Month: November 2024

Satrire publication The Onion purchased Infowars — the Alex Jones right-wing conspiracy theory website — in a bankruptcy auction on Thursday.  About an hour and a half after the announcement of the sale, Infowars’ website was shut down.

The Onion will take control over Jones’ media empire, most notably Infowars, the far-right, conspiracy-minded website that served as Jones’ primary online platform. Infowars was sold in a bankruptcy auction after Sandy Hook elementary school shooting families won a $1.5 billion judgment against Jones in defamation suits.  Proceeds from the sale will go to pay down a $1.5 billion against Jones for spreading false conspiracy theories that claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook mass elementary school shooting was faked.

Jones confirmed the purchase Thursday on X:  “I just got word 15 minutes ago that my lawyers and folks met with the U.S. trustee over our bankruptcy this morning and they said they are shutting us down even without a court order this morning. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I’m going to be here until they come and turn the lights off.”  Jones added that security had notified him he has to leave the Infowars premises on Thursday.

The Onion, which often satirized Jones, said they plan to rebuild the Infowars website to feature the work of well-known Internet humor writers and content creators. In a statement on the social media site BlueSky, The Onion CEO Ben Collins said his company has plans for Infowars: “We are planning on making it a very funny, very stupid website. We have retained the services of some Onion and Clickhole Hall of Famers to pull this off. I can’t wait to show you what we have cooked up.” The Onion added that its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

Sandy Hook families from Newton, CT filed lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas claiming Jones defamed them on his show and inflicted emotional distress by repeatedly suggesting the shooting, in which a gunman killed 20 first grade children and six adults, was a hoax. Chris Mattei, an attorney for the families, said: “Our clients knew that true accountability meant an end to Infowars and an end to Jones’ ability to spread lies, pain and fear at scale.”  The plaintiffs agreed to forgo a portion of their recovery to boost The Onion’s bankruptcy auction bid, according to attorneys.

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A 14-year-old has been charged with allegedly starting one of the several wildfires that spread across New Jersey over the last month amid severe drought conditions in the region.

Authorities investigating the cause and origin of the blaze “located evidence that identified this fire as an arson,” the Evesham Township Police said in a statement.

Officers responded to a forest fire in Evesham Township, in the area of Sycamore Avenue near the Berlin Township border in New Jersey on October 30 at approximately 1 p.m.; over the next several days, authorities say the blaze burned 52 acres of land. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service and Evesham Fire Department combatted the flames, with authorities stating that no structures were threatened and no injuries were reported.

Following an “extensive investigation,” the teen — who resides in Marlton, within Evesham Township — was identified as a suspect, police said. The teen was arrested on Nov. 7 and charged with aggravated arson and causing or risking widespread injury or damage, and was lodged in the Middlesex Juvenile Detention Center pending his first appearance.

Police added that a separate blaze — dubbed the “Bethany Run Wildfire” — began on November 7 in the area of Sycamore Drive, and is also under investigation for possibly being connected to the October 30 blaze. The Nov. 7 fire burned for several days with 375 acres consumed, though no structures were damaged. The investigation into both fires is ongoing.

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Senate Republicans met behind closed doors Wednesday to vote by secret ballot, and have elected South Dakota Senator John Thune to serve as Senate Majority Leader when the new Congress convenes in January. Thune, currently the number two GOP leader, was viewed as the frontrunner leading up to the closed-door election. He replaces current GOP leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who announced in February he was stepping down from his leadership post after an 18-year tenure, marking the end of his run as the longest serving GOP leader.

Thune said in a statement: “I am extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th Congress, and I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House. This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today.”

Thune, who serves on the Senate Finance committee, was elected to the House in 1996 and served three terms. After losing his first Senate bid in 2002, he ran again in 2004 and defeated Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. Thune has held other posts in Senate GOP leadership since 2009 and chaired the Senate Commerce committee.

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President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump met in the Oval Office on Wednesday, shaking hands before reporters and news cameras. The two men took photos and spoke briefly, but did not respond to questions from reporters.

The ceremonial visit marked Trump’s first return to the White House since January 2021 when he left office. Biden extended the invitation last Wednesday after Trump’s election prior to his welcome a week later by Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

Promising Trump that his administration will accommodate the president-elect’s needs, Biden said: “Well Mr. President-elect and former president, Donald, congratulations, and looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth transition.Welcome, welcome back.”

Trump responded: “Thank you very much, and politics is tough, and it’s, many cases, not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe.”

Per the White House, First lady Jill Biden joined the President in greeting Trump upon his arrival, giving him a handwritten letter of congratulations for Melania Trump. The first lady’s office confirmed that a joint invitation was extended to the Trumps to meet at the White House, but Mrs. Trump did not travel to Washington with her husband. Melania Trump’s office said in a statement: “her husband’s return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging, and she wishes him great success.”

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The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case in New York ordered Tuesday to delay any decision on whether to throw out Trump’s conviction based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision on presidential immunity. Judge Juan Merchan was scheduled on Tuesday to decide the fate of the case, but both sides requested more time to consider how to proceed now that Trump is president-elect.

Merchan granted the request by attorneys for the defense and prosecution to delay the proceedings for another week. He gave himself a Tuesday deadline to announce his decision after pushing sentencing until after the election.Merchan wrote: “As per the People’s request, the People are to file with the Court, off calendar, your view of appropriate steps going forward.”  

Sentencing was originally slated for July 11, at which time Merchan moved the date back as Trump campaigned for the presidency. The Republican National Convention took place four days after the original sentencing date. Ahead of the next scheduled date (Sept. 18) Merchan announced sentencing would stay on hold until after the election.

A jury convicted Trump in May of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniel to silence allegations about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.

Sentencing in the case is currently scheduled for Nov. 26, less than two months ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Trump has asked that the verdict be overturned or the case be thrown out entirely. If Judge Merchan tosses the conviction, he could order a new trial — which would be delayed for at least four years until Trump leaves office — or dismiss the indictment altogether.

If Trump’s conviction holds up, he will be the first convicted felon in the office of the president. He faces up to four years in prison.

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