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Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group slumped to their lowest level ever at the opening bell Friday, the first trading day that its biggest shareholder, former President Donald Trump, is free to sell his stake in the company behind the Truth Social platform. Shares of Trump Media, commonly called TMTG, tumbled almost 7% to $13.73, putting the value of the company at less than $3 billion. Trump owns more than half of it. Trump and other insiders in the company have been unable to cash in on the highly volatile stock due standard lock-up agreements that prevent big stakeholders from selling stakes for a set period after a company becomes publicly traded. TMTG began trading publicly in March. Trump owns nearly 115 million shares of the company, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Based on TMTG’s share price early Friday, Trump’s holdings are worth, at least on paper, about $1.6 billion. It’s usually not in the best interest of big stakeholders to even attempt to sell large tranches of their stock because it could risk a broader sell-off. Since going public, shares in Trump Media have gyrated wildly, often depending on news related to Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. One week ago, the company’s shares jumped nearly 12% after Trump said he wouldn’t sell shares when the lock-up period lifted. The stock dipped more than 10% following the debate earlier this month between Trump and the Democrats’ nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. In mid-July, shares climbed more than 31% in the first day of trading following the first assassination attempt on Trump. Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. is now worth considerably less than several months ago. When the company made its debut on the Nasdaq in March, shares hit a high of $79.38. Truth Social came into existence after he was banned from Twitter and Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Based in Sarasota, Florida, Trump Media has been losing money and struggling to raise revenue. It lost nearly $58.2 million last year while generating only $4.1 million in revenue, according to regulatory filings. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — JD Vance not long ago described conspiracy theories as the feverish imaginings produced by “fringe lunatics writing about all manner of idiocy.” That was before he became a rising star in Republican politics. The Ohio senator and GOP’s vice presidential nominee has in recent years declared that the federal government deliberately allowed fentanyl into the United States to kill conservative and rural voters. He has praised Alex Jones, a well-known conspiracy theorist who claimed the deaths of 20 young children in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. And he’s echoed — contrary to all evidence — former President Donald Trump’s assertion that the 2020 election was unfairly won by Democrats and that those charged in the subsequent Capitol insurrection are “political prisoners.” More recently, he gave credence to the debunked idea that Haitian immigrants were abducting and devouring pets in Ohio. Longtime Republican strategists and academics say Vance’s evolution on the conspiracy theories can be traced to the Ohio politician’s desire to advance in Trump’s Republican Party. The former president has a long history of pushing unfounded claims. He lied about former President Barack Obama having been born in Kenya, and about doctors performing “post-birth abortions.” He has said that wind turbines cause cancer. And he has repeatedly amplified social media posts that elections cannot be trusted. Vance has “entirely reinvented himself,” said Joseph Uscinski, a University of Miami professor and expert on the history of conspiracy theories. “It’s advantageous now because of what Trump has done to the GOP. It probably would not have worked, you know, 20, 30 years ago. He would have been seen as a kook. But now given what Trump has done to the GOP, this is sort of par for the course.” Denying conspiracy theories is not a recipe for electoral success. Mike Pence and Liz Cheney are examples of what can happen to those who refuse to embrace such ideas. Pence, Trump’s former vice president, refused to go along with the scheme to overturn the 2020 election, ensuring his run in the 2024 GOP presidential primary went nowhere. Former Rep. Cheney came under assault from Trump and his allies after she helped lead the House investigation into his role in the insurrection. She was stripped of her leadership role in Congress and lost her House seat to a Trump-endorsed candidate in the Republican primary. A spokesperson for Vance’s campaign said that while the candidate stands by many of his claims — including the idea that immigrants in Ohio are abducting pets — others have been misrepresented by Democrats. Vance suggested recently that he is comfortable sharing unfounded claims if they draw attention to an issue. “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do,” he said Sunday on CNN. Later in the same interview he said his claims about abducted pets had helped to “focus” the media’s attention on immigration. Vance, 40, found early success and fame as the writer of “Hillbilly Elegy,” his best-selling 2016 memoir that examined the plight of rural America. Besides labeling conspiracy theorists as “fringe lunatics” in the book, Vance wrote that their beliefs were popular, in part, because people had lost faith in the media. “With little trust in the press, there’s no check on the Internet conspiracy theories that rule the digital world.” Before he wrote the book, Vance expressed similar insights to friends. Cullen Tiernan served in the U.S. Marines with Vance when they were deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2006. Tiernan said Vance routinely rejected conspiracy theories that came up in discussions, including one that alleged the U.S. government had actually been behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attack. Vance “just didn’t have time for it,” said Tiernan, who remains a close friend of the senator. A review of Vance’s published works and speeches shows he first began diving into the conspiracy pool after announcing his candidacy in 2021 for an open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. He defended Jones, the host of InfoWars, in a 2021 speech, saying that “believing crazy things is not the mark of whether somebody should be rejected.” A spokesperson for Vance’s campaign told the AP that the candidate doesn’t agree with Jones when it comes to the Sandy Hook massacre, before comparing that conspiracy theory to Democratic concerns about Russian support for Trump in 2016. The senator has also