Paramount Skydance is flirting with the idea of leaving California as the state leads an antitrust lawsuit against the media company. 
Semafor <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/07/12/2026/paramount-weighs-leaving-california-over-warner-bros-rift">reported</a> on Monday that friends and advisers close to Paramount CEO David Ellison told him to “consider shifting his business out of the state” and to move the company’s $30 billion in planned spending elsewhere.
Ellison&#8217;s advisers are reportedly urging the massive move after a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other attorneys general seeks to stop the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. The lawsuit could cause a delay in the merger and could potentially cost Paramount hundreds of millions of dollars.
Paramount currently <a href="https://www.paramount.com/about/brands">owns</a> CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, and Paramount Pictures. In acquiring Warner Bros., the company would <a href="https://warnerbros.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Warner_Bros._Discovery">gain</a> the rights to brands such as DC Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, HBO, the Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, CNN, the Food Network, and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Ellison hopes the move can make Paramount a suitable competitor to Netflix and Disney.
“The proposed merger, the largest in Hollywood history, would combine two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the five major basic cable channel owners … inflicting substantial harm on movie theaters, basic cable distributors and, ultimately, audiences nationwide,” Bonta <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-files-lawsuit-block-110-billion-warner-brosparamount">argued</a>. “In the U.S. alone, if allowed to merge, the combined titan would control nearly one-third of theatrical motion pictures, and nearly one-third of basic cable programming.”
The Trump administration has approved the merger following Paramount&#8217;s agreement to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump for $16 million that accused CBS of deceptively editing then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; interview.
Other major companies such as Oracle, Tesla, and Chevron have moved out of California to more “business-friendly” states such as Texas.
Paramount has a 10-year lease for 285,000 square feet at a studio in New Jersey, and it is likely that the company will move to the state if they decide to leave California.

Screenshot 2026-07-13 at 2.58.11 PM

Even A Media Giant May Be Ready To Leave Democrat-Run State

California

David Ellison

Lawsuit

Paramount

A Colorado man says he fell four stories from a hotel window after a counselor served him psilocybin tea during a therapy session and then left him alone, according to the lawsuit he filed this week.
Jacob Ramirez claims counselor Rachel McGuire left the &#8220;therapy session&#8221; in the hotel room while he was under the influence of psilocybin, commonly known as &#8220;magic mushrooms,&#8221; before he fell from a fourth-floor window onto concrete outside a Hilton Hotel in Colorado Springs last May, as reported by the <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2026/07/10/psilocybin-therapy-lawsuit-fell-from-window/">Denver Post</a>. Ramirez miraculously survived but suffered severe head and chest injuries, racking up more than $2 million in medical bills. 
Ramirez is suing his counselor and her husband, Sheldon McGuire, along with their therapy companies, A Sparrow’s Way and Restoration Counseling. 
The lawsuit alleges medical and direct negligence, claiming McGuire was not licensed to administer psilocybin therapy and that her husband referred Ramirez to her despite that fact. 
“I think it clearly lends itself to somebody who is not used to taking these types of medications being left alone and freaking out,” Ramirez&#8217;s attorney Jared Mazzei said.
“It’s two parts,” Mazzei added. “There is whether she was even licensed, which she wasn’t — and the other part is did she even, at the very least, follow the procedures that you learn when you are obtaining your license, one of them being to actually stay with the patient the entire time, for this exact reason.”
Mazzei said that Ramirez endured blunt force trauma to his head, has no memory of the event, and experiences daily pain from his injuries. 
At the center of the chaotic legal battle is psilocybin, a psychedelic that Colorado voters chose to decriminalize in 2022 under the Natural Medicine Health Act. Under state <a href="https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/initiative%2520referendum_proposition%20122%20final%20lc%20packet.pdf">law,</a> the drug can be grown, consumed, and shared for personal use or can be utilized by healing centers for therapy. 
Colorado&#8217;s experiment is drawing interest from other states, including <a href="https://www.marijuanamoment.net/bipartisan-north-carolina-lawmakers-say-psychedelic-research-bill-can-help-military-veterans/">North Carolina</a>, where Republican state Rep. Allen Chesser and Republican state Sen. Robert Brinson are backing legislation to fund research into psychedelic substances, including psilocybin. 
Brinson, who is the lead sponsor of the Healing through Evidence-based Access to Lifesaving Care (HEAL) Act, called the bill a &#8220;real investment&#8221; into &#8220;mental health innovation, research, and access,&#8221; particularly for those who have experienced trauma.
He believes “momentum is building” for legalizing psychedelics.
“These aren’t fringe ideas,&#8221; said Chesser. &#8220;They are on the path to becoming approved medicines.”
<a href="https://www.wwlp.com/news/massachusetts/two-years-after-ballot-defeat-house-revives-psychedelics-debate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts</a> lawmakers this week approved a five-year pilot program that would allow licensed mental health clinics to offer supervised psychedelic-assisted therapy, despite voters rejecting a broader legalization measure just two years ago. The proposal still requires Senate approval and the governor&#8217;s signature. It would help fund, facilitate, and expand research on &#8220;psychedelic-assisted therapies.&#8221;
Critics, however, are warning against the potential harms and unexpected risks that come with drug legalization. Organizations like the <a href="https://gooddrugpolicy.org/">Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions</a> and <a href="https://learnaboutsam.org/">Smart Approaches to Marijuana</a> (SAM) are among the few.
“Colorado was sold a miracle. Instead, we’re getting a warning label,” cautioned Kevin Sabet, who is president and CEO of both groups. 
“This lawsuit is a reminder that psychedelic mushrooms are not the harmless cure-all proponents promised. If states like North Carolina are considering going down this road, Colorado should serve as the cautionary tale — not the blueprint,” he added.

