Latest news with #JesseWattersPrimetime
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
California's Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for $1b for defamation over Trump call
California Governor Gavin Newsom says he will drop the lawsuit if Fox issues a retraction and host Jesse Watters apologises for calling him a liar on air. PHOTO: NYTIMES California's Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for $1b for defamation over Trump call WASHINGTON - California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a US$787 million (S$1 billion) defamation lawsuit against Fox News on June 27, saying the network defamed him in covering his phone call with Donald Trump related to the president's immigration crackdown. The complaint filed in Delaware Superior Court accused Fox of demonstrating 'willingness to protect President Trump from his own false statements by smearing his political opponent Governor Newsom in a dispute over when the two last spoke during a period of national strife.' Mr Newsom's punitive damages request is nearly identical to the US$787.5 million that Fox paid in 2023 to settle Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit over alleged vote-rigging in the 2020 US presidential election. According to the New York Times, Mr Newsom would drop the lawsuit if Fox issued a retraction and host Jesse Watters apologised on-air for saying the governor lied about his call with Mr Trump. Fox did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mr Newsom's office did not immediately respond to similar requests. The governor is also seeking unspecified compensatory damages for allegedly smearing his reputation. Mr Newsom is a Democrat and potential presidential contender in 2028, and has made several appearances on Fox News. The network is a favourite of conservatives, and its on-air talent includes many supporters of Mr Trump, a Republican. 'Why would Newsom lie?' According to the complaint, Mr Newsom spoke by phone with Mr Trump late on June 6 - early June 7, Eastern Daylight Time - soon after protests broke out in Los Angeles following federal immigration raids. Mr Trump later sent National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the state, bypassing the governor. Mr Newsom said he did not speak again with Mr Trump, and confirmed this after Mr Trump falsely told reporters on June 10 that he had spoken with the governor 'a day ago.' The complaint said Fox nonetheless made a misleading video clip and multiple false statements about the timing of the last call, acting with actual malice in an effort to brand Mr Newsom a liar and curry favour with Mr Trump. 'Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?' host Mr Watters said on June 10, on his show 'Jesse Watters Primetime,' according to the complaint. Mr Watters' report was accompanied by a chyron, a banner caption along the bottom of a TV screen, that said 'Gavin Lied About Trump's Call,' the complaint added. According to the complaint, Fox's claim that Mr Newsom lied was 'calculated to provoke outrage and cause Governor Newsom significant harm,' by making people less likely to support his causes, donate to his campaigns, or vote for him in elections. Trump's defamation lawsuits To prevail in the lawsuit, Mr Newsom would have to show Fox acted with actual malice, meaning it knew its statements were false or had reckless disregard for their truth. The standard comes from New York Times versus Sullivan, a landmark 1964 US Supreme Court decision. Mr Trump has also turned to the courts to address perceived defamation by news networks. He reached a US$15 million settlement with Walt Disney-owned ABC in December 2024 after suing over an inaccurate claim that a jury found him liable for rape, rather than sexual assault, in a civil lawsuit. Mr Trump also sued CBS for US$20 billion over its editing of a '60 Minutes' interview with 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. A mediator has reportedly proposed a US$20 million settlement with CBS' parent Paramount Global. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
California's Newsom sues Fox News for $787 million for defamation over Trump call
California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday (June 27, 2025), saying the network defamed him in covering his phone call with Donald Trump related to the President's immigration crackdown. The complaint filed in Delaware Superior Court accused Fox of demonstrating "willingness to protect President Trump from his own false statements by smearing his political opponent Governor Newsom in a dispute over when the two last spoke during a period of national strife." Newsom's punitive damages request is nearly identical to the $787.5 million that Fox paid in 2023 to settle Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit over alleged vote-rigging in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Also Read | Governor Newsom says 'democracy is under assault' in response to Trump's military deployment