'Elon took my blue check away!' Reactions pour in as Twitter yanks legacy verification badges



Media figures, celebrities, and others lost their legacy Twitter verification badges on Thursday.

The social media platform previously provided the badges for free to people like journalists and celebrities, but now with Elon Musk at the helm, the company provides verification badges to people who pay to subscribe to Twitter Blue. Organizations can pay for verification as well. Government figures and entities now get gray verification badges.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York sounded the alarm, claiming that the new checkmark system lays the groundwork for "major potential harm" to result due to confusion about which accounts are real and which are fake.

"Jokes aside, this is setting the stage for major potential harm when a natural disaster hits and no one knows what agencies, reporters, or outlets are real. Not long ago we had major flash floods. We had to mobilize trusted info fast to save lives. Today just made that harder," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

The congresswoman was retweeting someone who shared a screenshot of a fake New York account claiming to be the city's official account.

"This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government," the real account tweeted on Thursday.

"No, you're not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government," a fake account replied.

The fake account has been suspended and a gray verification badge currently appears on the city's official account.

\u201cJokes aside, this is setting the stage for major potential harm when a natural disaster hits and no one knows what agencies, reporters, or outlets are real.\n\nNot long ago we had major flash floods. We had to mobilize trusted info fast to save lives. Today just made that harder\u201d
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1682027688

Outspoken left-wing celebrity Bette Midler referred to Musk as a "worm," tweeting, "Elon took my blue check away! I'm unverified! After all these years and thousands of tweets and free content, this worm has the nerve to de-certify me!"

"So by revoking my blue check mark because I wouldn’t pay some arbitrary fee, someone can just be me and say a bunch of bull****. Does that mean Twitter and @elonmusk are liable for defamation or identity theft or fraud?" Alyssa Milano asked.

Even Elmo, a character from the children's program Seasame Street, lamented the loss of the verification badge.

"Elmo will miss you, little blue check mark. But don’t worry everybody, Elmo is still Elmo!" the character's account tweeted.

\u201cElmo will miss you, little blue check mark. But don\u2019t worry everybody, Elmo is still Elmo! \u2764\ufe0f\u201d
— Elmo (@Elmo) 1682030939

Elon Musk indicated that he is personally paying for Twitter Blue subscriptions for NBA player LeBron James, actor William Shatner, and author Stephen King.

\u201c@PopBase Just Shatner, LeBron and King\u201d
— Pop Base (@Pop Base) 1682034691

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Herschel Walker shines in debate, exposes Warnock's leftist record: 'Instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?'



Republican challenger Herschel Walker of Georgia outperformed expectations in the first major debate of his political career. Walker is vying for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Democrat Raphael Warnock, who was elected in a runoff two years ago.

On Friday, the two candidates met on stage for their first and only debate. They were asked questions about a wide range of issues, including abortion, packing the U.S. Supreme Court, high gas prices, and recent spikes in violent crime. Walker managed to land several figurative blows on the incumbent, and clips of his performance have since gone viral.

Perhaps Walker's most memorable moment came when he attacked Warnock, a Christian pastor, for his support for abortion without limitations.

"[Sen. Warnock] told me that black lives matter," Walker said. "And if you think about it, Senator, in Atlanta, Georgia, there's more black babies that is aborted than anything. So, if black lives matter, why are you not protecting those babies? And instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?"

\u201cHerschel Walker (R): \u201cIf Black Lives Matter, why are you not protecting those babies, and instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?\u201d\n\nSen. Raphael Warnock (D): \u201cI think the women of Georgia have a clear choice.\u201d\u201d
— The Recount (@The Recount) 1665790058

Walker has made his Christian faith a central component of his campaign. In his opening remarks, he reaffirmed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and frequently referenced Christian values as the basis for his worldview. When asked whether he paid for a woman to abort his child in 2009, Walker denied the accusation and explained in part, "[O]n abortion, you know, I'm a Christian. I believe in life."

But abortion was not the only issue on which Walker challenged Warnock. He claimed that Warnock has voted to support the agenda of President Joe Biden 96% of the time. He also tied Warnock to Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, contrasting his own friendship and loyalty to former President Trump to the lack of loyalty shown to those in Afghanistan and those U.S. servicemen and women who died or were injured in the withdrawal.

"President Trump is my friend," Walker said. "I won't leave my allies, which is what Senator Warnock and Joe Biden did in Afghanistan. They left their allies."

\u201cModerator: "Would you support a Trump 2024 run?"\n\nHerschel Walker: "Yes I would. President Trump is my friend I won't leave my allies, which is what Senator Warnock and Joe Biden did in Afghanistan."\u201d
— Becker News (@Becker News) 1665811629

Walker blamed Warnock and Biden for rising gas prices and called for a return to the energy independence America enjoyed under Trump.

\u201cHerschel Walker on how to start lowering prices: \u201cFirst of all, we got to become energy independent again.\u201d #GASenDebate\u201d
— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1665789801

Walker also mentioned that Warnock's Ebenezer Baptist Church has reportedly been sued by former tenants who claim that church leaders evicted them for as little as $28.55 in late rent, even as the church allegedly gives Warnock, a senior pastor, a housing allowance of more than $7,400 a month.

Warnock attacked Walker as well. In an especially dramatic moment, Warnock accused his opponent of having pretended to be a police officer, a statement which prompted cheers from supporters in the audience. Walker then pulled a badge from his pocket to demonstrate an affiliation with law enforcement, a move that debate moderators chastised as against the rules.

\u201cSen. Raphael Warnock (D): \u201cOne thing I have not done \u2014 I have never pretended to be a police officer, and I\u2019ve never threatened a shootout with the police.\u201d\n\nIn response, Herschel Walker (R) pulled out a prop badge: \u201cI am work with many police officers.\u201d\u201d
— Heartland Signal (@Heartland Signal) 1665791461

The exact nature of the badge and its authenticity are unknown.

Last month, Walker, a political rookie, seemed to try to temper expectations about his future debate performance, insisting to reporters, "I'm a country boy. I'm not that smart. He's a preacher. (Warnock) is smart and wears these nice suits. So, he is going to show up and embarrass me at the debate Oct. 14th, and I'm just waiting to show up and I will do my best."

However, the former Heisman Trophy winner appeared to use his southern drawl and folksy manner of speaking to his advantage, establishing himself as a true Georgian, not a global elitist.

The Walker/Warnock race remains tight. The RealClearPolitics polling average has Warnock with a 3.3-point advantage. No polling data has been released since the debate.