Latest news with #AmericaGreatAgain
AU Financial Review
2 days ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Can Meg O'Neill deliver Woodside's $100b gamble?
Donald Trump was beaming as he stood on a stage at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital. Dressed in a blue suit and cranberry-coloured tie, the US president was on his first scheduled trip abroad after being re-elected. Trump was attending the exclusive US-Saudi Investment Forum, and he was there to do deals, tremendous deals – deals that would Make America Great Again. Travelling with him were entrepreneurs and visionaries who also happened to be some of the world's most powerful business titans. Among them were Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Tesla's Elon Musk, Amazon's Andy Jassy and OpenAI's Sam Altman. Also present was Meg O'Neill, the 54-year-old chief executive of Woodside Energy.
LeMonde
2 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
'The Epstein case is a new version of the classic conspiracy against authentic America'
Since his arrest for orchestrating a child sexual abuse network and his death in custody on August 10, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein's name has been continuously associated with various conspiracy theories. As soon as news of his death broke, the idea that "Epstein didn't kill himself" went viral within far-right online communities. Behind this phrase lies the theory that justice was prevented from completing its work, stopped by powerful and secret forces intent on protecting their own unspeakable interests. The suicide narrative, according to this belief, was merely a convenient – perhaps too convenient – smokescreen to cover up the truth: surveillance cameras (conveniently?) failed, his cell was (deliberately?) left unmonitored, medical reports (intentionally?) contradicted each other, and so on. In this version, everything is connected, nothing happens by chance, and everything is a matter of lies and manipulation. Epstein's supposed list of clients guilty of sexual violence remains fantastical. But it is true that the parties organized by the financier were attended by well-known figures from politics, tech, film, and music, such as Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Michael Jackson – and even Donald Trump. What better fuel for the most lurid speculation about a network of elite child abusers orchestrating their own impunity? The Epstein case thus encapsulated a worldview and rhetoric typical of binary conspiratorial and populist discourses: them against us, the threatening other (elites, minorities, foreigners) against the good and virtuous people. From 2019 on, for conspiracy-minded circles of the alt-right, for QAnon supporters, and for fans of commentator Alex Jones, Epstein became a new version of the classic plot against authentic America, involving a satanic network, Hollywood, the deep state, the liberal left, or the Democratic Party. In this narrative, Trump was cast as the would-be champion of the real America, supposedly set to restore true values: "Make America Great Again!"
Axios
6 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
What to know about Miami's "Good Trouble Lives On" protests
Tens of thousands of people are expected to protest the Trump administration again on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights leader and former congressman John Lewis. Why it matters: Lewis was one of the most vocal critics of President Trump during his first administration. Trump's 2017 inauguration was the first that Lewis missed during his three-decade tenure in Congress. By the numbers: 56,000 people RSVP'd for more than 1,500 events across the country as of Friday, organizers said. Zoom in: In Miami, one rally will be at The Roots Bookstore & Market from 4pm-8:30pm, while the second is planned for 5pm-7pm at Florida International University Green Library. A third rally in Davie will be from 4:30pm-6pm at the entrance to Nova Southeastern University. What they're saying: "Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of action to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration," the protest website said. "Together, we'll remind them that in America, the power lies with the people." The other side: "Nearly 80 million Americans gave President Trump a historic mandate to Make America Great Again and he is delivering on that promise in record time," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement. Context: Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, grew up in rural Alabama. The civil rights leader was arrested more than 40 times and injured repeatedly but remained an advocate for nonviolent protest, per the Library of Congress. "Rosa Parks inspired us to get in trouble," he said in 2019. "And I've been getting in trouble ever since. She inspired us to find a way, to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble."
