| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels | Presented by TikTok | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  Multiple blockbuster revelations about Fox News Channel have been revealed in a new court filing made public in the $1.6 billion lawsuit over Fox’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election results. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | | | WELCOME TO THIS TOWN — “The Brutally Honest, Somewhat Self-Loathing Guide to Etiquette in D.C.,” by POLITICO Magazine: “We asked politicos, friends and acquaintances — the kind of people we’d say ’nice to see you’ to, even if we weren’t sure we’d ever met them before or just knew their face from TV — how they really make it in this city so many of us love to hate.” INSIDE FOX’S 2020 MELTDOWN — DON LEMON may just be the luckiest man in cable TV. The “CNN This Morning” co-anchor set the media and political worlds ablaze yesterday morning with his on-air suggestion that GOP presidential contender NIKKI HALEY wasn’t “in her prime” at age 51. “A woman is considered to be in their prime in [their] 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” he said. Yet by day’s end, the vicious backlash to Lemon’s remarks — more on that below — had been stunningly eclipsed by blockbuster revelations about CNN’s chief rival, Fox News Channel, aired in a new filing in the $1.6 billion lawsuit over Fox’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election results. The internal communications revealed by Dominion Voting Systems paint a stark and damning picture — a split screen between the false and conspiratorial claims beamed to Fox viewers about rigged Dominion voting machines, and the private, candid opinions of the network’s hosts and executives, who repeatedly admitted to each other that the claims were utter, unsourced garbage. Dominion’s 200-page filing not only lays out a tale of rank hypocrisy, but it weaves a broader narrative about what drove the campaign of disinformation — documenting the panic inside the network’s ranks after conservative discontent over its early (and accurate) call of Arizona for JOE BIDEN translated into a viewership boom for its less scrupulous competitor, Newsmax, as an aggrieved DONALD TRUMP lashed out at Fox. “He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong,” primetime host TUCKER CARLSON texted his producer just two days after the election — one of dozens of frank admissions aired by Dominion. And so, the filing argues, fears of lost viewers and lost profits led Fox’s most powerful figures to indulge baseless claims of conspiracy and fraud and, in some cases, move to sideline news reporters who took basic steps to fact-check claims made by the likes of SIDNEY POWELL and RUDY GIULIANI on the network’s airwaves. Here are some of the most eye-popping revelations ... ON POWELL AND GIULIANI: In a series of text messages, Carlson, SEAN HANNITY and LAURA INGRAHAM lambasted Powell and Giuliani for peddling conspiratorial goods without evidence. “Sidney Powell is lying. Fucking bitch,” Carlson wrote to Ingraham on Nov. 18. “Sidney is a complete nut. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy,” Ingraham responded. WHAT MURDOCH REALLY THOUGHT: Fox Chairman RUPERT MURDOCH called the idea that the election was stolen “really crazy stuff.” Shortly after the election, his top execs circulated a New York Post piece urging Trump to “stop the ’stolen election’ rhetoric” and “get Rudy Giuliani off TV.” They also openly fretted about whether Hannity, Ingraham and Carlson would indulge the conspiracy theories on their shows. RATINGS VS. FACT-BASED JOURNALISM: Emails and texts in the filing suggest that Fox’s top executives and stars were less worried about factual accuracy than about ratings crashing after viewers who bought into Trump’s election lies began to seek out different channels that would support their biases. While one Fox exec called Newsmax’s ratings surge “troubling” and said the channel trafficked in an “alternative universe,” they also argued that the trend “can’t be ignored.” Another said the message had been sent out internally that the network was now on “war footing.” According to the filing, Fox did a quick about-face to protect its brand — leaving journalists at the network who reported the truth about the election in the crosshairs: — On Nov. 9, 2020, host NEIL CAVUTO cut away from White House press secretary KAYLEIGH McENANY as she made unsubstantiated claims of a stolen election. “I can’t in good countenance continue to show you this,” Cavuto said on the air. For this, Fox News Senior VP (and former Trump White House press aide) RAJ SHAH labeled Cavuto a “brand threat” in a message to top corporate brass. — Hannity and Carlson tried to get Fox News reporter JACQUI HEINRICH fired for fact-checking a Trump tweet about Dominion and noting that there was no evidence of votes being destroyed. “Please get her fired. Seriously… What the fuck?” Carlson texted Ingraham and Hannity on Nov. 12, 2020. “It’s measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.” Hannity exploded on top execs, including one who panicked and wrote that Heinrich “has serious nerve doing this and if this gets picked up, viewers are going to be further disgusted” with Fox. (CNN’s Oliver Darcy reported last night that Heinrich was “blindsided” by this disclosure.) — On Nov. 19, 2020, after Fox broadcasted the now-infamous Giuliani and Powell press conference about Dominion, then-White House correspondent KRISTEN FISHER got in trouble for fact-checking their bogus claims. Per the filing: “Fisher received a call from her boss, BRYAN BOUGHTON, immediately after in which he emphasized that higher-ups at Fox News were also unhappy with it, and that Fisher needed to do a better job of, this is a quote, respecting our