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Wednesday, December 10, 2025 |
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Happy Wednesday. Here's the latest on David Ellison, Ted Sarandos, Dasha Burns, Tony Dokoupil, Stephen Colbert, USA Today, "South Park," Christopher Nolan, and much more... |
The New York Times' careful, clinical story about President Trump showing "signs of fatigue" and facing "realities of aging in office" came out two weeks ago. Evidently, though, it really got under his skin.
Last night Trump lashed out at the Times again in a 488-word Truth Social post, saying, "After all of the work I have done with Medical Exams, Cognitive Exams, and everything else, I actually believe it's seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The New York Times, and others, to consistently do FAKE reports in order to libel and demean 'THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.' They are true Enemies of the People, and we should do something about it."
We should do something about it.
I asked around, and as far as I can tell, Trump wasn't trying to preempt some new NYT story in the works. Instead, it seems, he is still stewing over the Nov. 25 article by Katie Rogers and Dylan Freedman. (Though The Independent's Rachel Dobkin has a different theory — that Trump was triggered by Frank Bruni's Monday piece saying Trump is "starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.")
This morning, the Times responded with some common sense: "Americans deserve in-depth reporting and regular updates about the health of the leaders they elect."
"Mr. Trump welcomed our reporting on the age and fitness of his predecessors; we're applying the same journalistic scrutiny to his vitality," the Times said. "Our reporting is heavily sourced, based on interviews with people close to the president and with medical experts. We won't be deterred by false and inflammatory language that distorts the role of a free press."
>> About that "false and inflammatory language..." Daily Beast alum Roger Sollenberger wondered "what kind of conversation we’d be having if everyone in America were forced to read every word of this post out loud, all the way through." WaPo alum Philip Bump said, "Hearing it out loud makes the bonkers-ness sink in. Reading this to unsuspecting people should be a TikTok meme." Here's the Truth post for you to read for yourself...
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Superhuman spin, strongman style |
Trump's palpable frustration with scrutiny of his health — along with his attempt to convince people he's near-superhuman — mirrors the behavior of strongmen throughout history.
"Autocratic leaders rely on the creation of an illusion that they will be around forever, that's how they create fear and obedience," Anne Applebaum, author of "Autocracy, Inc.," told me. "We know that Putin and Xi have both had health issues too, and we have no knowledge of the details."
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Andrew Kirell writes: Remember the "shithole countries" news cycle during Trump's first term? Josh Dawsey, then of WaPo, scooped in January 2018 that Trump used the phrase in private to deride Haiti and African countries and suggest he wants more immigrants from places like Norway instead. At the time, Trump and his allies denied he ever said "shithole."
Fast-forward to last night's rally. Trump said he's paused migration from "hellholes" like Somalia. An audience member shouted "shithole," prompting Trump to reminisce about that 2018 meeting and confirm he did, indeed, use the word he denied ever using: "We had a meeting, and I said, 'Why is it we only take people from shithole countries,' right? 'Why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden?'"
It's further proof that Trump feels fully unleashed in term two — and that, despite his repeated cries of "fake news," the reporting has been accurate...
>> For more on the rally, read Stephen Collinson's analysis for CNN.com titled "Trump fails to feel Americans' pain on prices."
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About that Politico interview: |
"I'm doing this because you picked me as the man for Europe," Trump blurted out to Dasha Burns during an interview that Politico rolled out yesterday. The "pick" was on a Politico ranking of the "most influential people in Europe."
Several Politico journalists told Breaker's Lachlan Cartwright that "they felt uncomfortable about how the outlet landed the interview, making comparisons to how FIFA awarded Trump their 'inaugural peace prize' at last week's World Cup draw." A Politico rep defended the "newsmaking interview that drove headlines around the world." It sure did: Trump giving his economy an "A+++++" grade will be remembered for quite some time.
>> I loved how CNN's Alayna Treene interviewed grocery shoppers in the Poconos about Trump's comments ahead of his rally at the casino there. This video is just perfect: Treene holding up her phone, showing a local woman the clip of Trump's self-exam, and getting a reaction...
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The future of Hollywood depends in part on a battle between two Davids: Zaslav, who has agreed to sell Warner Bros. and HBO to Netflix; and Ellison, who has opposed the sale and launched a hostile takeover bid.
Now both men are plotting their next steps, while their allies engage in corporate trash talk, hoping to influence the eventual outcome. Yesterday, a person on Zaslav's side told me that Ellison's recent behavior sounded like a "temper tantrum." A person on Ellison's side told me Zaslav and Netflix don't know what's hit them yet. Read my full "Davids" story here.
Ellison and his aides were in back-to-back meetings yesterday, wooing shareholders. Semafor heard about the meetings and reported that key investors are "warming" to the hostile takeover bid. Mario Gabelli said he is "highly likely" to go along with it. "The only question that matters in the Warner Bros auction," Matt Belloni wrote, is "how high will the Ellisons go?"
Everyone expects Paramount to eventually offer more than $30 per share. (Though some media execs on the sidelines wonder what's taking so long.) Presumably, the WBD board has to formally oppose Paramount first. That is expected to happen next week. According to Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw, the bidders are bracing for a fight "that will last months." Read this history lesson from the NYT's Ben Mullin to understand why. "Be prepared for a long siege," Barry Diller told him...
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Some lawmakers say no to both |
"Neither Netflix nor the Paramount/Trump/Saudi Arabia group should own Warner Bros," Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on social yesterday. "Both deals are absurd — terrible for consumers and democracy. This is a story about corruption — Trump using government power to screw consumers and gain control of the media. A red alert moment." GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also expressed skepticism about both... |
Colbert's Paramount punchlines |
Stephen Colbert reacted to Paramount's pursuit of WBD last night by saying, "Wow. I gotta say, if my company's got that kind of green, I'm sure they can afford to un-cancel one of their best shows!" You can probably guess what he said next, after the audience whooped in approval. (Here's the YouTube video.)
Colbert went on: "Turns out Paramount got a little assist on the cash front. Their bid includes $24 billion from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi wealth funds. And when the dictator of Saudi Arabia gives you billions of dollars, I'm sure there's no catch."
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5️⃣ more Paramount/WBD/Netflix notes |
>> On today's episode of the One Thing podcast, David Rind talks with former FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, "who believes that no matter who wins, the average consumer is set to lose."
>> Oliver Darcy pressed Paramount PR for any comment on the WSJ report about Ellison telling Trump officials that he will implement "sweeping changes" at CNN if Paramount wins the bidding war. He said "a spokesperson declined comment."
>> Meanwhile, "a cadre of right-wing influencers are launching broadsides against Netflix for its ties to former president Barack Obama," WaPo's Will Oremus and Scott Nover report.
>> Belloni, "half-kidding," wrote: Maybe Ted Sarandos "could offer Trump a post-presidency production deal similar to the Obamas' Higher Ground."
>> Correction: Yesterday, we linked to a Politico story that said Sarandos was back at the White House last week. A Netflix spokesperson now says he was not in DC that day – he was in L.A. at a company holiday party.
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It's official: Tony Dokoupil will anchor the "CBS Evening News" starting Jan. 5. He is moving from the mornings to evenings just like Norah O'Donnell did in 2019.
The news was announced on the air this morning. The CBS press release emphasized plans for a "cross-country tour" by Dokoupil, as if to say to doubters, the network evening news still matters. "A country this big needs a show this ambitious," Dokoupil said in his PR quote.
And the quote from Bari Weiss is striking: "We live in a time in which many people have lost trust in the media. Tony Dokoupil is the person to win it back. That’s because he believes in old school journalistic values: asking the hard questions, following the facts wherever they lead and holding power to account. Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night."
