Covid: French uproar as Macron vows to 'piss off' unvaccinated - BBC News

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French President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of using divisive, vulgar language after he used a slang term to say he wanted to make life difficult for unvaccinated people.

"I really want to piss them off, and we'll carry on doing this - to the end," he told Le Parisien newspaper.

Three months ahead of a presidential election, opponents of Mr Macron said his words were unworthy of a president.

MPs halted debate on a law barring the unvaccinated from much of public life.

The session in the National Assembly was brought to a standstill for a second night running on Tuesday as opposition delegates complained about the president's language, with one leading figure describing it as "unworthy, irresponsible and premeditated".

The legislation is expected to be approved in a vote this week, but it has angered vaccine opponents and several French MPs have said they have received death threats over the issue.

Mandatory vaccinations are being introduced in several European countries, with Austria leading the way for over-14s from next month and Germany planning a similar move for adults. Italy's government was on Wednesday considering a compulsory vaccine pass for at least anyone over 60.

'A president shouldn't say that'

In his interview with Le Parisien on Tuesday, Mr Macron used the vulgar term emmerder to say how he wanted to stir up the unvaccinated. He would not "vaccinate by force" the remaining five million who had not had a dose, but hoped to encourage people to get the vaccines by "limiting as much as possible their access to activities in social life".

"I won't send [unvaccinated people] to prison," he said. "So we need to tell them, from 15 January, you will no longer be able to go to the restaurant. You will no longer be able to go for a coffee, you will no longer be able to go to the theatre. You will no longer be able to go to the cinema."

Reuters

Ahead of a presidential election campaign in which Mr Macron is yet to announce his intention to run, his remarks prompted a strong reaction from opposition figures.

Right-wing Republicans candidate Valérie Pécresse said she was outraged that the president had accused unvaccinated people of not being citizens. "You have to accept them as they are - lead them, bring them together and not insult them," she told CNews.

Party colleague Bruno Retailleau said pointedly: "Emmanuel Macron says he has learned to love the French, but it seems he especially likes to despise them."

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen tweeted: "A president shouldn't say that... Emmanuel Macron is unworthy of his office."

Meanwhile, leftist politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon described the remarks as an astonishing confession: "It's clear, the vaccination pass is a collective punishment against individual freedom."

Macron offers a chance too good to miss

The airwaves in France are shrill this morning with the sound of angry politicians. From left and right, moderate and extreme, opponents are outbidding each other in condemnation of President Macron's emmerder.

In a pre-election period, it's an opportunity too good to miss to accuse him of all his old faults: arrogance, flippancy, detachment, ignorance of the concerns of ordinary folk.

But as this is indeed a pre-election period, we can also be certain the president knew precisely what he was doing when he uttered those provocative words in Le Parisien. This was no uncalculated outburst.

What he wants to do is flush out his enemies on the right. The left he's not so bothered about. But Valérie Pécresse's Republicans party (LR) has become - since her nomination as candidate - his main political preoccupation.

By taking such a strong and coercive position against the unvaccinated, Mr Macron is inviting the LR to choose their side. Are they with him, doing everything possible to boost the number of vaccinated? Or are they siding with the minority, the five million instead of the 50 million, and the anti-vaxxers?

Because if it's the second, that's actually quite an awkward place to be ahead of a presidential election.

The latest opinion gave Mr Macron the edge over his rivals on Wednesday, with 27% of votes in the first round on 10 April, ahead of Valérie Pécresse and Marine Le Pen both on 16%. The poll for Le Figaro/LCI also gave him a run-off victory, with the closest margin of 55%-45% with the Republican candidate.

Mr Macron's choice of language is not unprecedented for a French leader.

The same word was used by Georges Pompidou in 1966 when he said it was time to stop annoying the French. Like him, Mr Macron said his role was not to irritate the French, but the unvaccinated was a different story.

Macron ally Christophe Castaner said on Wednesday "the phrase didn't shock anyone when it came out of Pompidou's mouth".

Prime Minister Jean Castex told parliament later that people everywhere were saying the same as the president. "Our citizens have a sense of exasperation seeing a whole kind of restrictions imposed while others choose to break free of them."

• Omicron: Good news, bad news and what it all means
• Covid map: Where are cases the highest?

