<p>Good morning! I hope you had a nice weekend. Welcome back to <strong><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/10-things-in-politics">10 Things in Politics</a></strong>, your weekday look at the biggest stories in DC and beyond. <strong><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/10-things-in-politics">Sign up here to receive this newsletter</a>.</strong></p><p>Send tips to <a href="mailto:bgriffiths@insider.com">bgriffiths@insider.com</a> or tweet me at <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentGriffiths">@BrentGriffiths</a>.</p><p><strong>Here's what we're talking about:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-post-pandemic-glow-up-consumer-spending-shopping-2021-4">America is getting ready for its post pandemic glow-up</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-republican-conspiracy-theorist-congress-chief-of-staff-2021-4">These nine chiefs of staff counsel House Republicans' unruliest conspiracy theorists</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-simulated-asteroid-couldnt-stop-impact-europe-2021-5">Space agencies couldn't stop a simulated asteroid from crashing in Europe</a></li></ul><p><strong>One thing to look out for: </strong>President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are traveling to Virginia as part of an effort to tout what Biden's family and jobs plans would mean for education.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>1. BEHIND THE BOOM: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-post-pandemic-glow-up-consumer-spending-shopping-2021-4">The economic boom is here.</a></strong> But economists and experts also see some potential peril ahead.</p><p><strong>Here's a look at what we're watching:</strong></p><p><strong>What's wrong with being confident?: </strong>A majority of investors and business owners worldwide <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/biden-boom-stimulus-economic-policy-investor-business-owner-optimism-ubs-2021-5-1030374838">think President Biden is having a positive impact on the global economy</a>, per a recent UBS survey. This comes as other sentiment gauges begin to rise too. On Friday, the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index hit its highest point since March 2020. </p><p><strong>Trying to beat the overheat: </strong>Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and other top officials have repeatedly brushed aside inflation concerns. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-economy-rebound-goods-commodities-services-more-expensive-inflation-stimulus-2021-2">But Wall Street economists see signs that everyday essentials are getting expensive.</a> These price increases are expected to ease over time, though. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/will-the-housing-market-crash-real-estate-bubble-millennials-homebuying-2021-4">The housing market is also expected to continue to rise.</a></p><ul><li><strong>The economy is "red hot," Warren Buffett said over the weekend: </strong>"People have money in their pocket, and they pay higher prices... it's almost a buying frenzy," Buffett said <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-we-are-seeing-substantial-inflation-and-are-raising-prices-220539307.html">during Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholders meeting.</a></li></ul><p><strong>Another concern comes from short-term challenges to the labor market: </strong><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/employment-outlook-stimulus-virus-fears-labor-market-recovery-participation-bofa-2021-5-1030374865">Pandemic concerns and Biden's massive stimulus are keeping 2.5 million Americans from rejoining the workforce</a>, Bank of America economists find. They predict that workers will return by the fall as vaccinations continue and the stimulus benefit wanes. </p><p><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-post-pandemic-glow-up-consumer-spending-shopping-2021-4?_ga=2.133132302.1012879716.1619992165-1311350499.1611066322">Retailers are gearing up for people looking for a post-pandemic glow-up.</a></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-republican-conspiracy-theorist-congress-chief-of-staff-2021-4"><strong><div type="image" title="Jim Jordan staff" height="1199" width="1599" msid="82371029" hostid="261"></div></strong></a></p><p><strong>2. These nine chiefs of staff counsel House Republicans' unruliest conspiracy theorists and Biden tormentors: </strong>An intern that rose to lead a congressional office, a former founder of a gun-rights group, and even a college friend. You've heard of Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina. <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-republican-conspiracy-theorist-congress-chief-of-staff-2021-4">Now, meet the powerful staffers working for them here.</a></strong></p><ul><li><strong>Key takeaway from our report: </strong>"These people are drinking the Kool-Aid," a Republican ex-chief of staff told Insider, adding that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-republican-conspiracy-theorist-congress-chief-of-staff-2021-4">there's no Stockholm Syndrome happening</a> - even in "rogue" Republicans' offices. "They align with that philosophy." </li></ul><p><strong>3. The White House pushed back on criticism that it needs to be doing more to help India: </strong>World officials and Sen. Bernie Sanders are pressing Biden to support a temporary waiver of patent rights on COVID-19 vaccines. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-india-covid-aid/2021/05/02/9d440f6c-ab69-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html">the administration continues to send loads of medical supplies and oxygen to the world's current COVID hotspot. </a></p><ul><li><strong>Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party took a hit: </strong>Modi suffered a key defeat on Sunday when his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was unable to dislodge a rival official in West Bengal state. His party also struggled in other local elections. Modi is weakened as his nation struggles with the pandemic,<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/indian-leaders-party-takes-electoral-hit-amid-virus-77448849"> but so far faces no threats before his term ends in 2024.</a></li></ul><p><strong>4. Sen. Mitt Romney was booed by fellow Utah Republicans: </strong>Attendees at the Utah GOP convention called the 2012 presidential nominee a "traitor" and a "communist" as Romney tried to explain his criticism of former President Donald Trump. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a fellow Republican who voted to convict Trump of inciting the deadly Capitol riot, said she was "appalled" by the scene. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/02/politics/susan-collins-romney-republican-party-cnntv/index.html">The GOP, she said, is "not a party that is led by just one person."</a></p><p><strong>5. Our weekly stock report detailing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/republicans-voting-coca-cola-coke-congress-senate-stocks-investing-markets-2021-4">how lawmakers are investing their wealth</a>: </strong>Trump has called for a boycott of Coca-Cola, but <strong>Sen. Cynthia Lummis</strong>, a freshman Republican from Wyoming, appears to own up to $15,000 worth of the soft drink giant's stock. </p><p><strong>Rep. Lois Frankel</strong>, a Florida Democrat, sold up to $15,000 worth of stock in the Hess Corporation, a leading shale oil and gas producer. A spokesperson for Frankel, an outspoken environmental advocate, said the congresswoman doesn't direct such trades.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/republicans-voting-coca-cola-coke-congress-senate-stocks-investing-markets-2021-4">Check out the rest of our exclusive list here.</a></strong></p><p><strong><div type="image" title="Sen. Tim Scott" height="4000" width="6000" msid="82371032" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p><strong>6. Sen. Tim Scott is optimistic about police reform: </strong>"Through negotiations and conversations, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/5/2/22416155/tim-scott-optimistic-police-reform-senate">we are now closer on no-knock warrants and chokeholds</a>," Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" of where talks stand. The only Black Republican in the Senate, Scott gave the GOP's response to Biden's joint address. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/police-reform-george-floyd-blm-congress-biden-2021-3">He's also one of 10 key power players to watch as work on police reform continues.</a></p><p><strong>7. </strong><strong>Caitlyn Jenner supports restricting transgender girls from playing on girls' sports teams: </strong>"<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/caitlyn-jenner-trans-girls-shouldnt-participate-in-girls-sports-2021-5">This is a question of fairness," Jenner told TMZ.</a> A 1976 gold medalist, Jenner's comments come as Republican-led state legislatures across the country seek to pass such restrictions. This is also a rare public policy statement by Jenner, <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2021/04/29/caitlyn-jenners-recall-campaign-goes-silent-in-first-week-1379029">whose California gubernatorial campaign has been almost entirely silent since she announced.</a></p><p><strong>8. Democrats are locked out of a special election in Texas: </strong>Republicans swept the top two spots and will advance to a runoff for a US House seat outside of Fort Worth, making it unlikely Democrats will be able to expand their slim majority before the midterm elections.</p><ul><li><strong>Democrats had sensed a possible opportunity</strong> to contest the seat based on Trump's performance there in 2020 versus 2016, Politico reports. Instead, Susan Wright, the widow of the late congressman who held the seat, and fellow Republican Jake Ellzey took the top slots. <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/02/texas-special-election-too-close-to-call-but-gop-on-verge-of-lockout-win-485194">More on the race here. </a></li></ul><p><strong>9. </strong><strong>Fortnite is headed to court as it continues its fight against Apple: </strong>A three-week trial pitting Epic Games, the creator of the massively popular game, against the tech giant is expected to start later today, the Post reports. Epic has challenged that Apple runs a monopoly with its app store, and has also chafed against Apple's slice of in-app sales. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/02/apple-epic-trial-faq/">In short, this case could completely reshape how Apple handles its business. </a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-simulated-asteroid-couldnt-stop-impact-europe-2021-5"><strong><div type="image" title="hypothetical impact" height="840" width="1120" msid="82371035" hostid="261"></div></strong></a></p><p><strong>10. Space agencies couldn't stop a (hypothetical) asteroid from crashing in Europe: </strong>"A group of experts from US and European space agencies attended a week-long exercise led by NASA in which they faced a hypothetical scenario: An asteroid 35 million miles away was approaching the planet and could hit within six months ... The experts fell short." <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-simulated-asteroid-couldnt-stop-impact-europe-2021-5">Here's what bamboozled them.</a></strong></p><p><strong>One last thing.</strong></p><p><em><strong>Today's trivia question:</strong> What two Supreme Court justices have appeared on US currency? Bonus points if you know the denomination. Email your guess and a suggested question to me at <a href="mailto:bgriffiths@insider.com">bgriffiths@insider.com</a>.</em></p><ul><li><em><strong>Yesterday's answer: </strong>President Carter banned the playing of "Hail to the Chief," when he entered a room. <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/411368-carter-says-he-regrets-doing-away-with-hail-to-the-chief-during-his-presidency">He later regretted the decision.</a></em></li></ul>

