Newsmax, OAN, Others When Faux Just Isn't Crazy Enough

[LFC]

OAN reacts to getting dumped by DirectTV. This is pure panic or, to me, pure schadenfreude.

One America News is in panic mode after DirecTV decided to drop the right-wing network from its channel lineup.

OAN host Dan Ball on Monday night urged viewers to dig up "dirt" on AT&T Board Chairman William Kennard, a Democrat who was Federal Communications Commission chairman during the Clinton administration and US Ambassador to the European Union under Obama. (AT&T is DirecTV's majority owner.)

A Daily Beast article said Ball told viewers that OAN "is now at war with AT&T."

Read more for details of the freakout. Here's a taste:

OAN's website urged viewers to "call DirecTV and AT&T to demand OAN remains on your channel lineup."

"Cancel Culture in News is Unacceptable! Don't let woke executives shut down OAN!... Join the movement and stand up for freedom of the press!" the now-deleted message on OAN's website said.

Republicans like Trump, Rand Paul, and Lauren Bimboebert are all in high dudgeon as expected.

And then there's this buffet of schadenfreudeliciousness...

AT&T's 2015 purchase of DirecTV for $49 billion ($67 billion including debt) was a resounding failure, and AT&T completed a spinoff of the company in August 2021. AT&T still owns 70 percent of DirecTV, but the service now functions more independently of its parent company. The DirecTV subsidiary owns and operates the DirecTV satellite service, the AT&T TV online service, and U-verse video.

In 2019, OAN founder and chief executive Robert Herring Sr. testified in a labor lawsuit that he created OAN in 2013 in part because AT&T executives "told us they wanted a conservative network," according to a Reuters article. Reuters also wrote that an OAN accountant testified under oath that without the DirecTV deal, OAN's value "would be zero."

[LFC]

Hugh Hewitt, a profile in cowardice. He's been on the crazy train for a long time while desperately trying to hold onto an air of respectability. Yeah ... no.

Conservative Radio Host Admits Talking About Jan. 6 Alienates His Audience

Hugh Hewitt said straight-up during his radio program yesterday that he never talks about the Capitol attack because “I like my audience” and “I don’t want them to turn me off.”

[AnBr]

Back when so many of the right-wing media commentators where having their come-to-Jesus moment and realized they had gone too far, Hewitt was one of them that just could not let go of the crazy. Hewitt is little more than a mindless slime ball.

[LFC]

Feb 8, 2022 21:13:08 GMT AnBr said:

Back when so many of the right-wing media commentators where having their come-to-Jesus moment and realized they had gone too far, Hewitt was one of them that just could not let go of the crazy. Hewitt is little more than a mindless slime ball.

Yeah but clearly at least bright enough to know how to keep the grift going.

[LFC]

How enlightening.

Newsmax, a conservative news channel, on Tuesday aired a montage of Black Americans who say they do not mind if podcaster Joe Rogan uses the N-word.

[goldenvalley]

Newsmax is working to support Trump's version of his relationship with Putin but John Bolton pulled them up short.

Newsmax: There is something to be said though, about the simple fact that there was not aggression during the four years. I mean, you were part of that administration as well, and there was not aggression from Russia and they waited him out, it seems, and made a move. I mean, we have a list of things, the Brookings Institution says that the “Trump administration implemented 52 policy actions against Russia,” was pretty tough on Russia in a lot of ways. Forcing NATO members to pay up; as we know, sanctioning Nord Stream 2; oligarchs close to Putin were sanctioned; selling anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, so arming Ukraine; withdrawing from the INF treaty; and expelling Russian officers from this country as well. In 2018, he looked NATO members in the eye and talked about the reliance on Russian energy by Europe and how horrible that was. I mean, he took a very tough stance against Russia. I’m surprised you don’t think that he would’ve handled this better than Joe Biden.

Bolton: No, he did not. He did not. We didn’t sanction Nord Stream 2…we should have, we should have brought the project to an end. We did impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs and several others because of their sales of S-400 antiaircraft systems to other countries. But in almost every case, the sanctions were imposed with Trump complaining about it saying we were being too hard. The fact is that he barely knew where Ukraine was. He once asked John Kelly, his second chief of staff, if Finland were a part of Russia. It is just not accurate to say that Trump’s behavior somehow deterred the Russians. I think the evidence is that Russia didn’t feel that their military was ready.

