Far-left progressive billionaire Alex Soros is being slammed online for his statement condemning the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers despite funding anti-Israel groups through his Open Society Foundation (OSF).

Soros, who is the son and heir to George Soros’ fortune and philanthropic empire, condemned the killings in an X post, saying "the murder of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky at the Capital Jewish Museum was evil in its most basic form" and that "this brutal antisemitic act must be condemned in the strongest terms."

Milgrim and Lischinsky, two Israeli Embassy staffers who were set to be engaged, were killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.

D.C. police identified the suspect as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, who was taken into custody after the shooting attack. He was allegedly seen pacing outside the museum before he approached a group of four people, including the two victims, and opened fire. Rodriguez then reportedly went into the museum, where he was detained by security. He allegedly shouted "Free, free Palestine!" while in custody.

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Though Soros condemned the killings, his statement was flooded with replies calling out his funding of radical anti-Israel groups that foment anti-Jewish sentiments.

"Alex, you and your father created this problem through the ruthless and international silencing of critics to open borders policies," said one X user named Joseph Janecka. "Their blood is on your hands as much as their murderers. We will never forget."

Carl Wheless, another user, commented, "You are behind the hate, so excuse us if you don't wish to hear from you on the matter."

Another, Eitan Fischberger, asserted that Soros "funds the revolutionary Marxist group the shooter belonged to."

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Though the details of Rodriguez’s affiliations are currently unclear as chair of OSF, Soros has helped to fund several leftist groups that have accused Israel of genocide and called for the end of the Jewish state.

In 2023, Israel's minister of diaspora affairs and social equality, Amichai Chikli, told Fox News Digital that Soros is a mirror image of father George’s anti-Israel agenda.

When asked if Soros would continue to fund anti-Israel entities that bash the Jewish state, Chikli said it "looks like the son is a replica of his father. We have no expectation that his son will be a big Zionist."

Chikli added that OSF funds Human Rights Watch, which he said, "is attacking Israelis heavily and attacking Israel as an apartheid state and delegitimizing and demonizing Israel."

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He also said OSF funds "J Street," an organization that claims to be pro-Israel but has faced criticism because of its support for positions that allegedly favor Iran’s regime and the Palestinians.

Chikli also noted that the Soros foundation "gives money to radical small Palestinian organizations in Israel that describe Israel as a colonial state and a moral sin." He cited the NGO Adalah, which means "justice" in Arabic, as an organization "denying the vision of Israel as a Jewish state" in its "published vision for Arab society in Israel."

The elder Soros has also faced intense criticism from Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. for pumping over $15 million into a network of nongovernmental organizations that allegedly support Hamas. 

"George Soros’ donations to organizations that seek the destruction of the State of Israel as a Jewish state is shameful. However, I am not surprised," Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan told Fox News Digital in December 2023.

"For years, Soros has backed and transferred money to organizations supporting BDS that want to isolate Israel," added Erdan, who has been leading the diplomatic campaign at the U.N. to spell out Hamas’ crimes against humanity. "They have never been about real peace or any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis-area Hennepin County Attorney’s Office’s new directive for its prosecutors to consider race when negotiating plea deals with criminal defendants. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle and Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon informed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in a letter that the Justice Department is opening a probe into whether the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office "engaged in a pattern of practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges or immunities secured or protect by the Constitution or laws of the United States." 

The letter, dated May 2, cited Moriarty’s recently adopted "Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants," which instructs prosecutors to consider race when formulating plea offers, stating that "racial identity… should be part of the overall analysis," and that prosecutors "should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate."  

"In particular, the investigation will focus on whether HCAO engages in illegal consideration of race in its prosecutorial decision-making," they said in the letter, which Dhillon shared on X.

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Bondi, Mizelle and Dhillon said their investigation will include "a comprehensive review of all relevant HCAO policies and practices that may involve the illegal consideration of race in prosecutorial decision-making." 

Dhillon has also authorized a "full investigation to determine whether the HCAO is engaged in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States." 

"Please be assured that we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation," their letter addressed to Moriarty said. "We will consider all relevant information, and we welcome your assistance in helping to identify what that might be. We would appreciate your cooperation in our investigation. In our years enforcing civil rights statutes involving state and local law enforcement agencies, we have worked with jurisdictions of all sizes across the nation to resolve investigations, usually without contested litigation."

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The letter said the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Sections will oversee the investigation and will be in contact with Moriarty "shortly to set up a mutually agreeable date and time to discuss the parameters of this investigation, including the scope of information that we will be seeking from you." 

Fox News Digital reached out to Moriarty's office and the DOJ for comment on Sunday. 

Moriarty was elected among a wave of progressive district attorneys who took office following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests and riots. She has been backed by groups tied to money from megadonor George Soros, one of the most prominent backers of progressive issues in the United States.

The former chief public defender for the county, Moriarty became the Hennepin County Attorney in January 2023 after promising to deliver on holding police accountable in the community where Floyd was killed. 

Moriarty’s two immediate predecessors had been in office for a combined 31 years, and her promises of dramatic changes had the backing of the state Democratic Party and community leaders. Since then, however, Moriarty has faced fierce backlash, even among some former supporters, as critics questioned decisions to seek lighter sentences for violent crimes in some cases and to divert more people to programs rather than jail.

Police officers, local officials and some progressive activists condemned Moriarty after she charged a White state trooper with the killing of a Black man last summer, only to later reverse course and drop the charges. Leaders of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association had waged a high-profile campaign urging Tim Walz, the state’s governor and former Democratic vice presidential nominee, to reassign the prosecution away from Moriarty. 

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Last month, Republicans across the North Star State condemned Moriarty for failing to charge a Walz staffer who allegedly vandalized at least six Tesla vehicles. President Donald Trump's administration has identified Tesla vandalism as "domestic terrorism" and led a nationwide effort alongside the Justice Department to hold vandals accountable. 

Fox News Digital's Deirdre Heavy, Andrew Mark Miller and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Virginia State Police arrested an illegal immigrant after he was released as a result of a plea deal made by the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.

Guatemalan national Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron, 34, faced numerous felony charges in January, including abduction by force, assault on a family member and felony strangulation causing injury to a Virginia woman, according to ICE, which has Ramos-Giron in custody.

Ramos-Giron spent only two months in an adult detention center in Fairfax County. 

The county attorney’s office, led by Democrat Steve Descano, arranged a plea deal dropping Ramos-Giron's charges to misdemeanors. Ramos-Giron would have faced up to 16 years behind bars on the felony charges if convicted, according to ABC 7. 

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The outlet reported that even though the county attorney’s office said the plea deal was what the victim wanted, the victim said that’s not true. Ramos-Giron was deported two other times but found his way back into the U.S. despite being convicted in a federal gun case. But it’s not clear when he returned to the country, according to ICE.

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office praised the April 24 arrest.

"It’s disappointing that the Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney’s Office has been more concerned about shielding dangerous illegal immigrants than ensuring the safety of Virginians," Peter Finocchio, Youngkin’s press secretary, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"Fortunately, Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron will no longer pose a threat to Virginia families, thanks to brave federal and state law enforcement heroes."

Descano's campaign received over $627,000 between 2019 and 2023 from the Justice and Public Safety PAC, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Fox News Digital previously reported that a large majority of the super PAC's funding came from liberal billionaire George Soros.

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Fairfax County District Attorney Steve Descano, a Democrat, has had a clear policy against wanting to enforce federal immigration laws and has a history of not complying with many ICE detainers, ABC 7 reported.

"Wilmer Ramos-Giron represents a significant threat to our Virginia residents," said Russell Hott, who directs the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C., field office.

