Move On – January 28, 2025

Posted on January 28, 2025

A CBS affiliate fired meteorologist Sam Kuffel after she criticized Elon Musk for gesturing in what resembled a Nazi salute. Sign the petition to demand they reinstate her NOW!

Dear MoveOn member,

During Donald Trump’s inauguration, tech billionaire and richest man in the world Elon Musk—who spent more than $250 million to help elect Trump—gave a speech to the crowd in which he gestured, twice, with what resembled a Nazi salute. Not only has Musk refused to apologize for the association, whether it was intentional or unintentional—he has actually doubled down since the backlash, attending a rally for the far-right Alternative for Germany, trivializing the Holocaust, and posting offensive puns on X.¹

Sam Kuffel expressed criticism of Musk and his salute on her personal Instagram account. Her employer, CBS 58, was alerted to the post and she was swiftly fired from her position as a meteorologist. All for expressing her private views on her private social media account.

While billionaire Musk evades any accountability for his actions, everyday people like Kuffel have to fear for their livelihoods for speaking out as private citizens in the face of extreme hate. Nearly 90% of readers who took a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel poll disagree with CBS 58’s decision to fire Kuffel.²

Add your name to the petition to urge CBS 58 and their parent company, Weigel Broadcasting, to reverse this decision NOW!

Private citizens should be able to express dissent without retaliation or firing. Add your name to urge CBS 58 to stand on the right side of history and reinstate Sam Kuffel

Sign the petition

Musk’s controversial salute has been praised by people like Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist and Hitler admirer who was excited about Musk’s perceived “straight-up sieg heil, like loving Hitler energy.”³ It bears noting that Musk reinstated Fuentes’ account on X after it was previously suspended for antisemitic hate speech.⁴

Musk doesn’t care that his gestures and remarks are being celebrated by neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Meanwhile, everyday people are facing backlash for speaking out against him. Will you sign the petition?

Musk’s gestures, remarks, and posts take place during an increase in neo-Nazi and white supremacist demonstrations across the United States.⁵ And many of these same groups are celebrating Trump and the rise of the far right. Shortly after the election, neo-Nazis gathered outside a community theater production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” in Michigan, cheering for both Hitler and Trump.⁶

In the face of rising hate, President Donald Trump’s silence is significant—and the actions of Musk are indefensible. We need more people like Sam Kuffel speaking out and fighting back against hate. And they should be able to do so without being punished or experiencing retaliation.

Will you sign the petition and let CBS 58 know that the general public SUPPORTS Sam Kuffel and the right of private citizens to safely express dissent?

The rise in neo-Nazi and white supremacist demonstrations coincides with an increase in hate crimes in cities across the country, like New York, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix.⁷ As hate groups are given more platforms to amplify their agenda, and their ideologies are endorsed by mainstream figures, violence can and does follow.⁸

David Moskovic, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor, expressed his concerns upon seeing Musk’s gesture on a national stage, stating: “I would have never thought this would happen in my lifetime, and it’s happening. It’s scary what’s happening right now in the United States.”⁹

When Musk was confronted with the impact of his actions and the trauma they evoked in people like Moskovic, instead of apologizing, Musk lashed out, trivialized the Holocaust, and joked about Nazis. We should all be able to call it like it is and say that his behavior is unacceptable, without risking our livelihoods.

https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/reinstate-meteorologist-sam-kuffel

Thanks for all you do.

–Aliya, Corinne, Evelyn, Emily, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “Jewish non-profit chief says Musk will spur violence with his ‘Nazi salute,'” The Guardian, January 26, 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/26/elon-musk-far-right-antisemitism

2. “Channel 58 fired meteorologist Sam Kuffel over Musk comments. What do you think? | Opinion,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 24, 2025
https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/01/23/milwaukee-sam-kuffel-fired-elon-musk-gesture/77906174007/

3. “Elon Musk doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt,” Vox, January 24, 2025
https://www.vox.com/politics/396535/elon-musk-nazi-salute-trump-inauguration

4. “Elon Musk to reinstate X account of white nationalist Nick Fuentes,” Axios, May 3, 2024
https://www.axios.com/2024/05/03/elon-musk-nick-fuentes-x-account

5. “White Supremacist Incidents Are Rising Across the U.S.,” The New York Times, November 21, 2024
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/us/trump-neo-nazi-anti-government-groups.html

