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    Trump Names 3 A-listers As Special Ambassadors To ‘Very Troubled’ Hollywood

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Austin Green, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    President-elect Trump announced three special envoys on Thursday with the purpose of promoting business in Hollywood.

    Those special ambassadors will be Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, Trump said. All three actors are conservative and have appeared publicly with Trump or praised him publicly in the past. Stallone, for example, praised Trump as “the second George Washington” while introducing him at the America First Policy Gala in Palm Beach in November.

    “It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post. “They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

    “These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest,” Trump added. “It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”

    The actors’ support for Trump is particularly significant given the strong anti-Trump sentiment voiced by many Hollywood progressives, such as George Clooney, who embrace politicians like former President Barack Obama.

    “When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world,” Stallone said of Trump in November. “‘Cause without him, you can imagine what the world would look like. Guess what, we got the second George Washington.”

    Report: United CEO Pitches Merger to Trump That Would Create World’s Largest Airline

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Image via Pixabay

    United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is reportedly floating a blockbuster idea inside the Trump orbit: a potential merger with American Airlines that would create the largest airline in the world — and instantly reshape the U.S. aviation industry.

    According to reports, Kirby raised the possibility toward the end of a White House meeting focused on the future of Washington Dulles International Airport. The timing is notable. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has already launched an initiative to “revitalize” Dulles, signaling a broader push to strengthen major U.S. travel hubs and compete globally.

    And the stakes are massive. Data from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority shows that a dominant 68.5 percent of commercial passengers at Dulles in December flew United — underscoring just how much influence one airline already holds at a key East Coast gateway.

    Now imagine that power combined.

    In 2023, United and American ranked first and third, respectively, in revenue by passenger miles among U.S.-based airlines, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. A merger between the two wouldn’t just be big — it would create an aviation giant unlike anything seen before, potentially giving the U.S. a dominant global carrier at a time of rising international competition.

    Kirby, who knows both companies well, previously served as president of American Airlines after its 2013 merger with U.S. Airways before joining United in 2016 — adding another layer of intrigue to the reported pitch.

    Not surprisingly, the reaction from Washington’s political class — especially on the left — was immediate and hostile.

    Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) fired off a blunt response on X, writing, “That’s gonna be a no.”

    Matt Stoller, a researcher at the anti-monopolist American Economic Liberties Project, went even further, calling the idea “corporate crime” that is “now legal.”

    But behind the outrage is a deeper policy divide. Under Trump appointee Andrew Ferguson, the Federal Trade Commission has taken a more business-friendly approach than it did under former Chair Lina Khan, whose aggressive antitrust stance often targeted large corporate mergers. For many conservatives, that shift reflects a broader belief that American companies need scale to compete with state-backed foreign rivals — particularly in industries like aviation.

    Still, even some legal experts say the proposal would face an uphill battle.

    Antitrust lawyer Seth Bloom told Reuters the deal would be unlikely to survive regulatory scrutiny, warning that it could hit consumers where it hurts most: prices.

    “The administration has said it really cares about the issues that affect the consumer’s pocketbook, and this would give the airlines more pricing power,” Bloom said.

    That tension — between building a stronger, more competitive American airline industry and protecting consumers from higher costs — is likely to define the debate if this idea gains traction.

    For now, Kirby’s reported pitch remains just that — a pitch.

    FROM THE DESK OF DONALD TRUMP JR. Democrats tried to rig the census by counting millions of illegal immigrants — giving blue states more power in Congress. Now we’re making sure only American citizens are counted. But first, we need to verify our own records. CONFIRM YOUR VOTER INFORMATION NOW.

    MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Sued For $800,000

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Mike Lindell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Ouch…

    Shipping and logistics company DHL sued Mike Lindell’s MyPillow this week over an alleged shipping debt of nearly $800,000.

    In the lawsuit filed in Minneapolis on Monday, DHL alleged Lindell’s company violated a previous lawsuit settlement from May 2023 which required MyPillow to pay off its $775,000 debt to DHL in 24 monthly installments.

    According to the lawsuit, MyPillow only partially paid off the required installments, paying DHL $64,583.34, with the last installment in June.

    DHL reportedly threatened to sue MyPillow in July and, after several months of no success, finally filed its lawsuit in court this week.

