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Good morning! Here's the latest on Karoline Leavitt, Jim Acosta, Chris Hayes, DeepSeek, Sky News, "Bluey," and much more...

Made-for-TV raids

Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg/Getty Images

"President Trump is, of course, a television producer," CNN's Abby Phillip said last night, and his administration's immigration sweeps are "made for TV."

"It's a story he wants the entire American public to watch," she added: "ICE agents in cities near you, outfitted with military-style equipment, detaining migrants that the Trump administration labels as dangerous."

As CNN's team reported here, agents were told to be camera-ready: "At least two agencies assisting US immigration officials with the sweeps" instructed personnel "to ensure their clothing clearly depicts their respective agency in case they are filmed by journalists."

This viral post on Bluesky captures the prevailing sentiment on the left: "The reality show President is creating mini 'reality shows' to satisfy the voyeuristic interests" of Americans, knowing that "a significant number of people get pleasure from watching others suffer."

But over on X, the primary emotion is excitement. Accounts like @LibsOfTikTok are reposting ICE stats about arrests – and expressing relief about criminals being deported. Every pro-Trump TV segment includes a variation of what Sen. Ted Cruz said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" just now: "We had a clear mandate from voters to secure the border."

Reporters can and will keep pointing out that President Biden also oversaw high numbers of deportations – but we all know the difference between show and tell. The Trump administration is emphasizing the show, recognizing that what voters see and how it makes them feel is politically essential...

Dr. Phil's embed

Dr. Phil McGraw was part of the spectacle over the weekend. "McGraw and cameras from his Merit TV media platform were embedded with President Donald Trump's 'border czar' Tom Homan and others" during law enforcement actions in Chicago, the city's Tribune reports.

McGraw told the paper he was there for "transparency." His embed was carried live on Merit TV, and highlights were shown on the channel later. Weirdly, though, Merit hasn't shared the content very widely; the Chicago trip is not on its home page or YouTube channel, and its web site merely carried a copy of a Fox News article about McGraw's "behind the scenes" access. Perhaps the primary goal was for other media outlets to report on Dr. Phil's presence...

Today in Trump

 >> Karoline Leavitt is slated to hold her first White House press briefing at 1pm ET. I'll see you on CNN around that time... (AP)

 >> "In exacting retribution" against past enemies, Trump is also signaling "that anyone who crosses him in the future could also suffer." (NYT)

 >> Trump's "ubiquity" is partly "a strategy to distract the public and disorient already despairing Democrats," Jonathan Lemire writes. (The Atlantic)

 >> Eye on pro-Trump media: The notion of adding Trump to Mount Rushmore keeps getting favorable attention from MAGA media outlets. Yesterday a Fox panel "gushed" over the idea. (Mediaite)

👀 Murdoch papers oppose RFK Jr. 

Rupert Murdoch's New York Post editorial board says RFK Jr. is an "unserious, dangerous official who will be at odds with Trump on many key issues" and will be "hazardous to our health." The editorial notably praises many of Trump's other picks before urging senators to vote no for Trump's Health and Human Services secretary pick. It's a long and damning editorial – and it's the second in as many days from Murdoch media. The WSJ editorial board says RFK "is dangerous to public health..."

Using Trump's own legal arguments...

Hadas Gold reports: The Pulitzer Prize board is asking a judge to hit pause on a defamation case President Trump filed against it until his presidency is over, using Trump’s own legal arguments against him. The motion, filed yesterday, also argues that the stay benefits the president, because the "prize-winning articles concern – and discovery will thus need to probe – Plaintiff's official actions during his first term." Read on...

Jim Acosta leaving CNN

Jim Acosta is planning to depart CNN in the coming weeks, according to a source close to the matter, confirming a report by Oliver Darcy in Status last night. Acosta, who currently anchors CNN's 10am hour, turned down the network's offer of the midnight to 2am time slot.

