Harris' office vexed with 'The View'; Spears back in court; Ozy launches probe; Facebook whistleblower to testify; Murdoch's 'Succession' birthday; 'No Time to Die' review

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Oliver Darcy here at 11:01pm ET on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Here's the latest on General Mark Milley, Stephanie Grisham, Britney Spears, Carlos Watson, Rupert Murdoch, Jason Kilar, Ryan Seacrest, and many more. But first...

VP's office vexed after "The View" fiasco

The office of Vice President Kamala Harris is vexed with ABC's "The View" after the false Covid-19 positive tests revealed just before Harris was to appear on the show last week sent the program into chaos. That's according to sources whom I spoke with throughout the day on Tuesday who explained the frustration playing out behind the scenes.

Here's what has the VP's office irked: Harris' office required that the hosts of "The View" all take a PCR test within 24 hours of their interview with the VP. And a rep for show suggested to the VP's office the night before Harris' appearance that the tests had, in fact, come back negative, according to a source familiar. "All clear" were the words relayed to Harris' office, the source explained.

Which is all to say that Harris and her staff didn't learn the truth — that the tests had not all in fact come back negative — until the dramatic moment on live TV when co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were abruptly pulled from the set as the nation watched. Here's my full story...

Stringent standards

Hosts on "The View" are regularly tested for Covid-19 — at least twice each week, sources told me. That's a fairly high standard, given that the hosts are all vaccinated. These sources stressed that the ABC talk show does take significant precautions to ensure the safety of its staff.

And to satisfy the requirement put in place by Harris' office, each of the hosts underwent an expedited PCR test in the afternoon following Thursday's show. But something clearly went wrong, given the results were not evidently made available to the show until moments before the VP was set to appear on set. Exactly what went wrong? That's the million dollar question...

"Deeply concerned"

After it was suddenly revealed Friday morning that was not the case, Harris' team was left puzzled and seeking answers about what happened, I'm told. But, according to a source, "The View" has not been forthcoming with the VP's office. As the source told me, Harris' staff is "deeply concerned" about the situation.

And it's not just the VP's office that has been irked by all of this. Sources told me that ABC News President Kim Godwin, who was in attendance for the taping, has been embarrassed by the whole fiasco. The drama playing out is certainly coming at a bad time for Godwin, who is already trying to get her arms around the fallout from allegations of sexual assault at "GMA..."

>> I should note: ABC declined to comment for my story, despite multiple requests...

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

IN OTHER NEWS...

-- Top story Tuesday night on NYT's homepage: "Yellen warns of 'catastrophic' consequences from debt limit breach..." (NYT)

-- Atop WaPo's homepage: "Military leaders, refusing to fault Biden, say troop withdrawal ensured Afghanistan's collapse..." (WaPo)

-- And over at the Capital Gazette: "Capital Gazette gunman sentenced to five life terms without parole for killing five in newsroom shooting..." (Capital Gazette)

What's going on in Congress?

If you're an average news consumer, it's very possible that you have no clue what is taking place on Capitol Hill. Even professional journalists are having a hard time keeping up. CBS' Wesley Lowery was up front about this on Tuesday: "I (briefly) covered Congress, but need to admit I've had absolutely no ability to comprehend any of the 72 things seemingly happening (well...not happening? I think) on the Hill during the last few weeks."

Others have also continued to voice similar concerns about the coverage. "I'm a broken record here, but whatever is happening on Capitol Hill right now is functionally incomprehensible to anyone whose full-time job isn't paying attention to it," Reuters' Pete Schroeder tweeted. That said, as WaPo's Seeing Min Kim pointed out, the news cycle is also tough on those "whose full-time job is to pay attention to things." As she explained, "It's THAT complicated. Please give your Hill denizens some patience this week, we are trying our best..."

