Friday's front pages; 'blasts and blood' in Kabul; Axel Springer buys Politico; Jean Guerrero on this week's podcast; Netflix's gaming vision

View this email in your browser.

Share it on Facebook or Twitter.

Subscribe here.

Brian Stelter here. It's 11:16pm ET on Thursday, August 26. Here's the latest on President Biden, Time's Up, Fortnite, Politico, Spike Lee, and more...

Mourning in America and Afghanistan

Los Angeles Times photojournalist Marcus Yam painted a picture of Kabul with words on Friday morning. After the horrific attacks at the airport, he wrote, the "cacophony of Kabul" included "the roar of jet engines. Whirling rotor blades. Sporadic gun fire at different volumes. Hum of the generator. The buzz of the mosquitoes. And the silence of the darkness."

Photos from Yam and other photographers, both pro and amateur, showed the aftermath of the massacre on Thursday. And graphic videos of bodies challenged viewers not to look away. As David Ignatius wrote for the Washington Post, the carnage was "captured in cellphone videos: bodies strewn across the target zone, some stacked atop others by the blast; rescue workers transporting maimed survivors to emergency medical facilities. In one grim video, the sole sound was a lamentation by a grieving Afghan man."

In the coming days we will learn about the 13 US service members who died. And we should also learn about the more than 60 Afghans were died. And those who are still there, still trying to help, still trying to serve others.

There are a small number of western journalists, like Yam, still in the Afghan capital. And there are a larger number of brave Afghans working with major news outlets and getting info out to the wider world...

"Biden promises retribution"

That's the banner headline on CNN.com right now. While President Biden affirmed his withdrawal decision -- "ladies and gentlemen," he said as he ended his speech-turned-presser on Thursday, "it was time to end a 20-year war" -- he also vowed to retaliate for the attack in Kabul. "We will hunt you down and make you pay," he said...

Friday's framing

-- Kasie Hunt: "Families have been praying for loved ones in Afghanistan for 20 years. Hell, many military families were formed during and shaped by this war. To think we were supposed to be getting out, and 13 families are shattered now. It is devastating. I am praying for them and for us." (Twitter)

-- Journalist Matthieu Aikins in Kabul, who is working for The New York Times, said the gates leading to the airport have been "a recipe for disaster" for days: Every day, he told Anderson Cooper, he had "felt a sense of mounting dread." (CNN)

-- Sean Sullivan and Anne Gearan write: The killings marked "a pivotal moment in Biden's presidency and an episode that is likely to be part of his legacy..." (WaPo)

-- A sampling of Friday's UK front pages: "BARBARIC," "Refugees and US Marines murdered side by side," "THE TRAGIC PRICE OF SURRENDER," "Dozens feared killed..." (Sky)

-- And here's the USA Today front page, with a subhed that says "Warnings, then blasts and blood:"

What about VOA staffers in Afghanistan?

The evacuations continued on Thursday. "One group that, surprisingly, has hundreds of staffers and their families stranded in the country is the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which runs the pro-democracy Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty," Lauren Wolfe reported for Washington Monthly. Members of Congress are urging the Biden admin to extricate the journalists and families. VOA vaguely says it is working with authorities to "ensure the safety of all of our personnel in Afghanistan." Read on...

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Biden's "noted temper flared for a moment when he fenced with a Fox News reporter over his predecessor's responsibility for the timetable of the pullout..." (The Atlantic)

-- Donald Trump told Sean Hannity's viewers that the bombings "would not have happened if I were your president." He made the specious claim in a pre-recorded video that was "released" via Hannity's show. Then the pals talked by phone... (Mediaite)

-- A world away from Hannity's show, Trump was criticized for downplaying Osama bin Laden's crimes. Later, he referred to "ISIS-X" instead of "ISIS-K..." (Twitter)

-- Stop the pretending! Ezra Klein writes: "I will not pretend that I know how we should have left Afghanistan. But neither do a lot of people dominating the airwaves right now..." (NYT)

-- Eugene Robinson's newest column: "What's happening in Afghanistan is horrible. But how else was U.S. involvement going to end?" (WaPo)

-- Last week: "As the crisis in Afghanistan unfolded, Fox News was the most watched TV outlet on both broadcast and cable, outpacing competitors and beating some of its own records..." (WaPo)

-- Bhaskar Chakravorti says that Facebook's ban on the Taliban "will prove costly for Afghans..." (Foreign Policy)

Coverage notes and quotes

-- Deadline recapped how "networks mobilized" to cover the attack on Thursday...

