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Fox Lawsuit Highlights Effects Of Conspiracies On Dominion

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FOX PHOENIX — Elected leaders in Arizona’s most populous county are bracing for what could happen when the county’s $2 million-a-year contract for voting equipment expires.

Maricopa County officials, which encompasses Phoenix, say they have no reservations about their current vendor, Dominion Voting Systems. The issue is that the company has become entangled in a web of conspiracy theories since the 2020 presidential election, which has eroded public trust in US elections among conservative voters, led to calls to ban voting machines in some areas, and triggered death threats against election officials across the country.

“I am concerned about my security if we re-enlist Dominion,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican elected in 2020, stated in court. “It went from a company that no one had heard of to one of the most demonized brands in the United States or the world.”

The Colorado-based voting machine company’s unexpected turnaround is at the core of a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit it has filed against Fox News. The trial is set to begin in mid-April. On multiple occasions, Dominion says Fox defamed it by airing false claims about the company’s voting machines and software. Court documents and testimony showed that several Fox hosts and executives did not believe the claims made by former President Donald Trump and his supporters since the 2020 election, but they continued to broadcast them, in part because they were afraid of losing viewers.

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Defamation lawsuit it has filed against Fox News.

As Trump and his fellow Republicans argued that he shouldn’t have lost to Democrat Joe Biden, Fox said it was reporting on newsworthy allegations. The network says that Dominion has exaggerated how much it’s worth, couldn’t have done the damage it’s accused of and has played down security worries about its machines. Fox’s lawyers also say that the court documents show that Dominion is in good financial shape.

According to Fox, the case has no merit, and the outrageous damage claim only highlights its overt attempt to censor constitutionally protected speech.

Dominion has shown proof that it lost business contracts and opportunities in the last two years. It cites misinformation as the reason officials in Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee have ended contracts with it, while counties in Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, and Ohio have yet to choose to renew.

One expert estimated that Dominion had lost nearly $16 million in profits due to customers who either terminated their contracts early or decided not to renew in a report the company submitted in November as part of its lawsuit.

According to the same estimate, Dominion has already lost $72.3 million in potential contract extensions, extra equipment sales and service contracts with current customers, and new business.

Overall, the expert estimated that the company’s value had dropped by $920 million, which included the anticipated taxes the company would have to pay if it were awarded damages. The expert also estimated additional missed opportunities, which have not been officially disclosed.

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Overall, the expert estimated that the company’s value had dropped by $920 million.

A Dominion spokeswoman, Stephanie Walstrom, said, “The evidence will show that before Fox started spreading and endorsing lies about Dominion voting machines, Dominion was a valuable, quickly growing business that was executing its plan to grow.”

The company’s difficulties are far from over, as conspiracy theories about the last presidential race have permeated much of the Republican Party. Trump supporters still travel the nation, meeting with community groups and holding forums to spread election conspiracies.

Some county officials, citing constituent concerns, have used the conspiracies to justify refusing to certify election results and have fed efforts to decertify or ban voting equipment.

“People aren’t acting rationally,” said Lawrence Norden, a Brennan Center for Justice election security expert who has pushed for increased voter access and funding for elected offices. “They’re canceling contracts at a high cost to their taxpayers.”

Recent actions, such as in Shasta County, California, where the board of supervisors ended its contract with Dominion early, are not included in the Dominion expert’s report. The board cited a loss of public trust in the machines used in the county to tabulate paper ballots marked by hand at a meeting in January.

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Trump received 65% of the vote in Shasta County in 2020.

“Dominion has to prove to me that we have a free and fair election,” said Patrick Henry Jones, Chair of the Board of Supervisors, who led the campaign to end the contract. “Just because we’re all sitting here and elected doesn’t mean we’ve always had free and fair elections.”

The board is now pursuing a proposal fox to count ballots by hand, which experts believe needs to be more accurate and takes longer in all but the smallest jurisdictions. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Trump supporter, has vowed to help them eliminate their voting machines.

