Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
(NEW YORK) — Elon Musk is terminating his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, according to a new Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
“Mr. Musk has sought the data and information necessary to ‘make an independent assessment of the prevalence of fake or spam accounts on Twitter’s platform'” and did not receive it, the filing stated.
Fake accounts have become a sticking point in Musk’s rollercoaster bid to acquire the social media platform, with the Tesla CEO previously threatening to end his agreement over concerns about the prevalence of bot and spam accounts
In the filing on Friday, Musk’s attorney claimed that Twitter “is in material breach of multiple provisions of that agreement” and appears to have made “false and misleading representations” when entering into the agreement.
Twitter stock is down about 6% in after-hours trading.
ABC News’ has reached out to Twitter for comment.
ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Cruise and Teller in “Maverick” — Paramount Pictures
When any film makes a billion bucks, it’s all but guaranteed its movie studio wants to talk “sequel.” But in the case of Top Gun: Maverick, it all comes down to one person: Tom Cruise.
Considering the fact the biggest hit of his career came 36 years after the hit original, it’s unlikely we have to wait that long for a follow-up — if there will be any.
Still, co-star Miles Teller, who plays Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Anthony Edwards‘ character “Goose” from the first movie, told Entertainment Tonight that he’s had “conversations about it” with Cruise.
“That would be great, but that’s all up to TC, that’s all up to Tom,” Teller says.
The film has Cruise’s AARP-qualified ace Navy pilot having to train a new squad of young hotshots for a dangerous mission. Teller’s fellow flyers included Monica Barbaro, Jay Ellis and Glen Powell.
However, even if a sequel doesn’t come to pass, the actor is satisfied. He says of the now-60-year-old star, “For him to share Top Gun with me and a lot of these other young actors, it’s just been such a wild ride, and it’s still going.”
Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images, FILE
(NEW YORK) — The federal fraud case against the top executives of the failed biotech company Theranos posed an interesting tale of two different trials, according to ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis.
Jarvis, the host and creator “The Dropout,” ABC News’ podcast that chronicled the case against its founder Elizabeth Holmes, spoke with “Start Here,” Friday following the conviction of Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the former president and COO of Theranos, on fraud charges.
A jury on Thursday convicted Balwani, Holmes’ former romantic partner, on 12 counts of fraud for his role in defrauding investors and patients.
The company claimed it could run any blood test using only a few drops of blood via its so-called proprietary technology. However, according to prosecutors, their product, a machine called “Edison,” could never run more than a dozen blood tests at a time.
Balwani joined Theranos in 2009, six years after Holmes created the startup, and quickly rose to be its president and chief operating officer.
Holmes, who faced 11 counts of fraud, one less than Balwani, was convicted on only four counts of fraud in January, which related to investors.
The feds originally charged Balwani and Holmes together, but their trials were later severed after Holmes revealed she may testify to abuse at the hands of Balwani. He denied those allegations.
Jarvis said Holmes taking the stand was a key factor in the different outcomes.
“[The abuse claims] did not come up at his trial, but for during [Holmes’] seven days of testimony, they were a big portion of what she talked about,” Jarvis told “Start Here.”
“The biggest difference is that he didn’t take the stand to say, ‘I didn’t do this,’ or…raise his own objections to the claims against him.”
Jarvis noted that after the federal government filed its charges against the duo, Balwani’s attorney initially told her, in 2018, this was a business failure and they were in it together. Things changed once they faced separate trials and evidence such as texts and e-mails that implicated that Balwani came to light.
“You think about a jury who is supposed to know nothing about any of their backstory, and they’re shown these things like…case pictures of her so much younger than him, supposedly having to rely on him for his expertise,” she said.
“You can imagine where the jury may have found that presentation more sympathetic than Sunny Balwani who had experience,” she said.
Holmes is scheduled to be sentenced in September and Balwani later this year. Both face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison per count.
Holmes’s attorneys have filed an appeal and Balwani’s attorneys are expected to follow suit, according to Jarvis. However, Jarvis said legal scholars and other experts say those appeals are rarely successful.
However, the case will have a broader impact on the business world and how future start-ups present themselves to investors and customers, she said.
“You don’t get to run a successful business on what might happen in the future. You can’t tell investors what might happen in the future. You can’t tell patients that your product might someday be up to snuff when it isn’t,” Jarvis said.
