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The largesse has transformed Thiel, an early Facebook investor and PayPal co-founder, into an outsize figure in the fight for control of the 50-50 Senate, providing fuel to two longtime associates who embrace his populist-conservative views. Top Republicans have expressed astonishment at the size of the donations and say theyve turned Vance and Masters whove never before run for elected office and will have to overcome primary rivals with far longer political resumes into formidable contenders in the blink of an eye.

A lot of people didnt know if they should take Blake [Masters] seriously as a candidate before the money came in, and when the money was announced Blake became a serious prospective candidate, said Kirk Adams, a former Arizona state House speaker. Before folks didnt really have any metric to judge his prospective candidacy, but now they do. Ten million dollars is a pretty damn good metric.

Thiel declined an interview request. His donations are by far his largest in two decades of giving to Republican candidates a partial reflection, friends say, of his intensifying interest in politics.

The tech investors profile in donor circles grew during the 2016 election, when he contributed around $1.5 million to pro-Trump outfits and spoke at the Republican National Convention. The 53-year-old, German-born Thiel would become an influential figure in Trumps orbit. He served on Trumps transition team and saw several of his aides become senior figures in the administration. He maintains a close relationship with Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner; the two both have homes in the Miami area.

Then-President-elect Donald Trump shakes the hand of Peter Thiel during a meeting with technology executives at Trump Tower on Dec. 14, 2016. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

But Thiels latest contributions stem not only from his growing political involvement but from his closeness with Vance and Masters. Vance became acquainted with Thiel when he was at Yale Law School and then went to work for Thiel in Silicon Valley; Thiel later became an investor in Vances venture capital firm. Masters, meanwhile, was a student of Thiels at Stanford University and eventually became chief operating officer of Thiel Capital and president of the Thiel Foundation. He maintains a website in which hes posted detailed notes from Thiels class at Stanford.

Vance and Masters appear to closely embrace Thiels ideological beliefs, including his distrust of globalization one of the issues that drew Thiel to Trump.

Vance, who authored "Hillbilly Elegy," a bestselling memoir about growing up in working-class Ohio, laid out his views during a July 2019 speech lamenting the shifting of jobs overseas. Last year, he published an essay titled End the Globalization Gravy Train.

Masters, meanwhile, co-authored with Thiel the 2014 book Zero to One, in which they portrayed globalization as the enemy of innovation.

Thiels support for 2022 candidates is expected to go beyond Vance and Masters, those familiar with his plans say. The list includes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a rising star in Republican politics up for reelection next year, with whom Thiel has met privately.

Thiel is also looking at donating to an assortment of House candidates, including Army veteran Joe Kent, who is waging a challenge to GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Trump impeachment backer, in Washington state's all-party primary next year. Earlier this year, Thiel contributed to Brian Harrison, a former Trump administration official who ran unsuccessfully in a Texas congressional special election.

Over the years, he has supported an array of libertarian-leaning politicians, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and former Michigan Rep. Justin Amash.

But Thiel has never made political donations at this scale before and not all of his political bets have paid off. In 2018, he backed the gubernatorial campaign of Kansas Republican Kris Kobach, an immigration hardliner who defeated the sitting Republican governor in the primary before losing the general election to Democrat Laura Kelly. Two years later, he spent more than $2 million in support of Kobachs failed Senate campaign, which ended with a loss to an establishment-backed candidate in the Republican primary.

Thiels giving drew scrutiny in 2017, when he donated to then-Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawleys Senate campaign. The contribution landed just days before Hawley launched an antitrust investigation into Google, a company Thiel has criticized as monopolistic.

Within Republican circles, Thiel is seen as an unconventional donor. Unlike other major givers, he lacks a singular political adviser or gatekeeper for candidates looking to court him. The billionaire has operated mostly independently of those in the tight-knit world of Republican operatives, though he counts the incendiary conservative commentator Ann Coulter, with whom Thiel co-hosted a 2019 fundraiser for Kobach, as a friend.

Peter Thiel and Ann Coulter pictured in April 2019. | Theo Wargo/Getty Images

While some other Republican contributors, such as those in the Koch political network, have used their money to invest in building party infrastructure, Thiel has so far refrained from doing so. And unlike other donors who delve into the minutiae of how candidates they invest in build their campaign teams, Thiel has taken a largely hands-off approach with Vance and Masters, those familiar with the discussions say.

