I've followed the foldable smartphone space for seven years now, but I’ve still never wanted to buy one. But the iPhone Duo is making me doubt my convictions, and not just because I’m an iPhone user. Until now, foldable smartphones felt like a work in progress to me, requiring a sacrifice or two (or three) with either the hardware or the software.

But with the launch of the iPhone Duo, it feels like this everything is finally coming together. Apple's hardware and the software appear to be working hand in hand to provide a seamless, and even fun, foldable experience. It still feels like choosing the Duo instead carries its own share of compromises—missing Face ID, no telephoto lens, and the lack of an Action button)—but what the new device brings to the table might make up for all of that.

The screen opening animation is peak Apple design

Credit: Apple

It’s a trick, but it’s surprising no one thought of this before. When you open the iPhone Duo, the cover screen performs a blurred animation that seamlessly continues to the inner screen. What’s on the cover screen appears on the right side of the inner screen. The interface also adapts to the hinge and the degree of folding. Make it a tent, and it shows the Stand By widgets. When watching media, you can prop it up like a laptop, and the interface splits in two as well, with the top half showing the media, and controls on the bottom half (assuming the app has been optimized to do so, anyway). If you’re playing a game or watching a movie on the inner screen, closing the Duo will switch the content to the cover screen, with the animation, and without skipping a beat. This is the kind of seamless device/software integration that's tough for Android devices to compete with.

A matte inner screen that appears to be creaseless (almost)

Credit: Apple

Apple is late to the foldable party, but at least it has caught up in the screen and hinge tech. Of course, we won’t know exactly how creaseless it is until we can all get our hands on the iPhone Duo, but based on the coverage so far, it is at least fairly creaseless. In day-to-day use, you might not even notice it.

More interesting is the inner display tech: Apple is bringing a version of the nano-texture display from the MacBook Pro line to this device. The matte display fights reflections, but it also hides the crease—something that’s harder to do with the glossy panels sported by Android foldables.

The iOS 27 adapts like Android doesn’t

Credit: Apple

As noted, the real hardware-software advantage shows up in how iOS works. Because of the shorter display, Apple has chosen to dedicate the right-hand side edge to the Dock and toolbar controls, an interesting choice in terms of reachability and design.

The usable space isn’t compromised, either with the cover screen or the inner display. Adapting and moving the toolbar, and bringing third-party apps along for the ride, is no easy feat. It’s also something that would be extremely difficult to pull off on the Android side: It would require a design directive from Google, and manufacturers would have to find their own ways to implement it.

App layouts should make the inner display more useful

Credit: Apple

It will be interesting to see how third-party developers adapt to the new screen and layout options. Apple already showcased how media apps like Netflix are taking advantage of the split-screen interface design. Zoom’s example, where the screen sharing is on one side and the meeting participants are on the other, is quite smart, too.

How you end up using the inner screen on a foldable is all down to how developers take advantage of it. Sure, you can put two apps side by side, but how often are people really going to do that? But the fact that you have an iPad mini-sized canvas, along with upcoming support for the Apple Pencil, sets the stage for creative uses of the expanding display. Conversely, Samsungdropped support for its stylus from the Fold series last year.

A disappearing selfie camera and new camera tricks

Credit: Apple

Under-display selfie cameras are not new—Samsung tried it in Fold 3, and gave up in the Fold 7. The under-display camera just wasn’t as good. This is the first time that Apple is trying it, and we will have to test it out before we can make a judgment on how well it performs.

But that's not the only camera-related feature in the iPhone Duo. While it's missing a telephoto lens, the way Apple is using the second screen in the camera and FaceTime is very interesting. When you're photographing someone with the Duo unfolded, the cover screen becomes a live preview, so the subjects can see themselves, and guide you as well. To make it easier to capture moments with kids, the outer camera can show fun Snoopy graphics. Even FaceTime has a Duo mode where a participant can be shown on the cover screen.

A foldable that’s still rough and tough

Most foldable smartphones lose out when it comes to dust and water resistance. The design itself means you have to be careful with dust, especially around the hinges. The Samsung Fold 8, for example, has an IP48 rating. The iPhone Duo gets the full IP68 sealing treatment. An IP68 rating means that the iPhone Duo is fully dust-protected, and it can survive under shallow 1.5 meter deep water for 30 minutes. The Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 lacks a dust-sealing rating, though it does offer stronger water resistance.