Milley says he spoke with journalists

Testifying before Congress on Tuesday, General Mark Milley disclosed that he did speak with several journalists for various books on Trump. Those journalists included Bob Woodward, Carol Leonnig, Philip Rucker, and Michael Bender. Milley, answering questions from Sen. Marsha Blackburn, said however that he had "not read any of the books" he participated in...

>> Milley's disclosure immediately drew immense criticism from right-wing media. But as John Bolton candidly told Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room," "Everybody in Washington talks to reporters." Bolton is not wrong...

Grisham's book climbs on Amazon

News orgs reported on excerpts from Stephanie Grisham's book Tuesday — excerpts that managed to make waves in a news environment that has become fairly impervious to shocking anecdotes leaking from the Trump White House. But the details disclosed by Grisham were quite stunning. NYT's Katie Rogers got the key highlights in one sentence, explaining that the tell-all out next week accuses Trump of "abusing his staff, placating dictators like Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and making sexual comments about a young White House aide." The revelations sent Grisham's book to #16 on the Amazon bestseller list, where it has been climbing all day...

>> On the topic of the tell-all books: Maggie Haberman reports that Trump "lost an effort to enforce a nondisclosure agreement against Omarosa Manigault Newman..."

WEDNESDAY PLANNER

Three months after sharing her cancer diagnosis, Christiane Amanpour will provide an update on how she's doing in an interview with Robin Roberts on "GMA..."

ESPN will debut its first all-women baseball broadcast...

And speaking of ESPN, the company will hold the ESPN Edge Conference virtually, talking about sports rights in the streaming age and more...

#FreeBritney day?

At a long-awaited Wednesday 4:30pm ET hearing in L.A. Superior Court, Judge Brenda Penny could agree to a petition from Jamie Spears to terminate Britney's conservatorship, or could move to suspend him and appoint a temporary conservator of her estate, as Britney's attorney Mathew Rosengart has requested. Chloe Melas will be in the courtroom for CNN's coverage...

Justice by documentary

Carla De Landri writes: "On the eve of the next Britney Spears hearing, and in a week in which the R&B superstar R. Kelly was convicted of being the ringleader in a decades-long scheme to recruit women and underage girls for sex, we once again are witnessing the power of documentaries. In the Kelly case, accusations of sexual assault swirled around him for decades until the 2019 Lifetime documentary series 'Surviving R. Kelly' highlighted the horrific accusations of some of his victims, often underage, who said he abused and controlled them. 'It makes a difference when there are cameras involved, and when people can actually see these women telling their stories and feel it,' EP Dream Hampton told The New York Times in 2019." Many people have connected with the Spears case by seeing it in docu-form, as well...

"Ozy Media directors investigate practices"

That's one of the headlines in Wednesday's print edition of the WSJ. As Ben Mullin first reported, Ozy's board said Tuesday that it is "conducting an investigation into the company's business practices" in the wake of Ben Smith's bombshell NYT column. Lawyers from Paul, Weiss have been retained to "conduct a review." COO Samir Rao -- who allegedly impersonated a YouTube exec on a call with bankers -- has been asked to "take a leave of absence pending the investigation." And Harry Hawks has been named interim CFO. Of course, there's nothing new in the reporting that the board "didn't know in the spring... Only new thing is sunlight," Dan Primack of Axios observed.

>> Brian Stelter writes: "Ozy CEO Carlos Watson has remained silent since Sunday night. He did not respond to my request for comment about accusations of inflated traffic. In last night's newsletter, I noted that he was still slated to host the Documentary Emmy Awards on Wednesday night, but on Tuesday an Emmys rep said he had 'graciously' asked to step aside to avoid being a distraction. An upcoming 'Ozy Fest' event in Miami has also been postponed, Max Tani reports. I'll be on 'New Day' in the 8am hour with more on all this..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Biggest investigative reporting win of the week: The WSJ found that 131 judges "broke the law by hearing cases where they had a financial interest..." (WSJ)

-- WaPo editorial board: "President Biden won Arizona, no matter what Trumpland believes..." (WaPo)

