Latest news with #thirdparty
South China Morning Post
18 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
How much of a future does Elon Musk really have in US politics?
Convinced that his vision for the future of artificial intelligence was superior to that of OpenAI head Sam Altman and former Google chief executive Larry Page, Elon Musk cut ties with Page and parted ways with OpenAI, which he helped found in 2015. That same decisive belief in himself has famously spilled into politics. After spending nearly US$300 million in Donald Trump's 2024 campaign and working unofficially in the White House for months, Musk clashed publicly with the US president over a spending bill, which he called a ' disgusting abomination '. In the heat of the dispute, he floated the idea earlier this month of forming a third party to fix what he sees as a broken electoral system. 'Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?,' he asked his 230 million followers on X, the social media platform he owns. Around 80 per cent of respondents voted yes. Musk reacted by sharing a potential name: 'the American Party'. But does the tech titan really have a future in politics? In a 2023 biography by Walter Isaacson, Musk himself admitted that he had a 'habit of biting off more than I can chew'. His younger brother Kimbal, who sits on the boards of Tesla and SpaceX, both Musk companies, described his sibling as a 'drama magnet'. A leader in industries capable of determining a nation's future economic success, Musk in the past year seemed determined to inject drama into politics, both in the US and abroad.
New York Times
14-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Is There an Opening for a Third Party?
Of all of Elon Musk's explosive X posts last week during his public sparring with President Trump, perhaps the one that received the least attention was his call for a third party. Even if it had gotten more attention, it still might not have gotten much respect. The idea of a centrist third party has been a bit of a running joke in recent years. Every cycle, someone writes an op-ed calling for a moderate bid from someone like Joe Manchin, it gets widely panned, and nothing happens. But a serious third-party candidacy may not be a joke for much longer. While there are plenty of obstacles, the conditions for a successful third party could be coming into place. It's worth being very clear at the outset: I'm not predicting the emergence of a third party. The conditions for pandas to breed may be in place when you put two pandas in a room, but it doesn't mean breeding is likely. But once two pandas are in a room, it's no longer a joke to suggest they might breed. What's changed? Over the last few years, a new constituency has begun to emerge. For now, it does not have a home in either party, and it is not clear that either party will be able to easily accommodate its demands. The emergence of this kind of marginalized constituency is the overlooked precondition for a third party. Mr. Musk, while hardly representative, is an example of someone who falls into this group. What's the group? It doesn't have a name, but it favors things like deficit reduction, deregulation, free trade and high-skilled immigration. It may be recognizable by the labels its critics on both the left and right have already assigned: 'neoliberals' or 'globalists.' (Though, to be fair, this new group doesn't necessarily idealize markets or oppose government spending.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
06-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Who holds the cards in Trump vs. Musk? Trump, but …
It remains to be seen whether President Donald Trump and Elon Musk can patch things up after their ugly break-up this week – as many around them are hoping. But as their feud devolved into highly personal attacks on Thursday, one of the most interesting facets was this: Musk leaned in on a potential power struggle. He didn't just criticize Trump or his agenda bill that Republicans are trying to enact; he talked about unseating Republicans who voted for that 'disgusting abomination.' He mused about forming a third party. He suggested Trump needed him – claiming Trump would have lost in 2024 without his support. He repeatedly played up X posts suggesting people would have to choose between him and Trump – and sent a not-subtle warning to those who might choose wrongly. 'Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years,' Musk wrote on his social media platform. In other words: Make sure you think long and hard about what you do next, because you could live to regret it. So assuming for the moment that this feud continues, who holds the cards? There is no question that, if truly forced to choose, the vast majority of Republican powerbrokers would choose Trump. But it's not quite so simple. Vice President JD Vance, after hours of somewhat conspicuous silence Thursday, eventually came down firmly in Trump's corner (in case there was any doubt) – albeit without criticizing Musk. Other Trump allies who aren't fond of Musk and his influence seemed to seize on the opportunity to try and excommunicate him – in Steve Bannon's case, somewhat literally, as he suggested Trump should deport the South African-born Musk, who's now a US citizen. Musk — the wealthiest man in the world — is a relative newcomer to politics, having only really joined the conservative movement less than a year ago (after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania). Trump, by contrast, often seems to have an almost cult-like influence over his side of the political divide, transforming the GOP into one that's much more about loyalty to him than any particular set of ideals or principles. The president often flip-flops – Musk on Thursday noted Trump was once a professed deficit hawk just like him – and the base often flips right alongside him. When Trump says something baseless or false (like that the 2020 election was stolen) much of his party internalizes it and rallies around it. This is Trump's party, full stop. But when it comes to how much this feud could matter, it's not quite as simple as who picks what side. Musk retains real influence, and that's why we're seeing many Republicans resist that binary choice. A persistent rift with Musk would force Republicans to reckon with some uneasy dynamics. Musk's overall popularity has clearly taken a hit as the Department of Government Efficiency has fallen out of favor. And he's definitely not as popular as Trump is on the right. Musk's personal politics and tech-world background always made this a somewhat uneasy marriage with Trump, and the president's agenda bill has unearthed some of those tensions. But Musk has retained significant Republican support even as