All language subtitles for The Newsroom - 1x03 - The 112th Congress.HDTV.ASAP.en

Will never cheated on me.

- Who told you that?
- Everybody.

I'm sending him an e-mail.

What just happened?

- I got a staff e-mail from you.
- Me too.

I want everyone to delete the
e-mail without reading it.

Why is this happening?!

I didn't know that I was
in love with you until--

You cheated on me
with your ex-boyfriend.

Go to the conservative
websites.

They like that you don't take
cheap shots at Sarah Palin.

I can't jam in a Palin SOT
just to give myself

the opportunity to not
take a shot at her.

Mackenzie would cook me
and eat me.

How did Palin
get into the rundown?

- I don't need your permission--
- Yes, you do.

You didn't ask for it 'cause you
knew you wouldn't get it.

I want to know.
Are you in or are you out?

- Let's break-up.
- What did I do now.

- You were too supportive.
- We break-up, I apologize,

- everything's fine.
- Sounds like a super healthy relationship.

- I would fight for it.
- I will fight for it.

- You still gonna worry about the ratings?
- I'm in.

- What?
- I'm in.

Sync, corrected by icephoenix
www.addic7ed.com

20 seconds to VTR.

Stand by, 13-27.

Joey, ready on graphics.

Let's check the stack
on file 102.

15 seconds to VTR.

Stand by, roll-in,
stand by, SOT 1.

- Standing.
- 10 seconds.

Ready, roll-in,
ready, SOT 1.

- Ready.
- In four, three, two, one.

Roll-in.

I welcome these hearings
because of the opportunity

that they provide
to the American people

to better understand why
the tragedy of 9/11 happened

and what we must do
to prevent a reoccurrence.

I also welcome the hearings
because it is finally a forum

where I can apologize

to the loved ones
of the victims of 9/11.

To them who are here
in the room,

to those who are
watching on television,

your government failed you.

Those entrusted
with protecting you

failed you.

And I failed you.

Good evening.
I'm Will McAvoy.

This is News Night,
and that was a clip

of Richard Clarke,
former counterterrorism chief

to President George W. Bush,

testifying before Congress
on March 24, 2004.

Americans liked that moment.

I liked that moment.

Adults should hold themselves
accountable for failure.

And so tonight I'm beginning
this newscast

by joining Mr. Clarke
in apologizing

to the American people
for our failure.

The failure of this program during
the time I've been in charge of it

to successfully inform and educate
the American electorate.

Let me be clear
that I don't apologize

on behalf of all
broadcast journalists,

nor do all broadcast
journalists owe an apology.

I speak for myself.

I was an accomplice to a slow
and repeated and unacknowledged

and unamended train wreck
of failures

that have brought us to now.

I'm a leader in an industry
that miscalled election results,

hyped up terror scares,
ginned up controversy,

and failed to report on tectonic
shifts in our country.

From the collapse of
the financial system

to the truths
about how strong we are

to the dangers
we actually face.

I'm a leader in an industry
that misdirected

your attention with
the dexterity of Harry Houdini

while sending hundreds of thousands
of our bravest young men and women

off to war without
due diligence.

The reason we failed
isn't a mystery.

We took a dive for the ratings.

In the infancy
of mass communications,

the Columbus and Magellan
of broadcast journalism,

William Paley
and David Sarnoff,

went down to Washington
to cut a deal with Congress.

Congress would allow
the fledgling networks

free use of taxpayer-owned
airwaves

in exchange for one
public service.

That public service would
be one hour of air time

set aside every night
for informational broadcasting,

or what we now call
the evening news.

Congress, unable to anticipate
the enormous capacity

television would have to deliver
consumers to advertisers,

failed to include in its deal
the one requirement

that would have changed
our national discourse

immeasurably for the better.

Congress forgot to add
that under no circumstances

could there be paid advertising

during informational
broadcasting.

They forgot to say that taxpayers
will give you the airwaves for free

and for 23 hours a day
you should make a profit,

but for one hour a night
you work for us.

And now those
network newscasts,

anchored through history
by honest-to-God newsmen

with names like Murrow
and Reasoner and Huntley

and Brinkley and Buckley
and Cronkite and Rather

and Russert-- Now they have to
compete with the likes of me.

A cable anchor who's
in the exact same business

as the producers
of Jersey Shore.

And that business
was good to us,

but News Night is quitting
that business right now.

It might come
as a surprise to you

that some of history's greatest
American journalists are working right now,

exceptional minds
with years of experience

and an unshakeable devotion
to reporting the news.

But these voices
are a small minority now

and they don't stand a chance
against the circus

when the circus comes to town.
They're overmatched.

I'm quitting the circus
and switching teams.

I'm going with the guys
who are getting creamed.

I'm moved that they still
think they can win

and I hope they can teach
me a thing or two.

From this moment on, we'll be
deciding what goes on our air

and how it's presented to you
based on the simple truth

that nothing is more
important to a democracy

than a well-informed
electorate.

We'll endeavor to put information
in a broader context

because we know that very
little news is born

at the moment
it comes across our wire.

We'll be the champion of facts

and the mortal enemy
of innuendo, speculation,

hyperbole, and nonsense.

We're not waiters
in a restaurant

serving you the stories you asked for
just the way you like them prepared.

Nor are we computers
dispensing only the facts

because news is only useful in
the context of humanity.

I'll make no effort to subdue
my personal opinions.

I will make every effort
to expose you

to informed opinions that
are different from my own.

You may ask who are we
to make these decisions.

We are Mackenzie McHale
and myself.

Miss McHale
is our executive producer.

She marshals the resources
of over 100 reporters,

producers,
analysts, technicians,

and her credentials
are readily available.

I'm News Night's
managing editor

and make the final decision
on everything seen

and heard on this program.

Who are we to make
these decisions?

We're the media elite.

We'll be back after this
with the news.

It would be accurate
to say it started

with his on-air apology.

Pardon, it would be accurate
to say what started?

Was he aware that he
went on television

and said everything
his network had done

up until that point was trash?

I think he was fully aware
of what he said

and that he was on
television when he said it.

