Forward

EXEC SUMMARY: Here's our preview of the huge week ahead... Plus the latest on the brush fire near the Warner Brothers lot, Viacom's exec changes, Glamour's summit, and much more...

A test for democracy

The big show begins on Wednesday -- the first televised hearings in the run-up to an impeachment vote in the House. This is the first internet impeachment. The first social media impeachment. This is the first impeachment since Fox News became a powerful force in American politics. The first impeachment since smartphones, Twitter and "alternative facts." The hearings will be clipped and digested and condensed and remixed and memed and distorted and mocked in ways that weren't even possible during the Nixon or Clinton eras.

So here we go. On one level, it IS a television show. And a social media show. On another, much more important level, it is a test for democracy... a test for lawmakers... and a test for the American press.

Through sheer force of repetition, President Trump is going to try to convince everyone that this scandal is just about a single "perfect" phone call. And his Fox friends are going to help him. So journalists will have to keep cutting through the fog -- and fight for a well-informed public.

Three unknowns

I listed these on Sunday's "Reliable Sources." I'd love to know if you think this list is off-base or incomplete -- email me.

-- Just how low will the deception go? What else will Trump do to attack the Dems?

-- Will people tune in? I hesitate to talk about this in TV terms, but these hearings ARE a show, and the Dems know it. A House leadership aide told CNN's Lauren Fox, "The first hour of a hearing and the first hearing has got to be a blockbuster." So, in TV lingo, will they convince people to keep watching?

-- Will any minds be changed? Forget the TV performance part -- from a democracy standpoint, will any of the evidence matter to the Republican lawmakers who will decide the president's fate?

My first interview with Bill Moyers

Bill Moyers is someone I have been trying to book for a long time... And, it turns out, he's a reader of this newsletter... So he joined me on Sunday's "Reliable Sources" for a conversation about the impeachment hearings and the role of the broadcast networks. Moyers told me that he fears for the United States "for the first time in my long life:"

"A democracy can die of too many lies. And we're getting close to that terminal moment unless we reverse the obsession with lies that are being fed around the country."

But Moyers also expressed hope. "Do facts matter anymore? I think they do," he said. "I think they mattered in the Watergate hearings, in the Clinton hearings, and I think they'll matter this time, too."

Watch part one and part two of the interview on CNN.com...

Moyers challenges PBS

Moyers and Michael Winship recently took out a full-page ad in the NYT calling on PBS to re-broadcast the impeachment hearings in prime time. PBS rebuffed the idea by saying one of its subchannels, the WORLD channel, will be re-airing the hearings. Moyers still believes PBS "has a public service obligation" to make the hearings as accessible as possible, on the main channel, in prime...

We don't know what we don't know

I appreciated this reminder from Moyers: "You never know what's going to happen in the hearings."

"During the Nixon hearings," he said "people did not know about the tapes until Alex Butterfield said there is a tape." He said "I wonder if there isn't something that might come out in these hearings" that would "blow it all open." Even if not, "you have a group of informed people who were inside, civil servants, who are putting the story together piece by piece. That's very important." But we don't know what we don't know. We don't know how this is going to end...

Lowry's take...

Brian Lowry adds: Regarding your "Reliable" discussion about the current media climate vis-à-vis the impeachment inquiry: Let's not forget that the glut of available content — including this month's arrival of new streaming players — also makes it easier for those who haven't been following along to simply tune it all out and take refuge elsewhere. The question is the extent to which it's worth tailoring messages or coverage to an audience that's THAT disengaged. Because if you haven't been paying close attention till now, well...

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- CNN analyst Julian Zelizer: "The media has a big job to do with the impeachment coverage. Reporters need to explain what viewers see, investigate deeper, sort fact from fiction, and put the testimony in context. We don't need to replicate the kind of partisan grandstanding that comes from members." (Twitter)

-- What Margaret Sullivan wants from the media coverage: "Stress substance, not speculation." Don't let stunts hijack coverage. "Avoid Barr-Letter Syndrome." And "beware mealy-mouthed and misleading language." (WaPo)

-- Joshua Benton's addendum after reading Sullivan's column: "One of the media's challenges here is that the basic outline of events is clear to anyone not in abject denial. So the testimony will be by and large unsurprising — hence the temptation to focus on any stunts, tweets, etc." (Twitter)

Trump tells Republicans not to give an inch

As Jim Sciutto noted on Sunday, some GOP lawmakers are "no longer disputing the facts on Ukraine, just the degree of potential wrongdoing." They are saying it was "inappropriate" but not "impeachable."