the DOGE effort has struggled. In fact, his stature eclipses most Republicans not named Trump or Vance. An April Reuters/Ipsos poll, for instance, showed 54% of Republicans had a 'very favorable' opinion of Trump, and 50% said the same of Trump's vice president. But Musk wasn't far behind, at 43%. He was well ahead of other Trump administration figures like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (33%) and then-national security adviser Michael Waltz (18%). Similarly, a more recent Marquette University Law School poll showed Musk's 'very favorable' number among all Americans (22%) coming up just shy of Trump (25%) and matching Vance. And that's even after the polling decline of DOGE. Musk's DOGE work has also remained quite popular in GOP circles. An April New York Times/Siena College poll showed 63% of Republicans and 70% of Trump voters said they 'strongly support' the cuts made by Musk and DOGE. The flip side is that even if Republicans really like Musk – in numbers that aren't that far from Trump's own – that doesn't mean their devotion to him is comparable. It's possible to really like two people but clearly like one of them more. And there have been signs that Republicans don't necessarily want more of Musk. Polling from Quinnipiac University in early April, for example, showed while 71% of Republicans said he had about the right amount of power to make decisions in the Trump administration, just 8% thought he had too little. And all of this is before the rift with Trump. Toss on a few days or weeks of potential missives from the president, and it's likely Musk's numbers among Republicans would crater. But that's not the same as saying a rift between these two billionaires wouldn't matter. Musk not only has retained plenty of goodwill from Republicans of late, but he wields immense influence via his personal fortune and ownership of perhaps the preeminent social media platform for politics, X. We've seen before that Musk can drive support for initiatives he likes and torpedo things he doesn't. He has used his control of X's moderation policies and algorithm to boost his own posts and at times silence his critics, as the Washington Post noted Thursday. And he's proven plenty willing and able to seed unsubstantiated theories about his political opponents, as he did Thursday with his posts linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. Toss on top of that the wealth that Musk has proven increasingly willing to deploy on politics (i.e. potential primary challengers) and his promise to be a force for decades to come, and it's not an easy call to disown him. We'll see if Musk and Trump intend to force that choice on the Republican Party.
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
3 Signs That Alibaba's Turnaround Effort Is Bearing Fruit
This section contains press releases and other materials from third parties (including paid content). The Globe and Mail has not reviewed this content. Please see disclaimer. Markets News
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mix-up at Phoenix gas station breaks dozens of cars — how to make companies pay for their mistakes
You probably don't give much thought to filling up your gas tank during your weekly errands. Swipe your card, fill the tank and be on your merry way. But danger lurked underground for Phoenix resident Clarissa Amoroso. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) On Feb. 9, Amoroso headed to a Circle K on 75th Avenue and Thomas Road to fill up her vehicle, which she inherited from her late father. Soon after, the engine 'started cutting out, acting like it wasn't getting fuel,' she told reporters at AZFamily's On Your Side. The damage to her vehicle prevented her from getting to work. She tried to work with Circle K to resolve the problem but said the company gave her different timelines of when her claim could be paid out. 'It's a lot on your shoulders when you're the breadwinner of your family,' she told reporters in tears. 'Just feeling you're not being heard, that's what hurts the most.' According to On Your Side, a third-party fuel carrier put diesel into the underground unleaded gasoline storage tank and unleaded gas into the diesel tank. Sixty vehicles were filled with the incorrect fuel before Circle K shut the pumps down, and some drivers who made claims were still waiting for compensation months later. One victim, Matthew Silva, told a reporter that 'anything that had to do with the gas' had to be replaced on his vehicle, including the fuel pumps, spark plugs and the entire gasoline direct injection (GDI) system. Silva couldn't wait out the claims process and ended up paying $4,300 out of his pocket to repair the damage. He received an email from Circle K stating that it would take up to 14 days for the claims department to reach out. 'It's been past that,' he was quoted as saying in an April 17 story, more than two months since the incident. Circle K says the payout delays were a result of the time it takes to evaluate claims and process documentation. A spokesperson for Circle K told On Your Side in an email: 'We take all claims seriously and evaluate each of them carefully, and we always work to reimburse customers as quickly as possible once we receive required documentation to validate their claim.' Read more: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees — here's how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis Amoroso and Silva have since been reimbursed, and Amoroso has also been paid for the two weeks she couldn't work. As for the other claims on hold, Circle K said it was likely due to a wait for documentation from the affected drivers. Whether you suffer damage to your car or another valuable piece of property, it's critical that you do your part to ensure that you receive what you're owed in a claim. Most companies will require you to prove that the damage was their doing, so gather as much documentation as you can. This can include receipts from the store, a dated record of when you noticed the damage and photographs of your property in good condition beforehand. Be creative: Even a speeding ticket from the day before could show your car was working fine before the incident. Once you have your documentation, contact the company to learn how to file a claim. Follow their instructions to prevent any delays and increase your chances of getting a response. Finally, follow up if you haven't received a response within a reasonable time frame. You generally want to exhaust your options with the company before considering litigation. Court cases, even at small-claims court, can be time-consuming and expensive, but it could still be worth it depending on the severity of the damage. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
