US foundation cancels RBG awards for Musk and Murdoch after backlash

Dwight D Opperman Foundation had planned to give award named for late supreme court justice to Tesla chief and News Corp mogul

A foundation which stirred controversy by planning to give awards named for the late US supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch said on Monday it had canceled the ceremony.

While we believe each of the honorees is worthy of our respect for their leadership and their notable contributions, the foundation has decided that the planned ceremony in April 2024 will be canceled," Julie Opperman, chair of the Dwight D Opperman Foundation, said in a statement.

Musk, 52, the billionaire owner of SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter/X, through which he has taken increasingly rightwing political stances;

Murdoch, 93 and the rightwing media baron owner of Fox News;

Michael Milken, 77, a financier jailed on securities charges, pardoned by Trump and now a philanthropist;

And Sylvester Stallone, 77, the star of films including the Rocky saga and the violent Rambo franchise.