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☆ Fox faces an ‘existential threat’ from its multi-billion-dollar defamation cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch said under oath that he made a business decision when allowing a conspiracy theorist to promote election lies on Fox News. The network faces two separate defamation lawsuits from voting technology companies that collectively seek $4.3 billion in damages. Cases against FoxDominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News and Fox Corporation for $1.6 billion, accusing the network of spreading false claims that its technology enabled election fraud. A separate, similar case brought by voting technology firm Smartmatic is seeking $2.7 billion in damages. It also illustrated instances of Fox actively pushing back on fact-checks that undermined the election lies being peddled by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

☆ Rupert Murdoch admits Fox News hosts 'endorsed' election lies and wanted to make Trump a 'non-person' after January 6 riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Rupert Murdoch conceded in a deposition that Fox News hosts pushed falsehoods about the 2020 election. Fox Corporation, which Murdoch leads, argues it isn't liable in Dominion's lawsuit anyway. At the same time, Murdoch denied that Fox Corporation itself endorsed these false claims. Dominion sued Fox News Network along with its parent company, Fox Corporation, in March 2021, also including Bartiromo, Pirro, and Dobbs as defendants. According to the filing, Rupert Murdoch said in his deposition he took care to strike a tone that wouldn't antagonize Trump.

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Fox Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged under oath that some Fox hosts "endorsed" the notion that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen, according to a court filing unsealed Monday. Documents in the case in Delaware state court show Murdoch and other Fox executives believed Joe Biden fairly beat Donald Trump and that the results were not in doubt. Asked by a Dominion lawyer if some of Fox’s commentators had endorsed the idea that the 2020 election was stolen, Murdoch responded, “Yes. Dominion claims in its filing that Murdoch closely monitored Fox coverage but declined to wield his powerful editorial influence despite strong concerns about Fox's coverage. Murdoch testified that he believed early on that "everything was on the up-and-up" with the election, and that he doubted claims of election fraud from the very beginning.

☆ Rupert Murdoch says some Fox News anchors 'endorsed' false election fraud claims in Dominion case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said some anchors of the company's TV networks parroted false fraud claims in the months following the 2020 election, according to new court papers out Monday. In new filings as part of Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox and its networks, Murdoch said he doubted the election fraud claims being aired on Fox News and Fox Business Network. Murdoch also acknowledged that Fox's TV hosts endorsed the false election fraud claims. In unveiled question and answers from Murdoch's deposition, when Murdoch was asked if he was "now aware that Fox endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election," Murdoch responded, "Not Fox, no. Dominion sued Fox and its right-wing cable networks, Fox News and Fox Business, arguing the networks and its personalities made false claims that its voting machines rigged the results of the 2020 election.

☆ Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that Fox News hosts endorsed false stolen election claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of Fox Corporation, acknowledged in a deposition taken by Dominion Voting Systems that some Fox News hosts endorsed false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Murdoch’s remarks were made public in a legal filing as part of Dominion’s $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News. In his deposition, Murdoch rejected that the right-wing talk network as an entity endorsed former President Donald Trump’s election lies. “Some of our commentators were endorsing it,,” Murdoch said, according to the filing, when asked about the talk hosts’ on-air positions about the election. Top legal experts told CNN after last week’s filing that Dominion’s legal position appeared strong.

In a text message with his producer, Alex Pfeiffer, Mr. Carlson appeared livid that viewers were turning against the network. On Nov. 7, 2020, Mr. Carlson told Mr. Pfeiffer that claims about manipulated software were “absurd.” Mr. Pfeiffer replied later that there was not enough evidence of fraud to swing the election. A video of Carlson from “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Said publicly on Nov. 19, 2020 Carlson: “We did not dismiss any of it. It aired on the programs hosted by Mr. Dobbs, Ms. Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. On Feb. 5, 2021, one day after Smartmatic filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox, Fox Business canceled “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” At the time, Fox said it regularly reviewed its lineup.

☆ Trump tried to call in to Fox News as the Capitol riot unfolded but the network refused to put him on air, new filing claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump tried to call into Fox News as the Capitol riot unfolded, a court filing claims. Network executives refused to put him on air as they thought it would be "irresponsible." But Fox executives vetoed that decision. President Trump not only was the sitting president, he was the key figure that day." The lengthy court filing also cites text messages between Fox News hosts and executives in which they privately mocked pro-Trump election fraud conspiracy theories, despite continuing to air them.

The documents were publicly released for the first time this week as part of Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox Corp and its cable TV networks. Dominion, Fox Corp and Fox News filed their motions for summary judgment this week, which unveiled evidence from months of discovery and depositions that had been private until this point. Fox News anchors, as well as top Fox Corp brass including Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch, were questioned in recent months. In court papers Thursday, Fox Corp said it had "no role in the creation and publication of the challenged statements – all of which aired on either Fox Business Network or Fox News Channel." But he's not going to destroy us," court papers show.

