Oliver Darcy here, filling in for Brian Stelter. I always appreciate your tips/feedback, so do get in touch via email or Twitter. Now let's get to the news...
WaPo: Turkish authorities search Saudi consulate
13 days after the disappearance of WaPo contributor Jamal Khashoggi, Turkish investigators were finally allowed to search the Saudi consulate on Monday, WaPo's Kareem Fahim, John Wagner, and Souad Mekhennet reported Monday night.
The only problem? Hours before the investigators arrived, a cleaning crew had been photographed entering the consulate "hauling buckets, mops and what appeared to be bottles of cleaning solution." Two officials in contact with investigators told WaPo that Turkish authorities "smelled chemicals had been used" when they entered the grounds. Full story here…
Saudis preparing to admit journalist was killed | | The news broke during the 3pm hour on CNN and reverberated quickly across the globe. Clarissa Ward and Tim Lister reported via sources that the Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge Khashoggi died after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month, but would say that it was the result of an interrogation gone wrong.
One of the sources told CNN that the report will likely conclude the operation was conducted without clearance and that the individuals who executed it will be held responsible. WSJ, NBC News, and CBS News published similar reports later in the day. Read the full story from Ward and Lister here...
Which brings us to Trump...
Earlier in the morning, Trump said he had spoken to King Salman. Trump said the Saudi king denied having any knowledge about what happened to Khashoggi and Trump said he had dispatched Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with him. But Trump also seemed to foreshadow potential future messaging from the Saudis, saying, "It sounded like maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows?"
>> Sen. Chris Murphy on Twitter: "Been hearing the ridiculous 'rogue killers' theory was where the Saudis would go with this. Absolutely extraordinary they were able to enlist the President of the United States as their PR agent to float it."
USA Today editorial board: Trump lapsing into "recurring role as an apologist for brutal leaders"
The USA Today editorial board published a piece Monday evening asking whether Trump can handle the "dark truth" about Khashoggi's disappearance. "That's looking less likely. He has already lapsed into his unfortunate, recurring role as an apologist for brutal leaders who draw his favor," the editorial board wrote.
An interrogation gone wrong? Really?
While the Saudis might want to avoid responsibility for the killing of Khashoggi by suggesting it was an interrogation gone wrong, there is evidence that contradicts the assertion. Most notably, the NYT previously reported that the Saudi agents brought a bone saw with them that was used to dismember Khashoggi's body. The team also brought with them a doctor who specialized in autopsies, per NYT. I can't imagine most interrogation teams bring with them a bone saw and autopsy expert...
Khashoggi's family urges "independent and impartial commission" to investigate
Here's the family's full statement released to media outlets on Monday night: "We are sadly and anxiously following the conflicting news regarding the fate of our father after losing contact with him two weeks ago, when he disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Our family is traumatized, and yearns to be together during this painful time. The strong moral and legal responsibility which our father instilled in us obliges us to call for the establishment of an independent and impartial international commission to inquire into the circumstances of his death. We are grateful to all those who have respected our privacy during these difficult times."
NYT shuts down tours
The NYT has canceled plans for three guided tours to Saudi Arabia. A spokesperson said the newspaper had canceled the tours -- which are often accompanied by Times correspondents -- "in light of the uncertainty" surrounding Khashoggi's death. Hadas Gold has that story here...
Endeavor cutting ties?
"Endeavor is extricating itself from a deal with the Saudi government to invest $400 million into the company," THR's Kim Masters and Tatiana Siegel reported on Monday. Sources told Masters and Siegel that "paperwork is being drawn up that would terminate the deal."
I spoke to a person familiar with the matter later in the day who didn't go quite that far, but said the media conglomerate is indeed exploring pulling out of the deal. "We are assessing the situation and considering our options," the person said. Read my story with Jill Disis here...
>> Related reading: The Daily Beast's Max Tani and Asawin Suebsaeng reported Monday night that Ari Emanuel called Jared Kushner to "convey his extreme displeasure with the Saudi regime…"
Questions heading into Tuesday
-- Trump told "60 Minutes" there would be "severe punishment" if the Saudis did indeed kill Khashoggi. What will his response be when the Saudis release their statement?
-- How will this impact US-Saudi relations going forward? What will the geopolitical ramifications be?
-- Fox Business is the last of the major news organizations to continue to participate in the Saudi conference. A spokesperson told me the matter is still "under review." Will that change? Why hasn't it?
-- Will Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin drop out of the conference?
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Former Senate intel Committee staffer James Wolfe pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of lying to FBI investigators... (CNN)
-- Breaking via the NY Post: Tribune Media "is expected to get a buyout bid from Tom Hicks Jr., the Texas-based chair of America First, a super PAC that's aligned with Trump..." (NY Post)
-- Ashley Judd's defamation suit against Harvey Weinstein could begin in 2020. Per Deadline, "a joint discovery plan submitted to Judge Philip S. Gutierrez to late last week penciled in a January 28, 2020 start date to a trial..." (Deadline)
-- Dan Abrams is launching a Christian streaming network "dedicated to broadcasting Christian sermons with an in-studio discussion..." (The Hill)
Warren releases DNA results
Aiming to pre-empt questions about her ancestry should she run for president, Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday released results of a DNA test. She rolled out the results in a video posted online featuring Stanford genetics professor Carlos Bustamante. "Now, the President likes to call my mom a liar," Warren told the professor. "What do the facts say?" Bustamante responded in the video, "The facts suggest that you absolutely have a Native American ancestor in your pedigree." Bustamante's full analysis was posted online, and found that Warren's Native American ancestry was between six and 10 generations ago. CNN has a full story here...