[LFC]

Six Republican Attorneys General Warn DirecTV to Keep Airing OAN or... They'll Be Really Mad

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking some time away from inflicting inconceivable suffering on trans children and allegedly defrauding investors to warn DirecTV: bring back your Trumpiest channel... or he’ll be really mad... or something.

Paxton, who has never been one to pass up an opportunity to debase his official position to pursue the Republican grievance of the week, has joined with his GOP colleagues in five other states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and South Carolina) to pen a letter warning of consequences if the contract between DirecTV and the MAGA propaganda network One America News (OAN) isn’t renewed.

In January, the AT&T-owned satellite TV provider announced its intent to drop OAN from its roster at the end of the current contract—effectively cutting the Donald Trump-obsessed channel off from its only major distributor and sole reliable source of revenue. DirecTV had been forced to carry the network as part of a settlement agreement. OAN’s content consisted of a bizarre mix of fascist calls to violence, conspiracy theories, and sheer cringe, so it’s not surprising that DirecTV decided to do some cord-cutting of its own.

Terrible consequences. Dire ones that would shake even the most resolute of corporate giants. Consequences like they’ll be really mad and uhh... something something... boycott.

In the letter to DirecTV Bill Morrow, Paxton and the other AGs wrote that DirecTV’s decision was “highly troubling and disappointing” and “masking what is obviously viewpoint discrimination with neutral corporate-speak.” They “strongly recommend” that the cable provider keep the channel in its available bundles. The AGs went on to argue that DirecTV’s explanation that their decision to drop OAN was based “routine internal review” is actually just cover for “powerful leftwing voices” demanding corporate censorship:

Obviously, these inflammatory accusations against OAN are ridiculous. And even if they weren’t—that is, even if OAN were more accurately construed as simply representing a different perspective from the legacy media’s liberal orthodoxies—that’s precisely what your majority owner AT&T wanted when it signed OAN: viewpoint diversity. Those values appear to have changed dramatically in late 2020 when the legacy media decided Joe Biden was the next president.

Is it my imagination or are these Republican AGs calling on a private implementation of The Fairness Doctrine? It sure sounds like they're all in on that liberal policy, if only in "limited" cases.

[goldenvalley]

Mar 11, 2022 21:26:47 GMT LFC said:

Six Republican Attorneys General Warn DirecTV to Keep Airing OAN or... They'll Be Really Mad

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking some time away from inflicting inconceivable suffering on trans children and allegedly defrauding investors to warn DirecTV: bring back your Trumpiest channel... or he’ll be really mad... or something.

Paxton, who has never been one to pass up an opportunity to debase his official position to pursue the Republican grievance of the week, has joined with his GOP colleagues in five other states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and South Carolina) to pen a letter warning of consequences if the contract between DirecTV and the MAGA propaganda network One America News (OAN) isn’t renewed.

In January, the AT&T-owned satellite TV provider announced its intent to drop OAN from its roster at the end of the current contract—effectively cutting the Donald Trump-obsessed channel off from its only major distributor and sole reliable source of revenue. DirecTV had been forced to carry the network as part of a settlement agreement. OAN’s content consisted of a bizarre mix of fascist calls to violence, conspiracy theories, and sheer cringe, so it’s not surprising that DirecTV decided to do some cord-cutting of its own.

Terrible consequences. Dire ones that would shake even the most resolute of corporate giants. Consequences like they’ll be really mad and uhh... something something... boycott.

In the letter to DirecTV Bill Morrow, Paxton and the other AGs wrote that DirecTV’s decision was “highly troubling and disappointing” and “masking what is obviously viewpoint discrimination with neutral corporate-speak.” They “strongly recommend” that the cable provider keep the channel in its available bundles. The AGs went on to argue that DirecTV’s explanation that their decision to drop OAN was based “routine internal review” is actually just cover for “powerful leftwing voices” demanding corporate censorship:

Is it my imagination or are these Republican AGs calling on a private implementation of The Fairness Doctrine? It sure sounds like they're all in on that liberal policy, if only in "limited" cases.

Well yes it is, but it's for a good cause!  

[Bact PhD]

Mar 11, 2022 21:26:47 GMT LFC said:

Six Republican Attorneys General Warn DirecTV to Keep Airing OAN or... They'll Be Really Mad

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking some time away from inflicting inconceivable suffering on trans children and allegedly defrauding investors to warn DirecTV: bring back your Trumpiest channel... or he’ll be really mad... or something.