repeatedly questioned the seriousness of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and dismissed the threats on Pence’s life — rioters were searching for the vice president in the Capitol, chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!” He said the “real assault on democracy” wasn’t Jan. 6 — but the fact that people charged in the riot were still locked up. ”It is an insult to all of us that so many people are rotting in prison without being offered a speedy trial. These people are political prisoners,” he wrote on social media in 2022. And he wrote a favorable blurb for a book that came out in July by Jack Posobiec, a political operative who is perhaps best known for promoting the “ Pizzagate ” conspiracy that alleged Democrats were pedophiles who were hiding abducted children in pizza parlors. Vance has also invoked George Soros, one of the far right’s favorite bogeymen. Soros, the Jewish financier and Democratic megadonor, is such a ubiquitous target in some conservative circles that it can obscure the longstanding antisemitic tropes mirrored in language used to describe him: of rich Jewish bankers secretly controlling the world, wealthy Jewish puppet masters pulling the strings of those in power. In December 2021, Vance said Soros “ has blood on his hands ” for helping Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner get into office. “George Soros put millions into Krasner’s campaigns, which promised to go easy on the types of criminals who commit these murders,” Vance wrote on X. Vance has promoted the “great replacement theory,” which claims that Democrats are trying to use immigrants to replace white Americans in a bid to control the nation. Rooted in anti-Semitism and racism, many adherents to the theory claim the scheme is being orchestrated by powerful Jews like Soros, along with other “globalists” or “elites.” “We have an invasion in this country because very powerful people get richer and more powerful because of it,” Vance said on Fox News in 2022. “It’s not bad policy,” Vance added, “it’s evil.” Vance’s campaign rejects suggestions that he engages in anti-Semitic or anti-immigrant rhetoric. It notes the candidate has three biracial children with his wife, the daughter of immigrants from India. The campaign also says Democrats have talked about how immigration could help their party’s electoral chances. “Many leading Democrats have gleefully exclaimed, in public, that changing demographics would lead to an increase in political power for their side,” the campaign said. By attacking Soros and promoting the great replacement theory, however, Vance is flirting with dangerous rhetoric that has touched off violence in the past, said Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Not long ago, major party candidates would have rejected such theories, if only out of fear that voters would see them as racist or anti-Semitic. That is no longer the case, Spitalnick said. “It’s becoming increasingly normalized and increasingly mainstreamed,” she said. “It’s not accidental, and it’s incredibly dangerous.” Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WHITESBURG, Ky. (AP) — The sheriff charged with murder in the shooting of a rural Kentucky judge in his courthouse chambers was accused in a federal lawsuit of failing to investigate allegations that one of his deputies repeatedly sexually abused a woman in the same judge’s chambers. The preliminary investigation indicates that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times on Thursday following an argument inside the courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines surrendered without incident. Just what the two men were arguing about wasn’t immediately made clear. Stines was deposed on Monday in a lawsuit filed by two women, one of whom alleged that a deputy forced her to have sex inside Mullins’ chambers for six months in exchange for staying out of jail. The lawsuit accuses the sheriff of “deliberate indifference in failing to adequately train and supervise” the deputy. The now-former deputy sheriff, Ben Fields, pleaded guilty to raping the female prisoner while she was on home incarceration. Fields was sentenced this year to six months in jail and then six and a half years on probation for rape, sodomy, perjury and tampering with a prisoner monitoring device, The Mountain Eagle reported. Three charges related to a second woman were dismissed because she is now dead. Stines fired Fields, who was his successor as Mullins’ bailiff, for “conduct unbecoming” after the lawsuit was filed in 2022, The Courier Journal reported at the time. The killing of the judge sent shock waves through the tight-knit Appalachian town. Whitesburg is the county seat of government with about 1,700 residents located about 145 miles (235 kilometers) southeast of Lexington. Rather than hold the sheriff in the local jail, authorities booked Stines into the Leslie County Detention Center, two counties away, where he remained Friday morning. Lead county prosecutor Matt Butler described an outpouring of sympathy as he recused himself and his office from the investigation, citing social and family ties to Mullins. “We all know each other here. … Anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married sisters and that we have children who are first cousins but act like siblings,” Butler said in a statement from his office. “For that reason, among others, I have already taken steps to recuse myself and my entire office.” Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will collaborate with a commonwealth’s attorney in the region as special prosecutors in the criminal case. Mullins, 54, was hit multiple times in the shooting, state police said. Stines, 43, was charged with one count of first-degree murder. “We will fully investigate and pursue justice,” Coleman said on social media. Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said he was “shocked by this act of violence” and that the court system was “shaken by this news.” Letcher County’s judge-executive closed the county courthouse on Friday. It was unclear whether Stines had an attorney — state police referred inquires to a spokesperson who did not immediately respond by email. “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow,” Gov. Andy Beshear posted in response to the shooting. Mullins served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to give a speech on Friday focused squarely on abortion rights and she’ll do so in Georgia, where news reports have documented women’s deaths in the face of the state’s six-week ban. Meanwhile, lawmakers are scrambling to ensure that the U.S. Secret Service has enough money and resources to keep the nation’s presidential candidates safe amid repeated threats of violence. The efforts follow a July assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally and after a second apparent attempt last weekend at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. And voters are split on whether Harris or Trump would better handle the economy, a new AP-NORC poll finds. Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024. Here’s the latest: The Teamsters Rail Conference, which represents 70,000 members, endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on Friday. The announcement comes as a flurry of Teamsters locals back the Democratic ticket even though the national union declined to make an endorsement in the presidential race. “The lives and livelihoods of railroaders are more dependent than most workers on decisions made by the federal government,” said the Teamsters Rail Conference, which cited Democrats’ support for worker-friendly regulations like paid sick leave. The rail workers’ endorsement differs from a previous statement from the Teamsters’ national leadership, which cited Harris’ stance on rail strikes as a reason not to endorse her. Vice President Kamala Harris said she’s “very proud” to have earned Taylor Swift’s endorsement but poked at the pop superstar over the Super Bowl in a new video interview released Friday. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to win February’s game. Harris and Swift supported opposing teams. Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney, is a 49ers fan, while Swift backs the Chiefs. Her boyfriend is Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. In WIRED’s Autocomplete Interview, which Harris sat for earlier this week, she noted the split with Swift over the Super Bowl but said, “Who’s mad at anyone for being loyal to their team?” On Swift’s endorsement, Harris said, “I am very proud to have the support of Taylor Swift” and described the singer-songwriter as “an incredible artist.” “I really respect the courage that she has had in her career to stand up for what she believes is right,” the vice president said. Swift announced her endorsement shortly after the conclusion of Harris’ debate on Sept. 10 with Republican Donald Trump. Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated more than $1 billion in ticket sales Washington, D.C., has a new tourist stop that surely will be made over once the next president settles into office. “The Peoples’s House: A Washington Experience” is set to open on Monday, covering three floors in an office building a block from the White House. The education center boasts a full-scale replica of the Oval Office decorated just as President Joe Biden’s currently is — right down to his desk, the armchairs in front of the fireplace and the weathered family Bible resting on a side table. But it won’t look that way for long. The plan is to update the replica Oval next year after either Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump is elected in November and assumes office, and the décor is set. The replica will always mirror the Oval Office of the sitting president, so it will be updated regularly, said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association. The nonprofit organization raised money to open the education center. Admission is free; timed tickets are required. Vice President Kamala Harris has grown more open about her gun ownership in recent weeks, but on Thursday she for the first time said what she’d do with the handgun she owns. Speaking during a campaign event hosted by the talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Harris was addressing her efforts to cut down on violence and pass a new ban on assault-style weapons, when she referenced owning a handgun — surprising Winfrey. “If somebody’s breaking into my house they’re gettin shot,” Harris added. She continued: “I probably shouldn’t have said that. My staff will deal with that later.” A live stream with Vice President Kamala Harris and talk show host Oprah Winfrey billed as a “Unite for America” rally kicked off Thursday night with more than 230,000 viewers on YouTube alone even before Harris joined, as the Democrat looks to digital-first events to reach voters. The event was hosted by Winfrey from suburban Michigan, one of this election’s key battlegrounds, and leaned on celebrities like Brian Cranston, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, and Meryl Streep, but also the stories of ordinary voters to promote Harris’s message. “I want to bring my daughters to the White House to meet this Black woman president,” said comedian Chris Rock. Donald Trump appeared before Jewish leaders in Washington D.C. on Thursday to talk about antisemitism. But as the former president is wont to do, he took a large detour at the top of his speech, name-checking his Republican allies in the crowd, discussing the Green New Deal “scam” and pontificating about his polling numbers at length. Trump was roughly an hour late to his speech, which was slated to begin around 6 p.m. “Kamala Harris has done absolutely nothing. She has not lifted a single finger to protect you, or protect your children, or even protect you with words… I’m here to tell you today that this ugly kind of antisemitic hate for all of us — bigotry and hate — will be turned back … starting at noon on Jan. 23rd,” he said. “With your vote, I will be your protector and defender and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House.” Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an emergency appeal from Nevada’s Green Party seeking to include presidential candidate Jill Stein on the ballot in the battleground state. The court’s order Friday, without any noted dissents, allows ballot preparation and printing to proceed in Nevada without Stein and other Green Party candidates included. The outcome is a victory for Democrats who had challenged the Greens’ inclusion on the ballot in a state with a history of extremely close statewide races. In 2020, President Joe Biden outpaced former President Donald Trump by fewer than 35,000 votes in the state. The state’s Democratic party had sued to kick Stein off the ballot after the Green party submitted enough signatures to include her. A lower state court ruled in her favor, but the state Supreme Court decided the petition forms were faulty. The Green party was represented at the Supreme Court by Jay Sekulow, a Trump ally who was part of the president’s legal team during his first impeachment trial. Across the country, a network of Republican political operatives, lawyers and their allies is trying to shape November’s election in ways that favor Trump. Their goal is to prop up third-party candidates, including Stein and Cornel West who offer liberal voters an alternative that could siphon away support from Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com