But Trump isn't accepting that. After the Sunday shows, he tweeted out that his infamous call was "perfect," and he told Republicans, "don't be led into the fools trap of saying it was not perfect, but is not impeachable. No, it is much stronger than that. NOTHING WAS DONE WRONG!" I think this tension will be a big story on Monday...

C'mon, Jesse...

This is an an emerging narrative on the right: The Ukraine scandal is too "complicated." People don't care. It's not a "sexy" scandal. Fox's Jesse Watters trotted all of this out on Friday and added: "No one can find Ukraine on a map."

If that's true, Jesse, put a map on screen! That's what I did on Sunday to make the point...

What it's like to cover Congress right now

Congressional reporters Melanie Zanona of Politico, Manu Raju of CNN and Addy Baird of BuzzFeed told me what it's like to be covering Capitol Hill during the impeachment process. "This is probably the most, if not the hardest assignment I've had to cover," Raju said, because of the "insatiable demand for information." Zanona described sleepless days and nights... And she said she's packing "snacks" and flat shoes for the big week ahead. Here's video of the fun and insightful conversation...

Right-wing fixation with the whistleblower's identity continues

"I think at this point the whistleblower's identity is irrelevant," Zanona told me. "So many other people" are "corroborating what the whistleblower has said," Baird added. But the president continues to demand info, and so do his media allies. This isn't going away anytime soon...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- BREAKING: "A 21-year-old protester was shot in the chest with a live round by a police officer in Hong Kong early Monday morning, as traffic stalled and clashes broke out across the city..." (CNN)

-- Katie Rogers recapping Trump's trip toTuscaloosa: "Third time's the charm for Trump in Alabama as the national preoccupation over him getting applauded or booed in public continues..." (NYT)

-- Right on cue, bad faith actors like Donald Trump Jr. complained that the media didn't cover the cheering as much as the booing at previous events attended by Trump. It's grievance politics all the way down... (Twitter)

"Increasingly preposterous attacks"

The Trump campaign attacked Jake Tapper on Sunday, claiming that Tapper is "very close with the whistleblower's lawyer" Mark Zaid. Tapper responded by saying he has literally never met Zaid. As the campaign's "blatant lies" continued, Tapper added on Twitter, "My guess is the non-sycophantic news media will be subject to these increasingly preposterous attacks as impeachment heats up as an attempt to change the subject from evidence the WH pushed Ukraine to announce an investigation into the Bidens if they wanted aid and a WH meeting."

Sadly, he's right about that... Partisans are trying to tear down the press with increasing ferocity...

"A Warning" remains No. 1...

Despite criticism of the author's anonymity and a critical review from the NYT, "A Warning" by "Anonymous" continues to enjoy very strong pre-order sales... It is holding steady at No. 1 on Amazon's constantly updated best seller list, even though it's still more than a week out from its release date...

How well will Nikki Haley's book do?

"With All Due Respect" comes out on Tuesday... Sunday's interview on CBS and excerpts in WaPo stoked some interest... And it's ranking #12 right now on Amazon...

AND SPEAKING OF BOOKS...

Bolton's pre-election book

The AP's Hillel Italie broke this news on Saturday: John Bolton has struck a deal to write a book for Simon & Schuster. Two sources confirmed the news to me, and one said that the book will come out sometime next year — before the 2020 election. Italie has other sources saying the book deal is worth $2 million...

