New evidence indicates Alec Baldwin acted recklessly with a revolver before it fired a live round that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, according to prosecutors preparing for Baldwin’s July manslaughter trial. Prosecutors, in a Monday filing, alleged that images and videos from crew and a set photographer show Baldwin pointing his gun at…
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday it referred a complaint against the social media platform TikTok and its parent company ByteDance to the Justice Department over potential violations of children’s privacy. In March, a source told Reuters the FTC could resolve a probe into TikTok over allegedly faulty privacy and data security practices…
The U.S. Justice Department informed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday that it would not pursue criminal contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to a letter. This decision followed the Republican-controlled House’s party-line vote to hold Garland in contempt for refusing to turn over audio recordings of a special counsel…
Nearly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, litigation over abortion has surged dramatically. In 2022, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the court’s longstanding precedent had intensified debate and deepened division. He stated it was time to remove the abortion issue from the court’s…
Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google must face trial on U.S. antitrust enforcers’ claim that it illegally dominates the online advertising technology market, a federal judge ruled on Friday. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, denied Google’s motion to avoid a trial, according to court records. Google had argued for a summary judgment, asserting that antitrust laws…
A U.S. bankruptcy judge ordered the court-supervised liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ personal assets but dismissed the bankruptcy of his company, Free Speech Systems, without ordering its liquidation. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez appointed a Chapter 7 trustee to sell Jones’ assets, including his ownership stake in Free Speech Systems, the parent company of his…
Amazon.com (AMZN.O) faces a proposed class action, with author Christine DeMaio, who publishes under the name CD Reiss, claiming the company has monopolized the retail market for audiobooks, leading authors to overpay for distribution. In the lawsuit filed in Seattle federal court, DeMaio accuses Amazon of violating U.S. antitrust law by charging higher distribution fees…
A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected President Joe Biden’s administration’s bid to revive its directive requiring schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms and join sports teams that align with their gender. This directive has faced blocking in 20 Republican-led states. In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the Cincinnati,…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday declared a federal ban on “bump stock” devices unlawful. These devices enable semiautomatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns. The justices, in a 6-3 ruling authored by conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, upheld a lower court’s decision favoring Michael Cargill, a gun shop owner and gun rights advocate from…
The CEO of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) announced plans to vote against Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion compensation package. CalPERS, the largest U.S. pension fund and one of the top 30 investors in Tesla with 9.5 million shares according to LSEG data, previously voted against Musk’s stock options package in 2018.…