| | | | | Exec summary: The Trump W.H. is preparing for its first state dinner... Ronny Jackson's nomination is suddenly in question... Kanye West is trending... Mediaite is naming a new managing editor... plus much more... | | -- It's quiet... TOO quiet... What's going on in the talks between CBS and Viacom about a merger? Where will Les Moonves and Bob Bakish be one year from now?
-- French President Emanuel Macron is in DC... Is Rupert Murdoch attending Tuesday's state dinner at the White House?
-- Speaking of Fox and President Trump: Has Sean Hannity's relationship with the president been damaged or strengthened by a week's worth of media scrutiny? (My guess: strengthened.)
-- Who does POTUS call most often from his personal cell phone?
-- Who's feeling more confident about DOJ vs. AT&T right now: Antitrust chief Makan Delrahim or AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson? | | Delrahim was once again in the courtroom observing the proceedings on Monday. Hadas Gold emails from the courthouse: We heard from two experts, Ronald Quintero, who spoke on the supposed synergies and cost savings AT&T and Time Warner claim will come out of this deal, and Stanford economist Susan Athey, who said she does not believe the companies truly *need* this deal to be able to achieve the ad and content innovation they say they'll achieve as a result.
Judge Richard Leon was rather salty. This was one of -- if not the very first time -- he told an attorney (it was during AT&T's cross with Quintero) that they were done asking questions, cutting the attorney off. He also reminded the DOJ lawyer that they were on a redirect, not direct and not to ask leading questions. Leon also admonished a *witness*, Athey, telling her to just answer the questions directly instead of her long explanations on why the way the attorney was asking them was wrong, telling her "you're not teaching a class here..." | | Gold adds: On Tuesday we're expecting the government's last witness -- Professor Carl Shapiro, the government's expert economist who predicted the cost increase for all cable consumers as a result of this deal is expected to once again take the stand. He should be the final witness. Tuesday will be a half day. Right now we seem to be on track to have closing arguments on Monday, April 30...
-- Quick 🔌: Gold and I will have the latest on the AT&T trial on CNN's "New Day" around 7:50am... | | This year's Hillman Prizes | | The Hillman Prizes, presented each year by the Sidney Hillman Foundation for "journalism in service of the common good," will be officially announced on Tuesday... Here's a preview:
A "USA Today investigation on abuses in the port trucking industry, a CBS News/Washington Post exposé on drug industry lobbyists and a New York Times Magazine examination of the U.S.-led battle against ISIS in Iraq" were the newspaper, TV and magazine winners...
More: Univision and El Faro won in the web category "for their reporting on the Central American refugee crisis, the first-ever Spanish-language outlets to win the award." And: "Slate's Dahlia Lithwick won for commentary on the U.S. justice system, and Richard Rothstein won for his book on the history of housing segregation in America."
--> One of the judges, Hendrik Hertzberg, emails: "Every year we are astonished at how much heroic work on behalf of liberty and justice has been done by the ink-stained truth tellers whom our lyin' president, ignorantly echoing Stalin and Mao, calls enemies of the people. For every journalist who wins a Hillman Prize there are hundreds who deserve one. We wish we could honor them all..." | | Mediaite's new managing editor is... | | | Aidan McLaughlin. He's been promoted to managing editor, succeeding Colby Hall, according to this Monday night announcement. Hall says McLaughlin will "help lead an expansion of Mediaite's staff with a larger mandate than any editor before him..." | | | Via a London doctor who snapped this pic while at work, these were the photographers lined up to see Prince William and Catherine on Tuesday. It's a boy... | | Three stories for the morning shows to monitor... | | George H.W. Bush's condition: On Monday evening CNN broke the news that he is in "intensive care" at a Houston hospital. His spokesman says he "appears to be recovering..."
The trail of destruction in Toronto: Ten people are dead. The driver of the van is in custody, and authorities say his actions look "deliberate." But the motive is unspecified...
Ronny Jackson's status: Wednesday's confirmation hearing appears to be a no-go. Lawmakers are "raising concerns about allegations" involving Trump's nominee to lead the VA... | | -- "I thought it was a legitimate question and I still do." Dana Bash talks about her interview with Kellyanne Conway... (The Daily Beast)
-- Back on TV: Gretchen Carlson has "signed an overall deal" with A&E "that will include hosting three documentary specials for Lifetime..." (USA Today)
-- "GMA" news anchor Amy Robach is becoming the new co-anchor of "20/20," joining David Muir, replacing Elizabeth Vargas... (TVNewser)
-- Alexander Nazaryan, who has a keen eye for media news, is jumping from Newsweek to Yahoo News... He'll be a national correspondent covering politics and policy... (Yahoo) | | My latest column for CNNMoney: Fox News host Sean Hannity probably wouldn't like this guy Sean Hannity.