Lindell stated in an interview that he is willing to contribute to the expenses of any lawsuits that Shasta County may face.

“They have the right to use paper ballots and a hand count,” Lindell said. “They must be brave, or we will not be able to get rid of these machines.”

Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen fox has defended the voting equipment and blamed “disproven conspiracy theories” for undermining the county’s election system and employees. She has warned that the county is at risk of being unable to hold elections.

“Their actions have jeopardized the security of our elections and set a dangerous precedent that encourages outsiders to undermine our elections at the county level,” Darling Allen testified to Congress earlier this month.

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Election security experts were worried that three companies already dominated the market.

She estimated that hand-counting all ballots in a presidential election with 50 candidates would cost at least $1.6 million and necessitate the employment of nearly 1,300 temporary workers. More than 111,000 people are enrolled to vote in the county.

Election security experts were worried that three companies already dominated the market for voting machines before the 2020 election. fox Election Systems & Software, a Dominion competitor, has not reported contract cancellations but has been forced to defend its image amid the voting machine conspiracies.

In a recent hearing, Fox’s attorney, Erin Murphy, told the Delaware Superior Court judge presiding over the defamation case that Dominion has “a real speculation problem” regarding its claims for damages and that Dominion’s lost-profits argument appears to be based on the presumption that it would have won every contract it sought if Fox’s coverage of the election fraud allegations had not occurred.

That ignores the reality that Dominion’s competitors have occasionally offered lower bids or more appealing technology, according to Murphy. Fox has used internal communications, such as one in which a Dominion worker said, “God, our products stink,” and a federal advisory that describes possible security holes found in a Dominion system.

Maricopa County, Arizona, has been at the vanguard of Dominion conspiracy theories. In 2021, the GOP-controlled Legislature used its subpoena power to seize the county’s voting equipment and hired a company run by Trump supporters to comb through it for proof that the machines had been tampered with. The company discovered none, and project manager Doug Logan admitted in a private text message revealed in an unrelated lawsuit that “the Dominion machine is quite precise.” Nonetheless, mistrust persists.

Waldeep Singh, Dominion’s senior vice president of sales, stated in a court filing that the situation in Arizona has made doing business there impossible. He blamed conspiracy theories for the company’s failure to gain business in Yavapai County, a conservative rural county north of Phoenix.

“All I can tell you is that, based on my experience and our trajectory at the time in Arizona,” Singh said, “we were trending in a very positive direction.”

“I don’t think we’ll win anything in Arizona again,” he said.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Tommy Prine, 27, Doesn’t Dodge His Father’s Legacy But Makes His Own Way

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. Tommy Prine spoke about his father’s passing in front of a crowded audience in The Basement, one of Nashville’s most intimate music venues.

During a recent sold-out performance, he observed, “It stinks to lose a parent at any age — in my case, when he was the world’s greatest songwriter.”

Singer-songwriter John Prine, Prine’s father, passed away in April 2020 at 73 due to coronavirus complications. Even for a period when grieving had grown commonplace, his death sparked a flood of global mourning.

In the music industry, the heartbreak was especially severe. The bonds John Prine formed with his music were only strengthened by his generosity to budding musicians. Many others tried to digest the unthinkable by expressing their sadness through memorial songs.

It turns out that Prine’s own family was experiencing a similar situation.

Last year, Tommy Prine published “Ships in the Harbour,” a song about his father that is as heartfelt and open-hearted as ever. It resists the urge to curl up in the fetal position rather than flee from what he lost. It gets the closest of any song to properly expressing the immense weight of grief brought on by the pandemic.

Tommy Prine, now 27 years old, is set to release a whole album of songs that deal with growing up, love, and grief. The film “This Far South,” which will be released on June 23, is daring in how it faces his father’s passing head-on and how the son of a legend handles the inevitable concerns that arise from working in the same field.

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Tommy Prine keeps going and works hard on a risky project. He created a unique album, and it is captivating.

