Embedded Files
NEXT MEETING: 04/13/26, 7 PM, OZARK-DALE LIBRARY
Focus on Elon Musk and the Other Billionaires Influencing Our Country and Our Government
Paramount won't say whether Middle East money is funding its WBD deal
https://www.businessinsider.com/paramount-wbd-gulf-saudi-financing-abu-dhabi-qatar-ellisons-2026-3
Comment:"
"In December, Paramount's Larry and David Ellison said they had partners to help them buy WBD: Three Gulf states.
At the time, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar were going to chip in a collective $24 billion into the deal.
Are those countries part of the new deal Paramount struck with WBD last week? We don't know yet."
"A few months ago, [billionaires] Larry and David Ellison's Paramount said it had lined up big backers for its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery: three Middle Eastern countries, which would contribute a total of $24 billion to help buy the media conglomerate."
"Now, Paramount has won the rights to WBD, after Netflix walked away. Are those three Gulf states going to help finance Paramount's new deal?"
"Paramount won't say."
Comment: "The notion of other countries owning a piece of a powerful American-run media giant, which has multiple news operations, streamers, and movie studios, seems like the kind of thing you might hear politicians, regulators, and even normal Americans talking about. Particularly given the participation of Saudi Arabia, whose government killed a Washington Post journalist in 2018, per US intelligence."
"It may also explain why Paramount has never emphasized the idea of foreign investment in any of its press releases or public presentations about the deal. Or why Paramount once shot down a story saying it was rounding up Gulf investment."
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Video: Watch "The Problem With Billionaires" on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jytzozJ1wm0
Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post conducts widespread layoffs, gutting a third of its staff
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/04/media/washington-post-layoffs
Comment: "The Washington Post laid off about one in three employees across the company Wednesday morning, dealing another big blow to a newsroom that has reached a breaking point."
"Post owner Jeff Bezos had no immediate comment about the cutbacks."
"Bezos has been pushing the Post’s management team to return the publication to profitability, but many journalists at the paper have criticized his approach and questioned his motives."
" 'Bezos is not trying to save The Washington Post. He’s trying to survive Donald Trump,' former Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler said in a column earlier this week."
"Bezos and the company he founded, Amazon, have complex relationships with the Trump administration. Earlier this week Bezos hosted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Bezos-owned Blue Origin rocket company."
Video: Former Washington Post chief: Fear of Trump pushed Bezos to gut the newspaper - February 4, 2026
Meta drops $65 million into super PACs to boost tech-friendly state candidates
Comment: "Meta has loaded $65 million into two super PACs to help elect state candidates it views as supportive of the AI and tech industry in California."
Comment: "The super PACs reflect Meta’s deepening political ambitions for its home state, as the social media giant reinvents itself around AI, and other Silicon Valley heavyweights similarly eye a bigger say in California’s electoral outcomes."
"Federal lobbying budgets for Big Tech hit record hiighs this year. But with federal AI regulation stalled in Washington, industry leaders are turning their attention increasingly to statehouses. In California, as in Washington, Meta has led the charge, consecutively spending more than it ever has to sway legislators."
Comment: Zuckerberg and other tech billionaires?
Elon Musk pours millions more into helping Republicans keep Congress
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/31/elon-musk-2026-election-donations-00758992
Comment: If you think that Elon Musk is NOT looking out for your best interests, do you think that the GOP candidates that he supports (buys?) will be looking out for best interests either?
A list of powerful men named in the Epstein files, from Elon Musk to former Prince Andrew
Comment: Not all are billionaires, but many of those discussed are billionaires.
Comment: Disclaimer - listing in the files does not necessary indicate illegal or immoral actions.
Elon Musk had more extensive ties to Epstein than previously known, emails show
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/30/elon-musk-epstein-files-island-visits
Comment: "In November 2012, Epstein sent Musk an email asking 'how many people will you be for the heli to island'."
" 'Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?' Musk replied, in an apparent reference to his former wife Talulah Riley."
"Musk followed up with an email on 25 December in response to another Epstein message that encouraged him to visit and offered use of his helicopter."
