The Newsroom (2012–2014): Season 2, Episode 2 - The Genoa Tip - full transcript

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This president is on track
to lose more jobs

than any other president in modern history.

We simply have to have an administration

which has as its leader a person
who understands how business works.

And how the decisions we make

from a tax and trade standpoint

affect the creation of jobs.

Hey, Cameron.

Good morning, sir.

Come on, man,
you can't keep me off the bus again.

According to Taliban law, I think I'm allowed



to run over your face with the bus
while making your sister drink Clorox.

Let's leave sisters out of this.

You're right about that.

- I can go on the bus?
- No, sir.

You guys are running for president.

You're gonna have to get used to bad press.

But as a Republican campaign,

what kind of experience
would we have with bad press?

- Yeah...
- How would we build up

that part of our immune system?

Cameron, straight up, the story I file today
will be about how the governor

wouldn't let an ACN reporter
on the press bus.

And he'll experience
a five-point bump in the polls.

- Cameron?
- Yeah?



Let him on the bus.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Just want to get going.

I'm Jim Harper, ACN.

How's Ben's ankle?

It's broken.

- The reporters were freed in Libya.
- We're reading it.

- It's in The Guardian.
- We've all got it.

Headline, "Journalists freed from Rixos Hotel
after being held by Gadhafi gunmen."

- Stillman, we're all reading it.
- "The group were freed shortly after they..."

- Seriously, Stillman!

We're reading the exact same thing
you are saying.

These journalists who've been trapped

for five-plus days at the Rixos Hotel

in the five-star prison,
as it was known in Libya,

are out, headed to a safer location.

So, great news, as far as we're concerned.

But the battle for Tripoli and...

It's me.

- Are you all right?
- Sorry.

Are you okay?

Yes, totally.

- Did you sleep here?
- I came in early this morning.

It's 6:00 a.m.

I'm moving back in with Lisa.

I didn't really want anyone to see the bags.

So would it be all right
if I kept them here till the end of the day?

What happened?

Don and I split up.

Did he kick you out in the middle...

No. No.

He went to a hotel.

Then I couldn't sleep,
so I just packed some stuff and came in.

- You should call him. Take the...
- I've called him.

I've called him a lot.

He's not taking my calls.

It's 6:00 a.m. He could be sleeping.

If it goes to voice mail after two rings,

they saw your name
and sent you to voice mail.

- Really?
- Four rings, they're not there.

Two rings, they don't want to talk to you.

All right, I have to retrace my entire life now.

But, you know, you and Don...

It was all me. It was me.

Is it okay if we don't talk about it?

Yeah.

I'm going down to the gym. You wanna come?

- Uh, no.
- Yeah.

Come take a shower and we'll get breakfast.

The reporters are free, the ones from CNN...

Yeah, I saw. Come on.

- Yeah?
- I need to tell you a story

Cyrus West told me last night after the panel.

Cyrus West question mark?

- Hmm, ellipses.
- I booked a bad guest.

How long do you guys
give people shit in New York?

Ask A-Rod.

What story did Cyrus West tell you
after the panel?

Have you ever heard anything
about a black op called Genoa?

- Operation Genoa?
- Like the salami?

Yeah, except it's named
for a kind of sail on a boat.

- No.
- All right. Well, uh, this is gonna sound...

I get that this is gonna sound crazy,

but West says about a year ago,

there was a MARSOC extraction
just across the border in Pakistan.

Two of our guys were being held in a village

along with civilians,
including women and children.

And he says we used sarin gas.

What made you think
that was gonna sound crazy?

- I know that it's probably...
- Sarin gas?

- On civilians?
- During an extraction.

The first team of MARSOCs
were overrun by Taliban fighters,

and a second wave of Marines
came in on a helicopter

a minute later and dropped gas.

- Sarin gas?
- Shh!

What you're describing
would have involved about 50 people.

Fifteen on the first wave,
15 on the second wave,

a ground crew to load the gas on the helos.

What 50 people could keep that secret?

You know the name of the shooter
in Abbottabad?

- No.
- Those 50 people, to start with.

You think SEALs are better
at keeping a secret than MARSOCs?

They're protecting the shooter's safety,
they didn't use nerve gas.

I can't believe we're talking about nerve gas.

- Do I have to go on?
- Mind if I ask you something?

- No.
- If I was Jim, would you be paying attention?

I am paying attention.

J.D., you don't have to feel
competitive with Jim.

Good, 'cause I was asked
to come fill in for him.

I really don't want to get calls
from our DOD sources

asking why we're pursuing a libelous story.

Can you assume that I'm good at this?

Can you assume the D.C. Bureau

didn't hire a senior producer who's an idiot?

- I never said...
- Can you do that?

Make your calls.

Thank you.

'Cause on the off chance
it turns out to be true...

I'll be there to see you accept your Peabody.

That wasn't even close
to what I was gonna say.

Lighten up, man.

On the off chance it turns out to be true,
people are gonna have to resign.

Jerry, you're talking
about a massive war crime.

On the off chance it turns out to be true,

people would have to go to prison.

Will asked me to come get you.

What was it supposed to be called again?

You can say whatever you want
in front of anyone who works here.

