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Apple Martin makes her runway debut in a dreamy white dress

Apple Martin has officially gone from fashion campaign star to runway model. The 22-year-old daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin made her runway debut on Thursday, Oct. 1, stepping onto the catwalk for Chloé’s Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week.

For the milestone moment, Martin wore an airy white maxi dress that leaned fully into the romantic, free-spirited aesthetic associated with Chloé under creative director Chemena Kamali.

© Getty Images
PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 24: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) Apple Martin attends the Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 24, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

And while Martin has spent the past few years steadily building a fashion résumé, walking a Paris Fashion Week runway puts her in an entirely new category.

Apple Martin makes her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week

Martin made her first-ever runway appearance at Chloé’s Spring/Summer 2027 ready-to-wear show in Paris, where she joined an established cast that included models Mona Tougaard, Edie Campbell, Mariacarla Boscono and Eva Herzigová. Cynthia Erivo and Claire Danes were among the famous faces watching from the front row.

© Getty Images
Apple Martin makes her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week, walking for Chloé in a plunging white dress as her fashion and acting career takes off.

The debut came at a particularly high-profile show for the French fashion house. Chloé presented its collection at the historic Paris Observatory, with Claudia Schiffer also among the celebrity guests. Kamali’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, titled “Obsession,” revisited elements from Chloé’s archives while mixing delicate lace, lingerie-inspired details and broderie anglaise with more substantial outerwear.

She walked in a billowing white dress featuring a plunging neckline, ruffled details, dramatic sleeves and intricate eyelet cutouts. The romantic design extended to a scalloped hem, while light brown platform shoes added serious height to the look.

© Getty Images
She walked in a billowing white dress featuring a plunging neckline, ruffled details, dramatic sleeves and intricate eyelet cutouts.

Her beauty look remained understated. Martin wore her long blonde hair loose in soft waves and kept her makeup minimal, allowing the bohemian dress to command most of the attention.

At points during her walk, she slipped her hands into the dress’s pockets, giving the elaborate look a more relaxed feel.

© Getty Images
At points during her walk, she slipped her hands into the dress’s pockets, giving the elaborate look a more relaxed feel.

Apple Martin’s Chloé relationship started before the runway

The Paris Fashion Week appearance was not Martin’s introduction to Chloé. Earlier in 2026, she became the face of the fashion house’s Chloé à la Plage summer collection. The campaign, photographed by David Sims, placed Martin in a surreal beach setting and featured airy dresses, broderie anglaise pieces, beachwear and accessories.

That campaign made her runway appearance feel like a natural progression in her relationship with the label.

© Getty Images
Apple Martin attends the Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show

Martin has also worked with Self-Portrait and GapStudio. Vogue notes that she appeared in a GapStudio campaign alongside her famous mother, giving the mother-daughter pair another fashion connection beyond Martin occasionally dipping into Paltrow’s wardrobe.

Her modeling career began gaining momentum in 2025. She appeared in a Self-Portrait resortwear campaign that October and returned for the label’s Spring 2026 campaign.

Now, she can add Paris Fashion Week runway model to the list.

October 5, 2026
Manchester City charges: ‘Everyone knew’ – Marsch says relegation to follow

Jesse Marsch alleges Man City’s financial wrongdoing was widely known in the Premier League, and relegation must follow.

Published On 4 Oct 2026

Canada coach Jesse Marsch has ‌called for Manchester City to be punished severely over breaches of Premier League ⁠financial rules, saying his ⁠experience managing against the club left him convinced there were inconsistencies in the way it operated.

City were found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s ⁠financial rules over nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, with the league alleging the club used “sham” commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.19bn).

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The club has denied wrongdoing, saying the verdict contained material errors of law, principle and fact, and filed an appeal on Thursday against the independent commission’s ruling.

Marsch, who managed Leeds United from 2022 to 2023, said the disparity between the clubs had been apparent to him during his time ‌in England.

