Spears stuns in court; Hong Kong's 'forbidden fruit'; BuzzFeed prepares to go public; NBC previews Olympics strategy; inside Comcast's streaming plans; Conan's final show

View this email in your browser.

Share it on Facebook or Twitter.

Subscribe here.

Oliver Darcy here at 11:15pm ET Wednesday. In this edition: Apple Daily will shut down; emails reveal tension between Biden campaign and Facebook; BuzzFeed prepares to go public; Washingtonian staffers announce intent to unionize; and NBC previews its Tokyo Olympic plans. But first...

Spears stuns in court

"I truly never expected what we heard from Britney in court today," New York Times reporter Joe Coscarelli, who has been covering Britney Spears' conservatorship for years, tweeted Wednesday night, following the pop icon's shocking testimony in court.

Coscarelli summed up the testimony succinctly, writing for The Times: "Britney Spears told a Los Angeles judge on Wednesday that she has been drugged, compelled to work against her will and prevented from removing her birth control device over the past 13 years as she pleaded with the court to end her father's legal control of her life."

The testimony not only stunned Coscarelli. Social media lit up. Celebrities spoke out. And politicos on both sides of the aisle seemed to actually agree on something: that the system of justice had failed Spears. CNN's Chloe Melas has a full summary here...

"I just want my life back"

In court, Spears pleaded with the judge for 24 minutes to help her. "I've been in shock. I am traumatized," she said. "I just want my life back." Variety published a full transcript of her remarks. Here are a few key excerpts:

>> She's misled the public: "I've lied and told the whole world I'm OK and I'm happy. It's a lie. I thought just maybe I said that enough. Because I've been in denial. I've been in shock ... But now I'm telling you the truth, OK? I'm not happy. I can't sleep. I'm so angry. It's insane. And I'm depressed. I cry every day..."

>> She's had birth control forced on her: "I have a (IUD) inside of myself right now so I don't get pregnant. I wanted to take the (IUD) out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won't let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don't want me to have children..."

>> She was forced to take lithium by her therapist: "He put me on that and I felt drunk. I couldn't even have a conversation with my mom or dad really about anything. I told him I was scared..."

>> She believes her father should be in jail: "My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management who played a huge role in punishing me when I said no ... they should be in jail..."

The documentaries clearly made a difference

As NBC's Suzanne Ciechalski wrote, "Spears' conservatorship has been the subject of heightened scrutiny over the last year since the release of multiple documentaries examining her career, including the New York Times' 'Framing Britney Spears' and the BBC's 'The Battle for Britney: Fans, Cash and a Conservatorship.'" The NYT film, which rolled out via FX and Hulu on February, was a wake-up call for a whole lot of people...

Celebs siding with Spears

>> Spears' ex Justin Timberlake: "After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time. Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was… what's happening to her is just not right. No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body."

>> Khloe Kardashian tweeted the #FreeBritney hashtag and said, "No one should be treated like this. Stay strong Queen!! You deserve better..."

>> Mariah Carey: "We love you Britney!!! Stay strong ❤️❤️❤️"

>> Halsey: "Bless Britney and I hope with my whole heart she is awarded freedom from this abusive system. She deserves it more than anything. I admire her courage speaking up for herself today..."

McGowan rails against "monsters in power" on Tucker

This was unexpected: Tucker Carlson opened his show saying that Rose McGowan wanted to appear on his program to "talk about something." Eventually, McGowan did appear -- and the topic she wanted to discuss was Spears' conservatorship. McGowan called Spears' testimony a "cultural landmark moment" while railing against the "monsters in power who control the puppets." McGowan blamed Hollywood and the "media machine" which she said are "rotten to their core" for what has happened to Spears -- comments that no doubt played well with Carlson's viewers...

Spears didn't just blaze a trail...

