Uphill station would be on line to Weston-super-Mare
John Wimperis and Local Democracy Reporter
17:00, 05 Mar 2026
Campaigners say the reopened station should be on the loop line(Image: PA)
Councillors have been urged to press for the reopening of a forgotten railway station in Weston-super-Mare.
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After the Bristol to Exeter main line passes through Worle, a loop line forks off and stops at Weston Milton and at Weston-super-Mare railway station in the town centre. But there is a fourth long since forgotten railway station which once served the town and that campaigners are now suggesting should reopen.
The Bristol Rail Campaign said that a reopened Uphill railway station could serve Weston Hospital, the Weston College’s Loxton campus, the nearby estates, and provide access to Uphill Beach and local walks. The group’s campaigns lead Christina Biggs suggested to a North Somerset Council scrutiny panel on February 26 that the council should press the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) for the funding to reopen the station if it becomes a member.
The original Uphill railway station opened in 1871, just south of the cutting through the hill crossed by Devil’s Bridge. It was followed in 1884 by Uphill Junction railway station, which opened just north of the cutting. The Bristol Rail Campaign are suggesting that a new Uphill station should be in a slightly different location so that it is on the loop line serving Weston Milton and Weston-super-Mare.
Ms Biggs said: “The idea then is that you are not holding anything up on the mainline. You are just using the local trains that would stop at Weston Milton, Worle, and Weston-super-Mare.”
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North Somerset Council is expected to join WECA by the end of the year or early 2027, with a public consultation on the plan currently running until April 10. WECA has millions of pounds of transport funding and Ms Biggs said the council should press for some of this to be spend on a feasibility study on opening a new Uphill railway station. She said: “It’s something you could quite reasonably ask of WECA as an introductory thing/taster.”
WECA is already helping to fund the reopening of the Portishead Railway at the other end of North Somerset, which after a decades long campaign is expected to reopen in 2028. Ms Biggs said: “Uphill is pretty minor because its on an existing line. You don’t have any of the problems of the Portishead Line.”
North Somerset Council is yet to debate or decide whether Uphill railway station is a project it wants to pursue.
EQT President and CEO Toby Z. Rice joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the sudden rise in oil and natural gas prices as the Middle East conflict rages.
The U.S. is reportedly considering asking China to curb its purchases of oil from America’s adversaries, like Iran and Russia, ahead of President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing at the end of the month.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is weighing whether to raise the issue of China’s energy purchases with his counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, when they meet in Paris mid-March.
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The Journal’s report cited people familiar with Bessent’s meetings with former U.S. officials, business executives and policy analysts about how the administration wants China to buy U.S. energy products instead.
China sources a significant portion of its oil purchases from Russia. Those purchases come at a steep discount due to international sanctions levied on Russia’s energy sector that stem from its ongoing war against Ukraine, which has been funded in part by Moscow’s oil sales.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is reportedly discussing plans to ask China to curb its purchases of Iranian and Russian oil in favor of U.S. energy. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
It’s unclear whether China would consider paying more for American oil and potentially undermining its close ties with Russia while its strategic partner is straining to fund its war effort.
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Iran is also factoring into Bessent’s consideration of energy issues related to China. The Journal’s report indicated that the Treasury chief wants China to commit to cutting back its long-term reliance on Iranian oil if Iran’s energy sector is able to resume shipments after U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country.
Iran’s conflict with the U.S., Israel and other countries near the Persian Gulf has hindered the flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images)
China’s economy is heavily reliant on imported energy and, as of this year, imports from Russia, Iran and Venezuela made up over one-third of China’s total oil imports despite disruptions in supplies from Venezuela after the ouster of Nicolás Maduro, according to the report.
The report also noted that Bessent has said in private meetings that the Trump administration is pressing China to step up purchases of Boeing jetliners and soybeans grown in the U.S., along with a relaxation of China’s export controls on rare earth minerals.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet in Beijing within a month. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
The Chinese government put in place tough restrictions on exporting rare earths, which are elements used in a vast range of advanced technological products, in response to the White House’s tariffs.
For its part, the Chinese government is expected to press the U.S. to be more proactive in its stance against Taiwanese independence.
China views Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, as part of its territory even though the Chinese Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan.
The U.S. adheres to a “One China” policy that acknowledges China’s position that Taiwan is part of it but doesn’t recognize that view. By contrast, China asserts that Taiwan is its sovereign territory under the CCP’s “One China Principle.”