- That's why they work here.
- Genoa.

Like the city.

Like the headsail on a boat.

Cool. Anything else?

Nope.

- Why's your hair all wet?
- They don't have blow-dryers in the gym.

Do you have a minute today
when Gary and I could pitch you Africa?

You can't pitch me Africa. It's a huge place.

You've got to be specific.
That's what's wrong with your pitches.

- Good morning.
- I'm really glad you're here.

Elliot and Sloan
have been talking about closets for...

We're well into our sixth minute now.

My wife has always dreamed
of having a walk-in closet,

so I've hired a contractor
and I'm building her one.

Have you ever built an extension
on your house?

Never had a house.

It's like Vietnam. You can't get out.

Is it going to be great?

- The closet?
- Yeah.

On paper, in theory, yeah.

It's supposed to have
a whole shoe emporium, and a vanity

and a little step stool and a sunken, uh...

- Minute seven.
- Don't stop.

See, this is what I'm talking about.
Women and closets.

What about men and showers?

I've got an awesome shower.
I love my shower.

Where is she
keeping her clothes in the meantime?

- My closet.
- And where are you keeping your clothes?

- The shower.
- Oh, dude.

- Are we done?
- Yeah.

Do you want to do this or me?

- Go ahead.
- Will's been...

- I should tell 'em.
- What's going on?

The two of you are going to anchor
the 9/11 anniversary coverage.

I've been taken off.

What are you talking about?

- Oh, fuck that!
- No way.

- Hang on.
- Reese took you off?

It wasn't Reese and it wasn't Leona.

It was me. It was my decision.

Then we'll sit here until
we've talked you out of it.

- Nobody leaves.
- That sounds like something I'd enjoy, but...

- Why?
- In about an hour, I'm going to be

officially condemned
on the floor of the House.

We. We're going to be officially condemned.

- We all did the broadcast.
- We know about that.

There are boycotts and protestors,

and Reese got kicked out of a SOPA meeting,

and mostly there are 9/11 widows
and widowers and first responders...

What, like,
seven first responders out of hundreds?

- If all it is is one...
- There's always gonna be one.

I'm bad news right now.

When I called the Tea Party
the American Taliban,

there were people who thought
I was being reductive about the Taliban,

and the 9/11 anniversary isn't...

How were you
being reductive about the Taliban?

The Tea Party doesn't throw acid at people.

- But that's not the point.
- What is the point?

The point is I'm not
who I used to be right now.

It's not right that
I inflict myself on a profound...

- Jesus.
- ...national day of mourning.

So on the 9th or 10th, I'm going to get the flu,

and you guys are gonna take my desk.

That's it. It's not a big deal.

All right?

I'll give you any help you need,
but you'll nail it.

- Anything else?
- No.

It wasn't your decision, it was Charlie's.

I know, I was just saving...

Charlie doesn't need you
to protect him from...

- I wasn't protecting Charlie.
- Why didn't you just tell them?

It's embarrassing.

Right.

Excuse me.

- I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name before.
- Hallie.

Would you mind just framing me up?

Sure.

- Am I good?
- Yeah, go ahead.

Governor Romney began
a 36-hour campaign swing

through the Granite State
here at the rec center

in Keene, New Hampshire, where questions

ranging from Mr. Romney's health care...

That camera is pointed
nowhere near my face, right?

We're competitors.

Troy Davis.

I think he's going to get clemency.

- I don't.
- Why?

He's a black guy accused
of killing a white cop in Georgia.

That hardly ever goes well for the black guy.

He's not accused, he's convicted.

And it didn't turn out great
for the white cop, either.

- He spent 20 years in a cell...
- I know.

- Seven of the nine witnesses...
- I know.

...have recanted their testimony,

- and of the two left, one of them...
- Don.

...is the primary alternate suspect.

I've been covering the story, just like you.

Not just like me.

- You're right.
- I've been covering it for nine years.

I go down there every six months.
We write letters.

I know the man.

There's reasonable doubt all over the place,

and in three weeks, we're gonna kill him.

- Unless he gets clemency.
- Unless he gets clemency.

So can I suggest something?

- More coverage?
- Different coverage.

As a former prosecutor,
you can walk us through the trial

and the appellate process like nobody else.

- Pressure that was put on the DA's office...
- Listen.

...for an indictment,
how that can motivate them to take the path...

No.

- Just no?
- He had a trial and the jury reached a verdict.

Half of those jurors say
they've changed their minds.

He was granted an appeal
and the upper court decided...

- Burden of proof on appeal is set so high...
- I know.

...that seven of the nine witnesses
recanting didn't matter.

And now he gets a clemency hearing,

and then he can try his luck
with the Supreme Court.

He's received, and is receiving, due process.

It's not right for me to re-litigate the case.

That's a thin argument
when a guy's life is on the line.

No, it's not. Twenty years have passed.

Witnesses get fuzzy. They feel bad.

They're hounded by reporters and activists

and "What if I fucked up?" nightmares.

And as a former prosecutor,
I'd be pissed as hell

if some guy with an anchor desk and
an audience started second-guessing my...

Can you imagine how little I give a shit
about the prosecutor's feelings?