Paxton, who has never been one to pass up an opportunity to debase his official position to pursue the Republican grievance of the week, has joined with his GOP colleagues in five other states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and South Carolina) to pen a letter warning of consequences if the contract between DirecTV and the MAGA propaganda network One America News (OAN) isn’t renewed.

In January, the AT&T-owned satellite TV provider announced its intent to

Terrible consequences. Dire ones that would shake even the most resolute of corporate giants. Consequences like they’ll be really mad and uhh... something something... boycott….

Is it my imagination or are these Republican AGs calling on a private implementation of The Fairness Doctrine? It sure sounds like they're all in on that liberal policy, if only in "limited" cases.

Naaah. They have no interest in “fairness” as most people would define it; only in making damn sure the latest pearls of wisdom from the Mango Mussolini get distributed widely. There would be nary a peep if the network in question were the Woke Socialist Network spouting off ideas advocating for, say, total government control of news media…

Oh, wait…

(Re the “Boycott DirectTV” rumblings, LP had been supporting the “Hang Up on AT&T” initiative in an effort to get OANN dropped by DirecTV, among other issues. Since the announcement, I’ve heard some very weak noise among the Trumpies of my acquaintance concerning changing TV providers, but that’s been the extent of it.)

[andydp]

(Re the “Boycott DirectTV” rumblings, LP had been supporting the “Hang Up on AT&T” initiative in an effort to get OANN dropped by DirecTV, among other issues. Since the announcement, I’ve heard some very weak noise among the Trumpies of my acquaintance concerning changing TV providers, but that’s been the extent of it.)


Did they trash their Keurig last time ?

[goldenvalley]

Mar 12, 2022 14:21:21 GMT andydp said:

(Re the “Boycott DirectTV” rumblings, LP had been supporting the “Hang Up on AT&T” initiative in an effort to get OANN dropped by DirecTV, among other issues. Since the announcement, I’ve heard some very weak noise among the Trumpies of my acquaintance concerning changing TV providers, but that’s been the extent of it.)


Did they trash their Keurig last time ?

They won't bother because it doesn't really matter beyond being a temporary talking point.  They'll turn into Faux News while drinking a cup of Keurig produced coffee and never give it a thought after a couple of weeks go by.

[LFC]

So ... much ... schadenfreude.

One America News might have to shut down because of DirecTV's decision to drop the right-wing network from its channel lineup, OAN said in a lawsuit against DirecTV and its owner AT&T.

DirecTV recently said it will drop OAN after their carriage contract expires in early April. DirecTV will also drop AWE (A Wealth of Entertainment), as OAN and AWE are both owned by Herring Networks. In a lawsuit filed on March 7 and reported by the Daily Beast on Friday, Herring Networks alleged that breach of contract and other violations were committed by AT&T, DirecTV, and AT&T Board Chairman William Kennard.

"As a result of the conduct of AT&T, AT&T Services, DirecTV, and Kennard, OAN and AWE might be forced off the air because Herring will no longer be able to broadcast OAN and AWE via DirecTV and Herring presently has limited alternative carriage options," the lawsuit said. The nonrenewal "will result in damage to Herring exceeding $1 billion" if it isn't reversed, the lawsuit said. The complaint was filed in California Superior Court in San Diego County and seeks both injunctive relief and financial damages.

"This is an action to redress the unchecked influence and power that Defendants have wielded in an attempt to unlawfully destroy an independent, family-run business and impede the right of American television viewers to watch the news media channels and programs of their choice," Herring Networks alleged.

I love it. They're claiming a "breach of contract" because the contract is being allowed to expire. But then there are "other violations." Cue the dramatic "DUN-DUN-DUN!!!"

[Bact PhD]

Mar 17, 2022 18:03:21 GMT LFC said:

So ... much ... schadenfreude.

One America News might have to shut down because of DirecTV's decision to drop the right-wing network from its channel lineup, OAN said in a lawsuit against DirecTV and its owner AT&T.

DirecTV recently said it will drop OAN after their carriage contract expires in early April. DirecTV will also drop AWE (A Wealth of Entertainment), as OAN and AWE are both owned by Herring Networks. In a lawsuit filed on March 7 and reported by the Daily Beast on Friday, Herring Networks alleged that breach of contract and other violations were committed by AT&T, DirecTV, and AT&T Board Chairman William Kennard.

