11 Apr 2023

Fox attorneys in libel case reveal dual roles for Rupert Murdoch

by | posted in: Politics | 0

WILMINGTON, Del. — Attorneys defending Fox in a defamation case related to false claims about the 2020 election withheld critical information about the role company founder Rupert Murdoch played at Fox News, a revelation that angered the judge when it came up at a Tuesday hearing.

It was not clear whether the development would affect a trial scheduled to begin Thursday with jury selection. Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox for $1.6 billion, saying it damaged its reputation by repeatedly airing false claims that the company helped orchestrate a fraud that cost former President Donald Trump re-election.

The role of Fox executives is at the heart of the case. The company’s attorneys have sought to insulate members of the Murdoch family and to keep them from testifying live before a jury, arguing that their roles at the parent company, Fox Corp., put them at a distance from the Fox News shows that aired the bogus claims.

Fox Corp. had asserted since Dominion filed its lawsuit in 2021 that Rupert Murdoch had no official role at Fox News. In its filings, it had listed Fox News officers as Suzanne Scott, Jay Wallace and Joe Dorrego.

But on Easter Sunday, Fox disclosed to Dominion’s attorneys that Murdoch also is “executive chair” at Fox News. The disclosure came after Superior Court Judge Eric Davis wondered aloud during a status conference last week who Fox News’ officers were.

Davis was clearly disturbed by the disclosure, coming on the eve of the trial.

“My problem is that it has been represented to me more than once that he is not an officer,” the judge said.

Davis suggested that had he known of Murdoch’s dual role at Fox Corp. and Fox News, he might have reached different conclusions in a summary judgment ruling he issued last month. In that ruling, the judge said there was no dispute that the statements aired by Fox were false, but that a jury would have to decide whether Fox News acted with actual malice and whether Fox Corp. directly participated in airing the statements.

To Fox attorney Matthew Carter, Davis said: “You have a credibility problem.”

In response, Carter said he believed Murdoch’s title at Fox News was only “honorific.”

“I’m not mad at you,” the judge later told Carter. “I’m mad at the situation I’m in.”

In a statement issued after Tuesday’s pretrial hearing, Fox said, “Rupert Murdoch has been listed as executive chairman of Fox News in our SEC filings since 2019 and this filing was referenced by Dominion’s own attorney during his deposition.”

It’s unclear whether the judge will take any action in response to the late disclosure. But an attorney for Dominion said he wanted Fox to further explain Murdoch’s role with the network, indicating the issue could come up when the pretrial hearing continues Wednesday.

11 Apr 2023

19-Year-Old Man Wanted For Fatal Liquor Store Shooting Near Lake Worth; Crime Stoppers Reward Offered for Tips

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Today, detectives announced that 19 year-old Brandon Frazier has been identified as the suspect in the shooting and is wanted for first degree murder with a fire-arm and shooting within an occupied dwelling. If you know of his whereabouts please contact local law enforcement.
Detectives announced that 19 year-old Brandon Frazier has been identified as the suspect in the shooting and is wanted for first degree murder with a fire-arm and shooting within an occupied dwelling. If you know of his whereabouts please contact local law enforcement.

LAKE WORTH, FL – The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is looking to locate a suspects they say is wanted for fatal shooting at a liquor store in unincorporated Lake Worth last month.

According to authorities, on Tuesday March 21, 2023, deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 3600 block of Military Trail, at 777 Liquors, in the Lake Worth area. Upon arrival, deputies located an adult male deceased from a gunshot wound.

Today, April 11, detectives announced that 19 year-old Brandon Frazier has been identified as the suspect in the shooting and is wanted for first degree murder with a fire-arm and shooting within an occupied dwelling. If you know of his whereabouts please contact local law enforcement.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS or you can remain anonymous by downloading our new app “PBSO” for your Apple or Android Smart Phone and using the See Something feature. The app can also be downloaded from www.pbsoapp.com.