Lisa Respers France writes: "When Spears donned a school girl uniform for the music video for her hit 'Baby One More Time' in 1999 she was very quickly dubbed 'The Princess of Pop.' It was the year of the boy bands with 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys and N'Sync scoring hits. And while girl groups like Destiny's Child and TLC were also running up the charts, Spears brought something different with her girl-next-door-who's-unafraid to be a little edgy image. These days young women owning their sexuality and their agency is common place, but back then it was a scandal — made even more so by a now famous 1999 Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring Spears. Back then she was demonized, hunted by paparazzi and had her mental health damaged by fame — something we are much more aware of and concerned about these days. Spears not only blazed a trail, she might just make us better humans..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- One of WaPo's Thursday front page headlines: "Court backs cheerleader in free-speech dispute." CNN has further coverage of the SCOTUS ruling here...

-- The NYC mayoral primary, 24 hours later: "Eric Adams Takes Lead On Primary Night With First Ranked-Choice Tally One Week Away," Gothamist says. So pack your patience, like Stelter wrote a couple of days ago...

-- "The post-reopening murder wave is about to become a major subject of conversation," CNN's Zachary B. Wolf writes. Indeed, you can already see this emerging in national news coverage...

-- NYT's Alexander Burns: "Facing rising homicides and G.O.P. attacks on liberal criminal-justice policies, Democrats are rallying around a politically potent cause: funding the police..."

THURSDAY PLANNER

Stelter will be talking with Jonathan Capehart at a Washington Post Live event at 12:30pm ET... Click here to register for free...

In the afternoon, President Biden flies to NC for an event to urge vaccinations...

In the evening, Conan O'Brien hosts his last regular show... Scroll down for details...

"Forbidden fruit"

"One year was all it took for a Beijing-imposed National Security Law to take down Hong Kong's largest and loudest pro-democracy newspaper."

That's how CNN's Jenni Marsh framed the announcement that Apple Daily will publish its final issue on Thursday. The news comes after the paper's accounts were frozen following the raid on its offices and the arrest of key executives.

NYT's Austin Ramzy and Tiffany May reported that "the forced closure of Apple Daily struck a blow to the unique character of the city itself," writing, "The paper churned out stories on celebrity gossip and lurid scandals, as well as hard-hitting political news and analysis, always with a decidedly antigovernment slant and an irreverence antithetical to what the Communist Party would allow in the mainland." One restaurant supervisor who displayed the paper in a window told NYT, "I didn't think Apple Daily would become forbidden fruit. It feels like the end of an era..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Matt Gertz dissects the "feedback loop the conservative movement is using against 'critical race theory.'" Gertz notes CRT has "taken center stage over the last few months, garnering more than 1,300 Fox mentions along with seemingly endless coverage across the constellation of right-wing news sites..." (MMFA)

-- Colby Hall on Tucker Carlson's attacks on Don Lemon: "How does Fox News continue to allow this divisive and nakedly racist bullshit on its air?" (Mediaite)

-- Brian Lowry writes: "An excellent column from Charlie Sykes explaining how the seemingly annual summer shark-scare coverage mirrors the GOP's embrace of the strategy (long employed by conservative media) of seizing upon extraordinarily rare events and heightening the fear factor around them..." (Bulwark)

-- "A federal appeals court on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's decision dismissing Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax's defamation lawsuit against CBS over interviews the network aired in 2019 with two women accusing Fairfax of sexual assault," Laura Vozzella reports... (WaPo)

-- Erik Wemple says that Dean Baquet "keeps using the same cliché" when defending his reporters. Make sure to stick around for the kicker in his column... (WaPo)

Emails show tension between Facebook and Biden campaign

"People working with Joe Biden's presidential campaign repeatedly warned Facebook about violent campaign-related rhetoric on its platform during the heat of the 2020 election, but a series of email exchanges reveals how the social media giant sometimes brushed them off," CNN's Donie O'Sullivan and Dan Merica reported Wednesday.

O'Sullivan and Merica obtained a cache of emails that showed "just how worried Democrats had become about misinformation on Facebook as Election Day approached -- and how frustrated they were with Facebook's response." More here...

