| | | | CNN's scoop; Spicer's response | | By now you've probably seen CNN's latest scoop: "For the first time, US investigators say they have corroborated some of the communications detailed in a 35-page dossier compiled by a former British intelligence agent." Jim Sciutto and Evan Perez's story is attributed to "multiple current and former US law enforcement and intelligence officials."
I'd like to highlight Sean Spicer's statement in response to the story: "We continue to be disgusted by CNN's fake news reporting." Later, he elaborated: "This is more fake news. It is about time CNN focused on the success the President has had bringing back jobs, protecting the nation, and strengthening relationships with Japan and other nations."
-- Kellyanne Conway should remind Spicer that CNN is not in the "fake news" business...
-- Erik Wemple's take: "The response from officialdom aligns with an authoritarian's refusal to face facts..." | | Assad clings to "fake news" | | Yahoo's Michael Isikoff sat down with Syrian president Bashar Assad in Damascus and showed him "new evidence of torture and mass hangings in one of his military prisons."
How did Assad respond? By claiming that Amnesty International had fabricated the pictures. "You can forge anything these days... We are living in a fake news era," he said. Read more... | | | President Trump surprised the press pool by greeting them on Air Force One en route to Florida. Then he surprised them again by saying he wasn't aware of the WashPost's bombshell story about Michael Flynn's sanctions talks with the Russian ambassador. The NYT matched the deeply-sourced story and the cable newsers covered it throughout the day. But when Trump was asked to respond, he said "I don't know about that. I haven't seen it. What report is that? I haven't seen that. I'll look into that." | | Source of this morning's POTUS tweet... | | | Earlier in the day, it sure did seem like Trump was watching some cable news. He tweeted out a quote from the Lawfare blog just 12 minutes after the exact same quote was read aloud on MSNBC's "Morning Joe..." | | Politics + culture colliding | | | It's going to be a busy weekend... | | Most anticipated "SNL" episode of the year | | Frank Pallotta emails his latest:
As of this Saturday, Alec Baldwin will have hosted "SNL" 17 times, more than anyone else in the show's history. But it's this latest stint that may end up defining Baldwin's legacy in Studio 8H. That's because he will likely once again don a yellow wig and become President Trump, and Trump will most likely be watching.
"SNL" has always been political, but "the fact that the president has engaged with the show the way he has makes it very, very different," Jim Miller, who wrote the definitive "SNL" oral history, told me. CNN's Bill Carter agrees, but said it goes beyond just Trump. "I think 'Saturday Night Live' is taking up the mantle of being the voice of the opposition," Carter said...
>> So what will happen Saturday night? Will Melissa McCarthy show up again? Will Trump tweet about it? We'll have to wait and see. But one thing is for certain, both Baldwin and Trump have made "SNL" great again... | | | More from Frank: You don't need to go any further than the ratings to see the impact that "SNL" is having right now. So far this season, "SNL" is averaging 7.4 million viewers an episode on a same-day basis, according to NBC. Add in those who watch via DVR within a week and that number jumps to 10.6 million, "SNL's" biggest audience in 22 years. So much for Trump's calls of canceling the show... | | | An all-Trump show? Don't bet on it | | | Frank adds: With Baldwin hosting, it's not out of the realm of possibility that "SNL" could fill its 90 minutes with Trump, Trump, and more Trump. But that's a heavy lift, even for "SNL." "Alec could no doubt pull it off, but I doubt it," Miller said. "It's really important that this stuff be smart and funny, so rather than get up there and do five sketches that are singles and doubles, you probably want to do one or two that will be home runs." | | Sandra Gonzalez reports:
Grammy Awards host James Corden has some plans and surprises in store for Sunday night's show, but he's aware they could change at a moment's notice. The "Late Late Show" host told CNN he intends to keep the night "fun," but won't shy away from political themes if news of the day feels necessary to address.
"The Grammys are on Sunday, and with this current news cycle, we could be a different world by tonight, so it's impossible to say," Corden said when asked what role politics will play in the night. "I think it's naïve, in a way, to just keep banging the same drum every day, so you want to be reactive to what's happening, but only if something's actually happening."
Remember, LL Cool J has hosted this awards show for the last five years, so it's a big night for Corden... Read more from Sandra here... | | John Oliver is back from his long holiday | | | Sunday night, HBO, after the Grammys... Oliver spoke with Dave Itzkoff about post-inauguration plans... | | | And while we're on the subject of weekend TV... | | Sunday on "Reliable Sources" | | | Our guest list for Sunday includes Newsmax CEO/Trump confidant Chris Ruddy, Obama W.H. vet Dan Pfeiffer, DC Examiner W.H. correspondent Sarah Westwood, NYT editorial page editor James Bennet, the FT's Murdoch scoop-meister Matthew Garrahan, plus... | | A must-see interview with Andrew Sullivan | | | I taped with NYMag contributing editor Andrew Sullivan this afternoon. It's a rare TV appearance by him... and it comes on the heels of this NYMag column, the first in a new weekly series about "Trump's America." He says we are living through an emergency. Take my word for it, you're going to want to see this interview... Sunday, 11am ET, CNN... | | A.G. Sulzberger on the cover of Wired mag | | | And here's one more reason to tune in: Gabriel Snyder will join me to reveal his cover story in the March issue of WIRED. The theme of the issue, "The News in Crisis," is displayed on the cover in a very New York Times-ian font, and NYT deputy publisher A.G. Sulzberger is pictured... | | -- BuzzFeed reporters in the UK and France took a look at Russia Today's expansion in France... (BuzzFeed)
-- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has stopped funding a magazine critical of Russia, though the decision is "said to predate Trump's win," Michael Calderone reports... (HuffPost)
-- The NYT's Sunday Styles section checks out what Kurt Bardella has been doing with his Morning Hangover Tipsheet... (NYT)
-- Weekend reading: The Economist's latest deep dive: "Mass entertainment in the digital age is still about blockbusters, not endless choice" | | What the two presser Q's had in common | | Presidents sometimes only take two questions from the U.S. press during joint pressers with foreign leaders. That's what Friday's session with the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was -- a "two and two."
