The Newsroom 1x5

1. You can't have your boyfriends lobbying me to go easier on them.

2. Hang on. He was pitching a story. And it's not boyfriends. It's one boyfriend.

3. I should have fixed you up with Jim a long time ago.

4. I've never been on a date with him, but I imagine...

5. - You imagine what and how often? - That it would be fun.

6. - I'm Nina Howard. - Hi. I'm so sorry.

7. - Can I talk to you a moment? - She wants to warn you that I'm a gossip columnist.

8. - "Will McAvoy gropes in the New Year." - What?

9. - I called you in for this. - When's it come out?

10. It's out. This is it. "Serial Sleaze."

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

12. We lost David and Charles. Do not come down on the Kochs

13. without checking upstairs.

14. There's been a shooting in Tucson.

15. MSNBC, FOX, and CNN all say she's dead.

16. A doctor pronounces her dead, not the news.

17. - She's alive. - I've got her alive.

18. NPR called it wrong. She's alive.

19. You tell Leona that if she wants me out of this chair,

20. she better bring more than just a couple of guys.

21. That's exactly what I'll fucking tell her.

22. I can't tell you where we are,

23. frankly, for our own safety.

24. Systematically we have seen journalists attacked.

25. We would like to be showing you—

26. instead of this strange image of me sitting on

27. the floor of an undisclosed location in dim lighting,

28. we would like to be showing you pictures—

29. Live pictures of what's happening in Tahrir Square right now,

30. but we can't do that because our cameras have been taken down.

31. Physically, Elliot, when you say your cameras have been taken down?

32. Through threats and intimidation

33. and through actual physical attacks.

34. We're looking at Al Jazeera feed from about six hours ago.

35. Can you describe what we're seeing?

36. He can't describe anything except his room.

37. Ask him what's in the minibar.

38. I'd like it if you'd settle down.

39. Then I think you're gonna be disappointed.

40. That was roughly 7:00 P.M. in Cairo.

41. There's gunfire coming from below our hotel room.

42. - Where's he going? - Out on the balcony.

43. - Get back on the air. - Do we still have Elliot?

44. - Take it. - God damn it!

45. If you're just joining us with dawn about to break in Cairo,

46. a crowd estimated at over 100,000 people

47. gathered several hours ago in Tahrir Square in the Egyptian capital...

48. Get back on the fucking air.

49. Mubarak resign after 18 days

50. of unprecedented pro-democracy protests.

51. How long's he gonna be on the balcony?

52. The resignation was expected by President Obama,

53. French President Nicolas Sarkozy,

54. and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

55. But in a 17-minute address,

56. Mubarak announced that he wouldn't be stepping down,

57. infuriating the crowd, which appears to have grown larger

58. and angrier throughout this extraordinary night.

59. We're speaking with our own Elliot Hirsch...

60. No, Elliot's on the balcony singing a song from Evita.

61. - An undisclosed location. - He's back.

62. - Pardon me, Will. - Yeah, is everything all right?

63. Uh, that was gunfire.

64. It doesn't appear that anyone's been injured,

65. but it is a little hard to tell from where I am.

66. We're looking at a feed from six hours ago, Elliot.

67. Can you describe what's happening in the Square right now?

68. Uh, the crowd is surging and spreading.

69. The army has made a ring around Tahrir Square...

70. - Ow! - Oh, God, are you all right?

71. It's a glass door. You can't see me standing here?

72. Yeah, be quiet. There's a new story.

73. We're getting footage of a protest that's forming

74. in Appleton, Wisconsin. The governor's inside a newspaper office there

75. and a spontaneous protest of teachers is happening outside the building right now.

76. - Yup, go. - Call the edit bay and tell them what's happening.

77. Will, we're going to push the commercial break.

78. A small protest broke out in front of a newspaper office

79. where Scott Walker is right now.

80. So we're cutting the feed. Tap your pen if you understand.

81. And now the protests are spreading out from Tahrir?

82. - I'm already on it. - Which one?

83. - The teachers in Wisconsin. - That's me.

84. - What's going on? - The governor of Wisconsin

85. is pushing a bill through the legislature to balance the state budget

86. by busting public sector unions, especially teachers,

87. and strip their collective bargaining rights.

88. The governor is trapped in a newspaper office

89. with 75 teachers protesting outside and by tomorrow it'll be 10,000.

90. Yes, but in the meantime, some Egyptians are about to overthrow Egypt.

91. - Is there anyone else here? - Nope.

92. Okay. We got two packages to cut and only one editor.

93. Cory, if I promise I understand the irony,

94. can I break union rules and sit at this bay?

95. Will you talk to someone about hiring more editors?

96. Talk is all I can promise. But I'm on your side.

97. Go ahead. Where do you want to start?

98. It's around 12:20. He starts the answer with "We have in state government."

99. - We have in state government— - Right there.

100. Before I'd taken office, plans for contingencies

101. no matter what the circumstances. We have updated those.

102. I've had a full briefing from all the major level one

103. state agencies as well as the National Guard yesterday.

104. - Cut it there. - Cut it there.

105. Pay attention to your thing.

106. Right there where the teachers are chanting.

107. Hey hey, ho ho, selfish Scott has got to go.

108. Cut it there. That's the package. Render it.

109. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.

110. I'm about to have my "Broadcast News" moment.

111. There are at least nine things between here and the control room I can trip over.

112. It's 2011. We don't move film manually anymore.

113. You're gonna have to move this manually.

114. It's taking too long to render both at the same time.

115. - Grab a thumb drive, - Can I use a thumb drive,

116. - throw it in the USB, - Put it in the USB,

117. - copy the raw file to the drive, - Copy the raw file, and I'll

118. - and run to the control room. - Take it down to control?

119. I'm right behind you.

120. So as we mentioned, there are thousands currently outside

121. of state TV and parliament and a call for 25...

122. There's a group of protesters headed towards Heliopolis.

123. Ask him if he knows anything about the protesters

124. heading towards the presidential palace.

125. We're getting information about protesters

126. heading towards the presidential palace in Heliopolis.

127. I don't know anything about that.

128. 'Cause you're in the Cairo Radisson.

129. Does he look happy about that?

130. It's hard for me to tell

131. from the incredibly high-resolution pictures we're getting.

