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☆ People claiming to have been duped by 'Home Improvement' star's crypto scam say it was a 'gut punch'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former "Home Improvement" star Zachery Ty Bryan is accused of taking people's money as part of a cryptocurrency scam, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I got duped," one source told The Hollywood Reporter. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bryan claimed he was also confused by the situation. "This was not me running some shady scam deal or something — that's just not me," Bryan told the publication. A spokesperson for Bryan and a Producers Market representative did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: Zachery Ty Bryan, Bryan, Ty Bryan, Brad Taylor, Tim Allen, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, that's, Allen Organizations: Hollywood, Morning, Producers Market, Hollywood Reporter, Market, Producers

☆ Fox News stirs outrage after labeling Biden a ‘wannabe dictator.’ The network says it ‘addressed’ the situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Fox News on Wednesday acknowledged that an onscreen banner calling President Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator” was inappropriate and said it had taken steps to address the situation internally. “The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed,” a Fox News spokesperson told CNN in a statement. “WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED,” the onscreen text read. Biden and his White House have repeatedly stressed that he does not involve himself in Justice Department investigations and have said that the DOJ works independently of the White House’s influence. But Fox is fighting another defamation case from Smartmatic, another voting technology company, which is seeking a staggering $2.7 billion in damages.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Fox, KAI, ron, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, “, Brian Kilmeade, Tucker Carlson, 4u3meRzXUY — Oliver Darcy, Hillary, Carlson Organizations: New, New York CNN — Fox, Fox News, CNN, Department, DOJ, Fox, MSNBC, Trump, National Archives, Dominion Voting Systems Locations: New York, Biden’s Washington, DC, Wilmington , Delaware, Washington

☆ Fox News sends Tucker Carlson cease-and-desist letter over new Twitter show
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Daniel Arkin | Diana Dasrath | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Fox News has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Tucker Carlson, alleging that the conservative network's former star anchor breached his contract by launching a new show on Twitter, according to a source familiar with the matter. "Doubling down on the most catastrophic programming decision in the history of the cable news industry, Fox is now demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election. The first installment of Carlson's new show, "Tucker on Twitter," debuted June 6. The conflict between Fox News and Carlson comes at an inflection point for the conservative media ecosystem. "Tucker Carlson Tonight," a cornerstone of the Fox News lineup since 2016, was one of the most-watched shows on American cable news.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Harmeet Dhillon, Tucker, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, Trump, Bernard Gugar, Bryan Freedman —, Carlson —, Fox, Freedman, Tucker Carlson's, Elon Musk Organizations: Fox News, Twitter, Dominion Voting Systems, Fox, Axios, NBC News, Defamation League, America News Network, Trump, Dominion Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Miami

☆ Trump’s Bathroom Reading at Mar-a-Lago - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — It’s shocking how easy it is to imagine Donald Trump campaigning for the presidency from prison. Maybe he’d even be able to smuggle in his special Tang-colored hair bleach. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried for the White House from the Big House. In 1920, after being imprisoned on sedition charges for excoriating American involvement in World War I, which he considered a capitalistic war, Eugene Debs won about 900,000 votes as the Socialist Party nominee. “I will be a candidate at home in seclusion,” he joked when asked how he would campaign.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, Donald Trump, He’d, ” He’d, Elvis, Pavarotti, Eugene Debs, “, ” Organizations: White, Big, Socialist Party, United Press, Trump Locations: Goodfellas

☆ Raj Shah out at Fox in wake of historic Dominion settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Raj Shah, the Fox Corp. brand protection executive who pushed Fox News in an even more pro-Trump direction after the 2020 election, has left the company. “Raj brought talent and creativity to his role at Fox,” Fox spokesperson Brian Nick told CNN on Thursday. Hear what Fox News viewers think about the Dominion settlement 03:30 - Source: CNNA cache of internal Fox communications brought to light in Dominion Voting Systems’ massive defamation lawsuit against the right-wing network included several messages from Shah. “This is the kinda s—t that will kill us,” he wrote, according to legal filings. We cover it wall to wall and then we burn that down with all the skepticism.”

