John,

Donald Trump just turned down what amounts to a $15 million bribe from Paramount, the owner of CBS News.

Paramount’s offer was meant to settle Trump’s bogus $20 billion lawsuit over a routine “60 Minutes” interview edit with Kamala Harris—something every legitimate news outlet does.

Now, Trump is demanding $25 million and, critically, a public apology—and with Paramount desperate to get a multibillion-dollar merger approved by Trump’s FCC, they might actually give it to him.

Trump doesn’t just want money—he wants CBS News to grovel. And he wants every other newsroom to watch.

This is authoritarianism in plain sight. And it’s working.

We’ll explain more below. But first—COURIER is in danger of missing our first major fundraising goal of the year. We’re still over $5,000 short—and we can’t afford to lose momentum now.

Since Trump’s corrupt second term began, COURIER has grown rapidly thanks to grassroots supporters like you.

We’re now one of the fastest-growing independent media networks in America—reaching millions each week via social media, email, and through 11 battleground state newsrooms confronting right-wing misinformation where local journalism is vanishing.

We don’t pull punches about Trump’s corruption. And we reach the audiences the legacy press won’t—or can’t—serve.

But that momentum is at risk if we fall short on our fundraising goals.

This would be a terrible moment to slow down. CBS looks ready to kneel—joining ABC News, The Washington Post, CNN, and others backing off in fear of the consequences of reporting the truth.

If we miss this goal, we risk pulling back right as fear is taking hold—and Trump is watching.

Please, John, chip in anything you can and show your support for COURIER and independent media that doesn’t back down to Trump’s threats.

Chip in $25 before midnight

In solidarity,
The COURIER Team