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Alexandra Ulmer

@alexandraulmer.bsky.social
1.2K followers 155 following 27 posts

Reuters reporter covering U.S. politics with a focus on Trump, Musk and $. Previously in Venezuela, India, Chile & Argentina. alexandra.ulmer@tr.com

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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Our special report on the Trump-linked venture capital fund that just topped $1 billion in assets: www.reuters.com/investigatio...
reuters.com
Trump-linked venture fund 1789 Capital tops $1 billion in assets
With Donald Trump Jr. as a partner, 1789 Capital is drawing a flood of new investments and landing stakes in hot emerging tech firms – including xAI and two other Elon Musk ventures – as it executes plans to cash in on a MAGA “parallel economy.”
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SPJ NorCal Chapter @spj-norcal.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Happening tonight! Speakers include SFGATE’s editor-in-chief @grantmarek.bsky.social, Le Temps video journalist Cathy Dogon, Catchlight CEO @elodiemailliet.bsky.social and @alexandraulmer.bsky.social, U.S. National Affairs Correspondent for Reuters in San Francisco
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Read the first interview with Sahil Lavingia since he left DOGE. He does not mince his words about Musk's project: www.reuters.com/world/us/wit...
reuters.com
Without Musk, DOGE likely to fizzle out, says ex-staffer
Without billionaire Elon Musk in the Trump administration, his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency project is likely to sputter out, a former DOGE staffer said in his first interview since leaving the team.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
reuters.com
Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns
Elon Musk’s DOGE team is expanding use of his artificial intelligence chatbot Grok in the federal government to analyze data, said three people familiar with the matter, potentially putting at risk sensitive information on millions of Americans.
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Charlie Savage @charliesavage.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
unlocked: Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns The second Trump administration is blowing through limits on the mixing of public office and personal benefits. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns
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Nandita Bose @nanditab1.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
With DOGE duties winding down, Elon Musk is laying the groundwork for a major role as a megadonor in the midterms — but not before asking Trump to boost Tesla’s image. Both men have denied Musk ever sought help. My latest w/ @alexandraulmer.bsky.social www.reuters.com/business/aut...
reuters.com
Musk lays groundwork for big donor role in midterm elections as time with DOGE ends
As billionaire Elon Musk scales back work for U.S. President Donald Trump, he’s laying the groundwork for a major role as a Republican political megadonor in next year’s midterm elections, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
"I think he's exhausted and exasperated," one source says of Elon Musk as he wraps up his time at DOGE. Latest with @nanditab1.bsky.social www.reuters.com/business/aut...
reuters.com
Musk lays groundwork for big donor role in midterm elections as time with DOGE ends
As billionaire Elon Musk scales back work for U.S. President Donald Trump, he’s laying the groundwork for a major role as a Republican political megadonor in next year’s midterm elections, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.
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Rachael Levy @rachlevy.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Scoop from me and @alexandraulmer.bsky.social
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
NEW DOGE reporting, per sources: * DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say * DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok * Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers www.reuters.com/technology/a...
reuters.com
Exclusive: Musk's DOGE using AI to snoop on U.S. federal workers, sources say
Trump administration officials have told some U.S. government employees that Elon Musk's DOGE team of technologists is using artificial intelligence to surveil at least one federal agency’s communications for hostility to President Donald Trump and his agenda, said two people with knowledge of the matter.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
NEW DOGE reporting, per sources: * DOGE using AI to surveil EPA workers, Trump officials say * DOGE team is "heavily" using Grok * Musk privately mused that AI could replace govt workers www.reuters.com/technology/a...
reuters.com
Exclusive: Musk's DOGE using AI to snoop on U.S. federal workers, sources say
Trump administration officials have told some U.S. government employees that Elon Musk's DOGE team of technologists is using artificial intelligence to surveil at least one federal agency’s communications for hostility to President Donald Trump and his agenda, said two people with knowledge of the matter.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
In Wisconsin court race, megadonor Musk's role helps fuel Democratic turnout www.reuters.com/world/us/wis...
reuters.com
In Wisconsin court race, megadonor Musk's role helps fuel Democratic turnout
Elon Musk poured millions of dollars into a Wisconsin Supreme Court race and even donned a local cheese-shaped hat at a political rally, only to have his candidate soundly defeated in a race viewed as an early referendum on Donald Trump's presidency.
