BREAKING: NEWSOM SUES FOX NEWS IN BOMBSHELL LAWSUIT

BREAKING: NEWSOM SUES FOX NEWS IN BOMBSHELL LAWSUIT

i’m joined by the governor of California Gavin Newsome thanks for taking the time it’s good to be with you
so we have some breaking news here and that is that you have sued Fox News can you explain what that lawsuit is about
well it’s in my personal capacity it’s a defamation lawsuit because they willfully and knowingly distorted facts they lied uh about a phone call that never occurred between the president of the United States and myself uh on not one but multiple occasions their news organization from John Roberts himself to Jesse Waters knowingly misstated facts in fact so much so there was a chiron and the Jesse Waters show that bait blatantly uh suggested that I lied about a phone call with Donald Trump and so I I I am not someone that litigates i’m not someone that typically would jump uh on something like this but it was so blatant it was so gratuitous uh that I felt compelled uh to push back against this propaganda network
and so what would it take um for for you to dismiss this case because that was part of the the letter that had been sent to Fox News via your attorneys today
yeah i mean it’s simple just apologize and give it as much air time uh that you gave it when you weaponized the lie um remember this is the largest news organization cable news organization in the United States 65 plus million people Fox News Fox Business uh hundreds of millions of people as it relates to social networks uh carried that uh my inbox was blowing up saying you know from people that are supporters of mine saying “Why’d you lie about the phone call?” I said “You got what are you talking about?” uh not realizing the origin story uh so it was damaging uh it was impactful it was happening in the middle of a very contentious moment in US history not just the history uh of this state visa v the Trump administration it was around the National Guard and the back and forth um and I just have never seen something so blatant it’s one thing to assert it’s one thing to omit uh it’s another uh to see a news organization knowingly and willfully lying and manipulating the facts and defaming someone so look we can allow it to continue or we can push back and I’m choosing in this defamation suit to push back in demanding an apology and in the absence of that let’s go to court
i’m going to put a clip of Jesse Waters show right here on the screen
and he said there wasn’t a phone call said Trump never called him not even a voicemail he said but John Roberts got Trump’s call logs and it shows Trump called him late Friday night and they talked for 16 minutes why would Nome lie and claim Trump never called him why would he do that
so um of course this was Jesse Waters editing out the part where Donald Trump says that he spoke with you a day ago because he’s trying to run cover for him and lie on his behalf um I’m old enough to remember when Republicans and these Fox News hosts and even Donald Trump himself were suggesting that that an edited interview at the hands of CBS was one of the worst uh the worst crimes that a news network could commit against somebody and so what do you what’s your reaction to the fact that that these are people who are right now on the heels of suggesting that CBS is like um you know is this network of criminals for for for interfering on the election in the election uh on Kla Harris’s behalf and then you’ve got Fox News doing the exact same thing that they were just decrying 5 minutes earlier
yeah you you nailed it and and not only is CBS 60 Minutes and those ongoing settlement conversations uh but the settlement that occurred at ABC News uh that uh was uh advanced by Donald Trump and of course covered up again supported uh and weaponized in terms of that cover on Fox itself i mean Jesse Waters I mean this is the amazing thing about this guy uh he has himself said “When you manipulate or edit facts for a public official someone needs to be fired.” He actually asserted they said “Someone needs to be fired.” I think he’s right in that case uh he was wrong in this case uh to be uh the participant in this smear this defamation and this lie and uh and so I hope he reads his own words i’m going to put uh Fox News’s statement up on the screen they wrote “Governor Newsome’s transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him we will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed.” Can I have your reaction to their statement
well it’s almost almost verbatim what they said in the Dominion case 787 million reasons uh they fell short uh they knew they had lied uh in that original statement against Dominion their line in this case I mean look at the Chiron you just put up says Gavin lied about call Trump yeah
period full stop i mean I don’t know what more smoking gun you need um and so look the this is a this organization um needs to be held to account i think what’s so frustrating I think for all of us um is they learned no lessons from that defamation case as it relates to Dominion nothing they continue the practices that led to that record-breaking settlement and that’s why this needs to be filed that’s why we felt compelled to make this case uh and to assert ourselves and look they want to apologize they can apologize they want to hide behind these lies they’ll pay a price
how confident are you that this uh satisfies the qualifications to meet the threshold of defamation because it is a high bar for for public officials uh uh public personas and and news networks even though you know clearly to your exact point they they were found uh they were found liable of defamation in their previous lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems
i think it’s it’s cut as dry they got we got to prove factual malice that’s not complicated they knowingly lied they knowingly edited they knowingly misrepresented the facts knowingly did the above and it’s interesting we are the the firm representing us the folks uh uh that represented the Sandy Hook families um we we’ve got some of the top attorneys in the United States of America uh they wouldn’t have filed this unless they knew this was an ironclad case we filed it in Delaware where Fox is incorporated um and uh and and and I trust me I’m all in on the litigation enough fox is out of control the Trump administration is out of control they’re covering up for them they’ll cover up by line and defaming uh public officials they need to be held to account that’s not ethical that’s not journalism uh those are not the core tenants of a news organization um that is malice it’s willful uh and it’s meant to demean and uh destroy the reputation of their enemies and I could take it i take it 24/7 on Fox they’ve been coming after me for years and years and years but they crossed the line on