Musk also met with two top White House officials on Friday to discuss how the Inflation Reduction Act and the infrastructure law, which together look to invest billions in electric vehicles, can “advance EVs and the increase of electrification more broadly,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Musk met with John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for clean energy innovation, and Mitch Landrieu, who oversees implementation of the infrastructure legislation. Reuters first reported the meeting.
“The outreach and the meeting says a lot about how important the President thinks the bipartisan infrastructure legislation is and the Inflation Reduction Act is, especially as it relates to EVs,” Jean-Pierre said.
Musk, who heads Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX — and was formerly the world’s richest man — has aligned himself with Republicans in recent months, backing the GOP in the midterms, returning former President Donald Trump to the platform, and supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSeantis for president — even as he’s called Democrats the party of “division and hate.”
Republicans — with Jordan and Comer in the lead — have set their sights on investigating the Biden administration’s alleged jawboning of social media companies to censor conservatives, and have praised Musk for releasing internal documents — known as the Twitter files — that reveal some of the deliberations around Twitter’s decisions to ban Trump and remove Covid misinformation, among other topics.
Comer has announced he wants to hold an early February hearing where he’s requested former Twitter executives to discuss their removal of the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Musk also talked to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday, though Jeffries’ office said the meeting was a chance encounter and not a scheduled event. Musk himself tweeted about talking to McCarthy and Jeffries, saying they discussed “ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties.”
McCarthy and Jefferies’ offices did not respond to a request for comment on what additional topics were discussed.
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#Musk #Washington #stump #Twitter #Tesla
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
It is often that a woman finds relief in chocolates during a menstrual cycle or periods. A heartwarming gesture caught the eyes of Twitter users when a woman took to her social media account to show how a bunch of chocolate cookies were delivered alongside her order of sanitary pads from Swiggy Instamart, making her day.
Twitter user @sameeracan tweeted from her account, “I ordered sanitary pads from @SwiggyInstamart and found a bunch of chocolate cookies at the bottom of the bag. Pretty thoughtful! But not sure who did it, Swiggy or the shopkeeper?”
I ordered sanitary pads from @SwiggyInstamart and found a bunch of chocolate cookies at the bottom of the bag.
Pretty thoughtful!
But not sure who did it, swiggy or the shopkeeper?
The gesture from Swiggy received appreciation from netizens after the service joined the conversation thread stating, “We just want you to have a pleasant day ahead, Sameera :).”
We just want you to have a pleasant day ahead, Sameera 🙂
Elon Musk, the former richest man in the world — and frequent sparring partner with Democrats on Twitter — met with Kevin McCarthy and Hakeem Jeffries. | Cathleen Allison/AP Photo
Elon Musk stopped by the Capitol on Thursday, popping into House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office to wish him happy birthday — and to talk about Washington’s favorite social media platform.
The former richest man in the world — and frequent sparring partner with Democrats on Twitter — met with McCarthy and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, tweeting that they talked about “ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties.” It was apparently Musk’s first visit to the Capitol in the 118th Congress, but he managed to maneuver his way through the complex without answering any questions from reporters.
After a reporter tweeted out an initial Musk sighting, a gaggle of journalists descended on the speaker’s office around 4:30 p.m. About 30 minutes later, McCarthy emerged, telling reporters that Musk came by to wish him happy birthday (the California lawmaker’s birthday is in fact today) and that they had been friends for a long time.
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#Musk #wishes #McCarthy #happy #birthday #talks #Twitter
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
San Francisco: Despite a rocky takeover of Twitter which saw Tesla stock tumbling by over 60 per cent, Elon Musk-in Tesla made more money than ever in 2022, as total revenue grew 51 per cent to $81.5 billion and net income more than doubled to $12.6 billion.
In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2022, the company beat Wall Street revenue estimates, registering $24.3 billion in revenue, a 37 per cent increase from the same quarter last year, and earned $3.7 billion in net income.
“As we progress into 2023, we know that there are questions about the near-term impact of an uncertain macroeconomic environment, and in particular, with rising interest rates,” said the company.
“In the near term we are accelerating our cost reduction roadmap and driving towards higher production rates, while staying focused on executing against the next phase of our roadmap,” it added.