“I think Man City should be punished severely. I think they should have to go down, and by the way, everyone knew about it. Everyone knew,” Marsch told The Guardian in an interview published on Sunday.

Marsch also pointed to the 2022 summer transfer window, when Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to City, while both clubs reported making money.

“That summer [2022], us and Man City were the only teams that said ⁠we made money,” he said.

“For us, we did make money, because we ⁠sold Raphinha, we sold Kalvin Phillips. We had a lot left over from what we bought.

“At the time, we weren’t in a position financially to not save. Our ownership didn’t have deep pockets. Whereas when ⁠Man City says this, I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?’”

The American coach was also sceptical about ⁠City’s signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund that summer.

“When ⁠they said they got Erling Haaland for 52 million pounds ($69m), it’s like, ‘Yeah, OK, sure!’ So, I knew there were inconsistencies in it, but what can you do? You just put your arms in the air and go, ‘This is football’,” Marsch said.

City’s appeal will be heard privately by an independent three-member board, with the club fully denying all charges.

Potential sanctions include fines, points deductions and other sporting penalties, with relegation or ‌the ‌removal of titles also discussed as possible outcomes. It remains unclear whether any sanctions would be imposed before the appeal is decided.

October 5, 2026
Versailles Gives ‘Marie Antoinette’ (and Sofia Coppola) the Royal Treatment 20 Years Later

When Sofia Coppola was granted access to the Château de Versailles’ hallowed halls for her 2006 film, Marie Antoinette, their collaboration was unprecedented. Though the film initially received criticism for its unconventional portrayal of the young French queen (intentionally opting for an anachronistically stylish over stuffily period-appropriate approach), 20 years later, its legacy is undeniable. This fall the anniversary is being fêted with a new documentary on the movie’s making (directed by Coppola’s late mother, Eleanor), a book featuring behind-the-scenes photographs by Andrew Durham, who also produced her first short movie, Lick the Star (1998), as well as a theatrical re-release in the United States. Now the palace itself is joining in on the fun, too.

Conceived in collaboration with Coppola and sponsored by Cartier, the Château de Versailles is staging an exhibition about the film’s fascinating origin, painstaking production and cultural impact. On view through January 24, 2027, the show is situated in the Petit Trianon, where Marie Antoinette would seek refuge from the demands of court life and spend time with her closest friends in and among its surrounding gardens. “The strength of the film is how it remains so modern; it seems as if it has been shot yesterday,” Laurent Salomé, Director of the National Museum of the Châteaux de Versailles and Trianon, told The Hollywood Reporter at the exhibition’s press preview last month. Salomé, who co-curated the exhibition with Hélène Delalex, Chief Heritage Curator in Charge of Marie Antoinette’s Apartments, believes much of the film’s timelessness and relatability stems from Coppola’s unique point of view: “Her style is to focus on facial expression and silent moments. It’s about being, suffering, and hoping.”

The Billiards Room focuses on the film’s hair and makeup

Stephanie Sporn

Delalex also praised Coppola’s interpretation of the tragic figure, who was just 14 when she arrived at Versailles and 18 when crowned queen: “As a specialist, I think Sofia Coppola’s intimate portrait of the queen is very accurate in many aspects, for example, her youthful spirit, grace, sincerity, and légèreté, meaning frivolity.” In one of the exhibition’s introductory wall texts, Coppola explains how much of her coming-of-age portrayal of the young dauphine and later queen can be owed to Antonia Fraser’s 2001 biography, Marie Antoinette: The Journey, which offered a more human, sympathetic perspective on its often misunderstood, villainized protagonist. However, the film’s candy-colored palette (derived from a box of macarons), New Romantic–heavy soundtrack, and countless contemporary winks (eagle-eyed fans will spot those lilac Converse sneakers in the exhibition) are singlehandedly Sofia.

