Fox News issued a statement Tuesday saying they were "unaware of Sean Hannity's informal relationship with Michael Cohen," adding that Hannity "continues to have our full support."
Why it matters: Hannity has received criticism for failing to disclose that he was a client of Cohen's when covering the lawyer's raid on his Fox News program. He has since tried to distance himself, saying that he never really paid Cohen and only had a few conversations with him about real estate.
Cheddar, the streaming video network dubbed the "CNBC for millennials" is launching its original tech and business-focused news network and a new general news network, Cheddar Big News, on YouTube TV.
Why it matters: Cheddar is one of the few news outlets that focuses specifically on live news for streaming audiences. While its exact audience numbers are unknown, it is hoping partnerships like the one announced today will help broaden its reach amongst news consumers that are "cutting the cord," or ditching their cable packages for cheaper, digital bundles.
Apple is going to build a subscription news service based on Texture, a magazine app it recently acquired, Bloomberg reports citing people familiar with the matter. The new news app will launch within the next year.
Why it matters: Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he wants to double the revenue Apple makes from software — such as Ipp Store apps and iTunes — by 2020.
Manufacturing printed circuit boards in San Francisco sounds crazy given the high cost of labor and real estate, but Tempo Automation has raised $20 million to do just that.
The bottom line: Tempo isn't building production runs like one would get from Shenzhen. Instead, it is focused on getting quick prototypes to Bay Area tech firms looking to rapidly iterate on a design.
Axios is about collisions — how the worlds of business, tech, media and politics are increasingly and inextricably intertwined. It's hard to imagine a more emblematic, evocative collision than the revelation in court yesterday that Fox News star Sean Hannity — Trump adviser, kibitzer and cheerleader — was an undisclosed client of Michael Cohen's.
The state of play: This week is already so crazy that MSNBC's Brian Williams last night began an interview with a guest on "The 11th Hour": "Comey. Cohen. Hannity. Trump. Start anywhere you want."
The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC endorsed by House Republican leadership, announced it will be spending $48 million on initial ad reservations in 30 competitive congressional districts for the fall 0f 2018 — the first outside conservative group to do so ahead of the midterms.
The bottom line: This is a huge ad spend for an outside group so early on in the election cycle, and the 30 districts targeted reveal which areas across the country that House Republican leadership are most concerned about come November. Most of the targeted districts align with the Cook Political Report's "Republican Toss-Up" rating.
The 2018 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced Monday.
The big winner: The New York Times won the most awards with three prizes for Public Service, National Reporting and Editorial Cartooning. It won the most awards last year as well.
Sean Hannity was revealed as Michael Cohen's mystery third client in a Manhattan federal court proceeding today — after the judge ruled that the client's identity must be disclosed. Hannity later denied that Cohen had ever represented him "in any matter."
Why it matters: If Hannity was one of Cohen clients, he failed to disclose that information when covering the Cohen raid on his Fox News program.
SoftBank is among several possible buyers for newspaper publisher Tronc, Axios has learned from a source familiar with the situation. This comes just days after a NY Post report that private equity firm Apollo is also kicking Tronc's tires.
Why it matters: Financial buyers have mostly avoided newspapers in recent years, fearing they don't have the digital chops to offset declining print revenue.
"Investors, bankers and analysts [expect] a wave of initial public offerings to bring some of the most highly valued and recognizable start-ups to the public market over the next 18 to 24 months," the New York Times' Jack Nicas reports from San Francisco.
Why it matters: That means "billions of dollars in returns to their executives and investors," the report says.
With somber, black-and-white illustrations, The N.Y. Times is speaking to (and for) history with a full-page editorial, "The President Is Not Above the Law":
The timing: "News reports point to a growing possibility that President Trump may act to cripple or shut down an investigation by the nation’s top law-enforcement agencies into his campaign and administration."
Ahead of Tax Day tomorrow, the American Action Network — a conservative non-profit aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan — is rolling out a new $1 million television and digital ad campaign in 30 competitive congressional districts to highlight how the GOP tax cuts benefit middle-class families.
Why it matters: Ryan's outside groups, run by Corry Bliss, have been ramping up their spending early on in the election cycle to gain a competitive edge ahead of November's midterms. Republicans are betting on the positive effects of the tax law to help them retain their congressional majority. Bliss' theory is that the GOP will keep the House if the middle class believes that Republicans worked to cut their taxes.
