Benjamin Netanyahu moves to ban Al Jazeera's operations in Israel, Disney investors vote as battle between the board and Nelson Peltz comes to a head, Fox News avoids an inconvenient fact as it blasts the White House for recognizing Trans Day of Visibility, Godzilla and King Kong roar at the box office, and so much more. But first, the A1.

Bypassing the Beltway

CNN Photo Illustration/Biden for President

During his trip to New York City last week, President Joe Biden sat down for a rare joint interview alongside former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. 

But the interview, which received significant attention, was not with a national news organization. Neither was it with a local newspaper or outlet. It was with the comedy podcast, "Smartless," hosted by the actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett.

The decision to speak with the Hollywood trio, while jilting the traditional press in the process, is emblematic of Biden's media strategy as he faces a high-stakes reelection with democracy itself on the line. While a caricature has been painted of the president holed up in the White House dodging the media spotlight, he is actually participating in a fair share of interviews — just not with the Beltway press.

In fact, Biden has engaged in a number of interviews this year, particularly with the Black and Hispanic press. Facing sagging poll numbers with Black Americans, Biden has granted at least 10 interviews with media outlets reaching the community this year, most of them with local radio stations during the drive time hours. Biden has also participated in two interviews with Hispanic radio outlets in 2024 and is set to sit down with Univision's Enrique Acevedo this week, Adrian Carrasquillo reported Monday for Vanity Fair.

"People in D.C. and New York may not always see it," Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign communications director, told me by phone. "But you know who is seeing it? The voters we are trying to reach."

Tyler said that the Biden campaign is prioritizing interviews with outlets reaching specific constituency groups, believing that focusing on local media will pay off in November. Tyler, who pushed back against the notion that Biden is avoiding the traditional press, said that putting their energy into outlets with targeted reach is one component of a savvy communications strategy. The campaign argues that it adds up to media playbook that is inclusive of new media entities and other platforms with broad reach.

"Our North Star as a campaign is to make sure the president is to be in direct communication with the voters who will decide the pathway to the 270 electoral votes," Tyler explained.

But as Biden pays more attention to new and non-traditional forms of media, he has shown more reluctance than his predecessors to grant one-on-one sit-down interviews with the national press, participating in fewer interviews than other presidents at this point in his presidency. Most recently, Biden opted to skip the traditional pre-Super Bowl interview for the second consecutive year, raising questions about his decision to not speak to the country's largest assembled audience.

"Number of times Jason Bateman has done a sit-down interview with President Biden: 2. Nearly every print reporter who covers the White House: 0," Jennifer Haberkorn, a White House reporter for POLITICO, noted on X after Biden's "Smartless" interview.

Some of Biden's hesitation to speak with the traditional news media likely stems from his frustration with how members of the press have covered him and his campaign. The Biden White House and campaign have sharply criticized how the press has covered everything from Special Counsel Robert Hur's report to the president's age, devoting what they believe to be a disproportionate amount of coverage to the issues even as Donald Trump rages against the country's institutions and pushes poisonous election lies.

But it goes without saying that interviews with the national news media are where Biden will face the toughest line of questioning on the 2024 campaign, domestic policy, and foreign affairs, with a level of scrutiny and accountability typically found mostly in the D.C. press which specializes in such matters.

By bypassing the Beltway press and prioritizing other forms of media, Biden has been able to remain in contact with voters, while allowing the president to avoid being repeatedly pressed on uncomfortable topics such as his age.

"These interviews we are able to do focus far more on the substance and the stakes that matter to voters than they do to folks in the beltway and New York," Tyler said.

Biden is by no means a pioneer of the bypass-the-Beltway strategy. Obama famously spoke to Zach Galifianakis for the "Between Two Ferns" show and Trump endlessly raged on social media to his millions of followers. That said, as the 2024 campaign reaches a crescendo, and Biden yearns to reach the largest audiences possible, participating in these targeted interviews will not be enough. Biden will likely need to sit for interviews on programs with broader reach. The strategy of bypassing the Beltway can only last for so long.

CNN Photo Illustration/Al Jazeera

Axing Al Jazeera: The press is not so free in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wielding new powers granted to him by Israeli lawmakers, said on Monday that he intends to shut down Al Jazeera's operations in the country, referring to the Qatari-funded outlet as a "terrorist channel." Tension between Israel and Al Jazeera has been simmering for months, but the move by Netanyahu escalates the contentious relationship between the right-wing government and outlet to a new level. In a statement, Al Jazeera condemned Netanyahu, accusing him of advancing "dangerous ludicrous lies" about the network and saying "slanderous accusations will not deter" it from continuing its coverage.