Thiel, who according to Forbes is worth more than $4 billion, made his first splash in conservative politics in 2009, when he penned an essay in outlining libertarian views that sharply diverged from the liberal bent of Silicon Valley. His attraction to Trump, friends say, partly stemmed from their shared distaste of the media. After the gossip blog Gawker in 2007 wrote that Thiel was gay, Thiel retaliated by secretly financing wrestler Hulk Hogans lawsuit against the website over its posting of a Hogan sex tape. The suit, which resulted in millions of dollars in damages being awarded to Hogan, forced Gawker out of business.

Republicans in Ohio and Arizona say Thiels money by itself wont be enough for either Vance or Masters to win the GOP nomination. Vance is squaring off against a handful of wealthy candidates with the ability to pour millions of dollars into their own campaigns, which would offset Thiels funding.

Masters will need to get by Jim Lamon, a deep-pocketed energy executive who could self-finance his campaign, and state Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a potential candidate who would benefit from widespread familiarity among voters.

There are also limitations as to how far Thiels money can go, given that super PACs must pay higher rates for TV advertising than a candidates official campaign. Both states include expensive media markets, making it necessary for Vance and Masters to build formidable war chests on their own, say Republican strategists in Arizona and Ohio.

Its unclear whether Thiels $10 million donations are a one-time investment or if more money is on the way.

Unless youre Stephen King with successful movies, bestselling authors are not household names, Doug Preisse, the chair emeritus of the Franklin County, Ohio, Republican Party said of Vance. Its a super start, but hell need every bit of that and more in a race with a number of other well-connected self-funders.

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Rise of a megadonor: Thiel makes a play for the Senate - POLITICO

Capital T: The Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue has a 60-year lease from the U.S. government.

Donald Trump, the landlord, was often accused of using his time in the Oval Office to pad his private business interests. His critics repeatedly decried his lack of transparency. The former president never had to publicly disclose who his tenants were because his commercial real estate portfolio was held by a collection of shell companies, and federal disclosure laws only apply to direct payments.

Last year Forbes revealed that 25 commercial tenants renting space in Trumps buildings were throwing him some $115 million a year. During the former presidents time in office, some of those tenantsfrom big investment banks to household-name consumer brands like Nike, Duane Reade and Starbuckshad either lobbied the federal government or bid for federal contracts, or sometimes both.

Meanwhile, the whiff of impropriety has also lingered over Donald Trump, the tenant. His lavish Washington, D.C. hotel is ensconced inside the spectacular Old Post Office, a federal building with a unique, historic importance to the country. From its completion in 1899, the impressive building, whose iconic clock tower houses the Bells of Congress, served for years at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue as the main post office for the nations capital. Yet in the modern era, the building had become an underutilized money pit.

In 2012, the U.S. government awarded a 60-year lease to the Trump Organization, which beat out bids by hospitality behemoths Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide. Trump said that he had paid too much, and history may prove that Uncle Sam got the best of him.

In striking a deal with the General Services Administration (GSA), the agency that manages federally owned properties, the Trump Organization agreed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to painstakingly restore the buildings Romanesque Revival exterior and convert the interior into a luxury hotel. To cover the massive renovation costs, Trumps company invested $42 million, got an historic-preservation tax credit to cover roughly $40million, and took out a $170 million loan from Deutsche Bank, which appears to be in trouble. On top of all of that, the Trump Organization pays the government approximately $248,000 per month in rentwhich works out to a cool $3 million per year.

Throughout Trumps presidency, Democratic members of the U.S. Housesubcommittee tasked with oversight of federal real estate assets argued that Trump was in breach of the lease when he became president, on the grounds that the agreement prohibits any elected official from benefitting personally from the lease. They made 10 requests for financial statements relating to the Trump International Hotel, including a subpoena in 2019. All were blocked by the Trump-appointed GSA administrator.

But now it appears that the eleventh times the charm. With a Biden-appointed acting administrator now running the agency, the GSA is finally coughing up some of those documents, CNN reported last week. The GSA conveyed to House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio, the that it was turning over monthly financial statements from Trumps hotel, audits and lease amendments.

The GSA provided those documents on a confidential basis and have not released them publicly, though some older documents relating to the Old Post Office are available online. Many have been heavily redacted.

Yet despite the GSAs years of stonewalling and less-than-transparent paper trail, Trump foes hoping to discover a smoking gun may be disappointed.

The tenant is paying the rent as agreed to under the lease and has been making rental payments consistent with its obligations under the lease. Those payments have not been late, said a GSA spokesperson via email.