Julius Onah, the Nigerian-born director of 2018’s hit The Cloverfield Paradox, has been handed the reins to the next Captain America movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Marvel Studios is characteristically mum at this point, but the trade says he’s the man that will get Anthony Mackie‘s Sam Wilson to take flight in his first big-screen mission as Captain America.
As previously reported, the project is being written by Malcolm Spellman, who created, co-wrote, and produced the hit Disney+ show The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Another vet from the show’s writers’ room, Dalan Musson, is co-writing the screenplay.
The Emmy-nominated series picked up where Avengers: Endgame left off: After Chris Evans‘ Steve Rogers passed the shield and Cap mantle to Wilson, the series showed him grappling with what it means for a Black man in America to take up the stars and stripes on his vibranium shield.
The show ended with him embracing the title and vowing to do what he could to honor it.
There’s no word yet when the fourth Captain America is coming to theaters, but it’s expected Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige could reveal it at San Diego Comic-Con later this month.
Dua Lipa has new rules for the summer and they all involve her new line of spiked seltzers.
Last May the Grammy winner added a new job to her expansive resume: CFO, or “chief flavor officer,” of Truly Hard Seltzer. The two have finally released her first batch of drinks. Dubbed the Truly Poolside Variety Pack, it is packed with flavors inspired by her Future Nostalgia album, reports People.
She invites fans to open a can and sip on flavors such as piña colada style, strawberry melon fizz, kiwi mojito style and orange peach fizz. Each can will come with its own tagline, such as “Floaties Not Included” or “How Chill.”
She also fashioned the cans to hearken back to the ’90s with bold, retro colors and accents.
“I love exploring new ways to express my creativity,” Dua said of her new venture. “Playing CFO, Chief Flavor Officer, for Truly’s new Poolside Variety Pack is the latest trick up my sleeve and it being ready just in time for summer is no coincidence! See you by the pool!”
You can get your hands on a pack through the end of July.
Travis Denning has a new EP on the way called Might As Well Be Me. The six-song collection is due out August 5, but you can listen to one new track, “Buy a Girl a Drink,” right now.
Zac Brown Band have announced the next duet to come off the deluxe version of their The Comeback album. The track is a version of “Wild Palomino” that features Cody Johnson. It’ll be out next Friday, July 15.
Jelly Roll joined Craig Morgan on the Grand Ole Opry stage on Thursday night, and the pair gave an emotional performance of Craig’s “Almost Home.” It was a full-circle moment for the rising star, who cites Craig as one of his musical heroes.
Like many celebrities and entertainers who have spoken out about Brittney Griner‘s detainment in Russia, Chris Brown chimed in to share his thoughts on the case.
“It’s not my business. But…..it’s F****d up what they doing to Brittney Griner,” Brown wrote on his Instagram Story, later saved and shared by The Shade Room.
“IF THIS WAS A MALE STAR ATHLETE YALL WOULD BE WAY MORE VOCAL AND HELPFUL.” He added, “THAT S**T LAME AS F**K. I WISH I COULD REALLY HELP HER OUT.”
Brown seemingly agrees with Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard, who recently spoke to the media about Griner’s continued detainment.
“If it was LeBron [James], he’d be home, right?” Nygaard asked, according to USA Today. “It’s a statement about the value of women. It’s a statement about the value of a Black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person. All of those things. We know it, and so that’s what hurts a little more.”
The WNBA star has been held in Russia since Feb. 17, when she was arrested while visiting the country to play basketball in the off-season. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport for having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country. In a Thursday court appearance,Grinerpleaded guilty to drug charges, saying that the vape cartridges were in her luggage unintentionally.
“I did not have any intention on breaking Russian law,” she said.
Heart singer Ann Wilson will take part in a special performance at an exhibition of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay‘s extensive collection of rock memorabilia and other historic artifacts, which will be held August 2 in Irsay’s hometown of Chicago.
Wilson will perform at the event with The Jim Irsay Band, which features Irsay backed by founding R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, longtime John Mellencamp guitarist Mike Wanchic, John Fogerty touring drummer Kenny Aronoff and other noteworthy musicians.
The exhibit of the Jim Irsay Collection and the performance will take place at the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier and will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. CT. The event is free, but tickets will be required to attend and can be reserved at Eventbrite.com.
