Sarah Palin's Libel Claim Against the New York Times Rejected by Jury (VIDEO)

I haven't really followed this. Mostly, I'm interested because Ms. Palin's been out of the spotlight for a while. 

At the Wall Street Journal, "Jury Rejects Sarah Palin’s Defamation Claims Against the New York Times":

A federal jury concluded the New York Times didn’t defame Sarah Palin in a 2017 editorial, a verdict that follows a judge’s surprise announcement that he planned to rule against the former Republican vice-presidential candidate after jurors finished their work.

The verdict, delivered on Tuesday by jurors in Manhattan, is the latest chapter in a closely watched libel trial that probed the inner workings of a national news outlet and tested the scope of legal protections for the media.

Jurors reached their judgment after a weeklong trial in which Ms. Palin and leading figures from the Times testified.

Ms. Palin filed her lawsuit in 2017 shortly after the Times published an editorial about gun violence and political rhetoric. The editorial referenced a 2011 shooting that killed six people and wounded then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat. It incorrectly suggested that an ad circulated by Ms. Palin’s political-action committee inspired the Arizona spree....

[U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff], a veteran jurist with a strong independent streak, concluded that Ms. Palin hadn’t presented sufficient evidence to prove the Times had acted with “actual malice,” meaning the outlet either knowingly published a false statement or showed a reckless disregard for the truth.

“This is an example of very unfortunate editorializing on the part of the Times,” he said, but added that the law sets a very high standard that Ms. Palin didn’t meet...

 

Sarah Palin Sues New York Times for Defamation

Righteous.

At Instapundit, "ANNALS OF FAKE NEWS: Sarah Palin Suing New York Times for Defamation."

The Left is Going Nuts Over Sarah Palin, Kid Rock, and Ted Nugent

Here's Ken Taylor on Facebook:

The left is going nuts over the picture of Sarah Palin, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent pointing and smirking at the offical portrait of the Hildabeast during a recent visit for dinner with the President at The White House calling them disrespectful. Just think how they'd react if most of us saw the same picture and what we would do while looking at it! hahaha...

President Trump's dinner invitation to Sarah Palin included guests. So she brought Kid Rock and Ted Nugent. https://t.co/8bPBRGAopD

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 20, 2017

You can read leftist comments at Eschaton.

Also, read all about it at Memeornadum, "Sarah Palin visits White House with Kid Rock, Ted Nugent.

Sarah Palin Doubles Down on Paul Ryan Snub (VIDEO)

Heh.

Ryan's "kinda screwed his chances for the 2020 GOP bid..."

Click through to watch:

Sarah Palin doubles down tells voters to fire Paul Ryan Mama Grizzly roars!
https://t.co/3DNcOk7R9v

— KGB Agent Краска (@HouseCracka) August 6, 2016

Sarah Palin Endorses Paul Ryan Challenger Paul Nehlen (VIDEO)

Via Linda Suhler, on Twitter.

And on CNN this morning:



The full interview is here.

SNL Cold Open: Sarah Palin (Tina Fey) Endorses Donald Trump (Darrell Hammond) for President (VIDEO)

You gotta love it.

How Sarah Palin Helps Donald Trump (VIDEO)

A great piece, from Byron York, at the Washington Examiner, "Byron York: What Palin does for Trump, and to Cruz":

Even though she is much diminished from her heyday a few years ago, Palin still has influence among some conservatives. Trump now has that on his side, and just as important, Cruz doesn't....

At the [Oklahoma] rally I talked with Jamie Johnson, a veteran Iowa politico who supported Rick Santorum in 2012 and Rick Perry earlier in this race, but is now unaffiliated. Johnson saw the Palin move entirely in terms of persuading voters at the margins of the Trump vs. Cruz contest.

"I think the Palin endorsement is important for all of the Tea Partiers who were deciding which of the two they were going to vote for," Johnson said.

Does Palin still have clout in Iowa?