In April 2020, the Trump Organization requested rent relief on the property during the pandemic, The New York Times reportedbut that request was denied.

The tenant did not receive rent relief for the OPO lease, according to the GSA. And there have been no amendments to the lease to change the rental payments.

That is all 100% correct, a Trump Organization spokesperson confirmed via email.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in the grand lobby of Trump international Hotel on October 26, 2016. (Photo by Cheriss May)

In many ways, the fortunes of Trumps D.C. hotel have mirrored the former presidents political trajectory. Right after the 2016 presidential election, the hotel became instantly synonymous with schmoozy grift, as right-wing personalities and GOP elected officials made a point of frequenting the hotel and taking selfies in the Benjamin Bar. The hotel took in $18 million in the first four months of 2017 and another $34 million in the last eight,according to Trumps financial disclosure report.

But in time, the magic wore off. By 2019, the Trump Organization had quietly put the hotel on the market but failed to nab a bid even close to the $500 million asking price. Trumps lastfinancial disclosure report,released in the hours after his presidency ended, showed theTrump International Hotels revenue was down$33 million in 2020a 62% drop from the previous year. And while the hotel was eventually pulled off the market, Bloomberg reported last month that the Trumps were still open to offers.

Now, with Trump having exited D.C., the line of folks wanting to curry favor by spending a few nights at his hotel or making an appearance at the restaurant has dwindledleaving the hotels future unclear.

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Donald Trump Is An Exemplary Tenant, Says His Washington D.C. Landlord - Forbes

Many of you readers will remember that in March Lester Bender of Albion shared with me the story about his 8-year-old granddaughter who wrote to former President Trump because she had read a book about him. Well, he wrote back! Lester shared a photo of the letter she received. The letter with the letterhead reading Donald and Melania Trump said: Thank you for your wonderful letter. We are inspired by your words and heartened by your support. Our Nations bright future relies upon your leadership, commitment and character. Do your best each day, enjoy learning and never, ever give up. Always remember you have family, friends, teachers and coaches who care about you and will help you reach your full potential. May God bless you and your family. With very best wishes, Donald Trump and Melania Trump

+++

This is the story from the March 19 column about Mallorys letter:

Mallory, 8, read a book about former President Trump. When she asked her mother for former President Trumps address, her mother said she didnt know but she could still write a letter. Mallory got on their laptop and soon found the former presidents address. This is what her letter, written by hand, said. Dear Donald Trump, I loved your speech. I knew you were the best president our country has ever had. I love you because you love America. My address is ... I keep telling my mom to have you come to our house. We have a good family and we voted for you. We would really give you hugs. I really would want to meet you. You could ride an airplane to get here. You really have a very very good family. I am a second grader at Topeka Elem. There is a book about you that I read. I really enjoyed that book. I really hope you can come here. By your friend Mallory. Grandpa Les and Grandma Judy Bender of Albion.

+++

Vi was with her granddaughters for supper while the girls parents were attending a meeting. After feeding baby Violette, Vi put her on the floor, letting her crawl wherever she wished. As the older girls were eating, Vi reminded them to eat over their plates, to catch the crumbs. Nonetheless, bits of food fell to the floor, as happens with preschoolers. Oldest sister, Eva, commented. Some people have dogs that clean up what drops to the floor we have a baby! And that is what prompted Vi to notice that indeed baby Violette was under the table, enjoying the tasty bits of dinner that she was finding on the floor. Vi Wysong of rural Wawaka

+++

Thank you for your letters, by U.S. mail and email. When you share your stories and photos through this column, you brighten the lives of many people. Please email me at ghousholder@kpcmedia.com or mail stories to me at 816 Mott St., Kendallville, IN 46755. Please share this column with friends and family and encourage them to email to me their stories.

Link:
Donald and Melania Trump tell area second grader to 'never, ever give up' - KPCnews.com

Donald Trumpcalled the 2020 presidential election the crime of the century on Saturday, even as Republican leaders scrambled to dodge the fallout from the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that supporters of the former president carried out earlier this year.

Trump also blasted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as weak and pathetic in a post on his so-called communications platform. He went after former Vice President Mike Pence for lacking the courage to reverse the results of the election, which Joe Biden won.

Screen Shot/Donald J. Trump blog

If Pence and McConnell had reinstalled Trump as head of the nation, we would right now have a Republican President who would be VETOING the horrific Socialistic Bills that are rapidly going through Congress, including Open Borders, High Taxes, Massive Regulations, and so much else! Trump wrote.