Trump denies what he said at July rally
After the release of the DNA test, Trump claimed that he "didn't say" he would pay $1 million to Warren's favorite charity if she proved her Native American heritage. In fact, he said during a July rally he would do exactly that if Warren showed she was "an Indian." It's on video, and is just the latest example of Trump denying reality...
Fodder for conservative critics
The NYT's Jonathan Martin noted in his story that Warren's DNA results also provided ammo to Warren's conservative critics who have cast doubt on her Native American ancestry, noting that she was "mocked" for "releasing a test that indicated she is anywhere between 1/64th and 1/1,024th Native American."
Indeed, as I typed this newsletter up, I couldn't help but notice it make the rounds on Fox News' prime time shows. National Review Editor Rich Lowry tweeted, "Elizabeth Warren hasn't dealt with a problem, she has highlighted it and opened up other avenues for attack. For Trump, 1/1024th will be priceless material."
Over 3 million views so far
Brian Stelter emails: At the end of the day, I found myself half-agreeing with Matt Viser, who tweeted, "Those who like Elizabeth Warren probably like her even more today. Those who hate Elizabeth Warren probably hate her more today. And it seems as though no one is truly undecided on anything anymore."
The undecideds still exist -- they just don't tweet. But they do surf Facebook. Warren's team put out this five-and-a-half minute long video on Monday morning, via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and it's still drawing eyeballs 12 hours later, long after her name stopped trending. Across all three sites, I count more than 3 million combined video views, though there could be a bit of duplication.
Notice her promo text for the video: "My family (including Fox-News watchers) sat together and talked about what they think of Donald Trump's attacks on our heritage." Including Fox watchers...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- Stelter emails: CBS has found a buyer for its Television City production studios, the LAT reports. But the $700 million deal is not yet final. "CBS is expected to continue to operate the 25-acre studio as a tenant for a period of time..." (LAT)
-- Keach Hagey and Joe Flint's latest from inside the CBS boardroom mess... (WSJ)
-- The "Diamond & Silk" movie made its one-night debut in theaters Monday night. Right Wing Watch's Jared Holt, who saw the movie, live-tweeted about it. "The quality was objectively bad from top to bottom," Holt wrote. "Curious what people at the Trump hotel who paid $500 for VIP to see this are thinking..." (Twitter)
-- Sean Hannity has claimed he has never heard of the Proud Boys, but he has hosted its founder Gavin McInnes 24 times... (Media Matters)
-- NBC's Ben Collins notes that 'while the Proud Boys and Gavin McInnes are banned on Twitter, he and his show are both still verified on Facebook, with millions of video views..." (Twitter / NBC News)
Facebook bans more misinfo pertaining to voting
With just weeks to go before the 2018 midterm elections, Facebook said on Monday that it had expanded its policies on false information pertaining to voting. The move was first reported by Reuters and later in the day Facebook disclosed it in a blog post.
The company said that since 2016 it has prohibited "offers to buy or sell votes as well as misrepresentations about the dates, locations, times and qualifications for casting a ballot." But now, the company has "extended this policy further and are now banning misrepresentations about how to vote, such as claims that you can vote by text message, and statements about whether a vote will be counted." Facebook also said it has introduced a new way for users to report if they are seeing "voting information that may be incorrect."
>> It's worth noting, Facebook does not normally ban misinformation. Usually, it will de-rank false information in newsfeed, but generally it does not ban misinfo outright...
Not Trump's best "60 Minutes" ratings performance
"Donald Trump Takes Ratings Nosedive in '60 Minutes' Interview." That was the headline over at Deadline today -- a headline that I imagine Trump wouldn't be too happy about. The website reported that 13.5 million viewers tuned in to watch Trump's interview with Lesley Stahl, a big audience, but not quite what Trump scored last time he was on the program.
>> If I had to guess, I would say the lower ratings are probably a symptom of the president's increased media availability in the last couple of weeks...
"60" made edits "for facts"
Brian Stelter emails: Why so many interruptions during Lesley Stahl's interview of POTUS? Why so many edits? Trump's friends on Fox were quick to complain that Stahl and the crew didn't just let the president talk. Well, here's a partial answer, courtesy of the program's acting exec producer Bill Owens: "Edits were made for time, for facts" and other considerations, Owens told Erik Wemple on Monday.
So "60" tried to cut around Trump's most egregious errors. "Any time there was a fact that we couldn't support in research, it was taken out of the piece," Owens said. Imagine if all Trump interviews were taped and produced this way...
