Breaking news: Anaheim corruption report alleges a criminal conspiracy, secret lobbying and influence peddling

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Jul. 31, 2023 Anaheim corruption report alleges a criminal conspiracy, secret lobbying and influence peddling A long-awaited outside investigation into political corruption in Anaheim found a "potential criminal conspiracy" regarding $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds and alleged the city's former mayor and the ex-head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce participated in "influence peddling." Read more

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A new poll's staggering findings

Trump leads Republicans in almost every category.

View in browser  August 1, 2023       Stephen Collinson, Caitlin Hu and Shelby Rose 54% Trump at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.  It looks like only a monumental political collapse can deprive Donald Trump of the Republican presidential nomination.   Of course, it's still early – the first voting in caucuses and primaries is more than five months away. And no one should make too much of any one poll – especially since the nominating race is a state-by-state affair and not a national contest.   But a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Monday has findings so staggering that they have the capacity to define the early stages of this race – and to dismay anyone hoping that the ex-president won't make it to a general election clash with President Joe Biden.   The survey shows that Trump leads the nomination race with 54% — trouncing his nearest rival Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, by 37 points. None of the other candidates gets above 3% — a number shared by ex-Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.   This poll hardly seems like an outlier — it backs up the evidence of encounters with voters in early voting states and the sense that conservative America still adores Trump and is attracted to his hardening authoritarianism.   A 37-point lead in a primary poll is extraordinary. But so is the fact that Trump has been indicted twice already, could face at least two more indictments and may have to spend almost as much time in the courtroom as on the campaign trail next year. So it's always possible that a critical mass of voters eventually concludes the ex-president is too risky in a general election – though Biden's low approval ratings might weigh against that.   But Trump is dominating the GOP race. He leads Republicans in almost every category in the poll. He is top among male voters, female voters, younger voters, older voters, moderates and conservatives, among those who went to college and those who didn't. He's the number one Republican in rural areas and cities and suburbs.   There's more bad news for DeSantis, long seen as the most likely alternative to the former president as the Republican nominee. The Florida governor is arguing that given his record of turning culture war aspirations into the law of the Sunshine State, he'd be a better implementor of "Make America Great Again" policies than Trump in the Oval Office, as well as being more likely to beat Biden. But Republican voters disagree, according to the poll.   Pundits have long speculated that if all the other GOP candidates dropped out, DeSantis would be able to beat Trump. Think again. In a hypothetical matchup, the Florida governor would lose to his state's most famous resident 62% to 31%.   No one can read the future. But the race looks like Trump's to lose. Sign up for Meanwhile in America The world and America An Indian railway security officer opened fire on a moving train, killing four.   Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in Beijing after Typhoon Doksuri dumped rain on China. And an American nurse was kidnapped in Haiti. Meanwhile in America ... Yellow Corp., a 99-year-old trucking company, is closing down and will lay off all 30,000 workers.   An American woman was charged with conspiring to kill her husband in the Bahamas. AMC Theaters had its best weekend ever thanks to "Barbenheimer."  'You have to earn it' "You have to earn it person by person," DeSantis told reporters during a swing through early voting Iowa that wrapped up over the weekend.   "One of the things I like with being in Iowa and New Hampshire — they want to kick the tires, they want to hear from you personally," said DeSantis, seeking to carve out a new image as a scrappy underdog. "We are not entitled to anything."   Unfortunately, for DeSantis — while it's possible to meet many of the voters who will take part in the Republican nominating race in small states like Iowa and New Hampshire — that's not going to work nationwide.   Soon the race will head south, into true Trump country. A new kind of border incursion First, smoke from Canada's wildfires headed south into the US, causing choking smog in many east coast cities. Now flames are heading in the opposite direction.   The incursion came as an out-of-control blaze burning in northern Washington state exploded in size, crossed the Canadian frontier and set off a cascade of evacuations over the weekend.   The so-called Eagle Bluff blaze has burned thousands of acres on both sides of the border and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes since it ignited Saturday in Washington's Okanogan County.   Evacuations were ordered on Saturday for more than 700 properties in the Canadian town of Osoyoos, British Columbia, after the fire crossed the border. By Monday, that number fell to 192 properties after firefighters made progress in limiting the inferno.   The fire exploded due to dry, warm and breezy conditions. It's burned through more than 10,000 acres and at least 3,500 acres have burned in Canada alone. The fire remains uncontained in both countries, according to Washington and Canadian fire officials.   While fires have been raging at increased levels across the globe, partly as a result of climate change, the US fire season has been below average in terms of acres burned so far this year.   But Canada is suffering its worst fire season yet. Thanks for reading.   On Tuesday, the United States Women's National Team face Portugal in round 16 of the World Cup. What did you think of today's email? Send us feedback: meanwhile@cnn.com MEANWHILE IN AMERICA You are receiving this newsletter because you're subscribed to Meanwhile in America.   No longer want to receive this newsletter? Unsubscribe. Interested in more? See all of our newsletters.   Create CNN Account | Listen to CNN Audio | Download the CNN App    ® © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303