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 19/03/2025
NEW: Donald Trump Jr. Mixes Business and Politics in Serbia, as Protests There Rage President Trump’s oldest son visited Belgrade, the site of a Trump International Hotel project, and pushed back on calls for the country’s president to resign. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...
nytimes.com
Donald Trump Jr. Mixes Business and Politics in Serbia, as Protests There Rage
President Trump’s oldest son visited Belgrade, the site of a Trump International Hotel project, and pushed back on calls for the country’s president to resign.
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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
NEW: President Trump is hosting group and 1-1 dinners at Mar-a-Lago for $1M and $5M per seat, respectively. The've already become a "hot ticket" for business leaders. Where's the money going? Unclear, though one source said it would fund Trump's presidential library. www.wired.com/story/people...
wired.com
People Are Paying Millions to Dine With Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Business leaders are paying as much as $5,000,000 to meet one-on-one with the president at his Florida compound, sources tell WIRED, while others are paying $1,000,000 apiece to dine with him in a gro...
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Andrew RC Marshall @journotopia.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
“It’s not so beyond the realm of possibility that (Musk) could flip a country politically." The world's richest man throws his support behind Europe's populist far-right parties as they make their biggest gains in decades. My story with Andrew MacAskill & Nick Carey. www.reuters.com/world/musk-r...
reuters.com
Insight: Musk rallies the far right in Europe. Tesla is paying the price.
For the past two months, tech billionaire Elon Musk has promoted Germany’s far-right party in at least two dozen posts on his X platform, interviewed its leader, and told his 219 million followers it was the country’s “only hope.”
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
NEW: Ultimatum to federal workers raises tensions between Musk, White House staff www.reuters.com/world/us/ult...
reuters.com
Ultimatum to federal workers raises tensions between Musk, White House staff
U.S. President Donald Trump’s top aides are struggling to contain disputes at the White House and across the administration following billionaire Elon Musk's ultimatum to federal workers to list their accomplishments or lose their jobs, said three government officials familiar with the tensions.
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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
NEW: Trump campaign co-chief Chris LaCivita is advising a conservative Albanian political party whose leader is under US sanctions for “significant corruption.” LaCivita says the sanctions are political, & casts the party as Trump-aligned. “I’m exporting MAGA — Make Albania Great Again!”
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Live Updates: News on Elon Musk, Russia Peace Talks and RFK Jr.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
NEW: Elon Musk's tactics frustrate some White House senior officials www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
reuters.com
Insight: Elon Musk’s tactics frustrate some senior White House officials
As tech billionaire Elon Musk expands his influence over more than a dozen U.S. federal agencies, frustration is growing among some top aides to President Donald Trump, who want more coordination from Musk's team as he slashes the U.S. government, according to four people aware of the tensions.
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Simon Robinson @ironemu.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
US Defense Department contract "inaccurately represented" on social media, says Thomson Reuters - www.reuters.com/business/us-...
reuters.com
US Defense Department contract "inaccurately represented" on social media, says Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters said on Thursday its business with the Department of Defense was "inaccurately represented," in response to accusations on social media by Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump that the company played a role in "large scale social deception" for the government.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
NEW: Elon Musk's tactics frustrate some White House senior officials www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
reuters.com
Insight: Elon Musk’s tactics frustrate some senior White House officials
As tech billionaire Elon Musk expands his influence over more than a dozen U.S. federal agencies, frustration is growing among some top aides to President Donald Trump, who want more coordination from Musk's team as he slashes the U.S. government, according to four people aware of the tensions.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream My dispatch from the border:
reuters.com
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
Shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, Honduran migrant Denia Mendez's phone started buzzing with news that the app she had used to book her U.S. asylum appointment was down.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Smugglers are jacking up their prices following the CBP One asylum cancelations and increased enforcement on the US side, according to our reporting. From Tijuana, for example, crossing went from $4,200 to $6,900, per one migrant.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Smugglers are jacking up their prices following the CBP One asylum cancelations and increased enforcement on the US side, according to our reporting. From Tijuana, for example, crossing went from $4,200 to $6,900, per one migrant.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Latest from the border: After Trump clampdown, some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes www.reuters.com/world/americ...
reuters.com
Some migrants turn to pricey smugglers or riskier routes after Trump clampdown
After Honduran migrant Alex Diaz' U.S. asylum appointment was canceled following Donald Trump's immigration and border crackdown, the 23-year-old former bus driver began considering what he had been determined to avoid: entering the United States illegally.