With the presumption of innocence,

a jury of his peers reached a verdict
and found him guilty.

And then they looked him in the eye
and sentenced him to death.

Did Troy have
the best possible legal counsel?

No, but on appeal...

On appeal he was represented
by the Georgia Resource Center,

which stated in an affidavit

that the work that they
were doing on his behalf was akin to triage.

"We were simply trying to avert total disaster

"rather than provide
any kind of effective or active representation."

In your file, you have a commendation

from Judge Bernard Sittenfeld

of the Brooklyn Criminal Court.

- Mmm-hmm.
- You approached the bench

and you said, "Your Honor,
I can win this case,

"but only because
I can beat the public defender.

"I'm no longer convinced that
the accused is guilty,

"and I'm making a motion..."

It was my case and my decision.

Look, I get that you want a pro-death penalty
crime fighter making noise,

but there's a difference
between reporting a story

and advocating for a cop killer.

- Alleged.
- Not alleged, convicted.

- Do you see any reasonable doubt?
- I don't get a vote.

- I'm just asking if you see any reasonable...
- Of course I do.

Okay.

- Wanna see some company history?
- What is it?

Will at the anchor desk on 9/11.

His first time in the chair.

He picked a hell of a day.

He didn't pick it.

Dan Marsh was grounded in Chicago

- and the other guy, Ed...
- Ed Wyatt.

Wyatt couldn't cross a bridge.

Julie Chen, Maria Herrera,

Ryan Crosby... The bench was pretty thin.

What was Will, the weekend anchor?

- Legal correspondent.
- Shit.

Here it is.

What is it? It's almost midnight.

He's been on the air for 16 hours.

Probably hadn't had 10 words
with Charlie Skinner in his life until this day.

Is there sound?

That's coffee.

- I didn't know how you like it.
- I'm sure it's fine.

It can be lonely in here.

I've been learning a little bit about you.

You're the oldest son?

Yeah.

You had to protect your sisters
and your brother and your mom

from a pretty violent father, it sounds like.

Do it again.

I've got faith in you.

Why?

I'm out of options.

You're back in five, four...

He froze?

I've been searching for biblical quotes.

None of them...

We don't know how many are dead.

It's gonna be a lot.

It's gonna be thousands.

We don't know who attacked us.

We don't know what's coming tomorrow.

And I don't know what I'm doing.

But I'll make you this promise...

I'm gonna be with you all night.

I'm not going anywhere.

I'll be right here.

John Chase is at the Pentagon.

Will, the smoke is still billowing
out of the western side of the Pentagon,

where at 9:37 this morning,
it was struck by American Airlines...

Finally, in the first national poll released
after Rick Perry officially announced...

- Come in.

I think if I slip out now
before the show's over...

- Let me help you carry your stuff to a cab.

No, I'm good.

I appreciate you not asking too many...

- What the hell happened?
- ...questions.

I shouted at a Sex and the City tour bus

that my roommate and I were
both into the same guy.

Someone on the bus taped the whole
thing and posted it on YouTube.

Someone Don knows sent him a link.

- Shit.
- And Jim was on the bus.

Jim was on a Sex and the City tour bus?

- Yeah.
- Why?

I'm just lucky, I guess.

- How many views does it have?
- 1,118 as of a half hour ago.

- And Don's one of them?
- It's a Labor Day miracle.

- Has Lisa seen it?
- No.

I sent an e-mail trying to get it taken
down under their privacy policy,

but I got an auto-response
saying it takes five days.

Then I tried getting it
taken down under their copyright policy...

The Sex and the City music and logo
can be heard and seen.

- And?
- Five days.

I can't think of anything else to try.

- What about...
- Foursquare!

She's gonna be on Foursquare.

It was a tour bus.
You really think the poster lives in New York?

The video's called
"Another New Yorker Loses It."

"Another New Yorker."

Somebody from Maryland
could say the same thing

- without the emphasis on the first word.
- Right here.

Oh, she just posted three minutes ago.

"My underwear is on gentle cycle

"while my love life
is being scraped against a rock."

And she's at a Laundromat in Astoria.

If she just put clothes
in the gentle cycle three minutes ago,

she's got another 42 minutes,
plus 50 minutes in the dryer.

I can take the 7 to Queensboro Plaza,
transfer to the N.

I can make it.

- I'm coming with you.
- No, I'm good.

I'm not letting you go to Queens to negotiate

with Sylvia Plath by yourself.

Come on.

Thanks.

- Ron Paul trails...
- And just like that,

- Perry's up 12 points over Romney.
- We can see.

And only two-thirds
of Republican voters know who Perry is,

which means that four in 10 who do know
who he is have him as their first choice.

We are looking
at the exact same thing you are.

Perry's gonna come back to earth.

He's a legitimate
conservative with a ton of money.

Eventually, he's gonna have to speak.

- Jim Harper.
- Stillman.

Not your phone.

- Jim?
- Yeah. Hi.

Hang on a second.

Hey. How are you doing?

I'm fine, thanks.

But I need to tell you something.

There's a YouTube video of me
shouting at the bus.

I'm sorry, it's kind of loud in here.

I can't really shout right now.

Okay, hang on.

Are you still there?

