Good morning! I'm on the way to Philly for tonight's debate. Scroll down for a preview. But first... |
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A racist lie about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets in Ohio is rippling across right-wing media. JD Vance, the Trump campaign and top Republicans are repeating the baseless claim to their millions of followers on social media. Figures like Elon Musk are turning the false notion into a meme on his X platform, both spreading the lie and laughing at it at the same time, poisoning the information environment.
According to Mediaite's David Gilmour, the bizarre cat-eating suggestion spread widely after being pushed by a Malaysian propagandist. The local paper, the Springfield News-Sun, has more on its origins here.
CNN's Tom Foreman noted in this segment last night that the "wild claim" would have been easy for Vance to check, if the VP nominee had bothered to do so. But it will continue to spread – in part because Springfield, Ohio, has seen an influx of Haitian migrants in recent years and the increase in immigration has caused real strains in the community. The PBS NewsHour aired an excellent report about that on Monday night. But right-wing entertainers aren't sharing the NewsHour clip; they're sharing AI-generated pictures of precious cats and claiming the felines are in danger. They're putting feelings over facts. (CNN's
Michael Williams has more here.)
Journalists are fact-checking the viral anti-migrant lies and comedians are making fun of the claims, while right-wing commentators are moving on to the next pro-Trump narrative. (One of the top stories on "Fox & Friends" this a.m. was "MIGRANT MAYHEM.") The result: We're talking past one another and missing what's actually true amid the swirling falsehoods.
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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by Miami-Dade police on his way to a game on Sunday. When police bodycam footage of the incident was released on Monday, the story suddenly became a lot bigger. "I think the video contradicts everything that they're saying," Hill's attorney Julius Collins told Kaitlan Collins in an exclusive interview. Hill told her that he still feels "shell shocked." The Dolphins issued a statement last night decrying "overly aggressive and violent conduct" by the officers. (One has been placed on administrative leave.)
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Multi-billion dollar blows to Apple and Google |
"Apple has lost its fight to dodge a €13 billion ($14.4 billion) tax bill following a ruling by Europe’s top court Tuesday," CNN's Hanna Ziady reports from London. "The European Court of Justice also upheld a €2.4 billion ($2.6 billion) antitrust fine against Google, in a separate decision." The rulings cannot be appealed.
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The next season of "Slow Burn" is about Fox News |
I'm told that the tenth season of Slate's groundbreaking narrative podcast will explore the roots of Fox's partisan cable dominance. Here's a first look at the YouTube teaser trailer. "We'll look at the moment in the early 2000s when Fox News became a political and cultural force," host Josh Levin says. "You'll hear from Fox insiders, many who've never spoken out before, and you'll hear from the activists and comedians who tried to stop it." The first episode will drop on September 18.
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Revealing three VMAs stars |
Mike Coppola/Getty Images |
The biggest night of the year on MTV's calendar, the Video Music Awards, moved from Tuesday to Wednesday due to the presidential debate on ABC. Rehearsals are underway at the UBS Arena just outside NYC. Here's a scoop: Lenny Kravitz will be performing with Quavo during the broadcast. And another: Sasha Colby, the winner of "RuPaul's Drag Race" last year, will be a presenter. On Monday, MTV announced that Eminem will be returning to the VMAs as the opening performer...
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The stage is literally set 👇 |
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are about to meet face-to-face for the first time ever. The ABC debate starts at 9 p.m. ET and will be simulcast everywhere.
In the above screen grab, you can see the view from moderators Linsey Davis and David Muir's seats. The ABC anchors are equipped with live television feed monitors and timers to enforce the rules both candidates accepted. I woke up this morning remembering that, ahead of the CNN debate in June, nobody imagined that the result would be a candidate's withdrawal from the race. Nobody. So let's all keep very open minds as we head into this one!
>> On "CNN This Morning," Axios reporter Alex Thompson noted that Harris's team has "raised the stakes for this debate" by sharply limiting her interviews and "spontaneous moments" since becoming the Democratic nominee.
>> Mark McKinnon to Kasie Hunt: "It doesn't matter what Trump's going to do" on stage. "He's not going to move the needle with one vote tonight, I doubt. But Harris has a real opportunity—30% of voters feel like they don't know enough about her yet, so this is all about her."
>> The Bulwark's Marc Caputo reported that the ex-president’s team sees this debate "as the best, maybe last, shot to knock her off her game." Of course, all the focus on Harris may have the effect of raising the bar for her and lowering the bar for Trump.
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Hadas Gold writes: Everything ABC News does, from the moderators’ questions to the lighting, will be heavily scrutinized during the 90-minute showdown. The rules will mostly mirror those used by CNN in June – including muting the candidates’ microphones while their rival is speaking. But there will be another opportunity for the public to understand any exchanges made inaudible during the telecast. Unlike at the CNN debate, a pool of reporters who cover the candidates for major news organizations will be present in the debate studio, able to hear and report on what both sides are saying, according to a person familiar. Full story here...
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>> According to the NYT, the debate will be overseen by ABC's political director Rick Klein; executive editorial producer John Santucci; and senior exec producer of special events Marc Burstein. "Also involved are ABC News’s new president, Almin Karamehmedovic, who was appointed to the role less than a month ago; and Debra OConnell, Disney’s president of its news group and networks."
>> WPVI, the powerhouse ABC station in Philly known to locals as Action News, has been working with its national news colleagues to transform the National Constitution Center into a debate site. (WPVI)
>> The Harris campaign has a full page ad in Tuesday's Philadelphia Inquirer blasting Project 2025 as "Trump's plan to control you."
