EXEC SUMMARY: Welcome to a special EARLY edition of the newsletter! The top half is all about the #DemDebate on CNN. The bottom half has the rest of the day's media and tech news, from Apple earnings to a sneak peek at "Succession" season two. We'll be back at our regular time on Wednesday night...
Welcome to Detroit
Oliver Darcy emails: Good afternoon from Detroit! The entire area downtown around the Fox Theatre has been transformed into a CNN-land. There are signs everywhere, an outdoor "game day" set where anchors have been broadcasting since Sunday, and restaurants and bars filled with reporters and staffers preparing for the two-day event. The first debate starts at 8 p.m. ET. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders will be center stage. With opening statements, two hours of debate time, commercials, and closing statements, it will end around 10:30 p.m...
Fast facts
-- If you're not near a TV tonight, you can watch the debate on CNN.com without logging in to a cable provider... Details here...
-- Moderators Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and Don Lemon have been in debate prep for days...
-- Gregory Krieg has a handy list of six things to watch for...
-- There will be no show of hands or one-word, down-the-line questions...
-- CNN says "a candidate who consistently interrupts will have his or her time reduced..."
-- My personal favorite detail: Q's posed by the moderators will appear on the bottom of the screen, so you can tell when candidates aren't answering...
-- Anderson Cooper and Chris Cuomo will anchor CNN's post-debate coverage from the spin room and other locations...
-- Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers are all hosting live editions of their late-night shows to react to the debate...
How many will watch?
The first night of the NBC debate drew about 15 million viewers. The second night drew about 18 million. But those face-offs were the first of the season and they were televised across two broadcast networks and one cable news channel. CNN doesn't have those advantages.
CNN's highest-rated debate in history was the September 2015 GOP debate featuring Donald Trump, when 23 million tuned in. So what's likely this time? Something between 10 and 15 million? My guess was way off for the NBC debate, so I'm not venturing a guess this time...
Fox Theatre: The "natural" venue choice | | Oliver emails: The Fox Theatre looks magnificent. Speaking with reporters here, CNN DC bureau chief Sam Feist called it the "natural choice" for the venue when the city of Detroit was selected to host the second pair of debates. And when you see it, it becomes clear why. I walked in earlier with a group of CNN staffers and I think it is fair to say we were all taken aback at how gorgeous the venue truly is. Built during the Great Depression, you can feel the weight of history as you walk the halls of the Fox Theatre...
What it took to build the stage
Oliver adds some stats: The stage is brand new. It took a team of more than 100 people eight days — and more than 1,000 hours — to assemble the set at the Fox Theatre, CNN's VP of Special Events Kate Lunger told reporters.
There are more than 25 cameras at the location, and 500+ lights in the theater, 40,000 pounds of equipment, and 110 pallets/crates of gear! In fact, Lunger said that there was so much equipment, it took nine 53-foot semi-trucks to haul it all in.
About the format
Oliver writes: Candidates will get to deliver opening and closing statements tonight. Viewers can also expect to see three commercial breaks during the debate. Moderators will try to allow all the candidates to address questions on the major topics, Feist said. After the debate, candidates will likely greet guests in the crowd, and then head over to the spin room...
--> CNN has been asking viewers which questions are most important to them. Feist said that the network has "received topic ideas and questions from people all over the world." That said, there will be no audience Q's...
--> Approximately 3,500 people will be in the audience, including community members, guests from the various campaigns and the DNC...
The top tier versus everyone else
To qualify for the debates, "candidates had to either achieve at least 1% support in three polls from an approved list of pollsters or receive campaign contributions from 65,000 unique donors, including 200 donors each from 20 different states," CNN's Kyle Blaine notes. The bar was purposefully set low for the first debates of the cycle. But it will be set quite a bit higher for the third set of debates, which will be televised by ABC and Univision in September.