"He has displayed a blatant disregard for our immigration laws and, more importantly, for the safety and well-being of our community. He is a violent and recidivist threat to public safety that ICE Washington, D.C., cannot tolerate. Regardless of the obstacles placed in our way, we remain committed to prioritizing public safety. The men and women of ICE Washington, D.C., will continue to arrest and remove criminal alien threats from our Washington, D.C., and Virginia neighborhoods and ensure their victims receive the justice they so rightly deserve."

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Descano’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

As ICE continues its crackdown on illegal immigrants it considers public safety risks, state and local laws nationwide continue to face scrutiny. Last month, the state of California said it would transfer an illegal immigrant into ICE custody after the state prison system was preparing to release a man convicted of killing two teenagers in a DUI manslaughter who was 3½ years into a 10-year sentence in July.

A recent profile piece on Alex Soros, the heir to the vast liberal mega donor George Soros' progressive fundraising network, suggested the younger Soros has hurt the family brand with his public profile in recent years.

The article, posted by New York Magazine this week, takes place in Alex Soros' luxury penthouse in Manhattan and characterizes the home as an example of his indifference to public opinion, which the story suggests hasn't been beneficial to the family's Open Society Foundations.

"The setting itself is a testament to a certain indifference to public opinion on Alex’s part — or perhaps a lack of awareness," the story says. 

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"This past fall, he held a fundraiser at the apartment for vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, then created a PR headache by posting photos from the event on social media, as is his custom after meeting heads of state and elected officials. (As a former OSF higher-up says, Alex likes to collect "shiny objects.") 

"It was deemed unhelpful to a presidential ticket straining to underscore its regularness that the son of the 94-year-old hedge-fund billionaire accused of puppeteering the Democratic Party was publicly advertising his centrality to the election effort from a New York City penthouse."

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Soros drew strong criticism on social media over the photo with Walz in his penthouse standing next to a vice presidential candidate who had been labeled as someone who would resonate with rural and working-class voters.

"This guy goes around saying he's a small town midwestern guy who understands the struggles of the middle class and then goes to hang out at the floating home in the sky of the world's biggest billionaire nepo baby," digital strategist Greg Price wrote on X at the time.

"A post like this does nothing to help Kamala Harris & Tim Walz win — if anything, it hurts them," journalist Jerry Dunleavy posted on X at the time. "So why would Soros post something like this? To publicly signal his power & influence within the next would-be presidential administration."

New York Magazine wrote that Alex Soros' "fondness for collecting powerful figures embarrasses people at the foundation."

"It also underscores his influence. OSF is by some measures the second-largest charitable foundation in the United States, trailing only the Gates Foundation. It gives out roughly $1.5 billion a year, and it spends its U.S. budget not only on liberal causes but also on some of the big dark-money nonprofits aligned with the Democratic Party, including America Votes, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, and the pro-Harris spending group Future Forward USA Action."

Fox News Digital has documented Soros' online presence, which includes all the photos he takes with Democratic politicians in recent years, and his Rolodex includes some of the most powerful politicians in the Democratic Party. During the Biden administration, Soros visited the White House over 22 times and met with both Biden and Harris.

His social media profiles have dozens of pictures of him and leading House and Senate Democrats since 2018. The two who appear the most are Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Alex had at least nine meetings with Schumer, whom he referred to as his "good friend." 

Soros had at least eight visits with Pelosi, whom he has called the "greatest Speaker of the House in American History!" 

Soros has donated millions to Democrats over the past several years, albeit far less than his father. In 2020, he contributed over $700,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, making him among its top donors. For the 2024 cycle, he maxed out $6,600 in donations directly to Biden's campaign, federal filings show.

Since the 2018 elections, he has poured more than $5 million into federal political coffers. Records show that his largest contribution was $2 million to the Schumer-aligned Senate Majority PAC during this time. 

He's also contributed hundreds of thousands in cash to the Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund, Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He has given tens of thousands more to state Democratic parties and individual campaigns, many of which were maximum contributions. 

The article notes that the Soros network spent hundreds of millions in the last election cycle trying to elect Democrats and push progressive causes and that Soros was "probably the biggest liberal donor of the most recent election cycle" but that it is "hard to know for sure because of untrackable dark-money spending."

Alex Soros, the son of notorious billionaire George Soros and chair of the Open Society Foundations, took aim at a left-wing climate group, saying: "All they do is talk about Palestine."

In an interview with New York Magazine in which he detailed his plans to fund efforts to foil the Trump administration’s agenda, Soros expressed his frustration with the leftist environmentalist group "Sunrise Movement," which is heavily funded by Soros-backed organizations.

"What the hell did they do, by the way?" Soros, who is Jewish, complained. "We gave them money, and now all they do is talk about Palestine. It’s ridiculous."

During the 2020 election season, Sunrise Movement, whose website says it wants to "force the government to end the era of fossil fuel elites," received nearly a third of its funding from the Soros-backed Democracy PAC and Sixteen-Thirty Fund, totaling $750,000.

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Shortly after receiving these funds, Sunrise stepped into a massive controversy sparked by its Washington, D.C., chapter posting an antisemitic statement in which it vowed to boycott any events co-sponsored by "Zionist" Jewish groups.

In an October 2021 statement on "future coalition spaces with Zionist organizations," Sunrise DC said it was declining to participate in a D.C. statehood rally specifically because of the inclusion of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, which it said "are all in alignment with and in support of Zionism and the State of Israel."

Sunrise DC called Israel a "colonial project" that "treats all Palestinians, as well as Black and brown Jewish-Israelis, as second-class citizens." The group went on to ask the event organizers to remove the Jewish groups from participation, saying that the D.C. statehood movement is "incompatible with Zionism."

The statement was quickly slammed as blatantly antisemitic.

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One user named Blake Flayton, a Jewish podcaster, called out the group, commenting, "You are intentionally pushing Jewish people outside of your movement."

"You are associating Jews in the United States with the actions of Israel," added Flayton. "This is antisemitic. You are antisemites."

In a follow-up post published several days later, Sunrise DC apologized for singling out the three Jewish organizations while not mentioning other groups associated with the event "with similar positions." The group doubled down on its stance against Zionism, calling it an "ideology that has led to Palestinians being violently pushed out of their homes since 1948."

The group said it was "committed to learning and growing as we continue to stand against Zionism, antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism, and all other forms of oppression."

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This post was also widely panned as antisemitic, with one user named Joel Petlin commenting that Sunrise was "trying to get out of a hole they dug for themselves by digging it deeper."

"*We apologize for singling out 3 Jewish organizations when we should've singled out everyone who doesn't hate Israel* is not actually an apology. It's just doubling down on Antisemitism," said Petlin.

This past October, Sunrise Movement published a long Instagram post railing against Israel, saying, "Climate justice means freedom for Palestinians."

"Why? Because Israel’s ongoing oppression of Palestinians means they will suffer some of the most devastating impacts of climate change, and Israel’s constant bombing harms the climate, ultimately harming us all," Sunrise Movement continued. "While committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the Israeli military – which is backed and armed by the US – has released more carbon emissions than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations combined.

Democrats and left-wing leaders have long called criticisms of George Soros, who is a Hungarian-born Jew, antisemitic attacks. However, the Soros family’s funding of progressive anti-Israel agitators across the country, including those who mobilized at New York City’s Columbia University, has raised eyebrows as well.

Fox News Digital previously reported on Israel's minister of diaspora affairs and social equality, Amichai Chikli, saying that Alex is a mirror image of his father’s anti-Israel agenda.

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When asked if Alex will continue to fund anti-Israel entities that bash the Jewish state, Chikli said it "looks like the son is a replica of his father. We have no expectation that his son will be a big Zionist."

