Recall ridiculousness; analysis from California; Fox adds TMZ and 'Cops;' what to expect at Apple's event; Met Gala photo gallery

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Brian Stelter here at 11:13pm ET on Monday, Sept. 13, filing from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where I spoke with students at Lehigh U. Here's the latest on Apple, "Succession," Puck, Nicki Minaj, Instagram, "The Daily Show," and more...

"A preview of coming attractions"

Tuesday's California recall is American politics in a nutshell.

"Recalls are weird," Ari Melber said on MSNBC Monday night. This recall is definitely weird. This moment in politics is weird and tumultuous and poisonous. It's hard for anyone but news junkies to make sense of the nonsense.

This recall is specifically about California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the Republicans who are trying to unseat him, but it's also about Covid-19. It's also about Donald Trump and his takeover of the Republican party. It's also about the GOP's adherence to voter fraud fabrications that deny the Democratic party's legitimacy and undercut democracy. It's "a preview of coming attractions," Newsom's top strategist Sean Clegg told reporters in Long Beach on Monday.

How so? Well right-wing media outlets have seeded a "stolen election" storyline, putting forth the cockamamie idea that Democrats can only win in (dark blue) California if there's mass vote fraud. It's the Big Lie playbook at the state level. It's because "they know that this dude is going to lose," Joy Reid said on MSNBC Monday night.

That "dude" is the GOP's leading contender in the election, Larry Elder, the far-right radio host turned politician. Elder has repeatedly told Fox audiences that he is worried about cheating. He has not committed to accepting the results of the election, as NBC's Jacob Soboroff showed by asking him the question several times.

Trump made it all worse on Monday by saying in a statement, "Does anybody really believe that the California Recall Election isn't rigged?" He explicitly sided with the "fraud" lie narrative and said it's all "just another scam," which, logically, could discourage Trump fans from casting a ballot in California. Conservative commentator Rich Lowry snarkily called it "an ongoing 'don't get out the vote' operation..."

"Battery acid on our Constitution"

So let's address what Clegg meant by "coming attractions." Regarding Tuesday's election result, he expressed supreme confidence, according to CNN's Dan Merica: Clegg said "there's no scenario where we lose tomorrow."

But with Elder's campaign already alleging election impropriety, Clegg said, "We saw it in the November election. We saw it in the January 6th insurrection. We do not have a Democratic and Republican party in this country. We have a democratic party and an anti-democratic party. They're trying to throw battery acid on our Constitution, on our electoral norms. And it's a preview of coming attractions. We're going to see the same thing in 2022 and the same thing in 2024. And unfortunately, it's become the Trump playbook and they're going to it. And they're going back to it."

The GOP's hollow cries about cheating are an ongoing conundrum for newsrooms. Outlets that call out the B.S. are tagged as biased or worse. Outlets that overlook it are enabling an undemocratic concept to take root. Here's a real-time example: On Monday evening reporters like NBC's Alex Seitz-Wald noticed that "Elder's campaign is promoting a website that claims the recall is over, Newsom won, and they found voter fraud through a statistical analysis of the results."

The only problem, as Seitz-Wald wrote, is that "the election hasn't happened yet."

But this website, StopCAFraud.com, was apparently published with the expectation that Elder will lose and will want to challenge the results. The site, bankrolled in part by Elder's campaign, also alludes to violence. "We MUST protect election integrity," the homepage says. "They say that in America, there are four boxes of liberty. The soapbox, the ballot box, the jury box, and the ammo box." The implication is that election challenges will happen at the "jury box" with the "hope" that the "ammo box" -- this is a quote from the website -- "remains closed."

Real people read this stuff!

A timely reminder: Disinformation campaigns about campaigns and elections hurt real people. "Election officials take it personally when somebody is just making unfounded accusations about what we do," Donna Johnston, president of the CA Association of Clerks and Election Officials, told the AP.