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Zoey Gong, a Chinese medicine food therapist, was days away from boarding an Emirates flight from Paris to Shanghai via Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday.
Gong, 30, had her flight plans derailed as a result, and she told CNBC that she had to pay $1,600 to get to Shanghai, more than double the price of her original ticket.
She’s one of millions of travelers swept up in war and other conflicts from Iran to Mexico this year, problems that are threatening the global tourism industry that’s worth an estimated $11.7 trillion to the world’s economy, according to industry group World Travel & Tourism Council. It’s showing that people who are far from falling missiles, drone attacks and other geopolitical flashpoints aren’t immune to ripple effects.
‘Aviation quagmire’
Stranded passengers wait with their luggage outside the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on March 3, 2026 after carriers cancelled flights amid the Middle East conflict.
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Munir Uz Zaman | Afp | Getty Images
The U.S.-Israel attack on Iran set off massive aviation, travel and safety crises.
More than a million people around the world were stranded because of airspace closures that have grounded over 20,000 flights since Saturday, according to aviation data firm Cirium. Some were also stuck on cruise ships. Inquiries for more expensive “cancel for any reason” travel insurance policies surged 18-fold this week, said Chrissy Valdez, senior director of operations for Squaremouth, an online insurance marketplace.
Since Saturday, Iran has launched retaliatory attacks on the United Arab Emirates — home to Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic, according to Airports Council International — as well as Qatar, Jordan, Israel and Cyprus. The back-and-forth attacks have left airlines with little recourse to repatriate travelers.
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Days after the attack, the U.S. State Department told citizens in a large part of the region to leave immediately, with few options at hand. The department said it is organizing charter flights for U.S. citizens who want to return from Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Qatar.
“This has spiraled into an aviation quagmire,” said Henry Harteveldt, a former airline executive and founder of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group.
Other sectors of the travel industry are also dealing with the war’s impact. Debris rained down near Accor‘s Fairmont The Palm Hotel in Dubai over the weekend. The company said four people were injured, but none were guests, visitors or staff. Meanwhile the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel had a fire earlier this week after it was hit by debris from an Iranian drone.
(L to R) The Malta-flagged cruise ships Aroya Manara and MSC Euribia are anchored at the port of Dubai on March 4, 2026.
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Giuseppe Cacace | AFP | Getty Images
MSC Cruises’ more than 6,300-passenger MSC Euribia ship has been stranded in Dubai and the company is trying to get flights for affected guests, it said. “We are requesting priority for our guests from our partners,” the company said in a statement.
“In order to speed up the repatriation, we are working on other options such as chartering flights” from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, UAE, or Muscat, Oman, but the situation on board “remains calm,” the cruise company said.
Earlier this week, MSC said it would cancel its remaining sailings from Dubai for the winter. “We understand that this will be disappointing, but we are sure that guests impacted will understand this decision,” it said.
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Putting aside the Covid-19 health crisis that ground most international travel to a halt, Harteveldt called this week “the most chaotic event we’ve seen frankly since 9/11 when the U.S. chose to close its airspace. We haven’t seen anything that has had such a long and geographically widespread impact on travel.”
Global conflicts
Flightradar24 still of flight traffic across the Middle East on March 4th, 2026.
Source: Flightradar24.com
The Iran war is the most severe military conflict this year, but it’s one of a series of obstacles that have threatened travel demand and profits for hotels, airlines and cruise companies, as well as local economies that depend heavily on travel, especially international tourists, who tend to spend more than local visitors.
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Three days into 2026, the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. The attack prompted the U.S. to close airspace throughout the Caribbean, stranding travelers, many at pricey resorts and home rentals they had booked for the holidays.
Read more about military conflicts’ impact on commercial flights
Then in February, flights were grounded in parts of Mexico, including in the coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta and in Guadalajara, after violence broke out following the Mexican army’s killing of a cartel leader.
Executives have already had to make costly changes: rerouting or cancelling sailings, issuing flexible booking and refund policies, grounding planes and changing flight plans altogether, or discounting hotel rooms.
The cost of these conflicts is still being tallied, including for fuel, one of the biggest expenses for cruise companies and airlines along with labor, and are usually passed along to consumers, so that means pricier tickets and stays could be in the cards.
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Australian carrier Qantas, for example, told CNBC that its flight from Perth, Australia, to London will now travel a route that requires it to stop to refuel in Singapore, though that will also allow it to pick up another roughly 60 passengers.
Best year ever?
