Brian Stelter here at 12:30am ET Saturday. Sorry I'm late. Trump has been deplatformed. Democrats have vowed to impeach him again. Multiple Republican lawmakers have supported the move. Biden has eleven more days to wait on the bench. This newsletter has a look ahead... but first, an important look back at Wednesday:
It was even worse than it looked on live TV
News outlets are publishing more and more videos, photos and testimonials from the riot on Capitol Hill. And it's making me realize: As heinous as the attack looked in real time, on live TV and in our social feeds, it was even worse than we knew at the time. It was even more violent. It was even more treacherous. And Trump's behavior was even more disturbing.
On Wednesday we witnessed history through a handful of soda straws, to borrow a metaphor from the Iraq invasion of 2003. Journalists bravely covered the riot in real time on Wednesday and deserve enormous credit for doing so. But in the fog of chaos it was impossible to see the full picture in real time. We didn't find out that a U.S. Capitol Police officer was gravely wounded until Thursday, for example. Brian D. Sicknick died Thursday night.
On the inside on Wednesday afternoon, many Capitol Hill correspondents were locked down and shepherded to secure locations. On the outside, some reporters couldn't report live because wireless towers were overwhelmed. Some of the live shots on TV were from a distance, and the most important live shots of all -- inside the House and Senate chambers -- were turned off by the respective legislative bodies. A handful of chaotic videos on social media stunned the world, and immediately confirmed that the police had lost control, but the fuller videos that came out on Wednesday night and Thursday and Friday provided much more detail. Just now on CNN, Don Lemon showed another appalling video of attackers trying to break into the Capitol -- another angle I hadn't seen yet. Sometimes audio clips of the assault are even scarier than video, as The Daily podcast demonstrated.
>> Think back to your own processing of Wednesday's events. Information came in bit by bit in ways that harkened back to 9/11. There was so much news that it was hard to process: Reports of explosive devices, an armed standoff, a shooting, an evacuation. Viewers were able to see some of it with their own eyes, but most of the info was secondhand, from tweets and phoners and pool reports. Only later did it become clear that lawmakers feared for their lives; that some of the attackers were hunting for congressional leaders; that there could have been a massacre.
>> Something else that was even worse than we knew at the time: The attacks against members of the media. Erin Schaff of The New York Times later described what happened when the mob saw her NYT ID. "They threw me to the floor, trying to take my cameras. I started screaming for help as loudly as I could," she said. "No one came. People just watched. At this point, I thought I could be killed and no one would stop them. They ripped one of my cameras away from me, broke a lens on the other and ran away." She fled and found a place to hide. Please read her full account here.
Elle Reeve's experience
Two days later, "I still feel the adrenaline," CNN correspondent Elle Reeve told me. Reeve covered the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville for Vice in 2017. When it comes to far-right extremism, she is one of the foremost reporters in the country. So I asked her to come on this week's Reliable Sources podcast and recount what she witnessed in DC. After the conversation, I felt like I finally understood what really happened on Wednesday. Here are a few key quotes from Reeve:
-- "People say Donald Trump plus the Internet brings out the extremists. But I think the reality is an inversion of that: that Donald Trump plus the Internet brings extremism to the masses. There are many more regular people now who believe extreme things -- who believe there's a secret cabal of pedophiles at the very top of the American government."
-- "These were regular people. These were not Internet basement dwellers. These are people with jobs... I don't think as a culture, we've grappled with the way social media is a brainwashing machine."
-- "Most of the people here do not think of themselves as white nationalists. Do not want to be seen as racist. I've interviewed a lot of them and they're like, 'We want nothing to do with those guys.' But that said, the parallels are, when this huge swarm of people who've been active online finally get to meet each other in person. And there's this thrill of it and it's very high energy -- but they've also been anonymous for so long -- it kind of relieves them of the responsibility for their actions."
-- The crowd's emotion was contagious: "I don't think there are enough words in English to describe the way emotion works in a mob like that. It's like an electrical current. It's joy, but it's menacing. And there's also this forward momentum that's just unstoppable."