Persons: Raj Shah, “ Raj, ” Fox, Brian Nick, “, ” Shah, Trump, Shah, Neil Cavuto’s, Kayleigh McEnany, Fox, Joe Biden, Lachlan Murdoch, Suzanne Scott, Viet Dinh, Donald Trump, ”, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, texted Organizations: New, New York CNN, Fox Corp, Fox News, Trump, Fox, CNN Locations: New York

☆ CNN's Chris Licht is facing an outraged newsroom and some are wondering if he'll survive — here are 16 top execs he's counting on to help him dig out
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Lucia Moses | Alison Brower | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

CNN CEO Chris Licht hopes to win back his staff's trust after a damaging magazine profile of him. Discovery exec David Leavy has been dispatched to help Licht run the network. Here are the 16 key CNN deputies under Licht leading news efforts, business development, and more. CNN boss Chris Licht has had the most scrutinized and toughest year of all Warner Bros. Leavy will report to Licht when he officially starts June 20, taking oversight of operations, marketing, and PR.

Persons: Chris Licht, David Leavy, Licht, Jeff Zucker, Oliver Darcy, Brian Stelter, that's, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Athan Stephanopoulos, Chris Marlin, Ted Turner's, John Malone, Donald Trump, Christiane Amanpour, He's, Kaitlan Collins, Gayle King, Charles Barkley, Barbara Starr, Ana Cabrera, Don Lemon, Nikki Haley wasn't, Lemon Organizations: CNN, Top Warner Bros, Discovery, Warner Bros, CNBC, Trump, White House, CBS News, WBD Sports Locations: WBD, York

His tenure, which effectively started when he eliminated the network's expensive CNN+ streaming service , was riddled with programming missteps and rock-bottom ratings. "We have great confidence in this group and will fully support them until a new CEO is named," Warner Bros. In the meantime, executives Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling and David Leavy will lead CNN, the company said. Chris Licht is out at CNN after leading the news network for a little more than a year, parent company Warner Bros Discovery announced Wednesday morning. Read Zaslav's memo to staff:All,This morning we are announcing that Chris Licht will be leaving CNN and we will be conducting a wide search, internally and externally, for a new leader.

Persons: Chris, Zaslav, –, David Zaslav, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling, David Leavy, Chris Licht, Licht, Donald Trump, Leavy, Joe, Stephen Colbert, Read, You've, David Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Discovery, Warner Bros Discovery, CBS, Development, MSNBC, CNBC

☆ Opinion: What Oppenheimer’s reading list can teach us
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Jane Carr | Opinion Jane Greenway Carr | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Oppenheimer’s list of books included works by Plato, mathematician Bernhard Riemann and scientist Michael Faraday, and the “Bhagavad-Gita,” with which he has famously long been associated. What happens when the inner workings and potential reach of scientific inventions are unknown, even to the human beings who create them? Still, Pride is also a time to revel in culture’s power to transform, sustain and bring joy to LGBTQ communities. But Medvedev knows that above all else he needs Putin to think of him as unequivocally loyal and useful. What it will do is help 40 million borrowers who, like me, were drowning in debt and need immediate relief.

