Media News Daily: Top Stories for 10/09/2026

USA Today Seeks Over $250 Million From OpenAI

USA Today’s parent company and 13 affiliated entities have sued OpenAI in federal court, alleging that copyrighted material from 19 publications was used without permission to train and operate its AI models. The complaint seeks more than $250 million in damages and alleges that OpenAI copied hundreds of thousands of articles, removed copyright-management information, and generated responses that reproduced or closely repackaged publishers’ reporting. The plaintiffs also argue that AI-generated summaries can reduce traffic and subscription revenue. These are allegations in an ongoing lawsuit, and no court has ruled that OpenAI committed the claimed violations. (Read More) (Forbes Rating)

ABC and FCC Battle Over Free Speech and Broadcast Licenses

ABC and parent company Disney are asking a federal judge to halt the Federal Communications Commission’s early review of licenses for eight ABC-owned television stations, arguing the process retaliates against the network for editorial content President Donald Trump dislikes and chills protected speech. The Justice Department disputes those claims and argues that the federal district court lacks jurisdiction and that ABC has not demonstrated irreparable harm because its licenses remain valid. Judge Loren AliKhan has not yet ruled on ABC’s request for a preliminary injunction and requested additional briefing from both sides. (Read More) (PBS NewsHour Rating)

CBS News Launches Election Night “Nerd Show”

CBS News is launching a digital election-night program called “The Nerd Show,” designed to give political and data enthusiasts a behind-the-scenes look at how its decision desk analyzes results and makes race calls. Hosted by elections and surveys director Anthony Salvanto and congressional correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns, the stream will feature precinct-level results, maps, polling data, and modeling supplied in part by VoteHub. The program will begin at 5 p.m. ET and stream on YouTube, X, CBS News 24/7, and other CBS digital platforms, with portions potentially appearing in the network’s main election-night coverage. (Read More) (Axios Rating)