Tesla said it is prepared for short-term uncertainty, while being focused on the long-term potential of autonomy, electrification and energy solutions.
Tesla said it delivered 405,278 vehicles to customers in the October-December quarter, and 1.3 million vehicles for the entire 2022.
“Our relentless cost control and cost innovation is why we believe that no other OEM is better equipped to navigate through 2023, and ultimately succeed in the long run,” it added.
The Model Y production line in Austin, Texas, produced over 3,000 vehicles in a week towards the end of Q4.
“Production and delivery challenges in 2022 were largely concentrated in China Since our Shanghai factory has been successfully running near full capacity for several months, we do not expect meaningful sequential volume increases in the near term,” said the company.
The Model Y production line in Germany produced over 3,000 vehicles in a week towards the end of Q4.
“We have now released FSD Beta to nearly all customers in the US and Canada who bought FSD (approximately 400,000). This is an important milestone for our company,” Tesla added.
Mumbai: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is back on the micro-blogging site, Twitter and the very first tweet after her return on the platform talks about her upcoming directorial ‘Emergency’.
On Tuesday, the actress took to her Twitter handle to announce her film’s wrap.
She also shared a BTS video of her film in which one can see different departments of the film unit coming together to put together Kangana’s ambitious project. The film, which will now enter the post-production stage, has set its release date as October 20, 2023.
Kangana wrote in her tweet, “And it’s a wrap !!! Emergency filming completed successfully, see you in cinemas on 20th October 2023 a 20-10-2023.”
The BTS video features table reading sessions with the team, the storyboarding, moodboards, location hunting, the production hustle-bustle and Kangana busy brainstorming with her team and interacting with fellow actor Anupam Kher.
‘Emergency’, directed by Kangana Ranaut, will also see her essaying the role of former Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.
The screenshot of the hacked TSRTC MD’s account (Image: Siasat).
Hyderabad: Hackers took control of the Twitter account of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation’s (TSRTC) managing director on Monday. The account was mostly hacked into by cyptocurrency hackers, as a tweet related to crypto cash retweeted by the account.
After the incident, the TSRTC md VC Sajjanar issued a media statement confirming the same. Below is the tweet that was retweeted by the hacked TSRTC MD’s account:
I became a millionaire today! Haha j/k. Those are apes I sold after sweeping the floor the past two weeks (didn’t work out after the market went down from Wednesday’s mint news). https://t.co/LoRV1XTZ3f
“On 22.01.2023 at 21:30hrs official Twitter account of TSRTC MD (@tsrtcmdoffice) was compromised. This unfortunate incident happened despite all safety measures. We do not endorse any tweets from our handle. We are working with Twitter Support to resolve the issue,” said the statement from TSRTC MD Sajjanar.
On the same day, the Twitter account of the Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police was hacked on Monday, and hackers posted an obscene photograph on it.
Deputy Inspector General P.H.D. Ramakrishna said that the account was created in 2019 and it was inoperative since February 2020. The account was hacked on Monday by some unknown persons, who posted an objectionable photograph on it.
Bigg Boss 16 contestants Tina Datta, MC Stan and Priyanka Chahar Choudhary (Twitter)
Mumbai: Bigg Boss 16 is around the corner and fans can hardly contain their excitement. The competition is heating up among the top 8 contestants — Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, Mc Stan, Sumbul Touqeer Khan, Shiv Thakare, Archana Gautam, Shalin Bhanot, Tina Datta and Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia.
However, it seems that someone has jumped the gun and leaked the names of the first and second runner-up on Twitter. According to a viral tweet that has left fans on the edge of their seats, the first runner-up of Bigg Boss 16 is said to be Shiv Thakare, while the second runner-up is MC Stan. While the tweet has not been confirmed by any official sources, it has been gaining a lot of attention online.
It also mentions the winner as Priyanka Chahar Choudhary. Check out the tweet below.
Fans of the show are now left excited to find out who will come out on the list of finalist, and the leaked names have certainly added fuel to the fire. Many are speculating that the tweet could be a hoax, while others are convinced that it is going to be true.