audience.” — In one of the most bizarre bits, the filing reveals that Powell’s Dominion voting conspiracy came in part from an email Powell received from a tipster who claimed that ANTONIN SCALIA was secretly murdered while on a human-hunting expedition — and who claimed to be “internally decapitated” (“The Wind tells me I’m a ghost, but I don’t believe it,” the tipster wrote in the email). Host MARIA BARTIROMO, who agreed to have Powell on her show after reading this email, never told viewers about the source of Powell’s claim. As Fox’s then-managing editor in Washington BILL SAMMON said of the network’s coverage at the time: “It’s remarkable how weak ratings make good journalists do bad things.” THE BIG PICTURE: Last night, WaPo’s Erik Wemple called the evidence “the most piercing look at the internal goings-on at Fox News in its quarter-century history.” But will Dominion, which is seeking $1.6 billion from a company that the NYT says has about $4 billion cash on hand, win the suit? Defamation cases have a high bar, and Dominion will have to prove “actual malice” — that the network peddled information it knew was erroneous, or was “reckless” in not doing its homework to ensure it was accurate. In a statement, Fox News did not directly dispute any of the facts aired in Dominion’s filing, but said the company “mischaracterized the record, cherry-picked quotes stripped of key context, and spilled considerable ink on facts that are irrelevant under black-letter principles of defamation law.” A spokesperson also said Dominion “refused to agree to allow FOX to make its response to that motion public,” and that “the reason for Dominion’s refusal will be clear when the public response is finally released on February 27.” While the filing, linked here, is more than 200 pages, the choicest bits run only 30 pages starting on page 14. Worth noting: Much of the filing was redacted, so there are surely more revelations to come … Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.
| | | | A message from TikTok: We work hard to create a positive experience for teens. That's why accounts for anyone aged 13-15 are set to private by default without access to direct messaging. It’s also why we developed Family Pairing tools that let parents link their account to their teens’ and decide together what settings work best. Set screen time limits, decide who can comment on their content and more, so everyone can use TikTok safely and responsibly. Learn more. | | | |  Kaitlan Collins, Don Lemon, and Poppy Harlow attend the 16th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History on December 11, 2022 in New York City. | Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN | LEMON UNDER FIRE FOR SEXIST REMARKS — The outrage about Lemon’s Thursday morning remark spread quickly — even if it was reduced to something of an afterthought amid the Fox News meltdown. Conservatives, in particular, seized on Lemon’s comment to accuse the media of both blatant sexism and hypocrisy — misogynist language directed at a conservative woman that would never be tolerated if hurled at a female Democratic leader, like HILLARY CLINTON. Haley, unsurprisingly, used the attack as fodder for her election bid — and did a little trolling of her own. “To be clear, I am NOT calling for competency tests for Sexist middle-aged CNN anchors; only for people who make our laws and are 75+,” she wrote on Twitter. Lemon, for his part, apologized several hours later. But it didn’t do much to quell yet another bit of blowback: anger from women who work at CNN. POPPY HARLOW, Lemon’s co-host and longtime friend — who happens to be 40 — walked off the set immediately after his remarks, per the N.Y. Post. Across the CNN newsroom, female journalists were aghast at Lemon’s comment, and privately exchanged disapproving words about the need for a course correction. Several CNN employees pointed out to Playbook that it’s just the latest in a series of sexist slips from Lemon: — In December, he insisted that the U.S.’s women’s national soccer team should be paid less than the men’s despite being more successful, because “people are more interested in the men.” — He has reportedly “screamed” at co-host KAITLAN COLLINS in front of CNN staff, accusing her of interrupting him on air and triggering tensions between the two that remain an ongoing challenge for the morning show. — In November, he appeared to ding his CNN colleague MEL ZANONA in the wake of her big-get KEVIN McCARTHY interview, suggesting on air that she didn’t fact-check the speaker and should have. (He did the same to Collins when she interviewed House Oversight Chair JAMES COMER (R-Ky.).) “We wish we could speak out, but feel like we can’t,” one woman at CNN told us — particularly given that CNN has been axing staff and is in the middle of a transition under new CEO CHRIS LICHT. Lemon will be on paid time off for the next couple days, a break that the trio announced late on the show yesterday. CNN did not answer Playbook’s questions about whether he received or will receive a formal rebuke or sanction — though at least one former employee told us there should be. “How dare he?” asked prominent public relations specialist PAMELA STEVENS, who once served as a senior editorial producer with the network. “In my over a decade at CNN, that never, ever would have been accommodated. There would have been repercussions … Where are the repercussions?” TALKER — “A Presidents Day Problem: America Is Sick of Presidents,” by Mike Schaffer for POLITICO Mag THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: ROB GODFREY — In her presidential campaign announcement speech this week, NIKKI HALEY laid out two big themes to contrast herself with Trump: generational change and electability. But how exactly does that translate into toppling Trump in the 2024 primaries?
