TGIT! Hope you're having a great week. Here's the latest on Michael Wolff, DOGE, Jake Tapper, Apple, Greg Gutfeld, Cynthia Erivo, and more...
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Parroting Kremlin talking points |
President Trump "is an outrage-generating machine," Washington Post columnist David Ignatius says. "He appears to take perverse pleasure in saying things that shock, and I normally ignore the daily presidential detonation. But this time was different."
This time the topic is Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Trump is bashing Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and "parroting a regular supply of Kremlin talking points," CNN's Nick Paton Walsh writes in a column that uses the word "falsely" five times, underscoring that so much of what the U.S. president is saying is utter nonsense.
"In a positive sign, the media appropriately and responsibly covered Trump’s comments," Poynter media critic Tom Jones says. CNN's Daniel Dale, for instance, compiled a fact-check about the claims and concluded that Trump is "on a lying spree about Ukraine." Peter Baker of The New York Times said Trump's attacks are "built on a lie." Even some Fox News commentators were critical, though many others defended Trump. Here are a few of this morning's UK papers:
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'A New World Order taking shape' |
It's a challenge to convey the enormity of this story. Check out the Wall Street Journal's lead homepage headline right now: "Trump's Attack on Zelensky Signals a New World Order Taking Shape."
I asked CNN's chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto for perspective about how the press should approach this unsettling moment.
"Reporters covering Trump have faced criticism for sometimes misinterpreting bluster for true policy change," he told me. "However Trump's latest rhetoric doesn’t simply overlap with Putin's, it repeats it, blaming Ukraine for Russia's invasion and calling Ukraine's elected president a dictator while praising a Russia leader who has silenced, jailed and poisoned critics and political opponents."
"It doesn't end there," Sciutto added. "Trump is signaling the end of US support not just for Ukraine but for its treaty allies in Europe. And, even more consequentially, he is giving a warm embrace to an adversary which has demonstrated its commitment to weaken the U.S., Europe and the international order. As one foreign minister told me, US allies are now effectively on their own. This is a departure from eight decades of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy principles. In short, it is not bluster. It is a story and one with far-reaching and lasting consequences."
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Surprise – another Michael Wolff book |
Remember back in November when a group of Trump campaign officials issued an out-of-nowhere statement blasting "disgraced author Michael Wolff" and his "bad faith inquiries?" Well now that statement has some context. This morning Crown announced that it will publish Wolff's newest Trump book, "ALL OR NOTHING: How Trump Recaptured America," next week. Yes, it's another surprise launch, a strategy that has minted money for Wolff and his publisher in the past.
Vanity Fair published the first excerpt from the book this morning. The excerpt focuses on two Trumpworld insiders, Boris Epshteyn and Natalie Harp, who did not sign that statement last November...
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Here's the thing about the 'king' |
Journalist Mike Rothschild, who has written two books about the MAGA-adjacent conspiracy theory industry, had one of the most insightful reactions to Trump's "long live the king" Truth Social and X posts likening himself to royalty.
"It's not that Trump thinks he's THE KING," Rothschild wrote. "It's that millions of Americans want him to be the king. They have abandoned the basic precepts of democratic governance, and completely embraced the idea of a divine ruler who controls every aspect of their life." But – it must be added – that's very much a minority POV...
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7️⃣ more of today's headlines |
Political media notes and quotes |
>> It's been a long 30 days. US News & World Report compiled a timeline for "month one of a Trump presidency that tested the law and other limits." (US News)
>> The aforementioned Daniel Dale made a list of Trump's "13 biggest lies" of his first month back in office. (CNN)
>> New CNN polling finds that Americans are "worried by Trump’s push to expand power," Jennifer Agiesta reports. There are a ton of really interesting data points here, so be sure to check it out. (CNN)
>> "Jesse Watters makes on-air plea to Trump for veteran friend who got 'DOGE'd' in Pentagon cuts." (Mediaite)
>> "The Incompetence of DOGE Is a Feature, Not a Bug," WIRED's Brian Barrett argues. (WIRED)
>> Smart take by Jake Lahut: "By elevating friendly right-wing provocateurs to an equal footing with more mainstream, established voices, officials are also making it clear who they're more interested in hearing from — and the type of question they’re interested in being asked." (CJR)
>> Today at 1 p.m. ET Karoline Leavitt is slated to hold her first WH press briefing in eight days.