According to Prine, “honestly, even if my Dad wasn’t who he was, I feel like I would’ve made the same record,” he stated in an interview with The Associated Press. Because of who he is, “I didn’t include these songs, but I also didn’t shy away from them.”

Writing songs enabled Prine to process everything he had lost. His father’s legendary position feels almost incidental to the intimacy of that journey.

“I’m Tommy Prine, and I lost my Dad in the pandemic, and that’s going to be the focal point of what I’m trying to get across,” he said. And while I am aware that it was a fairly public event and that most people will be aware of the background, I believe that they are optional.

I believe people may just listen to it from the viewpoint of a young man who lost his father unexpectedly.

The few allusions, such as the card games and talks they avoid, are vivid without ever becoming cloying. In a lovely song called “By the Way,” he discusses the singular sensation of occasionally hearing his father’s voice.

Prine sings, “I don’t want to talk about the day you slipped away.” The tunes we used to sing still make it difficult to hear your voice.

But Tommy also has other weaknesses and is more or less influenced by those who aren’t his biological father. For instance, the anthemic flourishes and introspective lyrics on the album show co-producer Ruston Kelly’s influence. The song “Reach the Sun” begins with a manic episode in the middle of the night but eventually soars to resemble Kelly’s best work, including the excellent album he recently published.

In an interview conducted after Kelly’s performance with Prine at The Basement, Sufjan Stevens was named another artist who influenced both. Prine heard a sound that matched the wistful desperation he wanted to express while listening to Stevens’ “Carrie & Lowell” album, which Kelly had directed him towards.

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Tommy spoke about his father’s passing in front of a crowded audience in The Basement, one of Nashville’s most intimate music venues.

It was “probably the last thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” according to Prine, but it ended up being a “saving grace” for him as he dealt with the hardship of losing his father.

Listeners would do well to consider how they would react if they weren’t aware that this album was produced by the legendary John Prine’s son, given the darkness that hangs over anyone named Prine who dares to try his hand at making original music. Social media and other modern methods of music distribution make it plausible, if not probable, that Prine’s music will reach a brand-new audience. His father may not be well-known to some listeners his age or younger, but these songs will draw comparisons on their own.

But everyone who pays attention will hear the promise of a creative person who bravely followed his heart. Fans of John Prine may recognize elements of the album’s disarming honesty, but they will also hear a new voice presenting intense music that crackles.

Tommy claims that although having considered it, he rarely worries about the legacy issue. But that’s simply another thing he has arranged in its appropriate position.

“I’m just making the music I want to make, and music that is a representation of who I am as a person,” he stated. I have my tale to share because I had quite different childhood experiences than my father.

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SOURCE – (AP)

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2023: Why Chrishell Stause Isn’t Wearing Wedding Ring After Marrying G-Flip

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Sunset Newlywed for sale Chrishell Stause Discusses Her Marriage and Her New Season.

A significant piece of jewelry that Chrishell Stause recently married G Flip is gone.

The Selling Sunset has been seen sans a wedding band despite getting married to the musician. Chrishell, though, has a justification.

In a video posted on her Instagram Stories on May 30, she declared, “I’m happily married, very happy.” But due to my weight increase, I’m not wearing my ring. And that’s okay with me. I CAN MAKE A REAL RING WITHOUT REVEALING ANYTHING until I have it adjusted or until we think everyone is aware.

I’m living my best life, and that’s why, Chrishell added. “Anyways, long story short, if you see me without my ring, listen, that’s why.”

The reality star wed G Flip on May 10 by posting an Instagram video showing the couple holding hands at the altar. After dating for over a year, the pair married in Las Vegas.

Recently, the couple discussed their wedding ceremony and answered questions about whether they were now legally married.

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A significant piece of jewelry that Chrishell Stause recently married G Flip is gone.

On the May 27 episode of SiriusXM Hits 1 LA with Tony Fly and Symon, Chrishell remarked, “If you don’t believe it, I don’t care and that’s the best part.” “I don’t require your consent.”

Additionally, don’t anticipate seeing the couple’s nuptials on Selling Sunset.