"As a result of the conduct of AT&T, AT&T Services, DirecTV, and Kennard, OAN and AWE might be forced off the air because Herring will no longer be able to broadcast OAN and AWE via DirecTV and Herring presently has limited alternative carriage options," the lawsuit said. The nonrenewal "will result in damage to Herring exceeding $1 billion" if it isn't reversed, the lawsuit said. The complaint was filed in California Superior Court in San Diego County and seeks both injunctive relief and financial damages.

"This is an action to redress the unchecked influence and power that Defendants have wielded in an attempt to unlawfully destroy an independent, family-run business and impede the right of American television viewers to watch the news media channels and programs of their choice," Herring Networks alleged.

I love it. They're claiming a "breach of contract" because the contract is being allowed to expire. But then there are "other violations." Cue the dramatic "DUN-DUN-DUN!!!"

Let me break out my tiny violin & bow…

[andydp]

I, for one, never knew the Rothschilds had funded the Secret Jewish Space Laser.


Fox Nation’s Lara Logan Suggests Theory of Evolution Is a Hoax Funded by Jews

...during an appearance on the right-wing podcast “And We Know,” during which Logan suggested that the theory of evolution is the result of a wealthy Jewish family paying Charles Darwin to devise an explanation for what gave rise to humanity.

“Does anyone know who employed Darwin, where Darwinism comes from?” Logan, now with Fox News’ streaming service Fox Nation, asked. “Look it up: The Rothschilds. It goes back to 10 Downing Street. The same people who employed Darwin, and his theory of evolution and so on and so on. I’m not saying that none of that is true. I’m just saying Darwin was hired by someone to come up with a theory — based on evidence, OK, fine.”


news.yahoo.com/fox-news-host-lara-logan-211116591.html

[goldenvalley]

Mar 30, 2022 15:01:43 GMT andydp said:

I, for one, never knew the Rothschilds had funded the Secret Jewish Space Laser.


Fox Nation’s Lara Logan Suggests Theory of Evolution Is a Hoax Funded by Jews

...during an appearance on the right-wing podcast “And We Know,” during which Logan suggested that the theory of evolution is the result of a wealthy Jewish family paying Charles Darwin to devise an explanation for what gave rise to humanity.

“Does anyone know who employed Darwin, where Darwinism comes from?” Logan, now with Fox News’ streaming service Fox Nation, asked. “Look it up: The Rothschilds. It goes back to 10 Downing Street. The same people who employed Darwin, and his theory of evolution and so on and so on. I’m not saying that none of that is true. I’m just saying Darwin was hired by someone to come up with a theory — based on evidence, OK, fine.”


news.yahoo.com/fox-news-host-lara-logan-211116591.html

I'm surprised she didn't say the George Soros got in on it in later years.  

[LFC]

Bye, Felicia.

One America News has officially been removed from DirecTV, as the TV provider resisted pressure from Republicans to keep the right-wing network in its channel lineup. A DirecTV spokesperson confirmed to Ars today that the channel removal went ahead as scheduled.

OAN's future is in doubt as the network's owner has said losing the DirecTV deal might force it to shut down. DirecTV previously issued a notice to users stating that OAN would leave DirecTV's satellite channel lineup and the online service DirecTV Stream after April 4. The removal also affected A Wealth of Entertainment (AWE), another channel owned by OAN parent company Herring Networks.

DirecTV announced it wouldn't renew its carriage deal with OAN after pressure from advocacy groups that pointed out OAN "is a major supporter of the Stop the Steal movement," spread "election fraud lies that claimed the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump," "stok[ed] violent calls for the attack on the US Capitol," and airs "wall-to-wall COVID-19 disinformation." US Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) had also questioned DirecTV owner AT&T and other TV providers about why they carry OAN, Newsmax, and Fox News.

DirecTV has since expanded its deal with Fox by offering Fox Nation streaming as a premium add-on. When asked whether it will keep Newsmax, DirecTV told Ars, "As we do for every network in our lineup, we'll evaluate and make decisions as we approach each contract's expiration." The DirecTV spokesperson also said, "I'm not at liberty to provide the expiration date of the contract [with Newsmax]."

[Bact PhD]

Apr 5, 2022 22:06:34 GMT LFC said:

Bye, Felicia.

