qwant news | Roy Cooper’s Donor List Has an Epstein Problem

Roy Cooper — the former North Carolina governor now running for U.S. Senate — has built his campaign on attacking the wealthy, claiming he will “elect a senator for everyday people, not just billionaires.” Yet his own fundraising tells a different story. Federal Election Commission data shows that Cooper’s Senate and gubernatorial bids have been buoyed by tens of thousands of dollars from tech billionaire Reid Hoffman, who maintained close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, including trips to Epstein’s Manhattan home and the private island. Hoffman also allegedly joked about buying ice‑cream “for the girls” as a gift to Epstein and has been reported to have met Epstein repeatedly for “fundraising purposes.” In addition, Cooper has taken $21,000 from Laurene Powell‑Jobs (the Apple co‑founder’s widow who was photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell), $5,400 each from former DreamWorks chief Jeffrey Katzenberg and director Steven Spielberg, and $24,000 from venture capitalist John Doerr — all of whom appear in emails or other documents linked to Epstein’s network.

Beyond the tech elite, Cooper’s campaign has received more than $100,000 from the Soros family: George Soros contributed $83,600 and his son Alex Soros $24,500. Both have been implicated in Epstein‑related activities, including a yacht outing where a victim was allegedly assaulted and attendance at parties organized by Epstein’s inner circle. Additional donors with Epstein connections include Jon Stryker ($7,700) and various other philanthropists whose communications with Epstein were disclosed in the Justice Department’s file releases. Cooper’s record also shows ties to two registered sex offenders: he hosted a birthday party for state Rep. Cecil Brockman, later indicted on statutory sex offenses, and attended a gala run by Chad Turner, convicted of a lewd act with a minor.

The article argues that Cooper’s rhetoric of fighting “the little guy” is undermined by his acceptance of money and participation in events tied to Epstein’s notorious network. While other Democrats have publicly condemned Trump and the Epstein scandal, Cooper has remained silent, despite his campaign’s reliance on donors implicated in sexual‑abuse crimes and the broader “rich, smart, and powerful” elite that Epstein cultivated. The piece concludes that North Carolina voters deserve a candidate whose actions match his words, not one who benefits from the same influential circles he claims to oppose.

Read more: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/04/01/roy-cooper-funding-n2673793

#roycooper #ussenate #northcarolina #jeffreyepstein #ghislainemaxwell

yahoo news | Calls to Regulate Smart Glasses Are Officially Deafening

Members of the U.S. Senate aren’t the only ones demanding answers about Meta’s rumored plan to embed facial‑recognition technology in its Ray‑Ban smart glasses. Earlier this week more than 60 U.S. civil‑society organizations signed a joint letter addressed to Meta, its partner EssilorLuxottica (the maker of Ray‑Bans), the White House, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, asking for full disclosure of any such plans and their associated risks.

The letter warns that “integrating facial recognition into Meta glasses is a dangerous and reckless plan that will harm both users and the entire public,” regardless of consent, user status or awareness. It cites the potential for the technology to empower scammers, stalkers, blackmailers, child abusers and authoritarian regimes, and to generate unnecessary national‑security threats. This is the latest push for clarity; last month U.S. senators also wrote to CEO Mark Zuckerberg requesting confirmation of whether the feature exists and what privacy safeguards have been considered. Although Meta has not confirmed any work on facial‑recognition, a February New York Times report said the company briefed employees about a plan to roll it out “during a dynamic political environment where many civil‑society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns.”

Meta has remained silent on the privacy implications, even as other controversies have emerged—most notably allegations that the firm used sensitive videos from Ray‑Ban users, including footage containing nudity and credit‑card information, to train its AI, with the content reviewed by human contractors. With mounting pressure from legislators, advocacy groups and the public, many observers doubt that Meta can continue to stay quiet for much longer, and some predict that Mark Zuckerberg could soon be called before regulators to answer for the company’s questionable business practices.

Read more: https://gizmodo.com/calls-to-regulate-smart-glasses-are-officially-deafening-2000741499

#ussenate #meta #ray-ban #federaltradecommission #ai

#michigan #senate #USpol #USsenate #elections

https://jacobin.com/2026/04/mcmorrow-surveillance-pricing-cynical-campaign/

URGENT: Trump is ramping up efforts to pass the poll-taxing, vote-suppressing #SAVEAmericaAct in the #MAGA #GOP -led Senate to strip #votingrights from millions. Tell your senator NO Save America Act! NO abolishing #filibuster!

CALL (202) 224-3121

Marc Elias of Democracy Docket has the latest on Trump's dangerous #SAVEAct efforts.

https://youtu.be/7TVaZYRF6f8?si=6JU3jakZleM36-2q

#activism #congress #USSenate #SaveAmericaAct #activist #GetBusy #vsn #actionalert #DiverseSpectrumOfTheLeft #SupportIndependentMedia