" 'Do you have any parties planned? I’ve been working to the edge of sanity this year and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose. The invitation is much appreciated, but a peaceful island experience is the opposite of what I’m looking for,' Musk wrote."
" 'Understood , I will see you on st Barth, the ratio on my island might make Talilah uncomfortable,' Epstein responded."
" 'Ratio is not a problem for Talulah,' Musk said."
"On 2 January 2013, Musk sent Epstein an email suggesting that the visit wouldn’t take place saying: 'Logistics won’t work this time around.' ”
"Musk has been harshly critical of those linked to Epstein, but the newly released emails appear to contradict his own longstanding denial of any ties of his own. The Tesla CEO told Vanity Fair in 2019 that Epstein was 'obviously a creep' and claimed that Epstein 'tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined.' The emails between the two moguls come years after Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida. Authorities later arrested Epstein in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges."
After rocky start, Bari Weiss plans cuts, adds commentators at CBS News
Comment: "A former conservative opinion writer and editor for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, Weiss was hired last fall by Paramount's new controlling owner, David Ellison, to shake up CBS's news division as it came under renewed attack from the Trump administration."
Comment: "Ellison's takeover of Paramount was financed by his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. The elder Ellison is a Trump adviser who encouraged his efforts to contest the 2020 race."
Comment: "While Weiss has been welcomed by some CBS journalists, including Chief Legal Correspondent Jan Crawford, others have taken issue with her style of leadership and the editorial choices that have followed her arrival."
"In addition, liberal critics outside the network have blasted her, alleging that she is doing the handiwork of the networks' owners, who are allies of President Trump and are seeking his blessing in their bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Weiss has rejected that assertion, though she declined to comment for this story through a spokesperson."
Comment: "CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss said she will make the news division 'fit for purpose in the 21st Century' at an all-staff meeting Tuesday, in which she outlined her strategy."
"Weiss announced the hiring of 18 paid commentators — on subjects ranging from national security to health and wellness — as part of an effort to 'widen the aperture of the stories we tell and the voices we listen to.' They include HR McMaster, who served as national security advisor during the first Trump administration; Reihan Salam, the president of the conservative Manhattan Institute; and the historian Niall Ferguson."
"She also cited several new hires who are going to produce original reports from Kyiv, London and New York City with a social media-first approach. And she said she only wants top-flight performers committed to her approach to stick around."
"Weiss is expected to make significant cuts to the newsroom, though she did not address them in her remarks."
Comment: Less news and more propaganda?
Treasury cancels Booz Allen contracts over leaks about wealthy taxpayers
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/26/nx-s1-5689010/treasury-cancels-booz-allen-contracts-irs-leak
Comment: "The Treasury Department is canceling millions of dollars worth of contracts with the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm, after a contractor from the firm leaked confidential IRS information, showing how wealthy Americans manage to pay little or nothing in taxes."
"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent canceled a total of 31 contracts with Booz Allen, totaling $21 million. The company's stock fell more than 8%."
Comment: "That information was the basis of explosive stories in the New York Times and ProPublica, showing how wealthy people like Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos manage to minimize their tax obligations."
"A Booz Allen contractor, Charles Edward Littlejohn, pleaded guilty in 2023 to leaking the confidential data to reporters. He was sentenced to five years in prison."
"Booz Allen said it was surprised by the Treasury Department's decision to cancel its contracts."
Comment: Do you believe that such a drastic action would have occurred, if the leaked information had dealt with confidential IRS information from average Americans, rather than from Trump and other very wealthy billionaires?
Comment: For reasons of transparency, other presidents have always publicly disclosed their tax returns for scrutiny by the media and citizens. Because there is no legal requirement for disclosure, Trump has never publicly disclosed his tax returns.
Wealth inequality in America just hit its widest gap in 3 decades
https://www.aol.com/articles/wealth-inequality-america-just-hit-211720489.html
Comment: "Data from the Federal Reserve shows that the so-called K-shaped economy in America is alive and well, with low- and middle-income households falling further behind as the richest Americans pull away."
"The top 1% of households owned 31.7% of all U.S. wealth in the third quarter of 2025, the highest share on record since the Federal Reserve began tracking household wealth in 1989. That share has increased even as wealth growth for the rest of the population has stalled or slowed, the data shows."
