Bloomberg pledges 80 million

The donor network created by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch is preparing to get involved in the presidential primaries in 2024, with the aim of turning “the page on the past” in a thinly veiled rebuke of former President Donald J. Trump, according to an internal memo. The network, comprising an array of political and advocacy groups that have been backed by hundreds of ultrawealthy conservatives, has been among the most influential forces in American politics over the past 15 years, spending nearly $500 million supporting Republican candidates and conservative policies in the 2020 election cycle alone. But it has never before supported candidates in presidential primaries. The potential move against Mr. Trump could motivate donors to line up behind another prospective candidate. Thus far, only the former president has entered the race. The memo went out to the affiliated activists and donors after a weekend conference in Palm Springs, … [Read more...] about Taking Aim at Trump, Koch Network Will Back G.O.P. Primary Candidates

More than 40 years after its last makeover, the plaza in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is showing its age: the fountains are leaking, the sidewalk is crumbling, and the trees are dying. Overcrowding on the institution’s grand front steps — one of the most popular meeting places in Manhattan — often causes bottlenecks for visitors trying to get to the front door. Now an ambitious plan is in the works to transform this four-block-long stretch along Fifth Avenue, from 80th to 84th Street, into a more efficient, pleasing and environmentally friendly space, with new fountains, tree-shaded allées, seating areas, museum-run kiosks and softer, energy-efficient nighttime lighting. A meeting was held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for officials from the Met to sit down with some 2,000 neighborhood residents to explain the project. If all goes as scheduled, and the institution receives approval from various city agencies — including the Public Design Commission, Landmarks Preservation … [Read more...] about Met Aims to Build Itself a Museum-Quality Plaza

See the article in its original context from December 7, 1986 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. IT WOULD BE THE LAST TIME THE WHOLE family was together - Christmas 1979. In the Tudor stone mansion across the street from the Wichita Country Club, Mary Koch and her four sons celebrated the holiday in the spacious living room, scattered with photographs of the brothers as carefree boys. A large oil portrait of the late patriarch of the clan, Fred C. Koch, looked down from one wall. … [Read more...] about BROTHERS AT ODDS

Donald Trump, as expected, announced on Tuesday night that he’ll run for president again in 2024, despite being twice impeached, castigated for fomenting the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, investigated for potential fraud at his family’s business and blamed for Republicans’ weak showing in last week’s midterm elections. But while the former president is counting on faithful Republicans to once again flock to him, he appears to be losing supporters — including deep-pocketed conservative donors who are instead looking for alternatives. Just this morning, Stephen A. Schwarzman of Blackstone , a longtime ally of Trump’s, told Axios that he would back someone from a “new generation” of Republicans. And the attendee list for Tuesday night’s announcement was telling: Loyalists like Roger Stone and Mike Lindell, the C.E.O. of MyPillow, were there, but few members of Congress made the trip. Mr. Trump outlined what a second term would look like. In his meandering 63-minute speech, he focused … [Read more...] about Big-Name Donors Are Moving On From Trump

A World Cup final for the ages delivered a crowning glory for soccer icon Lionel Messi on Sunday as Argentina beat reigning men's champion France on penalty kicks. One of the most dramatic major sporting events in history had the teams tied 3-3 after extra time, with the French ultimately missing twice in the shootout before Gonzalo Montiel converted to seal an exhausting and emotional victory. Argentina had dominated the bulk of the match, leading 2-0 with just about 10 minutes to go, but France burst into life with star forward Kylian Mbappé scoring twice in as many minutes. Both sides traded missed chances and then late goals again in the 30 minutes of extra time before the tension of penalty kicks. The game capped a month of sporting drama and geopolitical controversy in Qatar. The tournament featured surprise results and fairy-tale runs , but the final had two giants of the game compete for the title — headlined by a pair of stars. The speedy and skillful Mbappé … [Read more...] about Argentina wins World Cup on penalty kicks over France

President Obama’s political team is fanning out across the country in pursuit of an ambitious goal: raising $50 million to convert his re-election campaign into a powerhouse national advocacy network, a sum that would rank the new group as one of Washington’s biggest lobbying operations. But the rebooted campaign, known as Organizing for Action , has plunged the president and his aides into a campaign finance limbo with few clear rules, ample potential for influence-peddling, and no real precedent in national politics. In private meetings and phone calls, Mr. Obama’s aides have made clear that the new organization will rely heavily on a small number of deep-pocketed donors, not unlike the “super PACs” whose influence on political campaigns Mr. Obama once deplored. At least half of the group’s budget will come from a select group of donors who will each contribute or raise $500,000 or more, according to donors and strategists involved in the effort. Unlike a presidential … [Read more...] about Obama’s Backers Seek Big Donors to Press Agenda

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake has shaken Turkey and Syria, killing at least 568 people, according to authorities. The quake was centred in the town of Pazarcik in Kahramanmaras province, about 20 miles from the city of Gaziantep, at a depth of six miles and there were several powerful aftershocks. Major rise in death toll as rescue teams race against time - live updates Several buildings have been destroyed as people gathered outside on snowy streets in Pazarcik, according to images on state broadcaster TRT. Rescue workers and residents using flashlights were searching through piles of tangled metal and concrete rubble in one of the stricken cities. "I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I've lived," said Erdem, a resident of Gaziantep. "We were shaken at least three times very strongly, like a baby in a crib." The governor of Osmaniye province said at least 34 buildings had collapsed due to the quake while the governor of Malatya said 130 had … [Read more...] about Earthquake hits Turkey and Syria killing hundreds – and felt elsewhere in the Middle East

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would reduce the disparities between mandatory federal sentences for crack and powder cocaine violations, a step toward ending what legal experts say have been unfairly harsh punishments imposed mainly on blacks. The bill, which passed the Senate in March, was adopted by the House in a voice vote and now goes to President Obama for his signature. Administration officials have described the sentencing disparity as “fundamentally unfair,” and Mr. Obama said during the 2008 presidential campaign that it “disproportionately filled our prisons with young black and Latino drug users.” Under the current law, adopted in 1986 after a surge in crack cocaine smoking and drug-related killings, someone convicted in federal court of possession of five grams of crack must be sentenced to at least five years in prison, and possession of 10 grams requires a 10-year minimum sentence. With powder cocaine, the threshold amounts for those … [Read more...] about Congress Moves to Narrow Cocaine Sentencing Disparities