But it was unusual because, as Politico's Jake Sherman noted on Twitter, Trump "only answered questions from U.S. outlets owned by Rupert Murdoch." First the NYPost, then Fox Business. CNBC's John Harwood reacted to the eyebrow-raising this way: "Doesn't much matter who POTUS calls on at news conferences so long as questions are good. NY Post and Fox reporters asked good questions." Fodder for Sunday's "Reliable Sources," for sure... | | Tom Kludt and I wrote a curtain-raiser for WSJ editor Gerry Baker's Monday town hall meeting. Get caught up on the concern over the Journal's Trump coverage and other issues here...
-- Pull quote: Lately, the "open speculation that Journal coverage has grown way too favorable for Trump" has grown louder, an anonymous staffer says... | | Charlie Rose is recovering | | | Great news via CBS News: "We're happy to report 'CBS This Morning' co-host Charlie Rose's heart surgery Thursday to replace a heart valve went very well. He is resting comfortably as he recovers, and he says he's excited to get back to work soon..." | | Josh Elliott "untethered from the anchor desk" | | | That's what a CBS insider says this move is about. Josh Elliott announced on Friday "that he will be leaving the CBSN daytime anchor's chair," per TVNewser. A news division spokeswoman says "Josh is going to be taking field assignments and reporting long form pieces as well. He will appear across CBS News programs, including CBSN." | | Amy Chozick's book project | | Friday's Playbook broke the news that the NYT's Clinton campaign correspondent Amy Chozick is taking a long book leave and writing a "political memoir" about her experience. "Harper Collins plans to publish the book next year."
A few more details: This deal was in the works before anyone knew the outcome of the election and was based on a lengthy proposal shown to a small group of editors. David McCormick (who worked with Andrew Ross Sorkin on "Too Big To Fail") was the agent and Jonathan Jao, VP and exec editor at Harper Collins (who just edited "Hillbilly Elegy"), is the editor of the still untitled memoir... | | | CNNMoney's Heather Long noticed that three U.S. companies are trying to trademark the term "fake news:" "One of the applications is from the animation team behind 'The Simpsons.' Another is from the group behind the popular game Cards Against Humanity. The third application is for printing the words "fake news" on T-shirts and other clothing items... | | Social media news consumption leads to "source blindness" | | "Reliable Sources" intern Beverly Danquah emails: A Pew report released Thursday examined the way more than 2,000 U.S. adults find and consume news during an average week. The study asked participants twice a day for a week about where they got their news, and asked them to describe the experience. The study found that:
1. Participants who answered "Facebook" couldn't remember which specific news outlet produced the news they consumed
2. Younger news consumers had less source awareness
3. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of online news consumers had one preferred pathway for getting most of their online news
What do you think -- some disturbing stats for media companies? Here's the full report... | | "Trump's Dangerous 'Dishonest' Message to the Troops" | | | "It's politics when a candidate disparages 'the media.' But it's potentially dangerous when the commander in chief tells U.S. troops not to trust the reporters who cover them." Don't miss this commentary by Kevin Baron, a longtime Pentagon reporter who's now the exec editor of Defense One... | | "Has Donald Trump Taken Over Media Reporting?" | | | ...Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke asks in this new WWD story. Since you're reading this newsletter, you must care about the media beat, so check out her story about the pros and cons of all this Trump-focused coverage... | | Trump + the best seller lists | | | On Thursday's "Reliable Sources Livecast" -- our new lunchtime live stream -- I talked with Pamela Paul, the editor of the NYT Book Review, about various books that are enjoying spikes in sales thanks to the Trump presidency. We talked about "Hillbilly Elegy," "1984," "The Art of the Deal," and many more... Here's the 15-minute podcast... | | | Sandra Gonzalez reports: Thursdays are going to continue to be busy nights for your DVR. ABC has renewed its entire Shonda Rhimes-produced #TGIT lineup -- "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder" -- for new seasons. Read more... | | -- Via Chloe Melas: John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sting and Justin Timberlake are set to perform at this year's Oscars. To find out what they'll be singing, read here...
-- More from Chloe: Shia LaBeouf's anti-Trump live stream was shut down Friday by the Museum of the Moving Image in NYC after they decided it was a "public safety hazard..."
-- Via Lisa France: Kevin Smith is bringing some beloved characters back. The actor/director announced that he has a new "Jay and Silent Bob" script he hopes to begin filming in the summer...
-- One more from Lisa: "This is Him" with no facial hair. "This is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia is clean shaven now and fans are freaking out a little bit. Are we about to get a flash back on the series to his character pre-wife and kids? The actor hinted that might be the case. .. | | ICYMI: Lowry's weekend movie reviews | | Brian Lowry emails: Hat tip to LATimes film critic Justin Chang for this line, but weekend movie-going presents a choice between "two comedies about playboy-billionaire leather fetishists." Of those, "The Lego Batman Movie," while not wholly satisfying, is far superior to "Fifty Shades Darker," which (and I seldom say this) I saw so you don't have to...
>> Read Lowry's reviews of "Lego Batman" and "50 Shades" here... | | | What do you like about this newsletter? What do you dislike? Send your feedback to reliablesources@cnn.com. We appreciate every email. See you tomorrow... | |  | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. | | | Get Reliable Sources, a comprehensive summary of the most important media news, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. | | | | | |
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