News

Home News

Judge Rules Dominion can call Murdoch to Testify in Fox News Lawsuit

4
Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

A Delaware judge has ruled Dominion Voting Systems can call Fox Corp. executives Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch as witnesses to testify during a jury trial as part of its $1.6 Billion lawsuit against Fox News.

In a new development, lawyers for Dominion asked Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis to allow them to call the Murdochs as live witnesses during the trial, which is slated to begin later this month. 

Davis last week tossed out Fox’s latest attempt to throw out the suit and ruled that Dominion had proven the first key elements of their defamation claim: that the network’s statements about Dominion and the 2020 election were false.

Davis also ruled last week that a jury was needed to decide whether Fox operated with actual malice, or reckless disregard for the truth, another key legal hurdle Dominion needs to clear in order to prove defamation. 

Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox News for $1.6 billion alleging the cable news giant intentionally aired false claims about the company being made by former President Trump and his supporters during the 2020 election.

Fox has moved to have the case brought against it by Dominion dismissed on First Amendment grounds.

“Dominion’s lawsuit has always been more about what will generate headlines than what can withstand legal and factual scrutiny, as illustrated by them now being forced to slash their fanciful damages demand by more than half a billion dollars after their own expert debunked its implausible claims,” the network said in a statement on Monday evening. “Their summary judgment motion took an extreme, unsupported view of defamation law that would prevent journalists from basic reporting and their efforts to publicly smear Fox for covering and commenting on allegations by a sitting President of the United States should be recognized for what it is: a blatant violation of the First Amendment.”

Kari Lake Launches Official Senate Campaign

0
Kari Lake speaking with supporters at a "Stand for Freedom" rally at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

Arizona conservative firebrand Kari Lake officially launched her highly anticipated campaign for U.S. Senate Tuesday night.

“I am not going to retreat. I’m going to stand on top of this hill with every single one of you. And I know you’re on my side as I formally announce my candidacy for the United States Senate,” Lake told a crowd in Scottsdale, Arizona as they cheered the longtime former television anchor turned MAGA star.

Lake is set to face off against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.

In a statement following Lake’s entry into the race, Lamb told Fox News he was the “only one proven conservative winner” running for Senate in Arizona.

“I am a lifelong conservative who has dedicated my life to protecting Arizonans and keeping them safe when Democrat policies make that job almost impossible. I have been in Arizona fighting for the people that call this great state home. I’m not a talker, I’m a doer, and I win elections. That is what separates me from my opponents,” he said.

The winner will likely face Phoenix-area Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is seen as the front-runner for his party’s nomination.

Gallego’s campaign reacted to Lake’s announcement by predicting voters would reject her “again,” referencing her loss to current Democrat Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs last year.

“Arizonans — including a significant chunk of Republicans — already rejected Kari Lake once because of her dangerous plans to ban abortion and undermine our democracy. Her extremism should disqualify her from public office — and it will. Again,” Gallego campaign spokesperson Hanna Goss told Fox News Digital.

Shortly after announcing her campaign, former President Trump endorsed the Arizona conservative.

The former president’s video message was played at Lake’s campaign kickoff event on Tuesday night. He said he wished he could be there but is “busy fighting off all the bad people,” presumably an allusion to the fact that he is under criminal indictment in four jurisdictions.

“We’re leading every poll by a lot,” he said. “And when I’m back in the White House, I need strong fighters like Kari in the Senate. She is a fighter. She’s strong. And she’s good. She’s got a great heart, by the way.”

Supreme Court Reviews 14th Amendment Challenge to Boot Trump from Ballot

2
Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Good news for Team Trump!

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a bid to disqualify former President Trump from running for office under the 14th Amendment.

John Castro, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, filed various lawsuits seeking to challenge Trump’s eligibility to appear on the 2024 ballot.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that no person shall hold elected office who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States.”

The Hill has more:

In a brief, unsigned order issued Monday, the justices declined to take up one of his cases after Castro lost in a lower court.

“The Supreme Court can deny to hear the case but appellate courts cannot,” Castro responded on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“I’m still pursuing decisions in the liberal appellate courts and there’s a full blown trial scheduled for October 20 in New Hampshire and a bench trial in Arizona on October 31,” he added.