10 Things in Politics: Big problems may await the economy

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3749660" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="lara-trump">Lara Trump</keyword> campaigned on Tuesday with <keyword id="4664982" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="laura-loomer">Laura Loomer</keyword>, a self-proclaimed "proud Islamophobe" and far-right GOP nominee for Congress in Florida. </li><li>Loomer is well-known for celebrating the deaths of migrants and being banned by Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms for her bigotry, among other scandals. </li><li>The president publicly congratulated Loomer after she beat five Republican opponents in the GOP primary last month, tweeting, "Great going Laura."</li><li>Despite the president's claim that Loomer has a "great chance" in the general election, the 27-year-old is a longshot in Trump's safely blue home district in Palm Beach. </li></ul><p><keyword id="3828720" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="President-Donald-Trump">President Donald Trump</keyword>'s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, campaigned on Tuesday with self-described "proud Islamophobe" Laura Loomer, a far-right GOP nominee for Congress in Florida. </p><p>Loomer is best-known for railing against Islam and immigrants, spreading conspiracy theories about mass shootings, and being <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lara-loomer-chained-herself-twitter-hq-after-banned-2018-11">banned by Twitter</a>, Facebook, and other social media platforms for her open bigotry.</p><p><keyword id="3198980" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Trump-campaign">Trump campaign</keyword> spokesperson Courtney Parella tweeted out photos of Lara Trump, a top Trump campaign adviser and surrogate, posing with the 27-year-old candidate and her supporters in Boca Raton, Florida. Lara has been active in helping her father-in-law target women voters through a campaign effort called "Women for Trump."</p><p>The president <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-congratulated-gop-primary-winner-laura-loomer-2020-8">publicly congratulated Loomer</a> after she beat five Republican opponents in the GOP primary last month, tweeting, "Great going Laura." Trump didn't endorse any candidate in the primary, but Loomer found support in Trump-aligned lawmakers including Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar.</p><p>Loomer is considered a longshot in the general election against four-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel — a fact that makes the president's enthusiastic support for her particularly noteworthy. The safe blue district she's competing in is home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, which he has made his official residence. </p><p>In 2017, Loomer celebrated the deaths of 2,000 migrants crossing the Mediterranean and called for "2,000 more" deaths. Uber and Lyft banned Loomer that same year after she tweeted, "Someone needs to create a non Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver."</p><p>Loomer's right-wing activism — she's worked for the conspiracy site Infowars and conservative group Project Veritas — kept her on the fringes of GOP <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> for years. But boosting from Fox <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">News</keyword> and the Trump-run Republican party has ushered her into the party's mainstream. </p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more: </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-2020-message-is-spreading-fear-about-chaos-and-anarchy-2020-8">Trump and the GOP want voters to fear 'chaos and anarchy' under Biden, but not the virus that's killing 1,100 Americans a day</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-republican-national-convention-speech-rnc-video-2020-8">Trump's acceptance speech at the RNC was an exercise in misinformation that didn't stack up with reality</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-investigation-probe-doj-justice-fec-mueller-election-2020-8">Legal insiders brace for a world where Trump loses in November and the ex-president faces down a slew of reinvigorated court fights</a></li></ul>

Lara Trump campaigned with 'proud Islamophobe' and racist conspiracist Laura Loomer, who's called for mass migrant death

