Latest news with #America-first
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Wayne Gretzky's Donald Trump ties and hockey symbolism left Canadians feeling betrayed by their Great One
Wayne Gretzky, once a revered Canadian icon, faces backlash due to his political associations with Donald Trump (Getty Images) For decades, Wayne Gretzky was more than just Canada's greatest hockey player—he was a national icon. A symbol of humility, grace, and sportsmanship, Gretzky once embodied everything Canadians admired in a public figure. But in recent months, the "Great One" has been caught in a storm of political controversy that many feel has tarnished his legacy. Wayne Gretzky's political associations have cast a long shadow over his once untouchable Canadian legacy While Wayne Gretzky has always maintained dual citizenship with the United States, his visible alignment with Donald Trump has stirred deep resentment among Canadians. His attendance at Trump's second inauguration, his MAGA-aligned media appearances, and his increasingly America-first image have fractured his once-unifying status. — macrurdn (@macrurdn) What began as discomfort for some escalated into outrage after Gretzky served as the honorary captain for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey final in Boston—yet appeared more like a guest of Team USA. Dressed in a navy suit with no visible Canadian symbolism, Gretzky walked onto the ice from the U.S. bench, gave a thumbs-up to American players, and noticeably avoided acknowledging Team Canada. The red 'Be Great' hats he handed the Canadian players after their win—eerily reminiscent of MAGA caps—only fueled suspicions of political signaling. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now That night, Gretzky was booed in Canadian bars and slammed across social media. Calls to remove his statue from Edmonton's Rogers Place intensified after it was smeared with feces. A petition to rename Wayne Gretzky Drive surpassed 13,000 signatures. Meanwhile, Canadians recalled that Gretzky had never even collected his Order of Canada honor in person. Rather than defend his actions, Gretzky remained silent. Trump offered a lukewarm defense on Truth Social, and Gretzky's wife Janet posted—then deleted—an Instagram statement: 'It has broken his heart to read and see the mean comments.' Critics argue Gretzky should have anticipated the backlash. As Globe and Mail columnist Cathal Kelly noted, 'He's a 64-year-old man of the world of now… the polar opposite of what Canada wants in a representative.' Also Read: No longer Canadian: Wayne Gretzky's Canadian identity questioned after Donald Trump friendship sparks controversy Wayne Gretzky, once the pride of a nation, now finds himself facing the cold reality of a divided fanbase—and a legacy no longer taken for granted.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
‘America first': US avoids role in Middle East war to focus on national debt
Sky News host Paul Murray discusses how the United States is stepping aside from being involved with Israel's war against Iran. 'America today is now $37 trillion in debt, and their view is that America does not need to get involved in anything that is not about the defence of the United States because they are so far in debt,' Mr Murray said. 'Will there be any other countries like China that step in with not-so-subtle diplomacy or military tension, yes, quite perhaps, but that is part of the America-first agenda.'
Sydney Morning Herald
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Dump it, Trump, dump it! Save us the trouble.
Before we consider increasing the defence budget we should be looking at how this money would be better spent now (' AUKUS review a chance to rethink our alliances ', June 13). It's fairly obvious that AUKUS is a bad investment. Apart from the fact that our submarine delivery looks to be jeopardised by the US failing to meet the quota for its own fleet, according to experts, nuclear subs are not the type we need. The delivery time is too distant, and they are likely to be made obsolete by other defence technologies. We should cut our losses and ditch this dud deal. Roger Johnson, New Lambton Heights Trump's administration is reviewing the AUKUS deal to see if it meets the criteria for 'America First'. That says it all: America's interests will always be its primary concern. We need to rethink the AUKUS deal and create a defence strategy that maintains our sovereignty while we are still an active partner in the alliance with the United States. Australia cannot afford to plough billions of dollars into a strategy for an end product (nuclear submarines) that may never materialise, or be superseded by new technologies. Leo Sorbello, Leichhardt The longer Trump is president, the more Australia's ties with America become quicksand. If Australia is to have any chance of building a credible defence capacity, we jeopardise our security by putting our faith in the increasingly erratic and autocratic leader of a once-great ally. Trump's America-first agenda and contradictory political allegiances are plainly a serious threat to Western democracy. Do we really want to be America's vassal in such a precarious world? Bruce Spence, Balmain May I humbly suggest that our PM tells Donald Trump to keep his non-existent submarines and that we simply pretend we have some? Given they're supposed to be so stealthy and invisible, our non-existent enemies will never know. Thus, we get the deterrence