Northeast
DC jury orders conservative commentator to pay $1M for defaming climate scientist
A Washington, D.C., jury found conservative commentator Mark Steyn guilty of defaming a prominent climate scientist, ordering him to pay $1 million in punitive damages this week.
In a sprawling verdict delivered on Thursday afternoon after a multiweek trial, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia jury determined that Steyn and fellow commentator Rand Simberg defamed scientist Michael Mann, the creator of the famed “hockey stick” graph, more than a decade ago. The jury additionally ordered Simberg to pay Mann $1,000 in punitive damages, and both he and Steyn were ordered to pay just $1 each to Mann in compensatory damages.
“I hope this verdict sends a message that falsely attacking climate scientists is not protected speech,” Mann said in a statement issued after the verdict was delivered late Thursday.
“We consider this a win for the truthful reporting of climate science matters,” Mann’s lawyer John Williams added in an email to Fox News Digital.
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Michael Mann is seen outside the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse on Feb. 5 in Washington, D.C. (Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The case dates back to 2012 when Mann first filed his lawsuit against Simberg and Steyn. He argued the pair of commentators defamed him in separate posts in which they compared him to Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who had recently been convicted of child molestation.
Years earlier, in 1998, Mann, who remains a University of Pennsylvania climate professor, published a study in the journal Nature showing his “hockey stick” grasp, which showed the Earth warming at a rapid pace. The graph was then used worldwide, including in subsequent United Nations climate reports, to prove that global warming was an increasing threat to humanity.
However, critics, like Steyn and Simberg, have repeatedly cast doubt on Mann’s graph and underlying data.
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Then, in July 2012, Simberg, then a fellow at the free market think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute, published a blog post making the original comparison between Mann and Sandusky.
“Mann could be said to be the Jerry Sandusky of climate science, except for instead of molesting children, he has molested and tortured data,” Simberg wrote in the post.
Mark Steyn is seen outside the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse on Feb. 5 in Washington, D.C. (Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Steyn published a blog post of his own in National Review three days later, referencing Simberg’s article. Though, Steyn appeared to back off Simberg’s original comparison in his article.
“I’m not sure I’d have extended that metaphor all the way into the locker room showers with quite the zeal Mr. Simberg does, but he has a point,” Steyn wrote at the time.
He further identified Mann as “the man behind the fraudulent climate-change ‘hockey-stick’ graph, the very ringmaster of the tree-ring circus,” in reference to climate science which measures historical temperatures using tree ring analyses.
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The jury on Thursday ultimately found that the two commentators’ posts were defamatory, asserted or implied a provably false fact, had reckless disregard for whether their statements were false and injured Mann as a result.
A photo of the COP28 logo ahead of the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 30, 2023. The United Nations has heavily relied on Michael Mann’s “hockey stick” graph in its reports on climate change. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“I have no difficulty standing on the truth,” Steyn said during his opening remarks at the trial last month. “The truth of what I wrote, the truth about what happened at a famous American institution, the truth about this man.”
“In my world, I can write something, Mr. Simberg can write something, and Mr. Mann can write something — and you’re free to read all or none, and decide what weight to attach to all or none. But, in Mr Mann’s world, there’s his take — and everyone else has to be hockey-sticked into submission and silence,” he continued. “He’s a classic example of the guy who can dish it out but can’t take it.”
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Melissa Howes, Steyn’s manager, told Fox New Digital that the punitive damages would have to “face due process scrutiny under U.S. Supreme Court precedent.” She also noted the minimal amount awarded to Mann in compensatory damages.
Mark Steyn, right, argued during the trial that his blog post regarding Michael Mann, left, was protected speech under the First Amendment. (Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
After the verdict was reached, Amy Mitchell, who writes for Steyn’s online blog, said it was a loss for the First Amendment.