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Malinowski for months failed to disclose dozens of big-dollar stock trades.</li><li>Many trades occurred during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.</li><li>A <keyword id="11940274" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="blind-trust" source="Orion">blind trust</keyword> will help him "avoid any conflict of interest or appearance of any such conflict."</li></ul><p>Rep. <keyword id="11940273" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tom-malinowski" source="Orion">Tom Malinowski</keyword> - beset by ethics questions involving his personal finances - is ceding most control over his seven-figure stock fortune.</p><p>The New Jersey Democrat has created and shifted financial assets into a blind trust after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-malinowski-stock-trades-congress-transparency-new-jersey-2021-3">Insider earlier this year revealed</a> he violated the federal STOCK Act by not disclosing dozens of financial transactions, including a flurry of stock purchases and sales during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>The blind trust, which Malinowski detailed in a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21048289-rep-tom-malinowski-blind-trust">25-page document</a> filed August 17 with congressional officials, is operated by an independent trustee. The trustee will buy and sell <keyword id="6362476" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="investments" source="Orion">investments</keyword> on Malinowski's behalf "without any participation in, or knowledge of, such decisions" by Malinowski himself, according to the terms of the trust.</p><p>The trust formation documents indicate Malinowski has put between $1.56 million and $3.9 million worth of stock and financial funds into the trust.</p><p>Malinowski's stock holdings that will initially enter the trust include exercise equipment company Peloton Interactive, Devon Energy Corp., and Five9 Inc., a <a href="https://www.five9.com/contact-center-services">call contact center company</a> recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-five9-zoom-rbc-contact-center-tools-acquisitions-2021-8">purchased</a> by Zoom.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-malinowski-stock-trades-congress-transparency-new-jersey-2021-3">Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski, a champion for transparency, failed to disclose dozens of stock transactions worth at least $671,000 in violation of federal law</a></em></p><p>After Insider's report in March on Malinowski's STOCK Act violations, the congressman <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-malinowski-stocks-ethics-congress-investing-makets-2021-6">continued to trade individual stocks</a> well into the spring.</p><p>Those trades also proved problematic, as Malinowski <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harley-rouda-california-congress-stock-act-tom-malinowski-2021-7">disclosed them after a federal deadline</a> - again in violation of the STOCK Act.</p><p>By then facing multiple <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-malinowski-stock-trades-congress-ethics-complaint-2021-3">ethics</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harley-rouda-california-congress-stock-act-tom-malinowski-2021-7">complaints</a> and an ethics investigation, the congressman directed his financial advisor to stop the buying and selling and said he'd create a blind trust for his assets.</p><p>Malinowski's trust establishment document states that he authorized the trust "to avoid any conflict of interest, or appearance of any such conflict, which may arise from his duties and powers" as a congressman.</p><p>Amanda Osborne, Malinowski's spokesperson, declined to comment Tuesday, referring Insider to comments the lawmaker made about the trust in July, after the House Ethics Committee approved his request to establish one.</p><p>"I'm going well above what the law requires in setting up a blind trust, but I've come to believe it's what the law should require," Malinowski <a href="https://www.nj.com/politics/2021/07/nj-rep-malinowski-puts-holdings-in-blind-trust-following-criticism-for-stock-trading.html">told</a> NJ Advance Media on July 20. "There's nothing wrong with being invested in the stock market but when you're a lawmaker, even if you take a totally hands-off approach, the perception of conflicts of interest is inevitable."</p><p>Malinowski is almost certainly paying a significant sum of money to create a blind trust managed by financial professionals.</p><p>How much? That's unknown, as the "trustee fee schedule" page included in the trust documents Malinowski filed with congressional officials is redacted.</p><p>The Jackson Hole Trust Company of Wyoming will serve as custodian of Malinowski's blind trust. The trust will terminate when Malinowski leaves congressional office or upon the congressman's "death or incompetence" - whichever occurs first, according to the trust formation document.</p><h2><strong><div type="image" title="Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky" height="1000" width="1333" msid="85607721" hostid="261"></div></strong></h2><h2><strong>Numerous STOCK Act violations in 2021</strong></h2><p>Insider and other news organizations have this year identified numerous members of <keyword id="11893699" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="congress" source="Orion">Congress</keyword> who've failed to properly report their financial trades as mandated by the STOCK Act.</p><p>The 2012 law was designed to combat insider trading among elected officials and force lawmakers to be more transparent about their personal financial dealings. Members who've violated it recently include:</p><ul><li>Sen. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dianne-feinstein-senate-california-stock-purchase-disclosure-2021-1">Dianne Feinstein</a>, a Democrat of California</li><li>Sen. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/republicans-congress-stock-law-tommy-tuberville-pat-fallon-blake-moore-2021-7">Tommy Tuberville</a>, a Republican of Alabama</li><li>Sen. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/08/11/rand-paul-gilead-stock/">Rand Paul</a>, a Republican of Kentucky</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pat-fallon-congress-texas-stock-trades-boeing-2021-6">Pat Fallon</a>, a Republican of Texas</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rep-katherine-clark-a-top-pelosi-ally-violated-the-stock-act-2021-8">Katherine Clark</a>, a Democrat of Massachusetts</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/texas-rep-dan-crenshaw-decided-the-covid-19-pandemic-was-the-perfect-time-to-buy-and-not-disclose-stocks">Dan Crenshaw</a>, a Republican of Texas</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-patrick-maloney-dccc-congress-stock-sale-ethics-complaint-2021-4">Sean Patrick Maloney</a>, a Democrat of New York</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rep-blake-moore-violated-federal-law-with-late-stock-disclosures-2021-7">Blake Moore</a>, a Republican of Utah</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-stocks-lori-trahan-debbie-wasserman-kathy-castor-tuberville-malinowski-2021-7">Debbie Wasserman Schultz</a>, a Democrat of Florida</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-stocks-lori-trahan-debbie-wasserman-kathy-castor-tuberville-malinowski-2021-7">Kathy Castor</a>, a Democrat of Florida</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-stocks-lori-trahan-debbie-wasserman-kathy-castor-tuberville-malinowski-2021-7">Lori Trahan</a>, a Democrat of Massachusetts</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-act-violation-congress-bustos-pfluger-chabot-frankel-ethics-2021-8">Steve Chabot</a>, a Republican of Ohio</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-act-violation-congress-bustos-pfluger-chabot-frankel-ethics-2021-8">Cheri Bustos</a>, a Democrat of Illinois</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-act-violation-congress-bustos-pfluger-chabot-frankel-ethics-2021-8">August Pfluger</a>, a Republican of Texas</li><li>Rep. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diana-harshbarger-congress-stocks-violation-stock-act-trades-tennessee-2021-8">Diana Harshbarger</a>, a Republican of Tennessee</li></ul><p>Former Rep. Harley Rouda, a Democrat of California who's attempting a comeback, also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/transparency-group-files-complaint-against-harley-rouda-for-tardy-disclosures-2021-7">failed to properly disclose</a> stock trades.</p><p>Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat of Florida, likewise appears to have violated the STOCK Act with disclosures a few days late, though her <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-act-violation-congress-bustos-pfluger-chabot-frankel-ethics-2021-8">office has disputed that</a>.</p><p>Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, in March <a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/s564/BILLS-117s564is.pdf">introduced a bill</a>, named the "Ban Conflicted Trading Act." The bill, which has not received a hearing, would prohibit members of Congress from trading individual <keyword id="11893878" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="stocks" source="Orion">stocks</keyword>. </p><p>Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, have told Insider they plan to file <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elizabeth-warren-ban-congress-trading-stocks-investing-tom-malinowski-nhofe-2021-5">separate</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pramila-jayapal-washington-elizabeth-warren-stock-ban-congress-2021-6">bills</a> also aimed at curtailing lawmakers' stock trades.</p><p>Some federal lawmakers voluntarily abstain from trading stocks. Others trade only in bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and other garden-variety investments.</p><p>Like Malinowski now, a few, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/peloton-federal-john-hickenlooper-virginia-foxx-tobacco-jon-ossoff-2021-6">such as Sen. Jon Ossoff</a>, a Georgia Democrat, have placed their assets in <a href="https://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/286a4cf9-5aab-40ef-9a6c-bf2278e79e38/qualified-blind-trusts-guide---october-2020.pdf">blind trusts</a>.</p>

Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski puts his personal assets in a blind trust after violating federal stock disclosure laws