There are no open borders. Taxes have not been increased, though Biden is planning to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 25% to 28% after Trump arranged to slash the corporate tax rate by 40%. Its unclear what massive regulations Trump was referring to.

Trump also claimed that polling ahead of the election was rigged. He argued that his supporters didnt bother to vote because polls made him look like such an incredible winner or that polls made him look like such an astounding loser that his supporters didnt think it was worthwhile to vote. The position that not enough of his supporters turned out to vote would seemingly contradict Trumps claims that ballots were somehow miscounted.

Trumps latest rant about the election results comes at an awkward time for fence-straddling Republican leaders, who have both been feeding oxygen to the big lie that the election was rigged and sort of denying it exists.

I dont think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Wednesday after he and other congressional leaders met with Biden. I think that is all over with. Were sitting here with the president today.

However, several Republicans indeed have continued to undermine the legitimacy of the democraticpresidential election.

On Wednesday,House Republicans voted to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her leadership role aftershe refused to go along with Trumps lies about the election. The former presidents rhetoric about election fraud motivated rioters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) said Biden was legitimately elected, but added in a dig that we need to make sure that we have unquestioned elections moving forward.

And Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) tried to deny that the Capitol riot occurred. There was no insurrection, he said last week. He also described rioters violent behavior as a normal tourist visit to the Capitol.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) has called the rioters peaceful patriots.

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Donald Trump Bashes 2020 Presidential Election As 'Crime Of The Century' - HuffPost

At Google I/O today Google Cloud announced Vertex AI, a new managed machine learning platform that is meant to make it easier for developers to deploy and maintain their AI models. Its a bit of an odd announcement at I/O, which tends to focus on mobile and web developers and doesnt traditionally feature a lot of Google Cloud news, but the fact that Google decided to announce Vertex today goes to show how important it thinks this new service is for a wide range of developers.

The launch of Vertex is the result of quite a bit of introspection by the Google Cloud team. Machine learning in the enterprise is in crisis, in my view, Craig Wiley, the director of product management for Google Clouds AI Platform, told me. As someone who has worked in that space for a number of years, if you look at the Harvard Business Review or analyst reviews, or what have you every single one of them comes out saying that the vast majority of companies are either investing or are interested in investing in machine learning and are not getting value from it. That has to change. It has to change.

Image Credits: Google

Wiley, who was also the general manager of AWSs SageMaker AI service from 2016 to 2018 before coming to Google in 2019, noted that Google and others who were able to make machine learning work for themselves saw how it can have a transformational impact, but he also noted that the way the big clouds started offering these services was by launching dozens of services, many of which were dead ends, according to him (including some of Googles own). Ultimately, our goal with Vertex is to reduce the time to ROI for these enterprises, to make sure that they can not just build a model but get real value from the models theyre building.

Vertex then is meant to be a very flexible platform that allows developers and data scientist across skill levels to quickly train models. Google says it takes about 80% fewer lines of code to train a model versus some of its competitors, for example, and then help them manage the entire lifecycle of these models.

Image Credits: Google

The service is also integrated with Vizier, Googles AI optimizer that can automatically tune hyperparameters in machine learning models. This greatly reduces the time it takes to tune a model and allows engineers to run more experiments and do so faster.

Vertex also offers a Feature Store that helps its users serve, share and reuse the machine learning features and Vertex Experiments to help them accelerate the deployment of their models into producing with faster model selection.

Deployment is backed by a continuous monitoring service and Vertex Pipelines, a rebrand of Google Clouds AI Platform Pipelines that helps teams manage the workflows involved in preparing and analyzing data for the models, train them, evaluate them and deploy them to production.

To give a wide variety of developers the right entry points, the service provides three interfaces: a drag-and-drop tool, notebooks for advanced users and and this may be a bit of a surprise BigQuery ML, Googles tool for using standard SQL queries to create and execute machine learning models in its BigQuery data warehouse.

We had two guiding lights while building Vertex AI: get data scientists and engineers out of the orchestration weeds, and create an industry-wide shift that would make everyone get serious about moving AI out of pilot purgatory and into full-scale production, said Andrew Moore, vice president and general manager of Cloud AI and Industry Solutions at Google Cloud. We are very proud of what we came up with in this platform, as it enables serious deployments for a new generation of AI that will empower data scientists and engineers to do fulfilling and creative work.

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Google Cloud launches Vertex AI, a new managed machine learning platform - TechCrunch