What's news: Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio go to Apple, President Trump targets social media, layoffs hit the entertainment and news divisions at ViacomCBS, Disney World and Las Vegas set reopening plans, WarnerMedia strikes an HBO Max deal with Comcast, remembering Larry Kramer. Plus: Cannes 2020 lineup coming next week, and a profile of Bret Baier. --Alex Weprin

 Apple's Big Swing

►Martin Scorsese's next epic will go to Apple. Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s high-priced period thriller that has the filmmaker’s frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star, has found a deep-pocketed partner in the tech world. Apple is in final talks with Paramount to partner and produce the project, which carries a price tag of more than $150 million, Borys Kit reports. The move comes after months of the project's backers looking for a way to mitigate the cost of the feature, which kept escalating. MGM and Netflix were among the potential suitors that kicked the tires. The story.

►President Trump targets the social media giants. Angry over Twitter's decision to attach a fact-check to certain tweets, Trump is expected to sign an executive order today ordering a review of a law that has long protected internet companies from lawsuits, according to a draft of the order viewed by Today In Entertainment. The draft order would also create a White House Tech Bias Reporting Tool, which would collect accounts of bias and forward them to the FTC and DOJ for review. It would also order federal agencies to reevaluate their ad spending on social media, which has totaled more than $1.5 billion in recent years.

--Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was also pulled into the debate, after being asked about it during interviews on Fox News and CNBC (the interviews were booked well before the Twitter controversy). “I don’t think that Facebook or internet platforms in general should be arbiters of truth,” Zuckerberg told CNBC Thursday morning, echoing a comment he made on Fox Wednesday night. “Political speech is one of the most sensitive parts in a democracy, and people should be able to see what politicians say.”

--"We’ll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make," Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted. This does not make us an 'arbiter of truth.' Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions."

+As President Trump pledges a social media crackdown, D.C. circuit offers its version of subtweet. A conservative group alleging its political viewpoints have been suppressed on Twitter and other platforms gets an interestingly-timed judgment. The story.

►Layoffs hit CBS. CBS' entertainment and news divisions are going through a round of layoffs as part of the restructuring following the merger with Viacom. There are several reasons for today’s events. First, in some cases, this is part of our continued integration of operations following the merger with Viacom," wrote CBS chief George Cheeks in a memo to staff Wednesday. "Second, these moves are in response to the ongoing and transformative changes happening in the media business, as well as circumstances from the unprecedented pandemic that we continue to navigate. We’ve already seen new and creative ways that we’ve adapted to these changes, and that evolution needs to continue." The story.

+"Everyone is shocked": CBS News hit hard by layoffs. "There isn’t a single person leaving who did a bad job," CBS News president Zirinsky said on a call with staff Wednesday. "It’s economics. It is absolutely the financials that has forced us to make these decisions. ... I’m really sorry. There is not a person who won’t be missed.” Jeremy Barr has the story.

+ViacomCBS also promoted Jonathan Karp to president and CEO of Simon & Schuster after putting the book publisher up for sale. Karp succeeds Carolyn Reidy, the former president and CEO who passed away earlier this month at age 71 due to a heart attack. Karp most recently served as president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing. More.

+Also: Rogers & Cowan/PMK is the latest Hollywood firm to be hit with COVID-19-era layoffs. The venerable publicity, integrated marketing and communications agency let go of 35 publicists — or about 10 percent of its staff — in offices from Los Angeles and New York to London. More.

 Disney World Sets a Reopening Date

►Disney World has a plan to reopen. The Walt Disney World Resort is set for a phased reopening July 11 after months of being shuttered due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom aim to reopen July 11 and Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. Jim MacPhee, senior vp operations for the Florida destination, gave the company's presentation Wednesday to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force, which unanimously approved the Walt Disney World plan.

--What will it look like? The Orlando destination will reopen at a much lower capacity to ensure social distancing, a key component for admission, ride and food lines. There will be no parades, firework shows or character meet and greets, MacPhee said, saying anything that could draw a crowd will be closed. The story.

+Regal owner Cineworld is looking at a July opening as well. The exhibition giant Cineworld, which owns the U.S. theater chain, said Thursday it expects to reopen its cinemas in July and received a waiver from its lenders on a debt covenant amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. It also raised additional liquidity, saying that would allow it to make it through the end of the year. More.

+Vegas casinos, too. MGM Resorts International on Wednesday said it will reopen its Bellagio, New York-New York, MGM Grand Las Vegas and The Signature casino-resorts on June 4 after earlier shutting down all of its U.S. properties amid the coronavirus crisis. More.

+Related: MPA, NATO ask Congress for temporary liability relief as businesses reopen. The letter, sent by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and signed by over 200 trade and business groups, called for Congress to "to quickly enact temporary and targeted liability relief legislation related to the COVID-19 pandemic." As businesses reopen, the letter explains, businesses "are concerned that, despite doing their best to follow applicable guidelines, they will be forced to defend against an onslaught of frivolous lawsuits." More.

►Cannes 2020 to unveil lineup next week. In an interview with THR, festival director Thierry Frémaux outlines his plans for a COVID-19 era Cannes, with films that will travel to physical festivals around the world: "We will be fighting to help film emerge victorious." more.

►WarnerMedia strikes eleventh hour HBO Max distribution deal with Comcast. When HBO Max debuted on Wednesday morning, it was noticeably absent from major video distribution platforms operated by Roku, Amazon and Comcast. But last-minute negotiations between WarnerMedia and Comcast meant that by mid-morning, Xfinity and Flex customers were able to access the streaming service shortly after it launched. More.

