| Oliver Darcy here at 11:30pm ET on Tuesday, August 10. In this edition: Fred Ryan is imploring President Biden to get Austin Tice home, right-wing luminaries are flocking to Mike Lindell's symposium, Dominion is suing OAN and Newsmax, the NSA IG has launched a review after Tucker Carlson's allegations, vaccine misinfo is spiking with Covid cases, NYT tech workers are planning a walkout, and "The White Lotus" is getting a second season. But first, the blockbuster news of the day...
The culmination of months of reporting
"CUOMO TO QUIT IN HARASSMENT SCANDAL." That's the historic banner headline on Wednesday's edition of The New York Times. Similar banner headlines are set to dominate front pages across the state and across the country on Wednesday morning, just as chyrons about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation have saturated cable news and homepages since it was suddenly announced.
The headlines are the culmination of months and months of reporting — all of which reached a crescendo in the past week with the New York attorney general's report that found the governor sexually harassed multiple women. The governor and his office worked hard to prevent such stories from seeing the light of day. But ultimately, like water atop a cupped hand, they slowly trickled out. And there is no real doubt they played a crucial role in the governor's ultimate downfall...
Here is that NYT A1, as well as the Albany Times Union's and much-anticipated New York Post's...    "A publisher's worst nightmare"
Will Cuomo get the remainder of his book advance? Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris reported Tuesday that after his resignations, questions swirled on the topic. "David Drake, the president of Crown, declined to comment, as did Robert Barnett, the lawyer who represented Mr. Cuomo in his book deal," the duo wrote. But Alter and Harris explained what a terrible situation the publisher found itself in as Cuomo resigned. Javelin's Matt Latimer described it as "a publisher's worst nightmare..."
Chris Cuomo's advice to his brother
NYT's Michael Grynbaum reported that Chris Cuomo had been one of the individuals to recommend his brother resign. "Chris Cuomo has regularly spoken with Governor Cuomo by telephone over the past week and advised his brother to resign," Grynbaum reported, citing two sources. "The anchor concluded last week that his brother could not survive the political maelstrom, as the governor's longtime allies abandoned him and support in the Democratic establishment dwindled, the people said." As Grynbaum noted, "CNN has barred Chris Cuomo from engaging in strategy sessions with the governor's aides, but the network has said it would not prohibit him from speaking directly with his brother about the scandal..."
Stelter talks Cuomo on Colbert  This newsletter's co-pilot was grilled about the Cuomo story on "The Late Show" Tuesday night. I hear from a "reliable source" that Stelter told Stephen Colbert he napped through the resignation announcement because he didn't believe Cuomo would resign today. The full interview airs at 11:35pm ET on CBS...
Hochul's relationship with the press
Just a few days ago, on Sunday, Times Union editor Casey Seiler was on "Reliable Sources" recounting how Cuomo used the perch of the governorship to bully the press. So I thought it might be worth checking in with him and getting his thoughts on incoming-governor Kathy Hochul. Will Albany's relationship with the press improve with her as governor? And what's her style like?
Seiler said that he believes "it's fair to say that a lot of her political style has been somewhat hidden behind Cuomo's outsized personality and way of doing business." He, however, added, "But she has worked very hard doing the sort of retail appearances that LGs are expected to do, and she hires good people for her press office (and by good people I mean civil professionals, not attack dogs)..."
First interviews?
Speaking of Hochul, who will land the first sit-down with her? And, speaking of sit-downs, who will land the first one with Cuomo? FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE -- Matt Flegenheimer, Maggie Haberman, William K. Rashbaum and Danny Hakim have the must-read story about how Cuomo "finally gave up the fight..." (NYT)
-- Over at WaPo, Josh Dawsey and Michael Scherer detail how Cuomo's "flexing of political power became his undoing..." (WaPo)
-- NPR's David Folkenflik notes that Fox's Janice Dean, "driven by grief and outrage over the deaths of her in-laws at a NYC nursing home - was relentless over his false claims over Covid deaths at such places - and what that said about Cuomo. This is her vindication too..." (Twitter)
-- Daniel D'Addario explains how Cuomo "used television in Trumpian ways..." (Variety) A double-barreled homepage kind of day
While the story that certainly drew the most intrigue on Tuesday was regarding Cuomo, another significant story came out of DC with the Senate passing a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. Here's how CNN played the news for part of the day...  IN OTHER NEWS...
On the eve of Austin Tice's 40th birthday, WaPo publisher Fred Ryan is urging the Biden administration to double down on the US' efforts to free him. "In the 3,283 days since his capture, the world has clearly changed dramatically," Ryan wrote in a piece published Tuesday. "But one thing has not: the United States' obligation to bring Austin Tice safely home."
Ryan acknowledged that both the Obama and Trump administrations were unable to bring Tice home, but noted Biden "has an opening to succeed where his predecessors failed." Ryan concluded, writing, "Turning 40 is a milestone in anyone's life. In Austin Tice's case, as he enters his 10th year of imprisonment, it means he has spent nearly a quarter of his life held hostage. It is now up to Biden to ensure that, before Austin's next birthday, his family's hopes of his safe return are fulfilled..."
White House: "We are committed to following all avenues"
The White House is resolute in its goal to free Tice, an official told me Tuesday in response to Ryan's piece. "Austin's release and return home are long overdue," the official said. "We call on Syria to help release Austin Tice and every U.S. citizen held hostage in Syria." The official went on to add, "We are committed to following all avenues, including engagement with anyone who can help with Austin's release and return home. The Administration is dedicated to providing support to the families of U.S. hostages and detainees..." Right-wing luminaries flock to Lindell's cyber symposium  Donie O'Sullivan emails: "It's my first day back from a lovely Ireland vacation, and I'm spending it in South Dakota where various right-wing media luminaries, including Steve Bannon, have descended on Sioux Falls to see MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's cyber symposium. It's a three-day event in which Lindell claims he will prove the election was stolen from Trump — and day one came and went without the smoking gun evidence being presented..."
>> O'Sullivan adds: "NBC's Kevin Collier said that he was 'genuinely surprised' that journalists and cyber experts showed up to the event. It's a fair point. But we are here because so many people we meet on the road point to Lindell's claims. So we are going to observe what we see and scrutinize them with the facts..."
Lindell trashes Fox for snubbing the event
The lack of actual evidence hasn't stopped right-wing media from playing the whole event up. Far-right sites like The Gateway Pundit and InfoWars are promoting the nonsense Lindell is peddling. But one outlet on the right is noticeably snubbing the whole event: Fox News. A spox for the network told me that it did not send a reporter to the event. And Lindell took notice, trashing Fox multiple times throughout his presentation. "Shame on you, Fox!" Lindell said at one point, calling the channel "disgusting" for not pushing his election lies... Dominion sues OAN and Newsmax
Dominion has completed the right-wing TV trifecta, filing lawsuits on Tuesday against Newsmax and One America News, after having sued Fox News earlier this year. The voting technology company alleged that Newsmax and OAN participated in a disinformation campaign against it, damaging its reputation and business. In its lawsuit against Newsmax, Dominion said that the channel "created an entire brand out of defaming" the company. And in its lawsuit against OAN, Dominion said that for the right-wing channel, "facts did not matter." Dominion is asking for at least $1.6 billion in each lawsuit. Here's my full story...
>> OAN didn't respond to my request for comment, but Newsmax said in a statement that it "simply reported on allegations made by well-known public figures, including the President, his advisors and members of Congress." The right-wing channel added that the suit "is a clear attempt to squelch such reporting and undermine a free press..." NSA inspector general launches review after Carlson's claims
The National Security Agency's inspector general on Tuesday said that it will review "recent allegations that the NSA improperly targeted the communications of a member of the US news media." As CNN's Katie Bo Williams reported, the statement announcing the probe did not mention any specific media figure.
But it comes after Tucker Carlson claimed that the NSA spied on him in a conspiracy to get him kicked off the air — a claim the NSA has denied. Nevertheless, the NSA IG said it will examine the agency's "compliance with applicable legal authorities and Agency policies and procedures regarding collection, analysis, reporting, and dissemination activities, including unmasking procedures, and whether any such actions were based upon improper considerations..."
