Sep 10, 2019

Conservative network hits Rachel Maddow and NBC with defamation lawsuit

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow during an interview. Photo: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

One America News network (OAN) filed a $10 million lawsuit in the Southern District of California Monday alleging MSNBC host Rachel Maddow defamed the conservative company by saying it "really literally is paid Russian propaganda."

Details: The lawsuit claims that Maddow knew the statement was false and that it was made in order to damage OAN because of its support of President Trump, and that counsel for NBC Universal said Maddow was using "literally" in a figurative sense when the conservative company asked for a retraction.

Maddow's July 22 segment was based on the Daily Beast article, titled "Trump’s New Favorite Channel Employs Kremlin-Paid Journalist," which reports that an OAN correspondent has "been simultaneously writing for Sputnik, a Kremlin-owned news wire that played a role in Russia’s 2016 election-interference operation."

Go deeper

Rebecca Falconer

Updated 7 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Updates: George Floyd protests nationwide

Police officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators outside of the White House on Monday. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images

Protests over the death of George Floyd and other police-related killings of black people continued for a seventh day across the U.S., with President Trump threatening on Monday to deploy the military if the unrest continues.

The latest: "Widespread looting" occurred in Manhattan, including at "Macy's flagship store in Herald Square and luxury stores along Fifth Avenue" as the 11 p.m. curfew began Monday, per the New York Times.

Go deeper (3 min. read)

Axios

Updated 44 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 6,273,402 — Total deaths: 375,683 — Total recoveries — 2,697,873 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 1,811,277 — Total deaths: 105,147 — Total recoveries: 458,231 — Total tested: 17,340,682 — Map.
Public health: Nearly 26,000 coronavirus deaths in nursing homes have been reported to federal health officials —Coronavirus looms over George Floyd protests across the country.
Federal government: Trump lashes out at governors, calls for National Guard to "dominate" streets.
World: Former FDA commissioner says "this is not the time" to cut ties with WHO.
🎧 Podcast: The virus didn't go away.

Other resources (<1 min. read)

Ursula Perano

Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

St. John's clergy: Trump used church as prop, Bible as symbol of division

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Clergy of the historic St. John's Episcopal Church expressed furor and confusion over President Trump's visit on Monday, which he claimed was to honor the establishment after George Floyd protestors sparked a small fire on the property Sunday night.

The big picture: Park rangers and military police deployed tear gas and physical force to disperse peaceful protestors from Lafayette Park, which surrounds the White House, so Trump could walk to "pay respects" to the church — and a St. John's rector on the scene revealed in a Facebook post that she was left "coughing" from the tear gas.

Go deeper (2 min. read)