Wednesday morning news: April 19, 2023

Fox news settlement » Fox News will pay $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems under a settlement reached Tuesday. That is nearly half the amount Dominion sought in the defamation case.

Dominion Voting Systems CEO John Poulos:

JOHN POULOS: Fox and Dominion have reached an historic settlement. Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees and the customers that we serve.

The two sides reached an agreement just before a weeks-long trial was set to begin.

Dominion accused Fox of knowingly reporting false claims that the company’s voting machines changed ballots in the 2020 election.

Fox said it was reporting on statements made by former President Donald Trump. It released a statement Tuesday acknowledging a judge’s ruling that certain claims it made about Dominion were false.

Dominion Lawyer Justin Nelson:

JUSTIN NELSON: For our democracy to endure for another 250 years and hopefully much longer, we must share a commitment to facts.

SCOTUS » The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard the case of a Christian postal worker who observes the Sabbath on Sundays. The post office at first accommodated his beliefs, but then Amazon came along.

Gerald Groff faced disciplinary action for declining to work on the Sabbath, as the online retail giant demanded more Sunday deliveries.

He told his supervisor that he felt forced to choose between his conviction and his job.

GERALD GROFF: And I said, I mean no disrespect whatsoever, but I have to choose God. My conviction is that strong, come what may, you know.

A federal law from 1964 says employers must accommodate religious practices unless they inflict an undue hardship.

Groff is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a 1977 ruling that allowed employers to deny religious accommodations that would cost more than a negligible amount.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked what happens when religious accommodations cause harm that’s hard to quantify.

JUSTICE BARRETT: What if it’s just morale? And things that might be very difficult to prove and put a dollar amount on? Employees aren’t as productive because they’re grumbling, they’re not willing to go the extra mile, put their best foot forward.

Three current justices have said the court should reconsider its ruling.

Charles Stanley » Longtime megachurch pastor Charles Stanley has died. He was senior pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta from 1971 until 2020 and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

He founded and hosted the Christian broadcast program In Touch Ministries and authored more than 60 books.

CHARLES STANLEY: At some point out there when this journey is ended, the Son of God who rose from the dead, who made us all these wondrous promises, is going to be standing there waiting for us.

Stanley and his wife of 34 years, Anna, separated in the 1990s and divorced in 2000. Some church leaders called on him to resign because of the controversy, but his congregation eventually voted to keep him as senior pastor.

Stanley’s son, Andy, left First Baptist after the divorce and is now a well-known megachurch pastor at North Point Community Church in Atlanta.

Ukraine »

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking about visiting Ukrainian troops on the front lines yesterday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the warfront.

The visits come before an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive by forces armed with Western weapons.

Meanwhile, a judge in Russia has ruled that detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich must remain behind bars until his trial.

Parking garage » New York City firefighters say they rescued everyone who was inside a collapsed parking garage. One person died and at least five more were injured in the collapse on Tuesday.

Fire Department chief John Esposito:

JOHN ESPOSITO: At this time we believe that we have the workers that were in danger in the building all accounted for.

Officials confirmed that the garage had prior building safety violations.

Sudan » Fighting continues in Sudan even after a 24-hour cease-fire was due to begin Tuesday evening.

Two rival Sudanese generals reportedly agreed to the temporary truce, but residents in the capital of Khartoum said they still heard gunfire around the city.

The national army and a rival paramilitary group issued statements accusing each other of ignoring the cease-fire, and the army said it would continue operations to secure the capital.

Man: [Speaking Arabic] Hospitals closed.

This hospital director in the capital is saying that most of the staff has left. There is a shortage of medicine and oxygen.

About 200 people have died since fighting broke out Saturday and thousands have been injured. Hospitals have been damaged across the country.

Feinstein » U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s seat on the Judiciary Committee will remain empty for the time being, delaying the approval of some of the president’s judicial nominees.

Many of the president’s judicial nominees have won the support of one or more Republicans on the Senate floor.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell:

MITCH MCCONNELL: Senate Republicans will not take part in sidelining a temporary absent colleague off a committee just so Democrats can force through their very worst nominees.

The 89-year-old Feinstein has been in California recovering from shingles for the past six weeks. McConnell himself just returned from a long medical absence after suffering a concussion in a fall.

I’m Jill Nelson. Straight ahead: The fallout from a shocking military documents leak. Plus, building new homes from old materials.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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