Smartmatic, a voting machine company, has claimed that Fox News destroyed evidence in its multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the news network. In a court filing on Wednesday, Smartmatic alleged Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp, “orchestrated the destruction of text messages across all levels of their corporate hierarchy.” Smartmatic sued Fox News in 2020 over some of the network’s claims that Smartmatic voting machines compromised the 2020 presidential election. The voting machine company in the court filing claimed Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch and chairman Lachlan Murdoch deleted their texts, which included evidence that would be helpful in the case. Smartmatic alleges Fox News destroyed text messages in 2020 election case as Fox wins new documents. https://t.co/YqNHE4g0Ae — ABC News (@ABC) May 15, 2025 Check out what ABC News reported: The multibillion dollar defamation lawsuit brought by voting machine company Smartmatic against Fox News lurched forward this week with new allegations filed by Smartmatic that Fox executives destroyed text messages — and a new ruling Fox News won that will allow them access to new documents that could help their defense. Smartmatic, in a court filing Wednesday, alleged that Fox News and Fox Corp “orchestrated the destruction of text messages across all levels of their corporate hierarchy” — a filing that comes as Fox continues to fight the defamation lawsuit brought by the voting machine company over the network’s 2020 election claims. Smartmatic claims those who “deleted their texts” include founder Rupert Mudoch and chairman Lachlan Murdoch. “The destruction was not isolated or accidental,” the filing, which was largely redacted, claims. “It was extensive and willful.” The claims were revealed in an introduction to the motion that was publicly filed with the court, though the rest of the motion remained redacted due to a 2022 “confidentially stipulation” between the parties. Smartmatic sued Fox and other defendants in 2021, claiming they “knowingly and intentionally” lied about Smartmatic in the wake of the 2020 election regarding claims of voting machine fraud, causing Smartmatic to lose business. Fox has said they were covering newsworthy allegations made by President Donald Trump and others, and has accused Smartmatic of looking to profit off a lawsuit. Smartmatic accuses Fox News, Rupert Murdoch of destroying evidence in 2020 election defamation case | CNN Business https://t.co/pHzTKrugbS — Peter Hale (@petervhale) May 15, 2025 Per CNN: A voting technology firm suing Fox News for defamation over its 2020 election coverage claimed senior corporate executives, including Rupert Murdoch, intentionally destroyed damning evidence in the case, according to court filings. Smartmatic levied the stunning new allegations on Wednesday, alleging in court filings that Fox “orchestrated the destruction of text messages across all levels of their corporate hierarchy… despite a clear duty to preserve evidence.” In the highly redacted filings, Smartmatic claimed Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch were among the Fox officials who “deleted their texts” in an “extensive and willful” fashion — and not by accident. Rupert Murdoch was chairman of Fox Corporation during the 2020 election, and his son was CEO. The elder Murdoch stepped down in 2023 and his son became Fox Corp. chairman. A Fox spokesperson said the latest allegations from Smartmatic were a “desperate attempt to distract” from a recent evidentiary ruling that was decided in the network’s favor. “Smartmatic weakly attempts to resurrect stale, baseless discovery issues that actually were disclosed by Fox and resolved two years ago,” the Fox spokesperson said. “These issues have no bearing on the merits of Smartmatic’s case, which has fallen apart at every turn.”

Walmart has claimed that President Trump’s tariffs will raise some of its prices. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon shared in an earnings call, “We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins.” McMillon continued, “The higher tariffs will result in higher prices.” The CEO of the world’s largest retailer added that customers should expect prices to rise at the of May and June. Walmart, the largest retailer in the nation, has announced it is raising prices because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Story: https://t.co/qZ11yF3r0V pic.twitter.com/SkrIAjPyOr — Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 15, 2025 Check out what CNN reported: Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, said President Donald Trump’s tariffs are “too high” and it will raise prices on some items as Trump’s global trade war increases the company’s costs. “We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said Thursday on an earnings call. “The higher tariffs will result in higher prices,” he said. Tariffs on China are raising costs on electronics and toys, McMillon said, and some food costs are going up from tariffs on Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia. The price hikes will begin later this month. “I’m concerned that consumer is going to start seeing higher prices. You’ll begin to see that, likely towards the tail end of this month, and then certainly much more in June,” Walmart finance chief John David Rainey said in an interview with CNBC Thursday. Many companies have been raising prices to mitigate cost increases from the 10% universal tariffs on every product entering the United States and higher levies on Chinese goods. Washington and Beijing reached an agreement to lower those tariffs this week, but the United States still charges a 30% levy on most goods coming from China. Walmart’s first quarter profit slipped and it said it must raise prices due to higher costs from tariffs implemented by Pres. Trump. Read more: https://t.co/j77hnSarUZ pic.twitter.com/tq7m2LxUlo — ABC News (@ABC) May 15, 2025 Per ABC News: Walmart’s first-quarter profit slipped, and it said it must raise prices due to higher costs from tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump. The nation’s largest retailers posted strong quarterly sales Thursday and said it expects sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5% in the second quarter. Like many other U.S. companies, however, it did not issue a profit outlook for the quarter because of the chaotic environment, with stated U.S. tariff policies changing constantly. The company maintained its full-year guidance issued in February. Many Americans have pulled back on spending as they grow uneasy about the economy. Government data revealed slowing sales growth for retailers Thursday. Walmart said Thursday that its consumers remain cautious and selective. Trump’s tariffs on China and other countries threaten the low-price model that is at the core of Walmart’s success. Trump’s threatened 145% import taxes on Chinese goods were reduced to 30% in a deal announced Monday, with some of the higher tariffs on pause for 90 days.