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Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reportedly sent fired CNN anchor Don Lemon a $1,600 bottle of wine as a peace offering while they both dined at a steakhouse in Manhattan.

Lemon, who was dumped by CNN last year after a string of high-profile on-air and behind-the-scenes incidents that alienated viewers and colleagues, received a bottle of 2017 Opus One Cabernet blend as he ate with husband Tim Malone at Porter House near Columbus Circle last month, according to Puck News.

Zaslav, CEO of CNN’s corporate parent, was at the same restaurant on a double date with his wife, Pam Zaslav, and billionaire private equity mogul David Rubenstein and his spouse, Caryn Zucker, Puck News reported.

Caryn Zucker is the ex-wife of Jeff Zucker, the former CNN president who resigned after it was revealed that he had been carrying on a long-term relationship with a top subordinate.

Lemon, who reportedly received $24.5 million in a separation agreement with CNN, was reportedly touched by Zaslav’s gesture — so much so that he stood up and approached their table for a chat, according to Puck News.

The two men had previously bumped into each other at Barney Greengrass, a famous Upper West Side Jewish deli. Zaslav and Lemon exchanged “bland pleasantries,” Puck News reported.

Last April, Lemon’s tenure at CNN ended after 17 years at the network during which he reportedly alienated colleagues and management with his antics and comments.

In December 2022, Lemon, a former prime time host who was demoted to co-anchor the weekday morning show with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, was rebuked by his co-hosts for saying that women’s soccer is less interesting than men’s soccer.

In February of last year, The Post reported that Lemon flew into a rage and screamed at Collins off the air and in front of colleague for interrupting him on the air.

Collins was so shaken by the incident that she ran out of the studio, sources told The Post.

Days after the incident, Lemon caused another stir when he said on the air that Nikki Haley, the 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate, was “not in her prime.” The ensuing backlash prompted the network to suspend Lemon.

Lemon also reportedly ignored instructions from producers during a tense April interview with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who said that African Americans won equal rights in the US with help from the National Rifle Association.

Days after the interview, Lemon was fired.

He has since resurfaced with his own show, which was originally slated to be streamed exclusively on X.

But Lemon’s exorbitant demands for a Tesla Cybertruck, millions of dollars upfront as well as the power to have final approval over X’s news content alienated executives at the social media company, who terminated talks after a contentious debut interview with X owner Elon Musk.

Zaslav could certainly afford to pick up the tab for expensive wine. Last year, he was paid $49.7 million as part of his compensation package from Warner Bros. Discovery — this despite the fact that the company’s stock hit an all-time low earlier this week.

The selloff of WBD stock was prompted by reports that NBCUniversal was looking to make an aggressive bid to win the broadcast rights for National Basketball Association games — a valuable television property that has had a home at WBD-owned Turner Sports for decades.

WBD stock bounced back on Thursday, surging by more than 3% as of 2 p.m. Eastern time. It was selling at around $7.90 a share.

The stock has lost around 70% of its value since it began trading on Wall Street in April 2022 upon the completion of the merger between WarnerMedia, which was spun off by AT&T, and Discovery.

Zaslav, who has a mandate to cut costs at debt-ridden WBD, has previously said that his company doesn’t “have to have the NBA,” but Wall Street observers begged to differ.

NBCUniversal is prepared to offer an average of $2.5 billion a year for the rights to air NBA games, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Losing the NBA could make it much more difficult for WBD to charge cable and streaming distributors the carriage fees that it wants.

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BlockFi bankruptcy administrator and DOJ agree to dismiss $35M lawsuit

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BlockFi bankruptcy administrator and DOJ agree to dismiss M lawsuit

BlockFi bankruptcy administrator and DOJ agree to dismiss M lawsuit

BlockFi’s bankruptcy administrator and the DOJ have settled a $35 million crypto asset transfer lawsuit.

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Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

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Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.

Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.

The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.

If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.

Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.

“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”

Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.

“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”

Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.

The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.

“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”

The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.

Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.

The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”

Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.

Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.

San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.

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M’s Raleigh hits 2 more HRs, brings total to 38

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M's Raleigh hits 2 more HRs, brings total to 38

DETROIT — Cal Raleigh hit his 37th and 38th home runs in Seattle‘s 12-3 victory over Detroit on Friday night to move within one of Barry Bonds’ 2001 major league record for homers before the All-Star break.

Raleigh hit a solo homer off former teammate Tyler Holton in the eighth to tie the American League record of 37 before the All-Star break set by Reggie Jackson in 1969 and matched by Chris Davis in 2013.

“[Holton] and I are really good friends, and I’ve caught a lot of his pitches,” said Raleigh, who was in the lineup as the designated hitter instead of at catcher. “I don’t think that helped much, but I’m sure he’s not very happy with me.”

Raleigh hit a grand slam off Brant Hurter in the ninth.

“I didn’t even know it was a record until just now,” Raleigh said. “I don’t have words for it, I guess. I’m just very grateful and thankful.”

It was Raleigh’s eighth multihomer game this season, tying Jackson (also in 1969) for the most such games before the All-Star break in MLB history, according to ESPN Research. He also tied Ken Griffey Jr. for the most multihomer games in Mariners franchise history.

Seattle has two games left in Detroit before the break.

“Cal Raleigh … this is just unbelievable,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “He’s already set the AL record and now he’s only one short of Barry. There are two games, so who knows?”

Raleigh hit 10 homers in March and April, 12 in May, 11 in June and has five in July.

“This is a very boring comment, but baseball is all about consistency,” Wilson said. “This hasn’t been one hot streak, he’s doing this month after month. That says everything.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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