Stand down
Thursday's only missile was this NYT report at 11 p.m. ET: "President Trump approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night after a day of escalating tensions."
The Times story carried four bylines: Michael D. Shear, Eric Schmitt, Michael Crowley and Maggie Haberman. Editors reworked Page One for the late editions: | | According to the NYT, "the operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off." This info was sourced to a "senior administration official." Planes "were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down, the official said." The identity of this secret source -- and their motivations for speaking -- will be intensely scrutinized in the hours ahead.
The story also detailed thorough requests for comment: "Asked about the plans for a strike and the decision to hold back, the White House declined to comment, as did Pentagon officials. No government officials asked The New York Times to withhold the article."
Within an hour, ABC News and the Washington Post and The AP matched the NYT's reporting. And some Democratic candidates weighed in, as CNN's Kate Sullivan noted here...
>> The view of the NYT's editorial board: "Want War With Iran? Ask Congress First"
Hannity's tone
Normally the chatter on cable news wouldn't be important, but these days it is. So, for the record, Fox's prime time hosts had very different opinions about Iran on Thursday night. Madeline Peltz, a researcher for Media Matters, said on Twitter that 8 p.m. host Tucker Carlson "opened his show by praising Trump for resisting calls to war with Iran."
Then at 9 p.m. Sean Hannity said Iranian leaders only have a "small window" to avoid a full-scale military confrontation. Otherwise, Hannity said, Trump "will have no choice. He will bomb the hell out of them."
Hannity said things like "a strong message needs to be sent that a huge price will be paid if you take on the USA. Simple peace through strength, and it works." The Daily Beast has more here...
The Pentagon is not taking questions
"With the United States on the brink of a potential military conflict with Iran on Thursday, the Pentagon decided to say . . . well, almost nothing," WaPo's Paul Farhi wrote Thursday night. Here's his full story...
Fallows' take
James Fallows of The Atlantic tweeted early Friday morning: "For past 30 months, familiar line has been: 'Trump is behaving in erratic ways X, Y, Z — and the remarkable thing is, he hasn't yet faced a real international crisis. But sooner or later a crisis will come.' A crisis always comes. And one has..."
COMING SOON?
Sources say Andrew Weissmann has been shopping a book
Publishing industry sources say the top prosecutor on Robert Mueller's team, Andrew Weissmann, is out with a book proposal -- and there's obviously been a lot of interest. Word of a deal could be imminent, these sources said.
In March, CNN's Laura Jarrett reported that Weissmann would be leaving the DOJ soon. His next step: teaching at NYU. I don't know how far along his book is, or isn't...
| | "I'm sorry, Mr. President. Were you threatening me with prison time?"
President Trump's interview with a team of reporters from TIME magazine got heated when he made a comment about prison time for a journalist.
The exchange happened in the Oval Office on Monday. TIME published the transcript on Thursday evening, but this specific comment hasn't drawn attention. Maybe it should.
Here's the setup: Trump showed the reporters a letter that he said was "written by Kim Jong Un. It was delivered to me yesterday. By hand." Then he asked to go off-the-record. The magazine's photographer evidently tried to take a photo of the letter's contents -- and when the interview was back on the record, Sarah Sanders said, "You can't take a picture of that, sorry."
Later in the interview, the TIME team brought up the fact that Trump tried to "limit Mueller's Russia probe to only future election meddling." One of the reporters (the transcript doesn't say who) noted that Trump dictated a letter to Corey Lewandowski "telling him to tell Sessions to limit the investigation." The reporter said "he testified under oath under threat of prison time, that that was the case Mr. President." Trump, cornered, did what he usually does: He lashed out and brought up the OTHER letter, the one he had shown off earlier, from North Korea's dictator. Here's the transcript:
TRUMP: "Excuse me — Under Section II — Well, you can go to prison instead, because, if you use, if you use the photograph you took of the letter that I gave you —"
TIME: "Do you believe that people should be —"
TRUMP: "confidentially, I didn't give it to you to take photographs of it — So don't play that game with me. Let me just tell you something. You take a look —"
TIME: "I'm sorry, Mr. President. Were you threatening me with prison time?"