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- "FB's plan to clean up News Feed for brands involves categorizing up to 1.8 billion daily users for their 'propensity' to share political posts, and then to give advertisers the option to avoid targeting those accounts..." (AdAge)

-- "Facebook's recommendation algorithm amplifies military propaganda and other material that breaches the company's own policies in Myanmar following a military takeover in February, a new report by the rights group Global Witness says..." (AP)

-- "Twitter's iOS app has been updated to let anyone quickly and easily share tweets to their Instagram Story..." (The Verge)

-- "It seems that nobody is talking about Clubhouse," Paul Resnikoff observes, asking whether the app's time has come and gone. "Instead, we're mainly covering the news of Clubhouse clones being launched by Facebook, Spotify, and Twitter, instead of covering Clubhouse itself..." (DMN)

COMING ON THURSDAY?

BuzzFeed preparing to go public

"BuzzFeed Inc. is close to a deal to go public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, according to people familiar with the situation, part of a plan to consolidate with other players in digital media," the WSJ's Ben Mullin scooped Wednesday. Per Mullin, Jonah Peretti "could announce a deal with 890 5th Avenue Partners — a blank-check company named after the headquarters of Marvel's Avengers superheroes and founded by investor Adam Rothstein — as early as this week..."

Washingtonian staffers announce intent to unionize

Kerry Flynn writes: "The editorial staff of Washingtonian announced on Wednesday their intention to form a union with the NewsGuild and said they are seeking fair compensation, a healthy office culture and a diverse and inclusive newsroom. This news comes about six weeks after Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill threatened to reclassify her employees as contractors if they didn't return to the office. The union is asking for voluntary recognition. Merrill declined to comment..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

By Kerry Flynn:

-- Rick Edmonds analyzed the latest Reuters Institute digital news report which found the US ranked last in media trust... (Poynter)

-- The Charlotte Ledger, a 2-year-old Substack newsletter, is on track to generate $175,000 in annual revenue, founder Tony Mecia says... (Axios)

-- "75+ outlets closed and 50 more were affected by mergers throughout the pandemic. But are consolidated newspapers inherently a bad thing? Hudson Valley's Ulster Publishing doesn't think so," Gabby Miller tweeted about her latest... (CJR)

-- CNN has established a new Climate team, with Angela Fritz as senior editor, John Keefe as senior data and visuals editor, Angela Dewan as international editor, Ella Nilsen as Washington reporter, and Rachel Ramirez as general assignment writer... (Adweek)

NBC previews Tokyo Olympics plans

One month ahead of the Summer Olympics, questions continue to mount about how NBC will cover the pandemic as it relates to the sporting event. NBC held a curtain-raiser event for the press corps on Wednesday; announced the commentator lineups; and promised a staggering amount of TV coverage, regardless of Covid. Execs said the network will certainly not brush the pandemic under the proverbial rug. "You won't be able to avoid acknowledging that we are still in what's hopefully the tail end of this horrible chapter in the world's history," NBCUniversal chairman Mark Lazarus said, per Alex Weprin's story for THR. "We will not ignore it, much like we don't ignore anything that goes on during the games." Lazarus said NBC's top news anchors will be on the ground "to cover news as it may impact not only the games, but the outside world as well..."

>> Savannah Guthrie and Mike Tirico will host Opening Ceremony coverage, per Wednesday's big unveil....

>> And here is the complete list of hosts, correspondents, and commentators, from Shep Smith to Amber Ruffin to Tony Hawk to Julie Foudy...

Inside Comcast's streaming plans

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is "wrestling with whether to build or buy to become a streaming powerhouse," the WSJ's Lillian Rizzo wrote Wednesday. Citing people close to Roberts, she says he "doesn't feel a need to seek a merger. But he is scoping out options, and ideas on the table include a potential tie-up with ViacomCBS or an acquisition of Roku." He's also working to "make Comcast a rival to Roku and Amazon in delivering streaming apps into living rooms, just as it has long delivered cable TV channels." There's lots of news here...

>> Shares in both ViacomCBS and Roku popped after the story hit, TheWrap notes...

