The News

 Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk’s hand gesture during a speech on United States President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day has drawn widespread criticism and comparisons to a Nazi salute.

The owner of X and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla appeared at a rally for Trump’s supporters on Monday at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

This was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilisation,” Musk said during his speech.

“This one really mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you,” he said.

Musk then touched the left side of his chest with his right hand and extended his arm upward, repeating the motion to the crowd behind him.

“My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured,” he said as he finished the gesture.

Many took to social media to condemn the action, describing it as reminiscent of a Nazi salute used by supporters of German dictator Adolf Hitler.

Musk slammed the criticism and wrote on X that “the ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”

Here’s what we know about the salute, its history and why Musk’s gesture has sparked controversy:

What’s the response to Musk’s salute?

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of history and fascism at New York University, wrote on X that the gesture was a “Nazi salute – and a very belligerent one too”.

But the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which tracks anti-Semitism, disagreed with claims that Musk had performed a Nazi salute and instead said the tech mogul had made an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm”.

Aaron Astor, a history professor at Maryville College in Tennessee, supported the ADL’s position and said on X that it was “not a Nazi salute”.

“This is a socially awkward autistic man’s wave to the crowd where he says ‘my heart goes out to you,'” he added.

However, Musk’s actions appear to have enthused neo-Nazi and white nationalist groups.

Rolling Stone magazine wrote that Christopher Pohlhaus, leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, posted the video of Musk making the gesture on Telegram with the caption: “I don’t care if this was a mistake. I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.”

What is the history behind the gesture?

The Nazi salute, also known as the Heil Hitler salute, consisting of an outstretched right arm with the palm down, was used as an official greeting in Nazi Germany.

But the gesture dates back to a salute that is said to have been used in ancient Rome.

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who aimed to restore the country to imperial Rome, adopted the gesture in 1925.

By 1926, the gesture was being used by members of the Nazi party in Germany, and its use was made compulsory within the party.

What is the Bellamy salute?

In 1892, American Christian minister Francis Bellamy wrote the US Pledge of Allegiance to boost patriotism.

As the pledge quickly became popular, a magazine called the Youth Companion, where Bellamy worked, decided to create a salute to go with the words.

Named the Bellamy salute, it consisted of a straight right arm angled slightly upward and a faced-down palm.

The salute continued to be used across the US with no controversy until World War II when the US entered the war against the axis powers, including Germany and Italy.

With discomfort growing in the US that the Bellamy salute could be misinterpreted as pledging allegiance to Hitler and Mussolini, the US Congress amended the Flag Code in December 1942, changing the salute to placing a right hand over the heart.

Where is the Nazi salute banned?

Shortly after World War II, Germany banned the salute and any displays of Nazi insignia, which are punishable by three years in prison.

Austria also passed laws against the Nazi party and insignia shortly after the war.

In January 2024, Australia banned the Nazi salute, Nazi swastika and double lightning bolt insignia associated with the Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary group under Hitler.

In Canada, France and Switzerland, Nazi gestures can be considered hate speech.

However, in the US, salutes are not banned due to the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and gives significant protections to hate speech.

Has Musk backed figures with Nazi links?

Musk in the past has been accused of being soft on anti-Semitism.

In 2023, Musk endorsed a post on X that accused Jews of hating white people, describing that claim as the “actual truth”.

The ADL slammed Musk’s post, calling it “profoundly disturbing” that Musk engaged with a “highly toxic, antisemitic campaign on his platform”.

Musk later stated that he and X were opposed to all forms of anti-Semitism.

However, in recent months, Musk has backed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in February’s general election. In May, AfD leader Bjorn Hocke was fined for saying, “Everything for Germany!” in a speech in 2021, a slogan used by Nazi paramilitary forces and now banned in the country.

Musk has also backed the British far-right, anti-immigration party Reform UK. Before the United Kingdom’s general election in July, a Reform UK candidate came under fire after he claimed that the country would have been “far better” if it had taken Hitler’s “offer of neutrality” and not got involved in World War II.

Musk is also close friends with right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was once a youth leader of the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement.