"Collectively, the wealthiest 1% held about $55 trillion in assets in the third quarter of 2025 — roughly equal to the wealth held by the bottom 90% of Americans combined."
" 'Household wealth is highly concentrated and becoming steadily more concentrated,' Mark Zandi, chief economist at financial research firm Moody's Analytics, told CBS News."
"The latest snapshot of wealth inequality comes as billionaire fortunes continue to grow rapidly, both in the U.S. and abroad. An Oxfam International report released this week found that billionaire wealth in 2025 increased three times faster than the average annual rate over the previous five years."
How a billionaire with interests in Greenland encouraged Trump to acquire the territory
Comment: "One day during his first term, Donald Trump summoned a top aide to discuss a new idea. 'Trump called me down to the Oval Office,' John Bolton, national security adviser in 2018, told the Guardian. 'He said a prominent businessman had just suggested the US buy Greenland.' ”
"It was an extraordinary proposal. And it originated from a longtime friend of the president who would go on to acquire business interests in the Danish territory."
"The businessman, Bolton learned, was Ronald Lauder. Heir to a makeup fortune – the global cosmetics brand Estée Lauder – he had known Trump, a fellow wealthy New Yorker, for more than 60 years."
"Bolton said he discussed the Greenland proposition with Lauder. After the billionaire’s intervention, a White House team began to explore ways to increase US sway in the vast Arctic territory controlled by Denmark."
"Trump’s renewed pursuit of Lauder’s idea during his second term is typical of how the president operates, Bolton said. 'Bits of information that he hears from friends, he takes them as truth and you can’t shake his opinion.' ”
"The proposal seems to have stirred Trump’s imperialist ambitions: eight years on, he is mulling not just buying Greenland but perhaps taking it by force."
"Like many of those around the president, Lauder’s policy suggestions appear to intersect with his business interests. As Trump has ratcheted up his threats to seize Greenland, Lauder has acquired commercial holdings there. Lauder is also part of the consortium whose desire to access Ukrainian minerals appears to have spurred Trump to demand a share of the war-torn country’s resources."
Comment: "Lauder’s apparent involvement in shaping US policy adds to mounting questions about conflicts of interest during Trump’s second term and the apparent self-enrichment of those close to the president. Trump’s two elder sons, Don Jr and Eric, have been on a global moneymaking campaign from Vietnam to Gibraltar."
Comment: Please read the linked article to discover discussions about Lauder's campaign contributions to Trump and discussions about his various investments that seem related to his foreign policy recommendations, especially about Greenland.
ICE officer who shot Renee Good gets $10K donation from Bill Ackman
Comment: "Billionaire Bill Ackman is one of more than 8,000 people who have donated to an unverified online fundraiser to support the federal immigration officer who fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week. "
"As of the evening of Jan. 13, a GoFundMe campaign created by Clyde Emmons had raised more than $660,000 including a $10,000 donation from the hedge fund billionaire. Another $10,000 anonymous donation also topped the list. Created Jan. 9, the fundraiser aims to aid the potential legal defense of Jonathan Ross, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal officer based in Minnesota."
"In a statement posted Jan. 13 on X, Ackman said over the years he has invested 'substantial funds providing for the legal defense of individuals that I believe are innocent' and decided to support Ross because he knew 'he would need significant funds to cover his defense costs.' "
"The billionaire said he attempted to donate to Good's GoFundMe page but that contributions had already met the campaign's $1.5 million goal."
‘Unthinkable behavior’: Von der Leyen slams Musk’s AI for undressing photos of women
Comment: "European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen blasted Elon Musk’s platform X over the spread of sexually explicit deepfakes created using its AI chatbot Grok."
" 'I am appalled that a tech platform is enabling users to digitally undress women and children online. This is unthinkable behavior. And the harm caused by these deepfakes is very real,' von der Leyen said in an interview with multiple European media outlets, including Reuters and Corriere della Sera."
" 'We will not be outsourcing child protection and consent to Silicon Valley. If they don't act, we will,' she warned."
