EXEC SUMMARY: Hello from DC! "Avengers: Endgame" is here, WHCD weekend is underway, Taylor Swift's new song is out, and much more... Here are all the details...
"Hi, Sean" | | President Trump called into Sean Hannity's show on Thursday night. And it was exactly what you expect. "Hi, Sean," the president said at the start of a 45-minute chat.
NYT's Katie Rogers tweeted: "This interview is Mad Libs. 'No collusion.' 'Two lovers, two sick lovers!' 'One-sided witch hunt.'"
Let me add another: "Dirty cops." At times, Trump literally repeated Hannity's nightly talking points back to him. "This was a coup," Trump said, even though it was not. "This was an attempted overthrow of the United States government." He continued a little while later: "This was an overthrow. And it's a disgraceful thing. I think it's far bigger than Watergate. I think it's possibly the biggest scandal in political history in this country. Maybe beyond political."
Trump says "they owe me an apology"
Per Mediaite's Caleb Howe, Hannity asked Trump, "Do you think the news media in this country and their coverage on this, owes you an apology?" Trump: "Well, they do owe me an apology. A big one. They owe YOU an apology." I know it's easy to dismiss this as typical Trump and Hannity shtick, but millions of people absorb it...
"There's no global mute button..."
Former Obama WH aide/CNN national security analyst Sam Vinograd emailed with her takeaway from the phoner: "There's no global mute button when Trump chooses to go on TV and to broadcast that he bases his official statements on 'hunches' and 'wisdom' (propagated by a shadow cabinet of certain media anchors and commentators) rather than on analysis compiled by his own experts. The President has access to the best information in the world, he just chooses to ignore it."
Sometimes the news is what's not spoken...
CNN's Matthew Hoye notes: "The president was not asked about reports that came out today that North Korea forced the US delegation that arrived in Pyongyang to sign a two million dollar invoice for medical care for the release of detained American student Otto Warmbier."
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Just posted, from the May issue of Vanity Fair: "Fox's Lachlan Murdoch is in a Trump trap," by Gabriel Sherman... (VF)
-- Erik Wemple tweeted his latest piece: "Fox News's handling of Trump-McGahn Mueller-firing story shows why the vaunted news-opinion distinction is meaningless..." (WaPo)
-- "On May 14, Fox News is holding what it's calling the 'inaugural summit' for subscribers of its streaming service, Fox Nation. The event will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona...." (THR)
-- Elaina Plott, who will join me on Sunday's "Reliable Sources," is out with a must-read about Mick Mulvaney... (The Atlantic)
"Largest presidential field in history..."
That's the framing from Naomi Lim of the Washington Examiner. Joe Biden's Thursday morning announcement made him the 20th contender in the Democratic primary, the "largest presidential field in history."
Biden at Cohen's house | | CNN's Arlette Saenz snapped this picture at Biden's fundraiser at Comcast exec David Cohen's house on Thursday evening. Cohen, a former Obama bundler, threw his weight behind Biden by holding this event... Details here via CNN and the Philly Inquirer...
Via Saenz, here's some of what Biden said: "We're a system that's designed to prevent the abuse of power. That's why we have 3 branches of government." But Trump's "onslaught and constant attack on the courts, the constant attack on the press," even the Congress, has been about "the aggrandizement of power..."
Biden taps Symone Sanders for senior adviser post
Symone Sanders, former press secretary for Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign, is joining Biden's 2020 team as senior adviser. The AP, in breaking the news, noted that the "move adds a younger, more diverse voice" to a campaign otherwise "dominated by older white men." CNN confirmed Thursday that Sanders is no longer a contributor...
"The View" primary continues
Biden's first sit-down interview as an announced 2020 candidate will be on "The View" on Friday morning. It's "another sign of the ABC talk show's clout," The Orlando Sentinel's "TV guy" Hal Boedeker wrote. "No daytime show produces headlines or fireworks with such regularity."
Biden, together with his wife Jill, will be on ABC's "GMA" with Robin Roberts next Tuesday...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- Brian Fung is leaving WaPo next month to cover tech, policy and politics at CNN... (Twitter)
-- The Atlantic is expanding James and Deborah Fallows' cross-country reporting project, "Our Towns," "with support from Grow with Google..." (MediaPost)
-- Christopher Steele: A fraud, a Paul Revere figure, or something in between? Journalists are arguing about the Steele dossier's impact, Joe Pompeo writes... (VF)
"Kids-only press briefing" held amid record adult briefing drought
| | Katie Pellico writes: Sarah Sanders and VP Mike Pence made themselves available Thursday in what would have been a record-breaking briefing, the first formal presser since February 28. But... it was a "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day" event, so the Q's were from children.