-- "Donald Trump has endorsed Kari Lake, a media-bashing former local news anchor who has parroted his lies about election fraud, in Arizona's 2022 governor's race," Eric Brander reports... (CNN)

-- "CNN has tapped marketing professor Scott Galloway to host a show for its upcoming subscription streaming service, CNN+, set to debut in the first quarter of 2022," Ted Johnson writes... (Deadline)

-- "The NewsGuild of New York has filed unfair labor practice charges against Gannett, the largest local media company in the country," Sara Fischer reports... (Axios)

👀 Facebook whistleblower to testify next week

Get ready to hear directly from a Facebook whistleblower. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn announced Tuesday that they will hold a hearing with such a person next Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 10am. "This whistleblower's testimony will be critical to understanding what Facebook knew about its platforms' toxic effects on young users, when they knew it, and what they did about it," Blumenthal said...

RELATED?

WSJ drops another explosive "Facebook Files" story

The PR problems keep getting worse for FB. WSJ published another explosive story in its "Facebook Files" series on Tuesday. The story, by Georgia Wells and Jeff Horwitz, was about how FB's "effort to attract preteens" goes "beyond Instagram Kids." The duo reported that internal docs they obtained "show the company formed a team to study preteens, set a three-year goal to create more products for them and commissioned strategy papers about the long-term business opportunities presented by these potential users." One of the documents described tweens as a "valuable but untapped audience..."

>> Meanwhile, on Twitter: FB spox Andy Stone tried defending the company by suggesting newspapers engage in similar behavior to create products for kids. NYT's Cecilia Kang responded, questioning whether Stone believes FB is "comparable to a newspaper." Stone said he didn't and Kang said that his responses made "zero sense" to her...

Oversight Board to review matter raised by a different story

FB is also facing fallout from a separate story in WSJ's "Facebook Files" series — this one on how the company, according to the paper's reporting, allowed VIP users to skirt the platforms rules. The Oversight Board said Tuesday that Facebook will ask it to review the matter and offer input on how its processes can be improved. "Facebook must embrace clear rules which are enforced consistently and give users confidence they will be treated fairly," the Oversight Board said in a statement. "We will be engaging with diverse civil society leaders, researchers and other voices as we work to scrutinize these crucial issues..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Kevin Roose talks with Molly Jong-Fast about the success right-wing media figures have had on Facebook and how the platform "doesn't want to admit that it's AM talk radio or that it's a cable company whose biggest host is Sean Hannity..." (Beast)

-- Davey Alba reports that FB groups "promoting ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment continue to flourish..." (NYT)

-- Shira Ovide writes that FB "isn't scandal proof" and "there are signs that ingrained mistrust of Facebook may be wearing away its nonstick coating..." (NYT)

-- "YouTube deleted Russian state-backed broadcaster RT's German-language channels on Tuesday, saying it had breached its COVID misinformation policy..." (Reuters)

-- Rachel Lerman and Gerrit De Vynck report that Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram are facing pressure "to stop illegal drug sales as overdose deaths soar..." (WaPo)

CNN restricts access to its Facebook pages in Oz

"CNN said it has restricted access to its Facebook pages in Australia following a ruling from that country's high court that makes news organizations legally liable for comments on their Facebook posts," WSJ's Ben Mullin scooped Tuesday. That means that users in Australia will no longer have access to any of CNN's Facebook pages. As Mullin noted, CNN appears to be the first major US outlet to take this step...

Murdoch's "Succession" birthday party

Samantha Hutchinson and Stephen Brook of the Sydney Morning Herald report that Rupert Murdoch and his wife Jerry Hall recently "threw open the doors of Holmwood" for the mogul's "much delayed 90th birthday." The only notably absent figure was "Murdoch's youngest son James, who split from the company last year after expressing unease about the editorial direction of its mastheads." Rupert's daughter Elisabeth produced a tribute video "which was cheekily said to include the theme tune to the HBO drama 'Succession...'"