“I didn’t think it was so far out to put modern music in that period, and [it’s] cool to see that’s totally accepted by an audience today, and also that a female point of view is accepted as something not unusual,” Coppola told THR. The director added it’s been “fun and gratifying” to see how the film’s legacy endures (even garnering a new generation of fans, including her daughters’ friends). It was also “moving” for her to return to Versailles with leads Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman on the occasion of this exhibition. “People had been hard on Kirsten when the film came out, and she felt bad that she had let me down. I always loved her performance, so it’s nice to hear people expressing that too.”

Coppola had a strong hand in realizing the Versailles exhibition. “At the beginning we had imagined a more classical scenography, but Sofia and [production designer] Scott Dougan wanted it to feel like a teenager took over,” said Delalex, calling Coppola’s working style “delicate, natural, and intuitive.” At the same time, the collaborators sought to reveal the great lengths Coppola’s team went to make the movie possible. The nearly six months of negotiating with Versailles resulted in a major logistical operation. From January to April 2005, the film was shot over 57 days, including 20 days at Versailles. As filming was only allowed on Mondays under strict restrictions, Coppola’s team reconstructed some of the château’s key interiors, such as the Queen’s Grand Chamber and the Royal Opera, in nearby châteaux, such as Millemont.

The Main Dining Room recreates the film’s lengthy feasts

Stephanie Sporn

“I hope [the exhibition] gives an impression a little of what it was like on set and the work that went into it from all the departments,” said Coppola, who provided the curators with original references, mood boards, scene sketches, annotated scripts, casting sheets, hair and makeup test photos, and more. “The curators really wanted to show the film making process, which I thought was so unusual to do at Versailles.”

The curators additionally tapped the vast collections of Marie Antoinette’s production designer, K. K. Barrett, and Supervising Art Director, Anne Seibel. “We discovered hundreds and hundreds of boxes full of memories, papers, and objects [from research binders and sketches to scale models and fabric samples] that are testimonials of the way that almost everything in this film was crafted by hand,” recalled Delalex. Even if it was only featured “for a second and a half,” no detail was overlooked in order to maintain continuity between the real and reconstructed châteaux. The exhibition also introduces audiences to the French artisans and consultants, from cabinetmakers to food historians, that brought Coppola’s decadent vision to life.

Of course, the exhibition would be incomplete without Milena Canonero’s Oscar-winning costumes and Manolo Blahnik’s dazzling heels, brought together from all corners of the world. These frothy confections, worn on mannequins bearing Dunst’s and Schwartzman’s uncanny visages, are complemented by Durham’s amusing candid film snaps, often picturing the cast’s behind-the-scenes antics, whether listening to music with headphones or taking a cigarette break.

Ultimately Delalex believes no one at Versailles could have predicted that Coppola’s film “would have such a remarkable life.”

“Its visual language continues to inspire interior design, photography, fashion, and even pastry,” said the curator, noting, perhaps, the movie’s greatest influence has been on Versailles itself. “For many people today, the Marie-Antoinette style has become synonymous with Sofia Coppola’s style — many visitors come here hoping to see the Versailles of the film. Her aesthetic is so strong, it’s like a work of art.”

In the Bedchamber, a gossamer gown reflects Marie Antoinette’s stylistic shift towards more naturalistic attire at the end of the film

Stephanie Sporn

The Movable Mirrors Boudoir features a recreation of one of the film’s most iconic scenes in which the queen is surrounded by sweets

Stephanie Sporn

The Reception Room features mannequins engaging in the popular 18th-century pastimes that fueled some of the film’s most riotous scenes

Stephanie Sporn

Several display cases are dedicated to images and sample materials used to craft the queen’s Grand Chamber, reconstructed in a nearby château to exacting detail

Stephanie Sporn

Marie Antoinette’s (Kirsten Dunst) and Louis XVI’s (Jason Schwartzman) wedding ensembles are displayed in the Chapel

Stephanie Sporn

October 5, 2026
The Hill Insider Boosts Midterm Content With Addition Of Decision Desk HQ

As the midterms approach, Nexstar’s The Hill is adding Decision Desk HQ to its Insider premium membership package.