-- The AP's Darlene Superville explained that the White House "announced" that the event was "off the record and not for broadcast." But, "Both parties must agree for material to be off the record, meaning it cannot be published. The Associated Press and some other news organizations did not agree to those terms..."
-- "Sarah, when will you brief for the real reporters?" someone shouted as Sanders ended her mock briefing, per Tamara Keith...
-- "When I first saw the headline... I actually thought it was like an Onion article. I thought it was a joke," Anderson Cooper said Thursday night...
Sports Illustrated is about to be sold...
Jeffrey Trachtenberg and Ben Mullin's latest scoop for the WSJ: "Licensing company Authentic Brands Group has emerged as a leading contender to buy Sports Illustrated from Meredith Corp., according to people familiar with the matter. The price is said to be about $110 million, the people said. If a deal is struck, it isn't expected to include FanSided, a sports and entertainment network of more than 300 websites that was acquired by Time Inc. in 2015 for less than $15 million..."
The Markup update
CJR's Mathew Ingram has new details about the drama at The Markup, including the first in-depth interview with Sue Gardner, the exec who fired Julia Angwin on Monday. Donie O'Sullivan, on Twitter, took the words right out of my mouth: "What a mess. No one comes out of this story looking particularly good."
Angwin said that Gardner's camp spread "numerous inaccuracies" through the article, and thanked Ingram for making corrections.
Meantime, the startup remains in a state of limbo. Ingram reported that all of the employees, including those who resigned in protest of Angwin's firing, "will continue to be paid while the funders consider their next steps." Craig Newmark, the main funder, confirmed this: He said "fairness is critical while we reassess support..."
>> ICYMI, I spoke with Angwin on the "Reliable Sources" podcast. Listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your app of choice...
Reasons to be hopeful about nonprofit news startups
Here's some optimism: Getting nonprofit news websites up and running can be a struggle -- but "failure remains relatively rare so far," Bloomberg's Gerry Smith writes in this big new feature. "During the last four years, out of more than 200 nonprofits, only about 10 have shut down, said Sue Cross, CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit News, which provides support for newsrooms..."
Gannett sets script for May 16 showdown with MNG
Katie Pellico emails: Gannett filed its investor presentation on Thursday ahead of a May 16 shareholder vote, and no surprises here: Thee company again rejects the Alden Global Capital-controlled MNG's proposal. The presentation stressed Gannett's plans for a robust "digital transformation to drive growth and shareholder value." Here's USA Today's story...
Later in the day, MNG "cut the number of seats it is seeking on Gannett's board in half..." The WSJ's Cara Lombardo has more here...
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- TIME magazine's digital staff is unionizing, Maxwell Tani reports... (Beast)
-- Claire Atkinson looks at how actually "fake news" spells trouble for companies like Tesla. Her headline: "Fake news can cause 'irreversible damage' to companies — and sink their stock price..." (NBC)
-- Playboy heir Cooper Hefner wants to bring "healthy adult content" to millennials in a new website that's best described as "Fifty Shades" meets BuzzFeed... (CNN Business)
-- What was I thinking?! Last night I wrote that Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon's 92Y event is on July 9. It's on JUNE 9! Ticket info here... (92Y)
"Global NBC-Sky news channel" coming soon?
Katie Pellico emails: During Comcast's first-quarter earnings call on Thursday, CEO Brian Roberts teased a "a global NBC-Sky news channel" that may be launched later this year. THR's Georg Szalai has details here, though the company isn't saying much yet. Comcast acquired Sky, a European pay TV "giant," in October, and despite lower earnings, Roberts was enthusiastic about the already "significant areas of collaboration" with Sky...
Eye on Hulu...
Sources are telling CNBC that Comcast is closing in on a plan to sell its 30% stake in Hulu to Disney. When asked about Hulu on Thursday's call, Roberts said there was "no new news today on it, other than it's really valuable. And we're really glad we own a large piece of it." Here's the full story by Alex Sherman...
>> Related: "Hulu losses hit record high in March 2019 quarter of $470 million with its parent entities investing $776 million," BTIG's Rich Greenfield noted, citing Comcast's filings...