France has one of the highest Covid vaccination rates in the EU, with more than 90% of the adult population double-jabbed.

For months France has asked people to show either proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test to access many public venues.

But the French government wants to remove the option to show a negative test in response to record increases in infections, driven by the highly contagious Omicron and Delta variants of Covid.

On Wednesday, France reported 332,252 new daily Covid cases - the highest number of daily infections recorded in the country since the start of the pandemic.

While Mr Macron is yet to formally declare he is standing for a second term, he said on Tuesday he wanted to run and would clarify his decision "once the health situation allows it".

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2022-01-05 19:10:41Z
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Covid: French uproar as Macron vows to 'piss off' unvaccinated - BBC News

Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of using divisive, vulgar language after he used a slang term to say he wanted to make life difficult for unvaccinated people.

"I really want to piss them off, and we'll carry on doing this - to the end," he told Le Parisien newspaper.

Three months ahead of a presidential election, opponents of Mr Macron said his words were unworthy of a president.

MPs halted debate on a law barring the unvaccinated from much of public life.

The session in the National Assembly was brought to a standstill for a second night running on Tuesday as opposition delegates complained about the president's language, with one leading figure describing it as "unworthy, irresponsible and premeditated".

The legislation is expected to be approved in a vote this week, but it has angered vaccine opponents and several French MPs have said they have received death threats over the issue.

Mandatory vaccinations are being introduced in several European countries, with Austria leading the way for over-14s from next month and Germany planning a similar move for adults. Italy's government was on Wednesday considering a compulsory vaccine pass for at least anyone over 60.

'A president shouldn't say that'

In his interview with Le Parisien on Tuesday, Mr Macron used the vulgar term emmerder to say how he wanted to stir up the unvaccinated. He would not "vaccinate by force" the remaining five million who had not had a dose, but hoped to encourage people to get the vaccines by "limiting as much as possible their access to activities in social life".

"I won't send [unvaccinated people] to prison," he said. "So we need to tell them, from 15 January, you will no longer be able to go to the restaurant. You will no longer be able to go for a coffee, you will no longer be able to go to the theatre. You will no longer be able to go to the cinema."

Reuters

Ahead of a presidential election campaign in which Mr Macron is yet to announce his intention to run, his remarks prompted a strong reaction from opposition figures.

Right-wing Republicans candidate Valérie Pécresse said she was outraged that the president had accused unvaccinated people of not being citizens. "You have to accept them as they are - lead them, bring them together and not insult them," she told CNews.

Party colleague Bruno Retailleau said pointedly: "Emmanuel Macron says he has learned to love the French, but it seems he especially likes to despise them."

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen tweeted: "A president shouldn't say that... Emmanuel Macron is unworthy of his office."

Meanwhile, leftist politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon described the remarks as an astonishing confession: "It's clear, the vaccination pass is a collective punishment against individual freedom."

Macron offers a chance too good to miss

The airwaves in France are shrill this morning with the sound of angry politicians. From left and right, moderate and extreme, opponents are outbidding each other in condemnation of President Macron's emmerder.

In a pre-election period, it's an opportunity too good to miss to accuse him of all his old faults: arrogance, flippancy, detachment, ignorance of the concerns of ordinary folk.

But as this is indeed a pre-election period, we can also be certain the president knew precisely what he was doing when he uttered those provocative words in Le Parisien. This was no uncalculated outburst.

What he wants to do is flush out his enemies on the right. The left he's not so bothered about. But Valérie Pécresse's Republicans party (LR) has become - since her nomination as candidate - his main political preoccupation.

By taking such a strong and coercive position against the unvaccinated, Mr Macron is inviting the LR to choose their side. Are they with him, doing everything possible to boost the number of vaccinated? Or are they siding with the minority, the five million instead of the 50 million, and the anti-vaxxers?

Because if it's the second, that's actually quite an awkward place to be ahead of a presidential election.

The latest opinion gave Mr Macron the edge over his rivals on Wednesday, with 27% of votes in the first round on 10 April, ahead of Valérie Pécresse and Marine Le Pen both on 16%. The poll for Le Figaro/LCI also gave him a run-off victory, with the closest margin of 55%-45% with the Republican candidate.

Mr Macron's choice of language is not unprecedented for a French leader.

