Latest news with #TurningPointUSAStudentActionSummit
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
'Chrisley Knows Best' star Savannah Chrisley teases political future after parents' pardon
Controversial conservative TV star Savannah Chrisley is teasing a run for U.S. Senate. The former "Chrisley Knows Best" star, who advocated for freeing parents Todd and Julie Chrisley from federal prison with the help of a pardon by President Donald Trump, told attendees at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, over the weekend that she has political aspirations. "I had a meeting a few weeks ago at the White House about me potentially taking over a House seat that's coming available, and what a journey that would be," Chrisley told the crowd, adding that she went "through the process to see what that would look like for me and my family." Pardons and podcasts: See where 'Chrisley Knows Best' stars are now On May 27, Trump called the Chrisleys' middle daughter to let her know her parents were "going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow." The couple, who documented their family life on USA Network reality shows, had been in prison since January 2023, originally set to serve up to 10 years for using fraudulent loans to defraud community banks in Georgia. Hours after President Trump signed off on a full pardon for the Chrisleys, the couple was released from their respective prisons. Chrisley continued: "When it comes to running for public office right now, I don't know if I really want the House seat. I think maybe there's a Senate seat that could come in my future in the next three years, and I'm going to go for the big dog." There are no open senate seats or elections in Tennessee in the next three years. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R) was reelected in 2024 but has been floated as a possible candidate for Tennessee governor in 2026. She was reelected to her seat last year. The state's junior senator Bill Hagerty is up for reelection next year. Chrisley said that as "a woman, that makes me feel so good because there (are) powerful women that need to be in a position to make change and to not be afraid to show up in a room full of men and have your voice heard." During her speech, she also referenced her adopted sister Chloe Chrisley, the biological daughter of her eldest brother Kyle Chrisley, saying she wants to "show her that women have seat at the table, and you don't always have to fight for it." Who is Savannah Chrisley? Chrisley starred in the USA Network reality show "Chrisley Knows Best" from 2014 to 2023. But now, the second eldest Chrisley daughter has become an emerging star in right-leaning politics since Trump announced his third presidential run, even speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last July. Contributing: KiMi Robinson
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Pentagon Withdraws Military Top Brass From Aspen Security Forum Citing Anti-Trump Bias
Last Updated: The Aspen Security Forum, hosted annually by the Aspen Institute, is considered one of the nation's premier gatherings on national security The US Department of Defence has abruptly pulled approximately a dozen high-ranking military officials from participating in this week's Aspen Security Forum, citing the Aspen Institute's alleged left-leaning political orientation and its inclusion of vocal critics of President Donald Trump, according to a report by Just The News. Despite being listed on the event's agenda, senior defence leaders, including the Secretary of the Navy and the Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, will no longer attend the event, a source confirmed to Just The News. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told the news website: 'The Department of Defence has no interest in legitimizing an organization that has invited former officials who have been the architects of chaos abroad and failure at home." The Aspen Security Forum, hosted annually by the Aspen Institute — often dubbed 'the mountain retreat for the liberal elite" — is considered one of the nation's premier gatherings on national security and foreign policy. However, the Pentagon's decision signals growing tensions between the Biden administration and the Trump-aligned Department of Defence. Wilson further added, 'They are antithetical to the America First values of this administration. Senior representatives of the Department of Defence will no longer be participating in an event that promotes the evil of globalism, disdain for our great country, and hatred for the President of the United States." Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who was also scheduled to speak at the forum, has similarly pulled out. At the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit this weekend, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the administration's stance, stating the DoD under past Democratic leadership had been 'distracted by experiments in left-wing ideology." The Pentagon's withdrawal is being interpreted as a symbolic rejection of institutions perceived as hostile to Trump's political platform, and a broader statement on where this administration intends to draw its ideological lines. view comments First Published: July 15, 2025, 08:18 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Fox News Host Booed From MAGA Crowd Over Epstein Files