The addition will allow users to access all of the Decision Desk HQ data and election tools used by the newsroom, including local races, vote tracking and live predictions. Nexstar’s NewsNation also partners with Decision Desk HQ, including for its election night data and projections. The access will be included through the end of 2026.

The Hill’s Insider subscription service launched in July.

Bill Sammon, senior vice president of Washington, D.C. editorial content for The Hill and NewsNation, said in a statement, “This new feature will give subscribers an opportunity to dive deeper into the polls, local races and probability models they care about most. We hope they’ll enjoy exploring the data and channeling their inner political nerd along the way.” Decision Desk HQ’s Scott Tranter said the partnership “allows us to put the same powerful tools used by news and election professionals in the hands of users leading up to Election Day, enabling them to customize their own election night experience.”

October 5, 2026
Jennifer Garner reunites with ex Michael Vartan in new photo

Jennifer Garner is taking a trip down memory lane with one of her former Alias co-stars and ex-boyfriend, Michael Vartan.

The actress recently reunited with Vartan as she celebrated the 25th anniversary of the hit spy series that helped launch her into stardom.

Garner shared a rare photo with Vartan as part of an Instagram video commemorating the show’s milestone on Sept. 30.

Garner and Vartan Reunite for Alias Anniversary

In the selfie, the 54-year-old actress smiled alongside Vartan, 57, while wrapping an arm around him. Garner wore a black pullover, while Vartan kept things casual in a chambray button-down, glasses and a New York Mets baseball cap.

The former couple dated briefly in 2003, during a break between Garner’s marriages to Scott Foley and Ben Affleck.

Jennifer Garner Instagram

“They were my whole world, the cast and crew, and they still are,” Garner said in a voiceover accompanying the video. “All these years later, we’ve been together. We’re a little band that’s gone together for the past 25 years.”

Garner’s tribute also featured photos with several other Alias favorites, including Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, and Merrin Dungey, as well as series creator and director J.J. Abrams.

Jennifer Garner Reflects on Sydney Bristow

Garner starred as CIA operative Sydney Bristow throughout the show’s five-season run from 2001 to 2006. Looking back on landing the role, she said the character was unlike anything she had previously done.

“Alias was so far outside of anything I had done,” Garner recalled. “No one had thought of me for action. No one had thought of me for a tough role.”

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The role ultimately had a lasting impact on her both personally and professionally.

Garner, who shares daughters Violet, 20, and Seraphina, 17, and son Samuel, 12, with Affleck, said portraying Sydney “changed me as a person.”

“I walked differently after I played Sydney,” she added. “It’s something I’m so proud to be a part of.”

What Michael Vartan Has Been Up To

While Garner has remained a familiar face on screen, Vartan has largely stepped away from the Hollywood spotlight in recent years.

His most recent film role came in 2017, when he played a detective in the independent thriller Small Town Crime. He later made a guest appearance on the CBS comedy God Friended Me in 2018.

© Albert L. Ortega
Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)

Vartan previously opened up about his changing perspective on acting and fame during a 2017 interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“For the first part of my career, I’ve really been an insecure actor,” he said at the time, adding that as he got older, he became less concerned with other people’s opinions and things that ultimately weren’t important.

More than two decades after Alias premiered, Garner and Vartan’s reunion shows that the former co-stars have kept their connection alive long after the cameras stopped rolling.

October 5, 2026
Can the KKK find a new foothold in the US?

Experts have warned over the past decade of a resurgence in white supremacy in the United States, fuelled in part by the mainstream influence of political figures like President Donald Trump.

Just this year, the Public Religion Research Institute released the results of a 2025 survey that asked more than 20,000 US adults to evaluate the statement, “Immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background.”

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That belief is the cornerstone of the great replacement theory, a conspiracy that falsely claims that immigrants, Jews and nonwhite groups seek to supplant white people in Western countries.

