Good morning. I'm in Los Angeles for the Emmys, but right now the news cycle is centered in West Palm Beach, on Donald Trump and the latest apparent threat to his life.

ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION

The search for answers

Marco Bello/Reuters

Some men who plot infamous acts of violence leave detailed, disturbing manifestos about their crimes. Others remain a mystery to the outside world forever.

What about the man who was detained yesterday? Ryan Wesley Routh was held in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Information about him flooded across the internet within hours. But information is not the same as insight. All of the immediately accessible facts about Routh didn't necessarily help to answer the questions that readers and viewers had about the incident at Trump's golf course. Clear answers will take time, and may never come at all.

Still, it is notable that numerous news outlets had interviewed Routh in the past, specifically about his efforts as a foreign volunteer for Ukraine after Russia's invasion. Routh also self-published a book and kept active social media accounts. He was "a frequent Trump critic on social media," according to CNN's reporting.

"Unusual rants"

Via CNN's Josh Campbell: Investigators "expect a federal court in South Florida will require 'a mental health assessment' of Routh before any possible criminal proceedings, a law enforcement source told CNN. Based on numerous 'unusual rants' believed to be posted by Routh online regarding international geopolitical events, the source said federal investigators expect his mental health will be examined as part of court proceedings to determine whether he is fit for any trial."

Twelve books you should know about

Before the golf course security incident, I had planned to make this Monday newsletter a Book Report edition of Reliable Sources. This month is chock full of newsworthy new nonfiction books. Let's highlight twelve of them: 

Learning from Connie Chung

Connie Chung's memoir "Connie," decades in the making, is coming out this Tuesday. The TV news pioneer "has some story to tell," Karen Heller writes in this review for the Washington Post. "Her rise and lengthy career in an industry dominated by White men is remarkable, and remains so now, even as more women and minorities have taken on larger roles in television news. For their seat at that news desk, they have Chung to thank."

 >> Key quote from the review: "In Chung’s telling, her success in the brutal arena of network news was due to working longer and harder than almost anyone, and her ability to swear and drink like a veteran newsman. She’s both the ultimate good girl — and also one of the guys, with a pronounced bawdy side."

How "The Apprentice" rehabbed Trump

"Lucky Loser" is the title of Suzanne Craig and Russ Buettner's blockbuster new book about Trump and his financial history. The word loser refers to Trump squandering his father's fortune and striking bad deals. The word luck certainly registers differently in light of Sunday's news.

The book builds on the reporting duo's previous work for the NYT about the Trump family's tax records. In a juicy excerpt published over the weekend, they describe how the producers of "The Apprentice" had to "invent a version of Donald Trump that did not actually exist — measured, thoughtful and endlessly wealthy — a complete rehabilitation of his public image." Here's the excerpt.

The power of "Stolen Pride"

JD Vance's "Hillbilly Elegy" is back on the bestseller lists now that he is Trump's VP nominee. But I always felt that the better Trump-era book for understanding the “forgotten man” was sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild's book "Strangers in Their Own Land." The book documented how and why Tea Party adherents in Louisiana believed that "line-cutters" (like immigrants) were blocking their path to the American dream. Hochschild's new book, a followup of sorts, is "Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame and the Rise of the Right," set in eastern Kentucky. If this were an actual book report, I would go on for thousands of words about it. Hochschild shows how people seek out pride in a variety of ways, and why some succumb to shame, which can devolve into anger and rage. She says Trump has figured out "anti-shaming rituals" that bind him with his fans.

For a further preview, check out Hochschild's interview on "Here and Now." I'm planning to finish the book on my flight home today. 

Clinton's newest memoir 

CBS News

Hillary Clinton is coming out with her fourth memoir on Tuesday. The book, "Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty," takes some inspiration from Joni Mitchell's song "Both Sides Now."

"Personally and professionally," she writes, "I've come through so many highs and lows, times when I felt on top of the world and others when I was in a deep, dark hole. After all these years, I really have looked at life and love 'from both sides now.' How do you tally up and reckon with the losses and gains of a life? Or of a nation and a world?" Clinton says "old wounds still hurt, but I have a new sense of proportion. Time will do that." She also says "the cut-and-parry of politics matters less, but the check-and-balance of democracy matters more." CBS published an excerpt in conjunction with Clinton's "Sunday Morning" sit-down.

Distorted coverage of abortion debate?

Amanda Becker, Washington correspondent for The 19th, is out with an illuminating book titled "You Must Stand Up" about people on the front lines of the battle for abortion rights. I recently interviewed her about the book and about media coverage of post-Roe America.

"I see covering abortion rights in this moment as covering democracy," Becker said. "Newsrooms need to be vigilant to not distort the fact that 65 to 70 percent of Americans support legal access to abortion. To give equal weight to each 'side' in coverage is already a distortion of the electorate that often fails to account for the anti-democratic forces at work in the anti-abortion movement's fringe." 

What if you could vote with your phone?

Venture capitalist and political strategist Bradley Tusk says mobile voting "is our final shot at saving democracy." On Tuesday he is releasing a book, "Vote With Your Phone," to make the case.

"Our government doesn't work because only the extremes vote in most primaries so they control who wins office and what they do in office," he told me. "The only way to fix that is by radically increasing turnout by letting people vote securely on their phones, just like they do everything else in their lives." Tusk is also funding a national campaign to make this a reality.