When asked whether it will keep Newsmax, DirecTV told Ars, "As we do for every network in our lineup, we'll evaluate and make decisions as we approach each contract's expiration." The DirecTV spokesperson also said, "I'm not at liberty to provide the expiration date of the contract [with Newsmax]."

Ruh roh!
(wicked evil grin)

[LFC]

John Oliver says goodbye to AT&T now that they are no longer his parent company.

“This was a big week for OAN—although not in a good way,” offered John Oliver during Sunday evening’s edition of Last Week Tonight.

Yes, DirecTV finally agreed to drop the right-wing propaganda network One America News Network despite pleas from Republican attorneys general and senators for the satellite cable provider to keep it. And DirecTV is owned by AT&T, which recently sold its interest in Oliver’s parent company, WarnerMedia, following its merger with Discovery.

“Just so you know, the provider that he’s referring to there is DirecTV, which is a subsidiary of a parent company that I will not mention, because I don’t even like uttering their name out of my mouth,” joked Oliver.

“Interestingly, as of Friday, AT&T officially no longer owns us, so it is goodbye for me, business daddy, and let me just say this”—Oliver added, before holding two middle fingers up—“which is frankly two more bars than you have ever had.”

OAN is suing to stay alive because it's all they have left.

OAN has subsequently decided to sue DirecTV for $1 billion, claiming it violated “a non-disparagement provision” in its contract with AT&T because shows it owns spoke ill of OAN—including Oliver’s Last Week Tonight.

It cited Oliver calling OAN, among other things, “a ragtag band of fascists… who are happy to give a platform to batshit election fraud theories from America’s most out-of-breath pillow fetishist.”

Zero lies detected.

[LFC]

Newsmax. What a moron.

Newsmax anchor Rob Finnerty is currently under internal fire at the conservative cable network over an “embarrassing” April Fools’ Day stunt he pulled on-air, pretending to report “breaking news” that Russia had surrendered and agreed to a ceasefire with Ukraine.

Not only are Finnerty’s Newsmax colleagues “pissed” at his tasteless on-air joke but, according to multiple insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast, the network’s CEO Chris Ruddy is also “furious” that the morning anchor decided to use a bloody war—which the Ukrainian president has called a “genocide”—as a goofy punchline.

A Newsmax spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.

“I don't really comment on these internal matters,” Ruddy told The Daily Beast on Saturday.

[goldenvalley]

Apr 11, 2022 16:56:20 GMT LFC said:

Newsmax. What a moron.

Newsmax anchor Rob Finnerty is currently under internal fire at the conservative cable network over an “embarrassing” April Fools’ Day stunt he pulled on-air, pretending to report “breaking news” that Russia had surrendered and agreed to a ceasefire with Ukraine.

Not only are Finnerty’s Newsmax colleagues “pissed” at his tasteless on-air joke but, according to multiple insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast, the network’s CEO Chris Ruddy is also “furious” that the morning anchor decided to use a bloody war—which the Ukrainian president has called a “genocide”—as a goofy punchline.

A Newsmax spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.

“I don't really comment on these internal matters,” Ruddy told The Daily Beast on Saturday.

sounds like an epic April Fool's Day prank

[LFC]

OAN continues to spew hateful lies, driven by the hateful Republican liars in the Senate. I wonder if some wingnut billionaire is going to bail them out. Maybe after they declare bankruptcy, getting them out of their defamation lawsuits filed by Dominion and Smartmatic.

A host on far-right cable channel OAN called President Joe Biden the “groomer-in-chief,” the natural culmination of the work Republican senators started in earnest during Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings.

“Biden is the groomer-in-chief,” said host Chanel Rion last weekend, first reported by Media Matters. “He’s open to the language of fellow groomers, but sympathy for groomers only enables them further. Look at their newly nominated Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, America’s queen of child porn apologists.”

Ever since Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) made Jackson’s supposed leniency with those in posession of child pornography the keystone of their hearing performances — a line of attack that has been extensively debunked — the QAnon leanings of the party have been dragged into the daylight.

[LFC]

Newsmax is expanding its grift by giving away a recycled climate change denial book by now (thankfully) deceased Richard Spencer. They seem to be trying to keep their involvement mostly under wraps but it seems to be part of their financial newsletter and "Buy this!" wing. They're just using climate change denial to troll up more people suckers.

