Parents who lost their 6-year-old son in the Sandy Hook massacre confronted right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in a courthouse Tuesday, saying his claims that the deadliest elementary school shooting in US history was a “giant hoax” created a “living hell” for them.
Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, parents of Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Conn., are seeking $150 million in damages from the Infowars radio show and webcast host and his media company in a defamation trial.
Heslin, who took the stand before Jones arrived at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin on Tuesday, spoke of his grief — compounded with death threats and abuse from strangers that led the parents to fear for their own lives. “I can’t even describe the last nine and a half years, the living hell that I and others have had to endure because of the recklessness and negligence of Alex Jones,” Heslin told the jury.
Twenty-six people were killed in the shooting, 20 of them young children. Jones had told his audiences that it was a “false flag” operation carried out by “crisis actors.”
“My son existed,” Jesse’s tearful mother said, directing her testimony toward Jones. “There’s records of Jesse’s birth.”
Jurors in Austin, where Infowars is headquartered, will not hear evidence about the defamation claimsBecause Judge Maya Guerra Gamble entered a rare default judgment against Jones after he refused to turn over documents to the parents’ lawyers. Instead, the jury will determine how much in compensatory and punitive damages Jones must pay.
Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, filed for bankruptcy last week, according to Jones’s attorney, who said the firm would not interfere with the defamation lawsuit.
Alex Jones’s media company files for bankruptcy during Sandy Hook trial
Lewis stressed that she was not part of any “deep state” conspiracy theory. “I know you know that. That’s the problem … and you keep saying it, why? For money?” she asked. Jones shook his head.
“It seems so incredible to me that we have to do this — that we have to implore you… to get you to stop lying,” Lewis said. “I am so glad this day is here. I’m actually relieved… that I got to say all this to you.”
Heslin testified that it was unclear whether the conspiracy theory had started with Jones but said it was Jones who “lit the match and started the fire,” reaching millions with his Infowars platform.
A forensic psychologist who testified said Heslin and Lewis suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Jones has previously acknowledged that the shooting took place and blamed his false claims on “a form of psychosis.” He testified Tuesday that he had been waiting to apologize and that his comments about him had been taken out of context.
“I never intentionally tried to hurt you. I never even said your name until this came to court — I didn’t know who you were until this came up,” Jones said. “The internet had questions. I had questions.”
Lewis asked Jones bluntly during her testimony: “Do you think I’m an actor?”
He replied: “No, I don’t think you’re an actor.”
Jones, 48, has been banned from major social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Spotify for violating their hate-speech policies. Judges in Connecticut and Texas have also found Jones liable for damages in lawsuits stemming from his false claims of him.
Jones described the legal proceedings as a “witch hunt” and a “show trial” in a tirade to reporters last month.
Lamborghini resurrected the Countach name a year ago, ushering the wedge’s iconic shape into the modern era. The automaker limited its production run to 112 units, meaning the chances of driving one are non-existent. However, those who play Asphalt 9: Legends will get such an opportunity as the Countach LP1 800-4 arrives in the game today.
asphalt 9 gives gamers “a one-of-a-kind interactive experience that will give thousands of fans the opportunity to discover our hybrid supercar,” said Christian Mastro, Lamborghini’s marketing director.
6Photos
But that’s not all. Gameloft, the game’s publisher, is also launching a Countach-dedicated competition. It features two elimination rounds, with the first one starting today. Players will have the opportunity to set the best lap time in a new single game mode. The qualifying season is open from today through August 7 and again from August 22-28.
The fastest players will then compete in the Grand Finals, where they will compete in double-elimination races on September 14. This will determine who races in the iOS Final, all of which Lamborghini will stream on its social media channels. The Countach LP1 800-4 joins other Lamborghini models in the game, such as the Terzo Millennio, Huracán EVO Spyder, and Essenza SCV12.
When Lamborghini launched the revamped Countach, it ensured that it came with a V12. The naturally aspirated 6.5-liter engine also received an electric motor, cranking the car’s total output to 803 horsepower (599 kilowatts). Using the automaker’s 48-volt supercapacitor technology, the electrified powertrain rockets the supercar to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in 2.9 seconds and 124 mph (200 kph) in 8.6. It can reach 221 mph (355 kph), too.
