Latest news with #Newsmax
New York Post
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
How EchoStar boss managed to get key sit-down with Trump – and stave off likely demise
EchoStar chief Charlie Ergen can thank Newsmax boss Chris Ruddy for his meeting with President Trump – and maybe keeping the Dish Network's parent company out of bankruptcy, On The Money has learned. The pow-wow, reported by Bloomberg last week, provided a lifeline to Ergen's struggling telecom provider by forestalling the Federal Communications Commission from seizing the company's spectrum amid a wide-ranging investigation. Telecom executives have been scratching their heads about why Trump would entertain Ergen, a controversial figure in telecom circles known to spread around campaign contributions mainly to Democrats. Advertisement 4 Charlie Ergen met with President Trump to try to prevent hisEchoStar from filing for bankruptcy. REUTERS What hasn't been reported is that Ruddy played an instrumental role in setting up the Trump confab that as of now appears to have delayed or ended any significant FCC action, sources told On The Money. The president agreed to meet with Ergen after Ruddy assured Trump that Ergen has never scuttled conservative programming on his Dish satellite service, according to people close to the matter. Advertisement Ruddy also argued to Trump that Ergen has made donations to prominent Republicans over the years, the sources added. Reached by phone, Ruddy declined to comment but confirmed his involvement in the matter. A White House spokesman had no comment. A press official for Ergen didn't return a request for comment. 4 Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy played an instrumental role in setting up the Trump confab, sources said. Getty Images Advertisement Ruddy and Ergen have been close for years, since Ergen's Dish satellite network began running Newsmax programming in its formative years. The former New York Post reporter founded the conservative media outlet in 1998 as a magazine. In recent years, it evolved into a significant presence in providing digital news and right-leaning television programming. Newmax recently completed an initial public offering at $10 a share before its stock soared to as high as $223. It has settled back down to around $13. In recent weeks, Ergen had tried to meet with Carr but to no avail, until Ruddy's involvement, people with knowledge of the matter said. Advertisement 4 Ruddy and Ergen have been close for years, since Ergen's Dish satellite network began running Newsmax programming in its formative years. Christopher Sadowski The Ruddy-arranged sit-down reportedly led to a separate meeting with Brendan Carr, Trump's FCC chair. Carr didn't respond to a request for comment. EchoStar shares have surged nearly 50% since the meetings between the White House and Ergen. Last month, the agency began an investigation into whether Ergen has been doing enough to build out a significant wireless network and meet deadlines to become a competitor to companies like Verizon and AT&T. 4 The Ruddy-arranged sit-down reportedly led to a separate meeting with Brendan Carr, Trump's FCC chair.. via REUTERS Charlie Gasparino has his finger on the pulse of where business, politics and finance meet Sign up to receive On The Money by Charlie Gasparino in your inbox every Thursday. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters The FCC could seize those licenses if it finds that Ergen hasn't taken the necessary steps to use them to build out its network. Advertisement If the FCC seized Ergen's spectrum it would likely lead to a bankruptcy for Echostar. According to published reports, EchoStar had considered a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing amid the uncertainty of the FCC probe.
3 days ago
- Politics
Jury finds leading proponent of 'The Big Lie' defamed former voting equipment employee
DENVER -- A jury found Monday that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of a prominent voting equipment company by calling him a traitor, telling Lindell and his online media platform to pay $2.3 million in damages. The decision came after a two-week trial involving one of the biggest proponents of the myth that the 2020 election was stolen, a lie that still dominates national politics. Other such cases have ended in settlements before they could go before a jury. The jury found that Lindell made two defamatory statements about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems. On May 9, 2021, Lindell attacked voting machine companies and then said Coomer was a traitor. That statement came a day after Newsmax apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him. Lindell testified that he was upset because he thought Coomer had made a deal to prevent him from appearing on Newsmax to talk about voting machines. However, ahead of the trial, lawyers for both sides agreed that the settlement agreement between Coomer and Newsmax did not mention Lindell. The other statement came on April 6, 2022, a day after Lindell was served with Coomer's lawsuit as he was about to appear at an event at the Colorado state Capitol. Lindell accused Coomer of being 'part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen.' The jury also found Lindell's online media platform, Frankspeech, had defamed Coomer because of comments made by someone appearing at an election fraud symposium streamed on Frankspeech in 2021. The jury cleared Lindell of defaming Coomer eight other times for statements made by both himself and others who appeared on Frankspeech. In an appearance on his new online media platform, Lindell TV, on a show hosted by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani right after the verdict, Lindell stressed that MyPillow, which promoted the 2021 symposium, was not found liable for any of the defamatory statements. Later Lindell told reporters that he would continue to speak out about voting machines. On Tuesday, Lindell's legal defense told supporters in an email that he had stood up for the First Amendment — echoing his defense team's approach — and was 'largely victorious' in the case. 