effect and can now afford a truckload of public housing and other useful social services. Tim Parker, Balmain Disaster it is but ironic to say, 'It's time to recognise that since the AUKUS deal was announced, circumstances have changed'. No, they haven't. The circumstances under which AUKUS was announced involved a hubristic Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, desperately trying to salvage a reputation he had already trashed before the electorate finally woke up and voted him out of office. In America, we face the prospect of having to relate to an even greater threat to intelligent leadership, the world's biggest liar, egomaniac, self-absorbed buffoon, Donald Trump. No change. Just different individuals. Let's get us the hell out of AUKUS, away from a USA-dominant sphere of influence, and be 'the grown-up country'. Frederick Jansohn, Rose Bay Morrison and Turnbull are both in this paper talking about submarines. I'm sure if I looked hard enough I'd find Abbott bemoaning the end of Western civilisation or whatever cultural crusade he is on this week. I long for the days when the Letters page was filled with indignant outrage and calls for ex-PMs to be silent whenever Paul Keating had the temerity to comment on Sydney's architecture. Derek Elmes, Faulconbridge Something seems very wrong. The party (the Coalition) that claims to be the best economy managers has, in about two decades, saddled Australia with two massive white elephants. First, Tony Abbott ruined the NBN with his fibre-to-the-node scheme, which cost more than the original and left us with a horse-and-cart model. Not to be outdone, Scott Morrison left us with a World War II defence plan that focused on submarines. We can only hope Trump cancels it with a child-like stamping of his feet. Meanwhile, the Coalition is still focused on keeping Trump happy in an equally childlike display. Philip Dowle, Wickham We can only hope and pray that Trump scraps the nuclear submarine deal. It would save us the embarrassment of having to cancel it ourselves. I suspect most Aussies would prefer not to be tied to the untrustworthy Trump regime, on this or any other deal, for that matter. Let's face it, subs will probably be useless war machines by the time they are delivered. Should the deal survive, it will probably cost us twice the original estimate and take twice as long to complete too. Unsurprisingly, the Coalition already has its knickers in a knot over the review. Without the AUKUS subs deal, they'd have to come up with another thought bubble – and vision isn't one of their strong suits. Graham Lum, North Rocks Rumour has it that Donald Trump thinks AUKUS is the month before September. Brian Roach, Westleigh I reckon this might be at least the 250th letter today opposing AUKUS and the submarines deal, but we will still be stuck with this horrible deal made at the whim of Scotty and Boris. I'd back the combined wisdom of Herald letter writers. Tom Lockley, Pyrmont Offer for Albanese James Massola muses (' Albanese needs to make Trump an offer he can't refuse ', June 13) on what our PM needs to do to respond to Trump, AUKUS and all the other uncertainties with our US relationship. While I think most Australians worry about Trump, we can't ignore the fact that the US has run its economy into the ground being sheriff for democracies the world over. While it would be nice to spend more on aid than defence, that's wishful thinking. Maybe us grey nomads could endorse some tax reform to fund increased defence spending that keeps our kids and grandkids safe. After all, our fathers and grandfathers did much more by laying down their lives for us. It's time to act, not react. Brian Barrett, Padstow As James Massola reports on the 'big meet', the Trump administration demands the rest of the world do what Trump wants. This leaves Australia isolated in a fragile part of the world. Albanese expects (maybe) to get a sideline meeting with Trump at the G7 summit. What an insult to Australia. Despite our once close relationship, we obviously can't expect any favours from the world's No.1 bully. Time to review our strategic partnerships and call Trump's bluff. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach Don't seize, desist! So, the Liberals have 'seized' on the AUKUS review (' Turnbull, opposition seize on AUKUS review ', June 13). What hypocrisy! The 'deal' they instigated involves us paying the US a bucketload of money now in order that they may, if they feel like it, sell us a couple of submarines in future for an even more eye-watering sum. I hope the review ends it. Brenton McGeachie, Hackett (ACT) They told us Crown would not have pokies. We didn't bet on it If every other state in Australia can function without the ridiculously high number of poker machines that NSW has, then our state government can no longer fail to set targets to reduce gambling harm (' Crown ramps up push to allow 500 cashless pokies in casino ', June 13). The most recent audit incredibly predicts it would take 55 years for NSW to reduce its poker machine numbers to the national average. How did we get here? These symbols of greed and misery cannot be ignored indefinitely, nor indeed be added to the Barangaroo behemoth. Lorraine Hickey, Green Point It wasn't that long ago that we, the people of Sydney, were assured by the NSW government that poker machines would not be allowed at Crown Casino. It would be a classy joint, we were told. In 2013, then premier Barry O'Farrell