Sinar Daily
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sinar Daily
'Epstein files' explained: Why Trump is under pressure
WASHINGTON - A perceived lack of transparency over the US investigations into notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has carved a rare chasm between President Donald Trump and his typically loyal Republican base. As Trump struggles to quell his supporters' obsessions with the case -- one long surrounded by conspiracy theories -- AFP outlines its history and why it has caused so much outrage. - Origins of the Epstein case - Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy American financier, was first charged with sex offences in 2006 after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police that he had molested their daughter at his Florida home. He avoided federal charges -- which could have seen him face life in prison -- due to a controversial plea deal with prosecutors that saw him jailed for just under 13 months. In July 2019, he was arrested again in New York and charged with trafficking dozens of teenage girls and engaging in sex acts with them in exchange for money. Prosecutors said he worked with employees and associates to ensure a "steady supply of minor victims to abuse." Epstein pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. On Aug 10, 2019, while in custody awaiting trial, authorities said he was found dead in his prison cell after hanging himself. A separate case against Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022 for helping him abuse girls, detailed Epstein's connections with high-profile figures like Britain's Prince Andrew and former US president Bill Clinton. Both have denied any wrongdoing. - Why are there conspiracy theories? - Some people believe that authorities are concealing details about the Epstein case to protect rich and powerful elites who associated with him, including Trump. Those ideas have gripped Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement -- but demands for more transparency have crossed the political aisle. One key theory centres on a rumored client list of individuals who committed sex offenses alongside Epstein. The Trump administration has insisted that no such list exists. Skeptics also allege suspicious circumstances in Epstein's death such as the security cameras around his cell apparently malfunctioning on the night he died, alongside other irregularities. - Trump and the Epstein case - Trump, who as a New York property magnate rubbed shoulders with Epstein, said when re-running for president that he would "probably" release files related to the case. But since taking office, many of Trump's supporters have been disappointed by what they see as a failure to deliver. The 79-year-old himself was dragged into the conspiracy theories after his former advisor Elon Musk claimed in June -- in a now-deleted X post -- that Trump was "in the Epstein files." The Trump administration's efforts to appease demands for a full disclosure of the so-called Epstein files have largely fallen short. A bundle released in February that promised to shed light on the Epstein case contained little new information. Meanwhile, an almost 11-hour video published this month to dispel theories Epstein was murdered fell flat. The camera angle showed a section of the New York prison on the night Epstein died, but appeared to be missing a minute of footage, fueling more speculation online. And a memo from the Justice Department and FBI last week saying the Epstein files did not contain evidence that would justify further investigation was met by calls for the heads of each agency to resign. US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on July 15, 2025. - (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) - What comes next? - Trump has been towing a delicate line -- saying he supports the release of any "credible" files related to Epstein while dismissing the case as "pretty boring stuff." But even the normally authoritative president seems unable to arrest the disruption, as critics and even key allies call for more transparency. Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, has not followed Trump's line on the issue and has instead urged the Justice Department to make public any documents linked to Epstein. Meanwhile, Democrats have seized on the rift between Trump and his party by demanding his administration publish the full evidence held by prosecutors in their case against Epstein. - Ben Turner / AFP
Axios
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
What to know about Tampa Bay's "Good Trouble Lives On" protests
Tens of thousands of people are expected to protest the Trump administration again on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights leader and former congressman John Lewis. Why it matters: Lewis was one of the most vocal critics of President Trump during his first administration. Trump's 2017 inauguration was the first that Lewis missed during his three-decade tenure in Congress. By the numbers: 56,000 people RSVP'd for more than 1,500 events across the country as of Friday, organizers said. Zoom in: Citizens Against Tyranny organized a "Good Trouble Lives On" event at 5:30 on Thursday at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. Indivisible North Pinellas will hold its demonstration at Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Park Place Boulevard starting at 4pm. Rallies are also planned in St. Petersburg and Largo. What they're saying: "Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of action to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration," the protest website said. "Together, we'll remind them that in America, the power lies with the people." The other side: "Nearly 80 million Americans gave President Trump a historic mandate to Make America Great Again and he is delivering on that promise in record time," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement. Context: Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, grew up in rural Alabama. The civil rights leader was arrested more than 40 times and injured repeatedly but remained an advocate for nonviolent protest, per the Library of Congress. "Rosa Parks inspired us to get in trouble," he said in 2019. "And I've been getting in trouble ever since. She inspired us to find a way, to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble."