>> A Fox News spox said the network was "gratified" to learn of the probe: "As we have said, for the NSA to unmask Tucker Carlson or any journalist attempting to secure a newsworthy interview is entirely unacceptable and raises serious questions about their activities as well as their original denial, which was wildly misleading..." FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO -- Don't miss Joe Hagan's story on how right-wing media figures have converged on Florida, "fueling and profiting from a tabloid culture that turns politics into a spectacle." I particularly enjoyed Hagan getting a tour of Palm Beach in a Camaro as Ann Coulter dished about her friendship with Matt Drudge... (Vanity Fair)
-- Bonnie Kristian asks: "Is Tucker Carlson the right's Jon Stewart?" (The Week)
-- "Over the last eight months, Fox News has led a relentless effort to ridicule and dismiss the danger of new COVID-19 variants, with some network figures suggesting that the threat is being hyped to promote vaccination campaigns and enable government overreach..." (MMFA) Vaccine misinfo spikes alongside Covid cases
As the Delta variant prompts a spike in coronavirus cases across the country, it has also prompted a spike in vaccine misinfo. NYT's Davey Alba reported Tuesday that researchers had seen vaccine misinfo fall earlier this year as Covid cases also declined. But that has all changed in recent weeks as the virus surges in the country once again. "Coronavirus misinformation has spiked online in recent weeks, misinformation experts say, as people who peddle in falsehoods have seized on the surge of cases from the Delta variant to spread new and recycled unsubstantiated narratives," Alba wrote. The big takeaway? Alba reported that "researchers say the spike shows that efforts by social media platforms to crack down on misinformation about the virus have not succeeded..." Four strikes
Marjorie Taylor Greene is now one "strike" away from being banned by Twitter. The social media company said on Tuesday that it had suspended the far-right rep for a week after she violated its policies on coronavirus misinfo. Greene had tweeted on Monday that the FDA "should not approve the covid vaccines." She also falsely claimed the vaccines were "failing" and that they were ineffective at reducing the virus's spread. CNN's Brian Fung and Donie O'Sullivan have the details here... FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE -- Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Cecilia Kang take you "inside the White House-Facebook rift over vaccine misinformation..." (NYT)
-- "A significant fraction of Americans firmly believe vaccine misinformation or engage in discussions about it on social media." That's according to a new study from Northeastern researchers and the school's partner institutions... (Northeastern)
-- "Russian trolls have been using 'Planet of the Apes' memes in a vain attempt to convince vaccine skeptics that the AstraZeneca vaccine will turn them into chimpanzees," Adam Rawnsley reports... (Daily Beast) CNN officially welcomes Kasie Hunt
CNN on Tuesday officially welcomed Kasie Hunt to the team. Hunt will serve as an anchor and chief national affairs analyst. She will host a daily politics show when CNN+ launches in 2022. Hunt is the first anchor to be announced by CNN for its forthcoming streaming service. For her part, Hunt said she is "excited to be part of the launch" of CNN+. Variety's Brian Steinberg has more here... NYT tech workers plan half-day walkout
Kerry Flynn writes: "Tech workers of NYT are planning a half-day walkout on Wednesday, starting at 12pm, in protest of the company's response to its union effort. Per Bloomberg's Josh Eidelson, the union has filed several still-pending NLRB complaints alleging an 'illegal anti-union campaign.' The union also called out management 'insisting on a bargaining unit of only engineers,' excluding other workers such as data analysts. The walkout comes 'on the eve of the company's deadline to submit its formal position on which workers will be included,' the union said..." FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR By Kerry Flynn:
-- Mitch Pugh, The Post and Courier's exec editor for most of the past decade, "is leaving Charleston to lead the newsroom of the Chicago Tribune," succeeding Colin McMahon... (P&C)
-- Stewart Bainum Jr, whose bid to buy The Baltimore Sun fell through earlier this year, is planning to launch a competing nonprofit news site in Baltimore, Rick Edmonds reports... (Poynter)
-- "Media upstarts are attracting far less cash compared to the venture-backed media boom of 2014 and 2015," Sara Fischer writes... (Axios)
-- Natasha Ishak's must-read piece on one of my favorite Twitter accounts, Writers of Color, which 'polite-shames publications to get to the point' on pay... (Nieman Lab)
-- Emily Atkin's take on Monday's IPCC coverage: "My pet peeve is that IPCC report day is literally the only day the entire political news media communicates climate science to the public," she writes... (HEATED) TMZ to be sold to Fox?