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Scores of Democratic congresswomen wore white on Tuesday evening to express "solidarity" with each other and the nation's women while attending President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in the Capitol.</li><li>At least one Republican woman, Rep. Elise Stefanik, also wore white for the event</li><li>The sea of women dressed in white also creates a striking visual on the House floor - one that's intended to send the president a message.&#xa0;</li><li><span>"We'll honor all those who came before us and send a message of solidarity that we're not going back on our hard-earned rights," </span>Florida Rep. Lois Frankel, the chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group, tweeted last week.</li><li>Follow along with all of INSIDER's<span>&#xa0;</span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/state-of-the-union-2019">coverage of the State of the Union here</a>.</li></ul><p>Scores of Democratic congresswomen and at least one Republican lawmaker wore white on Tuesday evening to express "solidarity" with each other and the nation's women while attending President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in the Capitol.&#xa0;</p><p>A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/changes-in-gender-racial-diversity-between-the-115th-and-116th-house-2018-12">record number of women were elected</a> to Congress in 2019. 102 women currently serve in the US House of Representatives and 23 serve in the US Senate.</p><p>This year also marks the 99th anniversary of women's suffrage.&#xa0;</p><p><span>"We'll honor all those who came before us and send a message of solidarity that we're not going back on our hard-earned rights," </span>Florida Rep. Lois Frankel, the chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group, tweeted last week.</p><p>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also wore all-white to the address, told CNN that the move is also a recognition of the issues affecting American women, including the wage gap and sexual misconduct. <span>Ocasio-Cortez also wore white to the new member swearing-in in early January.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>"I wore all-white today to honor the women who paved the path before me, and for all the women yet to come," she wrote in <a href="https://twitter.com/aoc/status/1081032307262345216?lang=en">a tweet</a>. "From suffragettes to Shirley Chisholm, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the mothers of the movement."</span></p><p><span>While most of the women wearing white were Democrats, at least one Republican member - Rep. Elise Stefanik - also joined the movement.</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more: '<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-the-left-fight-with-billionaires-tax-rich-2019-1">2020 class warfare?': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the left face off against billionaires in a fight to tax the rich</a></strong></em></p><p>The sea of women dressed in white also creates a striking visual on the House floor - one that's intended to send the president a message.&#xa0;</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>At least one congressman, Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, also wore white in solidarity with his female colleagues.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/roger-stone-donald-trump-richard-nixon-2017-2">Roger Stone explains what Trump has in common with Richard Nixon</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Women in Congress are wearing white at Trump's State of the Union in a message of 'solidarity'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>CDC Director Robert Redfield was questioned by House lawmakers Tuesday about the spread of the coronavirus.</li><li>When asked if he was aware of evidence that a physical barrier on US borders would help stop the illness, he replied: "Not that I've seen."</li><li>But hours earlier, President Donald Trump had tweeted, in response to the coronavirus outbreak: "We need the Wall more than ever!"</li><li>It was the first time the president linked his signature anti-migration policy to efforts to halt the spread of the illness.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shot down President Donald Trump's claims that a physical wall on US borders would help fight the coronavirus outbreak.</p><p>Redfield appeared before the House of Representatives on Tuesday, where he faced questions about his agency's efforts to tackle the coronavirus crisis.</p><p>During the testimony Redfield was asked by Rep. Katherine Clark, a Democrat from Massachusetts,  whether there are any agency recommendations that "structural barriers at our borders would be of any use in mitigating the outbreak of" coronavirus.</p><p>"Not that I've seen," Redfield said.</p><p><strong>Watch the exchange here:</strong></p><p>Redfield's claim came just hours after Trump linked the completion of a border wall between the US and Mexico - a signature promise in his 2016 presidential campaign - to efforts to contain the coronavirus.</p><p>"Going up fast. We need the Wall more than ever!" he wrote.</p><p>In the tweet Trump had also shared a message from conservative youth activist Charlie Kirk, who wrote: "Now, more than ever, we need the wall. With China Virus spreading across the globe, the US stands a chance if we can control of our borders. President Trump is making it happen I explain why this matters &amp; SO MUCH MORE!"</p><p>Refering to the novel coronavirus as "China virus" by Kirk and other prominent US conservatives has been denounced for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cdc-director-rejects-label-chinese-virus-after-trump-mccarthy-tweets/2020/03/10/58bd086c-62e5-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html">fueling racist stigmatization</a>, and contradicts <a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/covid19-stigma-guide.pdf">advice from the World Health Organization</a> to not pin a geographical label on the illness. </p><p>In his testimony Tuesday, Redfield said he agreed that it was wrong to call the illness "the China coronavirus." </p><p>"It's absolutely wrong and inappropriate to call this the Chinese coronavirus, I assume you would agree with that," Rep. Lois Frankel, a Florida Democrat, asked Redfield. </p><p>"Yes," Redfield replied.</p><p>Business Insider is not aware of any cases of the coronavirus suspected to have been transmitted by a person migrating over the US-Mexico border. </p><p>Tuesday is not the first time Trump's claims about the coronavirus have clashed with the information provided by US health officials.</p><p>Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at a White House meeting last week <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/05/coronavirus-trump-vaccine-rhetoric-121796">rebutted the president's claim</a> that a novel coronavirus vaccine would be available imminently. </p>

The director of the CDC publicly contradicted Trump's claim that the US-Mexico border wall would help stop the coronavirus

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Tiffany Trump, President Donald Trump's younger daughter, wore white to her father's State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday night.</strong></li><li><strong>Scores of lawmakers wore white after Democrats encouraged others to honor of the women's suffrage movement.</strong></li><li><strong>US suffragists in the early 1900s reportedly wore visually-appealing white dresses to help publicize their movement in black-and-white newspapers.</strong></li><li><strong>It's unclear if Tiffany Trump got the message, but her outfit raised eyebrows.</strong></li><li><strong>Read all of INSIDER's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/state-of-the-union-2019">coverage of the State of the Union 2019 here</a>.<br /></strong></li></ul><p>Tiffany Trump, President Donald Trump's younger daughter, appeared to show solidarity with a wave of Democrats who wore white during the State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday night.</p><p>Or at least that's what some people theorized.</p><p>Scores of lawmakers wore white after <a href="https://twitter.com/RepLoisFrankel/status/1090642856514125824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1090642856514125824&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fentry%2Fus-house-women-white-state-of-the-union_us_5c5a40c4e4b08710475890fa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida</a>, the chairwoman of the House Democratic Women's Working Group, invited attendees to wear white in honor of the women's suffrage movement.</p><p>"Wearing suffragette white is a respectful message of solidarity with women across the country, and a declaration that we will not go back on our hard-earned rights," Frankel said to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/29/politics/democratic-women-group-state-of-the-union-wear-white/index.html?utm_term=link&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=fbCNN&amp;utm_content=2019-01-30T07%3A01%3A05" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>.</p><p>US suffragists in the early 1900s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/02/05/why-are-women-lawmakers-wearing-white-state-union/?utm_term=.a0486268e448">reportedly</a> wore visually-appealing white dresses to publicize their movement in black-and-white newspapers.</p><p>Lawmakers were also encouraged to wear white during Trump's first address to a joint session of Congress in 2017.</p><p>This year marked a milestone for the movement, particularly on Capitol Hill. A record-breaking 102 women are serving in the House, while another 23 are serving in the Senate.</p><p>It's unclear if Ms. Trump got the message, but her outfit raised eyebrows:</p><p>The 25-year-old Georgetown law student supported her father's presidential campaign in 2016 and continues to voice her support for his administration. Other members of her family, including Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, are serving as senior advisers in the White House.</p><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/president-donald-trump-ends-shutdown-3-weeks-deal-2019-1">Watch President Trump announce deal to end the government shutdown for 3 weeks</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Tiffany Trump wears white outfit to State of the Union address after Democrats encourage others to wear white in honor of women's suffrage