Castro had argued Trump gave “his aid and comfort to the convicted criminals and insurrectionists that violently attacked our United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, which results in disqualification to hold public office pursuant to the self-executing nature of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

The Supreme Court’s decision comes as Trump faces similar efforts in multiple states to disqualify him from the ballot.

Over the weekend a liberal group in Michigan filed a lawsuit to keep Trump off the ballot, arguing he violated the 14th Amendment. (RELATED: Michigan Group Sues To Keep Trump Off 2024 Ballot)

Trump, who waived his right to respond to Castro’s petition before the Supreme Court, has broadly attacked the legal push as “another ‘trick’ being used by the Radical Left Communists, Marxists, and Fascists.”

Judge Rejects Trump Bid To Delay Classified Documents Trial

3
Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

A federal judge in Florida refused to delay the start of the classified documents trial involving former President Donald Trump.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled Friday that she would dismiss the motion from Trump’s legal team “without prejudice” against taking it up again in the future. The trial’s start date could be reconsidered at a scheduling conference March 1, she wrote.

The Hill has more:

The order is a small victory for special counsel Jack Smith’s team, which had strongly argued against any delays in the case by suggesting that the former president wanted to push the case until after the 2024 presidential election. Trump is the undisputed front-runner in the GOP presidential primary.

The Florida judge noted the 1.3 million pages of evidence — plus thousands of hours of security video shot at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — that prosecutors in the Mar-a-Lago case gave to the defense in discovery, in addition to the former president’s other legal woes with schedules of their own.

“I am not quite seeing a level of understanding on your part to these realities,” Cannon said at the time to prosecutor Jay Bratt, a member of special counsel Jack Smith’s team.

Trump is facing Espionage Act charges in the Mar-a-Lago case after refusing to return classified records from his time as president, as well as obstruction of justice charges for his efforts to conceal them from prosecutors.

Meta Executive Reveals When Trump Could Return to Social Media

5

Could former President Trump finally be coming back to social media? A top company executive says so.

The president of global affairs at Facebook’s parent company, Meta, Nick Clegg says the former president could be given access to his Facebook account before the next presidential election, according to The Washington Examiner.

Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Clegg said the company would reconsider allowing Trump on the platform after consulting experts and weighing the risk of real-world harm.

“When you make a decision that affects the public realm, you need to act with great caution,” Clegg told Semafor, the news publication hosting the event. “You shouldn’t throw your weight about.”

The Meta executive emphasized that the truthfulness of Trump’s claims would not be the driving factor in determining whether to allow Trump back on the platform.

“If we think there is content on our platform which will lead to real-world harm — physical harm — then we feel we have a clear responsibility to act against it,” Clegg emphasized.

Facebook and other major social media companies made shockwaves in 2021 by banning the U.S. president from the platforms following the Jan. 6th Capitol raid. Most platforms alleged Trump’s rhetoric on the platforms incited the riot. At the time of the ban, Trump was among the top 10 individuals in the world with the highest following.

However, even if Trump is given his old account back there is no guarantee the former president will even darken Facebook’s door. Since being kicked off major media platforms the former president has started his own TRUTH Social platform.

In a May SEC filing, Trump’s tech company, Trump Media and Technology Group, said that the former president would favor Truth Social over other social media platforms if he is allowed back on them.

Judge Rules On Trump’s Requests for Immediate Verdict in Fraud Trial

2
Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Wednesday, former President Trump’s legal team asked for an immediate and direct verdict in the Trump Organization civil trial following testimony from ex-attorney Michael Cohen. 

The request came after Cohen admitted during testimony that the former president did not ask him to inflate his finances on a personal financial statement.

During a second day on the stand, Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer,” was asked directly whether Trump asked him to inflate his finances on personal financial statements.

“Trump didn’t ask you to inflate the numbers on his personal statement, correct?” Trump attorney Clifford Roberts asked.

“Correct,” Cohen replied.

After Cohen’s response, Roberts spoke with the former president and fellow defense attorneys and told Judge Arthur Engoron he had no further questions.

Roberts then asked for an immediate, direct verdict in the trial in light of Cohen’s testimony.