He also took
responsibility for himself

and not the network
or the company.

What are we talking about?

Mmm, hey.

You're working late.

Well, it was either
this or go home.

- So...
- Listen, I was at a bar.

I saw the show tonight
at a bar.

And I may have been overserved.

I'm fine, I'm just--
If I say anything...

You want to sit down?

Ahem.

How much did you have to do with
writing that opening tonight?

Uh...

It was something
Will wanted to do.

- He passed it around.
- I'd have loved to have been part of that.

I could have done the show
you guys want to do.

I'm equipped for that.

God, Don, that's--

You can.
You can.

You guys can follow up.
You can expand, you can rebut.

I've got a mandate.

Bring viewers to 10:00.

I don't, and they'll try someone
else until someone does.

I have to cover
Natalee Holloway.

And you guys just set me up
to look like an asshole

before I even got a chance
to get started.

- That wasn't--
- Oh, no, shut up.

That wasn't our intent.

And you can insist--

You can insist on--

That's what you were reading
on your BlackBerry, right?

Yeah.

I mean, it said
"eyes only," baby.

I've got eyes.

The apology was a Monday.
The following Saturday

was the Times Square bomb.

By Tuesday we had
all the facts.

This is the kind
of story that makes people

want to turn on the news,
so you want to take advantage of it.

- That's News 101, right?
- What is this meeting?

- Is it News 101?
- To artificially hype the threat of a bomb?

You're confusing it
with Douchebaggery 101.

- And the Muslim?
- That was a borderline call,

but they're qualified
to make borderline calls.

- What is this meeting about?
- Keep going.

By comparison, CBS had Katie
open her show from Times Square

while News Night gave it
three minutes and 20 seconds.

Basically said there was
nothing to worry about

and, as you said,
mentioned that one of the people

who notified the police
was a Muslim.

That's called
squandering an opportunity.

These are the important facts.
First, it was a lone wolf.

Shahzad was trained in Pakistan,
but he wasn't connected to a terror network.

Second, the situation was
handled by first responders

in law enforcement,
not an army.

And finally, the system worked.

He was taken off
the plane by a final check

of the flight manifest
by a US Customs officer.

What about the fact he was
allowed on the plane in the first place

10 hours after the feds
put him on a no-fly list?

The airline hadn't updated
its files yet,

which is why Customs and Border Protection
does a second check.

- That's the system working.
- Three minutes at the top.

- Will?
- Agree.

You understand we're making a conscious
choice now to do the boring version of the story?

- That's not how I'd put it, but--
- Great.

- Mac, there's one more thing.
- Yeah?

Everyone's reporting that
it was a t-shirt vendor

named Lance Orton who spotted
the smoking car and called 9-1-1.

- It was.
- I know, but it turns out Lance Orton

was alerted to the smoking car by
a photograph vendor named Aliou Niasse,

- an immigrant from Senegal.
- Why haven't we heard about this guy?

Two possible reasons.
One is that he didn't make the call.

He said...

"I thought I should call 9-1-1,
but my English is not very good

and I had no credit
left on my phone.

So I walked over to Lance who has
a t-shirt stall next to mine and told him."

What's the second possible reason
we haven't heard about him?

- He's a Muslim.
- How'd you get this?

A Pakistani blog.

It's not the world's
most reliable source.

I know, so I confirmed it
with the NYPD, and it's true.

And the Times of London
has it online.

And I think if the religion
of the bomber is important,

then so's the religion of the guy
who saved everyone's life.

- So do I.
- All right.

3:20 at the top.

How many viewers
did he lose that night?

Well, we all know he made
enemies that night

out of Fox
and right-wing radio.

- A lot of negative press.
- How many viewers did he lose?

- People want the most up-to-date information.
- They were getting it.

Didn't feel like it when everyone else
was saying it's a genuine threat--

It didn't feel like it?

- How many?
- 7%.

He gave back the gains
he made after Northwestern.

And that's the kind of thing that would
ordinarily scare Will straight.

But it didn't.

Media Matters think progress.

Howard Kurtz and the
Columbia Journalism Review

all praised our coverage
of the Times Square bomb.

Do any of them advertise
on our network?

I don't believe
they advertise anywhere.

And by any chance
was it around this time

that Will had some kind of
epiphany about the Tea Party?

The Tea Party isn't
what it started out to be.

Have you slept?

I got up at 2:00 AM
and broke down polling data

from the Republican Senate
primary race in Utah.

I never heard
anyone say that before.

Someone faxed me the polling data.
I don't even know who.

But that doesn't matter. Bob Bennett,
the most conservative member

of the Senate, is going to lose his
primary race to a guy named Mike Lee

'cause Lee found room
to the right of Bennett.

You wouldn't think
that was possible.

Back in 1968 when Rennie Davis
and Hayden and their guys

organized the SDS, it was specifically
to end the Vietnam War.

But that movement
got eaten by Abbie Hoffman

and Jerry Rubin
and the Yippies.

Hoffman and Rubin
were a lot more charismatic.

Yeah, but it was impossible to define
what the Yippies were protesting.

They were about giving
the finger to anyone over 30,

generically hating
the American establishment,

- dropping out, and getting high.
- And?

That's how
the progressive movement

would be painted
for the next 40 years.

People passing out
daisies to soldiers

and trying to levitate
the Pentagon.

- I was there. That damn near worked.
- No, it didn't.

The Pentagon's a really big building.
You can't levitate it.

How is there room to
the right of Bob Bennett?

For starters, a centerpiece of
Mike Lee's stump speech

is repealing
the 14th Amendment.

It's an applause line, and he's going to
win his primary by double digits.

Charlie, I understood
the Tea Party in the beginning,

just like I understood the SDS.

The Tea Party was
a middle-class movement

responding spontaneously
to bad trends.

Wages were stagnant,
jobs were disappearing,

Wall Street got trillions,
and everybody was laughing at them.

- But?
- They've been co-opted by the radical right,

which in turn has enslaved
the Republican middle.

So you think the '60s radicals and
the Tea Party are roughly the same?

With one big exception.

