“Newsmax has settled with Dominion Voting Systems in its lawsuit over the network’s amplification of false claims that it was involved in rigging the 2020 presidential election. The lawsuit was settled for $67 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. … In April, Judge Eric M. Davis, in a summary judgment ruling, determined that Newsmax ran defamatory and false statements about Dominion in the aftermath of the 2020 election, as personalities and guests amplified claims that the company was involved in rigging the results. He left it up to a jury to decide whether Newsmax was liable for actual malice, and whether Dominion could collect punitive damages. … Newsmax settled with another election systems company, Smartmatic, last year, and agreed to pay $40 million, according to an SEC filing.” (08/18/25)
“Norwegian prosecutors on Monday announced that they have indicted Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s crown princess, on multiple charges including rape after a lengthy investigation. Oslo state attorney Sturla Henriksbø said Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, broadcaster NRK reported. The 32 counts include rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner and acts of violence against another. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations. Høiby, the 28-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested last year on various allegations of wrongdoing. He is currently free pending trial, and Henriksbø said there is currently no reason to arrest and jail him.” (08/18/25)
“The controversial AI-focused crypto project Qubic has suggested it may mine Dogecoin (DOGE), the largest memecoin, after completing its current operations on Monero (XMR), the privacy-focused blockchain network. On Aug. 17, Qubic Network founder Sergey Ivancheglo shared a Discord screenshot showing that the community voted to target Dogecoin for the upcoming mining season. … Ivancheglo explained that his AI project targets these PoW blockchains to redirect energy-intensive proof-of-work computations toward artificial intelligence applications.” (08/18/25)
“US Customs and Border Protection officers opened fire during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in San Bernadino, California, on Saturday, calling it an act of self-defense after a man ‘struck two CBP officers with his vehicle,’ the Department of Homeland Security said. But the family inside the vehicle said they drove away out of fear for their safety after masked men emerged from unmarked cars and surrounded their truck with weapons drawn before smashing the truck’s windows. … DHS said local police ‘located the subject at a residence and briefly had him in custody,’ but ‘he was set free’ and officers left the scene. … San Bernardino police cited the California Values Act, which prevents local law enforcement from helping federal officials with immigration enforcement actions.” (08/18/25)
“Texas House Democrats announced on Monday that they had returned to Austin for the next stage in a broader redistricting battle playing out across the country, saying their conditions to return to the Lone Star State had been met. ‘We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation — reshaping the entire 2026 landscape,’ Texas Democratic House Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a statement. ‘We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left.’ … Texas Democrats had signaled they would return to the state after Texas lawmakers adjourned from their first special session on Friday and once California Democrats’ introduced their own set of congressional lines aimed at neutralizing expected gains Texas will make with their new House map.” (08/18/25)
“Lefty [sic] cable channel MSNBC is being forced to take on a new name after its spinoff – as the NBC brand strips the network of its iconic peacock symbol. Mark Lazarus, who will lead Versant, the new company consisting of MSNBC and other cable assets, announced that the channel will be renamed to MS NOW — short for My Source News Opinion World. Its logo will change from NBC’s trademark rainbow peacock to a blue background with a red-and-white striped flag. That’s a sharp turnaround from his assurances earlier this year that the cable news channel would be able to hold onto its name. … The CNBC business news channel, meanwhile, will keep its ‘Consumer News and Business Channel’ name, though it will be forced to launch a new logo without the peacock.” (08/18/25)
“Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown officially launched his campaign Monday to return to the U.S. Senate next year, brushing aside his bitter loss to Republican Bernie Moreno last fall and expressing confidence his pro-working class message can continue to resonate with the state’s voters. The state’s best-known Democrat, Brown is seeking the seat held by Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, a former Ohio lieutenant governor, state senator and secretary of state who’s already landed President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Husted was appointed to the seat in January to succeed JD Vance when he was elected vice president. Next year’s election is for the final two years of the six-year term.” (08/18/25)
“In his latest full-frontal assault on democratic access and voting rights, President Donald Trump early Monday said he will lead an effort to ban both mail-in ballots and voting machines for next year’s mid-term elections — a vow met with immediate rebuke from progressive critics. ‘I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election,’ Trump wrote in a social media post infested with lies and falsehoods.” (08/18/25)
“U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro on Monday called on India to stop buying Russian crude oil, accusing the Asian giant of undermining international efforts to isolate Vladimir Putin’s war economy. Writing in in the Financial Times, Navarro described India’s dependence on Russian oil as ‘opportunistic,’ adding that if India ‘wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the US, it needs to start acting like one.’ ‘In effect, India acts as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs,’ Navarro said in the op-ed. His comments come shortly after trade negotiations between the U.S. and India, which had been scheduled to take place in New Delhi later this month, were reportedly called off.” (08/18/25)
“The State Department has yanked more than 6,000 student visas in 2025 for overstays and law violations — including support for terrorism, Fox News Digital has learned. The Trump administration has launched multiple initiatives aimed at cracking down on immigration and revoking visas of those attending academic institutions in the U.S. Those who’ve publicly protested supporting Palestine have faced heightened scrutiny, as one example, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in May that the administration was reviewing the visa status of students who participated in pro-Palestine protests. The roughly 6,000 visas that were pulled primarily were due to visa overstays or encounters with the law, including assault, DUIs, burglary and support for terrorism, the State Department told Fox News Digital.” (08/18/25)