The research institute found that 32 percent of respondents – nearly one in three – nevertheless agreed with the idea.

Critics have accused right-wing leaders like Trump of normalising such views, through rhetoric that paints immigration as an “invasion” and “an assault on Western countries”.

Trump has also been accused of cosying up to white nationalists, even dining in 2022 with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, a key figure in the movement. When white nationalists engaged in a deadly clash with protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, Trump said there were “fine people on both sides”.

Al Jazeera correspondent Phil Lavelle travelled to Boone County, Arkansas, to see whether one of the most infamous white supremacist organisations in US history had seen a bump in its influence midway through Trump’s second term.

He spoke to Thomas Robb, the head of what was formerly known as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group founded in the 1970s by David Duke.

What Lavelle found was a group seemingly eager to rebrand. The group had shortened its title to The Knights Party, and members told Lavelle they were trying to re-centre their message around family and faith.

But when Lavelle asked if a Black person would be welcome at the group’s church, Robb’s answer was simple.

“No,” Robb responded. “Because this is a white nationalist church.”

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) has a long history of racism and violence in the US. The movement began at the end of the civil war in 1865, as a response to government efforts to expand civil rights to Black people and other minority groups.

Through lynchings and other targeted acts of violence, the KKK attempted to block non-white participation in government and maintain racial divides.

Robb, a Christian pastor, took over as the head of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan – a faction of the KKK – in 1989. He has since attempted to broaden the group’s appeal.

He changed his title from “grand wizard” to “national director”, allowed new members to participate confidentially by mail, and distanced himself from KKK violence in public outreach campaigns.

Still, he has adhered to the racist philosophy his organisation is known for.

“What do you make of politicians like Zohran Mamdani or Abdul El-Sayed?” Lavelle asked Robb in his interview, referencing two high-profile US politicians who identify as Muslim.

“Well, first off, they’re not Americans,” Robb said. When Lavelle pointed out that El-Sayed was born in Michigan, Robb brushed off the contradiction. “I don’t care where he’s born. He’s not American.”

He proceeded to draw a distinction between the children of white and non-white immigrants. Only the children of white foreigners can be American, Robb said, “because they’re white”.

The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is one of dozens of white supremacy organisations operating in the US.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy group, estimates that there are at least 152 such groups active in the US today, part of what it calls a rising trend over the last decade.

Just this year, another white supremacist organisation, the Patriot Front, marched through Washington, DC, during the Independence Day holiday.

Critics say Trump, at times, has echoed their rhetoric. Trump told The New York Times earlier this year that “white people were very badly treated” in fields like academics.

He also instructed his second administration to dismantle diversity initiatives, and under his leadership, the government has launched probes into whether universities and companies like Nike discriminate against white people.

In addition, Trump has given priority to white South Africans in refugee admissions, falsely claiming they are the subject of a “genocide”.

Robb claimed the current rise in white nationalist sentiment began well before Trump, in 2008, during the election of Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president.

“People are beginning to stir and being angered by what they see happening to the country,” said Robb. “So we’re kind of a voice for that.”

Still, Robb acknowledged public wariness of joining a white supremacist group like his. “As for people actually to become members, that’s kind of a line they [are] a little hesitant to cross sometimes,” he said.

He also declined when asked to provide membership numbers or provide evidence for his assertion that support for his movement “is growing”.

“Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe everybody hates us. I don’t know,” Robb said.

October 5, 2026
Taylor Swift crashes Dakota Johnson’s ‘SNL’ monologue as she jokes about her famous exes

Dakota Johnson had a little help from one of her closest friends when she took the stage for her third time hosting Saturday Night Live.

The actress returned to Studio 8H on Oct. 3, one day before her 37th birthday, with Turnstile serving as the musical guest. Naturally, Johnson used her opening monologue to poke fun at her dating history before getting an unexpected assist from Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift Plays Dakota’s ‘Therapist’

Johnson kicked off her monologue by talking about her friends and their unwavering support for her romantic choices.