>> STILL, fact-checkers like Glenn Kessler found "a litany of false claims, misleading assertions and exaggerated facts" in the interview...
| | A-listers at WIRED25
Brian Stelter emails: WIRED mag's 25th anniversary summit drew everyone from Jony Ive to Kevin Systrom to Susan Wojcicki to surprise speaker Jeff Bezos... Wired.com has all the highlights here...
In a touching on-stage moment, Steven Levy also paused to pay tribute to Paul Allen, soon after the news of Allen's passing broke on Monday evening...
Fixing YouTube's algorithms?
Stelter adds: Susan Wojcicki said the last 18 months at YouTube have been "our growing up years." Per Variety's recap, Wired's Peter Rubin "put Wojcicki on the spot by recalling that he had searched for videos of her to prepare for the on-stage interview, which resulted in the YouTube app serving up far-right fringe conspiracy theories as well as a video calling for her to be fired." This, in a nutshell, is one of YouTube's biggest ongoing problems. What the heck is its algorithm doing?! "
Wojcicki responded that the service was working to improve its search results. 'Our goal is to be able to give you the most relevant information,' she said. 'We want those top results to be right.'" Okay. When?
Dorsey speaks
Ahiza Garcia emails from SF: Speaking at WIRED25, Jack Dorsey said Twitter is not "absolutist" when it comes to free speech, but emphasized the company's status as a virtual "public square." He said "freedom of expression may adversely impact other fundamental human rights such as privacy, such as physical security."
But he also conceded that Twitter has been "behind" in using AI filters, the way platforms like Instagram have done, to make users feel safer. He said the enforcement system mainly relies on reports, which unfairly places the burden on the victim of harassment. "The question we're starting to ask is what are the tools we're building, what is their effect on making it easier to weaponize freedom of expression?"
This week's cover of Variety...
This cover, out Tuesday, simply says "VOTE." Per a spokesman, the accompanying article by Ted Johnson is about how the Kavanaugh hearings "redoubled the commitment from Hollywood activists for change -- but asks if Hollywood's support will help or hurt the Democrats on Nov. 6..." | |
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE -- Variety's Brian Steinberg writes about how Trish Regan is leading Fox Biz's "push into primetime..." (Variety)
-- HBO has named Jessica Holscott as its chief financial officer. She had previously been head of investor relations at Time Warner... (THR)
-- Meeta Agrawal is the NYT's new Arts & Leisure editor... (NYT)
Fox News host: There is not much daylight between my network and the White House
Fox News host Juan Williams appeared on The Hill TV Monday morning and appeared to suggest that his employer is joined at the hip with the White House. Hill TV host Krystal Ball asked about whether the lines between the two entities are blurry. "Blurry?" Williams asked. "I think they're joined at--." Ball interjected, finishing Williams' thought. "They are joined at the hip."
| | Controversy over "First Man"
Frank Pallotta emails: "First Man," the Neil Armstrong biopic starring Ryan Gosling, had a third place finish at the box office this weekend. Some online said this was due to the film not having a scene with the flag being planted on the moon. It's true, you never see Gosling plant the flag. But the flag is there (it's everywhere, in fact), so this controversy is really, really dumb. That said, this really, really dumb controversy has recently received a lot of attention in recent days.
Yet, I don't think the controversy actually ended up hurting "First Man." While it didn't do great, it didn't flop. Studio expectations for the film were in the teens, and the film made $16 million. Plus, it's an awards movie, which means it'll play for the next few months in hopes of winning awards, which could lead to bigger numbers. It was also competing with the two blockbusters: "Venom" and "A Star Is Born."
Jimmy Kimmel is back in Brooklyn!
Pallotta emails another one: Jimmy Kimmel returns to Brooklyn for a week of shows and I spoke with the late night host over the weekend about his return to the Big Apple. The interview touched on many subjects including his emotional monologues and how Trump has impacted late night. "I always look at my job as someone who comments on the news of the day," Kimmel told me. "You go to dinner and it's all people talk about. It used to be everyone talked about Netflix all the time. That's been replaced by Donald Trump."
Read Frank's full interview here...
'The Conners' lays foundation for life after 'Roseanne'
Brian Lowry emails: "The Conners" premieres Tuesday, benefiting from the morbid curiosity that stems from this effort to make the best of a bad situation, by spinning a sitcom out of the ashes of Roseanne Barr's self-immolation. Critics were sworn to secrecy about the details -- and most of the early reviews have been quite positive -- but the question lingers whether this is a longterm player for ABC or, more likely, merely a stopgap measure.
Read Lowry's full review here...
"The Alec Baldwin Show" bombs in ratings
Lowry emails one more: Trump didn't produce huge ratings for "60 Minutes," but for the ratings-conscious president, here's a silver lining: The headlines Monday were that "The Alec Baldwin Show" bombed ratings-wise, drawing just 2.2 million viewers on Sunday night, and just a 0.4 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic. Still, it's hard to evaluate that, based on the fact that the interview format (which featured Robert De Niro and Taraji P. Henson as guests) is so relatively inexpensive that the series theoretically doesn't need much of an audience to justify its production nut.
That's it for tonight... Stelter will be back tomorrow. See you next time!
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