Forward

EXEC SUMMARY: This is Oliver Darcy in your inbox, in for Brian Stelter. Scroll down for Deadspin's takedown of TheMaven, info on a Defense One journalist's confrontation with CBP, Bloomberg Law's reaction, "Joker" box office expectations, and more. But first...

"There's no good way to spin this"

Don't take it from me, take it from Tucker Carlson, who published an op-ed with Daily Caller co-founder and publisher Neil Patel zinging Trump for his call with Ukraine's president. "Donald Trump should not have been on the phone with a foreign head of state encouraging another country to investigate his political opponent, Joe Biden," Carlson and Patel wrote. "Some Republicans are trying, but there's no way to spin this as a good idea."

Carlson and Patel added, "Like a lot of things Trump does, it was pretty over-the-top. Our leaders' official actions should not be about politics. Those two things need to remain separate. Once those in control of our government use it to advance their political goals, we become just another of the world's many corrupt countries. America is better than that."

Now, the two Daily Caller founders did use the same op-ed to applaud investigations into the Obama administration. And they did write that "it's hard to argue" that Trump's conduct rises "to the level of an impeachable offense."

But I still found it astonishing to see Carlson and Patel concede that Trump's conduct on the call with Ukraine's president was wrong, and that there's no way to explain it away. That line of thinking goes against the talking points from Trump (who says it was a "perfect" phone call) and what the vast majority of his media allies have been saying. It's also further than most Senate Republicans have gone when asked about Trump's conduct...

A tactical signal?

That's what NBC's Benjy Sarlin thinks the op-ed was. "There's a pretty massive tactical signal here," Sarlin tweeted, "which is to pivot away from defending the behavior (which has been a brutal slog so far for those who've tried) and instead toward arguing impeachment goes too far."

BuzzFeed's Jon Passantino appeared to agree, tweeting Friday evening, "This is ultimately Tucker/Patel excusing away Trump's actions, fiercely advocating that he should not face any consequence for his actions and giving nervous Republicans cover: It's just Trump being Trump and that's what the voters wanted."

And CNN's Abby Phillip reacted to the column this way: "This is a pretty transparent effort to provide a roadmap for Republicans looking for a way to publicly condemn Trump's actions but still oppose impeachment. Their argument is: what Trump did is bad and corrupt but we are so close to the election that voters should decide..."

Drudge continues to feature negative headlines

Speaking of Trump taking some criticism from right-wing media... Trump continued on Friday to take heat from the Drudge Report. Matt Drudge's website featured a slew of headlines at the top of the page throughout the day hammering the President.

One headline linked to Judge Andrew Napolitano calling Trump's behavior "criminal." Another linked to Shep Smith saying Trump might have broken the law on live-TV. A third featured Chuck Todd saying a national nightmare is upon us. There were many other headlines that would not have pleased Trump if he were to have looked at the page.

>> Related: Need evidence that Trump cares what Drudge thinks? After the Drudge Report featured a headline in December calling Trump out on immigration, Trump raged at his staff. That's according to the new "Border Wars" book by Julie Davis and Michael Shear...

A lot more to learn

The text messages released late Tuesday dominated Friday's news cycle, providing fresh insight into how U.S. officials interacted with Ukraine. On Friday night, NYT reported that a second member of the intelligence committee is mulling whether to file a whistleblower complaint and testify before Congress.

According to NYT, the person "has more direct information about the events than the first whistleblower." Which is all to say, there is still a lot we will likely learn in the coming days...

Will the right-wing media firewall fall?

If more information that comes to light in the days and weeks ahead causes the right-wing media firewall to fall, it would be MAJOR trouble for Trump. We are, of course, still far away from seeing that. Most of Fox and the rest of the right-wing media machine continues to serve as an arm of the White House messaging operation, polluting the public conversation with bad information.

That said, Drudge is certainly signaling to other conservative outlets that the water is warm. And the Carlson and Patel op-ed is a big retreat from where most of right-wing media has been for the past two weeks. It leaves some wiggle room for Republicans to condemn Trump's behavior.

If the rest of right-wing media begins to acknowledge Trump's bad behavior, the question then becomes: What should be done about it? A slap on the wrist and let voters decide in November, as Carlson and Patel want? Or impeachment?

...for now, GOP lawmakers remain silent

When were they going to tell us?

That's what Stelter wants to know after reading this WaPo story. The title: "Trump's calls with foreign leaders have long worried aides, leaving some 'genuinely horrified.'" The story is "based on interviews with 12 former or current officials with knowledge of the president's foreign calls," and it is the most-read story on the WaPo website right now...

On this Sunday's "Reliable Sources..."

I'll be joining Brian for his show, Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. His other guests include former Fox News host Juliet Huddy, former Trump Org exec Barbara Res, New Yorker columnist Masha Gessen, Doug Heye, and Jess McIntosh. He'll also be speaking with "Border Wars" co-author Michael Shear and Iowa-based radio news director Robert Leonard...