Burke: It's "very, very early innings" in the streaming wars
NBCU boss Steve Burke on Thursday's earnings call, per TheWrap's Tony Maglio: "If you watch CNBC, you would assume that all of the entrants are in and it's a big battle between two or three of them. We actually think it's very, very early innings — in some ways reminiscent of cable in the 1970s or 1980s."
Maglio translated Burke: "That means his own SVOD platform, which he expects to launch in 'about a year,' won't be late to the party..."
How media coverage makes a difference for these families (including my own) | | On Monday I mentioned that this week is National Infertility Awareness Week. I've been heartened to see all the media coverage -- this is a subject that calls for conversation and attention. And on a personal note here, I'm incredibly proud of my wife Jamie for contributing so much to the conversation. On Thursday Glamour published her essay -- the most detailed description yet of the IVF roller coaster we've been riding for three plus years. Check it out here.
CNN's Chloe Melas has been candid about this subject too -- she told Parade mag this week, "I really believe it's so important to be open about your struggles, even when it's uncomfortable because there's a whole tribe of men and women out there that are going through the same things."
>> Related: Food Network star Katie Lee shared a remarkable Instagram post about IVF on Wednesday night... Here is Lisa Respers France's story...
This makes ME stressed and worried
Even as the economy roared, "more Americans were stressed, angry and worried last year than they have been at most points during the past decade," according to a huge new report by Gallup.
The US findings are part of Gallup's annual update on the world's emotional state. "Asked about their feelings the previous day, the majority of Americans (55%) in 2018 said they had experienced stress during a lot of the day, nearly half (45%) said they felt worried a lot and more than one in five (22%) said they felt anger a lot." Something to consider: Which media outlets leave people less stressed/worried/angry, and which stoke more of those feelings?
"Journalism Should Not Be a Crime"
That was the title of the panel discussion that kicked off the Clooney Foundation's TrialWatch Initiative. Microsoft is one of the sponsors for Amal and George Clooney's effort. TrialWatch is offering resources when courts unfairly target "journalists, LGBTQ persons, women and girls, religious minorities, and human rights defenders," per Thursday's announcement.
While thanking panelists Maria Ressa, Mohamed Fahmey and others, George Clooney said, "We salute your bravery, and all the other people in this room who have stuck their necks out." Ressa shared a big piece of the big picture: "In the last two years, what you're seeing is a global trend where cheap armies on social media are effectively polluting the information ecosystem, making us doubt the facts, eroding trust... The first targets of attacks are anyone perceived to be critical of governments: journalists and news organizations..."
Women in Journalism honorees
The Washington Women in Journalism Awards recognized NBC's Andrea Mitchell, WaPo's Ashley Parker, CNN's Abby Phillip, and HuffPost's Amanda Terkel on Thursday night... | | Mitchell, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, spoke with Washingtonian about the sisterhood in media, the importance of female leadership, and more...
WHCA dinner weekend is underway...
Politico's John Harris and Daniel Lippman put it this way: "The White House Correspondents' Dinner is shrinking back to the boring awards ceremony journalists claimed to prefer. They have one man to thank." Yes, the president has changed the dinner dynamic, and that's okay... Margaret Sullivan literally thanked him, in her new column, "for making Washington's glitziest dinner as dull as it should be..."
But there are still lots of reasons why it's useful for reporters and sources to schmooze.
Via Oliver Darcy, sightings at the Bytes & Bylines shindig Thursday night: Co-host Eric Kuhn, Sean Spicer, Tammy Haddad, Ryan Williams, Michelle Jaconi, Abby Livingston, Kevin Bohn, Tara Palmeri, Ben Jacobs, Kaitlan Collins, Cassie Spodak, Dylan Byers, Alex Thomas, Miranda Green, Jonathan Swan, Samantha Sault, Meridith McGraw, and many more...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
-- Thursday's "Bond 25" curtain-raiser revealed the cast and locations for Daniel Craig's final outing in the role...
-- Bryn Elise Sandberg's thought-provoking piece on "TV's New Math:" What if $100 million Netflix deals actually shortchange creators?"
-- Britney Spears "has left a facility where she had been receiving treatment for undisclosed mental health issues," Sandra Gonzalez reports, citing a source close to the singer...