132. I'm as frustrated as you are, Don,

133. but I'm not sending an American journalist into that protest.

134. - Trust me, I'm an American journalist. - Hey!

135. That's the Walker press conference and the teachers in Appleton unrendered.

136. - Got it. - I didn't trip over anything on the way.

137. - Oh! - Sorry!

138. - Oh, my God. I'm sorry. - Are you kidding me?

139. - Sorry. - Raw file?

140. Let's pivot now.

141. All right, Elliot Hirsch reporting from Cairo.

142. - We'll be coming back to you, Elliot. - Why?

143. Where are you going?

144. I'm gonna find someone who's on the ground.

145. What is shocking is to hear an American governor

146. threaten to call up the National Guard.

147. But that's just what Scott Walker,

148. the commander in chief of the Wisconsin National Guard, did today

149. in defending his Wisconsin budget repair bill.

150. Anyone with producer in their title, conference room.

151. - Sloan. - I'm not a producer.

152. - I need you. Can you wait a minute? - I was this close.

153. You know I'd have had security stop you downstairs.

154. - I know. - I'll be just a couple of minutes.

155. Okay, but sometimes you ask me to wait

156. and then you forget that you did and you call me from home at 11:00 and say sorry.

157. - How many times has that happened? - Twice.

158. Well, I really was sorry.

159. I'll sit and watch TV.

160. Does anyone know where there's a TV?

161. Honey, I'm sorry. I need 20 minutes.

162. No, I can see. Is Egypt still a country?

163. Yeah, it's just a new one.

164. I happen to be an Egyptologist if you want me on tomorrow.

165. Since when are you an Egyptologist?

166. I can be one by tomorrow.

167. Go to Hang Chew's, get a drink, and I'll meet you there.

168. Yes, boss.

169. - Herb. - Yes, ma'am?

170. We were 17 seconds heavy on Bernanke, which meant we had to squeeze—

171. - Wait, wait. Everybody watch this. - There's nothing to watch.

172. - She has to subtract with her fingers. - I don't have to.

173. We were 17 seconds heavy on Bernanke,

174. which means we had to squeeze Bill Kristol down to what?

175. 2:13.

176. And Will took tap dancing lessons when he was 11.

177. And Mackenzie thought This Old House

178. was working on the same house every week.

179. Everyone in the conference room. And that was reasonable.

180. It took six months to build the city of Dubai.

181. You think they were renovating the same mid-century colonial for 15 years?

182. - Let's go. - How many kitchens do you think that house had?

183. That'll do. Let's get serious.

184. I'll begin by saying that Will cries when he watches the movie Rudy.

185. - No, I don't. - Cries like an onion.

186. Onions make you cry. They don't themselves experience emotion.

187. The way you experience emotion when you watch Rudy.

188. One scene, one moment, once in a while.

189. - The jersey scene? - Yes.

190. Everybody cries at the jersey scene.

191. - Jim? - I never saw it.

192. - You haven't seen Rudy? - Uh-oh.

193. What were you doing when everyone else your age was living their lives?

194. - My homework. - "My homework."

195. I didn't think I'd be the only one to say that.

196. I thought I'd have the safety of a mob.

197. Listen up, 'cause it's Rudy's last chance to dress for a game.

198. - I shouldn't have started this. - Well, you did.

199. NCAA rules only allow a certain number of players to be in uniform.

200. And every time the list goes up, Rudy's name is left off it.

201. And the list for the last game goes up and Rudy's name is left off it again.

202. Four years of futility. First he's got to make the grades to get in the school.

203. Then he's got to make the practice squad.

204. And he's getting creamed by guys twice his size.

205. But he doesn't care because it's all about the team.

206. And all he wants is to just once to be on the list to dress for a game.

207. And it's the last game of his last year of college and he's not on the list.

208. - So one by one... - Here it is.

209. The players come to the coach's office

210. and put their jerseys down on the desk.

211. - And say, "Coach"-- - "I want to take a shower with Rudy."

212. No, they don't.

213. They walk in one by one, put their jerseys on the desk

214. and say, "Coach, I want Rudy to take my place on Saturday."

215. And there's a whole line snaking out

216. of the coach's office of players holding their jerseys.

217. - Jim, your forehead is bleeding. - It is.

218. - I accidently hit him with a door. - Twice.

219. Move your hair out of the way.

220. - It is bleeding. - Could you grab the first aid kit?

221. - Yeah. - I'm fine.

222. - Where's Don? - I don't know.

223. I saw him slip out after Elliot's segment.

224. Well, that's what I want to talk about.

225. We're 18 days into this and I'm sick of pulling

226. pool feed from the wires. I've seen the same footage

227. we're using licensed NBC three times in the last two hours.

228. Nilesat keeps popping on and off.

229. And mostly, we can't cover this from a hotel room.

230. - We need someone on the ground. - It's too dangerous on the ground.

231. - For an American. - You want to get a stringer?

232. Someone local. Someone who can blend in with the crowd.

233. Someone who's credible with both us and the protesters.

234. And someone who can shoot and cut and knows to check audio.

235. You live on the Internet. Have you been tracking anyone?

236. I absolutely have the guy.

237. Excuse us.

238. Do you know what you're— Ow.

239. Do you know what you're— Ow.

240. Do you know what you're doing? Ow.

241. - I could have been a doctor. - What happened?

242. - Well, I didn't go to medical school or anything. - Okay.

243. It's another TMI story.

244. And it'll be picked up by Page Six.

245. - How many different ways - It's online today,

246. - do I have to say I'm not going to play on that court? - and in print tomorrow.

247. - We have to engage this time. - What does it say?

248. Did you know that your boy— Did you know that Wade Campbell

249. is thinking about running for Congress?

250. Yeah, he's thinking about it, but not more than that.

251. Yes, more than that. He's had meetings with senior staff of the DCCC.

252. They're recruiting him for Anthony Weiner's seat.

253. Anthony Weiner's keeping Anthony Weiner's seat.

254. - Not if he runs for mayor. - I didn't know that.

255. You've had Wade on the show five times in six weeks.

256. What's this story gonna be?

257. It's gonna be that you're trying to get your boyfriend

258. elected to Congress. What do you think it's gonna be?