Yeah, but I'm getting on the elevator now.

What were you saying?

There's a YouTube video of me
shouting at the bus.

The whole thing.

Are you there?

Yeah.

- You remember what I said, right?
- Yeah.

I'm taking care of it.

I'm going to get it taken down.
I just wanted you to know.

Has Lisa seen it?

- No.
- Has Don?

- Maggie?
- Yeah.

- Has Don seen it?

Yeah.

Are you guys all right?

I'm moving back in with Lisa.

- Shit.
- I gotta go.

- I should call Don.
- I wouldn't do that. I think it'd just...

And he's having a hard time
with Troy Davis, so...

He is a really good guy and I screwed him...

- I've got it all covered, okay?
- Maggie...

I screwed him. You were on a bus.

Excuse me.

- Are you Erica?
- Yeah.

Do you recognize me?

What are you doing?
What's going on?

No, it's okay. You don't have to be scared.

Why would you even say that?

Sorry, that was stupid. I'm Maggie Jordan.

I was the one who screamed at the bus
like a lunatic that night.

That's my friend Sloan.

Okay, but I'm feeling a little ambushed.

- You're not.
- How did you find me?

- We haven't been following you or anything.
- Why would you say that?

I found you on Foursquare.
I'm not dangerous.

- Okay.
- I just need to ask you a favor.

I really need you to take down
your YouTube post.

- It would mean a lot to me.
- This is crazy.

- Yeah.
- I can't believe I'm talking to you.

- Well, like I said...
- I'm really curious.

- Did you and your best friend make up?
- I'm sorry?

You said, "I just spent my last $7
having a fight with my best friend."

Yeah. We did. We did make up.

And I said something in the video

that would really hurt her if she saw it.

That you like her boyfriend.

- This is so weird.
- Yeah, it is.

It's like I'm in this now.

Believe me,
you don't wanna be in it.

And was the guy who jumped off the bus,

was that the guy you were talking about?

- It doesn't matter.
- Was it?

I'd rather not get other people involved.

You didn't know
he was on the bus when you shouted...

- No. No, I didn't.
- What happened when he ran after you?

It doesn't matter.
I just need the video taken down...

- Are you guys together now?
- She said it doesn't matter, Erica.

How far up her ass
do you need to crawl before you get...

It's all right.

That was really rude.

She works a long day. We're all right.

'Cause I don't respond to things like that.

Me neither. I have a hunch we're a lot alike.

You don't even know me.

That's the thing,

I feel like I do, from reading your blog.

She writes this Sex and the City fan fiction,
except...

- It's not fan fiction!
- That's what I was about to say.

- It's not fan fiction.
- I take experiences from my life

and I write them in the voice of the characters.

Will you take down the video?

This is the most views I've ever had,
and it links to my blog.

I'm asking as a personal favor.

- I don't know.
- How many Twitter followers do you have?

I have over 300.

I have more than that.

I'm gonna give you something to tweet,
and I'll retweet it,

and in exchange, you'll take down the video.

- How many do you have?
- More than 300.

How many?

450,000.

- You do not have 450,000.
- She does.

Are you famous?

She's very well-known
and respected in certain circles.

What are you famous for?

Making other people rich.

Tweet this...

"As China's reliance on oil increases,

"investors would be well-tipped

"to look toward Nigeria
for the next supply boom."

That doesn't really do anything for my blog.

It's not...

Okay.

Use my account and type this...

"Check out this blog.

"Best SATC fan fic ever."

"A real-life Carrie Bradshaw."

Can I say Charlotte?

You know what? You cannot say Charlotte.

- You can say Charlotte.
- I like Charlotte.

Seriously?

Say Charlotte.

- Cameron?
- Yeah?

Any chance I can
get 30 minutes with the candidate today?

No.

Governor Romney continued
his campaign swing through the Granite State

with a town hall-style event at the VFW Hall...

For Atlantis Cable News, I'm Jim Harper

with the Romney campaign
in Alexandria, New Hampshire.

...in Sutton, New Hampshire...

For Atlantis Cable News, I'm Jim Harper
with the Romney campaign in Gilbert.

I was hoping you'd run a name
through your VA database for me.

Gunnery Sergeant Eric Sweeney.

- Maggie.
- Yeah, it's a very common name.

I'll take anyone
who was deployed in the last 10 years.

Satellite Sentinel Project
just released a report

that they have evidence
that the Sudanese government

is building mass civilian graves
in the Nuba Mountains.

Can I get the report?

- The whole thing?
- The whole thing.

8:30 we start
with a business roundtable

where the Governor will be talking about

how to fix Obama's stalled economy.

Then we go to Claremont
for an 11:00 a.m. Freedom Forum

where he'll talk about
Obama's stalled economy and how to fix it.

Lunch is turkey sandwiches.

And then at 3:00 p.m., town hall meeting

where Governor Romney
will be taking questions from voters

about how he's gonna fix the economy.

And Jim has a question already.

Yes. How's the Governor
gonna fix the economy?

He will be talking
about that today.

Any chance I can get 30 minutes?

No. But keep asking.

I will.

A Christian group
armed with knives, machetes and guns

- attacked Muslims in Nigeria.
- Give me everything.