The same word was used by Georges Pompidou in 1966 when he said it was time to stop annoying the French. Like him, Mr Macron said his role was not to irritate the French, but the unvaccinated was a different story.

Macron ally Christophe Castaner said on Wednesday "the phrase didn't shock anyone when it came out of Pompidou's mouth".

Prime Minister Jean Castex told parliament later that people everywhere were saying the same as the president. "Our citizens have a sense of exasperation seeing a whole kind of restrictions imposed while others choose to break free of them."

• Omicron: Good news, bad news and what it all means
• Covid map: Where are cases the highest?

France has one of the highest Covid vaccination rates in the EU, with more than 90% of the adult population double-jabbed.

For months France has asked people to show either proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test to access many public venues.

But the French government wants to remove the option to show a negative test in response to record increases in infections, driven by the highly contagious Omicron and Delta variants of Covid.

On Tuesday, the country reported 271,686 new daily Covid cases - the highest number of daily infections recorded in France since the start of the pandemic.

While Mr Macron is yet to formally declare he is standing for a second term, he said on Tuesday he wanted to run and would clarify his decision "once the health situation allows it".

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2022-01-05 16:38:19Z
1240414371

North Korea launches 'unidentified projectile' into sea - BBC News

KCNA via Reuters

North Korea has fired what has been described as an unidentified projectile into the sea, said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The Japanese coast guard, which first reported the launch, said it could potentially be a ballistic missile, but no confirmation has yet been given.

The UN prohibits North Korea from ballistic and nuclear weapons tests.

If confirmed, this would be the first such launch carried by Pyongyang this year.

"South Korean and US intelligence are closely analysing for further detail," the JCS said in a statement.

Japan's defence minister Nobuo Kishi said the suspected ballistic missile had flown about 500 km (310 miles), according to a Reuters report, but according to one expert, there is still no way to confirm this.

"There's no way to assess whether this might have been a longer-range missile flown on a shortened trajectory," Ankit Panda of the Nuclear Policy Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told BBC News.

In 2017, North Korea tested the Hwasong-15, a missile that peaked at an estimated altitude of 4,500km, putting US military bases on the Pacific island of Guam well within striking distance.

The launch comes days after Mr Kim said that Pyongyang would continue to strengthen its defence capabilities due to an increasingly unstable military environment on the Korean peninsula - a stance Mr Panda warned could see 2022 "littered with similar North Korean missiles."

Mr Kim made the remarks during a key end-of-year meeting of North Korea's ruling party.

• North Korea's missile and nuclear programme
• North Korea to focus on economy and food in 2022

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the latest launch "very regrettable," pointing to North Korea's repeated testing of missiles since 2021.

In 2021, North Korea continued the advancement of its weapons programme, conducting what state media reported as the testing of a new hypersonic missile, as well as a train-based ballistic missile and a new long-range cruise missile.

Ballistic missiles are considered more threatening than cruise missiles because they can carry more powerful payloads, have a longer range and can fly faster.

What's the situation in North Korea?

The tests come as Pyongyang struggles with food shortages due to a coronavirus blockade that has affected its economy.

At the end-of-year meeting, Mr Kim said the country was facing a "great life-and-death struggle", adding that increasing development and improving people's living standards were among this year's goals.

United Nations officials had earlier warned that vulnerable children and elderly people in North Korea were at risk of starvation.

However, Mr Panda says this was unlikely to deter North Korea from pursuing its weapons program.

"[Mr] Kim has maintained his emphasis on self-reliance in national defence in recent years even as he has been open about economic difficulties in the country," Mr Panda said.

"For [Mr] Kim and the Workers' Party, sustaining these weapons programs is a top national priority for both internal and external reasons."

The US has been calling for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, and Pyongyang's relationship with President Joe Biden's administration has so far been fraught with tension.

North Korea has also repeatedly accused South Korea of double standards over military activities.

South Korea recently tested its first submarine-launched ballistic missile, which it said was needed as deterrence against North Korea's "provocations".

