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☆ Tucker Carlson’s departure won’t change Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But if history is any guide, there’s one thing we can count on: Cutting Tucker Carlson loose is not a sign that Fox is ready to change its ways. He regularly brought fringe, racist talking points such as the “great replacement” conspiracy theory into the mainstream. The content on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” made “The O’Reilly Factor” look like “Leave It to Beaver.”That strategy wasn’t a new one for Fox. “There will be a new Tucker Carlson, and it’s a good bet he or she will be even worse,” wrote David A. Graham in The Atlantic. Tucker Carlson, left, and former President Donald Trump, talk while watching golf.

☆ Insiders say Tucker Carlson overplayed his hand at Fox but the 'whole universe' of right-wing media is courting him now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

the Fox insider said. Lachlan Murdoch had defended Carlson time and again, most publicly in April 2021, pushing back against Anti-Defamation League complaints of the anchor's "great replacement theory" comments. Lachlan Murdoch and Rupert Murdoch. A second Fox News insider, who is familiar with conversations happening in Australia, said Lachlan Murdoch was looking long term. The board has also put pressure on the Murdoch family to change things at Fox News.

☆ Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News days after Dominion lawsuit settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

April 24 (Reuters) - Fox News Media and its top-rated host Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways, less than a week after parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) settled for $787.5 million a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson played a starring role. A third person said the senior executive producer of "Tucker Carlson Tonight", Justin Wells, was also let go from Fox News on Monday. After the announcement of Carlson's departure from Fox News, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump tweeted: "Fox News is controlled opposition." "I stand with Tucker Carlson!" Carlson joined Fox News as a contributor in 2009 and became a co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend" in 2012.

☆ 'DONE WITH FOX': Right-wing pundits, politicians, and influencers (and Glenn Greenwald) rage against Fox News after it parts ways with Tucker Carlson
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Nicholas Carlson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tucker Carlson and Fox News parted ways Monday. "I think that'll kill Fox," Glenn Beck said during his streaming show . "Wherever Tucker Carlson goes, America will follow!" Eric's brother Donald Trump Jr. was also upset:Starting midday Monday, the phrase "DONE WITH FOX" started to trend on Twitter. — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 24, 2023

☆ Tucker Carlson's texts from the Dominion lawsuit reveal the real Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Rebecca Zisser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Private texts reveal incredible detail about Fox News' inner workings. Among the messages is a thread where Tucker Carlson privately bashes Trump. Top Fox News hosts, including Tucker Carlson, privately insulted Chris Wallace and hatched a plot for a rebellion — November, 16, 2020. In a group chat between the three biggest hosts, Carlson, Hannity, and Ingraham, few colleagues, including then-"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, were spared. In a group chat between the three biggest hosts, Carlson, Hannity, and Ingraham, few colleagues such as then-"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace were spared.

☆ Top Kremlin propagandist tells Tucker Carlson he should run for president and 'You are always welcome in Russia and Moscow'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Nicholas Carlson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Vladimir Solovyov is a notorious Russian propagandist. He says Tucker Carlson should run for President of the United States. Back when Carlson had a Fox News show he would often parrot Kremlin talking points. Solovyov is also, apparently, a Tucker Carlson fan. In March 2022, Mother Jones obtained a directive the Kremlin gave to state-friendly media outlets in Russia: "It is essential to use as much as possible fragments of broadcasts of the popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson."

Private equity firm Staple Street Capital valued Dominion at $80 million when it purchased a controlling stake in it in 2018. The Fox settlement was nearly 10 times that amount and far outstripped the $226 million average of four pre-election valuations cited in Fox's court papers. Dominion's damages claim in the Fox case was based upon a report it commissioned from an accounting expert, half of which remains under seal. It is difficult to place a dollar value on the U.S. voting-machine industry because Dominion and its competitors all are privately held. While Dominion's report cites dozens of lost clients due to Fox's coverage, the company still has landed recent contract renewals including in California's Republican-majority Kern County.

☆ 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.”

☆ The investor behind Dominion Voting Systems just bagged a 1,400% return after Fox News settled its defamation suit for $788 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday settled a defamation lawsuit with Fox News for $787.5 million. Staple Street Capital purchased a 76% stake in the voting technology company in 2018 for $38.8 million. Dominion initially sought $1.6 billion in damages from Fox News, but settled for about half that amount. The potential gain for Staple Street from the Dominion/Fox News lawsuit was on the radar of employees at the investment firm. For us this case has always been about exposing the truth and holding those who knowingly spread lies accountable," Staple Street co-founder Hootan Yaghoobzadeh said at a Tuesday press conference.

☆ 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.

