On Friday’s episode of “Real Time,”
Bill Maher discussed the California Coastal Commission’s rejection of SpaceX’s proposal to increase rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The commission cited Elon Musk’s right-leaning political views as a factor. Maher, who disagrees with some of Musk’s tweets, criticized the commission’s decision and mentioned Musk’s lawsuit against them. He highlighted a commissioner’s comments about Musk’s political involvement, and left-wing billionaire Mark Cuban downplayed the rejection as a one-off mistake. Maher argued that the bureaucrats wield significant power and expressed concern about the increasing willingness to stifle freedoms for safety. He emphasized that this reflects a broader issue of power dynamics and free speech, suggesting that punishing someone for their views is unjust.