The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Oct. 2, 2025

As President Donald Trump seeks retribution against the prosecutors and law enforcement who investigated him, some of his 2020 allies are on the hook in civil court.  Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic prevailed last week over Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell for their defamatory statements against the voting technology companies.

Dominion sued Giuliani, former mayor of New York and Trump campaign lawyer, for $1.3 billion dollars, claiming that he made false statements about Dominion’s electronic ballot tabulators being rigged to tilt the election to Joe Biden.   Dominion has previously won a $787 million dollar settlement from Fox News, and $67 million from Newsmax for similar claims.   

September 26th, Dominion announced a settlement with Giuliani, though the amount is unknown.   In the past two years, Giuliani has been disbarred, filed for bankruptcy, and was indicted for trying to overturn the 2020 election.  

Also on September 26th, a federal judge found MyPillow CEO and election denier Mike Lindell defamed voting systems company Smartmatic. The yet-to-be -decided damages may hinge on whether Lindell KNEW his claims the machines were manipulated were false.   Lindell still faces a suit from Dominion.  

President Trump announced last month Giuliani would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  The Guardian reports that Lindell has moved back to Minnesota and is considering a run for governor.  

We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – As Trump Proposes Baseless Ban of Voting Machines, Newsmax Settles Defamation Suit with Dominion Voting Systems 
Federal District Court –  (2021) Complaint in Dominion Voting Systems v. Guiliani (Warning – It’s 2,900 pages long!)
Colorado Sun / AP – Rudy Giuliani, Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems settle defamation suit over his 2020 election claims
The Guardian – Rudy Giuliani and Dominion settle $1.3bn defamation suit over election lies
The Guardian – MyPillow founder defamed Smartmatic election tech company, judge rules
Minnesota Public Radio – Judge rules ‘MyPillow Guy’ Mike Lindell defamed Smartmatic with false claims on voting machines
Smartmatic – Lawsuit Updates
Federal District Court – (2021) Complaint in Dominion Voting Systems v. Lindell

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State

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#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #RudyGiuliani #MikeLindell #MyPillowGuy #BigLie #2020Election #DonaldTrump #StoptheSteal

The post More Accountability for Trump ‘Big Lie’ Allies as Voting Tech Companies Prevail Over Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 21, 2025

As we’ve reported, President Donald Trump said August 18th he would end the use of voting machines in the U.S., claiming without evidence they contributed to widespread election fraud.  The same day, conservative media company Newsmax settled a defamation lawsuit for $67 million dollars with Dominion Voting Systems for airing similar conspiracy theories. 

Trump said in a social media post he wanted to end the use of ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial Voting Machines,” echoing accusations he made leading up to the January 6th insurrection, when one Capitol police officer was killed and 174 officers were injured.

In May, Delaware Judge Eric Davis found sufficient evidence that Newsmax hosts and guests, including Trump campaign lawyers Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Jenna Ellis had repeatedly spread defamatory conspiracy theories that manipulation of Dominion Voting Systems machines resulted in widespread fraud.

With a trial scheduled for October, and the judge’s ruling that the jury could consider “actual malice” – whether or not Newsmax executives KNEW the information was false and aired it anyway – they settled the case for $67 million dollars.  It’s far less than the $787 million dollar settlement with Fox News over similar defamation claims. 

In a statement, Newsmax said Dominion’s suit was an attack on a free press. 

We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2024) Newsmax Settles with Smartmatic Over Airing 2020 Voting Machine Conspiracy Theories
American Democracy Minute – President Trump Threatens Executive Order to End Voting by Mail and Use of Voting Machines
Truth Social – Post by President Donald Trump Threatening to End Use of Mail-In Voting and Voting Machines
Delaware Superior Court – Dominion Voting Systems v. Newsmax Media
NPR – Newsmax pays $67 million to settle defamation case linked to 2020 election coverage
Newsmax – Newsmax Announces Settlement with Dominion Voting Systems 
U.S. Securities Exchange Commission – Filing by Newsmax Announcing Settlement

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State

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#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Newsmax #DonaldTrump #DominionVotingSystems #ConspiracyTheories #Defamation

The post As Trump Proposes Baseless Ban of Voting Machines, Newsmax Settles Defamation Suit with Dominion Voting Systems appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for June 5, 2025

We’ve been revisiting election denial hotspots this week, five years after the 2020 election. Monday, June 9th, a civil trial begins against My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, accused of defaming former Dominion Voting Systems election security expert, Dr. Eric Coomer. 

Coomer, former director of product strategy and security for Dominion, found himself accused in a conspiracy theory claiming Coomer admitted rigging the election, and his life was threatened.  Broadcasters, podcasters, Lindell and others allegedly repeated the claim, resulting in Coomer bringing five suits, two in Denver district court, and three in federal district court.  Dominion itself settled with Fox News for $787.5 million dollars. 

Two defendants, far right broadcasters OAN and NewsMax, settled their cases with Coomer.  Others tried to use Colorado’s statute giving courts the power to dismiss meritless defamation cases where defendants prove they were exercising free speech.  So far, the courts have found for Coomer, and his cases were allowed to go forward.  

Lindell told The Bulwark that he would be taking the stand in his defense.  The witness list also reportedly includes former Mesa County, Colorado Clerk, Tina Peters, convicted of giving unauthorized access to the county’s Dominion Voting Systems electronic ballot tabulators to investigators tied to Lindell.   

Lindell told a DC federal court in April he could not afford judgement in the case he lost to voting systems company Smartmatic.  

