News From Around the Web
#10 Angry Rudy Giuliani Argues With Judge Overseeing Defamation Payout: ‘I Can’t Pay My Bills' - Adam Reiss and Dareh Gregorian for NBC News, Conservative Patriot, Jim Pfaff, and John V. on X
An angry Rudy Giuliani lashed out in court Tuesday at the judge presiding over the collection proceeding for the $146 million defamation judgment against him — and complained he's having a hard time making ends meet. Speaking after U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman said the former personal lawyer to Donald Trump had not been complying with court orders to surrender his assets, Giuliani snapped: “The implications you are making against me are wrong. I have no car, no credit card, no cash, everything I have is tied up. They have put stop orders on my business accounts, and I can’t pay my bills.”
#9 Elon Musk Says He’s Going to Launch an AI Game Studio to “Make Games Great Again - Tom Henderson for Insider Gaming Network, Elon Musk, Doge Designer, and American Sublime on X
In the tweet, Musk says that there are “too many game studios that are owned by massive corporations” and that xAI will soon have its own game studio. What such a game studio will look like is unclear, but in recent years, game studios have increasingly relied on AI to cut spiraling costs and help with creative ideas. One such project to leverage AI is Ubisoft’s new ‘Alterra’ project, which heavily used AI during the creative and ideation process to create its characters named ‘Matterlings’. Earlier this month, it was revealed that he was somehow a top 20 Diablo 4 player despite him running companies including Tesla, SpaceX, X, and more. The billionaire also dabbled in streaming, too, with his first stream on X pulling 1.3 million watchers. To put that into perspective, xQc has a recorded peak of 312,158, DrDisrespect reached heights of 363,980, and Ninja hit 616,693, to name a few big streamers...
#8 Suffolk Police Respond to Lee Zeldin’s Shirley Home Following Bomb Threat - Jon Dowding for Associated Press/News12, Lee Zeldin, Hen Mazzig, and Newsday on X
resident-elect Donald Trump's transition team says several of his Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting attacks." Trump previously had named Lee Zeldin as his choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.“A pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message," Zeldin said in a statement. "My family and I were not home at the time and are safe. We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops. We are thankful for the swift actions taken by local officers to keep our family, neighbors, and local community secure.”#7 Trump Transition Says Cabinet Picks, Appointees Were Targeted by Bomb Threats, Swatting Attacks - Jill Colvin and Alanna Durkin Richer for AP News, Charlie Kirk, Bunni Pounds, Kyle Becker, Michelle #AmericaFirst, Santino, and Donald Trump Jr. on X
A number of President-elect Donald Trump‘s most prominent Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting attacks,” Trump’s transition team said Wednesday. The FBI said it was investigating. “Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. The attacks ranged from bomb threats to swatting, in which attackers initiate an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses, she said. The tactic has become a popular one in recent years. Leavitt said law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted, and Trump and his transition team are grateful...
#6 AG Ken Paxton Sues Blackrock, Vanguard for Jacking up Electric Prices Through Investments - Bloomberg Wire for Dallas Morning News, Attorney General Ken Paxton, Kyle Becker, Real America's Voice, and Bloomberg on X
#5 Musk Accuses Trump Whistleblower Vindman of ‘Treason,’ Says ‘He Will Pay’ - Miranda Nazzaro for The Hill, Elon Musk (Community Note), Catch Up (Community Note), Alexander S. Vindman, and Ian Miles Cheong on X
Elon Musk on Wednesday suggested retired Army Lt. Col Alexander Vindman “committed treason” and “will pay” after the former Trump impeachment witness accused the tech billionaire and close Trump ally of being unwittingly used by Russia. “Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X, responding to comments Vindman made in an interview about Musk’s reported conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin...
#4 Trump Taps Retired General Keith Kellogg for Ukraine Envoy Role - Reuters, Keith Kellogg/Donald J. Trump, Boone Cutler, Michael Tracey, and Dave Benner on X
Donald Trump has tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who presented him with a plan to end the war in Ukraine, to serve as a special envoy for the conflict, the president-elect wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.Kellogg, who was the chief of staff for the White House National Security Council during Trump's 2017-2021 term and national security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence, will likely play a central role in attempting to resolve the conflict in his new position...
#3 Rumble Sues California for ‘Censorship’ Over Laws Restricting User Speech - Mary Margaret Olohan for The Daily Wire, Rumble, Alliance Defending Freedom, and George on X
Rumble is suing California for allegedly forcing the social media platform to alter its own speech and censor its users’ speech, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by The Daily Wire. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Sacramento Division. Rumble is challenging California’s latest laws punishing speakers for certain political commentary, which California Governor Gavin Newsom has framed as measures that will combat the “harmful use of deepfakes in political ads and other content.”
#2 Trump and Mexican President Offer Differing Accounts of Migration Talks Amid Tariff Threats - The Guardian, Donald Trump Jr., Leading Report, Wall Street Mav, George, and Mischief on X
US President-elect Donald Trump declared a win on stopping illegal immigration through Mexico on Wednesday after talking with Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum. But Sheinbaum suggested Mexico was already doing its part and would not close its borders. The two spoke just days after Trump threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Canada and Mexico as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. Trump said Sheinbaum “agreed to stop migration through Mexico.” Sheinbaum indicated separately on social media that she told Trump that Mexico is already “taking care of” migrant caravans, calling it an “excellent conversation.”
#1 Judge Dismisses Jan. 6 Defendant’s Defamation Lawsuit Against Fox News - Megan Lebowitz for NBC News, George, Mark Nantz, and Gain of Fauci (thread) on X
A judge on Wednesday dismissed a defamation lawsuit that Trump supporter Ray Epps brought against Fox News, bringing the yearlong legal battle to a close. Epps, a Jan. 6 defendant, argued in a July 2023 lawsuit that Fox News told a "fantastical story" that Epps acted as an undercover FBI agent who was responsible for violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Trump supporter had become a target of right-wing conspiracy theories and was featured in dozens of Fox News segments, many of which were anchored by then-host Tucker Carlson...
