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Legal Verdict: Elon Musk’s Claims Regarding Bot Accounts and Poop Emoji Found ‘False’ in Ongoing Twitter Investor Lawsuit

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Legal Verdict Elon Musk's Claims Regarding Bot Accounts and Poop Emoji Found 'False' in Ongoing Twitter Investor Lawsuit

A federal judge said on Monday that Elon Musk might be held liable for securities fraud due to his own carelessness, his fraudulent tweets, and a comment he made that included an emoji for poop. The ruling affected the class-action lawsuit regarding the acquisition of Twitter.

A lawsuit brought by a group of investors accused Musk of securities fraud, claiming that he had misled on Twitter about the quantity of spam accounts in order to manipulate the terms of his acquisition and lower the company’s stock price. Only after Twitter filed a lawsuit to compel the sale did Musk purchase the social media network, which he has since renamed X, for $54.20 a share.

Legal Verdict Elon Musk's Claims Regarding Bot Accounts and Poop Emoji Found 'False' in Ongoing Twitter Investor Lawsuit

Plaintiffs claim that Musk wrote a series of tweets in the days preceding his $44 billion acquisition of the social media network in October 2022 that were intended to intentionally manipulate the company’s stock price.

Twitter has more phony or “bot” accounts than previously believed, which means there were fewer real users on the platform, according to a series of tweets.

The majority of the accusations made against Musk were rejected by Bill Clinton appointee Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Court Judge, in response to Musk’s move to have the plaintiffs’ claims dismissed.

Following Breyer’s examination of Musk’s posts, Breyer concluded that it was “simple” to draw the conclusion that Musk misled investors.

According to court records, Musk specifically tweeted on May 13, 2022, saying that the Twitter acquisition was “temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users.”

Legal Verdict Elon Musk's Claims Regarding Bot Accounts and Poop Emoji Found 'False' in Ongoing Twitter Investor Lawsuit

Breyer stated that a reasonable investor could have understood the comment to suggest that Twitter had to give Defendant the information they needed in order for the purchase to conclude. Musk’s tweet day saw a more than 9% drop in Twitter’s shares.

“Defendant’s allegation that Twitter did this obligation in order for the acquisition to close was false,” Breyer said, citing Twitter’s lack of obligation to submit the data to Defendant under the provisions of the Merger Agreement. In the verdict, Breyer stated that Musk had to do this as part of his due diligence and that Twitter had no obligation to disclose information concerning bot accounts.

In the days that followed, it was discovered that Musk’s tweets had a similar negative effect on establishing and supporting the story that Twitter had fulfilled its duty to disclose spam accounts to Musk.

According to a post from Musk dated May 16, 2022, at least 20% of Twitter users are using bogus or spam accounts. As for how outside parties could compute this data, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal answered in a comment.

A poop emoji was Musk’s reply in the comment section.

A logical investor may have deduced that the material Musk cited originated from Twitter, according to Breyer, considering the background, which included the fact that Musk had just tweeted that the deal was on hold awaiting further information.

Legal Verdict Elon Musk's Claims Regarding Bot Accounts and Poop Emoji Found 'False' in Ongoing Twitter Investor Lawsuit

The claims regarding Musk’s mental state were also examined by Breyer. The plaintiffs would have to demonstrate that Musk knew, should have known, or had “scienter” knowledge that the material he tweeted was untrue in order to establish an actionable claim.

“When viewed holistically, give rise to a strong inference of scienter,” Breyer said in response to the plaintiffs’ claims. In light of the fact that Musk “regularly tweeted nearly real-time updates about the Merger Agreement, ‘touting’ his ‘intimate knowledge’ of the deal,” the judge deemed Musk’s statements to be “deliberately reckless” since he neglected to look into the details of the proposal.

Breyer stated in his order that it was “at least purposefully reckless to not investigate that obligation with respect to the Merger Agreement before making his statements, even if he truly believed that Twitter had the contractual obligation to provide details about the company’s spam and bot data— which he argues he did.”

According to the “Noerr-Pennington doctrine,” Musk attempted to claim immunity, but the judge rejected this as well. In business situations when certain parties have requested protection from antitrust action from the government, the rule permits them to escape punishment. Clearly not “in a ‘intimate relationship'” with any antitrust case, Breyer dismissed Musk’s attempt to use the defense as a means of self-protection.

Certain plaintiffs’ claims against Musk were rejected by Breyer.

In a tweet from May 14, 2022, Elon Musk stated, “Twitter legal just phoned to complain that [he] breached the terms of their [Non-Disclosure Agreement] by saying the sample size is 100!” Adding, “This actually happened,” Musk said in the tweet. Breyer rejected plaintiff’s claim on the grounds that there were insufficient claims that this tweet was misleading.

According to Breyer, Musk and another user had a series of Twitter discussions on May 21, 2022, that were probably just “opinions,” meaning the plaintiffs would have needed to prove that Musk did not genuinely think the statements were true.

According to Musk, there is a disincentive for Twitter to eliminate spam, and the company’s failure to address his concerns regarding an account number mismatch leaves him feeling “very suspicious.”