Is the iPhone Duo worth the downsides?

All that new tech does come at a cost. The first is literal: the $1,999 starting price, or more than buying an iPhone and an iPad mini combined. The foldable design ushers in a new era of iPhone innovation, but it’s also leaving behind features that iPhone users have come to love and expect. There’s no Face ID, no Action button, no real optical zoom, and no physical SIM card slot, all lacking in a device that’s quite heavy (254 g) compared to the iPhone 18 Pro (211 grams). Ultimately, the market (and buyers' wallets) will decide if these tradeoffs are worth it, but if you ask me, the Duo makes the most compelling case for a foldable yet.

iPhone Duo pre-orders open October 16, and the device won’t ship until October 23.

The iPhone Duo is both the most exciting (and expensive) product from Apple's September hardware event. The Duo is Apple's first foldable, equipped with new features not present in the company's other iPhones. On the flip side, designing a foldable smartphone comes with a bunch of compromises, which means that the iPhone Duo misses out on a lot of features when compared with the iPhone 18 Pro and the 18 Pro Max. Yes, even if you pay $1,999 (going all the way up to $3,199 for the 2TB variant) for an iPhone Duo, you won't be getting all the best new iPhone features this year. Here's every feature that the iPhone Duo misses out on.

The iPhone Duo doesn't have an Action button

Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro series (or any iPhone since the 15), the foldable iPhone doesn't get a programmable Action button. It doesn't even have a mute switch, which means that its only buttons are for volume control and power. The Action button can be mapped to simple tasks such as taking screenshots, or more complex automations of your choice, and it'll be missed on the foldable iPhone.

The iPhone Duo's selfie camera isn't as good as the iPhone 18 Pro

The iPhone Duo ships with a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera on the outer display, which is a lower-resolution sensor than the one on the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The two 18 Pro series phones ship with an 18-megapixel Center Stage camera for selfies. The iPhone Duo also has an under-display front camera, and since Apple hasn't disclosed its megapixel count, it's safe to say it's also less than the 18 Pros. However, by its nature, the Duo has an interesting advantage here: If you're taking selfies with the device unfolded, you get to use the far superior "rear" camera sensor, as the front display becomes your viewfinder. Anyone using the Duo for selfies this way will shoot better pictures than those using the front camera on an iPhone 18 Pro.

The iPhone Duo's rear cameras have fixed apertures

Variable aperture is one of the best new camera features of the iPhone 18 Pro series. The primary rear camera lets you control aperture, which opens up the possibility for better quality photos, enhanced depth of field effects, and more creative control over your photography. Unfortunately, the iPhone Duo misses out on this feature.

Pro Controls aren't coming to the iPhone Duo

By now the trend is pretty clear: iPhone Duo misses out on a slew of camera features. For the iPhone 18 Pro series, Apple announced "Pro Controls" for the Camera app, which lets you control aperture, shutter speed, and more variables. This will undoubtedly appeal to photography enthusiasts, but despite the Duo's inflated price tag, this is another feature that didn't make it to the foldable.

Apple Reference Image is limited to the 18 Pro series

Apple also announced a new standard to combat AI-morphed images. Apple Reference Image allows you to verify that an image was captured using an iPhone 18 Pro device, and that it wasn't generated by AI. For some reason, however, this feature isn't coming to the iPhone Duo.

There's no telephoto lens in the iPhone Duo

Apple decided to go with two rear cameras in the iPhone Duo, which means that the telephoto lens gets a miss. The iPhone 18 Pro series has 4x and 8x optical zoom options, both of which won't be available on the iPhone Duo. You'll be limited to a zoom range of 0.5x to 2x on the foldable iPhone, across both the ultrawide and Fusion cameras.

You won't get Spatial photos, videos, and ProRAW on the iPhone Duo

Spatial photos, Spatial videos, and ProRAW are all features targeted at professional photographers and videographers. These features are available in the iPhone 18 Pro series, but not on the iPhone Duo.

