Latest news with #PulitzerBoard
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
A judge sided with Trump. Behind the scenes, he was lobbying for a nomination.
On Feb. 12, the court published his opinion in Trump's favor in the defamation case against the Pulitzer Board, and on Feb. 27, he interviewed with attorneys from the White House Counsel's Office. Thereafter, he was informed that he was under consideration for the nomination, and on May 27, he met with Trump, according to Artau's answers provided in the questionnaire. Trump announced he would nominate Artau to be a district judge in South Florida the next day, writing in a post on Truth Social that Artau has 'a GREAT track record of restoring LAW AND ORDER and, most importantly, Common Sense.' In the Senate disclosure, Artau affirmed no one involved in the judicial nomination selection process 'discussed with [him] any currently pending or specific case, legal issue or question in a manner that could reasonably be interpreted as seeking any express or implied assurances concerning [his] position on such case, issue, or question.' Scott's office did not respond to a request for comment. Moody's office declined to comment. Artau's opinion in the defamation case was unusual, in part because the ruling concerned a largely procedural matter. Trump had sued the Pulitzer Board for defamation after he requested that it rescind the 2018 awards given to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their coverage of Russian election interference and ties to Trump's orbit. The three-judge panel in Florida, including Artau, allowed the case to proceed. ''FAKE NEWS.' 'The phony Witch Hunt.' And 'a big hoax.' President Donald J. Trump has publicly used these phrases to describe the now-debunked allegations that he colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 presidential election,' Artau wrote in his concurring opinion. '[T]he board members vouched for the truth of reporting that had been debunked by all credible sources charged with investigating the false claim that the President colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 presidential election.' (The Pulitzer Board has stood by its decision to grant them the award.) Yet Artau's opinion also suggested going further, arguing the Supreme Court precedent known as New York Times Company v. Sullivan wrongly applied the First Amendment in its ruling that required a public official to prove 'actual malice' in a defamation case. While maintaining that the President had satisfied the standard in his case against the Pulitzer Board, Artau called for the Supreme Court to revisit the matter — a controversial position that Trump and his lawyers support. Trump has repeatedly sought to punish news outlets who have written critical coverage of him. Among those efforts, he sued CNN for $475 million in a defamation case that alleged the network sought to undermine him politically. In the complaint, his lawyers argued the standard established in New York Times v. Sullivan should not apply where the media 'seeks to participate in the political arena by offering propaganda.' A judge dismissed the case, but Trump's appeal remains pending. More recently, ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos settled with Trump in a defamation lawsuit after Stephanopoulos mischaracterized the outcome of E. Jean Carroll's civil suit against Trump that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. Moving the federal judiciary to the right was a marquee accomplishment of Trump's first term, during which he installed hundreds of judges on the bench and three Supreme Court justices. In recent months, his political operation has become increasingly critical of judges deemed hostile to his agenda and called for impeaching those who have ruled against him. Artau is currently a judge on the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Florida, where he has served since he was appointed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2020. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1988.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Musk slams New York Times after report on alleged drug use
Tech billionaire Elon Musk slammed The New York Times on Friday over a detailed report that his drug use on the campaign trail sparked concerns. Fox News's Peter Doocy asked Musk, while standing next to President Trump in the Oval Office, about the new reporting, saying it 'accuses you of blurring the line between—' Musk interrupted him and bashed the outlet, which reported that Musk told people during the campaign he was using ketamine so often that it was impacting his bladder, along with utilizing psychedelic mushrooms and taking ecstasy. 'Is The New York Times — is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate? Is that the same organization? I think it is,' he said, turning to Trump. 'I think it is.' Trump replied, 'it is.' 'I think the judge just ruled against New York Times for their lines about the Russiagate hoax, and they may have to give back their Pulitzer Prize. That New York Times. Let's move on,' he said, pointing to Doocy and then gesturing away. The Tesla CEO was referring to a recent ruling from a judge allowing Trump's lawsuit against the Pulitzer Board to proceed. Trump had sued the board after it refused to rescind the coveted journalism prize The New York Times and The Washington post received for coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. Lawyers for the Pulitzer Board earlier this year asked the court to pause the defamation lawsuit until Trump is no longer president. There is no indication that The New York Times's Pulitzer Prize award has been impacted as the case makes its way through the courts. The New York Times report Friday about Musk cited photos and messages with people who knew him and noted he would travel every day with a box containing 20 pills, some of which were marked as Adderall. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller earlier Friday shrugged off a question about the report, saying, 'The drugs that we're concerned about are the drugs running across the southern border.' Friday marks Musk's last day at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the president started the press conference in the Oval Office with a length recap of DOGE's accomplishments. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Old Man Trump Repeatedly Fumbles in Weird Speech Praising Elon Musk
