Forward

Exec summary: Hey, how was your weekend? Scroll down for box office hits and misses... the best quotes from Sunday's "Reliable Sources" broadcast... the first look inside a new book about "The View..." and much more...

Hack attack continues

We should be thinking about this in the present tense, not in the past tense. The workweek is beginning with a NEW warning that Russian hackers continued to support President Trump and sow division in the US well after the 2016 election. This time the warning comes in a report commissioned by the Senate.

In fact, TWO reports about Russian interference are due to be released by the Senate Intelligence Committee on Monday. Per CNN's Donie O'Sullivan, "the reports are based on data provided by the social media companies to the committee, much of which has not yet been made public."

O'Sullivan says "the reports don't appear to contain any bombshells, but they do shed light on the totality of the effort – and it is vast. Read O'Sullivan and Kate Sullivan's story here...

Russia's aid to Trump "intensified" after election day

On Sunday night the Washington Post's Craig Timberg and Tony Romm wrote about a draft of the first report, which was completed by Oxford. The report documents how Russian operatives "used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters' interests to help elect President Trump — and worked even harder to support him while in office."

Timberg, speaking on Ana Cabrera's CNN show Sunday night, said the Internet Research Agency's efforts "actually intensified after election day," particularly on YouTube. He added: "There's no reason to think the Russians stopped. Why would they?"

Big Tech's role...

Thanks to O'Sullivan, CNN has some inside info about the second report, which was produced for the Senate by New Knowledge, an online intel firm. According to his source, the firm told the intel committee that social media companies might have provided the "bare minimum" amount of data for the probe. The firm also "advised lawmakers that there are likely more Russian accounts that the social media companies failed to identify, according to the person familiar with the report."

Big Tech has repeatedly said that it fell short in recognizing what was going on...

The IRA's media strategy

Donie O'Sullivan emails: My source says there's a whole section in the New Knowledge report devoted to examining the Internet Research Agency's "media impersonation and diminishment strategy."

NEWS IMPERSONATORS: The researchers found there was 44 Twitter accounts posing as US-related news organizations that had amassed more than 600,000 followers. The report notes that many of the phony news organizations posed as local outlets, and may have been based on studies that show Americans trust local media over national outlets. As CNN and other outlets have previously reported, the group also set up a bunch of phony sites targeting specific groups, such as "Black Matters US" that posed as a black activist group and actually conducted real interviews with Americans (always online or over phone)...

ERODING TRUST: The researchers found the Russians consistently "attempted to erode trust in mainstream media," I am told, and regularly portrayed WikiLeaks in a positive light. Here's a screenshot from one of the reports that shows how the group targeted CNN with memes...

The bottom line

The more we learn about the 2016 interference, the better. And it's especially important to understand what has happened since then. What are foreign actors doing now, and why? What's being done about it?

This isn't like a broken arm -- something that can be fixed with time and attention. No. This can only be managed -- it's a chronic condition like diabetes...

🔌 I'll be on CNN's "New Day" talking about this in the 8 a.m. hour on Monday...

Trump's twittery weekend

A Mid-Atlantic rainstorm meant a weekend full of Trump tweets. He live-tweeted Fox shows; called Michael Cohen a "rat;" kicked The Weekly Standard while it's down; attacked Bill Kristol without having the decency to tag Kristol in the tweet; called "SNL" a "Democrat spin machine;" said "unfair" coverage "should be tested in courts;" insulted Jeff Sessions; and used the phrase "witch hunt" four times in a single day.

At one point in the tweetstorm, Ryan Lizza commented, "two tweets in one morning that would lead to calls for impeachment in normal times." Hey, speaking of Lizza...

SCOOP:

Lizza and Nuzzi are writing a 2020 book together

Ryan Lizza and Olivia Nuzzi are pairing up to write a book for Simon & Schuster about the 2020 election. This is the first major book acquisition for the publisher's new Avid Reader imprint, which is being led by Jofie Ferrari-Adler and Ben Loehnen.

Nuzzi has a loyal audience at NYMag... and Lizza at Esquire... They've had editors reach out to them separately about potential book projects... But the notion of working together was much more enticing. Lizza and Nuzzi's media power couple status is not the hook for the book however -- the book aspires to be the definitive account of the 2020 race, both in DC and on the trail, told in the reported narrative style that both writers are known for...