-- "And because this was an older crowd," she said, "it was even all the more jarring. I mean, I think even on a basic level, you know, like what you learn as a kid, like respect your elders, it is shocking to see people who could be your parents scrambling over walls, acting crazy, acting immorally."
-- How much advance knowledge was there? Well, one of Reeve's sources (who she said is "prone to hyperbole") warned her ahead of time "that it was going to be dangerous and that I should stay away from the area."
-- "There's a lot of playing around with these radical ideas as jokes. And if someone pushes back on you, you can say, 'Well, it was just a joke. I don't want a civil war.' But those seeds get planted in their minds."
-- "Most people I talked to said they expected Trump to be sworn in for a second term. Some people I talked to even said they expected military tribunals of Joe Biden and other Democrats for election fraud." Other attendees, she said, were much more reality-based.
-- Numerous individuals tried to intimidate Reeve and her crew: "They really see us as working in concert with Democrats to try to destroy the president. And when you see us as an absolute enemy, you're able to justify a lot of actions that I think, you know, the next day you'd be very embarrassed by."
Listen to the full podcast via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your preferred app...
"TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY UNRAVELING"
That's what the banner on "CNN Tonight" said at 11pm ET Friday. WaPo's banner headline on Saturday says "More in Congress seek Trump ouster." The NYT's banner says "House prepares article of impeachment." Nancy Pelosi is signaling that Trump will be impeached by the Democratic-led House early next week -- unless he resigns. What do you think is more likely?
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Lesley Stahl taped an interview with Pelosi at the Capitol on Friday... It will form the basis of a "60 Minutes" segment on Sunday...
-- Trump is not currently scheduled to make any appearances on Fox or any other network, as far as I can tell...
-- Chris Krebs' warning on Friday night: "There is going to be violence in the run-up to the inauguration. This is not over. There will be more." (CNN)
-- Graydon Carter's Q: "Perhaps it's time to begin talking about how long an outgoing president can remain in office?" (Air Mail)
-- WaPo editorial board: "Trump must be held accountable for his inexcusable incitement, and prevented from further reckless ventures at home or abroad..." (WaPo)
-- Who is going to resign next? Hope Hicks? (CNN)
-- How much longer can this WH function with so many resignations and such a demoralized staff?
BANNED
Twitter finally did it: The company permanently banned Trump from its platform. If he tries to tweet from other accounts, Twitter will block him there, too. CNN's Brian Fung has a complete recap of the decision here. One has to wonder how this move is weighing on Trump's mental health. It has been hard to imagine him without Twitter -- but now it has happened. And I want to underscore this point: This is the FIRST time any world leader has been banned, according to my sources at Twitter. The company's execs are concerned that the American president poses a threat to the public. So they are intervening as a result. That's astonishing.
>> The ban applies to the man, not the account. So when Trump tried to post from @POTUS, Twitter made the tweets disappear. Anderson Cooper had the best reaction of all: "Brian, this is nuts. The President of the United States is trying to trick Twitter..."
>> Dem lawmaker Jim Himes on "AC360:" "His Twitter has been taken away, but what about the nuclear trigger?"
Fears of future violence
This part of Twitter's rationale for banning Trump is key: "Plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021." For more on this, read CNN's latest, "Extremists intensify calls for violence ahead of Inauguration Day..."
How it's playing on the right
Oliver Darcy writes: "Twitter's ban of Trump is riling up his base — and conservatives in general — who have long argued that Big Tech is biased against them. Some are pointing out that leaders like the Iranian ayatollah have the ability to maintain accounts and use Twitter's services. Tucker Carlson opened his program by warning that 'the crackdown of America's civil liberties is coming.' Carlson argued that 'actions taken to suppress extremism will cause it.' His banner on the bottom of the screen read, 'CANCEL CULTURE RAGE MOBS WILL USE CAPITOL HILL RIOTS AS AN EXCUSE TO SILENCE ALL CONSERVATIVES.' That, of course, is not true. But I expect this story and that line of argument to absolutely dominate the right-wing media universe — a media universe which is desperate to change the conversation away from Wednesday's pro-Trump riot..."