“Putting aside the monetary damages, the real damage done by this case is to every American who still believes in the First Amendment,” Mitchell wrote. “The precedent set today, and as alluded to by Justice Alito when the case was petitioned before the U.S. Supreme Court, means that disagreement and/or criticism of a matter of public policy — the founding principle of this country — is now in doubt. And should you choose to give voice to any dissent, you can brought before a jury, held responsible, and fined.”
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However, Simberg said in a statement that he was ultimately cleared of defaming Mann for “data manipulation” and highlighted the low amount of damages he was ordered to pay.
“I am pleased that the jury found in my favor on half of the statements at issue in this case, including finding my statement that Dr. Mann engaged in data manipulation was not defamation,” Simberg said. “In over a decade of litigation, the sanctions levied against Dr. Mann dwarf the judgment against me.”
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Before the NBA season tipped off, we outlined a seven-step roadmap for the new-look, Jaylen Brown-led Celtics to exceed expectations in 2025-26.
Exactly halfway through, they’ve successfully checked six of those boxes, with the seventh still pending.
The result: Boston entered the week with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, the fifth-best in the league, and top-three rankings in point differential (third), offensive rating (first) and net rating (second). Joe Mazzulla’s club has been, by almost any all-encompassing metric, one of the best in the NBA through 41 games.
Ahead of Monday night’s marquee matchup against the Detroit Pistons — No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the East — here’s a closer look at how Boston stacks up against those seven preseason benchmarks:
1. “Jaylen Brown looks like a legit No. 1”
“Boston’s clearest path to competitiveness involves Brown playing at an All-NBA level.”
Brown, who’d said for years that he could thrive as a No. 1 option if given the chance, has aced this test thus far, playing his way into the NBA MVP conversation while Jayson Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery. Owning the NBA’s second-highest usage rate behind Luka Doncic, he’s the league’s fourth-leading scorer (29.7 points per game) and is on pace for a career high in assists (4.8).
Though the 3-pointer has been the centerpiece of Boston’s offense under Mazzulla, Brown has found success by becoming one of the premier 2-point maestros, taking more shots per game from inside the arc than any other NBA player. He’s also averaging a career-best 7.3 free throws per game — despite frequent gripes about what he considers unfair officiating.
Simply put, he’s been exactly what this Celtics team needs.
2. “The most important players stay healthy”
“This current Celtics roster does not have (the) luxury (of proven depth). Losing a key player like Brown or White for any significant length of time could tank their season.”
Brown, who failed to reach the 65-game threshold for postseason awards last year, has appeared in all but three of Boston’s 41 games, sitting out two due to illness and one with back spasms. Starters Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser have missed one game apiece. Top center Neemias Queta has missed two. That’s a total of eight DNPs for Boston’s current, Tatum-less starting five.
The Celtics’ key reserves have been regularly available, too. Sixth man Anfernee Simons has appeared in every game, and Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, Luka Garza and Baylor Scheierman have been sidelined for a total of two (not including their occasional DNP-CDs).
Outside of Tatum, the only player on the roster who’s missed extended time is wing Josh Minott, who sat out the last six games with an ankle sprain. But Minott fell out of Mazzulla’s rotation in late December and wasn’t seeing meaningful minutes when he suffered his injury.
For context, at this point last season, Brown had missed seven games, Tatum three, Hauser seven, Jrue Holiday six, Luke Kornet six, Al Horford eight and Kristaps Porzingis 23.
3. “Anfernee Simons becomes a playable defender”
“Simons can score. Everyone knows that. … But can he be at least respectable on the defensive end? That’s the big question facing the 26-year-old guard.”
It was telling that, after Simons scored 39 points off the bench last Thursday in a come-from-behind win over the Miami Heat, Mazzulla spent much of his postgame news conference praising the guard’s improved defense.
Simons has gone from liability to legitimately impactful at that end since joining the Celtics over the summer, and those improvements have helped turn him into one of Boston’s most valuable contributors. After an uneven start to the season as he adjusted to his new bench role, the former Portland Trail Blazers starter owns the NBA’s fourth-best plus/minus since the beginning of December.
