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Voting age to be lowered to 16 in UK by next general election

The voting age will be lowered to 16 across the UK by the next general election in a major change of the democratic system. The government said it was a reform to bring in more fairness for 16- and 17-year-olds, many of whom already work and are able to serve in the military. It brings the whole of the UK voting age to 16. Scotland and Wales have already made the change for Holyrood and Senedd elections, as well as local council elections. In a sweeping package of changes, ministers will also

Are a few people ruining the internet for the rest of us?

When I scroll through social media, I often leave demoralized, with the sense that the entire world is on fire and people are inflamed with hatred towards one another. Yet, when I step outside into the streets of New York City to grab a coffee or meet a friend for lunch, it feels downright tranquil. The contrast between the online world and my daily reality has only gotten more jarring. Since my own work is focused on topics such as intergroup conflict, misinformation, technology and climate ch

Sequoia bets on silence

There is a time-honored crisis management strategy, wherein one says nothing and waits for the outrage to pass. For Sequoia Capital, the strategy worked pretty well this week. While partner Shaun Maguire initially weathered criticism over an inflammatory social media post, that initial indignation cooled quickly. Now, some seem to think that Maguire’s defiant stance may even be strengthening his position. Business Insider actually called it “good for deal flow” — controversy as competitive advan

Elon Musk's Bizarre Behavior May Force Tesla Board to Step in, Analyst Warns

Elon Musk needs no introduction. But unless you've been keeping up with all the bizarre AI scandals, Tesla disasters, and public crash outs, you may need a refresher. Following Musk's extremely high-profile feud with his former best buddy, president Donald Trump, the Tesla CEO has been struggling to find his way forward in the world. For months, Tesla investors and insiders alike have been begging the world's richest man to take a step back from politics and focus on his company, which has bee

Tesla’s Biggest Problem Is Its Own CEO

Tesla is Elon Musk. Elon Musk is Tesla. Rarely has a company’s identity been so inextricably linked to its CEO, for better and for worse. For years, this fusion was a superpower, giving Tesla an innovative mystique that captivated investors and propped up its valuation. Now, that same connection has become a massive liability. In a brutal reaction to Elon Musk’s latest political bombshell—the launch of his own political party—investors wiped nearly $70 billion off Tesla’s market capitalization

What Happens to Tesla When Musk Picks Politics Over Cars?

Tesla is Elon Musk. Elon Musk is Tesla. Rarely has a company’s identity been so inextricably linked to its CEO, for better and for worse. For years, this fusion was a superpower, giving Tesla an innovative mystique that captivated investors and propped up its valuation. Now, that same connection has become a massive liability. In a brutal reaction to Elon Musk’s latest political bombshell—the launch of his own political party—investors wiped nearly $70 billion off Tesla’s market capitalization

Tesla loses $68 billion in value after Elon Musk says he is launching a political party

Now the tech billionaire's reinvolvement in the political arena is making investors nervous. The billionaire's involvement in politics has been a point of contention for investors. Musk earlier this year was instrumental in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and worked closely with President Donald Trump — a move seen as potentially hurting Tesla's brand . Musk said Saturday that the party would be called the "America Party" and could focus "on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to

I'm not losing sleep over Elon Musk's political ambitions

Just a month after his explosive fallout with Donald Trump, Elon Musk is floating the idea of forming his own political party. In a poll on X, 1.24 million of his followers voted, with 65.4 percent saying they would like to see such a thing happen. The America Party would offer “independence” from a political system Musk says is too focused on “waste & graft.” Like so many things Musk says, it’s not worth paying too much attention to unless he puts his money where his mouth is. But, also like so

Tesla shares drop 8% after Elon Musk says he is launching a political party

The billionaire's involvement in politics has been a point of contention for investors. Musk earlier this year was part of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and worked closely with President Donald Trump — a move seen as potentially hurting Tesla's brand . Musk said over the weekend that the party would be called the "America Party" and could focus "on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts." He suggested this would be "enough to serve as the deciding vote on conte

Elon Musk Calls the U.S. Dollar ‘Hopeless,’ Says His America Party Will Embrace Bitcoin

As details about his new political venture begin to emerge, Elon Musk has confirmed that the “America Party” will embrace Bitcoin, a move that solidifies the party’s anti-establishment and tech-centric identity. The world’s richest man made the revelation on his social media platform, X, signaling a potential new frontier for cryptocurrency in American politics. The exchange unfolded after Musk positioned his new party as a home for centrists and voters disillusioned with the traditional two-pa

Tesla shares drop 7% in premarket trading after Elon Musk says he is launching a political party

White House Senior Advisor Elon Musk walks to the White House after landing in Marine One on the South Lawn with U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) on March 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. Tesla shares fell in premarket trade on Monday after CEO Elon Musk announced plans to form a new political party. The stock was down 7.13% by 4:27 a.m. E.T. Musk said over the weekend that the party would be called the "America Party" and could focus "on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House distric

Elon Musk Is Selling His Political Party Like a Tesla

Less than 24 hours after launching his political party, Elon Musk is already playing hype man for the movement he claims will disrupt America’s broken political system. The richest man in the world took to X (formerly Twitter), the platform he owns, early Saturday morning to promote and to articulate the need for The American Party, his newly announced third party aimed at breaking what he calls the “uniparty” stranglehold of Democrats and Republicans. The move has drawn sharp criticism from su

