CNN is currently on trial after being accused of defaming a military contractor. The case relates to a segment that aired in November 2021 about private "blackmarket" contractors hired to carry out evacuations following the U.S withdrawal from Afghanistan. Navy veteran Zachary Young sued CNN in June 2022 and claimed that the segment defamed him.

As the trial in Florida enters its second week, attorneys for Zachary Young, the security consultant named in the CNN story, tried to paint the network as engaging in “theater.”

Chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt denied that his report about security contractor Zachary Young was a “hit piece.”