On the flip side, the Los Angeles Times recently quoted a GOP activist, Matt Francis, who expressed confidence that Newsom will indeed be recalled. "He's worked to make it happen for months, and from online commentary he's seen in recent weeks, he senses that Californians want a new leader," The Times wrote. "But if the recall fails?" Francis said, "There is no way I am going to believe it."

The LAT story pointed out that "conservative conspiracy theories" have been painting Dems as cheaters for a very long time. But it's now supercharged like never before.

"Focus on the hard right and ignore the middle"

CNN correspondent Kyung Lah writes from Long Beach: "Larry Elder didn't do any public rallies over the weekend. What did he do? He focused his efforts on right-wing media, talking up baseless election fraud claims. It's all ridiculous given the two to one registration advantage Democrats have over Republicans. With Trump chiming in today, it's similar to the behavior I'm seeing when I cover Arizona's sham 'audit' -- focus on the hard right and ignore the middle. It just struck me as illogical since Elder needs a bigger, not smaller audience..."

Lowry's take

Brian Lowry writes from L.A.: "The recall process in California is obviously strange, but the current use of it has been especially so. I can't help but note the contrast to 2003, where Arnold Schwarzenegger capitalized on his celebrity and the shortened election cycle to muscle his way into politics, and I think a lot of people took the wrong lesson from it. Schwarzenegger was opportunistic, but he was serious about wanting the job. During the latest election, at times it seemed as if the two most media-friendly GOP contenders in the race, Elder and Caitlyn Jenner, were campaigning with one eye on the governor's office and the other on media opportunities in the election's wake. Media Matters' Matthew Gertz tallied up the Fox appearances by candidates, which suggested that in the battle for attention, Elder could be a winner in terms of his current vocation even if the vote doesn't go his way..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- To get caught up on how a recall works, check out Zachary B. Wolf's "speed read..."

-- CNN's Maeve Reston has "five places to watch" in the recall...

-- Reality-based GOP strategist Rob Stutzman on "Erin Burnett OutFront:" Obviously "fraud is not happening" in this race. But Elder, with his winks and nods to election-rigging, "is just trying to be the most popular Republican in a state where it doesn't really mean anything to be the most popular Republican..."

-- For a different view from the right, here's Mediaite columnist John Ziegler arguing that Newsom's "strong allies in the news media" defeated the recall...

-- Cable news networks are adding hours of live coverage late Tuesday and into Wednesday for the vote count...

-- For a local report, The Sacramento Bee is plugging a "Recall Election Night Live Show" Tuesday night...

TUESDAY PLANNER

President Biden travels to Colorado and delivers remarks on infrastructure...

New book releases include "Unbound" by Tarana Burke, "Wildland" by Evan Osnos, "Apples Never Fall" by Liane Moriarty, and "Harlem Shuffle" by Colson Whitehead...

Max Kellerman's new 2pm show "This Just In" premieres on ESPN...

Several key Broadway shows reopen! NYT's Michael Paulson has a preview here...

What to expect at Apple's event

Apple's "California Streaming" event starts at 1pm ET Tuesday. CNN's Samantha Murphy Kelly says the "latest rumors about what Apple may announce" encompass the following: "A bigger iPhone battery that lasts longer. A diagonally-shaped camera system. And one terabyte of storage." The company "is likely to unveil four new iPhones: the iPhone 13 mini, the iPhone 13, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max." More here...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- While on the subject of Apple: Stop reading this and update your iPhone... (CNN)

-- The WSJ analyzed 74 episodes of Apple TV+'s top shows to "better understand the strategy" behind all the product placement... (WSJ)

-- "Three media companies tied to exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui have agreed to pay $539 million to settle regulatory claims they violated investor-protection laws when they raised money from over 5,000 investors," Dave Michaels and Brian Spegele report... (WSJ)

-- One of Monday's most-buzzed-about pieces: The WSJ's first story based on what it's calling "The Facebook Files." It includes this damning quote: "We are not actually doing what we say we do publicly…" (WSJ)

-- Puck, the new media startup that treats its reporters "like social media influencers," unveiled its website Monday. Lucas Shaw has details here... (Bloomberg)

Met Gala 📷

CNN's Allyssia Alleyne writes: "Just one day after the lights dimmed on another edition of New York Fashion Week, and the MTV Video Music Awards took over Brooklyn's Barclays Center, pop culture's most famous faces have descended on the The Metropolitan Museum of Art to celebrate the fashion industry's party of the year: the Met Gala." Here are the red carpet photos...