Even at the height of 1968,

the Democrats wouldn't have
nominated Abbie Hoffman

or Jerry Rubin for any office

and no candidate would have
sought their endorsement.

Can you imagine Humphrey
or Kennedy

standing for a photo op with Bernardine Dohrn
or Allen Ginsberg?

- Get there.
- Oh!

- I didn't even know you were here.
- Get there.

The Tea Party is being radicalized

and their original
organizing principles obliterated.

And no one should be
laughing anymore.

They should be scared shitless.

My party's being hijacked and it's
happening in real time.

How is this not our
top story every night?

- Thank you.
- Seriously, how did you get there?

You're not gonna be
very popular with Republicans.

Hoffman and Rubin
weren't Democrats.

And these guys
aren't Republicans.

It needs to be
a Republican saying it.

Top story every night till the plant from
Little Shop of Horrors

goes back to its planet.

I think you've got
the boy coming around.

You're the one who faxed him
the Utah polling data, right?

In four, three, two--
rolling.

Your candidate Mike Lee is a
fierce supporter of the Constitution.

That's why he's our candidate.

Should he win
in the general election,

which seems likely since Utah hasn't
sent a Democrat to the Senate in 40 years,

he'll have to swear an oath to protect
and defend the Constitution.

And I'm looking forward
to being there when he does.

He's also signed a note
to Grover Norquist not to raise taxes.

- That's right.
- Which oath is he bound by?

He'll be bound by both.

- Is that possible?
- Of course it is.

And that's how we're going to
rein in government spending.

Do you think part of a senator's job
should include listening to experts,

considering new information,
hearing dissenting opinions,

- and then casting his best vote?
- I sure do.

If 10 Nobel Prize-winning economists
were to walk into his office

and say, "This is a national emergency
and we need to increase revenue

by asking for a small sacrifice from
the wealthiest 1% of us,"

Mike Lee wouldn't
even discuss it?

Based on his zero years
of experience in economics

and tax policy, he's taken an oath
not to learn anything new

while a member
of the US Senate?

When you blur the distinction

between public and private,
there are problems.

Same thing when you blur the distinction
between answers and nonsense.

Does a private
restaurant in Kentucky

have the right to deny
service to black people?

What it gets into is this--

If you decide that restaurants
are publically owed--

Restaurants
are privately owned,

and it was a yes or no question
that should be easy to answer.

Does Rand Paul believe
that a private business

should be allowed to discriminate
on the basis of race?

Sharron Angle's angry
because the press

is reporting what
she says to the press.

The statement goes on.

"We needed to have
the press be our friend.

We wanted them to ask the questions
we want to answer."

Do not laugh. I felt the exact
same way about the bar exam.

Whoa, Will just made a joke.

When did that newsroom
become a courtroom?

I was going to say
the same thing.

- He was a prosecutor.
- I'm sorry?

Before he was an anchor,
before he was a reporter,

before he was a speechwriter,
he was a prosecutor.

He graduated college at 19,
law school at 21,

and had signed up with the Brooklyn
District Attorney's Office

where he racked up
a 94% conviction record.

The newsroom turned into
a courtroom, Reese,

because I made the decision that
American voters need a fucking lawyer.

"You know,
our Founding Fathers,

they put that Second Amendment
in there for a good reason,

and that was for the people
to protect themselves

against a tyrannical
government.

I hope that's not where
we're going, but, you know,

if this Congress keeps
going the way it is,

people are really looking towards
those Second Amendment remedies."

Syntax problems
notwithstanding,

that was a Republican nominee
for the US Senate

saying she hasn't ruled out a
violent overthrow of her government.

Terry Smith is up next
with the Capital Report.

I'm Will McAvoy.
Good night.

And we're clear.

- Hello.
- Hi.

You're dressed much
too nicely to work here.

No, I'm meeting Will.
We're going out.

- You're going out?
- Yeah.

Are you a relative of Will's?
Are you related?

No. No,
we're going on a date.

That's fantastic!

I don't know why
I said that so loud.

Um, h-how do you
guys know each--

- How did you meet?
- Mac, I think--

- Not now.
- Okay.

- How do you know Will?
- I work for the Jets and Will's a big fan.

- The New York Jets?
- Yeah.

- We met in the owner's...
- That's sensational.

- ...suite.
- What do you do for the Jets?

- I'm head of the Flight Crew.
- You're a pilot?

I'm head of the cheerleading squad.
We're called the Flight Crew.

- You're a cheerleader.
- And choreographer.

- It pays for graduate school.
- Hey, Danielle.

- Hey, dude. That was awesome.
- No.

I was sitting watching you right there
while you were right there.

You want to hear something
that will blow your mind?

In about three hours,
he'll be on TV on the West Coast

while at the same time
out with you on a date.

Unless he gets tired, which happens
sometimes because he's old.

This is Mackenzie McHale.
She's my secretary.

Multiple Peabody-winning
executive producer.

- I'm Danielle.
- That's a beautiful name!

- Why are you shouting?
- Can I talk to you for a second?

Just give me a minute to change.
We'll be out of here.

You're going on a date
with a cheerleader?

Not a high school cheerleader.
A professional cheerleader.

- That doesn't make it better.
- Can I help you?

- She's a student.
- A graduate student.

- In philosophy?
- Physical therapy.

There are better ways
to get back at me.

I'll put up a suggestion box.

Can I warn you about something?

You're a rich
and famous person.

And for that reason only,
she may want to sleep with you.

That didn't sound like something
that should come with a warning.

That sounded like something that
should come with balloons.

I loathe you right now.

- You've got ink on your face.
- I work with pens!

- Get a grip.
- Yeah, I know!

- Hello.
- Whatever!

- Good show tonight.
- Thank you.

He was talking to me!

Stay on the Tea Party.

Hard-core conservatives
are getting primaried.

In six weeks I haven't heard
anything from the 44th floor.

- How are they with this?
- Good. Good.

I'll tell you when there's
something to worry about.

So now we've really got something
to worry about 'cause he goes out--

What problem do we have?
7% drop?

We lose that when the Yankees
are playing the Red Sox.