this and they’ve defamed my character in a way uh that they need to be held to account simple apology will do in the absence of that full accountability because they need to be stopped and they need to be held to journalistic and ethical account what do you what do you make of the fact that this is a news network that is showing that part of its business model is lying on behalf of Trump or the Republican party or their agenda more broadly to the tune to to the to the point where you know these $787 million payouts to Dominion Voting Systems this lawsuit that they’re now contending with um by by you in your personal capacity i it it almost feels like the cost of doing business if you’re Fox News that that they are just there to lie and if it means they have to pay that’s just you know you got to pay in the same way that they have to pay their employees in the same way that you have to you know stock the breakroom with coffee it’s just okay now we have a pot of money that we have to go uh to satisfying these lawsuits
it appears that way i mean to your point you would think after knowingly uh well being caught as it relates to the Dominion case and not wanting to go to trial because they would knew they would lose in that trial and settling for that record amount of money they would stop they haven’t stopped to your point and it’s about truth it’s about trust go after enemies go after PE i get it i get it you got a strong bias that’s fine but don’t cloak it under the news frame don’t suggest you’re you’re running an ethical operation or at least reporting the news uh that’s an opinion operation and so that’s fundamentally the line that needs to be drawn here uh again I have no problem with criticism i take it as much or more than anybody but I have a problem with people crossing that red line of ethics uh it’s no longer a news organization it’s a propaganda network and they didn’t to your point learn the lesson from Dominion and unless we push back unless we assert ourselves unless we stand up they’ll continue to run rough shot over facts truth trust and this democracy and what’s happening with this guy in the White House and the fact that they’re covering up uh for such extraordinary abusive behavior uh the president of United States lied but that’s not a news story when he said that he had a call with me the day before it was a lie he then tried to cover up his own lie the president of the United States with a screenshot that actually proved my point right that he was referred to a call many days before and then Fox tried to cover up for his lie in his manipulation uh that’s a bridge too far and I just want folks to know listening not this is my personal capacity but if there’s any punitive damages they go to the advancement of truth and trust they don’t go to me this is not about something I’m trying to capitalize on but I am trying to capitalize on a construct and a and a commitment uh to fairness and decency and to ethics and journalistic integrity and Fox can’t lay claim uh to uh accessing the minds of millions and millions of people u with the rules that have been established in this country without meeting some basic ethical standards and they’ve broken that in this case you know Fox and and critics will say that this will chill free speech and that Democrats are hypocritical because this is happening at the same time that the left complains about uh Trump’s attacks on CBS and Paramount and and their lawsuit with ABC News and so what would your reaction to that be
well don’t lie don’t knowingly and willfully lie and distort the facts don’t defame someone knowingly report the news express a point of view um be objective news organization uh but do not commit uh the assault on truth and trust by knowingly and willfully lying uh and demeaning uh the facts and demeaning the character of the target uh of their derision period full stop and again we’re just asking for an apology i’m not asking for a settlement only in the absence of an apology
when do they have to apologize by they’ve got a few weeks to do so and uh we’re ready to go if they don’t based on that statement again almost mimicking uh the Dominion statement um they seem uh to to want to fight this out and I say bring it on
i want to switch gears a little bit here in uh in the couple minutes that we have to talk about something that’s happening in California some good news happening in California a beat that I’ve been on for a long time obviously I’m broadcasting from Los Angeles here where we’ve spoken numerous times about how the film ind the entertainment industry has been decimated how other c how other states and other countries have been able to lure um uh the business away whether it’s Atlanta New York Toronto Vancouver Austin uh New Orleans um so much of the film industry here in Los Angeles has has been has been so gutted uh over the over the last you know 5 to 10 years and so I know that we have an update that is also breaking right now can you explain what just happened in the California legislature
yeah literally um uh we uh just more than doubled our film tax credit to over $750 million it’s a big commitment uh to invest in the future uh of not only film uh but uh pre and postp production to invest in the ecosystem uh in in not only Hollywood but throughout the state of California to recognize the point you just made the world we invented Hollywood is now competing against us not just in states but as you suggest all around the globe uh and for the United States of America uh I think it’s also a wakeup call as it relates to losing ing uh one of our great exports uh and I think for the Trump administration uh they may want to do a little bit more in this space themsela from a national prism but the state of California is finally uh starting to get back in the game and I’m really uh pleased that the legislature finally moved on this proposal we announced it last October it went through a budgetary process we had a challenging budget this year uh nonetheless we significantly increased this investment that shows our commitment and we leave and and Brian I want to just reinforce this we also know that this is not enough it’s not just about the money it’s about intentionality it’s about an attitude it’s about showing a respect for this industry and those that support it uh and making sure that this is the beginning of a process to double down uh and support uh one of the world’s great exports film
can can you speak about who this is going to impact because I know that there are going to be critics who say “Look with all of the terrible happening across the the country right now you know you’re giving money to to these rich and famous actors in Hollywood but can you can you shed some light on on who this actually impacts and what it means for the city of Los Angeles?”