>> Recommended reading ahead of the show: Gessen's latest, titled "The Changing Definition of Investigating Donald Trump..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Jake Tapper: Trump is "telling the American people, in essence, 'ignore all the evidence you have been presented with' -- including his own words and those of his aides..." (CNN)

-- Chuck Todd: "The evidence against the president is starting to look overwhelming..." (Twitter)

-- Chris Wallace: Kurt Volker's statement "quite devastating" for Trump and Rudy Giuliani... (Mediaite)

-- Sign up for CNN's Impeachment Tracker newsletter... (CNN)

Farewell to CNN Business exec editor Rich Barbieri

Brian Stelter writes: On Friday we bid a very fond farewell to Rich Barbieri, the top editor of CNN Business, and one of the best editors I've ever worked with. He is joining the NYT as deputy business editor later this month. Rich is everything you want in an editor -- steady, sharp, skeptical, supportive. He has been with CNN since 2007, playing key roles in the coverage of the financial crisis, the Trump economy and countless other stories. He has been a champion of this newsletter ever since it launched and CNN's media coverage writ large. He's one of those people who seems to have time for everyone, for everything, and that's why there was such an outpouring of praise when his move to the NYT was announced. As Paul R. La Monica said, CNN Business "wouldn't be what it is now without him." And as Elena Zak said, "the Times is so lucky to get such a compassionate, smart leader." Let me take this opportunity to say thank you, Rich, for making me a better journalist and a better man.

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- "It is puzzling" why Bernie Sanders "has not released more details" about his heart procedure, the NYT's eminent reporter/doctor Lawrence K. Altman wrote on Friday afternoon. Later in the day, upon his release from the hospital, Sanders revealed that he had suffered a heart attack... (NYT)

-- Sanders and his wife shared a video reassuring people that he is "feeling so much better." Questions about his campaign's handling of this heart attack will linger, however... (Twitter)

-- Former Breitbart chief Steve Bannon, whose former site has pushed "deep state" stories for years, says the "deep state conspiracy theory is for nut cases..." (The Guardian)

-- Tim Miller's column about Trump's conspiratorial beliefs: "What reality looks like from inside Trump World..." (The Bulwark)

-- "Hannity" was the No. 1 show on cable Thursday night, with 3.53 million viewers, narrowly topping the Cardinals-Braves and Nationals-Dodgers games... (Twitter)

"You write propaganda, right?"

Defense One journalist says he was harassed by CBP officer at Dulles airport

A Defense One journalist said he was held on Thursday at Dulles International Airport by a Customs and Border Protection officer who repeatedly asked, "You write propaganda, right?" The journalist, Ben Watson, said he was re-entering the country when the officer asked what he does for a living. "Journalism," Watson said he answered.

That's when things took a strange turn, according to Watson. Watson said the CBP officer asked, "So you write propaganda, right?" Watson replied in the negative several ties, but the CBP officer kept repeating his question. Watson said he finally answered, "For the purposes of expediting this conversation, yes." Watson said, at that point, after answering in the affirmative, he was allowed to pass through. Watson has since filed a civil rights complaint with DHS. Defense One's story said DHS' press office did not return a request for comment.

Matt Taibbi on this week's "Reliable" podcast 🎧

Brian Stelter emails: I mixed it up with Rolling Stone correspondent Matt Taibbi on this week's podcast. Taibbi's next book, "Hate Inc.: Why Today's Media Makes Us Despise One Another," comes out next week... In it, Taibbi makes the case that news outlets have become "a twisted wing of the entertainment business," chasing clicks and views to survive, and he compares "Russiagate" coverage to "this generation's WMD." Taibbi says he wants to encourage more "consumer awareness about the news..." We had a blunt conversation... Check it out via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your preferred podcast player...

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

By Katie Pellico:

-- VF's Joe Pompeo recounts the royal showdown between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on one side and the British tabloids on the other. Harry's recent letter, Pompeo writes, "appears to be another salvo in the couple's bid to reinvent the monarchy, and it has significantly turned up the heat in an already-hostile relationship between the Sussexes and their chroniclers...." (VF)

-- Joshua Benton notes: "An underrated factor in the decline of U.S. newspapers is the fact that roughly no one buys a single copy of one anymore. It's not just home-delivery subscribers canceling, it's the old impulse buy replaced by something on your phone." He linked to Laura Hazard Owens' latest... (NiemanLab)

-- Listen to Hadas Gold on the "Inside The Newsroom" podcast. She talks about how charges of fake news "are not a laughing matter..." (Inside The Newsroom)

Deadspin's takedown of TheMaven

Kerry Flynn writes: Deadspin investigated the new company in charge of Sports Illustrated, TheMaven, and critiqued what it called TheMaven's "rickety content mill" plan. The triple-bylined story features insights from people who have interviewed with TheMaven to be one of the more than 200 contractors the company's seeking to hire as it pushes quantity over quality. Read the full story here and stay for the kicker...

-- Former Deadspin EIC Megan Greenwell tweets: That Laura Wagner "still helms reporting projects like this one after her own corporate broverlords told her media reporting doesn't matter is a feat of unimaginable strength, grace, and brilliance..."