Here's what I mean: On camera, Hannity rails against "elite" media types who have inappropriately cozy connections with the rich and powerful. Off camera, that's exactly who Hannity is. A pair of stories in the past week have highlighted this on-air, off-air contradiction. First, the Michael Cohen revelation. Then Jon Swaine's piece for The Guardian about his "property empire." It called to mind this infamous Hannity quote: "Now, my overpaid friends in the media, well, they have their chauffeured limousines, they like their fine steakhouses and expensive wine lifestyles." More... | | Hannity's response to the "attacks" | | "It is ironic that I am being attacked for investing my personal money in communities that badly need such investment and in which, I am sure, those attacking me have not invested their money," Hannity said Monday. "The fact is, these are investments that I do not individually select, control, or know the details about..."
-- Full disclosure: Hannity's attorney in these matters, Christopher Reeves, is married to a CNN executive. | | Brian Lowry emails: Like Bill O'Reilly, Hannity has always positioned himself as a man of the people, and their wealth is certainly no secret. The larger issue that Hannity has yet to adequately address is his failure to disclose potential conflicts of interest that almost anyone else working for a news organization -- including, yes, opinion hosts or columnists -- would be expected to make public.
As both Josh Marshall noted at TPM and unnamed sources told Gabe Sherman, there's room for skepticism -- especially given the breadth of his real-estate holdings -- that Hannity would need advice from Cohen. Marshall wrote: "Whatever Hannity was seeking Cohen's counsel about, it's unlikely it was about this stuff." Which means the question about the nature of their relationship hasn't been quelled by Hannity's explanation... | | -- You heard it here first: Parkland student activist David Hogg will be at the WHCA dinner this weekend... He'll be a guest of The Daily Beast...
-- "Mike Francesa desperately misses doing New York sports radio and is trying to get back on the air... A return to WFAN is in play..." (NYPost)
-- Chef David Chang is launching a "a wide-ranging culture podcast to be hosted on the Bill Simmons Media Group's The Ringer Podcast Network..." (Eater)
-- Headline of the day: "Facebook Removes More ISIS Content by Actively Looking for It" (Bloomberg) | | All-time high for Alphabet | | BF's Charlie Warzel snarkily called this the "other side of the big tech backlash."
The headline he was referencing? "Alphabet's profits bounce to an all-time high."
Warzel added via Twitter: "It's pretty illuminating to watch a parade of reporting documenting missteps coming from big tech companies and then see them posting record profits!"
CNNMoney's headline about Alphabet: "Google: Profit and sales surge as tax rate falls."
Facebook earnings come out on Wednesday... | | YouTube took down more than 8 million videos in 3 months | | | That's the headline on Kaya Yurieff's latest. Most of these 8 million videos, 76%, "were taken down before receiving any views from users..." | | "What did he mean by breeding?" | | | At Monday's W.H. briefing, Sarah Sanders was repeatedly asked about Trump's tweet calling sanctuary areas a "ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept." Jim Acosta asked first: "Was he making a derogatory term about Latinos in California?" Sanders said "No, he's talking about the problem itself growing and getting bigger." April Ryan followed up: "What did he mean by breeding?" Brian Karem also asked... And Sanders eventually said "I would have to ask him to be more specific..." What do you think, what are the chances she'll ask? | | About that trip to Moscow... | | The headline on Aaron Blake's latest: "Trump has some explaining to do about his 2013 Russia trip."
Trump's claim to James Comey (according to Comey's memos) that he never spent the night in Moscow is false, according to a plethora of reporting about the trip. On Monday Bloomberg even obtained flight logs that confirm his overnight stay. | | | --CNN's Andrew Kaczynski tweeted: "I can't believe Trump even tried to claim this wasn't the case. He clearly was there for multiple days..." | | | Just in time for WHCD weekend: | | | Ted Johnson interviewed April Ryan, Ashley Parker and Jim Acosta, among others, for the story... It comes out on Tuesday... | | This weekend's DC parties | | A very incomplete list of the events around the WHCA dinner this weekend:
Thursday: The Daily Caller, Entertainment Software Association and other sponsors are throwing a party at the National Union Building...
Friday: David and Katherine Bradley's annual dinner, UTA/Mediaite party at Fiola Mare, RealClearPolitics' event at the National Restaurant Association's space, the Correspondents' Jam, a Capitol File party...
Saturday: The Garden Brunch... Pre-dinner receptions... The Young Turks' "watchdog correspondents" party before/during the dinner... Afterward, big parties by NBC and Playboy...
