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It was December of 2021. I had COVID and was on the verge of being officially diagnosed with prostate cancer. Things were pretty bad and suddenly got worse: I noticed Fire Gasparino trending on Twitter not because I had made up a story, or defamed someone.

My sin was reporting, continuously and accurately, that an investment cult had formed around the stock of the troubled movie theater chain known as AMC, pushing its shares well above where they should be. And like most cults, this one wouldnt end well.

The abuse lasted through Christmas. I guess I could have wilted and joined some of my colleagues in heralding the small investor-led movement around the stock as something biblical. David slays Goliath.

I didnt and kept reporting the story behind one of the most absurd and now costly stock pumps in recent history.

These days, Im glad I did.

Yes, I survived COVID, my cancer diagnosis and getting vilified by a Twitter mob just fine. In fact better than fine because of what happened next: The stock imploded as I reported it would. AMC was burning loads of cash, heading for bankruptcy or massive dilution to raise much-needed capital, neither good for shareholders.

Shares are down 95% since December 2021. About 10 days ago,  the stocks crash and burn was complete as the company took concrete steps toward the issuance of a ton of new shares (aka diluting existing shareholders) and stay out of bankruptcy. Were it not for a bit of financial alchemy in a 10-for-1 reverse stock split, AMCs stock price would be reading just above $1.

Im not taking joy in people losing money but in people saving some. Anyone who followed my reporting on AMC saved themselves some real money. Those who followed cultists, the self-described AMC Apes or the cheerleading pseudo-journalists are paying the price.

Phil Graham, the brilliant but troubled former publisher of The Washington Post, came up with the truism about the profession of journalism as being the first rough draft of history. That was back in the early 1960s before he killed himself in a fit of depression.

I wonder what Phil Graham would call what goes down on the rebranded Twitter site X or any of the other instantaneous social-media feedback loops that are now competing with real reporting. A really, really, really rough draft of history?

Social media is great in so many ways. Yes, its a draft of history, even if its really rough, and that often serves a purpose through the exchange of ideas to make an informed judgment. Its also an outlet for people desperately searching for purpose, and while theyre at it, indulging in their worst instincts and behaviors. Its a breeding ground for the cult.

How cults are created is an age-old question. The result is deadly and near deadly stuff like Jonestown and Pizzagate    and the financially deadly stuff that surrounded the stock of AMC. The weird notion that a cabal of greedy hedge funds, hell-bent on destroying the nations largest movie theater chain, were shorting the stock (betting its price would collapse) in dark corners of Wall Street does seem appealing.

That average people could buy this stock, and destroy a bunch of nasty hedge funds while becoming rich, even more so.

Just one problem: Nothing close to what the cult was blathering about was true. The evidence of this scheme thrown around Twitter or the Reddit message boards was of the wackadoo variety. And If you dared question the illogic, as I did, be prepared for harassment like youve never seen before.

The power of social media is intense and crazy, of course, and it made this cult particularly nasty and resilient over the past two-plus years. That is until the hammer finally fell just days ago and the AMC cult ended like they all do   in disaster.

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Its a shame more reporters didnt call this out. It was so obvious based on what you can find on a balance sheet. Short sellers made hundreds of millions of dollars in August because AMCs finances included massive cash burn, lots of debt and movie attendance that due to streaming hasnt returned to pre-pandemic levels.

CEO Adam Aron, not exactly a short seller, recently explained AMCssituation in a call withanalysts. Business is getting better Barbenheimer was a box office hit; a Taylor Swift film coming to AMC theaters in October is crushing it in pre-sales. But he said that if he cant raise money by selling more stock, Chapter 11 is almost inevitable. He recently beat back an Ape-inspired lawsuit challenging his dilution plan, because they believe AMC is really doing just fine and doesnt need the money.

It does, of course, and the coming dilution is why AMC, for now, and maybe for the foreseeable future, is still in business, even as its stock is battered and bruised.

Some of the Apes are still HODL (holding on for dear life, in the lingua franca of the cult), and still attacking those they see as backing the evil hedge funds. Thats scary.

Even more scary: Far too many reporters over the past three years sought the cults approval because it feels good to be applauded on social media. It also helps you build your followers, which is also idiotically important to reporters these days.

They are truly sellouts to the profession, because they should know, based on the history, cults never end well.

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Politics

Norman Tebbit: Former Tory minister who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government dies aged 94

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Norman Tebbit: Former Tory minister who served in Margaret Thatcher's government dies aged 94

Norman Tebbit, the former Tory minister who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government, has died at the age of 94.

Lord Tebbit died “peacefully at home” late on Monday night, his son William confirmed.

One of Mrs Thatcher’s most loyal cabinet ministers, he was a leading political voice throughout the turbulent 1980s.

He held the posts of employment secretary, trade secretary, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Conservative party chairman before resigning as an MP in 1992 after his wife was left disabled by the Provisional IRA’s bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton.

He considered standing for the Conservative leadership after Mrs Thatcher’s resignation in 1990, but was committed to taking care of his wife.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and party chairman Norman Tebbit.
Pic: PA
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Margaret Thatcher and Norman Tebbit in 1987 after her election victory. Pic: PA

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called him an “icon” in British politics and was “one of the leading exponents of the philosophy we now know as Thatcherism”.

“But to many of us it was the stoicism and courage he showed in the face of terrorism, which inspired us as he rebuilt his political career after suffering terrible injuries in the Brighton bomb, and cared selflessly for his wife Margaret, who was gravely disabled in the bombing,” she wrote on X.

“He never buckled under pressure and he never compromised. Our nation has lost one of its very best today and I speak for all the Conservative family and beyond in recognising Lord Tebbit’s enormous intellect and profound sense of duty to his country.

