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☆ A Match Made in MAGA: How a Friendship Helped J.D. Vance Land on Trump’s V.P. List
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Sharon Lafraniere | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He had publicly called Mr. Trump “loathsome” and an “idiot.” Once, he described him as “cultural heroin.”Then came an unexpected lifeline. “Enough with the lies being told about this guy,” Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son, wrote on Twitter, assuring his followers that Mr. Vance had become a fan of his father. A month later, encouraged by his son, the elder Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Vance. Today, Mr. Vance is one of the former president’s most reliable allies and a leader of a band of Republicans pushing Senate Republicans to the right. And his star has only continued to rise: Mr. Vance is on the list of Mr. Trump’s possible running mates, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, J.D, Vance, ” Donald Trump Jr Organizations: Republican, Twitter, Republicans Locations: Ohio

☆ Some of Trump’s Biggest Political Backers Also Threw Trump Media a Lifeline
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Matthew Goldstein | Sharon Lafraniere | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Marty Davis, the wealthy Minnesota head of a kitchen countertop manufacturing company, is a steadfast supporter of former President Donald J. Trump. He contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to help elect Mr. Trump in 2020, and encouraged him to fight to overturn the 2020 election results. Mr. Davis gave Trump Media & Technology Group a $5 million loan, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. His loan was part of $40 million Trump Media raised from more than a dozen private investors, some of whom have helped finance efforts to elect Mr. Trump and are now likely shareholders of his social media company. It’s not uncommon for start-ups to seek out wealthy investors for financing, but the stock holdings raise questions about the potential for conflicts of interest and undue influence over Mr. Trump should he return to the White House.

Persons: Marty Davis, Donald J, Trump, Davis Organizations: Trump Media & Technology, The New York Times, Trump Media Locations: Minnesota

☆ Trump’s Social Media Company Opens New Avenue for Conflicts of Interest
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Sharon Lafraniere | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When former President Donald J. Trump’s social media company went public this week, supporters and investors betting on Mr. Trump’s political success helped drive the value of a loss-making firm through the roof. Mr. Trump ended the first day of public trading $4.6 billion richer on paper. If Mr. Trump is elected president, it may not be the last time the company is used as a vehicle to benefit Mr. Trump’s pocketbook, experts said. Trump Media & Technology Group — the owner of Truth Social, the site Mr. Trump uses to rally his backers and blast his opponents — could present a new, fairly straightforward route for foreign leaders or special interests to try to influence him. Should he retain his control of the company while in office, the ethical questions that arose from Mr. Trump’s hotels and other properties in his first term as president would only multiply when applied to a publicly traded media company, they said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s pocketbook, —, ”, Jack Goldsmith, George W, Bush Organizations: Trump Media & Technology, Truth, Harvard University

☆ Why Nikki Haley Has So Few Friends Left in South Carolina Politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | Sharon Lafraniere | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Now that politician, Nikki Haley, has returned to her home state of South Carolina in desperate need of support in high places to revive her flagging quest for the presidency. She is finding little of it. The man who had been her lieutenant governor, Henry McMaster, signed on with Donald J. Trump long ago. The backbench House member she plucked from a crowded field of South Carolina contenders to put into the United States Senate, Tim Scott, endorsed Mr. Trump just days before the crucial New Hampshire primary, and stood behind him Tuesday night as the former president mocked Ms. Haley’s dress. The congresswoman whose career was rescued from a Trump-backed challenger in 2022 by a timely Haley endorsement, Nancy Mace, has also sided with Mr. Trump, a man she once said needed to be held to account for the riot of Jan. 6, 2021.