-- Mark Lukasiewicz pointed out that "World News Tonight" gave ABC correspondent Ian Pannell an "almost unheard of SEVEN MINUTES to tell today's terrible story." He said he wished "more news leaders" would make similar moves...

-- Frank Bruni: "I don't want the handicapping of the 2022 horse race, at least not right now..."

-- Kudos to Politico's West Wing Playbook for shelving its insider coverage and highlighting the voices of "several active duty service members who served in Afghanistan along with veterans of the war." They were asked: "What would you tell the White House today?"

-- Farnaz Fassihi says you should read her story about "Mikey" to "restore your faith in humanity: He was the lead Afghan interpreter for the Special Forces. Trapped and in hiding in Kabul, the soldiers lead a global campaign to rescue him..."

Also on the rundown for Friday's morning shows...

SCOTUS throwing out Biden's eviction moratorium... Skyrocketing Covid cases and hospitalizations in some parts of the USA... Continuing school disruptions due to the cases... Plus, Tropical Storm Ida strengthening and chugging toward the Gulf Coast. Also: Capitol police officers suing Trump and allies over the Jan. 6 riot. And Lester Holt's "NBC Nightly News" exclusive revealing the identity of the police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt that day. Lt. Michael Byrd said he opened fire only as a "last resort" in order to save lives. Here's the interview...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Media beat must-read of the day: Sarah Ellison writes about Maggie Haberman and "the never-ending Trump story..." (WaPo)

-- Does it make sense to dish out $30 million for Rachel Maddow without a nightly show? Lindsey Ellefson says she spoke to industry insiders who told her that MSNBC is taking a "gamble," but said yes, she's worth it... (The Wrap)

-- Last night I pointed out that Maddow's camp is denying that figure. "She's right … it's worth more, I'm told. Or at least potentially more, because it's structured like a talent overall deal, with fees and payouts depending on whether she can develop and appear in more specials and shows across NBC platforms," Matthew Belloni reports... (Puck)

-- "Time's Up CEO Tina Tchen on Thursday announced she was resigning from her position at the women's rights organization amid backlash over its connection to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal..." (CNN)

-- Jodi Kantor, who has owned the Time's Up story, says "the really, really hard question about Time's Up and so much else" is: "How close can you get to power without getting too close?" (Twitter)

"ABC News rocked..."

"ABC News is now the fourth TV news organization to find itself mired in a sexual harassment scandal in recent years," the LAT's Stephen Battaglio wrote Thursday. Key to this week's lawsuit against former "GMA" boss Michael Corn by accuser Kirstyn Crawford: The allegation that three ABC execs "failed to act after learning of her issues with Corn in late 2017." Inside ABC News, Battaglio wrote, "there was anger and shock over the lawsuit, especially over how the allegations of Corn's actions were not immediately investigated when Crawford first discussed them several years back." Corn has denied everything, and his wife has posted support for him on Facebook...

Godwin calls for independent probe

Oliver Darcy writes: "ABC News president Kim Godwin faced more questions on Thursday morning from staffers seeking answers after an explosive lawsuit alleged former 'GMA' boss Michael Corn sexually assaulted two staffers, which he denies. During the Q&A session of the meeting, Godwin said she had called for an 'independent' probe into the matter because 'we can't have us investigating us,' according to an audio recording of the meeting I obtained. Godwin said that there is much that needs to be fixed and she is committed to doing so. And in a memo she sent staffers, she acknowledged 'this is hard' but said that the company 'can get through this together.' WSJ's Joe Flint has more here..."

>> But will Godwin get what she wants? Battaglio said "a Disney representative did not confirm that such an investigation will happen..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Fortnite and TIME Studios have launched a new virtual experience called "March Through Time" that "recreates the Lincoln Memorial and National Mall" and lets people relive Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, Rishi Iyengar reports... (CNN)

-- "The US is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths between now and Dec. 1, according to the nation's most closely watched forecasting model." But it doesn't have to be this way. It "depends on human behavior..." (AP)

-- Sign of the TV times: Tamron Hall's talk show studio "has been redesigned to accommodate a fully vaccinated, 50% capacity, socially distanced in-studio audience..." (Deadline)

-- Reddit has "rejected a plea from moderators of a pro-vaccine forum to do more to combat Covid-19 misinfo" and "doubled down on a well-worn 'open forum' argument that has practically become a Silicon Valley cliche," Allison Morrow writes... (CNN)

-- "Popular [Twitter] threads blame 'the media' for people believing lies about voter fraud and vaccines," Anthony Fisher writes. "But they conveniently ignore the massive disinformation campaigns by Trump and his allies. And they provide cover for con artists undermining democracy and public health..." (Insider)

-- Tim Marchman reports that Facebook's ivermectin groups "are unhinged and out of control." (Vice) Now, speaking of the horse dewormer...