259. When you put it like that,

260. I can see that that's what it could look like.

261. That's what it does look like.

262. He won't be on the show anymore.

263. Guys, according to Google Trends volume index,

264. since New Year's Eve, the search term Will McAvoy

265. has spiked 35 times its average frequency over the last three years.

266. In less than six weeks, there have been nine

267. negative mentions in Page Six and TMI.

268. How many of their readers do you think are our viewers?

269. Those articles have been referenced or backlinked

270. - in over 800,000 websites. - Jesus!

271. - Yeah. - There are 800,000 websites?

272. It's a daily distraction from what we're trying to do here.

273. - First it was Will's dating disasters. - I'm a great date.

274. Now we're playing it fast and loose with ethics.

275. Whoa, that's only what it looks like.

276. What else matters? We're getting eaten alive by our own tabloid life.

277. Come on, chief, it's Mac. She's annoyingly ethical.

278. - Thank you. - Well, congratulations.

279. You're now a boldfaced name. You're in play.

280. - Anything you do— - I understand.

281. Come on.

282. How did you not know he was talking—

283. He never told me. You can't think I used you to raise his profile.

284. I know for sure you didn't use me.

285. He used me.

286. Hey, you know what? Seriously.

287. Don't assume anything. He seems like a good guy.

288. Plus, nobody in his right mind would risk losing you.

289. Come on.

290. Who's the stringer you've got?

291. I've been following his Twitter feed and YouTube posts.

292. - He goes by the name Amen. - A-M-E-N?

293. - Like praise the Lord? - That's how it's spelled.

294. But it means "the hidden one" in ancient Egyptian.

295. He's got a following including Richard Engel

296. who says he's solid, straightforward,

297. and fearless in the face of all the chaos.

298. It's a nice endorsement from Engel,

299. but I don't know about using someone I don't know.

300. I know him. He's just like me.

301. - He is me. - What do you mean?

302. Our fathers were both mechanics.

303. Not because it was their dream job,

304. but because they knew there was always work for mechanics.

305. - Neal. - We're both the eldest son

306. and have been taking care of our siblings for most our lives.

307. Neither of us will ever get a college degree.

308. We're both idealistic about the Internet.

309. Keep talking.

310. - I was on one of the trains. - 7/7?

311. I was going to visit my aunt, and the train

312. had just left Liverpool Street,

313. and I was half asleep when the bomb exploded.

314. What did you see?

315. The car filled with smoke,

316. people screaming, crying.

317. Praying.

318. Finally, an underground worker in an orange vest got to us

319. and started leading us up the tunnel into King's Cross.

320. And I pulled my cell phone out to call my dad.

321. - There was no service. - Right.

322. - So you started filming it instead. - Yeah.

323. And I got out and I—

324. you know, I uploaded it and I sent it to the news stations.

325. You knew then you weren't going to be a mechanic.

326. - Yeah. - He's Rudy.

327. - Not everything is Rudy. - I know not everything is Rudy.

328. Forget it. Some people just don't understand Rudy.

329. Just me and Rudy and Neal and the guy Neal found in Cairo.

330. - Amen. - Thank you.

331. No, his name is Amen.

332. And you can trust him. He's gonna come through.

333. What kind of equipment does he have?

334. A Kodak Zi8 HD handheld and a laptop.

335. - You can find him? - Yes.

336. - How will we get the signal? - Why can't he use our uplink?

337. - We'd need a mobile. - There's still the Internet.

338. There's been no Internet since the 27th.

339. Not from the four major ISPs,

340. but there's a smaller provider called the Noor Group,

341. and their main client is the Egyptian Stock Exchange.

342. They can't shut that down.

343. Are you saying there's still working Internet in Egypt?

344. Noor Group has 83 live routes with successful pings

345. on international inbound transit.

346. - Are you saying there's still working Internet in Egypt? - Yes.

347. - Will. - Yeah?

348. - I need you to fill in at 10:00. - What happened?

349. Elliot left his hotel. He went down to the street and he got beaten up.

350. What's his condition?

351. He's got a couple broken ribs, a broken arm,

352. and cuts and bruises around his face.

353. - He got beaten with a rock. - Get him home.

354. - That's happening. - What the hell was he doing on the street?

355. I'm gonna call his wife.

356. - I'll do it. - No.

357. - Don. - Charlie, let him do it.

358. Right away you say he's fine and he's on his way home.

359. - Yeah. - She doesn't need to know about the rock.

360. What the hell was Elliot thinking?

361. He was thinking, "Get the story."

362. - Hey. - Hey.

363. What are you still doing here?

364. Right. Yes. Come with me.

365. - I just heard about Elliot. - He'll be okay.

366. - You're sure? - No internal injuries.

367. Thank God.

368. A few months ago, I agreed to appear

369. on a panel at the Paley Center called

370. - "Is TV News Equipped to Cover the Economy?" - Excellent subject.

371. - I think so, but here's the thing. - Yeah?

372. I'm not equipped to cover the economy. I don't know anything about economics.

373. I'm sure they're not expecting you to be an economist. You're a producer.

374. Yeah, but what I'm saying is I don't know anything about the economy.

375. Nothing. I never studied it in school.

376. I never read the business section. I never reported economic news.

377. You've been producing economic news.

378. We've been doing five minutes a night for months.

379. Yeah, I just set aside a five-minute block and let you and Will go at it.

380. - You've been approving the subjects. - I trust you.

381. What does that mean?

382. I pretend to read what you give me and then I nod.

383. Okay, have you been listening during the show?

384. - I have been listening very closely. - And?

385. - I do not understand a word you're saying. - Kenzie!

386. Can we save the scolding, Thomas Friedman?

387. - Do you mean Paul Krugman? - Which one's the economist?

388. - Paul Krugman. - Then that's who I meant.

389. I just need you to teach me

390. a couple of things to say that'll make it look like I know something.

391. How long did it take you to know what you know?

392. College, grad school, doctorate, post-doctorate,

393. practical experience— 15 years. When's the panel?

394. - Tuesday. Morning. - Okay.

395. How about I give you three things you can write on your hand?

396. No, I want to know this. I think that a lot of what's going on in the world

397. - has to do with the economy. - You may be on to something.

398. It's not like I need to know everything.

399. You'll be in no danger of that.

400. - Joke well crafted. - Thank you.

401. - Go home. - Yup.

