Jon Passantino

"Wow. A big drop" -- CNBC highlights that labor force participation is now the lowest it has been since in late 2021, before the covid vaccine was widely available

DOJ releases Epstein files with accusations against Trump Over the course of four interviews in 2019, a woman told the FBI that Epstein and Trump sexually abused her in the 1980s.

"A DOJ source told the Miami Herald that agents found her to be credible – and that they would not have interviewed her four times if they thought she was lying."
www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...

Ellison’s CNN Platitudes David Ellison finally addressed CNN's future—but his rehearsed talking points offered few clues about what he’ll actually do with the news network.

After nearly a week of being mum about it, David Ellison *finally* commented on CNN's future under Paramount—but he offered little more than empty platitudes and dodged the larger questions that loom over the network.

More in @status.news: www.status.news/p/david-elli...

New: Tucker Carlson responds to Donald Trump, after the president says that he has "lost his way" and is "not MAGA."

"There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included," Carlson tells @status.news, "but I’ll always love him no matter what he says about me."

Misquoting Orwell is the perfect end to her tenure

Markwayne Mullin, set to run Homeland Security >>

Markwayne ran a family plumbing business before running for office. He has no national security or military background.

Trump Is Preparing to Fire Kristi Noem The president has already been asking aides and congressional Republicans for names of potential replacements.

WSJ: Trump is preparing to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to advisers familiar with his thinking www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Climate change goes to the Oscars Several Academy Award-nominated films told stories dealing with global warming. More movies like this, please!

NEW: Five Oscar-nominated films have storylines dealing with climate change. That's the most ever.

"This is the world we live in. Filmmakers are experiencing climate change in their lives."

Here's the list, and why it's such a big deal: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/climate-ch...

Trump's Troubling RSVP While the WHCA publicly welcomed Trump’s decision to attend this year’s dinner, inside the organization, correspondents reacted with a mix of curiosity and dread—with several telling Status the conces...

Trump’s decision to attend this year’s White House Correspondents' Dinner is not going over well with WH reporters—several tell @status.news they fear he will use the event to “bash the press to our faces,” or “take a victory lap."

The full story: www.status.news/p/donald-tru...

Trump's Troubling RSVP While the WHCA publicly welcomed Trump’s decision to attend this year’s dinner, inside the organization, correspondents reacted with a mix of curiosity and dread—with several telling Status the conces...

While the WHCA publicly welcomed Trump’s decision to attend this year’s dinner, inside the organization, correspondents reacted with a mix of curiosity and dread—with several telling Status it made the press corps look “pathetic and weak.”

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/donald-tru...

Status Scoop: Former “GMA” host Josh Elliott has eyed as a possible new host on “CBS Mornings.” I’m told in the coming weeks, several special guests will be rotating on the show, and Josh will likely be one of those people.

Bari’s Steele Attempt As CBS News plots the future of its morning show, Bari Weiss floated the idea of bringing former ESPN anchor turned Donald Trump supporter Sage Steele into the mix, Status has learned.

CBS News boss Bari Weiss floated tapping ex ESPN host-turned-Trump diehard Sage Steele for the network's morning show. And Bari also has her eyes on another TV conservative.

Details in @status.news www.status.news/p/bari-weiss...

Trump's dad was in fact born in New York City

Iran was not days or weeks away from having a nuclear weapon, IAEA chief tells CNN The US State Department urged US citizens leave the Middle East immediately. Follow for live coverage.

Iran was not days or weeks away from having a nuclear weapon, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog told CNN, contradicting Trump's claim that Iran posed an imminent nuclear threat www.cnn.com/world/live-n...

That’s true. A lot of contributors are irritated by someone who sees his job as presenting regime propaganda rather than giving his opinion, never mind doing any reporting

BREAKING: National average price of gasoline yesterday saw its largest single day rise since March 4, 2022, rising 12c/gal

How toxic is Scott Jennings inside CNN? @status.news has learned some producers are giving on-air talent a heads-up when he is scheduled to appear on shows, quietly offering them the option to preemptively excuse themselves rather than appear alongside him.

