TV News LIES

A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit alleging defamation by Fox News, ruling for a second time against a former supporter of Donald Trump who claimed he became the target of death threats after the network broadcast inaccurate conspiracy claims about his involvement in the 6 January 2021 US Capitol attack.

Raymond Epps was wrongly accused by Fox of being a government operative who allegedly stirred violence around the Capitol that day in an effort to pin responsibility on supporters of Trump who were upset his first presidency ended in defeat to Joe Biden. According to Epps, formerly a marine and member of the far-right Oath Keepers group, the backlash from those reports led him and his wife to sell their ranch in Arizona and relocate to a recreational vehicle in an attempt to avoid the ongoing harassment.

Jennifer L Hall, a Delaware-based US district judge, ultimately sided with Fox by granting the network’s request to dismiss the lawsuit, concluding that Epps did not provide sufficient evidence showing Fox knowingly aired false information.

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A convicted participant in the 6 January 2021 US Capitol attack who was pardoned at the start of Donald Trump’s second presidency has been ordered to serve seven years in prison after a jury found him guilty of committing a burglary in Virginia in May 2025.

Zachary Alam, 34, had previously drawn one of the stiffest prison sentences – eight years – for his hand in the violence carried out at the US Capitol in Washington DC by supporters of Trump after his first presidency ended in defeat to Joe Biden after the 2020 White House election.

The judge who sentenced Alam after he was declared guilty in that case mentioned how officers regarded him as “by far the loudest, the most combative and the most violent of the rioters” at the Capitol that day.

He went on to spend nearly four years in prison. But he was unconditionally pardoned along with 1,500 others of his fellow Trump supporters on the first day the Republican president retook office in January 2025, after winning the previous November’s election against his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.

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Nobel Peace laureate and activist Narges Mohammadi has been transferred to a Tehran hospital more than a week after collapsing in prison, her foundation said Sunday.

Her transfer comes after days of pleading by her family and others who described her condition as critical. Her foundation said she has been granted a prison sentence suspension on bail. It was not clear for how long her sentence is suspended, the foundation said.

A statement from her foundation, shared with The Associated Press, said the suspended sentence is not enough and that Mohammadi needs “permanent, specialized care.”

The statement added that “we must ensure she never returns to prison to face the 18 years remaining on her sentence. Now is the time to demand her unconditional freedom and the dismissal of all charges.”

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In a strongly worded filing, ABC accuses the Trump administration of trying to chill its constitutionally protected free speech and hinder open political discussion.

The point of contention: The popular show “The View,” and whether it’s subject to equal time rules.

ABC’s filing to the Federal Communications Commission, made public Friday, came in a dispute involving one ABC station in Houston, KTRK-TV. But the wording indicated the network was embarking on a broader battle with the administration.

“The Commission’s actions threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech, both with respect to The View and more broadly,” said the filing on behalf of both KTRK-TV and ABC.

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President Donald Trump declined Iran's response to his peace framework to end hostilities in the war, calling it "totally unacceptable" in a May 10 social media post.

"I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called 'Representatives.' I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Iran responded early in the morning of May 10 to Trump's proposal to stop fighting and begin peace talks on an array of contentious issues, according to reporting from Iran's IRNA news agency. Iran's proposal included a demand for compensation for war damages and an emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, state media said.

No details on Iran‘s response were immediately available, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment. U.S. IRNA has reported that Iran sent its reply to Trump’s proposal to Pakistan, which is mediating.

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The 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal that overthrew the country's dictatorship and led to independence for its African colonies was sparked off by the airing of Portugal's Eurovision entry for that year, E depois do adeus ("And After the Farewell"), by Paulo de Carvalho.

In 2009, authorities in Azerbaijan interrogated 43 people after they voted for Armenia's entry in the contest that year, while Ukraine and Russia regularly jibed at each other over the latter's invasion until Russia was expelled in 2022.

But arguably the biggest political controversy in the contest has been around Israel's participation since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023.

"For me, this is first and foremost about the devastating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the enormous loss of civilian lives," Emmelie de Forest, winner of the 2013 Eurovision song contest, told Middle East Eye.

"But it’s also about what it means when cultural institutions try to completely separate themselves from political reality. I don’t think music exists outside the world around us."

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The Hungarian Parliament held its inaugural session on Saturday, May 9, ushering in a new political era as the Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, officially took control of the legislature and formed a new government., 444 reported.

The session saw the Tisza party exercise its new absolute majority to elect Ágnes Forsthoffer as the Speaker of Parliament. In her first act in the role, Forsthoffer ordered the European Union flag to be re-displayed on the parliament building – an ornament that had been removed by the previous administration 12 years ago.

Following the confirmation of his 16-ministry cabinet, Péter Magyar took the oath of office and delivered his first address as Prime Minister. He stated that his administration had received a mandate from the Hungarian people to “open a new chapter” and lead the country into a “freer, more humane, and more hopeful era.”

“We promise to ensure that what unites us is stronger than what divides us,” Magyar told the assembly. Outside the parliament, the central square was reported to be packed with thousands of citizens who gathered to mark the end of the “Orbán era.”

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Across the country, wildland firefighters are staring down what could be one of the most severe fire seasons in recent history.

Among those figuring out how to prepare is the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, a brand new agency created by the Trump administration.

"We're dry and we're expecting the pace to pick up significantly here any time," said the recently appointed head of that service, Brian Fennessy, in an interview with NPR's All Things Considered host Emily Feng.

The agency is a product of an ongoing White House effort to combine all the parts of the federal government that fight fires.

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