Tag: capitol

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Fire alert unleashes near Capitol a few days after Biden’s inauguration | The State

Fire alert unleashes near Capitol a few days after Biden’s inauguration | The State
Fire alert unleashes near Capitol a few days after Biden’s inauguration | The State

Washington, D.C. it is heavily guarded by the National Guard and the Secret Service.

Photo:
Stefani Reynolds / Getty Images

Participants in a rehearsal for the inauguration of the president-elect Joe biden They were evacuated from an area of ​​the Capitol after a fire broke out near the building.

In the middle of a intense security operationAfter the violent invasion of that building, the security elements transferred the participants, including members of a military band, to a safe place, when a column of smoke was seen.

The events occurred almost at 11:00 a.m.

Fortunately, the incident was not related to the inaugural preparationsBut with a group of homeless people, the Washington, D.C. Fire Department reported. There are no injured people.

The Secret Service, which began an operation on January 13 and will continue until January 20, indicated that there was no “public threat”, although it recognized the alert actions to prevent injuries.

It should be remembered that neither President-elect Biden nor Vice President-elect Kamala harris they are in place.

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Technology US

Capitol rioter planned to sell Nancy Pelosi’s laptop to Russian spies, witness told FBI

Capitol rioter planned to sell Nancy Pelosi’s laptop to Russian spies, witness told FBI
Capitol rioter planned to sell Nancy Pelosi’s laptop to Russian spies, witness told FBI

A capitol rioter may have stolen Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop with plans to sell it to the Russian government, according to an FBI affidavit filed on Sunday. The affidavit charges Riley June Williams with unlawful entry and impeding government functions, based on extensive video record placing her at the scene of the Capitol riot. But the affidavit also uncovers an apparent plan to steal Speaker Pelosi’s laptop and convey it to a contact in Russia, who would then make contact with the country’s government.

Williams was identified by UK media over the weekend, and officers confirmed the identification with her driver’s license photo (on file with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) and in an in-person interview with her parents. Notably, public videos show Williams directing rioters to the general location of Pelosi’s office, consistent with the idea that she intended to ransack the office.

According to the affidavit, a former associate of Williams told police she had planned to steal Speaker Pelosi’s laptop with the intention of selling it to the Russian government.

“[The witness] stated that Williams intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service,” the affidavit reads. “According to [the witness], the transfer of the computer device to Russia fell through for unknown reasons and Williams still has the computer device or destroyed it. This matter remains under investigation.”

Reuters has previously reported that a laptop was stolen from Pelosi’s office. According to an aide, the laptop was stationed in a conference room and “was used for presentations.”

Device theft has been a significant concern for government IT workers in the wake of the capitol riot, which broke long-standing security procedures around congressional offices. The idea of devices being stolen or tampered with was viewed as a “nightmare scenario” in the wake of the attack.

“I don’t think I’d sleep well until the networks were rebuilt from scratch,” said one former House IT official on Twitter, “and every computer wiped and the internals visually inspected before being put back into service.”

Williams remains at large, despite the ongoing investigation and public identification. She has discontinued her phone number and deleted social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Telegram and Parler. After returning from the raid, she packed a bag and told her mother she would be gone “for a couple weeks,” the affidavit reads. “Williams did not provide her mother any information about her intended destination.”

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Technology US

Hundreds of Parler videos from Capitol riot republished in chronological timeline

Hundreds of Parler videos from Capitol riot republished in chronological timeline
Hundreds of Parler videos from Capitol riot republished in chronological timeline

ProPublica has published a new interactive resource of over 500 videos taken in Washington, DC on January 6th, the day of the Capitol riots, offering an unfiltered look at the day’s events. The videos were sourced from Parler, the social network popular with Trump’s supporters, whose database of over one million videos was archived before the service was taken offline.

We’ve covered previous attempts to organize these videos into easy-to-view online resources, like this interactive map from Patr10tic. But what’s notable about ProPublica’s site is how easily you can scrub through a timeline of videos and sort by general location: Around DC, Near Capitol, and Inside Capitol. You can start by watching videos of crowds attending President Trump’s inflammatory speech at midday, before seeing events turn violent over the course of the afternoon.

Videos are organized chronologically, and can be filtered based on location.
Screenshot: ProPublica

It’s an eye-opening resource which captures videos of the mob’s violent actions, including vandalism and threats against lawmakers. Since the videos are organized chronologically, you’ll often see the same scene captured from multiple angles, making it much easier to see what’s actually happening despite the chaos.

In an accompanying writeup, ProPublica outlines how it ended up with the over 500 videos contained in the resource. It says it originally got the videos from an anonymous programmer who archived over 1 million clips from Parler before it went offline. ProPublica then pulled out around 2,500 videos based on the time they were uploaded and their location data. From these, its staff selected over 500 videos which they believed to be newsworthy and relevant to the day’s events.

Despite the amount of videos contained in the resource, ProPublica notes that there are some notable blindspots. For example, it only has one video from inside the Senate or House chambers, despite media footage that suggests rioters were filming inside the rooms.

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Headline USA New York Politics

Rudy says he can’t be on Trump’s impeachment defense because speech at Capitol ‘makes him a witness’

Rudy says he can’t be on Trump’s impeachment defense because speech at Capitol ‘makes him a witness’
Rudy says he can’t be on Trump’s impeachment defense because speech at Capitol ‘makes him a witness’

Rudy Giuliani has said he will not be on Donald Trump’s legal team for the upcoming Senate impeachment trial – a day after claiming he would be spearheading the president’s defense.

Speaking to ABC News on Sunday night, the former mayor of New York said: ‘Because I gave an earlier speech [at the January 6 Trump rally], I am a witness and therefore unable to participate in court or Senate chamber.’