402. Welcome back to ACN Morning

403. where it's 22 minutes past the hour on this cold New York—

404. - Very cold. - Very cold February 11th in New York.

405. Coming up, we go behind the scenes of the Jennifer Aniston comedy

406. Just Go With It hitting theaters today.

407. And later we'll be live at the Cineplex just up the street

408. where moviegoers are braving freezing temperatures

409. just to be the very first to watch Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.

410. Do you have Bieber Fever?

411. I'm not ashamed to say I do have Bieber Fever.

412. But right now it's time to play a round of...

413. "What Caught My Eye." I'll tell you what caught my eye this morning.

414. It was an item about our own house.

415. TMI is reporting online that News Night may be playing favorites

416. by boosting the profile of the boyfriend

417. of its executive producer Mackenzie McHale. Did you see that?

418. I did, but we don't know the facts about that.

419. Well, the facts are Mackenzie McHale is the executive producer of News Night.

420. Wade Campbell is her boyfriend. Wade's got political ambitions.

421. And he's turned up as a guest on the show,

422. so the piece says, five times in the last six weeks or so.

423. What do you think, ethical?

424. Millie, put me through to the day side control room.

425. I'll tell you what makes this even a little more complicated.

426. - Tony. - Mackenzie McHale and Will McAvoy used to be a couple.

427. So things have to be a little tense on the prime time side.

428. Ask me how I know they were a couple,

429. - 'cause this is a wild story. - The email.

430. Mackenzie McHale sent a mass email to every employee of AWM

431. - saying that she had cheated on Will. - Let's move on.

432. We've all done that, right? I don't mean cheated.

433. I mean we've all hit the wrong key...

434. This is Charlie Skinner. Put me right in his fucking ear.

435. So we've got an anchor and an executive producer who used to be involved...

436. Hi. You've got 10 seconds

437. to take your show gracefully to commercial

438. or so help me, Hannah, you're not going to be

439. sitting in that chair when we come back.

440. Oh, well. You get the picture.

441. We're gonna take a break and come back after the break.

442. This is ACN Morning.

443. Very graceful.

444. She really wasn't ashamed to say she had Bieber Fever?

445. It's all right.

446. - Happy Valentine's Day. - Oh, wow.

447. I didn't— I didn't realize it was Valentine's Day.

448. And that people in the office gave—

449. No, Valentine's Day is Monday, not today,

450. and these aren't for you, they're from you.

451. I am more confused than I was before.

452. Don planned a beautiful night for us on Monday.

453. - You and me? - Yes.

454. Don planned a romantic evening for you and me.

455. - Me and him. - That makes more sense.

456. And I don't want it to be ruined by Lisa, who will ruin it

457. if she doesn't have a romantic Valentine's Day.

458. Last year her boyfriend forgot it was Valentine's Day

459. and went to a Rangers game with his friends.

460. She got drunk, made us watch Overboard,

461. and reviewed every bad Valentine's Day she's ever had,

462. which was all of them. Not this year.

463. You're gonna be like St. Valentine himself.

464. - St. Valentine actually— - Focus, nerd.

465. - Okay. - Don got us a room at the Four Seasons.

466. - Me and— - Nope, still him and me.

467. The Four Seasons. The bathtub fills up in less than 60 seconds.

468. And I don't want Lisa showing up

469. with a copy of The Notebook saying, "Where's the minibar?"

470. Yeah, I can't hang out with Lisa on Valentine's Day.

471. That— That's making a pretty strong statement.

472. Don't screw with me on this, James Tiberius Harper.

473. That's not my middle name. You're thinking of Captain James Tiberius Kirk—

474. Do not screw me on this, Jim.

475. We're not in a relationship.

476. She calls me at night after work.

477. We talk for a minute and then she says, "Should I come over?"

478. - And what am I supposed to say? - You say yes.

479. I say yes.

480. If you're dating someone on February 14th,

481. you take them out on February 14th.

482. What's February 14th?

483. - Valentine's Day. - Yes.

484. Here's your itinerary.

485. You made reservations at her favorite restaurant, Dell'anima.

486. You got her a horse charm for her charm bracelet.

487. This is a bottle of her favorite wine.

488. And this is some slutty lingerie

489. for whatever disgusting thing you guys do later.

490. Oh, and the 60-second bathtub is for hygiene?

491. You can't have sex in a bathtub. It doesn't work.

492. Yes, it does. You just have to slip yourself—

493. - Thank you. - I'd like to hear more.

494. - Shut up! - Okay.

495. Here is her card.

496. And here is what you'll write on it.

497. "This has been the best month of my life.

498. You are beautiful, talented,

499. and the most"-- Are you out of your mind?

500. - We've been on four dates. - Look at me.

501. I already am.

502. Do. Not. Screw. Me. On. This. Jim.

503. - You pick her up at 9:30. - Let's go.

504. He's online.

505. - Amen? - Yes?

506. I'm Neal Sampat, Atlantis Cable News in New York.

507. Did we communicate about an hour ago?

508. Yes, we did.

509. What did I say my favorite kind of pizza was?

510. Plain pizza. Cheese.

511. You're a purist.

512. It's true.

513. Amen, we'd like to pay you to be our reporter on the ground.

514. You're obviously able to move around out there.

515. Your quotes and sources all check out.

516. You're asking great questions and you're posting great film.

517. - Do we have a deal? - Yes, we have a deal.

518. Good.

519. This is our executive producer.

520. That's the boss. Her name is Mackenzie McHale.

521. Amen, thanks so much for agreeing to help us.

522. Thank you for broadcasting this.

523. We go on the air at 3:00 A.M. your time.

524. And you'll be part of the top story.

525. I want you to report from the middle of Tahrir Square.

526. But first, we need interviews.

527. We need you to go to the palace

528. and find out who's in charge.

529. - Can you do that? - Yes, ma'am.

530. We need you to talk to a member of the military

531. and see what their marching orders are.

532. - Can you do that? - Yes, ma'am.

533. Do you have a BeachTek with an XLR adapter

534. so you can go wireless?

535. I have a handheld directional, but it works pretty well.

536. Okay, but you'll have to check your levels.

537. We'll have a problem with overmodulated sound.

538. - Got it. - We're gonna need any B-roll you shot last night.

