Oliver Darcy here. It's 11:11pm ET on Tuesday, July 26. Here's the latest on Alphabet, Alex Jones, Newsmax, Adam Mosseri, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Hulu, and more... "Let it fail" |
The LIV Golf event that is set to commence at Donald Trump's Bedminster club on Friday is generating more controversy by the day. On Tuesday, the National Press Club added its voice to the mix, saying in a no-holds-barred statement that it is "revolted" by the forthcoming affair and hopes that it fails. A quick recap for those who might need it: LIV is the Saudi-backed golf league that has upended the sport by challenging the PGA's dominance. It has lured in athletes to participate in its events with huge paydays. But it has been the subject of significant controversy given that it is funded by the Saudis who have an atrocious record on human rights. "We call on all Americans to see this unsavory attempt to minimize the grisly bone-saw attack on Washington Post opinion writer Jamal Khashoggi for what it is – an attempt to sweep under the rug a brutal state-sponsored murder," the National Press Club said in its blistering statement. "We call on people of conscience to reject this tournament. Do not attend. Do not watch it on television. Let it fail." The National Press Club blasted Trump for hosting the event at Bedminster. It said that Trump's role managed to make the event "even more revolting" because it reminded the group that the former President worked to downplay Khashoggi's killing. The journalism advocacy organization continued, "We note that at one of LIV's first news conferences their officials shouted down a question from an AP reporter and escorted him from the room saying that he was being rude. That is how the LIV episode started. They silenced the press. Again." And the National Press Club concluded its statement discouraging PR firms from doing business with LIV Golf. "We note that LIV is currently seeking representation by a public relations firm to make the slaughter of a journalist more acceptable to the American public through golf," the org said. "We call on public relations firms, many of whom employ former journalists, to reject this blood money. We understand that clients need representation, but it seems reasonable to draw the line at clients that use a bone saw on a journalist. We hope the prospective PR firm thinks very carefully before agreeing to work for LIV."
9/11 families "appalled"
On Tuesday, a group of 9/11 survivors blasted the tour, saying in a press conference that they are "appalled" by the "offensive, disrespectful, and hurtful" event taking place at Bedminster. 9/11 Families United chair Terry Strada said that LIV Golf "is not about sports or good competition among worthy competitors." Instead, Strada said that at its heart "it is a multibillion-dollar public relations stunt bought and paid for by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." CNN's Liam Reilly and Ben Morse have more here...
Trump: Interest in Khashoggi has "totally died down"
In an interview published by The Wall Street Journal Tuesday, Trump said that he believed the public had lost interest in the death of Khashoggi. "I can say that from the standpoint of Khashoggi, that has died down so much," Trump told the newspaper. "It really seems to have totally died down." "Nobody has asked me that question in months," Trump added. Trump said, however, that he believes LIV has generated "great publicity for Saudi Arabia." He said in his estimation that the country "deserves that" publicity "for what they're doing" with the LIV Golf league "because it's become very exciting." Trump said he thinks the PR has been "worth billions of dollars..."
What LIV is saying
I checked in with LIV on Tuesday evening to see if it had any comment on the National Press Club's statement. I didn't hear back. But a spokesperson for LIV told CNN, in regards to criticism from 9/11 survivors, "As we have said all along, these families have our deepest sympathy. While some may not agree, we believe golf is a force for good around the world." 9/11 families are planning to protest in Bedminster this week... |
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-- Charles Barkley confirms he's spoken to LIV boss Greg Norman about leaving TNT for the company: "I met with Greg. He asked me if I'm interested. I said, 'Of course. I'm here. I wouldn't have dinner with you if I wasn't interested.' I'm waiting for them to make me an offer." Barkley added, "They're giving guys $200 million, $150 million, $120 million. I'd be stupid not to listen to that conversation..." (Deadline)
-- Max Tani details how a Saudi's PR flack "worked the WH press corps..." (Politico)
-- Joseph Gedeon interviewed the family of slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh as they ask for a new US probe into her killing. During the interview, the family expressed hope of meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. After the interview published, the family said they were granted one... (Politico) |
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☝️ WaPo's lead: DOJ is looking at Trump's actions "The Justice Department is investigating President Donald Trump's actions as part of its criminal probe of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results," WaPo's Carol D. Leonnig, Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey, and Spencer S. Hsu reported Tuesday night. The four reporters added that "prosecutors who are questioning witnesses before a grand jury — including two top aides to Vice President Mike Pence — have asked in recent days about conversations with Trump, his lawyers, and others in his inner circle." The DOJ "is now inside the White House for the first time. That's a big change," Elie Honig said on CNN. The story landed minutes after "NBC Nightly News" aired Lester Holt's interview with Merrick Garland. The A.G. did not rule out charging Trump, telling Holt that the department purses justice "without fear or favor." Garland added, "We intend to hold everyone -- anyone -- who is criminally responsible for the events surrounding January 6 or any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another accountable." |
