Tag Archives: fundraiser

US

Jill Biden talks frustrations at DNC fundraiser: ‘I had to be the first lady of the moment’

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First lady Jill Biden spoke at a private Democratic National Committee (DNC) fundraiser on Saturday, discussing some of the challenges and frustrations she and husband, President Joe Biden, have faced as the administration has sought to address a range of issues.

She said the president had to grapple with a range of issues as president, hindering his ability to focus on other plans and goals, according to CNN.

“He’s just had so many things thrown his way,” Jill Biden said while in Nantucket, Mass., the network reported. “Who would have ever thought about what happened [with the Supreme Court overturning] Roe v Wade? Well, maybe we saw it coming, but still we didn’t believe it. The gun violence in this country is absolutely appalling. We didn’t see the war in Ukraine coming.”

“[The President] had so many hopes and plans for things he wanted to do, but every time you turned around, he had to address the problems of the moment,” CNN reported.

President Biden has suffered decreasing approval ratings and has been caught up in an abundance of domestic and international issues since he took office. These include backlash against the military evacuation from Afghanistan, persistently high inflation and the Russian invasion in Ukraine. He’s also faced infighting among his party that has, at times, hindered the ability to pass legislation on topics that are a priority for him.

Recent polling has also revealed that voters, including Democrats, are not very enthusiastic about a 2024 Biden presidential bid, even though the White House has maintained that he will be running in the next election cycle.

That polling has complicated an already challenging midterm environment for Democrats who are bracing for losses in November. But Jill Biden sounded undeterred while speaking at the DNC fundraiser about a pessimistic outcome in the midterms. 

“I know there are so many nay-sayers who say we’ll get slammed in the midterms. Okay. The Republicans are working hard, they stick together, for good or evil. So, we just have to work harder,” she said, according to CNN.

Still, Jill Biden revealed that she, too, had experienced her own challenges as first lady.

“I was saying to myself, ‘Okay, I was second lady. I worked on community colleges. I worked on military families. I’ve worked on cancer.’ They were supposed to be my areas of focus. But then when we got [in the White House,] I had to be, with all that was happening, the first lady of the moment,” Jill Biden said, CNN reported. 

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Entertainment

GoFundMe removes phony Amber Heard-Johnny Depp fundraiser

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You can’t fool GoFundMe — at least when it comes to Amber Heard and Johnny Depp.

It abruptly pulled the plug on a fake $1 million campaign created by someone named Kimberly Moore allegedly to raise money for Heard to pay Depp’s damages after their sensational six-week defamation trial, TMZ reported Saturday.

After the verdict, the fundraiser was set up to help Heard. Moore claimed to have made contact with Heard’s legal team and vowed Heard would have direct access to any money raised.

The page’s description read, “I believe Amber, and social media protected the abuser. The judgment exceeds her net worth. It’s so sad that he was able to get away with the abuse. The judgment furthers that abuse. If you can please help her.”

But a rep for GoFundMe says they were able to flag the profile quickly — before much money was donated after determining that Amber’s team hadn’t created the page. It was then shut down.

The fundraiser was quickly taken down by the site.

Heard can’t pay the $10.4 million she owes Depp, her lawyer said last week after the end of the trial. Sources told The Post the actress is “broke” due to hefty legal fees associated with the trial.

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Entertainment

GoFundMe Shuts Down $1 Million Amber Heard Fundraiser Set Up To Help Pay Johnny Depp

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GoFundMe has shut down a fundraiser claiming to raise money to help Amber Heard pay Johnny Depp some of the money she owes him following their defamation trial.

A jury in Fairfax, Virginia, determined this week Depp should receive more than $10 million (£8m) in damages after Heard wrote an op-ed in which she described herself as a victim of abuse.

Heard herself was awarded $2m (£1.6m) in damages for comments made by Depp’s former lawyer, meaning in total she owes her ex-husband $8.35m (£6.68m). In the wake of the result, a fundraiser titled ‘Justice for Amber Heard’ was established on GoFundMe.

