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☆ Opinion | What Is Trump to Putin? A Harbinger of America’s Collapse.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Mikhail Zygar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

By then, Mr. Putin himself had laid out a similar view of territorial disintegration. The United States is confidently, firmly marching down the same path as the Soviet Union.” This still seems to represent Mr. Putin’s fundamental assessment of the country. This year, high-ranking Russian officials eagerly watched the American film “Civil War,” starring Kirsten Dunst. “Hollywood,” he remarked on his Telegram channel, “doesn’t make films about it for no reason.”How would such conflict come about? “Ordinary citizens won’t lift a finger to preserve America’s unity, knowing they mean nothing to their own government.

Persons: Putin, ”, Kirsten Dunst, Maria Zakharova, ” Dmitri Medvedev, doesn’t, Patrushev Organizations: Soviet Union, Hollywood, Kremlin, “ Locations: United States, Soviet Union, America, Russia, California, Texas, Florida, Alabama, U.S

☆ Next U.S. president shouldn't surrender America's energy dominance, TotalEnergies CEO warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Whoever wins the 2024 U.S. election should work to preserve America's energy dominance rather than risk losing it, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne told CNBC on Monday. The U.S. is the world's largest oil producer, accounting for 22% of the global total, according to the Energy Information Administration, with Saudi Arabia next, producing 11%. The vast majority of U.S. crude is consumed within the country, which is also the world's largest oil consumer. Roughly 64% of total U.S. crude oil production is shale and the French international energy firm CEO said the U.S. will also soon be No. Looking ahead to the election, former President Donald Trump and the Republican party have long been proponents of U.S. shale production, pushing for deregulation of the industry and an expansion of drilling projects — drawing the ire of climate activists and many on the left.

Persons: Patrick Pouyanne, Pouyanne, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Donald Trump Organizations: CNBC, Energy Information Administration, French, U.S, Republican Locations: U.S, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi

☆ Behind the curtain on Democrats’ unprecedented digital advertising campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( David Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —Democrats are mounting an unprecedented digital advertising campaign in the closing weeks of the presidential race, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a targeted effort that the party hopes will tip the balance in one of the closest elections in US history. The effort is being steered by Future Forward PAC, or FF PAC, the largest single-candidate super PAC in the 2024 election. The 2024 election is poised to break the record set by the 2020 election and see $10.2 billion worth of campaign advertising, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. The ad laboratoryWith its massive war chest, FF PAC has faced the challenge of effectively and efficiently distributing its resources. FF PAC has not engaged in a comparable turnout effort, leaving that traditional campaign activity to the cash-flush Harris operation.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump’s, Harris, ’, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Michael Bloomberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Reid Hoffman, –, John Kelly, “, ”, Ian Sams, Roe, Wade, ” Margit Westerman, we’ve, Peacock, Elon Musk, Harris ’ Organizations: CNN, Future Forward PAC, FF PAC, PAC, FF, Super, Democratic Party’s, Citizens United, Commission, Biden, Trump, Democratic, New York, Facebook, LinkedIn, Bloomberg, New York Times, PAC’s, YouTube, Olympics, Hulu, Univision, Warner Bros, GOP countereffort FF, Republican, Google, Harris, Republicans, Preserve, America PAC, Restoration PAC, America PAC –, MAGA Inc, GOP, Inc, Elon, FF PAC’s, Department of Justice Locations: Pennsylvania, Michigan , Wisconsin , Arizona , Nevada , North Carolina, Georgia, AdImpact, Preserve America, Philadelphia

Roughly $130 million of Harris’ campaign spending went toward media expenses. Thursday’s filings show that Musk’s super PAC drew other donors in October. He had previously donated to a super PAC supporting Nikki Haley’s failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Legal feesEven as Trump raises money for his presidential campaign, his political operation continues to underwrite the former president’s legal bills. Between October 1 and 16, Save America, the former president’s leadership PAC, spent $3.9 million on “legal consulting,” records show.