Hours after reports emerged Friday that Elon Musk had been under the influence of heavy drugs during his time advising the president, Musk and Donald Trump stumbled and fumbled their way through a White House press conference recognizing the end of the tech billionaire's special government employee status. The wildly unusual joint conference featured Musk's black eye, a giant gold key that Trump said he only gives to 'very special people,' cringe-worthy regurgitations by Musk of Trump's take on his Pulitzer Board defamation suit, and claims that Musk's unpopular and controversial time in the White House was not quite over. But as Trump continued to praise Musk and his time atop the Department of Government Efficiency, the president's verbal gaffes became more apparent. He claimed that DOGE had uncovered $42 million in wasteful spending, referring to expenditures related to Uganda, which Trump pronounced as 'oo-ganda.' The 78-year-old also mentioned he would have Musk's DOGE cuts 'cauterized by Congress,' though he quickly corrected himself by saying they would be 'affirmed by Congress,' instead. Trump's on-camera slippage has gotten worse in recent weeks: Earlier this month, Trump dozed off while in a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That is despite the fact that the president received a clean bill of health in a medical report released in April that described Trump as being in 'excellent health,' including neurological functioning. Musk, meanwhile, refused to acknowledge emerging reports of his alleged drug use. But the news of White House drug use under Trump's helm is nothing new: In fact, if the reports prove true, it would be little more than a return to form. Last year, a report by the Department of Defense inspector general indicated that the West Wing operated more like a pill mill than the nation's highest office. Common pills included modafinil, Adderall, fentanyl, morphine, and ketamine, according to the Pentagon report. But other, unlisted drugs—like Xanax—were equally easy to come by from the White House Medical Unit, according to anonymous sources that spoke to Rolling Stone. While other presidents were known to take a mix of drug cocktails to fight off back pain (like JFK) or bad moods (like Nixon), no previous administrations matched the level of debauchery of Trump's, whose in-office pharmacists unquestioningly handed out highly addictive substances to staffers who needed pick-me-ups or energy boosts—no doctor's exam, referral, or prescription required. 'It was kind of like the Wild West. Things were pretty loose. Whatever someone needs, we were going to fill this,' another source told Rolling Stone in March 2024. Meanwhile, pharmacists described an atmosphere of fear within the West Wing, claiming they would be 'fired' if they spoke out or would receive negative work assignments if they didn't hand pills over to staffers.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump hails ruling allowing case against Pulitzer board to proceed
President Trump on Wednesday celebrated a ruling from a judge allowing his lawsuit against the Pulitzer Board to proceed. In a decision Wednesday, a Florida judge ruled Trump's defamation lawsuit against the body, which awards the annual Pulitzer Prize recognizing the year's best journalism, can proceed. Trump, after he left office following his first term, sued the board in 2022 in connection with Pulitzers that had been awarded for stories about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The president, in a Truth Social post Wednesday, called the ruling a 'major WIN in our powerful lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board regarding the illegal and defamatory 'Award' of their once highly respected 'Prize,' to fake, malicious stories on the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, by the Failing New York Times and the Washington Compost, the Florida Appellate Court viciously rejected the Defendants' corrupt attempt to halt the case.' 'They were awarded for false reporting, and we can't let that happen in the United States of America,' he continued. 'We are holding the Fake News Media responsible for their LIES to the American People, so we can, together, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Lawyers for the board had asked the judge in January to pause consideration of the case until after Trump was no longer president. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump Just Invented an Outcome in His Lawsuit Against Pulitzer Board
The president is trying to overstep the judiciary in his quest to defang America's newsrooms. On Truth Social late Wednesday, Donald Trump claimed that his defamation lawsuit against the Pulitzer Board had forced the journalism association to rescind an award they had given to The Washington Post and The New York Times in 2018 for investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race and its ties to Trump's campaign. But in reality, a Florida court had simply allowed the case to progress. 'BREAKING! In a major WIN in our powerful lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board regarding the illegal and defamatory 'Award' of their once highly respected 'Prize,' to fake, malicious stories on the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, by the Failing New York Times and the Washington Compost, the Florida Appellate Court viciously rejected the Defendants' corrupt attempt to halt the case,' Trump wrote. 'They won a Pulitzer Prize for totally incorrect reporting about the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax,' he continued. 'Now they admit it was a SCAM, never happened, and their reporting was totally wrong, in fact, the exact opposite of the TRUTH.' 'They'll have to give back their 'Award.' They were awarded for false reporting, and we can't let that happen in the United States of America,' the president said. 'We are holding the Fake News Media responsible for their LIES to the American People, so we can, together, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' In 2021, Trump contacted the Pulitzer Board asking them to 'strip' the country's highest journalism honor from the teams that had investigated him. After a thorough and independent review of the stories, the board determined that the articles were verifiably accurate. They rejected Trump's request on the basis that the 'the separate reviews converged in their conclusions: that no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes.' But Trump took issue with that language. In reaction, he sued 20 members on the Pulitzer Board, claiming that the statement defending the award amounted to defamation. Three years later, in a seven-page opinion issued Wednesday, Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that the case could move forward—despite protestations from the defendants that doing so would violate due process, and that Trump's expanded presidential immunity prohibited such a suit. In the opinion, the appeals court wrote that 'such privileges are afforded to the President alone, not to his litigation adversaries,' noting that only Trump could assert his immunity privileges, and that he had not done so in this case. 'Allowing any president to pursue civil claims against private citizens in state court while simultaneously claiming that private citizens cannot pursue civil claims against him in the same exact court is extremely troubling and should raise concerns for all Americans. The Pulitzer Board is evaluating next steps and remains committed to continuing our defense of journalism,' a spokesperson for the board said in a statement in March, when the same court rejected their request to pause the case until Trump leaves office.
