Rumble, an upstart website with a reputation for spreading misinformation about vaccines and the 2020 election, has financial ties to the wealthiest political megadonor in Illinois, according to publicly available financial documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A simple search for the word “vaccine” on Rumble’s homepage returned three times more videos with misinformation than accurate claims, according to research published in Wired Magazine. Rumble’s presentation and distribution of video content amplified misinformation about vaccines and elections more than any other topics, according to the study’s findings.
“Whether they claim that they are responsible for this information, they they are having a role in it,” said Emily Van Duyn, a University of Illinois professor who studies politics and digital media. “That creates a situation where they need to step up and take more ownership of what content is on their platform.” […]
The company was created to compete with rival YouTube, which has taken recent steps to stifle the spread of misinformation, such as false or misleading claims about the 2020 election results or COVID-19 vaccines. Those messages, often banished from YouTube, are welcome and widely available on Rumble. […]
When Rumble went public on December 1st, 2021, it did so with significant financial backing of Ken Griffin’s Chicago-based hedge fund, Citadel Advisers. The Chicago-based hedge fund pooled together funds in February of 2021 to form a a special-purpose acquisition company or “SPAC” (CF Acquisition Corp. VI VI). The Griffin-backed shell company officially “merged” with Rumble. It holds 826,864 shares in Rumble, which are now worth $8,028,849 and amounts to the fifth largest holding position in Rumble.
A recent investment analyst reported the company’s stock went “soaring 10% in December,” and boasts 8 billion minutes watched in the third quarter of 2021.
* Maxwell updates…
Booted from major American social media platforms, anti-Democratic Russian propaganda finds a home on Rumble, an alt-right misinformation amplifier.
Records show Ken Griffin’s Citadel Advisors now holds more shares in Rumble than any other investor.https://t.co/riO0Gy1ezk
Russian state-controlled news network RT said on Thursday it will begin broadcasting on Rumble, a YouTube-like video site, after tech companies including Meta Platforms (FB.O) and Twitter (TWTR.N) have restricted access to RT following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tech companies in recent days have moved to restrict Russian state-controlled media including RT and Sputnik in response to requests from governments and calls to prevent the spread of Russia propaganda. Russia has called its actions in Ukraine a “special operation.”
The Grif slate may have to deal with this.
*** UPDATE *** From a source close to the billionaire: “We have been out of Rumble for months. The position Mark reported is as of 12/31/21.” The facts “will be clear when its quarterly SEC filing is released in the middle of April,” the top source claimed.
Standing with the people of Ukraine against the brutal assault on their nation and their democracy, the state’s largest union of public service workers is calling on public pension funds to take appropriate steps to divest all assets linked to Russia.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 has sent letters today to the Illinois State Board of Investment, which governs investment policy for the State Employees’ Retirement System, as well as to other public pension funds in Illinois in which AFSCME members participate.
“AFSCME strongly condemns Putin’s shameful assault on the nation of Ukraine. Each of us must do our part to support the valiant resistance of the Ukrainian people in their struggle to protect their democracy,” Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said, calling for the prudent divestment of pension fund assets with ties to Russia.
“This is truly a global emergency,” Lynch said, “that compels all freedom-loving people of conscience to take urgent action to support the people of Ukraine.”
While Russian troops move into Ukraine, an act of war the likes of which has not been seen in Europe since 1939, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin will introduce legislation to send a message to the Ukrainian people that Illinois supports them and will not do business with these vicious warmongers.
“This morning, we woke up to shocking images crossing our TV screens. People in cities throughout Ukraine huddled in subways and shelters while explosions shake their cities as Russian soldiers begin an invasion of their homeland,” said Durkin. “Today, we must send a strong signal to these people that we stand with them and support their sovereignty – that the State of Illinois is prepared to do what we can to help.”
Durkin’s legislation would require Illinois to divest of any pension funds in Russian companies and prohibit the state’s treasury from holding any Russian assets.
“Too often partisanship dominates our efforts in the General Assembly, but this is an opportunity for us to stand up as a bipartisan body and do what is right to support the Ukrainian people in the face of unimaginable hardship. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this done.”
The bill is HB4872, as amended. The bill is currently sitting in the Rules Committee.
* The Question: Should Illinois add “companies domiciled in Russia” to transactions already prohibited by state retirement systems (companies that boycott Israel, for-profit companies that contract to shelter migrant children, Iran-restricted companies, Sudan-restricted companies, and expatriated entities)? Explain.