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| To answer that question, we turned to Rob Godfrey. He was a senior aide and spokesman for Haley when she was South Carolina’s governor, and has a long professional relationship with Haley’s successor, Gov. HENRY McMASTER — who has endorsed Trump. From a studio in Columbia, Rob and Ryan talked about Haley’s long career of defying expectations, her record as governor, and about South Carolina’s uniquely influential role in American politics. Listen to the full Playbook Deep Dive episode … Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
| | | | A message from TikTok:   | | | | | BIDEN’S FRIDAY:
10:15 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 1:30 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ FRIDAY (all times Eastern):
10:15 a.m.: The VP will meet with German Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ.
11 a.m.: Harris will meet with French President EMMANUEL MACRON.
12:05 p.m.: Harris will host a reception with members of the U.S. congressional delegations and Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN at the Commerzbank.
THE HOUSE and SENATE are out. | | | | | | We’re spilling the tea (and drinking tons of it in our newsroom) in U.K. politics with our latest newsletter, London Playbook PM. Get to know all the movers and shakers in Westminster and never miss a beat of British politics with a free subscription. Don’t miss out, we’ve got some exciting moves coming. Sign up today. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
|  Bavarian State Governor Markus Soeder, right, welcomes VP Kamala Harris during her arrival for the Munich Security Conference at the airport in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. | Michael Probst/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | THE WHITE HOUSE BIDEN (FINALLY) TALKS BALLOON — Biden yesterday publicly addressed the unidentified flying objects that the U.S. has shot down, and vowed to speak with Chinese President XI JINPING soon, though didn’t specify when. “I make no apologies for taking down that balloon,” Biden said. Mia McCarthy and Phelim Kine write that his remarks “suggest that the administration is in no hurry to turn the page on the incident and will likely use it as a point of diplomatic leverage over Beijing.” As for the other downed flying objects, Biden said: “We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were, but nothing right now suggests they were related to China’s spy balloon program or that they were surveillance vehicles from any other country.”