During the speech, Giuliani had instructed supporters to engage in ‘trial by combat’  moments before they stormed the Capitol – comments which have left him facing his own potential legal troubles. 

Giuliani’s about-turn Sunday came hours after Trump’s campaign spokesperson issued a statement to contradict an earlier claim made by Giuliani on Saturday that he’d be spearheading Trump’s impeachment defense.  

‘President Trump has not yet made a determination as to which lawyer or law firm will represent him for the disgraceful attack on our Constitution and democracy, known as the “impeachment hoax.” We will keep you informed,’ spokesman J. Hogan Gidley tweeted on Sunday.

Gidley’s Twitter feed is one of the few remaining social medial outlets Trump can use to get his message out – though Gidley must be careful not to share a message worded directly from the president, or his account would likely be shut down for aiding ‘ban evasion’. 

Giuliani, who is Trump’s personal attorney, was spotted visiting the White House on Saturday, after the ABC interview. His status in Trump’s eyes remains unclear after the president reportedly refused to pay Giuliani’s $20,000-a-day legal fees in displeasure at his failed efforts to challenge the election results.

It comes as confusion surrounds who will represent Trump at impeachment, with many of the lawyers who defended him in his first Senate trial declining to participate in the second. 

Giuliani was spotted visiting the White House on Saturday, after he had claimed to be on the president's impeachment legal team, which the Trump campaign later denied

Giuliani was spotted visiting the White House on Saturday, after he had claimed to be on the president’s impeachment legal team, which the Trump campaign later denied

Trump, seen on January 12, reportedly refused to pay Giuliani's $20,000-a-day legal fees in displeasure at his failed efforts to challenge the election results

Trump, seen on January 12, reportedly refused to pay Giuliani’s $20,000-a-day legal fees in displeasure at his failed efforts to challenge the election results

In the interview on Saturday,  Giuliani had claimed of the impeachment defense: ‘I’m involved right now… that’s what I’m working on.’

Giuliani said there are ‘different opinions’ regarding how the president should approach his second impeachment, but said he planned to show that Trump’s claims of election fraud were not incitement by proving in the Senate trial that the fraud claims themselves are true.

‘They basically claimed that anytime [Trump] says voter fraud, voter fraud – or I do, or anybody else – we’re inciting to violence; that those words are fighting words because it’s totally untrue,’ he said. 

‘Well, if you can prove that it’s true, or at least true enough so it’s a legitimate viewpoint, then they are no longer fighting words,’ he added.

Giuliani’s dozens of lawsuits alleging election fraud were all rejected in court, and Trump himself has not yet indicated whether he hopes to turn the Senate impeachment trial into a final public showdown on his unproven election fraud claims. 

The trial will take place after Trump leaves office on Wednesday, and many of the lawyers who might be likely candidates to defend Trump have indicated they are not interested.

Constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who joined Trump’s team last year and appeared in the Senate chamber, told DailyMail.com: ‘I will be defending the First Amendment in the court of public opinion, not in the Senate.’ He didn’t say whether Trump had asked him to serve in his defense.

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, seen at Trump's first impeachment, said he won't defend Trump at a second impeachment trial, but will defend the First Amendment in public

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, seen at Trump’s first impeachment, said he won’t defend Trump at a second impeachment trial, but will defend the First Amendment in public

John Eastman (left), who joined Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on stage at the January 6 rally, is being considered for a role on Trump's defense team, sources said

John Eastman (left), who joined Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on stage at the January 6 rally, is being considered for a role on Trump’s defense team, sources said

White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who helped lead the defense effort during the impeachment over Ukraine, is also not expected to participate in the latest effort, according to one person familiar with the matter. Cipollone will leave his post on January 20, when Joe Biden becomes president.

Jay Sekulow, another personal lawyer for Trump who played a role during the first impeachment, also is not expected to be involved.

Now, Trump is considering hiring a law professor who spoke at his January 6 rally, according to two people familiar with the matter.

John Eastman, who joined Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on stage at the rally, is being considered for a role on Trump’s defense team, the people said.

Eastman, 60, who made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud at the rally, would neither confirm nor deny whether he will represent Trump, citing attorney-client privilege.

Asked whether he would be willing, Eastman said: ‘If the President of the United States asked me to consider helping him, I would certainly give it consideration.’

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Eastman and has declined to comment on Giuliani. 

Last week, Trump expressed disappointment with some of Giuliani’s legal moves in challenging the election results, and ordered aids not to pay his fees of $20,000 a day in the failed push, two officials told the Washington Post.

The officials said the president is also demanding to personally approve all expenses incurred by Giuliani in his multi-state legal campaign to prove election fraud, which quickly fizzled in court. 

In his election challenge push, Giuliani held a notorious press conference in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia in November, leading to speculation that the location had been booked in the belief it was the posh Four Seasons hotel

In his election challenge push, Giuliani held a notorious press conference in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia in November, leading to speculation that the location had been booked in the belief it was the posh Four Seasons hotel

In Michigan, Giuliani's star witness Mellissa Carone (above) drew mockery from Saturday Night Live over her disjointed claims of massive election fraud

In Michigan, Giuliani’s star witness Mellissa Carone (above) drew mockery from Saturday Night Live over her disjointed claims of massive election fraud

It was a sign Trump’s relationship with Giuliani may be fracturing – although the president’s lawyer is one of the few who have vigorously defended him in public, insisting that Trump’s actions were not incitement.

Giuliani has been a key legal advisor to Trump in his election challenge, after leading a leading a personal crusade to unearth potential dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine.

The former New York City mayor’s legal charge challenging the election took bizarre turns at times, such as the notorious press conference held in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia.

