DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Future Forward, the main Democratic super PAC supporting Mr. Biden’s bid, has a $250 million ad blitz planned. Mr. Trump still carried veterans, but his erosion of support followed an array of evidence that he had been disrespectful to military officials and families. Credit... Justin T. Gellerson for The New York Times“There’s political ramifications to all this,” Mr. Soltz said. VoteVets had $11 million in cash at the end of 2023, according to its filing with the Federal Election Commission. Mr. Soltz said VoteVets intended to conduct focus group research and polling of its network of families of veterans and active-duty service members.

Persons: Biden, Jon Soltz, VoteVets, Mr, Biden’s, MoveOn, Donald J, Trump, Hillary Clinton, Soltz, aren’t, ”, “ hasn’t, Justin T, “, Ruben Gallego, Elissa Slotkin of, Andy Kim of, Robert Menendez, Trump’s, Brian Mast Organizations: Democratic, Senate, PAC, Mr, Pew Research, “, Capitol, VoteVets, The New York Times, Gold Star, League of Conservation Voters, Federal, Commission, Democrats, Trump Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, VoteVets ., Montana , Nevada , Pennsylvania, Ohio, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Andy Kim of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida

The Federal Election Commission deadline is here for end-of-year finance reports that will reveal how much money the presidential candidates had raised recently, and how much cash their campaigns had on hand. The end-of-year fund-raising and spending reports can reveal a lot about the trajectory of a presidential campaign, and the health of its money operation. Spending by presidential campaigns alone — not counting super PACs — topped $4 billion for the 2020 election. Just this week alone, a Democratic super PAC supporting Mr. Biden began reserving $250 million in advertising in battleground states, scheduled to begin after the Democratic National Convention in August. For example, the main super PAC supporting Senate Democrats has about $61.5 million on hand, compared with $29.1 million for the top PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates.

Persons: Biden, Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Haley, Mr, Tim Scott’s, Ron DeSantis’s, Michael C, Bender Organizations: Teamsters, Democratic, PAC, Mr, Democratic National Convention, Republican, Records Locations: South Carolina, Florida, New York, Washington, Iowa

☆ Sinema, Her Fund-Raising Fading, Faces Ticking Clock on Senate Decision
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Michael C. Bender | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Kyrsten Sinema is behind schedule in making a decision about whether to seek re-election in Arizona. Ms. Sinema, who left the Democratic Party just over a year ago to become an independent, is still considering whether to run for a second term, aides said. But new campaign finance reports show that she is lagging well behind the plan she and her team discussed last spring. By the end of December, Ms. Sinema would have a campaign staff in place. But there is no sign that she carried out any significant polling, research or staff hires in the final six months of last year.

Persons: Kyrsten Sinema, She’s, Sinema, Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake Organizations: Democratic Party, Democrat, Republican, Federal, Commission Locations: Arizona

☆ G.O.P. Infighting and Democratic Mischief Animate Montana Senate Race
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Michael C. Bender | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In one of the nation’s top Senate races, the most important candidate might be one who hasn’t actually entered the contest. The scramble to challenge Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana — already a heated battle with profound national implications and the acute intensity of a family drama — has increasingly focused on Representative Matt Rosendale, an anti-abortion, election-denying Republican agitator. Both parties are using him as a pawn in their electoral chess match: Establishment Republicans, who have aligned behind Tim Sheehy, a wealthy businessman, are trying to keep Mr. Rosendale out of the race, while Democrats appear to be helping clear a path for his arrival. Mr. Rosendale’s entry appears imminent. On Thursday, he said on a podcast that he had told Senator Steve Daines, a fellow Montanan who oversees the Republican Senate campaign arm, that he was going to run for Mr. Tester’s seat.

Persons: hasn’t, Jon Tester, —, Matt Rosendale, Tim Sheehy, Steve Daines, Tester’s Organizations: Republican Senate, Mr Locations: Montana, Rosendale

☆ New Hampshire and Iowa Reveal Broader Weaknesses for Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Michael C. Bender | Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For weeks, Donald J. Trump has romped through Iowa and New Hampshire without breaking a sweat, muscling out rivals for the Republican nomination and soaking up adoration from crowds convinced he will be the next president of the United States. But as Mr. Trump marches steadily toward his party’s nomination, a harsher reality awaits him. Outside the soft bubble of Republican primaries, Mr. Trump’s campaign is confronting enduring vulnerabilities that make his nomination a considerable risk for his party. Mr. Trump still won easily. Ron DeSantis of Florida said Tuesday in an interview with Blaze TV, a conservative media company, just a couple of days after he ended his own campaign and endorsed Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Nikki Haley, Mr, Republicans clamoring, MAGA, Reagan, Ron DeSantis, he’s, ” Organizations: Republican, Republicans, Mr, Trump, Blaze Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire, United States, ’, Florida