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Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream @alexandraulmer.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/americ...
reuters.com
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
Shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, Honduran migrant Denia Mendez's phone started buzzing with news that the app she had used to book her U.S. asylum appointment was down.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream My dispatch from the border:
reuters.com
For one Honduran single mom fleeing threats, Trump dashes American dream
Shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, Honduran migrant Denia Mendez's phone started buzzing with news that the app she had used to book her U.S. asylum appointment was down.
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 19/01/2025
Trump’s Cryptocurrency Surges to Become One of the World’s Most Valuable The new business venture by the Trump family is generating intensifying criticism, even as it's turned into an overnight phenomenon. The NYT examines the new token--and red flags it is raising www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/u...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Cryptocurrency Surges to Become One of the World’s Most Valuable
The new business venture by the Trump family has turned into an overnight phenomenon, generating a windfall on paper but also intensifying criticism.
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Simon Robinson @ironemu.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Brilliant, challenging, vital job at an extraordinarily important time. 👇 careers.thomsonreuters.com/us/en/job/JR...
careers.thomsonreuters.com
White House Editor in Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America | News & Editorial Careers at Thomson Reuters
Apply for White House Editor job with Thomson Reuters in Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America. News & Editorial Careers at Thomson Reuters
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 16/01/2025
NEW: The Government of Albania Gives Jared Kushner Hotel Project a Nod as Trump Returns. The project is one of several that family members of President-elect Donald J. Trump have with foreign countries that have pending policy matters with the United States. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/15/u...
nytimes.com
Albania Gives Jared Kushner Hotel Project a Nod as Trump Returns
The project is one of several that family members of President-elect Donald J. Trump have with foreign countries that have pending policy matters with the United States.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Treasury secretary pick Scott Bessent says Trump will cut budget deficits in half, to 3% of GDP. But if Trump also passes all his tax cuts (+ tariffs, and rest of Trump agenda), that requires cutting Medicaid/SNAP/other mandatory spending (aside from SS/Medicare) by 2/3 wapo.st/4gMRq2R
wapo.st
Opinion | Scott Bessent’s funny math would make his GOP predecessors blush
The more economic growth a politician promises, the worse his or her economic plan probably is.
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Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
The migrants on the frontline of Trump’s mass-deportation plan, w/ @kristinacooke.bsky.social @octaviojones.bsky.social and Evan Garcia - www.reuters.com/world/americ...
reuters.com
The migrants on the frontline of Trump’s mass deportation plan
Blanca Figueroa and Severiano Martinez have known from the start of their eight-year marriage that she was at risk of deportation because she entered the United States illegally.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Jared Kushner won't be in the White House, but he's not out of the picture. Per source: * He speaks to Susie Wiles regularly. * He's working with Pam Bondi on some hiring. * He's advising Steve Witkoff on his new job as special envoy to the Middle East.
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
ICYMI: A neo-Nazi called Andrew McIntyre helped incite Britain's riots last summer. His role in the unrest was identified thanks to research by @hopenothate.org.uk Last week, Elon Musk criticized his sentencing. Megan Specia reports: www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/w...
nytimes.com
A Neo-Nazi Helped Incite U.K. Riots. Elon Musk Criticized His Sentencing. (Gift Article)
Andrew McIntyre, a British extremist who played a key role in fomenting last summer’s unrest, was sentenced last week to seven years in jail.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Jared Kushner won't be in the White House, but he's not out of the picture. Per source: * He speaks to Susie Wiles regularly. * He's working with Pam Bondi on some hiring. * He's advising Steve Witkoff on his new job as special envoy to the Middle East.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Jared Kushner advises from afar as Ivanka Trump opts out of role in father's second term My latest: www.reuters.com/world/us/jar...
reuters.com
Jared Kushner advises from afar as Ivanka Trump opts out of role in father's second term
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner enjoyed largely unfettered access to Trump in his first term and were influential on a vast portfolio including Middle Eastern peace negotiations and COVID-19 vaccine development.
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 10/01/2025
NEW: Trump Organization Issues Ethics Pledge for President-Elect’s Second Term. Trump family calls it a meaningful commitment. Outside ethics lawyers say it is insufficient. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/10/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Organization Issues Ethics Pledge for President-Elect’s Second Term
The measures largely echo agreements the family made for his first term, including appointing an outside ethics lawyer and limiting Mr. Trump’s access to detailed financial information.