Brad, why did you say now we've
really got something to worry about?

He goes after Jim DeMint.

Mr. Wexler, I'd like to talk
about Senator DeMint's

recent statements
about gay marriage.

He said it shouldn't be legal
because of the diseases

prevalent in the homosexual
population.

- Am I mischaracterizing that?
- No, sir, you're not.

By diseases, Senator DeMint
is referring to HIV and AIDS?

- 18,000.
- Exactly. Normal God-fearing heterosexual couples

- don't spread those kind of diseases.
- 18,000.

As a matter of fact,
the rate of contraction of HIV

among gay couples is now lower
than it is among heterosexual couples.

18,000.
Nod if you copy.

Well, if you're talking about Africa,
I'd have to see the statistics for myself.

They're in a packet
right in front of you.

But let me ask you something.
Do you believe that the American soldiers

who fought in World War I
were good, moral people?

I'm sure they were,
and God bless them.

I don't think He did bless them

because 18,000 US troops were sidelined
by VD during that war.

That sounds a little high
to be believed.

- Did you pull those numbers out of--
- I'm sorry.

- That number was wrong.
- That's what I thought.

It was 18,000 every day.

So that
second segment was too long.

- Yes, it won't happen again.
- Good.

- Uh-oh.
- Let's see who we have tonight.

Hi.

- You must be waiting for Will.
- Yes, I'm Darshana Yadav.

Mackenzie McHale.
So where's he--

- Hey, Darshana.
- Hey. I caught the end.

- You were great.
- Oh, thank you.

Do you mind waiting
just a second while I change?

- Sure.
- Nice meeting you.

Spinning instructor?

Neurologist at Columbia
Presbyterian.

Chief of Surgery.
That would make her a brain surgeon.

Literally a brain surgeon.

That's not hard to be.

I just couldn't be less
interested in WikiLeaks.

You're nuts.

The open sourcing
of classified information

is going to be an absolute game
changer for journalists of our generation.

All I heard was sounds coming
from the mouth of a nerd.

- Have you scanned the WikiLeaks cables?
- No, Neal.

Because I spend my time trying to
find and protect my sources.

This right here is always
the swan song of the obsolete

when you stare the future
paradigm in the face.

"He on the side of technology wins."
You know who said that?

- It was you. I was sitting right here.
- Napoleon.

Things worked out well for him.

Weren't there girls
standing here a minute ago?

Yes, you scared them off
with your Wikinerd pitch.

Hey.

I've been sitting here for two and a half hours
and I still don't know why.

It's like being in
the cast of a Fellini film.

Was it all GOP bashing,
or did we cover anything else?

We did almost three times
as many international

news stories as Fox
and MSNBC combined.

And unless we're all blind,

the Tea Party is the one
doing the GOP bashing.

- Charlie, give me a break.
- Ask Bryce Delaney.

Bryce Delaney became
the sixth GOP incumbent

to be ousted by
a Tea Party candidate.

The American Conservative Union

gives Delaney a 97% rating
over his 10 terms in Congress.

He was a Deputy Whip,
he was state cochair

of the McCain/Palin campaign,

and he sponsored
or cosponsored 38 pieces

of legislation
that were signed into law.

He lost his primary
to a dentist

72-28.

Congressman Delaney,
thank you for joining us.

Thank you.

Congressman, you have
a consistent voting record

on conservative issues,

and in the past five elections
you've won your district

by double digits.
What happened?

My pollster tells me

that I gave the wrong answer
at a town hall meeting.

What was the question?

Is President Obama a socialist?

And your answer?

My answer was that
I disagree with the man

on how to run a government,

but the talk of him being
a socialist or a Marxist

or a Kenyan was a silly
distraction.

You paid a big price for that.

You were leading
in the polls at the time.

Will, there are brilliant conservative
minds in the Republican Party.

And the individual price
we are paying

for not pretending
to be crazy is nothing

compared to the price that
the country is going to pay

for not having a reasonable
opposition party.

You made another mistake,
too, right?

- You're referring to HR2559.
- Yes.

- I cosponsored a bill.
- With a Democrat.

Once you're elected,
you have a duty

to work with other people
who have been elected.

My friends across
the aisle had been elected.

What did HR2559 provide for?

It provided for
homeless veterans

to receive housing vouchers

and services such as
counseling, job training.

Thank you for your service
to your country, sir.

You'll be missed in Congress.
Good luck.

Thank you.

It's not strange I'm not hearing
anything from the 44th floor?

What were you expecting?

It's just bizarre because the show's
taken a pretty sharp turn.

Big fan. Keep it up.

She never watched the old show.

- What?
- Maybe once or twice.

Too dumbed down?

Has she seen the new show?

- That's a fair question.
- Charlie.

She's a Democrat.
She gives money.

She gives money to everybody.
She bets on all the horses in the race.

If there was a problem,
I'd have heard about it.

There's a retreat in
Telluride my mother and I

have been invited to every year
for the last nine years.

We're not here talking
about ratings, are we?

I wonder if what
we're about to see

has anything to do with why
we weren't invited this year.

Does anybody mind if I start drinking
a lot of bourbon right now

and then a little while later
put my fist through his head?

I think you've had enough
bourbon for one lifetime.

Not my lifetime.

We lost David and Charles.

Thank you for staying
late tonight.

I really want to
get this one right tomorrow.

Don't we want
to get them all right?

You know what, Hef?

There's a Hooters
a few blocks from here

just filled with waitresses

who are stocked
like a game fishing pond

for you to go...
out like a fish with--

- You lost the thread, right?
- Yeah.

Let's start from the top again.

Maggie.

Uh, the Tea Party
presents itself

as a grassroots movement,
which means

it should be fiercely
resistant to central control,

especially traditional,
uh, uh...

uh-- sorry.

Especially traditional
power structures.

We're joined from Manhattan,
Kansas, by Mike Lyndall,

a construction contractor,

and Sheryl Bell,
a registered nurse.

Mr. Lyndall and Miss Bell
are the founders and cochairs

of the Riley County
Tea Party Express. Welcome.