Mushroom Season Has Started In The Netherlands.

Bad Trip? Lawsuit Says ‘Magic Mushroom’ Therapy Ended In 4-Story Fall

Colorado

Drugs

Health

Medical Research

Psychedelics

Filmmaker Justin Baldoni publicly addressed his legal battle with former &#8220;It Ends With Us&#8221; co-star Blake Lively for the first time Wednesday night, saying he and his wife chose to remain silent throughout the litigation until the case was resolved. 
“We have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it’s not because we haven’t had anything to say, because Lord knows we have,” Baldoni said in a video he posted alongside his wife, Emily. “But it just felt like every time we went to make a video like this, we wanted to speak, something was telling us not to. It just didn’t feel like the right time, and we were talking about it and feeling into it and praying about it.”
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DajZGpGx7dh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
&nbsp;
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
&nbsp;
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DajZGpGx7dh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Justin Baldoni (@justinbaldoni)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
Emily agreed, saying there was “so much to say” about the drama with Lively. 
“We’ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things,” Emily Baldoni said. “Like, how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women.&#8221;
Baldoni said he intentionally didn’t add to the conversation until the case was settled. The filmmaker also thanked all his supporters for listening to his side.
“You have given your time to fight for us, and thank you does not feel like enough,” he said. “But we’re here, in large part, because of so many of you and all of our friends and family. One thing that we’ve learned is that when God presses the reset button and everything else is stripped away, that’s when love shows up, and we feel so loved.”
The legal drama between the former co-stars started in December 2024 when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliation, and attempting to “destroy” her reputation. This came after she starred opposite Baldoni in “It Ends With Us,” a film he also directed.
Baldoni fervently denied the claims and filed a countersuit against his co-star and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. The judge dismissed the countersuit in June 2025. The parties reached a settlement in May 2026. 
Baldoni also sued The New York Times for $250 million in a defamation claim for an article about the situation, which he says is “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions.”

Justin Baldoni Blake Lively

Justin Baldoni And Wife Finally Break Their Silence After Blake Lively Legal Battle

Blake Lively

Celebrities

Entertainment

Hollywood

U.S.