Video games are a great way to experience expensive and rare supercars. The new Lamborghini Countach has found its way into its first video game, and we expect to see the iconic wedge shape in other titles in the future. The Countach name, its retro-inspired styling, and the mighty V12 powering it are too awesome for game makers to let sit in the paddock.
Brad Pitt said he wore a skirt to a Bullet Train screening because we’re all going to die.
The Fight Club actor, 58, gave the explanation when asked why he wore the knee-length outfit to the Berlin showing of his latest film.
He told Variety on Monday night, while wearing an all-green combination, about his recent quirky sartorial choices: “I don’t know! We’re all going to die, so let’s mess it up.”
It comes after he told GQ earlier this year: “I consider myself on my last leg. This last semester or trimester.
“What is this section gonna be? And how do I want to design that?”
Brad Pitt wearing THAT skirt. Credit: Ben Krieman/Getty Images for Sony Pictures
Pitt’s skirt was accompanied by a light brown cardigan and accessorized with a cluster of necklaces, along with sunglasses and black combat boots.
At the time, social media users have mixed reactions to the look.
“Who cares if Brad Pitt wore a skirt? A good iron was needed to the whole ensemble. Looks like I found a bag of clothes in the dumpster and put it on,” one user wrote.
Pitt joins the likes of other male celebrities to have rocked the traditionally female garment, including Harry Styles, Lil Nas X, Oscar Isaac, Pete Davidson, Russell Westbrook, Odell Beckham Jr and Jared Leto.
Meanwhile, his film Bullet Train has received average reviews so far with a score of 51 on Metacritic.
Chicago Sun Times gave it a glowing review and said: “Unlike so many of the cookie-cutter, wisecracking-assassin movies in recent memory, Bullet Train acknowledges its outlandishness from the beginning and yet also manages to connect so many dots in creative, gotcha fashion.”
Meanwhile, AV Club gave it a poor review, writer Rodd Gilchrist said, “ultimately, Bullet Train aims to be slick when it needs to be smart, and predictable when it should be provocative — effectively making all of the wrong stops at exactly the wrong time.”
Bullet Train hits Australian cinemas this Thursday.
He achieved greater fame as a contestant on Survivor: Panamathe second series of the reality TV franchise in the UK that screened in 2002. Dalzell finished third, just missing the final two after a key miscalculation from the eventual runner-up, teacher Susannah Moffatt.
Wikipedia explains: “Despite believing that Jonny Gibb was more popular than John Dalzell, she voted out the latter thinking that she was remaining true to a deal that she had with Jonny.”
Law was a safer occupation
She should have gone for Dalzell, who was listed as “former marine/law worker, 32” in his show profile. “John admits to being a bit of a show-off in front of a crowd. His hero of him is Muhammed Ali.”
dalzell awning The Australian Financial Review in 2014 that after five years with the royal marines – he joined at 16 and rose to the rank of Commando – he’d had enough. He could have worked as a mercenary in Somalia or the Middle East, but he decided the law was a safer occupation.
At Corrs, he did a lot of work on church compensation claims under the watch of partner Paul McCann and was made a senior associate. He also acted for British American Tobacco after the multinational moved its account from Clayton Utz to Corrs in the mid-2000s. (Hearsay wonders if Corrs is “transitioning out of personal injury work” for BAT.)
Richard Leder had carriage of that work down south for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (CAM) after helping devise the Melbourne Response in 1996. He was the reason Corrs started acting for Sydney when George Pell moved to the harbor city in 2001. (Leder is expected to continue acting for CAM, but obviously not at Corrs.)
Dalzell up and left in 2010 for Gadens and has been working under the Dentons letterhead since 2016, when the Sydney office of Gadens joined the global behemoth. (Gadens has since rebuilt its Sydney offering.)
His website profile at Dentons lists Ginia Rinehart, daughter of Gina, as a client, along with liquor giant Diageo.
And he’s happy to own his work for the church and big tobacco, even listing his role in the Ellis defence. In 2007, the Court of Appeal accepted the church’s argument that it could not be sued. Not only were the church trustees not responsible for the conduct of the clergy, but also it was an unincorporated association that didn’t legally exist (and which held its assets in a protected trust). This was overturned by legislation in 2018.
It’s a bit different over at Corrs, where the profile for Leder barely mentions the church, which is out of kilter given he has been its go-to-man for 25 years.
Dalzell declined to comment but assured us that he would be “reading carefully”. He is a litigator after all.
