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Trump Responds to Justice Department’s Gag Order Request

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    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former President Donald Trump issued a fiery response to the Justice Department’s request for a gag order

    On Monday, Trump’s legal team filed a 25-page response to the DOJ’s request.

    “The prosecution would silence President Trump, amid a political campaign where his right to criticize the government is at its zenith, all to avoid a public rebuke of this prosecution. However, ‘above all else, the First Amendment means that government has no power to restrict expression because of its message, its ideas, its subject matter, or its content,’” the brief states.

    The document adds, “The prosecution may not like President Trump’s entirely valid criticisms, but neither it nor this Court are the filter for what the public may hear.”

    The brief disputes claims by prosecutors that Trump’s history of fiery comments about political opponents threatens legal proceedings. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team is aiming to restrict the former president’s ability to comment on the case, claiming his famously fiery and antagonistic rhetoric could affect jurors’ perceptions.

    Read Trump’s full response below:

    “The defendant knows that when he publicly attacks individuals and institutions, he inspires others to perpetrate threats and harassment against his targets,” prosecutors previously claimed.

    Report: Hunter Biden Sues Rudy Giuliani

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    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Tuesday, President Biden’s son Hunter filed a lawsuit against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani alleging the former Trump lawyer violated his privacy rights by illegally disseminating content from Biden’s infamous laptop.

    The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California states Giuliani is “primarily responsible” for the “total annihilation” of Biden’s digital privacy. It also names Robert Costello, a former federal prosecutor who previously represented Giuliani, as a defendant, Fox News has confirmed. 

    “For the past many months and even years, Defendants have dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and energy toward looking for, hacking into, tampering with, manipulating, copying, disseminating, and generally obsessing over data that they were given that was taken or stolen from Plaintiff’s devices or storage platforms, including what Defendants claim to have obtained from Plaintiff’s alleged ‘laptop’ computer,” Biden’s attorneys wrote in the complaint, claiming that the data was not even from a “laptop,” but from an “external drive.”

    Read the complaint below:

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

    ‘Bidenomics’ – U.S. National Debt Passes $33 Trillion for First Time

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    Image via Pixabay free images

    ANALYSIS – In case some readers weren’t sure, this is a big reason the conservative GOP ‘Freedom Caucus’ is threatening a government shutdown. Thanks to Joe Biden’s massive spending orgy, the gross U.S. national debt has breached the $33 trillion mark for the first time.

    To be precise, according to the U.S. Treasury Department, as of September 18, 2023 (just 12 days short of the end of our fiscal year), the national debt has risen to $33,053,950,837,720 or $33.05 trillion.

    America’s runaway inflation, which is crushing everyone’s pocketbooks, is just one result of this part of ‘Bidenomics.’

    This unprecedented debt is also fueling concerns that another fight over federal spending may trigger the first government shutdown since 2019.

    Without drastic spending cuts, it’s only going to get worse, much worse.

    Even accounting for newly passed spending cuts, the U.S. national debt is on track to top $50 trillion by the end of the decade, impacted by mounting interest and the cost of the nation’s social programs.

    This is unsustainable; a looming catastrophe waiting to happen.

    And, yes, while Donald Trump clearly overspent, especially due to the COVID-19 epidemic, this current staggering debt, and the debt going forward, is mostly Biden’s fault.

    As David Winston explained in Rollcall back in April:

    The president [Biden] and his White House have taken the 2020 COVID-19, one-time-only crisis budget as his administration’s working baseline, rather than the pre-Covid 2019 budget, which had a significant $4.4 trillion price tag.

    In 2020, because of the pandemic, the budget jumped 47 percent to $6.5 trillion, as both Democrats and Republicans supported the need for emergency funding. That COVID funding was to sunset as the country returned to normal — as it did last year. Apparently, Biden decided to ignore that crucial point.

    Instead, he saw that supersized budget in 2020 not as a crisis, but an opportunity that could be exploited going forward to pay for what amounted to a historic spending spree that kicked off with the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and drove what became the worst inflation in 40 years. During Biden’s first two years in office, he oversaw spending that was 40 percent higher than the pre-COVID 2019 budget.

    According to the CBO, Biden is going to match Trump’s addition to the national debt in just three years, reaching a total of $7.1 trillion over his four years. That would be $1.5 trillion more than Trump contributed during his term, which included the 2020 one-time COVID emergency spending. If Biden’s 2024 proposed budget actually passed, he would add as much to the national debt as Trump and Bush 43 combined. House Republican leaders have made clear his budget isn’t going anywhere; but it illustrates just how out of control Biden’s spending policies really are.

