Friday, July 3, 2026

InfoWars finally forks over cash to Sandy Hook families

InfoWars finally forks over cash to Sandy Hook families

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/2/800064415/media/alex-jones-finally-forced-to-fork-over-cash-to-sandy-hook-families/ 

InfoWars finally forks over cash to Sandy Hook families

by Oliver Willis
Staff
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Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones pauses before speaking to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge Friday, June 14, 2024, in Houston. The judge is expected to rule on whether to liquidate Jones' assets to help pay the $1.5 billion he owes for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex JonesAP

The families and survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting are finally receiving some of the money owed to them by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Bill Sherlach, husband of Mary, one of the Sandy Hook School shooting victims, speaks to the media after jurors returned a $965 million dollar judgement in the defamation trial against Alex Jones, in Waterbury, Conn., Oct. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File)
Bill Sherlach, the husband of a Sandy Hook School shooting victim, speaks to the media after jurors returned a $965 million dollar judgement in the defamation trial against Alex Jones on Oct. 12, 2022.AP

The satirical publication The Onion, which recently took control of Jones’ InfoWars brand, paid out $100,000 to the Sandy Hook families during the relaunch of the InfoWars website.

Jones owes the families about $1.4 billion after losing multiple court cases that were brought against him alleging defamation. 

On his show, Jones repeatedly claimed that the mass shooting, which killed 20 children and six adults, was a “false flag” operation meant to whip up support for gun control. Jones called the victims “crisis actors” and inspired his listeners to harass the families and survivors.

Jones’ company was forced into bankruptcy by the massive judgments against him, leading to the sale of InfoWars to The Onion. Jones has been attempting to prevent the sale through court proceedings.

Chris Mattei, an attorney for nine of the families, summed up the state of Jones’ conspiracy empire to The Associated Press: “All he’s been left with is an iPhone and a fancy microphone.”

The new InfoWars site launched on Thursday with the release of a video featuring the “InfoWars elf.”

The new site will also feature a character meant to parody Jones as part of “The Jim Haggerty Show.”

“If you watch [Jones], it is not really information heavy. It is bluster and it is repetition and it is exaggeration,” comedian Tim Heidecker told Fast Company. “So in the satire of it, my job is to try to be as ridiculous as possible without losing sight of who you’re doing or what the character is.”

Jones has been in a terrible place for the last few years. In addition to losing his media empire, he has seen his relationship with President Donald Trump deteriorate. Jones was a big supporter of Trump’s but broke with the administration when Trump attacked Iran.

Trump called Jones a “nut job” and derided the fellow conspiracy theorist for his Sandy Hook lies, despite the fact that Trump has promoted even bigger lies and conspiracies. Jones has also had several high-profile staffers depart from his company.

But perhaps the lowest blow of all is Jones’ media brand now being used to mock him.

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  1. Comment by Fiendishthingy.

    Misleading headline, as the $100k paid by the new Infowars is not connected to the damages owed by Jones.

  2. Comment by buddhistMonkey.

    Is it really some sort of victory that the families have been paid just 0.007% (1/14,000) of what they’re owed? That sounds like a much bigger victory for Alex Jones.

  3. Comment by zenpaddler.

    It is great that he lost his info wars. Yet he demonstrates the whole problem with the US. He made money tearing the country apart by broadcasting lies and illusion in the same way marketing or brainwashing works. Fashioned after Rush's success of using a tiny fact and then generating emotions to lead the audience to the wrong conclusions. He made money. Then with Sandy Hook he has used the money to protect himself from the laws of the land. He is still rich. He will keep spreading divisive propaganda. He will never be without a luxury home. Yet if a person without money is attacked by his lawyers they will end up broke. He reminds me the Sackler family the Epstein pedophile ring. Two set of rules divide the US. It seems to me there is a great campaign available to go along with "Its the economy stupid" as the wealth walk away from crimes with their fortunes intact. Just like the trump family.

  4. Comment by shaggydaahoud.

    Yeah but what price has Jones really paid? He still owns multiple homes, vehicles, etc. Still eats well. Still smokes cigars. His net worth puts him in the top 1%. Maybe he’s lost influence, but he still lives a lifestyle most can only dream about.

    • Reply by Paul C.

      And as crime continues to pay, we will continue to be lorded over by criminals.

  5. Comment by Betty Lou.

    It's about time that disgusting sorry excuse for a human being paid up. The pain he put those those poor families through with his vile hateful lies was reprehensible.

    • Reply by raboof.

      The money did not come from Jones. This story is deceptive.

  6. Comment by juliethotel.

    I want to see relentless mockery of lowlife deadbeat Alex Jones. Chuck that guy and the scam he rode in on.

  7. Comment by Ballerina.

    Finally - the Sandy Hook families get vindicated! But they have only been paid $100k - they are still owed $1.3 billion by Jones, and I won’t be satisfied until all the money is paid. I am so happy that Jones and Infowars were bankrupted. Now, if we can only do the same with Trump and groups like the NRA, it would be the cherry on the sundae.