    DHL is now seeking $799,925.59 from MyPillow, along with attorney fees and an 18% annual interest.

    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    Lindell who has been a vocal and active supporter of former President Donald Trump has been embroiled in a number of lawsuits over the past few years, including defamation lawsuits from Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic over his allegations that the 2020 election was rigged.

    In February, Lindell was ordered to pay $5 million to a man after he lost his own “Prove Mike Wrong” challenge.

    In March, MyPillow was evicted from a warehouse in Minnesota for allegedly being $200,000 behind on rent.

    Andrew Cuomo to Launch New Podcast with First Guest Anthony Scaramucci

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Photos from the opening of the new Delta Air Lines terminal in LaGuardia Airport in Queens, NY, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019. (Chris Rank for Rank Studios) (Photos from the opening of the new Delta Air Lines terminal in LaGuardia Airport in Queens, NY, o

    Look at how far Andrew Cuomo has sunk.

    After resigning as New York Governor due to allegations of sexual misconduct Cuomo announced he plans to start a new business venture. Cuomo’s newest foray into the public sphere comes in the shape of a podcast and one of his first guests is scheduled to be President Donald Trump’s former communications director Anthony Scaramucci.

    Scaramucci, who briefly served the Trump administration in 2017, has emerged as a critic of Trump and expressed his support for Biden in the 2020 election.

    According to The Hill:

    Cuomo will this week debut a new hourlong show he is calling “As a Matter of Fact” on podcast streaming service Quake, he told Axios, and the show will aim to “hear from people — their questions, their issues — and have that dialogue.”

    The former governor told Axios this week he has “learned from the entire situation.”

    “There’s a fundamental problem with the entire system here,” Cuomo told the outlet of the media ecosystem writ large. “We have such division of people and we have such dysfunction of government, and part of it is this hyper-partisan, extreme dialogue that goes on.”

    “There is a new sensitivity that I didn’t fully appreciate that some people have, and some people have a new sense of cultural boundaries that I didn’t appreciate enough,” Cuomo said.

    It seems the disgraced governor is following in his brother’s footsteps. Chris Cuomo, who was a leading anchor at CNN during the Cuomo sex scandal, also started a new podcast after being fired from the network.

    Billionaire Makes Massive Political Contribution To Trump

    By
    admin
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    1
    Image via Pixabay free images

    One of the largest single disclosed gifts ever…

    A reclusive billionaire from a storied American family with a legacy dating back to the Gilded Age has made one of the largest political contributions in the history of American politics.

    Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune, made a $50 million contribution to the pro-Trump super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc.

    At the end of April, the organization had only $34.5 million.

    In a memo following Mellon’s donation, the PAC announced it had reserved $100 million in advertising through Labor Day.

    The New York Times continues:

    Mr. Mellon is now the first donor to give $100 million in disclosed federal contributions in this year’s election. He was already the single largest contributor to super PACs supporting both Mr. Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent. Mr. Mellon has previously given $25 million to both.

    Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Democrats have sought to portray Mr. Kennedy as a spoiler supported by Republicans, in part by emphasizing Mr. Mellon’s dual contributions and seemingly split loyalties. The pro-Kennedy super PAC has distributed quotations from the hard-to-reach Mr. Mellon, and for a blurb that appears on the cover of Mr. Mellon’s upcoming book, Mr. Kennedy called the billionaire a “maverick entrepreneur.”

    It is not clear what Mr. Mellon’s mega-donation means for his support of Mr. Kennedy going forward. He has so far toggled between giving to support both candidates. His most recent donation to Mr. Kennedy’s super PAC was a $5 million contribution in April.

    But Mr. Mellon’s $50 million gift will significantly help pro-Trump forces narrow the financial advantage that President Biden and his allies have enjoyed so far. Miriam Adelson, the casino billionaire and widow of Sheldon G. Adelson, who died in 2021, has also made plans to fund a pro-Trump super PAC with at least as much money as the $90 million that her family gave in the 2020 campaign, although much of the cash has yet to arrive.

    Mellon’s contributions follow Donald Trump‘s conviction in a hush money trial.

    Critics argue that the case is politically motivated and based on an overly broad interpretation of campaign finance laws. They add that such payments are common among public figures seeking to avoid public scrutiny.