It led to speculation that the location had been mistakenly booked in the belief that it was the upscale Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Center City, although the incident was never fully explained.

At another press conference, at the Republican National Committee in Washington DC, an agitated and sweaty Giuliani appeared to be melting on live TV, with some kind of hair dye dripping down the side of his face.

Trump, who is known to fixate on the image of his aides, insisting they project a polished veneer, was likely unhappy with those debacles and the mockery they drew.

As well, Giuliani now faces his own potential legal exposure for telling supporters to engage in ‘trial by combat’ in his remarks at a January 6 rally, following which Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.  

Giuliani now faces his own potential legal exposure for advocating 'trial by combat' in his remarks at a January 6 rally, following which Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol

Giuliani now faces his own potential legal exposure for advocating ‘trial by combat’ in his remarks at a January 6 rally, following which Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol 

Giuliani has said that he was quoting from the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which he inexplicably described as a 'famous documentary about fictitious medieval England.' In 'Game of Thrones' the trial resulted in Bronn (left) slitting the throat of Ser Vardis Egen (right)

Giuliani has said that he was quoting from the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which he inexplicably described as a ‘famous documentary about fictitious medieval England.’ In ‘Game of Thrones’ the trial resulted in Bronn (left) slitting the throat of Ser Vardis Egen (right) 

Defending his rally remarks, Giuliani has said that he was quoting from the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which he inexplicably described as a ‘famous documentary about fictitious medieval England.’

‘I was referencing the kind of trial that took place for Tyrion,’ Giuliani told The Hill, referring to a character from the series. 

‘When Tyrion, who is a very small man, is accused of murder. He didn’t commit murder, he can’t defend himself, and he hires a champion to defend him,’ he added. 

Giuliani’s rally comments appear in evidence for impeachment, after a House Judiciary Committee report cited them before the House voted to impeach Trump Wednesday on a single count of ‘incitement to insurrection.’

Giuliani is also facing possible expulsion from the New York State Bar Association over the incendiary remarks. 

Removal from the bar association, a voluntary membership organization dating to 1876, is not the same as being disbarred and banned from practicing law. That can only be done by the courts.

It’s unclear whether Giuliani’s rally remarks would raise concerns for Trump about including him on his impeachment legal team. 

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Headline USA New York Politics

Man with guns and ammunition arrested near Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. | The State

Man with guns and ammunition arrested near Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. | The State
Man with guns and ammunition arrested near Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. | The State

Members of the National Guard are already in Washington D.C, to reinforce security.

Photo:
Jim Lo Scalzo / EFE

The United States Capitol Police arrested a man at a security checkpoint in Washington, D.C. on Friday, after he showed an “unauthorized” repossession credential, and in a search made on his truck se also found an unregistered pistol and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.

The arrested man was a contractor and the credential was not a fake, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the arrest, The New York Times reported.

The arrest comes as law enforcement officials try to strengthen Washington ahead of Inauguration Day on Wednesday, fearing that extremists, emboldened by the attack on Capitol Hill by the president’s supporters Trump on January 6, may cause violence.

A militarized “green zone” is being established in the city center, with tens of thousands of National Guard members and a metal fence has been erected around the Capitol grounds prior to the swearing-in of the president-elect Joe Biden.

According to a police report submitted by the Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police), Wesley Allen Beeler, from Fort Royal, Virginia, was identified as the man who stopped the Capitol Police.

According to police reports, Beeler was stopped by Capitol Police at the N. Capitol Street and Northeast E Street Police Checkpoint.

This was where the police searched his vehicle, after he presented a security credential that was not valid, police report and indictment documents show, according to WUSA 9.

According to the police report, Beeler’s unregistered weapon and ammunition was a 9mm Glock and 509 rounds for that weapon’s bullet caliber. They were also collected as evidence 21 shotgun shells for a 12 gauge shotgun. The police report did not include an actual shotgun on the evidence list.

The indictment documents share that Police noted that Beeler’s truck had pro-gun decals, when he presented his fake credential at the checkpoint.

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Categories
Headline USA New York Politics

James Murdoch says there will be a ‘reckoning’ for the media after Capitol riots

James Murdoch says there will be a ‘reckoning’ for the media after Capitol riots
James Murdoch says there will be a ‘reckoning’ for the media after Capitol riots

James Murdoch claimed on Friday that U.S. news outlets will be faced with a ‘reckoning’ after last week’s deadly pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

In an interview with the Financial Times, the 48-year-old blamed ‘media property owners’ for unleashing ‘insidious and uncontrollable forces’ with their support of disinformation about the 2020 election.  

James, the youngest son of billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, also claimed that media groups fueled the riot by leading ‘a substantial portion’ of the public to believe ‘a falsehood’ about the election. 

‘The damage is profound,’ James said in Friday’s interview as he criticized media groups coverage of election fraud. 

‘The sacking of the Capitol is proof positive that what we thought was dangerous is indeed very, very much so. Those outlets that propagate lies to their audience have unleashed insidious and uncontrollable forces that will be with us for years.’

He did not explicitly mention Fox News, whose board includes his father as chairman and older brother Lachlan as CEO, yet was clearly focused on the right-wing cable network that has been criticized for its coverage of President Trump’s election fraud claims.  

James Murdoch, pictured left with his father Rupert, was formerly the Deputy Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation but he quit his father’s company over the summer

James quit his father’s media company News Corp. last summer, saying that he was ‘increasingly uncomfortable’ with News Corp and Fox ‘legitimizing disinformation’.  

Yet, he had previously been in the running to take over from his father after remaining loyal and staying at his side through several scandals, as well as receiving $2billion in 2019 from a merger with Disney.  

He left after becoming increasingly disillusioned, having being leapfrogged by brother Lachlan for promotion and also losing his job in the Disney merger.   