6. “Neo-Nazis Are on the March Across America,” Wired, November 26, 2024
https://www.wired.com/story/neo-nazi-demonstrations-trump/

7. “Hate crimes reached record levels in 2023. Why ‘a perfect storm’ could push them higher,” USA Today, January 5, 2024
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/01/05/hate-crimes-hit-record-levels-in-2023-why-2024-could-be-even-worse/72118808007/

8. “Hate speech and real harm,” United Nations, accessed January 27, 2025
https://www.un.org/en/hate-speech/understanding-hate-speech/hate-speech-and-real-harm

9. “Auschwitz survivor says he was alarmed by Elon Musk’s gesture at Trump event,” Toronto Star, January 24, 2025
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/auschwitz-survivor-says-he-was-alarmed-by-elon-musks-gesture-at-trump-event/article_51a90c5f-7e5f-524d-91d3-49bf1ee2b5fe.html

You’re receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you. It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition here.

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	December 2025
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	1	2 Tri-cities Protest Tuesday Tri-cities Protest Tuesday December 2, 2025 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, Richland, WA 99352, USA "Protest Tuesday" at John Dam Plaza on GWay in Richland from 3:30pm to 4:30PM. Bring your own sign or flag or one will be provided. Join our stalwarts and protest whatever is bothering you most that day. If possible, also bring a donation for the Food Bank. https://www.facebook.com/events/999996418325987/999996484992647/ See more details Richland City Council Richland City Council December 2, 2025 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Richland City Hall, 505 Swift Blvd, Richland, WA 99352, USA See more details • •	3	4 Indivisible TC - Founder Hour, Thurs Indivisible TC - Founder Hour, Thurs December 4, 2025 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM The Zoom link can be found in the most recent Indivisible TC Do Something Email Newsletter. This is a Zoom meeting. The link to the meeting is provided in the weekly Do-Something email. When you join the organization at this link: https://www.indivisibletricitieswa.org/join-us , you will receive this newsletter. Join in and ask questions, get updates or just say hi! These are held every Thursday at 12pm and occasional weekends. See more details •	5	6 Volunteer Opportunity: ICE OUT OF TRI Door Knocking Volunteer Opportunity: ICE OUT OF TRI Door Knocking December 6, 2025 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Tri-Cities Socialists will be hosting a volunteer door-knocking this Saturday Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 7, both at 1pm, for our ICE Out of Tri campaign. We especially need bi-lingual and Spanish-speakers to attend. We will be distributing Know Your Rights info to neighborhoods currently at high risk of attacks by I.C.E., as well as inviting them to an organizing meeting where they can learn how to organize their communities for defense against I.C.E. as we have seen in communities from Portland, to Chicago, to Los Angeles, and beyond. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeb665yKfpDFxL43PocKg7ro30k8oWqNvL8qGIpUzs8YfqfPg/viewform See more details •
7 Volunteer Opportunity: ICE OUT OF TRI Door Knocking Volunteer Opportunity: ICE OUT OF TRI Door Knocking December 7, 2025 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Tri-Cities Socialists will be hosting a volunteer door-knocking this Saturday Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 7, both at 1pm, for our ICE Out of Tri campaign. We especially need bi-lingual and Spanish-speakers to attend. We will be distributing Know Your Rights info to neighborhoods currently at high risk of attacks by I.C.E., as well as inviting them to an organizing meeting where they can learn how to organize their communities for defense against I.C.E. as we have seen in communities from Portland, to Chicago, to Los Angeles, and beyond. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeb665yKfpDFxL43PocKg7ro30k8oWqNvL8qGIpUzs8YfqfPg/viewform See more details •	8 BCDCC Executive Board Meeting BCDCC Executive Board Meeting December 8, 2025 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Round Table Pizza 1769 Leslie Rd, Richland This meeting is for Benton County Party Officers and committee chairs as well as representatives of regional LPO's. PCO's are invited to attend, particularly if they have something they wish to share with the board. See more details Benton County Executive Board Benton County Executive Board December 8, 2025 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Meeting details will be provided over email from the Benton County Democrats Chair. See more details • •	9 Tri-cities Protest Tuesday Tri-cities Protest Tuesday December 9, 2025 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, Richland, WA 99352, USA "Protest Tuesday" at John Dam Plaza on GWay in Richland from 3:30pm to 4:30PM. Bring your own sign or flag or one will be provided. Join our stalwarts and protest whatever is bothering you most that day. If possible, also bring a donation for the Food Bank. https://www.facebook.com/events/999996418325987/999996484992647/ See more details Kennewick City Council Workshop Kennewick City Council Workshop December 9, 2025 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM See more details • •	10 Precinct Committee Officer Training Opportunity Precinct Committee Officer Training Opportunity December 10, 2025 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Online with Zoom Online Zoom Training December 10, 2025 10:00 AM PST If you don't already have a free account with NDTC, create one in order to attend this online training. See more details •	11 BADGER FORUM: Understanding Vaccines BADGER FORUM: Understanding Vaccines December 11, 2025 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM https://badgers.