Meirav Leshem Gonen, the mother of Romi Gonen, who is being released today from Hamas captivity, says in a WhatsApp group for those working to secure her daughter’s release that she is “at peak emotion,” and that “real healing” will soon begin, according to Ynet.

“The list [of hostages to be released today] arrived and with it the official announcement, and we are at peak emotion. Soon we will see our loved ones, meet with our Roni and begin real healing,” the message reads.

 Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday dispelled the notion that President-elect Donald Trump would bring TikTok back early in his second term without the company's willingness to sell to a U.S.-based owner.

"I think we will enforce the law," Johnson told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, a day after Trump told NBC News that he would "most likely" give TikTok a 90-day extension to operate in the U.S.

Johnson's remarks come just hours after TikTok halted operations in the U.S., cutting user access to the app. At the same time, Apple, Google and Microsoft removed the app from app stores, preventing new users from downloading it.

A bipartisan bill passed last year and signed by President Joe Biden went into effect Sunday, effectively banning TikTok from the U.S. if the app, which is owned by the Chinese-based company ByteDance, isn't sold to a U.S.-based owner.

In the last few months, TikTok made a last-ditch effort with the Supreme Court to save themselves from the ban, but the court upheld the law on Friday.

Trump, who supported banning TikTok during his first term, has now emerged in favor of keeping the app running in the U.S. Before the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case, Trump's team filed a brief asking the court to hit pause on the law, saying it would give his new administration time to find a solution.

The ban went into effect the day before Trump's inauguration to a second term.

On Saturday, the president-elect told NBC News he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid a ban once he takes office, something that the senators specifically disagreed with in their statement.

"I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at," Trump said in a phone interview. "The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation."

Johnson noted that he believed that in the last few months, Trump has been referring to a plan to bring the app back via a sale, not as it operates now.

"When President Trump issued the Truth [Social] post and said, 'Save Tiktok,' the way we read that is that he’s going to try to force along a true divestiture, changing of hands, the ownership," Johnson said Sunday.

"It’s not the platform that members of Congress are concerned about. It’s the Chinese Communist Party and their manipulation of the algorithms — they have been flooding the minds of American children with terrible messages glorifying violence and anti-semitism and even suicide and eating disorders. I mean, crazy kinds of stuff, and they’re mining the data of American citizens. It’s a very dangerous thing," he added.

Shortly before Johnson's comments, Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., broke with Trump, too, celebrating the app’s ban that went into effect Sunday.

“We commend Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for following the law and halting operations with ByteDance and TikTok, and we encourage other companies to do the same. The law, after all, risks ruinous bankruptcy for any company who violates it,” Cotton and Ricketts wrote in a statement.

“Now that the law has taken effect, there’s no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date. For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that satisfies the law’s qualified-divestiture requirements by severing all ties between TikTok and Communist China,” they added.

The law on the books doesn't grant the president the authority to make a 90-day extension without guarantees that ByteDance is actually seeking to sell the app to a U.S.-based company.

"The President may grant a one-time extension of not more than 90 days ... if the President certifies to Congress that— (A) a path to executing a qualified divestiture has been identified with respect to such application," the law says, adding that there must be "evidence of significant progress" towards a sale, which include "the relevant binding legal agreements to enable" a sale.

On Sunday, Johnson said that he doesn't have "any confidence in ByteDance."

"The law is very precise, and the only way to extend that is if there is an actual deal in the works," Johnson added. "I think President Trump is probably intrigued by all this and he likes to make deals, as you know. So we're very hopeful that that can happen, and that 270 million American people who enjoy the platform can enjoy it, but enjoy it safely and not have their data being mined by our nation's enemy.

 A fire was confirmed at the Vistra Power Plant in Moss Landing on Thursday, forcing evacuations and closing roads in the area.

The fire was reported shortly after 3 p.m. The building was evacuated when the fire started. All Vistra employees, law and fire personnel are safe, per the County of Monterey.

Firefighters are not engaging the fire and are waiting for it to burn out on its own. It is unknown how long the fire will last.

KSBW's Joyce Kim said that as of early Friday morning, the flames have died down considerably, compared to Thursday afternoon, but there is still smoke and the fire is still burning in the area.

Emergency responders are staged in the area.