James Murdoch quit his father’s media empire because it was ‘legitimizing disinformation’ 

In July 2020, James Murdoch handed in his resignation letter for his final board position within News Corp.

James’ letter ‘disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company’s news outlets’.

The 48-year-old told the New York Times that he ‘pulled the rip cord’ because he was ‘increasingly uncomfortable’ with News Corp and Fox ‘legitimizing disinformation’ and denying climate change.

Murdoch told the Times it was ‘not that hard a decision’ to stand down from News Corp because of major disagreements with his father and brother Lachlan over the running of the business.

He had voiced criticism about Fox the previous year. 

Yet prior to this, James had been in line to take over his father’s empire, battling it out with brother Lachlan 

He was leapfrogged for promotion by Lachlan despite staying loyal to his father 

Conservatives remained loyal to Fox News throughout Trump’s presidency, angered at the coverage on CNN and MSNBC over Trump’s first impeachment and the probe into Russian collusion.   

Yet Fox has recently reckoned with a mass departure of viewers to emerging rivals Newsmax and One American News Network (OAN) as Trump fans were left angered by some of the network’s hosts breaking from their support of the president.  

Newsmax and OAN have continued to claim Trump won the election if it were not for fraud, even as Murdoch’s outlets have called on the president to accept defeat.  

James’s comments came as his father allegedly flew back to New York to shake up the network as Fox’s rating plummeted in the first two weeks of the year. 

‘I hope that those people who didn’t think it was that dangerous now understand, and that they stop,’ James added in the Times interview, yet claimed he had not ‘seen any evidence of that yet’. 

James and his wife, Kathryn Hufschmid, issued a further statement following the interview in which they accused ‘media property owners’ of chosing to spread ‘lies’. 

‘Spreading disinformation — whether about the election, public health or climate change — has real world consequences,’ the statement read. 

‘Many media property owners have as much responsibility for this as the elected officials who know the truth but choose instead to propagate lies. 

‘We hope the awful scenes we have all been seeing will finally convince those enablers to repudiate the toxic politics they have promoted once and forever,’ it concluded. 

Rupert Murdoch with his sons Lachlan Murdoch (left) and James Murdoch (right) in 2016

Rupert Murdoch with his sons Lachlan Murdoch (left) and James Murdoch (right) in 2016

In his resignation letter, James cited 'disagreements over certain editorial content'

In his resignation letter, James cited ‘disagreements over certain editorial content’

James formerly served as the chief executive of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019. 

He is known as the more liberal Murdoch brother, while older brother Lachlan’s views seem to be more aligned with those of his conservative father. 

James split from the company in a dramatic exit in July 2020 when he left the News Corps. board completely, citing in a letter ‘disagreements over certain editorial content’.  

A spokesperson for him and his wife also told the Daily Beast in January 2020 – before his split from the empire –  that the couple disagreed ‘with some of the News Corp and Fox coverage’ on climate change. 

The comments were made as wildfires ripped through Murdoch’s native Australia. 

‘Kathryn and James’s views on climate are well established and their frustration with some of the News Corp and Fox coverage of the topic is also well known.

‘They are particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial among the news outlets in Australia given obvious evidence to the contrary,’ their statement read.

The ‘denials’ were in reference to allegations arsonists and not climate change were to blame for the destructive wildfires.

At the time, his comments were perceived as ‘unprecedented’ and sparked speculation of a feud within the family since he rarely spoke publicly about his role in the business. 

He also told the New Yorker in 2019: ‘There are views I really disagree with on Fox.’

Despite his family’s conservative-leaning media outlets, James and his wife have recently made significant donations to Democrats, including former presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg and President-elect Joe Biden.

He, along with Rupert Murdoch’s five other children, received up to $2billion in 2019 from the break-up of the family’s media empire and the sale of its entertainment businesses to Walt Disney. 

Yet the merger left him out of work and appeared to cause friction between father and son. 

‘There are periods of time when we do not,’ James told the New Yorker of speaking with his former boss after the deal.   

Rumors of a family rift have swirled over the years after eldest son Lachlan (pictured with James, father Rupert and mom Anna in 1987) became heir apparent of his dad's media empire

Rumors of a family rift have swirled over the years after eldest son Lachlan (pictured with James, father Rupert and mom Anna in 1987) became heir apparent of his dad’s media empire

In 2020, James, and his wife Kathryn (pictured together above) spoke out against the family business for promoting climate change 'denials' during the Australian bushfire crisis

In 2020, James, and his wife Kathryn (pictured together above) spoke out against the family business for promoting climate change ‘denials’ during the Australian bushfire crisis

THE MURDOCH FAMILY MEDIA EMPIRE

RUPERT MURDOCH, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF NEWS CORP 

The Australian-born mogul began building his media empire in Australia by acquiring numerous publications in the 1950s, before entering the British newspaper market in 1969, and expanding to the US in 1974. 

He founded News Corporation in 1980, which quickly evolved into one of the largest media groups in the world owning assets in print, news, and television.

In 2013, News Corporation split into two sister companies, News Corp and 21st Century Fox. The latter was later rebranded as Fox Corporation after the majority of its assets were sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2019. 

Murdoch currently serves as the executive chairman of News Corp and the chairman of Fox Corporation. He is estimated to be worth $17billion. 

LACHLAN MURDOCH, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF FOX CORPORATION, CO-CHAIR OF NEWS CORP

Lachlan Murdoch, 49, the eldest of the Murdoch sons, is the heir apparent to News Corp Executive Chairman Rupert and is co-chairman of News Corp. He was named executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corp in 2019, after 21st Century Fox was sold to Disney. 

