Overview

• Jesse Watters acknowledged that his program misstated the timing of Gov. Newsom’s June phone call with President Trump and offered a reluctant apology during his Thursday broadcast.
• Gov. Newsom filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit in Delaware on June 27 after Watters aired an edited clip accusing the governor of lying about the call.
• The host’s on-air apology blamed Newsom’s wording for the confusion and stopped short of fully retracting the misleading segment.
• Newsom’s legal team had indicated they would drop the lawsuit if Fox News delivered a clear retraction and unqualified apology.
• Legal experts say the Delaware court’s handling of this case could shape future standards for defamation claims against public figures and news outlets.