And it already feels like voters have made some determinations. "To me," NBC's Benjy Sarlin tweeted, "the biggest and most consistent 2020 polling story is that voters have decided on a manageable top tier and seem to be tuning out virtually everyone else." Poll after poll bears this out...
--> This might make you laugh: Ahead of this week's debates, "we at the Cut have a message for pretty much just about everyone who is currently attempting to try to be president," Kelly Conaboy wrote Tuesday. Here it is: "You can still enjoy a little bit of summer if you drop out right now."
The spin tent
More from Oliver: Fun fact: the spin room is actually a tent that has been erected nearby to accommodate the candidates and reporters. The tent is also serving as the press filing center for journalists. A lot of reporters are also holed up in Hockeytown Cafe, just outside the debate hall...
"One of the most-credentialed debates that CNN has hosted..."
Oliver emails one more: The interest in this debate is huge. CNN DC comms director Lauren Prapatas told me that "this is probably one of the most credentialed debates that CNN has hosted from the press perspective. Prapatas said that CNN has credentialed more than 700 journalists, adding, "There's a lot of interest..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Josh Barro tweeted: "Still feels like the pundit class has not at all priced in the obvious observation that Joe Biden is by far the most likely Democratic nominee..." (Twitter)
-- CNN's "The Forecast" podcast has relaunched as "The Forecast Fest" with Harry Enten, Kate Bolduan and John Avlon. The first episode is up now... (Apple)
-- Brand new story by Asawin Suebsaeng and Maxwell Tani: "In recent weeks, those close to Donald Trump have noticed him routinely asking media figures, longtime friends, and his political advisers a new, very leading question, often asked in the exact same way: 'What the hell is going on at Fox?'" Trump is questioning the network's loyalty to him... (Beast)
Zucker speaks with WaPo
Sarah Ellison's debate day story for the WaPo: "CNN and Jeff Zucker plot 2020 election coverage and promise things will be different." Two key quotes from the WarnerMedia News and Sports chairman:
-- People attack CNN "because it matters," Zucker told Ellison. "We were the first cable news network, and I think that's why CNN gets its fair share of acclaim and a fair share of criticism. And, you know, that's okay. I mean, I'm totally comfortable with that."
-- What success will look like for Zucker the day after the 2020 election: "I want CNN to be a big and important part of the conversation... I want us to make sure that we're telling the full and complete story so that no one wakes up the day after the election and is surprised by whatever happens."
Scrutinizing Zucker and Harris
Matt Drudge's lead story for much of the day on Tuesday: "CNN BOSS FOR KAMALA?"
That's a wild dramatization, of course, even with the question mark. Drudge linked to this story by McClatchy's David Catanese, who uncovered a 2009 breakfast where Zucker, then the CEO of NBC Universal, feted Kamala Harris, then the District Attorney of San Francisco, and called her a nationally important figure. "Zucker is a powerful friend" for Harris to have, Catanese wrote. CNN spokeswoman Allison Gollust, however, described the relationship quite differently: "He has seen her a handful of times in the last 10 years, all in his capacity as a journalist. His relationship with the senator is no different than any other national politician, and he has never endorsed her, or anyone, in any capacity." Here is Catanese's full story...
Meet Jaden Jefferson
What were you doing when you were 11 years old? Jaden of Jaden Reports is on the campaign trail. He was the star of the Elizabeth Warren reporter gaggle in Toledo on Monday: | | "Guys, Jaden has a lesson for all of us reporters: Keep your questions short and simple. He killed it," CNN's MJ Lee wrote. "His dream is to be a TV reporter and he's doing a great job."
Warren talked with Jared one-on-one after the gaggle. Jaden also sat down with CNN's Brooke Baldwin to talk about the Warren interview and his journalism ambitions. He even tossed to break at the end of the segment and crushed it. Baldwin offered to let him anchor the next hour. Watch!