☆ The Emasculation of Ron DeSantis by the Bully Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Michael C. Bender | Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Donald J. Trump plumbed new depths of degradation in his savage takedown of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a yearlong campaign of emasculation and humiliation that helped force one of the party’s rising stars out of the presidential race after just one contest and left him to pick up the pieces of his political future. In front of enormous rally audiences, Mr. Trump painted Mr. DeSantis as a submissive sniveler, insisting that he had cried and begged “on his knees” for an endorsement in the 2018 Florida governor’s race. In a series of sexually charged attacks, Mr. Trump suggested — without a shred of proof — that Mr. DeSantis wore high heels, that he might be gay and that perhaps he was a pedophile. He promised that intense national scrutiny would leave Mr. DeSantis whining for “mommy.”Mr. DeSantis shied from fighting back, which only inflicted more pain on his campaign.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, “, Mr Organizations: Republican Locations: Florida

With only about 48 hours left to campaign in the New Hampshire primary, Nikki Haley finally got the two-person race she wanted. For months, it has been an article of faith among Ms. Haley’s supporters and a coalition of anti-Trump Republicans that the only way to defeat Donald J. Trump was to winnow the field to a one-on-one contest and consolidate support among his opponents. That wishcasting became reality on Sunday afternoon, when Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida ended his White House bid. And yet, as the race reached the final day, there was little sign that Mr. DeSantis’s departure would transform Ms. Haley’s chances of winning.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Haley’s, Donald J, Trump, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis’s Organizations: Trump Republicans, Gov Locations: New Hampshire, Florida

☆ Trump Tries to Turn the G.O.P. Race Into a Vice-Presidential Casting Call
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Michael C. Bender | Michael Gold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Donald J. Trump has won just a single nominating contest, but his potential running mates already outnumber his presidential rivals on the campaign trail. As he pursues a victory over Nikki Haley in New Hampshire that would send him on a glide path to the nomination, Mr. Trump seems to be holding casting calls for possible vice-presidential contenders onstage at his rallies and at other events. His goals are clear: Show off the sheer breadth of his institutional support in the Republican Party. On Friday alone, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and Representative Elise Stefanik of New York rallied supporters for him.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott of, J.D, Vance of Ohio, Elise Stefanik, Stefanik Organizations: Republican Party, New York Locations: New Hampshire, Tim Scott of South Carolina, New

☆ Mocking Haley, Trump Adds to His Long History of Racist Attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Michael C. Bender | Jazmine Ulloa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the years since, he has continued to pile up accusations of racism on the campaign trail. This week, Mr. Trump lobbed his latest racially charged attack at former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, the daughter of Indian immigrants and his closest competitor in the New Hampshire primary, by repeatedly flubbing her given name, Nimarata Nikki Randhawa. On Friday, Mr. Trump referred to Ms. Haley as “Nimbra” in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, three days after facing criticism for dubbing her “Nimrada.” Ms. Haley has long gone by her middle name, Nikki. Both are racist dog whistles, much like his continued focus on Mr. Obama’s middle name, Hussein, and add to a long history of racially incendiary statements from the campaign trail.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Barack Obama, —, Nikki Haley, Nimarata Nikki Randhawa, Haley, “, Ms, Nikki, Hussein Organizations: Republican, Gov Locations: South Carolina, New Hampshire

The first-in-the-nation primary could be the last stand for the anti-Trump Republican. Since 2016, a shrinking band of Republican strategists, retired lawmakers and donors has tried to oust Donald J. Trump from his commanding position in the party. Ahead of New Hampshire’s primary on Tuesday, the old guard of the G.O.P. Anything but a very close finish for her in the state, where moderate, independent voters make up 40 percent of the electorate, would send Mr. Trump on an all-but-unstoppable march to the nomination. Yet, their long-running war against him has helped to frame the nominating contest around a central, and deeply tribal, litmus test: loyalty to Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump Republicans won’t, Nikki Haley Organizations: Trump Republican, Trump Republicans

☆ The Most Durable Force in American Politics: Trump’s Ties to His Voters
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Michael C. Bender | Katie Glueck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bill Clinton once explained the nation’s two political parties by saying that Democrats want to fall in love while Republicans want to fall in line. Donald J. Trump’s decisive victory in Iowa revealed a new depth to the reservoir of devotion inside his party. He validates them, he entertains them, he speaks for them and he uses them for his political and legal advantage. This connection — a hard-earned bond for some, a cult of personality to others — has unleashed one the most durable forces in American politics. He failed to deliver the red wave of victories he promised in the 2022 midterms.