    This is a big reason why the House Freedom Caucus is willing to shut down the government to try to impose some sort of fiscal discipline.

    While much of the news has focused on the ‘intransigent’ MAGA conservatives undermining Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the rest of the House Republicans on this issue, Biden refuses to even discuss the House majority’s proposals.

    Biden says he wants a “clean” debt ceiling vote without any provisions to control spending. This is not surprising since he just proposed a budget that will reach a record $10 trillion in spending by 2033. 

    As horrible as a government shutdown will be, allowing this massive debt to keep growing is unacceptable. Without massive cuts, everyday Americans will still be paying the bill, long after Biden is gone.

    Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

    Trump To Investigate Media Company for ‘Threatening Treason’

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      Comcast image via Wikimedia Commons

      Former President Trump pledged over the weekend to launch a full-scale investigation into Comcast, the parent company of NBC and MSNBC, if elected.

      In a series of Truth Social posts the former President attacked the networks’ knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events.”

      “They are almost all dishonest and corrupt, but Comcast, with its one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its ‘Country Threatening Treason,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Sunday.

      “I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events,” the former President wrote.

      “The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!” Trump added.

      Pro-Lifers Bash Trump ‘Terrible’ Abortion Comments – But Was He Wrong?

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      Washington D.C., USA - January 22, 2015; A Pro-Life woman clashes with a group of Pro-Choice demonstrators at the U.S. Supreme Court.

      ANALYSIS – During his recent NBC interview, former president Donald Trump called Florida’s recently passed six-week abortion ban “terrible.” The ban was signed into law by his 2024 Republican campaign rival Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

      Trump believes that picking six weeks as the line to draw for abortion banning is not politically viable nationally. He argued that both liberals and conservatives should agree on a compromise solution — a compromise number of weeks.

      And to clarify, Trump said the six-week ban was: “terrible. A terrible mistake.”

      He was saying that, politically, passing a six-week ban was a mistake, because it charges up the pro-abortion activists, and alienates moderate women needed to win nationally.

      Like it or not, exit polls in 2022 showed that the rush to ban abortions outright by some states just after Roe vs Wade was reversed, scared away a lot of independents and moderate suburban women, contributing to the extremely weak results for Republicans in the last midterm elections.

      Trump, the ever-ready wheeler dealer, also predicted that: “both sides are going to like me,” adding, “What’s going to happen is you’re going to come up with a number of weeks or months, you’re going to come up with a number that’s going to make people happy.”

      Here I think Trump made a terrible choice of words. You don’t want the left to like you, even if you are trying to disarm them. But that’s the way he thinks and speaks.

      The former president also said that he would be “a mediator” between both sides to come up with a policy that is “good for everybody.”

      I take that to mean a compromise timeline on the number of weeks for banning abortion nationwide, and what exceptions to make.

      Some pro-lifers immediately bashed Trump for his comments. The Christian Post reported on the backlash:

      Trump’s criticism of Florida’s law that bans abortion once a heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks of gestation, did not sit well with pro-life activists

      Lila Rose, the founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action, took to X to describe the former president’s remarks as “pathetic and unacceptable.”

      “Trump is actively attacking the very pro-life laws made possible by Roe’s overturning,” Rose wrote. “Heartbeat Laws have saved thousands of babies. But Trump wants to compromise on babies’ lives so pro-abort Dems ‘like him.'” 

      And then there was conservative culture warrior Matthew Walsh, with whom I usually agree, who called Trump’s remarks as “an awful answer from a moral perspective” and “also stupid politically.” 

      In his post on X (formerly Twitter) Walsh said that “there is no compromise on abortion that everyone will like.”

      “It’s delusional to think otherwise. And contrary to Trump’s claims, almost all Democrats are indeed extreme on this issue,” he added. “You will be hard pressed to find more than maybe two or three on the national stage who don’t want abortion until birth or beyond. You can’t win over Democrats by going squishy on this issue. Republicans have tried that brilliant strategy for decades and accomplished exactly nothing by it.” 

      But is Trump wrong? 

      A six-week ban based on a fetal heartbeat sounds very reasonable to me. And is fine for Florida.

      But I know that won’t wash with many other folks across the country who aren’t extreme but prefer another timeline for banning abortion. GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who is staunchly pro-life, doesn’t believe a 15-week national ban is realistic either.

      As governor of South Carolina, Haley signed a 20-week ban, joining 12 other states back then with bans.