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2022-01-05 05:05:28Z
1242382171

Theranos burned through its $945 million raised from wealthy investors while Holmes lived in luxury - Daily Mail

How Theranos burned through $945M in investment while Elizabeth Holmes lived in luxury $5,000-a-month apartment in San Francisco: Fraudsters' firm was losing $2 million a week in 2013 and had a $585 million deficit by 2015

• Elizabeth Holmes's five month trail revealed the troubled Theranos founder courted billionaires who sunk more than $945 million into the failed company
• Investors included media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Walmart's Walton Family, and former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos 
• Holmes submitted financial projections of success while the company loss millions every year, and was loosing nearly $2 million every week in 2013
• By 2015, the company had a $585 million deficit and only $429,000 in revenue
• Despite the financial troubles, Holmes lived in a San Francisco luxury apartment with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and owned a $9 million home 
• Holmes was found guilty on Monday of four counts of wire fraud, and could face 20 years in prison for each count
• The jury was unable to reach a verdict on three other counts, with the judge expected to declare a mistrial, but the government can choose to retry    

By Ronny Reyes For Dailymail.Com

Published: 17:24 GMT, 4 January 2022 | Updated: 18:06 GMT, 4 January 2022

Theranos, the troubled Silicon Valley startup headed by now-convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, burned through the $$945 million it raised through wealthy investors, all while she lived in a $5,395 a month San Francisco suite with a jaw dropping view of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Holmes, 37, was found guilty of four counts of wire fraud by a California jury on Monday after deceiving investors into sinking more than $945 million into her faulty blood testing machines. 

Theranos raised nearly all of its capital from investing titans including media mogul Rupert Murdoch who lost $125 million, former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos who gave $100 million, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who invested $3 million and Walmart family heiress Alice Walton who lost $100 million. 

The five month trial that exposed Holmes's dubious claims about financial success ultimately revealed the company was a money sinkhole that lost nearly $2 million a week in 2013 and reported only $429,000 in revenue before going under in 2015.  

Elizabeth Holmes (center) was found guilty on four counts of wire fraud by a California jury on Monday after deceiving wealthy investors into sinking more than $945 million into Theranos

Some of the wealthy investors included (L-R) media Mogul Rupert Murdoch, Walmart family heiress Alice Walton and former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos

Holmes lived in the Lombard Place luxury apartments with a $5,395 monthly rent 

Theranos investors: 

• Rupert Murdoch: $125 million  
• The Walton Family: $150 million 
• Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: $100 million 
• Cox Communications heirs: $100 million 
• Partner Fund Managment firm: $100 million 
• Carlos Slim, media investor: $30 million 
• Andreas Dracopoulos, Greek shipping heir: $25 million 
• The Oppenheimer family:  $20 million 
• Riley Bechtel, former chairman of the Bechtel Corp: $6 million 
• Daniel Mosley, lawyer and power broker: $6 million 
• Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger: $3 million 
• Robert Kraft, New England Patriots owner: $1 million 
• Former Defense Secretary James Mattis: $85,000 

In late September, Theranos Controller Danise Yam, who was in charge of overseeing the company's finances since 2009, testified that Theranos was hemorrhaging big losses since 2010. 

The company recorded $16.2 million losses in 2010, then another $27.7 million in 2011. The following year, the company recorded no revenue and a lost of $57 million. 

In 2013, which was when the company was losing nearly $2 million every week, Yam said the company lost a total of $92 million. 

By 2014, the company accumulated a deficit of $376 million, with a measly $14,000 recorded in revenue. 

Yam said the losses stemmed from the company's investment into research and development of the failed blood testing machines.

Holmes, who painted herself as a young tech billionaire and modern version of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, was only a billionaire on paper due to her shares and actually only received a $200,000 salary from the failing company in 2013 and 2014. 

Yet despite the financial trouble, Holmes lived in a two-bedroom, $5,395 a month apartment at Lombard Place, in San Francisco, that had a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

She also owned a $9 million home in the affluent town of Atherton, California, with her business partner Sunny Balwani in 2013. 

Holmes now resides in a nine-bedroom, $135 million at Green Gables Estate in Silicon Valley with her husband Billy Evans.  

When things finally went under for Theranos in 2015, the company, valued at $9 billion, only had $429,000 in revenue and a $585 million deficit. 

But while the company's finances were in shambles, Holmes continued to paint rosy financial projections, claiming the company would make $122 million in 2015 in order to attract big money investors. 

