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Smartmatic Vows to ‘Expose the Rest’ of Fox News’ Alleged ‘Misconduct’ After Dominion Settles Massive Lawsuit: Report

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In the wake of Dominion Voting Systems settling its defamation lawsuit against Fox News for $787.5 million – just under half of the $1.6 billion it had sued for – Smartmatic, which is suing the right wing cable network for $2.7 billion, is vowing to “expose” the rest of the “misconduct” it is alleging.

“Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest,” the company said in a statement, as The New York Times reports.

Smartmatic is a privately held multinational electronic voting systems company that is also alleging defamation against Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News. The case has not yet gone to trial.

Semafor’s Ben Smith adds Smartmatic also said: “Smartmatic remains committed to clearing its name, recouping the significant damage done to the company, and holding Fox accountable for undermining democracy.”

READ MORE: Lawmaker’s Viral Speech Attacking ‘Sin’ and ‘Perversion’ Is Getting Laughs but Expert Says It’s ‘Incitement to Violence’

Dominion appears pleased with the settlement, with its chief executive John Poulos calling the settlement “historic,” The Times notes.

“Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion,” Poulos said.

The Atlantic’s David Frum muses about how much more money Smartmatic’s lawsuit against Fox News might cost the company, should it win its defamation case.

“Until extremely recently, the largest libel verdict in US history was $222 million in 1997,” Frum says, pointing to a Washington Post article about a case against Dow Jones over its Wall Street Journal article.

“The $965 million verdict against Alex Jones last year topped that,” Frum adds. “Fox’s $787 million is now the runner-up.”

Continuing to muse about how much Smartmatic might get, if it were to win its case, Frum says, “Pending the Smartmatic settlement, which may pole-vault Fox into first place ahead of Alex Jones. It’ll be remarkable if one company settles two out of three biggest defamation cases in US history within a few weeks of each other. Shareholder derivative suits may then follow.”

Indeed, similarly, NBC News’ Ben Collins suggested the Fox News settlement, by comparison, was not enough.

“InfoWars has to pay out almost a billion. Three-quarters of that for a much more well-funded and expansive set of lies — a lie which they continue to entertain — seems like small potatoes,” Collins tweeted, adding: “To me.”

 

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Family Food Costs Hit Record High Despite Trump Touting Cheaper Holiday Dinner

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As Americans prepare for Thanksgiving, President Donald Trump is promoting Walmart’s 25% cheaper holiday meal as evidence that grocery prices are falling. But the discount reflects a smaller, bargain-focused menu with fewer items and fewer name-brand products — lowering the cost of a one-time holiday feast without addressing the broader fact shoppers are seeing at the checkout line, that overall food prices have hit a record high this year.

The fact-checkers at Snopes reported on Friday that the cost of feeding a family of four for one month hit an all-time high of $1,030 this year. Snopes cited data from the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank, whose October American Affordability Tracker compiled figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A separate report released Friday by Groundwork Collaborative, The Century Foundation, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) found that many Thanksgiving basics have risen sharply, contradicting the claim that the Thanksgiving holiday meal is generally cheaper.

READ MORE: Trump to Hold Million-Dollar-a-Plate Fundraisers Amid Affordability Push

“The full holiday meal is up nearly 10% this year, more than triple the overall rate of inflation,” the report found. It stated that onions are up 56%, creamed corn is up more than 20%, butternut squash and collard greens have risen over 12%, and french-fried onion topping for a green bean casserole has climbed 15%.

Meanwhile, citing “the highest inflation in decades,” CNN reported on Friday that the “Trump administration’s unprecedented tariffs, the immigration crackdown and global natural disasters have rattled the food supply chain. Grocery prices rose in August at their fastest pace in three years and increased again in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

“This is coming on the heels of the highest inflation in decades,” the news network noted.

Americans should not expect grocery prices to drop before Thanksgiving, The New York Post revealed on Friday.

“Grocery prices will remain stiff across the board through Thanksgiving despite President Trump’s recent cancellation of tariffs on beef, bananas and more — and coffee drinkers shouldn’t expect relief until after Christmas.”

READ MORE: Trump State Department to Focus on God-Given Rights

 

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Trump to Hold Million-Dollar-a-Plate Fundraisers Amid Affordability Push

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As President Donald Trump and his administration continue their focus on touting affordability — insisting prices for many everyday food items have dropped while consumers lament grocery store prices — the President will be hosting two one-million-dollar-a-plate fundraisers for his super PAC early next year.

Inflation remains high at 3.0%. The unemployment rate is now the highest it’s been in nearly four years. Prices for items like beef, coffee, and bananas have increased by double-digit percentages. Major corporations have announced plans to lay off thousands or tens of thousands of workers. And millions of Americans are seeing their health care premiums for next year skyrocket, as Congress leaves D.C. for Thanksgiving break.

The president, meanwhile, has insisted there is little to no inflation, and calls affordability a Democratic “con job,” as he hosted the crown prince of Saudi Arabia this week for a lavish black-tie White House dinner.

READ MORE: ‘Very Serious Violation of the Law’: Trump Says Military Looking Into Democrats’ Video

“President Trump, who has been hosting fund-raising dinners at a pace unseen by any second-term president, is scheduled to hold two more early next year, according to copies of the invitations seen by The New York Times,” the Times reported on Friday. “Mr. Trump is slated to attend two high-dollar ‘candlelight dinners’ — one at Trump National Golf Club near Washington on Jan. 31, the second at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 27.”

The Times also reports that politicians’ super PACs generally spend funds on the politicians’ own elections, but Trump is term-limited, according to the U.S. Constitution. While he has flirted with running for a third term, he recently acknowledged it is not permitted.

The White House has said Trump will be more focused on the cost of living in the new year.

Last month, a local CBS affiliate reported that “President Trump is expected to headline a $1 million-per-person candlelight dinner at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Oct. 17. The event is hosted by the Trump-aligned super PAC, MAGA, Inc., which raised $177 million in the first half of the year. The event is expected to have an impact on next year’s midterm elections.”

READ MORE: Trump State Department to Focus on God-Given Rights

 

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‘Very Serious Violation of the Law’: Trump Says Military Looking Into Democrats’ Video

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One day after calling for six Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for “seditious behavior,” President Donald Trump is now claiming the military is looking into a video they recorded reminding members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Intelligence Community of their duty to refuse unlawful orders.

“I think it’s a very serious violation of the law,” President Trump told Fox News Radio.

“I know they’re looking into it militarily,” Trump claimed.

“I think Pete Hegseth is looking into it, too,” he said of the Secretary of Defense. “I don’t know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it — the military courts.”

READ MORE: Trump State Department to Focus on God-Given Rights

The six lawmakers — four House Democrats and two Senate Democrats — in a recorded video said, “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law, or our Constitution.”

Trump lashed out on Thursday.

“It’s called seditious behavior at the highest level,” he charged. “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be Arrested and put on trial. Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example must be set.”

“Seditious behavior, punishable by death!” he continued.

Some of the Democrats are speaking out.

READ MORE: ‘Mob Shakedown’: Trump Ukraine Peace Plan Blasted as ‘Surrender to Putin’

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), who is one of the six lawmakers, was asked if she believed illegal orders have been given.

“Well, what I will say is that over the last nine or ten months, about 600 pieces of lawsuits have been filed in response to executive orders or orders in general, that this president and this administration has made. Of those, 150 or so have been ruled as being unlawful, many of them by judges that have been appointed by President Trump.

“So, yes, you know, those kinds of things are going on,” she noted.

READ MORE: ‘Sundown’: Trump Shows ‘Shocking’ Noticeable Mental Decline Journalist Says

 

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