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TGIF! Here's the latest on Charter, Bret Baier, C-SPAN, George Clooney, Anna Gomez, "Fortnite," Axel Springer, Tom Cruise, and much more...

Inside the Diddy trial

 Leonardo Munoz/AFP/Getty Images

At the Manhattan courthouse where Sean "Diddy" Combs went on trial this week, one marshal at the court was overheard saying, "This is crazier than when Trump was here."

As CNN's Laura Coates has said, the trial is a huge cultural moment. Accordingly there is a torrent of news coverage – from real-time text updates to AI recreations. At least half a dozen major media outlets have launched Diddy trial podcasts; CNN has "Trial By Jury: Diddy," hosted by Coates, while the BBC has "Diddy on Trial" and the Daily Mail has "The Trial of Diddy." Right now ABC's trial podcast, called "Bad Rap," is #5 on all of Apple Podcasts, ahead of "The Daily" and "Dateline."

The trial has been "an absolute media circus – but not with your typical players," CNN entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister told me. "Given that the Combs story has attracted different audiences across traditional media, entertainment media, social media and urban media, the courthouse is full of a cast of characters every day – many of whom are fans waiting in the public line, or even line-sitters hoping to catch a glimpse inside the courtroom."

Only 21 members of the media are let in to the actual courtroom every day – which means most are in the overflow room. Being in the actual room is a real advantage for journalists who want to convey the reactions to Cassie Ventura's gut-wrenching testimony...

Sorting through explicit testimony

It was one year ago tomorrow when Wagmeister broadcast a CNN exclusive about the horrifying surveillance tape of Diddy assaulting Ventura. Her report changed public perception and arguably the trial itself. 

This week Wagmeister has started her days by hosting 5-7 minute livestreams on the CNN app before heading into court. "Testimony in this trial is so graphic, it's difficult to report, given how disturbing it can be to audiences," she told me. "But at the same time, I worry that not reporting the details can water down the horrific allegations – this is a sex trafficking trial, after all, and it's important that we report the news coming out of that courtroom."

Standards editors at various news outlets have been tasked with deciding which text messages and other evidence at trial are appropriate to publish and read aloud on air. Viewer warnings have become common. Some CNN segments and stories about Ventura alleging a decade of physical abuse by Combs have been accompanied by reminders about the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Another 'trial by TikTok'

Sign of the times: NBC News Now devoted a segment to the online "court of public opinion," with anchor Gadi Schwartz pointing out that opinion is "really shaped through what you are seeing on your timeline right now, or on your For You page."

It's another "trial by TikTok," happening parallel to the actual trial. Chat rooms and comments threads are full of "theories" about "the other celebrities involved" and mentioned in court, correspondent Maya Eaglin said.

BREAKING

Charter combining with Cox

The Cox family, the longest continuous cable operator in the industry, is combining its cable and broadband assets with Charter. Full disclosure: My wife is anchoring the news on a Charter-owned channel right now. So here's CNN's Jordan Valinsky with the story.

"Combining helps both of the companies on several fronts," Valinsky writes. "A combined entity will help both companies compete against wireless services and improve their offerings." The transaction will need regulatory approval "and could be a litmus test for President Donald Trump's views on major companies combining." To that end, part of the pitch in the press release is about "returning jobs from overseas" by bringing Cox's "customer service function to the U.S."

Media notes from Trump's trip

 >> Before departing for DC, Trump taped an interview with Bret Baier, to be shown on tonight's "Special Report."

 >> "Manosphere" podcaster Theo Von appeared with Trump at a US base in Qatar yesterday and "regaled the uniformed troops with jokes about drugs, developmental disabilities, homosexuality and their Qatari hosts." (AP)

 >> Next week's cover of The New Yorker, out this morning, features cartoonist Barry Blitt's take on the Qatari jet controversy. (New Yorker)

 >> "Qatar and Airplane are the top Google searches for Trump the last 5 days," CNN's Harry Enten reports. (X)

FCC 'weaponized to chill speech'

Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez let it rip yesterday, blasting her agency for turning into an "instrument of political censorship" now that Trump-aligned Republicans are in charge.

As CNN's Liam Reilly notes here, Gomez didn't directly name FCC chair Brendan Carr, but she tore into his recent actions, saying the agency has been "weaponized to chill speech and to punish the press." She also applauded past FCC chairs, Republican and Democrat alike, who didn't succumb to political pressure.

Gomez closed by saying that if she’s removed from her seat, "it wasn't because I failed to do my job. It's because I insisted on doing it." Here's the PDF text of her speech...

Bernie Sanders breaks the fourth wall

Sen. Bernie Sanders was on CBS's "The Late Show" last night, where he called out Trump's lawsuits against news outlets, including the one against... CBS. Stephen Colbert asked why Sanders wrote a letter urging Paramount not to settle the suit, and the senator spent the next two minutes putting the legal battle into broader context. Here's the segment...

Insights from CNN's CEO

CNN CEO Mark Thompson is the guest on the latest episode of Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber's "Media Confidential" podcast. It's one of the most interesting, in-depth interviews with Thompson I have heard. Thompson discussed CNN's digital expansion efforts; why CNN is hiring reporters and editors with more "newspaperlike instincts" to produce more "distinctive" journalism; and what it means to "listen attentively to what audiences actually want." Plus, lots of Trump talk...

A Broadway first

"This announcement marks a historic Broadway first," CNN PR says: "Never before has a live play ever been televised."

The play is "Good Night, and Good Luck," and it will air live on CNN on Saturday, June 7, on the production's second-to-last night on Broadway. "CNN is the perfect place to bring this story of courage to so many more people than we could have ever hoped," George Clooney says. "Live TV. No net. Buckle up everyone." 

C-SPAN plans 'Ceasefire'

I remember talking with Sam Feist about this idea a long time ago. Now the CNN DC bureau chief turned C-SPAN CEO is making it a reality. "Envisioned as a respectful conversation between lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle, 'Ceasefire,' which is expected to debut in the fall, will be C-SPAN's first new weekly program in two decades," the NYT's Michael Grynbaum reports. Feist says each episode will feature "two American political leaders with a willingness to find common ground."

Meet the Meiselas brothers

Katie Couric has the first in-person interview with Ben, Brett and Jordy Meiselas, the brothers behind the MeidasTouch Network, one of the most popular progressive media startups in the US. It's up on YouTube now.

Ben says the network has "350 million or so YouTube views every single month" and claims to beat "Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk, and Ben Shapiro all combined." Around the 43-minute mark, Ben strongly defends the "preaching to the choir" function of POV media...

Trumpworld playbook against Axel Springer

Liam Reilly writes: A Business Insider story comparing Donald Trump Jr. to Hunter Biden has stoked a massive outrage cycle on the right, which in turn has demonstrated how Trumpworld and MAGA media team up for retribution.

One day after the piece went up, Breitbart, the right-wing publication known for its fealty to Trump, published an "investigation" accusing BI's parent company, Axel Springer, of engaging in a "German Influence Operation." Citing an unnamed White House official, Breitbart reported the Don Jr. story landed Axel "in federal crosshairs," with officials probing whether the conglomerate "is running afoul of federal ethics norms."

When asked to confirm such a probe, a White House spokesperson referred CNN to the DOJ. When CNN reminded them that Breitbart cited a WH official, not a DOJ one, they stopped responding. The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment.

Ultimately, whether the probe exists isn't the point. Breitbart helpfully floating even the whiff of an Axel investigation is, as Oliver Darcy noted, a classic MAGA warning to the company "to fall in line." An Axel rep says the company stands "firmly" behind BI's "right to report freely and without intimidation.”

Jeanine Pirro's other 'pivot'

Marshall Cohen reports: I have covered the justice beat and legal affairs for eight years and never imagined writing about how the top federal prosecutor for DC is a defendant in a potentially billion-dollar defamation case. I'm talking about Jeanine Pirro, who was sworn in Tuesday as acting US attorney for DC, and the Smartmatic 2020 election lawsuit against her, Fox News and others.

In a new filing, Smartmatic highlighted "the pivot," which it says was a decision by Fox News to save its ratings by embracing Trump's election lies. "Pirro was a golden child after the pivot," Smartmatic wrote, saying she repeatedly peddled debunked voter fraud claims on her show and "was not censored." Fox and Pirro deny wrongdoing. In its own filing, Fox defended Pirro's journalistic integrity, saying she "clearly believed the claims could have merit" and wasn't acting with actual malice.

Briefly…

 >> "More than 500 Voice of America contractors are expected to lose their jobs by June 30 as the U.S.-funded news service continues its legal battle with the Trump administration over the dismantling of VOA’s parent agency." (WaPo)

 >> Whispers about Matt Belloni potentially leaving Puck "have been running rampant for weeks," Oliver Darcy reports. Belloni held talks with Condé Nast about the open VF editor job, but he's not interested, Lachlan Cartwright reports. Belloni gave the same comment for both stories: "No plans to leave Puck but thanks for checking." (Status / Breaker)

 >> The Wall Street Journal keeps adding to its portfolio of "executive membership programs." (Adweek)

 >> YouTube is launching its own weekly chart of the top-performing podcast shows on its platform. Joe Rogan is #1. (YouTube)

 >> Speaking of YouTube, Martin Peers makes the case that Google should break out how much money the platform is making. (The Information)

Today's tech talk

 >> New this morning: "Fortnite is now unavailable on iOS globally, Epic Games said Friday, after Apple blocked a bid to reinstate the popular game on the App Store." (CNBC)

 >> An artist in Scotland accused the Playstation game "Marathon" of lifting her work, and now the Sony-owned Bungie studio says it is investigating. (WaPo)

 >> Meta "is delaying the rollout of a flagship AI model, prompting internal concerns about the direction of its multibillion-dollar AI investments," Meghan Bobrowsky and Sam Schechner report. (WSJ)

 >> A report by the Tech Transparency Project finds that "terrorists continue to pay for check marks on X." (NYT)

 >> EU regulators accused TikTok "of breaching digital content rules because it’s not being transparent enough about ads shown to users." (AP)

A fantasy sports league for movies?

MoviePass is developing a "fantasy gaming platform" called Mogul that it likens to a fantasy sports league for movie buffs. "The game, which is in beta mode, allows people to predict box office results, per screen averages, sentiment scores and awards success for films, while assuming the role of a studio executive," Variety's Brent Lang reports. MoviePass "has secured a $100 million capital investment from Global Emerging Markets" to accelerate Mogul's development...

Headlines from Cannes

 >> Here is Thomas Page's story "inside the theater" as Tom Cruise debuted "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" at Cannes. (CNN)

 >> The new "Mission: Impossible" will premiere in China on May 30 after the movie "passed censorship" despite "the China Film Administration’s recent announcement that it would 'moderately reduce' the number of U.S. films imported into the country." (Deadline)

 >> Christopher Nolan's upcoming adaptation of "The Odyssey" will be "the first movie ever shot entirely with IMAX film cameras." (TheWrap)

This edition of Reliable Sources was edited by Andrew Kirell and produced with Liam Reilly. Email us your feedback and tips here.