Latest news with #ConservativePoliticalAction
Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
What Poland can teach the Internet Right
A change in politics is coming. Until now, the progressives were the ones with networks, stemming from Joe Biden's White House, to think tanks, and the legacy media. For the right, politics was not a fair fight. The internet has changed that. Karol Nawrocki's win in Poland's presidential election marked a key moment in the translation of the new right from the internet to geographical reality. Donald Trump's backing was combined with that of Kristi Noem, the US Secretary of State for Homeland Security, at Poland's first ever Conservative Political Action conference (CPAC). From the 1960s onwards, the progressives turned universities into a reproduction mechanism for their own political ideals in a 'long march through the institutions'. Conservative ideas were forced online. Right-wingers adapted to online systems of idea replication, becoming more aggressive to optimise for social media engagement. It took Trump's two elections to get the 'Internet Right' into the institutions.
The Hill
21-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
House Democrats launch investigation of DHS ads on Trump immigration policies
House Democrats are launching an investigation into an ad campaign from the Trump administration on its immigration policies, saying it may have violated federal spending guidelines by promoting political aims and giving contracts to administration allies. Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight Committee are investigating new ads launched by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that praise Trump for his immigration policies while warning migrants not to travel to the U.S. The Democrats note that funding came after the president requested an ad thanking him for his actions at the border, while contracts to do so went to firms with ties to the Trump campaign. 'Contrary to DHS's stated intent of the campaign, reports indicate that, at the express direction of President Donald Trump, DHS is paying significant sums to produce and distribute materials with the intent of lauding the President's draconian immigration policies. In doing so, DHS appears to have evaded the competitive bidding process that ensures taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly, instead awarding this vanity project…to enrich Republican campaign consultants,' Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the top Democrat on Homeland Security, and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the top Democrat on Oversight wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The letter said the contracts were a 'multiple-award indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract' allowing payments of up to $200 million over two years. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It's common for DHS to run ads encouraging migrants not to come to the U.S. – the Biden administration did so in a number of languages. But the letter suggests Trump may have had another aim in mind, referencing a speech from Noem at this year's Conservative Political Action (CPAC) Conference in which she noted that the president requested the campaign. 'He said, 'I want you in the ads, and I want your face in the ads … but I want the first ad, I want you to thank me, so I want you to thank me for closing the border,'' Noem said during the speech. 'And I said, 'Yes, sir, I will thank you for closing the border.'' The first words of the ad are 'Thank you, President Donald J. Trump.' While DHS has also said they plan to run their ads 'in multiple countries and regions in various dialects,' much of the initial media buys that have been disclosed indicate a broader domestic focus. According to Politico, the ad initially aired during 'The Today Show' and 'Good Morning America' with the Spanish-language version airing in markets with a sizeable share of Spanish speakers. But according to the letter, there was also 'a specific $30,000 carveout to air the ads in West Palm Beach…when the President was reportedly there.' One of the contracts was given to People Who Think, LLC, which is owned by Jay Connaughton, who served as media adviser for Trump's 2016 campaign and recently worked with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Another $16 million contract was given to Safe America Media, LLC, which was incorporated by Republican consultant Mike McElwain just 11 days before the ad campaign was announced. Neither firm immediately responded to requests for comment. 'Given the significant costs of the advertising campaign, the questionable choices made in deploying the ads, and the awardees' relationships with President Trump, the Trump campaign, and other federal officials, the Committees seek to ensure that the contracting process was fair, ethical, and compliant with all applicable federal regulations, and that the campaign complies with all relevant prohibitions on the use of taxpayer funds for improper purposes,' the lawmakers wrote.
CBS News
22-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump to meet with Polish president Saturday, amid discussions about Ukraine war
President Trump is expected to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Saturday amid discussions about the Ukraine war, according to two sources familiar with the plans. Duda, a right-wing populist who has a warm relationship with Mr. Trump, is traveling to the U.S. to attend the Conservative Political Action conference, where he is expected to meet with Mr. Trump on the sidelines. The president is also scheduled to speak at the conference Saturday. Mr. Trump on Tuesday blamed Ukraine, a longtime ally of Poland, for Russia's invasion, saying that Ukraine should have never started the war, even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine in February 2022. On Friday, the president acknowledged in a radio interview that Russia had attacked Ukraine. "I'm not trying to make Putin, like, nicer or better. I'm just telling you the fact that war should have never happened," Mr. Trump told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade. On Friday, the president was asked whether the U.S. was close to reaching a deal on access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals in exchange for military aid. "I think we're pretty close," Mr. Trump said during an event at the White House. "Yeah, I think they want it. They feel good about it, and it's a significant — it's a big deal, but they want it, and it keeps us in that country. And they're very happy about it, but, it's — we get our money back." The president has framed the idea as a return on the U.S. investment made in backing Ukraine's defensive efforts — aid which has already added up to over $65 billion. Poland's President has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to remain calm and committed to working with the Trump administration. "I trust ... good will and honesty from the foundation of the U.S. negotiation strategy," Duda said in a post on X. "I have no doubt that President Trump is guided by a deep sense of responsibility for global stability and peace." The Polish president will come with his own agenda, seeking further reassurances that U.S. troops will remain in Poland, a NATO member. Duda met with special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg earlier this week and was told the U.S. does not intend to reduce the number of U.S. troops in the region. During a 2018 visit to the White House, Duda suggested the building a permanent U.S. base in Poland and calling it "Fort Trump."