>> Here's some appropriate skepticism from Variety's Brian Steinberg: "Leslie Moonves and Katie Couric couldn't do it. Neither could Jeff Fager, David Rhodes and Scott Pelley. Now it's up to Bari Weiss and Tony Dokoupil to try and move 'CBS Evening News' out of third place..."
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New 'South Park' tonight 👀 |
"The Antichrist is coming — to South Park, that is — when the series returns for what may be its season 28 finale with a brand new episode Wednesday night," THR's Kevin Dolak reports. The Comedy Central promo suggests Satan will be giving birth to Trump's baby: "Satan's due, Stan’s praying, and only a Christmas miracle can deliver the Antichrist on time..."
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Turnover like this is almost never a good thing. Caren Bohan, USA Today's top editor, has parted ways with the company, "the second editor in chief to do so in less than two years," the NYT's Katie Robertson reports. And the parting was "effective immediately," almost never a good thing, either. Michael McCarter will "lead the publication on an interim basis..."
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>> "The Public Media Bridge Fund is awarding $26 million in its first round of grants to public media organizations that are most in need following the loss of federal funding earlier this year," Tyler Falk reports. (Current)
>> Bernadette Meehan is the new CEO of The Wikimedia Foundation. (Reuters)
>> Recently-retired Apple COO Jeff Williams has been nominated to join Disney's board. (THR)
>> Australia's ban of social media for children and teens under 16 went into effect today. CNN's Jake Tapper is helming an All Access streaming special, titled "Should Kids Be Allowed on Social Media?," today at 3:15 p.m. ET. (CNN)
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>> New this morning: Hadas Gold reports that Leading the Future, a pro-AI bipartisan network of associated PACs, "is releasing its first candidate ads in the 2026 midterms." (CNN)
>> "Dozens of apps for companies put under sanctions by the U.S. government have remained available in app stores maintained by Apple and Google, a violation of the law according to legal experts," Joseph Menn writes. (WaPo)
>> Facebook is undergoing a redesign that's "making it more like Instagram," Jay Peters writes. "Among other changes, you’ll be able to double-tap photos on your feed to like them." (The Verge)
>> And speaking of Instagram, it is "generating headlines for users' Instagram posts without their knowledge, seemingly in an attempt to get those posts to rank higher in Google Search results," Emanuel Maiberg reports. (404 Media)
>> I wanted to see if Instagram did it for my post last night, but alas, it didn't turn my 30 Rock Christmas tree picture into SEO bait.
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👇🏻 You've gotta read this... |
This is one of those stories that just makes you click: "The former head of a California company that produced true crime TV shows has been added to the FBI’s Most Wanted list, years after being charged with portraying herself as an heiress to get millions of dollars from lenders." The AP has details here...
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>> "Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's trial date has been pushed back two months, but the 'It Ends With Us' stars are currently still planning to face off in court," Elizabeth Wagmeister reports. (CNN)
>> David Letterman, appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" last night, branded the titular host "the leader of the resistance." (LateNighter)
>> A six-minute prologue of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" will play before IMAX 70mm screenings of "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another" on Friday. (Variety)
>> First reactions are in for Nia DaCosta's "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," with Eammon Jacobs hailing the flick as “one of the best horror movies of the last decade.” (TheWrap)
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Timothée and Kylie 'know how to promote a movie' |
"On Monday night, A-lister couple of the moment Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner arrived at the Hollywood premiere of 'Marty Supreme' looking like two ping pong balls in a pod," CNN's Leah Dolan writes. "In an effort to promote Chalamet’s new film, in which the actor plays an aspiring ping pong champion, the pair were dressed in matching orange outfits — the shade of the table tennis ball used in the film."
"It was equal parts adorable and smart," Dolan says. "Today, the red carpet is a vital extension of a film's marketing machine," and the ensembles "had all the markers of a loved-up viral moment that doubled as great promo..."
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