Before the sale, younger brother James had been the CEO of the company and Lachlan was executive chairman. 

Lachlan is also chairman of Australian entertainment company NOVA Entertainment, which operates a number of radio stations across the country.

JAMES MURDOCH, FORMER BOARD MEMBER OF NEWS CORP

The younger son of Rupert Murdoch, James, 48, had been on the board of News Corp since 2013. 

He and brother Lachlan had shared power at 21st Century Fox, but the sale of much of the Fox entertainment business to Disney in 2019 saw James depart as CEO. 

Since then, he has worked at the helm of investment fund Lupa Systems. 

James is considered more liberal than his older brother who is CEO of Fox Corp, home to conservative news network Fox News, the Fox broadcast and sports networks and local TV stations. 

James has been critical of News Corp’s editorial decisions and has said he disagreed with Fox News coverage. 

He resigned from the board on July 31, 2020.

PRUDENCE MURDOCH, NON-EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER OF NEWS CORP

Prudence Murdoch, 63, is the eldest child of Rupert Murdoch through his first marriage with Patricia Booker. 

She formerly worked as journalist for now-defunct British tabloid, News of the World, which was owned by her father.

Prudence was once described in the media as the ‘only one of [Murdoch’s] children not directly competing for his business affections.’

ELISABETH MURDOCH, MEDIA EXECUTIVE AND FORMER CHAIRPERSON OF SHINE GROUP

Elisabeth is Rupert Murdoch’s daughter from his second marriage with Anna Maria Torv. 

Born in Sydney, she moved to London in 1990s where she worked on the operations side of BSkyB, run by her father. 

She founded UK-based TV programming company Shine Limited in 2001, which was sold to News Corp ten years later. 

She currently serves as executive chairman of production company Sister.

GRACE AND CHLOE MURDOCH

The sisters, aged 20 and 18, are Rupert’s daughters from his third marriage to Wendi Deng.

In 2019, James was reportedly looking to set up a $1billion new project including a liberal news outlet, in stark contrast to his father’s Fox News.

In March 2020, it was further suggested he pumped money into start-ups looking to combat fake news.

His firm Lupa Systems was said to have teamed up with Betaworks to create a ‘more sustainable news ecosystem’.

Rupert designed his companies to benefit his family, making certain that he and his children always had control, meaning that his children and generations to follow would be taken care of financially. 

One thing Murdoch has not left his children with however is a plan for the future of his media empire, refusing to officially name an heir despite making no secret of his preferred child. 

It is not his oldest child Prudence or the next in line Elisabeth, who has found incredible success outside the family business in emerging media markets.

It is not James, the son who has stood by his side for decades and weathered the fallout from the 2011 hacking scandal at News of the World and the 2016 sexual assault scandal at Fox News.

It is Lachlan, Murdoch’s older son, who is the ‘golden child’ according to multiple sources.

 The family company and its future were the focus of a New York Times piece in 2019 that provided an in depth look at the mogul’s two sons while completely ignoring the lives and accomplishments of his four daughters.

By some accounts, Murdoch’s heirs are now battling behind the scenes for control of the empire, with the two top contenders at the time appearing to be his sons James and Lachlan before James’ split. 

The brothers have had a tumultuous relationship over the years which had become more frayed than ever of recent after Lachlan was promoted over his younger brother by their father, despite James’ loyalty to the family company. 

The media mogul is the father of six children, who range in age from 63 to 19. The oldest is Prudence, who is Murdoch’s only child with his first wife, Australian model Patricia Booker.

She has held various positions in her father’s companies but now lives in Australia where she is largely focused on raising her three children.

Prue, as she is called by her family, has made it clear she is not interested in taking the reins and did not even attend college after graduating from Dalton in New York.

That does not mean she would oppose seeing her second husband, Alasdair MacLeod, move up the ranks at News Corp – despite her protests about him working with her father, or her offspring – who are Murdoch’s three oldest grandchildren – landing nice roles at the company.

The battle to take over their father’s media empire was originally set between Elisabeth, 52, Lachlan, 49, and James, all three of whom worth in the media. 

Lachlan has since emerged as the frontrunner when James removed himself. 

The relationship between Lachlan and his father has run hot and cold over the years, but that all changed back in 2014 when Murdoch’s older son returned to New York to work for News Corp. Now, he is the Chairman and CEO of the Fox Corporation.

James, the youngest of the three, was the most loyal, staying by his father’s side and joining News Corp shortly after he dropped out of Harvard.

That devotion was tested however when Murdoch elected to promote Lachlan over James after he return to work in the US following an extended stint in Australia.

The brothers already strained relationship only got worse when Lachlan informed James of this decision over lunch.

James even briefly quit the company, but then ultimately decided to return before then exiting for good. 

Murdoch’s youngest children are Grace, 20, and Chloe, 18, the New York-based daughters born to Murdoch’s third wife Wendi Deng.

The ambitions of the two teenagers are unknown, but their fiercely intelligent mother has no doubt seen to it that the two get not one bit less than their older half-siblings. 

James’ comments on Friday come as Fox executives are said to be fearful a shake-up is on the cards as Rupert Murdoch heads back to the US thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine.

The media mogul, who will turn 90 in March, got the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in recent days from the UK’s NHS, sources told The Daily Beast, allowing him to travel back to the country. 

Murdoch is a US citizen and was born in Australia but has been isolated with his fourth wife Jerry Hall at his home in England since the summer. 

He received the first dose at a local clinic in Henley on December 16 where he sang the praises of NHS staff and scientists and said he ‘strongly encouraged’ others to get the shot. 

Sources said he was waiting for the second dose before heading back across the pond, where rumors are circling that positions of some top executives are on the line after ratings have slumped in recent months. 