Former CIA Director John Brennan, who helped oversee the intelligence community&#8217;s investigation into alleged ties between Donald Trump&#8217;s 2016 campaign and Russia, sued the Justice Department on Wednesday before prosecutors have even charged him with a crime.
Brennan filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking an order requiring the Trump administration to preserve records related to two ongoing Justice Department investigations examining his conduct.
The move comes as federal investigators continue probing Brennan&#8217;s role in the intelligence community&#8217;s 2017 assessment concluding that Russia sought to help Trump win the 2016 election, as well as whether Brennan gave misleading testimony to Congress about that assessment during testimony in 2023.
No criminal charges have been filed against Brennan. Nevertheless, Brennan&#8217;s legal team argues that any future prosecution would amount to political retaliation by the Trump administration and says preserving government records now is necessary to support what they describe as an eventual defense against &#8220;vindictive and selective prosecution.&#8221;
&#8220;This Administration has adopted a policy of using criminal process and prosecution to punish the President&#8217;s perceived adversaries,&#8221; Brennan&#8217;s attorneys wrote in the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294102/gov.uscourts.dcd.294102.1.0.pdf">46-page complaint.</a> The filing names President Donald Trump, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and several Justice Department officials involved in the investigations. 
According to Brennan&#8217;s attorneys, they fear government officials may fail to preserve internal communications that could be relevant if prosecutors ultimately seek an indictment. The Justice Department declined to confirm whether Brennan is under criminal investigation.
&#8220;While we cannot comment on the existence, or lack thereof, of an investigation, it is certainly rich that John Brennan is accusing anyone of a &#8216;retribution campaign,'&#8221; a DOJ spokesman said to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-cia-chief-john-brennan-sues-trump-administration-demands-court-preserve-investigation-records">Fox News Digital</a>. The investigations into Brennan have steadily expanded over the past year.
One inquiry centers on whether Brennan misled Congress regarding the intelligence community&#8217;s conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan previously referred Brennan to the Justice Department for possible prosecution after questioning his congressional testimony.
Investigators have also reportedly interviewed current and former intelligence officials involved in drafting the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment that concluded Moscow sought to boost Trump&#8217;s candidacy.
That review has focused in part on whether the controversial <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sues-christopher-steele-over-shocking-and-scandalous-claims-made-in-discredited-dossier?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Sues+Christopher+Steele+Over+%E2%80%98Shocking+And+Scandalous%E2%80%99+Claims+Made+In+Discredited+Dossier">Steele dossier</a> — a collection of unverified allegations about Trump funded by his political opponents — inappropriately influenced the intelligence assessment&#8217;s conclusions. Brennan has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has maintained that the intelligence community&#8217;s assessment accurately reflected Russia&#8217;s efforts to interfere in the election.
A separate Justice Department investigation reportedly examines what prosecutors have described as a broader conspiracy involving Obama-era and Biden-era officials, looking into whether multiple investigations targeting Trump—including the Russia probe and later criminal investigations—were part of a coordinated effort to undermine him politically.
Brennan&#8217;s attorneys argue that those investigations themselves demonstrate political bias. The complaint points to personnel changes inside the Justice Department, including the replacement of a career national security prosecutor with Joseph diGenova, a former Trump attorney who has publicly called Brennan &#8220;evil&#8221; and a &#8220;traitor.&#8221;
The filing also alleges prosecutors attempted to move aspects of the investigation between different U.S. Attorney&#8217;s offices and sought venues that Brennan&#8217;s lawyers believe would be more favorable to the government&#8217;s case.
Rather than waiting to challenge an indictment, Brennan is asking the court to preserve emails, memoranda, witness statements, status reports, and other internal communications that could later become evidence supporting claims that prosecutors acted with improper political motives.
The filing comes as the Trump administration continues investigating several high-profile officials connected to previous investigations into Trump, including former intelligence and FBI personnel involved in the Russia inquiry. 
Whether Brennan is ultimately charged remains unknown. His lawsuit seeks to preserve records he argues could become relevant if prosecutors later bring charges.

CIA Director John Brennan Testifies To Senate Committee Hearing On National Security

Former Spy Chief Behind Russia Collusion Probe Takes Unusual Legal Step

Courts

Donald Trump

John Brennan

justice department

Politics

Russia Collusion Hoax

Former MTV reality star Spencer Pratt jabbed at incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) when he learned that the mayor&#8217;s own brother had joined a class-action lawsuit against the city over the Palisades fire.
Pratt announced that he and his wife, fellow reality star Heidi Montag, were suing Los Angeles almost immediately after the deadly fire destroyed their home — but he responded on Sunday to the news that Kenneth D. Bass was also joining the suit over the loss of his multi-million-dollar Malibu home.
&#8220;I am proud to be teaming up with Karen Bass&#8217; brother in suing his sister for her reckless negligence that led to the destruction of our homes,&#8221; Pratt captioned a clip from a local news report. &#8220;I hope their Thanksgiving dinner isn&#8217;t too awks. I know ours hasn&#8217;t been the same since last year &#8230;&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I am proud to be teaming up with Karen Bass&#8217; brother in suing his sister for her reckless negligence that led to the destruction of our homes. I hope their Thanksgiving dinner isn&#8217;t too awks. I know ours hasn&#8217;t been the same since last year&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/d8YyGjJ775">pic.twitter.com/d8YyGjJ775</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2066200731909021757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The ABC affiliate revealed court documents that showed Kenneth D. Bass as a plaintiff in a case filed in May, in which he joined the class-action suit and claimed to have suffered from &#8220;smoke inhalation, severe emotional distress, mental anguish and annoyance&#8221; in addition to the loss of his home.
&#8220;As part of the mass tort legal process, Mr. and Mrs. Bass’ names were formally added as some of the nearly 40,000 victims who suffered losses. Their family connections are irrelevant, and as non-public citizens they are entitled to respectful privacy as they pursue their legal rights along with all represented victims,&#8221; attorneys for Kenneth Bass and his wife told <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/11/us-news/karen-bass-responds-to-brothers-lawsuit-over-palisades-fire-home-loss/">The New York Post</a>.
The home in question has not been rebuilt, and Bass sold the 1.5-acre lot — that still includes a putting green, a pool, and a guest house that were not lost in the fire — for $2 million last May.
The suit blames the city&#8217;s failure to respond to the fire on the reservoirs that were depleted: &#8220;The Palisades Fire has been a traumatic event for its victims, who through no fault of their own, went from homeowners to homeless in a matter of hours.&#8221;
During a recent campaign event, Mayor Bass — who is facing a run-off challenge in November from Democratic-socialist city councilwoman Nithya Raman — was clearly avoiding the question when she was asked three times about her brother&#8217;s addition to the suit.
&#8220;We’re not talking about that!&#8221; an aide pushed back as Bass was pressed on the issue.