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Dueling speeches – and very different coverage BY BRIAN STELTER: Mike Pence went first on Tuesday, speaking to the Young America's Foundation and outlining a "freedom agenda" that included "pro-life protections in every state in the union." Then he announced his next book, "So Help Me God," which will come out on November 15, the same day as Michelle Obama's next release. Simon & Schuster said the book defends Trump's record and chronicles Trump's "severing of their relationship on January 6." Fox showed about 17 minutes of Pence's mid-morning speech. Newsmax showed about 10 minutes. The big contrast came in the afternoon, when Trump was speaking at the America First Policy Institute's summit, on his first trip back to DC since leaving office. Fox showed zero minutes of Trump's speech while Newsmax aired the entire thing. Read into that what you will... >> Trump "outlined a hardline and harsh criminal justice agenda," per CNN's story... |
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Spotify reports earnings before the bell and Meta reports earnings after the close... The Federal Reserve's interest rate decision is due at 2pm ET, followed by a presser led by Jerome Powell at 2:30pm... "Light & Magic," a six-part docuseries about special effects from "Star Wars" through the '90s digital revolution, premieres on Disney+... |
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Sandy Hook families ask for $150 million The lawyer for two Sandy Hook families that have sued right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones asked a jury on Tuesday to award his clients $150 million in damages. The ask came as opening statements got underway in the trial that will determine how much money the families receive after the judge issued a default judgement against Jones earlier this year in the case. "Now that is a huge verdict to be sure, but it is one that will do justice to the level of harm done in this case," attorney Mark Bankston said. Bankston said the figure amounted to $1 for each person who believes false information about the Sandy Hook shooting pushed by Jones, which he argued is about 75 million. The additional $75 million would be to compensate the parents for the emotional and mental anguish. In his own opening statement, Andino Reynal, an attorney for Jones, accused the plaintiffs' lawyer of misleading the court. "What we heard was a conspiracy of lies," Reynal said. Here's my story with Lauren del Valle... "We're not going to have that happen again" Opening statements had not even concluded before Jones' behavior earned him an admonishment from the judge. During a recess, Jones spoke with reporters in the hall, saying he was being tried in a "kangaroo court." When the court resumed proceedings, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble made her displeasure known. "We're not going to have that happen again," Gamble said. Gamble said for the rest of the trial, every participant is "ordered to be silent" about the case when outside the courtroom... |
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-- New CNN polling: "January 6 hearings haven't changed opinions much, but most agree Trump acted unethically..." (CNN) -- Joan Biskupic began the day with new reporting revealing how Chief Justice John Roberts "privately lobbied fellow conservatives to save the constitutional right to abortion." She reports that the draft opinion leak "made the effort all but impossible..." (CNN) -- In her first TV interview, Dr. Caitlin Bernard tells Norah O'Donnell that critics who doubted the story of a 10-year-old rape victim should "come spend a day in my clinic..." (CBS News) | |
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Alphabet underscores "uncertainty" Google's parent company is the latest digital giant to report a slowdown in ad demand. Google "also narrowly missed Wall Street analysts' expectations for both sales and profits during the quarter," CNN's Clare Duffy reports. Still, Alphabet shares gained about 5% in after-hours trading, "on relief that the world's biggest seller of online advertising may withstand a global recession better than smaller rivals," per Paresh Dave and Nivedita Balu of Reuters. They counted: "A trio of Alphabet executives sounded caution on a call with investment analysts, using 'uncertain' or 'uncertainty' at least 13 times to describe the economy." >> CNBC's Jenn Elias: "YouTube has 'obvious math' problem as growth slows dramatically from pandemic highs..." >> In other earnings news, Microsoft "suffered its slowest earnings growth in two years, hurt by a sharp slowdown in its cloud business, declining videogame sales and the effects of strong dollar," WSJ's Aaron Tilley reports... |
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| COMING UP... DC fundraiser for journalists covering Ukraine BY BRIAN STELTER: This Thursday evening Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, NYU Langone's Dr. Robert Montgomery and CNN's Alex Marquardt are headlining a fundraiser in DC for journalists covering the war in Ukraine. Organizers say the event will benefit Reporters Without Borders: "A portion of the funds will go to equipping and staffing the RSF Press Freedom Centers in Lviv and Kiev, where reporters covering the war receive protective gear such as bullet-proof vests and helmets, safety training and psychological support." Hosts include Tammy Haddad, David Chavern, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Shane Harris, Damian Paletta, Yamiche Alcindor, Jonathan Karl, Jonathan Martin, Steven Portnoy, Stephanie Ruhle, and Margaret Talev. Details and donation info here... |
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Rights, responsibility, and monkeypox line photos BY SARA ASHLEY O'BRIEN: Journalists and prominent media outlets reporting on the monkeypox outbreak have been circulating photos of men queuing up for the vaccine as part of their reporting – but should they? While any given photo may appear to some as an anonymous line of young men, it's not difficult for acquaintances to identify familiar faces. I don't mean that theoretically: Looking at a picture shared by a prominent reporter recently, I recognized someone I knew.
