CNN and MSNBC are not taking Trump live. Fox News and Newsmax, predictably, are. Rachel Maddow: "There is a cost to us as a news organization knowingly broadcasting untrue things. We are here to bring you the news. It hurts our ability to do that if we live broadcast what we fully expect in advance to be a litany of lies and false accusations."

Bulletin: Chris Licht is out at CNN. "I met with Chris and he will be leaving CNN," David Zaslav tells CNN employees at the start of the morning editorial call.

NEWS: BuzzFeed News is being shut down. MORE: BuzzFeed boss @peretti just sent out a note to staff, announcing the shuttering of BuzzFeed News is part of layoffs where 15% of staffers are being cut across the company. Peretti says, "For BuzzFeed News, we have begun discussions with the News Guild about these actions."

Dominion attorney Justin Nelson: “the truth matters. Lies have consequences. … todays settlement of $787 million represent … accountability.” “Today represents a ringing endorsement of truth and democracy,” Nelson adds.

Still no explanation for this more than hour-long delay in opening statements at the Fox-Dominion trial. No one seems to have any idea what the reason for pause is. We are approaching the two-hour mark of this unexplained delay in court.

New: The New York Times says it is not planning to pay for Twitter verification:

"We aren't planning to pay the monthly fee for verification of our institutional Twitter accounts," a spokesperson tells me. "We also will not reimburse reporters for the verification of personal accounts," The NYT spokesperson adds to me, "except in rare instances where verified status would be essential for reporting purposes."

WSJ Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker told staff in a 5am memo she was "very sorry" to have to let them know about the arrest of Evan Gershkovich. "We are very concerned for the safety of Evan and will keep you informed of the situation," Tucker wrote. cnn.com/2023/03/30/med… White House: "The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest terms."

Here's Rupert Murdoch conceding in a deposition that some Fox News hosts endorsed the notion the 2020 election was stolen. Rupert Murdoch: Trump's 2020 claims were "bullshit and damaging."

Musk has restored several of the journalists he banned. But there is an apparent condition to their return. A notice on @donie’s account said he’d been suspended for violating Twitter rules. It required him to delete a tweet before he’d be allowed to post, with option to appeal. The same notice is on @drewharwell’s account.

It appears Twitter has banned the accounts of Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) and Washington Post reporter @drewharwell. Unclear why, but this seems to be the final tweet from Harwell. @atrupar @drewharwell Hopefully one cannot get banned for tweeting a screen shot showing the tweets of another person who got banned for screen grabbing a tweet that got another account banned!

News: The Washington Post will conduct layoffs in the coming year, publisher Fred Ryan told staffers in a town hall, sources tell me. Ryan indicated the cuts will be in the single-digits of the workforce. He also said total headcount will not shrink by end of next year. In statement, WaPo's chief spokesperson @@kathymbaird confirms "a number of positions will be eliminated," resulting in a single digit cut to its workforce.

"This will not be a net reduction in Post headcount," Baird adds, saying the paper will invest in certain areas in 2023.

The attorney representing the Sandy Hook parents in the Texas trial is asking for sanctions against Alex Jones and his attorney. He notes that the Jones attorney has broken court rules and says "Jones is just repeatedly lying on the stand." The judge says that any motions for sanctions against Jones and his lawyer will be heard post-trial.

Alex Jones has taken the stand in the Sandy Hook trial and is now under oath. Asked how he's doing, Jones says, "I actually do feel good." He explains that is because he will get to push back against the framing from lawyers and media.

Sandy Hook parent Scarlett Lewis is directly speaking to Alex Jones, who is now in the courtroom, as she testifies on the stand.

"Jesse was real," Lewis tells Jones. "I am a real mom."

She says she wanted to tell Jones this to his face. Sandy Hook parent Scarlett Lewis tells Alex Jones that she knows he didn't believe she is actually a deep-state actor.

"I know you know that. That's the problem, I know you know that. But you keep saying it. Why? Why? For money?"

Lewis asks Jones: "Do you have empathy?"

WaPo has added a correction to a Taylor Lorenz story after two people said they were not contacted for comment as the initial version of the article stated. The correx says "previous versions" of the story "omitted or inaccurately described" the attempts to to ask for comment. Here's what the two people said on Twitter after the article came out and initially said they did not respond to requests for comment.

WaPo chief spox @kriscoratti issues statement on @daveweigel's retweet of a sexist joke, which he has since apologized for: “Editors have made clear to the staff that the tweet was reprehensible and demeaning language or actions like that will not be tolerated.” For context, this was the retweet.

https://twitter.com/feliciasonmez/status/1532763318804439047

BREAKING: RT America is ceasing productions and laying off its staff, according to a memo I have obtained from the production company behind the Russia-backed network. cnn.com/2022/03/03/med… The memo I obtained from the production company behind RT America blamed the layoffs and ceasing of productions on "unforeseen business interruption events." It affects staff at bureaus in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. cnn.com/2022/03/03/med…

I wrote about how the recent actions taken by TV carriers and tech companies against RT have dealt one of the largest blows to the Russia-backed media outlet in its history, reducing the Kremlin's ability to peddle its narrative at a pivotal time. cnn.com/2022/02/28/med… In the US, Dish & DirecTV carry RT. DirecTV didn’t respond to my request for comment, but a DISH spox said, "Our thoughts are with all the people of Ukraine, and particularly with our team members in the country. We are closely monitoring the situation." cnn.it/3C1TDUy

BREAKING: Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from "The View" for two weeks, I'm told. In a note to staff, ABC News prez Kim Godwin says, "While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.”

Remarkable how some news outlets just can’t get themselves to accurately describe OAN as a right-wing conspiracy channel. Reuters even describes the channel in the outlet’s story as a “popular news network.” This misleads readers and does a disservice to them. The phrasing that goes something like, “OAN has been criticized for spreading conspiracy theories” is also weak. OAN spreads conspiracy theories. You don’t need to hedge on this one! It’s well-documented. Readers deserve clarity on the subject, not a dance around the obvious.

New: CNN has suspended Chris Cuomo indefinitely. Here’s the full statement from the network. In the meantime, Anderson Cooper will anchor the 9pm time slot, per CNN spox.