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Ray Epps, a Trump supporter, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News, but the judge rejected it on Wednesday, ending the year-long legal struggle. In a July 2023 complaint, Epps, a Jan. 6 defendant, claimed that Fox News presented a "fantastical story" about Epps' role as an undercover FBI agent who incited violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. In addition to being the subject of right-wing conspiracy theories, the Trump supporter appeared in numerous Fox News segments, many of which were hosted by Tucker Carlson at the time. In the initial complaint, Epps claimed that Fox News, "and particularly Mr. Carlson, commenced a years-long campaign spreading falsehoods about Epps." The complaint went on to say, "Those lies have destroyed Ray's and Robyn's lives," alludi...

While Thanksgiving may be chilly and rainy in many parts of the nation, some Americans may be able to see the northern lights during solar storms. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a filament eruption on Monday caused the sun to shoot a cloud of high-energy plasma toward Earth, increasing the likelihood of minor to major geomagnetic storms on Thursday and Friday. The likelihood of the night skies in the United States turning green, crimson, and purple for Thanksgiving is presently being brought about by that eruption. "The strength of the solar storms and whether they reach G1 or G2 conditions at all will determine how bright the auroras are and how long they stay in the skies," NOAA meteorologist Mike Bettwy wrote in an email. "This is not expected t...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are seen negatively by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In 2019, he accused the federal agency's vaccine division of intentionally harming children and referred to it as a fascist company. He also likened the extensive conspiracy he perceived to conceal the negative effects of the childhood immunization program to the Catholic Church's cover-up of child sex abuse. Kennedy claimed in previously unreported statements to a private audience at AutismOne, a conference for parents of autistic children, in 2019 that the Italian word fascism means a bundle of sticks, and that the bundle is more essential than the sticks. The CDC, the organization, and the vaccination program are more significant than the kids they are meant to safeguard. He went on to say that ...

Ray Epps, a Trump supporter, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News, but the judge rejected it on Wednesday, ending the year-long legal struggle. In a July 2023 complaint, Epps, a Jan. 6 defendant, claimed that Fox News presented a "fantastical story" about Epps' role as an undercover FBI agent who incited violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Trump backer was the subject of right-wing conspiracy theories and appeared in numerous Fox News segments, many of which were hosted by Tucker Carlson at the time. In the initial complaint, Epps claimed that Fox News, "and particularly Mr. Carlson, commenced a years-long campaign spreading falsehoods about Epps." The complaint went on to say, "Those lies have destroyed Ray's and Robyn's lives," alluding to Epps and hi...

According to a spokesperson for the Trump transition team, a number of President-elect Donald Trump's intended Cabinet candidates and administration personnel were the targets of "swatting" attacks and bomb threats on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. "Violent, un-American threats against their lives and those who live with them" were directed at the nominees and appointees. In a statement, transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated, "These attacks ranged from swatting to bomb threats." Swatting is when someone calls the police pretending that something life-threatening is happening. It can have fatal consequences and is intended to attract SWAT teams to a site. These were not credible threats, according to three senior law enforcement officials who briefed NBC News on the swatting...

On Wednesday night, Alabama A&M officials expressed regret for incorrectly declaring football player Medrick Burnett Jr. dead. Following what the HBCU's athletic department described as a "unfortunate occurrence," the 20-year-old player passed away after it was "originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening," according to a since-deleted online announcement. The sports department announced Wednesday night that "we learned that he remains alive after speaking with a representative from UAB hospital this afternoon." "We sincerely apologize for spreading misleading information, but we are delighted to hear that Medrick's condition is stable. During a game last month, Burnett suffered a significant injury. Burnett's family reported many brain bleeds and swelling in an...

A source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Wednesday that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched a comprehensive antitrust probe into Microsoft, encompassing its cloud computing and software licensing operations. NBC News received confirmation of the probe from a source. Prior to her anticipated departure in January, FTC Chair Lina Khan approved the inquiry. The investigation's conclusion is uncertain because Donald Trump was elected president of the United States and it is anticipated that he would name a fellow Republican who has a more lenient stance toward business. According to sources earlier this month, the FTC is looking into claims that the software behemoth may be abusing its market dominance in productivity software by enforcing harsh license conditions to stop...

On Wednesday, a State Department official announced the release of three American nationals who had been imprisoned in China for years. They are John Leung, Kai Li, and Mark Swidan. Long Island, New York native Li, 62, was arrested in 2016 and given a 10-year term in 2018 on espionage allegations that his family claims are unfounded. Swidan, a 40-year-old Texas businessman who had been in custody since 2012, was found guilty of drug-related accusations that a United Nations working group deemed lacked evidence, and in 2019 he was given a death sentence with a reprieve. The State Department deemed Li and Swidan "wrongfully detained". Last year, a court in eastern China found John Leung, a 70-year-old American with permanent citizenship in Hong Kong, China, guilty of espionage and sentenced ...

In what officials described as a "random" incident at a Florida golf course, a man was fatally battered with his own golf clubs. According to a probable cause affidavit, Junior Boucher, 36, of West Palm Beach, is accused of first-degree murder in connection with the death of golfer Brian Hiltebeitel, 65, at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens on Monday afternoon. As they wrestled physically in a pond close to the first hole, a witness informed police that the suspect appeared to choke the man and repeatedly struck him over the head with golf clubs. According to the affidavit, the man was declared dead at the golf course after authorities removed him from the pond and tried to save his life. According to Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape, Boucher did not seem to h...

The Republican Party has taken control of the Senate and the House, and President-elect Donald Trump has secured a second term in office. However, no congressional race has been called. With one House election still uncalled, Republicans will control both houses, but it is unclear how big their majority will be and how easily they will be able to carry out Trump's agenda. Here are the races that the NBC News Decision Desk has not yet called, with votes still being tabulated (learn more about how those races are called). House race left to call Republicans were urged to take control of the House, but it is still unknown how big—or, more precisely, how small—their majority will be. One race has not yet been called. California's 13th District: In this Central Valley district, Republican Re...