Latest news with #politicalfreedom
France 24
10-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Trump's remarks sparl reaction in Africa
Also, in Tunisia, the pace of political trials is rapidly increasing. Commentator and lawyer Sonia Dahmani is currently serving nearly five years in prison after being convicted of false news charges in three different cases. She faces two more cases pending trial. Several political figures were also convicted in a high-profile case involving an alleged conspiracy against state security, receiving sentences ranging from 12 to 35 years. These convictions have left many concerned about the implications for justice and political freedom in Tunisia. Finally, The World Food Programme said Monday it had airdropped food aid to help tens of thousands of people in remote parts of South Sudan, where a recent surge in fighting has pushed some communities "to the brink of famine".
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk forms 'America Party' opposing Trump's tax bill
The dispute between US President Donald Trump and campaign financier Elon Musk has taken another fractious turn after the space and automotive billionaire announced the formation of a new political party, saying Trump's "big, beautiful" tax bill will bankrupt America. A day after asking his followers on his X platform whether a new US political party should be created, Musk declared in a post on Saturday that "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!" he wrote. By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2025 The announcement from Musk comes after Republican President Trump signed his self-styled "big, beautiful" tax-cut and spending bill into law on Friday, which Musk fiercely opposed. Musk, who became the word's richest man thanks to his Tesla car company and his SpaceX satellite firm, spent hundreds of millions on Trump's re-election and led the Department of Government Efficiency from the start of the president's second term aimed at slashing government spending. The first sign of investor dissatisfaction with Musk's announcement followed later in the day. Investment firm Azoria Partners will postpone the listing of a Tesla exchange-traded fund, Azoria CEO James Fishback said in a post on X. Fishback, who has asked Tesla's board to clarify Musk's political ambitions, said the new party undermined the confidence shareholders had that he would focus more on the company after leaving government service in May. Elon has gone too investment firm (@InvestAzoria) has decided to postpone next week's public listing of our Azoria Tesla Convexity decision comes in direct response to @ElonMusk's announcement that he is launching a new national political party. This creates… — James Fishback (@j_fishback) July 6, 2025 Musk said previously that he would start a new political party and spend money to unseat lawmakers who supported the bill. Trump earlier this week threatened to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Musk's companies receive from the federal government. Republicans have expressed concern that Musk's on-again, off-again feud with Trump could hurt their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm congressional elections. Asked on X what was the one thing that made him go from loving Trump to attacking him, Musk said: "Increasing the deficit from an already insane $US2T under Biden to $2.5T. This will bankrupt the country." There was no immediate comment from Trump or the White House on Musk's announcement. The feud with Trump, often described as one between the world's richest man and the world's most powerful, has led to several precipitous falls in Tesla's share price. The stock soared after Trump's November re-election and hit a high of more than $US488 ($A745) in December, before losing more than half of its value in April and closing at $315.35 on Friday. Despite Musk's deep pockets, breaking the Republican-Democratic duopoly will be a tall order, given that it has dominated American political life for more than 160 years and Trump's approval ratings in polls during his second term have generally held firm above 40 per cent, despite often divisive policies.
Al Jazeera
06-07-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Elon Musk launches the America Party as feud with Trump escalates
Billionaire Elon Musk has followed through on his pledge to create a new political party in the United States after President Donald Trump signed his controversial budget legislation, the so-called 'One Big, Beautiful Bill', into law. Musk in a post on X on Saturday declared the formation of the 'America Party', to 'give back' the people of the US their freedom and challenge what he called the nation's 'one-party system'. He cited a poll, uploaded on Friday – the US's Independence Day – in which he asked whether respondents 'want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system' that has dominated US politics for some two centuries. The yes-or-no survey earned more than 1.2 million responses. 'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!' Musk wrote on Saturday. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom,' he declared. The move comes amid a worsening of the feud between the world's richest man and Trump over the new budget law, which the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said would bankrupt the US. Musk was Trump's main campaign financier during the 2024 election, and led the Department of Government Efficiency from the start of the president's second term, aimed at slashing government spending. The two have since fallen out spectacularly over disagreements about the 'Big, Beautiful Bill'. Musk said previously that he would start a new political party and spend money to unseat lawmakers who supported the bill, which experts say will pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the US deficit. 'They will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,' Musk had said. There was no immediate comment from Trump or the White House on Musk's announcement. Trump earlier this week threatened to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Musk's companies receive from the federal government, and to deport the South African-born tycoon. 'We'll have to take a look,' the president told reporters when asked if he would consider deporting Musk, who has held US citizenship since 2002. It is not clear how much impact the new party will have on the 2026 mid-term elections, or on the presidential vote two years after that. On Friday, after posting the poll, Musk laid out a possible political battle plan to pick off vulnerable House of Representatives and Senate seats, and for the party to become 'the deciding vote' on key legislation. 'One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,' Musk posted on X. All 435 US House seats are up for grabs every two years, while about one-third of the Senate's 100 members, who serve six-year terms, are elected every two years. Despite Musk's deep pockets, breaking the Republican-Democratic duopoly is a tall order, given that it has dominated US political life for more than 160 years, while Trump's approval ratings in polls in his second term have generally held firm above 40 percent, despite the president's often divisive policies.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Creates His Own Political Party to Take Down Trump — and Gives It a MAGA-Friendly Name
Elon Musk is starting his own political party in response to Congress passing Trump's domestic policy bill Musk announced the news on Saturday, July 5, writing on X: "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom" Musk, a former adviser to Trump, left his position in the administration after disagreeing with the president on the "Big, Beautiful Bill," Trump's spending planElon Musk is starting his own political party. On Saturday, July 5, the Tesla founder and former adviser to President Donald Trump announced on X that he has formed the America Party. The announcement came one day after Musk, 54, posted a poll on the platform with the message, "Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system! Should we create the America Party?" The poll — which garnered more than 1.2 million votes — resulted in 65.4% of respondents voting "yes." He followed up with another X post on Saturday announcing the launch of the America party. "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!" he wrote. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." Also on Saturday, Musk reshared a meme featuring an image of a two-headed snake with the caption, "End the Uniparty." In response, Musk wrote simply, "Yes." On Monday, June 30, Musk vowed that if the Republican-controlled Congress passed Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" — which the Tesla CEO has repeatedly slammed — he would form and fund the "America Party" in an effort to oust GOP lawmakers. 'If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,' he wrote in a post on X. 'Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.' Musk previously floated the idea of forming a third party earlier in the month. On June 5, the billionaire posted a poll on X, posing the question, "Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?" Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. As one of the most powerful advisers to Trump at the start of his term, Musk was tasked with leading the controversial Department of Government Efficiency, which dramatically slimmed the federal workforce and shuttered government agencies. Musk's once bro-ey relationship with Trump blew up in flames almost immediately after Musk left the administration on May 30, as the tech billionaire slammed the legislation as a reversal of his efforts to slash government spending. The two men then began hurling insults at each other via social media on June 5, and have had a soured relationship since then. Read the original article on People
Reuters
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Musk says 'America Party' is formed in US
July 5 (Reuters) - A day after asking his followers on X whether a new U.S. political party should be created, Elon Musk said on Saturday that the "America Party is formed." "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!" he said in a post on X. "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom."