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms Dominion Voting Systems Corp FollowFox Corp FollowApril 19 (Reuters) - Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against Fox (FOXA.O), which resulted in Tuesday’s $787.5 million settlement, is part of a broader legal campaign by the company to seek accountability from companies and individuals whom it claims have spread falsehoods about its technology. The company said it stands by its coverage and will "vigorously defend" itself against Dominion's claims. TRUMP LAWYERS AND PATRICK BRYNEAlso in August 2021, Dominion sued Patrick Byrne, the former chief executive of online retailer Overstock.com Inc, saying he too spread conspiracy theories about the company's technology. Dominion also has lawsuits pending against former Trump lawyers, Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, over the vote rigging claims. Each suit against the lawyers seeks at least $1.3 billion in damages.

☆ Everybody Knows What Fox News Is Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the days went on, Fox was placed in the nightmare situation of having to pierce the bubble and report the news: That Mr. Biden had been legally elected. Fox leaders watched the gains of conservative rivals like Newsmax and saw the audience’s interest in election-theft fantasies building. All this, trial or no trial, makes clear what Fox News really is. Seen this way, the Dominion case wasn’t so much about Fox telling its audience what to believe. It was about the audience telling Fox what Fox needed to believe — or at least, what it needed to give the appearance of not not believing.

☆ Fox News settles Dominion's defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million over election conspiracy theories just as the trial is about to start
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Fox News settled Dominion's defamation lawsuit over election conspiracy theories for $787.5 million. WILMINGTON, Delaware — Fox News settled Dominion Voting Systems's blockbuster defamation lawsuit just as it was about to go to trial, agreeing to pay it $787.5 million. In a press conference after Davis announced the settlement, Dominion CEO John Poulos criticized Fox for broadcasting lies about the company. Dominion first filed its lawsuit against Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp., in March 2021. Representatives of Fox News arrive at the justice center for the Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against Fox News, in Wilmington, Delaware.

☆ Fox News pushes Dominion to settle mammoth defamation lawsuit as judge delays trial, multiple sources report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Fox is pushing Dominion to settle its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit, WSJ and Reuters report. Fox made a last-minute attempt to settle the case out of court, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation. A spokesperson for Fox Corp., the parent company of Fox News, declined to comment to Insider on the record. Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Chairman Rupert Murdoch. Adrian Edwards/GC ImagesIn his own messages and depositions, Fox Corp.

☆ Dominion’s case against Fox News goes to trial next week. Is the First Amendment really on the line?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

But even by the standards of the profession, the language in Dominion's $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News has been downright apocalyptic. A victory for Dominion against Fox, they say, could wreak havoc for other journalism organizations across the country. The sheer closeness between Trump and Fox News makes a case like this unlikely to harm journalism organizations down the line, Goodale said. The vast majority of defamation cases against media organizations are settled, which gives few high-profile precedents to the Dominion lawsuit. "And that's the balance that the Sullivan court strike tried to strike in 1964.

☆ Fox mogul Rupert Murdoch survived the phone-hacking scandal. Dominion's $1.6 billion lawsuit will test whether he can do it again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Now, two voting-technology companies, Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, want to make another Murdoch media property pay even more for Fox News's role in spreading election denial. But the phone-hacking scandal showed how Murdoch has weathered challenges to his power before. Another key difference from the phone-hacking scandal is the presence of written records that show Fox execs knew exactly what was going on. In the last quarter of 2022, Fox Corp. netted $321 million on $4.6 billion in revenue. And during the phone-hacking scandal, Murdoch showed fierce loyalty.

☆ Trump-aligned PAC rolls out Ron DeSantis 'Pudding Fingers' ad, mocking his rumored eating habits and hitting him on Medicare and Social Security
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Trump-aligned super PAC attacked DeSantis over his eating habits in a new ad. The ad makes fun of a story in which DeSantis ate pudding with his fingers. Ron DeSantis for his record on Medicare and Social Security — and his rumored eating habits. On Friday, Make America Great Again, Inc. released a new ad titled "Pudding Fingers." "Tell Ron DeSantis to keep his pudding fingers off our money," the ad ends, showing a pile of empty pudding cups on the table.

☆ Jack Smith is investigating the Trump White House meeting with Sidney Powell where a plan to seize voting machines was discussed: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating a December 2020 meeting at the Trump White House, per CNN. At the meeting, participants, including Sidney Powell, discussed a plan to seize voting machines. Of particular interest to Smith is a December 18, 2020 meeting at the White House where Trump was joined by attorney Sidney Powell, who was falsely claiming that electronic voting machines were hacked by foreign adversaries, sources told CNN. Flynn, prior to the meeting, had for weeks been pushing the idea of seizing voting machines, arguing that Trump could unilaterally demand it be done. O'Brien told prosecutors that he "had made clear there was no evidence of foreign interference affecting voting machines," according to the outlet.