'Mike Lindell stood alone — refusing to pay hush money and refusing to apologize for voicing concerns shared by millions of Americans,' it said. One of Coomer's attorneys, David Beller, said Lindell hurt not only Coomer but the democratic process. He thinks the jury's decision will help repair that damage. 'This verdict allows the county to heal, though undoubtedly with scars money cannot hide,' he said. Defamatory statements are comments that harm someone's reputation. Because Lindell's statements involved a matter of public concern — elections — jurors had to find that Lindell knew they were false or didn't bother to check out whether they were true or not. A 1964 ruling known as New York Times v. Sullivan and related cases set that higher legal bar for things said about public figures or matters. Truth is a defense against defamation. Lindell could have offered proof of his claims in order to defend himself at the trial but didn't. 'We met the highest constitutional standard under the First Amendment and that occurred in large part because Mr. Lindell claimed he had evidence of voter fraud by Dr. Coomer when he had none," said Charles Cain, another lawyer who represented Coomer. Coomer has another lawsuit pending in Colorado involving a podcaster who said he had heard Coomer promise to rig the 2020 election in an alleged antifa conference call, an account that was also later shared at Lindell's symposium. He also is suing former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in Florida. Salem Media Group, a Christian and conservative media company whose hosts had interviewed the podcaster about his account, said in statement on its website that it apologizes for the harm caused to Coomer and his family and that all statements about the allegations have been removed from its website. The company did not immediately respond to questions about when the apology was posted and why. Lindell has become one of the most enthusiastic proponents of what has been dubbed 'The Big Lie'— the idea that fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. The reason this has taken hold of a significant chunk of the country, despite being repeatedly disproved, is that its main proponent is the president himself. Trump has continued to insist that a murky conspiracy deprived him of a victory in 2020, even after he won an election with the same procedures this past November. There is no evidence of anything amiss with the 2020 election. Trump's then- attorney general said there was no indication of wide-scale fraud. That is the same conclusion of numerous recounts, audits and investigations — including multiple ones run by Republicans. Trump and his allies lost more than 50 court cases trying to overturn the election. Still, Trump famously never likes to admit he lost even when he did. In 2016, Trump claimed that fraud was why he lost the Iowa caucuses. Despite winning the 2016 presidential election in the Electoral College, Trump claimed fraud cost him the popular vote in that election. And he has embraced those who helped spread his lies about 2020 — Trump pardoned more than 1,000 people convicted of their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to keep Trump in office. He has met with Lindell in the Oval Office.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Jury finds leading proponent of 'The Big Lie' defamed former voting equipment employee
DENVER (AP) — A jury found Monday that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of a prominent voting equipment company by calling him a traitor, telling Lindell and his online media platform to pay $2.3 million in damages. The decision came after a two-week trial involving one of the biggest proponents of the myth that the 2020 election was stolen, a lie that still dominates national politics. Other such cases have ended in settlements before they could go before a jury. What happened? The jury found that Lindell made two defamatory statements about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems. On May 9, 2021, Lindell attacked voting machine companies and then said Coomer was a traitor. That statement came a day after Newsmax apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him. Lindell testified that he was upset because he thought Coomer had made a deal to prevent him from appearing on Newsmax to talk about voting machines. However, ahead of the trial, lawyers for both sides agreed that the settlement agreement between Coomer and Newsmax did not mention Lindell. The other statement came on April 6, 2022, a day after Lindell was served with Coomer's lawsuit as he was about to appear at an event at the Colorado state Capitol. Lindell accused Coomer of being 'part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen.' The jury also found Lindell's online media platform, Frankspeech, had defamed Coomer because of comments made by someone appearing at an election fraud symposium streamed on Frankspeech in 2021. The jury cleared Lindell of defaming Coomer eight other times for statements made by both himself and others who appeared on Frankspeech. What has been the reaction? In an appearance on his new online media platform, Lindell TV, on a show hosted by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani right after the verdict, Lindell stressed that MyPillow, which promoted the 2021 symposium, was not found liable for any of the defamatory statements. Later Lindell told reporters that he would continue to speak out about voting machines. On Tuesday, Lindell's legal defense told supporters in an email that he had stood up for the First Amendment — echoing his defense team's approach — and was 'largely victorious' in the case. 