Persons: CNN — Elon, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Harris, Harris ’, Trump, Joe Biden, Musk, Nelson Peltz, Betsy DeVos, Richard Uihlein, Uihlein, Elizabeth, Miriam Adelson, Sheldon Adelson, Ronald Cameron, WhatsApp, Jan Koum, Nikki Haley’s, MAGA, Warren Stephens, Woody Johnson, Dustin Moskovitz, Liz Cheney, isn’t, ”, Robert, Clifford Robert Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Trump, Federal, Commission, US Justice Department, America PAC, Republicans, Republican, Billionaire, Trump’s, PAC, Schlitz Brewing, Preserve, Preserve America, Inc, New York Jets, Facebook, Harris, American, president’s Locations: AdImpact, Michigan, Arkansas, United Kingdom, Wyoming, New York

☆ Pro-Trump forces flood airwaves with ads attacking Harris over past transgender stances
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Steve Contorno | David Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The Trump campaign put nearly $14 million behind the ad in the first two weeks of the month. The Trump campaign disputed the report. As pro-Trump advertisers have put more money behind ads attacking transgender policies, economic messaging has also been a consistent, though shifting, point of emphasis. Harris’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment. President Trump is for you.”Democrats in the presidential race have offered no defensive response.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, It’s, CNN’s KFile, Harris, “, ”, Bret Baier, Trump, –, ” Trump, Kamala, Harris ’, Wednesday’s Fox, Terry Schilling, Andy Beshear, Beshear, Glenn Youngkin, Rodrigo Heng, Lehtinen, ” “, ” Heng, wouldn’t, Chris LaCivita, Miriam Adelson –, MAGA, Colin Allred – who’s, Sen, Ted Cruz, Texas –, Ohio Sen, Sherrod Brown, DeWine, Allred, Brown, Schilling, ” Schilling, Heng, Joe Biden, Jennifer Agiesta, Alayna Treene, Kate Sullivan, Kristen Holmes Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Trump, Fox News, New York Times, of Prisons, Fox, Democratic Gov, Republican Gov, statehouse, Virginians, National Center for Transgender Equality, “, Gallup, Democratic Party, ”, Preserve America, Badger State, PAC, Democratic, GOP, White Locations: Washington, Kentucky, Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio

☆ GOP megadonors open their wallets for Trump: From the Politics Desk
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( The Politics Desk | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Three Senate Democratic candidates — Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks and Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin — raised more than four times as much as their Republican opponents during that period. In 2016, Trump lost the core Democratic states by 22 points, and in 2020, he lost them by 24 points. In this most recent poll, Trump was losing the core Democratic states by only 13 points. In 2016, Trump won the core GOP states by 18 points, and in 2020, his margin in the red states was 16 points. Read more → Follow live coverage from the campaign trail →That’s all from the Politics Desk for now.

Persons: Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman, Chuck Todd, Ben Kamisar Republican megadonors, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Miriam Adelson, Sheldon Adelson, Elon Musk, Marc Andreesen, Ben Horowitz, Ike Perlmutter, Richard Uihlein, Adelson, Harris, Musk, Trump, Horowitz, Perlmutter, Lara, Uihlein, Read, Ben →, lissa, ince, arris, huck, rena, huck →, hal, bate, Ted C Organizations: NBC, White House, Capitol, Electoral, Trump, Ben Kamisar Republican, Dallas Mavericks, Tesla, Marvel, Preserve, America, America PAC, Restoration PAC, Wisconsin Senate, Congressional, Trump MAGA Inc Locations: Preserve America, Maine, ried, ote

And that massive total doesn't include fundraising by the main pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., which will file its fundraising reports by Sunday. Adelson gave $95 million to Preserve America, a super PAC she’s almost entirely funded, during the third fundraising quarter, after previously giving the group $5 million in the prior quarter. Right for America, another pro-Trump group, raised $28 million last quarter — with multimillion-dollar checks from Andreesen, Horowitz and Perlmutter as well as Perlmutter's wife, Lara. The super PAC has spent heavily on the presidential race as well as on the Wisconsin Senate and Maine 2nd Congressional District campaigns. Harris has plenty of super PAC backup, too: Future Forward (known as FF PAC) had raised $200 million through August, while MAGA Inc. had raised $280 million.

