Forward

EXEC SUMMARY: Hey there, this is Oliver Darcy, in for Brian Stelter. Email me your feedback, or connect with me on Twitter. Scroll down for George Conway's piece in The Atlantic, layoffs at Sports Illustrated and HuffPost, CNN's rejection of two Trump campaign ads, and more. But first...

Impeachment coverage missing a key angle

As a reporter who spends a lot of time consuming and covering right-wing media, it has been surprising to see such little coverage of the role pro-Trump media, specifically Fox, is playing in Trump's impeachment scandal. You might not be watching "Fox & Friends" and reading Breitbart and listening to Rush Limbaugh -- but GOP lawmakers know their voters are.

Much of Fox currently serves as an arm of the White House messaging operation. Make no mistake: If Trump survives the deepening scandal he now finds himself in, it will be because of Fox and the rest of the pro-Trump media machine muddying the waters and poisoning the public conversation.

Cable news is all over a long list of angles related to the Ukraine (and now China) scandal. But this is a KEY part of the story, and deserves coverage as well.

Right-wing media has locked Republicans from access to its own voters

Analysts frequently say that Trump is maintaining support among his GOP base. Why is that? It's because his supporters are getting their info from Fox, talk radio, and a cluster of pro-Trump websites. That's the root issue.

If you wonder why Senate Republicans are so afraid to speak out against Trump, just think: Where do the voters who elected these Senate Republicans get their news? Then ask, if you're a Senate Republican up for re-election, would it be smart for you to say something that would very likely result in you being excoriated on these outlets? Probably not.

The big picture

Over the years, right-wing media has successfully managed to lock the Republican Party from access to its own base. Republican voters have been taught not to trust politicians or the mainstream media. So who have they been conditioned to trust? Media personalities like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Tucker Carlson, etc. Elected Republicans know that speaking out against Trump will result in facing a vicious wrath from the very people who their voters trust most.

Don't believe me? Just ask Justin Amash, who was celebrated for years by the conservative media. Ask him what happened when he spoke out against Trump...

BREAKING:

House Dems release text messages between US diplomats and Ukrainians

Three House committees released documents and text messages provided by former American Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker on Thursday. You can read the full document here on CNN...

>> Key line from the letter: "The President and his aides are engaging in a campaign of misinformation and misdirection in an attempt to normalize the act of soliciting foreign powers to interfere in our elections..."

"CONFESSION ON CAMERA"

That was the Thursday evening headline on HuffPost, and one that I thought summarized things magnificently. CNN also had a great chyron earlier which said, "Trump Admits To Very Offense Dems Looking To Impeach Over." Trump on Thursday attempted to move the goal posts by repeating what he said privately in public.

That leaves newsrooms with an inherent challenge. As James Poniewozik put it: "One endemic problem in the media is that it finds it easier to cover a 'scandal' in a minor act that's kept secret (or that's just purported to be secret) than in a major, egregious act that's done right out in the open."

He's right. There is this perception that if someone is doing something out in the open, then it must be OK. Newsrooms, using reputable legal analysts and historians, must explain clearly to their readers that this is not the case.

Todd: "This moment should be a national emergency"

To that point, Chuck Todd noted on his program, "This moment should be a national emergency." Todd explained that "the precedent" Trump's calls for foreign interference "would set" would leave "lasting damage" to the country. But Todd noted that "there has been virtually no condemnation" from the Republican Party.

In fact, The Financial Times said it "contacted all 53 Republican senators on Thursday to ask if they were concerned that Mr Trump had encouraged China, a US adversary, to investigate the Bidens. While some were unavailable for comment due to their travel schedules, not one of the members responded via their staff to express any concern."

Glasser: The restraints "are gone"

"Did Donald Trump just self-impeach?" That's what Susan Glasser asks in her newest Letter from Trump's Washington for The New Yorker. Glasser says we don't know where the probe will end, but we do know that "the restraints on him are gone, and they are not coming back."

Whistleblower attorney calls out Laura Ingraham

Mark Zaid, a lawyer for the whistleblower, called out Fox's Laura Ingraham in a scathing Twitter thread Thursday evening. Zaid said Ingraham had accused him on her show of having had previously represented Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton.

"To use coined phrase: FAKE NEWS!" Zaid wrote, adding, "To be clear, at no time have I ever represented Senator Schumer or Secretary Clinton. Ever. Never." Zaid wrote that his colleague, Andrew Bakaj, once interned for Schumer and Clinton nearly 20 years ago in college. But that is not what Ingraham said.

>> On her program Thursday night, Ingraham conceded she was "incorrect." You can see that here...

What the heck happened today?