“I have really good friends. They don’t judge me for dating these men; they’re actually really supportive,” she joked, referencing her past relationships with musicians Chris Martin and Role Model.

That’s when Swift, 36, walked onto the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my literal therapist,” Johnson said while introducing the pop star.

Swift quickly made it clear that she doesn’t actually serve as Johnson’s therapist.

“I’m not your therapist, actually,” Swift said. “You just show up once a week at my house with an empty bottle of wine and ask if I want some.”

“Yeah, well, I have manners,” Johnson fired back.

Swift then described Johnson’s supposed therapy sessions, joking that her friend would “flop” onto her couch and overshare before Swift offered the occasional, “Damn, that’s crazy.”

“Is that not a therapist?” Johnson quipped.

Johnson Has A Message For The Women

The Verity star continued poking fun at her romantic history, particularly her tendency to date musicians.

“I’m doing a public service by dating them because ladies, I am saving you a lot of money on Zoloft,” Johnson joked. “So you’re welcome, America! And also England and parts of Ireland and Cleveland, allegedly.”

© Getty
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 13: Dakota Johnson attends day 15 of the 2026 US Open Tennis Championships on September 13, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)

Swift responded with an enthusiastic “Woo-woo!” referencing her husband Travis Kelce’s connection to the area.

The surprise appearance also gave Swift a chance to turn heads with her outfit.

Swift And Johnson Bring The Fashion

For her surprise SNL appearance, Swift wore a Wells plaid off-the-shoulder mini dress by Simkhai, paired with a Cassandre Chain Saint Laurent belt and Burberry Pillar leather boots.

Johnson went for a much bolder look, stepping out in a red latex Versace dress from the brand’s Fall 2013 collection.

She completed the outfit with Giuseppe Zanotti Intriigo 90 mules and a Roberto Coin Wide Cobra collar diamonds necklace.

Swift Surprises Johnson Again With Birthday Cake

Swift wasn’t finished with the birthday surprises.

At the end of the show, the singer returned to the stage carrying a turquoise-and-white frosted cake for Johnson.

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“Thank you for having my birthday with me!” Johnson exclaimed as she jumped up and down before embracing her longtime friend.

The sweet moment capped off an already memorable night for the actress.

The Friends Have Been Close For Years

Johnson and Swift have maintained a friendship for several years, and the actress has been part of some major moments in the singer’s life.

Johnson attended Swift’s star-studded July wedding to NFL star Kelce, 36.

The actress also appears in Swift’s latest music video for “Patient Zero,” which is featured on the deluxe edition of The Life of a Showgirl, which premiered at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

Just days before her SNL hosting gig, Johnson had another major Swift-related moment. She presented the singer with the first-ever Artist Director Honors award during the Sept. 27 ceremony.

From award shows to weddings and now SNL, these two clearly know how to show up for each other.

October 5, 2026
Mark Thompson To Remain At CNN As Chairman Under Ellison’s Skydance

Mark Thompson will remain at CNN as Chairman and Editor-in Chief for CNN Worldwide after Skydance closes its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The announcement Monday ends, for now, speculation about who will run the network, given that Skydance also is the parent of CBS News.

Thompson, who joined CNN in 2023, will have a slightly different title, this time as chairman and editor in chief, after he was brought in as chairman and CEO of the news organization by Warner Bros. Discovery. Since then, he has tried to more fully integrate the linear and digital newsrooms, while launching the network’s latest venture into subscription streaming, All Access. Unlike previous efforts, All Access offers nearly identical streams of the linear network lineup.

His continuation at the network is likely a relief to staffers, with months of anxieties that the network would combine with CBS News. Skydance CEO David Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, is a major financier of the company’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, and there have additional worries that his close ties to Donald Trump would influence CNN coverage or would mean future changes. Makan Delrahim, the chief legal officer of Skydance, said at a Politico conference in August that when it came to CNN, Ellison “wanted to bring it back to news,” raising more questions about plans for the network.