Lieutenant Riley, my name is Jerry Dantana.

I'm with ACN, and I'm trying to track down

a retired Marine gunnery sergeant

named Eric Sweeney, likely Special Ops.

Eric Sweeney?

They were armed
with knives, machetes and bows

and attacked
Muslims praying during Ramadan.

Twenty-one people are dead.

Did any of them live here?

No.

In an historic address
to a joint session of Congress,

the President implored lawmakers
to pass the American Jobs Act.

The President used the phrase,
"Pass this jobs bill"

18 times during his address.

Pass this jobs bill
and we can put people to work

rebuilding America.

Everyone here knows we have badly decaying

roads and bridges all over the country.

Our highways are clogged with traffic,

our skies are the most
congested in the world...

Pass this jobs bill,

and companies will get extra tax credits

if they hire American veterans.

Jim Harper.

She says I need to be more specific

and that it has to have
something to do with us.

- Give me advice.
- Be specific and have it have

- something to do with us.
- Okay.

So I should probably get back to work.

- Jim?
- Yeah?

I just want things
to be back to normal, you know?

I'm normal.

It doesn't sound like it.

And I don't know
what the hell you're doing in New Hampshire

when you're a senior producer.

I'm waiting for Ben Furusho's ankle to heal.

- You're lost.
- Hey, you know what? Look who's talking.

All right.

All right.

Well, have a good night.

You too.

She wants things to be normal?

Um...

Yeah.

Why don't you?

I didn't like normal.

She's someone in my newsroom.

I didn't ask.

Okay.

Three "E's."

S-W-E-E-N-E-Y.

I'll hold.

You all right?

Yeah.

Can you think of anything about Africa
that's relevant to Americans?

It's the next place
US soldiers are gonna go to die.

Yeah, he was a gunnery sergeant.

They took down the towers,
hit the Pentagon,

and but for the heroism
of the men and women of United Flight 93,

would have destroyed the Capitol.

In the decade since,
the world's become a different place.

Our country's become a different place.

We've gone to war in Iraq and Afghanistan,

we've lost almost 5,000 troops to our enemies.

Whatcha got?

Netflix is gonna separate

the DVD-by-mail plan from the online.

I saw it. Bring it up again at 2:00.

Ron Paul won the California straw poll

and got Barry Manilow's endorsement.

I'm looking down at my papers
'cause there are things here that interest me,

and not so I don't laugh
at what Martin just said.

Um, speaking of laughing...

- Neal.
- Yeah.

Neal went to cover a protest
rally over the weekend.

- "Flip 'n' Fry Wall Street"?
- Occupy.

Twenty thousand protestors were promised.

- Did they get 20,000?
- No.

- Fifteen?
- No.

How many people came
to "Fluff 'n' Fold Wall Street"?

Police estimate
there were 300 people in Zuccotti Park.

Ooh!

You guys have to check out the e-mail blast.

- Please don't.
- This is what got Neal's attention.

Hello,
citizens of the Internet.

We are Anonymous.

- Seriously?
- On September 17th,

Anonymous will flood into lower Manhattan,
set up tents,

- kitchens, peaceful barricades...
- Oh. It's a Salvador Dalí mask.

- Guy Fawkes.
- What's that?

The masks...

Guy Fawkes.

...one simple demand in a plurality of voices.

- We want freedom.

Join us. We are Anonymous.

We are Legion. Wall Street, expect us.

This film is not yet rated.

They're cheering for you!

They're ironically cheering for a video
that had me chase a nonstory.

Well, next best thing.

Good morning.

- Good morning!
- Don, listen to this.

No, already you're making it sound bad.

Don, listen to this.

I just saw a convincing presentation

from the guys at B.A. Strategies.

The subject, audience retention.

Not in the sense of retaining your lead-in,

but actual retention.

Holding on to the information you got.

- Retention in the sense of...
- I'm begging you.

18% more viewers stay watching
past the first quarter of a show

- if that show features...
- No.

- Yes.
- An engaged Twitter audience.

You want me to do a whole show

with a bunch of little messages
flashing underneath me?

They wouldn't be flashing,
it'll be a scroll.

You can't turn your arm clockwise

and turn your leg
counterclockwise at the same time.

Try. You can't do it. Go ahead.

Well, obviously, I'm not going to do that.

It encourages a highly engaged audience,
and that's an ad sales point.

They why not do it on Will's show?

Mac would never allow it.

Don would never allow it
if he were in the room.

- Charlie.
- Don's back.

I've got an off-the-record source

and no second confirmation

that there's been outside
lobbying on the Georgia Parole Board.

- Real lobbyists or...
- Yeah, lobbyists. Professional lobbyists.

That's not illegal for the parole board,
just for the lobbyists.

- Which way?
- Against.

Three-two against clemency.

Gwen's on the air for another 23 minutes.

I want to have her break in right now.

How good's the source?

- It's...
- Are they saying money changed hands?

No, just they made phone calls.

The pope's made phone calls for this.

Well, my swing vote...

The guy you think is the swing vote.

Know is the swing vote,

didn't listen to the pope,
he listened to the lobbyists.