At least one “PR stunt masquerading as a lawsuit” and numerous other legal disputes have involved Musk and the business since they acquired “X.”

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Kamala Harris Compares Aspects of Rhetoric to Historical Figures, Drawing Attention

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Kamala Harris Compares Aspects of Rhetoric to Historical Figures, Drawing Attention

In a Tuesday night television interview, Vice President Kamala Harris asserted that former President Trump’s language is “similar” to that of Adolf Hitler.

Trump drew harsh criticism from media outlets during a recent event in New Hampshire for his remarks that illegal immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the country.

“They are contaminating our nation’s blood. They have acted in that way,” he declared. “They pollute jails and mental health facilities worldwide. not limited to South America. not simply the three or four nations that come to mind. However, people are entering our nation from all over the world, including Asia and Africa.”

Kamala Harris Compares Aspects of Rhetoric to Historical Figures, Drawing Attention

While Harris was seated for an MSNBC interview, questions regarding these remarks were raised. The vice president was asked to picture herself as a young eighth-grader who came into Trump’s quote by host Lawrence O’Donnell. Trump, according to O’Donnell, was also discussing her blood and her family’s blood.

Harris claimed she was raised knowing some people will use their voices to “dehumanize” and try to create a society where individuals from diverse backgrounds don’t have anything in common. She also mentioned that her parents were involved in the civil rights fight.

“As I do now, I would have interpreted it then. Language is what is intended to separate us. I believe that people have correctly compared this rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler,” Harris added.

Reminding the kids that the “true measure” of a leader’s power is “based not on who they beat down but who they lift” is “critically important,” she continued.

“Sadly, I think there is something perverse that has happened in our country over the last many years, which is to suggest that strength looks like a bully when, in fact, the real character of a leader is someone who has empathy,” Harris said.

Republicans and Democrats, as well as the media, have reacted negatively to Trump’s latest remarks.

Kamala Harris Compares Aspects of Rhetoric to Historical Figures, Drawing Attention

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement on Sunday that “echoing the grotesque rhetoric of fascists and violent white supremacists and threatening to oppress those who disagree with the government are dangerous attacks on the dignity and rights of all Americans, on our democracy, and public safety.”

“It’s the opposite of everything we stand for as Americans,” he stated. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina referred to Trump’s remarks as “unhelpful rhetoric,” and Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia stated that she “obviously” disagreed with the former president’s wording.

She continued, “We are all the offspring of immigrants.” I suppose it’s just part of his campaign hype. I am not sure; I am unable to express it.”

However, several others defended Trump’s remarks, such as Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, a Republican. “You’ve just assumed that Donald Trump is referring to Adolf Hitler in your implicitly posed inquiry. It’s nonsensical, Vance declared. “It is obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic.”

Trump said at a recent campaign speech in Waterloo, Iowa, that he had never read Hitler’s notorious book “Mein Kampf,” in response to criticism over his remark about “poisoning the blood”.

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Inspector General Reports Pete Buttigieg Expended $59,000 in Public Funds for Government Jet Travel

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Inspector General Reports Pete Buttigieg Expended $59,000 in Public Funds for Government Jet Travel

According to an inspector general audit made public on Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his team used government-managed executive aircraft to fly to official events for about $59,000 between August 2021 and June 2023.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) concluded after a months-long inquiry that Buttigieg chose to fly on the government fleet on eight separate occasions and more than twenty flights.

Despite Buttigieg’s use of the jets saving taxpayer money, as DOT has frequently explained, the audit found that only three of the trips were justified due to “cost-effectiveness,” with the remaining ones being justified due to security, scheduling, and communications reasons.

Inspector General Reports Pete Buttigieg Expended $59,000 in Public Funds for Government Jet Travel

“Ensuring that Federal officials, including career personnel and political appointees, adhere to Federal requirements regarding the proper use of public resources is essential to maintaining public trust and confidence,” the DOT OIG report said.

“The Department has internal controls over the process to authorize and approve travel on official use of DOT aircraft, such as requiring legal review and approval of all aircraft use justifications, and has implemented new ones, such as expanded voucher audit criteria, to help ensure process standardization,” it keeps saying. “Continued oversight in this area is important to maintain transparency and accountability for Federal funds.”

All told taxpayers paid an estimated $58,882 for Buttigieg’s flights during the period under review. The Federal Aviation Administration-run jets were used by the transportation secretary to tour the nation and make speeches at local gatherings where he gave grants and federal cash awards for infrastructure projects in the communities.

Inspector General Reports Pete Buttigieg Expended $59,000 in Public Funds for Government Jet Travel

For instance, as part of the so-called Building a Better America Tour, Buttigieg and his staff visited Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada, and New Hampshire in August 2022—the majority of which are regarded as “swing states” during federal elections. There, he announced grants designated under President Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Buttigieg’s use of the FAA aircraft for that trip cost taxpayers an estimated $14,940 and was justified by “exceptional scheduling” requirements.