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Before Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, AOL kicked off the streaming TV era in 2005 with In2TV.</strong></li><li><strong>The ad supported video hub featured a library of classic Warner Bros. shows, including "Eight is Enough," "Growing Pains" and "Welcome Back Kotter."</strong></li><li><strong>The TV site was one of the first places people could watch full episodes of shows on the web, and a rare example of a successful byproduct of the rocky AOL/Time Warner merger.</strong></li></ul><p>Today, millions of people are streaming their favorite shows on demand. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are completely disrupting the media business. But some would argue this was all started by AOL.</p><p>AOL of course is known for its early role in getting millions of Americans online. But way back in 2005 it may have kicked off the binge TV revolution.</p><p>Now a forgotten footnote in the much maligned AOL/Time Warner merger, that November AOL rolled out In2TV.</p><p>The desktop-centric channel featured free, ad-supported episodes of a slew of TV classics and non-classics, including "Chico and the Man," "Lois and Clark" and "Growing Pains" and yes, the John Travolta 1970s starmaker "Welcome Back Kotter."</p><p>While it only lasted a few years, the liberating viewing trends that In2TV unleashed were unstoppable. Here is a brief oral history of In2TV from those who were there:</p><p><strong>Eric Frankel, CEO of the personalized digital ad firm AdGreetz, ran distribution for Warner Bros. at the time:</strong></p><p>"I came up with it. I ran a $1.2 billion domestic distribution business at Warner at the time. We had tens of thousands of shows that we would try and get on television. One of the things I realized was, one of the terrific ways to grow a business is to invent new clients. We realized this whole internet thing was happening. What if we aggregate a bunch of shows?</p><p>"My First stop was Yahoo, which was run by Terry Semel at the time.&#xa0;Terry, for whatever reason, set me up with a bunch of content execs, including Lloyd Braun. [<em>Braun, a former ABC executive ran Yahoo's media group at that time. He did not respond to a request for comment.]</em></p><p>"Long story short, he said no. I was shocked they didn't get it.&#xa0;</p><p>"We had been married somewhat unhappily to AOL, and I knew [then president] Jon Miller. I sent him a note and said, "I have this idea and want to talk to you.' He said. 'Sure, I'll see you at 6pm on a Tuesday.' I get down to Dulles and they keep me waiting, and then they move me into a room and its Jon and&#xa0;Kevin Conroy [then EVP of AOL's media networks group].</p><p><strong>Prominent media investor Jon Miller, who ran AOL at the time of the In2TV launch</strong>, noted that in 2005, many people were just getting broadband connections in their homes:</p><p>"I blessed it and said, 'If there's going to be broadband there's going to be video. There wasn't at the time. Now it's an obvious statement. I thought, 'People&#xa0;are going to watch shows online. The logic is as simple as that."</p><p><strong>Conroy, who's since held top media posts at Univision and until recently MGM: </strong></p><p>"Everything that can be said and written about the AOL/Time Warner era has been written. But the truth of the matter is there were some pretty remarkable things that happened despite the&#xa0;bullshit corporate politics."<strong><br /></strong></p><p><em>In2TV launched amidst plenty of skepticism, but also landed mainstream <a href="http://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/11/a-new-era-for-tv-aol-warner-br/">press coverage</a> in USA Today, <a href="http://ew.com/article/2006/03/15/aols_free_vinta/">Entertainment Weekly</a> and the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/13/AR2005111300683.html">Washington Post</a>. The group even took out ads in Times Square in the New York Times.</em></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>Frankel:</strong>&#xa0;"The reality was, people actually watched. We got lots and lots of plays, even with a fairly under promoted group of channels. If they would have kept at it, wasn't like nobody watched it.&#xa0;It worked."</p><p><em>In2TV offered six channels, including Drama Rama (soaps like "Falcon Crest") and Heroes and Horrors (reruns of "Wonder Woman" and the lizard-alien sci-fi classic "V.") The site also carried streaming video ads from companies like Procter &amp; Gamble.</em></p><p><em>Besides shows, In2TV featured companion videos, such as theme song singalongs and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xl2hAxzhvI">compilations</a> of early TV show appearances by stars like Brad Pitt and George Clooney.</em></p><p><strong>Former WB network president Garth Ancier,</strong> who joined the In2TV effort midstream after the WB broadcast network was folded into the CW network in 2006:</p><p>"I had just wrapped WB [the now defunct broadcast TV network known for 90s shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."] We turned off the lights and handed over the keys to the CW [broadcast network] next day.&#xa0;</p><p>"I sat on the same floor with Frankel. He had started it. I tend to gravitate to stuff that is more unusual, and this was so early in video streaming. I remember AOL people didn't have a flash player in their dialup system.</p><p>It was really a mess technologically, trying to make all the systems talk to each other. But there was a&#xa0;lot of great stuff in the library. They had Hanna Barbera and&#xa0;Looney Tunes shows. So we said 'Let's try to program like a&#xa0;TV network.&#xa0;Create a personality.'"</p><p><strong>Conroy says that Time Warner leadership started to take notice</strong>:</p><p>"I'll never forget, [Time Warner CEO] Jeff Bewkes was so impressed with it that he used it in a presentation at a top management company meeting as as an example of what could be built. He was not a big synergy guy, but he was really impressed with what we had done.</p><p>"In2TV was really the precursor to the first generation of Netflix.&#xa0;We got alot of stuff done and were first in many areas [at AOL], but no one really wanted to pay attention. It was much more popular to be writing about the dysfunction."</p><p><em>Even with In2TV's budding success, the landscape changed quickly. Apple was <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/70775/warner-bros-aol-plan-in2tv-relaunch.html">suddenly selling full episodes of shows like "Lost" via iTunes.</a>&#xa0;Hulu was around the corner. Most of the players aren't sure exactly when In2TV shut down. By 2009, AOL was spun off from Time Warner, unwinding the failed merger. Some are left wondering what might have been.</em></p><p><strong>Frankel: "</strong>When you were the only guy in town you had a major advantage. It might have taken one, two, three or or five years to build it right, but we pretty much sort of invented how it would all work [in streaming]. Such is life."</p><p><strong>Conroy:</strong>&#xa0;"The downside to In2TV was that it was desktop only. Mobile wasn't a thing yet. So how many people are going to sit down in front of their computer to watch TV shows. Had Roku been around then, history might have been written very differently."</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cut-cable-directv-now-streaming-cord-cutting-youtube-tv-hulu-sling-2018-3">I quit cable for DirecTV Now and it's saving me over $1,000 a year - here's how I did it</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div></hr>

The forgotten story of AOL's In2TV, which helped invent binge TV way before Netflix