The iPhone 18 Pro has better mics for video recording than the iPhone Duo

Apple included a "studio-quality" four-mic array in the iPhone 18 Pro and the 18 Pro Max. The aim is to enhance audio quality when you're shooting video. The iPhone Duo misses out on this feature too.

iPhone Duo doesn't use Face ID

Apple chose to give the iPhone Duo Touch ID, which means that you can use your fingerprint to unlock the device. While the lack of Face ID may initially seem like a big miss, I think it makes perfect sense for a device that has multiple "front" cameras. Rather than placing the Face ID sensor near every camera, Apple opted for the more practical alternative. Plus, you can unlock your iPhone Duo with your Apple Watch, if you have one.

The iPhone Duo doesn't have a LiDAR scanner

LiDAR sensors measure distances between two objects, creating 3D scans of objects in the real world, and even mapping the layout of your home for 3D models. Your iPhone ships with an app called Measure, which works well with Pro series iPhones because those devices have a LiDAR scanner. The iPhone Duo misses out.

The Duo is available only in two colors

This year, Apple reserved all the fun iPhone colors for the 18 Pro and the 18 Pro Max, including the new Glacier and Burgundy color variants. I wish Apple had added at least one of those to the iPhone Duo, as the foldable iPhone is only available in "Night Sky" (dark blue) or white.

iPhone Duo is eSIM-only worldwide

The iPhone Duo is the first iPhone to ship with two eSIM slots globally. The iPhone 18 Pro devices will be eSIM-exclusive in 12 countries, but not in the rest of the world. The 18 Pro will ship with at least one physical SIM slot in most regions. An eSIM is great for those who never swap SIM cards or travel often, but having the option of a physical SIM is also useful. It allows you to use cheap prepaid travel SIMs when abroad, and offers you the flexibility to keep swapping SIMs quickly.

Since Apple announced the date of its big September event, we've expected the company to reveal the "iPhone Ultra," its first foldable smartphone. As it turns out, half of that prediction came true: While the company did indeed showcase the first iPhone to transform from smartphone to tablet, it isn't actually called the Ultra. Instead, the company surprised us all with a new name: iPhone Duo.

iPhone Duo: Design

Credit: Apple

It's immediately apparent that the iPhone Duo has a much different design than any iPhone Apple has ever made. This device is foldable, which means it has two functioning displays, depending on how you use it. When closed, the Duo has a funkier 5.4-inch display than the one you might be used to on an iPhone, but it's fully functional. You don't actually have to open up the Duo to use it: You can text, browse Safari, play games, and do whatever you normally would on your iPhone from here. The selfie cam and two rear cameras mean you can take FaceTime calls and shoot photos and videos while the Duo is in this position. If you never wanted to open up your Duo, you would probably never have to.

Open it up, however, and you'll be greeted by a much larger 7.6-inch display. This is the benefit of foldable smartphones: You have access to a mini tablet (sometimes called a "phablet") whenever you want it. That extra screen real estate means you can view single apps in a much larger window, but also run two apps side-by-side. That's a first for any iPhone, even if it's not a first for smartphones in general. And because this is a tablet-like display, your Home Screen looks a bit more like an iPad's, complete with extra widgets and a macOS-like Dock. There's even a Dock on the outer display, and many controls are adjusted to sit on the right of the display to make them accessible using your thumb.

Interestingly, the Duo is the first iPhone in years to lack Face ID. Instead, this device marks the return of Touch ID, integrated into the Side button. (You can also unlock it with your Apple Watch.) It also supports Apple Pencil for the first time on iPhone, and includes two batteries, providing 31 hours of video playback on the inner display, and 44 hours on the outer. You can reach 50% battery in 20 minutes of charging, and five hours of use after five minutes.

It works in many different orientations: You can stand it up tent-style or like a laptop, or fold it slightly to split your keyboard. It also works in StandBy by folding it on its side.

iPhone Duo: Processor

Credit: Apple

Like the iPhone 18 Pros, the iPhone Duo comes with Apple's new A20 Pro chip. But for the Duo, the chip has a new display engine to power both screens. Apple says it offers up to 35% faster performance than iPhone 17 Pro. While I'm sure it's Apple's fastest chip yet, we'll have to wait until independent benchmarkers put it to the test to know how much better it is than the A19 Pro. The Duo also has Apple's proprietary C2 modem, which provides faster uploads and quicker reconnection to networks.

iPhone Duo: Cameras

As noted above, the iPhone Duo has four cameras: two rear cameras and two selfie cameras. Let's start with those rear cameras: Apple has a 48MP fusion lens and a 2x telephoto lens. Some might be sad about the omission of an ultrawide lens. At the same time, the Duo might not be the iPhone for users who care most about mobile photography. Perhaps it'll feel more like the cameras on the iPad: useful to have, but not exactly a selling point. Like the 18 Pro, the Duo supports 4K Time-Lapses and new Photographic Styles.

