Tag: billionaires

Larry Ellison’s Son Buys The Free Press, Installs Bari Weiss as CBS News Editor-in-Chief

Israel First billionaire Larry Ellison’s son, David Ellison, is officially buying The Free Press and has already installed self-described “Zionist fanatic” Bari Weiss as the editor-in-chief of CBS News.

From The New York Times, “Paramount Buys The Free Press, Ushering in a New Era at CBS News”:

Paramount said on Monday that it was buying The Free Press, a digital news site founded as an alternative to traditional news organizations, and appointing its co-founder, Bari Weiss, as the editor in chief of CBS News.

The purchase price was roughly $150 million in cash and Paramount stock, according to two people familiar with the terms who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The total amount will be paid out over time, and it may fluctuate depending on the price of Paramount’s stock.

The deal ushers in a new era for CBS News, the storied home of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, which has new corporate leadership at Paramount. Ms. Weiss, 41, has never run a TV network, and in her role will have influence over hundreds of producers, anchors and reporters around the world. She will report to David Ellison, Paramount’s chief executive, and work alongside Tom Cibrowski, the president of CBS News.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bari and The Free Press to Paramount and CBS News,” Mr. Ellison said in a statement. “Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.”

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A Billionaire, a Psychic and a Bad Investment: The Friendship Breakup from Hell

“OH, MY GOD,” said Taylor Thomson, clapping her eyes on Ashley Richardson for the first time. “You have those fabulous heroin-chic arms.”

It was 2009. Both women were lounging in the backyard at the Malibu home of Beau St. Clair, a film producer and mutual friend. Richardson, wearing a muscle tee over her bikini, basked in the sun while Thomson sat fully covered in a flowy outfit and a hat. Her then-10-year-old daughter clutched a hot-pink mini Birkin.

Richardson, a lanky, 6-foot-tall blonde, was a free spirit who went on to build a career designing social-media campaigns for companies like Ford Motor and McDonald’s. Thomson was an heiress to Canada’s wealthiest family. An eccentric with a self-deprecating sense of humor, she went to dinners and parties with wild hair and drapey, distressed clothes by California designer Rick Owens. “She was this subversive, secret billionaire,” says one mutual friend.

But a few crucial commonalities—a shared silliness, a love for animals and a deep spirituality—drew them together. Thomson liked that Richardson had spent five years in India working with a spiritual leader named Amma, the so-called hugging saint. Richardson bonded with Thomson’s daughter, whom she recalls as precocious and “a quirky little being.”

“Taylor is a Holly Golightly, adventurous bohemian spirit,” says Richardson. “She has this big beautiful heart when she lets her guard down.” Both women have ADHD, she adds. “Because of that, I think we got each other.”

Richardson soon became part of a small Los Angeles friend group that Thomson called her inner sanctum. Whenever Thomson would land in Los Angeles, says Richardson, her phone would blow up. The women, often with Richardson’s girlfriend, would order Nobu takeout and pair it with tequila at Thomson’s beach house. Richardson made Sunday dinners and frittatas at the heiress’s Bel Air mansion. When Thomson had staff there, her assistants chopped onions. When she didn’t, Thomson was the first to do the dishes, and Richardson taught Thomson’s eager then-teenage daughter how to roast potatoes. For New Year’s Eve, they planned a menu that included chocolates and truffles. “Also an onion to chop for caviar,” reminded Thomson in a text message at the time.

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Larry Ellison Vetted Marco Rubio for Fealty to Israel, Hacked Emails Reveal

Everything is coming together for Larry Ellison. The billionaire co-founder of tech giant Oracle, on-and-off-again the richest man in the world and a staunch supporter of Israel, is set to take a lead role in reshaping TikTok in the United States. His son, David Ellison, is moving to take over large swaths of the media, including CBS News, CNN, Warner Brothers, and Paramount, reportedly bringing in the Free Press’s Bari Weiss to shape editorial direction.

“The Ellison family is cornering the market on attention and data the same way the Vanderbilts did railroads and the Rockefellers did oil,” as Wired recently characterized it. How they plan to operate that monopoly is on course to be tested out in what President Donald Trump is calling “New Gaza,” the techno-dystopian free trade zone that is to be administered by a Board of Peace led by Trump and Ellison’s longtime political and business vehicle, Tony Blair. Ellison has given or pledged more than $350 million to the Tony Blair Institute, which Blair has used to advance Ellison’s vision of a marriage between government, corporate power, and tech surveillance. Oracle, by providing database infrastructure and cloud-computing services to other huge enterprises like FedEx and NVIDIA, has quietly become one of the most powerful companies in the world.

As the nation’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also played a role in the TikTok talks that steered the company toward Ellison, after playing a lead role as a senator in demonizing the app; he was also closely involved in the rollout of Trump’s plan for Gaza’s future, which hands the enclave to Blair. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner tasked the Blair Institute in the spring with coming up with a post-war plan for Gaza, which was recently completed, the Times of Israel reported.