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two YouTubers are running for mayor in London. Max Fosh and Niko Omilana spoke to Insider.</li><li>Their bids for office follow decades of high-profile celebrities entering <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> around the world.</li><li>Experts told Insider that <keyword id="6354632" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media">social media</keyword> fame is now hugely important in political elections. </li></ul><p>Max Fosh, a 26-year-old British YouTuber, put his name in the ring for Mayor of London last month. </p><p>But in an interview with Insider, he admitted that he'd "make a terrible mayor."</p><p>The internet prankster, who has more than 418,000 <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword> subscribers, saw entering the London mayoral race as an opportunity to record pranks and, in turn, boost his online following.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-money-youtube-stars-have-made-for-single-video-2020-3">16 YouTube stars reveal the most money they've made from a single video</a></em></p><p>Fosh is joined in the crowded mayoral race by Niko Omilana, a YouTuber with 3.4 million subscribers. And according to <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/london/2021-04-20/mayoral-election-gap-narrows-between-tory-challenger-shaun-bailey-and-labours-sadiq-khan-itv-news-london-poll-reveals">recent polling from Savanta ComRes, a data company, for iTV</a>, Omilana is currently holding the race's fifth spot. </p><p>Omilana has used his run as an opportunity to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwQzJuHG4I">troll the press</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/NikoOmilana/status/1389899331206004737?s=20">create memes</a>. But, unlike Fosh, he says he is taking his candidacy seriously. "I am not an influencer," the 23-year-old told Insider via email. "I am a very serious political candidate that should not be underestimated."</p><p>As the line between celebrity and politician becomes increasingly blurred, it's no surprise that <keyword id="1112328" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Influencers">influencers</keyword> - who understand how to connect with an audience better than anyone - are getting political.</p><p>"Not only the field of politics, just about every field that social media has touched, is being redefined," Laeeq Khan, the director of the Social Media Analytics Research Team (SMART) Lab at Ohio University, told Insider. "There was a time when politicians were politicians, but today, there is an element of celebrity."</p><h2><strong>Name recognition is everything in politics </strong></h2><p>History shows that household names can offer political candidates worldwide a jump-start in the polls. </p><p>Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, stood out in a crowded field of candidates thanks to his high-profile career as a bodybuilder and Hollywood stardom. His unrivaled name recognition trumped his lack of political experience, making him the eventual winner in the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election. </p><div type="image" title="arnold schwarze egger reagan" height="681" width="1024" msid="82245348" hostid="261"></div><p>Schwarzenegger's success has parallels to former US President Ronald Reagan's successful campaign for California governor and, in turn, his landslide presidential victories in 1980 and 1984. </p><p>Name recognition continues to play an outsize role in politics worldwide. Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-winning actor Cynthia Nixon launched an unsuccessful but high-profile bid for New York governor in 2018. She ran knowing that her celebrity status would attract media coverage and stimulate the conversation on liberal issues, <a href="https://time.com/5553528/cynthia-nixon-governor-new-york-campaign/">TIME</a> reported in 2019.</p><div type="image" title="cynthia nixon " height="646" width="861" msid="82245350" hostid="261"></div><p>Matthew McConaughey, who has not officially announced a bid for office, is currently polling ahead of incumbent Gov. Greg Abbot in Texas. Despite voters knowing little about his platform or which party he would run with, a <a href="https://www.insider.com/texas-matthew-mcconaughey-ahead-of-gov-greg-abbott-says-poll-2021-4">Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler poll </a>of 1,126 registered voters finds him with a 12-point lead over the state's incumbent governor. Andrew Yang is also benefiting from high name recognition in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/nyregion/nyc-mayor-race-polls.html">Polling consistently shows</a> that an incumbent candidate is a frontrunner as a known entity to the public, Martin Cohen, a political science professor at James Madison University and the co-author of "The Party Decides: Presidential Nominations Before and After Reform," told Insider.</p><p>It is "vital" for a challenger to have good name recognition to compete with an incumbent, Cohen said.</p><p>Trump is, of course, the textbook example of somebody whose personal brand helped elevate him to the Mount Olympus of politics. He was the best-known candidate in the 2015 Republican primary, with over 90 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters aware of who he was, according to a July 2015 Gallup poll of 2,374 adults.</p><p>"His name recognition, which is very key in politics, was really vital to his success," Cohen told Insider. </p><p>And Trump had one more secret weapon up his sleeve, something with parallels in London's mayoral race: He was a burgeoning internet star in his own right. </p><h2><strong>Politicians and influencers are all celebrities now</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="trump twitter" height="1931" width="2574" msid="82245352" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Trump's rise - like the wins of Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine who was previously an actor and comedian, and Imran Khan, an <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> cricket star who is the prime minister of Pakistan - follows the increasingly blurred lines between celebrity, politician, and influencer. </p><p>Cohen calls this idea the "celebritification" of American politics, as voters want to be "entertained" by both our celebrities and our politicians. </p><p>Khan, the SMART Lab director, said this entertainment factor is essential in understanding an online influencer's potential success politically. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563216306513">SMART Lab research</a>, published in the Computers in Human Behavior journal in 2016, reveals that "entertainment is the strongest motive for social-media participation," Khan said. </p><p>Some politicians have embraced this overlap.</p><p>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has 8.8 million followers on Instagram, where she posts on her stories like social-media influencers do. But instead of talking about her clothing or home decor, she gives followers behind-the-scenes looks at being a representative in Congress. She even <a href="https://www.insider.com/kalani-hilliker-trump-instagram-influencer-dance-moms-star-endorses-twitter-2020-11">live-streamed a game of Among Us</a>, the multiplayer-video game, on Twitch last October, joined by fellow House Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar.</p><div type="image" title="AOC among us" height="1500" width="2000" msid="82245355" hostid="261"></div><p>This works both ways: American celebrities are expected to be involved in political activities, particularly throughout the 2020 election, when <a href="https://www.insider.com/kalani-hilliker-trump-instagram-influencer-dance-moms-star-endorses-twitter-2020-11">influencers were criticized for showing support for Trump. </a></p><p>Scarlett Johansson recently said <a href="https://thegentlewoman.co.uk/library/scarlett-johansson-">in an interview with The Gentlewoman</a> that this pressure was "unfair," and that she "didn't choose to be a politician." </p><p>Other celebrities feel differently. On Friday, <a href="https://www.axios.com/caitlyn-jenner-california-governor-run-710153ef-7a89-460d-b9ec-9efed2a9399f.html?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=editorial&amp;utm_content=politics-caitlynjenneraitlynjenner">Axios reported</a> that Caitlyn Jenner, the Olympic athlete and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" reality star, filed paperwork to run for governor of California. </p><p>And Americans seem to be on board with the celebrity-to-politician pipeline. A <a href="https://piplsay.com/hollywood-celebs-as-politicians-what-do-americans-think-of-it/">poll conducted this month by Piplsay</a>, a consumer-research platform, found that 63% of Americans "believe Hollywood stars can make good politicians with the right attitude and support staff." </p><h2><strong>Social media has changed the electoral process </strong></h2><p>A social media following is an increasingly important aspect of a political run in today's age, according to Khan.</p><p>"There is a statistically significant relationship between the size, or numbers, that you have on social networks as your fan base, and how they correlate with the election voting and results in your favor," he told Insider. <u></u></p><p>Trump's social media attention earned him millions of dollars worth of free advertising, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/16/upshot/measuring-donald-trumps-mammoth-advantage-in-free-media.html">according to 2016 research by mediaQuant</a>, a firm that tracks political media coverage, cited by The New York Times. "Trump was able to get his message unfiltered to the public" through Twitter, Cohen said. <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/technology/306175-trump-won-thanks-to-social-media">Khan wrote for The Hill in a 2016 op-ed</a> that based on his research, he believed Trump won "thanks to social media." </p><p>Indeed, using a social media following to win elections is essential in American politics, particularly among far-right influencers who followed in Trump's footsteps online.</p><p>Republican <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lara-trump-campaigned-with-proud-islamophobe-gop-candidate-laura-loomer-2020-9">Laura Loomer</a> launched a failed bid against Democrat Lois Frankel in Florida's 21st congressional district in 2020. Loomer, whose incendiary and offensive rhetoric has since gotten her kicked off nearly every major social media platform, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-parler-rose-from-obscurity-conservative-alternative-twitter-platform-2020-11">told Insider in a previous interview</a> that she basically lost the ability to campaign without social networks.  </p><p>Similar to Loomer is Candace Owens, a far-right activist, and influencer who has <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/candace-owens-running-president-aubrey-huff-vp-1567494">floated the idea of running for president in 2024.</a> Owens has 2.6 million Twitter followers. </p><p>Having a large online fanbase "does give a very strong signal," to voters, Khan said. "That gives the impression of power, strength, and clout."</p><div type="image" title="Omilana" height="751" width="1000" msid="82245357" hostid="261"></div><p>For Omilana and Fosh, their online clout comes alongside the entertainment they provide for their viewers by doing silly pranks. </p><p>Omilana, one of the YouTubers running for <keyword id="6263" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="London-Mayor">London mayor</keyword>, agrees that his social media following will benefit his run. "This is a popularity contest," he told Insider in an email, "so, of course, it is helpful having a big social following."</p><h2><strong>These YouTubers are probably doing this for publicity</strong></h2><p>While some celebrities have lofty political ambitions, others are simply doing it for clout. </p><p>Fosh, one of the two YouTubers running in London, said he is very aware that he will not win the race on May 6 - which is, according to <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2021/04/21/london-mayoral-election-2021-who-is-leading-the-polls-14447918/">polls</a>, dominated by Mayor Sadiq Khan. But, in addition to the hope that his run might boost youth turnout, his goal is to create amusing content for his fans.<div type="image" title="max fosh youtube mayor" height="1251" width="1668" msid="82245359" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Since announcing his candidacy in March, Fosh has posted a series of videos pranking one of his newfound political rivals - right-wing mayoral candidate Laurence Fox, an actor and small-time celebrity. "I would like to officially add my name to the ballot list for the next London mayor just to get more votes than Laurence Fox," he said on his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxc2v-hkBhI">YouTube announcement video</a>.</p><p>He has produced content about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enrpETMdAU0&amp;t=550s550s">sneaking into Fox's headquarters with a gift</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kj6WvByz8w">stealing his rival's website to launch his manifesto</a>. The videos about Fosh's mayoral run have collectively been viewed over 1.8 million times. </p><p>"I just thought this was an opportunity to kill two birds with one - to make a great series but also to do some good. It's a lucky happenstance," he said.</p><p>Right-wing media personalities also have a history of launching unlikely election bids to grow their public profiles, as <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com./laura-loomer-joey-salads-saladino-and-more-right-wing-media-personalities-flood-into-house-races">The Daily Beast</a> reported in September 2019. And Kanye West's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/too-late-for-kanye-west-to-run-for-president-2020-7">failed run for president last year</a> was frequently dubbed a publicity stunt.  </p><p>Controversial YouTube personality Joey Salads, whose real name is Joseph Saladin, was best known for posting videos urinating into his own mouth and wearing swastikas. He had no prior political experience and <a href="https://www.brooklynpaper.com/controversial-youtuber-ends-bid-for-congressional-seat/">withdrew from a congressional primary race in New York in December</a> of that year. </p><p>But aspects of that failed run might indicate benefits still to come for Fosh and Omilana, even if neither YouTuber wins the mayoral election: Data from <a href="https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/joeysalads">Social Blade</a>, a social-media analytics website, shows that the monthly views on Saladino's YouTube channel more than doubled after he announced his run for office. </p>