"To Tea Partiers, she does."

"How big a part of the electorate is that?"

"Probably 15 to 20 percent of the people who caucus. I'd say 15 to 20 percent would identify themselves as Tea Partiers more than anything else, such as born-again evangelicals."

"And you would expect that some of them are caught on the fence now between Trump and Cruz?"

"I know for a fact that they are," Johnson replied. "I've talked to several people in the last two months who have been on the fence between Trump and Cruz. So if they're on the fence, this might be just enough to push them over."

Indeed, at Trump and Cruz events in the last two weeks, I have met plenty of people who were for Trump, with Cruz as their second choice, or were for Cruz, with Trump as their second choice. For some of them, Palin's seal of approval might make some difference. Before she spoke, I asked several people at the Ames rally whether Palin had worn out her welcome; none thought she had.

"It's a valuable endorsement because people still view her as an anti-establishment outsider who they can also relate to," said Craig Robinson, a former Iowa state GOP political director who founded the Iowa Republican blog. "And if there is any strategy to the Trump campaign, it is to dominate the media coverage of the race, and Palin's endorsement will certainly help with that."

That's an understatement. Palin's appearance with Trump immediately captured nearly all the media's attention. In coming days, it will inspire impassioned debate, make talking heads explode, and cause fevered speculation across cable TV...

Exactly.

Trump's a freakin' master of media manipulation. He keeps sucking up all the oxygen, and the Palin endorsement really is a masterstroke for the age. I love it. Like I said earlier, the Cruz campaign was probably hating it, and it turns out they were. They were freakin' fuming that the Texas senator didn't get the former Alaska governor's support.

Still more.

Donald Trump Supporters React to Sarah Palin's Endorsement (VIDEO)

Watch, at NBC Nightly News.

If anything, Palin's endorsement is yet again a media masterstroke for Donald Trump. He can't not get himself on the nightly news and he can't not dominate the 24-hour cable channels.

And supporters are really enthusiastic at that clip.

Sarah Palin Endorses Donald Trump for GOP Nomination (VIDEO)

I saw this earlier but was busy at the office working up my syllabi for the spring semester. I think this is a major development. Folks on CNN earlier were dismissing Palin as something of a has-been whose creds on the hustings ain't what they used to be. Actually, I'd beg to differ. I expect she's got millions of loyal supporters around the country who're thrilled by her endorsement, and who're excited to see her "stump for Trump."

It's pretty awesome, frankly. I'll bet Ted Cruz is pretty bummed out about it, in fact, to say nothing of the die hard "constitutional conservatives" bewailing Trump's candidacy.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump's campaign for president":

Sarah Palin, a popular figure among evangelicals and tea party followers, endorsed Donald Trump for president Tuesday, giving the New York billionaire a key source of support as chief rival Ted Cruz tries to undercut his standing among conservatives.

Palin joined Trump at a rally in Ames, Iowa, where she hailed his stand against illegal immigration and his vow to take a tough approach to U.S. adversaries on the world stage.

“Are you ready for a commander in chief who will let our warriors do their job and go kick ISIS’s ass?” Palin asked Trump’s supporters at Iowa State University.

The former governor of Alaska can be a polarizing figure. But her strong following among evangelicals and other conservatives makes her a valuable ally at a time when Cruz, a Texas senator, is casting Trump as liberal on abortion, same-sex marriage and other issues...

Plus, at the New York Times, via Memeorandum, "Sarah Palin Endorses Donald Trump, Rallying Conservatives."

More, at the Des Moines Register, "Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump for president."

Expect updates.

Dakota Meyer Has Filed Court Papers Asking for Joint Legal and Physical Custody, and Child Support, for Sailor Grace, His Daughter with Bristol Palin

Another weird story.

And here I thought they were going to be married.

At London's Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: Who's the daddy? Dakota Meyer's custody battle with Bristol Palin escalates as he's forced to take PATERNITY TEST amid questions of baby's actual birth date."