Persons: Bill Clinton, Trump, Donald J, — Organizations: Iowa Republicans, Republicans, Senate Locations: Iowa

☆ How College-Educated Republicans Learned to Love Trump Again
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Michael C. Bender | More About Michael C. Bender | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Working-class voters delivered the Republican Party to Donald J. Trump. Often overlooked in an increasingly blue-collar party, voters with a college degree remain at the heart of the lingering Republican cold war over abortion, foreign policy and cultural issues. Even as Mr. Trump dominates Republican primary polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday, it was only a year ago that he trailed Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida in some surveys — a deficit due largely to the former president’s weakness among college-educated voters. Mr. DeSantis’s advisers viewed the party’s educational divide as a potential launching point to overtake Mr. Trump for the nomination.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Republican Party, Trump . College, Republican, Gov, Mr Locations: Iowa, Florida

☆ Could Abortion Rights Rescue Red-State Democrats in the Senate?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Michael C. Bender | Anjali Huynh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the opening minutes of a debate during Sherrod Brown’s successful 2006 campaign for Senate, the Republican incumbent attacked him over “partial-birth abortion,” a phrase often weaponized by conservatives at the time to paint Democrats as somewhere between immoral and murderous. Mr. Brown, a Democrat from northeast Ohio in the House at the time, glanced at his notes. He denounced the mere idea that Congress would limit any procedure that could “save a woman’s health.”With that, he quickly pivoted. Mr. Brown used the rest of his time to burnish his political brand as a blue-collar economic populist. One difference, other than that his shaggy dark hair is now shaded with gray, is that he is preparing to fully lean into his defense of abortion rights.

Persons: Sherrod Brown’s, . Brown, glanced, “, ”, Brown Organizations: Senate, Republican Locations: Ohio

☆ OpenAI's chaos has both hastened the arms race to AI dominance and opened the door to competitors
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Monica Melton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

OpenAI chaos has calmed as CEO Sam Altman is reinstated and an investigation begins. AdvertisementThe drama of Sam Altman unexpectedly being fired on Friday and then reinstated to OpenAI Tuesday night has reached a close. AI ethics experts have expressed concern about the power of AI technology being controlled by the hands of a few. "The increasing concentration of capital, compute, and data are a problem," Emily M. Bender, a University of Washington linguistics professor, told BI. The seemingly earth-shattering news from OpenAI may have instead opened a door for resourcefulness and for other players to emerge.

Persons: Sam Altman, —, OpenAI, Émile Torres, Altman, Emily M, Bender, nilly, Ali Alkhatib, Pistilli Organizations: Service, University of Washington, Microsoft Locations: AGI

This turn inward has sounded new alarms among experts on autocracy who have long worried about Mr. Trump’s praise for foreign dictators and disdain for democratic ideals. They said the former president’s increasingly intensive focus on perceived internal enemies was a hallmark of dangerous totalitarian leaders. Scholars, Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans are asking anew how much Mr. Trump resembles current strongmen abroad and how he compares to authoritarian leaders of the past. “There are echoes of fascist rhetoric, and they’re very precise,” said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor at New York University who studies fascism. These ambitions include using the Justice Department to take vengeance on his political rivals, plotting a vast expansion of presidential power and installing ideologically aligned lawyers in key positions to bless his contentious actions.