    • Reply by OwnedByTwoCats.

      1.4 billion minus 100,000 is 1,399,900,000, not 1,300,000,000.

    • Reply by lgmcp.

      Definitely a drop in the bucket. The law should not rest til they wring him dry.

  8. Comment by zoom314.

    Victory!

    • Reply by sidnora.

      Not. Please read more closely.

    • Reply by Coracii.

      Not really, this drop in the bucket of $100,000 has no ties to Jones.

  9. Comment by KamikazeGerbil.

    If he's not living in a box in an alley, then it's not enough !

  10. Comment by bpollen.

    "Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down

    Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down"

    — "Dirty Laundry" by The Eagles

    • Reply by doinaheckuvanutjob.

      That song doesn't apply to Alex Jones.

      The lyrics are about the paparazzi press hounding & smearing celebrities.

      It's NOT about poor pathetic vile Jones ,& we shouldn't think it is.. Besides yes he had a badly acquired fortune, but now he's supported by whatever of his millions he made by victimizing the gun grieving families.

      Jones doesn't warrant our sympathy. Let no one make that error...

  11. Comment by xaxnar.

    They say you shouldn’t kick a man when he’s down - but really that’s the best time.

    • Reply by zoom314.

      In the nuts... Hard.

  12. Comment by No Dolls 4 Donny.

    Trump oughta know a nut job when he sees one; after all he looks in the mirror daily.

  13. Comment by SwanDove.

    There's a special place in Hell for 'people' like Alex Jones who profited off the anguish of bereaved Sandy Hook families. Their years of suffering in so many ghastly forms is unimaginable.

    I hope they find some vindication and peace now.

    • Reply by No Dolls 4 Donny.

      That special place ought to be prison.

  14. Comment by StarryMumof4.

    One word: Finally. 😊

    • Reply by Ahianne.

      Nope. The Onion was kind enough to make a donation to the Sandy Hook families. That scum Alex Jones hasn’t paid one red cent yet.

    • Reply by doinaheckuvanutjob.

      Right after losing in court, madman Jones said he'll never pay...

  15. Comment by CanadianKitty.

    It's about time. The Onion's version of Infowars will be far more truthful.

  16. Comment by GrannyCT.

    I live one town over and folks here are permanently traumatised and furious at what was done to these families!!!! Not only were their babies brutally murdered but they have spent years being hounded by this monster and his monstrous followers. Give them their money. Now!!!!!!

  17. Comment by Dfh1.

    This is a cheap, clickbait headline. It was the Onion that paid them a little bit of money. The headline should be changed.

    • Reply by ktoz.

      Yeah. $100K on a $1.4 billion bill, WOW, not.

  18. Comment by whyasenate.

    I won't be happy until it's reported that Jones is seen begging for spare change in a mostly minority neighborhood in Connecticut.

    • Reply by sidnora.

      And sleeping in a refrigerator box under a highway overpass.

    • Reply by GrannyCT.

      No. Begging in Sandy Hook and surrounding towns will be the best way to punish the bastard. Why would you jump to Minorities?

    • Reply by whyasenate.

      I thought about that, but given what he is, I thought this would even more humiliating.

    • Reply by No Dolls 4 Donny.

      With Trump by his side.

    • Reply by uptownbro41.

      i mean, why isn’t he? i understood OJ living a comfortable if modest life, because retirement benefits are mostly exempt from execution and NFL retirement is pretty decent. But why/how is Alex Jones still living the high life?

    • Reply by doinaheckuvanutjob.

      He's made millions of dollars from his asinine toxic career.

    • Reply by sidnora.

      His millions are sheltered offshore. What I wonder is, how does he have the nerve to leave his house? He should be too ashamed ever to show his face in public. But the human race comprises all kinds.

    • Reply by uptownbro41.

      This concept of “offshore shelter” seems inconsistent with English/American concepts of civil liability for torts, to me, always has. It occurs to me that it doesn’t have to be that way.

    • Reply by sidnora.

      No, it doesn’t have to be that way. One more item for the miles-long fix-it list. I wish I had more confidence that any of it would get done.

  19. Comment by sidnora.

    Please make clear in the title where the money came from. Alex Jones has not paid a penny to the families he mercilessly slandered. His fortune is sheltered offshore.

    This is not what was supposed to happen.

    • Reply by Jamesgang1950.

      Then why is he not in solitary? Orange jump suit.....jumpy as a rabbit the hour he gets out ?

    • Reply by doinaheckuvanutjob.

      Because rich people are rarely ever held accountable, in America...

    • Reply by sidnora.

      Because I don’t have the power to put him there.

  20. Comment by MindMatter.

    The $100,000 came from The Onion, not from Jones. If Jones has not paid his obligation, then this headline is EXTREMELY misleading and should be taken down.

    • Reply by doinaheckuvanutjob.

      Not really, because the Onion comedy group now owns InfoWars, and are turning it into a left center leaning hilarious political comedy site.

