| | | | | Four days into the Trump presidency, and we're seeing the word "falsely" a lot. The latest example: "Trump falsely tells congressional leaders that millions of illegal ballots cost him popular vote." Yes, the made-up conspiracy theory about millions of illegal votes is back... The difference now is that the president is saying it. | | | This story broke, via anonymous sources, on Monday evening. The NYT's headline used the "L word:" "Trump Repeats Lie About Popular Vote in Meeting." Politico went with "debunked:" "Trump repeats debunked voter fraud claim at meeting with Hill leaders." | | Also in the news on Monday thanks to Sean Spicer's afternoon briefing: the dispute over the audience for Trump's swearing-in.
Question: What does a lie about millions of illegal votes have to do with the crowd size at the inauguration? Answer: It's all about Trump's popularity. All of this is ultimately about his "winning" brand, the appearance of success, something he has cultivated for decades... | | What Media Twitter is buzzing about | | POTUS dinners with media types? | | | CNN's Jeff Zeleny just published this must-read about Trump, "home alone," putting out the W.H. welcome mat. Note this paragraph: "Kellyanne Conway, counselor to Trump, said the President's schedule will include working dinners most every evening. She said he plans to even hold some type of media dinners, despite his self-proclaimed war with the press..." | | | Sean Spicer meets the press | | | "I've been doing this a long time, you've been doing this too. I've never seen it like this."
--Sean Spicer to CNN's Jim Acosta | | Spicer smiled, spun, and... pledged not to lie | | Sean Spicer's Monday afternoon restart received tempered praise from the press corps. But he was sort of graded on a curve. Disagreements and concerns remain front and center. Here's my story recapping the day...
-- Tension: On the one hand, Spicer said his intention is to always tell the truth, "never to lie" from the White House podium. On the other hand, he continued to insist that Friday's inauguration was "the most watched inaugural" around the world, but the evidence he offered was paper-thin. (Here's the CNN fact-check.) Perhaps most importantly, Spicer made clear that he and other admin officials will continue to battle the press... | | There are two Sean Spicers | | | Dylan Byers emails: There are two Sean Spicers: The Trump mouthpiece we saw Saturday, and the savvy political veteran we saw today. The first traffics in vitriol and false propaganda, the second in the same friendly stonewalling and spin practiced by his predecessors. The first is an affront to American democracy, the second is -- for better or for worse -- American democracy in action. So Spicer has demonstrated his ability to be both a propagandist and a politico.... Which will be the norm in the Trump era? | | Spicer sent a message by calling on the NY Post first... | | Tom Kludt emails: In giving the opening Q to NY Post reporter Daniel Halper, Spicer broke with a long tradition of allowing the Associated Press to open the briefings. The second Q went to the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Noteworthy: Halper is the author of "Clinton, Inc.," a book critical of the Clintons.
Also noteworthy: Halper was one of at least three reporters from Rupert Murdoch-owned properties to get a question. A Trump-friendly upstart, One America News, also had a chance to ask a Q.
But Spicer did not shun outlets like CNN, NBC, Reuters, or HuffPost, either. Read Tom's full report here... | | 79 minutes: That's how long Spicer stood at the podium. According to C-SPAN's Jeremy Art, that was the longest first briefing for a W.H. press secretary in each of the past two administrations.
43: That's the number of reporters who were called on…
3: That's the number of reporters who asked Spicer about the controversy surrounding the inauguration crowd size... | | Salena Zito praises "Skype seats" plan | | I was just on "CNN Tonight" with Salena Zito, who praised Spicer's announcement about adding four "Skype seats live in the briefing room." Zito lives near Pittsburgh and she said she appreciates the move to add more journalists. She said it could help restore trust in the media.
-- Chuck Todd on a roll: Last week on a podcast with Poynter's Ben Mullin, Todd suggested "four or five Skype seats..." | | What DC reporters are chattering about | | Spicer's clothes. Specifically, what Trump thinks of Spicer's clothes. No, I'm not making this up. Maggie Haberman tweeted: "One person close to the administration was blunt just now - Trump's issue with Spicer was not just subtance/delivery, but visuals."
Jonathan Swan of Axios added: "This is correct. Trump wasn't impressed with how Spicer dresses. Has privately mocked his suits. Notable that he looks much sharper today..." | | First: the "forgotten men and women" | | Now: the "direspected men and women?" | | CNNPolitics' Nightcap newsletter said it really well: At "Spicer's first briefing, one word stood out: Demoralizing."
Trump and his media allies have repeatedly said that he won thanks to the support of the "forgotten men and women" all across the country. On Monday I sensed a related POV coming from Spicer -- that these people are now disrespected.