Persons: Trump, ”, Ruth Ben, Mr Organizations: Trump Republicans, New York University, Justice Department

☆ Trump's own fraud-trial expert testifies about 'glaring' problems in his financial statements — but blames the accountants
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An ex-SEC accountant offered blunt testimony on Trump's net-worth statements. He noted "questionable" and "glaring" issues with the statements, despite being Trump's own witness. The not-so-ready cash was just one of nearly a dozen net-worth red flags identified Wednesday by Flemmons. And it certainly happened a lot in Trump's net-worth statements, by Flemmons' own description. "Blame the accountants" has been one of Trump's go-to defenses in his New York fraud travails, going back to the criminal payroll tax-fraud case his company lost a year ago.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, It's, Jason Flemmons, Flemmons, Trump, Arthur Engoron, Letitia James, Jesus Suarez, James, Donald Bender, Bender, Trump's, Kevin Wallace Organizations: SEC, Service, Trump Organization, Flemmons, Securities and Exchange Commission, New York, Trump, USA Locations: NY, New York, Manhattan

Senator Joe Manchin III said he decided to forgo re-election because he’d accomplished all his goals. But for the Democrats he’s leaving behind in Washington, the work to hold the party’s already slim Senate majority is just beginning. The state has become so conservative that only Wyoming delivered a wider Republican margin in the 2020 presidential race. “This is a huge impact,” Ward Baker, a former executive director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the group that oversees Senate races. “Manchin not running will save Republicans a ton of money — and it takes a seat off the board early.”

Persons: Joe Manchin III, he’d, Jim Justice, ” Ward Baker, “ Manchin, ” Organizations: Democrats he’s, Democratic, West Virginian, Republican, National Republican Senatorial Committee Locations: Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

☆ Tim Scott’s Debate Night Date Night
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Michael C. Bender | More About Michael C. Bender | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

She was later identified by a person close to the campaign as Mindy Noce, Mr. Scott’s girlfriend and a design and renovations manager for a real estate company in the Charleston, S.C., area. Even the pictures taken at his debate lectern with his girlfriend had the feel of being the final souvenirs from a stalled campaign. Mr. Scott entered the race as an underdog, but had proven to be a strong fund-raiser with the party’s base of online, small-dollar donors. Still, Mr. Scott, who champions himself as a “happy warrior,” remains an optimist. I’ll be on the stage.”The emergence of Mr. Scott’s companion onstage, like her emergence in the campaign itself, took a while.

Persons: Mindy Noce, Scott’s, Scott, “, we’ll, I’ll Organizations: NBC News Locations: Charleston, S.C, Iowa, Alabama

☆ Virginia Dashes Youngkin’s Hopes of a G.O.P. Takeover, and Maybe More
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Michael C. Bender | More About Michael C. Bender | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For months, some of the Republican Party’s top donors have dreamed of a dramatic late entrance into the presidential race by Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, envisioning an improbable scenario in which the fleece-vested former financier rips control of the party away from Donald J. Trump. Mr. Youngkin had been viewed by some Republicans as the key to unlocking their political problems in the suburbs. Mr. Youngkin’s blueprint, the thinking went, could help the Republican Party halt a series of stinging defeats since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Mr. Youngkin encouraged his party to lean into the fight, spending heavily on a television ad that explained the Republican plan to ban abortion in Virginia after 15 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the woman.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin, Donald J, Trump, Youngkin, Roe, Wade, Mr Organizations: Republican, Gov, Senate, Republican Party Locations: Virginia, Virginia’s

One of Donald J. Trump’s new comedic bits at his rallies features him impersonating the current commander in chief with an over-the-top caricature mocking President Biden’s age. With droopy eyelids and mouth agape, Mr. Trump stammers and mumbles. A burst of laughter and applause erupts from the crowd as he feigns confusion by turning and pointing to invisible supporters, as if he does not realize his back is to them. Mr. Trump has had a string of unforced gaffes, garble and general disjointedness that go beyond his usual discursive nature, and that his Republican rivals are pointing to as signs of his declining performance. On Sunday in Sioux City, Iowa, Mr. Trump wrongfully thanked supporters of Sioux Falls, a South Dakota town about 75 miles away, correcting himself only after being pulled aside onstage and informed of the error.

Persons: Donald J, Biden’s, Trump, squints Organizations: Republican Locations: Sioux City , Iowa, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

☆ The AI 100 2023: The top people in artificial intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

It may seem like AI emerged in the mainstream consciousness from nowhere. For prescient researchers, founders, and others who make up Insider's AI 100, this moment was inevitable. Even among those who predicted this moment, the speed with which AI has arrived on the world stage has been startling. And it's led to mixed reactions; first, a wave of wonder, followed by a period of deep skepticism. Insider set out to identify the people behind the AI, those building it, utilizing it, and thinking carefully about its risks.