Spencer Pratt Visits “Fox & Friends”

Karen Bass’ Brother Teams Up With Spencer Pratt In Lawsuit Against The Mayor

Karen Bass

Media

Palisades Fire

Spencer Pratt

Drag queen and environmental activist Pattie Gonia, whose real name is Wyn Wiley, rejected Patagonia’s offer to settle a lawsuit, claiming on social media that the outdoor clothing brand is “trying to erase my advocacy.” 
Patagonia <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZB1zAYlJJo/?hl=en">posted an offer on Instagram</a> in an attempt to resolve its trademark infringement <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.1003309/gov.uscourts.cacd.1003309.1.0_2.pdf">lawsuit</a> against Wiley on June 1. The company requested him to “Withdraw all trademark applications &#8230; Stop using our logos &#8230; Stop selling and promoting apparel and other products as Pattie Gonia.” 
“If we can agree on this, we can work out everything else, and Pattie Gonia could continue as a performer and activist,” Patagonia said.
In response, Wiley <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDoDSAJn8R/">posted his rejection</a> of the offer, writing, “If I can’t do partnerships as Pattie Gonia, it breaks the whole ecosystem of advocacy and community engagement.&#8221; 
The public response to these Instagram posts has sparked highly polarized discussions and protests. In the comments section, many LGBTQ advocates and fans of Pattie Gonia accuse Patagonia of homophobia and bullying while vowing never to buy from the brand again. 
Prior to the lawsuit, Hydro Flask and Patagonia communicated via email in 2022 to ensure there was no customer confusion for an upcoming collaboration between Hydro Flask and Pattie Gonia. They made an agreement that he would refrain from using Patagonia’s logo, iconic Belwe font, or the name Pattie Gonia on any products. Wiley’s 2025 merch drop, however, featured apparel with the phrase “Pattie Gonia Hiking Club” and stickers with a strikingly similar mountain logo and font. 
Patagonia responded in an email to Wiley over the apparent breach. 
“Patagonia remains supportive of your work but must insist that the Pattie Gonia persona not be commercialized and continue to adhere to the commitments made in 2022,” the company said. “Unfortunately, these latest product sales force Patagonia’s hand and so I’m asking that you discontinue sales of t-shirts and stickers (or any product) using Pattie Gonia branding or designs substantially similar to Patagonia’s logos.”
Patagonia’s lawsuit, which was previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patagonia-sues-drag-queen-pattie-gonia-says-hes-caused-irreparable-harm-to-brand">reported</a> by The Daily Wire, was filed on January 21 in response to Wiley’s trademark application for the rights to the Pattie Gonia brand. 
“This matter is not about seeking financial gain, nor is it about challenging anyone’s identity or right to advocacy, protest, or creative expression,” Patagonia said in a recent <a href="https://www.patagoniaworks.com/press/2026/5/27/update-on-protecting-our-brand">press release</a>. “The last thing we wanted was a legal fight with someone who shares our values, but we must protect our business and employees.”

