New York Times Sued Over Alleged Discrimination of White Man, Trump's Big Indiana Win： AM Update 5⧸7
Episode Stats
Harmful content
Misogyny
3
sentences flagged
Hate speech
1
sentences flagged
Summary
A federal discrimination watchdog sues the New York Times alleging it violated the Civil Rights Act and passed over a white male to fill a position. President Trump scores major victories in Indiana, where Republicans who defied his redistricting push are paying the price at the ballot box. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faces new questions about his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, as lawmakers clash over whether his closed-door testimony cleared the air or raised more concerns. And Ted Turner, the billionaire entrepreneur behind CNN and TNT, passes away after a years-long battle with Lewy body dementia.
Transcript
00:00:00.400
All right, full-time thoughts. Craig, who stood out?
00:00:02.880
Brazil's lime cheesecakes started bright, didn't let up.
00:00:05.400
Nah, for me, Italian cappuccino was the standout in the box.
00:00:08.480
But if we're talking decadent performance, that's all France.
00:00:11.300
Chocolate creme brulee had the richest finishes.
00:00:19.200
We are, of course, talking about Tim's taste of the globe lineup.
00:00:22.080
New globally inspired Timbits and ice cap flavors,
00:00:26.460
Pick some up today, and while you're at it, check out Footy Prime Daily.
00:00:30.000
Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up
00:00:37.640
Show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Thursday, May 7th, 2026, and this is your AM Update.
00:00:44.940
It's really quite simple. You cannot take race or gender into account, period.
00:00:50.400
A federal discrimination watchdog suing the New York Times, alleging it violated the Civil Rights
00:00:56.440
Act and passing over a white male to fill a position. These results in Indiana really
00:01:01.840
showcase President Donald Trump's grip on the Republican Party. President Trump scores major
00:01:08.140
victories in Indiana primaries, where Republicans who defied his redistricting push are paying the
00:01:14.420
price at the ballot box. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick facing new questions over his past ties
00:01:21.240
to Jeffrey Epstein, as lawmakers clash over whether his closed-door testimony cleared
00:01:29.920
And Ted Turner, the billionaire entrepreneur behind CNN and TNT, passing away after a years-long
00:01:38.860
All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.
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be sorry you did. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, a government-run
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discrimination watchdog, filing a lawsuit against the New York Times on behalf of a white male
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employee, alleging the media outlet violated the Civil Rights Act by passing him over for a
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promotion because of his race and sex. The lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York does
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not name the journalist, but New York Magazine reports it is likely Bryant Rousseau, a senior
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editor and producer on the Times' international desk who has been with the paper for more than
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a decade, whose LinkedIn profile matches the job descriptions in the lawsuit. In 2025, the Times
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opening a search for a deputy real estate editor. The position ultimately going to an outside
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candidate, a non-white woman the EEOC alleges had little to no background in real estate journalism,
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despite that experience being listed as a job requirement. The agency further alleging no
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white male candidates advanced to the final round of interviews. The complaint claims the Times
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deviated from its normal hiring process to include the eventual hire in the candidate pool,
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despite her receiving a lower internal rating from the hiring panel than the other finalists.
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The New York Times has a well-documented commitment to enacting race and sex-conscious
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decision-making in the workforce through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, or DEI,
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policies. The lawsuit, putting it more bluntly, quote,
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a necessary consequence of the NYT's intent to increase the percentage of non-white leaders
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would be a decrease in the percentage of white leaders. The EEOC asking a judge to bar the
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Times from discriminating against employees based on race or sex and to award back pay and other
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damages to the rejected applicant. A spokesperson for the New York Times, Daniel Rhodes Ha,
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releasing a statement, quote, the New York Times categorically rejects the politically motivated
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allegations brought by the Trump administration's EEOC. Our employment practices are merit-based
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and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world.
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We spoke to employment attorney James Fett, who is not involved with this case,
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but says allegations the Times deviated from its normal hiring process
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could become a significant factor in the lawsuit.
00:05:12.480
Well, it's one of the important factors, but based on my review of that release,
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The noncompliance with your internal procedures is just one of the many red flags, whether it's a DEI case or a straight-up gender or straight-up race case.
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That's always something that you look for if you are representing the employee.
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Fett agrees with the Times' assertion that the case is politically motivated, but not necessarily in the way the paper frames it.
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Well, it is politically motivated, but only to the extent that the Trump administration on day one said that they were going to vigorously enforce the civil rights law to ensure that the DEI wave was extinguished.
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So, yeah, it's a policy mandate that the EEOC is following, but I'd say it's a good one.
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In terms of it's politically motivated, that is something that is chanted almost every time you have a claim against an employer for violation of the civil rights laws with the DEI program.
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It's in the Southern District of New York, which we know is they're going to have a liberal jury, most likely.
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If they get a fair shot, they're going to get a very large judgment.
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And I say that because the cases that have gone to trial have yielded whopping verdicts.
