The Loudest Voice (2019): Season 1, Episode 2 - 2001 - full transcript

♪ up-tempo, dramatic music ♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[reporter 1]
Big news overnight--

Michael Jordan's possible
return to the NBA.

- [reporter 2] Hmm.
- Oh, boy.

- If 23 comes back, whoo.
- That is what the league needs.

[reporter 1] My kids will be
so excited. I will be excited.

[reporter 2] It's a good number.
It's my lucky...

[distorted voices,
static droning]



- Why is 23...
- Isn't it everybody's?

It's-it's Michael Jordan.

[reporter 1] Why would 23
be your lucky number?

- Well, I wore it when I played.
- Oh.

No. [clears throat]
They're trying to steal

my graphics and steal my look,

and now they're trying
to steal my people.

- [reporter 2 laughs]
- [producer] In three...

two...

[reporter 1]
I scored two points.

Hey, buddy.
Have a great day.

- Bye.
- Bye.

Ah, home late.

John? Yeah. No.
It's the wrong one.



[reporter 1] ...pushing
his theme of the week,

- which is...
- [baby fussing]

[newscast continues
indistinctly]

[Dianne] We need to talk
about O'Reilly.

Ugh, all right.

How much is that gonna
cost us to settle?

150 K.

150 K for a junior
producer, really?

What, did he get
handsy or something?

No, just talk.

She gets that 'cause she can't
handle a little newsroom banter?

That's...

Look, I know O'Reilly
is a pain in the ass,

but look at his numbers.

Just take care of it.

- I'm on it.
- [cell phone ringing]

Yeah?

[Jon Scott] Can you think
of any reason for a pilot

to slam into a building
of this height

on a day like today
if it wasn't intentional?

[NTSB investigator]
Well, it could've been, uh,

some inattention.
I-I wouldn't rule that out.

[Jon Scott] Um, I am reminded
of a couple of things

that happened recently,
Dr. Gross, not long ago,

uh, just a couple-- within the
last couple of weeks, in fact,

uh, there was a pilot...

Look! Look!

There goes another one.
We just saw...

We just saw another one.

- We just saw another one...
- [Roger] What the fuck?

- ...apparently go...
- Jesus Christ.

Another plane just flew...

Second plane...

- Roger?
- [Roger] I know.

I know, I know.

Get Judy on the phone.
J-Judy, get Beth.

Get Beth on the phone.
Just tell her,

just don't move,
just stay where she is.

I want to get a camera
on the roof.

I want Shep...
I want to get Shep

up there on the roof.

Just get everybody downstairs,
everybody downstairs right now.

Right away!

Right away!

[Jon Scott] Eric, I know
you have a lot of sources

at the FBI
and other agencies...

Sports scores are still running.

Kill the sports feed!

[distant siren whooping]

[distorted newscast]

[distorted, overlapping voices]

[reporter] ...the two towers
of the World Trade...

[overlapping chatter]

[reporter] And there is smoke
pouring out of The Pentagon.

It would appear that there
has been another major...

[indistinct newscast]

[sirens wailing]

Uh, step in so we can frame up.

[jet engines whooshing]

This is Islamic terrorism,
al-Qaeda.

None of us know
for sure yet.

W-W-We're trying
to get confirmation...

[Roger] Somebody just
flew two jumbo jets

into the World Trade Center.

Another one into The Pentagon.

The biggest suicide bombs ever.

Who do you think it was?
The fucking Quakers?

Roger, let the other networks
say al-Qaeda first,

like we did with
Lewinsky and Clinton.

This is not about blow jobs
getting us ratings, John.

- We're under attack.
- [Roger] He's right.

We don't know what else
can happen today.

There could be more planes,

could be subway attacks,
dirty bombs.

We have to be
prepared for anything.

It's not over.

We need a new graphics package.

Splashy. I want it to say
"America at War."

Chet, talk to me
about on-screen updates.

Uh...

There's a lot
of noise, uh, panic.

Flights grounded,
Air Force scrambled.

[Roger]
Get it all up there.

[Shine]
There's only so much room

on-on-screen, Roger.

Well, let's do it like
we do sports scores,

uh, but keep it moving,

like it's a Wall Street
ticker tape.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah, update after update.

Everybody needs to know
what's happening.