New scoops about Musk and Twitter

"If you think you've heard all there is to hear about Elon Musk's chaotic purchase of Twitter — and his sometimes chaotic personal life — a new book will probably dispel those notions," Business Insider's Katie Notopoulos writes. She's talking about NYT reporters Kate Conger and Ryan Mac's new book "Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter," out Tuesday. Vanity Fair published a wild excerpt about Musk's "slash-and-burn buyout" of the social network. 

Should governments ban "counterfeit humans?" 

Yuval Noah Harari, the historian whose last book "Sapiens" was a breakout hit, released his new title, "Nexus," last week on the history of information networks. In this adaptation from the book, he describes how chatbots like GPT-4 can be incredibly useful, but also "pose new dangers to the democratic conversation."

Here's a provocative thought: "Faced with a new generation of bots that can masquerade as humans and mass-produce intimacy, democracies should protect themselves by banning counterfeit humans — for example, social media bots that pretend to be human users," Harari argues. "Before the rise of A.I., it was impossible to create fake humans, so nobody bothered to outlaw doing so. Soon the world will be flooded with fake humans. A.I.s are welcome to join many conversations — in the classroom, the clinic and elsewhere — provided they identify themselves as A.I.s. But if a bot pretends to be human, it should be banned. If tech giants and libertarians complain that such measures violate freedom of speech, they should be reminded that freedom of speech is a human right that should be reserved for humans, not bots."

A few more book notes

 – Gillian Anderson is coming out with "Want: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous" on Tuesday. The NYT says she "wants women to put pleasure first."

 – I ran into Stephen Colbert and his wife Evie at Apple's post-Emmys party. The couple are releasing a cookbook called "Does This Taste Funny?" on Tuesday. They said they snuck book plugs into every red carpet conversation on Sunday.

 – CNN anchor Dana Bash's book "America's Deadliest Election" debuted on the NYT best seller list last week.

 – Another newly minted best selling book is "Lovely One" is Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Abby Phillip interviewed the justice on Friday's "CNN NewsNight."

Briefly...

- Disgraced ex-BBC presenter Huw Edwards was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years for having indecent images of children. (CNN)

- JD Vance defended the lie that Haitian immigrants are eating pets, telling Dana Bash he is willing to "create stories so that the American media actually pays attention." (CNN)

- Disney boss Dana Walden responded to Trump's claims that the ABC debate was biased due to her friendship with Kamala Harris, saying it "doesn’t really dignify much of a response." (HuffPost)

 – The Murdoch family clash begins today: "Over the next few weeks, the future course of one of the most powerful media empires on the planet will depend on secret proceedings set to take place inside a domed, Beaux-Arts-style courthouse in downtown Reno," Jim Rutenberg writes. (NYT)

 – "German billionaire Mathias Döpfner and KKR are nearing a deal to split up the media giant Axel Springer, in a move that would allow one of the world’s largest private equity firms to bow out of news media after five turbulent years." (FT)

 – Disney and DirecTV reached a deal on Saturday to end a 13-day blackout with a new distribution agreement that includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. (CNN)

Inside the Emmys! 

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

As some of you know, I'm a producer on "The Morning Show," the Apple TV+ drama inspired by one of my books. The show was up for best drama at the Emmy Awards, so I was along for the ride on Sunday, attending the Emmys as a nominee for the first time.

Here's the top takeaway via Variety's Joe Otterson: "FX finished the night with 36 total wins, with 'Shogun' picking up 18 and 'The Bear' getting 11. This marks the first time in at least 15 years that the top network of the night was not Netflix or HBO."

At the Peacock Theater in downtown L.A., there was much more of a party vibe than I expected. Guys in tuxes lined up to buy $16 beers in the lobby. Women traded snacks during the commercial breaks. My wife said it felt like a big TV industry reunion. During one of the breaks, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel cracked each other up in the aisles.

Toward the end of the show, I heard some attendees audibly agreeing as "Baby Reindeer" star Richard Gadd said, "I know the industry is in a slump right now," but "no slump is ever broken without a willingness to take risks." The loudest gasps came a few minutes later when "Hacks" beat out "The Bear" for best comedy. THR's Scott Feinberg called it a "shocking upset expected by no one." Casey Bloys was beaming at HBO's after-party. Speaking of the parties...

Governors Ball dispatches

Elizabeth Wagmeister writes: At the annual Governors Ball across the street from the theater, Ricky Martin ("Palm Royale") was seen embracing nominee Matt Bomer ("Fellow Travelers"). Jon Stewart, who won an Emmy for his return to "The Daily Show," was schmoozing and taking photos at the party, and comedian Alex Edelman, who won for his HBO special "Just For Us" was excitedly greeting industry friends, proudly holding his first Emmy award.

After delivering a moving speech at the ceremony, Governors Award honoree Greg Berlanti was celebrating with his husband Robbie Rogers. Meanwhile, as the live band played hits from Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys, guests like Christine Baranski and Jon Hamm worked the room, while nominee Jonathan Bailey was spotted dancing to Roan's "Pink Pony Club."

The dancing might still be going on right now, but some of us have to get back to work! 

This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino. Thank you for reading – and writing. Your feedback is enormously helpful. Email the Reliable team anytime by clicking here.