses at Paramount Global had the courage to do the same. This settlement is a transparent attempt to curry favors with an administration in the hopes it will allow Paramount Global and Skydance Media merger to be cleared for approval. Paramount's decision to capitulate to Trump threatens journalists' ability to do their job reporting on powerful public figures.' Ruth Ben-Ghiant, the author who writes about authoritarianism and propaganda, wrote on X, 'Had they consulted with someone, anyone, who knows about authoritarian shakedown tactics and Mafia states, they would have learned that by paying out they have confirmed their weakness in the eyes of the predator.' Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement that Paramount's legal exposure in the 'frivolous' lawsuit was 'negligible.' 'Paramount should have fought this extortionate lawsuit in court, and it would have prevailed. Now Trump's presidential library will be a permanent monument to Paramount's surrender, a continual reminder of its failure to defend freedoms that are essential to our democracy.' One organization, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in May that it planned to file a shareholder derivative lawsuit against the company if there was a settlement. Seth Stern, a spokesperson for the organization said that they were consulting with lawyers, and said, 'Paramount's spineless decision to settle Trump's patently unconstitutional lawsuit is an insult to the First Amendment and to the journalists and viewers of 60 Minutes.' Former correspondents for major media outlets also weighed in, including Maria Shriver, who wrote of the settlement, 'Tragic. Heartbreaking. What a major disappointment. Wow.' More to come. Best of Deadline Who Is [SPOILER]? The Latest Big Marvel Reveal Explained 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paramount Global Blasted For Settling Donald Trump's '60 Minutes' Lawsuit: 'Threatens Journalists' Ability To Do Their Job,' WGAE Says
Paramount Global is already facing sharp criticism over its decision to settle Donald Trump's lawsuit over the way that CBS' 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. The $16 million settlement, announced late on Tuesday, came after months of wrangling and protest within CBS News. The lawsuit was seen by many legal observers as meritless, but Paramount Global needs Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance Media. More from Deadline Paramount Global Settles Trump Lawsuit Over '60 Minutes' Segment For $16M Paramount Settles Donald Trump Lawsuit, Clearing Path For Skydance Merger; $16M Payment But No Apology In '60 Minutes' Affair After Dodgers Incident With Federal Agents, Stephen Miller Co-Founded Legal Group Files Employment Complaint Over Team's DEI Efforts The Writers Guild of America East, which represents writers at 60 Minutes and elsewhere in the news division, said that they stand 'behind the exemplary work of our members at 60 Minutes and CBS News. We wish their bosses at Paramount Global had the courage to do the same. This settlement is a transparent attempt to curry favors with an administration in the hopes it will allow Paramount Global and Skydance Media merger to be cleared for approval. Paramount's decision to capitulate to Trump threatens journalists' ability to do their job reporting on powerful public figures.' Ruth Ben-Ghiant, the author who writes about authoritarianism and propaganda, wrote on X, 'Had they consulted with someone, anyone, who knows about authoritarian shakedown tactics and Mafia states, they would have learned that by paying out they have confirmed their weakness in the eyes of the predator.' One organization, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in May that it planned to file a shareholder derivative lawsuit against the company if there was a settlement. A spokesperson for the organization did not immediately return a request for comment. More to come. Best of Deadline Who Is [SPOILER]? The Latest Big Marvel Reveal Explained 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Authoritarianism Expert Reveals 'Chilling' Phrase Trump Used During New Threat
Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat warned that President Donald Trump is taking things to a 'chilling' new level with his latest rhetoric. Trump on Tuesday threatened to strip U.S. citizens of their nationality and then deport them if they commit certain crimes ― including some who were born in the United States. 'They're not new to our country. They're old to our country. Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here, too, if you want to know the truth,' he said during a visit to a new migrant detention facility. 'So maybe that will be the next job that we'll work on together.' The comments echo what Trump said in April when speaking of deportations to El Salvador. 'The homegrowns are next,' Trump said during a meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. Ben-Ghiat, the author of 'Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,' responded on X about Trump's comments: Trump's latest comments came after NPR reported that the Justice Department was 'aggressively prioritizing' efforts to revoke the status of naturalized citizens who commit certain crimes. On Tuesday, he said that could include citizens born in the United States who 'whack people over the head with a baseball bat from behind when they're not looking and kill them' or 'knife you when you're walking down the street.' However, Trump also indicated that category could be far broader, at least with naturalized U.S. citizens such as former ally Elon Musk. After his latest falling out with Musk, Trump said he said he would 'take a look' at deporting the tech billionaire.
Al Jazeera
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
The American coup: From Jim Crow to digital authoritarians
US President Trump's relentless attacks on institutions, the rule of law and the press have left many fearing for the future of American democracy. So is the United States sliding into authoritarianism? This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill speaks to one of the pre-eminent historians of fascism, Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, Ruth Ben-Ghiat.