So I'd like to go over to dayside
and have them report

- that there's been a development in the story.
- No way.

Get someone on the record,

get confirmation, and we'll...

We'll keep trying, but in the meantime,

- I want to break in.
- Go with the story that...

You don't have the story to break in with.

- The clock is ticking.
- Same rule.

Call him. Say you've heard a report
and you want confirmation.

When he denies it,
then I really won't be able to run it.

You can't run it now.

Why don't I just call him and tell him...

I can just call him.

I could call him and say, "I know your name.

"I know your name, and if Troy Davis dies,
I'm reporting that you were the swing vote.

"I'm reporting your name, your address,

"and I'm gonna throw a Google Earth image
of your house up on the screen

"so we have a record of what it looked like
before it was set on fire."

You could put a picture
of his kids up on the screen,

say where they go to school.

Seven of nine witnesses,
and one of the two is a suspect.

What could the lobbyist have said
to the parole board member

that could possibly have been better
than what the pope said?

Do you have anyone
inside the police unions?

Nobody who'll tell me this.

Then you'll just have to wait
for the Supreme Court.

Yeah.

Okay.

Don...

I've never really talked to you
about the YouTube,

the whole, you know...

No. Yeah, man.

Uh, I appreciate it. Just...

Just not this minute, okay?

Yeah. No. Cool.

All right?

All right.

You know something about Troy Davis?

How did you hear that?

We're competitors.

- Hey.
- Hmm.

Nothing, I was...

I heard something was going
on with the parole board.

I have a source saying
the swing vote was lobbied,

and it's 3-2 against.

It's against the law for lobbyists...

I know it is.

It's not like I'm indifferent.

- It never occurred to me that you were.
- All right.

I can give you cover.

If you're worried about
coming out for a guy accused...

I don't need cover.

One of the witnesses
said Davis confessed to him in jail.

- Kevin McQueen.
- Then McQueen said he made it all up.

The court said
the recantation didn't mean much

because McQueen was so obviously lying

that the jurors
couldn't have attached much weight

to his testimony in the first place.

It was clear that he was lying,
so it didn't matter that he was lying?

That was the ruling of the US Court
for the Southern District of Georgia, yeah.

The recanting witness
who said he was coerced?

Jeffrey Sapp. The court said his testimony
wasn't damaging enough to Davis,

that if he'd really been coerced, his...

Testimony would have been more damaging.

Another recanting witness said
she saw the alternate suspect

- pull the trigger.
- Harriet Murray.

Why didn't she testify at the hearing?

She's dead.

The court won't give any weight to her claim.

That's 'cause she wasn't cross-examined.

- When did the burden shift?
- When he was convicted.

- He shot a police officer.
- No, he didn't.

The jury said he did.
The district court said he did.

I can only report what I know.

I'm not allowed to get involved in advocacy,

and neither are you.

And from what I hear,
I'm sure you were just joking

about threatening
the swing vote with exposure.

I'm sure I was.

- Hey.
- How you doin'?

Good. How was your day?

It was good. You want a hug?

What?

You want me to give you a hug?

What's going on?

Come here.

You're so full of shit, Maggie.

What?

No, you didn't!

I'm the typical single woman in New York...

I got it taken down.

It was taken down.

I went to a Laundromat in Queens

to make sure you didn't have to see it...

Erica blogged all about
her brush with celebrity.

She didn't think Sloan was very nice,
so she reposted it.

- Oh, Jesus Christ.
- You think it's adorable

that you're victimized
by your own life, don't you?

Like you're Holly Go-Fuckin'-Lightly.

- Okay...
- Don't misunderstand, I was moved

that your first instinct
was to impress upon me

how hard you tried to lie.

But Maggie just can't get the breaks.

- That wasn't what...
- A minute ago, I was kind of furious.

But now that
I know you went all the way to Queens

to try to lie to me,
well, I just can't stay mad at you.

- Please let me speak.
- Right here.

...where you fall for a guy
and he's going out with your best friend.

It doesn't work out! Things get really bad!

Get really bad for who?

Who do things get bad for?

You were talking about you, right?

Fuck Don, fuck Lisa.

We hear Jim's voice, and then
he jumps off the bus and chases you.

- What happened next?
- It doesn't matter.

- The whole thing...
- It matters to me.

- The whole thing...
- What happened next?

He came after me and we talked.

What else did you do?

"Don't you dare lie to me, Big Mike."

- We kissed.
- Yeah.

And then I went back to Don,
and Jim went back to you.

And the last few weeks, when I'd say
Jim sounded weird on the phone,

you said it was "all in my head"
and I should "stop acting crazy."

- I was wrong.
- Let's not rush to judgment.

Why did Jim go to New Hampshire?

To cover for an embed who broke his ankle.
That's legitimate.

Is it common for someone
with Jim's job to take that assignment?

No.

He left 'cause
he didn't want to be around Don and me.

- Last question.
- Lise...

Why did you fix me up with Jim?

I didn't. Don did.

And in fairness,
I'd been telling you about my feelings...

"In fairness"?
In fairness, you then turned into eHarmony

and told me over and over
that you didn't have feelings.