Persons: megadonors, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Miriam Adelson, Sheldon Adelson, Elon Musk, Marc Andreesen, Ben Horowitz, Ike Perlmutter, Dick Uihlein, Adelson, Harris, Musk, Trump, Horowitz, Perlmutter, Lara, Uihlein, Dianne Hendricks, Harris ’, Joe Biden, —, it’s Organizations: Trump, Dallas Mavericks, Tesla, Marvel, MAGA Inc, Sunday, Preserve, America, America PAC, Restoration PAC, Wisconsin Senate, Congressional, Trump MAGA Inc, FF PAC, NBC, Harris, Democratic National Committee, Democratic Locations: Preserve America, Maine, Wisconsin

Deep-pocketed Republicans donors also tried to close the gap by boosting a GOP super PAC working to seize the Senate majority. America PAC has taken on a critical supporting role for the Trump campaign, according to its independent expenditure filings, which cover some spending beyond September 30. Tuesday’s filings show other conservative billionaires also plowing extraordinary sums into the effort to reelect Trump. Another leading pro-Trump super PAC, Restoration PAC, also reported a huge haul from a single major donor. Meanwhile, the Congressional Leadership Fund – the main super PAC supporting House Republicans – hauled in more than $81 million in the third quarter.

Persons: –, Miriam Adelson, Elon Musk, Donald Trump’s, Adelson, – Musk, Richard Uihlein –, megadonors, Kamala Harris, Harris, Musk, Trump, reelect Trump, Sheldon, Uihlein, Ike Perlmutter, Laura, Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Reid Hoffman, Steve Mnuchin, Dana White, White, Chuck Schumer, JB Pritzker, Eric Schmidt, Reed Hastings, Ken Griffin, Elliott, Paul Singer, Stephen Schwarzman, Republicans –, Timothy Mellon, Montana Sen, Jon Tester, Ohio Sen, Sherrod Brown, Tim Sheehy, Brown, Bernie Moreno, Eric Hovde, Democratic Sen, Tammy Baldwin, Baldwin, Colin Allred, Sen, Ted Cruz, Cruz, Nathan L, Democrat Adam Gray, Michelle Steel, Democrat Eugene Vindman, Trump’s, Vindman, Mary Peltola, CNN’s Kristen Holmes Organizations: CNN, Trump, PAC, Federal, Commission, Adelson, Democratic, Republican, GOP, White, House . America PAC, America PAC, Preserve, America, Restoration PAC, FF PAC, FF, New York, LinkedIn, Republican National Convention, Fund, Illinois Gov, Netflix, Citadel, Elliott Management, Blackstone Group, Congressional, Republicans, The New York Times, Democrats, West, Senate, Ohio, – Rep, Democrat, Alaska Rep Locations: Pennsylvania, California, New York, Preserve America, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania , Wisconsin, Georgia, Lago, Florida, Montana, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Arizona, Maryland, Republican, Texas, Virginia’s, District, Alaska

☆ Viktor Orbán meeting offers preview of Trump’s 2nd-term strongman idealizations
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Trump sees Orbán as the kind of strongman – unencumbered by legal and political restraints – that he’d like to be. Ahead of his meeting with the former president, Orbán endorsed Trump’s views on Ukraine, in what will have been music to Putin’s ears and will have added to alarm in Kyiv about what a second Trump term would mean. “It is not gambling but actually betting on the only sensible chance, that we in Hungary bet on the return of President Trump,” Orbán told an economic forum on Monday, Reuters reported. In a statement, Biden’s campaign rebuked Trump for meeting “Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán, notorious for eroding his own country’s democracy and cozying up to Vladimir Putin (sound familiar? Much of Europe is already recoiling in horror over the possibility of a second term for Trump.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Donald Trump, isn’t, Biden, CNN’s Betsy Klein, Trump, – unencumbered, Orbán, Vladimir Putin –, laud Orbán, he’s, ” Trump, –, ” Orbán, “, ”, Joe Biden’s, Putin, castigate Trump, ’ ” Biden, didn’t, ” Biden, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Biden, GOP, Trump, Conservative Political, NATO, European, EU, Reuters, Republicans, Republican Locations: Hungarian, United States, Orbán, Florida, Russian, Ukraine, New Hampshire, Hungary, Sweden, Kyiv, Russia, American, Europe, Budapest