“May he rest in peace.”

Lord Tebbit and his wife Margaret stand outside the Grand Hotel in Brighton.
Pic: PA
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Lord Tebbit and his wife Margaret stand outside the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Pic: PA

Tory grandee David Davis told Sky News Lord Tebbit was a “great working class Tory, always ready to challenge establishment conventional wisdom for the bogus nonsense it often was”.

“He was one of Thatcher’s bravest and strongest lieutenants, and a great friend,” Sir David said.

“He had to deal with the agony that the IRA visited on him and his wife, and he did so with characteristic unflinching courage. He was a great man.”

Reform leader Nigel Farage said Lord Tebbit “gave me a lot of help in my early days as an MEP”.

He was “a great man. RIP,” he added.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with Employment Secretary Norman Tebbit.
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Lord Tebbit as employment secretary in 1983 with Mrs Thatcher. Pic: PA

Born to working-class parents in north London, he was made a life peer in 1992, where he sat until he retired in 2022.

Lord Tebbit was trade secretary when he was injured in the Provisional IRA’s bombing in Brighton during the Conservative Party conference in 1984.

Five people died in the attack and Lord Tebbit’s wife, Margaret, was left paralysed from the neck down. She died in 2020 at the age of 86.

Before entering politics, his first job, aged 16, was at the Financial Times where he had his first experience of trade unions and vowed to “break the power of the closed shop”.

He then trained as a pilot with the RAF – at one point narrowly escaping from the burning cockpit of a Meteor 8 jet – before becoming the MP for Epping in 1970 then for Chingford in 1974.

Norman Tebbit during the debate on the second reading of the European Communities (Amendment) Bill, in the House of Lords.
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Lord Tebbit during an EU debate in the House of Lords in 1997. Pic: PA

As a cabinet minister, he was responsible for legislation that weakened the powers of the trade unions and the closed shop, making him the political embodiment of the Thatcherite ideology that was in full swing.

His tough approach was put to the test when riots erupted in Brixton, south London, against the backdrop of high rates of unemployment and mistrust between the black community and the police.

He was frequently misquoted as having told the unemployed to “get on your bike”, and was often referred to as “Onyerbike” for some time afterwards.

What he actually said was he grew up in the ’30s with an unemployed father who did not riot, “he got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it”.

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Politics

‘Oui’ or ‘non’ for Starmer’s migration deal?

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'Oui' or 'non' for Starmer's migration deal?

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The first European state visit since Brexit starts today as President Emmanuel Macron arrives at Windsor Castle.

On this episode, Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy look at what’s on the agenda beyond the pomp and ceremony. Will the government get its “one in, one out” migration deal over the line?

Plus, which one of our presenters needs to make a confession about the 2008 French state visit?

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US

Benjamin Netanyahu nominates Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize – as Gaza ceasefire talks continue

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Benjamin Netanyahu nominates Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize - as Gaza ceasefire talks continue

Israel’s prime minister has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement at a White House dinner, handing over the letter for the US president to read.

“Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful,” Mr Trump said.

The Israeli leader said Mr Trump was “forging peace as we speak, and one country and one region after the other”.

Organisers award the prize to the person who does the most for “fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.

Benjamin Netanyahu showed President Trump the Nobel nomination letter. Pic: AP
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Benjamin Netanyahu handed Donald Trump the Nobel nomination letter. Pic: AP

Mr Trump took credit for stopping Iran and Israel‘s “12-day war” last month, announcing it with fanfare on Truth Social, and the ceasefire has so far held.

The president has claimed US strikes obliterated Iran’s purported nuclear weapons programme – and that the country now wants to restart negotiations.

“We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to,” Mr Trump told reporters on Monday. “They want to talk.”

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Iran hasn’t confirmed the move, but its president told US broadcaster Tucker Carlson he believes his country can resolve differences with the US through dialogue.

Masoud Pezeshkian also said Iran would be willing to resume cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

However, he said full access to nuclear sites wasn’t yet possible as US strikes had damaged them so badly.

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Netanyahu arrives in US for ceasefire talks

Away from Iran, fighting continues in Gaza and Ukraine.

Mr Trump famously boasted before his second stint in the White House that he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours.

The reality has been very different – with Ukraine saying last week that Russia unleashed the heaviest aerial attack of the war so far.

Critics have also claimed Vladimir Putin is “playing” his US counterpart and that he has no intention of agreeing a ceasefire.

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Russia bombards Ukraine with drones and missiles

However, Mr Trump could try to take credit for progress in Gaza if – as he’s suggested – an agreement on a 60-day ceasefire is done this week.

Indirect negotiations with Hamas are taking place that could lead to the release of some of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages and a surge in aid to Gaza.

The White House said Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is travelling to Qatar this week to try to seal the agreement.

Read more:
Israeli soldier describes arbitrary killing of civilians in Gaza

IDF troops ‘psychologically broken’ after Gaza – UN expert

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‘Some Israeli commanders can decide to do war crimes’

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Whether a temporary pause could open a path to a lasting peace remains uncertain, with the two sides’ criteria for peace still far apart.

Mr Netanyahu has said Hamas must surrender, disarm and leave Gaza – something it refuses to do.

He also told reporters on Monday that the US and Israel were working with other countries who would give Palestinians “a better future” – and indicated those in Gaza could move elsewhere.

“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave,” he added.

“We’ve had great cooperation from… surrounding countries, great cooperation from every single one of them. So something good will happen,” Mr Trump said.

The president was widely criticised earlier this year when he suggested resettling Gaza’s population to countries such as Jordan and Egypt and turning it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Human rights groups said the plan amounted to ethnic cleansing and most Gazans said they would never consider leaving.

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