Deadspin, other media outlets ripped young Chiefs fan for wearing 'black face,' headdress. His mom says he's Native American.



Deadspin and other outlets have been hit with backlash after accusing a young Kansas City Chiefs fan of wearing "black face" at the Chiefs' away game Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Deadspin writer Carron J. Phillips used a photo for his piece showing only half of the kid's face, which was black.

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As most of us know by now, the other half of the kid's face was red — one of the Chiefs' team colors.

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Blaze News writer Carlos Garcia pointed out that Phillips, in his effort to double down against his critics, used a non-sequitur that accused them of hating Mexicans.

"For the idiots in my mentions who are treating this as some harmless act because the other side of his face was painted red, I could make the argument that it makes it even worse," he wrote in an X post, which now appears to have been deleted. "Y’all are the ones who hate Mexicans but wear sombreros on Cinco."

Elon Musk, owner of X, didn't seem to see things Phillips' way: "And another @CommunityNotes win exposing deception."

A whole new problem

Well, at least Phillips, Deadspin, and other outlets can fall back on their accusation that the young fan was at least guilty of cultural appropriation for wearing a headdress, right?

Not so fast.

Turns out the boy's mother, Shannon Armenta, stated on her Facebook page that her son actually is Native American.

A commenter on Shannon Armenta's Facebook page noted, "I think the funniest part is that he’s literally Chumash, too ... oh god I’m dying." Tawnee Armenta added: "I was dying reading all the comments on Reddit — up in arms. Cultural Appropriation, racism … I was cracking up. Literally a Native baby & his great uncle was an actual Tribal CHIEF!!! Go Lil Bud!!!! Do your thang!!!!! You’re famous now!!!!!"

Here's a clip of him in action at the Chiefs-Raiders game:

How are others reacting?

Musk added a much harsher assessment of Phillips in reaction to an End Wokeness post:

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Others are also up in arms over the controversy. To wit:

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Phillips' X page as of Wednesday afternoon didn't contain further commentary on his Deadspin piece. The New York Post said it has reached out to Phillips, Deadspin, and Shannon Armenta for comment.

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Media juggernaut Tucker Carlson crushes it on Twitter as latest video amasses nearly 23 million views within 24 hours



Tucker Carlson posted a video to Twitter on Tuesday in which he announced plans to launch a "new version" of his show on the social media platform — the video, which amassed 22.9 million views within 24 hours, marked Carlson's second recent video to blow up on the social media platform.

Last month after his show was nixed from the Fox News Channel lineup, Carlson posted a brief video on Twitter that has since earned more than 24 million views.

On the heels of Carlson's announcement that he plans to do a show on Twitter, Elon Musk noted that Carlson had not inked a deal with the company and will face the same rules and be eligible for the same benefits as other Twitter content creators.

"On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said," Musk tweeted. "And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes. I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators. Rewards means subscriptions and advertising revenue share (coming soon), which is a function of how many people subscribe and the advertising views associated with the content."

Musk also said he would like left-wing figures to share their content on Twitter too.

"I hope that many others, particularly from the left, also choose to be content creators on this platform," he wrote.

\u201cOn this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said. \n\nAnd, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes. \n\nI also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is\u2026\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1683675097

Musk even wrote to liberal media personality Don Lemon, suggesting that he host a show on Twitter.

"Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger," Musk wrote.

Lemon had long been with CNN, but last month, the company announced that "CNN and Don have parted ways."

Lemon issued a statement in which he said he had been "terminated."

\u201c@donlemon Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger.\u201d
— Don Lemon (@Don Lemon) 1682352854

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'Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators': Elon Musk says Twitter did not sign a deal with Tucker Carlson



After Tucker Carlson announced that he will be launching a show on Twitter soon, Elon Musk noted that the social media platform did not ink a deal with Carlson, who will face the same rules and be eligible for the same benefits as other content creators on the platform.

Musk also expressed his hope that left-wing figures will also choose to share their content on Twitter.

"On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said. And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes. I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators," Musk wrote.

"Rewards means subscriptions and advertising revenue share (coming soon), which is a function of how many people subscribe and the advertising views associated with the content. I hope that many others, particularly from the left, also choose to be content creators on this platform," he added.

\u201cOn this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said. \n\nAnd, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes. \n\nI also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is\u2026\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1683675097


Carlson has been off the air for more than two weeks since Fox News Media claimed in a press release that the network and Carlson had "agreed to part ways." Carlson did not appear to anticipate the announcement because he signed off on what turned out to be his final episode by saying, "We'll be back on Monday." Reports indicate that Carlson is still under contract with the outlet, but Axios has reported that a letter from Carlson's lawyers to Fox positions the media figure to contend that the noncompete provision of his contract does not remain valid.

Carlson released a video on Tuesday in which he announced his intent to do a "new version" of his show on Twitter.

"Free speech is the main right that you have. Without it you have no others," Carlson said.