But as part of its settlement of an antitrust lawsuit brought by state attorneys general, Skydance-Paramount agreed to set up an editorial independence board to oversee CNN and CBS News.

There also had been speculation that Bari Weiss, who serves as editor in chief of CBS News, would be given additional oversight over CNN. There was no announcement made about an additional role for Weiss when Skydance revealed its senior executive structure Monday. Skydance-Paramount acquired Weiss’ center-right site The Free Press when she joined the network, and she has remained as editor of that outlet as well.

“I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for,” Thompson said of the company’s new owners in a memo to staffers. “That’s why I will be leading CNN into this new chapter as it becomes one of Skydance’s suite of major media assets and global brands, and leading it as an independent Editor-in-Chief with the same responsibilities and prerogatives that I have now.”

Thompson previously was CEO of The New York Times Co. and director general of the BBC. He had already indicated that he wanted to stay at CNN after the merger closed, scheduled for Tuesday, and last week sources confirmed that Ellison was in talks with him to remain.

Thompson wrote in his memo, “I really do believe we’ll be working alongside a team who don’t just have real vision and real energy, but real values as well.”

He also addressed the anxieties about the network’s future, writing that “I know many of you have had trepidations about this moment. That’s understandable – indeed, as I’ve hinted before, I’ve had the odd moment or two myself!”

What’s still unclear is whether CNN will be in for a round of cost-cutting and perhaps layoffs following the merger’s close, as was the case with CBS News after Skydance acquired Paramount last year.

Thompson wrote to staffers, “The specifics of how CNN will plug into and operate in the new company have yet to be finalized – hardly surprising given that serious discussions could only begin after Paramount’s anti-trust settlement a few days ago.”

Read Thompson’s memo in full below.

Dear All,

As you know, Paramount Skydance will close its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery tomorrow, and CNN will have new owners. Later today, the company is announcing the anticipated leadership lineup of the company which is now called Skydance. You’ll see my name on the list as Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of CNN. I’m writing to you now to explain what that means.

The specifics of how CNN will plug into and operate in the new company have yet to be finalized – hardly surprising given that serious discussions could only begin after Paramount’s anti-trust settlement a few days ago. So I can’t answer every question today. Nonetheless there are a few important things I can say:

First, I’m convinced that from David Ellison on down, Paramount Skydance leadership really does believe in news alongside entertainment as a top strategic opportunity for our new company. They’ve seen our digital strategy and are as excited about it as we are.

And second, having now spoken to them at length on the topic, I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for. That’s why I will be leading CNN into this new chapter as it becomes one of Skydance’s suite of major media assets and global brands, and leading it as an independent Editor-in-Chief with the same responsibilities and prerogatives that I have now.

I know many of you have had trepidations about this moment. That’s understandable – indeed, as I’ve hinted before, I’ve had the odd moment or two myself! But I want to say that on the eve of the acquisition of CNN by Paramount Skydance, I find myself in a very positive frame of mind. I really do believe we’ll be working alongside a team who don’t just have real vision and real energy, but real values as well.
We’ll make sure that everyone gets details of how to watch the actual launch of the company tomorrow.

More to come, and all the best,

Mark

October 5, 2026
Chris Wayland To Succeed Valari Staab As President Of NBCUniversal Local

Chris Wayland will succeed Valari Staab as president of NBCUniversal Local, overseeing NBC and Telemundo local stations and other outlets.

Staab disclosed her plans to retire earlier this year, and will work with Wayland in the coming weeks, with the transition before the end of the year, according to Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCU News Group.

In addition to 11 NBC stations and 31 Telemundo stations, NBCU Local also includes four regional sports networks, three national multicast networks and 17 streaming channels, along with LXTV Productions and Skycastle.