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I myself have gotten whopping verdicts doing these kind of cases.
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So we hope that I don't know who the judge assigned is, but that's another huge issue because judges have been known to put their thumb on the scale based on their philosophical predilections when it comes to handling these cases.
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So I hope they get a I hope they get a fair judge.
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And if they do, they should be looking forward to a healthy judgment.
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Fett says even though many companies have blurred the line
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between diversity goals and illegal discrimination,
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You cannot take race or gender into account, period.
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It doesn't matter if you call it affirmative action.
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It doesn't matter if you call it correcting underrepresentation.
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The law has been this way for a long time, but the rate of noncompliance with that law is at an all-time high when it comes to DEI.
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You know, the Trump administration has another three years to enforce the law this vigorously.
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We just have to hope that the next administration will fairly enforce, and I'm not optimistic that that's going to happen.
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If the Democratic Party takes over, they have almost incorporated DEI as part of their religion.
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It's almost a creed that if you're a liberal Democrat, you have to honor the request for DEI.
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President Trump flexing his political muscle in Indiana, where Republican primary voters
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backed most of the state Senate candidates he endorsed against GOP lawmakers who defied him
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on redistricting. In December, Indiana's Republican-controlled state Senate breaking
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with President Trump over congressional redistricting. The president backing a
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proposal to redraw the state's congressional map in an effort to expand the GOP's House majority.
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The Trump-backed proposal would have effectively eliminated Indiana's two Democrat-held congressional
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districts. But despite passing the statehouse, the map failed in the Senate 31 to 19, with 21
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Republicans joining Democrats to oppose it. President Trump, at the time, posting a warning
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to True Social, quote, anybody that votes against redistricting and the success of the Republican
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Party in D.C. will be, I am sure, met with a mega primary in the spring. I will do everything within
00:09:19.880
my power to make sure that they will not hurt the Republican Party and our country again.
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Tuesday's results, delivering a political bloodbath for the Republicans who crossed
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President Trump on redistricting. Of the seven GOP state senators who voted against the map,
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five were defeated by Trump-backed primary challengers. One incumbent survived,
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while the seventh race, as of yesterday evening, remains too close to call.
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The losses were not close, each of the five defeated incumbents losing by double digits.
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One of the biggest upsets coming in the race involving veteran state senator Travis Holdman,
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the chamber's number three Republican, the results increasing pressure on Republican
00:10:02.600
leader and Indiana state senator Rod Bray, a top target of President Trump, though he
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A MAGA ally in the state telling Politico the primary defeats could shift nine votes
00:10:15.600
away from Bray's block as lawmakers who survived Tuesday's purge now face growing pressure from
00:10:22.160
the Trump wing of the party. CNN's Arlette signs yesterday on what these Indiana results could
00:10:28.600
mean for the broader Republican Party heading into the midterms. These election results could
00:10:33.840
potentially embolden Republicans in other states as they are pursuing redistricting efforts. We
00:10:39.840
have really seen a slate of southern states try to push forward on redrawing congressional maps.
00:10:47.060
These results in Indiana really showcase President Donald Trump's grip on the Republican Party. His
00:10:53.080
approval ratings nationally are failing, but it shows that he still has significant sway within
00:10:59.080
conservative circles, something to watch heading into these consequential midterm elections.
00:11:03.840
With Tuesday's result, the likelihood of the Indiana state legislature revisiting
00:11:08.220
redistricting is high. Elsewhere Tuesday night, Tuesday's primaries finalizing the field in two
00:11:13.840
nationally watched statewide races in Ohio, Republican Vivek Romaswamy handily securing
00:11:19.760
his party's nomination for governor, and will now face Democrat Amy Acton, who led Ohio's public
00:11:25.640
health response during COVID. And the state now set for a high-stakes U.S. Senate battle,
00:11:31.660
Republican Senator and incumbent John Husted, moving on to the general election against
00:11:36.880
Democrat Sherrod Brown, both men easily beating their respective primary competitors.
00:11:44.000
Coming up, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick under scrutiny on Capitol Hill after Epstein
00:11:49.780
Files raised new questions about his past contacts with the disgraced financier
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donewithdebt.com. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appearing before the House Oversight
00:13:03.920
committee yesterday for a transcribed interview about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
00:13:09.380
Secretary Lutnick, summoned by the committee after documents released in the Epstein files,
00:13:14.180
revealed the two had been in business together as recently as 2014, well after the disgraced
00:13:19.960
financier's 2008 conviction on prostitution charges involving a minor. The files also
00:13:26.640
containing a photo of Epstein, Lutnick, and a group of other men on Epstein's island.
00:13:32.020
The secretary, his wife, and their children visiting once in 2012, according to Lutnick.
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Prior to the release of the files, Secretary Lutnick maintaining he had last been in contact
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The files revealing the two, who were neighbors in New York City, continued communicating
00:13:52.940
In yesterday's closed-door meeting, the secretary reportedly telling the committee
00:13:56.700
he did not have a personal or professional relationship when he was neighbors with Epstein.