There was the controversy last year over his previous marriage, so perhaps the paternity test and court filing relates.

I don't know, but Victory Girls posted on this at the time, "Yes, Chicks on the Right, Dakota Meyer IS Legally Divorced From His First Wife."

Sarah Palin Floats Nomination as Energy Secretary in Potential Trump Administration (VIDEO)

I suppose that's better than nomination as treasury secretary, heh.

Watch, at CNN yesterday, "Sarah Palin Recommends Herself for Energy Secretary."

And here's the full interview, "Sarah Palin on State of the Union: Full Interview."

Interesting too that the public debate has Donald Trump not only as the hypothetical GOP nominee, but as winning the White House altogether. Folks are looking ahead realistically, and it's big.

Sarah Palin Interviews Donald Trump for One America News Network (VIDEO)

This is why the network's website crashed the other day.

Watch, at One America News Network, "'On Point' with Gov. Sarah Palin and Donald Trump."

BONUS: At Telegraph UK, "Could Sarah Palin join the Donald Trump ticket?"

Plus, more at Memeorandum.

Tomi Lahren Out at One America News Network

This is weird.

She just got national exposure and within weeks she got the ax?

Here's Ms. Lahren on Twitter, "I’ve completed my last show at OANN, and I am profoundly grateful for their support over the last year. Something new is coming...#TeamTomi."

Perhaps her firing has something to do with Sarah Palin's hiring. Indeed, Ms. Palin "filled in" for Ms. Lahren last week? Here, "I look up to @SarahPalinUSA & flattered to have her fill my shoes this week. I'm proud of the show I built #TeamTomi."

ADDED: At the Inquisitor, "Is Internet Sensation Tomi Lahren Joining Fox News?"

Sarah Palin on Greta Van Susteren's 'On the Record' (VIDEO)

I mentioned Ms. Palin's appearance at my previous entry, "Sarah Palin Heading to One America News Network."

And here's the video from yesterday's segment of "On the Record": "Gov. Sarah Palin: On Immigration, It's Tough to 'Trump' Trump - Greta - 8/18/15."

Sarah Palin Heading to One America News Network

Just saw Ms. Palin on Greta Van Susteren's "On the Record," which is supposedly the first time she's been on cable news in two months.

I like One America News. Tomi Larhen's show is cool, although I only watch it on YouTube. I haven't checked network availability through my cable provider yet, although the channel is expected to make a move on Fox News as the "next" conservative news network.

At Mediaite, "CONFIRMED: Sarah Palin Returns to Cable News."

 

Donald Trump Says He'd Tap Sarah Palin for a Cabinet Post

She should be appointed Secretary of the Interior, to open up federal lands for oil exploration and development. Or perhaps Energy Secretary would be good as well.

At Politico:

Donald Trump has succeeded in alienating many of his fellow Republicans with his personal attacks, but if he does win in November 2016 and is forced to assemble a cabinet of GOP allies, he knows exactly whom he would call on: Sarah Palin.

When asked on Sarah Palin’s Mama Grizz Radio’s “The Palin Update” Monday whether he would seek the former Alaska governor’s advice as president or potentially appoint her to an executive-branch position, Trump said, “I’d love that.”

Also at the Hill, "Trump: 'I'd love' to have Sarah Palin in my administration."

'The Marxists will literally use any distraction, even a minor one such as Bristol’s pregnancy, to divert from all the horrific crap raining down on America and across the globe...'

They will.

The Middle East continues to burn, but hey, Bristol Palin is pregnant.

From Terresa Monroe-Hamilton, at Right Wing News, "Bristol Palin Releases Ultrasound Photo! And the Father of her Baby is…"

Bristol Palin, Dakota Meyer Wedding Called Off, Says Sarah Palin

Well, it's from Sarah Palin Herself, via Twitter:

Bristol and Dakota couldn’t be more thankful for the love and support of family and friends over the past months... http://t.co/gpu7xgwXNy

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) May 18, 2015

Also at London's Daily Mail, "Bristol Palin's Saturday wedding CALLED OFF with just five days to go: Sarah Palin announces cancelled nuptials in Facebook post days after ex-Marine groom's 'secret ex-wife was revealed'."