Who we got coming in, John?

Uh, some phones are down.
We're having trouble getting

in touch with anybody in D.C.
or south of Houston.

You know what?
Just get every NatSec

expert we've got.
You just put them on hold

for the whole goddamn day.

You make it an exclusive hold
if you have to.

This is gonna be a day
that defines us,

as a country and as a people,

and we just all need
to be at our very best.

[indistinct chatter]

- Bill, just give me a minute.
- Yeah.

I need you to
back up Chet today.

All right? You know
I love the guy,

but I think
he's lost a step,

so just make sure

we don't drop
anything.

- I'm on it.
- Thank you.

Roger, you need anything?

[door closes]

[door opens]

Rupert.

It's madness.

All of it.

Madness.

Are we ready?

We are in control.
Everything's up and running.

If we lose power,
the D.C. bureau

is ready
to take over.

- Dear God.
- [woman on TV] Oh, my God!

[reporter] We're not sure
exactly what happened,

but there was another explosion

on the far side
of one of the buildings...

[newscast continues
indistinctly]

[reporter] It appears that
the World Trade Center...

[overlapping,
indistinct newscasts]

[indistinct newscasts continue]

♪ tense music ♪

♪♪

[reporter] ...could be,
as-as a consequence of, uh...

of perhaps something
falling from it.

It certainly looks like
an awful lot of smoke.

There's another plane.

Where?

United 93 is down in a field
in Pennsylvania.

And we're watching that?

[stammering] Things are
moving pretty fast.

Look, just put up
a shot of the tower.

That's what everyone
needs to see.

Just run it on a loop all day.

We can't just show
the same thing over and over.

It's not a regular news day.

This is Pearl fucking Harbor.

[frantic chatter on TV]

- [sighing]
- [Chet] Fuck.

Do we even have anything else?

[Shine] They, um, uh, shut down
Pennsylvania Avenue, evacu...

No, not words. Images, visuals.
What do we got?

[Moody]
Uh, jumpers.

What?

From the North Tower.
Jumpers.

Let's see that.

All right, patch it through
to the war room.

[gasping]

[Brian]
Oh, Jesus.

Does anybody else
have this footage?

[Moody] If they do,
they haven't aired it.

We can't put that
on the air.

At least not yet.

It's too soon.

Run it.

We need everyone
in the goddamn world

to see what these animals
have done to us.

Run it.

[Roger] I'm leaving
the office now.

I'll be there as soon as I can.

Just keep the windows closed.

Don't open that door
till I get home.

All right.

I love you, too.

Judy.

I need a fresh shirt.
I got to freshen up.

I'm going home.

Judy!

[sighs]

[coughs, clears throat]

Judy.

♪ tense orchestral music ♪

♪♪

♪♪

[panting]

[door opens]

- Oh, Roger.
- Hey.

- [Beth sniffles]
- It's okay.

I, uh...

Rupert's apartment's
downtown.

I told him
he could stay here.

I, uh, hope I'm not
an imposition.

- Come in.
- Of course not.

Here you go, Rupert.

Oh, thank you.

I'll just make up
the guest room.

Thank you.

Ah. Thanks for this, Roger.

I know it's a little
unorthodox, but...

Oh, no, not today.

The ground shifted.

I'm just gonna go
and check on my boy.

Yeah, of course.

[gasping]

Why did you bring him here?
Why did you bring him here?

Beth, he's got
an apartment downtown.

What did you expect me to do,
make him camp in the office?

- [Beth] What if he's a target?
- [Roger] Come on.

[Beth] People, Roger,
there are people

that want to hurt him
and hurt you.

- We need protection.
- Beth, calm down.

- Calm down.
- You're in Manhattan every day.

Zac and I are just here
by ourselves.

He's just a baby.

- Nothing can happen to him.
- Beth...

I'm gonna keep you safe.
Both of you. Okay?

- Okay.
- Come on.

Okay, you take Zac.

I'm gonna go and see Rupert.

Just stay calm.

- Sorry about that.
- [Murdoch] That's okay.

Always so perfect
when they're asleep, eh?

[chuckles]
Always.

Yeah, but wait till
they get older, mate.

Women, drink, power.

They see everything
that we've got,

and then they want it all.

They're gonna need
our help, you know.

To get through this.