--> There are already dozens of news stories about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wearing a gown with the words "tax the rich" on the back...

--> Influencer Saint Hoax was named Instagram's first-ever 'Meme Correspondent' for the Met Gala red carpet...

--> Here's what Instagram head Adam Mosseri wore...

CNBC and Reuters were duped by a fake press release

Oliver Darcy writes: "CNBC and Reuters were duped on Monday by scammers who wrote a fake press release claiming Walmart was patterning with litecoin, causing the cryptocurrency to surge 25% in a massive pump and dump scheme. The press release was published by GlobeNewswire and included fake quotes from Walmart's CEO, fooling major outlets into publishing stories. Both CNBC and Reuters eventually retracted their articles. Hours after it was fooled, CNBC issued a correction acknowledging it was tricked by a 'fake press release.' And a Reuters spox told me 'was withdrawn as soon as we established the press release was fake...'"

Fox adds TMZ and "Cops"

Two Fox-related deals in one day. First, Fox News said it has picked up a new season of "Cops," which was cancelled last year, for its Fox Nation streaming service. The LAT's Stephen Battaglio broke the news. Second, Fox Corp confirmed that it is buying TMZ from WarnerMedia. It will be housed under entertainment, not Fox News. Per THR's Alex Weprin, the deal was valued at "less than $50 million." Harvey Levin will remain in charge.

>> Julia Alexander said it best: "Fox reviving 'Cops' for its streaming service and Fox buying TMZ are the two most 'ah, that seemed inevitable — wild it took this long!' media/rights acquisitions of the last 12 months..."

>> Christopher Palmeri's context for the TMZ deal: "Charlie Collier, chief executive officer of Fox's entertainment unit, is on a shopping spree, helping to restore the depleted Murdoch media empire one juicy deal at a time." Read on...

Lowry's take

Brian Lowry writes: "The Fox-TMZ deal makes sense for all concerned, expanding an existing relationship that will likely unleash TMZ on building the company's digital footprint. As the Washington Post's Steven Zeitchik tweeted, 'TMZ's move out of streaming-juggernaut hopeful Warner to a budget-conscious throwback (and tabloid-happy) Fox makes so much sense it's a wonder it didn't happen years ago...'"

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

By Kerry Flynn:

-- Hannah Giorgis, author of the newest cover story of The Atlantic, summed up her story this way: "I spoke with writers, producers, and execs about the uneven progress and 'negotiated authenticity' that has characterized black TV since its earliest days, including during this strange year of reckoning..." (The Atlantic)

-- The NYT is launching a new brand campaign, "The Truth Takes a Journalist," across TV, audio, TikTok, and more... (NYT)

-- "For local journalists, there's nowhere to hide from trauma," writes Dawn Megli, who reports for a weekly newspaper in Thousand Oaks, California... (Poynter)

-- Emily Atkin reflects on two years of writing about climate change for her own newsletter... (HEATED)

-- "Welcome to Dunkin' World" is the headline to Lora Kelley's piece on the coffee chain being a lifestyle brand... (GQ)

The "pro-freedom case" for vaccine mandates

I continue to hear tons of talk on Fox about "freedom" from vaccine mandates. But on Sunday's "Reliable Sources," David Leonhardt made the opposite argument: That the "'pro-freedom case' for vaccine mandates is actually stronger than the anti-freedom case." So if you missed it, check it out here. "Americans deserve the freedom to go to school without fear... to go to football games and go to Broadway plays," he said.