"Since the beginning of January, thousands of women and teenagers, including public figures, have reported that their photos published on social media have been 'undressed' and put in bikinis by Grok at the request of users."
"The deepfake tool has prompted investigations from regulators across Europe, including in Brussels, Dublin, Paris and London."
Tesla loses title as world’s biggest electric vehicle maker as sales fall for second year in a row
Comment: "Tesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle maker on Friday as a customer revolt over Elon Musk's right-wing politics, expiring U.S. tax breaks for buyers and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row."
Elon Musk indicates he’s ‘going all in’ on financing the GOP ahead of the midterms: ‘America is toast if the radical left wins’
Comment: Musk plans to buy the midterm elections, but citizens can stop him by voting against the candidates and positions that he touts. Do you think this billionaire is looking out for your interests?
I hope billionaires get richer in 2026. They deserve it. | Opinion
Comment: A sarcastic view of the world's billionaire class and the billionaire lifestyle.
Billionaires added record $2.2tn in wealth in 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/dec/31/billionaires-added-record-wealth-2025
Comment: "The richest 500 individuals in the world added a record $2.2tn to their wealth in 2025, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with just eight billionaires accounting for a quarter of the gains."
"The gains increased their collective net worth to $11.9tn, bolstered by billionaire Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory and booming markets in cryptocurrencies, equities and metals."
"Around a quarter of the gains were attributed to eight billionaires, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Oracle chair Larry Ellison and Alphabet Inc co-founder Larry Page, though 2024 saw more concentrated net worth gains with the same eight billionaires making up 43% of total net worth gains for the wealthiest 500 individuals in the world."
Video: Bernie Sanders: 'Billionaires Will Be Determining The Future Of Humanity' Through AI | N18G - December 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RnLC5vDgnw
Video: Billionaire Miriam Adelson Offered Donald Trump ‘Another $250 Million’ To Run For Third Term - December 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9upX17txR4
Video: Why Jared Kushner’s Plan to Build Trump Hotel Failed in Serbia | WSJ News - December 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlJzti_Ca2s
The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/magazine/jeffrey-epstein-money-scams-investigation.html
Jared Kushner's firm backs out of Paramount's Warner Bros. bid
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/16/kushner-warner-bros-paramount
Donald Trump and Jared Kushner’s Cynical Plot to Turn CNN Full MAGA Exposed
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/donald-trump-jared-kushner-cynical-071038862.html
Comment: "President Donald Trump wants to see changes at his least favorite news network, and a Hollywood megadeal could make those wishes come true, according to a new report."
"Trump, 79, has told people in his circle that he wants to see new ownership and changes to programming at CNN, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday."
"David Ellison, the son of billionaire Trump ally and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, told administration officials that he would make big changes to CNN if Paramount’s hostile bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery succeeds, according to the Journal."
"Paramount launched a $108 billion hostile takeover bid—backed by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner—after it lost out to Netflix in a bidding war for Warner, which owns Hollywood studios, CNN, HBO, HGTV, and a vast movie and TV catalog."
"After news broke that Netflix’s mammoth bid to take over Warner would be accepted, Larry Ellison, 81, called his friend Trump to warn that the transaction would hurt competition, insiders told the Journal."
"Trump appeared to echo those concerns at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night. Asked about the potential Netflix merger, he said it would create a 'big market share' and that—he warned ominously—'could be a problem.' "
"He did not disclose that his son-in-law had a financial stake in his friend Larry Ellison’s rival bid."
Kushner role in bid for Warner Bros raises ethical questions, experts say
Jared Kushner Outed as Key Player in Multibillion Takeover Battle
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jared-kushner-is-quietly-steering-a-massive-media-takeover/
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi want to put billions into Paramount/WBD. Why?
Comment: Is the answer media influence and influence with Trump through son-in-law Jared Kushner?
Jared Kushner is part of Paramount's hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/08/jared-kushner-paramount-warner-bros-netflix
Opinion: Trump’s handouts put billionaires first and Americans last
Comment: "One year into the second Trump presidency, it’s pretty clear that his regime’s operating principle is not really 'America First' but 'Trump First.' "
"Or maybe more accurately, 'What’s in it for Trump and the wealthy elites who benefit from his cronyism and corrupt rule?' "
"It’s the rich and powerful taking care of the rich and powerful. Your average American? Not so much."