So it was surprising to hear that someone took out a large print ad offering to send people free copies of Cold Science under the bold title "Global Warming Hoax." Yet there it was in the Tulsa World, the daily newspaper for Tulsa, Oklahoma. The paper's staff confirmed that it had appeared in print. The ad featured all the usual climate denialism tropes: references to "decades of questionable scientific data," accusations that warnings are about controlling how we live, proclamations that there is "ZERO evidence linking carbon dioxide to climate change," and so forth.

Readers could get the book for free, excepting a "small shipping and handling fee."

The ad gave no clue about who was behind it; it had been placed by a New York City agency. All it offered was a URL—located at the domain ColdScience611.com—to order the book. A quick check of the domain revealed that it had only been activated last year and that the organization that registered it was a familiar one: Newsmax Media.

[snip]

Things got stranger still when the original ColdScience611 immediately redirected my browser to a page at w3.ultimatewealthreport.com—also registered by Newsmax but first activated a decade ago. "Ultimate Wealth" doesn't seem to have an obvious connection to climate change, but there's Cold Science again—and the standard hyped verbiage, including a promise that "in the next few moments, you’ll discover why 'global warming' may be the BIGGEST HOAX promoted throughout the world for the past 40 years."

This time, there was a name attached to it: Tom Luongo.

Luongo's connection to Ultimate Wealth makes sense, although his path there is a bit indirect. Through various public sources, Luongo indicated that he put his undergraduate degree in chemistry to work in the labs at the University of Florida. After a stint in private industry, he switched to writing and consulting about finance while raising goats on the side. Roughly 10 years ago, he took over a Newsmax newsletter called the Ultimate Wealth Report.

In addition to running a television channel, Newsmax Media is also a host of subscription-supported newsletters. There are nine listed in its financial category, and all of them offer some variation of the same procedure: Pay a small shipping and handling fee by credit card and the company will send you some free materials and sign you up for three months of free newsletters. After three months, your account will automatically roll over into a paid subscription unless you cancel.

But in the other newsletters I checked, all of the free materials were related to the financial focus of the subscription. Luongo's seemed to be distinct in that his primary bait was a heavy dose of climate denialism. Ultimate Wealth's free offer involved six different books and pamphlets focused on financial issues—with Cold Science thrown on top of everything.

And it's not the only time Luongo tried to use outrage about climate change as bait. In a piece that's visually indistinguishable from other articles in the Finance section at Newsmax, Luongo copied the entire framework. There's heated language of climate change being a hoax and a reference to one brave author who has written a book that exposes the lies—but his ideas are being suppressed. The author in this case is John Casey, who has his own theory about climate change (it's all the Sun's fault!) that is inconsistent with reality.

Once again, the "column" includes a promise to send you a copy of the book, along with some other material, and a three-month newsletter trial, although this time, the newsletter is supposedly entitled "Resolute Wealth Letter." But if you click the link that offers to let you "put an end to the 'global warming' lie," you are taken to a signup page for the Ultimate Wealth Report. And there's nothing being offered for free other than three months of the newsletter. You still have to enter your credit card for that.

Sheep to be sheared.

[Bact PhD]

Apr 26, 2022 16:46:51 GMT LFC said:

Newsmax is expanding its grift by giving away a recycled climate change denial book by now (thankfully) deceased Richard Spencer. They seem to be trying to keep their involvement mostly under wraps but it seems to be part of their financial newsletter and "Buy this!" wing. They're just using climate change denial to troll up more people suckers.

So it was surprising to hear that someone took out a large print ad offering to send people free copies of Cold Science under the bold title "Global Warming Hoax." Yet there it was in the Tulsa World, the daily newspaper for Tulsa, Oklahoma. The paper's staff confirmed that it had appeared in print. The ad featured all the usual climate denialism tropes: references to "decades of questionable scientific data," accusations that warnings are about controlling how we live, proclamations that there is "ZERO evidence linking carbon dioxide to climate change," and so forth.

Readers could get the book for free, excepting a "small shipping and handling fee."

The ad gave no clue about who was behind it; it had been placed by a New York City agency. All it offered was a URL—located at the domain ColdScience611.com—to order the book. A quick check of the domain revealed that it had only been activated last year and that the organization that registered it was a familiar one: Newsmax Media.