Passengers look at departure screens showing cancelled flights to Puerto Vallarta at Benito Juarez International Airport after authorities reinforced security following roadblocks and arson attacks carried out by organized crime in several states, after a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” was killed in Jalisco state, in Mexico City, Mexico, February 22, 2026.
Luis Cortes | Reuters
Travel executives started off 2026 as they often do: upbeat. Some airline executives, including those at the most profitable U.S. carriers, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, forecast record earnings this year.
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The war and other incidents erupted as the travel industry has been leaning on premium options to woo wealthier customers, who make up a greater share of spending overall. Losing the base for more expensive trips could be extra disadvantageous to those companies and local economies.
In Mexico, for example, tourism makes up close to 9% of the economy and international tourist arrivals rose 13.6% last year to 98.2 million people, who spent close to $35 billion, according to the country’s Tourism Ministry.
Now, airlines are pulling back on traveling to Puerto Vallarta, at least from the United States in the near term. Delta cut routes from April 3 through the end of the month to the city, except for once-daily flights from Los Angeles and Atlanta, according to the Cranky Network Weekly newsletter, which covers the airline industry’s network changes. Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines also cut service in March.
“Perhaps people will forget about the PVR [Puerto Vallarta International Airport] concerns now that headlines will shift to the Middle East and bookings will rebound, but we will be watching capacity changes as leading indicators,” Brett Snyder and Courtney Miller, the newsletter’s authors, said in the March 1 edition.
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Smoke billows amid a wave of violence, with torched vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states, following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” was killed, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, February 22, 2026.
@morelifediares via Instagram | Reuters
The recent issues also come three months ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which is set to be hosted by cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Some hotels in Mexico are starting to notice a change, too.
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Victor Razo, manager at the Rivera del Rio hotel in Puerto Vallarta, told CNBC that bookings are down around 10% compared with last year.
“We’ve had some promotions given what had happened,” he said, adding it brought down rates between 10% and 20% ahead of the busy spring break and Holy Week period in the coming month.
He added that the hotel wasn’t near the problems, which included road blockades, and that bookings have since stabilized.
“It’s not like the beginning of the pandemic,” he said. “There is no comparison.”
Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss concerns over TikTok data security, mounting pressure on Iran and the fight to keep the government open.
President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday were sued over their handling of the TikTok deal that was finalized in January, according to a petition filed by two shareholders in competing tech firms.
The plaintiffs argued that Trump approved a joint venture that failed to fully sever the app’s operational ties to China, granted several unlawful extensions and that Bondi failed to investigate the alleged breaches as required by the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications (PAFACA) Act, which mandated TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by early 2025.
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The petition was filed by Zhaocheng Anthony Tan, a shareholder in Alphabet, and Garrett Reid, a shareholder in Meta Platforms, who said the TikTok deal also led to declines in Meta and Google stock.
“For the law to mean something, it must be followed, even—perhaps especially—by the President,” the lawsuit, filed by the Public Integrity Project, stated. “Respondents have violated the statute and subverted the will of Congress. Petitioners bring this case to ensure that such violations, and such subversion, do not continue.”
Trump in January backed the launch of The Joint Venture LLC, a seven-member majority-American board that enabled TikTok to keep operating in the U.S. (Getty Images)
Under the current agreement, TikTok was spun off into a separate U.S.-owned entity to remain operational in the country, satisfying an executive order issued by Trump on Sept. 25 of last year. The majority American-owned joint venture gives U.S. entities an 80.1% stake, while parent company ByteDance retains 19.9%.
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“In short, under the announced deal, ByteDance would still control all the essential elements of TikTok,” the lawsuit said. “Such a deal would subvert the very purpose of the TikTok Law, as ByteDance could continue to push Chinese propaganda and censor the content it does not like, exactly the harm that the law was intended to prevent.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi conducts a news conference at the Department of Justice on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
According to the lawsuit, the American entity of TikTok does not actually own the app’s algorithm but instead collaborates with ByteDance, violating the statutory ban on algorithmic cooperation. While ByteDance retains ownership and licensing of the algorithm, TikTok U.S. will only “retrain, test, and update” it using U.S. user data.
The U.S. entity’s budget, legal compliance and commercial activity will also be overseen by ByteDance CEO Shou Chew, who will sit on the board of directors for TikTok U.S., creating another operational relationship that the lawsuit alleges is prohibited.
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The petition further alleges that Trump violated PAFACA, which allows the president to grant only a one-time extension of no more than 90 days, and only with the necessary certifications to Congress. Trump reportedly approved five separate extensions — lasting 75, 75, 90, 90, and 120 days — far exceeding the statutory limit.