said: 'Star City has 1500 poker machines. The VIP gaming facility at Barangaroo, should it proceed, will not have any. It's a high value, high worth individual enterprise. It's not a full-blown casino. It'll be restricted.' The cynics among us said: Sure, just give it a few years and see; before long, there will be pokies at Crown Casino. Perhaps the cynics were only realists. Politics, big business, property development and gambling – it's always a heady, if sadly predictable, mix in our fair state. Ross Duncan, Potts Point I might be the odd one out to say this, as I have never played a pokie in my life, but Crown casinos having cashless pokie licences is probably a lesser evil than the reluctance to introduce cashless pokies in all parts of the state. The government must stop pussy-footing and instead introduce drastic reforms to reduce harm from pokies on families, which has a domino effect on our health system due to depression, even suicide, and economically for families who lose their house and/or relationship. Giving Crown cashless pokies will be a boost, not that it is going to solve any problems, but at least other pokies in various clubs will be forced to follow the cashless methodology quickly. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill If this passes, and poker machines are introduced into Crown Barangaroo, it will make a mockery of the original agreement and the trust that the people of Sydney and NSW had in the government to uphold it. Jenny Stephenson, Wollongong Free to air discontent Loss of employment through restructures, often driven by business decisions, is a fact of life, and dealing with it can be challenging; I know, I have been there twice (' TV pushed out by scary alternativ e', June 13). Waleed Aly has naturally sought to lay blame for the axing of his pet project on Channel 10's parent, US Paramount, along with a rapidly evolving alternative to traditional free-to-air station offerings for a diverse and highly discerning audience. Will I miss The Project? No. In all its 16 years I have never watched it. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook Waleed Aly spells out how the rise of social media and streaming is destroying free-to-air television. Now with AI and the personal information that the tech bros control, the danger is to democracy itself as they line up behind Trump. It is encouraging to see, Michael Koziol ('Marines deployed as Trump says governor should be arrested', June 11), that the Californian governor is at last using words such as 'dictatorial' and 'shock troops out of control'. It has been plain to see for years that Trump plans to be a dictator. It may already be too late to protest. Gary Barnes, Mosman Online streaming and social media have changed how people consume news and current affairs, sadly resulting in free-to-air channels cancelling programs such as Q&A, The Drum and The Project. Social media undercuts traditional media. It is created at low or no cost by persons unknown and is rarely moderated or reviewed. The content often polarises opinion, as algorithms amplify existing bias and/or illusion. Trump's greater reach via social media contributed to his election win over the Democrats, even though the masses who elected him will experience worse outcomes under his regime. Free-to-air stations need to ensure they educate us with in-depth political, environmental and economic news and provide a platform for civil discourse for better policy formation, or we risk following the US down a rabbit hole. Anne Matheson, Gordon My children, born in the mid and late 1990s, never read newspapers and rarely watch TV, yet they are still tuned in to news events and current popular culture, which they get from other sources. Once us oldies go, there will be even less support for the traditional print and TV news outlets, which will possibly become an oddity. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury Supermarket planning Thank you, MP Kellie Sloane (' Lib calls for Rose Bay to be spared housing bid ', June 13), please add Roseville and Killara to your list of suburbs that have been unfairly targeted. Neither of these suburbs has a major supermarket. Margie Christowski, Roseville Aside from not being a town centre, Rose Bay is on a narrow peninsula. There are basically only two roads in and out. Irene Thom, Vaucluse He made life a beach The beauty and power of music is evident in Brian Wilson's life (' Pop music's genius composer Wilson rode waves of brilliance and torment in equal measure, dead at 82 ', June 13). Despite his damaged life, he created songs we love. Thank you. Music gives us joy, solace, dreams and memories, and touches every emotion and our souls. Today I am remembering Saturday night dances with fast feet, swinging skirts, many petticoats and big smiles. Bea Hodgson, Gerringong Postscript This week the first subject of note, which went on for days, was the King's Birthday Honours List. Honours lists normally bring in opinions, usually along the lines of 'Why are the lists so male heavy?' and 'Why do so many men get gongs for simply doing their well-paid jobs?' . We certainly got plenty of those this week, but nothing like the number of letters about Scott Morrison getting the country's highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia, just for being prime minister, or, officially, for his service to the public and the parliament (in other words, his well-paid job). The collective intake of breath