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President Joe Biden reacts to a reporter's question after speaking about the Chinese surveillance balloon and other unidentified objects shot down by the U.S. military, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | — A can’t-miss story about what those UFOs might be: “A small, globe-trotting balloon declared ‘missing in action’ by an Illinois-based hobbyist club on Feb. 15 has emerged as a candidate to explain one of the three mystery objects shot down by four heat-seeking missiles launched by U.S. Air Force fighters since Feb. 10,” Aviation Week’s Steve Trimble reports. “The club — the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade (NIBBB) — is not pointing fingers yet. But the circumstantial evidence is at least intriguing.” More on the balloon club, from Matt Berg and Lee Hudson BIDEN’S BILL OF HEALTH — “Biden is ‘healthy’ and ‘vigorous,’ White House doctor says,” by Myah Ward CONGRESS CANDIDATE CONUNDRUM — “Midterm losers threaten to crowd GOP primaries,” by Ally Mutnick and Marianne LeVine: “The complicated reality is that intervening in primaries can appear heavy-handed and even provide ammo for candidates looking to rail against the D.C. establishment. But the alternative is watching as unpalatable nominees threaten the party’s general election odds — at a moment when thin margins in both the House and Senate mean the majorities could hinge on any seat.” KNOWING TOM EMMER — “How the House GOP vote-counter brings his ‘dysfunctional family’ to the table,” by Sarah Ferris and Olivia Beavers THE TALENTED MR. SANTOS — “George Santos Raked In Cash for a Recount That Never Happened,” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger THE NOT-SO-TALENTED MR. OGLES — “Businessman, economist, cop, international sex crimes expert? The stories of Congressman Andy Ogles,” by NewsChannel 5 Nashville’s Phil Williams: “If you believe Middle Tennessee's newest congressman, he's not only a businessman, he's also an economist, a nationally recognized expert in tax policy and health care, a trained police officer, even an expert in international sex crimes. But an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered that ANDY OGLES’ personal life story is filled with exaggerations, a story that's often too good to be true.” JEFFRIES TO THE BORDER — “House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is heading to the U.S.-Mexico border, one day after Speaker Kevin McCarthy's visit,” by Sarah Ferris for Congress Minutes ALL POLITICS GAETZ-WAY DRUG — “Next chapter for Gaetz could be a bid for Florida governor,” by Gary Fineout and Jordain Carney: “Several colleagues and those in Florida Republican circles anticipate Gaetz could run for governor of the Sunshine State in 2026 after Gov. RON DeSANTIS leaves office.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: NRSC BORROWS BIDEN’S MEDICARE PLAYBOOK — After weeks playing defense against Democrats’ attacks for some Republicans’ past support of cuts to Medicare and Social Security, the Senate GOP’s campaign is preparing to go on offense. Today, the NRSC will go live with a series of digital ads accusing Democrats of being the ones “voting to put Medicare and Social Security at risk.” How so? The spots — which target Dems up for reelection this cycle, including JON TESTER (Mont.), JOE MANCHIN (W.Va.), SHERROD BROWN (Ohio), TAMMY BALDWIN (Wis.), BOB CASEY (Pa.) and JACKY ROSEN (Nev.) — specifically point to the American Rescue Plan, which they say “threatened billions in cuts to Medicare and caused record inflation that will make Social Security’s solvency crisis worse.”Watch one ad here HOOSIER HUBBUB — “Mitch Daniels rips his critics after backing away from Senate bid,” by Adam Wren LAKE LOSES AGAIN — “Arizona appeals court rejects Kari Lake’s challenge of election loss to Gov. Katie Hobbs,” by the Arizona Republic’s Stacey Barchenger JUST POSTED — “From Freddie Gray to Tyre Nichols, early police claims often misleading,” by WaPo’s Ashley Parker and Justine McDaniel: “A Washington Post analysis of seven high-profile cases … found a familiar pattern: The initial police version of events was misleading, incomplete or wrong, with the first accounts consistently in conflict with the full set of facts once they finally emerged.”
| | | | A message from TikTok:   | | | JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH SEEKING A SUBPOENA — “Proud Boys' lawyers plan to subpoena Donald Trump in seditious conspiracy trial,” by NBC’s Daniel Barnes POLICY CORNER WHO’S GETTING DEBT RELIEF? — “What we know about the 25M Americans who signed up for Biden’s student debt relief,” by Michael Stratford, Sean McMinn and Taylor Miller Thomas. Click through for an extensive interactive MEDIAWATCH NYT UNDER FIRE FOR TRANS COVERAGE — This week, hundreds of Times contributors issued an open letter to PHILIP B. CORBETT, the NYT’s associate managing editor for standards, alleging that the paper is biased in its coverage of “transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming people.” “[T]he Times has in recent years treated gender diversity with an eerily familiar mix of pseudoscience and euphemistic, charged language, while publishing reporting on trans children that omits relevant information about its sources,” the signees wrote, singling out specific NYT journalists and stories as particularly troubling. The letter was delivered in coordination with a second missive signed by activists and organizations including the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD. That prompted