☆ Fox News exec said 'the North Koreans do a more nuanced show' than the now-fired host Lou Dobbs: lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Cheryl Teh | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fox News president Jay Wallace said North Korean propaganda has more nuance than Lou Dobbs. Wallace's comments about Dobbs were cited in a court filing by Dominion Voting Systems. Wallace said in September 2020 that "the North Koreans do a more nuanced show" than Dobbs, per a filing from Dominion Voting Systems released on Thursday. This filing was part of Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Dominion Voting Systems has alleged that Fox defamed it by pushing a false conspiracy theory that it manipulated election results.

☆ Fox News hosts and executives privately mocked pro-Trump election conspiracy theories after he lost, internal texts show
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

It enrages me," Tucker Carlson wrote in a text message to his producer Alex Pfeiffer. "Not a single Fox witness testified that they believe any of the allegations about Dominion are true," Dominion lawyers wrote. Imho they need to address but wtf do I know," Hannity wrote in a text message, referring to Newsmax. That email, Dominion's lawyers write, came from an unnamed author who claimed to be a beheaded ghost who talks to the wind. President Trump not only was the sitting President, he was the key figure that day," Dominion's lawyers wrote.

☆ Dominion sued Fox News for $1.6 billion. Internal documents show the tech company is only worth $80 million at most, Fox says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Dominion sued Fox News for $1.6 billion, alleging it helped spread election conspiracy theories. "Even under the most optimistic projections," they wrote, Staple Street did not forecast Dominion would be worth "anywhere near $1.6 billion." "At no time did Staple Street so much as hint to its investors, auditors, or anyone else that Dominion could be worth $1.6 billion," they wrote. "Yet, when Dominion decided to file a lawsuit to punish FNN for reporting the President's allegations about Dominion, Dominion chose to claim that Dominion's value was 20 times their highest estimate." The $1.6 billion lawsuit, Fox News argues, will have a chilling effect on media outlets everywhere.

☆ DocuSign to lay off 10% of its workforce, or about 700 employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Docusign Inc. website on a laptop computer arranged in Dobbs Ferry, New York, U.S., on Thursday, April 1, 2021. E-signature software company DocuSign on Thursday announced plans to cut around 10% of its workforce. DocuSign had 7,461 employees in January 2022 before it announced an earlier round of layoffs last September that impacted 9% of its workforce. The company said the latest cuts will impact about 700 employees. DocuSign said it is cutting employees in order to support the company's growth, scale and profitability objectives.

☆ Rudy Giuliani gets hit with 2 more counts in Smartmatic's defamation lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rudy Giuliani has to face two more claims in Smartmatic's defamation lawsuit. Smartmatic has also tried to include Fox News's parent company, Fox Corporation, as a defendant in the case. Lachlan Murdoch and Rupert Murdoch, who run Fox News's parent company Fox Corporation, were both deposed in a similar lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems. The portions of Smartmatic's lawsuit against Powell were moved to a court in Washington, DC, where the case remains ongoing. Fox Corporation is a defendant in that lawsuit and the technology company was able to depose Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, court records show.

☆ The overturn of Roe v. Wade has been a catastrophe for Republican attempts to win over Gen Z
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The GOP win in getting the Supreme Court to strip abortion rights didn't sit well with young voters. For the survey, Murmuration polled 3,227 15 to 25-year-olds (members of Gen Z) and 1,036 adults aged 26 or older. The Gen Z survey had a 1.7% margin of error, while the survey of adults aged 26 years or older had one of 3%. Aside from "other," which also garnered 29%, abortion access was by far the most pressing issue amongst Gen Z. Since the Supreme Court punted abortion rights back to a state-to-state basis, referendums and constitutional amendments restricting abortion access will continue to pop up.

☆ Supreme Court justices used personal email for work-related communications, and 'burn bags' with sensitive documents were left in hallways before Roe draft opinion leak: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Several Supreme Court justices used their personal emails for work-related communications, per CNN. Some printers didn't use security logs, while "burn bags" were also left unattended, per the report. After the leak of the Roe draft opinion, the court's security measures have faced intense scrutiny. The added revelations come as the Supreme Court has hit a major crossroads. And Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley in the report remarked that the "court's current method of destroying court sensitive documents has vulnerabilities that should be addressed."

☆ Paul Ryan will be deposed in Dominion's $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News over election conspiracy theories
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dominion is scheduled to depose Paul Ryan in its lawsuit against Fox News. The company alleges Fox News pushed false conspiracy theories about its role in the 2020 election. Ryan joined the Fox Corporation board of directors in 2019 after choosing not to run for re-election in the 2018 midterms. A Friday court filing also shows that Dominion is soon scheduled to depose Raj Shah, another Fox Corporation executive. Dominion deposed Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch over two days, on January 19 and 20, court records show.

☆ Progressives blast Supreme Court over secret payments of at least $1 million to the ex-Bush official who reviewed the leak investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Supreme Court failed to disclose its past relationship with Michael Chertoff, CNN reported. Chertoff, a security consultant, recently reviewed the court's internal leak investigation. The firm also assessed COVID-19 practices at the court, CNN reported. The hidden payments come as progressive groups, congressional lawmakers, court observers, and ethics advocates demand greater financial transparency at the Supreme Court, which is not required by law to disclose its contracts. A spokesperson for Chertoff declined to comment and referred Insider to the Supreme Court's public information office for questions.