☆ Fox News says Carlson, Hannity, Bartiromo set to testify at defamation trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Fox personality Tucker Carlson speaks at the 2017 Business Insider Ignition: Future of Media conference in New York, U.S., November 30, 2017. Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old chair of Fox's parent Fox Corp (FOXA.O), is not on Fox's witness list. The Denver-based company has said emails, texts and depositions show that Fox aired false election claims to boost profit and keep viewers from defecting to the right-wing outlets Newsmax and OAN, which also embraced Trump's claims. "The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that (it) is CRYSTAL clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true," he wrote. Fox faces a similar lawsuit by another voting technology company, Smartmatic, which is seeking $2.7 billion in damages.

☆ If Trump's mugshot is made public it would cement him as an 'outlaw' and could make him a folk hero like Al Capone, presidential historian says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

If Trump's mugshot is made public, it could turn him into a folk hero, historian Douglas Brinkley says. New York law generally bars the release of mugshots but it's possible that Trump's could be leaked. During an episode of his YouTube show "Justice Matters" on Thursday, legal analyst Glenn Kirschner suggested that Trump's mugshot "will become publicly available pretty promptly." If the public does get a chance to see the mugshot, it would cement Trump's status as an "outlaw" among presidents and could make him a folk hero for some Americans, Brinkley said. "But Trump fits very easily into a narrative of folk heroes, like outlaw folk heroes like Al Capone and Dillinger, Billy the Kid."

New York CNN —Dominion Voting Systems’ historic defamation case against Fox News will proceed to a high-stakes jury trial next month, a Delaware judge ruled Friday, declining to declare a pretrial winner. But in his Friday ruling, Davis said that the evidence Dominion presented shows Fox News aired falsehoods about the company. “The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that is CRYSTAL clear that none of the Statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true,” Davis wrote. The on-air statements, from various Fox News hosts after the 2020 election, had accused Dominion of rigging the election by flipping millions of votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Incriminating texts and emails have shown how Fox executives, hosts and producers didn’t believe the claims the network was peddling about Dominion.

☆ Dominion’s historic defamation case against Fox News will go to trial, judge rules, in major decision dismantling key Fox defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Marshall Cohen Oliver Darcy | Marshall Cohen | Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Dominion Voting Systems’ historic defamation case against Fox News will proceed to a high-stakes jury trial in mid-April, a Delaware judge ruled Friday, in a major decision that dismantled several of the right-wing network’s key defenses. Both sides had asked Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis for a pretrial ruling in their favor, declaring them the winner. After thousands of pages of filings and exhibits, and a series of courtroom clashes, Davis decided the case should go to trial. Incriminating texts and emails have shown how Fox executives, hosts and producers didn’t believe the claims the network was peddling about Dominion. Despite what appeared on air, Fox News executives and hosts privately criticized the Trump camp for pushing claims of election fraud.

☆ Pence must testify in Jan. 6 attack probe, judge rules -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - A federal judge has ruled that former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence must testify to a grand jury about conversations he had with former President Donald Trump leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, a source familiar with the ruling said on Tuesday. In a ruling that remains under seal, the judge also said that Pence can still decline to answer questions related to Jan. 6, the source said, adding that Pence can still appeal the ruling. The appeal option is being evaluated, the source said. "I'm pleased that the court accepted our argument and recognized that the Constitution's provision about speech and debate does apply to the vice president," he said. In February, a source told Reuters Pence was preparing to resist a grand jury subpoena to secure his testimony.

☆ GOP congressman from Tennessee says 'we're not gonna fix' school shootings and explains that he home schools his daughter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee had few solutions to offer after Monday's mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. In response to a question about stopping mass shootings, he said "we're not gonna fix it." On Monday, a 28-year-old shooter reportedly used assault-style weapons to kill three 9-year-olds and three staff members at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville. Speaking to reporters on Monday, hours after the shooting, Burchett was asked, "What else should be done to protect people like your little girl?" While answering a separate question about how to quell school shootings, he also said "we're not gonna fix it."

☆ Former Tucker Carlson producer says Fox News lawyers coerced her into saying coworkers were trustworthy: 'They're activists, not journalists'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The New York lawsuit alleges that Fox News executives and producers denied her promotions and salary adjustments that would bring her in line with male colleagues. In another section of the lawsuit, Grossberg alleges a producer on Carlson's show repeatedly made antisemitic remarks. In her revised deposition, Grossberg answers that Bartiromo — one of the Fox News hosts who platformed Powell — has a "responsibility to push back against untrue statements with fact." "That did not happen with respect to Dominion-related reporting," Grossberg claims. "Ms. Grossberg ignored these communications and chose to file her complaint without taking any steps to protect those portions containing Fox's privileged information."

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