If we get through this.

Oh, we will.

I tell you, those dirtbags,

they've got no idea
what they started.

They're gonna get
obliterated, crushed.

We're gonna turn their fucking
cave houses into sand.

Fox News...

...we got a big job
ahead of us.

Yeah, but this is no time
for politics.

It's way past politics.

It's war.

And I'm gonna make goddamn sure
that my son...

he doesn't have to inherit
some fucked-up

towel-head terrorist world.

We got a big part
to play.

This is our time, Rupert.

This is our time.

[George W. Bush on TV]
And I want you all to know

that America today...
America today...

[Laurie]
So, for Fox News Sunday,

I was looking at booking
James Clapper.

He's a Democrat who only
dresses like a Republican.

I'm not interested.

- Ex-head of the DIA.
- Next.

I think booking him
would be help--

Fine. Um...

We can get Richard Clarke,
NSC's counterterrorism lead.

Oh, you mean the guy
who didn't know

that Osama bin Laden
was gonna hijack four planes

and fucking crash 'em
into shit?

- No, thanks.
- [cheering on TV]

[George W. Bush on TV]
I can hear you.

The rest of the world
hears you.

- And the people...
- [people cheering]

And the people who knocked
these buildings down

will hear all of us soon.

- [crowd cheering]
- [knock, door opens]

- [Judy] Roger?
- Not now.

It's Karl Rove on two.

[crowd on TV]
USA! USA! USA!

Go.

[sound muted]

- [sighs]
- [door opens]

[door closes]

Good morning, Karl.

[Rove] Hello, Roger.
You watching the speech?

I am, actually.

Optics look great.

I spoke with the president.

We'd like your help
moving forward.

Whatever you need, Karl.

[Rove]
Now, this event

is a national tragedy.

But it is an opportunity

to achieve
a strategic objective.

- Iraq?
- Yes.

You want to go back?

The president feels
there's unfinished business.

I agree.

Now, we'd have to
message this correctly.

It's a new kind of war.

It will be
an international mission.

A worldwide hunt
to destroy terrorism.

- Exactly.
- You know, Rove,

my take on this:

If the president steps up,

if the president takes the
harshest possible measures...

...the country will back him.

Fox News will back him.

Can you put some thoughts down
on paper for the president?

I think your messaging would
help move things forward.

Absolutely, Karl.
Be my pleasure.

Thank you, Roger.
Have a good day.

Judy, bring a pad.

[Roger]
The way I see it is that

we are actually
in the middle of a war.

A war whose parameters

we're only just beginning

to fully understand.

I think, uh,
previous administrations

left the job undone,

which gives this administration

a chance to reverse that.

This is a war

that needs to be fought
on all fronts.

Whoever harbors terrorists,
they share the guilt

for any acts they commit.

- Roger, good to see you.
- Mr. Vice President.

[Roger]
It is an honor to be here.

I want to thank you for
all the work you're doing.

I appreciate that, sir.

- You're a patriot, Roger.
- [chuckles]

September 11 was a day
like no other.

We are dealing with evil people

who hide in the shadows
planning unimaginable

violence and destruction.

And I know there is not
a man or woman in this room

who does not wait on the day
that justice will be delivered.

And it will be delivered.

There is...

There is no neutral ground.

Those who harbor terrorists
share guilt

for the acts they commit.

This is a worldwide hunt
to destroy terrorism.

Whoever supports terrorists

will be regarded as hostile
to the United States.

We have no alternative

but to meet the enemy
where he dwells.

We did not ask for this trial,
but it has come,

and we will see it through
to victory.

[cheering]

[Roger]
Everybody?

Everybody listen up.

Gather round.

Everyone.

Come on.

Come on. Come on.

We may potentially...

have anthrax in the building.

Now, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Please wait.

A package was delivered

upstairs to
the New York Post

on the tenth floor;
an envelope with an

as yet unidentified
white powder.

And, Kasima, go and tell
the control room

I need somebody outside.

We're gonna go live
as soon as possible.

You, you had an anthrax expert.

What's his name? Simone?
Whatever the fuck his name was,

get him, all right,
book him. He was good.

Reach out, Anders,
to the National Enquirer.

They got an envelope, too.

I want to just get
a human angle on it.

- Mr. Ailes?
- Yeah?