Netanyahu's declaration that he wants to prohibit Al Jazeera from broadcasting in Israel immediately generated alarm, with the White House decrying the move as "concerning" and free press advocates denouncing the efforts to ban the outlet. The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement it is "deeply concerned" by the development and expressed alarm at the legislation that grants Netanyahu the authority to censor the outlet: "The law grants the government the power to close any foreign media outlets operating in Israel, posing a significant threat to international media within the country. This contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility toward the press, a trend that has escalated since the Israel-Gaza war began."

► Related: Sharon Waxman writes about the trends in news media that "changed perceptions of Israel." 

CNN Photo Illustration/Getty Images/Reuters

Battle for the Magic Kingdom: Investors have until Tuesday at midnight to cast their votes in the bitter battle between Nelson Peltz's Trian Partners and the Bob Iger-supporting Disney board. And, so far, it's apparently looking good for Disney. The WSJ's Lauren Thomas and Robbie Whelan reported Monday night that the board "has pulled ahead" in the proxy battle, with major shareholder BlackRock backing the Magic Kingdom as it tries to fend off Peltz's offensive. That said, investors still have another full day to cast their votes ahead of the shareholder meeting on Wednesday, so anything can still happen. Thomas and Whelan have more.

► Meanwhile: "Disney‘s efforts to boost diversity are under attack ahead of a key shareholder vote to elect its board that will shape the direction of the company," THR's Winston Cho reported Monday.

CNN Photo Illustration/Fox News

First in Reliable | Fox Fails to Fess: If you turned on Fox News in the last 24 hours, odds are high that you would have seen the right-wing network assail President Joe Biden for having the audacity to declare March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility. It's nothing unusual, but this year it fell on Easter Sunday and a number of dishonest right-wing commentators have used the occasion to bash Biden, accusing him of effectively trampling on Christian values. Strangely, though, Fox News is failing to disclose to viewers that Fox Corporation — at least the FOX Entertainment wing of the Rupert Murdoch-controlled company — has a history of celebrating the holiday, posting on X three years ago as much. And, the company has a history boasting about how it is supposedly one of the best LGBTQ workplaces in America. 

When Fox News asked the White House for comment, deputy press secretary Andrew Bates actually provided the network a statement highlighting the company's own history marking the holiday. "We’re grateful that FOX itself agrees with President Biden about recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility, having previously tweeted, 'Trans Day of Visibility is dedicated to celebrating transgender people...To all the transgender men, women and non-binary folx, we see you and stand with you,'" Bates said. "We also take note that FOX Corporation’s 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility report underlined the importance of 'cultivat[ing] community among FOX’s LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies, support[ing] causes important to the LGBTQ+ community and foster[ing] a work environment where all colleagues feel 100% authentic and professionally supported.'" That part of the statement never made it into Fox's coverage. It doesn't take a brilliant mind to do the math on why that is, but it does provide yet another example of how duplicitous the network can be.

CNN Photo Illustration/Apple

Apple's Sports Sell: On Monday afternoon, I found myself at Apple's Tribeca showroom once again demo'ing Vision Pro. But this time, the company invited me over to its digs to showcase how its $3,500 headset works as a purely entertainment device that offers compelling features for sports fans. As part of the demo, I was shown how the NBA's app, which was built specifically for Vision Pro, offers users the ability to monitor multiple games and sports scores all at once (see above). This was quite a neat viewing setup and I can imagine if I were an NBA fan who owned Vision Pro, I might use the headset to keep track of the various games.

The company also played for me a short video showcasing how Apple Immersive Video will be able to transport users directly inside arenas and fields, putting them at the very center of the action. The immersive demo was compelling and it is easy to see how Apple might one day be able to really sell this type of viewing experience to fans of various sports, especially the NFL. The problem, however, is that right now — in 2024 — those who want to experience sports via Apple Immersive Video are limited to the short video demo (which is now available online for all Vision Pro owners to check out), given Apple needs to work on the logistics of not only shooting games in its groundbreaking format, but also streaming it live to viewers at home. Like with so much of the Vision Pro, it's easy to see how the pricey device represents the future. It just feels like its most compelling features are slightly out of reach. 

CNN Photo Illustration/Warner Bros. Pictures

Godzilla and Kong Smash Box Office: The monsters are roaring! "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" reigned king over the box office this weekend, earning an astounding $80 million at the North American box office. Not only was that enough for the movie to take the No. 1 spot, but it was also far better than the $50-some million the movie had been projected to make. It's also the latest Warner Bros. Pictures-Legendary film to debut at more than $80 million in the span of just a few weeks, with "Dune: Part Two" having done so last month. Variety's Rebecca Rubin has more here.