Among some of the wealthy investors included the heirs of Cox Communications, who gave $100 million; media investor Carlos Slim, who lost $30 million; Greek shipping heir Andreas Dracopoulos, who put in $25 million; the Oppenheimer family, who invested $20 million; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who lost $1 million; and former Defense Secretary James Mattis, who invested $85,000 of his personal savings.  

Another donor included Kissinger's lawyer, Daniel Mosley, who invested $6 million after helping the former secretary of state secure his investment. 

'He said it would be terrific if you would take the time to learn about the company and give me your views on it,' Mosley said of his conversation with Kissinger.

Mosley testified that Holmes was looking for 'high-quality families' to invest.

During his conversations with Holmes, Mosley said he began evaluating a potential investment for himself.

'I was still looking at it with an intent to tell Dr. Kissinger what I thought about it,' Mosley said adding that he found it to be 'personally interesting.'

Mosley, a lawyer and power broker among wealthy families, asked Holmes for audited financial statements of Theranos in 2014, but when she failed to supply any he invested anyway.

Lombard Place Apartments is described in the online rental listing as being 'beautiful' and having 'grace'. The entrance to the building is pictured

Interior images show the bridge in the left hand corner of one of the rooms at the two-bedroom home by the bay

The biggest perk of #303 at 1340 Lombard Street is the glorious view of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay

The main house at Green Gables is pictured. Holmes and her husband are believed to have been renting one of the smaller properties on the grounds, of which there are six 

Holmes testified that she painted a rosy financial outlook for Theranos  while the company was hemorrhaging hundreds of millions in losses 

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger invested $3 million into Theranos, with his lawyer putting in $6 million and spreading the idea of investing to his other wealthy clients 

Mosley then recommended that other clients of his invest in the company.

They included the Walton family, founders of Walmart, and headed by Alice Walton - the richest woman in the world, worth $70 billion.

The Walton family invested about $150 million in 2014 through two separate entities, according to the investor list.

Another of Mosley's clients, the DeVos family - including Betsy DeVos, who served as Donald Trump's education secretary - invested about $100 million.

'It's obvious that they are highly disappointed in them as a company and as an investment,' said Greg McNeilly, the chief operating officer of The Windquest Group, the holding company of DeVos and her husband.

McNeilly said the $100 million was a joint investment across multiple generations and branches of her family, and described the share held by DeVos and her husband as 'minor.'

Betsy DeVos, her husband and their four adult children are worth roughly $2 billion. 

Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the four counts of fraud

Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the four fraud charges following Monday's guilty verdict. She is unlikely to face the maximum sentence but would likely serve them concurrently.  

She was also found not guilty on four other fraud counts, and the San Jose jury were unable to reach a verdict on three other counts, which were set aside for a later date. 

Judge Edward Davila, who oversaw the case, said he planned to declare a mistrial on the three charges, which the government could choose to retry. 

A sentencing date is expecting to be set next week at a hearing on the three hung charges, which include an interview by the US Probation Office as it prepares a pre-sentence report. 

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2022-01-04 17:24:45Z
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Meet the Theranos investors defrauded out of millions - Daily Mail

The Theranos investors who were duped out of millions: Rupert Murdoch sank $125M into the doomed blood-testing company, Henry Kissinger put in $3M and former education secretary was defrauded out of $100M

• Elizabeth Holmes, 37, was convicted on Monday of four counts of fraud in connection with the blood testing start-up she founded in 2003, Theranos
• Holmes was masterful in convincing the rich and powerful to invest in her company, with one bold-faced name convincing another to follow suit
• Among the earliest and largest investors was Rupert Murdoch, who in 2005 put money in the company, eventually ending up with a $125 million stake
• In 2017, the year before the company collapsed, Murdoch sold his stake back to the company for $1
• Other investors included Henry Kissinger, Larry Ellison, Betsy DeVos and the Walmart founder - with many of them also sitting on the company's board
• Holmes could be sentenced to 20 years in prison for each of the four counts, although they will likely be served concurrently and she will appeal 

By Harriet Alexander For Dailymail.com

Published: 05:52 GMT, 4 January 2022 | Updated: 07:46 GMT, 4 January 2022

The conviction of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes on Monday has brought some measure of justice to those she defrauded - but the rich and often famous investors she courted have long lost any hope of getting their money back.

