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Tag: world cup
Elon Musk Posed For Photos With Notorious Kremlin Propagandist In Qatar

Elon Musk Posed For Photos With Notorious Kremlin Propagandist In Qatar

Days after booting several journalists off Twitter, self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk attended the World Cup final in Qatar, where he posed for photos with an infamous pro-Russian propagandist Nailya Asker-Zade.

Asker-Zade, an infamous ally and propagandist for Russian despot Vladimir Putin, posted the selfie with Musk on her Telegram Monday, writing, "Argentina beat France on penalties in the World Cup final. I agree with Elon Musk's assessment of the match: 'A duel in the desert.’”

Of the polarizing figures in Russian media promoting Kremlin-inflected rhetoric on current events, including the war in Ukraine, Asker Zade, a 35-year-old reporter at the Kremlin-owned All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), is one of the most infamous.

Both Canada and the United Kingdom have sanctioned Asker Zade following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. One of many voices in Russian state media distorting facts about the invasion of Ukraine, she is “understood to be in a long-term relationship with Andrei Kostin, Chairman of VTB Bank [Russia’s second-largest bank],” according to the U.K. government.

Kostin and the VGTRK, the U.K. government noted in its sanction list, “[are] or [have] been involved in obtaining a benefit from or supporting the Government of Russia by carrying on business as a Government of Russia-affiliated entity.”

Also an avid Trump supporter, Kostin allegedly amassed a personal fortune to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars during his tenure as VTB head — thanks to his close ties with Putin, per the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

In 2019, the Moscow Times reported that Asker Zade was suspected of being in a relationship with Kostin and had accumulated a substantial chunk of his wealth in the form of “elite property, a private jet, and a yacht” worth millions of dollars.

Her new toys, the outlet stated, attracted the attention of — and subsequent investigation from — the Russian Foundation Against Corruption group, headed by Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

Tech billionaire Musk, whose recent wave of controversies has been blamed for Tesla’s tumbling stock, was also spotted with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, who reportedly secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia just six months after Trump’s ouster by American voters.

Musk, who has not responded to multiple requests for comments on his selfie with a conspiracy theory-peddling Putin mouthpiece, was also spotted with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Business Insider reported.

After a cascade of criticism, the Twitter CEO broke his hours-long silence about the outcome of his Sunday poll in which he asked the Twitterverse whether he should step down as leader of the social media website, which 57.5 percent of voters said he should.

Musk agreed with a right-wing account — as he has so often done recently in his expeditious right-ward shift — that fake accounts skew the results of Twitter polls, a suggestion he didn’t entertain when restoring Trump’s account.

“Blue subscribers should be the only ones that can vote in policy related polls,” the Twitter account suggested, to which Musk replied, “Good point.”

On CNN, Soccer Star Megan Rapinoe Defends American Values Against Trump

On CNN, Soccer Star Megan Rapinoe Defends American Values Against Trump

Megan Rapinoe, star of the World Cup champion U.S. Women’s National Team, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday that she refuses to lend credibility to the Trump administration by accepting an invitation to the White House.

In the interview, Rapinoe rejected the division Trump sows while embracing a vision of America that welcomes people from all walks of life.

Asked by Cooper what message she had for Trump, Rapinoe replied: “I think that I would say that your message is excluding people. You’re excluding me. You’re excluding people that look like me. You’re excluding people of color. You’re excluding, you know, Americans that maybe support you.”

Rapinoe, described by Deadspin as a “purple-haired lesbian goddess” after she helped lead the U.S. team to a 2-1 victory over France in the World Cup quarterfinals, seemed to be referencing the Trump administration’s numerous attacks on the LGBTQ community.

“I think that we need to have a reckoning with the message that you have and what you’re saying about ‘make America great again,'” Rapinoe continued in her message to Trump. “I think that you’re harking back to an era that was not great for everyone. It might have been great for a few people, and maybe America is great for a few people now, but it’s not great for enough Americans in this world.”

