Good morning. Here's the latest on Mario Guevara, Elon Musk, Netflix, Substack, Tyler Perry, "Deliver Me From Nowhere," and Whatnot. But first... |
👂 What Fox News is telling Trump about Iran |
As Clay Travis opened his mouth on Fox News last night, he was hyper-aware of the viewer-in-chief. President Trump is "probably watching" this show, Travis said to Fox host Sean Hannity as both men urged the president to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. "We have to do it," Travis said, adding, "We can't go halfway here."
The president's TV habits once again have serious foreign policy implications as the Trump administration weighs US involvement in Iran.
As Andrew Kirell and I wrote here, the Israel-Iran conflict has exacerbated a deep rift in MAGA media over how the US conducts itself abroad, especially when it comes to Israel. Republican hawks are clashing with MAGA isolationists — CNN's Sarah Ferris documented it all — and many of the arguments are happening on social media sites like X, as well as podcasts like Steve Bannon's "War Room."
But Trump's favorite TV network has staked out the pro-war position – and it isn't making as much room for debate. Guest after guest on Fox has played to Trump's ego — simultaneously praising the president and pushing for US intervention through his television screen. On Hannity's show last night,
Mark Levin literally screamed as he depicted a battle of "good versus evil" and doubted the patriotism of the isolationist camp.
Levin's view is dominant on Fox's air. And Tucker Carlson's absence is palpable...
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MAGA media's great divide |
Levin and Carlson embody the right's competing forces on foreign policy right now. Levin wants regime change in Iran; Carlson wants the US to stay out of it. Both men say they are representing the "America First" MAGA movement. But only one of them is popping up on Fox.
>> Why it matters: While Carlson has built up a big online footprint since being fired from Fox in 2023, he and his isolationist views are no longer as visible to Trump, who has an old-school, cable-centric mentality about the media.
>> Hannity threw shade at Carlson last night, though not by name, when he said Iran is "the biggest existential threat to the entire western world," and "people that can't seem to understand that kind of puzzle me." Then he gave Levin four minutes to speak.
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If you haven't been watching, here is a taste of Fox's pro-war push. This morning on "Fox & Friends," another one of Trump's top shows, Brian Kilmeade told "people who say it's not our fight" that "you're not paying attention. Since the 1980s, they have been killing Americans." Kilmeade threw to a video clip of Levin’s pro-war arguments from the night before. Then Lawrence Jones said "I'm not one that wants to get involved in things. I'm not. But we have no choice! They are our enemy!" For more, check out our new story.
>> This detailed NYT report indicates that Fox's "wall-to-wall imagery of what it was portraying as Israel's military genius" was a factor in why "Trump shifted on Iran."
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"This will be one of the most-watched interviews ever on Twitter," Marc Caputo predicted after Carlson posted a clip of his sit-down with Sen. Ted Cruz last night. Carlson said the full interview will be released sometime today.
The first clip showed Carlson catching Cruz off-guard for not knowing the population of Iran. As criticism of Cruz piled up on X, the senator tweeted that it was a "gotcha" question. Cruz urged his followers to "WATCH the full 2-hr interview, where Tucker ATTACKS Trump, attacks the 'AIPAC lobby,' & falsely claims Iran is NOT trying to assassinate Trump."
>> Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin's observation: "Tucker Carlson has long said he regrets supporting the invasion of Iraq. Feels like he's trying to make up for those failures from the press now."
>> For more on all this, check out Gabe Kaminsky's piece for The FP titled "Trump, Tucker, and the War Tearing Apart MAGA."
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It's like "doomscrolling," but to describe what all the horrible headlines feel like. Gen Z researcher Rachel Janfaza, who writes The Up and Up, has coined a perfect term for this moment in time. "From domestic protests and ICE raids to the tragic shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and now deadly strikes between Israel and Iran, it feels like 2020 in terms of how much news there is, but now, the stakes are even higher. We're trapped in what I’m calling the Gloomcycle," she wrote after surveying 50+ members of her online community.
A sampling of their responses to her: "I expect to wake up to horrible news." "I am really overwhelmed by all of the bad news I am seeing right now." "I feel like there is a lot of negativity and that people aren’t informed properly."
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Mario Guevara is in ICE custody |
One-man-band journalist Mario Guevara, who was arrested while live-streaming a "No Kings" protest on Saturday, is now in ICE custody, according to an ICE spokesperson in Atlanta. Guevara may be facing deportation himself after reporting on so many other immigration enforcement actions that led to deportations.
>> Guevara entered the US in 2004 on a tourist visa after he faced death threats due to his reporting in El Salvador, according to a 2012 CNN profile of the reporter. His attorney said yesterday that he has a "permit" to work in the US, but is not a green card holder.
>> The
Committee to Protect Journalists says Guevara's detention "is a crude form of censorship." Here's our full story...
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Mayor Adams bans reporter |
New York City mayor Eric Adams said yesterday that he is barring New York Daily News reporter Chris Sommerfeldt from press briefings. Sommerfeldt's imagined offense? Shouting questions without being called on. The Daily News union said the mayor's thin-skinned behavior "shows a flagrant disregard for the role of the press and for our colleague's professionalism." We'll see if this "apparent ban" actually takes hold...
