April 6, 2019

Trump Meets with Megadonor Sheldon Adelson and the Republican Jewish Coalition

The president mocked Rep. Ilhan Omar, one day after a death threat against her was revealed.

Trump smiles and points at Sheldon Adelson before his speech. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

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President Donald Trump appeared in Nevada on Saturday afternoon, addressing the conservative Republican Jewish Coalition, where he mocked Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, one of the first two female Muslim Americans to be elected to Congress.

Trump’s trip began on Friday, when he flew to California where he visited the Mexican border, held a Beverly Hills fundraiser, and allegedly dined at one of his golf clubs with Rupert Murdoch. On Saturday, he travelled to Las Vegas where the RJC is holding its annual meeting at the Palazzo, one of two major Las Vegas strip hotels owned by conservative megadonor Sheldon Adelson—who is one of the largest benefactors of the RJC.

In February, it was reported that Adelson is being treated for cancer. While during the 2016 campaign, Trump mocked other candidates for their acceptance of Adelson’s money, on Saturday Adelson not only attended the Trump speech, he wore a bright red Trump yarmulke.

Early in his speech, Trump trained his sights on Omar, who has become a lightning rod for conservative accusations of Democratic anti-semitism after sending a tweet about Republicans accepting donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. On Friday, a federal court revealed that a New York man and self-described Trump supporter, was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Omar in a call to her office last month. The news came only a day after a separate report that a March public appearance by Omar had been the target of a bomb threat.

But in Las Vegas, Trump showed no interest in lowering tension around Omar.

In fact, Trump laid the blame for anti-semitism in America entirely at the feet of Democrats, telling the audience that, “the Democrats have allowed the stain of anti-semitism to take root in their party.” The president’s remarks were briefly interrupted by members of the Jewish activist organization If Not Now. 

 

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

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