“I think that it’s a balance thing on a show like this, of what to share and what not to share, and I think that it’s important that we are open and we shine a light on a love that I think is so beautiful,” Chrishell stated on E! News on May 17. But even so, it’s essential to preserve some items for us.

The real estate agent also talked about how they were married unusually. We should have done the customary engagement, she remarked. “We avoided the entire situation, the paperwork, all the worries that people have, all this stuff.”

It’s been a dream come true for Chrishell.

She continued, even if their union is the least conventional regarding how things should work out. It has been the most significant and vital aspect of my life. Therefore, each person has a unique method of doing things. It was so erratically flawless.

SOURCE – (ENEWS)

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Jewish Groups And City Officials Protest Against Roger Waters Concert In Frankfurt

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FRANKFURT — Several Jewish organizations, lawmakers, and a coalition of civil society groups gathered in Frankfurt Sunday evening for a mourning service and protest rally in opposition to Roger Waters’ concert.

The co-founder of Pink Floyd has been accused of antisemitism, which he strongly refutes.

They are upset with Waters because he backs the BDS movement, which promotes economic and cultural boycotts against Israel.

At first, Frankfurt officials tried to stop Waters from performing, but he contested the decision in court and won.

The Nazis picked up more than three thousand Jews, assaulted and humiliated them, and deported them to concentration camps in the city’s Festhalle in November 1938.

“Against this historical background, the concert should not have taken place under any circumstances,” said Sacha Stawski, a member of the Frankfurt Jewish community and the head of the group Honestly Concerned, which helped organize the demonstrations.

Elio Adler, the head of the Jewish organization WerteInitiative, which supports the protest, told The Associated Press, “It’s very frustrating” that the performance is going ahead as scheduled despite the efforts of the Frankfurt government and many others to prevent it.

“His words and imagery spread Jew-hatred and are part of a trend: to normalise Israel-hatred under the protection of freedom of speech or art,” Adler continued.

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Several Jewish organizations, lawmakers, and a coalition of civil society groups gathered in Frankfurt Sunday evening for a mourning service and protest rally in opposition to Roger Waters’ concert.

Police in Berlin announced last week that they had initiated an investigation on Waters on suspicion of incitement related to a costume he wore during a performance earlier this month in the German city.

Photos of Waters firing an imitation machine gun while wearing a long black coat and a red armband circulated online. The police have stated that an investigation was initiated due to concerns that the costume’s setting could be interpreted as a justification, approval, or glorification of Nazi tyranny.

In a Facebook and Instagram post, Waters denied the allegations, writing, “the elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all their forms.”

He said, “Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated.”

Protesters on Sunday read aloud the names of 600 Jews who were rounded up at the Festhalle on November 9, 1939, the so-called Kristallnacht, or “Night of Broken Glass,” when Nazis terrorized Jews throughout Germany and Austria. This took place in front of the Frankfurt concert venue before Waters’ concert was set to begin.

A prayer service attended by Jews and Christians was also held in Frankfurt in memory of those who perished at the hands of the Nazis. At the rally, the mayor and the Jewish community leader gave speeches.

According to the German news agency DPA, Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef has condemned antisemitism citywide. A person’s faith is not a valid excuse to despise, insult, or assault him.

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Several Jewish organizations, lawmakers, and a coalition of civil society groups gathered in Frankfurt Sunday evening for a mourning service and protest rally in opposition to Roger Waters’ concert.

About 400 protesters gathered before the show to wave Israeli flags and distribute leaflets to audience members. Banners reading “Israel, we stand with you” and “Roger Waters, wish you were not here” were also seen, with the latter a reference to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” as reported by dpa.

Protesters in Munich gathered last month to oppose a jewish Roger Waters concert after the municipal council claimed it had considered canceling the show but ultimately decided against it since revoking the organizer’s contract would be illegal.

Due to Waters’ apparent sympathy for Russia in its war against Ukraine, the Polish city of Krakow canceled his concerts there last year.

SOURCE – (AP)

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