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr appeared frightened as protesters interrupted his testimony during a Senate Committee hearing. A video on X shows HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy jumping from his seat after protesters interrupted him while he testified before Senate committee members. One of the protesters arrested was Ben Cohen, Ben & Jerry’s co-founder. Six other porters were arrested for protesting  U.S. military aid to Israel and the current humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Watch here: Protesters scare RFK Jr to the point where he JUMPS UP. pic.twitter.com/g17pjBt4i5 — DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) May 14, 2025 Per BBC: Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested during a protest in the US Senate over military aid to Israel and humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Protesters disrupted the hearing on Wednesday while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was testifying. Mr Cohen was charged with a misdemeanour offence, while another six demonstrators were also arrested and face a number of more serious charges, US Capitol Police told BBC News. A video shared on social media showed Mr Cohen being escorted from the building by police with his hands tied behind his back. “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US,” he said in a video after someone asked why he was “getting arrested”. A police spokesperson said that Mr Cohen was charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding – a misdemeanour offence often used in civil disobedience cases in the US capital. Six other demonstrators were also arrested at the hearing and face charges including assaulting a police officer and/or resisting arrest. US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. jumps out of his seat during a Senate hearing after a protester interrupted him. pic.twitter.com/UQapAHP9i6 — Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) May 15, 2025 Per USA Today: Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen was among the roughly half-dozen people yanked out of a May 14 Senate hearing for protesting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. Within minutes of Kennedy’s testimony, five people in the audience rose from their seats and began charging towards the front of the room near the member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. “RFK kills people with AIDS,” the group chanted. Capitol Police quickly removed the protestors, including Cohen, from the room by force. The ice cream company, which is known for supporting liberal causes and candidates, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment. Kennedy, known for taking controversial stances on vaccines, has also been criticized by health care advocates for raising questions about the well-established science that AIDS is caused by a virus known as HIV. At least 87 different groups, including the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, opposed Kennedy being appointed to lead the country’s health agency, which is facing significant cuts under the Trump administration.

As soon as Putin challenged — and Zelensky accepted — a face-to-face meeting in Turkey that would coincide with President Trump’s big Mideast trip, people started talking. Has President Trump been pushing for this meeting specifically because he would be in the neighborhood at the time? Would he shock the world with an unprecedented 3-way peace summit with the two warring leaders? The prospect of a monumental peace summit brokered personally by President Trump is not dead, as he indicated in front of reporters and cameras yesterday aboard Air Force One. He initially responded on Monday, before leaving for the Mideast, that his personal involvement in the high stakes meeting was being considered: At that point in the game, the two sides had agreed to meet. Putin proposed the meeting in Turkey after taking heat from President Trump for weeks. Shortly after, Zelensky agreed (though not without challenging and calling Putin out in the same breath) right after President Trump demanded he agree to the meeting with this Truth Social post: It was at that point that the President responded to a reporter’s question at the White House that he was indeed considering ‘flying over’, according to a same-day report in Newsweek: President Donald Trump, set to leave for the Middle East today, told reporters he may travel to Istanbul for peace talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. “I was thinking about flying over. I’m not sure where I’ll be on Thursday,” he said. “I have so many meetings… But there’s a possibility, I suppose, if I think something productive could happen.” He added that the meeting between Putin and Zelensky holds promise. “There’s the potential for a good meeting,” Trump said, emphasizing the importance of the event. President Trump, who is brokering the Russia-Ukraine peace process, has expressed both frustration and optimism in recent weeks, believing a deal to be near, but just out of reach because the two sides are holding things up. (Emphasis Added.) One X account I watch closely had already foreseen the possibility that the President