Republicans were counting their financial losses on Tuesday after the death of megadonor Sheldon Adelson and as some of America's biggest companies abandoned the party over last week's riot at the US Capitol.
It remains unclear exactly how many millions of dollars the Republican Party will lose in the absence of casino magnate Adelson and as major firms such as AT&T, General Electric and Verizon turn their backs on the party.
But the financial hits come at a tough time, as the party has lost control of the Senate and the White House and as anger is high over Republican politicians goading the mob of angry Trump supporters that besieged the US Capitol.
Speaking with The National and others on Tuesday, John Bolton, a prominent Republican and former national security adviser, said the corporate funding pullouts were a signal of disdain for Republicans, but that their impact would take months to count.
“I think it's an expression of their distaste for the Trump effort to overturn the results of the election. I think that's entirely understandable,” said Mr Bolton, who served in the Trump administration until he was ousted by the president in September 2019.
Still, said Mr Bolton, these “companies said they were going to pause their contributions, which implies, if not explicitly, that they will resume them at some point”.
Few firms make big donations in the months after presidential elections, he added.
Some of the biggest corporations in the US have said they would halt donations to Republicans who voted against certifying the results of the presidential election last week, including insurance federation Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, banking company Citigroup and hospitality company Marriott.
“We continuously evaluate our political contributions to ensure that those we support share our values and goals,” said Blue Cross Blue Shield Association chief executive and president Kim Keck in a statement.
“In light of this week’s violent, shocking assault on the US Capitol and the votes of some members of Congress to subvert the results of November’s election by challenging Electoral College results, [we] will suspend contributions to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy.”
Other companies understood to be pulling or reviewing future political donations include Bank of America, Comcast, Ford, Best Buy, CVS, Exxon Mobil, FedEx, Airbnb and Boston Scientific, a medical technology firm.
The blowback followed an attack on the US Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters last Wednesday, incited by the president's unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud and the about 150 Republicans who voted the same day to reject Joe Biden's electoral victory.
At least five people died in the attack, which forced politicians into hiding for several hours as their offices were ransacked by Trump supporters and far-right extremists.
The 147 Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate who voted to challenge Mr Biden’s electoral win are those most likely to lose funding, which pays for crucial political advertising during campaigns.
They include the top two House Republicans, Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise, and senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Rick Scott, who is heading efforts to win back the Senate in the 2022 elections.
Another big financial loss is anticipated following the death of Mr Adelson, the owner of the Las Vagas Sands casino and an important Republican donor and power broker. He died at 87 from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
According to Forbes, Mr Adelson was 28th on its list of billionaires last year. The hawkish pro-Israel tycoon reportedly contributed about $220 million to Mr Trump’s failed 2020 re-election bid, as well as to other Republican candidates.
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E77kWh%202%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E178bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E410Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh%2C150%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETBC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
RACE CARD
4.30pm: Maiden Dh80,000 1,400m
5pm: Conditions Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 3 Dh300,000 1,400m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (30-60) Dh80,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (40-70) Dh80,000 1,600m.
Lewis Hamilton in 2018
Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th
The%20specs
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Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
Dubai Creek Open in numbers
- The Dubai Creek Open is the 10th tournament on this year's Mena Tour
- It is the first of five events before the season-concluding Mena Tour Championship
- This week's field comprises 120 players, 21 of which are amateurs
- 15 previous Mena Tour winners are competing at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