11 Apr 2023

Trump Team Accusing DeSantis of “Taxpayer-Funded” Presidential Campaign; Demands He Resign and Announce 2024 Presidential Run

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The Trump campaign team sent out an e-mail on Monday, referencing Florida’s “resign to run” law that mandates candidates running for political office must resign from the current post that they hold a minimum of 10 days before starting their new campaign. File photo: Evan El-Amin, Shutter Stock, licensed.

The team representing former President Donald Trump’s campaign accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of taking advantage of his constituents by engaging in “taxpayer-funded globetrotting” during unofficial presidential campaign trips, demanding that he instead resign from his post and officially announce his 2024 run for the White House.

The Trump campaign team sent out an e-mail on Monday, referencing Florida’s “resign to run” law that mandates candidates running for political office must resign from the current post that they hold a minimum of 10 days before starting their new campaign.

“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is currently on a month-long, taxpayer-funded presidential campaign schedule paid for by Florida taxpayers, and new questions are emerging as to whether this will force DeSantis to resign from office,” the Trump team’s email said. 

DeSantis is currently engaging in a countrywide tour during April, with stops planned in Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Utah, Texas, and South Carolina.

In the email, Trump spokesman Steven also accused DeSantis of engaging in “taxpayer-funded globetrotting” via upcoming planned trips to several different countries – such as Japan and Israel – to “score some last-minute foreign policy credentials for his 2024 presidential campaign.” 

“Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to campaign full-time for president, during the Florida legislative session, while collecting a salary and having the taxpayers pick up the costs for his travel and security. It’s a massive flip-flop from his position in 2018,” Cheung said. 

However, Cheung did not provide specific evidence implicating that DeSantis is using the tax dollars of his constituents for his current travels.

DeSantis recently had two separate ethics complaints filed against him; the first from Florida Democrat Nikki Fried, who alleged he attended a $235,000 donor-funded retreat at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach, Florida. The second comes from MAGA Inc. – a Trump-linked super PAC – who filed a March 14 complaint purporting that the Florida governor had solicited and received “millions of dollars” in illegal gifts.

DeSantis has not yet announced his official run for the White House in 2024, but if the time comes that he does, he is anticipated to be Trump’s biggest rival for the GOP nomination.

11 Apr 2023

FBI warns airport, hotel, shopping mall cell phone charging stations risky

by | posted in: Society | 0

Harried traveler beware: those dangling chords from a free charge kiosk at an airport or other public area that seem like a lifesaver could actually be a bed of serpents, authorities warn.

“Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers. Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices,” the FBI’s Denver field office recently tweeted. “Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead.”

The phenomena known as “juice jacking” is not new, nor was the FBI the first agency to try to put out the word.

“Be aware that juicing up your electronic device at free USB port charging stations … could have unfortunate consequences. You could become a victim of ‘juice jacking,’ a new cyber-theft tactic,” the Federal Communications Commission warned in an October 2021 bulletin.

The trick is that the design of smartphones uses the same port for charging as it does for data transfer — as shown when you plug your phone into your computer for a charge and a notice pops up on the desktop asking if you want to transfer files.

“That means, anytime a user connects to a USB port for a charge, they could also be opening up a pathway to move data between devices—a capability threat actors could abuse to steal data or install malware,” explains antivirus software vendor Malwarebytes Labs in a 2019 post.

Thankfully, Malwarebytes says the threat doesn’t seem to show up in the wild often — at least not at the time of the company’s posting. But the concept was proven at DEF CON, the hacker convention held annually in Las Vegas, in 2011 by the group Wall of Sheep.

Wall of Sheep wrote in a post on their demonstration that the vulnerability is the phone’s USB port and the exposure is a user’s awareness of the possible attack. “When these two factors come together, the unsuspecting user plugs their phone into a malicious system, the attack is able to take place.”

Thankfully, the group writes, “there is no reason to presume the kiosks filling airports and other public places are inherently malicious. It is important for the public to know that the threat exists, which is why it’s a concern and a defense should be put in place.”