Those institutions and practices bound Americans together in a world below our more divisive national politics. Even if there is a border crisis, for example, the state of Wyoming can’t do much about it. Despite that obstacle, the old guard is having some success defending its own way of doing politics. Of course, on their own, such rear-guard tactics won’t be enough to save the Wyoming way. Champions of the old way must also do the hard work of aggressively recruiting local candidates and precinct committee chairs.

Persons: Landon Brown, “, Cathy Connolly, MAGA, Ron DeSantis’s, won’t Organizations: Republican, Trump Locations: Wyoming, Texas , Ohio, Alaska, Florida, Tallahassee

☆ Inspired by Ukraine war, Taiwan launches drone blitz to counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

These drones range from jet-powered, long range surveillance aircraft to small quadcopters deployed by ground troops. Taiwan should accelerate mass production of a range of military drones to boost self-reliance in the struggle with Beijing, it concluded. U.S. drones range in size from two-kilogram, hand-launched drones to 14,500-kilogram long range surveillance drones. Unlike Taiwan, China began mass-producing unmanned aircraft long before the Ukraine conflict. Hundreds of technology experts, including specialists in AI, were recruited to the military, according to UCSD analyst Cheung.

Persons: Tsai Ing, ”, Tsai “, Max Lo, “, Hawk Yang, Yang, Tsai, Joe Biden, ’, Lo, Tai Ming Cheung, ” Cheung, Nancy Pelosi, ” Tsai, Chang, Xi Jinping, Xi, Cheung, ” Elsa Kania Organizations: Reuters, People’s Liberation Army, Thunder Tiger Group, “, Communist Party, Taiwan, Taiwan Affairs Office, U.S . Department of Defense, White, Pentagon ., Teal, University of California, PLA, U.S . House, Airborne, Washington -, Strategic & International Studies ., Royal United Services Institute, 20th Party Congress, UCSD, Center, New, New American Security, China's Ministry of Defense, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Taipei, Taiwan, China, Asia, United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, America, Republic of China, “ China, Kinmen, Beijing, Washington, Pentagon . U.S, U.S, University of California San Diego, Chiayi, Strategic & International Studies . Ukraine, London, Chang Kong, Today, New American

☆ Home Depot's 93-year-old cofounder who said 'nobody works' anymore because of 'socialism' has donated $64 million to elect Trump and the Republican party over the years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bernie Marcus, the billionaire cofounder of Home Depot, said Thursday "nobody works" anymore. Marcus donated millions to Trump in 2016 and 2020, and more to other Republicans over the years. In an interview with the Financial Times published Thursday, 93-year-old Bernie Marcus said "nobody works, nobody gives a damn," blaming the change on "socialism." In 2020, he made two separate donations of $5 million each to the Preserve America PAC, a single-candidate PAC that supports Trump. Marcus has also donated extensively to House and Senate races, contributing to a long list of Republican lawmakers that includes Sens.

☆ How Google's former CEO Eric Schmidt helped write AI laws in Washington without publicly disclosing investments in AI start-ups
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

'Conflict of interest'Schmidt's investment was just the first of a handful of direct investments he would make in AI start-up companies during his tenure as chairman of the AI commission. Altogether, Schmidt and entities connected to him made more than 50 investments in AI companies while he was chairman of the federal commission on AI. To Poulson, Schmidt was simply given too much power over federal AI policy. The new entity would continue the work of the congressionally created federal commission, with many of the same goals and much of the same staff. More than a dozen staffers from the federal commission followed Schmidt to the new private sector project.

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