"AT&T's WarnerMedia is in talks to sell its TMZ tabloid entertainment company to Fox, according to people familiar with the situation," The Information's Jessica Toonkel scooped Tuesday. The talks, she noted, "are the latest move by WarnerMedia to slim down its collection of businesses..." RIP Neal Conan
"Neal Conan, who spent 36 years with National Public Radio and 11 years as the host of the network's Talk of the Nation died Tuesday in Hawaii of glioblastoma at the age of 71," NPR reported. Robert Siegel authored his obit, writing, "The Neal I knew was funny, smart and 100% radio, with an incurable curiosity and the silvery voice of an Irish tenor." Read it in full here... Dave Chappelle gives his local station a boost
Brian Stelter writes: "WYSO, the NPR affiliate in the Miami Valley of Ohio, will soon have a new landlord: Dave Chappelle. The comedian and Yellow Springs, Ohio resident heard that the station was 'looking to relocate' from its studios on the campus of Antioch College, Current reports. So he offered to renovate a historic schoolhouse that he owns and 'lease space to the station.' GM Luke Dennis said he's hoping for some 'creative synergies with Dave' too..." FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE -- LAT's TV editor Matt Brennan is adding to his portfolio: He has been named senior editor for TV and pop culture... (Twitter)
-- "As one of the few remaining independent producers of movies and television shows, Legendary represents a potentially attractive asset for companies looking to bulk up their offerings," LAT's Ryan Faughnder writes: "Will it fetch a buyer?" (LAT)
-- Correction: Last night's link to a story about Clubhouse and China was woefully out of date. Clubhouse is banned in China...  We're getting a second season of "The White Lotus"  Fans of "The White Lotus" rejoice! We are getting a second season of HBO's brilliant dark comedy (yes, HBO is a WarnerMedia company, which also owns CNN, but is anyone really going to argue this isn't one of the best shows that has premiered in years?). The new show, however, will be different. HBO says it will follow "a different group of vacationers as they jet to another White Lotus property and settle in temporarily amongst its inhabitants." Variety's Kate Arthur has all the details here... FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX -- "The Television Academy revealed Tuesday that 'following discussions with health and safety experts' for L.A. County, the organization is limiting the number of nominees who will be allowed to attend the Emmy Awards on Sept. 19 as well as the Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 11 and 12..." (THR)
-- "Idris Elba has joined the cast of 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' as the voice of Knuckles, Sonic's scrappy nemesis-turned-compatriot..." (Variety)
-- "Amazon Studios has unveiled a new trailer for its upcoming film adaptation of 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie,' which will be released globally on Prime Video on September 17..." (Deadline) "What If...?" brings infinite possibilities to the Marvel multi-verse
Brian Lowry writes: "'What If...?' might be the most Marvel Comics thing that Marvel Studios has done, translating the what-might-have-happened-if comic-book concept from page to screen, with all its geekiness intact. The highly stylized animation and access to key actors enhances the fun, creating an extremely logical Disney+ add-on to an increasingly packed multi-verse...."
"Fantasy Island" boards the plane for another reboot
Lowry writes: "Like 'Charlie's Angels,' 'Fantasy Island' is one of those old Aaron Spelling series that keeps resurfacing, whether anybody asked for it or not. So after a 1990s reboot and a pretty awful horror movie version last year, Fox boards the plane once again with a slightly updated version about a magical place where dreams are fulfilled and lessons learned..." FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN By Lisa Respers France:
-- Rihanna wants you to know she smells really, really good...
-- Chucky Thompson, famed hip hop Bad Boy producer, has died at 53...
-- Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman is getting married...
-- Quentin Tarantino once vowed never to give money to his mom — and he has stuck to that... SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...
Pet of the day!
Reader Steve Jones emails: "Our girl Goldie Butterbean displays her laid back attention to most all the news. An occasional hit of catnip keeps her chilled out when the Reliable Sources news becomes a rat race..."   Thank you for reading! Email us your feedback anytime. I'll see you back here tomorrow... Share this newsletter:
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