Oliver Darcy here at 11:30pm ET Thursday with the latest on the Pentagon calling out Tucker Carlson, CNN's return to its offices, YouTube's removal of misinfo, the House's antitrust hearing on "saving" the press, the #TeamBeans campaign, Newsmax's response to yesterday's newsletter, and more. But first...
"Morning (and mourning) in America"
President Biden's first primetime address to the nation is earning largely positive reviews. In the speech, Biden hit on two big themes: He looked forward to a return to normalcy while also consoling the nation over the loss of more than half-a-million Americans who have died of coronavirus. Susan Glasser summed it up succinctly, tweeting, "Shorter Biden: It's morning (and mourning) in America."
Other members of the press credited Biden for using his platform to try to bring comfort to the nation. "We talk about commander-in-chief," Anderson Cooper said. "Today he was really commander-in-grief." Rachel Maddow commented, "We did finally — finally — get a real presidential address on covid. A real presidential address that made sense, that was rooted in empathy, and that explained even complex things truthfully and with nuance. It feels revolutionary after what we have been through."
Evan Osnos put it this way: He said the country in the afternoon saw the "policy side" of the presidency as Biden signed the $1.9 trillion relief bill. And in the evening, the country saw the "pastoral side of the presidency..."
"Fireside chat"
"It was notable how much he was trying to connect really with the camera as he was speaking," Kaitlan Collins observed. "You often just saw him leaning on the lectern in front of him crossing his hands, lowering his voice at times and really trying to connect it seemed like with this message. Really going for that kind of a fireside chat is what it looked like to us in the room..."
May 1 and July 4
Biden highlighted two key dates coming up on the calendar during his address: May 1, the date by which he said he was directing all states to make the coronavirus vaccines eligible to all adults; and July 4, the date on which he said Americans can look forward to celebrating Independence Day in person together. NYT's Friday A1 focused on the latter date: "PRESIDENT'S GOAL: JULY 4 GATHERINGS WITH CLOSE FAMILY..."
Klain on MSNBC
WH chief of staff Ron Klain appeared with Chris Hayes on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after the speech for MSNBC's special program marking one-year of life with the coronavirus. Klain said Americans heard "a president who is taking responsibility, who is taking charge, who laid out a new strategy to fight covid ... who put the federal government center and square, owning the response for better or worse..."
Fox begs viewers not to tune away
Meanwhile, Fox on Thursday night continued to make the case for why it should be referred to as a right-wing talk channel and not a news network. While Biden delivered his address, the network featured a box in the bottom corner of the screen showing Tucker Carlson's live reactions.
And as Biden continued to speak, the network essentially begged viewers to stick around and not tune out for the night. "BIDEN SPEECH NEARLY FINISHED; TUCKER WILL RESPOND," one on-screen banner promised. "TUCKER RESPONDS IN LESS THAN 60 SECONDS," another read.
Spends night bashing Biden
When Biden wrapped his address, Fox wasted no time commencing the Biden bashing. Carlson slammed Biden, telling the president, "How dare you tell us who we can spend the Fourth of July with." Sean Hannity said Biden should "pick up the phone" and "call Mar-a-Lago" and "thank President Donald Trump." Mark Levin said the speech was the "most disgusting, propagandistic speech that a demagogue, even a politician, has ever given." And Laura Ingraham found a way to attack the media, saying the press is behaving like the "comms department" for the WH — a rich accusation for her to make given that she did precisely that for the last admin...
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- While NYT's A1 focused on Biden's July 4 date, WaPo's Friday A1 focused on the May 1 date: "Biden wants all adults eligible for vaccine by May 1..." (WaPo)
-- The banner headline on the Drudge Report, linking to new guidance for pandemic seniors: "FINALLY A HUG!" (DRUDGE)
-- Jeremy Barr writes about how Fox has aired PSA ads encouraging people to wear masks, all as the network's top personalities trash them... (WaPo)
-- Katherine J. Wu talks to people who are "keeping their vaccines secret..." (Atlantic)
-- Kristen Hare made a list of things journalists miss about their offices, from walks with coworkers to breaking news pizza... (Poynter)
CNN's plans to return to offices
In a note to employees Thursday, CNN boss Jeff Zucker announced the organization's plans to return to its offices. Zucker said the aim is for employees in Atlanta to start returning August 1, and for employees in NYC, DC, SF, and LA to begin on September 1. "Let me be clear that logistics will preclude us from opening the door and having everyone come back on the same day – it will likely take a couple of weeks to effectively get everyone back to their desks." Managers will be flexible about work-from-home and hybrid arrangements, recognizing that many staffers want to have a variety of options. Zucker said vaccinations will be "strongly ENCOURAGED," but not required. I shared the full memo here...
Dr. B surges in sign ups after media attention
You've probably heard by now of Dr. B, the website connecting people with leftover Covid vaccines in their area. The site was the subject of several media reports earlier this week. Those reports were widely shared, leading to a surge in people signing up for the standby list, a spokesperson told me. In fact, per the spokesperson, Dr. B added more than 400,000 people to its list in the 24 hours it was the subject of media attention. If you haven't already checked out the site, you can do so here...
YouTube has removed 30K videos with Covid misinfo
"YouTube has taken down more than 30,000 videos that made misleading or false claims about COVID-19 vaccines over the last six months," Axios' Ashley Gold reported Thursday, citing company spokesperson Elena Hernandez. Hernandez told CNN that overall, since the pandemic started, the platform has "removed over 800,000 videos related to dangerous or misleading coronavirus information..."
FRIDAY PLANNER
AT&T holds its annual Analyst & Investor Day...
The House Judiciary Committee will hold an antitrust hearing on the free press (scroll down for details)...
Biden and Harris will deliver remarks about the American Rescue Plan at 2:30pm ET in the Rose Garden...
CNN's Royal News newsletter debuts. Sign up here...
Tucker Carlson claims Pentagon "declared war" on him
Tucker Carlson responded Thursday night to sharp criticism he faced from military leaders by claiming that the Pentagon "declared war on a domestic news operation" with a coordinated "public relations offensive" as if it were a "hostile foreign power." Of course, as with most of the content on his show, that was misleading. (As Brianna Keilar tweeted, he was not only "misrepresenting what the Pentagon did," but "also misrepresenting that his show is a news program.) And yet, it was the predictable play from the right-wing host who has been trying to suggest Biden's administration views those with different political options as domestic enemies.
So since Carlson didn't tell it straight, let me explain: Senior military members on Wednesday and Thursday called Carlson out for mocking pregnant women who serve in the military. These members said Carlson's rhetoric was "divisive" and didn't "reflect our values." Then, speaking to reporters Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shared the same "revulsion" that many military leaders have expressed about the comments Carlson made. Kirby added that the Pentagon "absolutely won't" be taking "personnel advice from a talk-show host..."
It's the Murdochs
Every night Carlson says something outrageous. And every night I see people flock to Twitter to skewer him for it. But the people who actually deserve the criticism are Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch. They are the ones who enable and encourage and quite literally pay for this vitriol that is dividing the country...
"I didn't want him to quit, but I did want him to listen"
"Good Morning Britain" co-host Alex Beresford, who was the one to confront Piers Morgan as he walked off the set, shared his thoughts on Morgan's exit from the show. Beresford said that he and Morgan over the years developed a "lively, cheeky on-air relationship." But, Beresford said, Morgan had "always supported" his growth and given him advice on "several occasions." He explained about this week's incident, "I didn't want him to quit, but I did want him to listen..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- NYT's Jesse McKinley and Luis Ferré-Sadurní's scoop Thursday drove the NY news cycle: "Latest accusation against Cuomo is reported to Albany police..." (NYT)
-- Calls for Cuomo to resign are intensifying, with 59 Democratic state legislators saying he should quit. The Friday front page of the New York Post reads, "CUO MUST GO..."
House Judiciary to hold antitrust hearing on "saving" the press
The House Judiciary Committee will on Friday hold a second hearing on "saving the free and diverse press." The hearing is aimed at examining "competition problems in digital markets" and whether "dominant firms have engaged in anticompetitive conduct online." Witnesses for the hearing will include: Microsoft President Brad Smith, News Media Alliance CEO David Chavern; Graham Media CEO Emily Barr, and NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America President Jonathan Schleuss. Also testifying as witnesses, Glenn Greenwald and Clay Travis...
>> The hearing will be streamed on YouTube at 10am ET....
>> Related story: "On the heels of a heated standoff between platforms and publishers in Australia, U.S. lawmakers reintroduced a piece of legislation that would allow the news industry to collectively negotiate content deals with tech companies..."
QAnon believers flock to Telegram
Banned from mainstream social media platforms, QAnon believers have flocked to messaging apps such as Telegram, WaPo's Craig Timberg and Elizabeth Dwoskin reported Thursday. "These largely unmoderated online spaces have become cauldrons of ludicrous claims about the pandemic and breeding grounds for an increasingly intense alliance between QAnon and covid denialism," the duo writes. "The ideology’s followers have reconstituted themselves as a leaderless but still fervent online movement in the months since Trump left office in January and Q, the anonymous leader who claimed access to high-level government secrets, last posted in December."