The GoFundMe page had a goal of $1 million. Credit: GoFundMe

With a goal of $1m (£800,000), the GoFundMe page claimed to want to ‘help’ Heard and said the Aquaman actor would have ‘direct access’ to the money raised by supporters.

The page’s description explained: “I believe Amber, and social media protected the abuser. The judgment exceeds her net worth. It’s so sad that he was able to get away with the abuse. The judgment furthers that abuse. If you can please help her. She will have direct access to the money. I also contacted her attorney so they can loop her in.”

It’s unclear exactly how long the fundraiser was live for, but it was shut down after GoFundMe determined neither Heard nor anyone on her team had created the page.

A spokesperson for the fundraising site told TMZ they were able to flag the profile before a substantial amount of money was raised. The platform also plans to continue to look for fake pages and act accordingly.

The lawyer alleged Heard had been ‘demonised’ throughout the trial, and claimed: “A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused.”

Bredehoft confirmed Heard’s plans to appeal the jury’s decision, saying the actor has ‘excellent grounds’ on which to do so.

Heard herself has made clear she is disappointed with the verdict, saying in a statement following the result that it indicated a set back in the idea ‘that violence against women should be taken seriously’.

“I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seemed to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly,” she added.

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World

Zelensky’s iconic fleece sold for £90,000 at Ukraine fundraiser

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“Today, the whole word looks up to a man wearing a simple fleece jacket,” the Ukrainian Embassy to the United Kingdom said in a video posted on Twitter that included footage of Zelensky wearing the jacket. “And now the iconic item, personally signed by President Zelensky, is here.”
The goal of the event was to “tell the stories of (Ukrainian) bravery which became iconic during the war, as well as to raise funds to support this bravery,” according to a tweet from the embassy.
After months of military buildup, Russia launched an assault on Ukraine in late February, sparking geopolitical turmoil and a refugee crisis. More than 3,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict, according to the latest estimate by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The “Brave Ukraine” fundraiser, which included toys donated by Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska and photographs by late photographer Max Levine as well as Zelensky’s jacket, was hosted by the Ukrainian Embassy in London at the Tate Modern art gallery. The event raised over $1 million for “With Ukraine,” the embassy’s official fundraising effort. Most of the funds will go toward the reequipment of the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children’s Medical Center, said the embassy.

In a speech at the fundraiser, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson commended Zelensky’s leadership after the Ukrainian president addressed attendees via video call.

“What an honor to speak after my friend Volodymyr Zelenskyy, truly one of the most incredible leaders of modern times,” he said, according to a transcript from the British government.

Johnson also called for “much higher bids” on the initial starting bid of £50,000, or around $61,000, for Zelensky’s fleece.

He criticized Russia for “laying waste to cities in Ukraine” and praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people.

“That is why I’m more certain than ever that Ukraine will win,” Johnson said. “Ukraine will be free, and a sovereign Ukraine will rise again.”



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Entertainment

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher launch Ukraine fundraiser

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Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are doing their part to help those impacted by the current unrest in Ukraine. 

The Hollywood couple announced on Thursday that they’ve launched a GoFundMe page for victims of Russia’s invasion of the country and will match up to $3 million in donations. 

“While we are witnessing the bravery of Ukrainians, we are also bearing witness to the unimaginable burden of those who have chosen safety,” Kutcher, 44, captioned a video shared to Instagram.

“Through GoFundMe, this fundraiser will provide an immediate impact on refugee and humanitarian aid efforts.”

The “Two and a Half Men” alum sat beside his wife, 38, as she opened up about her Ukrainian roots. 

“I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in 1983. I came to America in 1991 and I have always considered myself an American. A proud American,” the actress said in the clip. “I love everything that this country has done for myself and my family. But today, I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian.”

