All posts tagged: Jr.s

“A harbinger of what’s to come”: New poll shows RFK Jr.’s campaign could sink Trump

“A harbinger of what’s to come”: New poll shows RFK Jr.’s campaign could sink Trump

Published by skeptic

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent campaign for president appears to hurt Donald Trump more than it does President Joe Biden, according to the latest NBC News polling.  In a head-to-head contest, Trump leads Biden by 2 percent. But when third-party candidates are included, Biden has the advantage, leading the pack with 39 percent of the vote compared to 37 percent for Trump and 13 percent for Kennedy. Other candidates, Jill Stein and Cornel west, take 3 percent and 2 percent of the vote, respectively. According to the polling data, 15 percent of respondents who had picked Trump in the head-to-head match-up instead pick Kennedy in a five-way race. By comparison, Biden loses just 7 percent of his support when Kennedy and others are included in the race. Republican voters generally approve of Kennedy, with 40 percent expressing a positive opinion compared to just 15 percent who have a negative opinion of the candidate. A majority of Democratic voters, by contrast, express a negative view of Kennedy, with just 16% viewing him positively. “At this stage, …

RFK Jr.’s Very Online, Conspiracy-Filled Campaign

RFK Jr.’s Very Online, Conspiracy-Filled Campaign

Published by skeptic

Leah Feiger: Well, Eric Clapton- Anna Merlan: It makes sense. Leah Feiger: It’s so sad. Makena Kelly: But Eric Clapton had a huge fundraiser. He’s able to get- Leah Feiger: Alicia Silverstone. Makena Kelly: I know. Leah Feiger: That’s the one that you told me about that made me particularly sad. I cannot re- Anna Merlan: Well, she’s been involved in anti-vaccine activism since at least 2015. Leah Feiger: Yeah, that was new to me. I’ll be honest, that was new to me. Obviously not new to you, as all of our conspiracy vaccine experts over here. But can I re-watch Clueless in the same way? I don’t know. I don’t think so. I think not. Makena Kelly: Yeah, the celebrities really have that macro influence where they’re able to help spread his name, his things like that. Then you see the PAC, of course, reaching these fitness influencers, targeting micro influencers who have that direct engaged relationship. The campaign is really focused on reaching people all across the board, and then at a smaller …

Vaccines, IVF, That Super Bowl Ad: What to Know About Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.’s Running Mate

Vaccines, IVF, That Super Bowl Ad: What to Know About Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.’s Running Mate

Published by skeptic

Earlier this week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that his 2024 running mate will not be Aaron Rodgers or Jesse Ventura, but Silicon Valley lawyer (and Sergey Brin ex) Nicole Shanahan. What is there to know about Kennedy’s VP pick? For starters: At a time when in vitro fertilization is under serious threat, she’s a major critic of the procedure that has helped millions of people become parents. Politico reports that Shanahan has “for years denounced IVF.” In February, she told the Australian Financial Review that IVF is “one of the biggest lies that’s being told about women’s health today.” In a 2023 interview with The New Yorker, she told the outlet, “Many of the I.V.F. clinics are financially incentivized to offer you egg freezing and I.V.F. and not incentivized to offer you other fertility services.” In an essay for People published in 2022, she wrote “I believe IVF is sold irresponsibly, and in my own experience with natural childbirth has led me to understand that the fertility industry is deeply flawed.” While criticizing IVF, …

Who Is Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.’s Pick For Vice President?

Who Is Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.’s Pick For Vice President?

Published by Sam

The first major running mate announcement of the 2024 presidential election cycle came much earlier than usual this week, as White House hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held an Oakland rally to make the big announcement, concluding weeks of speculation by introducing the young political neophyte to the nation and revealing that he may just have found the ideal addition to his long-shot ticket. Nicole Shanahan — criminal justice attorney, Silicon Valley philanthropist, possible billionaire divorcée — is a native of Oakland who may just have the ideal rags-to-riches backstory for a political newcomer. Shanahan has spoken about growing up with a family that relied on food benefits and being raised by a schizophrenic father who had lifelong addiction issues. On Tuesday, she told the crowd of her days as an attorney, after completing a law degree a decade ago at Santa Clara University School of Law, working with artificial intelligence to push for criminal justice reform and end the school-to-prison pipeline for Black men.  Unmentioned at Tuesday’s event were the details of Shanahan’s rumor-plagued …

The Next Stage of RFK Jr.’s Insurgency

The Next Stage of RFK Jr.’s Insurgency

Published by skeptic

Wasn’t Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supposed to have flamed out by now? At a rally yesterday in Oakland, California, Kennedy—a lifelong Democrat turned independent—unveiled his 2024 running mate, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan. Kennedy selected Shanahan from a motley crew of reported vice-presidential contenders: Aaron Rodgers, Jesse Ventura, Mike Rowe, Tulsi Gabbard, and the rapper Killer Mike, to name a few. Shanahan is by no means a household name. Yet she could bolster Kennedy’s outsider ticket in three pivotal ways. She’s just 38 years old and may help him appeal to younger voters. Several states require candidates to file a two-person ticket as a ballot-eligibility requirement, so her sheer addition could help move those efforts forward. And, of course, she has money: Her charitable donations suggest she is worth tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. “The purpose of wealth is to help those in need,” Shanahan told the crowd yesterday. “And I want to bring that back to politics.” Kennedy’s upstart We the People party still has a slim chance of winning …

