THE SQUIZ
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been ordered to pay a whopping US$965 million – that’s $1.5 billion – to 8 families of victims killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, along with an FBI agent who was at the scene. A jury in Connecticut found Jones had repeatedly lied for years when he claimed the 2012 school shooting – which saw a 20yo man kill 26 people, including 20 children aged between 6-7yo – was a hoax. Jones described the victims’ parents as “crisis actors” on his far-right conspiracy theory website InfoWars and radio show and claimed the government staged it to bring about gun law reform. That saw victims’ families harassed by Jones’ supporters. Families of the victims have led the defamation action against him in 2 US states. This is the latest win after a jury in Texas told Jones in August to cough up US$49 million to 2 other Sandy Hook parents.

WILL HE PAY UP?
It seems unlikely, but there’s some way to go yet. Jones says he will appeal and that his Texas-based company’s bankruptcy – which he filed for in July – will protect InfoWars. Experts say bankruptcy would limit how much money the families can access, but with Jones said to be personally worth between US$135-270 million, the bankruptcy claim is being challenged. Commentating as he live-streamed the jury’s verdict on his website, Jones said “I’m actually proud to be under this level of attack.” He’s also asked his supporters for donations “to fight this fraud”. After yesterday’s court ruling, Robbie Parker, the dad of 6yo victim Emilie, told reporters he was proud that “what we were able to accomplish was just to simply tell the truth.”

AND YOU MENTIONED PARKLAND IN THE HEADLINE?
Yes. Nikolas Cruz, the man who killed 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in 2018, has avoided a death sentence. The 24yo pleaded guilty to the massacre that claimed the lives of 14 students and 3 staff, and the jury has decided he should serve a life sentence in prison due to “mitigating factors”, including his tough upbringing. Reports say many victims’ family members are not happy with the decision. “Our justice system should have been used to punish this shooter to the fullest extent of the law,” said one father. Cruz’s life sentence will be formally handed down at a hearing on 1 November, when survivors will address the court. The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting that has ever gone to trial in America. Nine other people in the US have shot and killed at least 17 people – they all died during or immediately after their attacks by suicide or police gunfire.