    The Mellon family‘s wealth started when an Irish immigrant named Thomas Mellon founded T. Mellon & Sons’ Bank in Pittsburgh in 1869. His sons, Andrew W. Mellon and Richard B. Mellon, later grew the bank into a strong financial institution. This bank eventually became Mellon Financial Corporation, one of the largest banking institutions in the United States.

    During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Andrew Mellon played a crucial role in financing and supporting key industries such as aluminum, oil, and steel, contributing to the growth of major corporations, such as Gulf Oil, and Union Steel. As secretary of the Treasury from 1921 to 1932, his influence shaped the economic policies of the 1920s, known as the Mellon Plan, which contributed to the economic boom of the decade.

    National Photo Company Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    In 2007, Mellon Financial Corporation merged with The Bank of New York to form BNY Mellon, one of the world’s largest asset management and securities services companies, preserving their 150-year legacy in banking and finance.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

    Facebook Admits ‘Mistake’ In Censoring Iconic Trump Assassination Attempt Photo

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Photo via Pixabay images

    On Monday, a Facebook spokesperson admitted the platform wrongly called the popular image of Donald Trump pumping his fist in the air after an assassination attempt against him an “altered photo.”

    Meta Public Affairs Director Dani Lever later explained on X it was done in error as the systems were meant to detect a separate version of the image.

    “This was an error. This fact check was initially applied to a doctored photo showing the secret service agents smiling, and in some cases our systems incorrectly applied that fact check to the real photo. This has been fixed, and we apologize for the mistake,” Lever wrote.

    Lever confirmed the mistake when Fox News Digital reached out for a comment.

    The altered image Lever referenced featured the Secret Service members surrounding Trump smiling. USA Today and AFP United States previously fact-checked the images as “altered,” though it confirmed the accuracy of the original image.

    “None of the agents in the original image are smiling as they surround Trump, who has blood on his face and his right arm in the air. The image – which was captured by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci and distributed by the AP – appeared with coverage of the shooting by CNN, The Atlantic, Business Insider and many other legitimate news outlets,” USA Today explained.

    USA Today’s fact-check on the altered photo was used as a “third-party fact-checker” when Facebook corrected the photo.

    Google has recently come under criticism for omitting search results for Trump’s recent assassination attempt.

    Family of Isaac Hayes Sues Trump Over Playing Hit Song

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    5
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The family of late soul singer Isaac Hayes is suing former President Donald Trump for using the icon’s music at his rallies, Isaac Hayes III announced last week.

     The filing accused the former president and the Republican Nation Committee of “willfully and brazenly” engaging in 134 counts of copyright infringement.

    A letter to Trump and his campaign from the Georgia-based law firm Walker & Associates reads:

    Our firm has been retained by the family and Isaac Hayes Enterprises, who own the copyright to the musical composition and recording “Hold On (I’m Coming)” (the “Song”). It has come to our attention that you or the campaign have authorized the illegal public performance of the Song on multiple occasions during various rallies for your political campaign without authorization from the copyright holder, despite being asked repeatedly not to engage in such illegal use by our client.

    Upon information and belief, you, your campaign, and/or the RNC and other parties have willfully and brazenly engaged in copyright infringement in violation of several provisions of Title 17 U.S.C., including § 501, of the Copyright Act of 1976, as amended, over one hundred times. We have attached for your convenience a non-exhaustive list attached hereto as Exhibit A. As we prepared this letter, there was an additional use in Montana just two nights ago, even with your office apparently aware that you had no permission. We and the family hereby demand that you cease the continual infringement of our copyright and stop all unauthorized use of the Song.

    The suit further demands Trump pay $3 million, stop using the song, and to remove any campaign multimedia of the song being played at rallies. Hayes’ estate also demanded Trump issue a statement acknowledging he played the song without permission.

    Report: Trump Company Seeks To Trademark His Name On Airports

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    As Florida legislators weigh a proposal to rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald J. Trump, a related trademark filing by a company associated with the Trump Organization is drawing national attention — and predictable political reactions.

    Public records show that DTTM Operations, an entity tied to the Trump Organization, filed trademark applications on Feb. 13 for “President Donald J. Trump International Airport” and “Donald J. Trump International Airport.”

    A spokesperson for the Trump Organization said the filings are purely defensive and not intended to generate revenue.