--> Jonathan Swan's must-read Axios newsletter has lots of new info about Bolton... Swan says Bolton "is the impeachment inquiry's biggest wildcard..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Vice's Michael Moynihan had a standout segment on the premiere of "The Impeachment Show." His summary: "I drank for 8 hours in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Almost everyone I met loved Trump. And also drunk. And my liver almost gave out. We filmed it." Watch the five-minute clip here... (YouTube)

-- Mediaite's Josh Feldman recapped our "Reliable" panel, with Max Boot calling Sean Hannity the "de facto minister of propaganda..." (Mediaite)

-- Jess McIntosh during the aforementioned panel: "We're seeing really disturbing things coming out of the transcripts... the most disturbing I thought, aside from the open extortion of a foreign government, was the fact that the secretary of state had to call Sean Hannity to find out how the president was feeling about an ambassador..." (CNN)

Trump v. the Beast

Trump has officially denied The Daily Beast's report that he's had conversations with Mark Burnett about an Apprentice-type show in the future. "Never had such a conversation, don't even have time to think about it," Trump claimed.

>> Beast reporter Asawin Suebsaeng's response on MSNBC: "It is 100% true..."

Scaramucci on "Reliable"

Our conversation started with Anthony Scaramucci likening Trump supporters to a "cult," and it went on from there Mooch said the "Fox News Kaleidoscope" is used to protect Trump's image, and he accused Trump of "traitorous-like behavior." Here's part one.

In part two, I pointed out that W.H. press secretary Stephanie Grisham is appearing regularly on Fox News, including on Sunday, while declining most other TV interview requests and refusing to hold on-camera briefings. "There's only one spotlight in the Trump administration and that's on the president," Scaramucci said...

How to catch up on Sunday's show

Hear the podcast edition via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your pod player of choice... Watch the video clips on CNN.com... Or catch the full episode via VOD or CNNgo...

IN OTHER NEWS...

Here's what else is going on this week

Monday morning: Trump will deliver remarks and participate in a wreath laying at NYC's Veterans Day Parade...

Monday night: Glamour Women of the Year Awards in NYC...

Monday 9pm ET: A CNN presidential town hall with Joe Biden in Iowa...

Tuesday: Disney+ launch day...

Wednesday: Trump will hold a presser with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan...

Wednesday afternoon: Kerry Flynn is on this "Postspin" panel about the business of media in 2020, organized in the wake of Deadspin's fall...

Thursday: Gannett's special shareholders meetings to vote on the proposed acquisition with GateHouse...

Disney+ "changes everything"

Here's the NYT's Brooks Barnes with the big picture: "Disney Plus arrives on Tuesday, every trumpet in the Magic Kingdom blowing on its behalf. Streaming has been on the rise for a decade, and last year, for the first time, the number of streaming subscribers around the world (613 million) surpassed the number of cable subscribers (556 million), according to the Motion Picture Association of America. But the debut of Disney Plus, with its treasure trove of franchises and $7 monthly fee, is the industry's equivalent of Thor's slamming down his magic hammer: a quake that changes everything."

Warner Brothers studio lot back up and running

Crews now have the Barham fire under control. The brush fire broke out near the Warner Brothers studio lot on Saturday afternoon, causing the studio to announce a brief evacuation as a precautionary measure. On Monday morning "we will resume normal operations," a Warner Bros spokesman says, which means the studio tour and everything else will be back up and running...

"Viacom and CBS Shake Up Executive Ranks Ahead of Combination"

That's the headline on Joe Flint's scoop for the WSJ... He says a restructuring at the sister companies "will result in consolidation among the cable programming and digital operations of the two companies." It'll be officially announced on Monday.

Comedy Central chief Kent Alterman and Viacom Media Networks COO Sarah Levy will be leaving... Chris McCarthy will be adding "Comedy Central, TV Land and Paramount Network to his portfolio as well as CBS's Smithsonian Channel..." And "David Nevins, the chief creative officer of CBS and the chairman and chief executive of Showtime Network, will add Viacom's BET Network to his responsibilities. Scott Mills will continue to lead BET." Oh, and: "Nevins will also chair a newly created programming council of all the Viacom and CBS creative operations. The council is aimed at encouraging the various creative units to work closely together..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- ICYMI, Sunday's front page NYT feature: "Child Abusers Run Rampant as Tech Companies Look the Other Way" (NYT)