      Polls have shown that many, if not most, Democrats believe in some restrictions on abortion. Most, if not all Republicans will make exceptions for rape, incest, and health of the mother. Many would be happy with any reasonable ban, whether six, eight or ten weeks.

      And Trump isn’t the only one who argues that taking a strident no compromise stance on abortion will hurt Republicans nationally. As the Christian Science Monitor reported:

      At a closed-door conference meeting in the Capitol earlier this month, a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gave Senate Republicans a briefing that seemed intended to serve as a wake-up call. The Dobbs decision has “recharged the abortion debate and shifted more people (including some Republicans) into the anti-Dobbs ‘pro-choice’ camp,” the political action committee’s report stated. Some senators reportedly left the meeting brainstorming potential new labels, such as “pro-baby,” that could replace the increasingly fraught “pro-life.”

      Unlike in the past, when conservative candidates could simply identify themselves as “pro-life” without having to be specific, they are now being peppered with questions about real policy choices: Should abortion be banned at the state or federal level? After how many weeks? With or without exceptions? What about abortion pill restrictions?

      At one end of the 2024 spectrum are Vice President Mike Pence and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who have strongly leaned into an anti-abortion message. Both candidates have endorsed a national 15-week abortion ban.

      By contrast, Mr. Trump, in his “Meet the Press” interview, declined to explicitly endorse a 15-week ban, drawing a rare rebuke this week from Senator Scott. Ms. Haley has outright dismissed a national 15-week ban as unrealistic – one of the “hard truths” that she has been delivering to voters across New Hampshire and Iowa. She says the Supreme Court was “right” to send abortion back to the states.

      While I understand and appreciate the 100% pro-life stance, I also want to win the White House and Senate, and expand our lead in the House, so conservatives can keep pushing on this and other issues important to us.

      So, Trump may not be wrong. We need to be more tactically flexible to win the bigger war.

      Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

      Trump Vows Largest Deportation of Illegal Aliens in American History

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      ANALYSIS – HALLELUJAH! – As Joe Biden’s radical open door border policies allow tens of thousands of illegal migrants to flood into the country weekly, former president Donald Trump is vowing to deport many, if not most of them.

      And that is one of the best things I have heard from Trump recently. This is the only way to reverse the massive foreign illegal invasion Biden has created.

      While other GOP presidential candidates have talked tough on the border, so far only Trump has promised massive deportations.

      There should always be exceptions, but in my estimation, most who have come here illegally under Biden must go.

      Trump’s comments come as the numbers of illegal aliens are again skyrocketing at the border. In the past five days alone, there have been over 45,000 migrant encounters both at the ports of entry and between them, including multiple days of over 8,000 illegal immigrant encounters.

      There were reportedly around 230,000 migrant encounters in August, though the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) have not provided official figures yet.

      This is unprecedented.

      Blasting Biden for the “nation-wrecking catastrophe on our southern border,” during a speech in Dubuque, Iowa Wednesday evening, Trump promised that, if elected, he would carry out “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”

      “Following the Eisenhower Model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” Trump said, as reported by Fox News.

      Trump also said he would “immediately” invoke the Alien Enemies Act — part of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 – a federal law granting the president unilateral power to detain and deport foreign aliens in the United States who are over 14 years old.

      As NBC News reported, the law says a president may order non-citizens “to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies” when he or she “makes public proclamation” than an “invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation.”

      And as I have pointed out repeatedly, this current crisis certainly counts as an “invasion or predatory incursion,” in many ways controlled and directed by Mexican drug cartels.

      Trump said he would use the Act to target suspected gang members, drug dealers and cartel members. 

      “I’ll…invoke immediately the Alien Enemies Act to remove all known or suspected gang members…the drug dealers, the cartel members from the United States, ending the scourge of illegal alien gang violence once and for all,” Trump vowed.

      Trump added: “Under my leadership, we had the most secure border in U.S. history. Now, we have the worst border in the history of the world.” 

      Of course, you can’t solve the problem solely by deporting two million or more illegal migrants, especially criminals and gang members, numerous other Biden policies must also be quickly reversed. 

      And Trump addressed that too, in Iowa, saying that in his second term he would begin by “immediately” terminating “every Open Borders policy of the Biden Administration.”

      At the top of his list, Trump promised to reinstate and “expand” the “travel ban” that he implemented during his first term. 

      The ban, which Joe Biden ended on his first day in office, barred most individuals from seven countries with high terrorism indices — including five Muslim-majority countries — from entering the United States.