The petition alleges that Trump unlawfully directed Bondi not to investigate or enforce any violations of PAFACA, in direct violation of the act.
Shou Zi Chew (C), the CEO of TikTok, arrives to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration as the next U.S. president in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. (Shawn Thew/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The lawsuit claims that Trump’s actions financially harmed investors in TikTok’s competitors. The plaintiffs noted that when the deal was made in January, Alphabet’s stock immediately dropped from $330.84 to $328.43.
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Similarly, Meta stock fell from $760.66 to $748.91 during the initial framework announcement in September 2025, as it became apparent that the law might not be enforced.
According to the lawsuit, which is led by New York, California, Oregon and Arizona, the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs also violates the US Constitution because Congress, not the president, has the power to impose sweeping tariffs, which are taxes on imports.
| Revenue of $85.98M (4.21% Y/Y) beats by $704.65K
Docebo Inc. (DCBO:CA) Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 March 5, 2026 12:15 PM EST
Company Participants
Brandon Farber – Chief Financial Officer
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Conference Call Participants
Josh Baer – Morgan Stanley, Research Division
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Presentation
Josh Baer Morgan Stanley, Research Division
Right. Before we begin, for important disclosures, please see the Morgan Stanley research disclosure website at www.morganstanley.com/researchdisclosures. And if you have any questions, please reach out to your Morgan Stanley sales representative.
My name is Josh Baer, software analyst here at Morgan Stanley. Thrilled to have Docebo’s CFO, Brandon Farber, here. Thank you so much for joining us.
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Brandon Farber Chief Financial Officer
No problem.
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Question-and-Answer Session
Josh Baer Morgan Stanley, Research Division
Brandon, as a bit of an intro and for those newer to the story, I was hoping you could provide a little bit of an overview of Docebo’s key products and use cases. Who are your customers? What type of value do you bring to your customer base?
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Brandon Farber Chief Financial Officer
Yes. So at its core, Docebo is an AI learning platform. So customers typically come to us, and the core purchase is our learning management system. And alongside of that, we have modules that we patch along such as content, communities, advanced analytics. And recently, which I’m sure we’re going to talk more about is we became a multiproduct company for the first time.
We acquired a company called 365Talents that is more in the skills intelligence category. So for the first time ever, Docebo is going to market with 2 different products. From a use case perspective, we track about 12 different use cases, but if I could just simply break it down, it’s really 2 main categories. It’s the internal use case, which is your classic use cases that have been around since the beginning of time. It’s your
FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence speaks with U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum about his meetings with Venezuelan oil and gas executives on ‘The Big Money Show.’
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told FOX Business in an exclusive interview from Venezuela on Wednesday that the relationship between the U.S. and the South American country is moving at “Trump speed,” as their new energy partnership is on track to a “golden age of abundance.”
Burgum told FOX Business that “you can’t argue with geography,” as American companies are showing they want to invest in Venezuela. He said this would have positive impacts on energy affordability in the U.S. and job creation in both the U.S. and Venezuela.
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“If you’re shipping oil to a Gulf of America refinery, it’s five days [from Venezuela]. They were shipping some of their product for 40 days around the world,” he said of Venezuela. “It is so beneficial to both the U.S. and Venezuela for us to have a tight synergistic partnership around energy and around minerals just like we did 25 years ago.”
“This literally could be one of the richest countries in the world, and to have them as our friend, our ally and our trading partner, that is absolutely terrific,” Burgum said, noting that the relationship is what the U.S. needs to keep energy prices down for Americans.
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum deliver statements at Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, March 4, 2026. (Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
Burgum said he is optimistic after meeting with Venezuela’s leadership and companies.
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“When the U.S. is entering a gold age under President Trump, allies like Venezuela become a strong partner, our economies get back to the way they used to be integrated, they can ride right on our coattails and have their own golden age of abundance,” he said.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in Caracas, Venezuela, March 4, 2026. (Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
Burgum was meeting with oil and gas executives, including Chevron and Shell, along with Venezuelan business leaders during his trip to highlight critical mineral partnerships.
On Thursday, Shell signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Venezuelan government to start liquified natural gas (LNG) production in the Dragon gas field.
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Two American service companies, KPR and Baker, and one Venezuelan company, Vepica, will also sign onto the memorandum, so work can begin on oil and natural gas production.
