Author: George Thomas Jr.
George Thomas Jr. is a former newspaper reporter who has covered politics, science and the arts, as well as an award-winning filmmaker.
The First Amendment guarantees freedom of expression, which includes news stories, even if false. Only if the fake news strays into defamation—a false statement purporting to be fact that damages another person’s reputation—then legal action can be taken.
While the seemingly unlikely election of Donald Trump has prompted reactions spanning the emotional spectrum, it has spawned yet another interesting—if not altogether surprising—result: talk of California seceding from the United States. But could such a “Calexit” succeed? And, if so, at what cost?
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump continues to warn the election is rigged against him, and now implies he’ll only accept the final results “if I win.” His claims are clearly provocative, possibly designed to change the conversation (which was previously focused on accusations of sexual harassment), and perhaps even potentially destabilizing for the American system of democracy. But does he have a point?
While the law mainly protects against libel and slander, the ownership of the story of your life depends on a variety of factors. How much of your life is private if you’re involved in a major news event that receives wide publicity? If you hold public office, to what degree can you expect a degree of privacy?
Lying in politics is as much a part of history as it is part of just about any political campaign. And the sad reality is it’s perfectly legal.
What may surprise you is the Constitution is officially, at this moment, irrelevant. Why? Because the United States is currently under a state of national “emergency.” In fact, the country has been perpetually under numerous states of national emergency since 1979, when President Jimmy Carter declared one during the Iranian hostage crisis.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, to be sure, is a candidate like no other. So it should be no surprise that his Donald J. Trump Foundation also doesn’t act like others of its kind.
Though it didn’t get a lot of press this summer in the midst of the Olympics and election-year politics, a Supreme Court case that originated in Texas continues to have big implications for California and other states with high rates of undocumented immigrant families.