Persons: antagonized, —, Nikki Haley, Henry McMaster, Donald J, Trump, Tim Scott, Ms, Haley, Nancy Mace Organizations: United States Senate, Trump, Mr Locations: South Carolina, Hampshire

Ms. Haley was earning a salary of just $22,000 as a part-time state legislator. Wilbur Smith executives regarded Ms. Haley as overqualified for the accounting job. But because of her wide-ranging network, they would later say, they put Ms. Haley on a retainer, asking her to scout out potential new business. She never found any, a top executive later said. But they also led her into an ethical gray area that tarnished her first term as South Carolina’s governor.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Michael Haley, Haley, Wilbur Smith, overqualified Organizations: Wilbur Smith Associates Locations: South Carolina

☆ Inside the Desperate Effort to Evacuate Young Cancer Patients From Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Sharon Lafraniere | Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They are some of the most vulnerable in Gaza. Over the past 10 days, 21 children with cancer have been evacuated from Gaza to hospitals in Egypt and Jordan, according to doctors involved in the effort. But at least 30 other young cancer patients have not made it out, and aid workers said that in the chaos of war, they can no longer reach some of the families. Even before the hospital closed, critically ill patients were being sent home through violent streets or transferred to Al-Shifa, a nearby hospital that is under siege by Israeli forces. Hamas and hospital officials have denied the allegations.

Persons: ”, Bakr Organizations: Al, Hospital for Children Locations: Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, Al, Israel

In November 2021, exactly one year after Donald J. Trump lost the presidential election to Joseph R. Biden Jr., Gov. Their suspicions about vast election malfeasance would be heard, Mr. DeSantis promised. The crowd whooped and waved furiously. In this way, for nearly three years, Mr. DeSantis played both sides of Republicans’ rift over the 2020 election. As his state became a buzzing hub of the election denial movement, he repeatedly took actions that placated those who believed Mr. Trump had won.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Joseph R, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Trump’s, DeSantis, “, ” Organizations: Republican Locations: Florida

It was Dr. Scott Rivkees, the Florida surgeon general. Ron DeSantis had decided that the worst was over for Florida, he said. Mr. DeSantis had begun listening to doctors who believed the virus’s threat was overstated, and he no longer supported preventive measures like limiting indoor dining. Mr. DeSantis was going his own way on Covid. Nearly three years later, the governor now presents his Covid strategy not only as his biggest accomplishment, but as the foundation for his presidential campaign.

Persons: Deborah L, Scott Rivkees, “, ’ ”, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, ” Organizations: White, Gov, The New York Times Locations: Florida, Covid, New York, California

☆ In San Francisco, a Troubled Year at a Whole Foods Market Reflects a City’s Woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Thomas Fuller | Sharon Lafraniere | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Police described theft as rampant at Whole Foods, with thieves walking out with armfuls of alcohol, at least at the start. Chief Scott said that plainclothes officers were sent there and security improved over time, but seemingly not enough for the company. Mr. Peterson could see the 2,000-unit Trinity apartments, the high-end complex that Whole Foods had hoped would be its customer base. Across the intersection, security guards stood sentry in front of the Orpheum Theater, where “Pretty Woman: The Musical” was playing. Mr. Peterson said he understood why Whole Foods had closed the store.

☆ Tech Executive Was Left to ‘Slowly Die’ After Stabbing, Prosecutors Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Sharon Lafraniere | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The man accused of killing the tech executive Bob Lee on a secluded San Francisco street this month stabbed him three times with a kitchen knife, prosecutors said in court documents released on Friday. The accused assailant, Nima Momeni, 38, had argued with Mr. Lee about whether anything “inappropriate” had happened between Mr. Lee, 43, and Mr. Momeni’s younger sister, prosecutors said, describing details of the police investigation in a motion to hold Mr. Momeni without bail. During a brief court hearing on Friday morning, Mr. Momeni’s arraignment was put off until later this month. Prosecutors said that Mr. Momeni, a tech consultant and entrepreneur, stabbed Mr. Lee, who was instrumental in creating the mobile payment service Cash App, on April 4 with the four-inch blade of a kitchen knife, including once through the heart. He then threw the knife in a parking lot and raced away, leaving Mr. Lee, 43, “to slowly die,” the motion states.

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