Hasta La Creative!

Trump didn’t get specific about the “false” reporting, but it seems likely that he saw the print edition of this morning’s New York Times with the headline “Inside Trump’s Angry War On Inquiries Around Him” (subhead: “Pressure Tactics Leave the President Exposed to Accusations of Obstruction”) splashed on the front page above the fold. A version of the story was actually published online yesterday and dominated the news cycle for much of the afternoon and eveningbut Trump seems to be a day behind on big news given that he also only this morning acknowledged Bernie Sanders’ launch yesterday of his presidential bid (in a separate tweet: “Crazy Bernie has just entered the race. I wish him well!”). The Times story was team-reported by Mark Mazzetti, Maggie Haberman, Nicholas Fandos and Michael S. Schmidt. If you haven’t read it yet, the paper also helpfully provides CliffsNotes written up by Eileen Sullivan: “Takeaways From The Times’s Investigation Into Trump’s War on the Inquiries Around Him.”

Trump has, of course, specifically attacked The New York Times many times before and has called the media in general the “enemy of the people,” but in applying that label specifically to the Times this morning, he’s revisiting an intensely personal ongoing battle with the paper’s publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. See “Trump blasts back after New York Times publisher decries ‘enemy of the people’ attacks” from The Guardian last July.

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White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters, who regularly defended the administration’s economic policies, plans to leave in April to work for Edelman Public Relations.

Walters is the only White House spokesperson besides Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to remain on the job since the first day of Donald Trump’s presidency. She joined the White House staff after working with former press secretary Sean Spicer at the Republican National Committee and concentrated on economic issues, including the 2017 tax overhaul and trade negotiations with China.

Walters said it was “time for a change” and that she was excited by the opportunity at Edelman. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the president in this administration,” Walters said in a statement.

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Samsung debuted its most extensive new lineup of smartphones, taking on Apple amid a slowing market with new low-end and premium models, 3-D cameras, an in-screen fingerprint scanner and faster 5G connectivity.

At simultaneous launch events in San Francisco and London on Wednesday, the South Korean technology giant introduced four new phones: the Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G. The S10 and S10+ are direct successors to last year’s S9 and S9+, while the S10e and S10 5G are two new models for the company: a low-end phone aimed at Apple’s iPhone XR, and a high-end version priced above $1,000.

Samsung previewed the 5G model, which in addition to the faster web download speeds, includes front and back 3-D depth cameras for more professional-looking photos and augmented reality, a larger battery, and a 6.7-inch screen. Its overall footprint, however, is similar to the S10+ model.

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There have been more iconic Coca-Cola pitchmen than Mary Alexander. Bill Cosby, unfortunately, comes to mind. So do Kobe Bryant, Paula Abdul and Selena Gomez. But Alexander occupies a special spot in the soda’s history: In 1955, while a junior at Atlanta’s Clark College, Alexander landed a gig as Coke’s first black female model.

“During the ’50s and coming forward, you did not see a lot of African-Americans modeling for any company,” she says in a video on Coke’s corporate website.

The opportunity fell in her lap when her housemother told her Coca-Cola was looking for African-American models for a new campaign. The youngest of 10 children from Ballplay, Alabama, Alexander (ne Cowser) went up against 75 women, she says, and wasn’t sure she’d get the job. Once she did, she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell her father.

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Yes, KFC says the encrypted details are now stored in the Bahnhof maximum security nuclear bunker in Stockholm, Sweden. The bunker, named Pionen, was built in 1943 and was made to withstand the blast of a hydrogen bomb, according to a statement from Bahnhof CEO Jon Karlung.

Across the ring, Burger King is promoting its updated flame-grilled chicken sandwich. Its campaign delivers more than a nod to the long-running KFC Colonel ads. It’s even calling the King the K.F.G., for king of flame grilling.

Clearly, Burger King is trying to have fun with the idea that a king outranks a colonel.

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Nike Inc. is looking into what went wrong after college basketball’s biggest star sprained his knee when his shoe fell apart, one of the most high-profile apparel failures in basketball history.

Duke University star freshman Zion Williamson, the consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s National Basketball Association draft, tumbled to the court less than 35 seconds into last night’s loss to in-state rival North Carolina. He’d planted his foot to change direction when his left shoe, the PG 2.5 PE, came apart, causing him to fall awkwardly.

The fallout for the world’s largest sportswear brand was immediate. Twitter lit up with jabs from fans and rival brands, making “Zion” and “Nike” trending topics within the social media network. The company’s stock fell as much as 1.7 percent in New York trading Thursday.

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Time magazine’s latest issue, on newsstands tomorrow, arrives with an amusing cover illustrationlook at all those wannabes!but the story inside has a serious message: The Dems have a branding problem.

In “The Biggest Field Yet. No Frontrunner. A Divided Base. Welcome to the 2020 Democratic Primary,” Molly Ball and Philip Elliott write,

The party’s very identity is up for grabs, as a vast and historically diverse crop of candidates brings big, new ideas to a demanding, divided base. “The Democratic Party is going through a very large transformation,” says party operative Simon Rosenberg, who’s backed the winning candidate in every primary since 1988 but has no favorite this time. “The era of Clinton and Obama is ending and ceding to a new set of dynamics. A new Democratic Party is being forged in front of our eyes.”

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Alphabet Inc.’s Google will show drug-disposal locations on its Maps program, an effort to help people get rid of unused opioids and prevent drug abuse.

The internet-search giant has joined with U.S. government agencies and drug-store chains like CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. to pinpoint places where patients can drop off leftover medication. Google searches such as “drug drop off near me” will bring up locations from a database of 3,500 sites in seven states as part of the pilot program. That number will grow as the program expands, Google said Thursday in a blog post.

Opioid abuse now accounts for more deaths in the U.S. than car crashes or firearms, and much of the problem stems from legally prescribed drugs that are used by family members or friends of patients. By making it easier for people to safely get rid of unused prescription drugs, the company hopes to stop them from getting into the wrong hands.

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YouTube is trying to stamp out its second major brand revolt in as many years, putting executives on an emergency call with top marketers and agencies, and sending a memo to Madison Avenue to let advertisers know it’s working on a fix.

The problem: Pedophiles are viewing videos of children, leave disturbing comments and then share links to even worse content in the comments section. On Thursday, AT&T became the latest brand to say it was taking a break from YouTube after learning of the child exploitation.

“Until Google can protect our brand from offensive content of any kind, we are removing all advertising from YouTube,” AT&T said in an emailed statement.

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Verizon will air six commercials during the Academy Awards on Sunday, including two spots in Spanish.

Verizon is using the Oscars to kick off its new creative strategy. Instead of utilizing traditional celebrity spokespeople like Thomas Middleditch and Gaten Matarazzo, Verizon will be featuring the real stories of its customers in its spots.

The six 30-second commercials will focus on how different customers, from diverse backgrounds, rely on Verizon’s network for important moments in their lives.

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