The person I know told me he didn't recall consenting to being photographed: "I probably would've said no. For a lot of reasons," he said. This harkens back to the question posed by Poynter in 2020 about the "rights vs. responsibilities" of journalists, then regarding to showing the faces of protesters. Donna De Cesare, a University of Texas professor, was quoted as saying: "We have a right to go out and take the pictures. But we also have to think about how our work impacts people's lives."
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FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE |
-- Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo said Tuesday night that he will join Nexstar's NewsNation cable channel in the fall. He will have a prime-time show, the channel said, without specifying a time slot. NewsNation has registered low ratings but has continued to add more hours of news programming... (Daily Beast) -- Ezra Klein spoke to Sean Illing for a fascinating conversation about "how TV, Twitter and TikTok shape our brains — and our politics..." (NYT) -- Sally Buzbee has told WaPo editors they need to "be clear" to employees about the three-days-a-week return-to-office policy and enforce it, Max Tani reports... (Politico) | |
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"Operating With Increased Intensity" That was the title of a recent Mark Zuckerberg memo circulated among Meta employees, according to a deep-dive into company culture published on Tuesday by NYT's Mike Isaac. According to Isaac, Zuckerberg has in recent weeks set a "relentless pace" at the company. The Verge's Alex Heath and David Pierce described Zuckerberg in their own Tuesday deep-dive as speaking to employees lately like a "general preparing his troops for the war ahead." Some of the changes being made are about positioning Facebook to better take on TikTok. Others are about grappling with a potential recession. And others are about taking the company into the future with Metaverse. "In recent months," Isaac wrote, "[Zuckerberg] has reined in spending, trimmed perks, reshuffled his leadership team and made it clear he would cut low-performing employees." Instagram users lash out at Mosseri After criticism from Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri posted a video update on Tuesday in which he sought to explain the changes that the app has made in recent weeks, including prioritizing video and inserting content into feeds from users that people do not follow. Mosseri asked users to let him know what they think about the changes -- and a flood of users did just that, telling Mosseri that they do not like where Instagram is heading as it attempts to compete with TikTok. "Why do you never listen to your users?" asked HGTV's Laurie March. Mosseri responded, "Believe it or not we try. We spend a ton of time trying to understand what people prefer based on how to use Instagram and what they say about the app. Things can get tricky when those two are in tension." The point Mosseri is making is important. People often proclaim to want one thing, but actually quietly engage in entirely different behavior. In this case, people might say they do not like that content is being inserted into their feeds from users they do not follow, but my guess is that Instagram's data shows that people are consuming a lot of it... >> The Verge's Elizabeth Lopatto writes that Mosseri has confirmed Instagram as we've known it is over, before blasting the platform for mimicking TiKTok: "Instagram is desperate, and no one likes you when you're desperate..."
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FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR |
-- New from Emily Baker-White: "TikTok owner ByteDance used a news app on millions of phones to push pro-China messages, ex-employees say..." (BuzzFeed) -- Meta "is weighing whether to relax its policies against Covid-19 misinformation, proposing a shift from removing false claims to simply labeling or demoting them," Brian Fung reports... (CNN) -- Amazon is hiking prices of Prime subscriptions in Europe... (Variety) -- Speaking of Amazon, Matt Stieb reports on the company's "war on fake reviews..." (NYMag) -- Twitter has scheduled a September 13 "shareholder vote on Elon Musk's $44 billion takeover proposal..." (WSJ) -- Speaking of Musk and the WSJ: A lawyer for Nicole Shanahan says that "any suggestion" that she "had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory..." (Daily Mail) |
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Farah Griffin is in line for "The View"
Alyssa Farah Griffin "will become the new co-host on the hit talk show 'The View,'" The Daily Mail's Claudia Aoraha scooped Tuesday. Variety's Elizabeth Wagmeister confirmed the thrust of that reporting, writing that Farah Griffin is "in final talks" to join the talk show. ABC, however, is not yet ready to make an official announcement about Farah Griffin, who is also a CNN political commentator. "We do not have a co-host announcement to make at this time," a network rep said. "Stay tuned..." |
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FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE |
-- NYT has named John Keefe as editor of weather data. He'll lead a new team "focused on making The Times a destination for extreme weather coverage..." (NYT) -- Nick Baker is joining CoinDesk as deputy EIC... (Twitter) -- Michael Cadenhead is jumping from Politico to WaPo as a politics editor... (WaPo) -- NBCU's head of unscripted content, Jenny Groom, is exiting... (Deadline) |