Trump's response
"Well," he said, "I told you the following. I told you you can look at this off-the-record. That doesn't mean you take out your camera and start taking pictures of it. O.K.? So I hope you don't have a picture of it. I know you were very quick to pull it out — even you were surprised to see that. You can't do that stuff. So go have fun with your story. Because I'm sure it will be the 28th horrible story I have in TIME Magazine because I never — I mean — ha. It's incredible. With all I've done and the success I've had, the way that TIME Magazine writes is absolutely incredible."
Then the president continued raging against the magazine's coverage. "Some day within the next 20 years," he said, "maybe you'll pick me as Man of the Year. O.K., big deal. The "Person of the Year" title was last bestowed on Trump in 2016. Check out the full transcript here...
So what about the photos?
Were there photos of the letter? Will TIME publish them? No: "At various points during the interview, the President asked to go off-the-record, and TIME is honoring those requests," a spokeswoman told me. Due to the off-the-record agreement, the contents of the letter itself are considered off-the-record...
Now to the president's NEXT interview...
Trump to sit down with Chuck Todd
Oliver Darcy emails with his latest scoop: It seems Trump is making good on his pledge to do more network interviews. On Thursday, two sources told me and Kaitlan Collins that Trump will sit down with Chuck Todd for an interview airing on "Meet the Press" this weekend.
This will be Trump's first appearance on "Meet the Press" as president. It will also mark the first interview with NBC News since his 2017 sit down with Lester Holt. And it will air just days before NBC hosts the Democratic presidential candidates for the first primary debate. More here…
Alexander Nazaryan on this week's "Reliable" podcast
Alexander Nazaryan's new book "The Best People: Trump's Cabinet and the Siege on Washington" contains a message for the media. In a nutshell: "People in the West Wing, in the chief of staff suite, told me that they used the media's obsession with Trump to their advantage," to advance GOP policy goals with relatively little scrutiny. Please, Nazaryan says, devote more time to the actions of government agencies -- and less time to Trump's tweets! But he admits this may be "impossible" for news outlets. Listen to our conversation via Apple, Spotify, or your podcast purveyor of choice...
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- "A man wearing a Make America Great Again hat and who reeked of booze was arrested for trying to slap a phone out of a reporter's hand outside a Florida arena where President Trump announced his 2020 presidential bid, police said." The man was charged with battery... (NYPost)
-- Joe Pompeo spoke with A.G. Sulzberger about his decision to pitch an op-ed to the WSJ: "I thought there was value to reaching a different audience with this message. Folks who are maybe more conservative, folks who are influential in the business community..." (VF)
-- Katelyn Polantz reports: Federal prosecutors are alleging that Roger Stone "has violated his gag order in his criminal case with recent social media posts... A violation of his bail terms, which allow him to live at home in Florida, could mean Stone could await his November trial from jail, depending on how [the judge] responds..." (CNN)
-- "At the end of his Thursday night show, CNN's Anderson Cooper offered up an intimate and touching farewell to his mother, fashion icon and artist Gloria Vanderbilt, who passed away at the age of 95 on Monday..." (Mediaite)
#DemDebate countdown
With the first of two nights of debates coming up on Wednesday, NBC has released its detailed coverage plans for the broadcast network, MSNBC and Telemundo. Here's the press release and TVNewser's story...
A sign of the streaming times
Something I wrote on Thursday: The Democratic National Committee is requiring all of its TV network partners to live-stream primary debates on the web for free. The networks all would have, anyway. But it is telling that the Dems made this a requirement for this election cycle. The party didn't in 2016. It is a testament to the fact that more and more viewing is happening on streaming platforms.
-- A DNC spokeswoman told me: "Everyone understands that the more viewers, the better — and that has always been our north star. This was not required in 2016."
-- My two cents: Widespread streaming will have the effect of making these debates seem like bigger events. NBC says its debates will be available on its own websites and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. But this will also make the total audience a lot harder to measure!
Preparing for the social media info wars
Donie O'Sullivan emails: Facebook and Twitter are preparing for next week's debates. Recall: In 2016, the debates were a big target for Russian trolls — and now, with such intense scrutiny of every Silicon Valley screw-up, these companies will not want a high profile problem on their platforms being the headline the morning after the debates.
