Story by Liam Carstens

In 2018, Elon Musk tweeted “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” then shortly after, “Investor support is confirmed. Only reason why this is not certain is that it's contingent on a shareholder vote.”

These tweets led to the stock price of Tesla quickly skyrocketing as many people bought the stock, thinking that Tesla had acquired the funding to go private. However, he never actually secured funding, and was in the process of speaking to a Saudi Arabian wealth fund about funding. After this, the Tesla stock price fell as he never acquired funding or took Tesla private.

Later in 2018, Musk and Tesla were fined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (S.E.C) for $20 million each for fraud. Musk was also forced to step down as chairman of Tesla and required to allow a lawyer to read his tweets concerning Tesla before posting.

Later, in January 2023, Tesla shareholders who allegedly lost a significant amount of money following Musk’s tweets, sued him in federal civil court. Musk won this lawsuit after the jury found him not liable for shareholder losses following the tweets.

This year, on April 29, Musk appealed the original 2018 S.E.C. ruling to the supreme court, claiming that requiring an attorney to read his tweets concerning Tesla was a violation of his freedom of speech. The court rejected his appeal, leaving in place the S.E.C. ruling from 2018.

This most recent ruling shows how the supreme court is difficult for anyone to fight in. Even after winning the lawsuit last year, Musk still couldn’t improve his original ruling after arguing in the supreme court.

Story by Quinn Palmer

A Vietnamese real estate tycoon,Truong My Lan, has been sentenced to death for embezzlement, having stolen the not so insignificant sum of $12.5 billion. She has been stealing money from one of the country’s largest banks for the past 11 years (Source).

The Vietnamese communist party’s anti corruption campaign has brought this deception to light. 85 other people were put on trial with Truong My Lan. Her cohorts received a variety of sentences ranging from only a few years to life in prison. Every one of the defendants was found guilty. Truong My Lan’s husband was sentenced to 9 years in prison and her niece got a 17 year sentence (Source).

She stole $12.5 Billion over the course of 11 years. That averages out to roughly $3 million per day. Vietnam’s laws state that it’s illegal for any one person to own more than 5% of a bank’s shares. Truong My Lan used other people and companies as her proxies so she owned over 90% of Saigon Commercial Bank’s shares. She appointed bank officials who approved significant loans to companies under her control (Source).

Vietnam’s Communist party has sentenced Truong My Lan to death by poisoning. She was found to possess almost 3 percent of the entire country’s GDP. Hopefully the money will be used to improve Vietnam’s economy instead of being hoarded by a greedy person like Truong My Lan.

Story by Amelia Lawrence 

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, mostly known as Coachella, is an annual event that brings together music lovers, art enthusiasts, and fashionistas from around the world. They are held in Indio, California. It is known for its vibrant atmosphere, crazy outfits, and star lineup of performers. This year’s festival, Coachella 2024, proved to be even better than before, making it an unforgettable experience as always. 

One of the highlights of Coachella 2024 was its diverse lineup of performers. From famous artists to upcoming talents, the festival showcased a wide range of musical genres, including pop, rock, hip hop and country. Headliners such as Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, and Billie Eillish delivered electrifying performances that had the crowd dancing and singing along. 

Something that stood out even more this year was how strongly the festival embraced sustainability and environmental consciousness. The festival had eco-friendly reusable water bottle stations, composting, recycling programs, and solar powered stages. These efforts not only reduced the festival's carbon footprint but also inspired attendees to adopt more sustainable practices in everyday life. 

Coachella 2024 had a sense of community and inclusivity like no other. From diverse food vendors serving food from all around the world to workshops promoting wellness and mindfulness, the festival had something for everyone. People who attend are inspired to express themselves freely through fashion, with mainly bold and creative styles that reflect them individually. Senior Owen Lawrence states, “If I were to attend Coachella I would wear my favorite cowboy hat and urban outfitter 90s baggy jeans.” 

Overall, Coachella succeeded the expectations this year and it will continue to set the standards for music festivals around the world. Coachella is a once in a lifetime festival. Attendees depart with memories of unforgettable performances, new friendships, and a renewed sense of inspiration. Until next year, Coachella!

Story by Amelia Lawrence

Netflix has just released a captivating true series “Baby Reindeer” which follows the ups and downs of a struggling comedian named Donny as he navigates the unpredictable world of stand up comedy while facing unexpected challenges including a stalker. 

Baby Reindeer offers viewers a unique blend of humor, drama, and suspense, making it a must watch series. This compelling netflix show delves into the life of comedian Donny. The series portrays Donnys experience navigating the comedy scene while confronting the unsettling reality of being stalked by a female admirer. From her 41,000 emails all the way to her stalking outside of his house days and nights at a time. As months and years go by things start to turn to anger.  As Donny tries to build his career up he faces Martha and her psychotic love for him. 

Watching makes you feel as if you are there, going through all of the emotions with Donny, it’s a twisty and mind capturing show.  Richard Gadd, the real man who this happened to even played his own role , having to retell and relive these traumatic events all over again. He had to go through his scary moments with “Martha” and his struggling career. 

The bigger the show has gotten the more it has affected Gadds real life. Fans have tracked down the real life Martha, sending her death threats as well as many other real life characters. Gadd stated that he has tried his best to keep these people all anonymous but fans had other plans. The real life Martha has now appeared on the Piers Morgan show, she replicates the actor even better than you could imagine. Overall this show plays with your mind and gives you all of the emotions. If this seems like a show you would like, check it out on Netflix. But remember to respect the cast as well as the real life people.