The Dictatorship
Why right-wing influencers are suddenly all in on the Justin Baldoni feud
After actress Blake Lively sued director Justin Baldoni in December, saying he had retaliated against her for reporting sexual harassment on a film set, an unusual group of online talkers dove into this Hollywood dispute.
Right-wing personality Candace Owens — who split from The Daily Wire last year amid conflicts over her antisemitic rhetoric — was not previously known for covering celebrity litigation. But she has become one of Baldoni’s loudest defenders online, helping propel the feud and gaining new audiences for herself along the way.
This strategy appears to be successful in multiple ways.
In an interview, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman recognized the role of podcasters and social media influencers like Owens: “You’ve seen social media, and these TikTokers and people on YouTube, they’re amazing,” he said. Since January, Owens has dedicated at least 19 episodes of her online show to Lively and Baldoni. Her YouTube videos and TikToks on the topic have garnered over 130 million views.
Other right-wing hosts like Brett Cooper and former Fox News and NBC personality Megyn Kelly have also tried to reel in new audiences, mentioning Lively or Baldoni at least 440 times on their online shows since the beginning of the year. After Kelly interviewed Baldoni’s lawyer (who she says is also her lawyer), Kelly told her audience: “The thing that stood out to me was, I don’t understand this, because she’s the one in the power position here. It’s Blake Lively and some guy who pretty much nobody knows.” She added: “I’m neck-deep in this weird industry that I really want nothing to do with, but it’s the case everyone’s been talking about.”
This strategy appears to be successful in multiple ways. These influencers are keeping this story in the spotlight — Owens predicts it’s “going to be bigger than” the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s legal battle — and they’re gaining engagement and new audiences as they do it. Pro-Baldoni content is spreading wildly online, with some saying that all they know about the story is from Owens, that they’re closely following and are invested in her content about the legal tussle, or that this content led them to her other content.
Owens has also tried capturing true crime fans with a series in which she “transvestigates” the first lady of France and another about Hollywood producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein that she says will include an interview with him. In just two months, she has added 1.75 million followers to her social media accounts. Kelly’s tiktok”https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4028347″ target=”_blank”>video of her interview with Baldoni’s lawyer is one of her most-viewed, with 9.1 million views.
For decades, the right has built a massive media ecosystem to prop up right-wing narratives and politicians. In recent years, they’ve successfully expanded beyond print and television media into talk radio, social media and now podcasts, streams and other online shows. Some, like Owens and Kelly, are now drawing even bigger audiences by stretching outside their comfort zones. Meanwhile, right-wing narratives have been seeping into supposedly nonpolitical shows, like those of Joe Rogan at Theo Von.
Those shifts have impacts. For instance, you may have heard about how Trump’s appearances on popular podcasts brought young men into his winning coalition. But just how bad is the disparity between audiences of these right-leaning versus left-leaning shows? A new Media Matters study assessing popular online shows found that the right’s online audiences are five times larger than those of progressives. And many of those shows don’t present themselves as political at all.
As the right seeps into these traditionally nonpolitical spaces, they’ve also been pushing mainstream media and social media to the right.
In fact, 72% of the shows we examined that describe themselves as focused on topics like sports, pop culture or comedy were actually right-leaning in terms of their content or guests. Some of the top online shows — like those of Rogan, Von, Andrew Schulz and the Nelk Boys — fall in this category. That means that their tens of millions of followers are hearing not just from celebrity guests like Timothée Chalamet but also from Trump, his allies and right-wing media personalities.
Many of these shows’ hosts are also spreading right-wing narratives themselves, such as praising and bolstering Trump’s actions and policies.
Take Joe Rogan, whose show is listed as “comedy” on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify. But during the first 30 days of Trump’s second presidency, Rogan repeatedly praised Trump and promoted his policies while chatting with comedians — claiming “the new government is emphasizing privacy and freedom of speech,” praising Trump for getting a deal done in Gaza “in a day” while “the Biden administration had two years, couldn’t get anything done,” and repeating debunked claims that Trump is rooting out widespread fraud and corruption in government agencies like USAID.
Or PBD Podcasta self-described “business” show. Each episode in Trump’s first 30 days mentioned him dozens of times, and guests included right-wing media personality Glenn Beck and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. The hosts said that “we’re gonna have four years of this just kicking ass,” “the market — it’s cool to be pro-Trump,” and “Trump is always five, six, you know, 10 steps ahead of the other person that he’s negotiating with.”
As the right seeps into these traditionally nonpolitical spaces, they’ve also been pushing mainstream media and social media to the right. Just look at BLN laying off staff while reportedly giving pro-MAGA pundit Scott Jennings a hefty raise. Or Meta rolling back its content moderation policies to appease Republicans.
The right’s expansive online ecosystem plays into a fundamental aspect of the current online environment: Outrage and fearmongering garner more attention and engagement than facts. And right-wing media figures have leaned into pop culture to garner more audiences for their content, while comedians, sports commentators and entertainers are pushing right-wing content. The result is that right-wing narratives are seemingly everywhere. And this environment allows Trump and his allies to easily spread propaganda to wide swaths of Americans.
Kayla Gogarty
Kayla Gogarty is research director at Media Matters for America, a progressive research center that monitors the U.S. media.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday opened a new trade investigation into manufacturing in foreign countries — an effort that comes after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s previous use of tariffs by declaring an economic emergency.
Trump and his team have made clear that they’re seeking to replace the hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenues after the Supreme Court’s February ruling by using different laws to establish new tariffs.