Her wealthiest and most high profile victims include Rupert Murdoch, who lost $125m and the DeVos family - including Trump-era Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who invested $100m.

Other notable figures who lost large amounts include former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who invested $3 million,  ex-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who lost $85 million, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who invested $1 million. 

Also duped was the Walton family, who own Walmart. They sunk a cool $150 million into Theranos. 

Holmes, 37, was found guilty of four counts of wire fraud by a jury in San Jose, at the end of a five-month trial.

The court heard how she dreamt of a blood testing biotech firm, and promised astonishing results - yet failed to deliver. She was a master of marketing, the court heard, and managed to pull the wool over the eyes of some of America's biggest names in business, tech, politics and finance.

One of the earliest investors was media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who led a $5.8 million Series A fundraising round in February 2005, when the company was called Real-Time Cures.

Elizabeth Holmes is seen leaving court on Monday, having been found guilty on four counts

Rupert Murdoch, the 90-year-old media mogul, invested $125 million in Theranos, becoming one of their largest investors. In 2017 he sold his stake for $1

Elizabeth Holmes found guilty of four counts 

1. Conspiracy to commit wire fraud against Theranos investors: Guilty

2. Conspiracy to commit wire fraud against Theranos paying patients: Not guilty

3. Wire fraud against Theranos investors: wire transfer of $99,990 from Alan Jay Eisenman: No verdict

4. Wire fraud against Theranos investors: wire transfer of $5,349,900 from Black Diamond Ventures: No verdict

5. Wire fraud against Theranos investors: wire transfer of $4,875,000 from Hall Phoenix Inwood Ltd.: No verdict

6. Wire fraud against Theranos investors: wire transfer of $38,336,632 from PFM Healthcare Master Fund: Guilty

7. Wire fraud against Theranos investors: wire transfer of $99,999,984 from Lakeshore Capital Management LP: Guilty

8. Wire fraud against Theranos investors: wire transfer of $5,999,997 from Mosley Family Holdings LLC: Guilty

9. Prosecutors dropped this count in November, after making an error that put the count in peril.

10. Wire fraud against Theranos paying patients: wire transmission of patient E.T.'s blood-test results: Not guilty

11. Wire fraud against Theranos paying patients: wire transmission of patient M.E.'s blood-test results: Not guilty

12. Wire fraud against Theranos paying patients: wire transfer of $1,126,661 used to purchase advertisements for Theranos Wellness Centers: Not guilty

 

Murdoch eventually increased his stake to $125 million, having phoned former Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove to ask about Holmes before he invested.

Cosgrove and his clinic were also reportedly weighing an investment in Theranos that never materialized.

According to Carreyrou, Murdoch viewed Theranos' other investors - including Cox Enterprises, the Atlanta-based conglomerate which invested $100 million - as a signal of legitimacy for the technology and its projected revenues.

Murdoch in turn attracted other investors, and was pivotal to the company's success.

Holmes assiduously courted Murdoch: in one anecdote from Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou's book, he recounts a meeting at Murdoch's California ranch, where the media tycoon was 'surprised' by her bodyguards, while he had only one bodyguard himself.

'When he asked her why she needed it, she replied that her board insisted on it,' Carreyrou writes.

Carreyrou broke the 2015 story about Theranos's shaky foundations - writing in the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal.

When Holmes found out about the story, she asked Murdoch to stop it being published.

'You personally went to the owner of The Wall Street Journal to try to quash the story,' said Robert Leach, an assistant U.S. attorney, at trial during questioning of Holmes.

'I did,' Holmes replied.

Carreyrou's report caused the downfall of Theranos, and the loss of Murdoch's money.

In March 2017, the company bought back Murdoch's $125 million shares for just $1.

That price tag could potentially allow Murdoch, worth an estimated $22.4 billion, to write off his investment in Theranos as a loss - a move that could let the media mogul save millions on taxes owed on other investments, the Wall Street Journal speculated.

The 90-year-old Murdoch was not the only veteran public figure to lose out.

Henry Kissinger, the 98-year-old former Secretary of State, invested $3 million in Theranos and his lawyer, Daniel Mosley, invested a further $6 million.

'Dr. Kissinger explained to me he was on the board of Theranos and that it was a very interesting company,' Mosely testified in week nine of the trial, in November.

Kissinger himself is worth an estimated $50 million.