>> He also made this point about Covid's "two-month cycle:" He said "it is possible -- not guaranteed -- but it is possible that we have hit a peak of Delta..."

Worst tweet of the day

It was Nicki Minaj claiming she's doing some "research" before deciding whether to get vaccinated. She followed up with some secondhand stupidity about human anatomy. Let's just be honest: If you say you're still "researching" at this point, you're a Covid vaccine opponent. Per Donie O'Sullivan, Twitter said her tweets don't break the site's Covid-19 misinfo rules. But they did break a lot of brains...

Disney announces Jan. 2022 date for RTO

Oliver Darcy writes: "Disney is the latest company to announce that it won't be returning to the office this year. In a note sent to employees, the company's HR chief, Paul Richardson, said that the new target date for return-to-office — a plan that includes ABC News — is January 2022. Richardson added that more than 80% of Disney's salaried and non-union hourly employees in the US have attested to being vaccinated against Covid-19..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- "For the second time this month, Tucker Carlson has defended Americans who carry fake vaccination cards." He also read Minaj's nonsense aloud... (Mediaite)

-- "We have no time for idiots in this country anymore," Howard Stern said while mocking Joe Rogan for plugging ivermectin but not the Covid vaccines... (Beast)

-- Dr. Anthony Fauci says it may take "many, many more" vaccine mandates to end the Covid-19 pandemic... (CNN)

Tucker Carlson: "I lie. I really try not to..."

Oliver Darcy writes: "Don't take it from me, Tucker Carlson is now saying it himself. In a new interview, first flagged by the progressive watchdog Media Matters, Carlson admitted that he does sometimes lie to people. 'I lie if I'm really cornered or something,' he told David Rubin in the interview. 'I lie. I really try not to. I try never to lie on TV. I just don't -- I don't like lying. I certainly do it, you know, out of weakness or whatever...'"

>> Darcy adds: "In that same interview, Carlson said that 'people who punch down are the worst' and 'should have no power whatsoever.' Of course, that is rich coming from Carlson, who is notorious for putting up photos on TV of people far less powerful than himself and viciously attacking them. Carlson admitted he has 'done that' at times when he was 'carried away,' but insisted he does try not to...'"

Speaking of Carlson...

Darcy writes: "Remember how Carlson ran with a Slate column earlier this year that was purportedly about a wife writing for advice about her husband insisting on wearing a mask during sex? Carlson's chyron that night blared, 'TERRIFIED LIBERALS KEEP THEIR MASKS ON DURING SEX.' Well, it was ridiculous then, but appears even more ridiculous today. The Slate article was apparently based on a fake Dear Prudence letter. Novelist Bennett Madison wrote for Gawker Monday that he 'couldn't stop' writing fake letters to the Dear Prudence column — and he said he wrote the one that spurred Carlson's segment. 'The attention was obviously thrilling,' Madison wrote, 'but it also made me uneasy...'"

Andrew Neil resigns as GB News chairman and host

Oliver Darcy writes: "It's official: Andrew Neil has resigned his position as chairman and host of the fledging GB News. The resignation comes after The Telegraph reported he was poised to quit amid tension between him and management. Neil has been off the air since he went on what was billed as a regular summer vacation two weeks after the network launch. In a statement, Neil said he had 'concluded it's time to reduce my commitments.' GB News said he will 'appear as a regular guest' on its shows and thanked him for his contributions. CNN's Julia Horowitz has more here..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- My fellow Georgetown fellow Amna Nawaz, chief correspondent for the PBS "NewsHour," is also joining NBC and MSNBC as a contributor... (Twitter)

-- Ryan McCarthy is joining Vox as Ryan McCarthy Joins Vox as editorial director for politics, policy and society... (Vox)

-- WaPo is expanding its 202 newsletter franchise while pledging to keep the letters shorter... (Axios)