Acosta is "one of the top boogeymen in MAGA-world," so his exit "is sure to be music to Trump's ears," Darcy wrote. Acosta and a CNN rep declined to comment. Wolf Blitzer and 11am anchor Pamela Brown are set to co-anchor the 10 and 11am hours starting in March.

NEW THIS MORNING

Sky News announces overhaul

This morning Sky News chairman David Rhodes "unveiled plans for a root and branch overhaul of its programming and newsroom aimed at creating a model of premium paid content to safeguard its future from an existential threat to traditional TV," the FT's Daniel Thomas reports.

Rhodes' "Sky News 2030" strategy will try to generate "new income streams centered around subject hubs that will offer paid products from podcasts and newsletters to events and live shows." Sounds familiar! In short: Fewer resources for traditional TV, much more effort making "things that people will pay for" and "putting engagement over reach," Rhodes said...

Today's new nonfiction releases

My copy of "The Sirens' Call" by Chris Hayes is coming in the mail today, and I can't wait to crack it open. Check out NYMag, CBS or NPR's interviews with Hayes to preview his attention-war arguments.

Also new today: "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future" by Reid Hoffman; "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning" by Peter Beinart; "Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World" by Melissa Dougherty; and "Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World" by Dorian Lynskey...

Briefly…

 >> There is "big news in the world" of "Call Her Daddy." (TheWrap)

 >> Chris Stirewalt is The Hill's new political editor. (The Hill)

 >> Brian Steinberg watched the new "CBS Evening News" to see what's different about the format. (Variety)

 >> Yesterday we incorrectly stated the date of (our own parent company!) Warner Bros. Discovery's Q4 earnings. D'oh. WBD will report earnings on February 27.

'The A.I. arms race is truly on'

This morning's big headline atop the WSJ reads "DeepSeek flips script on AI." Stocks are expected recover somewhat today, but "the "shockwaves through the artificial intelligence world" are far from over, as CNN's Matt Egan writes here.

"At the very least," the NYT's Kevin Roose says, "DeepSeek has shown that the A.I. arms race is truly on, and that after several years of dizzying progress, there are still more surprises left in store." He's out with an emergency episode of the "Hard Fork" pod about the "freakout."

If you're looking to go deeper into DeepSeek, Platform's Casey Newton has "four big reasons to worry about DeepSeek (and four reasons to calm down)" while Stratechery's Ben Thompson offers a helpful point-by-point FAQ about the state of play...

Five more A.I. headlines

 >> The aforementioned Reid Hoffman's new book argues that "A.I. can extend human agency — giving us more knowledge, better jobs, and improved lives — rather than reducing it." (TechCrunch)

 >> Apple's latest software update "turns Apple Intelligence on by default for users with supported devices," though A.I. summaries for news apps have been disabled, CNBC's Kif Leswing reports.

 >> A new study by the Thomson Reuters Foundation explores how journalists in the Global South are using A.I. (TRF)

 >> “Scammers based in West Africa" have been "sending blackmail victims videos likely using A.I.-generated news anchors in a bid to pressure victims into paying up," Matt Burgess reports. The fakes include falsified CNN broadcasts. (WIRED)

 >> Good Daily, a seemingly local news source operating in 355 cities and towns, is actually a network of A.I.-generated newsletters that scrapes content from human reporters in those towns, Andrew Deck reveals. (Nieman Lab)

The Hollywood A-list

 >> Adam Chitwood and Sharon Waxman say this year's Sundance Film Festival "has had a muted debut." (TheWrap)

 >> Roseanne Barr is taking a new comedy series to market. (Variety)

 >> Kevin Costner is leading a new three-episode docuseries for Fox Nation titled "Yellowstone to Yosemite." (THR)

 >> And last but not least: "Bluey" dominated Nielsen's 2024 year-end streaming chart. Here's a live look at the family's celebration 👇 (THR)

This newsletter was produced with Liam Reilly and edited by Jon Passantino. Please email us your feedback and tips here.