The politics of the hyper-polluting private transport used by the world’s super-rich is hotting up | The-14

How private jets, super-yachts and rockets used by the super-rich create extreme carbon emissions, fuelling inequality, public anger & political pressure today

The-14 Pictures
Billionaire Timothy Mellon Is the Mystery Donor Who Gave $130 Million to Pay Troops, NYT Reports

Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump, is the anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the shutdown,” the New York Times reports.

Ground News

Kristin Cabot's connection to one of Boston's wealthiest dynasties is under renewed scrutiny as she steps back from her senior HR role at Astronomer.

Read More: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/kristin-cabots-husband-comes-one-bostons-wealthiest-families-fortune-spanning-over-100-years-1738878

#KristinCabot #BostonDynasties #WealthAndPower #AstronomerHR #EliteFamilies

Democracy in ancient Greece wasn’t broken — it was exclusive by design.

Citizenship meant money, power, and gatekeeping.

This piece unpacks the real cost of “belonging.”

🔗 https://brewminate.com/privileged-by-the-polis-wealth-access-and-the-price-of-citizenship-in-the-ancient-world/

#Brewminate #Polis #CitizenshipHistory #AncientDemocracy #WealthAndPower

Ancient Citizenship: Wealth, Power, and Access

Explore how citizenship in Greece and Rome was often transactional, granted by wealth, service, or influence, not just civic virtue.

Brewminate: A Bold Blend of News and Ideas
The Trusk Phenomenon: Billionaires Vs. Democracy

In recent years, the unchecked influence of billionaires in political and economic affairs has grown to a concerning extent. The idea that extreme wealth correlates with intelligence or sound decision-making is deeply flawed. Instead, what we witness today is a group of individuals who, despite their financial success, demonstrate a profound lack of historical awareness, social responsibility, and ethical governance. The implications of their influence are dire, especially when their actions ero

Michael Cresswell
@BobLefridge Found it thanks Bob. Might take a few rereads to fully grasp but I’ll persevere. #WealthAndPower #TiritiOWaitangi #NZPol

Donald Trump has always been for sale.

👉 It used to be shocking how many people were willing to prop him up in the hopes of profiting off his increasingly seamy ventures.

💥But thanks to a morally bankrupt Republican Party and our degraded corporate media, Donald remains alarmingly close to the kind of power that’s worth shelling out massive amounts of money to be close to—and benefit from.

🔥Any person or entity, from Putin to Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf, willing to throw Donald a few bucks for a licensing fee or a Trump Tower condo has gained access and influence.

Given this decades-long pattern, it’s not surprising that the world’s richest fascist -- South African jumping bean Elon Musk -- would also be interested in purchasing a few shares in a man who is willing to sell whatever he can get his hands on
—whether it’s steaks or American national security
—because he values money more than anything.

🆘 In exchange for Donald’s willingness to throw Musk the keys to the federal government,
Musk is throwing a considerable fortune, as well as the weight of Twitter’s influence, behind the Republican candidate.

For him, it’s a safe bet because he knows, if Donald is elected, he’ll do anything Musk wants him to do.

It is, of course, a devil’s bargain that continues to be made by others, including the aforementioned Vladimir Putin.

The New York Times reported Friday that Musk and Donald speak regularly.

Musk has spent at least $140 million on America PAC, a political action committee that supports Donald.

Donald has told several people that this amount could balloon to as much as $500 million.

According to the Times, Musk, a man with tremendous reach and influence simply by virtue of the fact that he has acquired an obscene amount of wealth, is “all in” with Donald now:
Ensconced in a war room in Pittsburgh with a team of lawyers, public-relations professionals, canvassing experts and longtime friends,
Mr. Musk is trying to apply strategies and entrepreneurial lessons from his businesses to a grind-it-out political mission with just weeks to go until Election Day.

It may be impossible to capture the financial value of all the support Mr. Musk is providing to Mr. Trump.

This is in part because of his role on X, where he amplifies so much of the former president’s message.

As Benjamin Soskis, a historian of the ultrarich, told the Times,⚠️ “I’m not sure there is a precedent in modern history to how Musk has inserted himself into a presidential race.”

#DonaldTrump #ElonMusk #PoliticalInfluence #RepublicanParty #CorporateMedia #Fascism #PoliticalActionCommittee #ElectionDay #WealthAndPower #DevilsBargain