If there's anthrax,
shouldn't we clear the building?

No, it's o-- Look.

I have been
reliably informed

that we're okay
down here.

Roger.

Anthrax, Lachlan.
We have a situation.

Yeah, I know.
It's being handled.

Handled?

I just walked in here.

Nobody here knew
anything about it.

Roger, the letter was
received at the Post,

a dozen floors away,
and it's been sealed.

The authorities
have been notified.

Is that right?

You leaving my people
down here, unprotected

and uninformed
in an emergency?

We have protocols to follow.
You need to calm down.

Calm down?

You're telling me to calm down?

We have the situation
well in hand.

We?! We don't have anything.

I run Fox News, not you.

I am the deputy chief
operating officer of News Corp.

News Corp owns Fox News.

I don't care if you think
you're Jesus Christ Almighty.

- I will do anything...
- [bangs table]

necessary to protect my people.

[chuckles]

We all care about the safety
of our people, Roger.

Yelling about it doesn't
make you a better manager.

This is my operation,
my people

and my responsibility.

One thing I don't need
is some schoolboy

coming down here,
telling me how to do my job.

You need to pull yourself
together, mate.

[Beth]
You're a hero, Roger,

protecting your people that way.

That was chemical warfare.

You did the
right thing,

but you need to get
ahead of it now.

How's that?

Rupert will give you
all the rope in the world,

but he won't stand for someone
disrespecting his boys.

What, so you think
I should apologize?

For doing the right thing?

No, not apologize,
but you need to go to Rupert,

remind him of your value.

What about Lachlan?

Oh, forget Lachlan.

You have all the leverage.

Fox is about to pass CNN.
You're giving him

the number one cable news
network on the planet.

That's all he cares about.

Yeah. Good.

That's good.

What about next time?

What if it's biological
or nuclear?

[sighs]
We're 20 miles from the city.

Please. 20 miles is nothing,
Roger. You know that.

The wind and the river.

We're just... we're too close.

[Zac crying over monitor]

Nothing can happen to him.

[elevator bell chimes]

No snacks?
[chuckles]

[Murdoch]
I eat in the dining room.

Right.

So, Lachlan.

You were out of line, Roger.

It was exceptional
circumstances.

This is a family company.

My father passed it
along to me,

and I intend to do
the same for my children.

[sighs]

Lachlan's young.

He has ideas. He wants
to do things his own way.

When he tries to prevent me
from doing my job,

uh, what am I supposed to do
with that, Rupert?

You're supposed to
get along with him.

I've tried.

Oh, come on.
[chuckles]

Your boy just doesn't like me.

I think he hates me.

Uh, I hardly think
he hates you, Roger.

But I'm-I'm not gonna
get between you two. Okay?

Well, you shouldn't.
I mean, he's your son.

I respect that.

[exhales]

Rupert, I think,
given the circumstances,

uh,

maybe he should run things.

I can take a step back.

He'll be able to get
Fox News over the line.

I'm-I'm sure
he will do a fine job.

Uh... I'm not
suggesting

he take a lead role.

Just do your job.
I'll talk to Lachlan.

I'm sure the whole thing
is just a misunderstanding.

Oh, well, I'm not... I'm not
s-sure about that at all. No.

No one underestimates what you
mean to this company, Roger.

Not me, not Lachlan.

It would be nice
to hear him say that

just once in a while.
Not, you know...

I don't need
continuous praise, but...

Lachlan understands
that the company comes first.

I'm sure he's gonna
talk to you.

Just stay focused on Fox.

All right?

All right.

[horns honking, sirens wailing]

[Roger] When they brought
those towers down...

...I believe they thought
they could inject so much fear

into our hearts

that they would shut us down.

And that our great country
would become impotent.

That's not gonna happen.

This is a war between
good and evil, and we...

we are not gonna be afraid
to call it exactly that.

And we should never
be afraid of patriotism.

Now, I want all of you
to start wearing one of these.

You step into the building,
you're wearing a flag.

You go on air,
you're wearing the flag.

You're screwing a hooker
in a cheap motel?

Wear the flag, Phil.

[laughter]

- Okay.
- Now, I got this today.

CNN have had a spike
in the ratings,

and that is just
not good for us.