top Times editor JOE KAHN to deliver a stern warning yesterday to the newsroom, as reported by Semafor’s Max Tani, making clear that the outlet “will not tolerate participation by Times journalists in protests organized by advocacy groups or attacks on colleagues on social media and other public forums.” Expect more to develop soon… CUOMO SPEAKS — “Chris Cuomo Confesses He Was Ready To ‘Kill Everybody, Including Myself’ After CNN Firing,” by Deadline’s Bruce Haring SUNDAY SO FAR… ABC “This Week”: Secretary of State Antony Blinken … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Panel: Averi Harper, Susan Glasser, Catherine Lucey and Rachael Bade. CBS “Face the Nation”: Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki … Secretary of State Antony Blinken … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … John Sullivan … Fiona Hill. FOX “FOX News Sunday”: John Kirby … Nikki Haley … Jack Keane. Panel: Rich Lowry, Peggy Collins, Michael Allen and Juan Williams. NBC “Meet the Press”: Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Panel: Peter Alexander, Thomas Friedman, Amna Nawaz and Danielle Pletka
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | Playbookers | | FETTERMAN SEEKS HELP — For decades, lawmakers didn’t talk about their own mental health challenges. If their treatments were revealed, they were fatal to their political ambitions — such was the stigma that led them to, like many Americans, struggle in private, fearful of any public fallout. That’s starting to change. Yesterday, John Fetterman’s staff announced that Pennsylvania’s newly elected senator checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to get treatment for depression, which they said he has battled on and off throughout his life, but which “only became severe in recent weeks.” Needless to say, it’s been a tough few months for Fetterman, who suffered a stroke during the 2022 campaign. Fetterman quickly received bipartisan gestures of support, and Playbook’s thoughts are with him and his family. Joe Biden hosted a screening of a new movie about Emmett Till at the White House yesterday. Tucker Carlson opened his show with a familiar line, despite the Dominion filing. Mike Pence gave a shoutout to Silent Cal. Sam Bankman-Fried is about to lose some access to the internet on a judge’s order. OUT AND ABOUT — Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s (D-R.I.) team held a reception last night in the Dirksen building celebrating the senator becoming chair of the Senate Budget Committee. SPOTTED: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Angus King (I-Maine), Mike Donilon, Neera Tanden, Shalanda Young, Richard Revesz, Janet Coit, Andrew Sharpless, Radha Adhar, Michael Linden and Mindy Myers. MEDIA MOVE — Kay Steiger is joining POLITICO as politics editor. She previously was managing editor at Grid News. Read the announcement TRANSITIONS — Tony Sayegh is now head of public affairs at Susquehanna International Group, per Axios’ Mike Allen. He most recently was senior managing director at Teneo and is a Trump Treasury and White House alum. … Tom Jawetz is now a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress’ immigration policy team. He previously was deputy general counsel in DHS’ Office of the General Counsel. … Kristy Balsanek is now a partner with DLA Piper’s regulatory and government affairs group. She previously was general counsel, chief compliance officer and data privacy officer at Lidl US. … Kelsea Forward is now associate director of government affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. She was previously comms assistant at the American Farm Bureau Federation. … Kevin Kelly is now a partner at Atkum. He previously was COO for Van Scoyoc Associates. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.) … Brian Jack … DHS’ Sam Vinograd (4-0) … Betsy Fischer Martin … Lachlan Markay … Keegan Goudiss … McClatchy’s Kristin Roberts … Ashley Berrang … Dianna Heitz … Cara Camacho … Boeing’s Fred Schwien … Edith Honan … AARP’s Barbara Shipley … Danielle Most … POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino, Baker Landon and Mitchell Cain … Annamarie Rienzi … Mark Shriver of Save the Children … Drew Cantor … Frederick Hill of FTI Consulting … Steven Grossman … Mike Sager of EMILY’s List … Allison Hunn … NAICU’s Emmanual Guillory … Shana Marchio … Stephanie Young of When We All Vote … Cliff Sims … Surya Gunasekara … former Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) … Robert Giuffra … PwC’s Shantanu Chandra Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misstated Jennifer Steinhauer's employer.
| | | | A message from TikTok: TikTok offers an abundance of tools to help parents create a positive experience for their teens. For starters, it sets accounts for anyone aged 13 to 15 to private by default, and restricts access to direct messaging. TikTok also offers a Family Pairing tool that gives parents the ability to manage various account and privacy settings for even more peace of mind. They can link their own account to their teens’ and then decide together which settings work best for their unique needs. This encourages ongoing conversations around reasonable screen time limits and responsible messaging practices. TikTok has always been a place where people can express themselves openly and creatively. With these tools, and open dialogue, parents can help ensure it stays that way for their teens. Learn more at tiktok.com/safety. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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