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

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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

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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.

Trump Launches New Streaming Platform

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s media company announced the launch of a new video streaming platform this week.

The Daily Caller reported that Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of social media platform Truth Social, went public after shareholders approved a merger with Digital World of Acquisition Corporation (DWAC) in March. Trump’s media company detailed its plans to roll out its “new live TV streaming platform” in an email announcement.

“Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (NASDAQ:DJT) (‘TMTG’ or the ‘Company’), operator of the social media platform Truth Social, announced today that after six months of testing on its Web and iOS platforms, the Company has finished the research and development phase of its new live TV streaming platform and will begin scaling up its own content delivery network (‘CDN’),” the announcement reads.

The Daily Caller has more:

Trump’s streaming platform will be introduced in three phases, the announcement states. First, it will appear on the Truth Social app. Next, the streaming app will become available separately for download on phones, tablets and additional devices. Phase three of its rollout will encompass Trump’s streaming platform becoming available for download as an app on TVs.

Trump’s streaming service will host content “that has been cancelled, is at risk of cancellation, or is being suppressed on other platforms and services,” the announcement reads. Genres of content include “news networks, religious channels, [and] family-friendly content including films and documentaries.”

Andrew Cuomo to Launch New Podcast with First Guest Anthony Scaramucci

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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.

Family of Isaac Hayes Sues Trump Over Playing Hit Song

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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.

Fox News Host Laura Ingraham Joins Board of Trump Jr.’s New SPAC

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Fox News primetime host Laura Ingraham has been named a board member of a new special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) led by Donald Trump Jr..

The blank-check firm, Colombier Acquisition Corp. III, filed its registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday, planning to raise 26 million units at $10 each — a total IPO target of about $260 million.

The stated mission of the new SPAC is stirring: the company intends to “fund the next chapter of American Exceptionalism and help Make America Grow Again.”

A Powerful Line-Up

This initiative brings together heavyweight conservative and business voices:

  • Donald Trump Jr. himself is listed as a director of the SPAC.
  • Ingraham, as noted, takes a board seat, aligning her media voice with pro-growth, America-first business leadership.
  • Others on the board include billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya (often dubbed “Wall Street’s SPAC king”), Blake Masters (a former president of the Thiel Foundation and GOP Senate candidate-turned-investor), and conservative business leader Chris Buskirk of 1789 Capital.
  • The SPAC is sponsored by 1789 Capital — a firm with ties to Trump family allies including Trump Jr. — and led operationally by finance veteran Omeed Malik.

Why This Matters for the Republican Agenda

  1. Scaling American Growth — The SPAC presents an opportunity to invest in high-potential private companies that are aligned with conservative economic principles: innovation, domestic manufacturing, job creation. It echoes longstanding themes of shrinking dependency on foreign supply chains and revitalizing American industry.
  2. Bringing Conservative Media Into the Arena — Laura Ingraham’s role on the board is significant beyond her television presence. It bridges the media platform with private-capital activity in service of a pro-growth agenda, reinforcing conservative alignment across cultural and economic spheres.
  3. Leveraging the Trump Ecosystem — This SPAC is further proof of increasing alignment between the Trump family’s business interests and the conservative movement. With Trump Jr. at the helm and Fox News hosts like Ingraham working in the same orbit, the cultural and economic wings of the movement are becoming more integrated. Some might view this as a consolidation of influence — and for supporters, it represents an effective mobilization of talent, media, capital and ideas.
  4. Messaging Strength — The marketing language around “American Exceptionalism,” “Make America Grow Again,” and taking bold action to merge private champions into public markets resonates deeply with patriotic, pro-growth, and pro-Liberty voters and investors. It signals optimism about the future of U.S. business and opportunity.

Considerations for Conservative Investors & Supporters

  • Alignment of values and vision: This venture clearly invites participation by those who believe in American economic strength, renewal of manufacturing, and innovation under a conservative framework.
  • Risk and reward: As with all SPACs, there are inherent risks — particularly the uncertainty of what private company will be merged and how the market will react. However, the backing of high-profile conservative leaders may bring a unique brand strength and network effect.
  • Cultural impact: Ingraham’s involvement means that conservative media will potentially be linked to private-market outcomes. This could amplify messaging but also raise questions about separation of media and business roles (a subject of debate).
  • Timing: The filing was recent, and the IPO process is underway. As the venture develops, more details will emerge (which company they will target, when, etc.). Supporters should watch for updates and ensure that the company they merge with aligns with the broader vision.