A spokesperson with the Monterey County Sheriff's Office told KSBW 8 that 40% of the battery plant has burned.

The County of Monterey’s Board of Supervisors will hold an emergency meeting at the Castroville Library at 8:30 a.m. Friday to discuss the fire. Fire officials and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. to give an update.

Moments Fire Erupted in Moss Landing

Play Video

The owner of the battery plant, Vistra, gave the following statement to KSBW 8:

"There is an ongoing fire at our Moss Landing Power Plant site. Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders.

"Earlier this afternoon, Vistra personnel called for assistance from the North Monterey County Fire District after a fire was detected in the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility at the Moss Landing Power Plant site. All site personnel were safely evacuated.    

"The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished."

Earlier on Thursday afternoon, Vistra personnel called for assistance from the North Monterey County Fire District after a fire was detected in the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility at the Moss Landing Power Plant site. All site personnel were safely evacuated.    

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished.

The county of Monterey sent the following message to residents in the area:

"North County Fire Department is currently responding to a fire at Moss Landing Power Plant. Out of an abundance of caution, the fire department urges residents in Zones MRY-B047 and MRY-B053 to close windows and doors and shut off air systems until further notice. Residents are also requested to stay out of the area to allow for access of emergency vehicles."

See what zone you are in, HERE.

"Santa Cruz County Public Health officials advise residents to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, limit outdoor exposure, and turn off ventilation systems. Monitor local news and social media for additional updates. Further information will be provided as the situation changes," according to a CruzAware message sent out to Santa Cruz County residents.

Monterey County health officials have also advised residents to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, limit outdoor exposure, and turn off ventilation systems

San Benito County says there is no immediate threat to residents in the county.

"We are monitoring closely and in contact with the National Weather Service and neighboring counties and following their recommendations," said the county.

Road Closures

• Caltrans says both ways of Highway 1 at Salinas Road is currently closed due to a fire at the Moss Landing power plant. Use Highway 101 instead advises CHP.
• Hard closure at Highway 183 (Merritt Road)
• Hard closure at Dolan Road at Castroville Boulevard.
• Highway 1 at Struve Road is closed.
• Paradise at Walker Valley Road.
• Elkhorn at Bayview Road.
• Elkhorn at Walker Valley Road.
• Elkhorn at Strawberry Road.
• Elkhorn at Hidden Valley Road.
• Elkhorn Rd between Kirby Road and Wauh Road.
• Elkhorn at the intersection of Hall Road at the fire station.
• Russo Road at Dolan Road
• Trafton Road to Bluff Road

There is no estimate for when the roads will be reopened.

Evacuation Orders

There are now evacuation orders for areas off Moss Landing south of Elkhorn Slough, north of Molera Road and Monterey Dunes Way and west of Castroville Boulevard and Elkhorn Road to the ocean.

There are 1,214 people in the evacuation zone, per the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. A total of 7,676 acres are under evacuation. The Sheriff's office says they have completed their evacuations.

School Closures

North Monterey County Unified School District announced that all of its schools and district offices are closed on Friday. There is a holiday on Monday, but after that, they will assess whether they need to remain closed.

Hartnell College will also close its Castroville Education Center on Friday due to the fire.

Pajaro Valley Unified School District said all its schools will remain open on Friday. It will monitor air quality and will update families with any updates.

Director-writer David Lynch, who radicalized American film with with a dark, surrealistic artistic vision in films like “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and network television with “Twin Peaks,” has died. He was 78.

Lynch revealed in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after a lifetime of smoking, and would likely not be able to leave his house to direct any longer. His family announced his death in a Facebook post, writing, “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.'”

The “Twin Peaks” TV show and films such as “Blue Velvet,” “Lost Highway” and “Mulholland Drive” melded elements of horror, film noir, the whodunit and classical European surrealism. Lynch wove tales, not unlike those of his Spanish predecessor Luis Bunuel, which proceeded with their own impenetrable logic.

A four-time Oscar nominee, Lynch received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2020.

After years spent as a painter and a maker of short animated and live action films, Lynch burst onto the scene with his 1977 feature debut “Eraserhead,” a horrific, black-humored work that became a disturbing fixture on the midnight movie circuit. His outré and uncompromising style quickly won the attention of the Hollywood and international movie-making establishment.