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Another case of Rudy Giuliani going on TV and making things worse for his client? "Giuliani indicates conversations with Trump on Trump Tower Moscow occurred later than previously known..." (CNN)

-- New NBC/WSJ polling re: whether Trump has been honest about the Russia probe: 34% say yes, 62% say no... (NBC)

-- This is a great read by Roxanne Roberts: "Robert Mueller is the most unknowable man in Washington." She says "virtually everyone within Mueller's orbit refused to talk about him..." (WaPo)

HQ Trivia CEO found dead

Deepest condolences to Colin Kroll's family, friends and colleagues. The CEO and co-founder of HQ Trivia was found dead in the bedroom of his NYC apartment on Sunday morning. He was 34.

"The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death," per CNN's story. The NYT spoke with Kroll's father, who said Kroll "worked too many hours and too hard. I think New York City got to him a little bit."

As news of his death circulated on Sunday, Kurt Wagner's Recode story from last month recirculated. Wagner examined Kroll's recent promotion to CEO, "internal turmoil" at HQ Trivia, and concerns that the startup was just a "one-hit wonder." The story showed that Kroll was under tremendous pressure.

Time mag on a hiring spree

Three's a trend: Jeff Bezos bought WaPo and the paper hired lots of people. Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the LA Times and the paper is in the process of hiring lots of people. Marc Benioff bought Time, and now the magazine is posting 25 new jobs.

>> Benioff believes "in the potential of the brand," Time CEO and EIC Edward Felsenthal told me on Sunday's show. Read Jackie Wattles' recap of the interview here...

EXCLUSIVE:

First look at Ramin Setoodeh's "View" tell-all

Variety's New York Bureau Chief Ramin Setoodeh has been working on a book about "The View" for the past three years. Now it's time to reveal the title, the cover and the release date:

St. Martin's Press will publish "Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of 'The View'" on April 2, 2019. Whoever came up with the title deserves a bonus!

St. Martin's chair Sally Richardson: "The book is just like 'The View' itself: outrageous, shocking, moving, funny, and a true reflection of American culture."

Setoodeh has gone back to the creation of "The View" 21 years ago and has documented all the ups and downs since. He interviewed Barbara Walters, Rosie O'Donnell, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Jenny McCarthy, Meghan McCain, Bill Geddie, Anne Sweeney, Cindi Berger, Brian Teta, Candi Carter -- practically everyone involved with the show -- with a couple exceptions.

"The two cohosts who never agreed to sit down with me — even though I'd interviewed them both before — were Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck," Setoodeh told me. "Read it and you'll see why." Here's the Amazon page...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Smart column by David Dodson for CNN Business Perspectives: "To hold Facebook accountable, stop calling it a tech company..." (CNN)

-- What?! "Arizona newspaper publisher uses his publication to accuse wife of poisoning attempt..." (AP via NBC)

-- "The tremors that continue to shake many newspapers are now moving through new media companies..." (WaPo)

-- Jim Rutenberg's Monday NYT column: "The most powerful print publication in America might just be The National Enquirer..." (NYT)

-- Yes, but... As I illustrated with this timeline on Sunday's show, the Enquirer suddenly stopped promoting Trump when its parent company was subpoenaed in April... So Trump has lost one of his biggest boosters... (CNN)

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS:

Running out of ways to say 'boxed in'

I turned Friday night's newsletter item into the lead of Sunday's "Reliable Sources:"Does the public understand just how much trouble the president is in? If not, that's a failing of the press.

There's so much talk about the president being boxed in.... lots of warnings that the walls are closing in... but do readers and viewers know why? I think the press needs to redouble its effort to zoom out, WAY out, and make sure the big picture isn't being clouded by all of the hourly and daily developments.

WaPo did that with this story over the weekend: "Two years after Donald Trump won the presidency, nearly every organization he has led in the past decade is under investigation."

And The AP, too: "Investigations now entangle Donald Trump's White House, campaign, transition, inauguration, charity and business."

And S.E. Cupp on CNN: "This is not normal. Things are not OK. The president of the United States is in serious trouble."

--> Related: Garrett Graff tweeted over the weekend, "We need to start leveling with readers/viewers about how bad the Trump situation is — and how all signs are it's worse than we even realize now."

Will Bunch: The conspiracy is 'hiding in plain sight'

"I think the biggest electoral conspiracy in American history has already been laid out there. It's hiding in plain sight," Philly Inquirer columnist Will Bunch said on Sunday's show. He said the scandal is, already, "arguably worse than Watergate."

Joan Walsh and Matt Lewis were also part of the conversation... Lewis said Trump scandals are serious, but conservative viewers feel "you guys are focused solely" on the controversies while "a lot of things are going right in the country." Walsh responded, "I just don't think that there's a way to balance this and say, well, here's the good news, but the bad news is our president might be a completely and totally corrupt man." Watch the segment here...

