#political-donations

#political-donations

Now that obsequiousness could be coming back to haunt them. As reported by MIT Technology Review, activists critical of the Trump administration and the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement have started a campaign called QuitGPT, urging regular users to ditch OpenAI's chatbot for good. So far, the campaign boasts over 700,000 supporters of the boycott. The QuitGPT website lists a few different ways to participate: quitting ChatGPT outright, cancelling paid subscriptions, and spreading the word about the boycott with others on social media.

That Supreme Court decision, Buckley v. Valeo, happens to turn 50 years old this week. It's Buckley, and not the often-excoriated 2010 Roberts court decision in Citizens United v. FEC, that created the conditions for the ultrawealthy to transform their vastly unequal economic power into lopsided political power, and for a billionaire like Elon Musk to contribute a staggering $291 million to help elect Republican candidates, including Donald Trump, in 2024.

Rogers insisted he was a very progressive person who cares deeply about winning these elections, but my phrasing was not right. I will be more thoughtful! I really do promise. He added, I have great respect and admiration for Rep. Crockett, and I regret that my words suggested otherwise. I just want us to win and I will be better at finding ways to help.

As we wrap up 2025, we're looking at the year's biggest winners: the people, companies, products and trends that made the most impact over the year. Almost at the top of the pile, of course, are the tech billionaires. According to a recent report by Oxfam, the 10 richest US billionaires (who are all tech leaders, save for Warren Buffet) increased their wealth by $698 billion in 2025. Some of that has been spent treating and lavishing donations on President Trump.

We had to go in and clean up the mess for them, and this is part of the continued cleanup. A lot of money has been transferred from the individuals who committed this fraud, including those who donated to the governor, donated to representative Omar and to AG Ellison. They have been transferred to something called MBSs these are Money Bureau Services, and they are wire transfer organizations that are outside the regulated banking system.

The move marks a significant shift for Bamford, who has donated over £9 million to the Conservatives and was one of Boris Johnson's key financial backers, even hosting the former prime minister's wedding celebration. Bamford, a long-time Brexit supporter who helped bankroll the Vote Leave campaign, has not previously donated to Farage's party. However, his company sponsored Reform UK's annual conference in September and has featured prominently in Farage's campaign events.

systemic weaknesses

Companies that have recently donated to Labour were awarded contracts worth almost 138m during the party's first year in government, according to new research that raises fresh concerns about the relationship between political donations and public spending. A report by the thinktank Autonomy Institute has identified more than 100 companies that have given money to political parties and then won government contracts, under both Conservative and Labour administrations.

The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee found David Kogan appointable after his scrutiny hearing and we are now pleased to proceed in announcing him as chair. It is vital that the work to set up the regulator continues at pace to strengthen the governance of the national game and for that we need a chair in post and a board put in place. We have cooperated fully with the inquiry by the Commissioner of Public Appointments and await the report's publication.

Adam Bonica analyzed the age of donors across different groups and politicians.

Energy Transfer LP and its CEO, Kelcy Warren, were the fossil fuel industry's top contributors to a super PAC supporting President Donald Trump during the first half of 2025, contributing $25 million.

Peter Thiel made his first political contribution in two and a half years, giving $852,200 to House Speaker Mike Johnson's joint fundraising committee, with most funds going to various GOP campaigns.

The fundraiser at Bob Reynolds' Nantucket home raised about $3 million for the GOP ahead of the 2026 midterms, with tickets starting at $100,000.