In today's Reliable Sources: >> Kennedy Center insider speaks out >> Netflix stock slides on unchanged outlook >> Tarlov turns Trump's criticism into a book plug >> Disney tries to set a $10M bar for Super Bowl ads + much more right here: cnn.it/4sKaUuj

"I am heartened by the fact that we are still hearing from whistleblowers, given the way that whistleblowers have been treated just in this past week by this administration" – @aliciamenendez.bsky.social cnn.it/4sKaUuj

Today's Reliable Sources lead is about Eric Swalwell, CNN, the SF Chronicle, the reporting process, and the power of whistleblowers: cnn.it/4sKaUuj

You swipe. You don’t know what’s coming next. The uncertainty triggers anticipation dopamine. The brain searches for novelty, shock, validation, or relief. The next swipe might provide it. So, you swipe again. The Misery Machine's got you rowancenterla.com/psychology-o...

The woman by Kennedy’s side is trying so hard not to laugh

Bottom line: Hegseth's media-bashing hasn't worked. The polling hasn't budged. Trump and Hegseth's messaging is not moving public opinion, which remains broadly opposed to the Iran war.

Big "holy war" vibes from Pete Hegseth this morning, insinuating that doubting Trump is like doubting Christ

Today's Reliable Sources lead: Holy war? Hegseth goes biblical on the press cnn.it/4vAppTR

"It struck me as really insecure," CNN's @brianstelter.bsky.social says of Pete Hegseth's constant attacks on the media this morning, spending about as much time on the media as he did on Iran.

Some of today's media headlines: Disney, Snap and the BBC are undertaking big layoffs. The Free Press staffers are moving into new digs. Democrats are holding another hearing about the Paramount-WBD deal. All the details ➡️ cnn.it/4mvPUpv

The more I've thought about it, the more challenging it becomes. Viktor Orbán's successor, Péter Magyar, has to encourage pro-democracy news media, and leave space for genuine criticism while battling the remains of the Orbán regime. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20... via @brianstelter.bsky.social

Happy to see my home state doing this: Maryland legislators have passed a law "requiring that half of the state's advertising dollars be directed to community news outlets, establishing the nation's first statewide government advertising set-aside." www.rebuildlocalnews.org/maryland-leg...

Today's Reliable Sources lead: TV news producers, it's time to update those clip montages of Trump changing his timeline about the Iran war. We're now definitively past the four-to-six-week timeline that Trump initially talked about... cnn.it/4mvPUpv

As Clarissa Ward said on CNN today, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin's lengthy detention in Kuwait reflects the "draconian security restrictions that we have seen here in the Gulf since this war began." Full story here: www.cnn.com/2026/04/14/m...

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin is a friend. He is also an American citizen. Journalism is not a crime. He should be released immediately.

About that Hollywood open letter opposing the Paramount-WBD deal: The # of signees has doubled today, from 1,000+ to 2,000+, according to the advocacy groups that organized it

Scoop: Mediaite has suspended its founding editor Colby Hall after a series of instances we raised about significant errors and outright fabrications in his work. Full story in @status.news tonight.

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has apparently been detained in Kuwait after posting a video of a US Air Force fighter jet crash. His friends and allies went public about his case today, hoping publicity will help win his release. www.cnn.com/2026/04/14/w...

yep, the extreme fragmentation of the info environment and how absolutely ridiculously hard it is to get attention on almost anything, paired with what that system rewards (doom, resentment, negativity, extreme simplicity) makes it very hard to spread news about incremental positive change

Today's Reliable Sources lead: Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin jailed in Kuwait after posting war video cnn.it/3QoGVKJ

Judge Darrin Gayles rejecting Trump's WSJ lawsuit today: "To establish actual malice, 'a plaintiff must show the defendant deliberately avoided investigating the veracity of the statement in order to evade learning the truth.' The Complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite."

In a phoner with Norah O'Donnell, who reported the segment in question, Trump "confirmed that he had watched '60 Minutes,' which highlighted Pope Leo's disapproval of mass deportations and the Iran war, before firing off the post" calling the Pope "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy"

NYT's Peter Baker: "...never in modern times has the stability of a president been so publicly and forensically debated — and with such profound consequences." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/u...