[snip]

Things got stranger still when the original ColdScience611 immediately redirected my browser to a page at w3.ultimatewealthreport.com—also registered by Newsmax but first activated a decade ago. "Ultimate Wealth" doesn't seem to have an obvious connection to climate change, but there's Cold Science again—and the standard hyped verbiage, including a promise that "in the next few moments, you’ll discover why 'global warming' may be the BIGGEST HOAX promoted throughout the world for the past 40 years."

This time, there was a name attached to it: Tom Luongo.

Luongo's connection to Ultimate Wealth makes sense, although his path there is a bit indirect. Through various public sources, Luongo indicated that he put his undergraduate degree in chemistry to work in the labs at the University of Florida. After a stint in private industry, he switched to writing and consulting about finance while raising goats on the side. Roughly 10 years ago, he took over a Newsmax newsletter called the Ultimate Wealth Report.

In addition to running a television channel, Newsmax Media is also a host of subscription-supported newsletters. There are nine listed in its financial category, and all of them offer some variation of the same procedure: Pay a small shipping and handling fee by credit card and the company will send you some free materials and sign you up for three months of free newsletters. After three months, your account will automatically roll over into a paid subscription unless you cancel.

But in the other newsletters I checked, all of the free materials were related to the financial focus of the subscription. Luongo's seemed to be distinct in that his primary bait was a heavy dose of climate denialism. Ultimate Wealth's free offer involved six different books and pamphlets focused on financial issues—with Cold Science thrown on top of everything.

And it's not the only time Luongo tried to use outrage about climate change as bait. In a piece that's visually indistinguishable from other articles in the Finance section at Newsmax, Luongo copied the entire framework. There's heated language of climate change being a hoax and a reference to one brave author who has written a book that exposes the lies—but his ideas are being suppressed. The author in this case is John Casey, who has his own theory about climate change (it's all the Sun's fault!) that is inconsistent with reality.

Once again, the "column" includes a promise to send you a copy of the book, along with some other material, and a three-month newsletter trial, although this time, the newsletter is supposedly entitled "Resolute Wealth Letter." But if you click the link that offers to let you "put an end to the 'global warming' lie," you are taken to a signup page for the Ultimate Wealth Report. And there's nothing being offered for free other than three months of the newsletter. You still have to enter your credit card for that.

Sheep to be sheared.

You’re not going to believe this, but it truly is a small world. I saw the name thinking, “That can’t be that weird dude who was in our research group a lifetime ago and once ran for the County Commission as a Libertarian!” A few sentences later, “yup, same dude.” He engaged in day-trading during work hours, on the work computer (this was pre-cell phones and Wi-Fi). Needless to say, that didn’t go over very well with the rest of the lab group. I don’t find it surprising at all that he’s engaging in this stuff.

[LFC]

Newsmax knows who leaked the SCOTUS opinion; Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is not yet actually on the court!

Megamind Theory

Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield, making a fascinating attempt to Frankenstein two sources of manufactured conservative outrage into one, on Wednesday accused future Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is not on the Supreme Court yet, of leaking Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion on dismantling Roe v. Wade. In fact, Jackson is Stinchfield’s “first suspect”!

• Stinchfield suggested that Jackson – did I mention she is not on the Supreme Court yet? – had her law clerks steal a copy of the draft so she could leak it because she’s a “radical left-wing activist.”

• Only four groups of people would’ve had access to the apparently physical copy Politico obtained, as reported by TPM’s Josh Kovensky: Justices’ clerks and assistants, plus Supreme Court aides, and of course, the justices themselves.

[goldenvalley]

May 5, 2022 14:18:15 GMT LFC said:

Newsmax knows who leaked the SCOTUS opinion; Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is not yet actually on the court!

Megamind Theory

Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield, making a fascinating attempt to Frankenstein two sources of manufactured conservative outrage into one, on Wednesday accused future Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is not on the Supreme Court yet, of leaking Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion on dismantling Roe v. Wade. In fact, Jackson is Stinchfield’s “first suspect”!

• Stinchfield suggested that Jackson – did I mention she is not on the Supreme Court yet? – had her law clerks steal a copy of the draft so she could leak it because she’s a “radical left-wing activist.”

• Only four groups of people would’ve had access to the apparently physical copy Politico obtained, as reported by TPM’s Josh Kovensky: Justices’ clerks and assistants, plus Supreme Court aides, and of course, the justices themselves.

Good thing he's a talking head. He'd be a horrible detective.