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u.s. news Diabierna 22 OctOber 2021

Trump plan for new media venture gets investors’ thumbs up

(AP) — Some investors launch a blog on his existing at Trump’s previous favor-
aren’t waiting to see if website was abandoned after ite social network. Slides ac-
former President Donald the page drew dismal views. companying the Truth Social
Trump’s plans for a media preorders listing in Apple’s
company to challenge the “We live in a world where the app store depict a social net-
likes of Facebook, Twit- Taliban has a huge presence work that strongly resembles
ter and even Disney can on Twitter, yet your favorite Twitter, right down to short
actually become reality — American President has been messages and user handles
they’re all in. silenced,” he said in a state- preceded by “@” signs.
ment. “This is unacceptable.”
Trump said Wednesday that The same graphics also fea-
he’s launching Trump Media Conservative voices actually ture a user named Jack’s
& Technology Group as a ri- do well on traditional social Beard, who in one image
val to the Big Tech companies media. On Wednesday, half fumes when an employee
that have shut him out and of Facebook’s 10 top per- pushes back on an order to
denied him the megaphone forming link posts were from delete a user and its posts,
that was paramount to his conservative media, com- calling it “kinda an over-
national rise. The announce- mentators or politicians, ac- reach.” The Jack’s Beard ac-
ment came nine months after cording to a daily list com- count uses the handle @
Trump was expelled from piled by a New York Times jack, which is Jack Dorsey’s
social media for his role in technology columnist and an handle on the real Twitter;
inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol in- internet studies professor us- Dorsey’s long scraggly beard
surrection. ing Facebook’s own data. has also drawn attention dur- same that left Facebook for tial public offering. In prac-
ing the his congressional ap- ‘alternative’ social networks tice, that means the SPAC
The new venture said it had TMTG has not set its sights pearances over Zoom. like Gab or Parler,” said Al- acquires a private firm and
been created through a merg- low. In addition to the Truth exandra Cirone, assistant then changes its name and
er with Digital World Acqui- Social app, which is expected Truth Social’s terms of ser- professor in government at other details to those of the
sition Corp., and seeks to be- to soft-launch next month vice, meanwhile, bar users Cornell University. acquired firm.
come a publicly listed com- with a nationwide rollout from annoying any of the
pany. Shares of Digital World early next year, the company site’s employees and from Trump’s new media bid SPACs pay for their acquisi-
Acquisition quadrupled in says it is planning a video- statements that “disparage, could also compete for view- tions with cash from its own
value in afternoon trad- on-demand service dubbed tarnish, or otherwise harm, ers on conservative networks initial public offering. DWA’s
ing Thursday, even though TMTG+ that will feature in our opinion, us and/or the such as OANN, Newsmax Sept. 8 IPO raised $287.5
there’s a long way to go be- entertainment programming, Site.” It was not immediately and Fox News, she said. million, according to a filing
fore the deal gets finalized news and podcasts. clear who the “us” in that with the Securities and Ex-
and the venture becomes a statement refers to. With Apple and Google change Commission.
bona fide media outlet. One slide in a TMTG presen- cracking down on apps that
tation on its website includes A Trump-branded social me- violate the companies’ con- DWA said it has raised rough-
“It’s been many, many a graphic of TMTG’s poten- dia portal would arrive into tent guidelines, Trump’s so- ly $293 million in cash, which
months since there’s been a tial competitors, which range a crowded space dominated cial media app also “could it will use to grow TMTG’s
SPAC merger greeted with from Facebook and Twitter by Big Tech-run portals like provide a new venue for ventures. Among the com-
this amount of enthusiasm,” to Netflix and Disney+ to Facebook and Twitter. Still, fake news and extremism,” pany’s biggest sharehold-
said Jay Ritter, a professor CNN. The same slide sug- everyday social media users Cirone said. ers are several institutional
at the University of Florida gests that over the long term tend to be on multiple plat- investors, including Light-
who specializes in initial TMTG will also become a forms at once, so TMTG’s Digital World Acquisition house Investment Partners,
public offerings. power in cloud computing offering doesn’t have to nec- Corp., based in Miami, is a D. E. Shaw & Co., and Rad-
and payments and suggests essarily peel users from other special-purpose acquisition cliffe Capital Management,
Trump has spoken about it will go head-to-head with portals to thrive. company, or SPAC. Such according to an SEC filing.
launching his own social Amazon, Microsoft, Google publicly traded companies DWA said more details about
media site ever since he was and Stripe. “This network will most are designed to list the shares the deal will be disclosed in
barred from Twitter and likely be most successful in of a private company more upcoming filings.
Facebook. An earlier effort to TMTG also takes some jabs targeting far-right users, the quickly than a traditional ini-

Neurologist pleads not guilty to sexually abusing patients

(AP) — A neurologist immediately reply to a mes- sexual demands.
pleaded not guilty Thurs- sage seeking comment.
day to federal charges al- If certain victims refused to
leging he was a serial sex- Cruciani, 63, who lives in engage in sex acts, he retali-
ual abuser of women who Wynnewood, Pennsylva- ated by referring them to an-
had gone to him for help nia, was arrested Wednesday other medical provider that
with debilitating, chronic morning in Pocono Pines, would not prescribe the same
pain. Pennsylvania, on charges combinations or quantities
he abused patients over 15 of narcotics, the indictment
Dr. Ricardo Cruciani entered years at his offices in New said.
the plea in federal court in York City, Philadelphia and
Manhattan, prosecutors said. Hopewell, New Jersey. The federal charges follow
He was expected to be re- An indictment described the years of public complaints
leased into home detention doctor, who specialized in by Cruciani’s accusers that
with electronic monitoring rare pain syndromes, groom- authorities in some places
once he posts a $3 million ing patients who were de- weren’t taking his crimes se-
bond secured by three prop- pendent on him for care and riously, particularly in Phila-
erties and signed by three prescriptions to addictive delphia, where he pleaded
other people. opioids, turning back rubs guilty to relatively minor
and hugs into gradually more misdemeanor groping counts
A lawyer for Cruciani didn’t invasive physical attacks and involving seven patients.