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☆ Opinion | The Tyranny of ‘The Best’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Rachel Connolly | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

“I think the really important thing to me — which is probably not a healthy thing — is I want to make sure the people I’m with have the best time possible,” Dan told me. Some version of the “hottest new restaurants of the year” could be found in local newspapers and magazines for decades — not to mention the best dentists, doctors, schools. Listicles proliferated as a kind of content that was easy to produce, easy to attract attention to, easy to sell ads against. The best easy-to-assemble tents, the 30 softest midrange nightgowns, the 17 smoothest razors under $50, the top seven waterproof briefcases. There are best-of lists of less concrete things, too: the 100 best novelists of the past 100 years; rich lists; the 30 under 30.

☆ Her son said his stepdad was sexually abusive. A judge gave the stepdad custody anyway. Then she found the photographs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Olivia Gentile | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +58 min

Robert confronted Winenger with the allegations that November, and within weeks Winenger denied the claims in family court. In a family court hearing in Vista, California, on October 28, 2021, Commissioner Patti Ratekin chastised Jill Montes for allegedly alienating her kids from her ex-husband. From a list provided by the Delaware Family Court, Kelly chose a psychologist, William Northey. Their father cited the report in asking a Delaware family court judge to order the boys to change schools. Family Court of the State of Delaware, New Castle CountyCiting the email and a subsequent report, Michael pressed Ostroski to order the transfer.

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☆ Lawmakers Consider More Security for Offices Following Connolly Staff Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Stephanie Lai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The attack on two congressional aides this week at the Fairfax, Va., office of Representative Gerald E. Connolly has prompted members of Congress and their staffs to consider additional safety measures in their workplaces outside of Washington. On Monday, two staff aides were injured and subsequently hospitalized after a bat-wielding man entered Mr. Connolly’s district office asking for the congressman and then went on a rampage. According to Mr. Connolly, one of his senior aides was hit in the head, and an intern in her first day on the job was hit in the side. According to an affidavit, the attacker shouted, “I’m going to kill you” and “You’re going to die” as he hit one staff member, and later, a witness overheard him shouting “Gerry” and that he “wanted to talk.”It was the latest incident of violence targeting political figures to instill fear on Capitol Hill. Aides throughout the institution were reviewing their emergency plans and discussing possible changes to office policies, including cutting down on face-to-face interactions with people who drop in to district offices.

☆ A woman who threatened to bomb staffers at a Democratic campaign office for 'being on the wrong team' vomited when FBI agents approached her
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Georgia woman pled guilty to threatening to bomb a local Democratic party building. Jessica Higginbotham planned to bomb the Athens Democratic Senatorial Committee Campaign building during the 2022 elections. When FBI agents confronted her about it, she vomited and lied at first, according to the DOJ. Local police and the FBI sprung into action after being alerted about the text, prosecutors said. "When she saw the agents approach her, she vomited," prosecutors said in a press release, adding that she first denied sending the message, but later admitted to it.

☆ Man charged in baseball bat attack on two U.S. congressional staffers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, was taken into custody by Fairfax police following the attack in the offices of Representative Gerry Connolly on Monday. Attorneys Office in eastern Virginia, which filed the charges, have not said what they believe motivated the attack but said in a written statement that the suspect was demanding to speak to Connolly. Connolly, a Democrat from Northern Virginia, said on Twitter that the two staff members had been released from hospital. Prosecutors say Pham entered Connolly's office in Fairfax carrying the baseball bat, then struck a female in the head and hit an intern in the ribs. He then returned to the first victim, striking her a total of eight times, according to prosecutors.

☆ Two of Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly’s Staffers Attacked With a Baseball Bat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat, has represented parts of Northern Virginia since 2009. Photo: Cliff Owen/Associated PressAn assailant armed with a metal baseball bat attacked two staffers at Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly ’s office, authorities said Monday, the latest in a string of violent episodes targeting Congress members. Mr. Connolly, a Democrat, said staff members from his Fairfax, Va., office were taken to a hospital in non-life-threatening condition. The attacker is in police custody, he said.

☆ Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly’s Staffers Attacked With a Baseball Bat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat, has represented parts of Northern Virginia since 2009. Photo: Cliff Owen/Associated PressRep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia said someone armed with a baseball bat Monday morning asked for the congressman in his Fairfax office before attacking two members of his staff. Mr. Connolly, a Democrat, said his staff members were taken to a hospital in non-life-threatening condition. The attacker is in police custody, he said.

☆ A person attacked 2 of Rep. Gerry Connolly's staffers with a baseball bat at his district office, including an intern on her first day
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

An individual attacked two of Rep. Gerry Connolly's staffers with a baseball bat on Monday. Both staffers suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to a statement from Connolly. "This morning, an individual entered my District Office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff," Connolly wrote in a statement. "The individual is in police custody and both members of my team were transferred to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries." Connolly, a Democrat, has been in office since 2009 and represents Virginia's 11th Congressional District in the D.C. suburbs of Northern Virginia.