So, you may have heard that President Donald Trump's handling of information surrounding Jeffrey Epstein gone down swimmingly with his base. Basically, there's been a ton of conspiracy theories surrounding the sex offender and billionaire (Epstein, of course), many of which have been promoted in the past by members of the Trump administration. This includes Attorney General Pam Bondi, who claimed earlier this year that she had a list of Epstein's clients "sitting on [her] desk," and Elon Musk, who said that Trump hadn't released the files because he was in them (he later said that he regretted the comments). Earlier this week, the Justice Department said it wouldn't release any further Epstein-related files and that there was "no incriminating 'client list.'" Trump himself then got ratioed for the first time on Truth Social this weekend, when he told MAGA fans, "Let's not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about." Anyway, if you wanted to put a finger to the wind as to how MAGA folks are reacting to this, consider Fox News' Laura Ingraham's appearance at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. In it, she said, "While all this good stuff is happening, there is a lot — and we're not gonna like everything — bubbling under the surface." She continued, "I'm going to ask a few questions to all of you. How many of you are satisfied, you can clap, with the results of the Epstein investigation? Clap." When the audience started booing, she said, "Okay, I told you to clap. You guys aren't listening, I'm not gonna grade you on a curve." Then, someone yelled, "Not satisfied," to which she said, "I was gonna get to that. How many of you are not satisfied with the results of the investigation?" Cue raucous applause. "I've been around Washington long enough to know that a lot of this infighting story is overblown. All these people are friends of mine. I want to get the family back together," she added, noting that she does "adore" Pam Bondi. Laura further said that she thinks what is needed is "clarity of presentation" and for people who have abused children to "rot in jail." The cognitive dissonance with having Trump as the president and saying you care about victims...
Time Magazine
a day ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Former Israeli Leader Denies Epstein Worked for Mossad
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett dismissed allegations that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein worked for Israeli intelligence services, describing the claims from U.S. media figures as being part of 'a vicious wave of slander and lies' against Israel. The Israeli politician on Monday said he had '100% certainty' that Epstein did not have any ties to the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency, or the country itself. 'The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false,' Bennett said in a post on X. 'There's a vicious wave of slander and lies against my country and my people, and we just won't take it anymore.' The denial comes after right-wing commentator and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested on Friday without evidence that Epstein was likely working for the Israeli government. Similar claims have been levied by others in the past but have not been proven. Epstein recently returned to national headlines after the Justice Department released a memo earlier this month denying that any evidence supports the existence of an Epstein 'client list' or that the disgraced financier was murdered. The memo has caused a rift between President Donald Trump and his MAGA base, who have long promoted conspiracy theories tied to Epstein and his 2019 death behind bars. Trump previously promised during his 2024 campaign that he would release records about Epstein if he won the election, but since the memo's release has urged his supporters to move on. Bennett accused Carlson and other 'prominent online personalities' of 'pretending they know things they don't,' adding, 'They just make things up, say it with confidence and these lies stick, because it's Israel.' Here's what to know about the allegations. Why is Naftali Bennett publicly addressing these allegations now? Bennett's public address follows Carlson's comments alleging a connection between Israel and Epstein during a Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Friday. The popular conservative commentator, who has been one of the most prominent critics of the Justice Department's memo, said that people needed to start questioning 'why was [Epstein] doing this, on whose behalf, and where was the money coming from?' Epstein, Carlson went on to speculate, was working on behalf of intelligence services, likely for a foreign government. 'Now, no one's allowed to say that foreign government is Israel, because we've been somehow cowed into thinking that that's naughty,' he added. 