00:14:01.340
He also reportedly said he never saw Epstein with any young women, nor did he witness anything
00:14:07.280
inappropriate. CBS reporting, Mr. Lutnick told the committee he met Epstein three times. The
00:14:12.960
first for a tour of Epstein's home, where he noticed a massage table. The second meeting
00:14:18.060
occurring on Epstein's island, the secretary and his family invited to lunch while on a trip to
00:14:23.140
the U.S. Virgin Islands. In a third meeting, the two discussing scaffolding in Epstein's foyer.
00:14:29.900
Congressman Ro Khanna, Democrat from California, giving reporters his impressions of the testimony.
00:14:35.660
Well, now we know why that interview was not videotaped.
00:14:40.260
If Donald Trump had seen the video transcript, he would have fired Howard Lutnick.
00:14:49.540
He was asked very straightforward questions about whether he regretted misleading the American people.
00:14:56.760
I mean, he said that he would never see Epstein again in 2005.
00:15:03.840
And everyone knows that he took his wife and kids to see Epstein in 2012.
00:15:08.360
And yet it was just contortions and lies and no acknowledgement that he misled the American public.
00:15:15.760
Chairman James Calmer, a Republican, casting the testimony differently.
00:15:20.860
I mean, I feel like that Lutnik's been very transparent.
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I said before this thing started, the only thing that I had seen that Lutnick did wrong wasn't 100% truthful on the brief visit to the island with his family.
00:15:43.320
And if we find that there were any misstatements by Lutnick, it's a felony to lie to Congress and he'll be held accountable.
00:15:50.680
It's too bad it's not a felony for a member of Congress to lie to the media.
00:15:55.140
Or we would be, we would have a lot of Democrats that would be having to log you up right now.
00:16:00.220
A transcript of the interview set to be released in the coming days.
00:16:06.100
Media mogul Ted Turner, pioneer of the 24-hour news network and founder of CNN,
00:16:12.680
dying yesterday surrounded by his family at the age of 87.
00:16:16.880
Born in 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Turner would go on to inherit his father's billboard advertising company
00:16:23.820
before buying up radio stations and then turning his sites to television.
00:16:31.140
On June 1st, 1980, launching the first ever 24-hour news network, CNN.
00:16:37.140
Turner aiming to broaden access to TV news, quote,
00:16:40.140
I worked until 7 o'clock, and when I got home, the news was over.
00:16:44.060
So I missed television news completely, and I figured there were lots of people like me.
00:16:49.060
In addition to CNN, Turner launching Turner Network Television, or TNT,
00:16:53.340
Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network. He sold his networks to Time Warner in 1996 for
00:16:59.460
$7.5 billion, staying on as vice chairman. Turner's net worth taking a significant hit
00:17:06.620
as a result of the Time Warner merger with AOL at the peak of the dot-com bubble.
00:17:11.100
He resigned from his position as vice chairman in 2003, fully exiting the business in 2006,
00:17:16.980
pursuing other ventures, including the restaurant business with Ted's Montana Grill,
00:17:21.160
An avid philanthropist and conservationist, Turner, who is the second biggest landowner
00:17:26.660
in North America with 2 million acres, bringing bison back from near extinction, managing
00:17:32.600
the largest private bison herd with about 51,000 head, according to CNN.
00:17:38.320
In 2018, Turner publicly disclosing a Lewy body dementia diagnosis, a progressive brain
00:17:45.760
Turner marrying three times, the first marriage to Juliet Gale Nye, with whom he had two children.
00:17:54.080
Later that same year, Turner marrying Jane Shirley Smith.
00:17:57.520
They had three children together before divorcing in 1988.
00:18:04.240
The marriage lasting 10 years from 1991 to 2001.
00:18:08.740
In 2012, Turner telling Piers Morgan Fonda was probably the great love of his life
00:18:15.940
when you love somebody and you really love them, you never stop loving them.
00:18:20.020
There's nothing wrong with that. That's good. He is survived by his five children,
00:18:31.360
That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party.
00:18:35.760
Catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel,
00:18:39.420
111 at noon east on youtube.com slash megynkelly and all podcast platforms.
00:18:50.020
All right, full-time thoughts. Craig, who stood out?
00:18:52.960
Brazil's lime cheesecakes started bright, didn't let up.
00:18:55.500
Nah, for me, Italian cappuccino was the standout in the box.
00:18:58.560
But if we're talking decadent performance, that's all France.
00:19:01.400
Chocolate creme brulee had the richest finishes.
00:19:05.780
And Mexico's caramel churro ice cap gave me chills.
00:19:09.280
We are, of course, talking about Tim's taste of the globe lineup.
00:19:12.180
New globally-inspired Timbits and ice cap flavors available at Tim Horton's for a limited time.
00:19:16.540
Pick some up today, and while you're at it, check out Footy Prime Daily.