Another instance of his usage of the FAA’s aircraft occurred in April 2022 when he and his team flew to New York City for two meetings and a radio interview, spending $1,822, and then returned a few hours later. Once more, scheduling concerns were invoked to support the travel plans.

Furthermore, Buttigieg most recently traveled to Mexico for a meeting with the president of that country using the executive fleet. According to the OIG investigation, that travel cost $14,029 and was necessary due to “exceptional scheduling; communications or security needs.”

According to DOT internal calculations, the three flights that were deemed cost-effective resulted in a total savings of $10,678, as reported by the OIG. The inspector general discovered that the agency is exempt from the requirement to “provide documentation to support commercial flight costs or availability information used in cost comparisons,” which implies that it is not feasible to demonstrate the cost reduction.

Inspector General Reports Pete Buttigieg Expended $59,000 in Public Funds for Government Jet Travel

A DOT representative told Fox News Digital in a statement, “As the report confirms, the Secretary travels by commercial airline the vast majority of the time and has directed that travel and logistical decisions be grounded in the efficient and responsible use of taxpayer dollars.”

“The exceptions have been when the Department’s career ethics officials, who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, determined that the use of a 9-seat FAA aircraft would be either more cost-effective or should be approved for exceptional scheduling or security reasons,” they stated. “The majority of times the FAA aircraft was used saved taxpayers money, including in instances that were required for exceptional scheduling needs.”

According to the data, Buttigieg chose to take commercial flights on 57 occasions, accounting for 82.6% of his total number of journeys. In contrast, Buttigieg’s predecessor, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, chose commercial travel on 90% of her visits. Nevertheless, the investigation revealed that taxpayers paid an astounding $69,952 for one of Chao’s trips—to France in 2017.

Inspector General Reports Pete Buttigieg Expended $59,000 in Public Funds for Government Jet Travel

In addition to calculating Buttigieg’s travel expenses, the DOT OIG discovered that the agency conformed to federal rules, policies, and procedures for the two secretaries’ travel on the FAA fleet under Buttigieg and Chao. However, it also pointed out that the agency’s use of inaccurate cost estimates to calculate the cost of flying on the jets was a mistake that had no detrimental effect on cost-effectiveness.

Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of Americans for Public Trust (APT), told Fox News Digital, “In this holiday news dump, the Inspector General admits that the Department of Transportation has been using incorrect flight cost estimates to justify Secretary Buttigieg’s use of a taxpayer-funded private jet.” “The Biden administration will attempt to claim Buttigieg is exonerated after blocking the release of records for more than a year, but Americans will see through this flimsy attempt to clear the Secretary.”

“Travelers are spending their hard-earned money and countless hours on flights to see loved ones this holiday season,” she said. “As they sit on the tarmac, they’ll have plenty of time to wonder why they’re paying for their commercial flights and Buttigieg’s private flights, too.”

After Fox News Digital made public Buttigieg’s usage of the jets, citing data obtained by conservative watchdog group Americans for Public Trust in December 2022, the OIG audit was launched in late February.

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, requested the probe in a letter to the OIG after reading the Fox News Digital piece.

The Republican member stated at the time, “It is unclear why Secretary Buttigieg would require such costly travel in these instances when more economical options were reportedly available.”

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LAPD Chief Refutes Claims of Ordering Mayor Karen Bass’ USC Scholarship Probe

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LAPD Chief Refutes Claims of Ordering Mayor Karen Bass' USC Scholarship Probe

LOS ANGELES – Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department Michel Moore is refuting claims that, soon after Mayor Karen Bass was elected, he gave two investigators from the Internal Affairs Division an order to look into her acceptance of a USC scholarship.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the two detectives complained to the Office of the Inspector General, claiming that Moore gave them orders to look into Bass and the scholarship, which was discovered during her campaign.

While she was a member of Congress, Rick Caruso, her opponent, questioned her acceptance of the scholarship and claimed that she later introduced legislation meant to increase federal financing for private universities like USC. Bass vehemently denied any misconduct and maintained that the House Ethics Committee had given her permission to accept the prize.

LAPD Chief Refutes Claims of Ordering Mayor Karen Bass' USC Scholarship Probe

The department described the detectives’ claims as “patently false” in a statement released early on Wednesday. The statement also mentioned that the Internal Affairs Division is limited to looking into claims of misconduct made by department personnel.

In a statement, Moore said, “I did not in any way initiate, request, or authorize an investigation as alleged.” “The Office of the Inspector General is now handling this matter, and I look forward to their investigation into these false allegations.”

The detectives claim that in the end, they turned down the task to look into the mayor, as reported by The Times, which examined their grievances. They added it was unclear if Bass was ever the subject of any kind of investigation by the Internal Affairs agency.

The office has received the complaints, an OIG spokesman told the newspaper, and “we are handling them according to our standard protocols.” Generally speaking, the OIG makes sure that a formal complaint inquiry is started as soon as it receives claims of misbehavior against any Department employee.

Mayor Bass is focused on lowering crime, the Mayor’s Office stated to The Times. Individuals must adopt that strategy and cease squandering time and money on refuted political attacks.

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