Persons: Robert Oppenheimer, ” Oppenheimer, Plato, Bernhard Riemann, Michael Faraday, William Shakespeare’s “, ” Charles Baudelaire’s “, Fleurs, Mal ”, Eliot’s, Oppenheimer, ” Matthew Zapruder, ”, William Carlos Williams, Nick Anderson, ChatGPT, Stuart Russell, Jessica Chia, Bethany Cianciolo, Russell, isn’t, ” Russell, “, Clay Jones, Joe Biden, John Avlon, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Joel Pett, Poppy Harlow, James Comey, Donald Trump, Republicans ’, MAGA, Julian Zelizer, Zelizer, Trump, Kayleigh McEnany, Rob Finnerty, Matt Wolking, Cupp, McEnany, that’s, Kayleigh, Pride Luciano, Sereno, Luciano Vecchio, It’s, ” Vecchio, “ Sereno, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s, Frida Ghitis, Medvedev, Putin, ” Medvedev “, Michael Bociurkiw, Biden, Sophia A, Nelson ., Nelson, it’s, …, Brandon Bell, Jill Filipovic —, —, Filipovic, we’ve, ” Don’t, Keith Magee, Kara Alaimo, James Moore, Texas GOP Tess Taylor, Lala Tanmoy Das, Alex Soros, Scottie Pippen can’t, Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Nathaniel S, Butler, NBAE, Michael Jordan, ” Pippen, Charles Barkley, Phil Jackson —, Will Leitch, ” Leitch, Pippen, Leitch, There’s Organizations: CNN, Manhattan, American, Committee, Tribune, Agency, Biden, Republicans, Trump, GOP, Luciano Vecchio Pride, United, AFP, Russia’s Security, Republican, Texas GOP, Philadelphia 76ers, Getty, NBA Locations: Berkeley, Iowa, revel, it’s, Argentina, United Russia, United Kingdom, Russia, Houston City, America, European, Texas

☆ CNN apparently removed the words 'sexual abuse' from a chyron ahead of Trump town hall, The Atlantic reports in bombshell profile of network head Chris Licht
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sarah Gray | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CNN producers removed the words "sexual abuse" from a chyron ahead of Trump's town hall, per The Atlantic. The day prior to Trump's CNN town hall, he was found liable for defamation and sexual abuse. Nearly a month after the town hall, The Atlantic published an eye-opening profile of Licht and his tenure. On May 9, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming longtime Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll awarding her $5 million. The jury did not find Trump liable for rape; the former president has denied the allegations.

Persons: Tim Alberta's, Chris Licht, Chris Licht's, Donald Trump, Licht, Atlantic's Tim Alberta, Trump, E, Jean Carroll, Kaitlan Collins, Collins, Carroll, Oliver Darcy, Christiane Amanpour Organizations: CNN, CNN Worldwide, GOP Locations: Trump's, Alberta

☆ Ron DeSantis accused Trump of 'going left' on fiscal and cultural issues and called the former president 'a different guy' compared to his 2016 run
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

DeSantis said Trump is running from the "left" as the Fla. governor has now entered the 2024 race. In a range of interviews, DeSantis sought to assert himself as the true conservative in the primary. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Thursday wasted little time going after former President Donald Trump after announcing his White House run, accusing the ex-commander-in-chief of "going left" on fiscal and cultural issues. Despite DeSantis' appeal among many conservatives looking to move past the Trump era, the former president remains the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. As of May 27, the national polling average on FiveThirtyEight had Trump ahead of DeSantis 53.9%-20.4%.

☆ Opinion: A boast that could sink Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. CNN —“I’m the one that got rid of Roe v. Wade,” former President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday on Newsmax. Congress has the power to rein in the court, wrote CNN legal analyst and law professor Steve Vladeck, whose new book “The Shadow Docket” focuses on the Supreme Court. Courtesy Boaz FreundIn 2019, then-President Trump issued an executive order requiring hospitals to post the prices of common medical services and procedures. For some, its celebration of a multiracial but purely fictional British aristocracy may even be a big part of its appeal.”As escapism, “Queen Charlotte” is a success.

A main focus of Trump's attacks has been Social Security - the federal pension system - and Medicare. I will always protect Social Security and Medicare for our great seniors." Today, party leaders and many Republican voters oppose reforming Social Security and Medicare because so many Americans rely on the programs. They are reliant on Social Security and Medicare and they worry about this stuff," Feehery said. INSULTS KEEP COMINGThere is so far no clear polling on how Trump's attacks on entitlement spending have impacted DeSantis.

Poulos, Dominion’s co-founder and chief executive, spoke about his experience settling the historic lawsuit during an interview at the Sir Harry Evans Global Summit in Investigative Journalism in London. Dominion sued Fox News and parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) in 2021 over the network’s coverage of false vote-rigging claims about the voting technology firm. The settlement, which legal experts said was the largest struck by a U.S. media company, was announced by the two sides and the judge in the case at the 11th hour. Dominion’s settlement with Fox is part of a broader legal campaign by the company to seek accountability from companies and individuals whom it claims have spread falsehoods about its technology. The company is also suing former Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, conservative media networks One America News Network and Newsmax Media, and others.

☆ Iger hammers Florida 'retaliation' on Disney's earnings call
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Walt Disney Company isn't the only business in Florida that operates within a special district, CEO Bob Iger reminded investors Wednesday. "The case that we filed last month made our position and the facts very clear," he said during an earnings call. Disney's amended lawsuit also noted that Florida's Republican-led Legislature passed legislation last week targeting Walt Disney World's monorail system. He said the company is the largest taxpayer in central Florida, having paid more than $1.1 billion in state and local taxes last year. "So this is plainly a matter of retaliation while the rest of the Florida special districts continue operating basically as they were."

☆ Smartmatic subpoenas Donald Trump's former campaign in lawsuit against Fox News over 2020 election conspiracy theories
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump's lawyers defamed Smartmatic with election conspiracy theories, Smartmatic says. They seek communications and files from Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., Trump's campaign vehicle for the 2016 and 2020 elections. In the subpoenas, Smartmatic asks for all communications regarding Smartmatic or Dominion — a rival election technology company also caught up in conspiracy theories — in connection with Fox News and Newsmax around the time of the 2020 election. They also ask for communication regarding appearances by Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, two attorneys who advanced the conspiracy theories on behalf of the Trump campaign. The subpoenas indicate that Smartmatic seeks to penetrate the inner workings of Trump's campaign operation to understand their links with right-wing media organizations.

☆ Tucker Carlson discussed working together with Elon Musk after Fox firing, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tucker Carlson is talking with right-wing outlets about his next career move, according to Axios. He has reportedly talked to Newsmax and Rumble while his lawyers work to break his Fox contract. Axios also reported that Carlson has met with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who has previously expressed support for right-wing views. Tucker Carlson has had at least one conversation with Elon Musk about working together, according to a new report from Axios. Social media extremism experts previously told Insider that Musk often uses his Twitter to amplify right-wing messaging.

☆ Tucker Carlson is mobilizing allies to attack Fox News as he eyes launch of new media empire, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tucker Carlson remains influential in conservative media despite being fired from Fox News in April. Sources close to Carlson told Axios that the political commentator is looking to get out of his contract with the network. As a result, they say, his team is "preparing for war" with Fox News, Axios reports. Rival outlets — including right-wing Rumble and Newsmax — have reached out offering to pay Carlson more than his Fox contract, Axios reported. Now, sources say Carlson's right-wing allies are rallying around him in the aftermath of the abrupt firing.

☆ DeSantis heaps compliments on 'Florida resident' Tucker Carlson, calling the ousted Fox host 'talented' and 'funny'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tucker Carlson was abruptly fired from Fox News on April 24. Ron DeSantis praised Tucker Carlson and his show at Fox News while criticizing the media company's abrupt decision to fire the popular conservative news host. I think it's terrible that he was fired," the Florida governor said. He also expressed pride to have Carlson as a fellow Florida resident, although he joked that Carlson might not love summers in the Sunshine State. "We're proud because he's a Florida resident, and he loves the state of Florida," he said.

☆ Tucker Carlson Wants to Return to TV Before 2025. Will Fox Let Him?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jeremy W. Peters | Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Or Mr. Carlson and Fox News could work out a separation agreement that allowed the former Fox host to get back on the air before his contract expires. And Fox would be spared the threat of what a disgruntled Mr. Carlson might do to drive a wedge between his loyal followers and Fox News. Mr. Freedman has handled departure deals for numerous TV stars and is well known for his aggressive negotiation tactics. An agreement that allows Mr. Carlson to appear on a rival news network like Newsmax would be a considerable concession from Fox. In any agreement, Fox would most likely insist on prohibiting Mr. Carlson from joining a cable news competitor, said a person familiar with how negotiations with big Fox stars have unfolded in the past.