The News Corp. boss has reportedly taken a more hands-on role at the right-wing network in recent days alongside his son Lachlan.

Top of the priority list is to tackle the decline in ratings seen since Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election in November, insiders said. 

Multiple insiders told The Daily Beast Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace are both fighting to keep their jobs after taking the lion’s share of the blame for the figures.   

Multiple insiders told The Daily Beast Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott (above) and President Jay Wallace are fighting to keep their jobs

President Jay Wallace. The pair have taken the lion's share of the blame for the ratings

Multiple insiders told The Daily Beast Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott (pictured left) and President Jay Wallace (pictured right) are both fighting to keep their jobs after taking the lion’s share of the blame for the ratings as Rupert Murdoch returns to the U.S.

Fox has denied there is any truth to the rumors, issuing a statement that reads: ‘Your premise is wrong. It is wishful thinking by our competitors.’  

Sources said Murdoch and Lachlan are ‘disenchanted’ with the pair. 

‘Fox News has been absent a leader with the exception of [Fox Corporation’s Chief Legal and Policy Officer] Viet Dinh running the operation between the network and the White House,’ one insider said. 

‘Rupert re-taking the reins is a sign of the gross mismanagement to date.’ 

Rupert Murdoch is heading back to the US thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine

Rupert Murdoch is heading back to the US thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine

Murdoch has already made his return known with the announcement of a significant revamp of Fox’s daytime scheduling Monday.

‘I mean Rupert got involved with the shuffling of the lineup so that’s never a good sign for someone in charge,’ a current Fox staffer told The Daily Beast. 

‘What is the point of having a manager running your business if you have to run the business yourself?’

Sources said Wallace’s job is also rumored to be on the line after the network was first to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night. 

The state was won by the Democrat but the call was deemed premature by many and sparked outrage from Trump who allegedly personally called Murdoch in a fit of rage. 

Sources said the move damaged ratings with Trump supporters switching to the right-wing, pro-Trump Newsmax.  

A press release from December reported that, in 2020, Fox News Channel made history by becoming the first network to surpass 3.5 million viewers in primetime for an entire year.

But latest figures from Nielsen show that, since December 28, Fox News’ total viewership is down 15 percent compared to the same time last year. 

By contrast, CNN viewership is up 150 percent and MSNBC 89 percent.  

Latest figures from Nielsen show that, since December 28, Fox News' total viewership is down 15 percent compared to the same time last year

Latest figures from Nielsen show that, since December 28, Fox News’ total viewership is down 15 percent compared to the same time last year

While James’ comments did not explicitly call out Fox News, which his father helped found in 1996, others have been more forthright in their criticism after several hosts continued to back Trump with his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.

In December 2020, Fox was forced to air a news package that debunked election fraud claims made by three of its own hosts after an electronic voting company threatened legal action against the network. 

The package featured voting technology expert Eddie Perez, who said that he had ‘not seen any evidence’ that Smartmatic software was used to ‘delete, change, alter anything related to vote tabulation’.

The news package was shared just after Smartmatic was targeted by allies of Trump who claimed that the company helped flip the 2020 election for Joe Biden. Smartmatic responded with the threat of legal action.  

News Corp. is currently run by CEO Robert Thomson and owns U.S outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, and The New York Post. 

It is one of the two major media conglomerates owned by the Murdoch family, the other being Fox Corporation, which was established after The Walt Disney Company acquired the majority of 21st Century Fox last year. 

Categories
Georgia Headline USA New York Politics

Wife of FBI Detainee in New York Accuses Trump of His Extremist Ideas to Attack the Capitol | The State

Trump declares a state of emergency in Washington, D.C. for inauguration of Biden | The State
Trump declares a state of emergency in Washington, D.C. for inauguration of Biden | The State

Radical violence on January 6 in DC

Photo:
Samuel Corum / Getty Images

“Donald Trump is a cult leader, and their legacy will be the Capitol riots, (the group) Proud Boys and (the platform) Parler ”, Joni Florea told Pix11 in his first television interview.

The wife of Eduard Florea, a computer engineer arrested by the FBI Tuesday in Queens (NYC), ensures that he was “Radicalized” by the words of the controversial president Trump.

Florea, a supporter of the far-right group “Proud Boys” that threatened to deploy “three cars full of armed patriots” in Washington DC last week, was charged Wednesday with storing military-style combat knives and over a thousand rifle cartridges in your home in Queens, federal authorities said.

Although he did not participate in the January 6 attacks, prosecutors claimed that the engineer promised to travel to the nation’s capital and cut “a throat” in the mutiny led by supporters of the president. In another post attributed to Florea threatened the life of newly elected African-American senator Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia), authorities said.

He was allegedly using the Parler platform to chat with other far-right Trump supporters. And he was a member of “Proud Boys”, an organization that firmly supports the president’s belief that electoral fraud led to Joe biden for president.

FBI agents had just finished questioning Joni Florea at her Middle Village home yesterday when she gave the interview, while her 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son watched television in the living room.

The woman said that They briefly handcuffed her Tuesday after officers called her spouse out of the house. He added that he has endured a lot in his marriage in recent years.

She is a survivor of domestic violence who stayed with her husband even after her 2014 Staten Island gun arrest. Now she does plan to get divorced.

She admits that she also supported Trump: “I thought it was something my husband and I could get along with. I thought he was fighting for the United States. ” She was convinced that “if we did not vote for him, we would fall into a kind of communist regime.”

But his home life became more difficult as the radical government advanced. “Life was no longer pleasant, because my husband became someone else”, he claimed. “It’s like I don’t have a voice.”

You feel that you are not alone in that situation. “I think there are many other women like me. It is the unspoken truth ”.

.