-- Watch this chilling "CBS Mornings" report from David Begnaud about how cybercriminals are targeting people with coveted internet usernames... (Twitter)

-- "Spotify's Clubhouse clone adds six new weekly shows, some that tie to Spotify playlists," Sarah Perez reports... (TechCrunch)

-- Instagram "is quietly testing out a solution for your messy feed called 'Favorites,'" Gloria Sin reports... (The Verge)

Study: Social media exasperates political divide, but is not cause

Oliver Darcy writes: "Researchers at NYU on Monday published a study that found that social media platforms, such as Facebook, exasperate the political divide in the US, but are not the root cause for it. "Social media is the mechanism for spreading the kind of mis- and disinformation that fuels the fire of political polarization," co-author Paul Barrett told Axios. Barrett said it's time to 'overcome the message that Facebook has been trying to project that we really can't tell whether social media use has anything to do with political divisiveness and partisan hatred,' explaining it does not 'match up with facts...'"

"OK, Seriously:" Read this piece about Teen Vogue

Kerry Flynn writes: "The latest issue of CJR called 'Reset' is all about politics, specifically analyzing the post-Trump era. One feature, written by Clio Chang, brilliantly analyzes Teen Vogue and its so-called 'complicated political transformation.' She interviewed many former editors who provide interesting insights into its workplace culture and also some juicy drama such as Phillip Picardi sharing someone from Elton John's AIDS Foundation may have saved his job. Read on..."

"Succession" season three gets a premiere date

The third season of "Succession" finally has a premiere date. The show will drop on HBO on October 17. HBO also put out a teaser poster, along with a summary of what to expect: "Ambushed by his rebellious son Kendall at the end of Season two, Logan Roy begins Season 3 in a perilous position, scrambling to secure familial, political, and financial alliances. Tensions rise as a bitter corporate battle threatens to turn into a family civil war." Variety's Kate Arthur has more here...

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- Trevor Noah debuted a new "Daily Show" home on Monday night -- from a Times Square studio at ViacomCBS HQ... (Twitter)

-- The new "Show" has no studio audience, reminiscent of Noah's living room during his at-home broadcasts. Variety's Brian Steinberg says TV networks might be seeking "to preserve some of the lower production costs they discovered" during the pandemic... (Variety)

-- Lesley Goldberg reports that the "Ted Lasso" stars have scored "big paydays" for season three: "Sources say producers Warner Bros. TV and Apple TV+ are also negotiating over the show's licensing fees, with the studio's linear rights to the Emmy-nominated comedy at the center of the battle..." (THR)

-- "The DC Universe is growing on HBO Max," Peter White writes. "The streamer already has a slew of DC-related projects in the works ... It is now also working up a series involving classic 'Batman foe Penguin...'" (Deadline)

-- Chris Willman writes about Drake "handily" beating Kanye West for the biggest 2021 album debut... (Variety)

"Y" is beyond grim

Brian Lowry writes: "With 'The Walking Dead' coming to an end next year, 'Y: The Last Man' is the latest series to reach for that mantle -- and fall short. Also adapted from an apocalyptic comic, the FX on Hulu show is beyond grim in its tone and premise, with all males abruptly dying. Or maybe it's just the wrong time for a show that, instead of picking up in the aftermath, depicts society falling apart." Read on...

FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN

-- Ed Sheeran took Taylor Swift to a pub and no one noticed, Lisa Respers France reports... (CNN)

-- One more from Lisa: Gabrielle Union has opened up about her surrogacy journey... (CNN)

-- Greg Evans' recap of the "Jeopardy!" season premiere: "Mike Richards' head-spinning string of humiliations continued tonight with the first day of his last week" as host... (Deadline)

-- Hilary Swank "will star in a newspaper drama" by Tom McCarthy that's in the works for ABC. "The drama revolves around a star journalist (Swank) who moves to Alaska for a fresh start after a career-killing misstep and finds redemption personally and professionally after joining a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage..." (THR)