Anonymous ID: e64bd6 Dec. 17, 2024, 5:19 p.m. No.22183514   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3618 >>3680 >>3902 >>4034 >>4047

https://nypost.com/2024/12/17/media/george-stephanopoulos-apoplectic-over-abc-news-settlement-with-trump/

George Stephanopoulos ‘apoplectic, humiliated’ over ABC News’ $16M defamation suit settlement with Trump

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos is “apoplectic” and “humiliated” by the network’s decision to pay $16 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump, The Post has learned.

Stephanopoulos, who claimed Trump had raped E. Jean Carroll during an interview with Republican lawmaker Nancy Mace, was particularly upset about being forced to apologize, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

Another source told The Post that “George is defiant.”

A third source said Stephanopoulos “is a very guarded person. His circle of trust is so small, and a lot of them don’t work [at ABC anymore].“

The first insider added that the host of “This Week” had recently signed a contract extension with Disney-owned ABC News — though the source did not disclose the terms of the deal.

The former Bill Clinton aide has kept a low profile since the settlement — a $15 million donation to a presidential foundation and museum for Trump and another $1 million for Trump’s attorney fees — was announced on Saturday.

He has deactivated his X account, where he had more than 2.3 million followers.

Some ABC News staffers fumed at management for keeping a tight lid on coverage of the settlement, the first source said.

It was “front page news everywhere yet ABC doesn’t report on itself,” the source lamented.

Three sources told The Post that morale is down after a series of layoffs in all departments..

The settlement “is another gut punch,” one of the people said. “It’s sheer level embarrassment. People are furious.”

The settlement was announced just a day after a judge ruled that Stephanopoulos and Trump had to sit for depositions in the case. The depositions were scheduled for this week.

“This wasn’t a news division decision, it was a company decision,” one of the sources speculated, adding: “They likely didn’t want to go through discovery, when you search all the documents and all the emails and find everything that’s said, and turn it over to the other side.”

A source with knowledge of the situation told The Post that the $16 million payout is coming from the network’s insurance.

ABC News declined to comment.

Stephanopoulos did not return multiple requests for comment.

Trump filed the defamation lawsuit against ABC News and Stephanopoulos after the newscaster incorrectly noted that the former president “has been found liable for rape by a jury.”

The network and Stephanopoulos released a joint statement on Saturday,

“ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024,” the statement said.

Last year, a Manhattan jury hearing the civil case brought by Carroll, who has alleged she was raped by Trump decades ago, found the Republican liable for sexual battery and defamation — but not rape.

In a sign that Disney is looking for a reset with the president-elect, Debra OConnell, who oversees ABC News, paid a visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump, according to Puck News.

Industry insiders speculated that Disney CEO Bob Iger wanted to put the legal matter to rest before Trump took office because he was fearful it would affect other departments in the company’s portfolio that are subject to government regulation.

Iger is also said to be mindful of the reputational damage that Disney absorbed from its years-long, protracted fight with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that the Mouse House publicly lobbied against — to no avail.

The Disney boss may also wish to alter the perception that ABC News has an axe to grind with the incoming president — particularly given the fact that one of his top deputies, Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden, has maintained a decades-long friendship with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Trump camp was irked by ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis for their frequent fact-checking of the president-elect during the Sept. 10 presidential debate.

Anonymous ID: e64bd6 Dec. 17, 2024, 5:29 p.m. No.22183554   🗄️.is 🔗kun

https://www.aol.com/news/read-full-indictment-luigi-mangione-225034798.html

Read the full indictment: Luigi Mangione charged with murder as act of terrorism

Luigi Mangione charged with additional murder counts on Tuesday in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, officials announced.

Mangione, 26, was charged with one count of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and two counts of second-degree murder, including a count of murder in the second degree as an act of terrorism.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Mangione faces up to life in prison for the first-degree murder charge and 25 years to life for the second-degree murder charges.

Thompson was fatally shot on the morning of Dec. 4 in Manhattan, which led to a nearly weeklong manhunt for Mangione. The search ended when Mangione was spotted at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Anonymous ID: e64bd6 Dec. 17, 2024, 5:46 p.m. No.22183636   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Benjamin Netanyahu Is on Trial for His Political Life

The ICC’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of genocide has attracted global attention. But in Israel, he faces a trial for corruption to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars that could mean the end of his political career.

Anonymous ID: e64bd6 Dec. 17, 2024, 6:08 p.m. No.22183782   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3791

https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-liz-cheney-congress-subpoenas-3431b6eadd87abf14111e02c91145e86

Cheney: 1/6 panel won’t let Trump turn testimony into circus

Anonymous ID: e64bd6 Dec. 17, 2024, 6:10 p.m. No.22183799   🗄️.is 🔗kun

“Evidence uncovered by the Subcommittee revealed that former Congresswoman Liz Cheney tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without Hutchinson’s attorney’s knowledge,” the report from chairman Barry Loudermilk, R-Georgia, says.

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman told Cowboy State Daily the findings of the report aren't surprising.

“We already knew Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony was fabricated and had been debunked at the time she gave it," Hageman said. "However, the uniparty and mainstream media were determined to convince the American public to believe her lies and those told by Liz Cheney.”

Anonymous ID: e64bd6 Dec. 17, 2024, 6:22 p.m. No.22183859   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Pope Francis was seen with a significant bruise on his chin Saturday, but presided over a ceremony to install new cardinals without apparent problems.

A Vatican spokesman said later Saturday that the bruise was caused by a contusion on Friday morning, when Francis hit a night stand with his chin.

The pontiff, who turns 88 later this month, appeared slightly fatigued, but carried on as normal with the scheduled ceremony to create 21 new cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Anonymous ID: e64bd6 Dec. 17, 2024, 6:46 p.m. No.22184010   🗄️.is 🔗kun

A trio of entertainment veterans — Lloyd Braun, Sarah Bremner and Noah Oppenheim — have come together to form independent production studio Prologue Entertainment, with an investment from Jeff Zucker and RedBird Capital Partners.