      But he didn’t stop there, Trump added that he would expand his travel ban to “deny entry to all communists and Marxists to the United States.”

      “Those who join our country must love our country—and we are going to keep foreign Christian-hating communists, Marxists, and socialists the hell out of America,” Trump declared.

      That might be trickier to do, but I like how he is thinking.

      The former president also said he plans to “shift massive portions of federal law enforcement to immigration enforcement,” including some of the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

      “I will make clear that we must use any and all resources needed to stop the invasion—including moving thousands of troops currently stationed overseas to our OWN southern border,” Trump said, emphasizing that “before we defend the borders of foreign countries, we must secure the border of our country.”

      This is the most clear and comprehensive response proposed to date by anyone, to counter Biden’s illegal immigrant catastrophe.

      Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

      Mexican Cartels Sending Migrant Mobs to Overwhelm US Border Agents

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      President Donald J. Trump participates in a roundtable discussion on immigration and border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station Friday, April 5, 2019, in Calexico, Calif. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

      ANALYSIS – Joe Biden’s border disaster is getting worse by the day as thousands of illegal immigrants swarm U.S. border entry points daily. And as I have repeatedly noted the Mexican drug cartels essentially control the border regions of Mexico.

      Across the entire southwest border, as many 9,400 migrants have crossed into the US in a single 24-hour period. That is tens of thousands a week or over 100,00 per month. Over a million a year.

      And now, thanks to Joe Biden and his band of merry leftists, the cartels essentially control the U.S. side of the border as well, flooding our border with illegal migrants to overwhelm our border patrol agents and divert them from the drug smuggling points.

      As the New York Post reported: “The way it’s being orchestrated through the cartels, I believe it’s meant to overwhelm the system. The [places] that are being impacted the most are border communities,” said former El Paso City Councilmember Claudia Rodriquez.

      The Post added:

      Cartels unleashed turmoil on the city before, stirring up rumors of the border being open to all back in March and again in April, prompting hundreds of migrants to storm one of El Paso’s international bridges.

      “If you’re at the border, go this morning,” a social media screenshot of the rumor said. “Don’t miss this opportunity.”

      Aid workers previously told The Post how migrants are particularly susceptible to tricks orchestrated by the cartel, as most are in a vulnerable position and in unfamiliar territory.

      “A lot of the folks that are waiting in Juarez [across the border from El Paso] are very desperate, and they’ll believe anything,” Crystal Sandoval of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center said in March.

      These waves of migrants egged on by cartel-driven misinformation online on social media overwhelms and distracts the Border Patrol, and diverts federal resources, when they are most needed to combat the smuggling of fentanyl into the U.S. 

      It also overwhelms the local communities.

      Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who represents both Eagle Pass and El Paso, has warned about the raw numbers of illegal migrants.

      “Eagle Pass is completely overrun right now. El Paso is getting overwhelmed right now. Arizona is getting overwhelmed right now.”

      “The only way we can regain control of the southern border is by enforcing the laws that are on the books. That’s exactly what the administration needs to do. That’s exactly what Congress needs to focus on.”

      Meanwhile, as Fox News reported, things are getting so bad that a Mexican railway company has halted operations after a video showing migrants packed into freight cars riding into the U.S. went viral earlier this week.

      Note, the rail company didn’t halt the trains because the migrants were swarming into the U.S., but because some were getting hurt along the way, and it was becoming too public.

      According to Fox: “Migrants have long used the trains, known collectively as ‘The Beast,’ [or ‘train of death’] to hitch rides to the U.S. border, and a video of a Ferromex train out of Zacatecas, Mexico, packed with migrants — heading toward the U.S. southern border — went viral on Sunday.”

      As long as Biden continues his deliberately disastrous open border policy, the cartels will continue to push waves of illegal migrants into the U.S., overwhelm the Border Patrol, and send more deadly drugs into America across the Rio Grande.

      Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

      Trump Breaks Silence on Murdoch ‘Retirement’

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      David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

      Former President Donald Trump has finally addressed the consequential news that media mogul Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as Fox Corporation’s chairman.

      On Thursday, Murdoch officially broke the news that his son Lachlan will be stepping into his shoes leaving much of the conservative right waiting for Trump’s reaction.

      Trump cited “many people” giving him credit for forcing Murdich into retirement but claimed that he “did not believe” that to be true. Instead, he took the opportunity to blast another powerful conservative foe, Mitch McConnell, who he blames for giving “Radical Left Lunatics, together with his small band of automatic “yes” votes, EVERYTHING they want.”