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Cracking down on pharma ads? |
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s HHS is weighing a pair of policies cracking down on direct-to-consumer drug ads by making them more costly to produce. The rules could potentially "leave broadcasters in financial straits," as they would choke off a crucial revenue source, CNN’s Liam Reilly and Tami Luhby report. Full story here...
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>> Elon Musk's X Corp has sued New York state, "challenging the constitutionality of a state law requiring social media companies to disclose how they monitor hate speech, extremism, disinformation, harassment and foreign political interference," Jonathan Stempel reports. (Reuters)
>> Musk's xAI "is on track to close on a $5 billion debt raise led by Morgan Stanley, despite tepid investor demand." (Reuters)
>> Musk "continues to insist he is not on drugs, now with screenshot of drug test," Bess Levin writes. (VF)
>> The NYT responded to Musk by pointing out that "nothing that he's said or presented since our article about his drug use during the presidential campaign was published contradicts what we uncovered. We stand by our journalism." (X)
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A first-of-its-kind deal for Netflix |
Netflix has struck what it calls a "new kind of partnership" with French broadcaster TF1 to stream live broadcasts and on-demand shows starting next year.
"The seemingly landmark distribution agreement is the equivalent of NBC, or another major American commercial network, handing over its output to Netflix," Deadline's Jake Kanter writes. "If successful, it could prove to be a test case for similar deals as Netflix aims to cement its position as the world's TV channel."
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>> Alexandra Alter's story on Page One of today's NYT: "Trying to Sell a Conservative Book? Go on a Podcast." (NYT)
>> Substack is in talks for another round of financing, Eric Newcomer reports, adding these two figures: "Substack is telling investors that it's currently generating about $45 million in annual recurring revenue. The total subscription revenue flowing to Substack creators is roughly $450 million, sources tell me." (Newcomer)
>> The Atlantic has launched "a new hub for its growing game offerings, including already available games like 'Bracket City' and 'Caleb’s Inferno Crossword Puzzle,' as well as some new puzzles." (The Verge)
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The 'wild situation' with TikTok |
TikTok "just got another lifeline from the White House," with Trump "set to delay enforcement of the sale-or-ban law by another 90 days," CNN's Clare Duffy and Samantha Waldenberg report. This is Trump's third extension of the ban.
A handful of lawmakers have spoken up about the repeated extensions, "but broadly, there does not appear to be much political appetite to force a deal or shutter the app, despite the law," the NYT's Sapna Maheshwari notes. She quotes former DOJ national security adviser Alan Rozenshtein, who says "this is just a wild situation that we're in — the president has essentially nullified a law because he doesn't like it. What’s crazier is the U.S. companies are going along with it. Since they've gone along with it so far, they may as well keep going along with it."
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Fortune's Jason Del Rey says Whatnot might be "the biggest business you've never heard of." It's a "wildly-entertaining, FOMO-inducing, $5 billion shopping app" based in L.A. that now operates in nine countries. It is "one of the leaders of the growing trend of live-streamed commerce in the U.S.," and also has a "fast-growing advertising initiative."
Del Rey went deep on the app, the content creators, and their live shows "that vary widely in production value and style." Read on...
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>> Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told staffers yesterday to expect that the tech giant "will reduce our total corporate workforce" in the next few years "as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively." (CNBC)
>> Disney has been working to keep fights over AI "within the judicial system and out of the political swamp," Eriq Gardner reports, calling last week's lawsuit against Midjourney "a preemptive land grab in a looming policy war." (Puck)
>> Facebook says "all videos on its platform will soon be shared as reels, regardless of their length or orientation." (TechCrunch)
>> Max is "rolling out an update that automatically plays video previews when you hover over shows and movies." (The Verge)
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Liam Reilly writes: The reviews are in for Apple's upcoming "F1," and they're glowing, with David Fear hailing the movie as a "throwback to old-school blockbusters" and Mae Abdulbaki saying "it's not original at all, and yet I was riveted by every minute of the film."
The Brad Pitt-led flick, slated to hit theaters on June 27, is currently enjoying an 85% Tomatometer score. Monday night's NYC premiere earned tons of press, too...
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>> Celebrity chef Anne Burrell, "whose joyful demeanor made her a beloved fixture on the Food Network," has died. She was 55. May her memory be a blessing. (CNN)
>> The first trailer for Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen in "Deliver Me From Nowhere" arrived this morning. (YouTube)
>> "Tyler Perry has been sued for sexual harassment and assault by Derek Dixon," an actor on two of Perry's shows. A lawyer for Perry said "Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail." (THR)
>> Netflix has shared more info "about its retail stores coming to the Philadelphia and Dallas areas later this year and unveiled plans to open a third location in Las Vegas in 2027." (LAT)
>> Nintendo shares "hit a fresh record high on Wednesday, continuing this year’s massive rally that has been fueled by hype" around the Switch 2. (CNBC)
>> HBO's three-part docuseries "The Mortician" has "tallied more than 2.6 million cross-platform viewers in the US." I'm going to start streaming it tonight... (Deadline)
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