Wayland joined NBCU in 2019, and has led NBC10 Boston, Telemundo Boston and NBC Sports Boston. Conde wrote in a memo to staffers that Wayland “has been instrumental in the growth of NBC10 and was a key leader in the development and launch of the NBCUniversal Boston Media Center.”

“Chris understands the power and importance of local media, and I know he will be an outstanding leader for NBCUniversal Local,” Conde wrote.

Staab has been with NBCU for more than 15 years and has spent 46 years in local TV and journalism.

“Under her leadership, what began as 10 NBC-owned stations grew into NBCUniversal Local’s nationwide, multiplatform portfolio of 50 media properties,” Conde wrote.

“Her impact can be seen not only in the organization she helped build, but in the generations of broadcasters and leaders she has supported and developed along the way,” he wrote.

In a statement, Staab said, “What gives me the greatest confidence is knowing that Chris leads with both vision and heart. He values our people, our culture, and the relationships that have been foundational to our success.”

Wayland previously was an executive at Tribune Media, Sinbeam Television and WHDH-TV.

October 5, 2026
Christa Pike’s failed execution sparks calls for controversial death penalty method

The failure of the State of Tennessee to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection has led to calls from some politicians to bring back the firing squad.

Pike, 50, has been hospitalised following her botched execution attempt as the woman the state was trying to kill then underwent life-saving measures after she was administered the double dose of a deadly chemical but did not die.

Congressman Tim Burchett has called for state lawmakers to give the firing squad the go-ahead, arguing it was ‘a hundred percent effective’ as a method of execution and adding ‘it’s that or hanging’.

Since Pike’s failed execution some politicians in Tennessee have suggested they may look at other methods of execution in the future, including the firing squad or the electric chair.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton told Fox 17: “That may be a possibility in the future. So, we’re going to look at all alternatives, and we’re going to look at all 50 states to see what they do but we’re going to come up with solutions to this situation.”

Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett has called for the state to use the firing squad after Christa Pike’s lethal injection was a failure (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Sexton also suggested that ‘maybe even that we remove lethal injection’ as an execution method.

There have been several botched executions in Tennessee in recent years, and the state’s prisons chief has resigned from his role after the failed execution of Christa Pike.

Frank Strada had been the commissioner of Tennessee’s Department of Correction for three years, during which time there were the botched attempts to execute Pike and Tony Carruthers by lethal injection.

The firing squad is a very rare method of execution, until Brad Sigmon was executed by one last year in South Carolina there had been no firing squad executions in the US since 2001.

Shortly afterwards fellow South Carolina inmate Mikal Mahdi was executed by firing squad and there were accusations that the executioners ‘botched’ it as his attorneys argued that he was shot lower than intended and the bullets hit him in the abdomen rather than the heart.

They also alleged that Mahdi wasn’t pronounced dead until four minutes after he’d been shot.

South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) ‘strongly refuted’ the claims and insisted all three bullets ‘struck Mahdi’s heart’, but the firing squad remains as controversial an execution method as the rest of the ways of carrying out the death penalty.

Christa Pike’s lethal injection failed, fuelling calls both for an alternative execution method and an end to the death penalty (YouTube/Inside Edition)

Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah are currently the only US states that use the firing squad to carry out a death penalty.

What happens in the future for Christa Pike remains to be seen but her former lawyer James Crowson told LADbible that if the failed execution attempt has caused brain damage to the 50-year-old and ‘she doesn’t know what’s going on’ then there won’t be a second attempt.

The lawyer explained that executions are banned if an inmate is mentally incompetent and doesn’t understand the reason why they’re being put to death

Crowson also argued against the death penalty in general, saying: “Nobody, certainly not Christa Pike and not even the state of Tennessee, should be allowed to take someone’s life.

“The outcome of this attempted execution shows it’s difficult to walk the fine line between properly punishing someone who did something horrific and not violating the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.”

Tennessee has put all scheduled executions on pause for the time being.

October 5, 2026