in LA According to the New York Times, Newsom would drop the lawsuit if Fox issued a retraction and host Jesse Watters apologised on-air for saying the governor lied about his call with Mr. Trump. Fox did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mr. Newsom's office did not immediately respond to similar requests. The governor is also seeking unspecified compensatory damages for allegedly smearing his reputation. Newsom is a Democrat and potential presidential contender in 2028, and has made several appearances on Fox News. The network is a favorite of conservatives, and its on-air talent includes many supporters of Trump, a Republican. Why would newsom lie? Fox host ask According to the complaint, Newsom spoke by phone with Trump late on June 6 — early June 7, Eastern Daylight Time — soon after protests broke out in Los Angeles following federal immigration raids. Mr. Trump later sent National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the State, bypassing the governor. Mr. Newsom said he did not speak again with Trump, and confirmed this after Trump falsely told reporters on June 10 that he had spoken with the governor "a day ago." The complaint said Fox nonetheless made a misleading video clip and multiple false statements about the timing of the last call, acting with actual malice in an effort to brand Newsom a liar and curry favor with Trump. "Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?" Watters said on June 10 on his show "Jesse Watters Primetime," according to the complaint. Mr. Watters' report was accompanied by a chyron, a banner caption along the bottom of a TV screen, that said "Gavin Lied About Trump's Call," the complaint added. According to the complaint, Fox's claim that Newsom lied was "calculated to provoke outrage and cause Governor Newsom significant harm," by making people less likely to support his causes, donate to his campaigns, or vote for him in elections.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Fox News Channel sees 109% surge in YouTube viewership, besting MSNBC, CNN
As younger audiences drift away from traditional cable, top news networks are ramping up their presence on YouTube — and Fox News has surged ahead in the digital arms race. Fox News has more than doubled its performance on YouTube from the same point last year — with more than 2.3 billion views logged so far in 2025, according to data from social analytics firm Emplifi. That surge puts Fox ahead of MSNBC, which led all news networks on YouTube last year and has grown a more modest 27% year-to-date, reaching 1.9 billion views. CNN follows with 1.1 billion views, up 42% from 2024. Advertisement 5 Fox News anchor Bret Baier is among the network's talent whose interviews have drawn considerable audiences on YouTube. Getty Images ABC News and NBC News have both taken a hit — dropping to 665 million (down 22%) and 703 million (down 12%) views, respectively. The performance of the three cable news channels on YouTube virtually mirrors the ratings race on linear television. Fox News has widened its lead, averaging 2.46 million primetime viewers in May — up over 20% year-over-year — while MSNBC and CNN have suffered sharp declines, with MSNBC down 24% in primetime and CNN down 18%. Advertisement Ratings in the key 25-54 demo followed a similar pattern, with Fox rising 32% as MSNBC and CNN saw steep double-digit drops. Fox News is a subsidiary of Fox Corp — sister company to The Post's corporate parent News Corp. Among the broadcast networks, CBS News stands out as the only one in positive territory, with its YouTube views climbing 9% to around 300 million. Advertisement 5 Jack Forbes / NY Post Design Disney-owned ABC News disputed Emplifi's figures, according to The Wrap. The network told the news outlet that its internal data shows 745 million YouTube views year-to-date. Meanwhile, NBC News can take solace in its considerable reach on rival social media app TikTok, where it generated 2.5 billion views in the first quarter of this year. The digital growth mirrors Fox's ratings dominance on television, but with one key difference: the online audience skews far younger. Advertisement While cable news viewers still have a median age hovering around 67 to 70, YouTube's core audience remains millennials and Gen Z, who now make up more than half of the platform's users, according to eMarketer. 5 Fox News, CNN and MSNBC all saw increases in viewership on the Google-owned video sharing app. danishch – Fox News' online momentum appears to be driven by a combination of timely programming and exclusive interviews. President Trump's return to office in January has translated into more eyeballs for top shows like 'Gutfeld!' and 'Jesse Watters Primetime' — boosting both YouTube clicks and TV ratings. High-profile interviews — including Sean Hannity's February sit-down with Trump and Elon Musk, which pulled in 7.4 million views on YouTube — have also performed well. Bret Baier's conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, taped just hours after a tense meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, attracted 11.8 million views on the Google-owned app. 5 Fox News interviews with President Trump have also attracted significant audiences on both linear television and streaming. Fox News MSNBC, meanwhile, has seen its own YouTube viewership grow 27% year-to-date, hitting 1.9 billion views. While Fox leads by 21% on YouTube, that gap is far narrower than on cable, where Fox's TV ratings in May were nearly triple those of MSNBC. 