Solar eclipse: Experts debunk outlandish claims from conspiracy theorists

Published

2 months ago

April 8, 2024

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On Monday, an estimated 31.6 million people across America will be in the path of the biggest solar eclipse since 2017.

Scientists will be able to study its effects on layers of the atmosphere, but according to conspiracy theorists, it could also be the end of days.

The internet is running wild with some outlandish claims.

Signs from God

Republican congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene says she thinks it is a sign from God that America needs to repent its sins.

Her post on X suggested New York’s recent earthquake combined with the eclipse were “strong signs”.

“I pray that our country listens,” she posted.

Her post, seen by more than eight million people, had a community note added to explain that earthquakes are common and solar eclipses are predicted well in advance.

But the ability to predict the eclipse plays into other conspiracy theories.

Nefarious plans

Right-wing commentator Alex Jones recently held an X Spaces event to discuss “what the globalists have planned for the imminent total solar eclipse”.

His guest Andrew Meyer told viewers the eclipse falls on a date in the Hebrew calendar where new energy can be pushed into the coming year. Mr Jones described Mr Meyer as “a expert on this”.

“The globalists, obviously, they want to make a big push for evil, negative energy,” Mr Meyer said.

“They want to inject the seed of every new year with negative energy because that’s what they harvest.”

A guest host of Alex Jones’ Infowars also discussed the idea that scientists studying the eclipse are using it for their “nefarious plans”.

“The globalists, they believe these events have special powers,” Mike Adams said.

“So they are lining up important things in their minds, things to summon power.

“They are using the solar eclipse as a justification for the nefarious plans they intend to carry out.”

End of days

Then there’s a vocal part of the internet who say Monday will be the end of the world, starting in Carbondale, Illinois.

Influencers have incorrectly mapped the eclipse’s ‘path of totality’ to show it covers between six and eight places called Nineveh.

Nineveh is mentioned in the Bible so the theorists are placing religious significance on their incorrect mapping.

In reality, this path, which shows where a total eclipse will be seen, covers two Ninevehs. The others will see a partial eclipse.

But the eclipse’s path continues to stir up theories.

When combined with the path of the US eclipse in 2017, they form a cross. At the centre of that cross is Carbondale, Illinois.

If you live in Carbondale, that means you will be lucky enough to see the full eclipse twice in seven years. According to debunked influencers on TikTok, it also means doomsday starts in your city.

The theories are being debunked by other influencers like Dan McClellan, a religious academic at the University of Birmingham.

“The 8 April eclipse means absolutely nothing other than the moon is in between the Earth and the sun,” he said.

There are also rumours that America will be cast into darkness for days, when in reality some areas may experience darkness for a matter of minutes.

There are theories that food will run out, phone reception will disappear and electricity will be cut.

In reality, this eclipse will be significant and exciting, but if you survived the 2017 eclipse, you are likely to survive this one.

US

Sean Kingston’s home raided ‘over $150,000 TV payment’ – as his mother arrested

Published

1 min ago

May 24, 2024

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Sean Kingston's home raided 'over 0,000 TV payment' - as his mother arrested

A SWAT team has raided the rented Florida mansion of singer Sean Kingston and arrested his mother on fraud and theft linked to the installation of a gigantic TV.

Detectives detained his mother, Janice Turner, 61, at the property in a Fort Lauderdale suburb, popular with celebrities and professional athletes, including Dwayne Johnson and Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill, on Thursday.

The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing and declined to release specific details about the charges against Turner or whether her 34-year-old son is also being sought.

Local media reported Kingston was out of town and was not present during the raid, in which items were removed and loaded into a van by the authorities.

The Jamaican-American performer is best known for his 2007 single Beautiful Girls, Fire Burning and his collaboration with Justin Bieber on Eenie Meenie.

Federal court records show his mother pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing more than $160,000 (£126,088) and served nearly a year and a half in prison.

Kingston wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday, which was later removed: “People love negative energy!

“I am good, and so is my mother!… My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”

Robert Rosenblatt, a lawyer representing the rapper and his mother, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel: “These are fine people, and I’d be surprised if the allegations were true.”

Florida Department of Corrections records show Kingston is on two-year probation for trafficking stolen property.

‘Promise of commercials with Justin Bieber’

Lawyer Dennis Card, who was present at the arrest, said it is partly related to a lawsuit he filed against Kingston in February, accusing him of defrauding a Florida company that installed a 232-inch television.

In the case, Ver Ver Entertainment says Kingston contacted the company in September about buying the television, sold under the brand name Colossal TV, and having it installed at his home. The system costs $150,000 (£118,000).

Kingston allegedly told the owners that if they agreed to a lower down payment and gave him credit, he and Bieber would do commercials for them.

In November, Kingston paid the company $30,000 (£23,631) and the TV was installed, according to the lawsuit, but no commercials or further payments were made.