☆ A person attacked two of Rep. Gerry Connolly's staffers with a baseball bat at his district office
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

An individual attacked two of Rep. Gerry Connolly's staffers with a baseball bat on Monday. Both staffers suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to a statement from Connolly. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyOn Monday morning, an attacker entered Rep. Gerry Connolly's district office with a baseball bat and attacked two of his staffers. "This morning, an individual entered my District Office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff," Connolly wrote in a statement. Connolly, a Democrat, has been in office since 2009 and represents Virginia's 11th Congressional District in the D.C. suburbs of Northern Virginia.

☆ Staff Members Attacked With Bat at Congressman’s Virginia Office
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A person armed with a baseball bat attacked two congressional staff members at a district office in Northern Virginia on Monday after asking to speak with Rep. Gerry Connolly, the congressman said in a statement. Mr. Connolly, a Democrat, said the individual committed “an act of violence” at his Fairfax, Va., office against two members of his staff, who were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Fairfax City Police said on Twitter that an individual was in custody. My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day,” Mr. Connolly said in a statement. “The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”Mr. Connolly represents a swath of the Northern Virginia suburbs west of Washington, D.C.

CNN —Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly said two staffers were injured Monday by a man wielding a bat who came into his district office in Fairfax. Connolly told CNN that the assailant who entered his office and attacked two of his aides did so with a metal bat. “He was filled with out of control rage,” Connolly told CNN in a phone interview. Connolly told CNN he was at a ribbon cutting at the time for a food bank when the assailant drove to his office and entered the building. In October, a man attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, hospitalizing him after hitting Paul Pelosi with a hammer in the couple’s home in San Francisco.

☆ Bat-wielding attacker injures Virginia congressman's district office staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) listens at a news conference outside of the U.S. Capitol Building on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. "This morning, an individual entered my District Office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff. He said his focus is on ensuring his staff members receive the care they need. "My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day. His district office is in Fairfax, Virginia, which is less than 15 miles from downtown Washington.

☆ Two staffers in U.S. House Democrat's Virginia office attacked with baseball bat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - A person wielding a baseball bat attacked two staff members in Democratic U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly's district office in northern Virginia on Monday, Connolly and local police said. The suspect, who arrived at Connolly's office asking for the congressman, is now in custody, Fairfax City Police said in a statement. Both staffers were transferred to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, he said. Connolly, 73, has served in the House since 2009, representing a district that covers Virginia suburbs to the west of Washington, D.C. Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Consumers are wising up to 'greedflation' as food companies keep prices high
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Most consumers think food brands are using inflation "as an excuse to hike prices," a survey says. PepsiCo, Nestlé, Conagra, and other food companies say they are trying to cover their costs. While costs of raw materials, labor, and shipping have continued to be high, many food companies have reported leaps in profit at the same time. Many have noticed that food companies' profits have been increasing, too, a sign to them that some of the higher prices are about something other than covering production costs. Recent earnings from food companies suggest that many have raised prices higher than inflation.

Chief Judge Colm Connolly's ruling for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc (ALNY.O) came just over a month after a different judge in Delaware rejected Moderna's similar motion in another vaccine patent lawsuit. Representatives for Moderna and Alnylam did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Moderna made the same argument in a motion to dismiss part of another patent lawsuit brought by Arbutus Biopharma Corp (ABUS.O) and Genevant Sciences GmbH. U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg rejected Moderna's motion in that case last year and said it had not yet proven the government was more than an "incidental beneficiary" of the shots. Goldberg denied the motion for a second time last month after the federal government backed Moderna's position.

Jason Connolly/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoApril 25 (Reuters) - Colorado's governor signed the nation's first right to repair legislation into law on Tuesday, giving the state's farmers and ranchers the autonomy to fix their own equipment. With a Case IH red tractor displayed outside the state Capitol in Denver, Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed The Consumer Right to Repair Agriculture Equipment Act. "This is a common-sense bipartisan bill to help people avoid unnecessary delays from equipment repairs." Right to repair legislation is gaining momentum across the country as lawmakers in 16 states have introduced bills, according to a report by the Public Interest Research Group, an advocacy organization. "Creating more fair market access through right to repair is one of the items that we hope will be included," he said.

☆ An Outsider Takes on Ireland, From Inside a Plastic Bag
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Rachel Connolly | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Issues like these are still relatively under-discussed in the Irish news media and society, and Chambers’s fans seem to welcome his candor. He gets “thousands and thousands” of social media messages about mental health, he said, but he could never deal with interactions like those in person. “If I didn’t have the bag,” Chambers said, “I’d stop talking about mental health‌.”On other episodes, Chambers talks frankly about an economic climate that he says has infantilized his generation. Chambers said the Irish news media continued to draw links between the party and terrorism. Several popular Instagram accounts attest to this growing interest in Northern Irish politics among young people in the Republic.