CDC sees "rapid increase" in ivermectin use

Oliver Darcy writes: "The CDC warned on Thursday that it is seeing a 'rapid increase' in people using the anti-parasitic drug commonly used on livestock. Sadly, shamefully, it has been promoted by right-wing media stars as a potential Covid-19 treatment. The CDC said that poison control centers across the US saw a five-fold increase 'in the number of calls for human exposures to ivermectin.' The agency added that in many cases people are taking doses 'intended for use in large animals' that 'can be highly concentrated and result in overdoses when used by humans.' Local news outlets in red states keep reporting on upticks in requests for the drug...

-- Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny's latest: "Clamoring for ivermectin, some turn to a pro-Trump telemedicine website..."

Noem slams right-wing hack for "horrible misogyny"

Oliver Darcy writes: "South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is lashing out at one of right-wing media's most prominent bloggers for comments full of 'horrible misogyny.' Noem garnered praise in conservative media early on in the pandemic for rejecting mask mandates. But she recently refused to ban private businesses from implementing vaccine requirements, prompting some criticism from right-wing pundits, even though she upheld an obvious conservative principle. The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh recently took it to another level, saying 'the only reason' she ever received hype in conservative media is because she's 'a very attractive woman.' He added, 'But you put 50 pounds on her and another 20 years? I don't think she gets any of the hype.' Noem slammed him, writing in one tweet that he 'couldn't walk a day' in her shoes. Here's my full story..."

>> Darcy adds: "The feud could signal that Noem's honeymoon period in right-wing media may be coming to an end. And it also demonstrates how quickly the right's biggest stars can fall out of favor with some in conservative media..."

On this week's Reliable podcast: The recall

I wanted to interview newly minted LA Times columnist Jean Guerrero about Larry Elder, Gavin Newsom, and the California recall. Guerrero has been an outspoken critic of Elder, someone she has interviewed in the past. So why is she trying to sound the alarm about him? How are his radio roots helping, or maybe hurting, his candidacy? We got into all of that on this week's RS podcast. She said she thinks Elder's antagonistic approach toward the press hurts the public: "He's not being challenged on what he's actually proposing because he's refusing to talk to reporters who actually know what he stands for." Tune in via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite app...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- CNN unveiled "a slate of new limited series podcasts for this fall," including projects helmed by Dana Bash, Clarissa Ward and Harry Enten... (Deadline)

-- The local news struggle, Brooklyn edition: Citing burnout and a cash crunch, Liena Zagare announced that Bklyner will stop publishing in two weeks... (Bklyner)

-- Apple is lowering its commissions "on in-app purchases for news publishers who participate in Apple News..." (TechCrunch)

-- McClatchy says it will hire more journalists and expand Sunday print editions for The Kansas City Star and three other papers, Rick Edmonds writes... (Poynter)

-- Padma Lakshmi's opinion piece for WaPo responding to WaPo humorist Gene Weingarten's inaccurate and insulting column was the most-read thing on WaPo Food all day Thursday. "What's puzzling is that editors and copy editors let his words through," she wrote. "Does The Post still have so little diversity among editors that this mini-screed raised no red flags?" (WaPo)

-- Reporting from a "covert warehouse," Brooks Barnes reveals "the secrets of Disney World's robots..." (NYT)

Axel Springer buys Politico

The German media powerhouse keeps on growing its US portfolio. On Thursday it agreed to buy Politico along with tech news sibling Protocol for more than $1 billion. Axel and Politico already work together on a joint venture in Europe. Building on that connection, the two sides started to talk in earnest about a deal earlier this summer. Politico's current owner, Robert Allbritton, will remain publisher of the brands, and the editorial leadership will remain in place. Here's my full story...

Forbes joins SPAC trend

Kerry Flynn writes: "Forbes announced Thursday it plans to go public via a SPAC. The company, which was acquired by Hong Kong investment group Integrated Whale in 2014 when I interned there, said it is merging with Magnus Opus Acquisition 'at an implied pro forma enterprise value of $630 million, net of tax benefits.' More here..."

Vice lays off staffers amid reorg to video and social stories

Kerry Flynn writes: "When Vice Media told NYT last month it planned to decrease its output of text-based articles in favor of social stories and video, people had flashbacks to the era of the pivot to video. Unfortunately, the deja vu got more real on Thursday as Vice and Refinery29 journalists tweeted the news of their layoffs. Vice's Chief Digital Officer Cory Haik elaborated on the strategy shift in an 18-paragraph memo to staff -- the layoffs were curtly mentioned in graf 16 -- and told Digiday that Vice is following the audience who are consuming more lifestyle content on video versus written stories. That move sounds eerily like Mic's disastrous pivot to video, which Haik also oversaw..."