>> The DNC has rolled out billboards across the area in English and Spanish; one reads, "Trump hates Philly." (Inquirer)
>> Jeremy Barr profiled Davis, the "less familiar" of the two moderators. (Wash Post)
>> Susan Page moderated Harris's last debate (the VP nominee matchup in 2020) and summed up her "debate moves." (USA Today)
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Tuesday is a nonfiction lover's dream. There are a least half a dozen newsy releases hitting bookstores today. In "Who Could Ever Love You," Mary Trump "adds further insights into the Trump family story;" in "Nexus," Yuval Noah Harari looks at how information has flowed throughout history; in "Erasing History," Jason Stanley documents how fascists rewrite the past to control the future; and in "You Must Stand Up," Amanda Becker profiles people on the front lines of the fight for abortion rights in post-Dobbs America.
Also new today: Wilbur Ross's "Risks and Returns," Max Boot's "Reagan: His Life and Legend" and Bill O'Reilly's "Confronting the Presidents: No Spin Assessments from Washington to Biden."
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Also making news on Tuesday |
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Tropical Storm Francine is expected to reach hurricane strength during the day ahead of a Wednesday landfall in Louisiana.
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A Nevada court is slated to hold a hearing in Rupert Murdoch's secret succession battle. NPR's David Folkenflik has a preview here.
- Scott Galloway and Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov are launching a new podcast called "Raging Moderates."
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TIME is holding the TIME100 Women's Leadership Forum in NYC Tuesday evening.
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>> "Monday Night Football" came and went without a resolution in the Disney-DirecTV dispute. (CNN)
>> Starboard Value "has submitted a nonbinding shareholder proposal that could end the Murdochs’ control" of News Corp, Lauren Hirsch reports. (NYT)
>> WSJ veteran Jamie Heller is Business Insider's next editor-in-chief. (BI)
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Jorge Ramos leaving Univision |
One of the best known journalists in Spanish-language television is calling it quits. Jorge Ramos, who has led "Noticiero Univision" for 38 years and spoken truth to power for just as long, is leaving Univision after this year's election. According to the announcement, Ramos and Univision "mutually agreed not to renew their soon-to-expire contract agreement." But I have yet to see any clear reporting about why. On the air Monday night, Ramos said "this decision has been difficult, sad and took a long time," and he indicated he would share his next professional steps in due time.
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Leonard Leo wants to get into the media biz |
In a rare interview with the FT's Alex Rogers, "the architect of the rightward shift on the Supreme Court" under Trump, Leonard Leo, said his non-profit advocacy group "is making a $1 billion push to 'crush liberal dominance' across corporate America and in the country's news and entertainment sectors." Key passage: Leo "intends to invest in a US local media company in the next 12 months, although he has not decided which."
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>> Apple said the iPhone 16 ("designed for AI") will go on sale September 20. (CNN)
>> A second antitrust trial pitting Google against the DOJ began Monday in Virginia as a federal judge heard opening statements "over whether the tech giant illegally monopolized the digital advertising industry." (The Guardian)
>> Amazon's Audible "will begin inviting a select group of US-based audiobook narrators to train AI on their voices, the clones of which can then be used to make audiobook recordings," Ashley Carman reports. (Bloomberg)
>> Meta denied Trump's claim (in an interview with NYMag's Olivia Nuzzi) that Mark Zuckerberg called him after the Butler, Pa. assassination attempt and said "there's no way I can vote for a Democrat in this election." Meta said "he's not endorsing anybody in this race and has not communicated to anybody how he intends to vote." (Forbes)
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"FLAGRANT MISAPPROPRIATION" |
White Stripes sue Trump campaign |
Elizabeth Wagmeister writes: Jack and Meg White, formerly of the rock duo The White Stripes, filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing Trump and his campaign of “flagrant misappropriation” and copyright infringement of their 2003 song “Seven Nation Army.” Details here... |
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Netflix runs with Rodgers |
Elizabeth Wagmeister writes: Netflix has greenlit a three-part docuseries centered on the polarizing and conspiracy theory espousing athlete Aaron Rodgers. Premiering this December, "Aaron Rodgers: Enigma" is being billed as a sports series that will follow Rodgers’ comeback after tearing his Achilles, while also exploring “his life and career through the intimate and difficult parts that made him a household name on and off the field,” per Netflix. Rodgers is not listed as a producer on the project but its being made with his full participation, a person close to the project says.
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Thank you, James Earl Jones |
The EGOT winner, who died Monday at 93, meant so many things to so many people. At CNN, he was our voice. The AJC's Rodney Ho noted that Jones was first commissioned to read the words "THIS IS CNN" in 1990 – "and 34 years later, the network is still using him." Recalling when he first recorded the voiceover, Jones once said, "I just emptied my mind, then filled it with the thought of all the hundreds of stories — tragic, violent, funny, touching — that could be following my introduction. And then I said, 'This is CNN.'"
"He was the voice of CNN and our brand for many decades, uniquely conveying through speech instant authority, grace, and decorum," the network said in a statement. "That remarkable voice is just one of many things the world will miss about James. Our thoughts are with his family."
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>> Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline are joining "SNL" for its landmark 50th season. Featured player Chloe Troast is departing. (THR)
>> HBO's next series set in the world of entertainment, "The Franchise," now has a premiere date: October 6. The comedy "follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe." (Deadline)
>> In a shock snubbing, Beyoncé's massively successful "Texas Hold 'Em" album failed to receive a single nomination from the Country Music Awards. (BBC)
>> Harvey Weinstein was rushed to the hospital for heart surgery ahead of the next hearing his the retrial. (CNN)
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