President Biden intends to sign an executive order on Wednesday aimed at helping Americans cross state lines for abortions, the White House said. It would be his second order from him intended to preserve abortion access after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June.
Both orders, however, are short on specifics, instead directing the Department of Health and Human Services to sort out how the policies would work. Last month, the president signed an order intended to ensure access to abortion medication and emergency contraception.
Wednesday’s order asks the department’s secretary, Xavier Becerra, to “consider action to advance access” to abortion, including through Medicaid, for those who travel out of state, the White House said in a news release. It also calls for Mr. Becerra to “consider all appropriate actions” to ensure health care providers comply with federal nondiscrimination laws, and promote research on maternal health.
The order comes after voters in Kansas on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that would have erased abortion rights from its state constitution. Also on Tuesday, the Biden administration sued Idaho over its strict new law that the Justice Department said would inhibit emergency room doctors from performing abortions that are necessary for women facing medical emergencies.
The partnership sees the Western Star 57X join the sim and it is available to purchase now from any of the Western Star Trucks dealerships present in-game.
Notably, the 57X received a joint release in American Truck Simulator (ATS) and the real world, as Western Star’s parent company Daimler Truck North America aims to build awareness of its new model. The 57X boasts a 5.8% increase in fuel efficiency over the outgoing 5700XE model, a headline feature given the current fuel price crisis.
David Carson, senior vice president, of sales and marketing at Daimler Truck North America stated: “the 57X was conceived, designed and engineered specifically for owner-operators and small fleets looking for a truck that provides the safety, efficiency, durability and prestige that only Western Star can deliver.”
In ATS, the 57X comes with a host of configurable layouts and options; including the choice of a day cab or 72″ sleeper cab; three short and two long chassis options and five interior trim designs. There is also a special ‘Phoenix Rising’ livery unique to the new 57X truck and your choice of trailer.
The game also offers a range of Detroit powertrain options, with the real-world 57X boasting a choice of DD13 Gen 5, DD15 Gen 5 and DD16 Detroit engines, with Detroit DT12 Direct or Overdrive AMT transmission systems also available.
Are you looking forward to taking the new Western Star 57X for a spin in ATS? Let us know in the comments below.
When Dame Judi Dench’s husband Michael Williams died of cancer in 2001, work became her rock. Her acting de ella was something she drowned herself in-a bid to keep her mind busy and to keep grief at bay.
For years, Dench said she never thought dating or romance would be on the cards after such a loss.
But in 2010, she met someone. A man called David Mills – a dairy farmer turned conservationist. And somehow, they clicked instantly, so much so, that they’ve been an item ever since.
But don’t ever call David Mills Judi Dench’s boyfriend or partner. Because she doesn’t like that.
A poll was once conducted in the UK that found the Queen had been overtaken by Dench as the “most popular and respected woman in Britain”. And it appears that sentiment has continued throughout the years.
Here’s everything we know about Judi Dench’s life.
Watch Judi Dench answer questions from famous fans. Post continues below.
Judith Olivia Dench was born in 1934, in North Yorkshire, England. She had an Irish mother and an English father.
From a young age, Dench knew the stage was where she wanted to be. After high school, she went on to study at the Central School Of Speech And Drama. By 23, she had hit the jackpot, cementing herself in the Shakespeare realm.
By the ’60s, Dench was starring in films. And so too was Michael Williams.
The pair had shared the screen on multiple occasions, as well as both being promising young stars in the Royal Shakespeare Company. But it wasn’t until a decade later that they fell in love and began a relationship.
When Judi left for a six-week tour of Australia, Michael followed and proposed. “Ask me on a rainy night in Battersea, and I’ll think about it,” she replied.
By 1971, they were married after his second go at proposing was successful. The next year, they welcomed their only child, daughter Tara Cressida Williams, known as Finty. When Finty was born, Dench figured she would slow down with her work de ella in order to focus on raising her child. But reflecting on that time, Dench said that Williams urged her not to give her career up.
The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend delivered excitement in spades, from Max Verstappen’s stunning victory to a hatful of midfield overtakes, Ferrari’s tire woes and Mercedes making it back-to-back double podiums. But with strategy dilemmas amid the ever-changing conditions, the airwaves were filled with questions from some rather confused drivers.
