Celebrity
Elon Musk Visits Destroyed Kibbutz and Meets Netanyahu in Wake of Antisemitic Post
Elon Musk visited Israel on Monday, meeting with leaders and touring through a kibbutz destroyed by Hamas last month in an attempt to quell criticism over his support for an anti-Semitic remark on his social media platform, X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drove Musk to Kfar Azza, one of the kibbutzim targeted on October 7. Abigail Edan, a four-year-old American dual citizen kidnapped by the militant group that day and released the next day, lived on the kibbutz.
Musk agreed with Netanyahu in a live online conversation on X on Monday that Israel must eliminate Hamas.
“Those who intend to murder must be stopped. The propaganda must then cease,” Musk stated. “They’re just training people to be murderers.”
He also stated that Gaza must be “prosperous.”
“If (all) that happens, I think it will be a good future,” he said. “I’d love to help.”
Musk also met behind closed doors with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
According to a readout from the meeting, Herzog pushed Musk to combat internet antisemitism.
“Unfortunately, we are inundated with antisemitism, which is hatred of Jews,” Herzog said in a statement. “I think we need to fight this together, because the platforms you lead, unfortunately, have a large reservoir of hatred, hatred of Jews, antisemitism.”
According to an earlier statement from the president’s office, representatives from the families of Hamas hostage families attended the meeting to express “the horrors of the Hamas terror attack, as well as the ongoing pain and uncertainty for those held captive.”
According to the Israeli government press office, Israeli officials recounted what had happened to Musk during the visit to the damaged kibbutz.
“The prime minister and Musk then proceeded to the Edan family home, where Musk heard about the family story of four-year-old Abigail Edan, whose parents were murdered and who was kidnapped to Gaza and released yesterday from Hamas captivity,” the office of the prime minister said.
The billionaire’s trip to Israel comes less than a week after he agreed with the notion that Jewish communities incite “hatred against Whites,” prompting a condemnation from the White House and a significant departure of advertisers from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
One user accused Jewish groups earlier this month in an X post of “pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.” The message allegedly alluded to “hordes of minorities” invading Western countries, a common antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Musk responded, “You have said the actual truth.”
Online hate organizations have promoted the antisemitic conspiracy idea that Jews intend to import illegal minority populations into Western countries to diminish the White majority in such countries.
Musk then stated in subsequent posts that he does not believe hatred of White people extends “to all Jewish communities.”
However, he claimed that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a global anti-antisemitism group, “unjustly attacks the majority of the West, despite the majority of the West supporting the Jewish people and Israel.” This is because, according to their own beliefs, they cannot attack the minority groups that constitute their major threat.”
The remarks, which coincide with an increase in hate crimes against Jews and Muslims in the United States, attracted rapid condemnation from human rights organizations and politicians.
Musk has also disputed racist accusations, writing on X last week that any assertions that he is antisemitic are “far from the truth.”
The problem is becoming too tough for X to ignore. The controversy has quickly developed into a serious business nightmare for the corporation, with at least a dozen large brands suspending advertising spending as of last Wednesday. Disney, IBM, Fox Sports, and even the European Commission are among them.
/do0bihdskp9dy.cloudfront.net/11-27-2023/t_f35a6b7e59e9425690b336cbcb13384f_name_file_1280x720_2000_v3_1_.jpg "Elon Musk Visits Destroyed Kibbutz and Meets Netanyahu in Wake of Antisemitic Post")
Elon Musk visited Israel on Monday, meeting with leaders and touring through a kibbutz destroyed by Hamas last month
Even before the present upheaval, X had been chastised for the abundance of antisemitic content on their network. Organizations like as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Center for Countering Digital Hate had documented a spike in hate speech on X in the previous year, which Musk either criticized or disputed.
Musk vowed to sue the ADL for defamation in September, alleging that the group’s reports had damaged advertising sales on X.
More recently, the organization has observed a significant spike in antisemitic posts on X, notably after the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in early October.
X has responded to similar charges made by the progressive media watchdog Media Matters, which highlighted antisemitic and pro-Nazi content on X in a previous analysis.
In response, X has sued Media Matters, claiming that the organization overstated the likelihood of adverts running alongside extremist content on the platform. It has also asked its advertising partners to assist in defending what it refers to as “freedom of speech.”
Musk’s visit to Israel coincides with a cessation of hostilities with Hamas. In the first three days of a truce, Hamas released 58 captives, mostly women and children, in exchange for the release of 117 Palestinian prisoners and has stated that it intends to extend the truce.
Herzog spoke to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Sunday about the bittersweet sensation of seeing freed prisoners reunited with their families.
“It’s something that gives us happiness, but of course, happiness with a lot of sorrow in it because there are at least 200 hostages still held out there,” Herzog told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
Herzog said the truce may be prolonged, citing the initial agreement that a day of ceasefire would be added for every ten hostages released, but that it was up to Hamas to liberate more prisoners.
SOURCE – (CNN)
Washington — On Friday, “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill visited the White House with President Joe Biden, leaving with a pair of the president’s aviator sunglasses and a newfound respect for the job.
“I love the merch,” he added, removing his glasses briefly at the White House daily press briefing following his meeting with Biden. Hamill, 72, famous for playing Luke Skywalker, joked with reporters that he’d answer a few questions as long as they weren’t about “Star Wars.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
“I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president,” he told reporters. He’d been to the White House previously, during the Carter and Obama administrations, but he’d never seen the Oval Office, which he described as impressive. According to Hamill, Biden displayed photographs and other memorabilia from the Oval Office.