CNN’s Cosplaying Correspondent Scott Jennings pushed a dubious White House talking point on Iran to millions, only for CNN’s actual reporters to knock it down—an episode that drew blowback inside the network, Status has learned.

CNN's Scott Jennings pushed a dubious White House talking point on the Iran war to millions that was later knocked down by the network's own journalists.

Frustration over Jennings has now made its way to CNN's senior leaders. More in @status.news www.status.news/p/scott-jenn...

“Yeah, not great news. In fact, if I may quote anyone who’s ever accidentally sat on their Roku remote, ‘Oh shit, I’m in Paramount now, how the fuck do I get out of this?’” —John Oliver, on news that Paramount is on track to become his new “business daddy.”

Got a cab near the Department of Education. Hadn’t seen the Charlie Kirk banner before.

BREAKING: Israeli sources say Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in strikes.

Follow live updates: https://cnn.it/4u1Txa3

MAGA’s Midnight War After years of branding Donald Trump as the anti-war “peace president,” much of MAGA Media erupted in cheers as he launched an unauthorized war on Iran—though not everyone is happy.

Trump's assault on Iran comes after many of his loudest allies in MAGA Media were openly agitating for military action. "Time is up!" Mark Levin declared alongside Sean Hannity on Fox just hours before airstrikes were launched.

My latest for @status.news www.status.news/p/iran-trump...

Paramount-WBD’s Human Toll As David Ellison moves to take control of Warners, Hollywood is already sounding the alarm on the thousands of jobs set to be eliminated in what insiders tell Status would be “cutting to the bone.”

After the "who won” part of the Paramount-Netflix-WBD sweepstakes, it's time to turn to the human toll of a proposed deal with a “Noah’s Ark problem,” with thousands of jobs that will be lost as the new owners reduce people to “efficiencies.”
www.status.news/p/paramount-...

New: As David Ellison prepares to take control of CNN, legendary CBS News producer Mary Walsh, who is exiting, sent a goodbye note to colleagues.

In the note, Walsh writes, "We’ve been told to aim our reporting at a particular part of the political spectrum. Honestly, I don’t know how to do that."

🎤 @oliverdarcy.bsky.social and I discussed David Ellison’s stunning takeover of Warner Bros. and what it will mean for CNN. Check it out >>

According to Nielsen, 'CBS Evening News' just recorded its lowest-rated February of the 21st century, averaging 4.4 million total viewers and 538,000 in the key 25-54 demographic.

U.S. Sen @chrismurphyct.bsky.social on Paramount winning control of Warner Bros. Discovery and CNN

While the move all but guarantees brutal layoffs across the company, it landed like a meteor at Hudson Yards. Inside CNN, alarm bells went off as staffers began to panic over the suddenly very real prospect that they could be working for Bari Weiss before the end of the year. Within minutes of the news crossing the wire, my phone lit up with messages from anxious employees fretting about the future. “We are doomed,” one staffer candidly said. “We are f**ked,” said another. “Everybody is reeling about the obvious things,” said a third.

I've seen a lot of grim sentences about the media business over the last couple of decades, but none is grimmer than this one. ⤵️

Via @oliverdarcy.bsky.social

www.status.news/p/cnn-david-...

CNN Braces for Ellison's Control With David Ellison poised to take control of Warner Bros. Discovery, a chill has settled over CNN as staffers fear for the future. "The panic at CNN right now is off the charts," an insider tells Stat...

"Inside CNN, alarm bells went off as staffers began to panic over the suddenly very real prospect that they could be working for Bari Weiss before the end of the year," reports @oliverdarcy.bsky.social.

"'We are doomed,' one staffer candidly said. 'We are f**ked,' said another."