☆ Fox News has lost half its 8 p.m. audience in just days since Tucker Carlson's firing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fox News has lost about half of its 8 p.m. audience in the days following Tucker Carlson's firing. 1.33 million viewers tuned in on Wednesday, compared to 2.65 million for Carlson's unexpected final show last Friday. The ratings data from Nielsen has been tracked by CNN's Oliver Darcy every day since Carlson was fired. Carlson's last show Friday drew 2.65 million viewers, itself down from the other four days of last week which each topped 3 million, and Tuesday and Wednesday this week fell to 1.7 million and 1.33 million viewers, CNN reported. The viewers appear to be opting for other conservative networks, as Darcy reported that Newsmax's 8 p.m. hour totaled 510,000 viewers, tripling the audience they drew at the same time last Wednesday.

☆ Newsmax Sees a Ratings Boost After Carlson’s Exit at Fox
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Newsmax, the niche conservative news channel that has long played David to Fox News’s Goliath, has seized on Tucker Carlson’s shock dismissal from its rival network and declared itself the true TV home for right-wing Americans. Viewership of Newsmax remains far below that of Fox News. But its audience at certain hours has doubled, and in some time slots tripled, in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Carlson’s exit — an abrupt spike that has turned heads in conservative circles and the cable news industry. On Monday evening, Eric Bolling’s 8 p.m. Newsmax program drew 531,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. On Tuesday, Mr. Bolling’s audience grew to 562,000 viewers, equal to about 80 percent of Anderson Cooper’s CNN viewership that evening.

☆ Tucker Carlson's next move
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Aaron Short | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Tucker Carlson's dismissal signals a new realignment in conservative media. Nobody at Fox "was as connected to the MAGA base as Tucker Carlson," one ex-Trump official said. Whatever the reason, Carlson's dismissal signals a new realignment in conservative media. Last month, Tucker Carlson Tonight was the top-rated program among all news channels with 3.25 million viewers including 421,000 viewers in the coveted age 25-54 demographic. His previous work includes the 2022 profile of Carlson, The Tucker Carlson Origin Story.

☆ Trump expresses shock over Tucker Carlson's ouster: 'Especially over the last year or so, he's been terrific to me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Especially over the last year or so, he's been terrific to me," Trump said of Carlson. He's a very good person and a very good man," Trump told Newsmax host Greg Kelly on Monday. Trump told Kelly he was unsure if Carlson left voluntarily, or if Fox News had fired Carlson. "But I think Tucker's been terrific," Trump said. "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights," Carlson wrote, per Dominion's filing.

☆ Tucker Carlson and Trump text each other regularly and their relationship is closer than ever, even after the now-ousted host was caught privately bashing the former president: NYT
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson often text each other and are closer than ever, NYT reported. The two patched up after Carlson was revealed to have privately slammed Trump in 2021, per NYT. Trump voiced support for Carlson when the latter left Fox News on Monday in a shock announcement. But as Carlson and Trump grew closer, Trump's aides grew more confident they'd retain the right-wing host's backing, according to the outlet. Representatives for Carlson and Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Why Fox News brass might be unnerved after seeing the ratings in the aftermath of Tucker Carlson’s firing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

When Carlson hosted on April 17, he averaged 3.2 million total viewers and 445,000 in the key demo. On April 10, Carlson averaged 3.1 million total viewers and 438,000 in the key demo. And on April 3, Carlson averaged 3.2 million total viewers and 435,000 in the key demo. Carlson’s ratings dominance was why he had that 8pm perch. The numbers suggest that some of Carlson’s audience migrated over to Newsmax to sample the competitor’s showing.

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