Pattie Gonia

Tensions Rise Between Drag Queen Pattie Gonia And Outdoor Clothing Brand

Drag Queens

LGBTQ

The Justice Department filed lawsuits against sanctuary states Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington on Wednesday over their refusal to grant undercover license plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
ICE uses the license plates to arrest fugitives, conduct surveillance, investigate missing persons and missing child cases, and carry out abduction investigations involving dangerous actors, according to the lawsuits. If they don&#8217;t have the license plates, it compromises their arrests and the safety of the federal officers, who continue to face significant threats.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement, &#8220;By denying undercover license plates to DHS [Department of Homeland Security] components, including ICE, while issuing them to their own state agencies, these governors are pursuing discriminatory and obstructionist policies against federal law enforcement.&#8221;
&#8220;These actions undermine federal immigration enforcement, allow dangerous criminals to escape justice, and terrorize American communities,&#8221; he added.
In Washington, the state&#8217;s Department of Licensing &#8220;began affirmatively denying requests by DHS to obtain and renew undercover license plates and registrations&#8221; around October 2025, according to the federal lawsuit. When the state agency received a request for undercover license plates from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), officials responded in January 2026 by &#8220;suspending the issuance and renewal of undercover license plates for DHS-affiliated entities for an indeterminate period.&#8221;
Washington Attorney General Nicholas Brown wrote to the Department of Justice in May that “[t]he Washington State Department of Licensing voluntarily provides hundreds of undercover plates to federal agencies each year,&#8221; listing the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshals, and the Secret Service while failing to include ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), according to the lawsuit. 

Now, the state is &#8220;reviewing DHS&#8217;s activities&#8221; and asking that the agency hand in &#8220;all current undercover plates and obtain new registrations for each vehicle,&#8221; the lawsuit states. Further, the state is &#8220;not permitting renewals of existing undercover plates for any DHS subcomponents.&#8221;
State officials are also determining whether DHS is in compliance with the “Keep Washington Working Act,&#8221; which states that “no state agency, including law enforcement, may use agency funds, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to investigate, enforce, cooperate with, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal registration or surveillance programs or any other laws, rules, or policies that target Washington residents solely on the basis of race, religion, immigration, or citizenship status, or national or ethnic origin,&#8221; according to the lawsuit.
Former ICE New York field office deputy director Scott Mechkowski called the Democrat-run state&#8217;s actions &#8220;a deliberate decision to endanger federal officers and another tactic to doxx ICE.&#8221;
&#8220;Every law enforcement officer in America, DEA, FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals, state and local are entitled to undercover capacity for their safety. No one debates that,&#8221; Mechkowski said.
He continued: &#8220;So explain to me why ICE agents are the only federal law enforcement officers these governors think deserve to be exposed?&#8221;
The Massachusetts Attorney General&#8217;s office told The Daily Wire that it is &#8220;reviewing the complaint and will defend the RMV [Registry of Motor Vehicles] policy to the greatest extent possible.&#8221;
The other accused states didn&#8217;t respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s requests for comment.

Acting Attorney General Blanche Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Subcommittee

Trump DOJ Launches New Battle Against Sanctuary States Over ICE Measures

Trump Admin Sues Sanctuary States For Refusing To Grant Critical Law Enforcement Tool To ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Sanctuary Cities

Todd Blanche

Israel will pursue a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times over an opinion column by Nicholas Kristof alleging widespread sexual abuse of Palestinians by Israelis, including graphic claims that detainees were raped with objects and even assaulted by attack dogs.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Benjamin Netanyahu and Gideon Sa&#8217;ar instructed officials to initiate legal action after Kristof’s column, published Monday, accused Israeli prison guards, soldiers, settlers, and interrogators of carrying out systematic sexual violence against Palestinians. The ministry <a href="https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/2054896697432519059">called</a> the piece “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press.”
The dispute centers on Kristof’s column, which leaned exclusively on interviews with 14 Palestinians and secondary reports from activist-linked human rights groups — many of which themselves relied on anonymous testimony. While the Times framed the piece as <a href="https://x.com/NYTimesPR/status/2054713015107273103">“deeply reported”</a> journalism, the column presented explosive accusations as credible despite offering little independently verifiable evidence beyond the claims of the accusers and organizations already hostile to Israel.
The column included graphic allegations that some detainees were beaten, sexually assaulted with batons and other objects, and in one especially lurid claim, assaulted by a trained dog. The latter allegation in particular drew intense backlash, with critics <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/nick-kristof-dog-torture-claim-israel-palestine">calling</a> it grotesque propaganda more akin to wartime atrocity rumors than serious journalism.
Israeli officials argued the column relied on deeply compromised sourcing, including <a href="https://ngo-monitor.org/ngos/euro-med-human-rights-monitor/">Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor</a>, an organization whose founder has been accused by Israel of ties to Hamas. Watchdog group NGO Monitor <a href="https://www.jpost.com/international/article-896131#google_vignette">also challenged</a> sources cited in the column, arguing that several had records of amplifying false or unverified allegations against Israel.
The timing of Kristof’s column further inflamed the controversy. It ran just before the release of an Israeli civil commission report documenting sexual violence committed by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, a report built from years of evidence collection, forensic review, and thousands of hours of visual documentation. Israeli officials accused the Times of effectively laundering unverified allegations against Israel at the precise moment documented evidence of Hamas atrocities was being released.
Kristof himself has faced criticism for similar reporting failures before. In 2014, he publicly acknowledged being misled by activist Somaly Mam, whose dramatic claims about child trafficking he had promoted for years before they unraveled. Kristof later wrote that he regretted elevating those allegations and admitted journalists are “less suspicious if someone claims something stigmatizing, like being trafficked into a brothel.”
The same pattern is repeating here: sensational claims, weak corroboration, and an apparent willingness to suspend skepticism when the allegations fit a preferred political narrative. Even former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whom Kristof cited in the piece, later said the columnist had misrepresented his comments by placing them in a way that suggested he endorsed claims he explicitly said he could not verify.
The Times issued a statement Tuesday defending Kristof and rejecting rumors of a retraction. Spokesman Charlie Stadtlander <a href="https://x.com/NYTimesPR/status/2054257854345888161">wrote</a> there was “no truth” to reports the paper was reconsidering the piece and described Kristof as “one of the world’s best on-the-ground reporters.”
Neither Israeli officials nor the Times have publicly released legal filings as of Thursday, and it remains unclear whether the lawsuit would be filed in Israel, the United States, or another jurisdiction. But the confrontation has already escalated into a broader indictment of a press establishment critics say is increasingly willing to run incendiary anti-Israel allegations on the thinnest possible evidentiary basis — so long as the target is the Jewish state.