Henry Kissinger, now 98, is seen in January 2020. He invested $3 million in Theranos and was on the board

Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, invested $100 million in Theranos on the advice of a lawyer

'He said it would be terrific if you would take the time to learn about the company and give me your views on it.'

Mosley testified that Holmes was looking for 'high-quality families' to invest.

During his conversations with Holmes, Mosley said he began evaluating a potential investment for himself.

'I was still looking at it with an intent to tell Dr. Kissinger what I thought about it,' Mosley said adding that he found it to be 'personally interesting.'

Mosley, a lawyer and power broker among wealthy families, asked Holmes for audited financial statements of Theranos in 2014, but when she failed to supply any he invested anyway.

Mosley then recommended that other clients of his invest in the company.

They included the Walton family, founders of Walmart, and headed by Alice Walton - the richest woman in the world, worth $70 billion.

The Walton family invested about $150 million in 2014 through two separate entities, according to the investor list.

Another of Mosley's clients, the DeVos family - including Betsy DeVos, who served as Donald Trump's education secretary - invested about $100 million.

'It's obvious that they are highly disappointed in them as a company and as an investment,' said Greg McNeilly, the chief operating officer of The Windquest Group, the holding company of DeVos and her husband.

McNeilly said the $100 million was a joint investment across multiple generations and branches of her family, and described the share held by DeVos and her husband as 'minor.'

Betsy DeVos, her husband and their four adult children are worth roughly $2 billion.

Holmes cultivated an enigmatic persona, and managed to win over wealthy individuals 

Betsy DeVos, who served as Donald Trump's education secretary, also invested in Theranos

Oracle founder Larry Ellison, worth an estimated $12 billion, was an advisor to Holmes and an investor

Tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, was introduced to Holmes by Don Lucas, one of the company's earliest backers and the founder of Lucas Venture Group. It is unclear how much he invested in the firm, although Holmes is said to have told other investors that he was considering putting up $20 million. 

Holmes testified that she met Lucas when the company was raising its Series B financing round.

'Don Lucas was one of the early VCs in Silicon Valley,' Holmes told the court.

'I knew him as someone who focused on building great companies in the long term,' she said, naming Oracle, National Semiconductor and Adobe as some of his investments.

'I was introduced to him by someone who had gone to college with my dad,' she said. 'He had a lot of questions. He began a very comprehensive diligence process.'

Ellison ended up joining the Series C investment round, along with Lucas and his nephew, Chris Lucas, who was one of the investors called by the prosecution.

James Mattis is seen on September 22, arriving in court in San Jose to testify against Holmes

Another Trump figure to invest in the company was James Mattis, the four star general who became defense secretary.

Mattis testified against Holmes on the sixth day of the trial, recalling how impressed he was with Holmes when he first met her in 2011 while still serving a four-star general in the Marine Corps, where he oversaw U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A few months after retiring from the military in 2013, Mattis joined the Theranos board and also invested in the startup, adding $85,000 of his own savings so he would have some 'skin in the game.'

Theranos paid him $150,000 annually as a board member. He resigned in 2016, becoming disillusioned with Holmes, and became defense secretary the following year.

He told the court: 'There became a point where I didn't know what to believe about Theranos any more.'

19 YEARS OF THERANOS

2003 - Holmes dropped out of Stanford University at 19 to found Theranos, pitching its technology as a cheaper way to run dozens of blood tests with just a prick of a finger and a few droplets of blood. Holmes said she was inspired to start the company in response to her fear of needles.

2004 - Theranos raises $6.9million and is valued at $30million. 

2007 - Theranos is valued at $200million.

2010 - Investors bought what Holmes was selling and invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the company. She said in a July Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that it had raised $45million. It is valued at $1billion.

2013 – Theranos announces partnership with Walgreens.

2014 - Theranos was worth more than $9billion and Holmes the nation's youngest self-made female billionaire, hailed by Fortune magazine.

Elizabeth Holmes, founder and chief executive officer of Theranos Inc., speaks during the 2015 Fortune Global Forum in San Francisco, California, on November 2, 2015

February 2015 – In The Journal of the American Medical Association, a Stanford School of Medicine professor criticizes failure to publish anything in peer-reviewed biomedical journals. A notoriously secretive company, Theranos shared very little about its blood-testing machine with the public or medical community.

