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"Hold off on the [Ron] DeSantis thing." 

That was the order from top Breitbart editor Matt Boyle in the company's internal Slack channel last week, instructing staffers at the far-right outlet to pause stories on the Florida governor ahead of an expected 2024 run. Boyle, who described DeSantis as "inept," signaled that stories related to the governor needed "sign off" from him, Editor-In-Chief Alex Marlow, and chief executive Larry Solov, according to screenshots of the conversation that I obtained.

The instruction from Boyle, the site's notably pro-Trump editor, came after staffers had flagged a DeSantis commercial spoofing Dylan Mulvaney's Bud Light video, which had generated a storm of anti-transgender backlash in conservative circles. The terse command led to suspicion inside Breitbart that Boyle, who had already confessed he viewed DeSantis negatively, was trying to wield his power at the outlet to tilt the scales against the Sunshine State governor and in favor of Trump in the lead up to the 2024 contest.

Boyle's order, however, was met with fierce pushback.

Dylan Gwinn, a sports writer at Breitbart, told Boyle that he believed the DeSantis commercial was a sports story and questioned why he would need his authoritzation to post an article. "I need your permission to do a story on a hilarious ad?" Gwinn asked.

"To do a story on a political and likely candidate for president yes you do," Boyle shot back. "It's not a sports story, it's a politics story."

"Is this a new policy regarding all stories on all presidential candidates?" asked John Nolte, a senior Breitbart writer.

"You are to run anything on this by me," Boyle sternly replied. "It's not a new policy, it's longstanding policy."

The conversation grew even more heated.

"I'm unaware of this policy," Nolte quipped. "I've literally written hundreds of stories on presidential candidates."

"You are unhinged," Gwinn added.

The tense back and forth inside Breitbart reflects a growing tension inside the right-wing media universe writ large — one that could have consequences for national politics. Ahead of the 2024 Republican primary contest, battle lines are starting to be drawn. On one side, supporters of Trump. On the other, supporters of DeSantis.

It's reminicent of what took place in right-wing media during the 2016 GOP primary season. Back then, one camp of conservatives supported Trump, while others supported Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. This time, the early fault lines have been drawn between DeSantis and Trump.

Toward the end of the discussion, Boyle walked back some of his instruction, saying that the policy pertained specifically to stories about DeSantis and the Bud Light controversy— not everything under the sun about the Florida governor. In a statement, a Breitbart spokesperson told me, "Another day, another robust debate in the Breitbart virtual newsroom. Once again, Breitbart is the best place for GOP primary coverage, as CNN has always known."

DeSantis's campaign declined to comment.

But the manner in which the biggest mouthpieces in right-wing media cover the looming primary is highly consequential, and could ultimately decide who gets the party's blessing. Republican primary voters primarily get their news from partisan outlets, such as Breitbart and Fox News, while shunning news from mainstream outlets.

Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul and Republican kingmaker who controls some of the most powerful organs in conservative media, appeared to make clear in the wake of the midterm elections that he would prefer to cast aside Trump in favor of DeSantis as the leader of the Republican party. That's not to say that Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity will suddenly become anti-Trump, but the network has already worked to shower DeSantis in positive coverage, casting him as a crusader against radical "woke" ideology infecting the nation, and helping to boost his chances at taking on Trump.

But Murdoch's power has limits, as was demonstrated in the 2016 Republican primaries. And a litany of anti-establishment, populist-leaning outlets and commentators — who continue to only grow in power — will likely remain in Trump's corner. While the battles will be fought in headlines and hyperbolic critiques, the winner of this public struggle for the soul of the party could ultimately decide the direction of the nation.

———  BELOW THE FOLD  ———

RIP Jerry Springer: The famed talk show host whose outrageous programs became a cultural phenomenon is dead at the age of 79. The former Cincinnati mayor and tabloid television star "was known for outrageous arguments, thrown chairs and physical confrontations between sparring couples and homewreckers," CNN's Lisa Respers France and Marianne Garvey wrote. Springer, they noted, once told CNN he didn't mind being referred to as the "grandfather of trash TV." Read the full CNN obit.

Weekend in Washington: It's White House Correspondents' Dinner weekend in D.C. — which means that the denizens of the provincial hinterlands will be hopping from party to party over the next 72 hours. Parties this year will be hosted by CNN, Comcast-NBCU, CBS News, Axios, CAA, UTA, Semafor, POLITICO, ABC News, and others. At the actual dinner, Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to kick things off with a cold open, before comedian Roy Wood Jr. roasts President Biden. POLITICO has a guide to the 2023 events here. 

In a Vice: Vice Media said Thursday it is canceling "Vice News Tonight" as part of a broad restructuring that resulted in painful cuts across the company. "In response to the current market conditions and business realities facing [Vice Media Group] and the broader news and media industry, we are moving forward on some painful but necessary reductions, primarily across our News business,” co-chief CEOs Bruce Dixon and Hozefa Lokhandwala said. Here's my full story. 

🔎 Zooming in: The cuts, which we first reported, resulted in dozens of staffers losing their jobs, sources told me, with the company’s D.C. bureau being hit particularly hard. The exact number of jobs impacted by the changes, however, was not clear. The restructuring will have major implications on news teams at Vice Media. The company said it will sunset the Vice World News brand and fold its operations under the Vice News umbrella, giving the company a singular news brand. It will also slash its dedicated audio unit, as well as the Vice World News short form video team.

The King Steps Down: John King will take on a new role at CNN and step down as the anchor of "Inside Politics," handing the torch to Dana Bash, who will take over as anchor of the esteemed program later this year, the network announced Thursday. King, who also serves as CNN’s chief national correspondent, will take on a new role focused on voters in battleground states during the 2024 presidential election. King, who requested the new assignment, will continue to play a key role in CNN's special coverage.

► Bash said that she is "thrilled" to be taking over as the anchor of "Inside Politics," which airs at 12pm. "After nearly 30 years at CNN covering campaigns, Capitol Hill and the White House, I am excited to helm a program devoted to the politics that impact Americans’ lives," Bash said. "John built an extraordinary show that has attracted a loyal audience of political junkies, and I am looking forward to leading its next chapter." More in my story here.

Fox's Ratings Fade: It's safe to say that the Fox News audience is rebelling against the right-wing network after it fired extremist Tucker Carlson, the channel's most popular personality. The network's ratings Wednesday at 8pm sunk to 1.3 million total viewers, with 124,000 in the 25-54 demo. Not only do those figures show that the 8pm hour shed viewers from the 7pm hour on Fox, but they are also the worst weekday ratings in the key demo since the pre-9/11 era. Fox News also delivered its lowest 25-54 non-holiday Wednesday audience in prime time (8p-11p) since pre-9/11. And it's unclear how long this pattern — mirroring the one that led the network to make regrettable editorial decisions in the wake of the 2020 election — will last. Meanwhile, over at Newsmax, the surge continues to hold. On Wednesday, Eric Bolling's 8pm hour boasted 510,000 viewers. That number represents more than 3x his audience last week. 

Snap Shares Sink: Shares in Snap have fallen off a cliff, plunging nearly 20% in after-hours trading, after the company missed on Q1 earnings. The company reported revenue of $989 million, representing a 7% decline. Snap said demands for ads were "disrupted by the changes" it made to its ad platform. "We are working to accelerate our revenue growth and we are using this opportunity to make significant improvements to our advertising platform to help drive increased return on investment for our advertising partners," Snap boss Evan Spiegel added. Variety's Todd Spangler has more here. 

Corden's Close: James Corden is ready to sign off. "The Late Late Show" on Thursday will bid farewell to Corden, who hosted the comedy program over the last eight years. As part of the final episode, Deadline's Peter White reports that other late-night comedy giants will participate. Per White, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers will make an appearance in a sketch. "The days of war between late-night hosts like David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien are long gone," White wrote. More from him here.

► "For critics like me, this feels less like a momentous departure and more like a footnote," NPR's Eric Deggans writes.

► "Did James Corden change late night for better or worse?" asks Vulture's Jen Chaney and Bethy Squires. 

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino. Have feedback? Send us an email here. We will see you back in your inbox next week.