They're gonna say the Tea Party
represents the voice

of the true owners
of the United States.

Mike, tell us why you became involved
with the Tea Party movement.

Well, first and foremost,
we want to take our country back.

All right, just to be clear,
is your country my country, too?

- Of course.
- Okay.

Who do you want to take
our country back from?

We want to take it back from
a Congress and a president

who've forgotten that government
derives its power from the consent

of the governed and instead is at the beck
and call of special interests and corporations.

You describe the Tea Party as
a grassroots movement, right?

Absolutely.
We have no central control,

no traditional power structure.

And that is something that
seems to confound the media.

- I'm sorry?
- That's what confounds the media.

It's what the media
doesn't get.

We are not being run by a
George Soros type figure.

We are "We the People."

- There it is.
- They walked right into it.

If you follow the money, nearly all of it
eventually leads to AFP.

Where does your funding
come from?

What little funding we have
comes from private citizens

who mail in $5, $10, $1,
whatever they can spare.

Okay, have either of you ever heard
the name David Koch?

- I'm sorry?
- David Koch.

- No.
- Have you ever heard the name Charles Koch?

- No.
- Have you ever heard the name Koch Industries?

Are you talking
about Coca-Cola?

K-O-C-H. Have either of you
heard of Koch Industries?

- Nope.
- I think that very soon you will.

Koch Industries
is the second largest

private company in the country.
Bigger than Coca-Cola.

And the Koch brothers'
personal wealth of $50 billion

is exceeded only by
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates,

and they could buy and sell
George Soros 10 times over.

They own dozens of
companies and industries

including oil and gas,
refining and chemicals,

minerals, fertilizer, forestry,
polymers and fibers and ranching.

You two both attended the Texas Defending
the American Dream Summit

over the July 4th weekend?

It was a Tea Party event.

The invitation--

Excuse me.

The invitation read...

"Today the voices
of average Americans

are being drowned out
by lobbyists and special interests.

- But you can do something about it."
- Yes.

That summit was paid for entirely by
Americans For Prosperity,

AFP, which has two founders--
David and Charles Koch.

In the last six months,
they've bankrolled Tea Party candidates

in excess of $40 million.

Sheryl, Mike, are the Koch
brothers average Americans

whose voices are being drowned out
by lobbyists and special interests?

I'm confounded.

If we review
the graphics package--

- Would you excuse me for a minute?
- Yeah.

- Tamara?
- Yeah.

Call this SS-101.

And I'm gonna want these
reviewed three times once they're loaded in.

We screw this up, that's all people
talk about tomorrow.

- Excuse me.
- Yeah.

SS-101.

- Hey, Don.
- Yeah?

Have you seen Maggie?
She seemed a little funny

in the conference room
and then she walked out.

Yeah, she's okay.

She gets panic attacks.

She starts to get dizzy and shake
and she thinks she's dying.

Is she all right?

She's fine.
She just needs to be left alone.

She went out on the terrace
to get some air.

Okay. You guys did
a good show tonight.

I wasn't aware of, you know,
what was going on with the McRib sandwich.

Yeah, go fuck yourself.

Do not come down on the Kochs
without checking upstairs.

- Do you understand?
- Get your finger out of my face, Reese.

- Look--
- We stand for something.

It's a moral obligation.
Get used to it.

About 10 minutes ago.

About 10 minutes ago
at a staff meeting.

Yeah, I have--
I need to get back in there.

No, they're not in my pocket.

They're not in
my purse because--

They weren't in
the medicine cabinet.

Lisa, the guys you bring
to the apartment

have got to stop
taking my Xanax.

Shoot. Hang on a second.

But don't hang up.

- Sit back down.
- I'm fine.

Sit back down.

- Tell me what's happening.
- I just need a minute.

I'm gonna feel
your pulse, okay?

- You really don't need to.
- Shh.

I'm gonna ask you
some questions.

Where are you right now?

Are you having trouble breathing?
Can you hear me?

I'm on the upper terrace
of the AWM building,

yes, and obviously yes.
Are you a nurse?

Some guys I was embedded
with got panic attacks.

- I'm gonna pass out.
- It feels like it, but you won't.

You're in the second stage
of the A-anxiety table

of army field manual
FM-2251:

"New Infantry Adaptation
to a Threatening Situation."

I'm in midtown Manhattan, Gomer Pyle.
You're in Fallujah.

Start breathing
from your abdomen.

Imagine yourself
in a safe place

or something you like.
YouTube kittens.

I wish your face would stop
moving so I could punch it.

You're here. You're part of this group.
Everyone likes you.

Well, except for Carla in bookkeeping
who thinks you're a rube.

Should get back to the meeting.

The meeting's over.
Stay put.

- Did the copy for--
- Everything's done.

You can check it
yourself later.

He's going after
the Koch brothers.

If you want to panic about something,
I think it's six to five and pick 'em

this time tomorrow night
the building blows up.

Did you see a doctor?

Yeah, he prescribed Xanax.

- Did you take one?
- I didn't have them with me.

Someone like you should always have one
in your pocket or in your purse.

- I'll remember that.
- Keep breathing, okay?

You're safe.
You're awesome.

I'm gonna check
your pulse again.

- How is it?
- Better.

A minute ago, it was like you
were taking sniper fire.

They were good guys?
The guys you were embedded with?

They were the best people
I've ever met.

You guys are a close second.

Don's hands are tied.

He got marching orders to
get the numbers up at 10:00.

And he's driving
a different car than Mac.

Elliot's smart, but he
can't do what Will does.

Plus, his salary
is tied to ratings.

Why are you telling me this?

He's a great guy and you
two should be friends.

In the five months
I've been here,

you two have broken up four times
and gotten together five times.

So there must be
a strong connection.

- Was that sarcastic?
- No.

- Really?
- Yeah.

All right.

- That was obviously sarcastic.
- It wasn't.

I never knew what the word
smug meant until I met you.

You're 26 and you didn't know what
the word smug meant until this year?

- Right there.
- I wasn't being sarcastic.

You guys obviously
have something.

My suggestion is
stop breaking up.

