Netflix's Hastings Mails It In
Fri, Apr. 17, 2026
By Kevin McCauley
Reed Hastings, the genius behind Netflix's DVD-by-mail strategy, steps down. If O'Dwyer's had a Corporate Hall of Fame, Reed would be in it... Donald Trump's revenge tour rolls on as his team strips $11M from Catholic Charities that is used to run shelters for migrant children who have entered the US alone... Crusader Pete Hegseth should lay off the biblical stuff for a while, or at least until the world has moved on from his boss’ depiction of himself as Jesus.
AI is disrupting shareholder activism communications, forcing financial PR pros to reshape their narratives so they are accurately interpreted and amplified by algorithmic engines, according to a white paper by KekstCNC... Team Trump sneaks into NYC to praise gas pipeline project... What's moral about threatening to wipe out an entire civilization, JD?
Pope Leo says he has no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel. That is, after all, his job.
Melania Trump's bolt-out-of-the-blue April 9 appearance to claim she had no relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is not going to boost her -12 percent popularity rating. It may make it worse... Mentioning "Avignon," home of the antipopes, to the Vatican's US ambassador is like shouting "Remember the Alamo" on the streets of Mexico City.
Donald Trump served up his tastiest TACO on April 7 when he postponed his threat to wipe out Iran’s civilization for the blocking of Strait of Hormuz.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian yanks privileges from Congress that is more interested in saving puppies from Sharia law than in paying TSA agents... Responders to RFPs will soon have to spell out their AI plans... France's TotalEnergies totally caves to Trump's pathetic fixation on strangling the offshore power business in the US.
New York’s 34-year-old mayor Zohran Mamdani recovered nicely from the rookie PR mistake that he committed on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day.
Kudos to Joe Kent for resigning his position as director of National Counterterrorism Center because he feels Iran posed no threat to the US. But he diminished his point by over-the-top attack on Israel and its American lobbyists... Pope Leo urged media not to turn their war coverage into a video game... Dissed by European allies, Trump should beg his Board of Peace members to send ships to Strait of Hormuz.
A tip of the mitre goes to Cardinal Blasé Cupich for his strong statement condemning the Trump administration’s bid to turn the Iran war into entertainment... Donald Trump sets off on a wild little excursion... The president will never be mistaken for one of his predecessors, 'Unconditional Surrender' Grant... The Ig Nobels abandon Boston for Zurich because it's not exactly fun and games time in the USA.
Trump promotes Kristi Noem because he can't fire her. That would be an admission that he made a bad move in hiring her in the first place... The White House website maintains that the US "obliterated" Iran's nuclear capacity. So why are we currently turning it into rubble?... Americans overwhelmingly hate Trump's ballroom gambit.
Will mentalist Oz Pearlman read Donald Trump's mind at the White House Correspondents Assn. dinner next month? The nation would like to know what's going on between the president's ears... Defense Department quarterback Pete Hegseth compares Iranian war to a football game... Travel Nevada issues a gem of an RFP that describes "Nevadaness."
Omnicom and Interpublic have shed thousands of jobs since the announcement of the big merger, which may hinder future growth by turning off prospective talent... The Epstein Files are a gold mine to crisis PR pros looking for high-profile clients. 
The No. 1 fan of Big Macs dished out plenty of Whoppers during the State of the Union address... US embassy in the UK squeezes out CEO of Hanover Communications... Baltimore's biggest business improvement district looks for director of community engagement & safety... China takes Olympic gold in the sports-washing category.
White House can't seem to acknowledge that it is Muslims who celebrate Ramadan... Trump hails leaders of Paraguay, Albania and Bulgaria as among the world's best... As the US moves to brink of war with Iran, DOD secretary Hegseth cuts Army's PA chief.... Walmart is the answer to coping with the affordability crisis.
Departing Dept of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is part of the reason DHS' reputation is in the toilet... Marco Rubio debases himself with over-the-top praise for Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban... Russians soldiers conduct "human safaris" in Ukraine as drones target individual civilians... Eric Trump is among strategic investors as Israeli drone maker merges with JBS Construction Holdings.
The Donald J. Trump Center for the American Arts will rise from the rubble of the Kennedy Center... American Israel Public Affairs Committee helped expand the ranks of "the squad" by paving the way for upset win by Jersey progressive... Ancora beefs up its dry investor presenation with quotes from Jane Fonda, Ben Stiller... JD Vance follows Trump's footsteps by blaming staffing for PR misfire.
The National Cathedral's "rose window" would be a great place to pay tribute to the man who is putting his mark on DC landmarks... Will the Democratic presidential candidate embrace Project 2029's blueprint?... WPP offers counseling to US staffers who are outraged by the actions of ICE... PRSA embraces the 3 Rs as it stands at the crossroads.
The Blue Square Alliance Against Hate slates its third straight Super Bowl appearance on Feb. 8, urging Americans to fight antisemitism... X lags other platforms in taking down antisemitic content, according to Cyberwell... Monument Man? John Adams is poised to enter America's pantheon of heroes. Move over George and Tom.