Aaron Rodgers, RFK Jr.’s Potential VP Pick, Allegedly Said Sandy Hook Was a Hoax

Aaron Rodgers, RFK Jr.’s Potential VP Pick, Allegedly Said Sandy Hook Was a Hoax

Published by skeptic

Earlier this week, we learned that Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is in the running to be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate. And now, we’ve incidentally learned another thing about the football player: that he has allegedly claimed that the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, which left 20 children and 6 adults dead, was a hoax. CNN reports that at the 2013 Kentucky Derby, Rodgers told journalist Pamela Brown that the massacre was an inside job by the government and that the media was covering up the true story. Asked by Brown for evidence Rodgers allegedly “began sharing various theories that have been disproven numerous times,” including ones that got conspiracy theorist Alex Jones sued, like that the shooting was staged and the first responders were actually “crisis actors.” (In 2022, a jury ordered Jones to fork over $965 million for his lies, a debt which he has yet to pay.) According to Brown, Rodgers said there were government operatives in the woods by the school. In addition to Brown, another individual—who CNN granted anonymity—said that …

Robert Downey Jr.’s unrecognizable transformation for first role after Oppenheimer Oscar win will make your jaw drop

Robert Downey Jr.’s unrecognizable transformation for first role after Oppenheimer Oscar win will make your jaw drop

Published by skeptic

After Sunday, March 10, Robert Downey Jr. can officially add “Oscar winner” to the phrase “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” after a career spanning over four decades. The star, 58, picked up the trophy for Best Supporting Actor at the 96th Academy Awards for his turn in Oppenheimer, one of seven wins for the Christopher Nolan film that night. And it looks like the star’s already back to work as his new projects pick up momentum following his win, and he’s coming right back to screens with The Sympathizer. © Getty ImagesRobert Downey Jr. won his very first Oscar on Sunday night The HBO miniseries is based on the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen in which Robert plays four different characters, all antagonistic, requiring him to transform drastically. A first glimpse of the series was shared in May of 2023, in which Robert and series lead Hoa Xuande are seen, with the newly minted Academy Award winner sporting short copper-tinted hair on a bald cap with aged and tanned …

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Microsoft-Powered Chatbot Just Disappeared

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Microsoft-Powered Chatbot Just Disappeared

Published by skeptic

Those concerns are part of the reason OpenAI said in January that it would ban people from using its technology to create chatbots that mimic political candidates or provide false information related to voting. The company also said it wouldn’t allow people to build applications for political campaigns or lobbying. While the Kennedy chatbot page doesn’t disclose the underlying model powering it, the site’s source code connects that bot to LiveChatAI, a company that advertises its ability to provide GPT-4 and GPT-3.5-powered customer support chatbots to businesses. LiveChatAI’s website describes its bots as “harnessing the capabilities of ChatGPT.” When asked which large language model powers the Kennedy campaign’s bot, LiveChatAI cofounder Emre Elbeyoglu said in an emailed statement on Thursday that the platform “utilizes a variety of technologies like Llama and Mistral” in addition to GPT-3.5 and GPT-4. “We are unable to confirm or deny the specifics of any client’s usage due to our commitment to client confidentiality,” Elbeyoglu said. OpenAI spokesperson Niko Felix told WIRED on Thursday that the company didn’t “have any indication” …

Hazmat team spotted at Don Jr.’s home after reported white substance found: report

Hazmat team spotted at Don Jr.’s home after reported white substance found: report

Published by skeptic

Several fire trucks and hazmat-suited men were seen outside Donald Trump Jr.’s Jupiter, Florida, home Monday evening after the former president’s eldest son received a letter containing an unidentified white powder, three sources familiar with the incident told The Daily Beast. The white substance flew out of the letter when Trump Jr. opened it, one of the sources told the outlet. The Jupiter Police Department did not respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.  A representative for Trump Jr. said it is still unclear what the powder was, but confirmed that the former president’s son does not seem to be in danger. “The test results of the substance came up inconclusive on what it was exactly, but officials on the scene do not believe it is deadly,” a spokesperson told The Daily Beast.  Trump Jr. has been a vocal and unwavering supporter of his father, making campaign appearances with the senior Trump throughout the year. “It’s just become a little bit too commonplace that this sort of stuff happens,” Donald Trump Jr. told right-wing publication the Daily …

How Robert Downey Jr.’s kids are following in his footsteps – meet his rarely-seen three children

How Robert Downey Jr.’s kids are following in his footsteps – meet his rarely-seen three children

Published by skeptic

Robert Downey Jr. is really the man of the moment! The actor is in the midst of one of the best award season sweeps of his entire career, picking up every Supporting Actor trophy possible for his turn in Oppenheimer. Most recently, he received a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, and his wife Susan Downey has been right by his side through it all, while their children privately cheer him on. As the 58-year-old star continues to shine even brighter this season (fingers crossed for SAG and the Oscars), take a look at his rarely-seen children and how they’re following in his path as well… © Getty ImagesRobert Downey Jr. with his wife of 18 years, Susan Downey Indio Falconer Robert first became a father in September 1993 with the birth of his son Indio Falconer, shared with ex-wife Deborah Falconer (to whom he was married from 1992-2004). The 30-year-old and his dad share a close bond, and he even made his screen debut playing a younger version of his dad in 2005’s Kiss …