Perhaps more importantly, the Duo has two selfie cameras: one on the front display, and one on the inner display. This ensures that you can take FaceTime calls and selfies in whichever orientation you have the iPhone Duo in. Crucially, the inner camera is embedded in the display, so you don't ever see it. There are a lot of camera perks with those dual displays: Your subject can see themselves in the outer display; you can stand up the Duo like a tripod; and you can project FaceTime calls on both displays, so everyone can see who you're talking to.

iPhone Duo: Colors

Credit: Apple

Apple didn't go all out with the colors for the Duo. Buyers will only have two options to choose from here: Star White or Night Sky (dark blue). That's in contrast to the iPhone 18 Pro, which comes in four interesting colors. That said, I'm guessing Apple doesn't expect Duo sales to be affected by color options: Buyers are either going to pay up for the Duo, or they're not, and fun colors probably wouldn't play into that conversation.

iPhone Duo: Price

Credit: Apple

Apple's first foldable iPhone doesn't come cheap, of course. The iPhone Duo officially starts at $1,999, which makes this the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever made. And yet, that doesn't sound so bad: Initial reports suggested that the Duo would be more than $2,000, which seemed quite believable considering how RAMaggedon is driving the costs up for all types of tech.

The iPhone Duo can be more expensive, however. $1,999 is the starting price for the 256GB model, though it goes up to 2TB.

iPhone Duo: Release date

While Apple announced the iPhone Duo today, it won't be available right away. Instead, the company says preorders begin Oct. 16, while sales begin Oct. 23. While iPhone preorders are usually a frantic affair, I imagine the Duo's demand will be historic. If you're interested in picking one up as soon as possible, you'll likely want to make sure you preorder it as soon as Apple lets you.

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TOP STORY

THE DOC THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING

Well: we did expect our inbox to be bursting at the seams this morning, but it appears a kind of post-holiday malaise has struck our writers and the pickings are fairly slim. Still, a wild new movie trailer has the stack buzzing on this Tuesday.  Nathan Fielder’s upcoming You Can See Everything — a documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’s attempts to clear her name before she began serving a 11-year sentence for defrauding investors — dropped a viral trailer Sunday night which has been the talk of Newsletter-land.

The trailer is certainly odd — and as he introduced the film this past weekend at the Telluride Film Festival, Fielder himself admitted he is “struggling to this day to understand exactly what I experienced.”

THREE TAKES

The Poynter Report, Tom Jones — Jones described the documentary as “bizarre” Tuesday morning, and directed readers toward two takes that especially encapsulate the response the film received this weekend. The New York Times’ Nicole Sperling noted the documentary “movie features long, intense conversations between Fielder and Holmes with extreme close-ups” and that parts of the story that “can’t be featured in on-camera interviews is depicted in innovative recreations.” Crucially, she added there is “a surprise plot point that shouldn’t be spoiled.” Jones also pointed toward Vanity Fair’s Rebecca Ford, who said the audience received the film with “shock and awe.”

Morning Brew, Matty Merritt — Audiences should not expect to walk out of theaters “with any clear answers” this October, Merritt wrote today. He also noted the doc “is apparently really weird,” and so was its presentation. “The filming took place in secret. The audience at Telluride didn’t even know what the movie was about until they entered the theater,” Merritt continued. On top of that, “Throughout the doc, which runs almost three hours, Fielder tries to find the truth about what happened with Theranos and if Holmes was being manipulated—or doing the manipulating.”

TheWrap, Carla Renata — The doc is “sheer craziness,” Renata’s headline screamed this morning. Ahead of its debut at the festival, “predictions had been all over the place.” Renata also included a pretty fun tidbit: one guest was asked to put her phone into a pouch and refused, and “begrudgingly volunteered to leave and then ducked behind a black curtain, never to be seen again. Security chased her and we are still wondering where she is.” Fielder and co-director Lance Oppenheim also told attendees that Holmes and her then-boyfriend, Billy Evans, approached A24 about “having their lives documented.” Renata didn’t give spoilers, but did write that the “documentary uncovers complex new layers to the Holmes saga and pushes the boundaries of nonfiction filmmaking into new, uncharted terrain.”