Now, they have
three times as many employees,

they have five times
as many foreign bureaus,

but we have something

that CNN don't have.

Resolve.

We're gonna be fair,
we're gonna be accurate,

and we're gonna put
American values first.

CNN are gonna want to please

and appease
the rest of the world.

And we don't give a fuck.

Let them do that.

Let them do that,
because we stand with America!

- [cheering, applause]
- Yeah!

We're gonna tell people
what they need to hear,

we're gonna bring
them the truth,

and we're gonna fucking win!

We're gonna win!

[cheering]

Get those flags.
Take those flags out.

[Roger]
We need to drive the news.

Not just cover it.

I need you
to focus on al-Qaeda,

and I need you
to focus on Iraq.

[Moody] Oh, but there's...
there's no connection there.

N-Not between Saddam
and al-Qaeda.

You know,
there's new information

coming out
of the White House every hour.

Roger, we... we cannot be seen

to be running
Bush's propaganda machine.

That's just
not our job.

If anybody's got a problem
with anything I just said,

you need to go for a stroll
through Lower Manhattan.

It's still burning.

These discussions,
they stay in this room.

Leakers will be
punished.

Don't make me doubt you.
Not now.

♪ tense, atmospheric music ♪

[Roger]
You hear anything,

a negative thought,

a negative whisper,

a negative cough,

you let me know.

Of course.

See, press this button,
you can toggle between views.

Uh-huh. Anywhere I can't see?

[Warren]
Private offices and bathrooms.

Everything else is covered.

Why not the bathrooms?

It's sort of inappropriate?

What about if
a suicide bomber decides

to barricade themselves
in the bathroom?

What are we gonna
do about that?

I guess we'd have to
send in a remote camera.

We have those?

We can get them.

Yeah. Do it.

I'll let you know if
there's anything else I need.

[door opens]

[door closes]

[protesters clamoring]

[Hannity]
These people do not believe

Saddam Hussein is a threat.

Now, they're turning away
from the facts.

They don't believe
that we should do anything

about these weapons
of mass destruction

which everybody knows he has.

- There may be more?
- I'll show you the classified,

uh, documents right here.

This is a huge,
massive development.

It is dangerous to allow
an evil dictator

to remain in power.

[Hannity speaking indistinctly]

...between Saddam Hussein and
al-Qaeda, which some people

are saying
stretches back 15 years.

[Colmes] There's no evidence
of that. Nada. Zip. Nothing.

[Hannity] So, what are we
supposed to do, then?

Just wait for
the next attack to happen?

The terrorists are here,
and we're just supposed

- to ignore it?
- Of course not.

[Colmes] But the U.S. must
proceed with care and caution.

- [Hannity] Care and caution?!
- Yes.

-You want to wait
till Saddam Hussein...
-No.

...detonates a nuclear weapon
in Times Square

- just to prove he's got one?
- No. That...

If we wait until
you liberals get a spine,

America will be
a pile of rubble

ruled by sharia law.

- Oh, come on, Sean.
- We'll be right back.

- Good, good.
- And cut. Back in three.

So, uh, Alan's
starting to sweat.

I think we should
see him sweat.

Yeah?

No powder for Alan.

[producer]
Cut the makeup for Alan.

Cut.

Great.

[chuckles]
Shvitzer.

I need protection.
It's as simple as that.

Not from, uh,
just terrorists,

though the intelligence
community

have made it quite clear to me
I am a target.

And if I go down, well,
you know, it all goes down.

Yes, sir.

- You carry?
- Yes, sir.

Give me a look.

Oh, that's very light
these days,

- yeah?
- Yeah, very light.

Bernie Kerik tells me
you're a good man.

A man who can be trusted.

That true, Jimmy?

I've never known
the commissioner to lie, sir.

[laughs]

You know...
[clears throat]

a man in my position,

a very private man
with a very public job,

I need absolute discretion,
absolute loyalty.

I mean, I need you
to watch my back, but...

I keep my eyes to myself.

Welcome to the team.

Welcome back, Mr. Ailes.

♪ tense, atmospheric music ♪

♪♪

Slower.

♪♪

[Roger]
What do you think of this?

[Beth]
I love it.

[Roger] Oh, that's good,
'cause I bought it.

- [Beth] You bought it?
- I bought it.

- [Beth] Roger, you did not.
- Uh-uh.