* I’m told that former state party chair Mike Madigan (4th CD) is not running. These candidates are what I have so far. I’ll update later…
HARRIS, MICHELLE A. (i) 1ST STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
RUSH, BOBBY L. (i) 1ST STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
EVANS, JR., MARCUS C. 1ST STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
SIMS, JR., ELGIE R. 1ST STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
KELLY, ROBIN (i) 2ND STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
DAVIS, WILLIAM “WILL” 2ND STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
SHORTER, ADAM 2ND STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
MARTINEZ, IRIS Y. (i) 3RD STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
VILLEGAS, GILBERT “GIL” 3RD STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
AQUINO, OMAR 3RD STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
HERNANDEZ, ELIZABETH “LISA” 4TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
GARCIA, JESUS “CHUY” (i) 4TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
CROKE, MARGARET 5TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
SPYROPOULOS, MARIYANA 5TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
WILLIAMS, ANN M. 5TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
SHEPHERDSON, NANCY 5TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
MARTWICK, ROBERT 5TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
CULLERTON, JOHN J. (i) 5TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
VILLIVALAM, RAM 5TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
Rep. Kelly Burke 6TH SCC
Silvana Tabares 6TH SCC
Bill Cunningham 6TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
WATSON, PATRICK 6TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
HYNES, PATRICK J. 6TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
Danny Davis 7th (i) STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
Don Harmon 7th STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
YARBROUGH, KAREN A. (i) 7TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
CASTRO, CRISTINA (i) 8TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
CUDZIK, MICHAEL C. (i) 8TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
RONEN, CAROL (i) 9TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
CABONARGI, MICHAEL (i) 9TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
MCINTYRE, RYAN 9TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
BUSH, MELINDA 10TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
SLOAN, HAL 10TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
GASH, LAUREN BETH (i) 10TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
MAILLARD, THOMAS (i) 10TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
ZAHORIK, KRISTINA (i) 11TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
MARIOTTI, RENATO 11TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
JANKO, PETER (i) 11TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
ROBINSON, VIVIAN (i) 12TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
POSHARD, GLENN 12TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
GREENWOOD, LaTOYA N. 13TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
MONETTI, PAM 13TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
HOULIHAN, BILL (i) 13TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
MANLEY, NATALIE A. 14TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
BENSON, CHRISTINE (i) 14TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
BLACKBURN, KEVIN DUFFY 14TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
WALSH, TOM P. (i) 14TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
CROWNER, MICHAEL 14TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
LAESCH, JOHN 14TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
REDMAN, TERRY C. (i) 15TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
DANIELS, KATHERINE F.S. 15TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
LINDQUIST, ELIZABETH 16TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
DANIEL, JOHN 16TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
DAVIDSON, PAMELA 17TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEWOMAN
WEST II, MAURICE (i) 17TH STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEEMAN
Wearing a tailored suit (though no tie), Illinois’ billionaire governor JB Pritzker is already a bit out of place in a school hallway. As he surveys the area—a makeshift COVID vaccine clinic at a high school near Chicago—he attempts to give a compliment equivalent to “I love what you’ve done with the place!”
Everything from the TV cameras to the gaggle of other elected officials in the cramped hallway makes the scene wholly unnatural, which Pritzker matches with his awkward, stilted praise.
“Well, great. This is awesome and I love the spacing out,” the governor says, seemingly grasping at straws. “You’ve got it all worked out. You’re in a relatively small area, which is (pause) phenomenal.”
But superimposed above Pritzker’s head are 23 words that transform the otherwise forgettable 10-second video clip: “When your boy just broke up with his girlfriend and you go to his new 75 sq. ft. apartment for the first time.”
It’s the first @pritzkermemes TikTok video I saw back in early December when the newly created account broke through to those of us in the world of Illinois government and politics. And after eight years of covering this stuff, I immediately wondered if the account was a creation of Pritzker’s re-election campaign; it’s not outside the realm of possibility for a politician to hire some Gen Z kid to play up his “dad” image on a platform that’s far outpacing any other social media among young people—a voting bloc that has been low-participation for decades.
Also from this morning’s candidate petition filing palooza in Springfield: A brief post-handshake moment between @GovPritzker+@ilhousegop Leader Jim Durkin, whose relationship has been tense in equal measure (if not more so) than Durkin’s relationship w House Spkr @RepChrisWelch. pic.twitter.com/s8NeDxIN5t
* Gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin is holding a news media availability today for the first time since launching his campaign almost two months ago…
#TakeItBack Campaign Stop 1:
WHO: Gubernatorial Candidate Richard Irvin and Lieutenant Governor Candidate Avery Bourne
WHAT: #TakeItBack Tour Campaign Stop
WHEN: 12:15pm on Monday, March 7th
WHERE: Downtown Cafe and Bakery, 217 N Main St, Decatur, IL 62523
#TakeItBack Campaign Stop 2:
WHO: #TakeItBack Team: Richard Irvin, Avery Bourne, Steve Kim, John Milhiser, Tom Demmer, and Shannon Teresi.
WHAT: #TakeItBack Kick-Off Event
WHEN: 5:00pm on Monday, March 7th - Media allowed from 5-6pm, with media availability after remarks. Event is closed to press after media availability.