►Cord cutting to accelerate, but no "doomsday" for cable financials, analyst says. Wells Fargo's Jennifer Fritzsche boosts her subscriber loss forecasts, while highlighting that the financial impact "is fairly limited" even in “extreme stress” scenarios. More.

 Larry Kramer, 1935-2020

Obituary: Larry Kramer, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter, playwright, author and trailblazing gay rights and AIDS activist best known for the Tony Award-winning The Normal Heart, has died. He was 84. Kramer died Wednesday morning in Manhattan of pneumonia, his husband, architect David Webster said.

+Tributes: Mia Farrow, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Mock Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andy Cohen were among those who took to social media to mourn the 'Normal Heart' playwright, who died Wednesday. More.

+Critic's appreciation: Larry Kramer, the voice that would not be silenced. A vital conduit of galvanizing rage through the early years of the AIDS pandemic, the Tony-winning playwright of 'The Normal Heart' never relinquished his impassioned anger, David Rooney writes. More.

 Netflix faces libel suit for linking I.C.E. contractor to miserable immigration detention facilities. On Wednesday, the GEO Group filed suit over Messiah, a fictional thriller that is co-executive produced by Mark Burnett. The series, which premiered earlier this year, is about a CIA officer investigating a spiritual movement. Netflix's promotional material describes it as not based on true events. Nevertheless, in Florida federal court, GEO Group — a private contractor who admits working with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — objects to scenes of an immigrant detention facility bearing its name and trademarks. More.

►"The partisanship comes through very slyly": Bret Baier has some skeptics. The anchor, key to Fox News' claims to impartiality, has friendly ties with Trump's team, although he appears to use those relationships primarily to lobby for newsmaker interviews, Jeremy Barr writes. The story.

+Most CNN employees will not return to the office this year, Jeff Zucker says. "We expect that the majority of you will not be able to return to our offices this calendar year," he wrote in a memo, which was obtained by THR. "What happens after that is still a question mark, as well." More.

►How I'm Living Now: Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, Dungeons & Dragons filmmakers. The filmmakers, known for directing Game Night and writing Horrible Bosses and Spider-Man: Homecoming, spoke to THR about the next steps for D&D, what they learned from developing a Flash movie that never came to be, and their reaction to the Snyder Cut becoming a reality. The interview.



^The next Last Dance? Viewers interested in Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth. Lakers great Kobe Bryant and his early 2000s teams would also be popular subjects for the doc treatment, according to a Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll. The details.

 On Wednesday, the HFPA announced a host of other revisions to its rules for the coming awards season — only this time, they have nothing to do with the pandemic. The HFPA has determined that anthology series will be accommodated with the expansion of the best limited series/TV movie category, to become best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television, and the lead acting categories thereof. More.

+Meanwhile up north: Hulu/CTV's Cardinal on Wednesday night won big at the Canadian Screen Awards, picking up seven during the virtual ceremony, including best drama, while Eugene and Dan Levy's Schitt's Creek nabbed six trophies, including best comedy. The winners.

►Instagram introduces IGTV ads, creator monetization. This marks the first time Instagrammers will be able to monetize their IGTV videos. Instagram is also introducing paid badges during live streams that will give fans a way to directly support their favorite creators. More.

►TV ratings: The premiere of America's Got Talent posted the smallest 18-49 rating for a season opener in the show's history on Tuesday — but it still dominated primetime, improving slightly in total viewers from a year ago and helping World of Dance score a solid debut. The CW's Stargirl also held up well in its second week. The numbers.

+The Last Dance, The Walking Dead and cable's top 2019-20 performers. Cable ratings were down overall in 2019-20, but there were a number of bright spots, Rick Porter writes. More.

+Also: Grey's Anatomy more than quadrupled its initial rating among adults 18-49 over five weeks of multi-platform viewing and more than doubled its total audience. The 35-day figures for the show are the best since its season premiere in September. More.

►In Conversation With: Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon reflect on season one of Little America. The executive producers look back at the first season's uplifting immigrant stories before offering updates on season two and the sci-fi script they've been developing together in THR's new podcast, in partnership with Apple TV+. Listen.

In other news...

--Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners has tapped Luke Davies to write the script for Apeirogon, a movie adaptation of Colum McCann's epic novel set amid the Middle East conflict.

--Martin Scorsese has made a short film for the BCC about being in isolation.

--AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron received compensation of $9.67 million in 2019, up from $9.5 million in 2018, according to the cinema giant's proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.

--Gaming megastar Tyler "Ninja" Blevins on Wednesday unveiled a live competition series titled Ninja Battles Featuring Fortnite, set to premiere May 28 on Microsoft's Mixer platform.

--Disney+ is set for a June 11 debut in Japan, The Walt Disney Co. said Thursday. The streaming service will launch in Japan via an exclusive partnership with local telecom giant NTT Docomo.

--Showtime Documentary Films has picked up a new feature documentary from Oscar-winning Fog of War director Errol Morris about Timothy Leary, the high priest of LSD, to premiere later this year.

--The Time's Up Foundation is releasing a guide to help employers maintain equity during the pandemic and as companies begin to rebuild and return to work.

What else we're reading...

--"Quibi revamps programming after rocky start for short-video app" [Bloomberg]

--"Disney CEO explains why it's safe to go back to Disney World" [CNN Business]

--Lights. Camera. Makeup. And a carefully placed 1,246-page book" [NY Times]

--"Judge tosses COVID-19 coverage lawsuit against Fox News" [The Hill]

--"HBO Max’s catalog is full of weird holes" [The Verge]

Today's birthdays: Kylie Minogue, 52, Gladys Knight, 76, Rudy Giuliani, 76, Marco Rubio, 49, Patch Adams, 75.