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Beyoncé and Taylor Swift speculation swirls as Hollywood heads to Chicago for Democratic convention

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1 year ago

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When Barack Obama accepted his presidential nomination at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Jennifer Lopez was in town, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner attended the proceedings together, and Kanye West performed at an Obama campaign party.

Four conventions later, many things are different in Hollywood – but the A-list enthusiasm for the party’s presidential ticket remains the same.

Not since the Obama years has celebrity enthusiasm been so high, merging the world of pop culture and politics as the race to kicks into high gear with this week’s Democratic convention in Chicago.

John Legend – who performed at the 2008 and 2020 conventions – is set to headline a show Tuesday for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. On Wednesday afternoon, “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hosting a panel with the country’s eight female Democratic governors. And on Wednesday night, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will perform at a benefit concert thrown by the Creative Coalition, a Hollywood advocacy nonprofit. Notable actors expected to attend include Tim Daly, Uzo Aduba, Anthony Anderson, Iain Armitage, Yvette Nicole Brown, David Cross, Jon Cryer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Danai Gurira, Richard Kind, Busy Philipps and Sheryl Lee Ralph.

High-profile speakers are still being finalized, multiple sources told reporters, adding that a slew of actors will speak on the convention’s main stage. But speculation has run rampant on two stars in particular: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

With no major performer announced, fans of both Beyoncé and Swift are hopeful that the women – who both endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 – will show up in Chicago.

Representatives for Swift and Beyoncé did not respond to  numerous requests for comment.

Spokespeople for the DNC and the Harris campaign would not comment on the rumors surrounding the two megastars.

Media previously reported that Beyoncé gave Harris an early stamp of approval by signing off on the vice president using her song “Freedom”in Harris’ campaign – so it’s not implausible that Beyoncé might perform the song in person.

Beyoncé has a history of performing for Democratic politicians. In 2013, she sang the national anthem at Obama’s inauguration. In 2016, along with her husband, Jay-Z, she headlined a preelection concert for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland with her backup dancers dressed in blue pantsuits to honor the woman who could have been the first female president.

Now, with another potential first female president on the ticket, will “Queen Bey” take the stage?

Swift – who has yet to make a presidential endorsement this election cycle – is in the midst of a five-night run of shows in London to cap off the European leg of her “Eras Tour.” The superstar wraps at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, or Day 2 of the convention, meaning she could theoretically be in Chicago by Wednesday for the final two nights.

Swift’s army of fans – the Swifties – never miss a beat, and this week’s convention will be no different. Even without Swift, her presence will be felt through her fans in Chicago.

As part of the convention’s “DemPalooza” – public events and trainings – the Democratic National Committee announced there will be spaces where attendees can make friendship bracelets. Beaded bracelets are often traded between Swift fans at her concerts – inspired by the lyrics to “You’re on Your Own, Kid” from the singer’s album “Midnights.”

There’s also Swifties for Kamala, a substantial coalition of Swift fans who organically mobilized online on the night that President Joe Biden dropped out of the race endorsed Harris in July. Swift is not affiliated with the group.

Irene Kim, who co-founded the group alongside fellow Swiftie Carly Long, said the Harris campaign has been in touch. “They reached out to us asking how they can support in our initiative,” Kim told reporters.

Kim also said she was invited to the Democratic convention as a content creator, along with another member of Swifties for Kamala, but said she won’t be able to make it to Chicago.

Earlier this month, convention organizers announced they would credential more than 200 content creators to cover the event, marking a strategic effort to reach younger voters across social media – and a recognition by the Harris campaign of how the landscape of political influencers has dramatically changed.

While A-listers (especially of the stature of Swift or Beyoncé) make noise, the definition of celebrity is evolving. The high-profile attendees will be starry, but perhaps more importantly, the crowd will likely break a record for social media follower count on the convention room floor.

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Bizarre Epstein files reference to Trump, Putin, and oral sex with ‘Bubba’ draws scrutiny in Congress

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2 weeks ago

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November 14, 2025

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The latest tranche of emails from the estate of late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein includes one that contains what appear to be references to President Donald Trump allegedly performing oral sex, raising questions the committee cannot answer until the Department of Justice turns over records it has withheld, says U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

Garcia insists the Trump White House is helping block them.

In a Friday afternoon interview with The Advocate, the out California lawmaker responded to a 2018 exchange, which was included in the emails released, between Jeffrey Epstein and his brother, Mark Epstein. In that message, Mark wrote that because Jeffrey Epstein had said he was with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, he should “ask him if Putin has the photos of Trump blowing Bubba.”

“Bubba” is a nickname former President Bill Clinton has been known by; however, the email does not clarify who Mark Epstein meant, and the context remains unclear.

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USDA head says ‘everyone’ on SNAP will now have to reapply

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2 weeks ago

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November 14, 2025

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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Thursday said the Trump administration is planning to have all Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries reapply for the program due to alleged fraud.

The secretary said after receiving data on SNAP recipients from 29 red states that “186,000 deceased men and women and children in this country are receiving a check.”

“Can you imagine when we get our hands on the blue state data what we’re going to find?” she asked during a Thursday appearance on Newsmax’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight.”

“It’s going to give us a platform and a trajectory to fundamentally rebuild this program, have everyone reapply for their benefit, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through SNAP or food stamps, that they literally are vulnerable, and they can’t survive without it,” she added.

Every state has a periodic recertification process that requires SNAP or food stamp recipients to update their whereabouts and earnings, according to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Most municipalities require updated data every six to 12 months.

“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” a USDA spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of State data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with States. “

Earlier this month, food stamps were threatened amid the government shutdown as the Trump administration argued against using contingency funds to fuel the welfare program.

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Trump orders Bondi to investigate Epstein’s ties to Clinton and other political foes

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2 weeks ago

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November 14, 2025

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NEW YORK (AP) — Acceding to President Donald Trump’s demands, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that she has ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Trump political foes, including former President Bill Clinton.

Bondi posted on X that she was assigning Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the probe, capping an eventful week in which congressional Republicans released nearly 23,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate and House Democrats seized on emails mentioning Trump.

Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years, didn’t explain what supposed crimes he wanted the Justice Department to investigate. None of the men he mentioned in a social media post demanding the probe has been accused of sexual misconduct by any of Epstein’s victims.

Hours before Bondi’s announcement, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he would ask her, the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Epstein’s “involvement and relationship” with Clinton and others, including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn founder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman.

Trump, calling the matter “the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans,” said the investigation should also include financial giant JPMorgan Chase, which provided banking services to Epstein, and “many other people and institutions.”

“This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats,” the Republican president wrote, referring to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of alleged Russian interference in Trump’s 2016 election victory over Bill Clinton’s wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Asked later Friday whether he should be ordering up such investigations, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “I’m the chief law enforcement officer of the country. I’m allowed to do it.”

In a July memo regarding the Epstein investigation, the FBI said, “We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”

The president’s demand for an investigation — and Bondi’s quick acquiescence — is the latest example of the erosion of the Justice Department’s traditional independence from the White House since Trump took office.

It is also an extraordinary attempt at deflection. For decades, Trump himself has been scrutinized for his closeness to Epstein — though like the people he now wants investigated, he has not been accused of sexual misconduct by Epstein’s victims.

None of Trump’s proposed targets were accused of sex crimes

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