would take a Thursday detour to Turkey for just such a meeting. @WarClandestine posted this intriguing thought last Sunday afternoon: I’m just spitballing, but hear me out. Trump is scheduled to be in the Middle East from Tuesday the 13th to Friday the 16th, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. What are the chances he makes a quick flight to Turkey while Putin and Zelensky are there? It’s… pic.twitter.com/sOaGxOJ72J — Clandestine (@WarClandestine) May 11, 2025 Today, the details of the big meetup in Turkey are starting to crystalize in to something less than hopeful. At least, that’s one take on the situation — but not the only take. Though Zelensky essentially guaranteed his presence at the meeting, openly daring Putin to show up in his fiery acceptance post, there are whispers that he may back out of joining the Ukrainian delegation. And the list of negotiators from the Russian side doesn’t include Putin, according to a French media outlet. An unnamed U.S. Official reportedly also said President Trump would not be joining the talks, according to a report today from France 24: Russian President Vladimir Putin was not on a list of negotiators the Kremlin published for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday, despite Kyiv insisting he attend and some allies calling on him to attend. The Kremlin late Wednesday named four negotiators – including a hawkish former culture minister – and four experts for the talks, set to take place on Thursday in Istanbul. US President Donald Trump is also not going to participate in the talks in Turkey, according to a US official who spoke after Putin announced the Russian delegation for the talks. Trump had toyed with the idea of going to Turkey if Putin would be there. But hold the phone — just yesterday, President Trump was still considering joining the talks. The White House’s Rapid Response X account shared President’s comments yesterday. Though he indicating that his schedule today (Thursday) would be “all booked”, he repeatedly left the door open to rerouting his plans and showing up to the talks in Turkey, instead. Here’s the video shared by his team yesterday taken onboard Air Force One: .@POTUS on potential peace talks between Presidents Putin and Zelensky in Turkey tomorrow: “Tomorrow, we’re all booked … That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives and come back … I don’t know that [Putin] would be there if I’m not there.” pic.twitter.com/PmXeTgS5xM — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025 It sounds like the media has decided to fix the President’s schedule in place, even while the President himself has consistently left the door open to attending the meeting if something important started to develop; which could be at any stage of the talks! He is actively pushing this meeting, and both leaders to show up, and in no uncertain terms saying he WOULD show up if it would make a difference. Here’s a longer clip of that conversation between the President and reporters to give a little more context published by the New York Post on YouTube: Meanwhile, in Russia… The Foreign Ministry basically called Zelensky an uneducated “tool” today: Russias foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova completely flames Zelensky for trying to undermine the Russian delegation in Turkiye. “A Clown, a Loser, a person of unknown education” pic.twitter.com/BPKOOE0Ps0 — Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) May 15, 2025 And as I write, word is coming in that a 5.8 earthquake just struck in Ankara, Turkey where the talks are currently ongoing. Apparently, Zelensky DID show up for the talks — and he endured the 5.8 earthquake alongside Turkish PM Erdogan. Check out this wild video, purportedly showing Zelensky leading the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks hosted by Erdogan: First footage from Ankara, where a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck minutes ago. Zelensky and Erdoğan were holding talks there. pic.twitter.com/xGxchYPa5D — Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) May 15, 2025 It seems as though President Trump was right on the money in that earlier video I showed. He doubted that Putin would show up without assurances that would be there as well. I’m not surprised that Putin wouldn’t waste his time on Zelensky without President Trump there to push the Ukrainian in the right direction. But I am surprised that Zelensky showed up, true to his word — this time. The U.S. Dept. of State was seen disembarking the plane in Turkey earlier: BREAKING Secretary of State Marco Rubio just landed in Turkey for his HISTORIC face to face with Zelenskyy and possibly Vladimir Putin Trump’s Cabinet is working overtime PEACE through STRENGTH pic.twitter.com/wSMqKZme6X — MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) May 15, 2025 While Marco Rubio was seen leading the U.S. delegation as they arrived in Turkey, President Trump so far has not crashed the party. With Putin never committing to showing up in person, it may be that President Trump is simply applying pressure and waiting for the right components to align before playing his ‘Trump’ card — his own personal presence. It wouldn’t be surprising to see today’s talks turn in to a framework for another round of bigger talks with a more predetermined attendee list… that doesn’t just include both heads of the warring nations. When he finally does bring the two sides to agreement, I fully expect it to happen in grand Trump form — in person, with THREE sides signing on the dotted line. President Trump has a penchant for timing, and patience. But he also has a penchant for BIG BOLD MOVES. Given his comments yesterday, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Air Force One is airborne with a northwesterly heading. All it would take is word from Rubio that a deal is close.  And I don’t think Rubio is in town because of the Turkish coffee. He’s there to do work, and get results.  And if he does, President Trump has made it clear that he would be instructing the pilots to file an altered flight path. I’m watching the wires close; you’ll know when I know.