>> Vice laid off "more than a dozen employees," the NYT said...

>> "We have worked in this industry long enough to know today's metrics are tomorrow's punchlines, and yesterday's pivot is today's clumsy tumble," the unions of Vice and R29 said in a joint statement..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- Following howls of outrage, "Spike Lee has removed 9/11 truther content" from his forthcoming HBO docuseries, "the network confirmed Thursday..." (TheWrap)

-- A Russian court on Thursday fined Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp "over their refusal to localize user data as required by Russian law, Interfax news agency reported..." (Reuters)

-- Alex Heath writes about Snapchat's new AR features and how they can "identify the world around you," including "similar clothes, dog breeds, plants, cars and more..." (The Verge)

-- "Stephen A. Smith wants to form ESPN 'Dream Team' with Magic Johnson," Andrew Marchand reports... (NYPost)

"Being original on Facebook doesn't pay, according to its own data"

In the latest edition of Platformer, Casey Newton makes another outstanding point about Facebook's "widely viewed content" report: "All the most popular posts on Facebook are plagiarized. Of the top 20 posts last quarter, at least 15 were first posted somewhere else." He says it shows that "the best ways to win on Facebook are to steal other people's content and to spam it..."

"Netflix takes first stab at mobile gaming..."

"The games themselves -- two pixelated Stranger Things games -- have already been available off Netflix for years," but now the streaming service is presenting them in its own Android app "at no extra cost" in a test in Poland, CNet's Joan E. Solsman reported Thursday.

That's the daily headline. For historical perspective and a view into the future, read Matthew Ball's deep, deep dive into Netflix and games. "What's certain," he writes, "is that interactivity will continue to grow its share of leisure time and there will be new winners. To thrive in the 'Leisure Wars,' Netflix needs to start building, and testing, and creating in interactivity. It need not rush, but it cannot just wait..."

Worth it?

Wednesday: The Verge's Ashley Carman wrote that "Joe Rogan, confined to Spotify, is losing influence."

Thursday: A well-timed leak? The headline on this story by Insider's Natalie Jarvey says "leaked Spotify data" shows that "he was worth" Spotify's $100 million deal.

Worth it for Spotify. But the question remains: If Rogan loses influence, was the $$$ worth it to him?

Lowry reviews "Candyman"

Brian Lowry writes: "Delayed more than a year due to Covid, 'Candyman' was created as a sequel to the 1992 movie, one that seeks to drape its story over the earlier film and serve the tastes of a horror audience while dealing with issues of Black victimization and injustice through that prism. Produced and co-written by 'Get Out's' Jordan Peele, the mix makes for a provocative film, but it's more than the movie can comfortably juggle."

Read Lowry's full review here...

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- "ABC's top comedy series 'The Conners' has set its second live episode — the upcoming Season 4 premiere on Sept. 22..." (Deadline)

-- "'Stranger Things' breakout Priah Ferguson is sticking to the spooky (and spunky) theme, signing on to star opposite Marlon Wayans in his upcoming Halloween adventure-comedy movie for Netflix..." (Variety)

-- "Suni Lee and JoJo Siwa have joined the cast of 'Dancing with the Stars'" for season 30. GLADD says "this marks the first same-sex pairing in the history of the U.S. series..." (THR)

"Cobra Kai" co-creator's column

Brian Lowry writes: "A lot of this could apply to any new programming, but 'Cobra Kai' producer Hayden Schlossberg has prepared a handy guide for adapting intellectual property into new projects, based on the success of 'The Karate Kid' spinoff. As I read his guest column in THR, a few of his notes particularly resonated, perhaps foremost this one: 'DON'T argue with the fans. There is nothing more futile than trying to convince fans who didn't like something that they are wrong.' Read on..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN

By Lisa Respers France:

-- TLC wants you to come jam with them. The remaining members of one of the most successful girl groups of all time are soon to head out on a 1990s themed national concert tour. They talked to me about it and about their longevity in the industry...

-- Mandy Patinkin shared an emotional "Princess Bride" backstory that is grabbing TikTok users by the heart...

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...

Pet of the Day!

Reader Dianna Dunn emails: "She-Ra! the wonder pup keeps a watch out for scary wildlife as I catch up on Reliable Sources. She is particularly careful to make sure none of the cattle come after us!"

Thank you for reading! Email us your feedback and tips and send us photos of your pet for consideration to be featured! Oliver will be back tomorrow...

Share this newsletter: