The Lead

Following their being found liable for defamation in January, CNN proclaimed in a statement that they “will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case.” But during Monday’s edition of The Lead, host Jake Tapper once again found himself embroiled in controversy when he refused to strongly push back on Democratic Senator Chris Murphy (CT) after he peddled the long-debunked…

It’s been a while but White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller seemed to still have it during a Tuesday interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on The Lead. Miller repeatedly embarrassed Tapper by calling out the outlandish assertions he was making and throwing them back in his face, like suggesting it was “demonizing” to note that someone voted for Vice President Kamala…

Twice on Friday, CNN turned to in-house fact-check and Canadian Daniel Dale to spin-spoil for FEMA and lambast President Donald Trump targeting the response of the agency to last fall’s aftermath of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina and this month’s wildfires in southern California.

Largely lost in the coverage of witness testimony, breaking news of the liability verdict against CNN, and the subsequent settlement on punitive damages, was how CNN’s lead counsel David Axelrod (not to be confused with the CNN commentator of the same name) had repeatedly lied to Judge William Scott Henry and was dressed down in front of the court and streamed around the world because of it.…

As first reported last year by Puck’s Dylan Byers and then confirmed last week in detail by former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, CNN pulled the trigger Thursday on massive layoffs — to the tune of roughly 200 people — at the once proud network-turned-Resistance-hive-turned-ratings gadfly. CNN boss Mark Thompson announced the six-percent workforce cut would be accompanied by a massive…

A jury in Panama City, Florida found CNN guilty of defamation in the case of Zachary Young, who worked to rescue people from Afghanistan after America withdrew. CNN must pay $5 million in damages (not counting punitive damages). Associate Editor Nick Fondacaro has been in the courtroom to explain it all. 

Former conservative reporter-turned-liberal-media apologist Oliver Darcy spent the last few days leaking out news from his former employer about a new direction for the TV side of CNN that, while not radical in changing its liberal ideology, would be radical in personnel movement with Wolf Blitzer poised to host mornings and Jim Acosta possibly being banished to midnight Eastern.

Panama City, FL – On Friday, a jury of six in Florida’s 14th Circuit Court in Bay County has found CNN liable for the defamation of Navy veteran Zachary Young and that he was entitled economic and emotional damages, a ruling that proved CNN was not worthy of their moniker “the most trusted name in news.” They also found that CNN’s reporters had demonstrated expressed malice,…

Something unique about the Florida judicial system is, baring objection of counsels and the court, jurors get to ask questions of the witnesses. These questions could be used as possible insight into a jury’s temperament and possible mindset as a trial unfolds. In the case of the $1 billion defamation trial against CNN, the tea leaves seemed to indicate on Wedndesday that they weren’t looking…

In lieu of adding more in-person witnesses to a trial with a hard deadline, Tuesday’s proceedings in the $1 billion defamation trial against CNN featured the sworn deposition videos of five CNN employees who had their fingerprints on the offending report. One of the more eyebrow-raising testimonies of the bunch came from CNN anchor Jake Tapper who’s show - The Lead - the report…

Week Two of the $1 billion defamation trial against CNN kicked off Monday with the testimony of CNN chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, the architect of the allegedly defamatory report. The key moments from this time on the witness stand were when he refused to apologize to Navy veteran and Plaintiff Zachary Young, doubled down on the false assertions that Young was…

In addition to CNN’s defamation lawyer smearing a decorated two-star general in open court during Friday’s proceedings, it was the first time someone from CNN was called to testify in the $1 billion defamation trial against the network. Senior editor and fact-checker Fuzz Hogan was on the witness stand where he was belligerent with plaintiff’s counsel, oozed arrogance, defended CNN’s editorial…

CNN’s lead counsel in the $1 billion defamation trial against them, David Axelrod (not to be confused with the CNN commentator of the same name) had yet another angry outburst at a witness on the stand, on Friday. After going berserk on Navy veteran and Plaintiff Zachary Young the previous day, decorated Army Major General James V. Young (no relation to the plaintiff) was in Axelrod’s sights;…

U.S. Navy veteran and Plaintiff Zachary Young continued his testimony Wednesday in the $1 billion defamation trial against CNN. The morning’s testimony featured the jurors being shown fairly damaging messages between Young and CNN reporters Katie Bo Lillis and Alex Marquardt. The messages showed Young was lied to about the nature of CNN’s reporting and Young warning them what they were about…