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The Kids Aren’t Alright With MAGA

The Kids Aren’t Alright With MAGA

https://time.com/article/2026/07/01/young-republicans-maga-trump/ 

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There’s no denying that President Donald Trump has a vise-like hold over the current Republican Party. Time and again, he has shown an uncanny talent to chuck chaos at even bipartisan bills, like the one House Speaker Mike Johnson sent to the White House on Monday only to be met with “yawn” from his fellow Republican Trump. At the same time, it now looks like Trump and Johnson may end up lashing an annual must-pass, traditionally bipartisan defense bill to a Trump pet project that would make it harder for Americans to vote in this fall’s elections—and force lawmakers to pick funding the military through a stand-alone measure or allow Trump’s federal restrictions to put a thumb on the scales in November’s midterm elections as a trade-off to get cash to the troops.

That’s not to say Trump has limitless—or permanent, even—stage-manager energy over his party. In fact, as my TIME colleague Philip Wang reported this spring, there are real ideological divides between Republican voters under 30 and this President. Most surveys bear this out, for sure.

And in new data released this week from the Ronald Reagan Institute, there are very clear warnings that the kids aren’t alright with MAGA. In fact, two-fifths of GOP voters under 30 do not align with Trump’s quest to Make America Great Again, or at least not in his paradigm. Beyond Trump himself, that should be a sign to Republicans looking downfield for their next plays—especially those who are already jockeying to follow him as President come early 2029. (Yes, the shadow campaign has already begun.)

Among all Republicans in the Reagan survey, 25% said they were not part of MAGA. For those under 30, that number hits 39%. That’s a bloc that cannot be ignored in a coalition holding together with little margin for error.

Even among that MAGA sphere, there is definitely a drop-off in enthusiasm among the under-30 set than writ large. Strong majorities of all ages agree the United States needs a strong military, should spread freedom and democracy, and engage with the world to promote Americans’ economic standing. The younger MAGA crowd are just less gung-ho about it. They also see more upside in engaging with international organizations, with 70% of them seeing value in NATO compared to 62% of all MAGA. At the same time, when asked directly if the United States is better served by withdrawing from world affairs to put America First, the under-30 MAGA set says yes with a 72% margin. Among all MAGA, that number stands at 64%.

The differences and contradictions might be easy to dismiss. Consider the basic ages inside the self–described MAGAverse. Of the whole MAGA movement, just 9% of it—as represented in the Reagan poll—is under the age of 30. Of the non-MAGA GOP, the under-30 number hits 19%. Not to mention that voters under the age of 30 tend to have lower voter registration and participation rates. 

But these young voters are the future. It’s basic Campaigns 101 that if a candidate can hook younger voters, they keep coming back even after that election is over. In the last presidential election, 48% of eligible residents under the age of 25 cast ballots. Going up each age bucket, the numbers grow, topping 75% for those 65 and over, according to Kaiser data.

That same year, voters under 30 made up just 14% of the total presidential vote, according to network exit polls. But Trump carried 43% of them—meaning he still got around 1 million votes from voters in that age range.

It’s clear in the data and on-the-ground conversations with younger conservatives that Trump might not be building a machine that he could easily transfer to the next MAGA warrior, however. 

After months of the punditocracy revisiting Trump’s efforts to use podcasts and the manosphere to bring out younger voters in 2024, it seems there are limits to memes. Since coming back to office, Trump has seen his approval ratings among all voters under the age of 30 fall a whopping 50 points, according to YouGov surveys. In fact, he has a net negative of 45 points in that age group.

For folks seen as next-up contenders like Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a link to Trumpism is not really a question. After all, they’re now seen as fully whole members of his movement despite voicing pointed criticisms of him not that long ago. Both are also already viewed as top contenders for the 2028 nomination, and a Trump endorsement might end that primary before it ever really gets started.

But other possible future leaders might be seeing this data that shows young voters are not entirely sold on the MAGA approach to the world. They’ve certainly been hearing it at rallies: Turning Point USA events have devolved into full-on heckling against Republicans when that youth-engagement army confronts leaders about actions that run afoul of the conservative movement’s historical trajectories. I’m sure that to the svengalis who are helping out the likes of Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, or Govs. Josh Hawley of Florida and Brian Kemp of Georgia, a little distance might prove prudent. Trump may have built a movement, but its heirs are open to some revisions. In fact, two out of five of them aren’t really in the like-and-subscribe column as it is.


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Retired military leaders back 18 governors over National Guard refusal

 

Retired military leaders back 18 governors over National Guard refusal

https://www.axios.com/2026/07/02/retired-military-leaders-back-18-governors-over-national-guard-refusal 

Updated Jul 1, 2026 - Politics & Policy

Retired military leaders back 18 governors over National Guard refusal




National Guard soldiers in camouflage stand at a crosswalk in front of a large office building with a banner reading, "Imagine what we can accomplish in the next 250 years."

Members of the National Guard block off a street outside the Great American State Fair at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 29. Photo: Tyler M. Andrews/The Washington Post via Getty Images




 

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