YouTubers running for London mayor are using prank videos and trolling candidates to get votes, and the race follows a global trend

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/license/915478464">Alex Wong/Getty Images</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>The Democrats' top campaign arm is debating how to address the growing number of candidates not willing to back current party leadership.</strong></li><li><strong>House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is taking an all-of-the-above approach, raising money for every Democrat she can.</strong></li></ul><p>WASHINGTON - As more Democrats <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-democratic-rebellion-might-finally-be-here-2018-6">upend the old guard</a> within the House ranks, a debate is ensuing about how to approach these new candidates who might not be inclined to toe the party line when they arrive in Congress next year.</p><p>A handful of candidates have emerged throughout the 2018 primaries who have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/democratic-candidates-breaking-with-base-2018-3">said they would not back the Democratic leadership</a> in its current form. While House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi still holds considerable sway over the conference, the fears of a new insurgency accelerated on Tuesday when 28-year-old <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/all-about-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-who-beat-crowley-in-ny-dem-primary-2018-6">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> defeated Democratic Caucus Chairman and 10-term Rep. Joe Crowley in New York.</p><p>The ousting of Crowley by a far-left political novice sent shockwaves throughout Washington. The morning after, a group of Democratic lawmakers at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) convened a meeting, where a debate ensued about how to approach the new firebrand Democrats.</p><p>According to a source with knowledge of the meeting, the room was fairly split, with some lawmakers arguing that candidates who are not willing to pledge loyalty to leadership should not receive support. Among those against backing the idea of not supporting candidates who will not support Pelosi and the leadership was Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida, which the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/us/politics/democrats-joe-crowley-ocasio-cortez.html">also reported</a>. A spokesman for the DCCC did not respond to request for comment.</p><p>But top Democratic brass in the House have mixed feelings. For House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, a potential contender to serve as the next speaker, it is a problem that he would rather address in the new year, after Democrats take back the majority if all goes as they plan. </p><p>For how to address candidates at odds with the longtime Washington hierarchy at the moment, Hoyer said it is a process in courting their favor.</p><p>"The way I respond is if I can't get you today I hope I get you tomorrow," Hoyer said during a meeting with reporters on Tuesday. "And I'm going to argue about the proposition tomorrow."</p><p><span>"Each member has to decide how best to represent their district and what is in the best interests of their constituents and what they think are the best policies being pursued by their country," he added. "Leadership obviously has a view on that - we try to convince members that that view is correct and work together an we can adopt policies that will effect those objectives."</span></p><p>But Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House, is intent on backing everyone across the board.</p><p>Pelosi invoked the late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, telling reporters that her approach to all Democratic nominees is "just win baby."</p><p>"We just want to win. That's the simplest answer of all," she added. "When I'm not in the Capitol and I'm someplace else, I'm raising money to elect those very people. Everything is at stake in our country. People all see the urgency of it. They want to take responsibility for it. That gives us opportunity to win. So I just say, 'Just win baby.'"<span></span></p><p><span>But Pelosi also noted that </span><span>her fundraising efforts and support for all Democratic candidates "has nothing to do with any decisions by the DCCC."</span></p><p><span>Pelosi, who has led House Democrats for more than a decade, regularly <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/house/373388-pelosi-raises-nearly-50-million-during-2017-for-house-dems">hauls in big money</a> for candidates. In 2018, that extends to those who might not support her once they arrive in Congress.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happened-at-the-trump-north-korea-summit-2018-6">Why the North Korea summit mattered even if it was 'mostly a photo op'</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Panicked Democrats are scrambling for a plan to handle insurgent candidates as more upend the 2018 midterms

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-mccarthy-pulls-out-of-speaker-race-2015-10">stunned Washington Thursday</a> by suddenly withdrawing from the speaker's race he was expected to have locked up.<p>McCarthy, House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) designated&#xa0;heir, apparently decided he didn't have the votes to lead the chamber.</p><p>"Over the last week it has become clear to me that our Conference is deeply divided and needs to unite behind one leader," McCarthy said in a statement. "I have always put this Conference ahead of myself."</p><p>Democratic lawmakers quickly pounced on Twitter, repeatedly calling attention to the "chaos" between hard-line conservatives and more establishment-oriented&#xa0;Republicans.</p><h3>View some of the Democratic criticism below:</h3><p><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazing-facts-about-vladimir-putin-russia-2015-10">Here are some incredible things you didn't know about Putin's life</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="k4NTY1dDqFCsBpfiPjzGEUMzJURbWO-R" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Democratic lawmakers mock GOP 'chaos' on Twitter

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pamhule/5574080195/in/photolist-9uyBQX-2u92AH-9gfDgs-7fRqZP-9dDD4c-6kFRLu-EPXz6-mxQvWf-kS7MVB-6RnkvW-6QtXVV-bHbBjt-eCSzhE-h2MT45-68r9S7-7Xc2hi-7xVUg9-oy8c1-dEXFN4-kQbuFv-dXRkda-Fa6wm-6enTV6-dKMsfM-gRgpxv-7euof-kqsPuW-dBzUiN-8HUH4r-HPqF-pcgzp-8jH4eb-adwcMk-6ozJcT-5JNnEK-6oro8y-d3CdXm-hZyg6F-aSeEyH-eNamDx-kr8Yd-4rGioF-xdF9b-4P7XwP-ecXWbk-arvUMj-6Uccv-ihvDJk-9bvGPF-u7sT">Jens Schott Knudsen/flickr</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>A few months ago, I was drinking a Noah's Mill whiskey with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life.</p>
<p>During the conversation we got on the topic of books that changed our lives.</p>
<p>I want to share them with you. <a href="http://clicktotweet.com/36dOL" target="_blank"><br /></a></p>
<p><strong>I judge a book's success if a year later I am still using at least one thing from the book.</strong></p>
<p>My takeaways are what I still remember from the books; you may get even more out of these:</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743269519/?tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Begin with the end in mind.</li>
<li>Relationships are like a bank account; you make deposits and withdrawals.</li>
<li>Sharpen the saw, keep learning and improving your brain.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nice-Girls-Dont-Corner-Office/dp/0446693316/?tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office" by Lois Frankel</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Don't let men shorten your name at the office.</li>
<li>Don't mother people at the office or you'll be treated like a mother.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Paradox-Choice-More-Less/dp/0060005696/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170428&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=paradox+of+choice&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>At restaurants, close the menu after you find the one dish that you like.</li>
<li>Choices can be evil. Being satisfied with things will make you so much happier than always going for the maximum.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170963&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=influence&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Influence" by Robert Cialdini</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>People can be influenced in their behaviors by many different tactics.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Sales-Machine-Turbocharge/dp/1591842158/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170970&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=ultimate+sales+machine&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Ultimate Sales Machine" by Chet Holmes</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>This book has so many frigging tips I can't even start. Get it.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Full-Engagement-Performance/dp/0743226755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348171518&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=power+of+full+engagement&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"The Power of Full Engagement" by Jim Loehr</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>It's not about how much time you have in your day but how you allocate you energy.</li>
<li>You need to allocate time for yourself to recharge.</li>
<li>Spend time with people that give you more energy.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Your-Brain-Work-Strategies-Distraction/dp/0061771295/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348171523&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=your+brain+at+work&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Your Brain at Work" by David Rock</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Different ways to organize and prioritize your day to maximize productivity.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Dawn-Stray-Modern-Relationships/dp/0061707813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170977&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sex+at+dawn&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Sex at Dawn" by Christopher Ryan</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Jealousy is a societal creation and great ways to be aware of why it happens.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Celestine-Prophecy-James-Redfield/dp/0446671002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170984&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=celestine+prophecy&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Celestine Prophecy" by James Redfield</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Nothing is coincidence.</li>
<li>Fate is what you make of it, i.e., go create your own luck.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Cow-New-Edition-Remarkable--Includes/dp/1591843170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170989&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=purple+cow&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Purple Cow" by Seth Godin</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Only the unique get remembered.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Permission-Marketing-Turning-Strangers-Customers/dp/0684856360/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170996&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=permission+marketing&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Permission Marketing" by Seth Godin</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>No one wants your annoying marketing. Get their permission and deliver more than what they expect.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Setting-Table-Transforming-Hospitality-Business/dp/0060742763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170864&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=setting+the+table&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Create an experience that is like nothing else.</li>
<li>Be authentic to yourself.</li>
<li>Treating the customers exceptionally is the differentiator in business.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Score-Takes-Care-Itself/dp/1591842662/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348171221&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=score+will+take+care+of+itself&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"The Score Will Take Care of Itself" by Bill Walsh</a></strong><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li>Focus on doing the right processes, and the outcome will take care of itself.</li>
<li>Keep your lockers/desks clean and it'll reflect in other parts of your life.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mindless-Eating-More-Than-Think/dp/0345526880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348170380&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=mindless+eating&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Great hacks on ways to reduce calories instead of just trying new diet fads.</li>
<li>Hide the food you don't want to eat.</li>
<li>Put out the portions of food you want instead of just eating from the bag.</li>
<li>Using science/data to make decisions/impacts on our eating habits instead of opinions.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Superior-Man-Challenges/dp/1591792576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348171237&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=david+deida+way+of+the+superior&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"The Way of the Superior Man" by David Deida</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Be conscious/present when you are interacting in life.</li>
<li>Spend time with the people that are honest and make your life better.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Love-Too-Much/dp/1416550216/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348171254&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=women+who+love+too+much&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank"><strong>"Women who Love Too Much" by Robin Norwood</strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Love yourself first and you can be loved.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fountainhead-Ayn-Rand/dp/0452273331/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348171278&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=fountainhead+by+ayn+rand&amp;tag=ninjacard-20" target="_blank">"The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand</a></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Healthy selfishness is a great thing.</li>
</ul>
<p><span>These books reflect a full life, not just business.</span></p>
<p><em>Noah Kagan is the Chief Sumo at <a href="http://appsumo.com/?src=okdork_about" target="_blank">AppSumo.com</a>. Before that he was employee <a href="http://okdork.com/2012/09/29/why-i-got-fired-from-facebook-a-100-million-dollar-lesson/" target="_blank">#30 at Facebook</a> and <a href="http://okdork.com/2013/06/25/why-i-quit-mint-com-and-lost-out-on-1-7-million/" target="_blank">#4 at Mint</a>. He blogs at <a href="http://okdork.com/blog/" target="_blank">OkDork.com</a>.</em></p>

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