Mood inside Fox ‘ebullient’ after Dominion settlement
This week’s biggest surprise was Tuesday’s last-ditch $787 million settlement of the Dominion v. Fox News lawsuit. Despite the eye-watering payout, Fox sources tell Cockburn that the mood internally at the network was “ebullient.” This is perhaps unsurprising, given how Fox’s foes were slavering at the prospect of Rupert Murdoch, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity et al being hauled before the court.
Also Cockburn understands that Fox will only end up shelling out around half of the settlement fee, due to insurance liability coverage. Plus, the payout is tax deductible: what a bargain! Cockburn guesses we’ll have to wait for the next trial of the century…
Bertrand’s big day
Congratulations to CNN’s Natasha Bertrand, who, per her old employer Politico’s Playbook newsletter “got engaged on Thursday in Bellport, New York” to a software engineer. The engagement capped off a big day for Bertrand: earlier, former CIA deputy director Michael Morell told the House Judiciary Committee of how, following discussions with Biden campaign advisor Antony Blinken, he “organized a group of fifty former intelligence officials” to sign a letter saying that the Hunter Biden laptop leaks bore the hallmarks of “Russian disinformation.” This letter was given as an exclusive to… Politico’s Natasha Bertrand.
Cockburn has some questions about the engagement. Did Bertrand’s fiancé plan for Thursday in advance and find himself upstaged by Morell? Did the Biden administration feed the idea for the proposal to the fiancé? Anyway, all the best to the happy couple!
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Boots on the ground
Fashion news now. Trump attack dog Alex Bruesewitz has fixated on Ron DeSantis’s feet for some time, going after the Florida governor for his choice of boots. Cockburn can reveal DeSantis’s favorite brand: Lucchese. Apparently, the governor has multiple pairs: when he wears one out, they get cut up and auctioned off, much as he did with his military boots during the 2022 campaign.
Bongino blindside
Dan Bongino is out at Fox News. The former cop and congressional candidate had been at the network for a decade, but as he told his podcast listeners Thursday, “we just couldn’t come to terms on an extension.” His show Unfiltered had consistently been the top-rated cable news hour on Saturdays — and his exit is understood to have taken staff by surprise. Bongino leaves just two weeks after Sean Spicer left Fox rival Newsmax, also over failed contract negotiations. Cockburn hears Spicer’s next move will be launching his own show online — watch this space…
For sale: Josh Hawley’s Manhood
Have you seen Josh Hawley’s Manhood? At 256 pages, it’s perhaps shorter than anticipated. If you’ve not viewed Hawley’s Manhood yet, fret not: it hits shelves on May 16, so you can grab it then. Cockburn was lucky enough to get a sneak preview: on the outside it’s redder than you might expect, and undeniably hard — but take a deep breath, relax a little, and you’ll be able to take in Hawley’s Manhood in one sitting.
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