Important tidbits here from Brian Stelter @cnn.com -- "This is a big defeat for the president in court because this law suit is the first time in living memory that a sitting US president sued a news outlet over a story he didn't like." @brianstelter.bsky.social

Today's ruling in Trump v. Wall Street Journal is a major loss in Trump's legal campaign against media outlets. I pulled over for this CNN live shot from my car:

It turns out media companies CAN stand up to bullies, and dominate

Breaking: A federal judge has dismissed President Trump's defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on a lewd birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein bearing Trump's name. I'm going live on CNN TV now with details... www.cnn.com/2026/04/13/m...

“Pope Leo is WEAK on crime” followed by a post of an AI slop painting of Trump as Jesus healing someone from the heavens with an angel Statue of Liberty behind him. There’s no fever high enough to hallucinate this stuff

I can't be the only person wondering if tonight's lead story on "60 Minutes" – "Pope Leo statements on Iran war and mass deportations inspire American cardinals to speak out" – had something to do with Trump (a known viewer) going off about the Pope tonight www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-le...

Monday's front page of @theguardian.com:

The people speak...

Hungary under Orban was a case study in democratic backsliding. The country was labeled an "electoral autocracy" by the European Parliament. "Orbanism" was viewed as a model for Trump's return to power. So Orban's defeat is causing shockwaves tonight, as we discussed on CNN:

Hungarians showing how to win big in an unfair election: organize AND protest AND vote AND demand profound change.

went to check out the techno rave outside Parliament and I don't think I have the data allowance to share a video from it but let me tell you: there sure is a techno rave outside Parliament right now, celebrating Orban getting ousted

"A fair amount of disbelief, a lot of joy, a great deal of excitement:" CNN's Melissa Bell in Budapest, Hungary describes the reactions from the huge crowds celebrating Viktor Orbán's defeat.

Public opinion against the war is not budging. Most Americans still believe the conflict is not going well for the US. A new CBS News poll, out this morning, has 59% saying it's going very badly or somewhat badly.

Back from a spring break trip to London... and catching up on all the media news I missed... this Sunday special edition of Reliable Sources is a not-quite-exhaustive look back, along with my favorite tabloid cover from the UK cnn.it/4tAWBJ8

Savannah Guthrie showed viewers her grief and desperation when her mother, Nancy, vanished two months ago. Now, today, she is showing viewers her resolve. www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/m...

Just shipped a special Saturday edition of Reliable Sources full of 💯 weekend reads: cnn.it/4sZCYL8 Now Reliable is on spring break; back in your inboxes and feeds on April 13.

Another one of those what-if-it-happened-in-another-country moments: The president is suing the government for $100 million dollars for searching his home for the classified documents he stole, and the attorney who represented him on those charges is currently leading the Justice Department.

"These rulings...aren’t enough to protect democracy all by themselves or to keep the rule of law intact," writes @sulliview.bsky.social. "That’s going to be up to a citizenry that cares enough not only to vote but to restore and rebuild America’s damaged institutions for its long-term future."

In today's Reliable Sources: OpenAI, Joe Rogan, Beehiiv, "60 Minutes," Jeff Shell, "Super Mario Galaxy," and much more... cnn.it/488YVig

"Trump’s Media-Bashing Is Coming Back to Bite Him in Court" Been meaning to write a story about this, and NYT's Erik Wemple beat me to it: "Judges have cited attacks on the press by the president and his appointees when ruling against the government in at least three court cases."

The wives of right-wing political figures keep launching podcasts. Why?

Today's Reliable Sources lead: "2 to 3 weeks" — Trump's art of the delay? cnn.it/47zW95A

Today's Reliable Sources lead: Counting down to two big, very different made-for-TV events tonight cnn.it/483i84U

What's not customary: Speaking at 9 p.m. ET when two of the Big Three nets have shows that run from 8-9:30 (Survivor) or 8-10 (Masked Singer season finale.) Previous White Houses would've worked with nets to start at 8, letting the whole night push. But Trump wants higher PUTs...

For those curious about the "behind the scenes" conversations: Yes, the White House asked the broadcast networks for airtime for Trump's address, and yes, all the networks are going to carry it. (Requesting time is customary since broadcasters have to preempt shows for POTUS.)

Breaking: A federal judge has ruled that a key part of President Trump's executive order targeting NPR and PBS was unconstitutional. The judge has blocked the administration from denying future federal funds based on editorial viewpoint. Key context below >>>

Today's Reliable Sources lead: Iran's internet blackout is obscuring the reality of the war cnn.it/3NQ7Gac