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=392306 Since the Covid-19 pandemic, support for public health policies has gradually declined. At the federal level certain policies and practices regarding vaccines have been thrown into question. Vaccine proponents note the long-time and widespread benefits of the traditional MMR vaccine; vaccine skeptics generally insist it causes autism. Some say the approval process (Operation Warp Speed for Covid-19) was either rushed or rigged; others say the process was instrumental in reducing suffering and saved the lives of millions of people. See more details Indivisible TC - Founder Hour, Thurs Indivisible TC - Founder Hour, Thurs December 11, 2025 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM The Zoom link can be found in the most recent Indivisible TC Do Something Email Newsletter. This is a Zoom meeting. The link to the meeting is provided in the weekly Do-Something email. When you join the organization at this link: https://www.indivisibletricitieswa.org/join-us , you will receive this newsletter. Join in and ask questions, get updates or just say hi! These are held every Thursday at 12pm and occasional weekends. See more details • •	12 Whistle Workshop & Learning Event Whistle Workshop & Learning Event December 12, 2025 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Richland Public Library, Conf Room B, 955 Northgate Dr, Richland, WA 📣Our Voices United is sharing whistle safety packs as a simple, but powerful, grassroots tool that helps communities stay alert and protect each other. Indivisible Tri-Cities is joining in to help promote this campaign and support local outreach. 🧊These whistles create instant signals when ICE activity is nearby, helping neighbors gather quickly, record what's happening, and stand with anyone who may be approached. Join us this Friday to learn more! 🎶Different whistle patterns can signal urgent moments, like ICE being in the area or someone being detained. This gives those nearby a way to respond that's faster than social media and doesn't rely on being on your phone all the time. 🛡️Though it's a small tool, it helps combat quiet threats by creating visible community action, solidarity, and support. When we come together in efforts like this, our collective strength grows. See more details Tri-City Democrats - Friday, December 12, 6:00 PM Tri-City Democrats - Friday, December 12, 6:00 PM December 12, 2025 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Round Table Pizza3201 W Court St, Pasco It's time for a holiday celebration. This month we'll meet at the Round Table Pizza on Court Street in Pasco. December 12 at 6pm. Come gather with like-minded folks and share some fellowship, food and beverages. As is our normal practice, Tri-City Democrats will order several pizzas to share. We'll have the donation box available for those who care to financially support the group. Some of our generous members are likely to purchase pitchers of beer to share. If you want the salad bar or soft drinks, you are on your own for those items. At this writing, we do not have a planned program, but we will have 'Hate Has no Home Here' signs available. We are coming up on election time for the group - at our January meeting we'll plan to hold elections for our officers for 2026. Please let us know if you are interested in serving on the board! For full details, including the address, and to RSVP see https://www.meetup.com/tri-city-democrats/events/312303177/ See more details • •	13 Indivisible Tri-Cities Holiday Potluck Indivisible Tri-Cities Holiday Potluck December 13, 2025 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Mid-Columbia Libraries -- Kennewick, 1620 S Union St, Kennewick, WA ✨Join us for our holiday potluck!✨ 💚We're celebrating the season together and giving back to the community at this fun, low-key social event. 🎁We'll be collecting non-perishable food for Second Harvest, and toys and gift cards for Communities in Schools. Your donations help support local families and students during the holidays. 🍽️Come share a dish, bring a friend, and join in community with us! See more details •