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"Tony Dow is still alive" BY AN PHUNG: That was part of WaPo's mobile push alert to readers on Tuesday afternoon to let them know that "Leave it to Beaver" actor Tony Dow was, in fact, not dead. News first broke on Tuesday morning that the actor passed away at the age of 77. Obits from major media outlets included a statement from his managers which, for most newsroom leaders, was enough to confirm and report on the apparent death. Dow's wife had even confirmed the news to his managers, according to TMZ, which first broke the news. But it turns out that Dow, who has cancer, is still alive and in hospice care, according to a longtime friend who spoke to CNN. By the afternoon, a second flurry of mobile push alerts announced that Dow is still alive. Outlets such as NYT, WaPo, ABC News and others deleted their obits and added editor's notes to acknowledge the error. Some re-topped their obits to alert readers of the update... |
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-- "The latest TV clash between UK PM hopefuls Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss came to an abrupt halt today after presenter Kate McCann fainted on-air." McCann was said to be fine afterward... (Deadline) -- Sarah Scire's latest: "New research finds the visuals of heat-wave news coverage are more likely to put a positive spin on extreme heat than the articles themselves..." (NiemanLab)
-- ICYMI: "We're not going to have a satisfying 'season finale' of the climate emergency story," Bill Weir said on last Sunday's "Reliable Sources." "We're going to be living with this in every aspect of our lives for the rest of our lives..." (CNN)
-- ABC News Studios has "unveiled a slate of narrative non-fiction projects as part of its official launch, with three feature documentaries and 15 series and specials in production," Ted Johnson writes... (Deadline) |
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Disney silent as it faces scrutiny, once again, over politics Hulu "is refusing to run political ads on central themes of Democratic midterm campaigns, including abortion and guns," WaPo's Michael Scherer reported Monday. Three Democratic committees sought to place ads on the streamer, but the ads did not run because of Hulu's policy about rejecting spots on controversial issues, igniting significant backlash. Hulu, and its parent Disney, are not publicly commenting. But the issue, as THR's Winston Cho noted Tuesday, "reignites controversy over the company avoiding hot-button political issues..." |
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Madison Ave. to create streaming content? BY BRIAN LOWRY: In the everything-old-is-new-again department, Variety's Brian Steinberg reported Tuesday that advertisers are looking at creating content for streaming as a vehicle to convey messages. That brings to mind the early days of television and series sponsorships, allowing ad buyers to control the environment they used to pitch consumers. Steinberg quoted Mediabrands chief content officer Brendan Gaul as saying the key is to "think about it as entertainment that happens to be financed by a brand..." |
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The next "Avengers" director is... BY BRIAN LOWRY: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" director Destin Daniel Cretton will direct Marvel's upcoming "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," THR's Boris Kyt reported Tuesday. Notably, the Russo brothers cut their teeth on one of the solo characters, Captain America, before shifting to helm "Infinity War" and "Endgame..." |
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FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN |
-- Netflix has green-lit a sequel for "The Gray Man" with hopes of turning the action movie into a franchise... (Variety)
-- Kate Winslet will star in and exec-produce an HBO limited series about an authoritarian regime titled "The Palace..." (Deadline)
-- David Harbour and Pedro Pascal will exec produce and star in the HBO limited series "My Dentist's Murder Trial..." (TV Line)
-- Peacock has ordered the gladiator drama "Those About To Die..." (THR)
-- Barack Obama has released his annual summer playlist... (Twitter)
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Springsteen's manager defends "dynamic pricing" system Bruce Springsteen's team is not backing down amid backlash over its so-called "dynamic pricing" program. The singer's manager, Jon Landau, told NYT's Ron Lieber in a Tuesday statement, "In pricing tickets for this tour, we looked carefully at what our peers have been doing. We chose prices that are lower than some and on par with others." Landau added, "Regardless of the commentary about a modest number of tickets costing $1,000 or more, our true average ticket price has been in the mid-$200 range. I believe that in today's environment, that is a fair price to see someone universally regarded as among the very greatest artists of his generation..." |
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FOR THE RECORD, PART EIGHT |
BY LISA RESPERS FRANCE: -- A source confirmed to me that "Desus & Mero" ended after tensions over their manager, Victor Lopez, who was banned from set by Showtime for alleged bad behavior. The series paved the way for other shows that highlight diverse voices... -- Mira Sorvino led an outpouring of tributes to her late father Paul...
-- Nick Cannon has welcomed his 8th child...
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LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST... Pet of the day! Reader Jonathan Rand emails: "Orange you glad that Ruby Jean stays up to read Reliable Sources?" |
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Thank you for reading! Email us your feedback. We'll be back tomorrow... |
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