He was hired by Mel Brooks’ production company to write and direct “The Elephant Man,” a deeply affecting drama about a horrifically deformed sideshow freak in Victorian England who became a national celebrity. The feature captured eight Academy Award nominations, including Lynch’s first for best director.

He found less success with his 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sprawling science fiction novel “Dune.” The production, made on a budget of $40 million during an arduous three-year shoot, was a colossal box office flop.

However, Lynch rebounded from the disaster with two films that defined his mature style: “Blue Velvet” (1986), a frightening hellride through the psychosexual underbelly of a small American town, and the sexed-up, violent road movie “Wild at Heart” (1990), which was honored with the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or.

In 1990, he revolutionized American episodic TV with “Twin Peaks,” a series he created with writer Mark Frost. With action springing from the investigation of a high school girl’s mysterious murder in a Washington lumber mill town, the weekly ABC show plumbed disquieting, theretofore taboo subject matter and made the inexplicable a fixture of modern narrative television.

Lynch’s first feature after “Twin Peaks,” 1990’s “Wild at Heart,” was an oddball exodus, based on a novel by Barry Gifford, in which an Elvis-fixated ex-con (Nicolas Cage) and his hot-to-trot girlfriend (Laura Dern) are pursued by the murderous minions of the girl’s jealous mother (Dern’s own mother Diane Ladd). Domestic reaction was mixed to the gory, sexually frank mix of “Detour” and “The Wizard of Oz,” but the Cannes jury was wowed.

Lynch’s association with Gifford continued with “Lost Highway,” for which the two collaborated on an original screenplay. A doppelganger murder mystery that foreshadowed “Mulholland Drive,” the disquieting, brutally effective thriller starred Bill Pullman, Balthazar Getty and Patricia Arquette as the players in a homicidal foursome.

After spending most of the decade on the far side of narrative coherence, Lynch came back down to earth with “The Straight Story,” the first feature in which he took no hand in writing. In the incongruously Disney-distributed picture, based on a true story, Richard Farnsworth starred as an Iowa man who drives from Iowa to Wisconsin on a power mower to visit his seriously ill brother.

Though not a major hit, the film was critically well received, and proved to Lynch’s naysayers that he was capable of bringing life to material that was not extravagantly outrageous. Farnsworth received an Oscar nomination for his performance; the veteran actor and stunt man, who was suffering from terminal prostate cancer during the production of the film, died by suicide in 2000.

 Nintendo has finally announced its successor to the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2.

In a video, below, Nintendo showed off the functionality of the next-gen console in vague terms, with a tease of more information to come via a Nintendo Direct dated April 2.

Unfortunately, Nintendo did not announce a Switch 2 release date, but did say the console will be available in 2025. Nintendo also failed to announce a price. In fact, there remain a number of details we still don't know yet, such as software launch line-up. However, the video showed a new Mario Kart.

Rumors about Nintendo's next system have been persistent for several years now, coming to a head in recent weeks as details about the console's physical form and even its motherboard began to leak via various accessory makers. In particular, this reveal confirms many of the details the leaks had recently converged on, including the console essentially being a slightly larger Nintendo Switch with magnetically connected Joy-Con and the apparent ability to use the Joy-Con as a mouse.

We also learned from Nintendo itself late last year that the Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible, and the video confirms the Switch 2 plays both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games, as well as Switch 2 exclusive games. Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2, however.

Nintendo Switch 2 - First Look

28 Images

Nintendo will also hold Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events, where consumers can go hands-on with Nintendo Switch 2 in cities around the world. A Nintendo Account is necessary to participate.

Nintendo Switch 2 Experience host cities and schedule. All dates are local.

North America:

• New York, April 4-6, 2025
• Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025
• Dallas, April 25-27, 2025
• Toronto, April 25-27, 2025

Europe:

• Paris, April 4-6, 2025
• London, April 11-13, 2025
• Milan, April 25-27, 2025
• Berlin, April 25-27, 2025
• Madrid, May 9-11, 2025
• Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025

Oceania:

• Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025

Asia:

• Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025
• Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025
• Hong Kong, To be announced
• Taipei, To be announced