Brian Stelter emails: I am grateful to the news websites that are coming out with daily digests and compilations of the day's Trump- and impeachment-related news. CNN, for instance, has both a Live Story with chronological updates, AND a "top takeaways" list by Zach Wolf. I thought I was plugged-in all day long, but I missed several of the stories on here.

The NYT also has a newsletter and page called "What Happened Today," all about the impeachment inquiry, which is worth reading here...

Coming Friday...

Josh Campbell tweeted Thursday night: "Just think, the really crazy stuff usually breaks on Fridays..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Most-read story on the WaPo website Thursday night: "IRS whistleblower said to report Treasury political appointee might have tried to interfere in audit of Trump or Pence" (WaPo)

-- Back to the Ukraine scandal: "When the story is written, the whistleblower will just be an afterthought," Jim Geraghty notes... (NRO)

-- Hell of a visual here: "Donald Trump is part of a digital human centipede of his own making," Ryan Broderick writes... (BuzzFeed News)

-- "The much-delayed $100 million deal for American Media Inc. to sell the National Enquirer to Jimmy Cohen, owner of magazine wholesaler Hudson News, now looks as though it could be wrapped up in the next 60 days..." (NY Post)

-- Chris Cillizza writes about those Breitbart "polls" Trump keeps tweeting... (CNN)

-- Uh oh: Over the last week, there have been more "positive readings for bedbugs," per a Thursday memo that went out to NYT staff. The new readings were located on two floors, including the second floor which is where the main newsroom is located...

CNN rejects Trump's inaccurate campaign ads

CNN rejected two campaign ads from the Trump campaign on Thursday, noting that the ads contained demonstrably false and misleading information.

One ad pushed misleading claims about the Bidens. It ended by attacking so-called "media lapdogs," a group that included some CNN personalities. "CNN is rejecting the ad, as it does not meet our advertising standards," a network spokesperson told The Daily Beast. "Specifically, in addition to disparaging CNN and its journalists, the ad makes assertions that have been proven demonstrably false by various news outlets, including CNN."

The other ad, called "Coup," suggested the impeachment inquiry attempted to "to undo the election, regardless of facts." A CNN spokesperson told NYT that the ad contained "assertions of fact about the whistle-blower complaint that have been refuted by the Intelligence inspector general." Moreover, the CNN spokesperson added, "In addition, it is inaccurate to use the word 'coup' to describe a constitutionally prescribed legal process."

Biden campaign implores Fox to not run the spot

In a letter to Fox's general counsel, the Biden campaign requested Fox not run the ad, noting it "spreads false, definitively debunked conspiracy theories." Biden campaign manager Greg Schultz wrote, in part, "Though the Trump campaign is prepared to fabricate outright lies, your station's airwaves should not be used to disseminate them."

A Fox spokesperson responded,"We are not in the business of censoring ads from candidates on either side of the aisle. Vice President Joe Biden has a standing invitation to appear on any of our platforms."

>> My 2 cents: It is not surprising Fox is willing to run these misleading Trump ads. It'd be surprising if the network rejected them. The ads are literally a short, concise summary of the misleading anti-Biden messages Fox's programming has been pushing for days...

Under review at MSNBC...

The ad has also run on MSNBC, according to a story from NBC's Claire Atkinson. That said, the network is now reviewing it.

An NBCUniversal spokesperson told me it's currently being determined whether it will continue to run on MSNBC...

Trump floats starting new network

Trump, clearly frustrated with news coverage as he faces an impeachment inquiry, suggested on Thursday the idea of starting a new television network. The suggestion came after Trump attacked CNN, specifically CNN International, at a Medicare event in Florida. Trump said the news network is "so bad" and called it a "terrible thing for our country."

"We ought to start our own network and put some real news out there," Trump said. Trump added, "We really are, we are looking at that. We should do something about it too. Put some really talented people and get a real voice out there, not a voice that's fake."

Despite Trump's comments, it was not clear whether the White House was seriously looking into launching a network. I pinged a White House spokesperson for more info, but never heard back. Full story here...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Casey Newton's latest: "Mark Zuckerberg leaks his own meeting..." (The Interface)

-- One of CNN's best, Emily Atkinson, is the new executive producer of "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." She will succeed Jay Shaylor, who is heading to CBS to run Norah O'Donnell's show... (Twitter)

-- Demi Moore's memoir debuts at No. 1 on the NYT's nonfiction bestseller list... Bill O'Reilly's Trump book is at No. 2 (without a national TV push) and Malcolm Gladwell is at No. 3... (NYT)

-- "NBC is developing a drama series" with CNN's Dana Bash as a consulting producer, Joe Otterson reports. "Titled 'The Hill,' the series is described as a character drama that lives at the supercharged intersection of media and Capitol Hill..." (Variety)

-- "Bob Woodward interviewed the 'She Said' authors at a book event. Things got tense. Then there was heckling..." (WaPo)

-- 🔌: Michael Shear, co-author of the forthcoming book "Border Wars," will join Brian Stelter on Sunday's "Reliable Sources..."