Well the these are the people putting up the lighting uh these are the folks out there with the catering trucks uh that’ll get the benefits these are Teamsters these are brothers and sisters in labor that uh uh the Grips and others these are the folks that uh that uh frankly don’t you know their names may appear in the credits uh but they’re way down the line it’s not about the headline uh talent this is about uh keeping these jobs uh and maintaining uh that ecosystem and and dare I say extended terms the supply chain uh here in the state of California but it’s also about Los Angeles it’s also about the recovery in LA uh it’s also about pride it’s about spirit it’s about those intangibles so yes it’s an economic and workforce development strategy yes it’s in an area of our state disproportionately that’s been devastated by wildfires uh and now is under siege by 4,900 military uh that have been deployed against the will of the sitting governor in the state uh and it’s about getting people back on their feet and once again working again in a region of our state that deserves our attention and investment
you’d mentioned uh previously that that that this is you know the the beginning steps that there will be more do do you anticipate or or could you commit to or is there any hope that in the future we will see yes we have uh one of the country’s highest tax credits now at $750 million believe Atlanta is Georgia is higher with with uh with a million dollars but um do you anticipate that we’ll see an even higher tax credit if and when this proves uh to work in the future
yeah look I if this works success leaves clues i mean there’s you know and we’ve seen the power of emulation we’ve seen the success of other states look Georgia I got to give them credit i mean Georgia has made a long-term investment over the course of many many years and at first people looked at it rolled their eyes a little bit said maybe you know this is the next iteration maybe it’s a New Mexico version maybe they’re trying to be like Toronto maybe there’s not a lot of sustained power but they’ve sustainably continued to make those investments and I got to tell you the values coming out of Georgia as it relates to progressive values that a lot of the folks uh in film are promoting they run anathema to that this is the states that are trying to roll back the you know that last century as it relates to LGBTQ rights and voting rights and civil rights and uh and and many other uh fundamental rights i imagine a lot of these producers a lot of these writers would love to start writing and producing films back in the state of California because it more aligns with their values as well the talent uh both in front of the screen and behind the screen so we got to step up and uh I’ll just to your question also say it’s not just the state that needs to step up i mentioned the federal government and that’s important but also local government needs to step up you got to fix your permitting issues we got to fix the jurisdictional issues around permitting within cities and counties uh we’ve got to make it easier we’ve got to address some of the overtime issues not as a way to degragate or diminish uh the the rightful earnings of people that are working overtime but there are some deeply expensive costs associated with securing uh some of these sites and uh some of the uh productions have highlighted that and I hope as well as a former mayor of San Francisco I did some local tax credits uh that we see cities all up and down our state uh amplifying our state tax credit with local tax credits well look I you know I again I’ve been on this beat for a long time i know that this is beyond appreciated uh and uh and it’s a long time coming too so I’m grateful for for your work and making sure it gets passed grateful for the legislaturator’s work in making sure that this gets passed and uh hopefully more to come in the future but uh one television show that all eyes are on right now uh as it relates to your lawsuit here that we spoke about is Jesse Waters so I guess uh I guess it’s it’s Jesse Waters moves here and uh and we’ll see what happens next so with that said Governor Nome appreciate your time today
thanks for having me on [Music]

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