Categories
Headline USA Politics

Prosecutors Retract Their Claim That The Capitol Raiders Wanted To “Capture And Kill” Congressmen | The State

Prosecutors Retract Their Claim That The Capitol Raiders Wanted To “Capture And Kill” Congressmen | The State
Prosecutors Retract Their Claim That The Capitol Raiders Wanted To “Capture And Kill” Congressmen | The State

Anthony Chansley (center) with other protesters inside the Federal Capitol.

Photo:
Win McNamee / Getty Images

In an unusual move, prosecutors for the Department of Justice (DOJ) who had assured in a judicial file that the assailants Capitol They sought to “capture and assassinate elected officials,” they retracted that statement.

An Arizona federal prosecutor asked a magistrate judge at a hearing on Friday to omit from the court file against Anthony Chansley (one of the most prominent assailants) the line that read: “Strong evidence, including Chansley’s own words and actions in the Capitol, support that the intention of the Capitol mob was to capture and assassinate elected officials of the United States Government ”.

The document did not specify which statements by Chansley indicated that intention.

Todd Allison, a DOJ prosecutor in Arizona, said the department may argue this line if the attacker goes to trial, but that they cannot sustain it for now.

The petition comes just hours after Michael Sherwin, acting prosecutor in Washington, D.C., said at a press conference that “there was no direct evidence of catch-and-kill teams” among the assailants on January 6, for now.

This Friday the judicial file of the prosecutors against Chansley, a resident in the capital and theorist of the conspiracy of QAnon, who was photographed with a raccoon hat and horns of Native American chief inside the Congress building.

Arizona federal prosecutors had asked a judge to hold him in custody until his trial, arguing that he wants to return to Washington for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Prosecutors upheld this request.

[En fotos: Washington, blindado por militares y policías para proteger la toma de posesión de Biden de otro asalto violento pro-Trump]

Chansley is charged with interfering with police operations and procedures, disrupting public order and entering restricted areas of the Capitol without authorization.

According to prosecutors, the FBI investigation showed that the man left a note for Vice President Mike Pence, warning that “It’s only a matter of time” and that “justice is coming”.

Who is Chansley, the attacker with horns and furs

Chansley was one of the infamous figures during the assault on the Capitol, with his hat with horns and fur and his face paint.

Chansley participated “actively in an insurrection that attempted to violently overthrow the United States government,” according to prosecutors, and warned that “The insurrection is still ongoing”, As law enforcement agencies prepare for more demonstrations in Washington and state capitals.

[Trump, solo, enojado y desafiante en la Casa Blanca, teme por su legado. Pero aún le quedan seguidores fieles]

The attacker is a YouTuber who supports QAnon and was also among the pro-Trump protesters who gathered in front of the Maricopa County Elections Department in Phoenix on November 5, falsely claiming that there was electoral fraud.

In his arrest document, prosecutors suggested that he suffers from drug addiction and mental illness, and told the judge that he presents a serious flight risk.

“Chansley has spoken openly about his belief that he is an alien, a higher being, and that he is here on Earth to ascend to another reality, ”they wrote.

More than 200 violent in the sights

Prosecutors and federal agents have begun filing more serious charges related to the violence on Capitol Hill. Retired firefighter Robert Sanford was charged Thursday with throwing a fire extinguisher at the head of a police officer.. Peter Stager, was accused of hitting a different officer with a pole bearing an American flag.

The Justice Department has filed more than 80 criminal cases in connection with the violent riots in the United States Capitol last week, in which Trump supporters stormed the building, ransacked offices and, in some cases, attacked the policeman.

Many of the people charged so far have been easily tracked down by the FBI, which has more than 200 suspects, thanks in large part to videos and photos posted on social media.

Michael Sherwin, the acting US attorney for the District of Columbia, has said that while many of the initial charges may appear minor, he expects much more serious charges to be brought as the Department of Justice (DOJ) continues your investigation.

With information from Reuters and NBC News.

.

Categories
Headline USA

Capitol Hill cops describe being tasered with BEAR MACE and beaten by MAGA mob

Capitol Hill cops describe being tasered with BEAR MACE and beaten by MAGA mob
Capitol Hill cops describe being tasered with BEAR MACE and beaten by MAGA mob

Three Capitol Police officers have described being beaten, tasered with bear mace and having their weapons ripped from them by the MAGA mob who shouted they wanted to ‘kill them with their own guns’ last Wednesday. 

Michael Fanone, 40, Christina Laury and 32-year-old Daniel Hodges were among the Capitol cops who were overpowered by the mob on January 6. 

On Thursday, they spoke at a press conference to share details of how the rioters beat them after breaking in to the Capitol Building while the House certified the election result. 

Fanone, a father-of-four, told how the rioters tried to grab his gun and yelled: ‘Kill him with his own gun!’ 

‘We weren’t battling 50 or 60 rioters in this tunnel. We were battling 15,000 people. 

‘It looked like a medieval battle scene,’ Fanone said. He and his colleagues rushed to the Capitol after hearing an urgent call for back-up on the radio. 

He was among the few cops who tried to defend the West Terrace.  

Scroll down for video 

Officer Michael Fanone is showing being crushed by the mob as he tries to defend the Capitol on January 6

Fanone was completely outnumbered. He said the mob reached for his gun and yelled 'we got one! we got one!' as they dragged him away from his colleagues

Fanone was completely outnumbered. He said the mob reached for his gun and yelled ‘we got one! we got one!’ as they dragged him away from his colleagues 

Fanone, on Thursday, said he thinks he only lived because he told the mob about his children, pleading with them 'I have a family!'

Fanone, on Thursday, said he thinks he only lived because he told the mob about his children, pleading with them ‘I have a family!’

When he got there, he was stunned by the scene. 