- Learn how to have a fight.
- Go on, Dr. Phil.

You're breathing normally?

Follow my finger.

You've got a graphics producer
waiting in the edit bay.

Are you still there?

Yeah, that was him.

I think the best analogy
I can use is Rocky II.

Are you sure that's the best
analogy you can use?

- Hear me out.
- I'd be very surprised if my mother's seen Rocky II.

Mrs. Lansing,
Rocky Balboa was a lefty.

- Rocky was political?
- Left-handed.

And for his rematch
with Apollo Creed,

his trainer Burgess Meredith
makes him train as a righty.

And he fights round
after round as a righty

until Burgess Meredith
shouts, "Now,"

and Rocky comes at him
with his left.

What the fuck
are you talking about?

Just that Mackenzie McHale
got here, shouted, "Now,"

and Will started swinging away.

Leave-- Hey, leave Mac out of this.

I shouted, "Now."
I'm Burgess Meredith.

This guy, he just don't want to beat you, see?

He wants to murder ya.

That was my best
Burgess Meredith.

Is there something here
that's funny?

Yeah. We've been talking
about Rocky II.

Brad, wrap it up.

Here you go.

- How much do you like me?
- I'm...

You know, I don't know
what's happening right now.

- Don and Maggie broke up.
- When?

Last week.

I'm sure they've married and divorced
three times since then.

- No, it's real.
- What do you mean?

Tess told Tamara,
Tamara told Kendra,

and Kendra talked to Maggie,
who confirmed it was over.

So get in there.

- Get in there?
- Yeah.

- I'm not gonna "get in there."
- Why not?

I'm not going to swoop in like she's
a rent-controlled apartment.

She's probably really upset.

Plus, I was the one
who advised her

to stay together
during these times,

so it would be pretty hypocritical
of me to suddenly--

- Wait.
- What?

You advised her to do what?

I told her if she wants to stay together,
she has to not break up.

Based on what are you giving
relationship advice?

It--

This time it was logic.

I know the answer to this question,
but I just want to hear you say it anyway.

What are you working on there?

The story about people voting
against their own interest.

I'm not swooping in.

The health care law
hasn't taken effect yet.

TARP was signed into law
by George W. Bush.

Name me the freedoms that
you had the day before

President Obama was sworn in
that you don't have today.

What is someone supposed to
do with a bleeding Mexican?

What state, what city,
what county in this country

is in danger of falling
under Sharia Law?

Tea Party candidate Allen West.

Tea Party candidate
Michele Bachmann.

Tea Party candidate
Tom Graves. Tim Griffin.

Sean Duffy.
Jeff Duncan.

No, ma'am, teen pregnancy
rose over that period.

The largest demographic of Americans
living in poverty are children.

Abolishing the minimum wage
would create jobs.

You know what else would?
Slavery.

The public school system
has failed you.

As did three of your
college professors.

It's going to come down,
as it always does,

to who shows up.

And that takes us
to last night.

Here's something I want everyone
to watch at home tonight.

All right, precincts are closing
in Kentucky and Indiana.

AP's already calling it for Rogers,
Pence, and Burton.

John Yarmuth just picked
up the Kentucky 3rd.

I'm looking at Patty Murray
up by %1 with 60 in.

Arkansas State Secretary
just certified it for John Boozman.

We've still got Reid up
by 12 in Clark County.

Why's Sportsbook still taking
bets at even money?

- You're getting these?
- Yeah.

I'm looking at the exits.
Did anyone under 70 vote in this election?

I apologize, ma'am.
Happy birthday.

Charlie.

Those polls closed 20 minutes ago.
What's going on?

I know he's a friend of yours.

He was a great public servant.

Call it red.

Maggie.
Ohio 12. Red.

We're gonna need to
PRE-PRO that map graphic.

Joey, can you get that ready
and let Jake know when it's there?

- Yes, sir.
- Two's down. I need you on Sabbith.

We'll need a phoner graphic
for the congressman-elect

and a baseball card
of his opponent.

- He's getting a dropline for that.
- Sabbith, two's down.

No, he's back up.
Okay, go wide.

Do me a favor. I need you to fix
1918 and add the source.

I'm looking at the stack
and you're missing 1825.

I see it.
It's just not in the stack.

Will, the brand-new governor
of Wisconsin just said,

"Tonight I want
to tell every worker,

every family, and every
business big or small in this state

that you have an ally
in the governor's office."

Isn't he the one who wants to bust the unions?
Am I mixing him up?

Can you get him to go
to Elliot a little more?

Can you get Elliot to say
something other than

how beautiful it is
to see democracy in action?

- I'm trying.
- Easy, man.

Let's go to three.

Elliot, tell us what
we're looking at.

Well, we are looking at American
democracy in action, Will,

and it is really
a beautiful sight to see.

Yes, it is.
Sloan Sabbith.

We're looking at an electorate that's
older and more conservative.

Early exits suggest a quarter
of all voters, at least so far,

were 65 and older, and 41% identify
themselves with the Tea Party.

Kyle, we all remember
those Tea Party signs

that said, "Keep your government
hands off my Social Security."

How do you explain people
who are on Social Security

voting for candidates who could well
endanger Social Security?

I can't.

Well, they don't call you
an analyst for nothing.

We've got 12 minutes before
the next round of polls close.

We'll throw it now to Terry Smith
and her team in Washington

and see you on the other side.

Terry, I don't know how you're gonna
follow Kyle, but give it a try.

We're out.

Hey, you want to
give me a break?

- I'm sorry.
- Jesus.

It was a joke.

Come here.

Get in the game,
would you, please?

I am in there doing everything I can
to get Mac to get him

to go to you
and he is doing it.

He is inviting you
to become a star.

Would you stop being so fucking enthralled
with the act of punching a ballot?

Get back here.
Get back here.

Don't talk to me like that.

I mean, I don't know
who you think I am,

but don't talk to me like
I am a disappointing child.

You got three choices.

One: Get back
together with Maggie

so you can be the regular
prick that I like

and not the bonus prick that I've been
getting for the past week.