Lowry's take

Brian Lowry writes: "Rizzo's story also highlighted the robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul problem of taking programming from established broadcast and cable networks to feed the company's streaming service, Peacock. As it stands, Peacock has relied on acquisitions, to the point where if you outlawed British accents their original programming profile would be considerably lighter..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- "Valerie Biden Owens, Joe's younger sister and one of his closest confidants, is writing a memoir," Alex Thompson and Tina Sfondeles report... (Politico)

-- The Room Rater creators announced they will be publishing "The Official Room Rater Handbook..." (Twitter)

-- Axios published an excerpt from "Nightmare Scenario," the book by WaPo's Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta. The excerpt says Trump hoped Covid would "take out" John Bolton... (Axios)

-- And a correction: In the previous letter, I said the Nashville crowd boo'd Jill Biden as she talked about low vaccination rates in Tennessee. I misread the USA Today story. The crowd boo'd with Biden, not at her. Apologies for getting that wrong...

AMEX's magazine gets digital refresh

Kerry Flynn writes: "AMEX unveiled a new Departures. The longtime print brand has gone digital-first like much of the magazine industry, though Trevor Guthrie, whose ad agency Giant Spoon led the relaunch, told me that 'print is still on the table' along with podcasts. The refreshed website features insightful articles, locked behind a paywall for Platinum and Centurion cardholders. The content is a nice perk, but AMEX exec Andy Goldberg teased future plans for one-click purchasing of travel or other items after reading related articles. The goal is for cardholders to see AMEX as a 'trustworthy guide, frankly, as the world comes back,' Goldberg said..."

"Sexy Beasts" is important to Netflix. Seriously

Frank Pallotta emails: "More fever dream than dating competition, 'Sexy Beasts' is the latest reality series from Netflix. The show, which debuts July 21, released its first trailer on Wednesday. On its surface, 'Sexy Beasts' seems pretty straightforward, with those looking for love going out on blind dates. The twist is that the contestants don't know what their would-be love match looks like since they're all in makeup and costumes, decked out as everything from demons to aliens to insects. Netflix isn't going for a niche audience, it wants to provide everything for everyone. And as ridiculous as it might seem, reality TV shows like 'Sexy Beasts' are a big component of that..."

On deck: Conan's last show

Brian Lowry writes: "Conan O'Brien hosts his last regular show Thursday on TBS. And beyond sharing a joint on-air with Seth Rogen, he spoke to Vulture's Josef Adalian about his long strange trip, including this observation: 'I think more than civilians, the media likes a late-night war. It's kind of easy to understand, and you can have take after take on who's up and who's down. I was caught up in all that...'"

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- "ViacomCBS on Wednesday unveiled its content leadership structure for its global streaming services. The moves include appointing Tanya Giles, currently GM of MTV Entertainment Group, as 'a centralized programming head' to oversee content strategy for Paramount+ and Pluto TV globally..." (Deadline)

-- Harrison Ford sustained a shoulder injury on the set of 'Indiana Jones 5,' requiring the actor to take a hiatus from filming while treatment is evaluated..." (Variety)

-- Ann Dowd talks about "her nuanced villain and talks about her upcoming involvement in the sequel series, Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 'The Testaments...'" (THR)

-- Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert mocked Trump after a Daily Beast report revealed he tried using the levers of gov't to punish them... (THR)

-- The "Karen" trailer about a racist White woman who terrorizes her Black neighbors set off complaints that it copied Jordan Peele's 2017 hit film "Get Out," Lisa Respers France reports... (CNN)

-- Another one from Lisa: Michael B. Jordan has apologized after his new rum venture was accused of cultural appropriation... (CNN)

Lowry recommends "Chasing Childhood"

Brian Lowry writes: "Recommended: 'Chasing Childhood,' a documentary about whether children are A) oversubscribed in terms of structured activities; B) overly pressured at an early age, with an eye on college; and C) overprotected, in classic 'helicopter parents' fashion. You might not agree with everything in this documentary, which begins Thursday with a virtual premiere in advance of a wide Watch Now @ Home Cinema Release on June 25. But the 80-minute film – directed by Margaret Munzer Loeb and Eden Wurmfeld – will prompt most parents to think about their own behavior and where they stand on these questions..."