Fanone starting trying to fend the crowd off. He yelled to his colleagues: ‘Dig in! We got to get these doors shut.’ 

At the time, they were unaware that protesters had already breached the Capitol and were inside. 

He was dragged from the doors into the mob. Photographs show him screaming as he fights against them.

On Thursday, Fanone revealed that some of the rioters tried to grab his gun. He said he feared they would shoot him and instinctively started pleading with them not to kill him. 

He says he was only spared because he pleaded with them not to kill him for the sake of his children. 

‘Some guys started getting a hold of my gun and they were screaming out, ‘Kill him with his own gun. So, the other option I thought of was to try to appeal to somebody’s humanity. And I just remember yelling out that I have kids. And it seemed to work.’ 

After he did that, he says some of the rioters protected him from the others. 

‘Thank you, but f*** you for being there,’ he said to those rioters who shielded him.  

Fanone said that his colleagues had mace sprayed in their faces, had their batons stolen and were then beaten with them. 

‘We were getting chemical irritants sprayed. 

‘They had pipes and different metal objects, batons, some of which I think they had taken from law enforcement personnel. They had been striking us with those,’ he said. 

He says that it was impossible to fight the crowd.  

Officer Daniel Hodges, with blood pouring from his guns, is crushed by the mob by a door 

Hodges is shown speaking at the Capitol on Thursday about the attack

Hodges is shown speaking at the Capitol on Thursday about the attack

‘It was just the sheer number of rioters. The force that was coming from that side. It was difficult to offer any resistance when you’re only about 30 guys going up against 15,000,’ he said. 

It’s unclear exactly how many cops were there that day but the Capitol Police force has only 2,300 in total and it’s likely fewer than half were there.

Christina Laury says she was sprayed in the face with bear mace and had to fight the mob blind

Christina Laury works int  the unit’s gun recovery unit. 

She said the cops were sprayed with bear mace, which is stronger than ordinary types of mace. 

‘The individuals were pushing officers, hitting officers. 

‘They were spraying us with what we were calling, essentially, bear mace, because you use it on bears. 

‘Unfortunately, it shuts you down for a while.

‘It’s way worse than pepper spray. 

‘It seals your eyes shut. … You’ve got to spray and douse yourself with water. 

‘And in those moments it’s scary because you can’t see anything and have people that are fighting to get through,’ she said.  

Daniel Hodges, 32: Beaten with his own baton by a MAGA rioter who was ‘foaming at the mouth’

The crowd sprayed bear mace at the officers, which is far stronger than any other type of mace

The crowd sprayed bear mace at the officers, which is far stronger than any other type of mace

The cops are shown washing their eyes after being maced by the MAGA mob

The cops are shown washing their eyes after being maced by the MAGA mob 

‘There’s a guy ripping my mask off, he was able to rip away the baton and beat me with it, 

‘He was practically foaming at the mouth so just, these people were true believers in the worst way. 

‘You know things were looking bad.

‘I was calling out for all I was worth, and an officer behind me was able to get me enough room to pull me out of there and get me to the rear so I was able to extricate myself.’   

The Capitol cops were gravely outnumbered on January 6 despite a plethora of early warning signs that the mob was coming.

Now, there are ongoing questions about why help wasn’t called in earlier. 

The DC Mayor asked the National Guard for back-up on New Year’s Eve but she was only given 340 cops. 

No one in the Capitol force requested back-up ahead of time. 

The Capitol Police chief, Steven Sund, stepped down within days of the incident. 

Categories
Technology US

Bumble disables politics filter after Capitol rioters spotted in app

Bumble disables politics filter after Capitol rioters spotted in app
Bumble disables politics filter after Capitol rioters spotted in app

Dating app Bumble has temporarily disabled a feature which allowed users to filter potential matches based on their political leanings, the service has announced. The feature allows users to identify and filter matches with options such as “Apolitical,” “Moderate,” “Liberal,” and “Conservative.” In a statement given to Mashable, Bumble said it had temporarily removed the feature in the US to “prevent misuse and abuse.”

News of the change emerged after Bumble users reported seeing individuals on the app who appeared to have participated in the riots at the Capitol building last week. On January 7th, Twitter user Alia Awadallah reported seeing “dozens” of men on dating apps that appeared to be in Washington, DC on the day of the riots. They suggested taking screenshots of these profiles, and submitting this as evidence to the FBI following its call for information.

One user reported getting more attention on Bumble after posting pictures of himself at the Capitol. Speaking to Bloomberg, Fellows said he had entered the Capitol building with the mob, and even smoked a joint in the office of a US Senator. Fellows boasted that his profile on Bumble was “blowing up” after he posted pictures from the Capitol.

In a widely shared tweet, Allison Norris reported that Bumble’s political feature filter had been used by “a friend of a friend” to increase her chances of matching with rioters who’d then send her pictures and videos of themselves in the Capitol.

As of January 14th, users were reporting that the politics filter had disappeared as an option from the app. Bumble subsequently confirmed that it had temporarily disabled the feature, though it stopped short of saying it was disabled in direct relation to the Capitol riots. It added that it was removing the profiles of confirmed persons participating in the riot.

In a statement given to Mashable Bumble said its service prohibits content that “encourages any illegal activity” and that it would cooperate with law enforcement in relation to the profiles. “On January 6, we immediately ensured that our hate speech scanning and protocols addressed the attack on the U.S. Capitol and began removing any insurrection-related content from our platform,” a spokesperson said, “If we see anything that would suggest someone has or is in the process of committing a potentially criminal act we will take appropriate steps with law enforcement.”

Following its call for evidence, the FBI reported earlier this week that it has received over 100,000 pieces of digital evidence after the attack on the US Capitol.