October 2015 - An investigation by The Wall Street Journal found that Theranos' technology was inaccurate at best, and that the company was using routine blood-testing equipment for the vast majority of its tests. The story raised concerns about the accuracy of Theranos' blood testing technology, which put patients at risk of having conditions either misdiagnosed or ignored, and Theranos temporarily halts finger prick tests.

June 2016 - Walgreens ended its blood-testing partnership with the company.

July 2016 - Department of Health and Human Services effectively banned Theranos in 2016 from doing any blood testing work at all.

2018 - Holmes forfeits control of Theranos and agrees to pay a $500,000 fine to settle charges by the SEC that she had committed a 'massive fraud' that saw investors pour $700million into the firm.

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2022-01-04 05:52:30Z
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Prince Andrew accuser’s 2009 deal with Jeffrey Epstein made public - BBC News

Virginia Roberts

Virginia Giuffre agreed not to sue anyone connected to Jeffrey Epstein who could be described as a "potential defendant", a 2009 damages settlement against the sex offender shows.

The document, disclosed by a New York court, reveals the financier paid her $500,000 (£371,000) to end her claim.

Ms Giuffre is suing the Duke of York in a civil case for allegedly sexually assaulting her 20 years ago, when she was a teenager.

He has consistently denied the claims.

The document was released ahead of a critical hearing on Tuesday in the civil case involving Prince Andrew - and the interpretation of the settlement will form a central plank of the argument between the two sides.

Ms Giuffre alleges she was trafficked to the prince by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Although the settlement does not mention the prince by name, his lawyers say this 2009 deal means she cannot sue him - because she agreed to end all legal action against anyone connected to the offender who could be described as a "potential defendant".

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A source in Prince Andrew's legal team said "Giuffre referred to 'royalty' in her 2009 claim [against Jeffrey Epstein] and that means Prince Andrew was covered by the deal".

Epstein died in prison in 2019, while Maxwell was last week convicted of recruiting and trafficking young girls to be abused by the late financier.

But Ms Giuffre's legal team say the terms of the Florida settlement are irrelevant to her case against the Prince - which alleges sexual abuse by the royal in New York, London and the US Virgin Islands.

In her 2009 claim against Epstein, lawyers for Ms Giuffre said she was lured into a world of sexual abuse at his Florida home when she was a teenager.

They added: "In addition to being continually exploited to satisfy defendant's [Epstein] every sexual whim, [Ms Giuffre] was also required to be sexually exploited by defendant's adult male peers, including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and or other professional and personal acquaintances."

That case never went to trial because on 17 November 2009 Jeffrey Epstein agreed to pay her $500,000 to stop it in its tracks. That deal was confidential until now - but has been made public because of its potential importance to the Prince Andrew case.

In the document, Ms Giuffre, also referred to by her unmarried name Roberts, agreed to "release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge" Epstein and "any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant".

The settlement's wording says she discharges "potential defendants" from any US legal action, including damages claims dating "from the beginning of the world".

The precise meaning of that wording is expected to be the subject of intense legal arguments in New York on Tuesday.

US Attorney's Office SDNY

In filings to the New York court last month, Andrew B. Brettler, the duke's lead lawyer, said the Epstein settlement's plain language would be clear once it was released to the public.

"Epstein negotiated for this broad release, insisting that it cover any and all persons who Giuffre identified as potential targets of future lawsuits, regardless of the merit— or lack thereof —to any such claims," he said.

"Giuffre's baseless claims against Prince Andrew ... must be dismissed at this stage."

In a statement, one of Ms Giuffre's lawyers, David Boies, said the settlement was not relevant to her claim and "does not mention Prince Andrew". "He did not even know about it," he said.

In a previous court filing her lawyers said that the Epstein deal was "outside the four corners" of her action against Prince Andrew because it does not cover her claims against him.

Lisa Bloom, a lawyer for alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein, described the settlement as "one of the most bizarre" she had ever seen, telling BBC News she thought it was "incomprehensibly vague".

"We want contracts to clearly specify who is released from a lawsuit and who is not," she said, adding that she could not see a judge releasing Prince Andrew from a lawsuit because he was not named specifically.

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2022-01-04 00:10:55Z
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