Sign at the entrance to the New York Times Headquarters in

Israel Moves To Slap New York Times With Lawsuit Over ‘Blood Libel’ Hit Piece

Israel Will Take NYT To Court Over 'Blood Libel' Piece Ran By The Paper

New York Times

Two South Florida-based police officers are suing for defamation following the release of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s action thriller “The Rip.”
Miami-Dade area sergeants Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana filed a lawsuit against the film’s production company, Artists Equity, earlier this month in Miami federal court, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/rip-lawsuit-ben-affleck-matt-damon-98647a282521fe01ce73d8a7afeb4400">per</a> the Associated Press. Smith and Santana are seeking an undisclosed amount of compensatory damages, along with punitive damages and attorney fees. They are also asking for a retraction and added disclaimers in the film.
“The Rip” was inspired by the true story of two police officers who discovered millions of dollars inside a house. 
“A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the huge seizure, making them question who to rely on,” the IMDb description says.
It was released on Netflix in January and currently has a 78% critic rating and 65% audience score on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_rip">Rotten Tomatoes</a>. 
The lawsuit states that people now believe Smith, the real-life supervisor of the investigative team, and Santana, the lead detective on the case, actually committed the criminal acts portrayed in the film, even with the film’s disclaimers stating that it’s not a true story.
&#8220;Third parties have asked Plaintiffs which characters in the Film they were and how many buckets they kept,&#8221; the lawsuit states. &#8220;Family members, colleagues and peers in other entities unknown to the Plaintiffs but aware of the 2016 case, also remarked that Plaintiffs must have used seized funds to build personal property improvements, purchase vehicles and vessels, and afford private schooling for their children.&#8221;
The lawsuit further states that Smith and Santana have &#8220;repeatedly been questioned by third parties regarding the characters and events depicted.&#8221; They claim to have been contacted by a Miami-Dade County State Attorney inquiring about the allegations and threatening an investigation. 
&#8220;The Film and its promotional content imply misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in connection with a real law-enforcement operation,&#8221; the lawsuit <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/miami-dade-officers-suing-over-matt-damon-and-ben-affleck-movie-the-rip/3807644/">says</a>. &#8220;As a result, Plaintiffs have suffered damage to their reputations, diminished standing among peers and colleagues, and injury to their credibility in law-enforcement and professional circles.&#8221;
An attorney for Artists Equity said in March that the film already has a disclaimer saying it doesn’t depict real events or people, the outlet noted. The disclaimer text says, &#8220;This program is inspired by real events; however, the characters and events depicted have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes, and any similarity to actual persons is purely coincidental and unintentional.”
Affleck and Damon already stated that the narrative was inspired by the real 2016 incident in Miami and hired Miami-Dade Police Capt. Chris Casiano as a technical advisor on the film.
“We really wanted to kind of understand what those dynamics were like,” Damon told AP during an interview in January. “I mean, these units are very tight because they’re really putting their lives in each other’s hands, and they’re doing something that’s very dangerous.”

