Connect with us

Published

on

Donald Trumps relationship to the GOP donor class has always been fraught, but lately its getting less so thanks to Sleepy Joe Bidens endless idiocy on a range of policy issues from Israel, the border, to the economy and crime and how all this combined seems to be handing the 2024 election to the four-times indicted orange man. 

Yes, Biden is feeble and highly unpopular for doing a horrific job over the past four years, but he does bring some advantages to the November race, apart from Trumps manifold legal woes.

Much of it involves money and possibly until now Trumps difficulty in raising it from GOP megadonors. 

Consider what I first reported last week: Billionaire Citadel investment chief Ken Griffin, who had backed Nikki Haley during the primaries, is likely sitting out the presidential election because hes not a fan of Trumps 2020 election denialism and divisiveness, people close to him tell me. 

Griffin is said to be focusing his dough on Senate seats since the GOP has a decent chance of winning the upper chamber and some House races.

Another billionaire GOP donor, Steve Schwarzman of the Blackstone group private equity firm, hasnt decided what he might do in the presidential race and thats telling because he was once close to Trump and served on his business advisory council.

He, too, is concerned by Trumps style. 

But polls do matter to the GOP money men (and women) they work in big business and finance, so they have a vested interest in cozying up to a Trump regulatory state.

When you combine better Trump polling with Bidens political and policy faults, it is just easier for the Republican donor class, once reluctant to embrace Trump, to make amends with him, several have recently told me. 

I cant tell you if Griffin will ever have a change of heart or Schwarzman will come back into Trumpland; they are certainly no fans of the Biden status quo and Trump will be wooing them.

But increasingly, many other Trump-hating GOP money guys believe a second Biden term would mark a dangerous turning point for the country, not just because he might not make it and we will have a ninny like Kamala Harris running the show.

They believe Biden, if given four more years, will fully embrace his inner progressive.

No tax rate will be high enough; Israel will be forced to capitulate to terrorists because hes so beholden to the left wing of his party. 

I see GOP donors who personally hated Trump saying theyre coming back into the fold, said one high-rolling Republican donor who was courted to throw a couple hundred grand to the Donalds Palm Beach fundraiser hosted by hedge funder John Paulson.

Based on what Im seeing in terms of whos giving money, the Palm Beach thing will be a blowout. If the trends continue, money wont be a problem for Trump, trust me on this. 

Saturdays event is expected to bring in at least $43 million.

That would be nearly twice the haul Biden had for his tone-deaf money grab two weeks ago at Radio City Music Hall, where Sleepy Joe & Co (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert emceeing) raised around $26 million, clogged up traffic in Midtown, and dissed New Yorks Finest who were mourning the death of Jonathan Diller, the NYPD officer slain while making a routine traffic stop. 

Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update.

Please provide a valid email address.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Never miss a story.

The Biden-Radio City powwow was held the same day as Dillers wake.

Yes, horrible optics and limousine liberalism at its worst.

But it did underscore the differences between the two major parties and the two men running them.

While Biden was whooping it up, Trump attended Dillers wake, speaking forcefully about the need to control the crime that has ravaged major cities run by lefty-Dem prosecutors and public officials looking to defund the police and empty the jails. 

That was brilliant counterprogramming by Trump, said another Trump-skeptic GOP political adviser. 

Knowing what I know about Trump the ugly side and the side that is very good I believe counterprogramming wasnt his real motivation for attending.

Biden, the moderate-turned-progressive, is the least authentic major politician in America; when hes not raging over relatively little, hes fumbling his lines.

When hes not fumbling his lines, hes reading them robotically. 

Trump is authenticity on steroids and doesnt need a shot of Adderall to make it through a State of the Union speech or attend a wake and speak from the heart.

You can tell he meant it when he said that Officer Dillers killing was sad, horrible in so many ways, paid tribute to Dillers wife, family and scores of the NYPDs Finest who attended the service while vowing to sign legislation that imposes the death penalty on anyone who murders a cop, and ending the lunacy of the defund movement, all the soft-on-crime policies advocated by the party of Biden. 

Sure, the GOP money guys have their misgivings about the orange man, but those words are going a long way to bringing them back because the alternative is so much worse as the last four years have demonstrated.

Continue Reading

World

Driver hits several people on French holiday island of Ile d’Oleron

Published

on

By

Driver hits several people on French holiday island of Ile d'Oleron

A driver has knocked down several people on the French island of Ile d’Oleron.

Two people are in intensive care following the incident and a man has been arrested, French interior minister Laurent Nunez said.

Several others were injured after the motorist struck pedestrians and cyclists, he added.

Thibault Brechkoff, the mayor of Dolus-d’Oleron, told BFMTV the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for God is Greatest) when he was detained.

Arnaud Laraize, the public prosecutor in La Rochelle, told the Sud Ouest newspaper the 35-year-old suspect “resisted arrest” and was “subdued using a stun gun”.

He said the suspect was known for minor offences such as theft, adding he was not on a list of people considered a threat to national security.

Pedestrians and cyclists were hit on a road between Dolus d’Oleron and Saint-Pierre d’Oleron, he added.

Follow the World
Follow the World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Police were alerted, with the first calls made at around 9am, according to French media reports.

Mr Nunez said in a post on X that he was heading to the scene at the request of the French prime minister.

