CNN reportedly offered Charles Barkley a deal to host his own show six months ago, but he declined due to a lack of interest. However, the network presented him with a unique opportunity that the retired NBA player is now contemplating.

In an interview Tuesday on the “Bickley & Marotta” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Barkley discussed his potential role at CNN and mentioned that he intends to cut back on his TV appearances. He further stated that if he were to take a position at CNN, it would be a weekly commitment.

“I don’t want to be on TV more; CNN is struggling,” he said. “And then they (CNN) said, but what about with Gayle King? Gayle is one of the people I admire and respect; I like her a lot. I’ve known her for years through my relationship with Oprah, and she’s just cool.

Barkley added that the show would start in the fall. King is reportedly finalizing a deal of her own with CNN.

“I told them let me and Gayle spend some time together because she has a real job; she’s on every morning. What makes you guys think she wants to do more? This opportunity happened because the new guy [Chris Licht] was Gayle’s old boss at CNN.”

Licht, who previously worked as an executive producer at CBS, was responsible for bringing King to the “CBS Mornings” show. Licht approached King with his proposal for her role at CNN.

“Me and Gayle got together at the [NBA] all-star game, and she told me she would consider hosting a show with me because we have so much fun together,” added Barkley. “We’re going to spend some time over the summer talking about it, but there’s nothing imminent. It will be like whatever the hell is going on in the world. The funny thing about it is crazy stuff happens every day.”

Barkley expressed disgust with the current state of politics. He also shared sorrow for the mass shooting victims in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to The Daily Beast, the White House is contemplating more stringent criteria for obtaining “hard passes” for journalists. This may lead many reporters to opt for temporary day passes instead. Simon Ateba, the reporter who serves as the White House correspondent for Today News Africa, and other freelancers and independent journalists, are expected to be impacted by this policy change. 

If implemented, the new rules would revert to the credentialing criteria for hard passes that were in place during the Obama administration.

In a tweet earlier this month, Ateba stated that he was denied membership to the White House Correspondents Association because they had no evidence of his employment on the editorial staff of a newspaper, periodical, wire service, radio, TV, or any other organization that reports on White House affairs.

In the Obama era, the White House usually granted passes to journalists with accreditation from a chamber of Congress or the Supreme Court. To obtain such accreditation, applicants were required to primarily work as a journalist, be associated with a credible media organization, have a track record of regularly covering Washington, and fulfill other criteria.

While sources have noted that the White House has been considering this change for a year, reporters like Ateba, who have been disruptive in the briefing room, maybe a reason to tighten the rules.

As preparations begin for the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News, each side has prepared a list of potential witnesses to testify at the trial.

Dominion Voting Systems has accused Fox of purposefully airing claims about the 2020 presidential election that it knew to be false, while the network has countered by accusing the election machine company of using the media to create narratives surrounding the case that are untrue.

The cable news outlet listed 35 potential witnesses to the court this week. Concurrently, Dominion submitted 54 names, including Fox Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch, and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, as well as Fox Corp. board of directors member Paul Ryan.

Former Fox News personnel, including Bill Sammon and Chris Stirewalt — who both exited the company after the 2020 election — were listed as potential witnesses by Dominion, as was recently fired producer Abby Grossberg. Grossberg sued the network after alleging that Fox News intimidated her to lie during her deposition. She was subsequently fired last week. Fox News contends Grossberg’s characterization is inaccurate.

Hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Bret Baier, Laura Ingraham, and Maria Bartiromo were also listed by Dominion as witnesses they’d like to see testify under oath.

Fox News was open to putting some of the hosts on the stand, as well as CEO Suzanne Scott and company President Jay Wallace.

A network spokesperson called the list presented by Dominion “needlessly expansive”, adding that it is “yet another attempt to generate headlines and distract from the many shortcomings of its case. Ultimately, this case is about the First Amendment protections of the media’s absolute right to cover the news.”

The trial is currently scheduled to begin on Monday, April 17th.