What’s your take on the tweet? Do you also think Priyanka and Shiv end up on being first and second positions respectively? Comment below.
Stay tuned to Siasat.com for more interesting updates on Bigg Boss 16.
New Delhi: Amid row over the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question”, an old tweet from the Twitter handle narendramodi_in went viral on social media.
In the tweet, it was written, “Till there was DD, Akashvani, what did common people discuss- we heard it on BBC…there was no faith in DD, Akashvani: @narendramodi”.
Till there was DD, Akashvani, what did common people discuss- we heard it on BBC…there was no faith in DD, Akashvani: @narendramodi
Sharing the tweet, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair tweeted, ‘National TV vs I̶n̶t̶e̶r̶(Anti)National. Ekdum se Paper badal diye Channel badal diye TV badal di.’
The same tweet was also retweeted by AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Chairman of Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation Y Sathish Reddy.
What is BBC documentary row?
UK’s BBC aired a documentary attacking PM Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.
The outline summary of the series says that it’s “A look at tensions between Indian PM Narendra Modi and India’s Muslim minority, investigating claims about his role in the 2002 riots that left over a thousand dead”.
Amid controversy, India has dismissed it as a “propaganda piece”, saying it is designed to push a particular “discredited narrative” and that the continuing colonial mindset is “blatantly visible” in the series.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also wondered about the purpose of the documentary and the “agenda” behind it and said “frankly we do not wish to dignify such efforts”.
BBC defends Modi documentary
Later, BBC defended its controversial series as a “rigorously researched” documentary that sought to highlight important issues.
“The documentary was rigorously researched according to the highest editorial standards,” a BBC spokesperson said in a statement.
The US President, Joe Biden, is 80 today, which is one thing. On the other hand, Elon Musk restored access to Donald Trump’s account on Twitter on Saturday, lifting a ban that had prevented the former president from using the social media platform ever since a pro Trump mob attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress prepared to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.
Following a vote asking Twitter users if Trump’s account should be reinstated, Musk made the announcement in the evening. With a majority of 51.8%, “yes” was chosen. Before deciding whether to reinstate suspended accounts, Musk had previously stated that Twitter would set up new rules and a “content moderation council.”
“The people have had their say. Trump will get his job back. Musk used the Latin term “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” which translates to “the voice of the people, the voice of God,” in his tweet.
Shortly later, Trump’s account, which had earlier looked to be suspended, returned on the platform with all of his prior tweets—more than 59,000 in all. At least initially, his supporters had vanished, but he quickly started getting them back. But as of late Saturday, there have been no new tweets from the account.
Less than a month after Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over Twitter and four days after Trump declared his campaign for the 2024 presidential election, Musk restored the account.
Trump may or may not truly come back to Twitter. Trump, who was an unstoppable tweeter prior to his suspension, has previously claimed that he would not return even if his account was reactivated. He has been relying on Truth Social, a far more modest social media platform that he started after being banned from Twitter.
Additionally, on Saturday, Trump mentioned Musk’s poll in a video address to a gathering of Republican Jews in Las Vegas, but added that he thought Twitter had “a lot of problems.”
“I hear we’re receiving a lot of support to also return to Twitter. I don’t see it because I can’t think of a good explanation for it, said Trump. He said, seemingly alluding to the recent internal turmoil at Twitter, “It may make it, it may not make it.”
Trump’s potential return to the platform comes in the wake of Musk’s purchase of Twitter last month, which sparked widespread worries that the site’s billionaire owner would enable the propagation of lies and misinformation. Musk has often stated his opinion that Twitter has become too censorship-heavy for free speech.
His attempts to redesign the area have been both quick and disorganised. Many of the 7,500 full-time employees and incalculable numbers of contractors who are in charge of content moderation and other critical duties have been fired by Musk. A large number of employees, including hundreds of software engineers, resigned as a result of his demand that the remaining staff promise to work “very hardcore.”
Following the mass layoffs and staff migration, users have noted more spam and frauds on their feeds and in their direct messages, among other issues. Twitter may soon deteriorate to the point where it could actually crash, according to some programmers who were fired or resigned this week.