>> SITE Intelligence director Rita Katz commented: "QAnon’s Telegram community shows how centralized this movement is. Mega channels and chat groups of 10s-100s of thousands of users posting in multiple languages, at times in seeming-synchrony. The global scale & organization is truly shocking..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- Will Sommer's latest carries quite the headline: "YouTube star Tim Pool’s news site collapses amid allegations he took a cat hostage..." (Daily Beast)
-- Karen Hao writes about Facebook's director of AI and how algorithms gave the platform "an insatiable habit for lies and hate speech..." (Technology Review)
-- "Amazon won’t sell books framing LGBTQ+ identities as mental illnesses," Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg reports... (WSJ)
-- The Markup is out with a new feature, Split Screen, that shows how Facebook’s recommendation algorithm "siloes info on the platform..." (The Markup)
-- "Twitter is aiming to make its live audio feature available to all its users by April..." (Reuters)
-- WTF is an NFT? Kayleigh Barber explains how publishers are using it... (Digiday)
Mediaite moves to subscription model
Mediaite is moving its content behind a paywall. Dan Abrams said Thursday that in the "coming weeks" the site will expand its coverage and, to do so, will need to grow its revenue. "Going forward, every reader will still be able to view 10 Mediaite articles free each month," Abrams announced. "On the 11th story, you will be asked to subscribe in order to continue reading during that month." Subscriptions will be free for the first month and $4.99 after...
Bon Appétit gets satire treatment
Kerry Flynn writes: "There's been a lot of tears and anger over Bon Appétit since Adam Rapoport resigned last summer. Soon, it could inspire some laughs. THR's Bryn Sandberg wrote Thursday, 'HBO Max is developing a new comedy series 'Enjoy Your Meal' that satirically examines the toxic culture of the food media industry.' Rapoport's former assistant Ryan Walker-Hartshorn will consult, and Insecure writer-producer Amy Anoibi is one of the executive producers."
>> Flynn adds: "Many stories have been reported about the fallout at Bon Appétit, including Reply All's Test Kitchen series which was pulled after two episodes. Two stories published late Wednesday investigating how Bon Appétit's scandals led to an implosion at Gimlet Media: Nicholas Quah for Vulture and Katherine Rosman and Reggie Ugwu for NYT..."
CNN launches #TeamBeans fundraiser
CNN's Andrew Kaczyinski and WSJ's Rachel Ensign should have been celebrating the first birthday of their daughter Francesca on Thursday. But Francesca, who was known by the nickname "Beans," passed on Christmas Eve after a brave and courageous battle with ATRT, an aggressive and rare brain tumor typically seen in children under the age of 3.
To honor her memory, CNN launched a #TeamBeans fundraiser Thursday with beanies, and CNN anchors across the country posted photos with the beanies to raise awareness. Every dollar raised from a purchase of a #TeamBeans beanie (you can buy one here) go directly to Francesca's ATRT Fund at Dana-Farber, where Francesca was treated. So far, CNN has sold over 4,500 beanies...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- LA movie theaters "have been cleared to reopen next week, although capacity will be limited at 25 percent..." (THR)
-- AMC Theatres will reopen in the city March 19, its CEO Adam Aron said... (The Wrap)
-- "Colin Davis, the former comedy chief at Quibi, has also joined Roku from the shortform service..." (Deadline)
-- Netflix is "testing a new feature that could help it crack down on password sharing..." (CNN)
-- "The NBA is blithely back to business as usual—and so are its reporters," Kyle Paoletta writes... (CJR)
Newsmax's response to last night's newsletter
Brian Stelter writes: "After I wrote about Newsmax's weak TV ratings last night, the same Newsmax staffer who usually sends out the company's press releases wrote to me and said Newsmax was writing a news story referencing 'CNN's ratings collapse.' The company also issued a statement assailing the ratings for 'Reliable Sources' and CNN as a whole. It was an odd choice, since 'Reliable' has been averaging 10 to 15 times as many viewers as Newsmax, but I digress. Here's the bottom line: The moment when it seemed like Newsmax might catapult itself into cable's big leagues has come and, at least for now, gone. Here's my full story..."
Second among dramas about finding love through DNA is...
Brian Lowry writes: "'The One' is a Netflix drama set roughly 15 minutes in the future, focusing on romantic pairing through DNA matches. In a sign of the streaming times, it’s only the second-best show in the last six months with almost that exact premise, behind AMC’s anthology 'Soulmates...'"
"Long Live Rock" misses an opportunity
Brian Lowry writes: "The documentary 'Long Live Rock … Celebrate the Chaos' does indeed celebrate the communal nature of hard-rock fans, while mostly glossing over the related excesses, and missing an opportunity to address what life has been like for these folks during a year with concert stages mostly shuttered..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX
By Lisa Respers France:
-- At this Sunday's Grammy Awards, "there are some possibilities for records to be broken." That's the subject of this week's Pop Life Chronicles...
-- Sharon Osbourne has defended supporting her longtime friend and former colleague Piers Morgan...
-- Niecy Nash talked about falling for “hersband” Jessica Betts whom she married last year...
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...
Cat of the day!
Oscar Arthur, a feline, emails (yes, we are just as impressed as you are): "I am a Canadian feline, and I sit on Nancy's lap while she reads her CNN newsletters every day. We eagerly check the Pet of the Day..."
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