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 08/01/2025
THREAD: NYT today posted the most comprehensive story so far published that examines Pam Bondi's record as Florida's attorney general & then as a corporate lobbyist. Important reading in advance of her confirmation hearings as Trump's new attorney general. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/u...
nytimes.com
A ‘Business-Friendly’ Lawyer’s Rise From Lobbyist to Attorney General Pick (Gift Article)
Pam Bondi, whom President-elect Donald J. Trump intends to nominate as attorney general, received trips and donations funded by those seeking favors from her Florida office.
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Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
NEW, timely and important: Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Tunneling Beneath Las Vegas With Little Oversight
propublica.org
Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Tunneling Beneath Las Vegas With Little Oversight
Given Musk’s role advising President-elect Donald Trump on ways to slash regulations and government oversight, Boring and the Vegas Loop project might be a harbinger for the country.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Donald Trump Jr is heading to Greenland, where he's reportedly due to meet the chairman of the governing party👀 More here - turn on Google Translate unless your Danish is better than mine: knr.gl/da/nyheder/t...
knr.gl
Trumps søn på overraskende besøg i Nuuk
Donald Trumps søn, Donald Trump Jr. er ifølge kilder på vej til Nuuk. Besøget sker midt i selvstændighedsdebat.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
There are at least 20 ongoing federal investigations and regulatory actions affecting Musk's business empire. What happens to them once Trump takes office?
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Brendan Fischer @brendanfischer.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Interestingly, BAF gave $500K to an Iowa nonprofit led by influential evangelical leader Bob Vanderplaats in 2023. @alexandraulmer.bsky.social reported that DeSantis + allies gave $95K to Vanderplaats's group as a way to buy his endorsement, but this $500K ups the ante substantially.
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Brendan Fischer @brendanfischer.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
New filings show the Elon Musk-backed dark money group Building America’s Future spent $23 million last year. The filing reflects how Musk and his political advisers were initially backing Ron DeSantis for president.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
The message is loud & clear at Turning Point’s conference in Phoenix:
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Marla Dickerson @lamarla.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
How do Mexico's #cartels get their hands on all those #fentanyl chemicals from China? Meet "Javier" and "El 23" www.reuters.com/investigates...
reuters.com
The shadowy ‘brokers’ smuggling fentanyl chemicals for Mexican cartels
Chemical brokers are the supply chiefs of the fentanyl trade, smuggling key ingredients from China to Mexico. Bribes, trickery and violence help them feed the pipeline.
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Gram Slattery @gramslattery.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Scoop: Trump's incoming Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, is planning a fact-finding trip to Kyiv, per sources He will visit several other European capitals, but the plan is to skip Moscow for now This is the first trip to Ukraine by an incoming Trump official
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
NEW: Trump crypto venture partners with platform linked to Middle East militants Hamas and Hezbollah www.reuters.com/technology/t...
reuters.com
Trump crypto venture partners with platform linked to Middle East militants
A crypto venture recently unveiled by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his new Middle East envoy, billionaire Steve Witkoff, has partnered with a crypto platform that authorities and financial experts say has been used by criminals and Iran-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
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Jesse Eisinger @jeisinger.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
LOL Great story: www.wsj.com/world/russia...
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Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
“Trump & other unnamed “affiliates” are entitled to 75% of some World Liberty revenues, … raising the possibility of people buying World Liberty coins to try to gain favor with him.” Is investing in World Liberty just a way to ingratiate yourself with Trump? www.reuters.com/technology/t...
reuters.com
Trump crypto venture partners with platform linked to Middle East militants
A crypto venture recently unveiled by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his new Middle East envoy, billionaire Steve Witkoff, has partnered with a crypto platform that authorities and financial experts say has been used by criminals and Iran-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
NEW: Trump crypto venture partners with platform linked to Middle East militants Hamas and Hezbollah www.reuters.com/technology/t...
reuters.com
Trump crypto venture partners with platform linked to Middle East militants
A crypto venture recently unveiled by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his new Middle East envoy, billionaire Steve Witkoff, has partnered with a crypto platform that authorities and financial experts say has been used by criminals and Iran-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Read our story on what's coming, day one:
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Alexandra Ulmer @alexandraulmer.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
NEW: Trump plans major reshaping of U.S. policies within hours of taking office www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
reuters.com
Trump plans major reshaping of U.S. policies within hours of taking office
Trump is planning a blizzard of more than 25 executive orders and directives on his first day in office.
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