Elsewhere in the stack, a few others also referenced Ford’s review. That included CNN’s Reliable Sources by Brian Stelter and Page Six Hollywood’s Ian Mohr.

TAKEAWAY: The story of Holmes and Theranos is compelling, and the documentary is likely to be a hit when it’s released on Oct. 16. And at a time when movies have struggled to get an in-person audience, that feels notable for an industry pondering its next moves. It’s a project that feels more at home on a streaming platform. But a massive box office return might have executives rethinking their strategies on going straight to Netflix, Hulu and others.

TOP SCOOPS & ANALYSIS

SCOOP Status, Natalie Korach —Some staffers at EPN were “frustrated” when the network “cast doubt” on the work of Don Van Natta Jr., Baxter Holmes, Ramona Shelburne, who published a report about the suspension of Steve Ballmer, who’s been accused of circumventing the NBA’s salary cap rules. Their take: “Sources: NBA has no evidence Ballmer funneled money to Leonard via sponsors.” Korach reported Monday. The story “remains unchanged” three weeks after it was published, but “it no longer seems to entirely match the reality of the situation.” Staffers also told Status that the entire situation is a “disaster” that’s coming after a summer of “an unusual amount of drama.” The biggest contributing factor is that the Aug. 17 story by Natta, Holmes, and Shelburne has “ignited tensions” between the network and Pablo Torre, who believes ESPN was “fed a story by the Clippers that the Clippers may have known was not true.”

ANALYSIS   The Bulwark’s Morning Shots, Bill Kristol and Andrew Egger — President Donald Trump “fired off more than sixty social media posts” on Sunday, and each was “more bizarre than the last” and “weirdly dystopian.” He continued that trend well into Monday, including one in which he wrote that his political opposition “should be exhausted by now, but they’re not.” Kristol explained, “This admission should cheer us all up. But not too much. It’s not a good thing that we have an unhinged president with more than two years left in his term … it is good that even Trump has to admit that his critics aren’t exhausted. And it is good, as Trump doesn’t admit but as he surely knows, that their ranks are growing. That our ranks are growing.”

ANALYSIS   The Poynter Report, Tom Jones — The “stunning news” that Fox parted ways with Maria Bartiromo last week remains compelling, Jones wrote. There are also conflicting accounts about how and why she was fired, with Bartiromo’s team refuting the idea that “Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox” as “absolutely and unequivocally false.” But if “Bartiromo did share confidential information from Fox executives with the White House,” then the rest of us should “credit Fox for seeing it for what it was: an inexcusable and fireable offense,” Jones concluded.

ANALYSIS   Semafor, Ben Smith — “The relationship between the Pentagon and journalists” continues to “hit new lows,” Smith wrote today. That’s something that war reporter Wesley Morgan has been speaking about. Morgan, who arrived in Baghdad to cover the war there as 19-year-old college student in 2007, more than has the chops to address the topic. The work he did and others contributed has meant “there’s a generation of Army officers and Marine officers who had a ton of exposure to reporters, and became very discerning about understanding how to deal with the media.” But that relationship today is “atrocious,”and as Smith also wrote, “Israel has put Gaza effectively off-limits to journalism, and Ukraine tightly manages access to its front line.”

ANALYSIS Morning Brew, Adam Epstein — The success of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, gives the political party “the chance to form the country’s first far-right state government since the Nazi era,” Epstein wrote today. It’s still “unclear” if the party will “would receive the support necessary from other parties in order to govern in the state” thanks to a firewall established by the country’s “mainstream political parties.” Notably, Germany’s “intelligence agency classifies the nationalist, anti-immigrant AfD as an extremist group in some regions.” 