Luminary down dozens of pods days after launch
Katie Pellico emails: Luminary launched on Monday, and a growing number of podcasts are unavailable through the app. Podnews reported Thursday that Barstool Sports was the latest high-profile podcast to request "all of their RSS feeds be removed from Luminary, which would mean a total of 26 shows will be unavailable." Meanwhile, pod-runner Ben Thompson was tweeting Thursday morning about how egregious it is that his podcast "Exponent" was ready to play from Luminary's homepage, "even [as] a proxy," promising he too would request its removal.
In Wednesday's emergency issue of Hot Pod, which followed Luminary's loss of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Nick Quah was reassuring, saying "this story treads less on the question about who gets to do what under the soft cultural tenets around podcasting and openness, and is more about the line beyond which an action becomes exploitative of someone else's intellectual property."
Taylor Swift announces her new song 'ME!'
CNN's Kendall Trammell writes: "Swifties can now stream the pop star's new single'ME!', which became available after midnight early Friday morning." She announced the launch during an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts on the NFL draft's first round Thursday night. "Swift said 'ME!' highlights individuality and empowering people to be themselves..." | | "Endgame" begins
Frank Pallotta writes: "There's never been anything on this cinematic scale before," Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, told me about "Avengers: Endgame."
It's still early, and lots of things have to go right for "Endgame" to reach the almost unreachable heights of $300 million domestically or $1 billion globally in just one weekend, but it's off to a very strong start -- with a huge $169 million total from international markets on Wednesday.
Now let's see what happens in North America. Fans lined up for Thursday evening's screenings... We'll have more info on Friday morning... Til then, here's my story breaking down why "Endgame" is so special...
8,000 showtimes
More from Frank: About 8,000 "Endgame" showtimes are already sold out, according to Fandango. The ticket-seller reported on Thursday that the film is now the biggest preseller in its history, outranking "Force Awakens." Fandango said that the film has sold out "theaters across the country – from big cities to small towns, from Hilo, Hawaii to Newington, New Hampshire..."
How to write a spoiler-free 'Avengers' review
Brian Lowry emails: Movies like "Avengers: Endgame" and the new "Star Wars" films pose a particular challenge for critics, who understandably chafe against the restrictions. Passionate devotees want to know whether you liked it, but don't want to know why. With that in mind, I laid out some guidelines for spoiler-free reviews, which, admittedly, are the critical equivalent of fighting (or writing) with one hand tied behind your back...
"Endgame" notes and quotes
-- WaPo's Steven Zeitchik tweeted: "'Endgame' is going to break records but can we cool it with the 'nothing like this before' talk? Modern movie blockbusters are an ever-evolving, and ever-largening, enterprise. There will have been nothing like this before until the next thing that will not be like anything before..."
-- Analyst Matthew Ball replied with a rejoinder: "Of course there will be bigger, and new innovations, especially as formats and distribution changes. But this is unprecedented, even beyond prediction, and entirely new -- not just a bigger version of old thing. This is 11 years of organic brand equity massively paid off..."
-- Lisa Respers France writes: Mark Ruffalo didn't know Brie Larson was in a movie with him before "Avengers: Endgame!"
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- Prayers for John Singleton and his family: The director "is in a coma after suffering a major stroke more than a week ago, according to court documents filed by the filmmaker's mother in which she seeks conservatorship..."
-- Bruce Springsteen announced a new album, "Western Stars," out June 14. The album, the Boss's first in five years, is "a return to my solo recordings," he tweeted...
-- Lisa Respers France writes: A new Prince album is being released in honor of what would have been the singer's 61st birthday. "Originals" will feature Prince's version of songs he wrote and gave to other artists to record...
Lowry's "Gotham" review
Brian Lowry emails: "Gotham" joined the parade of this spring's series finales on Thursday night, and frankly, the fact that the Fox show — a Batman prequel, set in his home town before he put on the cape— lasted five seasons is a considerable accomplishment, given the dense mythology it was up against. While the Batman waters seem pretty well overfished, notably, another series peripherally culled from the franchise will premiere on Epix in July: "Pennyworth," basically a prequel to the prequel, about Bruce Wayne's loyal butler during his younger swashbuckling years...
"Spinoffs will keep the hits alive"
Brian Lowry emails: That's the headline on Joe Otterson's latest for Variety. While there will be ample attention devoted to the finales of "Game of Thrones" and "The Big Bang Theory," spinoffs will ensure that those franchises don't really die either...
| | | Thank you for reading. Email me anytime. See you tomorrow... | | | |