The Fox Factor; X'd Out; Remembering Angus Cloud

Joe Rogan spreads 1/6 conspiracies, "Barbenheimer" sets more records, Elon Musk threatens nonprofit, Donald Trump subpoenas Fox News, and more.

View this email in your browser Received this email from a friend? Subscribe here. Monday, July 31, 2023 July is in the books! Vice Media wraps up its sale, CNN announces key promotions, Joe Rogan spreads more conspiracies about January 6, Elon Musk takes the "X" sign off the company's San Francisco HQ, "Barbenheimer" craze leads to more movie theater records, and the world remembers Angus Cloud and Paul Reubens. But first, the A1.   THE A1 The Fox Factor CNN Photo Illustration/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images The Fox News audience remains firmly in Donald Trump's corner.   The notion that viewers of the right-wing channel support the disgraced former president is not very surprising, but the sheer extent to which the network's viewership continues to stand strongly behind the twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president might jolt you.   Polling released by The New York Times and Siena College on Monday found that only 5% of respondents who get their news from Fox News believe that Trump has "committed serious federal crimes," with an overwhelming 91% saying he has not done so. Meanwhile, 83% of Fox News-watching respondents believe that after the 2020 election, Trump "was just exercising his right to contest the" results. And, perhaps most importantly, 85% of Republican-leaning poll participants who primarily watch Fox News say the GOP needs to "stand behind" Trump.   By comparison, the poll found that Republicans who get their news from mainstream sources were much more likely to believe Trump committed serious crimes (38%), less likely to buy the idea he "was just exercising his right to contest" the election (58%), and fewer than half (49%) said the party must stand behind the former president.   The remarkable data underscores the grip that Trump continues to exert over the influential right-wing network's audience. Even as he faces mounting legal problems, including potential charges stemming from his post-2020 election actions, Trump still commands the loyalty of the Fox News audience.   The numbers spell out in clear terms the consequence of Rupert Murdoch's decision to embrace Trump in 2016 and his lucrative right-wing network's continued and fevered support of the former president, despite his brazen attempts to wreak unprecedented havoc on the nation's democracy. The network's audience, now programmed by years of near-continuous defense of Trump — no matter how grave the action — is now effectively unable to accept any assertion that runs counter to its continuously-reinforced beliefs.   And in the wake of Tucker Carlson's sensational firing, it helps shed light on why Murdoch's new prime time bloc is made up entirely of Trump sycophants. Murdoch can read the room, and as he learned in the wake of the 2020 election when the network's devoted audience turned the channel in protest, he knows that programming critical of Trump will not bode well for the company's bottom line.    Of course, it is possible that the Fox News audience would not be so supportive of Trump if it were not showered with endlessly positive coverage and distraction. But the staggering volume of support for the former president signals that turning the ship around at this point in time might very well be an impossible task.   The WaPo's Greg Sargent put it well Monday when he wrote that "we will never know whether the GOP primary electorate would have been this in thrall to the doctrine of Trump's absolute innocence" if notable figures in the Republican Party had condemned him.    "But," Sargent wrote, "the role of Fox News and right-wing media in this disaster for democracy seems painfully clear." ———  BELOW THE FOLD  ——— CNN Photo Illustration/HBO Remembering Angus Cloud: The entertainment world was hit with sudden grief on Monday. The family of Angus Cloud, who was catapulted to fame for his role on HBO's "Euphoria," said that the actor had died at the age of 25 on Monday. "It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today. As an artist, a friend, a brother and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways," the family said. "Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence." CNN's Alli Rosenbloom has more.    ► Stars from across Hollywood paid tribute to Cloud. Javon Walton, who played his younger brother on "Euphoria," shared a photo of the two of them. "Rest easy, brother," he wrote. Deadline's Matt Grobar has more. THE INDUSTRY THE MARKET   Vice Media announced that it wrapped up the sale to a group led by Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management, and Monroe Capital. (Deadline) Bob Iger has brought Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs back into the Disney fold, with the two consulting "on the future of the linear properties," Matthew Belloni reports. (Puck) Warner Bros Discovery announced it will be restructuring its ad sales department as the company addresses a decline in ad demand. (Reuters) Beginning September, Amazon will require all international app developers streaming video content with ads via Fire TV to offer the Jeff Bezos-founded company a piece of their ad revenue. (Stream TV) Fox Corporation announced it will close its "Fox Bet" gambling business less than five years after it launched the platform. (THR) THE FOURTH ESTATE   News Corp Australia is producing 3,000 articles a week using generative A.I. on weather, fuel prices, and traffic conditions. (Guardian) The New Yorker launched a new cultural-recommendation newsletter, "Goings On," which takes the magazine's popular "Goings On About Town" section online. (New Yorker) ICYMI: Variety slightly revised its controversial story on behind-the-scenes drama at CNN to include statements from The Atlantic's Tim Alberta and Puck's Jon Kelly. But notably, the outlet did not make any changes to its allegations against former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, which he has vehemently denied. (AP) MEDIA MOVES   CNN promoted Matthew Hilk to senior vice president of news and domestic executive editorial director; Adam Levine to senior vice president of news and Washington executive editorial director; Leora Kapelus to senior vice president of news and enterprise; and Ben Tinker to vice president of domestic beats. (Deadline) CNN hired Daniel Strauss as a politics reporter and named Chelsea Bailey as senior editor of its race and equality team. (TV Newser) First in Reliable | The Guardian hired Chris Moran as the head of innovation for its U.S. team. Bloomberg tapped Amanda Cox as executive editor for data journalism. (Twitter) The WaPo promoted Claire Parker to Cairo bureau chief. (WaPo) The LAT named Matthew Ballinger deputy editor for content business strategy. (LAT) THE INFO WARS CNN Photo Illustration/James Gilbert/Getty Images Rogan's Distorted Reality: Spotify personality Joe Rogan can't quit the January 6 conspiracy theories. The popular podcaster — again — spread unsubstantiated claims about the attack on the U.S. Capitol in a recent episode of his show, incorrectly telling his massive audience it is a "fact" that "intelligence agencies" were "provoking people into the Capitol building." During the discussion, Rogan also discussed Ray Epps, saying he "clearly instigated" people into attacking the Capitol. "I don't know if he was a fed," Rogan said, "I know a lot of people think he was a fed." Epps is, of course, suing Fox News for claims the right-wing channel made about him in relation to January 6. The Daily Beast's Justin Baragona has more here. IN THE BATTLEFIELD   "After new charges were filed against former President Donald Trump in the federal documents case alleging that he tried to destroy evidence, Fox News spent over twice as much time discussing a day-old Hunter Biden story," Lis Power reports. (MMFA) Former Fox News commentator Bill Kristol has joined in the effort to insist that the FTC deny the broadcast license of FOX 29 Philadelphia, which is owned by Fox Corporation. (Daily Beast) Liz Harrington, a spokeswoman for Donald Trump, appeared on "War Room" where she claimed the Murdochs and Fox News are working to take down Trump, calling the channel a "fake news network." (MMFA) Meanwhile, Trump has subpoenaed Fox News for Tucker Carlson's unaired January 6 interview, Eriq Gardner reports. Per Gardner, Fox News is "fighting Trump's demands." (Puck) Fox Nation will add three new OutKick shows to its lineup, "Outkick The Show with Clay Travis," "Tomi Lahren Is Fearless," and "Gaines for Girls." (Next TV) A $475-million lawsuit brought against CNN by former President Donald Trump accusing the network of defamation by using the phrase "the big lie" and allegedly comparing him to Adolf Hitler