We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources: 

Colorado Public Radio – (2020)  Election Conspiracy Theorists Focused On One Man In Colorado. His Life Will Never Be The Same
American Democracy Minute – (2023) Judge Rules Fox News Lied About Dominion Voting Systems Being Linked to Fraud; Sends Case to Jury Trial
Colorado Public Radio – (2023) Former Dominion Voting employee waits for his day(s) in court on multiple suits
Colorado Public Radio – (2024) Former Dominion employee defamation suit against Trump campaign can continue, court says
Courthouse News Service – (2025) Colorado appeals court greenlights Dominion Voting defamation claims against conservative radio host
The Bulwark – Mike Lindell Is Texting Me From His Defamation Trial
Colorado Politics – My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell defamation trial starts in Denver

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

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#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #MyPillow #MikeLindell #ElectionDeniers #DominionVotingSystems

The post Civil Trial Against My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell Starts June 9 for Allegedly Defaming Former Dominion Voting Systems Exec appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 22, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

One of the most strident election deniers and ardent Trump supporters lost her Arizona U.S. Senate race November 5th.  But Kari Lake still has not conceded, and may yet resurface in Washington in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.

After a broadcasting career, Lake made her name by refusing to acknowledge the results of the 2020 Presidential election.  She ran for governor in 2022, but lost by 17,000 votes to Katie Hobbs. Lake never conceded that race, and challenged signature verification and the election process in Maricopa County.  All seven claims and three lawsuits were dismissed.

While disputing the election, she was accused of defaming Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, repeatedly claiming that Richer used 300,000 quote “illegal, invalid, phony or bogus” early ballots to manipulate the results.  Lake settled the case November 17th for an undisclosed amount, according to the Washington Post.  

While still battling in court over her 2022 loss, Lake launched a U.S. Senate campaign, vanquishing three primary challengers, still refusing to accept the results of the 2022 election.  This time, she lost by over 72,000 votes to Ruben Gallego, and still has not conceded the race, according to the Arizona Mirror.  

The Arizona Republic reports that Lake was seen last week at Mar-a-Lago, one of many visits over the past year.  

We have links to more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Arizona Mirror
CNN – Fact check: Kari Lake’s continuing false Arizona election claims
Arizona Mirror – (2023) Supreme Court dismisses all but one of Kari Lake’s election claims

Arizona Public Media/AP – Kari Lake loses suit to see ballot envelopes in 3rd trial tied to Arizona election defeat
Huffington Post – Kari Lake’s Election-Denial Dodge At Senate Debate Is A Must-See
Talking Points Memo – Kari Lake Quietly Settles Defamation Lawsuit And Accepts Defeat In Wake Of Trump Win
Arizona Republic – Kari Lake settles defamation lawsuit, appears with Trump allies at Mar-a-Lago

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #KariLake #ElectionDeniers #TrumpTransition

The post AZ U.S. Senate Candidate & Election Denier’s Streak of Election & Courtroom Losses Continues, But Kari Lake May Still Resurface in DC appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 6, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

The debunked documentary “2000 Mules” purported to show evidence of people depositing stacks of fraudulent mail-in and absentee ballots into drop boxes. One of the individuals filmed is suing the producers.

The film was trumpeted by election denier conspiracy theorists as PROOF of “ballot harvesting,” the collection of legitimate or fraudulent ballots in an attempt to change the outcome of the election. Election and law enforcement officials found no such widespread organized fraud in the 2020 election.

Georgia voter Mark Andrews was filmed legally dropping off ballots for his family, and in the movie’s voiceover, the filmmaker states: “What you are seeing
is a crime. These are fraudulent votes.” Andrews’ blurred image was included in the film, the trailer and a book, AFTER being cleared by Georgia officials.

Andrews sued the filmmaker, executive producer True the Vote, Inc., and others for defamation, and claimed the defendants also violated Voting Rights Act and Ku Klux Klan Act provisions. QUOTE, “At all times, (the) defendants knew that their portrayals of Mr. Andrews were lies, as was their entire 2000 Mules narrative. But they have continued to peddle these lies in order to enrich themselves.”

September 30th, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the defamation portion of Andrews’s case could go forward, while the other charges were dismissed.

We have the ruling and more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Reuters – Fact Check-Does ‘2000 Mules’ provide evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election?
Texas Tribune – (2022) How the debunked conspiracy film “2000 Mules” became Texas Republican orthodoxy
Associated Press – (2022) Georgia man sues over false ballot fraud claim in film
NPR – (2022)  Prominent election deniers are facing growing legal trouble
US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA – ATLANTA DIVISION via Protect Democracy – MARK ANDREWS, Plaintiff, v. DINESH D’SOUZA, TRUE THE VOTE, INC., CATHERINE ENGELBRECHT, GREGG PHILLIPS, D’SOUZA MEDIA LLC, SALEM MEDIA GROUP, INC., REGNERY PUBLISHING, INC., and JOHN DOES
Protect Democracy – Judge Rules Against the Makers of Election-Lie-Hyping Film ‘2,000 Mules’ — Allows Case to Proceed to Discovery
Washington Post – (Paywall)  ‘2000 Mules,’ a key piece of election misinformation, has its day in court

Groups Taking Action:
Protect Democracy, Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org
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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ElectionDeniers #2000Mules #ProtectDemocracy

The post Defamation Lawsuit Against Producers of Debunked Drop Box Fraud Film “2000 Mules” Can Proceed in Georgia Court Ruling appeared first on American Democracy Minute.