The retransmission battle between Scripps and DirecTV has escalated, with 54 local Scripps stations in 36 Nielsen-designated markets going dark as of 7 p.m. ET on Sunday. Both sides blamed the other for the blackout, which DirecTV noted comes just before several state and local primary elections in June, as well as the upcoming NBA and NHL finals on ABC, and the U.S. Open golf tournament on NBC. Facing the Fascism: How This Season's Emmy Contenders Pepper Storytelling With Real-World Perils