Hamill claimed Biden told him to call him “Joe,” to which Hamill responded with an alternative suggestion: “Can I call you Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi?”
“He liked that,” said Hamill, who also portrayed the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Both Mark and the White House were hazy about the cause for his visit. But Mark, a Democrat and Biden supporter with a sizable social media following, has been posting about the president’s reelection campaign this week.
“May 1 Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden’s Re-election!” he tweeted on May 1.
On Friday, he wrote, “May 3 be absurd that the guy who tried to steal a fair election is allowed to run again,” referring to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
May 4 is unofficially known as “Star Wars” Day, partly due to the famous Jedi line “May the Force Be With You.” The pun is “May 4 be with you.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Mark also provided his voice for “Air Alert,” a downloadable program linked to Ukraine’s air defense system. His voice warns citizens to take cover if Russia launches another aerial strike on Ukraine.
SOURCE – (AP)
Celebrity
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
LONDON — Kevin Spacey, the Oscar-winning actor, has denied new charges of inappropriate behavior by men who will appear in a British television documentary airing next week.
In an online interview with journalist Dan Wootton, Spacey stated that he has never done anything unlawful and has struggled to return to work since being convicted of criminal charges in a London court last year.
“I can’t go through this again, allowing myself to be baselessly attacked without defending myself,” he said in the “Kevin Spacey: Right Of Reply” interview, which aired late Friday on Wootton’s YouTube channel.
AP – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Last July, a London jury cleared Spacey of sexual assault charges stemming from 20-year-old allegations made by four men. The court triumph was his second since defending himself against a $40 million lawsuit filed in New York in 2022 by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp.
The documentary “Spacey Unmasked” will be shown on Channel 4 in Britain on May 6 and 7 and on Max in the United States.
“I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions, but I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me,” said Spacey, who received Academy Award nominations for “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty.”
“I’ve never told someone that if they give me sexual favors, then I will help them out with their career, never,” he said.
Rolling Stone – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Spacey, the creative director of the Old Vic Theatre in London from 2004 to 2015, said that he was a “flirt” with men in their twenties and occasionally made “clumsy” advances.
“I’ve clearly hooked up with some men who thought they might get ahead in their careers by having a relationship with me,” he went on to say. But there was no conversation with me. It was all part of their plan, a plan that was always destined to fail because I wasn’t in on the deal.”
The actor also stated on X, formerly Twitter, that he had “repeatedly requested” that Channel 4 give him more than seven days to reply to the claims brought against him in their program.
Spacey said that the network turned down his request “on the basis that they feel that asking for a response in 7 days to new, anonymized and non-specific allegations is a ‘fair opportunity’ for me to refute any allegations made against me.”
ABC – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Spacey said he had struggled to return to work since being acquitted of all criminal charges, characterizing the experience as a “life sentence.”
His acting career had suffered since 2017 when he was publicly accused of inappropriate behavior at the start of the #MeToo movement. He then lost his starring role as Frank Underwood in the Netflix thriller “House of Cards”.
SOURCE – (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO — The Securities and Exchange Commission charged an auditing firm hired by Trump Media and Technology Group only 37 days ago with “massive fraud” on Friday, but not for any work done for former President Donald Trump’s media company.
The SEC accused the accounting firm BF Borgers and its owner, Benjamin F. Borgers, of “deliberate and systematic failures” in over 1,500 audits.
CNN – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
The charges include failing to follow accounting regulations, falsifying documents to conceal flaws, and falsely claiming in audit reports that its work fulfilled audit criteria.
To settle SEC accusations, BF Borgers agreed to pay a $12 million fine, while its owner consented to pay a $2 million fine, according to the SEC. Benjamin Borgers did not immediately return a phone for comment.
BF Borgers and Benjamin Borgers both agreed to permanent sanctions, which will take effect immediately and prevent them from handling SEC-related matters as accountants.
According to the company’s most recent annual report filing, Trump Media appointed BF Borgers as its auditor on March 28. The business acknowledged that BF Borgers had similarly addressed its audits before its public offering by combining with a cash-rich shell company called Digital World Acquisition Corp.
The company had already hired at least two other auditors, one who resigned from the account in July 2023 and another who was fired by the board in March, just as it was rehiring BF Borgers.
Trump Media “looks forward to working with new auditing partners in accordance with today’s SEC order.”
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
The SEC discovered that BF Borgers’ shortcuts included:
- Copying audit documents from the prior year.
- Changing the pertinent dates.
- Passing it off as current documentation.
In addition to inaccurately recording work that was never completed, the fake documentation detailed planning meetings with clients that never took place and “falsely represented” that both Benjamin Borgers and another reviewer had authorized the audit work.
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
“Ben Borgers and his audit firm, BF Borgers, were responsible for one of the largest wholesale failures by gatekeepers in our financial markets,” stated Gurbir Grewal, the SEC’s enforcement director. “Thanks to the painstaking work of the SEC staff, Borgers and his sham audit mill have been permanently shut down.”
SOURCE – (AP)
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
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The Kentucky Derby Is Turning 150 Years Old. It’s Survived World Wars And Controversies Of All Kinds
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
Canada’s RCMP Charge 3 Indian Men Over Sikh Leaders Murder
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