California Adventure

April 30, 2023

Hello Everybody! I hope you’re all doing well out there. Grab a drink. Let’s discuss April.

California: We took our first family adventure to California in April. Sebastian met both great-grandmothers, both sets of grandparents, his cousins, and many friends! We are forever grateful to everybody who stopped by to see us. Thank you! While we were visiting, I was lucky enough to attend a meet-up with some awesome traders. Thanks to everybody who came out to discuss the ups-and-downs of trading.

Fox News settled its $1.6 Billion defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over the cable network’s criminal allegations regarding the 2020 election. In total, the settlement cost Fox $787 Million. This is the lesser of two major lawsuits Fox faces.

Rupert Murdoch, who holds the title of Chair of Fox Corporation and Executive Chairman of News Corp, admitted privately in his legal deposition that he was aware that several of the network's hosts knowingly, repeatedly, broadcasted false claims. In the days following the legal settlement, Fox terminated its contract with Tucker Carlson, perhaps the loudest propagandist leading the charge of 2020 election denial conspiracies. The tipping point leading to Tucker's dismissal allegedly had little to do with his legal liabilities or routine on-air lies regarding election denial or great replacement conspiracy theory, or even subverting democracy, but rather some unsavory text messages wherein the primetime host insulted Fox management.

Paradoxically, where the law punishes, the current U.S. tax code offers salvation; arguably even a reward. Thanks to America’s bloated and business-friendly tax code, Fox’s $787 Million settlement qualifies as a tax write off for Fox News; specifically for expenses incurred during normal the course of business. The settlement does not require Fox to display or otherwise make any on-air apology for its criminal lies about the 2020 election.

For the rest of us who want to see justice prevail, Fox still faces a much larger defamation lawsuit by election software company Smartmatic, which is requesting $2.7 Billion. Smartmatic, at least for now, claims they will not settle for anything near $787 Million and requests additional demands, including “full and complete retraction of the disinformation on all of Fox’s platforms.”.

2024 Election: The 2024 election is just beginning and things are heating up very quickly. One can only hope Democracy doesn’t suffer too much this time around.

President Joe Biden recently announced his re-election candidacy for 2024. His job approval currently sits at 42%, down significantly from 56% at the start of 2023. It's not uncommon for political parties to criticize their opponents. The Republican Party has been masterful in amplifying its many concerns, some of which are objectively warranted and it would be disingenuous for me to ignore saying so, with the current administration's performance.

Meanwhile, the Republican Party’s current frontrunner, Donald J. Trump received a 34-count felony indictment in his home State of New York. It's worth noting that Trump, as well as several other Trump administration members, have all been under investigation or imprisoned for various allegations; racking up a minimum of 30 year prison sentences so far. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis remains a contender in-waiting for the GOP nomination.

It will be fascinating to observe how each major cable news channel adapts, if at all, in how it covers the 2024 election compared to 2020. Fox News fired its primetime host Tucker Carlson and CNN fired one of its hosts in Don Lemon.

AI and the 2024 Election: Regardless of our political party preferences, it is crucial for Americans to seek common ground in preserving American democracy. The upcoming election will once again provide fertile ground for foreign actors, specifically Russia and China, to deploy their latest state-sponsored political propaganda campaigns. These foreign adversaries will undoubtedly leverage recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to amplify their political propaganda.

Russia's primary social network, VKontakte, has long been inundated with state-sponsored AI-generated content aimed at manipulating public opinion, particularly regarding the War in Ukraine. This phenomenon extends to platforms like Twitter and Facebook as well. It is important to be prepared for a surge of misinformation through videos, images, news stories, and sound bites that will flood your social media feeds.

American citizens (legal or otherwise) would be wise to reach-out across the political aisle to find common ground with one another; prioritize Country above Political Party. America is only as great as the most disenfranchised among us. When we strip one another of dignity, rights, and/or humanity, all of America suffers. If the warning is not clear enough — America remains one misguided election away from transfering power to an individual seeking a prolonged term limit; whose administration is comfortable to replace our centuries-old democratic principles with actual authoritarianism.

Peace & Love, Worldwide ✌🏼❤️🌍

-anthony