The prospective class action complaint, filed in 2021 by two members of the annual paid subscription service Amazon Prime, alleged Amazon was unlawfully "tying" the online sale of third-party products to the use of the company's "Fulfillment by Amazon" program. The lawsuit said Amazon's alleged anticompetitive fulfillment practices had harmed "hundreds of millions of its loyal customers." Amazon's attorneys argued that fulfillment services are sold not to consumers who buy products but to third-party businesses that are selling goods on the company's platform. The antitrust case against Amazon was among private and state actions alleging violations of competition law. The case is Angela Hogan et al v. Amazon.com Inc, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, No.

☆ Fox has more headaches coming after agreeing to pay $787.5 million to settle Dominion's defamation lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

After shelling out $787.5 billion to settle Dominion's lawsuit, Fox has more troubles on the way. Atop the list is a separate lawsuit from Smartmatic, another election technology company that sued Fox News Network and its parent company, Fox Corp., in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Smartmatic's defamation lawsuit asks for $2.7 billion in damages and was filed against Fox Corp.; Fox News Network; hosts Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo, and Lou Dobbs; and Powell and Giuliani. Aside from the Smartmatic case, Fox News has to deal with potential shareholder lawsuits. The overall value of Fox Corp. — which also includes Fox Sports and the streaming service Tubi — is more than $17.6 billion.

☆ Smartmatic could be Fox’s next big problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Fox News’ legal battle with Dominion Voting Systems is over. It now has to deal with Smartmatic, which is seeking billions of dollars more than its rival wanted in damages. Dominion wanted “only” $1.6 billion and settled with Fox for $787 million Tuesday. Both lawsuits focus on Fox News’ coverage of the 2020 election, including lies about voter fraud. “Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign,” Smartmatic lawyer Erik Connolly said in a statement after the settlement.

☆ Smartmatic wants more than Dominion’s $787 million payout, plus a retraction from Fox for its 2020 election lies, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

(But in a press release, Fox publicly “acknowledged” that the judge in that case had concluded that all 20 on-air statements that Dominion sued over were false.) “That set down a marker and it’s a marker that we think we should be exceeding,” Connolly said. “The scope of the damage done to Smartmatic is a global scale, because we operate globally… $787 million is a good start. Smartmatic wants $2.7 billion from Fox and other Trump allies that it named in the lawsuit. “We will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events when it goes to trial, likely in 2025,” a Fox spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

April 19 (Reuters) - Fox News on Tuesday disposed of one legal threat with its $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, but the network still faces a $2.7 billion lawsuit from another voting technology company, Smartmatic USA, over its coverage of debunked election-rigging claims. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File PhotoSmartmatic is seeking $2.7 billion in damages from Fox and five individuals, including former Trump lawyers and hosts. Smartmatic alleges in its lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court that the defendants knowingly spread false claims that its software was used to flip votes. Conspiracy theorists erroneously claimed Smartmatic owned Dominion, and the companies mounted similar allegations in their lawsuits. Fox denies the allegations, saying in a recent statement the network had a right to report on highly newsworthy allegations of voter fraud.

☆ 16 takeaways from Fox News' historic $787.5 million settlement with Dominion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

In the moments after I watched the judge announce the settlement in court, 16 things went through my mind:1. Evidence obtained by Dominion in the lawsuit and filed to court ahead of the settlement appeared to support that theory. There's always the Smartmatic case. In court filings ahead of the settlement, Fox complained about the $1.6 billion price tag Dominion put on the lawsuit. "Would be pretty unreal if you guys like 20x'ed your Dominion investment with these lawsuits," read one text to a Staple Street executive cited in a Fox court filing.

☆ What’s next for Fox and Dominion? More lawsuits seeking accountability for corrosive 2020 election lies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Wilmington, Delaware CNN —Dominion Voting Systems’ blockbuster defamation case against Fox News is over after the right-wing network cuts a check for a staggering $787 million, but there’s still an avalanche of pending lawsuits that are seeking accountability from the right-wing figures who championed false claims about the 2020 election. Smartmatic, another voting technology company, sued Fox for defamation following the 2020 election and is seeking $2.7 billion in damages from Fox and other defendants. Dominion still has a bevy of pending lawsuits against 2020 election deniers. “All of those decisions will have a huge bearing on those lawsuits as they play out,” Dominion lawyer Davida Brook told CNN Tuesday night. Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson added in a CNN interview that the Fox News settlement “sends a message to the other seven lawsuits that accountability is coming.”

Dominion accused Fox and its parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) of ruining its business by airing claims that its machines were used to rig the 2020 U.S. presidential election in favor of Democrat Joe Biden and against then-president Donald Trump, a Republican. Smartmatic alleges in its lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court that the defendants knowingly spread false claims that its software was used to flip votes. Conspiracy theorists erroneously claimed Smartmatic owned Dominion, and the companies mounted similar allegations in their lawsuits. Fox denies the allegations, saying in a recent statement the network had a right to report on highly newsworthy allegations of voter fraud. Fox has said the allegations are “baseless” and were immediately investigated by outside lawyers.

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