What’s Next

Supporters in the conservative movement will likely view this development as a concrete manifestation of turning media influence into economic muscle — shaping culture and business in tandem.

The IPO units are expected to trade under the ticker “CLBR U” on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The next steps will include selecting a target company to merge with, closing the deal, and executing on growth plans. Investors should monitor the company’s announcements and disclosures via SEC filings.

Media watchers will track how this move influences the relationship between conservative media, the Trump business ecosystem, and public market investment.

Nikki Haley Lands New Gig After Failed Trump Challenge

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The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump’s last Republican rival has landed a fresh new job.

Nikki Haley the former two-term South Carolina governor who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, is joining the Washington, D.C.-based Hudson Institute.

“Nikki is a proven, effective leader on both foreign and domestic policy,” Hudson President and CEO John P. Walters said in a statement Monday. “In an era of worldwide political upheaval, she has remained a steadfast defender of freedom and an effective advocate for American security and prosperity. We are honored to have her join the Hudson team.”

Fox News has more:

Haley, who received the Hudson Institute’s global leadership award in 2018 during her tenure as U.N. ambassador, will serve as the institute’s Walter P. Stern Chair. According to the Hudson Institute, the position was created four years ago to commemorate a former chair “who was instrumental in making Hudson one of Washington’s most respected research organizations.”

The institute emphasized that “it is fitting that Nikki has taken on this title” because “she is a courageous and insightful policymaker.”

Haley announced that she was suspending her White House campaign on March 6, the day Trump swept 14 of 15 GOP nominating contests on Super Tuesday.

To date, Haley has declined to endorse Trump.

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,” Haley said last month, as she pointed to those who supported her during her White House run.

“This is now his time for choosing,” she emphasized.

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

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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.”

Trump Scores Support From Another Billionaire

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Trump is scoring big…

Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood said she would vote for former President Trump over President Biden in the November presidential election.

Wood took part in an interview with ‘Meet Kevin’ financial analyst and YouTuber Kevin Paffrath, during which she was asked the popular question, “Trump or Biden?”

Wood told the host she has three children with whom she has discussed the upcoming election and its consequences.

“As I’ve said to them, ‘Look, I am going to vote for the person who’s going to do the best job for our economy,’” Wood told Paffrath. “I am a voter when it comes to economics, and on that basis, Trump.”

She further explained that Laffer Associates founder and chairman Art Laffer “describes the first three years of the Trump presidency as the best in U.S. economic history, not the last one because of COVID, and I would agree.”

Watch:

The informal endorsement comes on the heels of several billionaires sending money and support toward Trump’s presidential campaign. (RELATED: Billionaire Makes Massive Political Contribution To Trump)

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

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.

Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, announced last month he will back Trump in the 2024 race after he previously called for the Republican Party to turn to a “new generation of leaders.”

Elon Musk Vows To Keep His PAC ‘Grinding’ And To Help Future Republican Primaries

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Billionaire Elon Musk has no plan to back away from politics anytime soon.

SpaceX owner Elon Musk vowed to keep up his political activities in a social media post on Tuesday, saying he would take an active role in the GOP primaries ahead of the 2026 midterms.

“Normally, PACs go somewhat dormant after a big election,” Musk wrote on X, adding:

@America PAC is going to do the opposite and keep grinding, increasing Republican registrations in key districts around the country, in preparation for special elections and the midterms.

“And, of course, play a significant role in primaries,” Musk added.

Musk’s PAC reportedly spent some $200 million to help get Trump reelected in recent months. Musk himself, the world’s richest man, donated some $120 million to aid in Trump’s reelection bid – making him Trump’s second biggest backer after billionaire Timothy Mellon.

Musk’s pledge to stay active in GOP politics is the first sign his interest in the party extends far beyond Trump as activism.