Charles Leclerc managed a deft manoeuvre in the wet to avoid a crash, but Sebastian Vettel wasn’t so lucky and had to apologize to his team after crashing in final practice, while Verstappen cut an extremely frustrated figure when power issues saw him qualify P10 for the race – not that hampered him much on Sunday.
READ MORE: ‘We made all the right calls’ says Verstappen, as he pulls off spin-and-win in Hungary to extend lead to 80 points
Daniel Ricciardo was relishing his afternoon’s work when he overtook both Alpines at the same time, but earned the ire of Lance Stroll when the two collided later on. Yuki Tsunoda was left confused by his spin on him, Fernando Alonso was frustrated with his team’s tire choice and Lewis Hamilton enjoyed his afternoon as he rose from P7 on the grid to second at the flag.
To listen to all of those radio clips and more, hit play on the video above.
Federal parliament will hammer out key details of what an Indigenous Voice to parliament will look like and when a national vote is held, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says, in a shift from his position that much of the detail would happen after a referendum.
He has indicated the model for the Voice outlined by Professors Marcia Langton and Tom Calma in a 2021 report to the former Morrison government will be central to the debate and design.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference at Parliament House in CanberraCredit:alex ellinghausen
Last Saturday, Albanese announced Australians would be asked whether they supported or opposed enshrining an Indigenous Voice in the constitution, and the three sentences that would be added to what he dubbed Australia’s “birth certificate”.
On Sunday, the prime minister said much of the detail about the structure of the Voice would not be known until after the referendum was held as he wanted to avoid a repeat of the failed republic referendum in 1999 when opponents were looking at the detail of the proposal “and saying, ‘well, if you disagree with these 50 clauses, if you disagree with one out of the 50 but 49 are okay, vote no. We’re not doing that.”
But on Wednesday Albanese said he wanted to give Australians space to “walk on this journey” and discuss the proposed referendum – which the government has indicated it would like to hold before the 2025 election – and confirmed more detail would be available about the proposed model before a vote.
“I respect people having different views on this. I want a national conversation… what I did on Saturday was provide a framework for the conversation to enable it to move forward,” he said.
“We will need a referendum, legislation has to occur for that to advance, there will be a debate in the parliament as well. Inevitably, as part of that debate, there will be discussion about the extensive work of Marcia Langton and Tom Calma, extensive debate, about what a Voice to parliament might look like in terms of regional structures.”
“A particular model [has] been put forward by them that envisages a national model, but also with equal representation of male and female representatives. Particular quarantining of representation to ensure remote communities are represented and a regional structure as well… that will be advanced during the legislative debate. It will determine, when it is clearer, what an appropriate date for a referendum should be.”
For months, Republicans have been telling anybody who would listen that this is the year they will end their power outage in Albany. They cite violent crime and inflation, an apparent lack of enthusiasm for Gov. Hochul and a national fury over the failures of the Biden administration.
Despite those advantages, there’s been little evidence so far that the GOP could free New York from the Dem stranglehold. A Tuesday poll begins to change that.
Hochul leads Republican Lee Zeldin by just 14 points, 53-39, in the Siena College survey. While 14 points is hardly a cliffhanger, it compares very favorably to 2014. At this stage of that race, incumbent Andrew Cuomo led GOP nominee Rob Astorino by 32 points in a race Cuomo won by 14.
Moreover, Zeldin, who has represented a Long Island district in Congress since 2015, effectively begins with the 40% high-water mark of any GOP gubernatorial candidate in the last four elections. (George Pataki was the last Republican governor, winning his third term in 2002).
Republican candidate for Governor Lee Zeldin smiles with his family at home in Shirley, New York. Tamara Beckwith
So closing a 14-point gap with more than three months until Election Day is certainly doable, especially given the political environment and Hochul’s uneven performance.
Zeldin, in a phone interview, sees many greenshoots in the new survey and says his internal poll has him even closer.
“This is important for our team,” he says. “The next poll should show us gaining even more momentum.”
A new poll shows Zeldin’s race is much closer with Gov. Kathy Hochul than other recent GOP gubernatorial candidates have been.Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock
The Siena survey is the most important since the primaries ended and is based on likely voters, as opposed to registered. It shows both candidates having a firm grasp on their party, with Zeldin holding a narrow lead among independents.
A missing piece is that, other than gun control and abortion, the poll does not ask about specific issues. Nor does it ask voters to rank the issues most important to them.