Irsay’s collection includes guitars that were played and/or owned by Bob Dylan, members of The Beatles, Prince, Eric Clapton, The Grateful Dead‘s Jerry Garcia, Pink Floyd‘s David Gilmour and many other famous musicians.
The collection also features other instruments, as well as autographed photos, handwritten lyrics and more. The most recent additions to Irsay’s trove of memorabilia is the guitar that late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain played in his band’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video, and the guitar on which the late Janis Joplin learned to play “Me and Bobby McGee.”
Some non-music-related items also are part of the collection: an original “Wanted” poster for John Wilkes Booth, a baseball bat used by Jackie Robinson and a robe worn by Muhammad Ali.
If you’ve watched Tyler Hubbard’s new music video for his song “35’s,” you may be wondering if the time capsule he dug up in the video was a real artifact from the singer’s past — and sure enough, it is.
On social media, Tyler offers fans a “show-and-tell” of the capsule, which he made and buried when he was “8 or 9 years old,” he says.
The first thing in the box is a Bible, which is fitting: Tyler says the Bible is still as important to him today as it was during his childhood. Also in the box are toys, including a miniature car. “This is a fun little reminder of who I was as a kid,” the singer says, unboxing the car. “I love cars, anything with motors. I love speed.”
Then there are a couple of childhood photos, including one of 6-year-old Tyler at a motocross racing event, and another of him and his father. “This is a special photo of me and my dad when I was super young,” he explains. “I lost my dad when I was 20, so we had a lot more years together, but this photo takes me back to just good times, having fun with him.”
Other artifacts include a Blackhawk CD and a note that he wrote as a kid to his 35-year-old self — which just so happens to be the age that Tyler is now.
“It was just a reminder to stay young and remember where you came from and make sure you stay rooted in your values, and who you know you are,” the singer reflects.
(WASHINGTON) — A Louisiana Supreme Court ruling allowed the state’s ban on almost all abortions to go into effect on Friday, after a series of court challenges by local abortion providers was moved to another jurisdiction.
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, Louisiana’s trigger laws restrictions arguably went into automatic effect.
However, a lawsuit led by the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Boies Schiller law firm on behalf of Hope Medical Group for Women — a Louisiana abortion provider — that had challenged the state’s three abortion trigger laws, led to a temporarily ruling to block such bans on June 27.
Louisiana District Court Judge Ethel Simms Julien will not extend a temporary restraining order to block the Louisiana state ban on abortion, according to the public information officer for the New Orleans Parish Civil District Court.
Since Orleans Parish Civil District Judge Robin Giarrusso’s decision on June 27, two abortion clinics have continued to see patients in the state: Women’s Health Care Center Delta Clinic of Baton Rouge and Hope Medical Group for Women.
As of this ruling, those clinics will no longer be able to continue their services. Nor is it clear which guidelines providers are to follow, since no ruling was issued on the specifics of the lawsuit.
Instead, the lawsuit is now under a different court’s jurisdiction, and the state’s bans are not blocked during the time it will take to obtain a ruling, according to Friday’s hearing.
During the hearing, Attorney General Jeff Landry argued that the New Orleans Parish Civil District Court is not the appropriate venue to litigate the case. The court will now transfer the case to the 19 Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge.
It is unclear at this point when that hearing will take place.
According to Julien’s ruling in Friday’s hearing, the case is now out of the jurisdiction of the New Orleans Parish Civil District Court, and the judge has no authority to extend the temporary restraining order blocking the state bans. Abortion is effectively banned in Louisiana until the case is heard in Baton Rouge.
According to The Associated Press, about 60 protesters gathered outside the courthouse Friday waving signs that read, “Abortion is health care” and “Do you want women to die?”
Following the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, Louisiana was only one of three states to have automatic, immediate trigger laws restricting abortions, including a ban on abortion after 6 weeks.
The first of the state’s trigger laws was enacted in 2006, stating that abortion under all circumstances except due to certain medical circumstances would become criminal offenses. However, there was no clear guideline as to how the ban would be enforced or when it would become effective.
In June 2022, in anticipation of a Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade’s constitutionality, a second ban was signed. This ban added a statement directly relating to the overturning of Roe by the Supreme Court.
A third trigger ban was enacted days after the second, which states that it will ban abortion after 15 weeks gestation, compared to the first and second’s bans for abortion at any point. The three bans also all differ on their penalty provisions.