You know what that is?

That's West Point.

You ever have any problem,
the entire cadet corps

can be here,
one, two minutes, max.

Thank you, Roger.

Hey.

You have no idea
how much this means to me.

Thank you. Thank you.

[newscasters speaking
indistinctly over TV]

[phone ringing]

[Brian panting]

- [Brian] What?
- [Moody] We got to talk.

[Moody]
Uh, Geraldo fucked up.

Okay. Fuck.

All right. I'm on my way.

[Geraldo] Uh, that area
where the friendly fire hit,

and, uh,

it was, uh, y-you know,
it was just breathtaking.

It's just so awful, the-the
whole area kind of vaporized,

little tatters of uniform
everywhere.

It was the saddest place I've
ever been in my life. I-I...

- This is a fucking disaster.
- It's not that bad.

It is that bad.

Tora Bora's 300 miles away
from where that happened.

Baltimore Sun's got it.
Everyone's gonna run with it.

[Brian] We have to issue
an apology. We have...

No, no, no. What, no apology.

Roger, he lied.

[Moody] Worse than that,
he got caught.

It's journalistic
malpractice.

We don't apologize.
If you need to get

out in front of it, Brian,
get on the offensive.

Just say it's the fog of war.

An honest mistake.

[chuckles]
"Honest."

Hey, Geraldo
came here from CNBC

because he wanted
to cover the war.

Because he is a patriot.
Because he's loyal.

Anybody in this room
ever been shot at?

Hmm?

Anybody in this room ever
covered a war on the ground?

Fine.

Honest mistake, then?

Yeah. He's our guy.

Go with that.

Anything else?

[Moody] Uh, we need to talk
about the Iraq WMD coverage.

- [Roger] What about it?
- Well, we are way out in front

on this, and it's totally
unsubstantiated.

So?

- So we need to pull back.
- Pull back?

What are you, a fucking
cheerleader on a first date?

- [soft laughter]
- Come on, Roger...

We got half
the goddamn country tuning in

to see if Saddam blows up
the world tomorrow.

It's a great fucking story.
"Pull back."

- Fuck you. Fuck you.
- Roger. Roger, they're--

What, are you getting cold feet
'cause the competition

is starting to realize
"fair and balanced"?

Yes, they're shifting
to attract our audience,

- but that doesn't mean--
- CNN would've shit

three babies
to run that first.

Roger, the details
aren't even sketchy.

They are nonexistent.

All right? There isn't
any there there.

I see what I'm dealing with.

John Moody,
fucking philosophy major.

John, we're giving
the people what they want.

Okay? This country
needs to heal.

We need to see
who we're fighting.

No more of this
faceless enemy bullshit.

Current face of evil
is that motherfucker.

And his name
is Saddam Hussein.

And when we rub his
fucking face in the dirt,

America wins.

And when America wins,

Fox News wins.

Hmm?

Judy, anchor room.

[clears throat]

40 years.

It's not a bad run.

[Chet] And it almost
didn't happen.

Right after you started
at Douglas,

I almost laid you off.

You never told me that.

Well, we were getting
killed in the ratings,

and the suits needed heads.

You were just
a fucking prop boy.

But you didn't.

I canned
a junior producer instead.

Poor bastard's wife
was expecting.

He was a drunk.

So said you.

[exhales]

You got to play it
straight now, Roger.

You're putting
everything at risk.

You're a newsman.

You want to play politics,
go run a campaign.

Otherwise,
stick to making television.

You control the number one
cable news network.

That's enough.

You're right.

And I could never have done it
without you, my old friend.

- No shit.
- [both chuckle]

Saddam Hussein-- how do we
deal with him as Americans?

He threatens America
by his existence.

One of the most dangerous
megalomaniacs on the planet.

This footage shows you
that we have

a Hitler in the Middle East.

...threat of Iraq
must be confronted.

- Joint resolution has passed.
- Joint resolution has passed

without objection.

...'cause the risks of inaction
would be far greater.

The day of your
liberation is near.

What the hell is that?

Now it's gonna take us
more work to stay here

than it took to get here
in the first place.

We can't get complacent.

- Take it down.
- Okay.

We have a situation.

Woodward?

I thought he was dead.

What are you trying
to get me to believe, Karl?

