| | | | | Mentioned in this edition: Ben Shapiro, Elon Musk, Jack Posobiec, Vivek Ramaswamy, Dave Smith, Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian, Douglas Murray, Glenn Greenwald, Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr., Alex Soros, GARM, the anti-Israel right, junk food subsidies, and more. | | Have tips? Send them to me at ari@upward.news |
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| | | 🔎 WHAT WE'RE WATCHING | 👀 Is it happening again? The last time Elon Musk shocked everyone by buying something no one saw coming was with Twitter. Fast forward, and he's now a significant ally of Donald Trump following a landslide victory. Now, with Comcast eager to unload its struggling media assets, including the floundering MSNBC, Musk and his team are again eyeing a potential purchase, with Musk bluntly asking, "How much does it cost?" | 📈 Shortly after Election Day, Jack Posobiec mentioned he was assembling a group of conservative investors to discuss buying MSNBC. With Elon Musk's net worth hitting $350 billion this week, he has the means to make it happen — and given his track record, he just might. Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy has also eyed the revamp of struggling progressive outlets, having purchased a 10 percent controlling stake in BuzzFeed. However, it's still unclear what changes he's actually implemented there. | ✂️ The liberal media reckoning is far from over. The Associated Press plans to cut its workforce by 8 percent, with buyouts and layoffs on the horizon. While still the largest news wire service, it faces the same challenges as other outlets: trouble monetizing news and the self-inflicted damage of shrinking its audience due to bias. AllSides recently updated its rating of the AP, labeling it "Left," instead of perhaps the more desirable rating, "Center." | 🪦 The death of GARM will have a big impact on conservative media. GARM, the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, shut down after Elon Musk and X filed an antitrust lawsuit against it. The alliance was used as a tool to harm conservative media outlets, leading to boycotts that pressured corporate partners to withdraw their ad dollars from ideologically different publications. With GARM dissolved, many advertisers are now ending their practice of "policing" where their money goes. |
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| | | 🔴 WHO WE'RE WATCHING | Douglas Murray is everywhere. The bestselling author and conservative powerhouse is more popular than ever, both in the US and abroad. This week, he captivated a sold-out crowd of thousands in Jerusalem while speaking with Ben Shapiro. His influence is growing fast — he's now a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a Contributing Editor at City Journal. Since the October 7 attacks, Murray has become one of the most prominent voices on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The leftist Young Turks are shifting right. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian are having a moment. Months ago, Kasparian shocked The Young Turks audience with her views on crime, blaming Democrats for their failed policies. She openly admitted that after being assaulted by a homeless man, she changed her stance on progressive criminal reform policies. Now, Cenk Uygur, who became infamous for his meltdown during Trump's 2016 victory, told Elon Musk that he'd be willing to help the incoming administration cut the Pentagon budget and challenge wasteful spending by defense contractors. Both Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. were receptive to the idea. After facing backlash from Democrats, Uygur shot back, saying, "Who cares who does it as long as it gets done?!" Elon Musk's willingness to engage with individuals who have been openly hostile to his worldview is rare in politics. He continues to do so, even expressing interest in meeting Alex Soros, the son of George Soros. Alex now leads his father's political influence empire, which is powered by political spending and NGOs. "I would be curious to meet and understand your goals better," Musk wrote to Alex Soros on X. The anti-Israel right has mixed feelings about Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard, who is Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, has built her career as an anti-interventionist, even denouncing Trump's actions against Iran when he ordered the killing of their top general, Qasem Soleimani. Some on the anti-Israel right, like Dave Smith and Glenn Greenwald, celebrated Trump's decision to pick Gabbard. However, others, like Michael Tracey, are concerned. Tracey points to Gabbard's recent favorable rhetoric toward Israel and her participation in pro-Israel marches, raising doubts about whether she can be counted on as an ally. RFK Jr. wants to end subsidies for junk food. The health-conscious online right has long criticized unhealthy processed foods, including seed oils and other ultra-processed additives. As the leader of the MAHA movement, RFK Jr. is pushing to eliminate subsidies for foods like these, as well as food stamps that allow welfare recipients to purchase junk food with government funds. America's largest food manufacturers are deeply concerned about the potential impact of these changes.
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| | | Liberals escape to BlueSky's censorship bubble | When major social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter ramped up mass censorship during the pandemic and the 2020 election cycle, conservatives fled to alternatives where they could speak freely: Rumble, Parler, Gettr, Gab, Truth Social, among others… | | Become a member to read the rest. |
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