“He is 100% not involved in this,” Mr Card said of Bieber.

“He had the misfortune of doing some work in the past with Sean, and Sean drops his name like crazy.”

Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, has not had a major label release in more than a decade.

In 2011, he suffered life-threatening injuries in a jet ski accident.

US

Ticketmaster owner Live Nation facing monopoly lawsuit – after criticism from Taylor Swift

Published

18 hours ago

May 23, 2024

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Ticketmaster owner Live Nation facing monopoly lawsuit - after criticism from Taylor Swift

The US Justice Department (DOJ) is suing Live Nation, arguing the big concert promoter and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, have been “monopolising” the live events industry.

The antitrust lawsuit was launched on Thursday by the DOJ, 30 US states, and the District of Columbia, with US Attorney General Merrick Garland saying: “It is time to break up Live Nation.”

The entertainment company merged with Ticketmaster back in 2010. Through Ticketmaster, Live Nation now controls roughly 80% or more of big venues’ primary ticketing for concerts, the suit says.

A Live Nation spokesperson said the company would defend itself “against these baseless allegations” and said the DOJ would lose in court because the case “ignores the basic economics of live entertainment”.

Ticketmaster, which overwhelmingly dominates the ticketing industry, has for years left fans and artists frustrated by hidden fees, rising costs, and limited ticket availability due to presales.

Its dominance in the industry came under scrutiny by US politicians in 2022, when Ticketmaster was forced to cancel its general sale of tickets to Taylor Swift’s much-anticipated Eras tour due to “extraordinarily high demands”.

At the time, the superstar criticised Ticketmaster on social media, saying it was “excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse” after Swift’s fans reported long wait times and site outages during the presales.

The star said 2.4 million fans had been able to purchase tickets, which was “truly amazing… but it really p***** me off that a lot of them feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them”.

Thursday’s legal action underscores the aggressive approach President Joe Biden’s antitrust enforcers have adopted as they seek to create more competition in a wide range of industries, from “big tech”, to healthcare, and groceries.

In March, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that the tech giant has monopoly power in the smartphone market.

“Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry
in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators,” Mr Garland said.

He added that, as a result, fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to perform, and smaller promoters get squeezed out.

The lawsuit says Live Nation directly manages more than 400 musical artists and controls around 60% of concert promotions at major venues.

It also owns or controls more than 265 concert venues in North America.

In 2010, the Justice Department approved Ticketmaster’s controversial merger with Live Nation, with conditions intended
to stop the combined company from harming competition.

In 2020, a court extended most of the DOJ’s oversight of the merger to 2025 because, the department said, Ticketmaster
retaliated against stadiums and arenas that opted to use other ticketing companies.

Live Nation has said in the past that it was confident its business practices were legal, and that the probe had been prompted by complaints from rivals, including re-sellers.

A spokesperson for the company said on Thursday that the lawsuit “won’t solve the issues fans care about relating to ticket prices, service fees, and access to in-demand shows”.

Live Nation added that “calling Ticketmaster a monopoly may be a PR win for the DOJ in the short term, but it will lose in court because it ignores the basic economics of live entertainment” – stating that most service fees go to venues.

US

Judge blocks foreclosure auction of Elvis Presley’s Graceland

Published

1 day ago

May 23, 2024

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Judge blocks foreclosure auction of Elvis Presley's Graceland

A judge has blocked the auction of Elvis Presley’s former home, by a company that claimed his estate failed to repay a loan which used the property as collateral.

Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins issued a temporary injunction against the proposed auction of Graceland that had been scheduled for Thursday.

Mr Jenkins’ injunction essentially keeps in place a previous restraining order he had issued after the singer’s granddaughter Riley Keough filed a lawsuit to fight what she claimed was a fraudulent scheme.

A public notice for a foreclosure sale of the 13-acre estate in Memphis, Tennessee, posted earlier in May said Promenade Trust, which controls the Graceland museum, owes $3.8m (£3m) after failing to repay a loan taken out in 2018.

Keough, an actor, inherited the trust and ownership of the home following the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, last year.

Naussany Investments and Private Lending said Lisa Marie Presley had used Graceland as collateral for the loan, according to the foreclosure sale notice.

Keough alleged that Naussany presented fraudulent documents regarding the loan in September 2023.

Neither Keough nor lawyers for Nassauny Investments were in court.

“Lisa Maria Presley never borrowed money from Naussany Investments and never gave a deed of trust to Naussany Investments,” Keough’s lawyer submitted in the lawsuit.

Kimberly Philbrick, the notary is listed on Nassauny’s documents, indicated that she never met Lisa Marie Presley nor notarised any documents for her, the court filing said.

Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 as a tribute to Elvis, five years after the King of Rock n Roll died in aged 42 in 1977.

He purchased Graceland Mansion in 1957 and lived there until his death.

It now draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and a large Elvis-themed entertainment complex across the road from the museum is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.