- Yeah.
- I mean, after all the breaking up

and getting back together,
and you're telling me over a year of this,

you didn't want him to pick you,

you wanted him to pick you instead of me.

- Hold it right there.
- Right?

- A little?
- You can't possibly think that.

No, I can. You're seeing me do it right now.

Okay, can we back up? Because one of us
is gonna say something we can't walk back.

I think it's gonna be me. What do you think?

- I did one thing wrong.
- Hmm?

I did one thing wrong.

I told you I didn't have feelings
for Jim when I did.

You parked Jim with me
until you and Don were done for good,

which you knew was inevitable.

You parked him with me
because you thought that was safe.

- No...
- Because Jim would never get serious

with someone like me.

I don't know what "someone like you" means.

I don't meet a lot of guys' parents.

That's because of the guys.

I'm used to being humiliated by guys.

I'm not used to being humiliated
by my best friend.

- I didn't set out to do that!
- But it was a pretty good perk!

Neither one of us can afford to live alone.

I'm your landlord. You're my tenant.

- That's our relationship.
- Lisa...

There's nothing more to say.
I'm just going to e-mail the link to Jim,

save myself a phone call.

But I just spent my last $7

having a fight with my best friend,

who, by the way, isn't available

at 3:00 p.m. on a Wednesday

to console me about some guy
because she, too, has a job!

Does anyone know who Anwār al-Awlāki is?

He became a radical imam
and organized violence against the US.

- Where is he from?
- That's the thing.

- What?
- He's American.

What are you talking about?

He's a US citizen.

Another American, Samir Khan,
was also killed,

but it was collateral. He wasn't targeted.

Wait, wait. al-Awlāki was...

His father was a Fulbright Scholar

and got a PhD at your alma mater.

Anwār studied engineering at Colorado State

and education at San Diego State.

An American was on the kill list?

Are you on the sidewalk?

- Where are you?
- I'm right over here.

Wait, I think I see you. Wave your arms.

All right, stay right there.

You made it.

You said there was
a rumor that Radiohead was gonna be here.

Is Radiohead here? Are those their roadies?

That was a legitimate rumor.

What the hell is a legitimate rumor?

Now that I've got you here...

You know how much shit I'm taking at work?

Congratulations on having a job.

There's nothing I can do for you.

I run News Night's website. That's it.

And if there's anyone
who wants this to be a story, it's me,

but this is just a dwindling local protest

with a rambling list of unfocused demands

that is more rambling and less focused than
when I met you four weeks ago.

- Something's going on up there.
- Yeah, something's going on.

All day, all week, occupying Wall Street.

All day, all week...

Hang on. Mac?

We publicly demand the administration

release the memorandum
authorizing the killing.

By we, you mean me.

He's got Fifth and Sixth
Amendment protection.

Look, I'm trying real hard to care that
al-Awlāki is dead, but I don't.

I don't care that he's dead.
I care that we killed him.

Without a trial or anything
resembling due process.

You can't switch teams,
declare your intention

to kill as many Americans as possible

and not expect to be treated
as an enemy of the state.

And you can't be found
to be an enemy of the state without a trial.

John Dillinger said the problem
with living outside the law

is that you no longer have the protection of it.

That doesn't sound like Dillinger.

Yeah, it may have been someone else.

Federal agents tried to arrest Dillinger
coming out of a movie theater.

And when he pulled a gun, they shot him.
They didn't hit the theater with a rocket.

al-Awlāki was the head of AQAP.
He doesn't get read Miranda.

- I don't give a shit what his passport says.
- You don't?

And you know all those times the two of you
ask me why I'm a Republican,

as if that's something
that needs an explanation?

I don't know what the hell you're on about.

I never heard either of you
ask anyone why they're a Democrat.

Well, it's right here.

The purposeful suspension
of common sense.

Treason is a crime.
You have to be found guilty of it before...

The White House Counsel. The DOJ.

There is a legal analysis.

There's a memorandum
that allows the President to do this.

Great. Can we see it?

Does it have a name or is that secret, too?

What's our role here, guys?

Demand the memorandum be made public.

You think it's gonna make our lives easier

if I appear to be defending a leader
of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula?

Who cares about our lives being easier?

I do! And you do, too,

or there wouldn't be tweets scrolling
through Elliot's show tonight.

Listen to me.

When I took you off the anniversary coverage,

I wasn't telling you to change your clothes.

It was about that particular day
and this particular moment.

- They didn't know.
- What?

We told the staff he took himself
off the anniversary.

Did anybody believe you?

Everybody.

- No.
- Nobody.

- Excuse me.
- Give us just a second.

Neal was arrested.
He's calling from the First Precinct.

- Put him on speaker, Maggie.
- You're on speaker.

What happened, Neal?

I went to an Occupy rally.
I did it on my lunch hour.

The police started arresting
people who were wearing masks.

There's a law in the books
in New York that dates back to 1845.

Groups of people can't wear masks in public.

- Were you wearing a mask?
- No.

Did you identify yourself as a reporter?

I did and I got some good footage

until the officer confiscated
and destroyed my phone.

Are you kidding me?

He still got the footage.

- How?
- Maggie, open up Ustream.

Shout out your name
if you're getting arrested.

I picked up local Wi-Fi to stream
the video back to my computer.