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- Philip Bump wrote about how Tucker Carlson "ties his vaccine fearmongering to a core Republican insecurity..." (WaPo)

-- A Fox News source described the network's anti-Covid mandate segments to Roger Sollenberger and Aswan Suebsaeng as "great for ratings." Another source told the duo numbers show viewers are "excited" by them... (Beast)

-- Mehdi Hasan: "'Great replacement theory' gets people killed and yet you now have Tucker Carlson defending it, promoting it, mainstreaming it. And elected Republicans are now following in his footsteps..." (Twitter)

-- Fox News "has signed correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera to a new multiyear deal," Alex Weprin reports... (THR)

Highlights from Code Conference

>> WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar told Stephanie Ruhle that the company will spend more than $18 billion on content next year. He also conceded he's disappointed his time running the company might be coming to an end when its deal with Discovery closes: "I'm human," he said...

>> Elon Musk told Kara Swisher that he believes the US gov't should "do nothing" in terms of regulating crypto...

>> EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said that the "main success" of GDPR is that "now privacy is a thing." She argued, "If we had not passed this kind of legislation, I think we would still be in the dark..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- Eriq Gardner reports on how a judge rejected Donald Trump's "fair use" defense over a lawsuit brought by "Electric Avenue" artist Eddy Grant... (THR)

-- "Ryan Seacrest will remain on iHeartMedia's airwaves — and continue to host several of the radio and audio giant's tentpole events — under a three-year contract renewal," Todd Spangler reports... (Variety)

-- "Responding to concerns from the theme park industry, Los Angeles County has slightly eased its upcoming Covid-19 vaccination/testing requirement for visitors to large venues such as Six Flags Magic Mountain and Universal Studios Hollywood," Tom Tapp reports... (Deadline)

Lowry reviews "No Time to Die"

Brian Lowry writes: "Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing as James Bond is an occasion, and the 18-month delay waiting for it has only enhanced the anticipation. But 'No Time to Die' feels as if it labors a bit under the weight of those expectations, presenting some dazzling action sequences and a solid showcase for its star in a slightly bloated package. That said, I suspect the audience will be out in droves for this experience, which other than Marvel fare feels more like a 'Movie you really need to see in the theater' than much of what has tested those appetites over the last several months. Here's my full review..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- "The Bachelor" season 5 star Jesse Palmer will be the reality show's new host, starring with season 26... (Variety)

-- "Netflix has acquired its first game studio with the acquisition of Oxenfree creator Night School Studio..." (VentureBeat)

-- "HBO announced that comedy series 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' starring Larry David, returns for its 11th season on Oct. 24..." (Variety)

-- "'Archer' is getting a 13th season on FXX..." (THR)

-- "The original 'Law & Order' is coming back for season 21..." (EW)

Heard of "Squid Game" yet?

Brian Stelter writes: "Truth be told, I had not heard of the show until Ted Sarandos brought it up at Code Conference on Monday. 'There's a show on Netflix right now that is the number one in the world,' he said. 'Like, everywhere in the world. It's called Squid Game. Squid Game will definitely be our biggest non-English language show in the world, for sure. It's only been out for nine days, and it's a very good chance it's going to be our biggest show ever.' That got me Googling to find out more about the dystopian series from South Korea. Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reported Tuesday that the 'addictive, violent survival drama' is 'raking in viewership globally at a rate that might surpass current record holder Bridgerton...'"

FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN

By Lisa Respers France:

-- BTS is returning to live concerts. The K-Pop band is staging four concerts at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles...

-- Billy Bob Thornton and some of the "Goliath" cast talked to me about bringing the show to an end...

-- Comedians Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy are Instagram official...

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...

Pet of the day!

NBC News investigative and consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen emails: "Moose is a news hound and enjoys learning new tricks taught by his three human sisters. He recently made his national TV debut on the 3rd Hour of 'TODAY' and is working on digging up new sources. He has figured out his paws can scroll through Reliable Sources on the iPad..."