Chikli noted that the Soros foundation "gives money to radical small Palestinian organizations in Israel that describe Israel as a colonial state and a moral sin." 

Fox News Digital reached out to Open Society Foundations and the Sunrise Movement for comment, but neither responded in time for publication.

Benjamin Weinthal and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

The left-wing groups backing the anti-DOGE protests across the country have been funding a variety of progressive causes in recent years, including defunding the police, pushing socialism, anti-Israel protests and opposing President Donald Trump’s agenda in general. 

In a press release earlier this month, MoveOn.org announced that it was mobilizing resources as part of a "Congress Works for Us, Not Musk" initiative "aimed at pressuring lawmakers to fight back against the Trump-Musk agenda."

MoveOn.org has taken millions of dollars from George Soros and his Open Society Policy Center in recent years. Soros is one of the most prominent backers in the United States of left-wing issues, including backing progressive district attorneys that set out to "reimagine policing" in the United States.

Additionally, Fox News Digital has previously reported on the Soros network's ties to the anti-Israel protests that swept the country on college campuses last year. 

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Elon Musk has ramped up his criticism of Soros in recent months, particularly after former President Joe Biden awarded Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

MoveOn.org has also taken money from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which Fox News Digital previously reported has poured tens of millions of dollars into progressive causes in recent years and is bankrolled in part by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss. 

On June 5, 2020, MoveOn was calling for the defunding of police for the "defense of Black life," and the group has been a vocal opponent of U.S. Immigration and Customes Enforcement (ICE) while promoting individuals who want to abolish the outfit and sharing a letter in February 2021 claiming that "ICE and CBP were built to terrorize Black and brown communities."

"It’s no surprise the Biden Administration’s favorite billionaires are paying far-left activist groups to hold events designed to villainize Republicans," Congressional Leadership Fund spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair told Fox News Digital. "Democrats will do anything and everything they possibly can to stop President Trump and House Republicans from accomplishing the work the American people elected them to do." 

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Another group getting involved in the protests against Musk’s DOGE efforts has long been a major player in progressive politics. 

"Constituents braved the bitter cold at recess actions organized by the Working Families Party," a press release from the Working Families Party (WFP) said earlier this month, touting the group’s efforts to organize protests in multiple states at the offices of Republican officials. 

"The actions took place in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Rally speakers called attention to Donald Trump and the GOP’s plan to gut Medicaid, Medicare, and abolish the Department of Education."

The WFP, which self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders once said is the "closest thing there is to a political party that believes in my vision of democratic socialism", is a vocal supporter of the progressive "Squad" in Congress and has frequently advocated for defunding the police and ending cash bail in the past.

Maurice Mitchell, national director for WFP, hosted a "Progressives for Harris" video call in August 2024 – calling on his "comrades" to find "solidarity" in the fight against "Trumpism" and "American authoritarianism." 

A year before that, the WFP was actively criticizing Israel on social media over its immediate response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack carried out by Hamas that killed over 1,400 people. 

"We call on President Biden, Secretary Blinken and the administration to do everything in their power to push for de-escalation, a cease-fire, & adherence to international law," WFP posted on X days after the terrorist attack. "And we renew our call for the occupation to end as the necessary condition for any lasting peace."

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Financial disclosures show that WFP gave money to several progressive candidates during the 2024 cycle, including former Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush, in addition to Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Pramila Jayapal. 

Indivisible, a grassroots progressive organization, put out a memo encouraging activists to use last week’s recess to protest House lawmakers at their home offices amid the left’s backlash against Musk’s DOGE efforts, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

"Recess is when Members of Congress go back home to host town halls, meet with constituents, and try to paint themselves as responsive to the people who elected them. It is also when MoCs think they can avoid public scrutiny — especially Republicans who want to dodge tough questions about their complicity in Trump and Musk’s coup," the group’s site said.

Indivisible’s website states that it was originally "brought together by a practical guide to resist the Trump agenda" and has previously supported defunding the police along with ending cash bail. 

Indivisible has also been involved in protests calling to "abolish" ICE. 

"The Democrat Party has sold themselves out to the far-left crazies and their mega-donors who are funding these clown shows," NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital. 

"This isn’t grassroots — it’s manufactured outrage to distract from their failed and out of touch record."

Fox News Digital reached out to MoveOn, WFP, Indivisible, Open Society Foundations and the Wyss Foundation for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report

EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are getting an update on the Trump administration’s probe of billionaire George Soros’ influence on local radio, a source familiar with planning told Fox News Digital.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC), the 175-strong caucus led by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, is hosting Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr at its annual closed-door lunch on Wednesday.

The source familiar with the planning said Carr is expected to brief GOP lawmakers on the FCC’s investigation into Soros, including an investment firm he’s linked to purchasing over 200 Audacy radio stations nationwide.

Carr and Republicans are also expected to more widely discuss strategies for pushing back against media deemed to be biased against the GOP.

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The RSC is the largest grouping of lawmakers within the House GOP and traditionally acts as an informal think tank for the conference.

It has also been a conduit for several top Trump administration officials to Capitol Hill so far this year.

Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller addressed the RSC on immigration and President Donald Trump’s plan for executive action last month. Earlier in February, the group heard from Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

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An investment firm linked to Soros, a left-wing businessman who has sunk billions of dollars into liberal causes, became the largest stakeholder in radio giant Audacy at the tail end of the Biden administration late last year.

The Soros Investment Fund acquired roughly 40% of Audacy’s debts after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Republican lawmakers blasted the deal, including Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., both of whom called for intense scrutiny.

Carr signaled he wanted to set his sights on Soros late last year during an interview on "Mornings with Maria."

"There's a petition for reconsideration pending at the FCC right now. And I want to take a very hard look at that," he said in late November.

Fox News Digital reached out to the FCC and Audacy for comment.

President Biden was widely panned by conservatives on social media after warning in his final speech to the nation of an "oligarchy taking shape in America."

"That’s why my farewell address tonight, I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern," Biden said in his farewell speech on Wednesday night. "And this is a dangerous — and that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead."

"We see the consequences all across America. And we’ve seen it before."

Conservatives on social media quickly reacted to that comment with criticism pointing to the billionaires that Biden has associated with over the years, including liberal megadonor George Soros, who he recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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Fox News Digital previously reported on several billionaires who donated to President Biden's re-election campaign last year, including Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, and Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.

"Joe Biden didn’t call out Iran, China, or the wars he helped create in his farewell speech—but he attacked American citizens, calling them ‘oligarchs’ and ‘a threat to democracy,’" GOP Congresswoman Nancy Mace posted on X. "A fitting end to a presidency defined by blame and failure."

Mace added in another post, "Joe Biden discussing democracy, a free press, institutions and the abuse of power in his final farewell speech is rich."

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"Joe Biden, who just awarded the Medal of Freedom to George Soros and gave his own son a free pass for any and all federal crimes he committed over the course of a decade, now wants you to know that oligarchies are bad," conservative commentator Matt Walsh posted on X.

"Yes, Biden, opponent of the wealthy and powerful…who just gave the nation’s highest civilian honor to…George Soros, Hillary Clinton, Ralph Lauren (net worth $11 billion), and Magic Johnson (net worth $1.6 billion)" American Compass managing editor Drew Holden posted on X. 

"Biden’s oligarchy warning, while with merit, rings hollow from the leader of a party fueled by billionaires," former White House correspondent Ron Fournier posted on X. "Truth is, the monied class rules both halves of the corrupt duopoly."