More than 15 million people participated in Musk’s online survey, which was published on his personal Twitter account.
Musk acknowledged that the findings lacked much rigour. He tweeted early on Saturday that “Bot & troll armies might be running out of steam shortly.” “Some intriguing insights to improve polling in the future.”
He has employed Twitter polling before to help him make business decisions. Following a poll of his supporters, he decided to sell millions of shares of Tesla stock last year.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, tweeted a video of the uprising on January 6 in response to Musk’s poll on Trump. On Friday, she wrote that Trump’s last tweets “were used to fuel an insurrection, many people died, the US Vice President was almost assassinated, and hundreds were injured but I guess that’s not enough for you to answer the question.” It’s a poll on Twitter.
Two days after Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol and shortly after the former president urged them to “fight like hell,” he was denied access to Twitter. After Trump sent out two tweets that Twitter claimed raised concerns about the integrity of the election and threatened the inauguration of Vice President Biden, the website shut off his account.
Trump was also banned from Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram, all of which are owned by Meta Platforms, after the incident on January 6. Additionally suspended was his capacity to upload videos to his YouTube page. In January, Facebook plans to review its decision to suspend Trump.
Trump’s use of social media throughout his time as president presented a significant challenge to major social media platforms that aimed to strike a balance between the public’s desire to hear from public officials and concerns about false information, bigotry, harassment, and incitement to violence.
However, Musk claimed that Twitter’s move to block Trump was “morally awful” and “very idiotic” in a speech at an auto convention in May.
Musk announced earlier this month that the firm would not permit anyone who had been banned from the site to rejoin until Twitter had developed policies for doing so, including creating a “content moderation committee.” Musk completed the $44 billion buyout of Twitter in late October.
Musk tweeted on Friday that the comedian Kathy Griffin, the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, and the conservative Christian news satire website Babylon Bee have had their suspended Twitter accounts returned. He emphasised that a choice had not yet been made regarding Trump. On Twitter, he also replied “no” to a request to revive conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ account.
The Tesla CEO referred to the new content policy as “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach” in a tweet on Friday.
He said that although a tweet that was regarded to be “negative” or to include “hate” would be permitted on the website, only users who explicitly looked for it would be able to view it. According to Musk, such tweets would also be “demonetized, so no adverts or other money to Twitter.”
(With inputs from various media organisations)
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Elon Musk’s Twitter suspended the subscription-based blue tick verification badges on Friday, only days after introducing them as part of a slew of changes. The social media site planned to charge $8 to users who wanted the premium blue tick verification badge, but as soon as the service went live, several fake “verified” accounts appeared on Twitter, causing the platform to reconsider its decision.
Previously, blue tick verification was provided to notable figures in various fields such as entertainment, politics, journalism, and so on to avoid impersonation, but after Tesla co-founder Elon Musk took over the social media giant in a $44 billion takeover deal, the company decided to change the verification policy and decided to provide blue tick to anyone willing to pay $8 for the service.
Following the launch of the service, numerous fake accounts, including Elon Musk’s own Tesla and SpaceX, appeared with a blue tick. An impersonator account even claimed that ‘insulin is free,’ prompting pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co. to issue an apology via Twitter.
There are currently two types of verified accounts on Twitter: one that was verified before to Musk’s takeover and states, “This account is verified because it is notable in government, news, entertainment, or another specified category.” The other verified account belongs to a person who paid $8 for Twitter Blue service.
The payment for the blue tick badge was necessary because analysts believe Musk overpaid for the $44 billion contract, which he is now realising. He has sold billions of dollars in shares from his other firm, Tesla, and has also raised funds from the markets. Several sponsors have paused their Twitter commercials as they learn about the new leadership’s policies, and the current mess of fake accounts has made them even more sceptical.
Elon Musk has recently cautioned Twitter employees to brace long hours as the firm approaches bankruptcy. The warning came as the US regulator announced the departure of the company’s trust and safety chief, as well as other top officials.
Musk cautioned in his first company-wide email that Twitter will not “survive the upcoming economic slump” if it does not increase subscription revenue to balance dwindling advertising revenue, according to three people who saw the message, reports Reuters.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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