Two: Don't get back
together with Maggie

and get over it.

Three: You're fired.

Choose.

Okay. Everything you
just said was right.

Let me also say I'm not the one

who wants to be a star,
Mama Rose.

I don't know that reference.

It's from Gypsy.

Ethel Merman's a stage mother
who really pushes her daughter--

I don't have time to explain
the plot of Gypsy.

Yeah, sure, okay.
Just...

pretend I gave
a better pep talk.

- Okay?
- Done.

I printed this hot note.
I'm adding it to your binder.

Lexington, Kentucky,
just elected their first openly gay mayor.

You might want to keep it
in your pocket.

Here's what the Grayson camp
sent us on his concession.

And I want to say
something to you

that's both inappropriate
and insubordinate.

- What was the last one?
- I want to say something to you that's inappropriate,

insubordinate,
and grounds for termination.

You could give Mac a break and have
the women meet you at the restaurant.

That was inappropriate
and insubordinate,

- but I don't care.
- Thank you.

You should know your
head's up your ass.

- Will, I know--
- You don't know anything, Maggie.

I've got the image of Mackenzie with that--
with her ex-boy--

It won't come out.

I need the team from Inception to come
and remove the image from--

Look, I'm not
doing it on purpose.

I'm not rubbing her face
in anything.

I'm simply not considering
her feelings at all.

Yeah, I just heard
myself say that.

Lexington, Kentucky,
and the Grayson statement.

The Times are reporting
Rick Scott spent 75 million

on his campaign in Florida.
That's the most ever on a gubernatorial race.

Joey, I'm sending
you the quote.

- Make it a tear on the NYT background.
- Copy.

- You got a second?
- Are you joking?

I wanted to tell you
that I shouldn't have--

- I wanted to apologize.
- This operation is unbelievable.

You guys are like
air traffic controllers.

Honey, you're gonna tell me
if I'm in the way, right?

No, you're-- No.
Wade, this is--

I know who this is.
I am not worthy.

You keep kicking the Tea Party
to hell and back.

They won the battle,
you win the war.

And I'll tell you what else,
it's good business, too.

Where would Murrow have
been without McCarthy?

- Good to meet you.
- This is my friend Wade Campbell.

She's so British.
We're a little more than friends.

Mac, you want a cyber panel
next to Will or a lower-third?

She's not British.
She's American.

Uh, your call.
A cyber panel. Will--

Mac said I could watch tonight so long as
I promised to stay out of your eye line.

She said you never
come in here, so...

Yeah, no. I think I got lost
on my way to the men's room.

Martin, would you take Wade and
show him the decision desk?

I would love that.

Sure.

We've been dating
for about three months.

I'm sorry.

No. This is exactly what
was supposed to happen.

You're doing great in here.

- Thanks, Will.
- Thanks.

The McClatchy masthead has
to go with that 35-50 graphic.

- Will.
- Yes, ma'am?

You've got to ask the Tea Party
about the debt ceiling.

- Huh?
- The debt ceiling.

Boehner'll keep them in line
on the debt ceiling vote.

They're freshmen.
They sit in the back.

Half of them won their primaries by beating
candidates Boehner endorsed.

It's pro forma. It's one sentence
on one piece of paper.

It doesn't give the government permission
to borrow more money.

It gives the government permission to
pay back the money we already borrowed.

Do their constituents
know that?

- In three, two, roll in.
- Fuck.

Welcome back to ACN's
election night coverage.

If you're just joining us,
the Republican Party

will be the majority party
in the House of Representatives

for at least
the next two years.

We're joined live now by the newest
member of the 112th Congress,

Frank Guidry, representing
Colorado's 8th district.

Congressman-elect,
congratulations.

- Thank you for joining us.
- Good to be here.

Mr. Guidry, you campaigned

on a promise of
fiscal responsibility.

And I plan to govern
the same way.

Mr. Guidry, in a few months,
you'll be asked to cast

the most important vote you'll ever cast
as a member of the House.

Will you be voting
to raise the debt ceiling?

Will, I will not be
casting a single vote

to spend a single dollar
that we do not have.

Sir, that's not what-- That's not--

Mr. Guidry,
this is Sloan Sabbith.

That's not what
the debt ceiling--

I'm having trouble hearing you.

We've got some happy
people here behind me.

That's not-- Sir, that's not
what the debt ceiling does.

- Are you able to hear us?
- Just barely.

Are you aware of the consequences of
not raising the debt ceiling?

I'm sorry, say that again.

Are you aware of
the consequences,

the immediate global
consequences

of the US defaulting
on its loan payments?

I'm sorry, guys.
I just can't hear you.

We'll have to pick this up
another time.

All right.

Tess, good job.
Go home.

Thank you.

Martin, nice work.
Get some sleep.

- Hey, Jim.
- Yes, sir?

Smart people are gonna offer
you jobs for more money.

Before you take one,
talk to me, okay?

That won't be an issue, sir.

Come have a drink
with Will and me.

Oh, thank you very much,
but it's pretty late

and it's a work night
and I got to be in early.

Oh, be a damn newsman,
would you?

- Yes, sir.
- Kids.

The final tally-- colon--

Republicans pick up
63 seats in House-- comma--

six seats in Senate-- comma--
and eight governorships.

Colorado, Alaska, and Washington
still too close to call-- period.

This is ACN's Live Election
Blog signing off-- period.

I'm sorry, Dave,
but I'm afraid I can't do that.

Laugh all you want,
but Kubrick got it exactly right.

HAL malfunctioned
in a very realistic way.

Stop.

Good work tonight.

Hey.

I'm just gonna...

go tell her she did a good job.

Brutal.

No words.

I have no words to
describe what I just--

- But you're still talking.
- No words.

That's it.
That's the last six months.

- Thanks, Brad.
- Could we have the room, please?

Moses and Jesus
are playing golf.

Moses steps up to the tee
and hits a beautiful shot

250 yards straight down
the middle of the fairway.

Jesus steps up to the tee
and hooks the ball into the trees.

Jesus looks up into the heavens,
raises his arms.

Suddenly the sky darkens.