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"INCREDIBLY RICH for Biden to warn about ‘power concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy people’ when their entire political apparatus has been fueled by Arabella Advisors and George Soros for decades," Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk has issued blistering criticism of liberal megadonor George Soros in recent days after President Biden awarded the Hungarian-born progressive with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

"A travesty that Biden is giving Soros the Medal of Freedom," Musk posted on X last week in response to news that the nation’s highest civilian honor would be presented to Soros, whose massive financial empire has been used all across the country to fund campaigns of progressive politicians, legislation, ballot measures and initiatives.

In another post, Musk wrote that Soros was a "genius" when it came to arbitrage, finance or politics, but "I just wish he loved, rather than hated, humanity."

"George Soros’s hatred of humanity includes Israel btw," Musk posted on X referencing a news story with the headline, "Israeli ambassador to UN slams George Soros for funding Hamas-supporting NGOs: Report."

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Musk also posted a meme of Biden handing the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Emperor Palpatine from the "Star Wars" film franchise and joked, "George Soros looking quite good here. Must be the lighting."

In another post, Musk posted a screenshot from Soros’ website accusing him of spending "billions to create the fake asylum-seeker nightmare that is destroying America and Europe."

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On Thursday, Musk responded on X to a comment from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni where she said that Musk is "not a danger to Democracy" but rather "George Soros is."

"And Soros is being defeated," Musk responded.

Soros, a mega-Democrat donor, runs a web of non-profits that bankroll various candidates around the world who align with his progressive agenda, including his Open Society Foundations. Soros has given over $32 billion to Open Society Foundations since 1984, according to its website. 

"President Biden’s decision to award George Soros the Medal of Freedom is a slap in the face to the citizens and crime victims suffering under the policies and politicians he has promoted," Zack Smith, Heritage Foundation legal fellow and co-author of "Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers Are Destroying America's Communities," recently told Fox News Digital.

"Soros has been a major donor to far-left politicians and has promoted policies that undermine the rule of law in our country. Given Biden’s embrace of these policies and the funding Soros has provided, this looks like nothing more than an effort to reward and keep happy one of the Left’s major donors (and his family). It cheapens what should be a prestigious award and gives everyday Americans yet another reason to be disgusted by the current Administration’s actions."

Soros has long been blamed by many experts and analysts for rising crime in major cities after his support of liberal district attorneys has pushed for a "reimagining" of policing or policies like ending cash bail or lowering sentencing requirements.  

A dozen of the 25 Soros-linked district attorneys on the ballot in November were defeated or recalled, signaling a backlash against progressive policies that critics say are to blame for a surge in crime across the country in recent years.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Open Society Foundations for comment but did not receive a response.

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

President Biden’s recent move to award the prestigious Medal of Freedom to progressive megadonor George Soros has sparked criticism both on social media and from one crime expert who spoke to Fox News Digital. 

"President Biden’s decision to award George Soros the Medal of Freedom is a slap in the face to the citizens and crime victims suffering under the policies and politicians he has promoted," Zack Smith, Heritage Foundation legal fellow and co-author of "Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers Are Destroying America's Communities," told Fox News Digital after a weekend ceremony awarding the Medal of Freedom to Soros, via his son Alex, who has taken over the family's $25 billion empire. 

"Soros has been a major donor to far-left politicians and has promoted policies that undermine the rule of law in our country. Given Biden’s embrace of these policies and the funding Soros has provided, this looks like nothing more than an effort to reward and keep happy one of the Left’s major donors (and his family).  It cheapens what should be a prestigious award and gives everyday Americans yet another reason to be disgusted by the current Administration’s actions."

The award, the nation’s highest civilian honor, is given to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors, the White House said in a statement.

'FAILED EXPERIMENT': EXPERTS REVEAL WHY SOROS-BACKED POLICIES TOOK BEATING IN DEEP BLUE STATE

Soros, a mega-Democrat donor, runs a web of non-profits that bankroll various candidates around the world who align with his progressive agenda, including his Open Society Foundations. Soros has given over $32 billion to Open Society Foundations since 1984, according to its website. 

The White House said that Soros’ philanthropy across the world has strengthened democracy, human rights, education and social justice.

NFL LEGEND BRETT FAVRE LEFT 'SPEECHLESS' AS BIDEN HONORS SOROS, CLINTON WITH MEDAL OF FREEDOM

Conservatives on social media disagreed and made the case that giving the medal to Soros sent the wrong message given the alleged effects Soros-backed policies have had on crime. 

"Police officers deserve the Medal of Freedom for dealing with violent criminals set free by Soros prosecutors," GOP Sen. Tom Cotton posted on X. 

"George Soros is responsible for the breakdown of American society," conservative lawyer Marina Medvin posted on X. "His goal is the destruction of the West. He supports illegal immigrants, Antifa, Palestinian terror enthusiasts, campus disrupters, etc. Of course this is all wonderful in Biden’s world. So he’s giving Soros the highest civilian honor."

"A travesty that Biden is giving Soros the Medal of Freedom," Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk posted on X. 

"A clear sign Joe Biden lost his mind or he's not in control, for awarding George Soros a Presidential Medal of Freedom," political commentator Richie Greenberg, who led the effort to recall Soros-backed San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin from office, posted on X.

"Few have risen to the level of criminal justice arch-nemesis as Soros has. This is a slap to countless victims of crime enabled by Soros DAs. Truly disgusting."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Open Society Foundations but did not receive a response. 

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also awarded the Medal of Freedom on Saturday, prompting similar outrage from conservatives.

Clinton, the White House said, made "history many times over decades in public service," becoming the first female senator from New York and the first first lady to hold elected office.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report

• Big-name managers mostly performed well in 2024, but some under-the-radar players soared.
• Managers like Glen Kacher's Light Street and David Rogers' Castle Hook returned 60% last year.
• Jason Mudrick's firm returned more than 31%, a person close to the manager said.

The biggest hedge funds in the world — names like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium — had good years in 2024, as Business Insider has reported.

While most of these funds failed to match the S&P 500's 23% gain, their investors love their consistency and risk management.

But allocators also need managers who can make big bets and rip past peers and the market in a good year, as seen in the growth and interest in Chris Rokos' eponymous fund.

BI identified a few hedge funds that have been around but are not as recognizable as their industry subsector peers — though that might change after their impressive performance.

Big-name macro funds, for example, had strong years thanks to geopolitical events like the US election, which many were able to capitalize on. Rokos, PointState, and Rob Citrone's Discovery Capital Management all recorded large gains — but none of these bigger names matched the 60% gain by David Rogers' Castle Hook.

Rogers, a former investor in George Soros' family office, launched Castle Hook in 2016 with his fellow Soros alum Joshua Donfeld with capital from the billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller. The manager now runs $4.4 billion, a person close to the firm said.

Light Street Capital, a Tiger Cub run out of California by Glen Kacher, is smaller and less well known than other firms linked to Tiger Management's late Julian Robertson, such as Tiger Global, Coatue, and Viking Global. But Light Street's 59.4% gain last year and Kacher's focus on artificial intelligence are sure to draw attention.

Kacher said on X that his "AI5 basket" outperformed the Magnificent Seven last year. There's some overlap between the two groups of stocks, specifically Nvidia and Microsoft, but the other holdings in his basket are semiconductor and AI-infrastructure companies such as Advanced Micro Devices and Broadcom.

Meanwhile, when stocks are soaring, there's often a lack of interest in credit managers, especially those playing in the distressed space. But Jason Mudrick's $4 billion firm managed to pull out a market-beating year, a person close to the firm told BI.

The person said Mudrick Capital made 31.7% for the year and ended 2024 by investing up to $50 million in the flailing British flying-taxi startup Vertical Aerospace to bail the company out.