>> BTW: Media Matters senior fellow Matt Gertz said "Trump has sent 1,375 tweets in response to things he saw on his television since September 1, 2018. Of those, 1,289 came in response to Fox News or Fox Business." The last one, "which set his banning in motion," Gertz said, was in response to Alyssa Farah's 9am appearance on Fox...
Where will Trump go next?
Trump is now unable to post on any of the major tech platforms. He can, of course, release traditional press releases through the White House. He can hold a press conference or call into Fox at any time. And Trump's campaign has untold #'s of millions of email addresses and cell phone numbers. But it seems likely he'll try to go find a new social media home. The most likely option seems to be Parler, which has become home to conservatives (and extremists) and marketed itself as a free-speech alternative to the Big Tech sites. The problem? It appears Parler is in extreme jeopardy of being banned itself:
App stores are cracking down on Parler
Oliver Darcy writes: "App stores are starting to crack down on Parler for leaving its platform unmoderated. The Google Play store removed the app on Friday until it starts moderating its policies, explaining that its 'longstanding policies' require 'enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence.' And Apple gave Parler a 24-hour ultimatum: clean up your platform or your app will be removed from the App Store. Per BuzzFeed, which first reported on Apple's ultimatum to Parler, Apple cited complaints that this week's insurrectionists had coordinated on the platform. Parler co-owner Dan Bongino said in a post that Apple's threat amounted to a "destructive war on civil liberties." On Friday morning, Bongino had vowed to never tweet again, calling Twitter an "anti-American platform..."
>> Ro Khanna's suggestion: "Parler is hosted by Amazon Web services (AWS). Amazon should deny Parler services until Jan 21 unless they commit to removing all posts related to incitement of violence concerning inauguration. This will help prevent further violence and save lives..."
Flynn, Powell also banned
Twitter has also banned Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell as part of a separate crackdown on QAnon-aligned accounts. "We've been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm, and given the renewed potential for violence surrounding this type of behavior in the coming days, we will permanently suspend accounts that are solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content," a Twitter spox explained...
Flashback to 2018...
Oliver Darcy writes: "I was thinking about when I was asking tech companies in 2018 about Alex Jones and InfoWars and why they were permitted on the platforms given brazen policy violations. All those platforms dug their heels in. Most didn't think they'd take action. How things have changed so much in just a few short years. In many ways, the deplatforming of Trump has been similar to the deplatforming of Jones. Platforms twisted themselves into pretzels and read their own rules in funny ways to avoid this outcome -- all until there was a clear breaking point in which they could not defend inaction anymore. In the case of Jones, one domino led to another domino which led to another domino which eventually led to him having no platform. Trump has now also traveled down that precise path..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- "There's still silence directly from the president about the death of a Capitol police officer in Wednesday's riot," Maggie Haberman pointed out. "Presumably the @potus account could tweet that..." (Twitter)
-- Jake Tapper wrote: "Lotta people who helped incite a riot that led to loss of human life including a police officer have spent the day whining about losing twitter followers, about social media bias, about Biden invoking Goebbels when referring to 'the Big Lie' ... haven't seen anything about deaths." (Twitter)
-- Charlie Warzel's Q's: "What does this mean for Mr. Trump's future? Can a disgraced president addicted to outrage and innately governed by the same forces as the attention economy survive without his primary outlet?" (NYT)
-- Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast channel was booted from YouTube after it racked up three strikes on the platform in the last 90 days... (Independent)
-- "Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have spent years fomenting and enabling yesterday's violence at the Capitol. Policymakers need to do something about it," Roger McNamee writes... (Wired)
Local editorial writers are also calling for Trump's removal
On top of the scathing editorials by the WSJ and other national outlets, many local publications have published opinion pieces advocating for Trump's removal from office. Here are just some of the headlines, compiled by Kerry Flynn:
>> Baltimore Sun: "Trump must go: Congress or his Cabinet must remove him from office before he injures another American..."
>> Capital Gazette: "Disgrace in Washington makes it clear. Invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Donald Trump from office..."
>> Chicago Tribune: "Concede or resign, President Trump..."
