Ken Vogel
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kenvogel.bsky.social
Ken Vogel
@kenvogel.bsky.social
kenneth.vogel@nytimes.com
New book -- "DEVILS' ADVOCATES," on the foreign influence industry -- out now: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/devils-advocates-kenneth-p-vogel?variant=43110856097826
Hours before the US raid in Caracas, an unknown trader on Polymarket doubled down on bets that Nicolás Maduro would be ousted.

The wagers netted more than $400k, a 12-fold return — & fueled suspicions that the trader used inside knowledge of the raid.
A Mystery Trader Made $400,000 Betting on Maduro’s Downfall
The person doubled down Friday with a final bet on Polymarket at 9:58 p.m., shortly before President Trump ordered the military to strike.
www.wsj.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Paul Manafort helped create the foreign lobbying industry.

He & the industry were laid low by the Mueller probe.

Now, he & the industry are back.

That & more (including Hunter Biden, Tony Podesta & Brian Ballard) on the latest episode of the Wolves of K Street podcast.
Wolves of K Street Podcast Episode #6: Paul Manafort, Hunter Biden and the Rise of Foreign Lobbying
YouTube video by The Wolves of K Street Podcast
www.youtube.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Quite an undisclosed conflict of interest:

Karen Budd-Falen, the No. 3 at the Interior Department, didn’t disclose a $3.5m water-rights contract between her husband & the developers of a Nevada mine approved by Interior, Lisa Friedman reports in the @nytimes.com.
The Trump Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official’s Husband Profited.
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Other donors to MAGA Inc in the 2nd half of 2025 were seeking or received nominations from Trump for themselves or their family members:
▶️Jared Isaacman (tapped as NASA head): $1m
▶️Benjamin Landa (tapped as ambassador to Hungary): $5m
▶️Elizabeth Brodie (son serving as ambassador to Hungary): $1m
🎁🔗
January 2, 2026 at 11:46 PM
NEW: The Trump-backed MAGA Inc. super PAC raised $100m+ in the 2nd half of 2025, including from donors with interests before his administration:
▶️Greg & Anna Brockman (AI policies): $25m
▶️Juul (Trump's FDA approved Juul's vapes): $1m
▶️American Rights & Reform PAC (cannabis rescheduling): $1m+
Trump Super PAC Raised More Than $100 Million in Recent Months
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Nice job pushing Trump for details on his health — including his hearing difficulty, his swollen ankles, the bleeding/bruising on his hands & his mid-meeting dozing — from the WSJ.

And particular props to Annie Linskey, who was chastised by Dems for reporting on Biden’s age related decline.
Trump says that he bruises easily because he takes 325mg of aspirin/day, & has rejected his doctors’ advice to take less.

“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood & I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart…I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Trump says that he bruises easily because he takes 325mg of aspirin/day, & has rejected his doctors’ advice to take less.

“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood & I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart…I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Construction of Trump's Triumphal Arch will begin “sometime in the next two months," Trump tells @politico.com:
politico.com/news/2025/12...

As I previously reported, fundraising for the arch will be conducted by an org called Freedom 250, which is also behind lighting the Washington Monument.
politico.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:01 PM
NEW: In July, ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore was sentenced to 2 years in prison + a $750k fine for her role in a bribery scheme.

In November, she hired Rod Blagojevich to lobby for clemency from Trump.

*Blagojevich was pardoned by Trump in February, & has been lobbying Trump on other issues.
December 31, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Trump's wrath:

During his 2nd term, Trump has used Truth Social to call out corporations & organizations at least 177 times, per @notus.com.

Here are his most frequent targets, along with advice from lobbyists about how to stay out of his crosshairs. www.notus.org/donald-trump...
December 31, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat, has been charged with stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds, & using the money for her campaign + a 3.14-carat yellow diamond ring.

Her lawyer claims the case was ginned up by “folks within the Florida Democratic Party.”
Cherfilus-McCormick arraignment delayed as attorney blames Florida Democratic Party for charges
The representative has been accused of stealing $5 million in FEMA funds.
www.politico.com
December 30, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the US almost every 8 minutes on average from 2017 to 2024, according to internal data.

Yet the company successfully lobbied against laws proposed in many states to require stricter driver screenings.
Uber Cleared Violent Felons to Drive. Passengers Accused Them of Rape.
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:11 PM
“We haven’t had a murder in 6 months,” Trump said last month, touting his National Guard deployment in DC.

“I wish that was true,” said Jamia Vaden, whose sister was gunned down 2 weeks earlier.

She is among the mostly Black surviving family members who feel slighted by Trump’s exaggerations.
Families of Murder Victims in Washington Say Trump Is Ignoring Them
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Love this story of selflessness:

Almost every morning for the last 7 years (including Christmases & New Year’s Days), Darren Genson, a Maryland insurance agent, volunteers for 2 hours walking the most challenging dogs at his local animal shelter.

“I think the dogs deserve it,” he said.
No holidays off: One man’s daily commitment to walking shelter dogs
“It’s cheaper than therapy,” said Darren Genson, who volunteers with Anne Arundel County Animal Services every morning, including Christmas and New Years Day.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 28, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Dark money in action:

A group calling itself “Georgians for Integrity” has spent around $5m on TV ads, mailers & texts attacking Georgia’s Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate, as corrupt.

It’s unclear who’s funding the group, & there’s no requirement it reveal its donors.
Anonymous money fuels $5 million in attacks on Georgia's Lt. Gov. Burt Jones
A mysterious group called Georgians for Integrity has spent around $5 million on television ads, mailers and texts attacking Lt. Gov. Burt Jones since November.
apnews.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:34 PM
His patients included Walter Cronkite’s springer spaniel, Buzzy; Henry Kissinger’s Labrador, Tyler; JFK’s shepherd mix & Ivana Trump’s poodle, Chappy.

“The animals are easy. … The people sometimes give us problems,” said Lewis Berman, a local vet on the Upper East Side, who died Dec. 16 at age 90.
Lewis Berman, Veterinarian to the Stars, Is Dead at 90
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:08 PM
If Barack Obama’s team hadn’t pressured Hunter Biden to drop his domestic lobbying clients as a condition of giving Joe Biden the Dem VP spot in 2008, Hunter suggests he wouldn’t have had to enter a number of engagements years later with foreign interests who wanted to influence the US government.
Hunter Biden blames ‘distasteful’ Obama team for his foreign influence peddling — including  ‘viper’s den’ of Ukraine
Hunter, now 55, blamed Obama’s staff for forcing him to start back at “square one” because they were concerned about conflicts of interest in his domestic lobbying work, using a new 5 ½-hour podcas…
nypost.com
December 26, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Pardon-seekers have offered success fees of as much as $6 million to lobbyists close to Trump if they can secure clemency.

@rebeccaballhaus.bsky.social, Josh Dawsey & @cryanbarber.bsky.social on the Trump Pardon Industrial Complex.
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Even some of the president’s closest advisers have been surprised by a number of the recent series of pardons.
www.wsj.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
The @nytimes.com invented the Times Square NYE ball drop in 1907, & is going to participate in the drop this year to kick-off a celebration of the paper's 175 anniversary.
The New York Times marks its 175th anniversary in 2026
The New York Times celebrates its 175th anniversary in 2026 and Managing Editor Carolyn Ryan joins Morning Joe to discuss.
www.ms.now
December 23, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Reposted by Ken Vogel
“Why didn’t the media report” usually turns out to be “why didn’t I read/watch.”

People have lives and the algorithms blind us, but still, have less certainty in that critique!
December 23, 2025 at 9:44 PM
The victims of Trump's pardons & commutations:

At least 20 people who received clemency from Trump this year were also forgiven financial penalties totaling tens of millions of dollars.

Some of the money would have gone to their victims, report @bethreinhard.bsky.social & @aaronschaffer.com
www.washingtonpost.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Trey Gowdy's lobbying during a round of golf with Trump led to a pardon this month for Gowdy's client, Tim Leiweke.

Since then, other white collar defendants are contacting Gowdy for help winning pardons.

Gabe Kaminsky, in The Free Press, on the Trump pardon industry:
How to Win a Pardon from Trump
A round of golf at Mar-a-Lago, Roger Stone’s recommendation, and shared grudges all helped shape Trump’s recent pardon decisions, reports Gabe Kaminsky.
www.thefp.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:28 PM
There’s double incentive for donors to give to the ballroom & other Trump projects & groups:

1) major donors have benefited from actions by Trump/his administration.
2) some corporations & individuals fear that if they don’t give, they could be targeted.
NYT: Hundreds of major post-election donors benefiting in Trump’s second term
The New York Times reports that President Trump and his allies have raised nearly two billion dollars for political causes and personal projects while in office. Ken Vogel joins Chris Jansing with the...
www.ms.now
December 23, 2025 at 8:32 PM
La consultora financiera Isabela Herrera, hija del acusado banquero venezolano Julio Herrera Velutini, donó $2.5 millones al MAGA Inc.
Senor Herrera y la Fiscalía federal alcanzaron un acuerdo para evitar el juicio, que estaba pautado para el mes de agosto. www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/est...
Hija del banquero Julio Herrera Velutini donó $2.5 millones a MAGA Inc. a finales del 2024
La donación ocurrió meses antes de que se alcanzara un importante acuerdo con la plana mayor de Justicia federal
www.elnuevodia.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I made my 1st TikTok! (No idea if this is how you do it) www.tiktok.com/t/ZTrveKLH1/
Here’s a gift link to a big @The New York Times investigation we piblished today about donors to Trump-backed groups & causes after the election, & how they have benefited from actions by Trump & his ...
TikTok video by Ken Vogel
www.tiktok.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:58 AM