George Conway's case

This 11,400-word piece by George Conway was the lead story on The Atlantic's website all day long. Titled "Unfit for Office," Conway makes the case that Trump's "extreme" narcissism "makes it impossible for him to carry out the duties of the presidency in the way the Constitution requires."

Conway has been trying to sound an alarm about Trump's mental health for many months now. In this new piece, Conway argues that "Trump's mental state should be taken into account as this impeachment inquiry begins," CNN's Jake Tapper reported...

FBI ordered to give CNN and BuzzFeed 500 pages of Mueller docs a month

Katelyn Polantz emails: Federal Judge Reggie Walton ordered Thursday that the FBI give CNN and Buzzfeed at least 500 pages of memos of the witness interviews in the Mueller investigation on the first of the month, every month until they've all been distributed. The document dumps begin Nov. 1, and may mark the first major releases of new information from the Mueller probe under the federal public records law.

In all the Department of Justice is processing approximately 44,000 pages of Mueller witness memos, known as 302s. (There were 800 memos in all.) Though it's a win in court for CNN and Buzzfeed, the documents could take years to be released to the public. The pages, being processed under the Freedom of Information Act, are likely to contain redactions.

FRIDAY PLANNER

House Democrats say they plan to subpoena the White House for documents as part of the impeachment probe...

A new Labor Department jobs report is due out, as the stock market continues to slide...

Scholastic is revealing the next "Hunger Games" book on "GMA..."

A DAY OF LAYOFFS...

Sports Illustrated announces layoffs

Kerry Flynn emails: Sports Illustrated cut more than 40 members of its staff on Thursday afternoon. The layoffs were part of TheMaven, a Seattle-based startup, taking full ownership of the company from Meredith Corporation. Meredith had sold SI to Athletic Brands Group in June, which then put TheMaven in charge. More in my story here…

Disastrous rollout

Flynn continues: The layoffs were poorly executed, with staffers agonizing all day over whether they were to be paid off, since WSJ broke the news Wednesday night and said more than 40 staffers were going to be laid off. Employees were divided into two separate meetings, one for those laid off and one for those remaining. Those meetings were cancelled just 10 minutes prior and didn't occur until four hours later.

>> After the meetings were abruptly cancelled, SI staffers teamed up and wrote a memo. They tweeted it out from a new Twitter account @SIUnited54. It read, "Sports Illustrated has been an iconic brand for 65 years, defined by high-quality storytelling with global recognition. As the people who have made this publication what it is, we are writing to call on ABG and Meredith to save the future of this storied title."

What's TheMaven?

Flynn adds: TheMaven is a Seattle-based media company, whose leadership included Ross Levinsohn. He had a short stint as publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times, but was put on unpaid leave in 2018 over "questionable behavior" in his past, which he denied. In June, Levinsohn was named as CEO of the new company Sports Illustrated Media. TheMaven's plan for Sports Illustrated includes hiring more than 200 contractors to write more local sports stories...

HuffPost layoffs in video department

Kerry Flynn emails: HuffPost laid off 13 staffers, 11 full-time employees and two contractors. HuffPost's Andy Campbell first reported the news, which I confirmed. A HuffPost staffer at an afternoon all-hands meeting tells me HuffPost EIC Lydia Polgreen said the cuts were part of a strategy to better integrate video and admitted that the company has been monetizing at a rate below its peers in the media industry.

Polgreen said she expects no more layoffs through the end of the year. "The journalism we do is important for the world and it needs to survive. We are working on it," she said...

"Days like today are a reminder of why we formed a union..."

Flynn adds: HuffPost Union, organized through WGA East, tweeted, "Days like today are a reminder of why we formed a union and the importance of advocating for our colleagues, including securing guaranteed severance after layoffs. We encourage everyone to organize their workplaces."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- A top E.U. court ruled countries can order Facebook to "restrict global access" to content, "in a ruling that has implications for how countries can expand content bans beyond their borders..." (NYT)

-- "Newsday is selling its freebie commuter paper amNewYork, relinquishing its last toehold in the five boroughs as it concentrates on its core Long Island audience..." (NYPost)

-- An Outbrain and Taboola deal is finally happening... And "the combination could have a big impact on publishers," as Lara O'Reilly notes here... (Digiday)

Whistle buys Snap-backed Vertical Networks

Kerry Flynn emails: Whistle acquired Vertical Networks, the mobile-first content studio founded by Elisabeth Murdoch with backing from Snap. Vertical Networks is the studio behind one of Snapchat's most popular shows "Phone Swap" and the publisher story "Brother," which has 20 million subscribers.