The heavy oil upgrader facility in the Orinoco Oil Belt near Cerro Negro, Venezuela, Dec. 4, 2004. (Ed Lallo/Getty Images)
A senior administration official told FOX Business the LNG from Venezuela could eventually help support power to Europe.
The Trump administration wants to expand access to oil production in the country, ultimately changing the course of global energy supply chains and reducing reliance on China.
Burgum’s visit comes weeks after the Trump administration completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million.
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The deal comes after Trump announced interim authorities in Venezuela would be turning over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the U.S., worth about $2.8 billion at current market prices.
‘The Big Money Show’ panel reacts to Meta’s new child safety alerts as social media companies face mounting scrutiny in court over teen mental health claims.
The judge in the bellwether social media trial in Los Angeles barred Meta’s defense from introducing a document where the plaintiff said she had suffered “sexual abuse during childhood.”
The exchange happened after the jury and plaintiff’s witness, psychiatrist Dr. Kara Bagot, were dismissed for the day. Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt took to the lectern to ask Judge Carolyn Kuhl about an exhibit he wanted to introduce to the court.
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The document was a housing application from the plaintiff, a 20-year-old female identified in court as Kaley G.M. She had filled the application out after her mom evicted her from their shared home. When asked in the application if she had suffered any “traumatic circumstances or events” in her life, she wrote: “exposure to neglect, emotional, physical and sexual abuse during childhood.”
Meta’s lawyer, Paul Schmidt, outside the courtroom in California. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
“This happened in the family, but she wasn’t asked to elaborate,” said Schmidt to the judge. Schmidt wanted to introduce the application, which was filled out in May 2024 – after her lawsuit was filed – to show that Kaley did not list “social media addiction” as one of her traumas.
Schmidt offered to redact “sexual abuse” from the document because it hasn’t been discussed or brought up at the trial in any of her extensive medical records, which number over 200. He said that the other traumas – neglect, emotional and physical abuse – are all backed up in the previous testimonies.
Kuhl asked to see the application and scoffed, telling Schmidt, “It looks like she’s lying here. She’s bringing up autism, she’s bringing up sexual abuse that never happened,” said Kuhl.
It has not been discussed by either the plaintiff or defense in court if Kaley experienced sexual abuse or if she had lied about experiencing sexual abuse. Autism has been discussed in her records, but she was never diagnosed with it.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives at the Los Angeles Superior Court at United States Court House on Feb. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Jill Connelly/Getty Images)
Kuhl asked if there was any evidence of sexual abuse. Schmidt said he didn’t know where Kaley got that from, as it wasn’t explored in her deposition.
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“In this document, she’s exaggerating. Common logic says she’s got to find a place to go, she’s trying to convince [the housing] that she’s an abused child so they can help her,” said Kuhl. “She’s making it as ’that’ as possible.”
Schmidt disagreed with Kuhl’s take on the exhibit, saying he only wanted to bring up the traumas that she’s previously testified to.
“I don’t know how you don’t get a sense of the document that I get. As a judge who sat in child abuse courts, sometimes kids do that,” said Kuhl.
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Schmidt told the court he would drop the request and Kuhl thanked him.
Also discussed after the jury was dismissed was the issue of time left for both sides to present their case. Kuhl determined before the trial that each side would get 40 hours to make their case, which includes all direct and re-direct examinations. Currently, the plaintiff attorneys, specifically lead counsel Mark Lanier, have 5 hours and 56 minutes left. The defense, which includes both Meta and Google, has 11 hours and 11 minutes left.
Mark Lanier, the main plaintiff’s lawyer, walks outside the court in California. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
Lanier still has additional witnesses to call, including Meta whistleblower Arturo Bejar. Schmidt and the defense team seemed to be in control of their time left until the testimony of Bagot, who they have spent a considerable amount of time cross-examining.
Bagot will be on the stand for her fifth day on Thursday, which Lanier admits is unusual. Kuhl has also grown weary of how long she’s been on the stand.
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“I want to say something to everyone about where this is going. Overnight, think to yourselves, ‘Have I asked this question before?’ Look at the jurors and ask yourself if they’ve got the picture,” Kuhl said.
Kuhl opined that if one of the sides runs out of time and doesn’t have a chance to cross-examine, that could open the door for an appeal.
“The appellate court in our state court system hasn’t spoken to the great issue of the time limit,” said Kuhl. “If we say this is the clock, and it was set when we had no idea what it was going to look like, and all of a sudden a side can’t cross-examine, what are they going to say about this?”