Persons: it's, Dr, Emily M, Bender Organizations: University of Washington

NEW YORK (AP) — On notice to mind his out-of-court commentary, former President Donald Trump returned to his New York civil fraud trial Wednesday as his lawyers questioned an accountant who prepared financial statements at the heart of the case. With accountant Donald Bender on the witness stand, state lawyers has sought to show that Trump and others at his company had full control over the preparation of the financial statements. Bender testified Tuesday that the Trump Organization didn’t always supply all the information needed to produce the documents. Trump denies any wrongdoing, and his defense continued Wednesday to fault Bender for any shortcomings in the statements. Suarez then showed video of pretrial testimony in which Bender said he didn't recall whether he consulted with any specialists when preparing Trump's financial statements.

Persons: Donald Trump, Letitia James ’, Trump, Donald Bender, Bender, Jesus M, Suarez, president’s, “, ” Bender, ” Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron, James, ”, Engoron, Engoron's Organizations: New York, Trump Organization didn’t, Trump, Republican Locations: New York, Sisak, x.com

Donald Trump's ex-accountant spent three hours recognizing documents on Tuesday. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe New York attorney general and Donald Trump's lawyers used dynamic visuals and bombastic language to savage one another in court on Monday. Come Tuesday morning, the state found itself having to spend three hours asking Trump's former accountant Donald Bender to authenticate documents. He'd ask Bender if he recognized the signature of Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg, which was helpfully labeled "Allen Weisselberg," and that of Donald Trump Jr., helpfully labeled "Donald Trump Jr."AdvertisementAdvertisementBender, with his eye for detail, always did. James is hoping the trial brings $250 million in penalties and that Trump and his adult sons are banned from ever running a business in New York state again.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Donald Bender's, Trump, —, Donald Bender, Bender, Bender —, Allen Weisselberg, Donald Trump Jr, Arthur Engoron, Engoron, Letitia James, Alina Habba, Habba, Chris Kise —, James Organizations: Service, Trump Organization, New York, Trump Locations: York, New York

Christopher Kise, a lawyer for Trump, countered in his opening statement that Trump's financials were entirely legal. SIX CLAIMSFormer U.S. President Donald Trump attends the trial of himself, his adult sons, the Trump Organization and others in a civil fraud case brought by state Attorney General Letitia James, at a Manhattan courthouse, in New York City, October 2, 2023. Last week, the judge found Trump, his adult sons and 10 of his companies liable for fraud, describing in scathing terms how the defendants made up valuations. In his testimony, Bender said he relied on information provided by Trump and his companies when compiling Trump's personal financial statements. "The original numbers come from the Trump Organization, and any changes that would have been made at the end would have been approved by the Trump Organization," Bender said.

Persons: Trump, Donald Trump, Letitia James, Donald Jr, Eric, Donald Bender, James, Arthur Engoron, MONA LISA, Kevin Wallace, Christopher Kise, Kise, Alina Habba, Engoron, Mona Lisa, Brendan McDermid, Lago, Wallace, Michael Cohen, Bender, Habba, Cohen, Luc Cohen, Jack Queen, Doina Chiacu, Noeleen Walder, Nick Zieminski, Grant McCool Organizations: New, Trump, Trump Organization, Mazars USA, Republican, New York Democrats, SIX, U.S, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: New York, Manhattan, New, Lago, Florida, American, New York City, Washington, Georgia

In front of the cameras and on his social media site, Trump attacked New York Attorney General Letitia James for bringing the case against him. Last week, Engoron ruled that Trump and his co-defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated” fraud. Trump attorney Christopher Kise argued there was no intent to defraud and “no victims” in the case. “That is not fraud, that is real estate.”Judge spars with Trump attorneysAfter Habba finished her opening statement – which attacked James for campaigning that she would “get Trump” – Engoron pushed back against the Trump attorney. The firm resigned and said Trump’s financial statements should no longer be relied upon.

Persons: Donald Trump, Arthur Engoron, Trump, general’s, Letitia James, Jack, ” Trump, “ They’re, ”, Kevin Wallace, Wallace, ” Wallace, James, Engoron, Christopher Kise, “, Alina Habba, Habba, Mona Lisa, James ’, ” Engoron, ” Habba, Kise, haven’t, ” Kise, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Donald Bender, Bender Organizations: New, New York CNN, Trump, AG, Forbes, Trump Organization, White House, Deutsche Bank, Palm Locations: New York, Manhattan, ”, Palm Beach, Habba

Search resuls for: ". Bender"

25 mentions found