THE SHOW NOTES: A Tale of Three Shootings, Dragging Clarence Thomas, The Death of the GOP Was Greatly Exaggerated
Welcome! Fox News paid Dominion $787.5 million to avoid a defamation trial.
NEW: Netflix will no longer send red envelopes with DVDs in the mail AND will let you keep sharing your password… for now.
WHAT: An NHL player got 75 stitches after a skate sliced his face and then returned to the game.
OUTRAGE: UN Says Minors Can Consent to Sex
HEADLINE: The earnings recession is here. There could be worse to come. - CNN Business
If you didn’t read my morning piece on how the press covered three different shootings, get it here.
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Settled: Fox vs Dominion
The settlement reached between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million will go down as one of the largest defamation settlements of all time. In addition to monetary damages, Fox was also forced to admit that “certain claims” it made in regard to the 2020 election were false. The settlement will prevent a protracted embarrassing trial that would force some of the network’s biggest stars on the stand.
Neither side’s legal issues are behind them. Fox News is being sued for defamation by Smartmatic - an electronic voting company that was also maligned on the network - for $2.7 billion. Dominion still has pending lawsuits against Newsmax, OAN, Rudy Giuliani, and Sidney Powell.
Trump Fading?
A new poll from Yahoo/YouGov suggests that Trump’s post-indictment bump may be over. Trump led DeSantis by 26 points in a head-to-head matchup just two weeks ago while the Alvin Bragg indictment was fresh on the minds of voters. In a follow-up poll released this morning, Trump’s lead shrunk to 10 points. Here’s the quote that matters from Yahoo:
For the first time since February, fewer than half of Republican voters now say they would prefer Trump (49%, down 5 points) to “someone else” as the party’s nominee. Instead, most say they would prefer someone else (39%) or that they’re not sure (12%).
Despite the slip in polling, congressional endorsements are pouring in for Donald Trump. 45 sitting House members have backed Trump’s 2024 campaign compared to three for DeSantis. DeSantis headed to DC earlier this week only to be overshadowed by news that three additional congressmen from Florida are backing Trump. The total number of Trump congressional backers in Florida sits at seven.
Biden Immigration Blues
A Democratic polling firm is sounding the alarm on public perception of Joe Biden’s handling of immigration. This is from Politico:
Fifty-eight percent of voters in seven key Electoral College battleground states disapprove of how the president is handling immigration, compared with 32 percent who approve, according to a new swing-state poll from Global Strategy Group first shared with POLITICO. And a majority of voters surveyed, at 52 percent, believe Biden is ignoring problems at the border, while 50 percent said the president is ignoring the situation around undocumented immigrants.
🔥 Trending news:
Key Senate Democrats remain non-committal on Biden’s labor secretary pick ahead of confirmation hearing - CNN
Afghanistan IG report hammers Biden administration for 'dysfunction' days after White House blames Trump - Fox News
The battle lines are being drawn for a war across East Asia involving Taiwan - The Hill
Remembering the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the people who fought back - CNN
US charges 4 Americans, 3 Russians in election discord case - AP
Democratic governors lose their grip as Republicans nab supermajorities - Politico
Biden Can Steamroll Republicans on the Debt Ceiling - Politico
The End Of Computer Magazines In America - Daring Fireball
Tesla cuts U.S. prices for sixth time this year ahead of first-quarter results - CNBC
USA Today Affiliate Sends Cease-and-Desist to DeSantis Critic Who Cribbed Articles for Fake News Site - Free Beacon
From Twinkies to Doritos, Snacks Get Tiny - WSJ (paywall)
Market snapshot:
I'm glad the skate got back in the game, but I do wonder about the player.
I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. Compared to soccer where players fall down, act hurt, then come back in the game like nothing happened... because nothing happened.