Of note: While Facebook and Twitter told us what they were doing for debate night, YouTube and its parent company Google had nothing specific to say. 🤷♂️ Read on...
Hawley responds to "censorship" criticism
Jon Sarlin emails: Reactions to Republican Sen. Josh Hawley's bill to potentially strip tech platforms of their legal protections under Section 230 have started to pour in. The bill would force large tech platforms like Facebook and Twitter to earn their Section 230 immunity (which gives them legal immunity for content that gets posted on their platforms) by undergoing an "external audit" from the FTC to ensure that they are acting in a nonpartisan way. While some applauded the move — notably Matt Stoller, the influential progressive antitrust advocate — others attacked... Bryan Menegus at Gizmodo called the bill "remarkably bad" and Sen. Ron Wyden said that bill would "essentially force every platform to become 4chan."
And some of the sharpest criticism has come from within Hawley's own party. The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity said the bill would give the government "the ability to police your speech;" NRO's David French called it "unconstitutional;" and former FTC commissioner Joshua Wright tweeted that the bill "tramples on the sovereignty of individual internet users."
So I talked with Hawley on Thursday and asked him about his fellow Republicans' criticism… "I don't understand why it's a conservative position to say that these companies ought to get special privileges from the government and then be able to engage in viewpoint discrimination. That strikes me as bizarre," Hawley said. "My position is simple: If these companies want to engage in political speech of their own... that's fine, they are absolutely entitled to do that. But then they should be subject to the same rule that every other publisher, every other speech platform, every other outlet is subject to."
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- Tom Steyer's next "Need to Impeach" ad is running on "Friday and Monday on 'Fox and Friends' in D.C., a clear attempt to get President Trump to see it..." (Politico)
-- Bob Cohn, the president of The Atlantic, is stepping down at the end of the summer and accepting a fellowship at Harvard University's Institute of Politics... Here's the internal memo... (Adweek)
-- Keith J. Kelly's latest: "Ebony and Jet magazines have been laying off their remaining editorial staff en masse after failing to make payroll last month — the latest in a long line of slights suffered by workers at the hands of the company's private-equity owners." The Root's Jay Connor was the first to report this on Wednesday... (NYPost)
Rupert Murdoch went to hospital after recent bout of pneumonia
Oliver Darcy emails: Rumors were flying earlier this week about the health of Rupert Murdoch, who is 88 years old. Reporters were put on alert, and flooded Murdochworld with inquiries. Now we know why: Sources told me and Marianne Garvey that Murdoch battled a recent bout of pneumonia. Two of those sources told me that he even went to a Los Angeles hospital over it.
All of the sources who spoke with us stressed that Murdoch is doing well now, and that he has even been making business calls to Fox News personnel. One of our sources also added that Murdoch is expected to call into a London board meeting on Friday. Read our full story for all the details…
The "Digital News Alliance"
"Political advertising makes strange bedfellows," the WSJ's Lukas I. Alpert writes. He's right! "News sites from across the political spectrum are joining forces to form an ad-sales alliance to compete better with Facebook and Google as the 2020 election cycle heats up." It's called the Digital News Alliance, and it "brings together the Daily Caller and Washington Free Beacon conservative sites with the left-leaning Raw Story and AlterNet and the more centrist Mediaite and its sister site Law & Crime..."
CBS completes upfront ad sales
First the CW network wrapped up its upfront ad negotiations, and now CBS has: "CBS expects the volume of advance advertising commitments placed against its next primetime schedule to rise 5% to 6%," Variety's Brian Steinberg reported Thursday. In late night, the commitments are up 20%. "CBS may have secured between $2.39 billion and $2.79 billion in advance commitments for its primetime schedule, according to Variety estimates..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- "Top Hollywood publicist and executive Joy Fehily has resigned from her post at public relations firm PMK-BNC" in the midst "of a five-year deal with the show business institution." She will "move into a consulting role" and "become a manager for longtime client and 'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane..." (Variety)
-- The Writers Guild is going around the Association of Talent Agents (ATA) and "intends to negotiate separately with the nine major agencies that represent writers." David Robb reports that "the ATA's negotiating committee is expected to meet today or Friday to discuss the WGA's declared impasse..." (Deadline)
-- The FCC intends vote July 10 "on possible easing of rules enacted in 1996 that require broadcasters to air a certain amount of children's TV programming. Judging by statements from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the likely outcome will be a much looser regulatory environment," Dade Hayes reports... (Deadline)
"Mike Wallace is Here" is one month away
If you care about television journalism, you're going to want to see this documentary. It will be out in theaters starting July 26. As WaPo's Manuel Roig-Franzia wrote Thursday, "the film, by Los Angeles-based documentarian Avi Belkin, raises chewy questions about the legendary newsman's legacy and whether he played a role in sowing the seeds of today's untrammeled information landscape."