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have launched a GoFundMe page to help those impacted by the current unrest in Ukraine.
GoFundMe/YouTube

Kutcher then chimed in to say, “And I have never been more proud to be married to a Ukranian.”

Elsewhere, Kunis called Russian President Putin’s attacks on Ukraine “devastating.” She added, “There is no place in this world for this kind of unjust attack on humanity.”

Kutcher and Kunis — who once co-starred on “That ’70s Show” and later wed in 2015 — have a goal to raise $30 million through their GoFundMe page, which will support refugee aid and more humanitarian efforts for displaced Ukrainians. 

The pair’s $3 million pledge will benefit AirBnB and Flexports, companies that are providing shelter to those who have found safety in such countries as Romania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Moldova.

Kunis — who shares kids Wyatt, 7, and Dimitri, 5, with Kutcher — previously spoke about returning to Ukraine as an adult in a 2017 interview with Net-a-porter.com. 

“We went to our house and I knocked on the door because we really wanted to look inside. And [the new owner] was like, ‘No!’ She did not care. I said, ‘I used to live here when I was little, my parents are here [with me],’” she said at the time. “She wouldn’t even open the door. The whole experience was very humbling.”



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US

Herschel Walker cancels Senate campaign fundraiser over swastika of syringes

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Georgia Republican US Senate hopeful Herschel Walker called off a Texas fundraiser Wednesday after an event organizer displayed a group of syringes arranged to form a swastika in her Twitter profile picture to protest vaccine mandates.

The fundraiser had been scheduled to take place Saturday at the suburban Dallas home of movie producer Bettina Sofia Viviano-Langlais.

“Herschel is a strong friend of Israel and the Jewish community and opposes hatred and bigotry of all forms,” campaign spokesperson Mallory Blount said. “Despite the fact that the apparent intent behind the graphic was to condemn government vaccine mandates, the symbol used is very offensive and does not reflect the values of Herschel Walker or his campaign.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which first noted the image, reported that the Walker campaign initially described it as “clearly an anti-mandatory vaccination graphic.”

After the Journal-Constitution published its story, Viviano-Langlais’ profile picture was changed to a sign reading “God Bless Texas.”

“Herschel Walker defended a swastika,” Democratic Party of Georgia spokesman Dan Gotttlieb said in a statement, “and canceling a fundraiser does not change the fact that he failed to condemn a hateful, anti-Semitic symbol.”

The syringe swastika image has made appearances at protests against vaccine mandates in other parts of the United States and around the world. Earlier this year, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) apologized after she compared mask and vaccine mandates to anti-Jewish laws enforced by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.

“Those linking the atrocities committed by the Nazis to modern day public health policies must retract their shameless comparisons, take responsibility, and cease their exploitation of Jewish suffering as a political tactic,” Allison Padilla-Goodman, vice president of the southern division of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement. “We’re glad to see the fundraiser was canceled, and the behaviors of the host were denounced as offensive.”

A spokesperson for Walker said that the profile picture is “very offensive and does not reflect the values of Herschel Walker or his campaign.”
AP Photo/Ben Gray

The fundraiser for Walker, who is hoping to challenge Democrat Raphael Warnock in next year’s general election, required a $500 donation to get in and $5,800 for a VIP private reception. The Walker campaign said Monday that it had raised $3.7 million in the third quarter of this year.

Walker, a former Heisman Trophy winner for the University of Georgia Bulldogs, has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump — who encouraged him to get in the race earlier this year. Walker is facing three other Republicans in the primary, including Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.



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Science

Elon Musk pledges $50 million to Inspiration4 fundraiser for St. Jude

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk poses with the crew before launch on September 15, 2021.

John Kraus / Inspiration4

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk helped achieve the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital fundraising goal of the Inspiration4 spaceflight, just hours after his company returned the crew from orbit.

The main goal of the Inspiration4 mission, which launched on Wednesday and splashed down on Saturday, was to raise $200 million for St. Jude.

