“You can basically make up your own reality in right-wing media.”

— Former Republican staff Justin Higgins, quoted by Newsweek.

A Media Matters analysis of Fox’s new prime-time lineup finds that ratings have fallen roughly 30% since Tucker Carlson’s firing, and over 45% in the key 25-54 year-old demographic.

“Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson could see two of the wealthiest GOP business megadonors, Rebekah Mercer and Peter Thiel, invest in his new media company,” CNBC reports.

“Mercer has spoken with Carlson since his April departure from Fox News about possibly investing in his as yet unnamed media company…Thiel has hinted to allies that he could invest in the venture after hearing from Carlson’s side.”

Trump attorney John Lauro did the “full Ginsburg” yesterday, the New York Times reports.

“With his client facing charges carrying decades in prison after a federal grand jury indicted Mr. Trump for his role in trying to overturn the election, his third criminal case this year, Mr. Lauro appeared in interviews on CNN, ABC, Fox, NBC and CBS. He endeavored to defend Mr. Trump, including against evidence that, as president, he pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, to reject legitimate votes for Joseph R. Biden Jr. in favor of false electors pledged to Mr. Trump.”

Jonathan Last: “I am not suggesting that Trump’s arraignment shouldn’t be covered. There is a school of thought that seeks to minimize this story in the hope that depriving Trump of oxygen will make him go away. This is foolishness masquerading as prayer.”

“Here is my simple ask of our broadcast media overlords: Trump’s criminal trials should not be covered as if Donald Trump is the star. The star of the story is the rule of law.”

“I know: ‘The rule of law’ doesn’t drive ratings. It doesn’t have influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers. People don’t wear rule-of-law regalia to massive rallies and fly rule-of-law flags in boat parades.”

“But if you don’t present the Trump trials as stories about the rule of law, then they become stories about Trump.”

Oliver Darcy: “Talk of imprisoning Democratic politicians — and even their families — in acts of revenge is par for the course. Even floating the outright execution of Biden, as Charlie Kirk recently did, is accepted in the warped world of MAGA Media, where the audience has been programmed through years of conditioning to welcome such vile rhetoric into their homes.”

“None of this is an exaggeration. It is the reality of what is being broadcast in millions of homes across the country.”

Fox News host Jesse Watters urged House Republicans to not only impeach President Biden but also to schedule the hearings at the same time as Donald Trump’s trials.

Said Watters: “What the Republicans need to do is time the impeachment because that’s the main draw. And if you put up impeachment with the Trump trials, I don’t think the Democrats want to stomach that.”

A federal judge in Florida dismissed a $475 million defamation lawsuit Donald Trump brought against CNN that accused the network of defaming him by using the phrase “the big lie” and allegedly comparing him to Adolf Hitler, CNN reports.

Tucker Carlson says in a new book that he was fired by Fox News in April as a condition of the $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems regarding the broadcast of Donald Trump’s lie about election fraud, The Guardian reports.

Said Carlson: “They agreed to take me off the air, my show off the air, as a condition of the Dominion settlement. They had to settle this; Rupert couldn’t testify. I think that deal was made minutes before the trial started. I mean, I know it was.”

Tucker

by Chadwick Moore · All Seasons Press · 2023

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Variety: “Zucker and Zaslav’s power struggles over the cable news network — one of the most prestigious assets in the WBD portfolio and also one of the biggest perennial headaches for the parent company — shed light on the chaotic and roiling environment Zucker left behind after his 2022 ouster.”

“The former network chief, who was forced out after failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a CNN subordinate and for committing ethical breaches in the newsgathering process, likely will fail in any bid to take back the network. But his battles with Zaslav and his behind-the-scenes attempts to undermine Licht (whom Zaslav fired last month) are more than just power plays from one of the media world’s most consequential egos. They suggest that Zucker sees an opening — however narrow — and isn’t worried about damaging CNN as he attempts to ram his way through it.”

“At stake is the future of CNN, arguably the most iconic and influential news brand in the world and one that can make or break a presidential candidate as a divided America heads into the 2024 election cycle.”

Fox News star Greg Gutfeld is currently under fire over his recent observation that Jewish people “had to be useful” in order to survive concentration camps, the Daily Beast reports.

Washington Post: “While the legitimacy of the gold retirement investment industry is the subject of numerous lawsuits — including allegations of fraud by federal and state regulators against Lear and other companies — its advertising has become a mainstay of right-wing media. The industry spends millions of dollars a year to reach viewers of Fox, Newsmax and other conservative outlets.”

“Pitches to invest in gold coins are a daily presence in media that caters to a right-wing audience and often echo conservative talking points about looming economic and societal collapse.”

“Conservative news channel Newsmax saw its prime-time viewership more than double in the second quarter, as it held on to a good chunk of the gains it made following the departure of Tucker Carlson from rival Fox News,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“What we’re seeing from Fox is industrialized devil worship. We have an obligation to call them out. Christianity is under attack.”

— Beth Ailes, the widow of Roger Ailes, telling Newsmax that Fox News is helping satanic organizations.