Top of the Ticker: By the look of it, the news wheel format popularized by the defunct linear channel CNN Headline News is slowly making its way to CNN’s free ad-supported streaming channel, CNN Headlines.
The network, according to Axios, quietly relaunched the FAST service with live and original programming, including two hours of a new, live original show called “CNN Headline Express” at 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET.
CNN has also hired Brad Smith as an Atlanta-based anchor for CNN Headlines. The network says his appointment is part of CNN’s wider investment in its FAST programming, complementing its existing linear, digital, mobile, and podcast offerings and soon-to-launch streaming service and other standalone products.
The network also says new advertisers are latching on to its FAST products and developing new commercial product innovations to maximize monetization through advertising and sponsorship directly or through FAST platform partnerships.
Bipartisan Event: NewsNation and its sister digital publication The Hill are teaming up for a daylong bipartisan event featuring Speaker of the U.S. House Mike Johnson in the inaugural Hill Nation Summit on Wednesday, July 16, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C. In addition to Johnson, there will be a powerhouse lineup of one-on-one interviews and panel discussions examining the progress and promises of the first six months of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. The entire summit will be livestreamed on TheHill.com and available on The Hill TV’s Fast Channel.
Speaker Mike Johnson and a lineup of political heavyweights will discuss key issues at the inaugural “Hill Nation Summit” on July 16.
The event will be livestreamed, offering special coverage on @NewsNation and The Hill.
Apply to attend using the QR code in the video below. pic.twitter.com/p7aaBglZM0
— The Hill (@thehill) July 10, 2025