What happened
FBI Director Kash Patel yesterday filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit accusing The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick of publishing a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece” designed to destroy his “reputation and drive him from office.” Fitzpatrick, citing more than two dozen unidentified sources, reported Friday that Patel (pictured above) was “deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy” and “has good reasons to think so,” as his “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” have alarmed FBI and Justice Department officials. 

Who said what
“We stand by our reporting“ and ”will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit,” the publication said in a statement. As a public figure, Patel will have to prove “actual malice,” a “higher standard than an ordinary citizen” claiming defamation, The New York Times said. 

Patel said on social media that meeting that standard would be “a legal layup.” His complaint doesn’t “even hit the backboard,” First Amendment lawyer Adam Steinbaugh said. But it “has all the markings” of the Trump administration “playbook” of “filing lawsuits meant to silence dissent by driving up the cost of speaking.” 

What next?
If Patel’s suit isn’t “tossed out” before trial, CNN said, he “could be required to answer questions under oath about the alleged behavior” in the discovery process.

What happened
The satirical news outlet The Onion yesterday said it had reached an agreement to temporarily take over right-wing conspiracist Alex Jones’ Infowars platform and turn it into a parody site. Jones (pictured above) filed for bankruptcy protection in 2022 after a court ordered him to pay $1.4 billion in damages to the families of children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Onion’s plan requires approval from Texas District Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin.

Who said what
Under the proposed deal, The Onion would pay $81,000 a month to license Infowars’ site and intellectual property for six months or a year, covering rent and utilities “until an appeal filed by Jones is decided and the path is cleared for a sale,” NPR said. It’s a “Hail Mary bid” by The Onion, Politico said, after a federal judge “blocked its initial plan to acquire Infowars in 2024 during a bankruptcy auction,” calling the process flawed. “We are excited to lie constantly for cold, hard cash, but this time in a cool way,” Onion CEO Ben Collins said yesterday, “and we’ll make sure some of it gets back” to the Sandy Hook families.

What next?
Jones “vowed to fight the licensing proposal in court” on his show Monday, “but acknowledged he and his crew could be kicked out” of their Austin studio by the end of the month, The Associated Press said.

India has an “entrenched culture of outsourcing household work,” said Reuters, with domestic help traditionally organized through word of mouth and paid for in cash. But new apps are changing the practice and digitizing the system. Startups like Urban Company, Pronto and Snabbit have entered the “vast, largely unregulated market,” hiring out some of the “estimated 30 million domestic workers” via an Uber-like model, said the BBC.

The numbers are currently attractive for both clients and workers. Companies are “betting big” to “lure busy professionals” with charges of less than 99 rupees ($1.06) per hour, said Reuters. And in a country with a per capita annual income of about $2,970, workers on these apps can earn up to $5,000 a year by working eight hours a day. 

So far, so good. But the “craze” is “tempered by concerns” about women’s safety in a ⁠country with “high rates of sexual harassment,” said Reuters. Unlike delivery drivers who spend “just brief moments at doorsteps,” the domestic workers may spend hours inside private homes, “exposing them to greater risks.”

Pronto and Snabbit have an SOS button within the app that alerts area supervisors in case of emergency. Pronto also offers self-defense training for workers. Urban Company says it offers a women-only safety helpline and an SOS app feature. But while the companies run extensive background checks on workers before hiring them, they don’t vet the customers, who can simply log in to the app to book home help.