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Axios
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Macrons sue Candace Owens for defamation
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit against ring-wing podcaster Candace Owens alleging she circulated "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions" about the couple for profit. The big picture: The 219-page complaint, which was filed in Delaware, alleges Owens' "lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons," subjecting the French leader and his wife to "a campaign of global humiliation." Driving the news: Owens used the false claim that the French first lady was born a man to "promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money," the 22-count suit alleges. She published a series and social media posts promoting conspiracy theories about the couple "with reckless disregard for the truth," the complaint alleges, and continued to double down despite direct outreach and retraction demands from the Macrons. "These claims are demonstrably false, and Owens knew they were false when she published them," the complaint reads. "Yet, she published them anyway. And the reason is clear: it is not the pursuit of truth, but the pursuit of fame." Catch up quick: Starting in March 2024, the suit alleges, Owens began promoting the false claim that the first lady was born a man before her departure from the Daily Wire and continued "recycling" that falsehood and spreading other conspiracies on her own podcast and social media. The lawsuit also alleges she created and sold merchandise to promote her claims. What they're saying: A spokesperson for Owens said in a statement to Axios she is "not shutting up" and will "address everything on her show today." "This is a foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist," the spokesperson said. The French Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. Zoom in: The suit points to Owens' history of platforming conspiracy theories and antisemitic tropes. "Her content is not intended to inform but to inflame and attract attention through sensationalism and conspiracy theories," it alleges. According to the complaint, the Macrons seek an unspecified amount of damages, which will be "determined at trial." What they're saying: After Owens continued platforming such claims in response to repeated retraction requests, the Macrons said in a statement that taking the matter to court was the only remaining solution. "We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused," their statement read. "It is our earnest hope that this lawsuit will set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all."
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
French President Macron sues right-wing podcaster Candace Owens
A spokesperson for Owens said she 'is not shutting up' and would address the lawsuit in her show later Wednesday. Advertisement 'This is a foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist,' the spokesperson said. The French Embassy could not be reached for comment. Tom Clare, an attorney representing the Macrons, called the suit a 'clear-cut case of defamation.' The Macrons said in a statement that they 'concluded that referring the matter to a court of law was the only remaining avenue for remedy' after three retraction requests were disregarded. Owens worked for the Daily Wire and Turning Point USA before starting her own podcast. She has more than 4.4 million subscribers on YouTube.
The Hill
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Macrons file lawsuit against Candace Owens over comments about French first lady
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte are suing right-wing podcaster Candance Owens, alleging defamation and that she profited off a conspiracy theory suggesting Brigitte was born a male. In a lawsuit filed in Delaware this week, the Macrons alleged Owens 'disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favor of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.' 'These claims are demonstrably false, and Owens knew they were false when she published them. Yet, she published them anyway,' the lawsuit reads. 'And the reason is clear: it is not the pursuit of truth, but the pursuit of fame.' A representative for Owens did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Owens has gained notoriety in recent years as a leading conservative commentator and supporter of President Trump. In June, however, she said she was 'embarrassed' that she campaigned for Trump She was a top personality at the conservative Daily Wire before a contentious falling out with the company and its leadership, which played out widely across social media, and starting her own media company. Owens has sparked outrage from Democrats and media watchdogs for years with her commentary on current events and attacked Brigitte Macron on social media as recently as last week.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Israel's Gaza church strike sparks moral debate. Is it losing support from its strongest US allies?
The Israel Defense Forces struck the only Catholic church in Gaza last week. The compound of the Holy Family, which belongs to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, was hit at 10:20 a.m. local time. Three civilians were killed and nine others injured, including the parish priest. The Patriarchate described the attack plainly: 'the targeting of innocent civilians.' Israel, after a torrent of international criticism including from President Trump, claimed the strike was a mistake. But no public evidence has yet supported that explanation. Churches, of course, are not difficult to identify: cross, steeple, certain features. And no credible account has emerged explaining how this specific target was mistakenly hit. Many argue that the strike may have been an intentional form of retaliation for Christian leaders' recent criticism of Israeli settler violence in a West Bank Christian town. Regardless of intent, this strike is an instantiation of a political turning point. The truth is that Israel overstepped not only the line of military proportionality, but the line that keeps even its staunchest allies — American evangelical conservatives — in its corner. That shift is visible at the top. Even Mike Huckabee, a longtime evangelical ally of Israel and U.S. ambassador to the country, has warned that Israel may be turning openly hostile toward Christians. In a pointed letter to Israel's Interior minister, he threatened visa restrictions on Israel for blocking Christian pilgrims from entering the country. Huckabee's criticism matters not just because of his stature, but that he represents millions of evangelical voters who have historically provided Israel with a powerful base of bipartisan American support. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), too, voted alongside Democrats to strip Israel of $500 million in funding hours after the bombing. Another Mike, Daily Wire commentator and essential Christian Zionist Michael Knowles, reacted to the strike and said: 'You're losing me. When you strike churches and start interfering with American interests… Now we've got a problem.' Support for Israel in the U.S. has long rested on two legs: shared strategic interests and shared moral values. The second of those legs is buckling: not just on the left, but now, visibly, among Israel's own evangelical base. The political backlash already underway clearly shows that Israel's pattern of hostility toward Christians is beginning to carry substantial consequences. Evidently, Israel's gamble with the goodwill of its strongest political base in the U.S. has failed. And there's another reason why striking a church is politically self-defeating: the West may struggle to communicate empathy for Palestinian civilians, but they brought in the beacon of American conservatism: Christianity and the church. I say this not as someone predisposed to condemn Israel. I as a Christian was broadly supportive of Israel in the weeks following Oct. 7. Not out of ideology but because, prudentially, I believed Israel's response to Hamas' attacks was warranted and necessary. But I now firmly believe government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has crossed the proportionality line with its recent food and aid blockade and relentless bombardment of civilians. Self-evidently, Israel has gone beyond its supposed mission to eliminate Hamas and get the remaining hostages released, and now seem overshadowed by an egregiously destructive military operation. And just as Israel's moral clarity has eroded, so too has the political cover once granted by its most reliable American supporters. When Israel strikes the church in Gaza they lose Michael Knowles. When Israel starts interfering with Christian pilgrims, they lose Mike Huckabee. And if they lose the Huckabee archetype, whom they rely on, then the Israeli government is badly misplaying its hand. In any case, an indefinite war, especially one with such a catastrophic civilian toll, cannot retain public or political support in the U.S. Still, the U.S. remains Israel's closest ally. But that support depends on shared values. If those values begin to diverge, so too will the relationship. William Liang is a writer living in San Francisco. His work has appeared in the Daily Wire, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Diego Union-Tribune and more.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Daily Wire's Michael Knowles Says JoJo Siwa Dating ‘Big Brother' Co-Star Proves LGBTQ+ Is ‘Fading': ‘No Longer a Lesbian!'
Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit kicked off on Friday, and while the roster of buzzy speakers included conservative media heavyweights like Tucker Carlson and Fox News' Laura Ingraham, it was Daily Wire's Michael Knowles who walked away with one of the more bizarre viral moments from the Tampa, Florida conference. In an elongated riff on the merits of traditional family values — merits that include the dissembling of LGBTQ+ rights, particularly for the transgender community — the 'Michael Knowles Show' host and Fox News regular argued that LGBTQ+ people are, in fact, 'fading.' Look no further than 22-year-old singer, dancer and actress JoJo Siwa, her said. More from TheWrap Daily Wire's Michael Knowles Says JoJo Siwa Dating 'Big Brother' Co-Star Proves LGBTQ+ Is 'Fading': 'No Longer a Lesbian!' | Video David Gergen, Political Commentator and Presidential Advisor for Reagan and Clinton, Dies at 83 Skydance in Early Talks to Acquire Bari Weiss' The Free Press | Report White House Mocks Congressman With AI-Altered Photo on Social Media 'Speaking of the LGBT, it is not just the T that is fading from the public square,' Knowles said in the clip circulating online Friday. 'After decades of nonstop lavender propaganda, Pride parades are getting canceled for lack of attendance. Lack of interest!' That first point was met with cheers of support from the audience, but the crowd really went wild for his next bit: 'JoJo Siwa is no longer a lesbian!' he exclaimed, visibly heartened by the enthusiastic applause. 'Nature is healing, that's great.' Knowles then pivoted to the sanctity of marriage and the importance of uplifting the so-called 'trad wife' mentality. 'Divorce rates are about the lowest they've been in 40 years. Young women are increasingly rejecting the corporate rat race, the widget factory — and to the horror of the feminists, they are aspiring to be wives,' Knowles continued. 'It's kind of funny … This radical change in ideology has actually caused us to come up with a new term: Do you know the term I'm talking about? 'Trad wife.' Do we have — look at all the aspiring trad wives, this is great!' Watch the moment from Day 1 of Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit below: Elsewhere in his speech, Knowles said that trying to 'redefine marriage' as anything other than being between a man and woman has left the country 'miserable.' 'We tried to redefine marriage, the fundamental political institution, the most basic human relationship. We tried to blow it up and turn it into something else. We even had the temerity to try and erase God,' he said. 'None of it has worked out very well. The reason it hasn't worked is not for lack of trying. The reason it hasn't worked is that we followed all of those ideas to their logical conclusions, and the conclusions made us miserable.' As far as his argument that Siwa is no longer a 'lesbian,' that's somewhat true — she no longer identifies as such. The former 'Dance Moms' star and pop singer previously came out as gay four years ago. But Siwa backtracked a bit in April and explained that she no longer identifies as a lesbian and prefers the label 'queer,' saying that she felt pressure to define her sexuality at a young age. In June, she went public with her current partner, former 'Love Island' contestant Chris Hughes, a man she met while appearing on 'Celebrity Big Brother.' Siwa's sexuality was previously a hot topic on her season of 'Celebrity Big Brother' earlier this year after her co-star Mickey Rourke was booted from the reality series in April for using derogatory, homophobic language toward the young entertainer. In the incendiary moment, Rourke asked Siwa if she dates men or women — after she answered that she's gay, Rourke said, 'If I stay longer than four days, you won't be gay anymore.' 'I can guarantee I will still be gay and I will still be in a very happy relationship,' Siwa answered. Rourke continued and told Siwa, 'I'll tie you up' and eventually used a homophobic slur. Rourke also said he was 'going to vote the lesbian out real quick' before yelling, 'I need a f–k' and pointing at Siwa. Rourke later apologized in the show's confessional room. 'I apologize. I don't have dishonorable intentions – I'm just talking smack,' he said. 'I wasn't taking it all so serious. I didn't mean it in any bad intentions and if I did, sorry.' The post Daily Wire's Michael Knowles Says JoJo Siwa Dating 'Big Brother' Co-Star Proves LGBTQ+ Is 'Fading': 'No Longer a Lesbian!' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