I attended a screening in NYC on Thursday evening. Wolf Blitzer moderated a discussion afterward with Alexi McCammond, Bob Woodruff and Belkin. Spotted: Steve Kroft, Kevin Tedesco, S.E. Cupp, Bonnie Bertram, John Heilemann, Natalie Pahz, Peggy Siegal, and many more...
25 years of Studio 1A!
The "Today" show celebrated the 25-year anniversary of its street-side studio on Thursday... If you want to read the story of Studio 1A and how it came to be, I tweeted out the reporting from my book about morning TV...
>> Numerous outlets noticed that Matt Lauer and Ann Curry were missing from the celebratory montage...
>> Speaking of Lauer... Page Six says he's shopping his Hamptons mansion...
| | "Toy Story" time
"After several weeks of disappointing debuts, this weekend should see things turn around as Disney and Pixar unveil 'Toy Story 4' to what will be one of the largest debuts for an animated feature ever," Box Office Mojo's Brad Brevet writes...
This weekend's other release...
Brian Lowry emails: There's another movie about a boy named Andy getting a talking toy this weekend, but nobody should confuse the remake of "Child's Play" — which adds a creepy tech element that doesn't entirely work — with the one expected to dominate the box-office. Squarely aimed at horror fans, the hard-R film is essentially counter programming to "Toy Story 4," while seeking to cash in on Mark Hamill's involvement as the voice of the murderous Chucky doll. Read on...
The new "Lion King" is the "VR-fueled future of cinema"
Wired's Peter Rubin is out with a new feature about how "The Lion King" was filmed -- "entirely in virtual reality (well, save a single photographed shot)."
"What Jon Favreau has cooked up for 'The Lion King' transforms VR from a handy filmmaking accessory into a high-powered, improvisational medium in itself—a Pete Becker–sized leap forward and a stirring reminder that VR is changing the world in ways you don't need a headset to see," Rubin writes... "All the locations you know from the original—Pride Rock, the elephant graveyard, Rafiki's Ancient Tree—exist, but not as practical sets or files confined to an animator's computer. They live inside a kind of filmmaking videogame as 360-degree virtual environments, full of digitized animals, around which Favreau and his crew could roam." Read on...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
By Lisa Respers France:
Even Marvel wants Keanu Reeves. The internet's boyfriend is having the best year ever.
Granger Smith shared a beautiful tribute to his late son, River. The 3 year old died after a recent drowning accident.
Don't worry about Meghan McCain and Joy Behar's relationship. They apparently call each other the "b word" often so nothing to see here folks.
'Avengers,' 'Riverdale' and Lil Nas X lead the Teen Choice Awards nominations.
John Wells re-ups with Warner Bros.
Brian Lowry emails: While everyone waits for Warner Bros. to finalize its deal with J.J. Abrams, the studio has secured another key piece of TV production talent with another rich multi-year deal, extending its relationship with "ER" and "Shameless" producer John Wells. In an age of vertical integration, Wells told Variety's Cynthia Littleton that the studio's commitment to sell to various outlets — including those it doesn't own — was "the huge thing for me. The independence we've had and the feeling that you know you can take your projects anywhere — that was the big selling point."
Wallenda this weekend, and more live stunts to come...
One more item from Brian Lowry: A reminder that the biggest hedge TV has against DVR-ing and zapping is live, which explains why ABC will air another Nik Wallenda stunt special this Sunday and A&E has ordered a 10-episode live stunt series, with the hyperbolic title "The Impossible Live." The tradeoff, of course, is that as networks keep ratcheting up the stakes in this arena, the law of averages says somebody's going to get hurt...
| | | |
