Latest / Apple News Today / Election lies cost Fox News $787.5 million. Now what?

Transcript

Election lies cost Fox News $787.5 million. Now what? · Apple News Today

• 0:00
  [MUSIC FADES IN]
• 0:01
  Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Wednesday, April 19th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, the Supreme Court is set to make a major ruling on abortion, the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl brings new attention to self-defense laws in Missouri and around the country, and why severe turbulence is becoming more common on flights.
• 0:02
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]
• 0:03
  But first, "Fox News" will pay Dominion Voting Systems more than $787 million. The settlement is the largest known defamation payment in American history. It ends the lawsuit Dominion brought against the network for airing lies that the company helped rig the 2020 election. This means a trial will not happen. Announcing the settlement deal in a statement, "Fox News" acknowledged that there were false claims made about Dominion.
• 0:04
  The CEO of Dominion, John Poulos, talked about the settlement deal.
• 0:05
  [START ARCHIVAL NEWS CLIP]
• 0:06
  John Poulos: Throughout this process, we have sought accountability and believe the evidence brought to light through this case underscores the consequences of spreading lies. Truthful reporting in the media is essential to our democracy. Dominion, our employees, our people, our partners are grateful to the court for allowing us the process for the truth to come out.
• 0:07
  [END ARCHIVAL NEWS CLIP]
• 0:08
  The settlement is nearly $800 million, but for context, in its last fiscal year, the Fox Corporation overall reported around $14 billion in revenue across its businesses. Some critics of the settlement say there would've been more truth and more accountability coming out if there had been a trial by jury. Dominion attorney Davida Brook told "CNN" that the large payout does hold "Fox News" accountable. And the hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence released before the trial were very revealing.
• 0:09
  [START CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:10
  Davida Brook: This case didn't settle before the documents were made public. This case didn't settle until the world got to see what really went on at "Fox News" in 2020. And that was what we were focused on.
• 0:11
  [END CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:12
  Alisyn Camerota worked at "Fox News" for 16 years. She's now a "CNN" anchor, and she said on her current network that the settlement let her old company off easy.
• 0:13
  [START CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:14
  Alisyn Camerota: Obviously, it's a big windfall for Dominion. It's chump change for "Fox." They make more than a billion dollars a year, their "news" division. And so this is, I think, this is a victory for "Fox." They don't have to put their big stars on the stand, and they didn't even have to issue a public apology.
• 0:15
  [END CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:16
  The settlement reportedly does not require "Fox News" to issue an on-air correction or apology. The network has given minimal airtime to the case and the settlement. Prime-time hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity didn't reference the settlement at all on their shows last night.
• 0:17
  There's no guarantee that a jury would've ruled against "Fox News." And many media law experts cautioned that a ruling against "Fox News" could've set a dangerous precedent that would undermine press freedoms.
• 0:18
  We'll never know how a trial and the inevitable appeals would've gone down or what the impact would be. But the end of the Dominion case isn't the end of questions about "Fox News'" accountability for spreading election lies. The company also faces a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from another voting company, Smartmatic. As with Dominion, "Fox" has called that case meritless and promised a strong defense.
• 0:19
  After the settlement news came out, Smartmatic's attorney said Dominion's case, quote, "exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by 'Fox's' disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest."
• 0:20
  [SERIOUS MUSIC]
• 0:21
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]
• 0:22
  Let's now quickly look at several big stories developing out of Washington.
• 0:23
  Today, the Supreme Court is expected to make a major ruling on abortion. It involves access to the abortion pill mifepristone. There was a lower court ruling that would sharply limit access. The Biden administration says the pills should remain available while the legal moves play out. If the Supreme Court does not intervene, the restrictions will take effect at midnight.
• 0:24
  Yesterday, the Court heard oral arguments in a closely watched religious freedom case. A Christian mail carrier had sued his employer, the Postal Service, over being forced to deliver packages on Sundays. Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act requires companies to "reasonably accommodate" religious observance, but not if that creates what's called an "undue hardship" on the business. "The Washington Post" analyzed the arguments and said the justices seemed to be interested in a compromise that would allow for religious rights in the workplace but without putting too much burden on managers and co-workers.
