Before Roger Ailes’ death on May 18, he expressed a final wish to some of his few remaining confidants: to get back in the game, with a conservative network that would position itself to the right of Fox News, as his baby became more moderate under the next generation of Murdoch leadership.

In his final days, Ailes sent a message to Steve Bannon in the White House that he’d love to team up on a new conservative media powerhouse.