How the WSJ exposed hush money schemes

Consider this: It wasn't the NYT or the Post or the AP that broke the news about Trumpworld's collaboration with the National Enquirer. No, it was the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal. I point this out not to diminish the Journal, but rather to raise it up: Despite the fact that Murdoch and Trump are pals, and despite persistent Q's about Murdoch meddling with the paper, the scoops were published and the stories benefited the Journal.

I talked with WSJ reporter Michael Rothfeld on Sunday's "Reliable Sources..." He said it was "a classic journalistic effort of peeling away layers of the onion..." Here's video of the segment...

>> Did you know this? Rothfeld and his reporting partner Joe Palazzolo are writing a book about Trumpworld's tactics, titled "The Fixers," for Random House...

Is there value in interviewing Trump's aides?

After Chris Cuomo's Thursday night interview with Kellyanne Conway, Don Lemon challenged Cuomo and questioned whether Conway should be booked on CNN at all. So we got into that on Sunday's show... I tend to side with Cuomo on this one... But many, many others are on Team Lemon. "It's very clear," Oliver Darcy said on "Reliable," that when Conwa comes on, "she's aiming to deflect, she's deceiving the audience, she's spreading misinformation..."

Later in the hour, we talked about how 2018 has been consumed by misinfo... watch my chat with Darcy and Joan Walsh here...

Three ways to catch up on the show

Listen to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite app... Watch the video clips on CNN.com... Or watch the entire episode via CNNgo or VOD...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The first move in the authoritarian playbook is the control of information, the suppression of people who try to get the facts out. And we continued to see that in a major way around the world this year."

--Time editor Edward Felsenthal, discussing his selection of "The Guardians" as Person of the Year, on Sunday's "Reliable..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- A must-read: Brooks Barnes' Monday NYT profile of Netflix movie chief Scott Stuber... (NYT)

-- Willa Paskin says 2018 was "a meh year for TV," but points out that "someone else had an amazing year of watching TV, because this was the year they finally got to The Leftovers and Freaks and Geeks, rewatched Friends and binged 30 for 30 documentaries." Her essay about TV and criticism is excellent... (Slate)

-- Joy Press wonders if the "peak TV" bubble will finally burst in 2019: "With additions from Apple, Disney, and WarnerMedia to the streaming wars, how much content can American audiences consume?" (VF)

-- One of this weekend's biggest celeb world stories: "Offset interrupted Cardi B on stage and she was not having it..." (CNN)

Fresh concerns about Pete Davidson

First Pete Davidson wrote on Instagram, "i really don't want to be on this earth anymore. i'm doing my best to stay here for you but i actually don't know how much longer i can last. all i've ever tried to do was help people. just remember i told you so." Then he deleted his account. His digital footprint on Saturday prompted an outpouring of concern among his friends and fans... And a wellness check by the NYPD... But Davidson was at work, preparing for "SNL," and he made a brief appearance on the live telecast Saturday night...

>> Related CNN.com op-ed by research psychologist Peggy Drexler: "What we should learn from Pete Davidson's Instagram post"

ICYMI...

Here is Frank Pallotta's recap of the final fresh "SNL" before Christmas... Complete with Alec Baldwin and Robert De Niro...

Biggest bomb of the year?

"'Mortal Engines,' a steampunk fantasy adventure, is also an epic flop," Variety's Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin wrote Sunday.

The Peter Jackson project only made $7.5 million at the North American box office over the weekend. "With a budget of just over $100 million and tens of millions in global marketing costs, executives at rival studios estimate that the movie will lose upwards of $100 million," per Variety. Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations quoted in the story: "This is a true Christmas disaster and a lump of coal for Universal. They took a big swing, and they struck out."

Deadline has further insights here...

Here's what did work this weekend

"In another win for Sony's stable of Marvel films, 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' swung to $35.4 million in its domestic debut — the best December opening ever for an animated film — laying the course for a strong run over the year-end holidays," THR's Pamela McClintock wrote.

Clint Eastwood's "The Mule" was No. 2 for the weekend, "earning $17.2 million in North America. That is among the top openings for any film Eastwood has directed..."

Huge $$ for "Aquaman" internationally

Brian Lowry emails: It's looking like Warner Bros. can thank the international box office for its happy holidays. The "Fantastic Beasts" sequel has grossed nearly $600 million worldwide, three quarters of that from outside the United States and Canada. "Aquaman," meanwhile, is already north of $260 million -- thanks largely to China, where it's on a potentially record-setting pace -- prior to its Dec. 21 domestic release...

What I'm watching

"Springsteen on Broadway" is streaming now on Netflix...

And Jamie and I are obsessed with "Escape at Dannemora" on Showtime...

That's a wrap. Thanks for reading. Send me your feedback via email anytime! Back tomorrow...