BUSINESS OF MEDIA 

CJR’s Near and Far, Carolina Abbott Galvão — CJR has an interesting deep dive for anyone interested in the modern media business (which we assume you, dear One Sheet readers, are). Harrisburg journalists learned in spring 2023 that their listener-supported radio station WITF was being gifted LNP, a daily newspaper covering Lancaster County and owned for over a century by the prominent Steinman family. The deal, which was immediately met with suspicion from WITF workers, combined LNP and WITF under a new nonprofit called Pennon, accompanied by a $30 million grant spread over five years. However, Pennon severely underappreciated the business challenges of running a daily newspaper; by late 2024, Pennon was forced to execute severe newsroom layoffs, and LNP was soon losing approximately $450,000 every month. Cassie Farrelly, Pennon’s senior vice president, filed a whistleblower lawsuit in June 2026 alleging that Pennon’s board and senior management failed to protect funds and that conditions attached to the deal—including a downtown office lease costing over $800,000 a year until 2040 and a printing contract with Steinman-owned Susquehanna Printing—created a “circular funding pattern” that squeezed millions of dollars from Pennon back to Steinman-related entities. Facing an operating deficit of $1.4 million, Pennon considered declaring bankruptcy by October 2025 before former NPR host David Greene moved to spin LNP off into a new independent nonprofit called Always Lancaster, which has successfully broken the expensive lease, switched printers, and stabilized LNP‘s operations.  QUOTE “In some ways, the challenges for the press in small-town central Pennsylvania are not dissimilar to the ones faced by news outlets across the country. As local newspapers struggle to sell advertising, subscriptions dwindle, and funds for public media dry up, nonprofit endeavors—like the Salt Lake Tribune’s transition, in 2019, and the Chicago Sun-Times’, in 2022—are on the rise. Philanthropists have poured funds into journalism across the United States. Yet these projects can, as WITF and LNP show, come with complications.”

The Rebooting, Brian Morrissey — Legacy media brand Playboy is executing a major strategic turnaround to pivot away from what its leadership calls an “asset-light licensing business” and return to its roots as somewhat of a direct lifestyle brand. (If you can’t recall the prominence of Playboy-branded apparel or restaurants, you must be one of those mythical people who flipped through it for the articles.) Led by new president David Miller (formerly of National Geographic Media) and editor-in-chief Phillip Picardi (formerly of Teen Vogue), the pub has gone back to a quarterly print format featuring high-profile celebrity covers. While some lifestyle brands are scrambling for short-term cash grabs, Miller intends to balance investment in high-quality media to avoid a private equity-style “quality spiral” that degrades legacy names into cheap licensing products. Under this model, the print magazine serves as a primary marketing arm to drive experiential partnerships, membership offerings, and events. QUOTE “The magazine’s quarterly frequency lends itself to focusing attention on larger brand initiatives. For instance, a Playboy swim-focused issue can used as part of a larger activation during Miami Swim Week tied to events and licensed products. There are plans for membership offerings that are about access to experiences rather than only content. A Playboy Club in Miami Beach, where Playboy relocated its headquarters, is an aspiration.”

Poynter, Tom Jones — Of interest to One Sheet readers: The Poynter Institute and the Public Media Company have launched the “Future of Public Media Initiative,” a national effort to design a renewed public interest media system built to serve communities over the next 50 years. The project arrives after a massive shock in 2025, when the federal government under President Donald Trump voted to strip Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding. Poynter’s Sitara Nieves and PMC CEO Tim Isgitt explain that the sudden loss of federal revenue hit small and rural stations with existential survival threats and severed the systemic funding that held the entire public media network together. The FPM initiative aims to establish a shared framework and deliver full recommendations by the first quarter of 2027 based on comprehensive community research. QUOTE Per Nieves, “The end of federal funding was a seismic shock for the 1,500 stations that are across the country — though not all in the same way… For many stations, the funding that came through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was actually a relatively small part of their budget… But for some of the smallest and most rural stations, that funding was a more significant part of their budget and was an existential threat to their survival.”

CNN Reliable Sources, Brian Stelter — In case you somehow missed it, CBS News’ flagship newsmagazine, “60 Minutes,” is heading into its 59th season under a heavy microscope following a big editorial and staff restructuring. Several veteran correspondents, including Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Cecilia Vega, were fired or left since the end of last season amidst accusations that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss attempted to inject political bias into their work. To modernize and repair the program’s image, new executive producer Nick Bilton is implementing little visual changes, including moving away from “walk and talk” shots and replacing the traditional background “book” graphics. The upcoming season will feature new correspondents Ross Douthat, Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, and Trevor Phillips alongside vets Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker. QUOTE “This will start the 59th season of the iconic news magazine show, but there has never been a more critical or anticipated season in its history.”