Comment: "Americans are wising up and rejecting Trump’s greed and corruption. Signs suggest that what moves voters in next year’s elections could be the contrast between the self-enrichment of Trump and his billionaire cronies and his 'let them eat cake' attitude toward the people he and his party are abandoning."
Comment: Please read the entire opinion piece for the numerous evidence backing up the opinions expressed.
CNBC: Elon Musk calls for abolition of European Union after X fined $140 million
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/08/elon-musk-eu-should-be-abolished-after-x-fined-140-million.html
Comment: This would be laughable except that Marco Rubio, our Secretary of State, is backing Musk.
A Year Later, Donors to Trump’s Transition Come to Light
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/us/politics/trump-transition-donors.html
Comment: "A 46-person list includes billionaires and people he went on to appoint to positions of power."
The latest Epstein emails reveal the powerful people who sought his counsel
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/20/nx-s1-5613427/epstein-files-chomsky-bannon-summers-democrats
Comment: These folks may not be billionaires, but they can be classified as "the elite."
Emails reveal Epstein’s network of the rich and powerful despite sex offender status
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor told Epstein, ‘I can’t take any more of this,’ newly released emails show | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/13/uk/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-epstein-files-intl
Video: Billionaires React To Mamdani’s Win: ‘You Have A Big Responsibility’ - November 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpzTe3DrbE0
Video: Top 10 Richest People In The World As Of November 2025 - November 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8F0Txau2LA
Top 10 US billionaires’ collective wealth grew by $698bn in past year – report
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/03/wealth-billionaires-increase-trump
Trump reverses course to renominate billionaire Musk ally to lead Nasa
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/04/trump-jared-isaacman-nasa
Trump nominates Isaacman to run NASA — again
Comment: "President Donald Trump has picked Jared Isaacman to run NASA, handing the former nominee a remarkable second chance to lead the agency."
Comment: "The billionaire astronaut has already been tapped once to lead the space agency, but Trump pulled his nomination in May, just before the Senate was slated to vote on his confirmation, over concerns about his close ties to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and previous donations to Democrats."
"Isaacman has since sought to get back into the president’s good graces. He attended a White House event with major GOP donors in October, according to Axios, and has the backing of several lawmakers, including Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and high-profile MAGA influencer Laura Loomer."
Comment: "But Isaacman’s comeback push has faced resistance from Sean Duffy, who is serving as the acting head of the agency and the head of the Transportation Department. The effort has caused a high-stakes tussle over the role."
"The CEO of the payment processing company Shift4, Isaacman is a close business partner of Musk, who has a particular disdain for Duffy."
"But Isaacman faces an uphill battle to gather enough votes for his confirmation. Some Republicans have voiced concern about his past support for Democrats. And Isaacman has criticized Artemis, NASA’s program to land humans on the moon, arguing that the current setup is too expensive and built around a non-reusable rocket."
"Isaacman, if confirmed, would lead NASA at an uncertain time for the agency, which is grappling with steep budget cuts and fallout from the exodus of thousands of senior employees after cuts to the federal workforce."
"Isaacman also would need to try to execute Trump’s ambitious goal to land humans on the moon before the end of his term — and address major delays plaguing the effort."
Comment: Given Isaacman's "close ties to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk," do you think that his criticism of Artemis' "non-reusable rocket" is because the NASA developed SLS rocket is built by Boeing, and is planned instead of Musk's still unproven Falcon Heavy rocket?
Isaacman and Duffy are playing a ‘Game of Thrones’ for control of NASA
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5581613-nasa-administrator-race-isaacman-duffy/
For News Articles links from before November 1st, 2025, please go to one of the following, depending on the article date:
https://sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/old3-elon-musk-other-billionaires
OR
https://sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/old2-elon-musk-other-billionaires
There you will find a continuation of the news links & comments from the period prior to November 1, 2025. The article history can be viewed as follows:
www.dalecodemocrats.com (latest)
sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/ (May 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025)
sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/ (Topic Initialization - April 30, 2025)
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