was heard across the land, followed by the sharpening of knives. Yes, a few people wrote in saying that the honour was well-deserved because Morrison got Australia through COVID-19. The rest stopped choking only long enough to mention holidays in bushfire emergencies, hoses, handshakes refused, extra ministries and, most of all, robo-debt. Then there was discussion about sanctions being applied to two senior Israeli politicians. Opinion was generally in favour, although there were strong arguments against. Also, many questions about who deserves punishments in this world (spoiler alert: mostly Donald Trump). Trump always brings in letters, sometimes at the end of the week there have been so many high crimes and misdemeanours that it's hard to keep them in order. At the start of this week, it was Trump and the ongoing misery of Gaza. In the middle of the week, it was Trump and the Los Angeles troubles. And by the end of the week, it was all about AUKUS as Trump seemed to be vacillating about the agreement. The letter writers strongly advise walking away from AUKUS without a backward glance. There was also spirited discussion about illegal house building with the hope of forgiveness afterwards. There was, shall we say, no support at all for this. The last big story was mourning the Herald 's wonderful cartoonist John Shakespeare, who died this week at 63. Letters of lamentation poured in, remembering a lovely man. Harriet Veitch, acting letters editor
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thinking About Buying Newsmax Stock? Read This First.
Newsmax stock has been extremely volatile since its initial public offering in March. The conservative-leaning news network is struggling to translate its strong viewership into consistent profitability. A pricey valuation with shares trading at 11 times sales makes Newsmax a speculative bet as it faces numerous financial uncertainties. 10 stocks we like better than Newsmax › Investors in Newsmax (NYSE: NMAX) have quickly learned why initial public offerings (IPOs) are notoriously risky, often experiencing dramatic swings in share price in the first few months of trading. The conservative-leaning media outlet went public on March 31 at an IPO price of $10 per share, skyrocketing 2,550% to a high of $265 by the next day. Those gains proved short-lived as the stock has since crashed to under $15 and is down more than 90% from its recent highs as of this writing. Yet, despite the extreme volatility, Newsmax is generating solid business growth, with a promising long-term outlook. Does the recent sell-off make the stock a compelling buy-the-dip opportunity? Here's what you need to know before rushing out to buy shares of Newsmax. Newsmax has emerged as a content juggernaut, capitalizing on a growing appetite for cable news and political commentary across its robust media ecosystem. A focus on traditional family values with an America-first editorial direction has appealed to a large segment of the U.S. population, particularly conservative voters amid Donald Trump's political rise. The company says it now has more than 33 million viewers on its television news channel and a streaming audience numbering 15 million. It also has a broader presence, with online and print publications, radio, and podcasting -- all leveraging its unique brand and loyal following. Newsmax sees a significant opportunity to capture market share from legacy cable news giants such as CNN (a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery) and Fox, which have struggled with ratings in recent years. The company's success from here will be measured by its ability to keep viewers engaged and monetize its expanding reach. The first-quarter update from Newsmax underscored its impressive operating momentum with a record 33.6 million viewers, up 50% from the same period last year, reaffirming its claim as "America's fastest-growing news network." On the other hand, the financial trends are messier. Revenue of $45.3 million increased by 11.5% year over year for the period ended March 31, but marked a deceleration compared to the 26% annual increase for full-year 2024. Even as Newsmax has managed to drive core advertising sales higher while posting growth in its ancillary businesses -- such as subscriptions and affiliate program revenue -- profitability remains elusive. The first-quarter net loss of $17.5 million added to the $72.2 million net loss in 2024. Management cited costs associated with the IPO and expenses related to special coverage of President Trump's inauguration in January. Newsmax ended the quarter with $127 million in cash on its balance sheet, which provides ample near-term liquidity but may require added financing in the coming years to support its expansion strategy. Ultimately, the company has a lot of work to do to achieve consistently positive net income, as financial uncertainties are reflected in a volatile stock price. Following the breakout year for Newsmax in 2024, leading up to the recent IPO, its main challenge will be maintaining rapid audience growth while navigating a highly competitive media landscape. Historically, election years are a boon for television news coverage and related advertising, which means Newsmax will face tough year-over-year comparisons over the next several quarters. More pressing for investors is the need to reconcile Newsmax's lofty valuation. With a current $1.7 billion market capitalization, shares are trading at a price-to-sales ratio (P/S) of 10.7, representing a large premium to the broader market and its larger media rivals, including Fox at a P/S of 1.4 and Warner Bros. at 0.6. It seems like the market has baked in Newsmax's growth potential far into the future. Investors will need to balance the risk that future results underwhelm, forcing a reset of expectations and opening the door for a deeper sell-off. With its unique profile, Newsmax is an exciting addition to the stock market and media landscape. Nevertheless, the company still has a lot to prove, and shares may be too expensive to buy with conviction today. I expect the stock to remain under pressure until there are clear signs of an improving earnings trajectory. Investors should be able to find better opportunities with a superior combination of growth and value elsewhere. Before you buy stock in Newsmax, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Newsmax wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $649,102!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $882,344!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 996% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 174% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Dan Victor has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Warner Bros. Discovery. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Thinking About Buying Newsmax Stock? Read This First. was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Post
11-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
MAGA favorite Jack Ciattarelli wins NJ Republican primary for governor
Trump-endorsed businessman and former New Jersey Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli prevailed in the GOP primary for governor Tuesday, setting the stage for a MAGA Republican to potentially helm the Garden State. Ciattarelli, 63, of Somerville came out on top against a field of four Republican opponents after leading by double-digits for much of the run-up to the primary. He had won 67.4% of the vote when the Associated Press called the race in his favor at 8:17 p.m. ET. Ciattarelli's closest opponent during the race had been former conservative talk radio host Bill Spadea — who courted and failed to obtain the president's endorsement. Spadea received 20.9% support, good for second place, when the race was called. 3 Jack Ciattarelli, Republican candidate for New Jersey governor, speaks at his election night party in Bridgewater, N.J., early Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. AP Moderate state Sen. Jon Bramnick, whose district includes upscale towns such as Bernardsville and Chatham, also was a contender and garnered about 7% of the vote. Ciattarelli ran on a platform consisting chiefly of kitchen-table issues, such as capping property taxes, reducing state spending and slashing income taxes for overburdened NJ residents. Despite his past as a Trump critic — including calling the president a 'charlatan' and 'not fit' to be commander-in-chief in 2015 — Ciattarelli has come around to backing much of his agenda. In turn, the president enthusiastically embraced Ciattarelli as a 'terrific, America-first candidate' who is 'best positioned to stand tall against the radical left Democrats.' 3 New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli greeting the public after speaking at a venue in Fair Lawn, NJ on October 28, 2021. Christopher Sadowski 3 Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli speaks after the first Republican debate Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. AP In line with the Trump administration's stance on illegal immigration, Ciattarelli pledged to ban municipalities statewide from declaring themselves sanctuary cities, under threat of having aid from Trenton withheld if they fail to comply. Evelyn Jinenez Kiernan, 55, told The Post at a polling site in Belleville that she voted for Ciattarelli and touted his position on illegal immigration. 'He's the only one who – and I'm sorry to say this – has the balls to face somebody and say no, this is not going to happen in my state,' Kiernan said. 'We're trying to get New Jersey out of being a sanctuary state.' As a Hispanic Puerto Rican who had immigrant parents who came here from Puerto Rico, I do believe in everyone having the American dream,' the registered Republican continued. 'I don't care who you are or where you're from, but do it legally. Don't think that you're gonna come on our tax dollars and get free phone and free benefits when you're insulting the previous immigrants that came to this country and had to learn English and had to get an education like my parents did.' 'Look at that crime. Look what's going on in this country,' Kiernan lamented. 'People are coming in expecting to be gifted for committing the crime of crossing the border. We want someone who's going to come in here with empowerment and take care of New Jersey, bring New Jersey to what it once was, the hard working Americans that came to this country because they wanted to be Americans.' Ciattarelli also said he would explore creating a Garden State Transportation Authority, a single governing body into which New Jersey Transit, the Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority would be folded. Ciattarelli ran against outgoing Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in 2017 and 2021, coming within just 3 points of defeating him in his second attempt. The state's gubernatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 4.