    “To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming,” spokesperson Kimberly Banza said in a statement. She explained that the trademark applications are meant to prevent “bad actors from infringing upon or misusing the name.”

    The proposal to rename the airport comes as Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature considers honoring Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago residence is located in Palm Beach. Supporters see the move as a fitting recognition of a former and current president with deep ties to the region and a significant political legacy.

    Critics, however, have seized on the trademark filings to raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette of the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight argued that the situation highlights broader questions about presidential business holdings.

    Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who first reported on the filings, described the move as unusual, noting that while airports have been named after past presidents, a sitting president’s private company seeking trademark protection in advance appears to be unprecedented.

    Gerben suggested that the filings raise technical legal questions about whether a publicly owned airport would need permission to use the name if it were trademarked — though no such arrangement has been proposed.

    The broader political backdrop is hard to ignore. President Trump has long been a polarizing figure, and even routine legal filings tied to his name tend to generate outsized scrutiny. Supporters argue that trademark protection is standard practice for high-profile public figures and brands, particularly given Trump’s long history as a global business leader.

    The White House has not indicated that the president is personally involved in the legislative effort. Trump has also denied reports that he is seeking to have other major transportation hubs, such as Washington’s Dulles Airport or New York’s Penn Station, renamed in his honor.

    For now, the proposal remains in the hands of Florida lawmakers. Whether the renaming effort moves forward — and whether the trademark filings ultimately matter — will depend on decisions made at the state level.

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    Senators Call On SEC To Open Investigation Into Trump For Insider Trading

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    5

    Democrats are getting desperate…

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week asking for an investigation into President Donald Trump’s social media posts urging stock market purchases ahead of his tariff pause announcement

    “We ask the SEC to determine whether President Trump, any members of his cabinet, or other donors, insiders, and administration officials engaged in insider trading, market manipulation or other securities laws violations on April 9, 2025, when President Trump announced that it was a ‘GREAT TIME TO BUY’ into the stock market,” the senators wrote in a scathing letter.

    Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) also signed the letter, which slammed Trump for urging his social media followers to buy stocks “just hours before he announced a 90-day pause on his recently announced tariffs, leading to a historic market rally after days of dramatic market declines.”

    “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social at 9:37 am just ahead of his announcement that he would pause additional tariff increases on 75 countries for 90 days while slapping even higher levies on China.

    The letter was addressed to SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins, a Trump appointee, who was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday.

    “It is unclear which officials and affiliates for President Trump had advance knowledge of his plans to delay tariffs — but insiders may have known that he was going to announce a tariff pause and that the market would improve,” argued the Senators.

    Trump Media Investor Convicted Of Insider Trading

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Arrest image via Pixabay

    On Thursday, a Manhattan grand jury found financier Bruce Garelick guilty of insider trading charges in a scheme that involved the merger of former President Donald J. Trump’s social media company with a publicly traded shell company.

    Federal prosecutors had charged Garelick with five counts of securities fraud and conspiracy. 

    Authorities claimed Garelick shared confidential information with his boss and at least one other person that Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, was close to announcing a merger with Digital World Acquisition Group, the shell company.

    Mr. Garelick, 54, a former hedge fund manager, had been a board member of Digital World. 

    The New York Times has more:

    The information helped two brothers — Michael Shvartsman and Gerald Shvartsman — make nearly $23 million in illegal trading profits by buying Digital World securities in advance of the announcement, which sent the stock soaring. Mr. Garelick, who worked for Michael Shvartsman at a small Miami-based venture capital firm called Rocket One, made about $50,000 by trading off what authorities said was nonpublic information.

    Last month, the Shvartsman brothers decided to forgo a trial and pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges. In their plea agreements, prosecutors have recommended a sentence of roughly four to five years for Michael Shvartsman; and three to four years for his younger brother.

    Digital World raised about $300 million from investors in its initial public offering in September 2021. A little over a month later, the SPAC announced a deal to merge with Trump Media. After a long delay, the merger was completed in March and Trump Media became a publicly traded company. Mr. Trump’s nearly 70 percent stake in the firm is worth about $6 billion.

    In a closing argument, Daniel Nessim, a federal prosecutor, described Mr. Garelick as a “sophisticated professional” who “cheated” and used inside information to benefit himself and his boss, Michael Shvartsman.

    Garelick could face at least 25 years in prison.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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