WHERE: Statehouse Inn Governor’s Ballroom, 101 E Adams St, Springfield, IL 62701
* He’ll probably want to talk about this…
In just one week, JB Pritzker’s shoddy ethics have gone from bad to worse. After refusing to answer how much he personally profited off one of the state’s largest contracts, he is now trying to re-write history of how he enabled Mike Madigan to continue to run his criminal enterprise. Also known as Public Official A, the former disgraced House Speaker was indicted with 22 counts of racketeering and bribery charges.
A week ago, we learned that Pritzker knew he was profiting off a personal investment into Centene, a company that holds one of the largest contracts with the state of Illinois. Despite having personally signed a document just last year acknowledging this investment, Pritzker doubled down in his denial by insisting there was no conflict of interest at all.
Now he’s trying to further rewrite history on his cozy relationship with disgraced former House Speaker Mike Madigan by pretending to celebrate the news of his indictment even though he said that the people of Illinois should be “grateful” for his service when Madigan stepped down in February 2021. Despite the state’s largest utility company admitting to attempting to bribe Madigan in exchange for favorable treatment in July 2020, Pritzker allowed Madigan to continue his reign of corruption in Illinois government and refused to call for his immediate resignation.
“JB Pritzker will continue his election year gimmicks because he’s desperate to distance himself from the corruption he enabled for years,” said Irvin for Illinois Campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “At a time when we need leaders who will hold all public officials to the highest levels of integrity, we learned JB Pritzker prefers to turn a blind eye to corruption and it’s simply unacceptable. ”
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin promotes a “tough-on-crime” mantra as part of his campaign for Illinois governor.
Since Irvin jumped into the Republican primary earlier this year, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and lawmakers have criticized Irvin for touting a crime-busting reputation while ignoring his 15 years of work as a defense attorney.
In a Feb. 20 tweet, Irvin said, “In my first year in office, Aurora homicides went down by 40%. While crime is exploding under anti-police politicians, I have suppressed crime in Aurora. Send me to Springfield and I’ll do the same thing across all Illinois.”
We decided to check out whether Irvin’s claims at reducing homicides in one year stand up to his assertion he “suppressed crime” since taking office in May 2017.
What I would not have done is made these sweeping determinations without, as though I was an emperor, and do all these executive orders without involving the individuals that were affected by it. Now when JB Pritzker made the determination on his own without talking to any of the mayors or any of the, for example, restaurant industry leaders when he shut down all the restaurants that affected our economy. He didn’t even talk to the Restaurant Association to see if there was a way to keep patrons safe.
Wait. The governor called Mayor Irvin himself, according to Mayor Irvin in 2020…
Yesterday on Wednesday, July 15, Governor JB Pritzker announced the state’s new action plan to combat the resurgence of COVID-19 through a series of mitigation efforts. The governor called me on Tuesday evening to explain to me his plan for the state
Also, while the governor and the Illinois Restaurant Association have publicly clashed on numerous occasions, they have generally (not always) kept communications lines open.
* I mean, he now says restaurants should’ve been allowed to open when he hasn’t held an in-person state of the city address in two years?…
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin will give his first in-person State of the City address in two years at 6:30 p.m. March 15 at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora.
Monday, Mar 7, 2022 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
AARP Illinois has a new State Director.
Philippe Largent, who has spent 25 years advocating for greater access to quality, affordable health care and other issues central to the well-being of Illinois residents, joined AARP Illinois on March 7.
Largent began his career as a budget and policy analyst for the Illinois House of Representatives. He provided counsel to General Assembly members on a variety of issues including healthcare, housing and state government operations.
From 1997 to 2010 Largent served as Director of Legislative Affairs and then VP for Government Affairs for the Illinois Primary Health Care Association, a trade association representing the network of Community Health Centers providing healthcare services to low income, uninsured residents.
He was IPHCA’s lead strategist and advocate for legislative and regulatory matters before the executive branches of federal/state government, U.S. Congress, the IL General Assembly and federal and state agencies.
In 2010, Philippe founded Largent Government Solutions, LLC, a lobbying and consulting firm specializing in state-based lobbying and health care consulting with an emphasis on primary care network development, Medicaid policy, managed care issues, and community health center development/compliance.
In his new role, Largent will be the lead spokesperson for AARP Illinois, while also filling the top executive role with a team of 15 staff members in Springfield and Chicago.
* My dad is on the left in this photo taken last August. He’s sitting next to his sister Phyllis, his brother Denny, his sister Marsha and, on the right, his sister Marilyn…
Since this photo was taken, my Aunts Phyllis and Marilyn and my Uncle Denny have all died. Aunt Phyllis passed over the weekend. My Uncle Bill died several years ago.
Several of you have met my dad, so please keep him in your thoughts today.
* Aunt Marsha posted this on her Facebook page and I think it’s fitting…
* And I’m the baby here sitting on my Uncle Denny’s lap next to my cousins Venita (Phyllis’ daughter) and Cathy (Marilyn’s daughter)…
Mike Madigan’s record of corruption in this state is indisputable, and we will be trying to reverse its effect for years to come. That’s why we need to elect reformers who will stop at nothing to fight crime, reduce taxes, and end the Madigan corruption. Frivolous law suits won’t change that, action from leaders who understand what it takes to implement change will.
Meanwhile, Kwame Raoul has yet to comment on Madigan’s indictment and the $2.5 million in Madigan Money he’s received.
AG Raoul has commented on the indictment.
By the way, DeVore admitted today that his petitions to run for attorney general aren’t ready yet.
Gary Hall: I’ve lived here almost all my life, and as long as I can remember, the Murray Baker Bridge has been jammed with traffic. And you heard all the time how it was unsafe.
Everybody talks about fixing our roads. But JB Pritzker, he’s making it happen. He helped rebuild the bridge and completed it on time and on budget. And JB’s plan will fix hundreds more across downstate.
My dad always said, “Chicago gets the meat, we get the leftovers.” But JB, he’s working for all of us.
By the end of 2020, most people assumed there were only three ways to get House Speaker Michael Madigan out of office, and none was going to happen anytime soon.
Not one of those scenarios involved the Republican Party, the Chicago Tribune editorial board, the Illinois Policy Institute or their fellow travelers and funders of the coordinated effort to dethrone the state’s Democratic king. Their constant attacks on Madigan only tightened the partisan and union support around him and strengthened his resolve to remain in office by any means necessary.
Either the feds were going to ensnare the longest-serving House speaker in the nation, or Father Time would finally catch up with him or his members would somehow get up the nerve to revolt.
But even when a total of 19 House Democrats said they would not vote to reelect him as the weeks clicked away on that chaotic year and 2021 dawned, Madigan and his allies assured themselves that the man with millions of dollars in his campaign account that could also be used for legal defense, his years of healthy living, and his perfect record of dealing with his members for decades would allow him to get through this latest crisis, too.
It wasn’t to be. The 19 couldn’t be cajoled, they couldn’t be bullied. They had more than enough votes to block his reelection and not a single one of them budged. ComEd’s deferred prosecution agreement in the summer of 2020 included allegations of bribery by people close to Madigan to influence Madigan’s decisions. And that set off their revolt and there was no tamping it down.
In the end, folks like Rep. Terra Costa Howard finally had enough of being on Team Bad Guy. No matter how brilliant their leader was, no matter how successful, no matter how much he protected and sheltered them from the consequences of their legislative (and personal) actions, he had to go.
Yes, he was hurting some members politically, but people could also no longer stomach the thought of him staying after the stunning allegations made against his inner circle.
“Speaker Madigan has a duty to recognize that these allegations have cast a deep shadow on the reputation of our House,” Costa Howard said in July of 2020. “He must take action now to avoid inflicting further damage on the members of the House and the Democratic Party.”
“(T)he corruption and unethical behavior that have been revealed by this investigation make it impossible for Rep. Madigan to continue in his leadership roles,” Costa Howard continued back then. “I hope he will do the honorable thing and step down.”
There was no joyous celebration during last week’s statehouse press conference by the 19. Costa Howard even appeared to tear up while speaking, maybe remembering the trauma of the ferocious push-back she and her colleagues endured as they were told over and over again by colleagues and union leaders and others that they were siding with chaos and defeat over continuity and victory and would be punished accordingly, no matter the outcome.
“The possibility that this day was coming and would distract us from our work on behalf of the people we serve was top of mind for many of us as we took this position, even as we faced intense pressure to maintain the status quo,” the 19 said in a joint statement last week about their non-negotiable demand that Madigan step down.
If it hadn’t been for Costa Howard and the rest of the 19, Madigan would’ve still likely been House speaker when he was finally indicted by a federal grand jury on 22 corruption counts. So, if you think the indictment news is politically bad for Illinois Democrats during a remap election year (and it truly is), just think how much worse it would’ve been if he were still in office right now.
One other thing. When Madigan’s chief of staff not so subtly forced Rep. Kelly Cassidy to resign from her part-time job with the Cook County sheriff’s office after her outspokenness on the House’s very real problems with sexual harassment, I warned Madigan pal Mike McClain, as a friend, that he and Madigan needed to stop attacking her or they’d live to regret it. “Keep poking that little bear and she’ll rip your head off,” were, I believe, my exact words. He laughed and waved me off.
Well, Cassidy opened and closed last week’s post-indictment press conference. “We are committed to continuing the work of restoring our constituents’ faith in Illinois government,” Cassidy told reporters. “And there’s a lot of us.”