Republican Party Faces Its Palin Problem

Palin's Iowa speech on Saturday was disjointed, to say the least. It made me confident that she'll never run for president, and will in fact hang out on the sidelines, firing up the crowd for the home team. I'm good with that. 2016 is shaping up to be an interesting year for the GOP. Scott Walker was very strong, for example. Confident. It's going to be interesting.

In any case, here's Byron York on the "Palin Problem":

DES MOINES — As a chance to evaluate possible 2016 Republican presidential candidates, the Freedom Summit here in Des Moines was a solid success. Several potential candidates — Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, and a few others — left the 10-hour political marathon with their prospects undeniably enhanced.

All that was good news for Republicans. But at the same time, more than a few GOP loyalists came away shaking their heads at the performance of a party star, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, whose long, rambling, and at times barely coherent speech left some wondering what role she should play in Republican politics as the 2016 race begins in earnest.

Palin made news when she arrived in Iowa saying she is seriously considering a run for president. In an interview with ABC the day before coming to Iowa, Palin answered "of course" when asked if she is interested in running in 2016. Then, when she arrived at a Des Moines hotel late Friday evening, she told the Washington Post, "Who wouldn't be interested?" Asked to clarify, Palin told the paper, "You can absolutely say that I am seriously interested."

The news, given big play on the Drudge Report, heightened the anticipation of Palin's speech to the Freedom Summit. After all, there were still memories in the crowd of her rousing speech at the 2008 Republican convention. But when Palin took the stage, it was clear this would be no inspiring effort.

First, Palin embarked on an extended stream-of-consciousness complaint about media coverage of her decision to run in a half-marathon race in Storm Lake, Iowa in 2011. She then moved on to grumbling about coverage of a recent photo of her with a supporter who had made a sign saying "Fuc_ you Michael Moore" in reaction to the left-wing moviemaker's criticism of the film "American Sniper." Then it was on to Palin's objections about the social media ruckus over a picture of her six-year-old son Trig standing on the family's Labrador Retriever.

It was all quite petty, and yet the complaining took half of Palin's allotted time. She then proceeded to blow through her time limit with a free-association ramble on Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, the energy industry, her daughter Bristol, Margaret Thatcher, middle-class economics — "the man can only ride ya when your back is bent" — women in politics, and much more. It would be hard to say that Palin's 35-minute talk had a theme, but she did hint that she is interested in running, although there are no indications she has taken any actual steps in that direction.

"Long and disjointed," said one social conservative activist when asked for reaction. "A weird speech," said another conservative activist. "Terrible. Didn't make any sense."

"There was a certain coarseness to her that wasn't there before," said yet another social conservative who noted that some in the crowd were uncomfortable with Palin declarations like, "Screw the left in Hollywood!" (It's not that they like the left in Hollywood — just the opposite — but the crudeness of Palin's expressions turned them off.)

"I know she is popular, but it is hard to take her seriously given that performance," said Sam Clovis, the conservative Iowa college professor, radio commentator, and sometime political candidate. "Palin was a sad story Saturday. With every speech she gives, she gets worse and worse. If one were playing a political cliche drinking game, no one would have been sober after the first 15 minutes of an interminable ramble. It was really painful."

"I think she has a role in the conservative movement and in the party," Clovis continued, "but she needs to get serious about what it is she can contribute and accomplish."...

Sarah Palin at Iowa Freedom Summit: 'Screw the Hollywood Left'

At the Hill, "Palin: 'Screw the Hollywood left'."

Watch, at C-SPAN: "Iowa Freedom Summit, Sarah Palin."