Awful Announcing, Brendon Kleen — Charles Barkley has teased retirement once again, stating that the upcoming NBA season on TNT Sports will 100% be his last and claiming that longtime host Ernie Johnson is also set to step away. Barkley previously threatened retirement in 2024 before TNT lost its NBA rights, only to parlay his leverage into a lucrative contract extension. Because Barkley has spent a quarter-century utilizing a savvy sense of how to maximize his earnings at every stage of his media career, industry critics remain highly skeptical of his comments as he enters another contract year. QUOTE “The latest claim is timed almost perfectly to the last time Barkley pulled this.”

OTHER COOL STUFF

Feed Me — London has officially launched a personals section strictly for restaurant lovers. The debut ad features a St. John Welsh Rarebit enthusiast seeking a kindred spirit to share a post-dinner Negroni with.

WHAT GOT MISSED?

Punchbowl News AM — Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL) is collaborating with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or DCCC, on a “hybrid ad” for a seat in a district that was “solidly Democratic before the Alabama legislature redrew its districts following the Supreme Court’s VRA decision,” Punchbowl reported today. Now that same seat is R+7.

NEWSLETTER OF THE DAY

Feed Me, Emily Sundberg — Sundberg’s newsletter is a fun romp through everything from a new podcast by the New York Times about NYC, “tits are MAGA-coded, depressing news for fig lovers, [and] depressing news for champagne lovers” on what was otherwise not the most compelling day we’ve seen from the stack. But things aren’t all doom and gloom, and Sundberg also took a look at the role of the homepage in 2026, and especially interesting question to ask for anyone who grew up with the pre-social media  internet. It turns out they’re still just as relevant as ever, and continue to offer the chance to “control how you present yourself, your work, and what you want to be known for.”

This newsletter was produced by Lindsey Ellefson.

The post Nathan Fielder’s Doc on Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Takes Media World By Storm first appeared on Mediaite.

CNN anchor Audie Cornish moderated a panel discussion on Monday about President Donald Trump sending envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend.

Cornish began the conversation, “Joining the group, Harrison Mann, a former US Army major and former executive officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency. So I was trying to think, what has changed?”

“One, we know our head of intelligence went to Moscow, right, even though we don’t know the details of what happened. And then the second thing, Russia has developed some new technology, right, in terms of how it can attack Ukraine. So, A, are those two things true? And B, do you think that had an effect on getting everyone to the table?”

Mann replied, “Yeah, I think that the biggest thing that’s changed is the reason that negotiations were suspended for six months. The last time Witkoff and Kushner were in Russia was in February. What’s happened between then and now — Trump started this big war in Iran. And that’s probably the biggest effect that has weakened the negotiating position of Ukraine and the pro-Ukraine alliance.”

“Why? Because I thought Ukraine had so much knowledge around drone warfare now that they were in a position to go to the United States and say, ‘Hey, we can help you figure out how to deal with Iran’s drones,’” pressed Cornish.

Mann replied, “They can help us maybe defend against Iranian drones, but there’s been a constant, evolving arms race as Russian and Ukrainian forces and inventors learn from each other on the battlefield — that’s been going on basically since day one. Any technological advance maybe gives one side an advantage for a couple months before somebody else learns how to deal with it.”

“Now, allegedly, Russia maybe has AI-guided drones which allow it to overcome all of the jamming networks that Ukraine’s developed, for example. But now — I mean, first of all — I think it’s worth recognizing that you don’t send Kushner and Witkoff when you actually really want to get something done. We can look at their track record: Iran, Gaza. You can notice Vance and Rubio are nowhere near this right now, which gives you an idea of the lack of seriousness, in my view,” Mann added to a chuckle from Cornish.

Below is the rest of their exchange:

Cornish: Well, let’s at least give people a chance to hear for themselves. Here’s an example of Witkoff talking about Putin on Saturday. This was in Moscow.

Witkoff in Clip: “So, first of all, President Putin, thank you so much for having us. We were sitting outside just now — me, Jared, and Carol — and then Yuri joined us, and we were all talking about when we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all.”

Cornish: As you know, it’s his eighth trip — but doesn’t flattery get you everywhere when you’re dealing with a dictator?