'There is nothing wrong with saying that, there's nothing hateful about saying that, there's nothing antisemitic about saying that—there's nothing even anti-Israel about saying that!' The history behind the allegations that Epstein was connected to Mossad The allegations that Epstein had ties to Israeli intelligence services are not new. Miami Herald investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, best known for her investigations into Epstein, told The Times of Israel in 2021 that there was a possible connection between the convicted sex offender and the Israeli intelligence community due to his relationship with media baron Robert Maxwell. 'Robert Maxwell certainly had those kinds of connections, and Epstein had a close relationship with Robert Maxwell,' Brown, who is also the author of Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story, told the publication. Rumors about a connection between Epstein and Mossad have also been brought forward by Epstein's former girlfriend and victim, known in court documents as Jane Doe 200, against the disgraced financier's estate. The woman claimed in a legal filing that she was told that Robert Maxwell was in the Mossad, and was 'led to believe by both Maxwell and Epstein that Epstein was as well.' In response to Bennett's defense, which she called 'meaningless,' longtime conservative commentator Megyn Kelly also cited 2019 reports that claimed that Alexander Acosta, the former Miami attorney who gave Epstein a controversial non-prosecution plea deal in 2008, had told the Trump transition team that Epstein 'belonged to intelligence.' Acosta later denied such reports. In his Friday comments, Carlson pointed to Epstein's reported ties to Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, with whom the convicted sex offender allegedly met some 30 times from 2013 to 2017. Carlson questioned why Epstein had never been asked about a connection with Barak or Mossad. 'What the hell is this? You have the former Israeli prime minister living in your house, you have had all this contact with a foreign government, were you working on behalf of the Mossad? Were you running a blackmail operation on behalf of a foreign government?' the right-wing media personality asked. Other prominent political leaders, including Trump and former President Bill Clinton, have also been named in court documents released in connection with Epstein.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bill Ackman net worth: How rich is the Trump ally and hedge fund manager?
Tucker Carlson, American conservative political commentator and former Fox News anchor recently appeared at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. The 56-year-old who now hosts the Tucker Carlson Show spoke about one of the raging topics in the country- Jeffrey Epstein and people associated with him. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He commented on how the whole constellation of people around him seemed to be getting away with scams because they are useless and rich. He went on to quote the example of Bill Ackman, asking how some of the least impressive and most useless people become billionaires. "How did Bill Ackman get $9 billion? Bill Ackman is well-connected and super aggressive that's it. But if you are accruing $9 billion just because you are willing to do anything? I don't know why we have to pretend that's good?" said Carlson while speaking to the attendees. Carlson's bold claim reached Ackman who took to X to respond to Carlson's claim in a detailed 2000-word post, revealing he had never met Epstein in his life and his first wife had only met him once, even before he knew her. What is Bill Ackman's net worth? Image credits: Getty Images The 59-year-old then went on to explain how he acquired his $9 billion in great detail. He walked through his start in business from college days, how his parents supported him with tuition fees and investments and his own actions that have contributed to his diverse portfolio amounting to $9 billion. His initial investment in the Pershing Square funds has now increased 56 times due to compounding and is now worth about $2.5 billion. He also owns half of the Pershing Square Management Company and his interest in the company is worth about $6.5 billion today. Pershing Square is an American hedge fund owned by Ackman and established by him in 2003. Ackman has also made private investments and is an active investor in various start-ups. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He revealed in the X post how his original $2.5 million in Coupang, an e-commerce company became a billion dollars in 2021. Other companies that he has stakes in include Chipotle Mexican Grill worth $2.4 billion, Hilton Worldwide Holdings worth $1.9 billion, Restaurant Brands International worth $1.7 billion, Alphabet Inc. worth $1.5 billion and $693 million, Howard Hughes Holdings worth $1.2 billion and Canadian Pacific Kansas City worth $1.2 billion. "So, in short, I got a huge start with great parents, and a wonderful education paid for by mom and dad. Despite Tucker's statements to the contrary, there were no scams and a lot of useful activity behind the wealth I have created." added Ackman adding that Carlson owes him an apology and pointing out that "while useless billionaires are bad, harmful millionaires are definitely worse."
