Newsom accuses Fox News of lying about Trump call in $787 million defamation lawsuit
June 27 (Reuters) - California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit on Friday accusing Fox News of defaming him through its coverage of a phone call between himself and President Donald Trump, according to Politico and the New York Times.
The suit, filed in a Delaware court where Fox is incorporated, seeks $787 million in damages and also asks for a court order prohibiting the news organization from broadcasting or posting segments that mistakenly say Newsom lied about a call he had with Trump late at night on June 6, according to the Times.
The newspaper reported that Newsom, a Democrat, also sent a letter demanding Fox issue a retraction and that host Jesse Waters issue an on-air apology for saying on his show that Newsom had lied about the call. If Fox meets those conditions, Newsom would drop the lawsuit, the Times said.
Newsom and Trump spoke by phone soon after scattered protests broke out in Los Angeles in the wake of federal immigration raids. Trump responded by ordering thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the state, bypassing Newsom and igniting another firestorm over his aggressive efforts to deport migrants living in the U.S. illegally.
The damages Newsom is asking for mirrors the $787.5 million that Fox News and its parent Fox Corp (FOXA.O), opens new tab paid in 2023 to settle a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems over its coverage of false vote-rigging claims in the 2020 U.S. election.
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The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘We are privileged': liberal Afrikaners reject Trump's ‘white genocide' claims
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Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Trump: I saved Khamenei from ‘ugly' death
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NBC News
44 minutes ago
- NBC News
Congo and Rwanda sign a U.S.-mediated peace deal aimed at ending decades of bloody conflict
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The peace deal is not likely to end the conflict quickly The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group is the most prominent armed group in the conflict, and its major advance early this year left bodies on the streets. With 7 million people displaced in Congo, the United Nations has called it 'one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth.' Congo hopes the U.S. will provide it with the security support needed to fight the rebels and possibly get them to withdraw from the key cities of Goma and Bukavu, and from the entire region where Rwanda is estimated to have up to 4,000 troops. Rwanda has said that it's defending its territorial interests and not supporting M23. M23 rebels have suggested that the agreement won't be binding for them. The rebel group hasn't been directly involved in the planned peace deal, although it has been part of other ongoing peace talks. Corneille Nangaa, leader of Congo River Alliance — known by its French acronym AFC — which includes M23, told The Associated Press in March that direct peace talks with Congo can only be held if the country acknowledges their grievances and that 'anything regarding us which are done without us, it's against us.' An M23 spokesperson, Oscar Balinda, echoed that to the AP this week. Nduhungirehe pointed to separate talks happening in Qatar that are meant to get both Congo and the M23 rebels to agree among themselves how they will end the fighting. He also said Rwanda agreed to lift its 'defensive measures.' It was not clear if he meant withdrawing the troops that Rwanda has said are defending its territorial interests. Rwanda also has been accused of exploiting eastern Congo's minerals, used in smartphones, advanced fighter jets and much more. Rwanda has denied any involvement, while analysts say that might make it difficult for Rwanda not to be involved in the region. The deal is at the heart of the U.S. government's push to counter China in Africa. For many years, Chinese companies have been a key player in Congo's minerals sector. Chinese cobalt refineries, which account for a majority of the global supply, rely heavily on Congo. What the US role looks like in ending the conflict Congo's foreign minister said the U.S. has proven to be a 'reliable partner' during the peace process and on other issues in relations between the two countries. 'So there is no doubt in this moment, if you want, when it comes to the credibility of the U.S. as a partner, be it for a peace process, where we have signed a very important agreement today, or for investment from the U.S.,' Wagner told the AP in an interview Friday evening. Analysts say the U.S. government's commitment might depend on how much access it has to the minerals being discussed under separate negotiations between the American and Congolese governments. The mostly untapped minerals are estimated to be worth as much as $24 trillion by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Christian Moleka, a political scientist at the Congolese think tank Dypol, called the deal a 'major turning point' but said it could 'in no way eliminate all the issues of the conflict.' 'The current draft agreement ignores war crimes and justice for victims by imposing a partnership between the victim and the aggressor,' he said. 'This seems like a trigger-happy proposition and cannot establish lasting peace without justice and reparation.' In Congo's North Kivu province, the hardest hit by the fighting, some believe that the peace deal will help resolve the violence but warn justice must still be served for an enduring peace. 'I don't think the Americans should be trusted 100%,' said Hope Muhinuka, an activist from the province. 'It is up to us to capitalize on all we have now as an opportunity.' The conflict can be traced to the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, where Hutu militias killed between 500,000 and 1 million ethnic Tutsi, as well as moderate Hutus and Twa, Indigenous people. When Tutsi-led forces fought back, nearly 2 million Hutus crossed into Congo, fearing reprisals. Rwandan authorities have accused the Hutus who fled of participating in the genocide and alleged that elements of the Congolese army protected them. They have argued that the militias formed by a small fraction of the Hutus are a threat to Rwanda's Tutsi population.