'Mike Lindell stood alone — refusing to pay hush money and refusing to apologize for voicing concerns shared by millions of Americans,' it said. One of Coomer's attorneys, David Beller, said Lindell hurt not only Coomer but the democratic process. He thinks the jury's decision will help repair that damage. 'This verdict allows the county to heal, though undoubtedly with scars money cannot hide,' he said. What is defamation? Defamatory statements are comments that harm someone's reputation. Because Lindell's statements involved a matter of public concern — elections — jurors had to find that Lindell knew they were false or didn't bother to check out whether they were true or not. A 1964 ruling known as New York Times v. Sullivan and related cases set that higher legal bar for things said about public figures or matters. Truth is a defense against defamation. Lindell could have offered proof of his claims in order to defend himself at the trial but didn't. 'We met the highest constitutional standard under the First Amendment and that occurred in large part because Mr. Lindell claimed he had evidence of voter fraud by Dr. Coomer when he had none," said Charles Cain, another lawyer who represented Coomer. Other cases and an apology Coomer has another lawsuit pending in Colorado involving a podcaster who said he had heard Coomer promise to rig the 2020 election in an alleged antifa conference call, an account that was also later shared at Lindell's symposium. He also is suing former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in Florida. Salem Media Group, a Christian and conservative media company whose hosts had interviewed the podcaster about his account, said in statement on its website that it apologizes for the harm caused to Coomer and his family and that all statements about the allegations have been removed from its website. The company did not immediately respond to questions about when the apology was posted and why. 'The Big Lie' has taken hold of a chunk of the country Lindell has become one of the most enthusiastic proponents of what has been dubbed 'The Big Lie'— the idea that fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. The reason this has taken hold of a significant chunk of the country, despite being repeatedly disproved, is that its main proponent is the president himself. Trump has continued to insist that a murky conspiracy deprived him of a victory in 2020, even after he won an election with the same procedures this past November. There is no evidence of anything amiss with the 2020 election. Trump's then- attorney general said there was no indication of wide-scale fraud. That is the same conclusion of numerous recounts, audits andinvestigations — includingmultiple onesrun by Republicans. Trump and his allies lost more than 50 court cases trying to overturn the election. Still, Trump famously never likes to admit he lost even when he did. In 2016, Trump claimed that fraud was why he lost the Iowa caucuses. Despite winning the 2016 presidential election in the Electoral College, Trump claimed fraud cost him the popular vote in that election. And he has embraced those who helped spread his lies about 2020 — Trump pardoned more than 1,000 people convicted of their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to keep Trump in office. He has met with Lindell in the Oval Office.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Jury finds leading proponent of ‘The Big Lie' defamed former voting equipment employee
DENVER (AP) — A jury found Monday that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of a prominent voting equipment company by calling him a traitor, telling Lindell and his online media platform to pay $2.3 million in damages. The decision came after a two-week trial involving one of the biggest proponents of the myth that the 2020 election was stolen, a lie that still dominates national politics. Other such cases have ended in settlements before they could go before a jury. What happened? The jury found that Lindell made two defamatory statements about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems. On May 9, 2021, Lindell attacked voting machine companies and then said Coomer was a traitor. That statement came a day after Newsmax apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him. Lindell testified that he was upset because he thought Coomer had made a deal to prevent him from appearing on Newsmax to talk about voting machines. However, ahead of the trial, lawyers for both sides agreed that the settlement agreement between Coomer and Newsmax did not mention Lindell. The other statement came on April 6, 2022, a day after Lindell was served with Coomer's lawsuit as he was about to appear at an event at the Colorado state Capitol. Lindell accused Coomer of being 'part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen.' The jury also found Lindell's online media platform, Frankspeech, had defamed Coomer because of comments made by someone appearing at an election fraud symposium streamed on Frankspeech in 2021. The jury cleared Lindell of defaming Coomer eight other times for statements made by both himself and others who appeared on Frankspeech. What has been the reaction? In an appearance on his new online media platform, Lindell TV, on a show hosted by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani right after the verdict, Lindell stressed that MyPillow, which promoted the 2021 symposium, was not found liable for any of the defamatory statements. Later Lindell told reporters that he would continue to speak out about voting machines. On Tuesday, Lindell's legal defense told supporters in an email that he had stood up for the First Amendment — echoing his defense team's approach — and was 'largely victorious' in the case. 