was dismissed by a federal Trump-appointed judge. (CNN) Russia has introduced its disinformation and propaganda campaigns into video games, using popular games to indoctrinate younger audiences, Steven Lee Myers and Kellen Browning report. (NYT) THE VALLEY  CNN Photo Illustration/Carlos Barria/Reuters X'd Out: Who could have ever guessed city officials and neighbors would not be enthusiastic about an oversized, flashing "X" sign being erected atop a San Francisco building? After Elon Musk's attention-grabbing sign drew two-dozen complaints, he seemingly ordered the ostentatious sign to come down. "This morning, building inspectors observed the structure being dismantled," a spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection said Monday. The spokesperson added that Musk will now "be assessed fees for the unpermitted installation of the illuminated structure." CNBC's Kim Leswing has details.   🔎 Zooming in: While the drama over the X sign seems silly and ultimately inconsequential, it is emblematic of how Musk has run Twitter. The billionaire often makes decisions on a whim that seem largely aimed at trolling others and not thought out, only to have to eventually reverse them when faced with the reality of the situation. TOO MANY TABS   Free speech warrior Elon Musk has threatened to file a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that examines the spread of hate and misinformation on social media. (CNN) X officially updated its mobile app to reflect the company's new black-and-white logo, all but closing the book on the iconic blue bird. (CNBC) And the platform welcomed back the antisemitic Kanye West. (CNN) Meanwhile, Nitish Pahwa outlined why Threads "is not a Twitter killer, at least not yet." (Slate) South Africa became the latest country to crack down on Google after the nation's antitrust watchdog determined the Alphabet-owned company's search engine supremacy "distorts platform competition" in ways that favor larger companies. (Bloomberg) CURTAIN CALL CNN Photo Illustration/Hannah Beier/Washington Post/Getty Images The 'Barbenheimer' Boom: Audiences are still heading to the theaters in big numbers to see both "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer." AMC Theatres said Monday that, between July 21-27, it had posted its "best admissions-revenue week in the company's 103-year history." Likewise, international chain Vue said that it, too, recorded its "best ever week" thanks to the craze. The news comes as both films continue to perform well at the box office. "Barbie" added a staggering $93 million to its domestic totals during the second weekend, and "Oppenheimer" brought in an explosive $46 million. In other words, the week two totals for both films outpaced initial opening week totals. Variety's Rebecca Rubin has more here. OFF STAGE   Meanwhile, Disney's "Haunted Mansion" opened with a milquetoast $24 million at the box office. (Variety) Though Pixar's "Elemental" was initially written off as a box office "flop," Brian Lowry notes it has since "sprouted legs." (CNN) Bradley Cooper announced he would abstain from the Venice Film Festival premiere of his upcoming film, "Maestro," to show his support of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes. (The Wrap) Paul Reubens, best known for his portrayal of Pee-wee Herman on CBS's children's show "Pee-wee's Playhouse," has died at 70. (CNN) Angus Cloud, best known for his role in"Euphoria," died at 25. (CNN) Cardi B became the latest celebrity to have an object thrown at her while performing on stage when a fan hurled their drink at her — and the musician responded in kind, hurling her microphone at the concertgoer in question. (BBC) The Academy is investigating whether the recent auction of Orson Welles' sole Oscar for his 1941 film "Citizen Kane" is legal. (Deadline) Disney dropped its trailer for the second season of "Loki." (YouTube) Elizabeth Banks said that if given the opportunity she would gladly direct a "Cocaine Bear" sequel. (THR) Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow. RELIABLE SOURCES You are receiving this newsletter because you've signed up to receive Reliable Sources.   No longer want to receive this newsletter? Unsubscribe. Interested in more? See all of our newsletters. Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe here.   Create CNN Account | Listen to CNN Audio | Download the CNN App    ® © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303