539. Can you compress it into a YouSendlt file?

540. It should be downloading on your computer.

541. It is. Thank you.

542. - Okay, one last thing. - Yes?

543. We need you to take off your bandana.

544. We have to ID you with your real name, first and last.

545. Do you understand?

546. That's necessary?

547. The report won't have credibility

548. coming from an anonymous reporter.

549. Amen, every news outlet in the world is gonna be there.

550. But you'll be the first Egyptian reporter on an American network

551. to describe what it's like living through this

552. Berlin Wall moment for the Middle East.

553. This is history and you'll never forget tonight.

554. Yes, of course. You're right.

555. My name is Salim. Kahlid Salim.

556. Kahlid, let's go through some technical details.

557. First of all, how do you spell Kahlid?

558. K-A-H-L...

559. Are you gonna be nervous about Leona

560. if I look into the Koch brothers on Wisconsin?

561. Are you gonna be nervous about more tabloid stories?

562. - Have I ever been nervous about the tabloid stories? - You?

563. Would it make life easier for everyone if I quietly resigned?

564. - No. - No, and when was the last time you quietly did anything?

565. - I can be quiet. - For instance, there was the time you sent an email

566. - to 138,000 people. - I sent it to 112 people.

567. - And then it got sent to— - Will the two of you shut up?

568. This is exactly the kind of story

569. Leona doesn't want us to chase, so...

570. - Let's chase it as hard as we can? - Yeah.

571. Do me a favor and see if there's a connection

572. between the Koch brothers and Citizens United.

573. - I'm way ahead of you. - How?

574. Well, no, I'm exactly where you are. It's just an expression.

575. Usually it takes decades, even centuries,

576. for us to see the world change.

577. But in the Middle East, the world has changed in seven weeks.

578. January 25th, protesters converged

579. on Cairo's Tahrir Square demanding the resignation

580. of President Hosni Mubarak, who'd ruled Egypt for 30 years.

581. Last night Mubarak enraged the Egyptian people by refusing to resign.

582. But just 24 hours later, he bowed to the will of the people

583. and announced the following through his vice president

584. - Omar Suleiman. - Roll 2, take it.

585. Dear citizens of these difficult times...

586. You're a handsome young man, Kahlid.

587. - How are you feeling? - Good.

588. - Here's Tahrir Square just moments later. - Roll 3.

589. Take it.

590. They're chanting "Egypt is free.

591. You're an Egyptian. Lift up your head."

592. For more, we're going live now to Cairo

593. where our reporter Kahlid Salim is standing by.

594. Good morning, Kahlid.

595. It is a good morning.

596. 30 seconds back.

597. - Will. - Yeah?

598. I wanted to mention something to you, just for what it's worth.

599. - What? - I used to work at TMI.

600. There was a rumor— It was a little more than rumor—

601. that some of the guys at TMI would take protection money.

602. What are you talking about?

603. You give 'em money and your name stays out.

604. You just get in touch with Nina Howard, pay her what she wants—

605. - Are you out of your mind? - Just mentioning it.

606. They took protection money at TMI?

607. In three, two...

608. Welcome back. We go from Cairo to Madison, Wisconsin,

609. where thousands of people are converging on the statehouse

610. to protest Governor Scott Walker's proposed budget bill.

611. There it is. Can you see us?

612. - Yes. - That was real good work.

613. Thank you. I've got some excellent footage

614. of the disinfectant brigades.

615. What are the disinfectant brigades?

616. Most of Tahrir is old ladies sweeping up right now.

617. The kids changed the country, then they brought in the moms to clean up after.

618. The whole place smells like Lysol.

619. And they call it a nonviolent revolution.

620. I wouldn't say it was a revolution.

621. - Why's that? - The army's still in charge.

622. So I suppose I'd call it a military coup.

623. But we'll get there.

624. For the moment, we traded an 82-year-old dictator

625. for a 79-year-old field marshal

626. who's been called Mubarak's poodle.

627. Who called him Mubarak's poodle?

628. Your State Department

629. in emails released by WikiLeaks.

630. - WikiLeaks. - The army's not the good guys?

631. I think that's where to go with the story.

632. Will there be free and fair elections?

633. Will the army protect pro-Mubarak thugs

634. who killed hundreds in the last two and a half weeks?

635. I was in Tahrir the night they killed 91.

636. Old men and children beaten and shot.

637. Okay, brother, where do you want to go next?

638. The Ministry of the Interior.

639. If Mubarak wanted to throw you in a hole, that was it.

640. The army's got it cordoned off

641. and they're burning documents in the courtyard.

642. - That's a government building. - He's all right.

643. Kahlid, you get us film of the army burning evidence

644. and I'll personally come down there with a truckload of Lemon Pledge.

645. I won't let you down with this.

646. You understand the difference between a commercial bank and an investment bank?

647. - Of course. - Kenzie?

648. - No. - Investment banks are gamblers.

649. Commercial banks are where you have a savings account and a checking account.

650. - Can you balance your checkbook? - Yes.

651. - Kenzie? - No.

652. All right, so after the Great Depression,

653. Congress wanted to put a firewall

654. between the investment banks and the commercial banks.

655. They wanted to make sure that Wall Street could melt to the ground

656. and the commercial banks wouldn't be touched.

657. They passed a law, the Glass-Steagall Act.

658. Now you could be Gordon Gekko or George Bailey,

659. but you couldn't be both.

660. You with me?

661. I can't seem to stop hurting Will.

662. This morning was just fucked up.

663. Day side at this place just resents prime time.

664. And that's all that was.

665. - Is Will mad at you? - No.

666. That probably makes you feel worse.

667. And my saying that just then probably makes you feel

668. a lot worse than you did a couple seconds ago.

669. Do you have any human knowledge?

670. I have been told I do not.

671. Let's keep going.

672. I can't help but think this is all partially my fault.

673. I'm the one who didn't believe you when you told me that Will didn't cheat on you

674. - and that's why you— - I had to send the email, right.

675. Don't be ridiculous. It's completely your fault.

676. It's so unbelievably your— No.

677. I'm the closest thing to a female friend that you have, right?

678. Wait, are you saying that I don't have female friends

679. or that you're not entirely female?

680. - Which do you think? - The first.

681. Yes. So what happened and why can't it be fixed?

682. What happened was I was with a guy for a long time

683. who wasn't half the man that Will is and he dumped me.