That you didn't suck up
to this sycophantic scumbag

- and leak my memo?
- [Rove] Roger,

I do not know how Woodward
got that information.

Oh, you don't? I do.

He got it from you!

I wrote that memo to you.

Only you and 43.

Now it's in fucking black
and white in Woodward's book.

Hey, I understand
you're upset, Roger,

but there's nothing
I can do about it.

You can climb out
of your shit-stained pajamas

and put out
a goddamn press release

saying Woodward is lying!

That's what you can
fucking do, Karl!

I can't get involved, Roger.

I'm a newsman.

This is making me look

like I'm playing both sides
against the middle.

You are playing both sides.

You fuck me on this, Karl,
I will fuck you right back,

and I promise you,
you will not enjoy it.

You got...

- You...
- [dial tone drones]

You want me to get him back?

No.

[reporter 1] Secretary
of State Colin Powell

acknowledged Thursday
that Osama bin Laden...

[reporter 2] ...is designating
a national day of prayer...

[indistinct newscasts]

[reporter 3]
...fear-mongering...

- [door closes]
- [Judy] They called.

[reporter 4] ...in front of
a joint session of Congress

to rally Americans to stand...

...a common enemy.

[woman]
Office of the vice president.

It's Roger Ailes.

- [Cheney] Roger?
- Hello, Dick.

This is about the book?

You're damn right
it's about the book.

I mean, come on.
Jesus Christ on a roller skate.

If he's gonna talk to Woodward,
what other ears is he bending?

Karl denied that it was him.

Oh, come on, you think I give
a fuck about what he denies?

- Please.
- I understand you're upset.

You should be, too.

You're about
to go to war, Dick.

All right?

And the rest of the country
outside New York City,

they don't know how they feel
about that just yet.

Fox News,

we can tip that either way.

The president and I
value your support.

We know we can't
do this without you.

Well, that's very nice
to hear, Dick.

But why don't you just
start acting like that?

I'll talk to Rove. You won't
have any more problems.

[automated voice]
Please deposit 50 cents.

I don't think
that's gonna be enough.

[Cheney]
I'm listening.

We want full access.

No more bullshit
from your press shop.

If I ask for someone,
I want that someone.

- Whoever it is.
- Fine.

I want Rumsfeld one-on-one
with Brit Hume.

- Done.
- Thank you. One more thing.

Look, you know, no more Rove.

If you want to talk to me,
just call me.

- Just call me directly.
- Understood.

- Thank you.
- Goodbye, Roger.

Stay safe, Dick.

♪ Barry McGuire's
"Eve of Destruction" ♪

[report] Saddam Hussein
is deemed by the White House

a threat to American
national security,

a brutal, murderous dictator
and a menace to the...

[George W. Bush] It is clear
that Saddam Hussein

is still violating...

[overlapping newscasts]

[reporter]
...to disarm Iraq

and cause regime change
in its capital.

We've reached this point
after a series of events

since a cease-fire in
the Persian Gulf War of 1991.

Now at 8 p.m. in Washington,

4 a.m. in Baghdad,
time has expired.

Saddam Hussein,
says the administration,

has made his final mistake.

War is imminent.

♪ Ah, you don't believe ♪

♪ We're on the eve
of destruction... ♪

[reporter] And now, clearly,
the cruise missiles

are raining down on Baghdad,

and the early explosions
have begun.

But certainly, for people

who are witnessing this
inside Baghdad,

uh, it must be
shock and awe indeed.

These are pictures coming to us

from Abu Dhabi television,
I believe.

[man]
12 feet.

Recommended depth
for a safe room.

♪ Take a look
around you, boy... ♪

Deeper.

♪ And you tell me ♪

♪ Over and over
and over again, my friend ♪

♪ Ah, you don't believe ♪

♪ We're on the eve
of destruction ♪

♪ Yeah, my blood's so mad ♪

♪ Feels like coagulatin' ♪

♪ I'm sittin' here,
just contemplatin' ♪

♪ I can't twist the truth ♪

♪ It knows no regulation ♪

♪ Handful of senators
don't pass legislation ♪

♪ And marches alone
can't bring integration ♪

♪ When human respect
is disintegratin' ♪

♪ And you tell me ♪

♪ Over and over
and over again, my friend ♪