Seemingly lumping all of the American media together, Spicer said "the default narrative is always negative" about Trump, and it is "demoralizing..." | | | I asked W.H. Correspondents Association president Jeff Mason for his read on Monday's briefing -- here's what he said -- "It was a positive thing that he was able to call on a lot of reporters. And overall the access today at the White House has been good. There have been multiple pool sprays, which is encouraging. We still have many issues to work on, but that was a positive step." | | | Six in one day! The visuals sent very clear Trump-at-work messages... | | | Brian Lowry emails: The back-and-forth between Spicer and ABC's Jonathan Karl about the inauguration audience should be instructive for reporters going forward. Karl clearly wasn't prepared to debate the apples-and-oranges comparison that Spicer offered, which conflated online video starts into overall viewing. To be fair, relatively few reporters are well versed in such minutia. But in the same way lawyers are instructed not to ask questions they don't know the answer to, reporters covering the Trump administration probably shouldn't ask a question on a topic like that unless they know what an accurate answer might be, as opposed to what qualifies as a way of spinning it... | | -- Jake Tapper's intro on "The Lead" Monday afternoon: "Here's an alternate fact, I'm Wolf Blitzer, and you're in the Situation Room..."
-- Today's "huh?" headline: "O'Reilly on Trump-Press 'War:' Only Reason to Bring Up Crowd Sizes Was to 'Embarrass' Trump" (Mediaite)
-- Fox's newest contributor is former State Dept spokeswoman Marie Harf... (Hot Air)
-- Alexandra Steigrad scoops: "Conde Nast said to be quietly exploring company sale as it preps for company reorganization this week..." (WWD) | | Muir scores first interview with POTUS | | | ABC's David Muir will tape an interview with President Trump on Wednesday... Trump's first since taking office... There was a tweet on Monday saying Sean Hannity actually had the first interview, but it was incorrect. ABC will air Muir's sit-down as a prime time special Wednesday at 10pm ET... | | "SNL" writer suspended over 'insensitive' tweet about Barron Trump | | | Frank Pallotta emails: Katie Rich, a writer for "Saturday Night Live," has been suspended indefinitely for a tweet that ridiculed President Trump's youngest son. Rich ultimately deleted the tweet that she made on Friday as well as her entire Twitter account, which she then reactivated on Monday in order to post an apology. "I sincerely apologize for the insensitive tweet," Rich tweeted. "I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I'm so sorry." We're not going to repeat the tweet... | | Alec Baldwin hosting "SNL" next month | | | More from Frank: Speaking of "SNL," Alec Baldwin will host the show on February 11... His 17th time as host, which is an "SNL" record... | | -- Interesting data from Quartz's Christopher Groskopf: "1 in 5 American newspapers ignored the #WomensMarch..." (Quartz)
-- "The reporter and editor responsible for publishing a much-derided NYT story about fathers are sorry for running the article..." (HuffPost)
-- Happy tenth anniversary to "The" Politico... (Politico)
-- NYT's Quentin Hardy is joining Google as the "head of editorial at Google Cloud..." | | Mark Halperin has left Bloomberg Politics | | | Via Dylan Byers: "I am no longer with Bloomberg Politics," Mark Halperin wrote in an email to friends and associates on Monday. "I will have more updates soon on 2017 and beyond, but you might want to follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Just in case." Halperin and John Heilemann's show ceased day-to-day broadcasts in December and officially ended with Donald Trump's inauguration, but the company had previously suggested the two might stay on as contributors or columnists... Read more... | | Ajit Pai officially named FCC chairamn | | On Monday afternoon Trump appointed Ajit Pai, currently the senior GOP commissioner at the FCC, to be chairman of the agency. The promotion "does not require Senate approval" since he's already a commissioner, CNNMoney's Seth Fiegerman reports. "However, he will need to be reconfirmed by the Senate before the end of this year because his current five-year term as a commissioner expires..."
-- Why this matters: "The agency has the authority to block major media mergers, revoke broadcast licenses and regulate Internet providers. Pai is known for being an outspoken critic of the net neutrality rules..." | | "1984" on Amazon's best sellers list | | I was half-joking when I wondered aloud if George Orwell's "1984" was seeing a sales bump thanks to #AlternativeFacts and all the subsequent references to Orwell. Turns out it wasn't a joke at all. On Monday afternoon "1984" (first published in 1949) was #6 on Amazon's updated-every-hour list of best selling books. I just checked again, and it is #5 now...
-- Flashback: Sunday's "Reliable Sources:" WashPost reporter Karen Tumulty said #AlternativeFacts is "a George Orwell phrase..." | | Politico's Josh Dawsey wrote this on Sunday: "One person who frequently talks to Trump said aides have to push back privately against his worst impulses in the White House... and have to control information that may infuriate him. He gets bored and likes to watch TV, this person said, so it is important to minimize that." Alex Weprin responded: "Trump is probably first president that is a real avid consumer of cable news. Obama and Bush preferred sports."