• 0:25
  And lastly, President Biden is directing the federal government to help make childcare and other family caregiving more affordable. He signed an executive order to explore ways to use existing federal spending on family care. Biden called the issue of supporting families and caregivers "fundamental to who we are as a nation."
• 0:26
  [START NBC NEWS ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:27
  President Joe Biden: Under this order, almost every federal agency will collectively take over 50 actions to provide more peace of mind for families and dignity for care workers, who deserve jobs with good pay and good benefits
• 0:28
  [END NBC NEWS ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:29
  Biden originally wanted hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding for child and senior care. But those proposals failed to make it through a divided Congress.
• 0:30
  [CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC]
• 0:31
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]
• 0:32
  We talked yesterday on the show about the shooting of 16-year-old Black student Ralph Yarl. Eighty-four-year-old white man Andrew Lester faces felony charges in the incident. Prosecutors say the teenager was at the wrong address and was shot by Lester twice. Lester's now out on bail. Yarl's family says he is recovering. We're going to go beyond the headlines now and look at broader concerns about whether Missouri's self-defense laws are leading to more gun violence. Many states have similar laws, which have been controversial.
• 0:33
  Missouri law allows homeowners to defend themselves without first trying to retreat. "CNN" security correspondent Josh Campbell explains the conditions.
• 0:34
  [START CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:35
  Josh Campbell: This all comes down to reasonableness. Now, in order to use deadly force, you have to have two things. You have to have a reasonable belief that the subject of your force poses an imminent threat, and you have to reasonably believe that your deadly force is necessary to stop that threat.
• 0:36
  [END CNN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:37
  The law dates back to 2007, which was a pivotal year for gun laws in Missouri. That's when Missouri lawmakers passed a sweeping bill that also allowed people to carry a concealed weapon without first getting a permit. At the time, there wasn't a lot of opposition to the bill in the state legislature. All Republicans and the majority of Democrats voted yes.
• 0:38
  Today, the conversation is different. Missouri gun-control activists and Democrats are calling for changes to the state's laws, saying they create an atmosphere where people are more likely to open fire. Republicans have supermajorities in the state legislature, and they say they have no plans to change gun laws. In recent years, state Republicans have proposed ways to make the laws stronger.
• 0:39
  Dozens of states have laws similar to Missouri, where people have no duty to retreat from an attacker. Florida was the first state to pass a so-called "stand your ground" law in 2005, and others followed. A 2022 study looked at what happened in states after passing laws like this. Gun homicide rates went up by as much as a third.
• 0:40
  [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
• 0:41
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]
• 0:42
  Bumpy flights have been in the news a lot lately. And we're talking severe turbulence, so bad that some passengers and crew members have ended up in the hospital. "The Wall Street Journal" reports on how climate change is making this kind of turbulence more common.
• 0:43
  Meteorologists say that climate change is distorting the jet stream. And that means what's called "clear-air turbulence" is happening more often. That's worrisome for pilots because this kind of turbulence is especially hard to predict and avoid.
• 0:44
  Generally, though, severe turbulence is rare, so aviation professionals don't want flyers to get too worried. A while back, the "Journal" talked to American Airlines pilot Stuart Walker about this kind of turbulence.
• 0:45
  [START WALL STREET JOURNAL ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:46
  Stuart Walker: It typically does not last but a couple thousand feet, so if we just descend a couple thousand or climb a couple thousand, we can usually fly out of some of that rough air.
• 0:47
  [END WALL STREET JOURNAL ARCHIVAL CLIP]
• 0:48
  The "Journal" also has a few common-sense tips to be ready for turbulence. You know, things like keep your seat belt on, make sure kids under two are secure, and keep your laptops and phones in a stable place so they don't fly around if things get a little bumpy. Also, sitting in line with the wings will give you a slightly smoother ride than the back of the plane.
• 0:49
  [MUSIC FADES IN]
• 0:50
  You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around.
• 0:51
  We've got a narrated article coming up next from "New York Magazine." It's about Emma Tucker, the new "Wall Street Journal" editor-in-chief. She had barely started the job when she faced a huge crisis: Russia's detention of reporter Evan Gershkovich.
• 0:52
  That's playing for you next, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
• 0:53
  [MUSIC FADES OUT]