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado responded to Carlson's announcement by tweeting, "Now the important message that Tucker shares will be accessible to the entire world via Twitter. This is a monumental moment. Cannot wait to see this!"

"I can't wait for @TuckerCarlson’s new show on Twitter," Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia tweeted. "The truth will be unstoppable."

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Biden's 'fair share' tax tweet instantly challenged; Elon Musk weighs in with enlightening fact check



President Biden's Saturday tweet suggesting average billionaires do not pay their "fair share" of taxes was quickly challenged by fellow Twitter users and by Twitter's CEO, Elon Musk.

"Look, I think you should be able to be a billionaire if you can earn it, but just pay your fair share," Biden tweeted Saturday.

"I think you ought to pay a minimum of 25%. It's about basic fairness," the tweet concluded.

Biden included a graphic containing a paraphrased message delivered during the State of the Union address February 7.

"No billionaire should be paying a lower tax than somebody working as a schoolteacher or firefighter," the graphic said, adding that "average billionaires" pay three percent.

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Elon Musk, the billionaire who owns Twitter and Tesla, responded to Biden's tweet with a personal fact check.
"I paid 53% taxes on my Tesla stock options (40% Federal & 13% state), so I must be lifting the average!" Musk tweeted, in part.

"I also paid more income tax than anyone ever in the history of Earth for 2021 and will do that again in 2022," Musk also wrote.

Musk wrapped the tweet by tagging @CommunityNotes inquiring about the accuracy of the 3% figure Biden cited.

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In 2021, Elon Musk tweeted that he would pay more than $11 billion in taxes for the year.

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In a second tweet Saturday, Musk said he agreed "everyone should pay taxes and not engage in elaborate tax-avoidance schemes." He then joked about how other "billionaires" are "good at avoiding taxes" and said "we should get rid of GRATs, but maybe other things, too."

GRATs are Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts. A GRAT is a "financial instrument used in estate planning to minimize taxes on large financial gifts to family members," according to Investopedia.

Biden's tweet, which garnered 14.7 million views as of Sunday morning, now sports a "Community Note" which assesses the tweet as "inaccurate."

Twitter's Community Notes feature "aims to create a better-informed world, by empowering people on Twitter to collaboratively add helpful notes to Tweets that might be misleading," according to the social media platform's description.

The Community Note includes links to three fact-checking sources that essentially debunk the figures Biden provided.

"This claim has been repeatedly assessed as inaccurate. It relies on a theoretical calculation that treats unrealized capital gains (increase in the value of unsold stocks) as income even though current tax law does not. (Taxes occur once stocks are sold for profit.)," the Community Note says.

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'Be better': CNN scolds Elon Musk over satirical post mocking the outlet



CNN scolded Elon Musk for tweeting a satirical post mocking the media outlet.

Musk shared an image that features CNN's Don Lemon, a picture of Musk, and a chyron that reads, "ELON MUSK COULD THREATEN FREE SPEECH ON TWITTER BY ALLOWING PEOPLE TO SPEAK FREELY." A headline similarly reads, "CNN: Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter by literally allowing people to speak freely."

"This headline never appeared on CNN. Be better," the CNN Communications Twitter account replied.

"Lmaoooo," Musk responded.

\u201c@elonmusk This headline never appeared on CNN. Be better.\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1669630162

Earlier this year, the Associated Press reported that the image was from Genesius Times, a satire site. A note appended to Musk's tweet links to the AP piece. "@CommunityNotes FTW!" Musk wrote in a reply to his tweet, using an abbreviation that means "for the win."

"It's a fabricated image and not an actual report from CNN," Emily Kuhn, senior director of communications at CNN Digital Worldwide, told the AP via email.

Musk has indicated that he wants Twitter to be a forum for free speech. Since taking over the social media company, he has already reinstated some previously suspended accounts, including the account of former President Donald Trump.

Musk has indicated that he there will be a mass amnesty for suspended accounts. "Currently suspended accounts will be enabled slowly next week after manual review to determine whether they have potentially broken the law or engaged in spam. Twitter will be a forum for the peaceful exchange of views," Musk tweeted on Friday. The business tycoon had run a Twitter poll on the proposal, and a majority of the votes supported the idea of granting amnesty to accounts that had not violated the law or perpetrated "egregious spam."

\u201cThe people have spoken.\n\nAmnesty begins next week.\n\nVox Populi, Vox Dei.\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1669225589

Musk tweeted on Monday that, "Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won't tell us why."

Last week, Musk indicated that if Apple and Google were to ban Twitter from their app stores, he would create "an alternative phone."

"If Apple & Google boot Twitter from their app stores, @elonmusk should produce his own smartphone," conservative commentator Liz Wheeler tweeted.

"I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone," Musk replied.

\u201c@Liz_Wheeler I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone\u201d
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz Wheeler) 1669404144