Elon Musk Forms a New Political Party to Challenge Trump and the Republicans

As he had previously vowed, Tesla CEO Elon Musk officially announced the formation of a new, third political party on Saturday, July 5, 2025. This dramatic move comes just hours after President Donald Trump signed his “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law, a sweeping budget measure that implements massive spending cuts and eliminates nearly all federal climate and clean energy programs, legislation Musk staunchly opposed. The announcement was definitive. “Today, the America Party is formed to give

Elon Musk’s New Political Party Sparks MAGA Backlash Online

The suspense is finally over. Elon Musk, the visionary behind Tesla and SpaceX, officially declared the formation of a new political party on Saturday, July 5, 2025. His stated aim: to challenge the long-standing dominance of both the Republican and Democratic parties. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom,” the controversial tech entrepreneur announced on X (formerly Twitter) at 3:46 PM ET. By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it

Sam Altman Feels ‘Politically Homeless’ As Frenemy Musk Proposes Third Party

Sam Altman is grappling with his political alignment. The 40-year-old CEO of OpenAI, like many of his fellow tech executives in recent years, has expressed that he does not feel at home in the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. In an extended post on X, Altman lamented the fact that he’s now “politically homeless” and yearns for a technocratic utopia—something his once friend and current rival Elon Musk has also been calling for with his push to form a third party. Hmm…interesting timing,

Elon Musk Adds ‘Sell Cars in Europe’ to His To-Do List

Elon Musk has always worn a lot of hats. Earlier this year, while he was working at the White House, he literally wore several hats on his head at the same time, in a clownish attempt to make this very point to other Trump officials. Even though the billionaire has since parted ways with the administration and is in the midst of an acrimonious spat with the President, he is still keeping busy. Now, he’s reportedly given himself a new job just as he pledged to launch a new political party, thus k

Elon Says He’s Launching ‘the America Party’ to Compete With Democrats and Republicans If Budget Bill Passes

Elon Musk is threatening to launch his own political party called the America Party if President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” passes. And while the billionaire oligarch already suggested the idea almost a month ago after his falling out with Trump, he seems serious this time. “If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” Musk tweeted on Monday. “Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actual

Trump’s FTC announces merger condition that prohibits advertising boycotts

The Federal Trade Commission is approving a merger of big advertising agencies after extracting an agreement that the combined firm won't lead or participate in any advertising boycotts based on political or ideological viewpoints. The merger condition is a new strategy in the Republican-controlled FTC's fight against alleged advertising boycotts, which could help Elon Musk's X social network and President Trump's own Truth Social platform. The FTC proposal surfaced in a news report earlier thi

Trump’s FTC will approve an ad merger — with a gift to Elon Musk’s X

is a senior policy reporter at The Verge, covering the intersection of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill. She spent 5 years covering tech policy at CNBC, writing about antitrust, privacy, and content moderation reform. The all-Republican Federal Trade Commission agreed to approve a $13.5 billion ad merger if it includes a ban on steering ad dollars away from platforms or publishers based on “political or ideological viewpoints.” The order, which was reported by The New York Times earlier this mon

What Trump’s New FCC Pick Means for You

After 10 days with only two members, the Senate confirmed Republican Olivia Trusty to the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. That brings the total number of commissioners up to three, ending a brief period where the FCC didn’t meet the quorum threshold for what’s typically a five-person panel. In a one-week period at the beginning of June, Republican Nathan Simington and Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks both resigned from the FCC. Trusty was previously a staffer for Sen. Roger

Isaacman’s bold plan for NASA: Nuclear ships, seven-crew Dragons, accelerated Artemis

Nearly two weeks have passed since Jared Isaacman received a fateful, brief phone call from two officials in President Trump's Office of Personnel Management. In those few seconds, the trajectory of his life over the next three and a half years changed dramatically. The president, the callers said, wanted to go in a different direction for NASA's administrator. At the time, Isaacman was within days of a final vote on the floor of the US Senate and assured of bipartisan support. He had run the g

Tesla Drivers Sue Elon Musk for Turning Their Cars Into "Extreme" Right-Wing Symbols

"Tesla branded vehicles have become strong political symbols and now appear to be veritable extreme-right 'totems.'" The Implications Tesla drivers in France are suing Elon Musk's EV maker for turning their vehicles into what they characterize as "extreme-right" symbols. As news agency France 24 reports, the owners are demanding that their lease contracts be terminated and reimbursed for the accrued legal costs. "Because of Elon Musk's actions... Tesla branded vehicles have become strong pol

Study of TikTok, X ‘For You’ feeds in Germany finds far-right political bias ahead of federal elections

Recommendation algorithms operated by social media giants TikTok and X have shown evidence of substantial far-right political bias in Germany ahead of a federal election that takes place Sunday, according to new research carried out by Global Witness. The non-government organization (NGO) undertook an analysis of social media content displayed to new users via algorithmically sorted “For You” feeds — finding both platforms skewed heavily toward amplifying content that favors the far-right AfD p