Zeldin has no doubts about what the answers would be to a ranking question.
“When we ask, a large majority answer either crime or the economy as the top issue,” he says. “And we believe that the election will be dominated by voters most concerned about those two things.”
His campaign has zeroed in on those targets and his pledge to fire Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Day One has become a signature promise. He accuses Hochul of “giving cover” to Bragg and other soft-on-crime prosecutors.
“She tries way too hard to avoid talking about the key issues,” he insists. He cites Mayor Adams’ request for a special legislative session to deal with crime and the bail-law mess that has seen repeat offenders let go before cops finish the paperwork.
Zeldin pledged to come for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg if he were elected. Steve Hirsch
Hochul, while voicing support for fellow-Dem Adams, has done almost nothing to help him stem the bloodshed and mayhem in Gotham.
Zeldin was attacked during a recent speech by a troubled former veteran, an incident that probably helped him gain some name recognition and even sympathy.
He knows his pro-life stance puts him at a disadvantage with many voters after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But he notes that a law offering even more abortion protections than Roe already exists in New York and believes that social issues as a whole will take a back seat to the crime wave engulfing much of the state, along with the soaring cost of living. He is also pushing for tax cuts and more school choice.
In addition to his own efforts, the redistricting process that ended up in the courts and led to nonpartisan maps gives GOP candidates a chance to improve upon the seven congressional seats they now hold, which should help increase turnout for the ticket.
Meanwhile, Hochul’s tenure has been mystifying in a fundamental way. Even though she was Cuomo’s running mate and lieutenant governor Lieut. Gov. for eight years, she was able to escape any blame in the sexual-harassment scandal that led to Cuomo’s resignation by claiming she wasn’t close to him.
She was right about that, and her distance led to hopes she would bring ethics and new openness to Albany, where everything important happens in back rooms.
Those hopes were quickly dashed as Hochul inexplicably copied some of Cuomo’s worst habits. No sooner had she taken the oath than she began speed-dialing her donors for big-bucks contributions.
An attacker grabs Zeldin as he delivered a speech in Perinton, New York on July 21. WHEC-TV/AP
And her penchant for secrecy in negotiating big government deals with donors is so Cuomo-like that it seems as if he’s still calling the shots.
Perhaps most shocking, her first pick to replace her, state Sen. Brian Benjamin, was already taught in a federal corruption probe. Much of Albany apparently knew something was up—but not Hochul. Benjamin has since been indicted and resigned.
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In some ways, statewide elections in New York are a jigsaw puzzle of competing dominance. Republicans win most of the 62 counties and do especially well upstate, but Dems run up the score by capturing the cities and the most populated suburbs.
Zeldin has a plan for that. He sees getting 29% as the bare necessity in the five boroughs and believes he will top that margin easily, in part by attracting large numbers of Asian and Latino voters concerned about crime.
“If a Republican gets less than 29% in the city, it’s hard to win,” he tells me. “But if you get to 35% or 36%, it’s hard to lose.”
He also says he needs 60% of Suffolk County, his base, 55% of Nassau County and just 43% of Westchester. In fact, he has a target for each county and, in his mind, is assembling a campaign that will put him over the top across the board.
Zeldin speaks to delegates and assembled party officials at the 2022 NYGOP on March 1. John Minchillo/AP
As usual, there is another hurdle for the underdog—money. Zeldin raised $13 million for the contested primary and spent nearly all of it. He has a full schedule of fundraisers, but he does not pretend to believe he’ll have Hochul’s big bucks.
Incumbency has its advantages.
Party’s For’word’ folly
Reader Joe Alloy asks “What’s in a name” and answers his own question. He writes: “Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman have started a 3rd party called The Forward Party.
“Has anyone told them that ‘Forward’ was a Marxist slogan which reflected the march of history beyond capitalism and into socialism and communism? Or are they just showing us who they really are?”
AP Headline: Biden Covid sequel: back on balcony, dog for company
Alternative headline: Biden finally has a friend!
It’s ‘bench’ press time
Reader Christian Browne has a question and an idea, writing: “Mayor Adams has a Criminal Justice Coordinator. Where is this person? This office should have the stats on the judges, on the bail/no-bail releases and on these ridiculous diversion programs.
“Adams could use the facts to highlight the rate of recidivist offenders. I bet he would find these programs — the ‘alternatives to incarceration’ — are largely to blame for the revolving door.”
