Media Today

[Rick Plant]

Alex Jones' attempt to hide Infowars cash from Sandy Hook families could 'rock our bankruptcy world': legal experts



The Infowars bankruptcy case could set a new precedent for companies using the court against their legal challengers.

The right-wing conspiracy site's owner Alex Jones is using “Subchapter V” bankruptcy to limit his obligation to pay off judgments for making false statements about the Sandy Hook shooting, but the Department of Justice is seeking to dismiss the bankruptcy case altogether by arguing the site's three debtors are nothing but shell companies, reported Axios.

"The strategy employed here ... is a novel and dangerous tactic that is abusive and undermines the integrity of the bankruptcy system," wrote the DOJ's watchdog in a court filing.

Jones was found liable in multiple defamation suits by families of Sandy Hook victims, and the damages trial was set to go when three small companies affiliated with the conspiracy theorist filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy using a relatively new subchapter to help small businesses reorganize rather than liquidate.

"I think it's fair to say that the drafters of subchapter V didn't envision this type of filing," said Ryan Preston Dahl, a partner in Ropes & Gray's business restructuring group, which is not involved in the Infowars case. "Subchapter V is intended to rehabilitate small businesses."

Subchapter V offers a streamlined process for companies with a debt load less than $3 million and currently engaged in business activities, and the companies that Jones put in bankruptcy hold few assets themselves so the plan seemed to be for him to funnel some of his money into them, have the bankruptcy court decide damages and have creditors -- the Sandy Hook families -- accept whatever was awarded.

“Courts have been clear that shell companies don’t cut it, but the analytical framework is certainly more of a sliding-scale test than a hard-and-fast calculation,” Nicholas Koffroth, an attorney with Fox Rothschild LLP, told Bloomberg Law. “A ruling in this case will add another marker on the sliding scale to help elucidate what circumstances may or may not fit within the Subchapter V eligibility standard.”

If the bankruptcy is allowed to go through, legal experts say, the Infowars case could have a seismic impact on other lawsuits.

“If this is allowed to go forward and to do so in Subchapter V — where there’s special benefits that are intended for somebody else, not these people — that will rock our bankruptcy world,” said Donald L. Swanson, a bankruptcy attorney and shareholder at Koley Jessen.

https://www.rawstory.com/alex-jones-sandy-hook-lawsuit-2657442951/

[Rick Plant]

3 dead after shooting outside of Cornerstone Church in Ames

AMES, Iowa — The Story County Sheriff's Office says a shooting took place outside of Cornerstone Church on the eastern edge of Ames on Thursday night.

Officials say they received multiple 911 calls at 6:51 p.m. on Thursday. Two people and the male gunman are dead.

The shooting happened during Salt Company, a college ministry program at the church. It was the first summer night of the program at Cornerstone.

A KCCI crew at the scene saw crime scene tape around the church parking lot with ambulances and other emergency vehicles responding.

KCCI spoke with Capt. Nick Lennie with the Story County Sheriff's Office earlier regarding the shooting.

"There was a program going on. We do have other individuals inside the church. We do not have any other information at this point if anybody else was injured in this. We are working through the process of investigating this incident and speaking with the others inside the church," Lennie said.

The Story County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is ongoing and expected to continue into Friday. They will provide an update at 10:30 a.m. on Friday.

Cornerstone Pastor Mike Vance released the following statement:

"Tonight, a tragic shooting occurred involving two young members of our Cornerstone Church community. Due to the ongoing investigation, we are not able to give any details at this time. We can say, however, that we are more than saddened by the events that transpired. Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected. Our Ministry staff are available to support all those impacted, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities as they complete their full investigation.

"We sincerely appreciate the responsiveness of the Story County Sheriff's Department, Ames PD, and all Law Enforcements Officials who have handled this matter with exceptional professionalism and compassion. Please join us in praying for all affected and their families.

"For anyone interested, we will be holding a prayer service tomorrow, June 3, 2022, at 10 AM, at Cornerstone Church of Ames, 56829 US HWY 30, Ames, IA, 50010. All are welcome to attend in-person or join us online at cornerstonelife.com/live."

https://www.kcci.com/article/cornerstone-church-ames-iowa-police-presence/40181931

[Rick Plant]

Ray Liotta, ‘Goodfellas’ star, is dead at 67



CNN — Ray Liotta, the actor known for his roles in “Field of Dreams” and the Martin Scorsese mob classic “Goodfellas,” has died.

He was 67.

“Ray was working on a project in the Dominican Republic called ‘Dangerous Waters’ when he passed. He passed in his sleep. He is survived by his daughter, Karsen, and his fiancée, Jacy Nittolo,” his publicist Jennifer Allen told CNN.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Liotta was the adopted son of Alfred and Mary Liotta, who also adopted a daughter, Linda.

He attended Union High School where he excelled at sports and went on to attend the University of Miami. He studied drama and was cast in his first play, “Cabaret.”

Following his college graduation, Liotta moved to New York City where he got work in commercials and was cast as Joey Perrini on the daytime soap opera “Another World,” in which he appeared from 1978 to 1981.