'Mike Lindell stood alone — refusing to pay hush money and refusing to apologize for voicing concerns shared by millions of Americans,' it said. One of Coomer's attorneys, David Beller, said Lindell hurt not only Coomer but the democratic process. He thinks the jury's decision will help repair that damage. 'This verdict allows the county to heal, though undoubtedly with scars money cannot hide,' he said. What is defamation? Defamatory statements are comments that harm someone's reputation. Because Lindell's statements involved a matter of public concern — elections — jurors had to find that Lindell knew they were false or didn't bother to check out whether they were true or not. A 1964 ruling known as New York Times v. Sullivan and related cases set that higher legal bar for things said about public figures or matters. Truth is a defense against defamation. Lindell could have offered proof of his claims in order to defend himself at the trial but didn't. 'We met the highest constitutional standard under the First Amendment and that occurred in large part because Mr. Lindell claimed he had evidence of voter fraud by Dr. Coomer when he had none,' said Charles Cain, another lawyer who represented Coomer. Other cases and an apology Coomer has another lawsuit pending in Colorado involving a podcaster who said he had heard Coomer promise to rig the 2020 election in an alleged antifa conference call, an account that was also later shared at Lindell's symposium. He also is suing former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in Florida. Salem Media Group, a Christian and conservative media company whose hosts had interviewed the podcaster about his account, said in statement on its website that it apologizes for the harm caused to Coomer and his family and that all statements about the allegations have been removed from its website. The company did not immediately respond to questions about when the apology was posted and why. 'The Big Lie' has taken hold of a chunk of the country Lindell has become one of the most enthusiastic proponents of what has been dubbed 'The Big Lie'— the idea that fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. The reason this has taken hold of a significant chunk of the country, despite being repeatedly disproved, is that its main proponent is the president himself. Trump has continued to insist that a murky conspiracy deprived him of a victory in 2020, even after he won an election with the same procedures this past November. There is no evidence of anything amiss with the 2020 election. Trump's then- attorney general said there was no indication of wide-scale fraud. That is the same conclusion of numerous recounts, audits and investigations — including multiple ones run by Republicans. Trump and his allies lost more than 50 court cases trying to overturn the election. Still, Trump famously never likes to admit he lost even when he did. In 2016, Trump claimed that fraud was why he lost the Iowa caucuses. Despite winning the 2016 presidential election in the Electoral College, Trump claimed fraud cost him the popular vote in that election. And he has embraced those who helped spread his lies about 2020 — Trump pardoned more than 1,000 people convicted of their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to keep Trump in office. He has met with Lindell in the Oval Office.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Join Newsmax Founder & CEO Christopher Ruddy in Fireside Chat June 24 at 11AM ET
IPO Edge and the Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association will host a fireside chat with Newsmax, Inc. (NYSE: NMAX) on June 23 at 11am ET. The live event will feature Christopher Ruddy, founder and Chief Executive Officer, moderated by IPO Edge Editor-in-Chief John Jannarone and in a video session lasting approximately 60 minutes including a Q&A with the audience. To register, CLICK HERE. Mr. Ruddy will discuss: What differentiates Newsmax from other media companies The company's growth and position as the fourth highest-rated cable news channel in the country Newsmax recent raise and Reg A+ IPO The company's strategy and evolution in the years to come International markets and distribution agreements About Newsmax Newsmax Inc. is a holding company that owns 100% of the equity interests of its operating company Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax Media, Inc., the parent company of Newsmax Broadcasting LLC, offers Americans independent news. Since its founding in 1998 by award-winning journalist Christopher Ruddy, Newsmax has become a go-to place for Americans seeking real news, insightful perspective and honest opinion. Newsmax operates the Newsmax channel, now the fourth highest-rated cable news channel, according to Nielsen, and is available on all major cable systems and OTT platforms. Newsmax's media properties reach more than 40 million Americans regularly through the Newsmax channel, its free streaming channel Newsmax2, the Newsmax App and its streaming service Newsmax+, its website and publications like Newsmax Magazine. Forbes has called Newsmax 'a news powerhouse' and the New York Times has said it is a 'potent force' in U.S. news. Through its media outlets Newsmax champions a free press, one that provides Americans with balanced coverage, diverse viewpoints, and open debates on the issues affecting their lives. Newsmax Inc., based in Boca Raton, Fla., with offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, is headed by its CEO Christopher Ruddy. Website link: About Christopher Ruddy, Founder & CEO Mr. Ruddy founded Newsmax in 1998 and is a former journalist at the New York Post and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He also served as Media Fellow at the Hoover Institution and is among the top 10 people to know in TV News according to Multichannel News' 'News Titans.' Mr. Ruddy has also been named among Cablefax's Top 100 Power Players. For more information click here. Contact: Editor@ Twitter: @IPOEdge Instagram: @IPOEdge