In this case, the administration is starting investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which could eventually lead to new import taxes. But U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a Wednesday call with reporters, said he didn’t want to prejudge the outcome of the process.
“The policy remains the same — the tools may change depending on, you know, the vagaries of courts and other things,” said Greer, stressing that the goal was to protect American jobs.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks with reporters at the White House, Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks with reporters at the White House, Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
The start of the process to fully replace Trump’s prior tariffs could invite a return of much of the drama that rattled the global economy last year. The since-overturned tariffs led to new frameworks with U.S. trade partners — and it’s unclear what impact a new set of import taxes could have on those agreements. Greer described the trade frameworks as standing on their own and suggested they were separate from the new investigation.
This new set of tariffs could play out against the backdrop of a war in Iran and midterm elections in which Democrats are running against Trump’s Republican allies by emphasizing that the public is owed tariff refunds following the Supreme Court decision.
Greer said that the investigation would examine excess industrial capacity and government backing that could give foreign companies an unfair advantage over U.S. companies.
Containers are stored in a cargo terminal in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Containers are stored in a cargo terminal in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
The entities subject to the investigation include China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, the self-governing island of Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Japan and India. The government is looking for what it deems to be persistent trade surpluses with the U.S. and policies such as subsidies and the suppression of workers’ wages, among other factors.
The administration is also rolling out a Section 301 investigation to ban the importing of goods made by forced labor.
Greer indicated that there could be additional Section 301 investigations over issues such as digital service taxes, pharmaceutical drug pricing and ocean pollution, among other possibilities. The Commerce Department has separate trade investigations under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act.
There are timeline pressures for the administration to complete its investigations. The administration has imposed 10% tariffs on foreign-made goods under section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, but those expire after 150 days on July 24. Trump said he planned to raise that import tax to 15%, but he has yet to do so.
Containers are stacked at the Port of Long Beach Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Containers are stacked at the Port of Long Beach Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Greer said the administration is “keying off” the new investigation based on the 150-day deadline, saying that the goal is to bring “potential options” to Trump as soon as possible.
Greer said the investigations would be separate from the trade frameworks announced last year by Trump that set baseline tariff rates, which led to 15% rates charged on goods from the European Union, Japan and South Korea, among other places, that have since been overturned by the Supreme Court. Still, he suggested that the frameworks could play a factor.
“My sense is that these countries continue to want to deal, and President Trump continues to want the deal,” Greer said, adding that since tariffs are in play the commitments that the countries have made and the implementation of the frameworks would be considered as they “bump” against the demands of the Section 301 process.
___
AP writer Mae Anderson contributed to this report.
A gunman killed one person and injured two others in a shooting on Thursday at Old Dominion University in Virginia, Norfolk police said.
Authorities have identified the shooter as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a U.S. citizen who pleaded guilty in October 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the extremist militant group ISIS, two U.S. officials familiar with the matter told MS NOW.
In that 2016 case, Jalloh, a former member of the U.S. Army, admitted to attempting to donate money to the terror group and carry out a domestic attack in its name, the U.S. officials said.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism. The bureau said members of the school’s ROTC program “terminated the threat” but did not shoot the gunman.
The U.S. Army Cadet Command (ROTC) confirmed in a statement Thursday evening that three victims were members of the university’s ROTC program, one of whom died. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of a member of the U.S. Army ROTC team,” the statement said.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, in an X post Thursday night, identified the deceased victim as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah. “Lt. Col. Brandon Shah was killed today in his classroom at Old Dominion University. A devoted ROTC instructor, Lt. Col. Shah didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path,” the governor said.
“The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him — actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Shortly before 11 a.m. ET, Old Dominion University and Norfolk police, as well as emergency personnel, responded to reports of a shooter at a building that houses the university’s business school, the university said. The injured were taken to a hospital, where their conditions weren’t immediately known.
“Old Dominion University has canceled classes and operations on main campus for the remainder of the day,” a spokesperson for the school said in a statement shortly after the campus went on lockdown. “Please avoid the area in and around Constant Hall where emergency personnel continue to work.”
Spanberger said in a statement that she is monitoring the investigation into the shooting.
“Adam and I are praying for the victims, their families, and every Virginian who has been touched by this terrifying shooting,” Spanberger said. “I encourage community members to continue following guidance from the university and local emergency officials.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Lawmakers are pressing major corporations for details on tens of millions of dollars pledged to a planned Donald Trump presidential library, after the nonprofit originally meant to receive the funds was dissolved quietly last year.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., along with Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., sent letters to executives at companies including ABC, Meta, Paramount and X, seeking details on at least $63 million in commitments those companies made as part of legal settlements with Trump or his allies. The letters seek to clarify whether the funds were ever transferred, and if so, how they have been used.
The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund Inc., the nonprofit originally designated to receive the money, was dissolved in 2025. A successor organization, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation Inc., has reported receiving $50 million, but has not confirmed the source of those funds, leaving it unclear whether the settlement pledges were fulfilled or redirected.
The inquiry comes amid growing scrutiny over the flow of money and assets tied to Trump’s presidency and post‑presidential plans, including reports that a luxury Boeing 747‑8 jumbo jet — valued at about $400 million and offered by the Qatari government for use as Air Force One — could potentially be transferred to the Trump library foundation after he leaves office.
The congressional investigation was first reported by The Washington Post.
Lily Becker is a producer on “The Weeknight” for MS NOW.
David Rohde
David Rohde is the senior national security reporter for MS NOW. Previously he was the senior executive editor for national security and law for NBC News.
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