NYMag columnist/Trump critic Jonathan Chait added: "His addiction to television reinforces other character weaknesses: his wild mood swings and irritability...." | | Dylan Byers emails: Journalists have spent several weeks in a state of apprehension over President Trump's treatment of the press... But in recent days, two very insightful writers have called for calm:
ROSS DOUTHAT fears that "the press may be tempted toward — and richly rewarded for — a kind of hysterical oppositionalism, a mirroring of Trump's own tabloid style and disregard for truth.... The danger for the established press... is the same danger facing other institutions in our republic: that while believing themselves to be nobly resisting Trump, they end up imitating him."
JACK SHAFER calls on journalists to stop hyperventilating and just do their jobs: "Extraordinary times like these call for normal measures: The meticulous, aggressive, and calm presentation of the news," he writes. "It is unseemly and counterproductive for journalists to sulk every time the Trump administration yanks their chain. Satisfying, yes, but unseemly and counterproductive." | | | Dylan Byers emails: The problem with Ben's argument is he didn't help clarify confusion, he added to confusion. Reporting that Obama/Trump were briefed on documents alleging X (as CNN did) allows the public to know that this is something intelligence forces take seriously/are looking into... Publishing documents without any verification (as BuzzFeed did) only makes things messier and more uncertain, and it makes people feel like they can't trust what they read in the news because there's no line between the proven and the unproven... | | Oscars nominations in the morning! | | | Entertainment editor Megan Thomas emails: Nominations for the 89th Academy Awards will be announced at 5:18 a.m. PT/8:18 a.m. ET Tuesday... | | "Zoolander 2" leads the "Razzies" nominations | | | Lisa France emails: Every year the Razzies announce their nominations for the worst in Hollywood the day before the Academy Awards announce their noms for the best. For the first time this year the Oscar nominations won't be live, but the Razzies were: the group announced their top categories with me Monday morning on CNN's Facebook account. "Zoolander 2" led with 9 Razzie nominations... Check out the rest here... | | | Your "Star Wars" title is... | | | Frank Pallotta emails: That sound you hear is my heart going into light speed. After months of speculation, "Star Wars" fans like myself have finally got a title for the next chapter in the Skywalker saga: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Disney announced the title on Monday morning which left fans wondering, what could "Last Jedi" possibly mean??? Will Luke Skywalker be okay?!! I guess we'll have to wait until December to see, but as our own KFile editor, Kyle Blaine pointed out, "Like fish, Jedi can be plural," so maybe there's hope for Luke... | | | Colbert hosting the Emmys | | Chloe Melas emails: The announcement came late Monday afternoon, and it was notably mostly for Stephen Colbert's not so subtle jab at Trump and Spicer: "This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period. Both in person and around the globe."
-- Mark your calendar: The Emmy Awards are on September 17... | | -- More from Chloe: Luke Bryan will be singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl LI...
-- More from Lisa: Madonna says she was speaking "metaphorically" when, during the #WomensMarch in D.C., she talked about wanting to blow up the White House. Newt Gingrich said on Fox Monday morning that she ought to be arrested for it... Read more...
-- Brian Lowry emails: Lead-ins matter: CBS used the AFC championship game Sunday to launch "Hunted," a new unscripted competition that turns ordinary people into wanted fugitives seeking to evade capture. Result: 11.8 million viewers, and the biggest premiere for a reality show in terms of young-adult demographics since 2011. Cautionary note: That previous high was recorded by Fox's "X Factor," which didn't last very long... | | | Catch up on Sunday's "Reliable Sources" | | | Can you answer any of these questions? | | On Sunday's "Reliable," my essay consisted of a series of questions. Here are some of them…
Will President Trump deny reality on a daily basis? Will he make up his own false facts and fake stats? If so, what will the consequences be?
Will reporters give up trying to fact-check? Is that the goal — to wear us down, to wear us out? Is the Trump administration creating confusion and sowing division on purpose? Is the idea to force voters to choose between reporters and the commander in chief —- to cast doubt on the media — so much doubt that you just give up and trust nothing?
Is Trump gas-lighting us, trying to manipulate, make you doubt your own eyes? Does he know what gas-lighting means?
Will Trump use federal agencies to twist the truth? Will we be able to trust the data, the statistics, the #'s this government provides? As CNN's Jim Sciutto said Saturday night, "What if Donald Trump orders troops into battle and they die... Do we trust the White House to speak about that honestly?"
What about the media -- is Trump just trying to twist us into knots? Is it working? Or is there an end goal? Do Trump's allies want to silence skeptics in the media? Destroy the press? Support an alternative press that presents an alternative reality that's more favorable?
What can newsrooms do to help you know what's really going on? Will conservative media outlets play along with Trump's lies? Will they claim he is telling the truth? Or will conservative outlets respect their readers enough to call B.S. on B.S.?
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