By comparison, the average credit fund, according to Hedge Fund Research, returned less than 10% through November.

Social media erupted in anger Saturday morning with news that President Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros.

The award, the nation’s highest civilian honor, is given to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors, the White House said in a statement.

Tesla founder Elon Musk led the furious outcry, labeling the decision to award Soros the honor as "a travesty."

Musk shared a video clip of himself on Joe Rogan's podcast, where he said he believed that Soros "fundamentally hates humanity."

"He's doing things that erode the fabric of civilization. You know, getting DAs elected who refuse to prosecute crime," he says in the clip. 

PRESIDENT BIDEN AWARDS MEDAL OF HONOR TO SEVEN ARMY VETERANS

Online commentator Blake Habyan wrote, "What a joke — these people have done the exact opposite of what the award is intended for," while Natalie F. Danelishen wrote that the news could be a Babylon Bee story given how unbelievable it is. 

"Seriously, two of the worst people on earth," she wrote.

Clinton, the White House said, made "history many times over decades in public service" and the first female senator from New York and the first First Lady to hold elected office.

After serving as Secretary of State, she became the first woman nominated for president by a major United States political party. As the Democrat nominee, she lost her bid to be the country’s first female president when she lost to President-elect Trump in the 2016 election.

However, her tenure as Secretary of State came in for much criticism over her handling of the war in Libya and the attack on United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012. Four Americans died in the attack, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

She also used a private email server for government business. Although FBI Director James Comey said publicly that Clinton had mishandled classified information, he declined to recommend prosecution, and the Department of Justice refused to move forward with the case.

Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was given the same honor by former President Barack Obama. 

Soros, a mega-Democrat donor, runs a web of non-profits that bankroll various candidates around the world who align with his progressive agenda, including his Open Society Foundations. Soros has given over $32 billion to Open Society Foundations since 1984, according to its website. 

The White House said that Soros’ philanthropy across the world has strengthened democracy, human rights, education and social justice.

However, commentators on the right have slammed him for funding progressive district attorneys who have been light on crime, which they say has led to crime waves in Blue cities. 

Saturday's ceremony comes just days after Biden awarded former Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Mississippi Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson with the Presidential Citizens Medal after the pair oversaw the controversial Jan. 6 House Select Committee. The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second-highest civilian medal.

Clinton and Soros are among 17 other prominent figures to be granted the award, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Those being presented with the honor represent prominent figures in politics, fashion, sport entertainment and activism.

Robert Francis Kennedy, the former Attorney General, will be posthumously awarded the gong, while other notable recipients include actors Denzel Washington and Michael J. Fox, U2 frontman Bono, former basketballer Earvin "Magic" Johnson and soccer star Lionel Messi.

"President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else," a White House statement reads. "These nineteen Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world."

SOROS DAS SUFFER 12 BIG DEFEATS, BILLIONAIRE'S AGENDA FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Kennedy, the father of former Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is being recognized for combatting racial segregation and as a United States Senator, "sought to address poverty and inequality in the country."

His legacy continues to inspire those committed to justice, equality and public service, the White House said. 

José Andrés, celebrity chef and founder of the World Central Kitchen charity group.

Bono, frontman for rock band U2 and an activist against AIDS and poverty. 

Ashton Baldwin Carter (posthumous), 25th Secretary of Defense.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady and former Secretary of State. 

Michael J. Fox, Emmy, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning actor and advocate for Parkinson’s disease research and development.

Tim Gill, entrepreneur, LGBTQ rights advocate. 

Dr. Jane Goodall, world-renowned ethologist and conservationist.

Fannie Lou Hamer (posthumous), civil rights advocate and founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson, legendary retired basketball player and philanthropist who supports underserved communities through his Magic Johnson Foundation.

Robert Francis Kennedy (posthumous), former U.S. Attorney General and Senator.

Ralph Lauren, world-renowned fashion designer and cancer research advocate 

Lionel Messi, soccer’s most decorated player, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador who supports healthcare and education programs for children

William Sanford Nye, often referred to as "Bill Nye the Science Guy," a science educator who advocates for space exploration and environmental stewardship.

George W. Romney (posthumous), businessman and former Governor of Michigan

David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group, philanthropist who supports the restoration of historic landmarks and cultural institutions.

George Soros, philanthropist and Open Society Foundations founder.

George Stevens, Jr., author and playright. 

Denzel Washington, actor, director, and producer who has won two Academy Awards. Served as National Spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for over 25 years.

Anna Wintour, fashion icon and the editor-in-chief of Vogue.

FIRST ON FOX: Several celebrities and media figures turned out in New York City on Wednesday night for liberal mega donor Alex Soros and former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s engagement party.

Fox News Digital obtained photos of guests leaving the engagement party, which took place at the SoHo home of Vogue executive Anna Wintour, showing former President Bill Clinton and Hillary attending the party along with MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

Also in attendance were Hollywood couple Adrian Brody and Georgina Chapman, as well as fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and her husband, media mogul Barry Diller.

Soros and Abedin announced their engagement on social media over the summer, with Soros sharing a photo of himself down on one knee. 

ELON MUSK WANTS TO MEET ALEX SOROS — AND SOROS SAYS HE'S OPEN TO IT

"This happened…we couldn’t be happier, more grateful, or more in love," Soros wrote in an Instagram post. 

Abedin, the 48-year-old longtime aide to former Secretary of State Clinton, revealed to the public earlier this year that she was getting romantic with the 38-year-old Soros in a Valentine's Day post on Instagram, showing the pair cozying up behind a table full of roses at a restaurant booth in Paris. 

EX-CLINTON AIDE HUMA ABEDIN ENGAGED TO GEORGE SOROS' SON

The engagement of the progressive power couple comes seven years after Abedin separated from her first husband, disgraced Democratic politician Anthony Weiner. She filed for divorce in 2017, although it was not finalized until years later.

Abedin has been a staunch Clinton ally since she began interning for the former first lady in the White House back in 1996. She went on to work for her as a top aide in the State Department, the Clinton Foundation, as well as Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. She joined MSNBC in 2022.

Soros, 39, has been making headlines ever since he took control of his father's mammoth multibillion-dollar Open Society Foundations in June 2023. Since then, he has been jet-setting around and meeting with top Democratic officials, former President Clinton and even attending meetings with Pope Francis. Soros has also visited President Biden's White House at least 20 times, records show. 

Soros has posted dozens of photos of himself and leading House and Senate Democrats since 2018. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California appear the most often on his social media feeds. He also posted a photo with Vice President Kamala Harris, writing, "Great to recently catch up with Madame Vice President, [Kamala Harris]!"

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

A conservative research group has sent a letter to President-elect Trump’s Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, calling on her to fire a number of Department of Justice (DOJ) workers who it says are "woke radical leftists and donors" who cannot be trusted to carry out Trump’s agenda.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) wrote to Bondi urging her to sack the individuals who currently work for the agency’s Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division, claiming that they have pushed transgender issues, worked for George Soros-linked organizations and donated to radical left-wing politicians and groups. The voting section is tasked with enforcing federal laws that protect the right to vote.

"These people are woke radical leftists and donors who have no place in the Department of Justice," the group writes in the letter signed by AAF President Thomas Jones. "In order to restore the American people’s trust in election integrity and a neutral civil service, they must be fired and replaced with America-first attorneys who will execute on the agenda the American People voted for in November."

CONSERVATIVE GROUP COMPILES LIST OF 'WOKE' SENIOR OFFICERS THEY WANT PETE HEGSETH TO FIRE

The letter, which rails against the "deep state" terrorizing the country and "threatening democracy itself," was also addressed to Harmett Dhillon, President-elect Trump’s nominee for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Bondi is the former Florida Attorney General.