His performance as crazed ex-con Ray Sinclair in the 1986 Jonathan Demme film “Something Wild” proved to be a breakthrough role for the actor.

Liotta followed that with an acclaimed performance as baseball player “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in the box office hit “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner.

His most memorable role, perhaps, was as real-life mobster Henry Hill in the 1990 film “Goodfellas,” which cast him opposite heavy hitters Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

When asked by The Guardian in 2021 why he never worked with Scorsese again given the director’s propensity for using some of the same actors in different projects, Liotta responded, “I don’t know, you’d have to ask him. But I’d love to.”

Not that he didn’t find plenty of work over the years.

Liotta’s many film and television credits include “John Q,” “Blow,” “Operation Dumbo Drop,” “Hannibal,” “Wild Hogs” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”

More recently, Liotta narrated the TV docuseries “The Making of the Mob” and starred in “The Many Saints of Newark,” the prequel film to the hit television mob series “The Sopranos.”

He played plenty of tough guys, but that was not Liotta’s true persona.

“I have never been in a fight at all, except for during sports, and that’s just pushing and goofy kid stuff,” he told People magazine last year.

"Ray was the epitome of a tough guy who was all mushy on the inside … I guess that’s what made him such a compelling actor to watch,” said Jennifer Lopez, who starred with Liotta in the TV cop series, “Shades of Blue.”

“We enjoyed doing our scenes together and I felt lucky to have him there to work with and learn from. Like all artists he was complicated, sincere, honest and so very emotional,” she wrote Thursday on Instagram. “Like a raw nerve, he was so accessible and so in touch in his acting and I will always remember our time together fondly. We lost a great today.”

Liotta was currently cast in multiple projects, according to his IMDB profile.

Among them was “Cocaine Bear,” a thriller directed by actress Elizabeth Banks about what happens after a drug runner’s cocaine disappears in a plane crash and gets eaten by a bear. The movie is due next year.

“When any actor of Ray’s caliber puts trust in you as a director, it’s a gift,” Banks said on Instagram. “Ray’s respect for me as a director, actress and artist, as his boss on set, meant everything to me because if you can direct Henry Hill, you can do f***ing anything in this town. I am so grateful Ray Liotta blessed my life. May he Rest In Peace.”

Liotta’s profile dipped in recent decades as A-list projects mostly eluded him. But he never stopped working. And in his interview with People, Liotta had sounded hopeful about the next phase of his career.

“It’s weird how this business works, because I’ve definitely had a career that’s up and down,” he added. “For some reason, I’ve been busier this year than I have in all the years that I’ve been doing this. And I still feel I’m not there yet. I just think there’s a lot more.”

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/26/entertainment/ray-liotta-dead/index.html


Andy Fletcher obituary
Keyboard player and business brain of Depeche Mode who pushed the electronic band to long-lasting success



Bands could not function without a member designated the quiet standard bearer, and in Depeche Mode that was Andy Fletcher, who has died suddenly aged 60. Constitutionally modest, he was lucky inasmuch as the group had two members – singer Dave Gahan and guitarist Martin Gore – who were comfortable with being Depeche Mode’s public face. That allowed Fletcher, universally known as Fletch, to get on with being their backbone.

He was crucial to their makeup, pushing the band to achieve, chivvying them to get into the studio or on the road. Without his tenacity, exercised over 42 years, Depeche Mode would have splintered long before they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Fletcher was a keyboardist and passionate proponent of electronics, glorying in the synthesiser’s role in overturning the convention of music being made with guitars and drums. “Obviously, it’s sad to see the demise of the traditional rock group,” he said drily in 1993. “But there’s always going to be a place for it in cabaret.” But his musicianly interests were rivalled by a head for business. He enjoyed keeping tabs on receipts and merchandising, and for Depeche Mode, who became one of the world’s biggest touring groups in the 1990s, that was win-win: Fletcher was onstage behind his keyboard every night, but offstage performed dusty managerial duties. He estimated that he spent 17 years as player-manager; even after the band acquired heavyweight management he kept his hand in.

His knowledge of the industry was renowned. When his death was announced, the Pet Shop Boys, old confreres from the hit-making 80s, tweeted: “Fletch was a warm, friendly and funny person who loved electronic music and could also give sensible advice about the music business.” During the Hall of Fame induction, Gahan characterised the early Depeche Mode as “outsider, eyeliner-wearing weirdos from Essex”, but Fletcher was never as unconventional as Gahan and Gore. Rather, he viewed himself as “the tall guy in the background, without whom this international corporation called Depeche Mode would never work”.

He was the eldest of two sons and two daughters born in Nottingham to Joy and John Fletcher. In the early 60s, his father, an engineer, was offered a job at a cigarette factory in Basildon, and they became one of the first families to settle in the Essex new town. Andy joined the Christian organisation the Boys’ Brigade and remained a member until he was 18, during which he became actively religious. He attended church seven days a week, and with fellow member Vince Clarke, preached in the Brigade coffee bar. That period, he said, “shaped my moral beliefs and attitudes”. His church activities also sparked an interest in music, and it was there that he picked up his first instrument, a guitar. He retained his faith after he left the Brigade; in the 80s, as Depeche Mode charted with taut electropop singles that would influence rap, EDM and metal, he felt guilty about not going to church.