684. - Later I started seeing Will. - I can fill in the rest of the story.

685. - Why can't it be fixed? - Listen, do you mind if we just talk—

686. - Yeah, Glass-Steagall. - The firewall, it worked?

687. It helped lead to the largest sustained period

688. of economic growth in US history,

689. a 60-year expansion of the middle class,

690. the largest increase in productivity,

691. and the largest increase in median income.

692. We also won World War II, put a man on the moon

693. and a computer in everyone's lap.

694. And you know what happened next?

695. We cheated on the perfect guy with a guy who dumped us?

696. Yes.

697. We repealed Glass-Steagall.

698. Why can't it be fixed?

699. Hey, I've got to write something on a Valentine's card.

700. You're used to deceiving women. What would you write—

701. - I can't find Kahlid. - What do you mean?

702. I haven't heard from him since Saturday night his time

703. and he hasn't updated his Twitter or Facebook.

704. - Have you tried contacting— - All his contacts—

705. Facebook, YouTube— No one's heard from him.

706. Guys, Elliot Hirsch.

707. Thank you.

708. I'm fine, really.

709. And thanks, everyone, for the calls and the emails and the flowers.

710. And the stripper dressed as a pro-Mubarak security officer.

711. You wouldn't think they'd have that outfit in storage.

712. - Come on. - Where are we going?

713. - Charlie. - Hang on.

714. Welcome back, Elliot.

715. - Everyone's really happy you're all right. - Thanks, man.

716. The coverage from the stringer, it was great Friday night.

717. - They told me that was you. - Yeah.

718. But I can't find him. It's been about 36 hours.

719. - Did you try— - I've tried everything.

720. All right, he's got our satellite phone.

721. The one the two of us were using.

722. You can get the provider to run a GPS trace to tell you where the phone is.

723. Good. Thank you.

724. Did someone here order a fascist thug?

725. No, we did this already.

726. - He's home. - Thank you, God.

727. I can't hug you, right?

728. No, my ribs.

729. All right.

730. - Elliot. - Yes, sir?

731. Don't ever fucking do that again.

732. - Yes, sir. - Will filled in Friday night.

733. I'll have Becky fill in tonight and until you're ready to—

734. No, that's why we're here. I want him on the air tonight.

735. - And shoot him from the neck down? - No, we show what's going on.

736. - Journalists are getting beaten up. - I know, but—

737. He took the lead for ACN on the biggest international story in a decade.

738. - You can't take him off. - It'll just be for a week.

739. - Just till my face heals— - You don't want to go on?

740. - Of course I want to go on. - Then that's it.

741. This is a great reporter who brought us a great story.

742. I didn't bring any story. I got beaten up before—

743. That's the story.

744. No, I didn't mean that that's the story.

745. I meant that— Yes, I know that we're not the story,

746. but, Jesus, God damn it, nobody's ever gonna know that he—

747. - We know. - That's not good enough.

748. Yes, it is.

749. Fine.

750. And the media, we're all effete, elitist assholes.

751. We're blow-dried clowns sitting in an ivory tower. Just look.

752. You're benched.

753. - Will. - Yeah?

754. I need to talk to you.

755. First, Maria Guerrero wanted me to relay a message that she feels terrible.

756. Why isn't she saying that herself?

757. - She's terrified of you. - That's fair.

758. Look, Tony thinks prime time looks down their nose at day side.

759. - That's all that was about. - Well, he really turned me around.

760. Tell Maria I saw her try to stop it and I appreciate it.

761. I will, but I came here to tell you that Nina Howard is getting ready to run another piece.

762. I don't care. Nina can write whatever she wants about me.

763. It's about Mac.

764. What is she writing?

765. Did she almost get her crew killed during an incident in Pakistan?

766. You've got her number?

767. This really works?

768. If it were me, I'd try it.

769. We're in the conference room.

770. Gary, why don't you tell your friends on day side

771. that if they've got any questions about Mackenzie's ethics, they can come see me.

772. Yeah.

773. - Get your head looked at? - Just needed a couple stiches.

774. The answer is yes, the Koch brothers had money in Citizens United.

775. A number of Koch-funded groups submitted amicus briefs to the court,

776. including the Cato Institute, which the Kochs funded.

777. They submitted a brief calling for unfettered corporate speech.

778. So did the Institute for Justice, also funded by the Kochs.

779. Their brief said that finance laws prohibiting

780. unlimited corporate contributions trumped the First Amendment.

781. And after the court ruled in their favor,

782. these groups spent a lot of money

783. to oppose efforts to provide transparency.

784. Here's an interview with David Koch and his lawyer.

785. Koch's asked about Citizens United

786. and he seems to pretend he's never heard of it.

787. Koch is in the foreground in the grey herringbone coat.

788. What do you think of Citizens United?

789. - Has it helped your influence? - Citizens United?

790. What do you think of Citizens United?

791. - Has it helped your influence? - Citizens United?

792. One more time.

793. What do you think of Citizens United?

794. - Has it helped your influence? - Citizens United?

795. Justices Thomas and Scalia

796. have both been frequent guests of the Kochs.

797. And between 2003 and 2007,

798. Virginia Thomas, wife of Justice Thomas,

799. was paid $686,589

800. by the Heritage Foundation,

801. which was funded by David and Charles Koch.

802. For whatever reason, Justice Thomas didn't disclose the 686,000

803. on his Supreme Court financial disclosure form.

804. Is it very unusual that Scalia and Thomas

805. didn't recuse themselves from the case?

806. If they had, Citizens United would have lost 4-3.

807. All right, the Citizens United decision allowed corporations

808. to donate unlimited amounts of money to any political candidate

809. without anyone knowing where the money was coming from.

810. But it also did the same thing for the unions, and they knew that.

811. So wouldn't the next step be to get rid of the unions?

812. If you're rigging the game, yes.

813. Excuse me. Kahlid's gone.

814. The satellite service says his phone isn't giving a signal,

815. which means it's either destroyed or very deep underground.

816. We sent him to get evidence of the army burning documents. He's been taken.

817. We have a local security contractor in Cairo. I'll start with them.

818. Will, you call your highest contact at the State Department.

819. And then call her husband if you have to.

820. Don, you've got contacts at the Egyptian embassy.

821. - I used to. - What do you mean?