-- Related: Longtime sportswriter and Deadspin contributor Ray Rotto laments: "Either Sports Illustrated deserved better, or none of us do..." (Deadspin)

Bloomberg Law (finally) retracts its no good, very bad story

Weeks after it first published its disastrous story on a Labor Department appointee, Bloomberg Law issued a formal retraction. In a memo to staff, Editor-In-Chief Cesca Antoneilli said the publication had "spent the last few weeks reviewing" its coverage and editorial process.

"The original story did not meet our editorial standards for fairness and accuracy," Antoneilli wrote. "We regret that lapse and have retracted the story. We are also strengthening our policies and processes." Erik Wemple has a full story...

>> The update from Bloomberg Law came the day after Reason obtained the misleading email its reporter sent to the Labor Department requesting comment...

This weekend's recommended reads 👓

By Katie Pellico:

-- George Packer unpacks the "Mafia style in American politics," detailing how "Roy Cohn connects the McCarthy era to the age of Trump..."

-- While we're on the subject, read this take on Matt Tyrnauer's new documentary, "Where My Roy Cohn?" from Naomi Fry...

-- Sarah Blackwood explains how Elizabeth Warren's selfie line is "culturally significant" as a kind of "visual retort" to the typical expectations facing female candidates, employing some heady critical theory concepts along the way...

-- Jodi Kantor sat down with The Harvard Gazette to discuss her new book with Megan Twohey, "She Said," and the "story behind the Weinstein story..."

-- How do readers develop "resistance to digital disinformation"? Researchers argue knowledge of and background into "actual news practices" can help...

-- Meet Marie Benoliel, a/k/a "Marie S'Infiltre," the "professional gate-crasher" who slinked onto two catwalks this Fashion Week...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- The streaming wars! As Disney prepares to launch its own streaming service, it has taken the unusual step of banning Netflix from placing ads on ABC, FX, and National Geographic... (CNN Business)

-- Gerry Smith's latest: "An AT&T exec wanted to put ads on HBO. HBO execs pushed back." That's a detail from his story about changes at CNN's parent WarnerMedia... BTW, a company spokesman reaffirmed that "we will never carry ads on HBO..." (Bloomberg)

-- A new milestone for "Jeopardy!" After 36 seasons, the show hit 8,000 episodes... (Jeopardy)

Will controversy help or hurt the "Joker" box office?

Frank Pallotta emails: "Joker" looks poised to break the record for an October release, but controversy around the film might dissuade some people from seeing it. Others may see it as a reason to check out the thriller just to see what the fuss is all about.

The film made $13.3 million on Thursday night... Right now it is projected to bring in roughly $90 million in the U.S. this weekend, which would make it the highest-grossing opening October history...

--> "The controversy surrounding 'Joker' will only help bolster the box office this weekend," Jeff Bock, senior analyst at entertainment research firm Exhibitor Relations, told me. "All news is good news."

Maddow to "appear" on the CW's "Batwoman"

Rachel Maddow "will have a key role" on The CW's "Batwoman" this season, THR's Lesley Goldberg reports. "Maddow takes on the role of Vesper Fairchild, a character from the Batman comics. Fairchild is a television and radio personality who had a romantic relationship with Bruce Wayne (Batman). The Batwoman catch is that Maddow's Fairchild will never appear onscreen — at least there are no current plans for her to do so. Still, Maddow is expected to 'appear' in multiple episodes..."

>> Maddow tweeted: "My character is soooo not me; turns out playing her is one of the most fun things I've ever done..."

"Batwoman" and "Nancy Drew" strike familiar notes on CW

Brian Lowry emails: "Joker" isn't the only Batman-related project making its debut this weekend. But both "Batwoman" -- which makes history as the first superhero show with a lesbian lead character -- and another CW drama based on a long-running franchise, "Nancy Drew," feel flat and derivative getting out of the starting gate.

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

By Lisa Respers France:

-- Diahann Carroll, who broke ground as the star of "Julia" in the 1960s and playing the first major African American character on "Dynasty" in the 1980s, died Friday of breast cancer. She was 84...

-- The "Girlfriends" reunion on "black-ish" sneak peek is here...

-- Ronnie Ortiz-Magro from "Jersey Shore" was arrested and charged with kidnapping in Los Angeles Friday...

-- Justin Bieber and PETA are engaged in a cat fight over his $35k part-exotic kittens...

"Mr. Robot" gears up toward finish, while "The Walking Dead" lumbers along

Lowry emails: The weekend also sees the return of two established franchises, with "Mr. Robot" clicking on all cylinders after a nearly two-year layoff, while "The Walking Dead" lumbers into its 10th season, looking tired, and with another major cast defection still to come.

Lowry reviews Stephen King's "In the Tall Grass"

Lowry emails: A parade of Stephen King adaptations continues on the small screen with "In the Tall Grass," a limp Netflix movie about what amounts to a field of nightmares. It lands, quietly, between "It Chapter Two" and the upcoming "Doctor Sleep," as well as the second season of Hulu's "Castle Rock."

Thanks for reading! Email me your feedback, or connect on Twitter. Brian will be back on Sunday...