Continue Reading

World

Aerial images show destruction of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Philippines – with at least 66 killed

Published

on

By

Aerial images show destruction of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Philippines - with at least 66 killed

At least 66 people have died after Typhoon Kalmaegi struck the Philippines, as footage emerges showing the scale of destruction.

A further 26 people have been reported missing, half of them in Cebu, where floods and mudslides killed at least 49 people, the Office of Civil Defence said.

Six crew members of a military helicopter were also killed when it crashed on the island of Mindanao, where it was carrying out a humanitarian disaster response mission, according to the military.

The powerful storm, locally named Tino, made landfall early on Tuesday and lashed the country with sustained winds of 87mph and gusts of up to 121mph.

Drone footage shows wrecked homes after heavy flooding in Cebu province. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Drone footage shows wrecked homes after heavy flooding in Cebu province. Pic: Reuters

Some communities have been wiped out. Pic: AP
Image:
Some communities have been wiped out. Pic: AP

‘State of calamity’ in Cebu

Several people were trapped on their roofs by floodwaters in the coastal town of Liloan in Cebu, said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross.

She said in the city of Mandaune, also in Cebu, floodwaters were “up to the level of heads of people”, adding that several cars were submerged in floods or floated in another community in Cebu.

Cebu, a province of more than 2.4 million people, was still recovering from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on 30 September, which left at least 79 people dead.

A state of calamity has been declared in the province to allow authorities to disburse emergency funds more rapidly.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Entire towns flooded in the Philippines after typhoon

Damaged vehicles after flooding in Cebu City. Pic: AP
Image:
Damaged vehicles after flooding in Cebu City. Pic: AP

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Fierce winds either ripped off roofs or damaged around 300 mostly rural shanties on the island community of Homonhon in Eastern Samar, but there were no reported deaths or injuries, mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan said.

“There was no flooding at all, but just strong wind,” she said. “We’re okay. We’ll make this through. We’ve been through a lot, and bigger than this.”

Read more from Sky News:
Zohran Mamdani: ‘Trump’s worst nightmare’
Former US vice president dies

Red Cross staff rescue people and dogs. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Red Cross staff rescue people and dogs. Pic: Reuters

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Hnndreds of thousands evacuated

Before Kalmaegi’s landfall, officials said more than 387,000 people had been evacuated to safer ground in eastern and central Philippine provinces.

The combination of Kalmaegi and a shear line brought heavy rains and strong winds across the Visayas and nearby areas, state weather agency PAGASA said.

A shear line is the boundary between two different air masses such as warm and cold air.

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

A boy with a goldfish he caught after a nearby fish farm flooded. Pic: AP
Image:
A boy with a goldfish he caught after a nearby fish farm flooded. Pic: AP

Vietnam gears up for storm

The Vietnamese government has said it was preparing for the worst-case scenario as it braced for the impact of Kalmaegi.

The typhoon is forecast to reach Vietnam’s coasts on Friday morning. Several areas have already suffered heavy flooding over the last week, leaving at least 40 people.

Kalmaegi hit the Philippines as it continues to recover from several disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather over recent months.

Around 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year, and the country is also often struck by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes.

Continue Reading

Environment

Royal Enfield unveils Flying Flea S6 scrambler-style electric motorcycle built for urban adventure

Published

on

By

Royal Enfield unveils Flying Flea S6 scrambler-style electric motorcycle built for urban adventure

Royal Enfield’s new electric motorcycle brand, Flying Flea, just pulled the wraps off its second model – the scrambler-inspired FF.S6 – at EICMA 2025, and it’s an agile, tech-packed machine that brings serious trail-ready vibes to city streets.

Inspired by the iconic 1940s Flying Flea motorcycle (which was literally parachuted into battle, hence the logo), the FF.S6 is a modern reimagining with off-road chops and futuristic tech. Royan Enfield assures us that this is a far cry from an average urban electric motorcycle. Instead, it’s a lightweight, connected, and capable machine that blends classic scrambler style with serious smart features.

Built on a lightweight frame with staggered 19-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, a USD front fork, and chain final drive, the FF.S6 is ready for both tight urban corners and loose gravel backroads. A high-torque electric motor paired with a magnesium finned battery case keeps weight low while enhancing cooling, and the long enduro-style seat offers comfort for longer rides.

Tech-wise, the FF.S6 goes way beyond what you’d expect from a typical commuter. A circular high-res touchscreen display nods to the original Flying Flea while delivering fully connected features, including lean-angle sensing ABS, traction control, off-road mode, and built-in navigation. Voice Assist lets riders launch music or maps hands-free through their phone, and OTA updates ensure the bike gets smarter over time.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

The system is powered by a Snapdragon QWM2290 processor, the same class of chip you’d find in advanced smartphones. Riders can use a smartwatch or phone app to manage everything from keyless start to charging status and diagnostics.

Production of the FF.S6 is expected to begin by the end of 2026.

Electrek’s Take

Sure, this is largely just an experiment in applying some mods to the same motorcycle prototype that Royal Enfield showed us last year, but it’s a cool-looking example of it! And while we’re still waiting to see what these bikes will cost (not to mention a few more hard and fast tech specs), I’m glad to see that Royal Enfield’s Flying Flea team is jumping in with bold design and bleeding-edge software. The FF.S6 looks like a scrambler but thinks like a smartphone and rides like an urban bike – likely. And for a new wave of connected urban riders, that might be the perfect combination.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending