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CNN CEO Chris Licht out after Trump town hall fallout, brutal Atlantic article
Chris Licht is out at CNN after leading the news network for a little more than a year.
The chief executive’s departure came as he faced a rebellion among CNN’s talent and staff.
His tenure was riddled with programming missteps and rock-bottom ratings.
In this article
Chris Licht is out at CNN after leading the news network for a little more than a year, parent company Warner Bros Discovery
announced Wednesday morning.
The company said it is seeking a replacement. In the meantime, executives Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling and David Leavy will lead CNN, the company said.
“We have great confidence in this group and will fully support them until a new CEO is named,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a memo to staff on Wednesday, adding the company would be conducting a search internally and externally for CNN’s next leader. “We are in good hands, allowing us to take the time we need to run a thoughtful and thorough search for a new leader.”
Licht’s departure came as he faced a rebellion among CNN’s talent and staff. His tenure, which effectively started when he eliminated the network’s expensive CNN+ streaming service, was riddled with programming missteps and rock-bottom ratings.
“I have known Chris for many years and have enormous respect for him, personally and professionally. This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it,” Zaslav said in his memo. “Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped – and ultimately that’s on me. I take responsibility.”
Licht drew heated criticism in recent weeks after the network hosted a town hall with Donald Trump that was packed with scores of the former president’s cheering fans. While the event drew 3.3 million viewers, CNN’s ratings plummeted afterward. Two days after the town hall, CNN’s prime-time viewership came in below right-wing outlet Newsmax, a much smaller network.
But it was an unflattering 15,000-word profile of Licht in The Atlantic – titled “Inside the Meltdown at CNN” – that might have sealed his fate. He apologized to staffers Monday morning, but top brass at CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, including CEO David Zaslav, weren’t happy with the article and the aftermath.
The move comes soon after Leavy, a key Zaslav ally, was named the network’s new chief operating officer. Leavy was tasked with taking over marketing, public relations, advertising sales, facilities and other logistics.
The move was intended to allow Licht to focus more on programming. Licht helped launch MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” as its executive producer in 2007 and later became executive producer and showrunner of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS.
Read Zaslav’s memo to staff:
All,
This morning we are announcing that Chris Licht will be leaving CNN and we will be conducting a wide search, internally and externally, for a new leader. I wanted you to hear this news directly from me as it impacts you and your teams.
I have known Chris for many years and have enormous respect for him, personally and professionally. This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it. He has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped – and ultimately that’s on me. I take responsibility. Needless to say, we appreciate Chris’ efforts and dedication and wish him all the best.
We have put in place a solid transition plan with the appointment of an acting leadership team made up of experienced programming executives… Amy Entelis, EVP, Talent & Content Development, Virginia Moseley, EVP, Editorial, and Eric Sherling, EVP, U.S. Programming, along with David Leavy, COO, on the commercial side. We have great confidence in this group and will fully support them until a new CEO is named. We are in good hands, allowing us to take the time we need to run a thoughtful and thorough search for a new leader. I recognize that changes like this can be stressful and appreciate your continued patience as we move through this process.
You’ve heard me say it many times: CNN has the greatest journalists in the world… we are deeply committed to supporting them and the critical work that CNN does every day. We must get this right – and we will!
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/07/cnn-ceo-chris-licht-out-after-trump-town-hall-atlantic-article.html?fbclid=IwAR3YaWeQ4pVIk8p0EhAAzdBnxaFHFai11rn3usichc-p4CctbgaJDqeNNU0
Opinion
By Andrew Weissmann and Ryan Goodman
June 7, 2023 at 8:31 a.m. EDT
.
A special counsel indictment of Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents is looking likely. If it happens, it would mark the first federal prosecution of a former president in U.S. history. It would also be a teaching moment, here and abroad, for the importance of the rule of law.
We believe that the rule of law requires that Trump be charged, based on the wealth of publicly available facts and the history of the Justice Department charging people who did far less. Just last week, a former Army lieutenant colonel was sentenced to three years in prison for illegal retention of classified documents.
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If special counsel Jack Smith hands down an indictment, we will be keeping an eye on many open issues that might indicate how strong a case the government believes it has. Here is what is on our checklist of things to note:
1
Retention vs. dissemination
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Look to see whether the charges include not just illegal “retention” of national defense information, but also a separate allegation of “dissemination.” Both charges are violations of the Espionage Act and are central to U.S. national security law and protecting the country’s most sensitive secrets. But a dissemination case is particularly egregious, as an illegal retention case deals only with the risk of improper dissemination, not the actuality. To date, what is in the public record does not indicate that charges for dissemination are warranted, but an indictment may be revelatory.
2
Obstruction only
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Examine whether Smith decides to jettison all Espionage Act-related offenses and charge only obstruction offenses. Such a slimmed-down approach could be aimed at differentiating the Trump prosecution from the apparent facts in the Biden and now-closed Pence investigations. All three involve improper possession of government documents, but only Trump’s case raises the issue of obstruction of justice.
Wild card: If the Justice Department alleges that Trump or his aides were involved in tampering with Mar-a-Lago video surveillance footage, that is as acute a form of obstruction of justice as the allegedly false June certification that represented that a diligent search for responsive documents had been performed and all such documents returned.
3
A “speaking indictment”
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An indictment does not have to spell out the alleged facts; it just needs to track the legal elements of a criminal charge. However, to explain to the American public why this is a righteous case, this indictment could (and should) be what is known as a “speaking indictment” and lay out specific obstruction evidence, such as former White House counsel and personal Trump lawyers advising the former president to return the documents; Trump’s reported efforts to hide documents at Mar-a-Lago (and elsewhere); and any specific lies Trump told or caused to be told to the National Archives and Records Administration, the Justice Department and even his own lawyers.
4
Strength of the evidence
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Prosecutors often use a speaking indictment to show the strength of their case, sometimes to provoke a guilty plea, other times to induce people to cooperate and, in this instance, to gain public support for such a historic indictment. Look to see whether the indictment references “hard” evidence — such as audio recordings and written documents (e.g. emails, letters, and contemporaneous notes) — evidence from firsthand witnesses, and even co-conspirators who might have admitted their guilt already (as in a plea agreement).
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Information already made public suggests this may be an overwhelming case, but a speaking indictment should provide chapter and verse on any alleged obstructive conduct.
5
Content of classified information
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We will be keeping a close eye for how highly sensitive the information in the government documents Trump kept was. What subjects do the documents concern — Iran’s missile program, possible war plans, a foreign country’s nuclear capabilities, U.S. intelligence on China, etc.? Do they reveal information about U.S. surveillance capabilities, sources and other intelligence methods?
Recall that there are various levels of classification, up to top secret, with subcategories for particularly sensitive information. The government sometimes deliberately avoids basing charges on the most sensitive documents, so as not to have to reveal those publicly in court. For the information to be publicly charged, the intelligence community will presumably need to have agreed to its use in open court.
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In the weeds: If highly sensitive documents do appear, it may be because the intelligence community believes that information has already been compromised, because the information was highly sensitive at the time but has lost significance — or because the government is prepared to risk exposure of some highly sensitive information to secure a conviction in such a serious case.
6
Motive
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Although the government need not usually prove why a defendant committed a crime, motive evidence can be powerful to a jury. It helps jurors understand why a defendant would engage in unlawful conduct, producing a persuasive narrative — and can foreclose routes for defense counsel to raise reasonable doubt. Evidence of especially crass or illicit motives can also shape how jurors consider the case.
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Does the indictment allege Trump used the classified information as a means of settling scores with perceived enemies (e.g. the audiotape about a potential Iran attack and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley), had a narcissistic belief that laws simply do not apply to him in or out of office (Trump’s statement to Sean Hannity) or something even more pernicious, such as potentially using them to court financial favor (Saudi Arabia financial deals).
Of course, Trump could have several motives, and different ones for different documents. Does the special counsel spell out his theory?
7
Conspiracy
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Will Trump be the sole defendant or will others be charged? There are several implications if the special counsel charges a conspiracy. First, a coordinated scheme would make this case more egregious than the average case in which the DOJ has pursued charges under these national security statutes. Second, charging others would raise the prospect of flipping them into government cooperators. Finally, conspiracy charges can expand the choice of venue where the government can try the case.
8
Venue
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Look for where the DOJ files charges — the District of Columbia, Florida or New Jersey. What’s at stake in this decision is the jury pool, with Florida being the most favorable turf for Trump. The Justice Department, by contrast, is likely to want to bring the case in the District.
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Several of the issues identified above implicate where the prosecutors can file the case. If the charges included conspiracy, illegal removal of government records from the White House or obstructive activity that occurred in the District, the prosecutors’ hand would be strengthened in claiming that the nation’s capital is the appropriate jurisdiction.
If the case were one solely of illegal retention, then Trump has the best argument that such charges must be brought in Florida (or wherever else he kept the documents).
9
Classified documents charges
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As many legal experts have been saying for months, the potential criminal law violations at the heart of the case — including the three crimes alleged in the search warrant for Mar-a-Lago — do not require proof that the documents were classified.
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However, several important national security crimes do address only classified documents — 18 USC 798 and 1924. Look for whether the special counsel brings such charges. If he does, it is a show of force implying that prosecutors have a strong hand and won’t blink in the face of Trump’s and his attorneys’ implausible claims of “declassification.”
10
Bedminster
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Look for whether the alleged facts include documents at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J. The presence of documents at that location would probably drive a hole through some of Trump’s main public defenses — especially his claim that the National Archives-Government Accountability Office is responsible for having brought the classified records to Mar-a-Lago. If Trump is alleged to have personally handled documents at Bedminster, it’s difficult to conceive how his claims about how the documents were brought to Florida have any relevance.
11
The judge
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A key question is how fast the case will move toward a trial and verdict. That will turn a lot on the particular judge assigned to the case. Many judges will want to permit the electorate to know the outcome of this criminal case before casting a vote. And, of course, to afford the defendant his day in court in advance of the election.
The case against Trump involves alleged violations of national security laws that are core to keeping national secrets and our country safe. To win public acceptance for such charges, the Justice Department should do everything possible to be transparent about its proof — and about why Trump is being treated the same way anyone else would be who had behaved this way.
It’s called the rule of law.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/07/justice-department-trump-indictment-possible-details/
They just disappeared Sunday School?
Charlotte Clymer
Writer
On Tuesday, House Republicans passed sweeping legislation that would prohibit all minors from entering Christian places of worship, ban Christian clergy from public K-12 campuses, and otherwise restrict interaction between children and Christian clergy in public spaces.
The Children’s Health and Religious Integrity, Safety, and Trust Act of 2023—CHRIST Act—was introduced only weeks ago in response to a massive public outcry over widespread sexual abuse of children across numerous Christian denominations in the United States.
“I am thankful to my colleagues for ensuring rapid passage of this bill, and I urge our Senate counterparts and the White House to seek immediate passage and implementation,” said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has won praise for his leadership in confronting sexual abuse in churches.
The sexual exploitation of children by Christian clergy has come to the forefront of the nation’s conscience following seemingly unending revelations over the past two decades of adults in positions of authority assaulting and raping minors within their congregations only for that abuse to be swept under the rug.
In the United States, sexual abuse of children in Catholic parishes, alone, have led to about $4 billion in payouts to more than 17,000 survivors, according to data compiled by U.S. Catholic dioceses. Despite the widespread documented abuse, only one arrest has been made in connection with these cases: a defrocked priest charged with lying to FBI agents.
Some experts believe those numbers are just scratching the surface and could as much as double within the next decade as more investigations conclude their findings.
Been using this interactive map for many years (air quality overall has gotten worse over the years). Just zoom down to any area for any city or town, gives constant updating air quality information for your area.
Air Pollution in World: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map
https://aqicn.org/map/world/
LOL!! Yes, I doubt that'll bother him.
Those aren’t clouds. That’s smoke. pic.twitter.com/GqnZry9Kc8
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) June 6, 2023
Something tells me this won’t bother Christie much. After all, he knows that he is overweight.
His people are gonna love this pic.twitter.com/PuPbDHvGRK
— Mike Madrid (@madrid_mike) June 7, 2023
They should. And if they did, it might be the end of him.
“What if the other Republicans in the primary just decided they'd had enough and began to criticize him, as Christie did today?”
If Christie doesn’t get blowback and he polls better than the others, I think they will all start to pile on.
I dunno. That sounds pretty creepy, too.
ok- to avoid that it was picked up by a small girl who took it home and placed it in her faerie garden.
Perhaps it was picked up by some curious young boy and taken home to live a contented life in the rose garden.
NO!!! It did not deserve to become the tool of Melania and the toy of Barron!!
lol, that does seem fair...
Yes, but most of us have to pay for this "service" and, as such we should NOT be required to be beta testers. That should clearly be an opt-out!
It's more like boot camp here. Except that they welcome complaints.
Beta testers are generally invited to provide input.
LOL!! It's a pain for the adoptive parents, because the cuckoo babies are so much bigger.
So why are there three ways to write a post?
Nobody knows. It is a MYSTERY. Perhaps they feel their users are DUMB, and will be more likely to figure things out if they're offered multiple ways to do them.
My Mom could definitely have been considered cuckoo, but not in that sense.
I guess they have no tested check-ins and no user test group.
They have built-in beta testers: us.
Again, people are complaining on the Q&A board. Go join them. The more users they hear from, the more likely they are to do something.
Perhaps your parents were cuckoos.They like to lay their eggs in other birds' nests.
Seriously, go complain at the Q&A board, They do take users' input seriously.
Yes, all of that is true. But in the past, he's been able to get rid of problems by talking his way out of them, or paying people off. Or by tying them up in endless litigation they can't afford.
This is different, though. And I wonder if he's beginning to realize it. If he is, how will he react?
What if the other Republicans in the primary just decided they'd had enough and began to criticize him, as Christie did today? What if he feels he's losing his magic? (Magic as he sees it, naturally.)
I wonder if he is? He's never in his life had to face any consequences and I doubt he has any actual conception of what might happen to him. I imagine he just assumes that he will be able to stall and avoid whatever it is- just like always.
Today's been a mess. And I'm using a different computer. My old iMac bit the dust yesterday. So I can't tell how much is THEIR fault, and how much is mine.
But you're much closer. I think the fires are in Nova Scotia. And it's causing bad weather in southeastern Pennsylvania... And in NYC, where Susie is.
It's not your fault. Go complain on the Q&A board. And when you do, tell them whether you're using PC or Mac, and what browser you have.
I hope Trumpet's scared. Time he finally realizes he's gone WAY too far.
There were wild fires in Canada the last 2 years on our side and the smoke was brutal.
One can only hope...
Here too. Sheesh. Wildfires in Canada. Maybe it's the Apocalypse.
try shoveling monkey shit. Or poops from a 300 pound bear.
I try.
unfortunately, I agree. I don't see anything good coming from this. It's just going to hurt young players trying to earn their card and shit all over an ages old sport that was neither born in America or Arabia...
it's up to the kids now but if you spent your life tracking, it's not that easy. 2+2=par right?
The game will live but it will be a rough slog from here on out.
You never know. Perhaps it was picked up by some curious young boy and taken home to live a contented life in the rose garden.
That's above my pay grade.
“Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the WH &months later get $2 billion from the Saudis. Do you think it’s because he’s some kind of investing genius?
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 7, 2023
Or...it’s because he was sitting next to the POTUS for 4 years doing favors for the Saudis?” pic.twitter.com/t7YoD1z3V4
ok Sven... tell me , where is Oly and how in the world did you and Boo Boo make off with all those pik-a-nik baskets?
I'm not sure what happened to it, but I had a bad habit of taking in stray animals.
I'm sure the rock is living on in a landfill somewhere Now I miss it lol.
PGA golfers need to go on strike.
"The PGA Tour is as corrupt as the Americans who register and lobby for Saudi Arabia, representing their interests and the despotism of the Saudi regime over American values and basic human dignities."
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 6, 2023
My reaction to the PGA Tour merging with LIV Golf: https://t.co/H9Zax9SoVG pic.twitter.com/qLYHwST8Le
Trump and Kushner Jack Smith Truth Social https://t.co/0J7KsbAjO5
— J Blue (@BlueGirl714) June 6, 2023
With all this AI shit, I'm not even sure if I'm talking to a human anymore.
I'm a human, I pinky swear. I am not a robot!
That was most kind of you! It felt appreciated and cared for!
I will be a pet rock forever!!!
When I had mine I made it a nest out of popsicle sticks and the straw that came from the box. It never grew up but it lived its best life!!
it's ridiculous, especially when it;'s the only feature that appears at the top your screen. Last night I was not even able to search boards. I haven't tried today but it was just stupid for a paying member like me.
I'm not sure if Elon and Clem are giving each other handies out the back windows but it really is depressing.
With all this AI shit, I'm not even sure if I'm talking to a human anymore.
And there ought to be an opt-out button for those who prefer the old editor.
That's why I still use Windows 8. I dread the day my computer breaks.
it is ridiculous. And there ought to be an opt-out button for those who prefer the old editor.
Look at it this way- you might have been a Pet Rock's Pet Human and they stole you!
But the "new post" does the same thing, right? So why are there three ways to write a post? It seems ridiculous to me.
LOL I'm going to give mom that one.... I'll still think she'll stick to the rock theory though. I might need a dna test!
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