>> Miami Herald: "Trump is deranged, dangerous and ‘incapacitated.’ Invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office..."
>> South Florida Sun Sentinel: "Invoke the 25th Amendment: Donald Trump forfeited his moral authority to stay in office..."
>> Syracuse.com: "Trump is unfit to lead. Remove him now..."
Sunday on "Reliable Sources"
On Sunday I will be joined by Jeffrey Goldberg, Susan Glasser, Julie Roginsky, Alex Stamos, and four of CNN's best: Alexander Marquardt, Manu Raju, Lauren Fox, and Phil Mattingly. See you at 11am ET on CNN...
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- David Zurawik writes: "In our post-mortems about who has blood on their hands besides the president, we need to go beyond Republican politicians like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley ... and take a hard-eyed look at right-wing media and the role it played in the rise of Trump and the fall of the Capitol to his followers Wednesday..." (Baltimore Sun)
-- Sean Illing's latest about misinfo is well worth a read: "The fantasy-industrial complex gave us the Capitol Hill insurrection..." (Vox)
-- "Fox News can't seem to figure out why Trump voters are scared and confused," Philip Bump wryly writes... (WaPo)
-- A must-watch: CNN's Brianna Keilar blasted Tucker Carlson as a "propagandist," a "liar," and a "parasite..." (Mediaite)
-- "For the moment, little of the pressure that has been applied to tech companies has been leveled at TV companies like Comcast and Verizon," Alex Shepard points out, echoing Darcy's newsletter lead from last night. "Tech companies are under fire ... But on cable news and right-wing radio, nothing has changed..." (TNR)
-- To that point: "While cable co's don't share all the same issues as social platforms, it *is* striking that they've been let *entirely* off the hook for beaming stations like OAN and Newsmax to millions — so much so that they don't even feel the need to respond," Will Oremus notes... (Twitter)
-- Andrew Tyndall offered his thoughts to Jay Rosen on what motivates TV providers to carry these far-right channels... (Twitter)
"I could move your audience in a heartbeat"
According to VF's Gabriel Sherman, Trump excoriated Newsmax boss Chris Ruddy for referring to Biden as president-elect. "You're weak-kneed," Trump reportedly said, warning, "I could move your audience in a heartbeat." Ruddy declined to comment to Sherman directly on the matter, but said that although Trump "isn’t always happy with my take on things, he knows I am acting out of goodwill towards him." Ruddy added, "The truth is he has promoted Newsmax very little during his term in office." That's true in the larger context of his presidency. But it is hard to imagine that Newsmax's current success isn't directly tied to Trump encouraging his fans to watch in the past few months...
A Frankenstein he helped create
Oliver Darcy writes: "Brian Kilmeade on Friday, citing a recent poll, expressed dismay that so many Republicans support supported the actions of the mob who laid siege to Capitol Hill. 'That to me is scary,' Kilmeade said, adding that 'no one can approve those actions.' Kilmeade is right. But if he wants to understand why so many Republicans feel that way, he should consider looking in the mirror. For years he and his network have run cover for and excused the inexcusable actions of a President who has fanned the flames of division and hatred. And now, when the natural consequences of it has played out for the world to see, he's horrified? Give me a break..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
-- Keep a close eye on this: Dominion has officially sued Sidney Powell for her "defamatory media campaign." The company is seeking $1.3 billion in damages... (CNN)
-- "In an interview, Dominion CEO John Poulos said the lawsuit aims to clear his company’s name through a full airing of the facts about the 2020 election," Emma Brown wrote... (WaPo)
-- Speaking of pro-Trump lies and conspiracy theories, "the FBI told reporters Friday there's 'no indication' that Antifa disguised themselves as Trump supporters to join the ranks of the mob..." (CNN)
-- Bill Carter writes: "Business leaders like Zuckerberg, Dorsey and Murdoch should be ashamed for enabling Trump..." (CNN)
-- RTDNA director Dan Shelley: "To journalists, I want you to know your work matters and your role in our democracy is vital. Your safety and well-being matter, too. Take care of yourselves and each other. Stay safe. We’ve got your backs. So don’t back down." (RTDNA)
Thursday ratings
Television news ratings remained much higher than usual on Thursday as viewers sought info about the aftermath of the Capitol riot. According to TVNewser, 3.85 million people were watching CNN at any given time of day on Thursday, an off-the-charts number by cable news standards. About 3.3 million were watching MSNBC throughout the day, and about 1.9 million were watching Fox News. Viewership levels for Fox continue to be much lower than expected, given the network's top-rated status up until election day. Perhaps Thursday's ratings are another sign that Trump fans feels demoralized...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- In any other news environment, this would be the lead story: "The US reported more Covid-19 cases and deaths in the last week than any previous seven days during the pandemic, data showed Friday morning. And more than 4,080 US coronavirus deaths were reported on Thursday alone -- the most ever reported in a single day during the pandemic..." (CNN)
-- Sunny Hostin revealed on Friday that both of her in-laws died of the coronavirus: “It is not a joke, it is not a hoax..." (Page Six)
-- "White House warned governors about 'USA variant' of Covid-19, but no such discovery has been made..." (CNN)
IN OTHER NEWS...