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For the past week The AP has been trying to engage the Trump White House re: the "Gulf" ban. Yesterday, I'm told, AP executive editor Julie Pace sat down with chief of staff Susie Wiles. The AP is not wavering regarding its editorial independence, so it seems unlikely anything was achieved in the meeting. But as I wrote yesterday, The AP wants to exhaust all options before going to court.
>> Oliver Darcy got ahold of the letter that dozens of news outlets (including CNN) have signed "urging the White House to reverse its press ban." (Status)
>> "This isn't about a single body of water, or even politicization of language or the naming and renaming of landmarks. It is about basic American principles," Adrienne LaFrance writes. "The president is floating a great big test balloon, looking to see just how much of an encroachment on freedom Americans will tolerate." Or will not. (The Atlantic)
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Eye on the CBS/Trump suit |
Maybe Paramount Global is not going to settle, after all? Earlier this week CBS lawyers "outlined their likely requests" if Trump's lawsuit against the president's frivolous "60 Minutes" case "proceeds to a discovery phase," Deadline's Ted Johnson reports. The network will want Trump's "personal financial information," along with details about his 2024 campaign, Trump Media, Truth Social, and his $TRUMP meme-coin.
"Guess it might not be settled after all," Puck's Eriq Gardner reacted...
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>> Hearst is acquiring the Austin American-Statesman from Gannett. (Spectrum)
>> CNN's Jake Tapper is sharing a sneak peek of his next nonfiction book. "Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al-Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War" will come out in October. (Military.com)
>> Kelsey McKinney's "You Didn't Hear This From Me" is debuting at #6 on the NYT nonfiction best seller list. Ross Douthat's "Believe" is at #8, and Eve L. Ewing's "Original Sins" is at #15. (NYT)
>> SiriusXM is looking to YouTube and Spotify "to help grow podcast subscribers," Caitlin Huston writes. (THR)
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British journalist missing in Brazil |
Via Reuters: British journalist Charlotte Peet "has been missing in Brazil for more than 10 days," according to a foreign correspondents' association, which is "urging authorities to step up their search efforts." Local police say they are investigating... |
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Sensational spyware claims in Italy |
A deepening mystery: "Italy's national union for journalists has submitted a criminal complaint to prosecutors in Rome after Giorgia Meloni's government shut down questions in parliament over suspicions it had illegally used spyware technology to hack the phones of critics instead of criminals," Angela Giuffrida, Lorenzo Tondo, and Stephanie Kirchgaessner report for The Guardian.
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>> "Trump's media company and Rumble are suing a Brazilian Supreme Court justice for allegedly censoring political discourse on social media in the U.S." (WSJ)
>> X "is in talks to raise money from investors at a $44 billion valuation," a/k/a "the same price that Musk paid for the social media company in 2022," Katie Roof scooped. (Bloomberg)
>> WhatsApp "has hit a user criterion set out in landmark EU tech rules" which means "it is required to do more to tackle online illegal and harmful content," Foo Yun Chee wrote. (Reuters)
>> Apple's new, cheaper version of the iPhone 16 signals "a renewed push into the budget smartphone market," Lisa Eadicicco wrote. (CNN)
>> Instagram is upgrading DMs "with music sharing, message scheduling, translation, and more," Sarah Perez reported. (TechCrunch)
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Greg Gutfeld gets his cover |
"To a sizable and growing portion of the Fox News audience," Greg Gutfeld is "the man of the moment," Tatiana Siegel writes in this new Variety cover story of the Fox court jester.
"His fans see a modern-day Tom Wolfe; his critics contend that he is using satire to soften the edges of fascism. What is indisputable is his ratings prowess," she writes. Of course, Gutfeld is on the air 90 minutes before other late-night comics, but he has certainly proven that there's a market for right-wing comedy on TV...
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>> “Marvel Studios’ ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ will reign supreme in its second weekend" while Neon‘s "The Monkey" eyes a $17-million opening weekend. (Deadline)
>> “‘Severance’ has broken Apple TV+ records." (Deadline)
>> Season two of HBO's "The Last of Us" will debut on April 13. (Deadline)
>> Cynthia Erivo will host the Tony Awards on June 8. (AP)
>> “Wicked” will hit Peacock on March 21. (Deadline)
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