The Rise of the Web Celebrity Shedding the Long Robe: Constructing a Vast "Edgy" UniverseTopline President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name former Sen. Kelly Loeffler his nominee for Agriculture secretary, CNN reported Friday, elevating the Georgia Republican after she and her billionaire husband spent more than $5 million boosting Trump during the election, ranking among his top donors. Key Facts What To Watch For Federal filings on campaign donations are only available through Oct. 16, so it’s possible Loeffler and/or Sprecher gave more money to support Trump right before Election Day that won’t be publicly reported for another few weeks. Who Is Kelly Loeffler? While she gained national attention in Congress, Loeffler’s career has primarily been as a businesswoman. She worked as an executive at Sprecher’s Intercontinental Exchange and went on to run cryptocurrency company Bakkt, a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, R, appointed Loeffler to the Senate in 2019 to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Johnny Isakson when he resigned. Loeffler served as a senator only briefly from 2020 to 2021, when Sen. Raphael Warnock unseated her in a special election. Why Was Loeffler’s Time In The Senate Controversial? Loeffler garnered controversy in the Senate for her stock moves in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, selling approximately $20 million worth of shares between late January and March after lawmakers received private briefings on the pandemic’s potentially devastating impact. The Senate Ethics Committee cleared her of any wrongdoing in June 2020, but Loeffler said in an April 2020 op-ed that she was divesting from her individual stocks even as she maintained she and her family “never used any confidential information I received while performing my Senate duties as a means of making a private profit.” Loeffler also stepped down from the Senate Agriculture Committee’s subcommittee on commodities and trade amid the controversy, though she remained on the full Agriculture Committee. Though she was cleared of wrongdoing, the controversy continued to be an issue during her ultimately unsuccessful race against Warnock. Forbes Valuation Forbes values Sprecher’s net worth at $1.1 billion as of Friday afternoon. Key Background Assuming she is announced, Loeffler will be one of a number of loyal Trump allies that the president-elect is now rewarding with top positions in his administration, along with figures like campaign manager Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as attorney general and longtime adviser Stephen Miller as Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy. Loeffler is not the only billionaire donor to make it into Trump’s administration, with the president-elect also naming Linda McMahon, wife of wrestling mogul Vince McMahon, to lead the Education Department after she similarly poured millions into his election. Elon Musk, who became one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters before the election while also spending millions through his America PAC, is also set to run a “Department of Government Efficiency” alongside billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy when Trump takes the White House, though that’s expected to operate outside of the government. Trump’s election was propped up by billionaires donating heavily to super PACs supporting the ex-president, as Trump’s main campaign fund—which is subject to limits on donations, unlike super PACs—significantly lagged behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ cash haul. While Harris outraised Trump by nearly three-to-1 ahead of Election Day in terms of their main campaign funds, federal filings suggest the top 10 super PACs supporting Trump actually took in more money than those supporting Harris. Further Reading
LONDON -- need no reminders of the class of , but when the forward produced a blood-twisting shimmy while registering an assist for 's goal in their at , the 32-year-old gave his employers a nudge that basically said, "Can you really do without me?" And just for good measure, did the same when he scored with a deflected shot from 25 yards on 55 minutes to put Arne Slot's side four goals clear of the Hammers and erase any doubt that the leaders would end 2024 with an eight-point edge at the top of the table. This was the easiest of wins for Liverpool against a lacklustre West Ham side -- a win that extended their unbeaten run to 23 games in all competitions -- but it was also a day when Salah, Alexander-Arnold and the majestic underlined just how important they still are to the club. Salah, who scored Liverpool's third of the night and created 's goal, and Alexander-Arnold grabbed the spotlight with their contributions to the scoreline, but Van Dijk's marshalling of the Liverpool defence was just as important, especially in the early stages when West Ham showed signs of life and threatened to score themselves. But by the middle of this week, Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk will be free to speak to non-English clubs about a free agent move at the end of the season when their existing Anfield contracts expire. The Egyptian spoke postmatch Sunday, saying he's "far away" from being able to give good contract news, less than 72 hours before he can talk to those other clubs. "The only thing on my mind is I want Liverpool to win the league, and I want to be part of that," Salah said. "I will do my best for the team to win the trophy. There is a few other teams catching up with us and we need to stay focused and humble and go again. "I am just trying to enjoy the game," he said. "At the end of the day I came here for the result, and I wanted to do something in the game, but I am almost hungry for more." The uncertainty over Liverpool's modern-day legends has hovered over the club since the start of this season, with fans hanging on every update, however insignificant, to give an indication as to whether the three will extend their contracts. Despite the doubts over Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool have been unfazed and shown no hint of being distracted by the "will they stay/will they leave" saga. But things could now get messy, and how Liverpool deal with the speculation in the months ahead is perhaps the one issue that could derail their title bid. That seems an unlikely prospect right now. Slot and his players have been head-and-shoulders above the rest so far this season -- Liverpool also sit three points clear of the chasing pack in the -- and they brushed West Ham aside without needing to get out of second gear. But off-field noise can become a distraction, especially if it coincides with a run of indifferent results. Salah has already put his future at the front and centre of the debate twice this season with strategically timed comments, while recent days have seen reports in Spain offering the strongest hints yet that are hot on Alexander-Arnold's tail. Van Dijk has kept a low profile, as have Liverpool as a club, but sources have told ESPN that each negotiation is more complex than merely thrashing out a salary and contract length. With bonuses, image rights and agent fees to also discuss, contract talks can, and do, take months. But once clubs begin to contact the players -- if they haven't already -- then minds will naturally be diverted to thoughts of life in a new city, a new country and new colours. If Real offer to make Alexander-Arnold their new right-back, will he not allow his focus to shift to thoughts of wearing the iconic all-white kit at the Bernabéu? And if Liverpool successfully wrap a deal with one of the three, how will the other two react? Will they shrug their shoulders or demand parity with -- or more than -- their teammate? These are all issues Liverpool will face in the weeks and months ahead and there are huge financial stakes at play with each star, in terms of the salary the team might be forced to pay or the money it must find for a replacement. But Alexander-Arnold's goal, Van Dijk's dominance of the defence and Salah's goal and assist showed just why Liverpool need all three to stay. Salah is arguably the best player in the world at the moment and he is top of the Premier League in goals (17) and assists (13). We have begun to take for granted just how many goals he scores and creates. His assist for Gakpo, who doubled Liverpool's lead after had scored their opener, was one of those moments that you generally associate with only a peak . Having received the ball from Diaz, Salah wriggled between two defenders and changed his body shape in the same movement before teeing up Gakpo. That move alone showed why he is unique and crucial to Liverpool. But so are Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, and while the picture is rosy as Liverpool end 2024, there might be trouble ahead in 2025 if their big three become a distraction.
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