The Blade's byline strike
"Reporters at the Toledo Blade and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said Friday that the right-wing views of the papers’ owners are hindering their ability to accurately cover President Donald Trump and Wednesday's Capitol riot," TheWrap's Lindsey Ellefson wrote Friday.
Kerry Flynn emails: "The Toledo NewsGuild, the union of the Toledo-based newspaper The Blade, tweeted Thursday that they began a byline strike after management 'manipulated wording in headlines, stories, and photo captions to alter the reality of what occurred during the insurrection at the Capitol.' In a press conference over Zoom Friday, The Blade's Nolan Rosenkrans said, 'Our goal is to send a message to our communities that we're as shocked as they are... The Block family has the reputation for slanting coverage on the things they care about.' In this case, Trump."
>> Block Communications EVP and CFO Jodi Miehls, EVP + CFO denied the union's allegations in a statement Friday...
VOA whistleblowers protest Pompeo address
Oliver Darcy writes: "Staffers at VOA are blowing the whistle on a planned address Mike Pompeo is scheduled to deliver Monday at the organization's HQ. A letter posted by the Government Accountability Project said the speech would break the law, given the firewall aimed at protecting VOA journalists from politics. 'The statutory firewall protects VOA journalists and editors from outside political meddling,' the letter explained. Additionally, the letter said, staffers are worried an indoor speech before a live audience of VOA employees carried a risk of spreading the coronavirus. A State Department spox didn't respond to my request for comment..."
More SPAC talks
Kerry Flynn emails: "Everyone is talking about SPACs. Reuters on Friday reported that Bustle Digital Group is 'exploring a potential merger with blank-check acquisition companies which would take it public,' citing a person familiar with the matter. That person said BDG is seeking a valuation of at least $600M. The Information reported that BuzzFeed 'has held discussions with at least one special purpose acquisition company, Spencer Rascoff’s Supernova Partners Acquisition Co' and also reported that Vox Media is looking to raise money either through private fundraising or by going public. After a year of economic fallout and downsizing in media, it's positive to see these companies explore ways to grow. But let's not forget the tens of thousands of jobs lost last year and the journalists still looking for work in a time when we need more quality news and information..."
Alex Trebek's final episode
CNN's Leah Asmelash writes: "'Jeopardy!' had a simple message ahead of the broadcast of the very last episode featuring the legendary Alex Trebek: Thank you. In a tweet on Friday evening, the show posted a tribute video to Trebek, who hosted the show for 37 seasons and passed away in November. This week was the last week of new episodes still featuring Trebek. The episodes were filmed in October." Watch the tribute here.
"On Monday," Asmelash notes, "the new season of 'Jeopardy!' will air, the first without Trebek."
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...
Pet of the day
Timothy shares a photo that proves we have all been glued to our screens this week:
Hope you can breathe a sigh of relief this weekend. We will be back on Sunday night unless the news warrants a Saturday night edition. Email us anytime...
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