The letter zeroes on DOJ employees Janie Sitton, Catherine Meza, Daniel Freeman, John "Bert" Russ IV and Dana Paikowsky, and attempts to make a case as to why they are unfit to work at the agency. AAF also promises to share more information on "problematic staff" in the future. 

Sitton, the group says, is being singled out for her promotion of the transgender agenda and donating to leftist politicians. 

In 2000, while working for the DOJ, Sitton authored an article that called for the adoption of a new legal system deemed "transgender jurisprudence" and stated the need to "rethink" the basic known "assumptions and constructs upon which our society and laws are based." 

Sitton even took issue with common traditions such as identifying a newborn infant as a boy or girl based on the child’s sex, arguing that society has been wrong to assume or assign a gender to infants, the AAF says.

Paikowsky, the group says, has worked for years advancing far-left political agendas, including pushing for prisoners to vote, and has deep ties with Soros-linked organizations. 

WHO IS PAM BONDI, TRUMP'S NEW PICK FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL?

In addition to donating to liberal politicians, Paikowsky’s LinkedIn shows that she worked as a policy associate for the Open Society Foundations, an organization founded by the billionaire financier.

Shortly after graduating from Harvard Law School, Paikowsky then went to work for the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) as a fellow for the Equal Justice Works program while also working as a legal intern for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. The CLC has received significant funding from Soros in recent years, according to the AAF.

A 2019 law review article Paikowsky wrote for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review suggested an extensive framework to turn "jails into polling places" and described numerous examples of local elections across the nation, including local district attorney races, where a small number of inmate voters could have changed the election results, according to the AAF.

The group also slams Meza, who is an attorney at the voting division, for supporting gun control while she was chief counsel for the NAACP and claiming that she had accused people of not wearing masks or observing proper social distancing rules as forms of voter intimidation in 2020. 

Russ made the list for being an attorney for the DOJ who had filed a 2021 complaint against Georgia’s election integrity initiatives. The complaint accused the state of having racist intentions by prohibiting unsolicited absentee ballots from being mailed to voters, requiring voter identification and prohibiting the potential bribing of voters with food and drinks at polling places.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ’s Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Fox News Digital also asked the agency whether each of those named in the letter would like to respond.  

It's not the first time the AAF has sought to influence the makeup of the federal government under Trump. Last week, the group compiled a list of "woke" senior officers they want Pete Hegseth to sack, should he be confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

READ THE LETTER BELOW. APP USERS CLICK HERE.

• BuzzFeed used to be a high-flying digital publisher. Now it has shrunk considerably.
• BuzzFeed needed to find a way to pay off a big debt obligation due this month.
• It solved that problem by selling the company behind "Hot Ones" for $83 million to a fund controlled by investor George Soros.

Good news for BuzzFeed: It no longer has a huge debt problem looming over its head.

Slightly less good news for BuzzFeed: Solving the debt problem means the company needed to sell one of its buzziest assets — First We Feast, the production company that owns the "Hot Ones" interview show.

And now Hot Ones — the show where celebrities answer questions while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings — is going to be owned by … investor George Soros and his family.

There's a bit going on here. We can break it down in a minute. But the big picture is that BuzzFeed, once considered a world-beating digital publisher, has staved off a potential extinction event (and, for what it's worth, has likely extinguished a threat posed by investor and political player Vivek Ramaswamy). And in addition, George Soros has added another asset to an interesting collection of media investments he has assembled in the past few years.

OK. Here are the details: As I've noted before, BuzzFeed was on the hook for $124 million in debt and interest payments and was facing the prospect of having to pay it back this month.

But now BuzzFeed has sold First We Feast/Hot Ones to what it's calling a consortium "led by an affiliate of Soros Fund Management LLC" for $82.5 million in cash. Then it took the proceeds from that sale, threw in some cash it already had on hand, and paid back some $90 million of its debt obligations. BuzzFeed says it has $30 million in debt remaining, and that money is due in a year.

"BuzzFeed says its remaining businesses — BuzzFeed, the pop culture site best known for listicles, quizzes, and celebrity news; Huffington Post, the left-leaning news site; and Tasty, its food vertical — will power the company in the future, along with what CEO Jonah Peretti calls "new AI-powered interactive experiences."

First We Feast, meanwhile, says it will now operate as a standalone company. It says the deal and its new ownership structure will let it "fuel existing and new content franchises" and fund "future partnerships and acquisitions with other creators." A press release from the company says "Hot Ones" host Sean Evans is one of the investors in the new company, which suggests he's going to be sticking around for a while.

And while it might seem weird for Soros, who is worth a reported $7.2 billion and whose funding of liberal causes has made him a bogeyman for some US conservatives, to own a celebrity interview show, it's not a total shocker, for a couple of reasons.

For starters, Soros' empire — now run by his son Alex — has been making movies into media over the last few years. In 2022, it acquired a minority stake in Crooked Media, the podcast company best known for its "Pod Save America" show. And earlier this year, Soros acquired a controlling stake in Audacy, a bankrupt radio company with more than 200 stations in the US — a deal that incensed some Republicans.

There's also some connective tissue between Soros and BuzzFeed at play here via media executive Michael Del Nin. Back in 2021, Del Nin put together the deal that allowed BuzzFeed to go public, and he was set to become one of BuzzFeed's top executives in 2022. Instead, Del Nin went to Soros, where he leads the investment company's media unit.

The deal also means that BuzzFeed has reduced its risk that Ramaswamy, an investor and soon-to-be DOGE cochair advising the next Trump administration, will have meaningful influence in its future.

Earlier this year, Ramaswamy bought up a 9% stake in BuzzFeed and told Peretti he should bring a group of conservative media types onto BuzzFeed's board and turn BuzzFeed into a Twitter-style platform. Then he suggested that when BuzzFeed's debt came due this month, the company would be unable to pay it back and that somehow Ramaswamy would end up controlling the company. That doesn't seem like an option anymore.

FIRST ON FOX: Austin, Texas, police officers past and present are speaking out against the county’s progressive district attorney after a fellow officer was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday for what they say was a case of him performing his job the right way. 

Austin police officer Christopher Taylor was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of deadly conduct, after originally being charged with murder in the shooting death of 46-year-old Mauris DeSilva in 2019. 

DeSilva was in the midst of a mental health episode, walking around an apartment complex, threatening to harm himself and holding a knife to his throat, when he failed to drop the knife after being instructed by officers to do so.

Fox News Digital spoke to several members of the law enforcement community in Austin who say that Taylor’s prosecution represents a malicious targeting of police officers on the part of the county’s progressive district attorney, Jose Garza. 

SOROS-BACKED 'ANTI-POLICE' DA SPARKS OUTRAGE AFTER SHOWING UP TO FALLEN OFFICER FUNERAL: 'SLAP IN THE FACE'

"The weaponization of our Justice System by Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza has taken away the life of Officer Chris Taylor today," Austin police officer Justin Berry told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

"Chris knew that by wearing the badge of a police officer he may be called to make the ultimate sacrifice in the service and protection of another officer or his community. I do not believe he, nor his family, ever thought his life would be taken by a malicious District Attorney with a spiteful agenda against a police officer trying to protect himself and others. I have spoken with Law Enforcement leaders from around Texas and we all stand behind Officer Chris Taylor and the other maliciously persecuted officers against the ongoing weaponization of the justice system for rogue District Attorneys to abuse with impunity."

Garza has long faced criticism from law enforcement in Austin for an alleged "war on cops" after the Soros-backed district attorney campaigned on indicting police officers and "reimagining" policing in Austin. Soros contributed $652,000 to the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC in the months leading up to the 2020 Travis County DA election, according to campaign finance records. That same PAC spent almost $1 million on digital and mail advertisements to help Garza’s campaign.

Berry, who was one of over a dozen police officers indicted by Garza for their role in quelling Black Lives Matter riots in 2020, told Fox News Digital that Taylor’s situation "highlights the historic abuse of office by Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza to further his personal war against the men and women of the Austin Police Department."

"Today Garza sent a clear message that police officers in Travis County, Texas are prohibited from defending themselves and others (to include members of this very community)," Berry told Fox News Digital. "When an armed subject charges at an officer to harm or kill that officer, every police officer has always been trained and taught they are legally justified in defending themselves or others from serious bodily injury or death. Today that is no longer the case in Austin, Texas. Jose Garza has set the policy that no police officer should respond to ANY call involving anyone in a mental health crisis, especially if they are armed with a weapon."

SOROS DA PUT MURDER CASE ON 'BACK BURNER' BECAUSE IT DOESN'T 'FIT' LIBERAL AGENDA: VICTIM'S FAMILY

A second Austin police officer, who was granted anonymity in order to speak freely, called Tuesday a "sad" and "dark day" for Austin.

"No one wants to go to these mental health calls anymore and, if we do go, there will be some hesitation," the officer said. "This conviction will cause people to get hurt when they otherwise wouldn’t have.

"We’re all heart broken for Chris and his family. Chris showed up, answered the call, utilized sound tactics and decision-making, and is now looking at a two-year prison sentence. We haven’t gotten any meaningful guidance because — what do you change when Chris did it the right way?"

AUSTIN'S SOROS-BACKED DA BLASTED AFTER MAN CHARGED WITH 7TH DUI, KILLING 2 PEOPLE RELEASED ON BOND

The officers who spoke with Fox News Digital maintain that Taylor followed his training, which was backed up by testimony in Taylor’s defense from former Austin police chief Brian Manley and former Austin assistant city manager Bruce Mills. Additionally, an internal police department review of the incident concluded Taylor followed protocol, and he was allowed to return to work.

The prosecution argued that Taylor, believed to be the first police officer in Travis County to be convicted for use of force, could have defused the situation without deadly force and that DeSilva was not a threat at the time deadly force was used. 

"We lost him because of your ignorance," DeSilva’s father said in court. "You were reckless. You know very well that he was not a danger to you, Mr. Taylor, or anyone else. I have no idea why you decided to shoot him."

Dennis Farris, president of Austin Police Retired Officers Association, pointed Fox News Digital to evidence in the trial that DeSilva had meth in his system, a blood alcohol level of over .20 and testimony that DeSilva was moving toward the officers armed with a knife from a short distance away. 

"We as a society cannot expect police officers to go out every day and protect us while they worry if they will be indicted by some elected DA who decides what they did was criminal," Farris told Fox News Digital. "Chris Taylor followed the law and his training in dealing with this situation and somehow the prosecutors convinced a jury that it was unlawful."

'FAILED EXPERIMENT': EXPERTS REVEAL WHY SOROS-BACKED POLICIES TOOK BEATING IN DEEP BLUE STATE

"This verdict and sentence are absolutely a miscarriage of justice by a DA who is targeting police officers for doing their job and letting real criminals off with little or no punishment," he said.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT) said Garza has "set out on a mission and has engaged in the political persecution of nearly 30 brave law enforcement officers across this county."

"Officer Taylor followed his training and written procedures and acted exactly as any reasonable officer would have," the statement from CLEAT said. "That was made clear by several witnesses to include the former Chief of Police of the Austin Police Department. Countless experts in use of force and police procedures testified that his actions were justified and well within nationally recognized training standards and protocols. On behalf of our organization and its 28,000 members, we stand by Officer Taylor, his family, and the members of the Austin Police Department."

When contacted by Fox News Digital regarding the concerns from law enforcement, Garza’s office responded with a statement saying, "In this case, Mr. Taylor was convicted by a Travis County jury and sentenced by a Travis County Judge."

"We are grateful for our devoted team who worked diligently to ensure accountability for the defendant and to seek justice for the victim and their family," Garza’s office said in a statement Tuesday night, KVUE-TV reported. "We truly hope this outcome brings comfort and support to the DeSilva family as they continue their healing journey."

Garza's office had previously charged Taylor with murder in an unrelated case shortly after taking office in 2020. That case ended in a mistrial in November of last year, and his office has said that case will not be brought again.

Roughly half a dozen police officers are currently facing charges in Travis County and Berry told Fox News Digital that the families of those officers are in dire need of support. 

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"Chris is not the only officer under Garza’s hit list, there are many other Austin Police Officers awaiting their sham trials in this political miscarriage of justice," Berry said. "These officers and their families have had their entire lives ripped from them and are left waiting for their trial date to have Jose Garza take his shot at ending their lives too. Enough is enough with this abuse of power and miscarriage of justice. These officers and their families also need our support in what seems like a hopeless time for them."

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock, in a statement posted on X, wrote that he believes Garza is playing "political games."

"Throughout this trial they have ignored and tried to discredit their own experts, claimed to be tactical experts, gone after other officers who were called in to testify, and made every attempt to vilify the Austin Police Department," Bullock wrote. "Tonight, Dexter Gilford from the DA’s office went as far as saying the DA’s office knows more about tactics than the officers who actually face these realities every day.

"This District Attorney has given sweetheart plea deals to rapists and violent criminals; while ignoring victims, he has spent untold amounts of taxpayer money to repeatedly go after Detective Taylor who was put in an impossible situation and forced to defend himself and others against someone high on meth and armed with a knife. No matter how much Garza will try to convince people otherwise, he is actively making our city more dangerous by freeing criminals and targeting cops."

• A 2017 presentation for macro investor Scott Bessent's hedge fund explains his research process and "edge."
• Bessent, the nominee for Treasury secretary by President-elect Donald Trump, said his "guiding research principle is change."
• His firm, Key Square Capital, struggled to generate returns despite its strong pedigree.

As Scott Bessent's political profile rose, so did the chatter around his macro hedge fund's relatively poor returns.

Bessent — the former righthand man for billionaire George Soros and now the nominee for Treasury secretary by President-elect Donald Trump — saw billions of dollars leave his firm, Key Square Capital, after its 2016 launch, Reuters reported. The manager lost money in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021 before notching double-digit gains in the last three years. This year's gains were helped by a bet on Trump's reelection.

In macro investing though, performance can be choppy, and Bessent's investing process is a throwback to old-school macro traders like his former boss, according to a 2017 Key Square presentation reviewed by Business Insider.

It's not clear if there have been any changes to the investment process in the seven years since the presentation was created. Bessent worked for Soros for 15 years and, before that, was the first-ever analyst for legendary short-seller Jim Chanos' Kynikos Associates.

The presentation details how Bessent might go about crafting his views on fiscal policy in his new role, should he be confirmed by the Senate following Trump's inauguration.

"Key Square views its research process as a think tank that is bolted on to disciplined trading and risk management," one slide reads. The manager describes the team as "aggressive intellectuals" who "organize frequent teach-ins" and have a constant stream of outside experts coming to the office to speak to the team.

"Our guiding research principle is change," the presentation continues, stating that there isn't a "singular framework" for evaluating potential investments, but instead an evolving view that changes when new information is available.

The firm prides itself on finding that new information. The presentation claims that the Key Square team reads "voraciously," travels frequently, and taps the firm's "unparalleled global network of contacts consisting of policymakers, political advisors, industry leaders, corporate management teams, consultants, academics, and market participants."

Sell-side analysts, though, do not factor heavily into Key Square's process.

"We finish rather than start with the Street," the presentation states, tapping the research teams at big banks only to "understand consensus or seek alternative views."

The presentation also said that it considered the firm's patience and investment horizon a part of its "competitive edge."

"We are investors, not traders," the presentation reads. The typical investment is held for one to three years, and the firm is comfortable waiting to put money to work until the timing is right.

"We invest in the future, study the past, and focus on current pricing."

• Scott Bessent, a billionaire investor, was confirmed by the Senate in a bipartisan 68-29 vote.
• Bessent spent years working for George Soros before founding a hedge fund.
• He backs many of President Trump's proposals, including deregulation and tariffs.

The Senate confirmed on Monday Scott Bessent, a Wall Street veteran and campaign ally of President Donald Trump, as treasury secretary, one of the highest-profile cabinet posts.

Bessent won confirmation to the key position in a 68-29 vote.

On Saturday, the Senate advanced Bessent's nomination in a 67-23 vote — with 15 Democrats joining Republicans in backing him — which forecasted the relatively easy confirmation vote.

"Mr. Bessent rose from challenging economic circumstances to a career in the world of finance," GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said on Monday hours before the final vote. "He brings a wealth of private-sector experience in the economy and markets to his new role, as well as a concern for the needs of working Americans."

Bessent will guide Trump's second-term economic agenda of reducing regulations, cutting taxes, and instituting tariffs.

During Bessent's confirmation hearing with the Senate Finance Committee earlier in January, he said Americans face "significant challenges" in an economy that he said hasn't generated sufficient opportunities for working people.

"We have an affordability crisis, a housing shortage — and for the first time in my lifetime, parents feel as though the American dream is slipping away from their children," he said.

"We must work to get our fiscal house in order," he added.

Trump rallied behind Bessent after the 2024 presidential election.

"Scott is widely respected as one of the World's foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists," the president said upon nominating Bessent last November, adding, "we will ensure that no Americans will be left behind in the next and Greatest Economic Boom, and Scott will lead that effort for me, and the Great People of the United States of America."

Bessent, 62, founded and runs the macro hedge fund Key Square Group and emerged as a key economic advisor to Trump during the 2024 campaign.

Bessent was a top choice for Trump early in the cabinet selection process. He widened his search, however, adding former Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Kevin Warsh and billionaire investor Marc Rowan to the mix after growing frustrated by the "knife fight" jockeying between Bessent and Cantor Fitzgerald chief executive Howard Lutnick over the position, The New York Times reported last year.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk chimed in during that time, throwing his support behind Lutnick for Treasury secretary.

"My view fwiw is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas @howardlutnick will actually enact change," Musk wrote.

But Trump instead nominated Lutnick for commerce secretary.

'One of the most brilliant men on Wall Street'

Bessent's journey to the top tier of the GOP financial world hasn't been entirely linear, though — it includes years working for the liberal philanthropist George Soros and hosting a fundraiser for Al Gore, a former Democratic vice president.

The billionaire investor spent his childhood in South Carolina. His father went bankrupt investing in real estate, which Bessent later said led him to get his first summer job when he was 9 years old, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Bessent attended Yale University and broke onto the investing scene after working for Soros' first partner, James Rogers. He joined Soros Fund Management in 1991.

By 2011, Bessent was Soros' chief investment officer, and he was instrumental in the fund's hugely successful bets against the British pound and Japanese yen. In 2015, Bessent broke off to start Key Square. He hasn't talked to Soros in years, The Wall Street Journal said.

In 2011, Bessent married his husband, John Freeman, a former New York City prosecutor. They primarily live in Charleston, South Carolina, with their two children. They spend their spare time preserving historic mansions and used to own an 1880s-era house in Southampton, New York.

Despite his nomination that would put him at the center of Trumpworld, Bessent has a somewhat checkered political history. He disagreed with much of the work Soros did through his nonprofit and has primarily donated to Republican candidates, though he's helped Democrats on occasion. In 2000, Bessent held a fundraiser at his home for Gore's presidential bid.

By 2016, Bessent was inching toward Trump, telling people that they weren't taking Trump seriously enough as a candidate. After Trump won the general election, Bessent donated $1 million to his inaugural committee. Though Bessent has known Trump's family for decades, the 2024 race brought him closer to the president — Trump has called Bessent "one of the most brilliant men on Wall Street" and "a nice-looking guy."

Rather than slam Bessent for his previous connections to Soros, a favorite right-wing punching bag, Trump appears impressed by how successful he was at Soros' firm.

Bessent donated $3 million to Trump-aligned PACs and Republican committees this election cycle. His support extended beyond his pocketbook, as he frequently conferred with campaign officials on economic plans. Known for his interest in niche economic data, Bessent helped draft speeches and write policy proposals for Trump's economic agenda. By the end of the race, Bessent was fully woven into Trump's orbit; he attended the last two rallies and watched from Mar-a-Lago as election results rolled in.

As the new treasury secretary, Bessent faces a mixed economic landscape. While unemployment is low and the economy is growing at a healthy clip, Americans remain frustrated by high prices and what they see as runaway inflation.

Dubbed a "Trump whisperer" by Forbes, Bessent has signaled support for some of Trump's key proposals.

Among Bessent's top priorities is shrinking the country's significant debt, primarily through increasing growth and, in turn, boosting tax revenues. He has also supported Trump's tariffs proposal, telling CNBC that they should be "layered in gradually" to spread out any inflationary impact.

At one point, Bessent floated the idea of a shadow Federal Reserve chair — under his theory, Trump would nominate a replacement to lead the central bank before Jerome Powell's term ends in 2026.

However, after facing blowback, Bessent walked back the idea.

Bessent has advised Trump on a "3-3-3 policy," which the Journal described as "cutting the budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product by 2028, spurring GDP growth of 3% through deregulation, and producing an additional 3 million barrels of oil or its equivalent a day."

On November 10, the Journal published an opinion piece by Bessent that praised Trump's economic vision. The markets, he wrote, were evidently giddy about the president's return to the White House. Beyond lavishing praise on Trump, he said that the US should slash bank regulations, overhaul the Inflation Reduction Act, and reinvigorate American energy investment.

"Mr. Trump has turned around the economy before, and he is ready to do so again," Bessent said.

Business magnate Elon Musk expressed interest in meeting Alex Soros, who replied that he would be open to it. 

Alex Soros is a son of nonagenarian liberal megadonor George Soros.

"I would be curious to meet and understand your goals better," Musk wrote to Alex Soros on X.

"I often learn most from people whose views are different than my own. Open to meeting," Soros replied.

ELON MUSK BLASTS JOHN BOLTON AS ‘STAGGERINGLY DUMB WARMONGER’ AFTER CRITICISM OF TRUMP AG PICK MATT GAETZ

A video that recently circulated online showed Musk raising his hand after someone asked where there was a "George Soros of the right."

Musk, who strongly supported President-elect Donald Trump's 2024 White House bid, has likened himself to a centrist version of Soros.

"More accurate would be that I'm ‘George Soros’ of the middle. I don’t want the pendulum to swing too far right, but right now it’s just too far left," he posted.

ELON MUSK DUBS HIMSELF THE ‘’GEORGE SOROS' OF THE MIDDLE'

During a 2023 appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience," Musk said that in his view, George Soros "fundamentally hates humanity."

Alex Soros is chair of the board of directors of the Open Society Foundations, which was founded by his father.

"The Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, are the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights," according to opensocietyfoundations.org.

ELON MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY APPROVE THE ‘VERY REASONABLE PROPOSAL’ TO ABOLISH DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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Trump has tapped Musk and former GOP presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to work for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The president-elect said in a statement that DOGE "will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before."