That Rubio finds himself in such a central position is in part thanks to Ellison, who has been a major patron of the Cuban-American former senator from Florida. Ellison first vetted Rubio for his fealty toward Israel back in early 2015, according to previously unreported email correspondence reviewed by Drop Site. Rubio rose to prominence as a Tea Party-backed conservative Senate upstart in 2010, launching a presidential campaign in the 2016 cycle. As secretary of state, Rubio launched an unprecedented crackdown on speech, detaining and attempting to deport critics of Israel precisely for the crime of their criticism of Israel.

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Bill Gates Named in Epstein Files—Democrats Stay Silent

The latest release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files has renewed public scrutiny of high-profile figures who maintained relationships with the disgraced financier. 

Among them is billionaire Bill Gates, whose name has appeared in the documents. For years, Democrats and their media allies downplayed or outright ignored Gates’ connections to Epstein. 

Now, the facts reveal not only his ties to Epstein but also his deep involvement in Democrat Party politics.

While Gates has long cultivated the image of a neutral philanthropist, records reveal a different story. In the 2024 election cycle, Gates quietly funneled $50 million to groups supporting Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. 

This massive donation positioned him as one of the most prominent individual financial backers of the Democrat ticket. 

Despite the significance, the mainstream press rarely reported on it, preferring to highlight donations from conservative donors while dismissing Gates as merely a “tech philanthropist.”

Gates has become an essential figure for Democrats, both as a financial resource and as a cultural influencer. He controls foundations that spend billions on progressive causes, from climate activism to education reforms that align with Democrat priorities. 

His presence in the Epstein files, however, complicates this carefully managed narrative. 

If Gates were a Republican donor, the connection would likely dominate headlines and become a political issue for months. 

Instead, the media and Democrat strategists have chosen to obscure the details.

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Is the tech giant who gave Blair £257m in line for huge ID card contract? Government embroiled in cronyism row after revelation former PM lobbied for his billionaire backer who could make millions

The Government was tonight embroiled in a cronyism row as it emerged Tony Blair secretly lobbied for his billionaire backer who could make millions of pounds from Labour’s controversial digital ID cards.

Documents seen by The Mail on Sunday reveal the former prime minister urged Business Secretary Peter Kyle to consult a technology institute founded by his friend Larry Ellison in a private meeting last year.

Mr Ellison, the world’s second richest man, has donated or pledged a staggering £257million for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. 

He founded the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), a research centre in Oxford, and is chairman of tech giant Oracle, which has a £700million IT deal with four Whitehall departments.

Experts say Oracle is now in pole position to profit from plans to force millions of adults to sign up for a digital ID card.

And an exclusive MoS analysis can reveal that after Sir Tony’s meeting with Mr Kyle, Mr Ellison’s organisations have enjoyed astonishing access to the very top of Government.

Indeed, staff from Oracle and EIT have met with ministers and senior officials no fewer than 29 times in nine months.

Mr Kyle, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have met bosses from Oracle.

Meanwhile science minister Lord Vallance has met EIT representatives seven times – one was to discuss ‘EIT plans for expansion and alignment with Government’s priorities’, official records show.

Sir Tony has had a decades-long ‘bromance’ with Mr Ellison, who is worth £290billion, and last year enjoyed a lavish Mediterranean holiday on his superyacht.

On Saturday, Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: ‘Despite Keir Starmer’s promises of a ‘crackdown on cronyism’, these revelations show it runs right to the very top of this rotten Labour Government.

‘Tony Blair lobbying Peter Kyle to set up meetings with groups linked to Larry Ellison – now in pole position for the Government’s Digital ID contract – reeks of a blatant conflict of interest. This has all the hallmarks of yet another cosy deal between Labour insiders and powerful vested interests.’

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Elon Musk and Prince Andrew named in new Epstein files

Billionaire Elon Musk and Prince Andrew are named in new files released by Congressional Democrats that relate to the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The files turned over to the House Oversight Committee by the Jeffrey Epstein Estate appear to show that Musk had been invited to Epstein’s island in December 2014.

Separately a manifest for a flight from New Jersey to Florida in May 2000 names Prince Andrew among the passengers.

Musk and Prince Andrew have been approached for comment.

Prince Andrew has previously strenuously denied any wrongdoing. Musk has previously been quoted as saying that Epstein had invited him to the island but he had declined.

The partial records are from the third batch of documents produced by the Jeffrey Epstein Estate. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee say they include phone message logs, copies of flight logs and manifests for aircrafts, copies of financial ledgers and Epstein’s daily schedule.

In addition to Musk and Prince Andrew, the files released publicly also contain the names of other prominent figures including internet entrepreneur Peter Thiel and Steve Bannon, a former advisor to Donald Trump

One line in the records dated 6 December 2014 reads: “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec. 6 (is this still happening?)”

A flight manifest records that Prince Andrew was on a flight with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell from Teterboro, New Jersey, to West Palm Beach, Florida, on 12 May 2000. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to traffic girls for sex.

On 11 May 2000, Buckingham Palace said on its website that Prince Andrew had flown to New York to attend a reception in New York for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Andrew returned to the UK on 15 May, a later entry said.