14	15 Posters for Progress! Posters for Progress! December 15, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Hermiston First United Methodist Church 191 E Gladys Ave Hermiston, OR 97838 Join local community organizers for Signs of Progress — a relaxed evening of creativity, connection, and collective action! There will be sign making, postcard writing, and conversation about the issues that matter most to us. Whether you’re passionate about local causes or just love good company and community spirit, there’s a place for you at the table. See more details •	16 Tri-cities Protest Tuesday Tri-cities Protest Tuesday December 16, 2025 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, Richland, WA 99352, USA "Protest Tuesday" at John Dam Plaza on GWay in Richland from 3:30pm to 4:30PM. Bring your own sign or flag or one will be provided. Join our stalwarts and protest whatever is bothering you most that day. If possible, also bring a donation for the Food Bank. https://www.facebook.com/events/999996418325987/999996484992647/ See more details Family Meeting: Child Care & the Washington State Budget Emergency Family Meeting: Child Care & the Washington State Budget Emergency December 16, 2025 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/873403/ Organizing for a brighter future for Washington families in 2026 starts now! It’s time to huddle up and make a 2026 game plan for protecting child care during the Washington state budget crisis. Join SEIU 925, Children's Campaign Fund Action, and MomsRising for a virtual Family Meeting: Child Care & the State Budget Emergency. Our state is in a budget crisis, and we know most of our families are too. We’re calling a family meeting to learn about what’s at stake and to co-create the budget solutions that will lift all families. Together, we'll get up to speed about the state of the 2026 state budget and how budget choices will impact moms, families, caregivers, and workers in our state. We'll hear from leaders from across Washington state, including Senator Claire Wilson, Senator Emily Alvarado, Representative Mary Fosse, and leaders from SEIU 925 and MomsRising. We hope you can join us in getting organized and informed so we can hit the ground running in early 2026! Make sure to RSVP so you receive the Zoom link once it's available. See more details Richland City Council Richland City Council December 16, 2025 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Richland City Hall, 505 Swift Blvd, Richland, WA 99352, USA See more details • • •	17	18 Indivisible TC - Founder Hour, Thurs Indivisible TC - Founder Hour, Thurs December 18, 2025 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM The Zoom link can be found in the most recent Indivisible TC Do Something Email Newsletter. This is a Zoom meeting. The link to the meeting is provided in the weekly Do-Something email. When you join the organization at this link: https://www.indivisibletricitieswa.org/join-us , you will receive this newsletter. Join in and ask questions, get updates or just say hi! These are held every Thursday at 12pm and occasional weekends. See more details Franklin County Democratic Central Committee (FCDCC) No Meeting in December Franklin County Democratic Central Committee (FCDCC) No Meeting in December December 18, 2025 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM No Meeting There will be no Franklin County Democrats December meeting. We wish you a safe and happy holiday season! Please join us for our January general meeting on Thursday, January 15. Hope to see you then! See more details BCDCC General Public Meeting BCDCC General Public Meeting December 18, 2025 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Meeting details will be provided over email from the Benton County Democrats Chair. General Meeting December 18, 2025 Leslie Road Roundtable Pizza 1769 Leslie Rd Richland Kennewick Roundtable Pizza See more details • • •	19	20
21	22 Posters for Progress! Posters for Progress! December 22, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Hermiston First United Methodist Church 191 E Gladys Ave Hermiston, OR 97838 Join local community organizers for Signs of Progress — a relaxed evening of creativity, connection, and collective action! There will be sign making, postcard writing, and conversation about the issues that matter most to us. Whether you’re passionate about local causes or just love good company and community spirit, there’s a place for you at the table. See more details •	23 Richland City Council Workshop Richland City Council Workshop December 23, 2025 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Richland City Hall, 505 Swift Blvd, Richland, WA 99352, USA See more details •	24	25	26 FredMeyer Pickup Order Time FredMeyer Pickup Order Time December 26, 2025 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 101 Wellsian Way Richland, WA 99352 See more details •	27
28	29 Posters for Progress! Posters for Progress! December 29, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Hermiston First United Methodist Church 191 E Gladys Ave Hermiston, OR 97838 Join local community organizers for Signs of Progress — a relaxed evening of creativity, connection, and collective action! There will be sign making, postcard writing, and conversation about the issues that matter most to us. Whether you’re passionate about local causes or just love good company and community spirit, there’s a place for you at the table. See more details •	30	31

Benton County WA Democrats