The big question surrounding Simons now is whether Boston’s front office views him (and his $27.7 million expiring contract) as a trade chip or an asset worth retaining. We’ll find out by the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
4. “The frontcourt exceeds its low expectations”
“The move from Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet to Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman is an enormous downgrade on paper. The Celtics will need career years from at least one of these big men to field even a league-average frontcourt.”
The Celtics essentially took a “we’ll see how it goes and hope for the best” approach at the center position this past offseason — and so far, it’s worked.
Queta has been more than solid as a first-year starter (10.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game), and Garza, after being exiled to the end of the bench for much of December, has been a consistent difference-maker off the bench, excelling as a screener and on the offensive glass while shooting a team-best 48.9% from three. It hasn’t mattered that Boucher and Tillman — the Celtics’ two most experienced bigs — have hardly played.
Even Boston’s rebounding — an unsurprising early-season issue for a team that lost its top three big men and its leading rebounder (Tatum) from last year’s squad — has become a strength of late. With help from their crashing wings, the Celtics rank sixth in defensive rebounding rate and fourth in offensive rebounding rate since the start of December, and seventh in overall rebounding rate this season.
Still, trade rumors have linked the Celtics to several established big men, so they could make a move to bolster this group in the coming weeks.
5. “Multiple depth wings become reliable rotation players”
“Jordan Walsh? Baylor Scheierman? Josh Minott? Hugo Gonzalez? With no proven depth on the wing behind Brown and Hauser, the Celtics will need at least half of those inexperienced backups to play real roles this season.”
How about all four?
Gonzalez, an instant contributor as a 19-year-old rookie, boasts the NBA’s second-best individual net rating. The Celtics went 15-5 with Walsh — who’s having by far the best season of his three-year career — in their starting lineup. Scheierman has become an everyday rotation player, earning his playing time through deflections, drawn charges and the occasional timely 3-pointer. Even Minott has been a net positive, starting 10 games and playing big minutes as a small-ball center before falling down the pecking order. All four have swung games with their chaotic energy and hustle plays.
6. “The East is as wide-open as expected”
“Any argument for the Celtics remaining competitive this season should start with the quality of their conference.”
Seven Eastern Conference teams — from the second-ranked Celtics to the No. 8 Heat — entered the week with between 22 and 26 wins. The New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic have underachieved relative to preseason hype, and the defending conference champion Indiana Pacers have cratered amid a tidal wave of injuries.
The Pistons sit comfortably atop the East standings, carrying a 4 1/2-game cushion into Monday night’s matchup. But is a franchise that’s won just two postseason games since 2008 an NBA Finals shoo-in? Hardly. The Celtics should be viewed as real conference contenders, especially if…
7. “Jayson Tatum returns for the stretch run (and looks like himself)”
“If Brown and Co. can scrap their way into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, they couldn’t ask for a more helpful midseason addition than a healthy Tatum.”
By all accounts, Tatum is on or ahead of schedule in his Achilles rehab. The Celtics have insisted they will not rush him back, but a midseason comeback appears realistic. If he returns and looks like Tatum, even in a reduced role, watch out.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers just got some very interesting coaching news. Their initial list of candidates was a mix of offensive and defensive coaches, with really just one “older coach” being included in their interviews.
Maybe, they’ll be adding a second.
Mike McCarthy was the outlier of the Steelers initial requests for interviews, being 62-years-old in a group of candidates that ranged from 35 to 46. Pittsburgh’s Team President Art Rooney II clearly has an idea of what the age bracket is for his next head coach, but what if he can reconsider things with another candidate.
No, that candidate isn’t McCarthy. The Pittsburgh native and former Aaron Rodgers head coach may be a candidate, but he’s likely not the favorite to land the job. Sean McDermott could be, though.
The Buffalo Bills have decided to move on from McDermott after nine seasons. The 51-year-old head coach held a 98-50 record in Buffalo, taking the team to two AFC Championship games, and leading them to five AFC East titles with a .662 winning percentage (ranking 15th all-time).
