CNN Founder Ted Turner Dies at 87, Mamdani's Luxury Property Tax, and Huge Yosemite Crowds

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🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 5 minutes

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Summary

CNN founder Ted Turner has died at 87. Turner revolutionized television in 1980 by launching CNN, the first 24-hour news channel, creating an "always on" cycle that defines media today. He went on to build a cable empire, including with TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is proposing a pied-à-terre tax on luxury properties over $5 million for owners who don't live in the city full-time. He says it will raise at least $500 million for free child care and other social services. Billionaire Ken Griffin, whose $238 million Central Park penthouse was featured in Mamdani's video on Tax Day, has fired back, calling the tax discriminatory and saying he'll create more jobs and build out his offices in Miami. And if your summer bucket list includes a trip to Yosemite, you might find yourself stuck in hours of traffic instead of taking in the views. The park is seeing its largest crowds in a decade, with more than half a million people visiting so far this year, after the Trump administration slashed the National Park System's staff by 25% in February and ended the reservation system entirely. Read more at https://www.latimes.com

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0:00.0	This is an LA Times Studios podcast.
0:09.2	CNN founder Ted Turner has passed away at 87 years old.
0:14.2	Turner, who was nicknamed the mouth of the South, revolutionized television in 1980,
0:20.2	launching CNN or the cable news network, the first 24-hour
0:24.5	news channel creating an always-on cycle that defines media today. From there, he built a cable
0:31.4	empire, including TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classicies. He helped shape how millions of families watch sports,
0:40.7	entertainment, and breaking news. When describing the early days of CNN, Turner said he put journalism
0:46.9	first, and that's why it was something the world wanted to watch, from everyday people to former
0:52.7	President George H.W. Bush, who once remarks that he learned
0:56.5	more from CNN than he did from the CIA. The Atlanta-based CNN was the only broadcaster with
1:03.2	live coverage in 1986 when the Challenger exploded. And in 1991, the network gave viewers
1:10.2	not only video, but a live, unprecedented look at the Iraq invasion.
1:15.9	Turner often found himself at sea and ended up beefing with Rupert Murdoch over a yachting accident.
1:22.6	Murdoch, who launched Fox News 16 years after CNN's arrival on the scene, clashed with Turner on land too.
1:30.2	Turner challenged Murdoch to at least one fistfight and accused Murdoch of helping start the Iraq war.
1:35.8	The Guardian reported that Turner was asked at one point about Fox's ratings passing that of CNN.
1:42.1	Turner hit back, saying, quote, it's not about how big you are.
1:45.5	It's about how good you are. That really counts. Turner was a newsman, a businessman, but more
1:51.5	importantly, an adventurer and an explorer. He owned the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Hawks,
1:57.6	helped to revitalize pro wrestling, and was also known for his philanthropy, even pledging
2:02.7	$1 billion to launch the United Nations Foundation.
2:06.7	Famously, Turner had a lot to say, but as the headlines faded and his ventures wound
	...

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