PBS NewsHour celebrates 10 years of Student Reporting Labs

Katie Pellico writes: PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs have been inspiring aspiring journalists for a decade. 150 high schools across the country participate in the youth journalism program, producing stories that get featured in local public media stations and on the PBS NewsHour nightly broadcast. Check out some examples from this year here...

The program was, in its inception, the answer to a question: "How do we get more teenagers to care about the news?"

Labs founder Leah Clapman writes that the program is a "bright spot for journalists in an uncertain time." Hear from participating students and teachers about the impact the program has had on their lives.

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- WSJ's latest scoop: Amazon and Disney "are at loggerheads over terms for carrying the entertainment giant's apps in Amazon's Fire TV devices, a dispute that highlights the new power struggles emerging in the streaming economy..." (WSJ)

-- This is "how the broadband lobby impersonated a million Americans in the fight to kill net neutrality..." Millions of fake comments added up to the "most prolific known instance of political impersonation in US history..." (BuzzFeed News)

-- "A special three-night event celebrating the 25th anniversary" of "Friends" attracted "over 230,000 fans and grossed an estimated $2.9 million from more than 1,600 theaters, making it the second-highest-grossing U.S. event cinema release of 2019. It's also among Fathom's all-time biggest earners." (THR)

-- THR is out with its annual rundown of "Hollywood's 50 most powerful showrunners..." (THR)

"Joker" time

"Joker" opened in theaters on Thursday night. "The film looks as if it will break the October opening weekend record set just last year as the conversation surrounding it is sure to intensify over the weekend," Box Office Mojo's Brad Brevet writes.

Some of the conversation, however, is about threats. "The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are warning law enforcement" that "a number of threats were posted online calling for mass shootings at showings of the movie," CNN's David Shortell reports. Here's the latest...

Todd Phillips' unforced errors

Brian Lowry emails: Whatever the merits of "Joker," director Todd Phillips has done himself and the movie no favors with his public pronouncements, which first included saying that he had sworn off comedy because of "woke culture," and on Wednesday night entailed saying that it would be irresponsible for the movie not to depict violence explicitly. That's a legitimate argument, but has little to do with the reasons people have expressed misgivings about the film, which has more to do with its tone, themes and the character's history than the specific nature of the violence...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

By Lisa Respers France:

-- Kylie Jenner has addressed the speculation about her relationships with Travis Scott...

-- Kate Gosselin defended her college student twin daughters...

-- Katharine McPhee pulled a Kim Kardashian West throwback on Instagram...

-- Halloween's coming so here are 7 movies to scream... uh stream in honor of the holiday...

"Sesame Street" heads to HBO Max

Frank Pallotta emails: Can you tell me how to get to HBO Max?

WarnerMedia needs a library that can compete with Disney+, which has made a name for itself primarily with children's content. So it has made a deal with the Cookie Monster.

"Sesame Street" is moving from its current home, HBO, to WarnerMedia's forthcoming streaming service HBO Max, effective in 2020. For the first time, the entire "Sesame" library will be available for viewing. The new five-year deal also includes annual "Sesame Street" specials and four new related series including a late night TV talk show called "The Not Too Late Show with Elmo." Details...

>> "Like with the HBO agreement, 'Sesame Street' will premiere on HBO Max and then continue to air for free on PBS Kids," Deadline notes...

Eddie Murphy kicks off comeback with 'Dolemite is My Name'

Brian Lowry emails: "Dolemite is My Name" is being billed as a sort-of comeback movie for Eddie Murphy. If so, the Netflix film is a relatively low-key effort, casting him as Rudy Ray Moore, who came to fame during the blaxploitation era, launching his career in comedy and low-budget movies. There's a marked resemblance to "Ed Wood," which makes sense, since it hails from the same writing team.

A look inside Quibi

Frank Pallotta emails: Quibi is an odd proposition — and a risky one at that. As the streaming wars heat up, companies are vying to be grander than their competitors. Meg Whitman and Jeffery Katzenberg are instead going small.

"I think we are doing something that is now such a well-established consumer habit. You have 2.5 billion people walking around with these televisions in their pocket," Katzenberg said of Quibi. "They're already watching a billion hours of content every day. I just know it's going to work." Here's my look inside the mysterious yet interesting Quibi, which isn't set to launch until next spring...

Thanks for reading! I'll be back in the chair for Brian tomorrow. Again, email me your feedback, or connect on Twitter. See you tomorrow!