When he took over the team, the Bills hadn’t made the playoffs in 18 years.
Sources: The Bills have fired Sean McDermott after 9 seasons.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 19, 2026
The Steelers wouldn’t want that? Rooney made it clear that he doesn’t want to “rebuild” and is looking to remain a contender after Tomlin. It’s what kept Tomlin around for 19 years, never being questioned by the organization.
” I’m not going to say, well, we’re going to take a couple of years to figure this out, and then we’ll try to compete. I think you try every year, and as I said, some years you have the horses to really get there, some years you don’t. But you try every year, in my view,” Rooney said.
“No,” he later added when asked if the team will rebuild. “I don’t know if it’s a rebuild. It’s a new coach, so there will be changes. We’ll have to all get comfortable with kind of the plan. Whether you call it a rebuild or not, I don’t like that word that much. We’ll try to compete day one if we can.”
McDermott is the Perfect Fit for Steelers
There’s one quote from Rooney’s press conference that continues to surface when discussing the Steelers head coaching search.
“There are a lot of things that go into being a successful coach,” Rooney said when asked what the team is looking for. “Number one, really, I think in my mind, is leadership and really trusting that this person can stand in front of your team day in and day out, and hold their attention and have them motivated to do what they do. So, that’s what’s most important.”
Last year, after the Bills lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs, quarterback Josh Allen showed just how well McDermott fits that criteria.
“This is gonna sound weird, I’m just so proud of coach,” Allen said. “I don’t know why he’s not recognized more in the awards stuff. That’s the cruddy thing about it. But time in and time out, he’s got us in position. . . . We’re fighting to get over that hump, and he gives his life to this. He’s so committed to doing whatever it takes.”
If McDermott was at the end of his career, the Steelers shouldn’t be a team considering him. They’re ready for something new and refreshing and an older head coach isn’t that. After 19 years of Mike Tomlin, they need to find the next Mike Tomlin, but different.
McDermott is two years younger than Tomlin, though. And it was surprising that Tomlin chose to not pursue another job this season. But he’s so young that people expect him to return and be great, even if it’s down the road.
Which means McDermott has plenty of time left. Maybe he isn’t the next 20-year head coach of the Steelers, but if he’s there for 10, or 15, that’s a successful run for any team, even Pittsburgh.
McDermott is a defensive-minded coach who’s a proven winner and has helped turn an organization in Buffalo into a contender. Rooney is looking for that same success in Pittsburgh.
And without question, McDermott becomes a top – if not the top – option for the Steelers. An easy hire amongst anyone else on the market.
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GROTON, CT (WFSB) – Overnight snowfall created mixed road conditions across Connecticut on Monday morning.
Side roads presented more challenging driving than highways.
That was why many organizations posted closings or delays. See the list here.
“[There will be] ongoing snow showers through daybreak, though exiting from west to east through that time frame,” said meteorologist Jill Gilardi. “Temperatures [will be] in the 20s and 30s. Increasing sunshine later [Monday] morning, and plenty of melting, though be mindful of untreated surfaces that could be slick.”
Many drivers reported that side roads were not plowed and slick spots were encountered when they left residential areas.
However, highway conditions were significantly better due to state Department of Transportation crews working throughout the night.
CT DOT said its truck drivers worked through the night and continued plowing and salting roads Monday morning to make them as safe as possible for drivers.
Despite improved highway conditions, drivers may still encounter occasional patches of ice or slushy snow. Officials urged drivers to travel much slower than normal speeds, even when road conditions appear good, in case they hit unexpected slick spots.
Many people said they are staying home from school and work on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Those who must travel were advised to use extra caution and allow additional time for their commutes.
For real-time traffic updates, check the Channel 3 First Alert Traffic map here.
Take a look at the forecast with the technical discussion from Channel 3’s meteorologists here.
Download the WFSB News and Weather apps here.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
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