☆ Brett Kavanaugh praises newcomer Ketanji Brown Jackson as a 'thoroughly prepared' justice who's 'off to a great start'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Justice Brett Kavanaugh praised fellow Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. "She's off to a great start," Kavanaugh said of the newest member of the Supreme Court. "She's off to a great start," Kavanaugh continued, adding that Jackson "hit the ground running" and fits in well with the group. Jackson, who's seated next to Kavanaugh on the bench, has received widespread attention in the legal world less than four months into her tenure at the Supreme Court. I'm optimistic about the court, I'm optimistic about the country, I'm optimistic about my colleagues."

☆ New York girl, 15, sentenced to up to 9 years in jail in fatal stabbing of cheerleader
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A 15-year-old New York girl who fatally stabbed a 16-year-old cheerleader in April has been sentenced to up to nine years behind bars. The April 8 stabbing unfolded after a parade was held to honor the boys basketball team at Mount Vernon High School for its state championship win. The defendant stabbed Green in the abdomen with a knife on Gramatan Avenue in Mount Vernon, prosecutors said. We had a young lady in school, wreaking havoc in the Mount Vernon school system." NBC News has reached out to an attorney for the teen defendant, and the school district, for comment.

☆ The FDA's power to approve drugs faces sweeping challenge in lawsuit seeking to pull abortion pill from U.S. market
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine asked a federal district court in Dallas late last year to declare the FDA approval unlawful and completely remove the abortion pill from the U.S. market. If the lawsuit prevails, women across the U.S. would lose access, at least temporarily, to the most commonly used abortion method. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is hearing the challenge to the FDA's approval of the abortion pill. Lawrence Gostin, an expert on public health law at Georgetown Law, said it would be "highly irresponsible" and "reckless" for a judge to overturn the FDA approval of mifepristone. Under federal law, lawsuits against the U.S. government must be filed within six years of an agency action.

☆ A Supreme Court marshal found no 'credible leads' that justices or their spouses leaked the draft Dobbs decision — but also didn't ask them to swear on it either
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court marshal said Friday that she interviewed the justices after the draft Dobbs leak. A month later, the Supreme Court issued its final 6-3 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, prompting several states to impose strict restrictions on the termination of a pregnancy. In the statement issued Friday, Supreme Court Marshal Gail A. Curley said she had spoken to all the justices during the course of her investigation, some more than once. According to the report issued Thursday, investigators spoke to 97 court personnel, all of whom were required to swear to the truth of what they were saying. Some, the report noted, had indeed "admitted to telling their spouses about the draft opinion or vote county, so they annotated their affidavits to that effect."

☆ Abortion opponents push post-Roe agenda at annual Washington march
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Women's March activists hold signs outside the White House in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 9, 2022. With that goal now accomplished after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Roe's precedent and gutted federal abortion rights last June, the leaders of March For Life hope to galvanize support for state and federal legislation placing further limits on abortion. Michigan voters approved a state constitutional amendment last November to enshrine abortion rights. This year's national march will take place two days before Jan. 22, which would have been the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. Abortion rights advocates were marking the occasion by reflecting on the enormous disruption in reproductive healthcare that the United States has witnessed over the last year, and calling for more legislation to protect abortion rights at the state and national level.

The report said investigators interviewed 97 court employees but was silent on whether the nine justices who sat on the court at the time of the leak were interviewed, prompting calls from Democratic lawmakers and others for clarity. "During the course of the investigation, I spoke with each of the justices, several on multiple occasions," Curley said in the statement, released by the court. "I followed up on all credible leads, none of which implicated the justices or their spouses," Curley added. Curley said on that basis she decided it was not necessary to ask the justices to sign sworn affidavits affirming they did not leak the draft, something court employees were required to do. Gabe Roth, executive director of the court reform group Fix the Court, said the fact that the report initially omitted the fact that the justices were interviewed "smells fishy."

☆ Supreme Court probe fails to find who leaked abortion ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Abortion rights demonstrators protest outside the United States Supreme Court as the court rules in the Dobbs v Women's Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision in Washington, U.S., June 24, 2022. An investigation into the leak of a bombshell Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal constitutional right to abortion — weeks before it was officially released — failed to identify the culprit, the court said Thursday. Investigators had interviewed nearly 100 Supreme Court employees in the probe, 82 of whom had access to electronic or hard copies of the draft opinion by conservative Justice Samuel Alito. In June, just as the leak report suggested, the Supreme Court in a majority opinion penned by Alito said there was no federal right to abortion. The opinion came in a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which challenged Mississippi's restrictive abortion law.

☆ Supreme Court personnel admitted telling their spouses about the draft Dobbs opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court issued a report on its investigation into the leak of the draft Dobbs opinion. Some personnel admitted to telling their spouses about the opinion, which overturned Roe v. Wade. But investigators say they still haven't determined who leaked the opinion to the media. The revelation came as the result of a months-long investigation that sought to identify who leaked a draft opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. At the conclusion of the report, investigators made a series of findings and recommendations, including reducing the number of people with access to draft opinions, clarifying confidentiality policies, and improving personnel training.

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