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Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Launches Super PAC to Combat AI Regulations

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has announced the launch of a new super PAC aimed at electing state candidates from both parties who support the company’s stance on AI development and regulation. According to the company, the American Technology Excellence Project super PAC is launching “amid a growing patchwork of inconsistent regulations that threaten homegrown innovation and investments in AI.”

Axios reports that social media and AI giant Meta has launched a new super PAC called the American Technology Excellence Project to help fight what it perceives as burdensome AI and tech policy bills across multiple states. The announcement highlights the company’s focus on state-level legislation as the federal government appears unlikely to pass significant tech policy regulation in the near future.

The super PAC will be run by Brian Baker, a longtime Republican operative, and the Democratic consulting firm Hilltop Public Solutions, with Meta investing tens of millions of dollars into the project. Baker stated, “America’s innovation edge is at a crossroads. We need state legislators who will champion our tech future, not cede it to global adversaries. We’ll fight to keep the US ahead of the curve, driving growth and opportunity for all.”

In a statement to Breitbart News, Meta VP of Public Policy Brian Rice wrote:

Amid a growing patchwork of inconsistent regulations that threaten homegrown innovation and investments in AI, state lawmakers are uniquely positioned to ensure that America remains a global technology leader. This is why Meta is launching an effort to support the election of state candidates across the country who embrace AI development, champion the U.S. technology industry, and defend American tech leadership at home and abroad.

The American Technology Excellence Project will focus on three main pillars: promoting and defending U.S. technology companies and leadership, advocating for AI progress, and empowering parents to control how their children experience online apps and AI technologies. While Meta has not yet shared which states the PAC will immediately focus on or how many people it will employ, the company claims it is committed to supporting the election of state candidates who embrace AI development, champion the U.S. technology industry, and defend American tech leadership both domestically and internationally.

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White House rehires hundreds of employees fired by Musk’s DOGE – AP

Hundreds of US federal employees dismissed during Elon Musk’s cost-cutting campaign are now being asked to return to work, the Associated Press has reported.

US President Donald Trump kicked off the waste-cutting effort a month after taking office, with the initiative being led by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk headed the department until June, when he stepped down amid mounting tensions with the president.

The reinstatement offers affect workers who previously oversaw federal office spaces, AP reported on Tuesday.

The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages government properties and acquisitions, has given the affected employees until the end of the week to decide. According to the outlet, those who accept must report back on October 6, following what has effectively been seven months’ paid leave. During that period, the GSA in some cases incurred high costs – passed along to taxpayers – for dozens of leases it had planned to terminate or allowed to expire.

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Elon Musk’s father is accused of sexually abusing five of his children and stepchildren – including one he allegedly touched when she was four and later had a child with

Elon Musk‘s father has been accused of sexually abusing five of his children and stepchildren since 1993, including one he allegedly touched when she was four years old – who he later had a child with. 

The explosive allegations against Errol Musk, 79, are allegedly why the tech billionaire and Tesla founder has kept his distance from his estranged father over the years.

Despite being outspoken on social media, the 54-year-old mogul has rarely delved into his strained relationship with his father. 

Errol made headlines when he had a baby with his own stepdaughter, who was 40 years younger than him.

The accusations have repeatedly seeped into Elon’s life, reported the New York Times, which has seen more than 50 personal letters and emails and has conducted interviews with relatives.

On several occasions, family members have contacted him for assistance and he has sometimes taken action to intervene, the newspaper said.

The family drama has meant the SpaceX founder has remained tied to South Africa, where he was born and where Errol lives, despite his booming business empire in the U.S and former role in the Trump administration.

Errol is accused of sexually abusing five of his children and stepchildren in South Africa and California, as per police and court records, personal correspondence, social workers and interviews with relatives, The New York Times reported.

The earliest allegation dates back to 1993 when the businessman’s stepdaughter, then four years old, accused him of touching her at a family house.

She told relatives about the incident. A decade later, she said she caught Errol sniffing her dirty underwear.

She said she later had a baby with him when she was in her 20s and has grappled with drug use, while her mother – who married Errol twice – has struggled with mental health issues. 

Other family members have accused him of abusing a stepson and two of his daughters. 

Two years ago, his then five-year-old son accused him of groping his buttocks, causing family members and a social worker to intervene, The New York Times said.

Over the three decades of allegations, three separate police investigations were opened, according to records and relatives cited by The New York Times.

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Guess Which Billionaire Just Dropped $10 Million to Help Gavin Newsom’s Redistricting Crusade

Democrats’ favorite billionaire is funneling oodles of cash into helping California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan.

Newsom has raised a shocking amount of money in a short period of time to push Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would redraw California’s congressional districts in a way that would give Democrats more seats in the House of Representatives. The New York Times reported that Newsom “has raised rougly $70 million in less than two months.”

And guess who’s shelling out the big bucks? You guessed it: George Soros.

The Times noted that Soros has poured about $10 million into the redistricting effort, which makes the Soros family the largest single backer of the initiative. This development comes as President Donald Trump is calling for an investigation into the family.

In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump insisted that George, and his son and heir Alex, “should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America.”

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