Matt Damon Ben Affleck

Police Officers Slap Matt Damon And Ben Affleck With Defamation Lawsuit

Police Officers Sue Matt Damon And Ben Affleck For Defamation

Ben Affleck

Florida

Matt Damon

Movies

Police

The JPMorgan sex scandal just got a little wilder as the Wall Street Journal reported that plaintiff Chirayu Rana turned down a $1 million settlement offer in March.
According to the outlet, inside sources say Rana’s attorneys countered by asking for $11.75 million. After negotiations failed, the lawsuit was filed against his former employer. 
A JPMorgan spokesman confirmed to WSJ, “We did try to reach an agreement to avoid the time and expense of litigation and to support an employee who was being threatened with the very reputational harm now unfolding. We continue to believe these allegations have no merit and new information raised as a result of the public filing only reinforces that conclusion.”
The company&#8217;s attempt to keep the matter out of the news does not necessarily indicate the harassment occurred, the outlet noted, but rather can be a common tactic used to make these claims go away without the national spectacle. As was previously reported, the company was unable to corroborate Rana’s claims of racial discrimination and sexual harassment. 
The bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit sent shockwaves through the financial world before being deemed a “complete fabrication” by insiders.
Rana, 35, first filed a lawsuit in late April under the pseudonym “John Doe.” The filing leveled a series of lurid and sensational accusations against Lorna Hajdini, 37, an executive director on JPMorgan’s leveraged finance team. 
In the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/viral-jpmorgan-sex-slave-suit-unmasked-as-complete-fabrication">initial complaint</a>, Rana alleged that Hajdini had turned him into her personal “sex slave,” claiming she drugged him with “roofies” and Viagra to facilitate non-consensual encounters. The suit included salacious quotes, alleging Hajdini told him, “If you don’t f*ck me soon, I’m going to ruin you… Never forget, I f*cking own you.”
The original filing said that Hajdini referred to Rana as her “little brown boy toy” and allegedly told him, “I bet your little Asian, fish head, wife doesn’t have these cannons.”
The suit further claimed that she threatened to “slash his bonus” if he didn’t follow her commands. 
Rana’s claims came under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that he did not report to Hajdini, so she would not have had approval over whether his bonuses were awarded or taken away. 
A bank spokesman said at the time, “Following an investigation, we don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims. While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused to participate and has declined to provide facts that would be central to support his allegations.”
The lawsuit was taken off the docket, but then was refiled on Monday, per the WSJ.
“The original lawsuit was not withdrawn,” Daniel Kaiser, Rana’s lawyer, told the outlet. “After filing, the court clerk informed us that the suit required review and sign-off from the judge before being formally filed under a pseudonym. Upon signature by the judge yesterday, the suit was formally filed under a pseudonym.”
Hajdini’s lawyers said she “continues to categorically deny the allegations. She never dated this individual, never had a sexual or romantic encounter with him of any kind and never gave him any drugs. She maintains that his false claims are entirely fabricated and tarnishing her reputation.”

JP Morgan

The Move The JPMorgan Sexual Harassment Accuser Made Before Filing

Business

News

The Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively legal drama has come to an end without the spectacle of a trial, and legal experts are saying both sides spent “an obscene amount” of money in the process.
The former co-stars settled the matter two weeks before the trial was scheduled to kick off in New York, after filing multiple lawsuits and counter suits against each other. New York-based attorney Richard Schoenstein, who does not represent either party, <a href="https://people.com/how-much-did-blake-lively-and-justin-baldoni-s-it-ends-with-us-dispute-cost-exclusive-11967317">discussed</a> the likely financial fallout with People. 
“The combined legal expense is in the multiple millions. There are around 1,500 docket entries, countless lawyers on both sides, and these are high-priced firms billing well over $1,000 an hour,” Schoenstein said, which fellow NY-based attorney Megan Thomas agreed with. She said the two parties spent “an obscene amount” over the past two years. 
“I can&#8217;t give a number, but both sides had multiple lawyers,” Thomas added.
Schoenstein added that mounting costs likely had a lot to do with Lively and Baldoni reaching a settlement. Plus, with both sides having their claims dismissed or reduced, it ended up not being worth the hassle.
“I think they settled because the case wasn&#8217;t worth it at this point for either of them,” Schoenstein told the outlet. “The case had been reduced — his counterclaims were dismissed, and her claims were substantially narrowed. There wasn&#8217;t enough to gain from going to trial given the cost, which would have been extremely high, in the millions.”
The legal drama between the former costars started in December 2024 when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliation, and attempting to “destroy” her reputation. This came after she starred opposite Baldoni in “It Ends With Us,” a film he also directed.
Baldoni fervently denied the claims, responding with a countersuit against his co-star and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. He also sued The New York Times for $250 million in a defamation claim for an article about the situation, which he says is “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions.” The countersuit was dismissed by the judge in June 2025.
A federal judge in New York ruled in early April to dismiss 10 of Blake Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni, including those related to harassment, defamation, and conspiracy. 
As both cases fell apart and attorney fees kept climbing, the former co-stars finally came to a confidential settlement on Monday, May 4. It is rumored that the only ones who got paid in the end were the lawyers. 
&#8220;The end product — the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind,&#8221; a statement from Baldoni and Lively provided to Fox News Digital <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-settlement-reportedly-ends-no-money-expert-calls-complete-disaster">said</a>.
&#8220;We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.&#8221;