822. Their government was just dissolved.

823. Aw, come on. We put the guy in that place.

824. - Neal, we're not losing him. - Jesus.

825. - Do you have contacts in the Egyptian army? - I do.

826. So do I. We can retrace his steps.

827. Snerdly, have you heard this?

828. The Egyptian army is rounding up foreign journalists.

829. I mean, even two New York Times reporters were detained.

830. Now this is supposed to make us feel what exactly?

831. - Are we supposed to feel outrage? - Neal.

832. I don't feel any outrage over it.

833. Are we supposed to feel anger?

834. I don't feel any anger over this.

835. Do we feel happy?

836. Well, do we feel...

837. kind of going like, "Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah"?

838. Do we feel happy?

839. Well, do we feel...

840. kind of going like, "Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah"?

841. - Oh! - Neal!

842. Hey, hey, hey, hey!

843. Give me your hand. Come on, give me your hand.

844. You broke a couple fingers. Come on. Come on.

845. - I'm sorry. - Shh, shh.

846. Let's go.

847. Corporate legal won't let us work with security in Cairo.

848. - Why the hell not? - They don't want to assume liability for a freelancer.

849. They say he can turn around and sue us.

850. Sue us? He's either a prisoner or dead.

851. Let's talk to Reese.

852. I'm the one of us who's pissed him off the least.

853. Let me do the talking.

854. - He's not in, Don. - I think he is, Roberta.

855. - Don. - Reese, get the fuck out here.

856. Don, he's not in.

857. Oh, God! Fuck!

858. It's a strong door.

859. So, do you know where he can be reached?

860. Ladies and gentlemen, 30 minutes to air.

861. We are live in 30 minutes.

862. I'm gonna put someone's head through a fucking pyramid.

863. Now get me somebody on the phone who— Thank you.

864. - You all right? - Yeah. It's sprained.

865. - The shoulder? - Yeah.

866. - Donnie— - I sent him down there.

867. I bullied him into going out on the street and they beat him up with a rock.

868. He went out there because I told him to.

869. I know.

870. Everybody knows. We're all jealous.

871. We wish it was us with the bruises on our face.

872. You didn't give him an order. You gave him permission.

873. I got him!

874. The army's got him. They denied it until they realized

875. somebody with money was looking for him. They say that—

876. - A fringe group has him. - Yeah, but it's them.

877. What does the fringe group want?

878. A quarter of a million dollars, US.

879. I'm gonna quietly run this by some people in private security

880. just to make sure it checks out, but, Will,

881. you're the only one who can get corporate to make this wire transfer.

882. You got the information on the transfer?

883. Nobody has to leave a bag of cash on top of a mailbox?

884. No, they want you to wire the money to a charity

885. called Intisar Charity Benevolence Fund.

886. They're practically letting us use PayPal.

887. A charity in Cairo?

888. No, a commodities trading fund in Dubai.

889. Talk to your people and I'll deal with corporate.

890. How you feeling?

891. - I feel great. - I'm sorry.

892. I'm tough on you and I'm—

893. I'm so sorry.

894. You couldn't have stopped me.

895. Thursday night, it was 75 teachers in Appleton.

896. Tonight, the number of protesters in Madison

897. is estimated at 30,000.

898. Governor Walker's office is feeding inside information

899. about their intentions to friendly groups

900. who in turn are paying to fill hearing rooms

901. with supporters of Walker's plan.

902. Wade's here.

903. He says you haven't returned his calls or texts

904. and he's not leaving until you speak to him.

905. Have him wait on the terrace.

906. It's about 10 degrees outside.

907. The reelected governor gave $140 million in tax breaks,

908. is being balanced on the backs of public sector workers who,

909. organizations like Americans for Prosperity believe, are overpaid.

910. You deserved a lot better.

911. We'll let you decide if they're overpaid.

912. - I deserved what I got. - The low income threshold in the US

913. is $45,000 a year for a family of four.

914. Average salary for an employee of the Health Services Department—

915. $45,805.

916. Children and Families Agency— $47,810.

917. Workforce Development Agency: $46,074.

918. And the average salary for a public school teacher

919. in Wisconsin—

920. $46,390.

921. Finally. Why'd I have to wait out here?

922. Because I wanted you to.

923. I've been calling you all day.

924. Yeah, when was your first meeting with the DCCC?

925. Look, we have to work together on this.

926. No, we can't work together.

927. And because you're not a moron, you already know that.

928. Hey, High Road,

929. were you ever gonna tell me that you and Will were together?

930. This was never gonna work, you and me.

931. You wasted my time.

932. So I got something out of it.

933. In this order— Leave,

934. lose the election,

935. go to hell.

936. She's in the back.

937. Anyone comes in I don't want to see, just buzz my BlackBerry.

938. I want this to stop.

939. I was rude to you at a party and I apologize.

940. Be a bigger narcissist.

941. You think this is happening because you didn't take me home on New Year's Eve?

942. Your ex booked her boyfriend five times—

943. If you called for a comment, I could have told you that I was the one—

944. Bullshit you want your ex dating a congressman.

945. - She didn't know the DCCC was— - Says you.

946. - Says her. - Yeah.

947. All right, the ethics of Wade coming on the show,

948. that was fair. You had every right to run that.

949. But to say that she almost got someone killed—

950. I'm running a piece saying you hired an incompetent EP

951. because she was your girlfriend and she dumped you.

952. I hired the best EP in broadcasting

953. in spite of her being my ex-girlfriend who dumped me.

954. You know, you guys up there are millionaires—

955. - I'm the only millionaire up there. - And celebrities.

956. - I'm the only celebrity up there. - Not anymore.

957. How does this work?

958. I'm thinking

959. about investing in a restaurant

960. and I'm looking for silent partners.

961. $50,000 a share.

962. - $50,000 and I'm a silent partner? - Yes.

963. - And you're a silent partner? - Quiet as a mouse.

964. - For good? - You'll have your own table at the restaurant for life.

965. Hey, Will...

966. we're journalists.

967. - I wish you hadn't said that. - What?

968. Everything would have been cool if you hadn't said that. You just talk too much.

969. You have a problem with me calling myself a journalist?

970. Only the elite few

971. who cover stories nobody cares about get to call themselves—

972. I've got a guy on my staff who got hit in the head with a glass door Thursday.

973. His forehead wouldn't stop bleeding, but he wouldn't go to a doctor

974. 'cause I got another guy who got beat up covering Cairo.