-- Billionaire scoop of the weekend: "In a private phone call earlier this year, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asked Mike Bloomberg if he'd consider running for president," Jason Del Rey reported Saturday... (Recode)

-- LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner at WIRED25: The site generally won't police misinformation "to avoid inserting itself into messy user debates about the truth..." (WIRED)

Glamour's summit

Kerry Flynn writes: Glamour held its annual Women of the Year summit Sunday at Lincoln Center with a day full of star-studded panels, networking and workshops. CNN International anchor Zain Asher moderated the first panel about #MeToo, two years later. I was awestruck seeing MJ Rodriguez, the star of one of my favorite shows "Pose."

A memorable moment: author E. Jean Carroll shared her opinion on the recent Bustle layoffs. Carroll said, "The poor women who were fired were thanking Bustle for their dream job. I almost lost my mind. I think in certain circumstances we've been too kind." But laid-off Bustle employees sounded off on the quote, saying it was "borderline patronizing" and that they really were "thankful to the amazing editors & writers..."

--> Kerry adds: I ended the day with a social media workshop, hosted by Erin and Sara Foster. Sara on the media landscape in the Instagram era: "At the end of the day, we're all editors of our own magazine."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- Have you heard about the new PlayStation 4 game "Death Stranding?" Then this "slow-burn marketing effort" worked. It was "a lot like a rollout for a blockbuster movie," Tiffany Hsu explains... (NYT)

-- Lorraine Ali says "The View" "might be American television's closest approximation of the 'kitchen table' of stump-speech fame, where we sit, sip and squabble over politics..." (LA Times)

-- ICYMI: Disney is out with the first trailer for "Soul," "the first Pixar movie featuring a black lead..." (CNN)

Kevin Hart at the People's Choice Awards

Chloe Melas writes: Some of the biggest names in Hollywood flocked to the People's Choice Awards Sunday night. One of the most surprising was Kevin Hart -- this was Hart's first major public appearance since September's car accident. Details here...

>> Other notable celebs in attendance included Gwen Stefani, who accepted the Fashion Icon Award; Jennifer Aniston, who received the Icon Award; the Kardashians, who accepted the award for "The Reality Show of the Year;" and Pink, "The People's Champion of 2019..."

Feige responds to Scorsese

Kevin Feige is out with "his first public comments about the debate raging over whether or not his films are cinema." The architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe responded to Martin Scorsese's criticism on the THR "Awards Chatter" podcast.

"Everybody has a different definition of art," Feige says. Details here...

White filling in for Sajak

"Wheel of Fortune" made this announcement on Friday: "Our taping on Thursday was canceled because host Pat Sajak underwent successful emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine. He is resting comfortably and looking forward to getting back to work. Taping resumed today as scheduled and Vanna White has stepped in as host." The White-hosted episodes will begin airing on December 9...

Weak start for "Doctor Sleep"

Brian Lowry writes: "Doctor Sleep" joins what should be, for Hollywood, a worrisome stretch of underperforming movies in the last month, the others including "Gemini Man" (starring Will Smith) and "Terminator: Dark Fate." The latest two, notably, are sequels, although the differences between them make it difficult to draw any grand conclusions about whether the problems are more specific to those properties or speak to larger and deeper concerns. And for what it's worth (apparently not much), Stephen King – who is famously critical of "The Shining" – called the new film "terrific," despite the considerable liberties taken with the source material...

--> Matthew Ball's takeaway: "Box office is absolutely vicious if you're not a theme park movie right now..."

Netflix film chief speaks

Brian Lowry writes: Why make movies for Netflix? While creative freedom has been a much-discussed selling point, according to Netflix exec Scott Stuber at the Produced By conference, money is one big incentive. As Deadline's Dade Hayes reports, Stuber said that Netflix will "pay in success" and wants talent to "feel great — spiritually about the work and financially about the respect of getting what you deserve." What they won't get is much public discussion quantifying just how successful their projects were, by any metric most of the industry uses...

Thanks for reading! Email me feedback anytime...