Mann: No, and I’m not even sure it’s flattery. I mean, I think Witkoff is genuinely — you know, it’s the friends we made along the way, whatever happens with ending this war. It’s like these guys are not really there to lean hard on anybody. And again, I don’t think they’re really, you know, intellectually or experientially equipped to do this, like you said. Eight times, I think, and we’re not even sure what deal, if any, they’ve offered. They definitely have even less leverage than they did back in February, due to the diminishing amount of support that the U.S. can provide Ukraine. We used up both offensive and defensive munitions that Ukraine wants in Iran.

Cornish: In the meantime, the fight remains over, I think, control over a nuclear facility and the land to swap. So, for people who don’t know at home, the idea is this war has been going on long enough that territory has been taken on both sides, and Ukraine is trying to basically retain its borders. Can that happen under this scenario?

Mann: No, I think — yeah, there’s the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Russia captured from Ukraine. And then there’s the Eastern Donbas region, which Putin is demanding that Ukraine cede even more of in exchange for peace. I think those are quite bold and probably unreasonable demands. But on the other hand, it’s really not realistic that Ukraine is going to reclaim more territory on the battlefield. So it’s up to, apparently, Witkoff and Kushner to bridge this gap, which I don’t really think that they’re qualified to do.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

The post CNN Defense Expert Roasts Trump Envoy’s ‘Whatever Happens’ Approach to Russia-Ukraine War first appeared on Mediaite.

(Screengrab via Truth Social)

President Donald Trump raised eyebrows and sparked criticism on both sides of the aisle on Monday by posting a map of the United States expanding to include both Canada and Mexico.

Many pundits and observers on the left questioned Trump’s mental well-being and accused him of trying to distract from high gas prices and other issues with the post. On the right, pundits called out the hypocrisy of Trump wanting to erase the U.S.- Mexico border after years of campaigning on strengthening it.

Trump’s post was the latest in a bevy of wild social media messages from the president, which included several maps renaming “New Mexico’ to “New America” and a Labor Day message insulting Democrats.

The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf shared Trump’s AI-generated map and added, “And his remaining base of support is such a sycophantic personality cult that they’ll simultaneously cheer posts touting mass deportations to Mexico *and* subsuming Mexico into America.”

“Why would we want this, though?” added conservative writer James Lindsay.

“This same Republican Party used to be terrified in the 2000s that elites were secretly planning to unite Canada, America and Mexico,” commented political journalist Nick Field.

Below are some additional reactions:

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The post ‘Giant Baby’: Trump Irks Left and Right With Map Annexing Mexico and Canada first appeared on Mediaite.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has little patience for speculation about who will eventually inherit the political movement he helped build.

In a wide-ranging Politico profile published Sunday by Will Steakin, Sanders pushed back when asked which younger progressive might eventually take the torch. According to Steakin, questioning the Vermont senator on the topic “becomes an exercise in watching a man swat away question after question.”

“That is precisely the wrong question,” Sanders shot back, accusing the Politico journalist of “sounding like an inside-the-Beltway media pundit.”

Instead, Sanders said the “right question” was how many strong figures the progressive movement had already produced, pointing to Reps. Greg Casar (D-TX), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

“The media is focused on personality,” Sanders complained to Steakin. “‘Oh my God, what will Alexandria do? Is she going to run for president? Run for the Senate? Stay in the House? Let’s talk about that for 14 years.’ How often do we talk about the fact that we’re the only major country on earth that doesn’t guarantee health care to all people?”

While Ocasio-Cortez said in May that her “ambition is way bigger” than the Oval Office, she’s also made clear that a 2028 presidential bid isn’t off the table.

Sanders was similarly tight-lipped when pressed on her potential plans.

“Do I talk to Alexandria? Yes, I do. Am I going to tell you what we talk about? Of course I won’t,” he told Politico. Asked directly if he wanted her to mount a campaign, Sanders responded, “No comment. That’s her decision.”

His remarks about a potential successor come after a number of fellow socialists have won Democratic primaries recently and as his pal Zohran Mamdani (D) is in his first year as mayor of New York City.

Sanders also emphasized that another White House run of his own is not in the cards, joking about his age as he prepares to turn 85.

“Well, I am 40 years of age now,” he deadpanned, “and I think having reached the golden age of 40, it’s hard, you know. So yeah, I think it’s unlikely that I will become president of the United States.”

The post Bernie Sanders Scoffs at Search for His Successor: ‘Precisely the Wrong Question’ first appeared on Mediaite.