He took politics at A-level and planned to go to university, but instead, he and Clarke formed a band with a classmate from Nicholas comprehensive school in Laindon, Gore. Joined by Gahan, a friend from Southend, the new group had a ready-made audience on Southend’s busy social circuit. The band’s musical direction was shaped by Gore, who had bought a then-revolutionary synthesiser, while their image, according to Fletcher, was “post-Blitz kids with frilly shirts”. He got a job as a clerk at SunLife Insurance, and stuck with it until he was fairly sure he could make a living from music. By that point, Depeche Mode’s second single, New Life, had reached No 11 in the charts and they had been on Top of the Pops.

They maintained a considerable chart presence throughout the 1980s and 90s, with the music evolving in an ornate and gothic direction from the late 80s. Substance abuse, notably on Gahan’s part, marred their gargantuan 90s shows – the 14-month Devotional tour was described as “the most debauched rock’n’roll tour ever” by Q magazine. Fletcher, who had once viewed touring as “so much fun”, was now depressed. Moreover, he was used as a mediator by the brooding Gahan and the flamboyant Gore during their regular creative disputes.

Gahan became sober in the late 90s and the group resumed recording and playing live. Gore and Gahan launched solo careers, but Fletcher, who once said he had no great interest in writing songs, started his own record company, Toast Hawaii. He signed the band Client, which released several albums, but the label was always secondary to his Depeche Mode commitments and little was heard of it after Client departed in 2006. His involvement with the group did instil an interest in DJing – he learned the techniques at their gigs, and thereafter played occasional solo sets at clubs and festivals.

From the mid-90s, Fletcher and his wife, Gráinne Mullan, ran a restaurant in St John’s Wood, north London. He sold it after a decade, blaming “all the little things that went wrong”. He was game enough to re-enter the hospitality trade in 2021, investing in the relaunch of a Hampstead pub, the Duke of Hamilton.

Gráinne, whom he married in 1993, survives him, as do their children, Megan and Joe.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/27/andy-fletcher-obituary

[Rick Plant]

Crowds cheer Queen saluting Jubilee from palace balcony as historic festivities kick off



Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony on Thursday to a rapturous response from the tens of thousands of people gathered to see her, kicking off four days of public celebrations by millions in Britain and around the world to mark her historic Platinum Jubilee.

Honoring the 70-year reign of this beacon of constancy at the head of the British state, this four-day extravaganza got going on Thursday with the Trooping of the Colour, an annual military review that has marked the sovereign’s official birthday since 1760.

Accompanied by her cousin Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Her Majesty appeared on the balcony to take the salute from the Trooping of the Colour.

Despite mobility issues over the past year, Her Majesty is expected to appear once again on the balcony of Buckingham Palace along with the working members of her family at the end of the event, when 70 aircraft are set to roar overhead.

AFP

[Rick Plant]

Deadly Ames church shooting followed 'domestic situation' between alleged gunman and one victim, police say
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2022/06/03/ames-church-shooting-victims-vivian-renee-flores-eden-mariah-montang-gunman-johnathan-lee-whitlatch/7497109001/

[Rick Plant]

Manhunt underway after 2 shot at Kentucky funeral: report
https://www.rawstory.com/lexington-kentucky-funeral-shooting/

[Rick Plant]

Japanese man becomes world's oldest to sail solo across Pacific



An 83-year-old yachtsman arrived in Japan early Saturday morning after a solo, non-stop trip across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person ever to achieve the feat.

Famed ocean adventurer Kenichi Horie's arrival in the Kii Strait off western Japan capped a two-month trip that started from a yacht harbour in San Francisco in March.

It was only the latest seagoing achievement by the Japanese octogenarian, who in 1962 voyaged from Japan to San Francisco at age 23, becoming the first person in the world to sail alone across the Pacific.

The public relations team for his most recent voyage said Horie's Saturday return to Japan made him the world's oldest person to pull off a solo, non-stop crossing of the largest and deepest ocean on Earth.

"I'm about to cross the finish line," Horie wrote on his blog Friday after what he described as a three-day battle with the pushback from a current.

"I'm exhausted."

His 1962 Pacific crossing made headlines as he embarked on the trip without a passport, essentially smuggling his way into the United States.

Sixty years ago, "I was constantly anxious and stressed that I might get caught... My condition was the worst," he blogged in April.

"But this time it's different, I was sent off by many people and have their support through tracking systems and wireless radio. I couldn't be more grateful."

Aside from his 1962 Pacific crossing, Horie is known for sailing around the world solo in 1974 and his longitudinal voyage around the world between 1978 and 1982.

The latest expedition was the first he had undertaken since 2008, when he sailed from Honolulu to the Kii Strait on a wave-powered 31-foot boat.

© 2022 AFP