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- An important piece by Drew Kann, with photos by Nick Hagen and video by Jeremy Moorhead: "As Democrats debate in nearby Detroit, a deep-seated distrust remains in Flint." (CNN)
-- Michael Clemente is stepping down as Newsmax TV CEO and "returning to his prior role as a consultant for Newsmax..." (Mediaite)
-- The Hill W.H. correspondent Jordan Fabian is moving to the same beat at Bloomberg... (Twitter)
Trump's race baiting has newsrooms talking
Brian Lowry writes: This was an interesting exchange of tweets from Lawrence O'Donnell and Jay Rosen on whether the press is fully prepared to cover a campaign steeped in the kind of racial animus that has been raised by Trump over the last few weeks. It dovetails with a must-read thread by Wesley Lowery about the role African-American journalists are playing in terms of pressuring their news organizations to "directly address" the issue. Lowery was following up on this story by Politico's Michael Calderone...
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Errin Haines Whack, national writer for The AP covering race, ethnicity and the 2020 election, in a tweet:
"Writing about race is an expertise just like covering politics. This moment demands a working knowledge of the racial and political history of our country so that we may all live up to our highest calling: Leaving behind the most accurate and truthful first draft of history."
Trump on Cummings attacks: "I have no strategy"
Remember this the next time someone claims that Trump is playing 3D or 4D chess...
"There's no strategy. I have no strategy. There's zero strategy," Trump told reporters on Tuesday. "All it is is I'm pointing out facts." He then resumed his false and fiery accusations against Elijah Cummings, showing his continued resentment of Cummings' work on the House Oversight Committee.
 In both his morning and afternoon comments to reporters, Trump's claims dovetailed almost exactly with recent Fox News segments. He said "people living in Baltimore are very happy that I'm bringing out the fact that it's like living in hell." How does he know? "You see it watching television." Sounds like he was watching conservative commentator Lawrence Jones' segments. He interviewed residents who blasted local leaders and went easy on Trump.
Elsewhere, reporters have been hearing very different things:
NYT: "Baltimore to Trump: You Lost Your Authority to Criticize."
The AP: "Baltimore-area district pushes back against Trump comments"
WaPo video: "'We are human': Residents react to Trump's attacks on Baltimore"
Daniel Dale's fact-check
This headline led the CNN.com home page on Tuesday afternoon: "No, African Americans are not happy with Trump." Dale has the evidence here...
Scarborough, Trump and "Moscow Mitch"
Joe Scarborough is keeping up his "Moscow Mitch" criticism, one day after Mitch McConnell condemned the "modern-day McCarthyism." Trump joined the fray on Tuesday morning by calling Scarborough's wife Mika Brzezinski "psycho" and saying their show has "lost all of its juice." Scarborough responded with three points to Trump:
"1. Stop being a bigot."
"2. Tell #MoscowMitch that your intel chiefs all said Russia was trying to undermine US democracy."
"3. #MoscowMitch's attempts to protect Putin's schemes are un-American."
IN OTHER NEWS...
Apple's story: iPhone revenue down, services revenue up
Apple shares are up 4% in after-hour trading on the heels of an earnings beat. But the earnings report showed signs of weakness for the company. Seth Fiegerman's main takeaway: "iPhone sales for the quarter fell to about $26 billion in the three months ending in June, a decline of nearly 12% from the same period a year earlier. Despite this decline, Apple's managed to grow its overall revenue by a slight 1% from the prior year as the company finds more traction selling digital services to customers, including Apple Pay and Apple Music. The Services segment, as Apple calls it, hit nearly $11.5 billion in sales for the quarter." Read on...
