In a 2:39 a.m. ET post on Truth Social, Donald Trump gave unsolicited legal advice to Rupert Murdoch on how to handle the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News.

Said Trump: “If Fox would finally admit that there was large scale cheating & irregularities int he 2020 presidential election, which would be a good thing for than & for America, the came against them, which should not have existed at all, would be greatly weakened.”

He added: “Back up those patriots at Fox instead of throwing them under the bus.”

“A Delaware judge presiding over the landmark defamation case between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News said Monday that the delayed trial will now begin Tuesday at 9am ET,” Axios reports.

“The unexpected delay Sunday evening spurred rumors that the two parties may be trying to work out a settlement ahead of the six-week planned trial. The judge did not mention anything about a potential settlement Monday morning.”

“The beginning of the much-anticipated defamation case between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News has been delayed by one day, until Tuesday, to allow both parties to hold conversations about the possibility of a settlement,“ the Washington Post reports.

“No reason was officially given for the delay, which was announced Sunday evening by the judge overseeing the case. Jury selection had been scheduled to conclude on Monday and then both sides were expected to give opening statements, kicking off a weeks-long trial.”

“Fox News formally apologized to the judge in the Dominion defamation case, taking responsibility for the ‘misunderstanding’ regarding Rupert Murdoch’s role at the network that led the judge to launch an investigation into potential legal misconduct by Fox,” CNN reports.

Dylan Byers: “The case, which is scheduled to go to trial next week, has already unearthed troves of embarrassing private emails and text messages between the Murdochs, Fox News executives, and on-air talent that lay bare the network’s willingness to promote baseless voter fraud conspiracies—conspiracies most of the hosts and executives clearly did not believe—in a desperate attempt to keep itself in the good graces of the MAGA faithful and compete with Newsmax.”

“The embarrassment from the discovery phase is merely the start. Once the trial is underway, the Murdochs, Fox executives, and several of the network’s most well-known hosts—Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham among them—will likely be compelled to testify before a jury. On Wednesday, a group of news organizations filed a petition for live audio of the proceedings, and may push further for video footage, which could turn the testimony of Fox News’ popular stars into a national news event, à la Gwyneth Paltrow or Johnny Depp.”

“Meanwhile, more potentially damaging evidence is likely to come to the fore.”

NBC News: Jury selection begins in Dominion defamation case vs. Fox News.

“The Public Broadcasting Service has followed National Public Radio in quitting Twitter after the social media network labeled both organizations as government-backed media,” Bloomberg reports.

Vanity Fair: “At the age of 91, Murdoch blew up his fourth marriage. Jerry Hall was waiting for Murdoch to meet her at their Oxfordshire estate last June when she checked her phone.”

Wrote Murdoch: “Jerry, sadly I’ve decided to call an end to our marriage. We have certainly had some good times, but I have much to do…My New York lawyer will be contacting yours immediately.”

“Hall told friends she was blindsided… One of the terms of the settlement was that Hall couldn’t give story ideas to the writers on Succession.”

“The judge overseeing Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox News said on Wednesday that he was imposing a sanction on the network and would very likely start an investigation into whether Fox’s legal team had withheld evidence, scolding the lawyers for not being ‘straightforward’ with him,” the New York Times reports.

“The rebuke came after lawyers for Dominion, which is suing for defamation, revealed a number of instances in which Fox’s lawyers had not turned over evidence in a timely manner. That evidence included recordings of the Fox News host Maria Bartiromo talking with former President Donald J. Trump’s lawyers, Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, which Dominion said had been turned over only a week ago.”

“Nine national media organizations, including CNN, are suing for access to Capitol Hill surveillance tapes of January 6, 2021, that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has provided to Fox News but so far to no other press outlets.” CNN reports.

“A Delaware Superior Court judge will consider sanctioning Fox News lawyers after it was revealed days before the trial for the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit that Rupert Murdoch is a corporate officer for the cable news network,” USA Today reports.

Said the judge: “What do I do with attorneys that aren’t straightforward with me?”

“A Fox Corp shareholder sued Chairman Rupert Murdoch and four other board members on Tuesday, saying they failed to stop Fox News from reporting falsehoods about the 2020 U.S. presidential election that damaged its credibility and prompted lawsuits,” Reuters reports.

“Shareholder Robert Schwarz alleged in the lawsuit filed in Delaware Chancery Court that the directors breached their duties to ensure that Fox followed its own ethical standards and avoided reputational risk, and instead sought to keep supporters of former President Donald Trump tuned in.”

The RNC announced Wednesday that Fox News will host the first GOP presidential primary debate in the 2024 cycle, Fox News reports.

Gabriel Sherman has a must-read piece on Rupert Murdoch and his legacy at Fox News:

“He monetized outrage and grievance to build a conservative media empire that influenced politics on three continents for the last half century. Now these same forces are threatening to destroy his legacy, his still-vast media empire, and the family that stands to inherit it.”

“A judge ruled on Tuesday that Fox News could not argue that it broadcast false information about Dominion Voting Systems on the basis that the allegations were newsworthy, limiting a key line of defense for the network as it faces the beginning of a potentially costly defamation trial next week,” the New York Times reports.

However, the judge also granted the network’s request to bar mention of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection during the upcoming trial.

National Public Radio: “According to Bret Baier’s current and former colleagues, he stands very much alone at Fox News…”

“Even so, some colleagues in the Washington bureau say he too readily bends to pressure from the Trump circle or Fox headquarters in New York City. … In one sign of his isolation, Baier repeatedly sought to devote an hour-long Sunday evening special following the 2020 elections to set out and debunk the leading myths bolstering Trump’s baseless claims of fraud. … Network executives never even gave Baier – their chief political anchor – a direct verdict on his pitch.”

Fox News host Cheryl Casone launched into a brief monologue to suggest the Biden administration was “glorifying” violence by inviting the Tennessee Three to the White House, the Daily Beast reports.

Said Casone: “Shame on those politicians, by the way, all three of them.”

She added: “Biden’s going to host them at the White House?!? Are you kidding me?!? Politics should not be about violence, full stop, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on.”