Sunday: CNN's "hangover brunch..." Plus Reuters and Allbritton events... | | | For the record, part three | | | -- Sony Pictures has struck a first-look film and TV deal with Steph Curry... (THR)
-- Eva Chen will publish a children's book this November... (Vogue)
-- Am I the only person who received invites to NBC and Fox's upfronts, both on May 14, within 3 minutes of each other on Monday? Nice timing! | | Why Kanye's name is trending | | Oliver Darcy emails: It feels like we're probably on the verge of POTUS tweeting out support for Kanye West. The rapper has gained notoriety amongst Trump supporters in recent days – The Daily Beast's Maxwell Tani has a good recap here -- after expressing support for commentator Candace Owens and sharing videos from Scott Adams, the right-wing author and Dilbert creator. On Monday, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones said on Twitter he admired West's "bold moves" and invited him on his program. Bill O'Reilly defended him in a column, writing that he was "under attack by the American Stalinists." And Fox News host Jesse Watters praised him on "The Five" as a "modern-day philosopher…"
Some historical context: West has always had pro-Trump leanings. He met with the president in Trump Tower shortly after Trump's election victory and said at a concert he would have cast his ballot for him, if he had voted. Trump has also heaped praise on West over the years... | | Following Sunday's "Reliable Sources" segment about the worrisome state of the Denver Post, my guest Mayor Michael Hancock reiterated his support for the paper via Twitter on Monday.
"Denver stands with our paper and stands ready to be part of the solution that supports local journalism and saves the 125-year-old Voice of the Rocky Mountain Empire," he tweeted. Read/watch more here... | | Lowry recommends the new "Handmaid's Tale" season | | Brian Lowry emails: Given all the hoopla and accolades that surrounded its Emmy-winning debut, "The Handmaid's Tale" returns with a flurry of episodes that outdo the first season, which is no small feat.
Read Lowry's full review here... The show returns to Hulu on Wednesday... | | | Brian Lowry emails: HBO's "Westworld" kicked off its sophomore run with about 3 million viewers for multiple airings Sunday. While that's a solid number by pay-cable standards, it's actually a trifle underwhelming given the sheer amount of media -- just based on my inbox -- devoted to the show... | | | For the record, part four | | | By Chloe Melas:
-- I sat down with Amy Schumer, who explained how her new movie "I Feel Pretty" led to meeting her husband...
-- "The Crown's" Matt Smith has weighed in on the pay gap controversy with co-star Claire Foy...
-- Benedict Cumberbatch has spoken about the decision to shelve his Harvey Weinstein-produced movie "The Current War." Key quote: "If it takes us not releasing our film for a couple of years just to be rid of that toxicity, I'm fine with that. To step back and be as far removed from that influence as possible, both as filmmaker and as human being." | | Megan Thomas emails: Sarah Jessica Parker really wants to put reports about a feud with her former "Sex and the City" co-star Kim Cattrall to rest:
"There is no catfight, there never has been a catfight," SJP told Vulture. "I've never fought with someone publicly in my life, nor would I. And I spent time with all of the women on the set. People need to recall that it wasn't just two women on the set fighting because that just never happened. We are enormously proud of what we got to do and I don't want someone sharing thoughts publicly, which is Kim's right to do and that is what it is, but we spent 10, 12 years of our life doing something that I really loved and I feel privileged to be part of and I don't want this to eclipse it or change its experience for that audience that was so good to us for so long." | | Highlights from Sunday's "Reliable Sources" | | | You can read the transcript, listen to the podcast, watch the video clips on CNN.com, or watch the full program via CNNgo or VOD... | | From Fox hosts' lips to the president's ears | | | "Reliable" producer Lee Alexander came up with this split-screen showing how POTUS and Fox News hosts echo each other... Watch/read more here... | | In the "A block" of Sunday's show, I brought up Trump's frequent typos and asked the panel: How much does White House sloppiness matter?
My POV: I know this is not the MOST important issue in the world, but it IS important. If you can't get the small stuff right, can you be trusted to get the big stuff right? Here's how the panel responded... | | The New Yorker editor David Remnick said something important on "Reliable Sources" that I want to underscore. When I brought up Farrow and the NYT's shared Pulitzer Prize for reporting about sexual harassment, Remnick turned the conversation to the bravery of the sources. It was a critical point since the segment started with the James Comey memo showing Trump and Comey talking/laughing about jailing journalists to ferret out sources.
"I think Ronan and the reporters at The Times would join me in saying that award, above all, goes to the sources, the women who were so brave to come forward," Remnick said... | | | Email your feedback and thoughts to brian.stelter@turner.com... the feedback helps us improve this newsletter every day... Thanks! | | | | | | |
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