A thunderclap rings out.

Rain pours down and a stream
rises among the trees.

The golf ball, floating on top,
finds its way

into the mouth of a fish.

Then a bird flies down and
takes the fish and the ball

out over the green,
drops it in the cup for a hole in one.

Jesus turns to Moses
with a satisfied grin.

And Moses says, "Look,

you want to play golf
or you want to fuck around?"

What in God's name has happened

to News Night
over the last six months?

- Leona--
- Do not laugh.

Leona, the ratings
have stabilized.

We're doing a show
you can be proud of.

And I'll get them back
to where they used to be.

What happened to
human interest stories?

Obesity, breast cancer,
hurricanes,

older women having babies,
iPhones--

He was great at that shit.

He was sleeping
during that shit.

And whose idea was it
to wake him up?

- For the third time, it was mine.
- Yeah.

I engineered a situation
wherein an executive producer

with a unique ability to bring
out the very best in an anchor

with a unique ability
were paired

to do a news broadcast this company
can and should be proud of.

And rebrand ACN as MSNBC's
more combative brother?

- We did the news.
- For the left.

- For the center.
- Are you fucking out of your mind?

For the center, Leona.
Facts are the center.

Facts. We don't pretend that
certain facts are in dispute

to give the appearance of fairness
to people who don't believe them.

Balance is irrelevant to me.

It doesn't have anything to do
with truth, logic, or reality.

He didn't go on the air telling people
to give peace a chance.

But evolution?
The jury's back on that one.

He humiliated congressional
candidates on my air.

- It's not your air, Leona.
- Excuse me.

- He needs to continue.
- Listen to me.

Listen to me!
America just elected

the most dangerous and addle-minded
Congress in my lifetime.

I have business in front
of this Congress, Charlie!

Reese, why don't you
give us a minute?

He can stay.

Reese, get the fuck out.

I'll be right outside.

How would you like me
to respond

to your unfiltered
contempt for my son?

By telling him
to get a paper route.

Look, pal--

What the hell is his job,
anyway?

President of this company.

Yeah, I don't know
what that means.

It means he's gonna
have my job one day.

Please, please let me
be dead by then.

I'd be happy to arrange it.

So Will pissed off whoever you were
sitting next to at dinner Saturday night?

I thought you got where
you are by being fearless.

No, I got where I am
by knowing who to fear.

And the Koch brothers
are not playing around,

if that's what you're
talking about.

They drop Brink's trucks
on people they disagree with.

You and me.

Leona, you can't possibly
expect us to tailor

our news coverage to what
best suits our corporate--

Let's start over.

And this time,
disabuse yourself of the idea

that this is a conversation
between equals

where I make an argument,
you make a counterargument,

and we agree to disagree.

Our cable news division
accounts for less than 3%

of AWM's annual revenue.

You don't make money
for stockholders,

which I have a fiduciary
responsibility to do.

Well, last night,
the voters ousted 21% of Congress,

including seven members
of the House Subcommittee

on Communications
and Technology.

Three of those seven are AWM's
most reliable friends on the Hill.

Now, the congressmen that
will be replacing them

are the same people that
Will has been making look

like fucking morons
for the last six months.

They've done a pretty good job
making themselves look like morons.

I have business before this Congress,
Charlie.

And whatever you may
think of these people,

which is the same thing
I think of them,

they hold the keys
to the future of AWM.

Anything more than a pack of gum,
and I have to go to Congress for permission.

I don't make the rules,
but I do abide by them.

- News organizations...
- Careful with the lectures.

Are a public trust
with an ability to inform

and influence
the national conversation.

I know.
That's why I bought one.

All right,

they're not candidates anymore.
They are congressmen,

and he is gonna lay off.

He's not gonna
lay off anything.

- Oh, yes, he is.
- Let me ask you something.

And don't forget
I've known you for 20 years.

If Joe McCarthy sat on
the House Subcommittee

for Communications
and Technology,

would you have told
Murrow to lay off?

- No.
- Why?

Because he was
a genuinely bad guy.

Michele Bachmann's called
for Congress to be investigated

to ferret out House members
who are un-American.

Michele Bachmann is a hairdo.

I'm not worried about
Michele Bachmann.

I wonder how many people
weren't worried about McCarthy.

You know, Charlie, a lot of people
might argue that Will is on a witch hunt.

And a lot of people might argue
there are witches out there.

I'll fire him, Charlie.

What?

I'm not asking him to lie.

I'm not asking him
to cover anything up.

But he's going to tone it down
or I'm going to fire him.

Well, best of luck trying
to program against him.

Oh, I don't have to.
He's got a non-compete clause in his contract.

He's gonna have to stay off
television for three years.

That's a death sentence.

It is.

How would you possibly
explain firing

the second most watched
anchor on cable?

By creating
what we call context.

His firing would be
viewed as a noble step

on the part of a corporation willing to
sacrifice ratings for integrity.

You'd manufacture
a reason to do it?

I've got a really good job,
Charlie.

Now you want to play golf
or do you want to fuck around?

Fellas, that was election coverage.
Tell 'em, Charlie.

Where the hell are we?

It's my understanding
this is a karaoke bar

with affordable food and drinks that
stays open late

and staffers come here
after work to socialize.

When you describe it,
it really sounds like Brigadoon.

- Hey, you know what?
- Shut up?

- Yeah. You know why?
- Where's Mackenzie?

- That's why.
- I didn't meet him until tonight either.

That's all right.
I like being here.

Election night.
Just the guys.

And-- Yeah.

Elliot got in trouble tonight
for saying something

that was worth saying.

Every two years,
we drive to a fire station

and overthrow the government

and there isn't a policeman
in the street.

I love doing the news.

Hang on.

Who e-mails you at
2:00 AM during a toast?

I think whoever it is probably
didn't know about the toast.

Leona Lansing wants to
see me at 10:00 AM

on the 40th floor
conference room.

What do you think it's about?

I think she wants
to say good job.

All right,
to the 112th Congress.

Godspeed and God bless America.

God bless America.

Sync, corrected by icephoenix
www.addic7ed.com