Blake Lively Justin Baldoni

Hollywood’s Biggest Legal Feud Collapses After ‘Millions’ Wasted On Lawyers

Court

New York

A bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit that sent shockwaves through the financial world this week has been branded a &#8220;complete fabrication&#8221; by insiders, as the anonymous accuser was <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/30/business/bombshell-jpmorgan-sex-harassment-suit-that-went-viral-branded-complete-fabrication-as-john-doe-accuser-unmasked/">unmasked</a> as former JPMorgan staffer Chirayu Rana.
The 35-year-old Rana, now a principal at investment firm Bregal Sagemount, initially filed the suit on Monday under the pseudonym &#8220;John Doe.&#8221; The filing leveled a series of lurid and sensational accusations against Lorna Hajdini, 37, an executive director on JPMorgan’s leveraged finance team.
The initial complaint, which went viral after being <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15776897/JPMorgan-executive-banker-sex-abuse-lawsuit-new-york.html">reported</a> by the Daily Mail, painted a dark picture of corporate debauchery. Rana alleged that Hajdini had turned him into her personal “sex slave,” claiming she drugged him with “roofies” and Viagra to facilitate non-consensual encounters. The suit was peppered with salacious quotes, alleging Hajdini told him, “If you don’t f*ck me soon, I’m going to ruin you… never forget, I f*cking own you.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Bombshell sex harassment suit against Lorna Hajdini, JPMorgan branded &#39;complete fabrication&#39; as John Doe unmasked <a href="https://t.co/Njh9k8GcNe">https://t.co/Njh9k8GcNe</a> <a href="https://t.co/26HxbeeOV8">pic.twitter.com/26HxbeeOV8</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2049965116091752895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
However, the narrative began to crumble within 48 hours. JPMorgan issued a scathing rebuttal, revealing that a &#8220;thorough internal probe&#8221; involving phone records and emails found no evidence to support the claims. A bank spokesman said, “Following an investigation, we don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims. While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused to participate and has declined to provide facts that would be central to support his allegations.”
Furthermore, sources revealed a glaring hole in the lawsuit’s logic: Rana did not actually report to Hajdini. While the suit claimed she threatened to “slash his bonus” if he did not comply with her demands, Hajdini had no authority over his compensation or performance reviews.
“He has tarnished her with a complete fabrication,” an associate of Hajdini told the New York Post. While Rana was described by some colleagues as “socially awkward,” Hajdini is regarded as a “top performer” who spends her free time volunteering for educational non-profits.
The original court papers, which included claims that Hajdini referred to Rana as her “little brown boy toy” and allegedly told him, “I bet your little Asian, fish head, wife doesn’t have these cannons,” have since been withdrawn for “corrections.”
Insiders suggest the lawsuit may have been a high-stakes attempt at a shakedown. Sources say that before going public, Rana filed an internal complaint in May 2025 and attempted to negotiate a payout totaling “millions” to leave the company. When the bank refused to settle, the &#8220;John Doe&#8221; lawsuit followed.
Under U.S. law, court filings enjoy &#8220;absolute privilege,&#8221; meaning media outlets can report on the most scandalous allegations—such as Rana’s claim that Hajdini told him to “stop f*cking crying” during an assault—without fear of defamation suits, even if the claims are later proven to be entirely false.
Hajdini remains in her position at JPMorgan, while Rana’s career continues at Bregal Sagemount.

JPMorgan Chase Ahead Of Earnings Figures

Viral JPMorgan ‘Sex Slave’ Suit Unmasked As ‘Complete Fabrication’

Menu