'We continue to invest in YouTube with original content, and we're seeing a community that's building — allowing us to grow our audience and meet them on the platforms native to them,' Brad Gold, executive producer of content strategy and development at MSNBC, told The Wrap. Advertisement CNN, which ranks third with 1.1 billion YouTube views so far in 2025, has seen a 42% jump over the past year. Broadcast outlets, however, have struggled to keep pace. 5 CBS News, a subsidiary of Paramount Global, is the only broadcast network that has seen its YouTube viewership increase so far this year. Christopher Sadowski CBS News is the lone exception, with views up 9% to roughly 300 million. NBC News and ABC News, by contrast, have seen double-digit declines, falling to 639 million and 604 million views, respectively. While YouTube revenue per view is modest — a video with one million views typically yields between $2,000 and $6,000 in ad earnings — the platform is fast becoming an essential outlet for audience retention and brand exposure. Advertisement In Fox News' case, its billions of views could be worth up to $12 million, though that's unlikely to appear on an earnings call anytime soon. A CNN and MSNBC spokesperson declined to comment. The Post has sought comment from ABC News, NBC News and CBS News.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Fox News signs conservative podcaster and influencer Brett Cooper as contributor
FOX News Media signed conservative podcaster and influencer Brett Cooper as a contributor, the company announced on Wednesday. Cooper, who will provide cultural, social, and political commentary across all FOX News Media platforms, will make her debut Wednesday on "The Will Cain Show" at 4 p.m. ET. Cooper launched her podcast "The Brett Cooper Show" in January and has amassed over nine million followers across her social media platforms. The Gen Z conservative is known for "her grounded perspective, sharp wit and distinctive takes," FOX News Media said when announcing her new role. Cooper, who previously hosted "The Comments Section" video podcast, covers current events, pop culture, politics, generational shifts, relationships and more. In January, Cooper appeared on "Jesse Watters Primetime" to discuss the changing media landscape. "I watched the media landscape change… and young people are just hungry for independent voices who are authentic and honest with their audiences. They don't want to hear from traditional pundits 24/7," Cooper said. Cooper is a graduate of UCLA and is based in Tennessee where she lives with her husband.
The Hill
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Hegseth: ‘We are postured defensively … to be strong' in Middle East
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the U.S. is 'postured defensively in the region to be strong' amid conflict between Israel and Iran in the Middle East. 'Our job is to be strong. We are postured defensively in the region to be strong, in pursuit of a peace deal. And we certainly hope that's what happens here,' Hegseth said on Fox News's 'Jesse Watters Primetime.' 'And 'America First' means we're going to defend American personnel and American interests,' he added. Conflict between Israel and Iran broke out last week following long-simmering tensions in the region over Israel's war in Gaza and Iran's nuclear capabilities. President Trump said recently that 'it's possible' that the U.S. steps into the conflict. 'We're not involved in it. It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,' Trump told ABC News over the weekend. On Monday, Hegseth ordered the deployment of 'additional capabilities' to the Middle East amid the conflict. He did not describe specifics, though earlier in the day a U.S. official confirmed to NewsNation, that the U.S. military moved several refueling tanker aircraft to Europe. The president told reporters early Tuesday he was seeking 'a real end' to the conflict, saying he wasn't 'looking for a ceasefire, we're looking at better than a ceasefire.' Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a post on the social media platform X Monday night that 'American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed.' 'We will protect American troops & our interests,' he added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out targeting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday following reports that Trump had shot down a plan from Israel to take Khamenei out.