Inspiration4 commander Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who purchased the flight from SpaceX, donated $100 million personally to St. Jude. The Inspiration4 mission had raised another $60.2 million in donations, before Musk pledged to contribute $50 million himself – pushing the campaign’s total raised to more than $210 million.

“Count me in for $50M,” Musk said in a tweet on Saturday.

The historic Inspiration4 mission with a private crew spent three days in space, carrying Isaacman, pilot Sian Proctor, medical officer Hayley Arceneaux and mission specialist Chris Sembroski. The crew orbited the Earth at an altitude as high as 590 kilometers, which is above the International Space Station and the furthest humans have traveled above the surface in years.

The spaceflight achieved multiple milestones, including: The first private SpaceX spaceflight, the first entirely nonprofessional crew to become astronauts, the first Black female spacecraft pilot, the youngest American astronaut to date, and the first person to fly in space with a prosthesis.

The Inspiration4 passengers pose in the crew access arm of Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left: Commander Jared Isaacman, medical officer Hayley Arceneaux, pilot Sian Proctor, and mission specialist Chris Sembroski.

SpaceX

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World

Hundreds of Iowans donate to father in need of heart transplant

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Hundreds — if not thousands — of people lined up in their cars outside Tumea & Sons Sunday afternoon for a pasta dinner and to support a Des Moines father of three in heart failure.Some said they waited an hour and a half in the line that stretch down Indianola Avenue. “A couple hours but it’s for a good cause, so it’s the least we can do,” said Brendin Himan, a friend of Bachman, as he sat in his parked car at the intersection of Indianola Avenue and Gray Street. “It almost feels like I’m already winning! I’m on like victory lane right now,” Bachman said, knowing the finish line is much further down the road.His doctors can only guarantee him 3 more weeks, and the earliest he can be put on a transplant list is May. But Bachman, along with everyone else in line, is more than determined to see him then.”Now I’m being told I have weeks left, and in my heart, as bad as it is, I feel like I’m going to be here,” he said.”Him knowing he has this big army of people behind him… that’s a big help! I think that gives everybody hope especially Dustin,” Bachman’s sister, Mandi Bidwell said. As his friends and family continued to serve out the delicious pasta dinners, they choose to see the good that can come out of a horrible situation.They choose to see hope — not just for Bachman — but for anyone going through a crisis who has the support of a community like Des Moines’ Southside.”I still feel like I’m the blessed one… I know that probably doesn’t make any sense but… this right here truly is a great day. It makes my heart complete.”For information about how to donate to Bachman’s family, click here.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

Hundreds — if not thousands — of people lined up in their cars outside Tumea & Sons Sunday afternoon for a pasta dinner and to support a Des Moines father of three in heart failure.

Some said they waited an hour and a half in the line that stretch down Indianola Avenue.

“A couple hours but it’s for a good cause, so it’s the least we can do,” said Brendin Himan, a friend of Bachman, as he sat in his parked car at the intersection of Indianola Avenue and Gray Street.

“It almost feels like I’m already winning! I’m on like victory lane right now,” Bachman said, knowing the finish line is much further down the road.

His doctors can only guarantee him 3 more weeks, and the earliest he can be put on a transplant list is May. But Bachman, along with everyone else in line, is more than determined to see him then.

“Now I’m being told I have weeks left, and in my heart, as bad as it is, I feel like I’m going to be here,” he said.

“Him knowing he has this big army of people behind him… that’s a big help! I think that gives everybody hope especially Dustin,” Bachman’s sister, Mandi Bidwell said.

As his friends and family continued to serve out the delicious pasta dinners, they choose to see the good that can come out of a horrible situation.

They choose to see hope — not just for Bachman — but for anyone going through a crisis who has the support of a community like Des Moines’ Southside.

“I still feel like I’m the blessed one… I know that probably doesn’t make any sense but… this right here truly is a great day. It makes my heart complete.”

For information about how to donate to Bachman’s family, click here.

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