Top News:

Source: Truth Social dropped Nexstar from a defamation lawsuit after Nexstar agreed to fire a breaking news reporter at The Hill; Nexstar denies the accusation — The Scoop — For the last year and a half, Truth Social has relentlessly pursued a defamation case against 19 media companies …
Discussion:
Politico, @maxtani.bsky.social, @thestefansmith, @maxwelltani, @timkarr.bsky.social, @jakewilkns and @madelinegmonroe

Sources: as labor costs rose after two strikes, producers of reality shows, indie films, and blockbusters increasingly shot overseas, hurting Hollywood workers — Movies and TV productions are rapidly leaving California to film outside the United States, where labor costs are lower and tax incentives greater.

The Academy releases new rules for the 98th Oscars in 2026, including making it tougher to vote in a category without watching all the nominees in the category — Additionally, the organization's board of governors has left the door open to again replacing its Oscar Nominees Luncheon with an Oscar Nominees Dinner or some other event.

Meta is testing using AI tools in the US to detect teen Instagram users, even if they've lied about their birthday, and place them under Teen Account settings — On Instagram, AI tools will detect underage users and automatically change their account settings.
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Ryan Lizza has departed Politico, where he was Playbook co-author and chief Washington correspondent, and has launched a Substack publication called Telos — We have a special announcement: Status is launching a limited-edition First Amendment tee—and opening our very own store.

After Meta blocked news on its platforms in Canada, misleading content from right-wing pages like Canada Proud filled the gap ahead of the federal election — Hyperpartisan and misleading content from popular right-wing pages such as Canada Proud is thriving on Facebook as the election nears.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and @feldmanadam, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg, CPJ, and others advise journalists to take extra precautions when traveling to the US, including guidance on dealing with immigration authorities — THE SCOOP — Some media organizations are advising their employees to take extra precautions when traveling to the US.
Discussion:
@maxwelltani

Source: WaPo has begun speaking with several candidates to become the editor of its rebooted opinion section, including Reason EIC Katherine Mangu-Ward — THE SCOOP — The Washington Post is inching closer to finding an editor for its rebooted opinion section.
Discussion:
@taylorlorenz

A profile of Acyn Torabi, or @Acyn, who joined MeidasTouch in 2023 and is shaping the US liberal media with his fast-cut, viral video posts of political gaffes — Acyn Torabi dominates the internet with fast-cut clips of political mayhem. Are they news, or something else?
Discussion:
@mehdirhasan.bsky.social, @davebrady72.bsky.social, @acyn, @drewharwell, @ahatcher54, @brianstelter, @michaelkruse.bsky.social, @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social, @briandonlon.bsky.social, @ericdharvey.com, @brianstelter.bsky.social, @justinhendrix.bsky.social, @mspopok.bsky.social and @digiphile.bsky.social

A look at Votvot, a streamer that provides uncensored content to counter Kremlin propaganda, as its ~$2M annual budget is cut as part of Trump's RFE/RL cuts — The Trump administration's decision to take a hammer to the funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty might be legally dubious …
Discussion:
@dlepeska, @kaedotcom and CBS News

a16z acquires Erik Torenberg's Turpentine podcast, which focuses mostly on interviewing VCs; Torenberg will join the VC firm as a general partner — Andreessen Horowitz's hiring spree continues. On Monday, Erik Torenberg announced that the giant VC firm had acquired his Turpentine podcast, with him joining as a general partner.
Discussion:
@eriktorenberg, Andreessen Horowitz and @a16z

Bluesky starts rolling out blue check verification, initially limiting verification to select organizations and its moderation team — Bluesky announced on Monday that it is rolling out blue check verification, confirming previous rumors that this feature was on its way to the platform.