The "CBS Evening News" pivots to an ensemble cast, Al Jazeera "strongly" rejects Israel's claims about its dead correspondent, a judge throws out the $4.7 billion "Sunday Ticket" verdict, Venu gets a price tag (it isn't cheap), Don Lemon sues Elon Musk, Harris Faulkner criticizes Rachel Scott, Apple's Services division surges in revenue, Universal Pictures acquires the rights to Britney Spears' bestselling biopic, "Inside Out 2" passes "The Avengers" at the box office, and so much more. But first, the A1.

Jubilation at The Journal

CNN Photo Illustration/US Government

Champagne bottles popped. Thunderous cheering filled the room. Smiles animated faces from corner to corner. 

When official word made its way to The Wall Street Journal newsroom  that Evan Gershkovich had been released Thursday from Russian custody, unadulterated elation washed over the journalists who had taken part in a 16-month-long pressure campaign to seek his freedom. One staffer described the mood to me as "a collective massive relief." The business-focused broadsheet's long national nightmare had finally come to a close.

"It's a joyous day for all of us," Emma Tucker, The Journal's editor-in-chief, told the joyful newsroom, offering up a toast in the New York newsroom to Gershkovich and all those who made his release possible.

For 491 days, Gershkovich had been wrongfully detained and imprisoned by Vladimir Putin's regime, an unwitting pawn in the former KGB officer's geopolitical games. The 32-year-old Journal reporter was arrested last March while reporting from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg and been held at the notorious Lefortovo prison outside Moscow. Last month, a sham trial led to him being convicted of supposed espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a harsh penal colony.

While Gershkovich was unjustly detained, the state of affairs inside Russia worsened for journalists and human rights advocates. Opposition leader Alexey Navalny died in prison and the Russian-American Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was also wrongfully detained.

But, despite the circumstances, Gershkovich's colleagues back at home kept hope alive, never wavering from their task of keeping his story in the public consciousness. In addition to The Journal's unrelenting coverage of Gershkovich's case, which always made it evident to readers that he had been wrongfully detained, employees at the newspaper held read-a-thons, global runs, and social media storms to draw attention to their colleague's plight.

To mark the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich's detention, The Journal made an unmistakable statement on the front page of its print edition, intentionally leaving a large section of its front page blank to represent the missing journalism from Gershkovich.

"A year in Russian prison. A year of stolen stories, stolen joys, stolen memories. The crime: journalism," the paper stated above the empty section.

Meanwhile, throughout it all, The Journal labored behind the scenes with President Joe Biden and his administration on efforts to secure Gershkovich's release. On Thursday, their persistent efforts finally paid the dividends they had hoped it would. Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, and 22 other detainees were exchanged in the largest and most complex prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.

Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corporation, which owns The Journal, offered his "sincere gratitude" to the U.S. government for its efforts. Thomson added that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, who control the company, were "particularly pleased" Gershkovich would be reunited with his loved ones. And, in a letter to readers, Tucker thanked Biden for "working with persistence and determination to bring Evan home rather than see him shipped off to a Russian work camp for a crime he didn’t commit."

"We are also grateful to the other governments that helped bring an end to Evan’s nightmare, in particular the German government that played such a critical role," she wrote. 

Tucker and Almar Latour, the newspaper's publisher, however, strongly criticized Putin, blasting the authoritarian for his anti-free press record in a blistering joint statement. 

“At the same time, we condemn in the strongest terms Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia, which orchestrated Evan’s 491-day wrongful imprisonment based on sham accusations and a fake trial as part of an all-out assault on the free press and truth," the duo said. "Unfortunately, many journalists remain unjustly imprisoned in Russia and around the world."

The Wall Street Journal

CNN Photo Illustration/Mary Altaffer/AP

The CBS Ensemble News: The days of a single anchor helming the "CBS Evening News" are ending. After Norah O'Donnell gives up the chair following the election, the Tiffany Network's nightly program will feature two hosts, John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. CBS News said the program will also feature "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan, who will lead politics news from Washington. Additionally, other journalists such as Steve Hartman and Jim Axelrod will have prominent roles. And Lonnie Quinn will serve in the new position of chief weathercaster. The new ensemble program will be helmed by "60 Minutes" boss Bill Owens. "The strength of CBS News has always been in its ensemble of journalists, both in front of and behind the camera, and our goal with John, Maurice, Margaret and Lonnie at the Evening News is to elevate the best in their fields every night for our viewers," Wendy McMahon, CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, said. Variety's Brian Steinberg has the details. 

CNN Photo Illustration/The Don Lemon Show

Sour Lemon Sues: Don Lemon is taking Elon Musk to court. The former CNN anchor on Thursday sued the erratic billionaire and his embattled platform, X, alleging he suffered fraud and reputational damage after Musk abruptly canceled a planned partnership which would have seen Lemon create a talk show for the social media company. According to the lawsuit, Lemon would have been paid a base salary of $1.5 million, in addition to added incentives, such as revenue sharing. The lawsuit stated that Lemon was repeatedly assured by X chief executive Linda Yaccarino that he would have total control over the editorial content of the show. Here's my full story.

► X did not respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit, but Lemon's attorney, Carney Shegerian, described it as a "straightforward" case. "X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud," Shegerian said. "You don’t have to be a genius to see the fraud, negligence, and reputational damage here."

CNN Photo Illustration/David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Apple Services Soar: Shares in Apple slid about 2% in after-hours trading on Thursday amid mixed results in its earnings report, with iPhone sales dipping about 1%. In its services sector, however, the results were anything but mixed. Apple's revenue surged 14% to $24.2 billion, up from $21.2 billion last year, beating analyst expectations. Apple's services division, of course, houses Apple Music and Apple TV+, among other services. Variety's Todd Spangler has more.

CNN Photo Illustration/Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage/Getty Images

Britney's Biopic: This just might be worth a scream and shout. Universal Pictures has landed the rights to Britney Spears' bestselling memoir, "The Woman in Me," which will be directed by Jon M. Chu, The Ankler's Matthew Frank scooped Thursday. The movie will be produced by Oscar-nominated producer Marc Platt. Spears confirmed the project, writing on social media, "Excited to share with my fans that I’ve been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt. He’s always made my favorite movies … stay tuned!" CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more here.