975. And the first guy wouldn't see a doctor until the second guy saw a doctor.

976. I've got a producer who ran into a locked door

977. 'cause he felt responsible for the second guy.

978. I've got an 18-year-old kid risking his life

979. halfway around the world, and the AP who sent him there

980. hasn't slept in three days.

981. I've got 20-somethings who care about teachers in Wisconsin.

982. I've got a grown woman who has to subtract with her fingers

983. staying up all night trying to learn economics

984. from a PhD who could be making 20 times the money

985. three miles downtown. They're journalists.

986. Come after me all you want, Nina.

987. Come after me every day. Look through my garbage.

988. Invent things out of thin air. That's what you're paid for.

989. But you touch my staff and you are walking into a world of hurt.

990. I have an hour of prime time every night

991. and I will rededicate my life to ruining yours.

992. I also want you to send a message up the chain

993. of whatever backroom machinery is driving this

994. that if I so much as smell Leona Lansing's perfume on any of this,

995. I'm going to make a meal out of both of you

996. and I won't stop until I'm done.

997. Look at me...

998. and see that I'm dead serious.

999. Restaurants are bad investments.

1000. Wait 20 minutes before you leave here.

1001. Tough-ass speech...

1002. - but you're not gonna win. - I don't care.

1003. I'm just a middle-aged man who never lived up to his potential.

1004. You don't want to be on the wrong end of me if I ever do.

1005. I got the drinks.

1006. 1980, Ronald Reagan is elected president

1007. and the culture of deregulation begins.

1008. What happened to Will? I haven't seen him around.

1009. He changed and ran out right after the show.

1010. Where?

1011. The culture of deregulation culminates in 1999.

1012. - Glass-Steagall gets repealed. - And immediately banks start merging.

1013. Now Gordon Gekko

1014. can use George Bailey's bank balance to make bets.

1015. Where's James Harper?

1016. That's Lisa.

1017. - Oh, my God! - Oh, my God.

1018. It— It's Valentine's Day. I forgot to meet her.

1019. James Harper? Nobody?

1020. If he is not here, I will stand here...

1021. - What are you doing? - Hiding.

1022. - Does this seem like a good plan to you? - No.

1023. - Get up. Get up! - Please don't make me.

1024. But I'm looking for Jim because he did not come.

1025. - Anyone? James? - Lisa.

1026. I am so sorry. It's been a very chaotic day.

1027. Where the fuck have you been?

1028. - Like I said, it's been— - You don't know how to use a phone?

1029. I might have a concussion, but still, I'm sorry.

1030. You're sorry? All right, in that case, I totally forgive you

1031. for making me wait alone in a restaurant for an hour.

1032. I appreciate that.

1033. - Unless you're being sarcastic. - She was.

1034. I thought there was an outside chance—

1035. - Did you get any of my messages? - No.

1036. - Wait, are you Lisa? - Yes.

1037. - I got your messages. - What?

1038. We accidentally switched phones again.

1039. - What happened to marking them with nail polish? - We both did that.

1040. You stood me up on Valentine's Day,

1041. which is 1,000 times worse than a regular stand up.

1042. - I didn't stand you up. - Yes, you did.

1043. Yes, I did. But I have presents.

1044. And I wrote you a card.

1045. "From the desk of James Harper."

1046. - Are you kidding? - I lost the card.

1047. - You're a jerk. - No, he's not.

1048. - Maggie. - Lisa, stop.

1049. - You know what? - Stop!

1050. Jim did everything right here.

1051. - Well, he left me alone in a restaurant for an hour. - Except that.

1052. - And didn't call. - And that.

1053. It would be hard for a casual observer to tell which side—

1054. Shut up. Lisa, he's a very decent guy.

1055. - This isn't anyone's fault. - It's his.

1056. It's a little bit his, but mostly

1057. it's just a very bad day.

1058. It's Valentine's Day. It's my favorite day.

1059. Then pick another day!

1060. Because it's every guy's least favorite day.

1061. Everyone's always disappointed.

1062. Valentine's Day is the bully of holidays.

1063. It forces love on people who aren't in love.

1064. - Cupid's freakish. - All right.

1065. No, I'm boycotting Valentine's Day from now on.

1066. Who's with me?

1067. I love you every day.

1068. Today's just an excuse to spend the night in a hotel room.

1069. I'm sorry. I was faking it just then.

1070. I think she can still hear you.

1071. I'm sorry.

1072. I'm really sorry.

1073. I'm still wearing edible underwear.

1074. - Well, if I'd known that... - Shut up!

1075. It's one big Jenga tower.

1076. You pull a piece out, put it on top,

1077. and the tower definitely gets higher,

1078. but also gets less stable.

1079. Will's back.

1080. Let's do this.

1081. Oi.

1082. - Where have you been? - I had to run an errand.

1083. - What kind of errand? - I wanted some gum. Got it.

1084. Let me tell you something, Billy.

1085. I ever find out you paid a gossip columnist money

1086. to protect me, I will beat you senseless.

1087. - And you know I can do it because I'm crafty. - I know.

1088. - Do you understand? - Yeah.

1089. I hear corporate wired the money.

1090. - Kahlid's home. - Yeah.

1091. Funny, because legal wouldn't even let us talk

1092. to our own security about Kahlid because of the exposure.

1093. - They changed their mind. - Hmm.

1094. Did you know that it was Bill Clinton

1095. who signed the repeal of Glass-Steagall?

1096. Yeah. Everybody knows that.

1097. Well, now everybody knows it.

1098. How are the lessons going?

1099. Corporate didn't wire anything. You did.

1100. He's one of our guys.

1101. Yeah.

1102. Speaking of which...

1103. It's not much, but I'd like to help with this.

1104. - Neal, you can't afford it. - Please.

1105. Sure. Thank you.

1106. All right, so I'd—

1107. - It's not much. - Maggie.

1108. Please.

1109. - What's this in the memo line? - Read it.

1110. "Coach."

1111. We want Rudy to dress for the game, Coach.

1112. You guys are missing your fife and drum.

1113. You did this?

1114. Happy Valentine's Day.