“I think we have a responsibility, each and every one of us — you have an incredible responsibility as the chief of this country — to take care of every single person,” Rapinoe added. “And you need to do better for everyone.”

Later, Rapinoe called on all Americans to reflect on how to build that more perfect union. “We need to constantly look within and challenge ourselves to be better, so everyone else can be better around us,” she said.

Rapinoe made headlines in the midst of the World Cup when a video of her preemptively rejecting an invitation to the White House was released.

“I’m not going to the fucking White House,” Rapinoe said in the video. Rapinoe subsequently apologized for the use of the f-word, but told Cooper that she “meant it with all the inflection and attitude I gave with it. I meant all of it and every word of it.”

In the middle of the World Cup, Trump attacked Rapinoe, saying, “Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!” Trump also questioned Rapinoe’s patriotism: “Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear.”

After Trump’s attack, Rapinoe’s teammate, Ali Krieger, shot back at him: “I know women who you cannot control or grope anger you, but I stand by @mPinoe [Rapinoe] and will sit this one out as well. I don’t support this administration nor their fight against LGBTQ+ citizens, immigrants & our most vulnerable.”

After Trump’s attacks, Rapinoe went on to score both goals in her team’s 2-1 victory over France, and one of the team’s two goals in the World Cup final.

When asked by Cooper about the possibility of visiting the White House, Rapinoe once again rejected the notion.

“I don’t think anyone on the team has any interest in lending the platform we’ve worked hard to build and the things that we fight for and the way that we live our life, I don’t think we want that to be co-opted or corrupted by this administration,” Rapinoe told Cooper.

“There’s so many other people that I would rather talk to and have meaningful conversations that could really affect change in Washington than going to the White House,” she added.

Rapinoe said she will accept the invitations issued by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Congress. But she won’t step foot in the White House while Trump is there.

Published with permission of The American Independent. 

#EndorseThis: Daily Show Row With France Not Over Says Trevor Noah

#EndorseThis: Daily Show Row With France Not Over Says Trevor Noah

After the France National Team won gold at the World Cup in Russia, Trevor Noah joked that 80% of Les Bleus 23-man roster was of African descent, smirking that “Africa won the World Cup.” The line got laughs, like just about everything the brilliant Daily Show anchor says to his audience. But the joke hasn’t sat so well with the government of France.

French Ambassador Gerard Araud addressed the comic harshly in a letter sent on Wednesday, charging that Noah’s racial humor has crossed a line into the type of rhetoric found on the French far-right. Some of the country’s citizens with African backgrounds have been called “not really French” by a loud minority of white supremacists.

In today’s emotionally-charged clip, Trevor denies Araud’s accusation that the joke challenges the French-ness of the athletes, and retaliates by questioning whether a “no hyphenated French” policy is the direction France’s culture should be moving in.

Is it just a matter of time before Trevor Noah is duking it out with Macron himself? Over the World Cup, no less?

Brief for the water cooler.

#EndorseThis: Trevor Noah Kicks Off World Cup By Nuking Russia

#EndorseThis: Trevor Noah Kicks Off World Cup By Nuking Russia

The 2018 World Cup has begun. It’s causing a stir around the world and a mere coffee drip in the United States. The USMNT failed to qualify, and Google alerts will spoil results by midday due to the time difference. Worse yet, the tournament is in Russia.

Trevor Noah is not pleased. The 34-year-old comic virtuoso is taking criticism from some YouTube fans after posting an edgy Daily Show clip lamenting Russia’s hosting of the World Cup. Noah briefly lets President Putin have it, then proceeds to send-up Russian culture in general.

While Russian customs and practices can be strange indeed, it feels over-the-top on Noah’s part that even service workers and old women aren’t safe from the weapons-grade derision.

The clip has two redeeming qualities. Trevor pauses to needle America and clown South African soccer fans, only fair. And of course, he is devilishly funny. As for the “mainstream racism” that radical centrists talk about, does that unfortunately apply here?

Click and be the jury.