      Trump wrote on Truth Social:

      Many people are saying that,”You forced Rupert Murdoch into retirement!” I do not believe this is so, but while we’re at it, how about getting rid of “Democrat” Mitch McConnell, who gives the Radical Left Lunatics, together with his small band of automatic “yes” votes, EVERYTHING they want. There is ZERO Republican Leadership in the United States Senate. MAGA!!!

      Report: Democrat Senator to be Indicted

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      Senate Democrats, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

      New Jersey Democrat Bob Menedez and his wife will be indicted on bribery charges on Friday, according to New York prosecutors.

      Fox News has more:

      “A press event will be held today at 11:00 a.m. to announce the unsealing of an indictment charging Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator from New Jersey, and his wife, Nadine Menendez, with bribery offenses in connection with their corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen,” the U.S. attorney’s office posted on X. 

      NBC News 4 reported Monday that the FBI and IRS criminal investigators are attempting to determine if Menendez or his wife had taken up to $400,000 worth of gold bars from Fred Daibes, a New Jersey developer and former bank chairman, or his associates in a swap for Menendez reaching out to the Justice Department to aid the “admitted felon” accused of banking crimes.

      Federal prosecutors announced the charges on Friday and said in a search of his home, they found $100,000 in gold bars and $480,000 in hidden cash. 

      According to the indictment, Menendez and his wife agreed to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange to protect three New Jersey businessmen – Wael “Will” Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes – and benefit Egypt. 

      “Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,” the document said

      Earlier this week, Christine Serrano Glassner, a New Jersey mayor linked to former President Donald Trump announced her campaign to take down Sen. Menendez.

      “Senator Menendez has been in politics his entire life. He’s under investigation yet again,” Glassner says in a campaign kickoff video. ”New Jersey deserves someone with integrity, someone who will work hard to tackle the tough problems that are facing all of us. Someone who will put us first. Someone who cares more about our families — our New Jersey families — than his cronies.”

      “As a fighter for New Jersey residents and businesses throughout my career in federal and state government and based on my experience as a mom and a mayor, I am ready to go to work,” Serrano Glassner said in a statement. “We need a leader to fight for the hardworking men and women of New Jersey — and for America. I am that leader, and I will defeat Bob Menendez and end his career of cronyism.”

      This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

      Rupert Murdoch Steps Down As FNC Chairman

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      David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

      Media mogul Rupert Murdoch announced Thursday he will be transitioning to a new role within his media empire, handing over the reins to his son Lachlan.

      Murdoch, 92, announced the news to colleagues in a letter Thursday, noting he was in good health. He will officially make the transition in November, and his son Lachlan will become the sole chairman of both companies.

      “I am writing to let you all know that I have decided to transition to the role of Chairman Emeritus at Fox and News,” Murdoch wrote. “For my entire professional life, I have been engaged daily with news and ideas, and that will not change. But the time is right for me to take on different roles, knowing that we have truly talented teams and a passionate, principled leader in Lachlan who will become sole Chairman of both companies. Neither excessive pride nor false humility are admirable qualities. But I am truly proud of what we have achieved collectively through the decades, and I owe much to my colleagues, whose contributions to our success have sometimes been unseen outside the company but are deeply appreciated by me.

      “Whether the truck drivers distributing our papers, the cleaners who toil when we have left the office, the assistants who support us or the skilled operators behind the cameras or the computer code, we would be less successful and have less positive impact on society without your day-after-day dedication. Our companies are in robust health, as am I. Our opportunities far exceed our commercial challenges. We have every reason to be optimistic about the coming years – I certainly am, and plan to be here to participate in them.” 

      “In my new role, I can guarantee you that I will be involved every day in the contest of ideas,” he wrote.

      Lachlan Murdoch released an announcement congratulating his father and the legacy he’s left at his enormously influential companies.

      “On behalf of the FOX and News Corp boards of directors, leadership teams, and all the shareholders who have benefited from his hard work, I congratulate my father on his remarkable 70-year career,” said Lachlan Murdoch. “We thank him for his vision, his pioneering spirit, his steadfast determination, and the enduring legacy he leaves to the companies he founded and countless people he has impacted. We are grateful that he will serve as Chairman Emeritus and know he will continue to provide valued counsel to both companies.”

      Murdoch’s media empire includes FOX News Channel, which launched in 1996 under News Corp.

      Murdoch was Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to the closing of the merger of 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company in March 2019. Murdoch served as CEO of 21st Century Fox from its inception as News Corporation in 1979 until 2015 and as its Chairman from 1991 to 2015.