--> NYT's Jack Nicas with the big picture: "Apple has long performed like clockwork, growing steadily and producing an ever-growing stream of profit. Not anymore."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- Facebook is getting closer to letting you type with your mind, Rachel Metz reports... (CNN Business)
-- Snapchat has launched what it calls its "first global, paid media campaign," with billboards, TV ads, social ads, etc... (AdWeek)
-- And "as part of the ad campaign, the company staged a 'hashtag takeover' on rival social media platform Instagram..." (CNBC)
-- Another gradual step away from the satellite TV age: The DirecTV Now streaming service is being rebranded AT&T TV Now... Here's why... (Variety)
FIRST LOOK
"Succession" on the cover of THR
The Hollywood Reporter has a curtain-raiser for season two... The feature says that at least one member of the Murdoch family is seeing the show and "finds it hard to watch." Oh, and Rupert's wife Jerry Hall "loves it," says Frank Rich... Here's the cover: | |
Stankey talks about Warner's challenge
Last night I previewed Variety's new cover package about WarnerMedia (CNN's parent company) and Warner Bros. studio. Here's the cover story about CEO John Stankey and his relationships with top talent... Two key quotes from him:
-- "If you're going to be relevant in entertainment distribution moving forward, you're going to have to have a scaled product that gets into the most households. There's a tremendous amount of urgency around [HBO Max]. It's good for AT&T overall that the world is moving to direct relationships with customers. That's not foreign to AT&T's business."
-- "I do not lose sleep at night worrying about our creative direction around here. Our challenge will be getting that great creative strength and marrying it with great technology and the ability to manage customer life cycles. If we can get that three-legged stool working, then we're unstoppable."
Sarnoff speaks
Variety's Cynthia Littleton also spoke with Ann Sarnoff, who takes over as CEO of Warner Bros. in late August. Staffers at the studio are "looking for leadership," Sarnoff said. "I got a sense of extreme optimism and a readiness to lean in and figure out what the strategy is going forward." More...
| | Hollywood's PR and marketing mega-merger
"Hollywood's two biggest public relations agencies announced a merger on Tuesday, creating a combined firm with more than 500 clients as competition from boutique publicity agencies intensifies," the NYT's Brooks Barnes wrote.
-- The companies, Rogers & Cowan and PMK-BNC, "are already owned by publicly traded marketing giant IPG, but have operated separately in the competitive landscape of show business representation," the LAT's Ryan Faughnder wrote. By combining, the firms will be able to save costs and enjoy increased clout in entertainment and sports..."
-- Leadership: Cindi Berger will be chairman of the new entity. Mark Owens will be the CEO. Alan Nierob will be chairman of the entertainment division...
"The Lion King" is another billion dollar film for Disney
Frank Pallotta emails: Disney announced that the photo-realistic remake of "The Lion King" will hit $1 billion dollar at the worldwide box office on Tuesday -- the 19th day of its release. It is the studio's fourth film to cross the billion-dollar mark this year, but it won't be the last. "Toy Story 4" is hovering around $920 million and "Frozen 2" and "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" are scheduled for release later this year.
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- Whitney Friedlander's latest: About "The Bachelorette" and the windmill... (CNN)
-- "After resisting the streaming trend for years, Tool is finally caving in and releasing their entire catalog for digital distribution," Allen Kim reports... (CNN)
-- "Hollywood has begun to recognize Quibi as a deep-pocketed new home for a certain kind of project," Natalie Jarvey writes... (THR)
At this year's Global Citizen Festival...
...Queen will perform, with Adam Lambert on vocals. "Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, OneRepublic, H.E.R. and Carole King will also headline the event, which highlights Global Citizen's mission of ending poverty," CNN's Maddie Burakoff and Saeed Ahmed report. The festival will be held September 28 in Central Park... MSNBC has the TV rights again this year...
What made "Jane the Virgin" special
Brian Lowry writes: My full review will come after, but a quick note in advance of Wednesday's "Jane the Virgin" finale, which provides a near-perfect capper to a series that probably hasn't received all the accolades it deserves because it airs on the CW network. Setting up the finish, The Ringer's Alison Herman points out that the show is "unabashedly female" in its spirit, while running counter to many of the tropes associated with prestige TV...
--> Related: "The true genius of 'Jane the Virgin,'" by CNN's Johnita Due...
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