Judge Engoron immediately said: “denied.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case accuses Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization, and top executives of falsely inflating the values of Trump’s real estate properties and other assets in order to get tax benefits and better loan terms.

James seeks around $250 million in damages, and she wants to bar Trump and his co-defendants from running another business in New York.

Trump responded to the Judge’s ruling in a series of Truth Social posts Wednesday evening.

“The New York State Attorney Generals case against me is DEAD, but the Radical Left Judge REFUSES to end it. He just can’t let it go,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, repeating his frequent attack on the judge in the case.

“Letitia James should focus on Violent Crime, which is out of control. So unfair. I don’t even get a Jury Trial. A blight on the New York State Judicial System,” he continued. “Businesses are watching all over the world, and never coming in, only moving out. The Governor should get involved.”

He added, “Election Interference by my Political Opponent!”

Amanda Head: Lauren Boebert Election Update!

2

Pro-Trump superstar Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-3rd) has faced a contentious post-Election Day battle as she fights for another term in Congress.

Watch Amanda explain the ongoing ballot fiasco below.

Manhattan DA Responds House Republicans’ Letter on Potential trump Indictment

11

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office issued a response after top House Republicans demanded that Bragg testifies to Congress on a possible indictment of former President Trump.

“We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law,” a spokesperson for Bragg’s office told Fox News Digital. 

“In every prosecution, we follow the law without fear or favor to uncover the truth. Our skilled, honest and dedicated lawyers remain hard at work,” the spokesperson added. 

Bragg’s statement comes after Republicans on the Administration and Oversight committees sent a letter to Bragg demanding that he turn over documents related to his Trump investigation and testify before Congress after reports said Trump could face an indictment this week.

Over the weekend, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R- Calif.) responded to former President Donald Trump’s social media post saying that he will be arrested this week by pledging to have congressional committees investigate whether federal funding was involved in the case out of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

“Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,” McCarthy said on Twitter. “I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”

Twitter Chief Elon Musk Endorses Republicans in Final Election Hours

0
Mitch McConnell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

In the final hours leading up to Election Day, billionaire Twitter CEO Elon Musk is pushing undecided voters to support Republican candidates, a move sure to infuriate liberal Twitter addicts across the country.

The Monday morning message comes months after Musk indicated he was likely to support Republicans in the next election cycle despite previously voting for Democrats.

“To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” Musk wrote.

In May, Musk said he was included to change his voting preferences.

“I have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, historically – overwhelmingly. Like, I’m not sure, I might never have voted for a Republican, just to be clear. Now this election, I will,” he said at the time.

Musk has become increasingly vocal about his own personal politics over the past year, even indicating he would rather vote for Ron DeSantis for president instead of Donald Trump.

In June, Musk revealed he supported a Republican for the first time, casting his vote for Mayra Flores but the billionaire indicated it would not be the last vote he cast for the GOP. In a Twitter thread, Musk revealed that while he previously supported Democrat Andrew Yang for president he’s inclined to side with DeSantis in future elections.

“I supported Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning.

In another tweet, Musk was asked who he was leaning towards and he simply replied “DeSantis.”

This story is developing. Stay with Great America News Desk for updates.

Fmr. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Announces Presidential Bid

0
Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former Arkansas Governor — and noted Trump critic — Asa Hutchinson announced his decision Sunday morning to compete to become the next Republican nominee for president.

In contrast to the GOP establishment’s decision to defend former President Donald Trump, Hutchinson called for Trump to drop out of the race following his indictment.

Hutchinson’s announcement came during an interview with ABC’s Johnathan Karl:

As Fox News reports:

Hutchinson is the third Republican to announce a campaign and will face off against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump. Several another figures are expected to enter the race but have yet to do so.

“I have made a decision, and my decision is I’m going to run for president of the United States,” Hutchinson told ABC News. “While the formal announcement will be later in April, in Bentonville, I want to make it clear to you…I am going to be running. And the reason is, I’ve traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country. I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts.”

Hutchinson has mulled a potential presidential run for months, receiving support from a new super PAC in February.

He remains a long-shot candidate in what is expected to become a crowded field, however. While his only announced opponents are Haley and Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to announce his campaign soon.