- Do you see it?
- We're watching it.

Everybody get back
and clear the sidewalk right now.

No, stop!

Good job, man.

- I'm gonna come bail you out.
- I'm doing it.

- No.
- Send the film to my phone.

- Can I help you?
- You've got a dis con here

named Neal Sampat.

I need you to void the arrest.

- You his lawyer?
- Yes.

- I'm sorry, but aren't you...
- Yes.

- Mr. Sampat works for me.
- Okay, well, Mr...

It's gonna end in an ROR
or an ACD anyway, so...

As I understand it,
he was creating a hazardous

or physically offensive condition
by an act which serves no purpose.

You're quoting 240-2-7,
and it's "no legitimate purpose."

He was reporting on a protest.

That's a legitimate purpose.

- Here's how this works.
- I know how it works.

Do you know the arresting officer?
Is he a friend of yours?

- He is.
- Has he ever been the subject

of a 1983 action?

If you're not sure, then he hasn't,

because it's a charge for civil rights violations

that never doesn't end with badges
and service revolvers being tossed on desks.

I'm sure it was a by-the-book arrest.

Anwār al-Awlāki was killed today.

It wasn't an accident.
There was no warrant, no arrest,

no arraignment, no judge,
no jury and no appeal.

- How do you spell...
- Not here.

A US citizen was targeted.

Another's on death row for the crime
of not being able to afford a good lawyer.

And a bunch more have been
locked up for wearing Halloween masks.

So obviously what I'm doing
is dealing with the easiest one.

Sir, are you feeling all right?

Yeah, I, uh...

I just had the flu for a while.

Everybody get back
and clear the sidewalk right now.

Officer, I'm Neal Sampat with ACN.

Why are these people being arrested?
The street isn't really blocked.

I'm not gonna tell you again.
Get the hell out of here.

This is a public sidewalk
and I'm reporting for ACN.

You want to fuck around, huh?

Which one of those two guys
would you rather be right now?

Void the arrest on Mr. Sampat.

I've got it. The reason to cover Africa.

National security.

Want to try not to shout
the words "national security"?

Jerry said Africa is the next place

American soldiers are gonna
go to die and he's right.

Do you ever think Will
might just be a douchebag?

- Oh, boy.
- And a little bit of a coward?

I don't know.

There's a whole continent
of news about to happen.

There are 54 countries on that continent.

- I need you to be specific.
- I'm about to be specific.

The war on terror is shifting to Africa.

Can you tell me three differences
between a Sunni and a Shi'a?

I can tell you more than three differences.
I was shot at by both of them.

And could you before 9/11?

No.

- Could anybody?
- No.

And was that good for us?

What is it with you and Africa?

I want to be the go-to person
on something around here.

You've got Martin on politics,

Tess and Tamara on the Hill,
Sloan on economics,

Kendra can book anyone in 10 minutes.

If you had to start
a news team with five people,

I wouldn't be one of them.

Gary and I want to go to Kampala

and interview the officer in charge
of the Joint Task Force

and get a full tour of Camp Kasenyi,

then come home and interview
the right counterterrorism experts.

You'd need to get the permission...

I already have clearance from the DOJ,
the Pentagon and both embassies.

You're green and it's dangerous.

I've been seeing wire reports

for weeks about fighting...

In the Sudan,
nowhere near where we're going.

And I'm not green and neither is Gary.

- Who's the president of Uganda?
- Yoweri Museveni.

- Who's the US ambassador?
- Jerry Lanier.

- What's the currency?
- The shilling.

Local customs?

The main religion is Christianity.

Women dress conservatively
and their independence day is October 9th.

We'll get yellow fever vaccinations
and malaria pills.

When you're kidnapped, your government...

My government won't acknowledge it

and my company won't set
precedent by paying ransom.

This is not a dangerous area.

Book your travel.

Yes!

We're going.

We just got a wire report.

Did you hear what I said?

Five dead and 150 injured in a protest.

How close to Kampala?

In Kampala.

Are you still up for this?

Yeah.

Then don't show this to Mac.

We're going.

Prison really changes a man.

You get a lot of thinking done.

- How long were you in there?
- About an hour.

Hour and 15 minutes.

It's slow time.

To Neal.

- Cheers.

Use your words.

Isn't it enough that they love you?

They'd walk into fire for you.

For you.

For you. I'm usually the one setting the fire.

Maybe I didn't love you...

- Somebody's got to...
- Shh.

What?

A hundred covers of this song.

Nobody sings it like him, not even Elvis.

Somebody's got to start investigating

the administration's
counterterrorism policies.

I know you know that.

- What's this?
- Tomorrow night's copy.

It's a demand to see the memorandum.

If I made you feel second best

Girl, I'm sorry I was blind

You were always on my mind...

He advocated organized terror
attacks against the United States,

including the so-called
underwear bomber in 2009

and the attempted car bombing
in Times Square last year.

He was killed by Hellfire missiles

fired from two unmanned aerial vehicles

commonly known as Predator drones,

and he is the first
American citizen to be targeted by the...

How's it going?

- Good.
- You busy?

Right, that was...

I'm sorry about what happened with Maggie.

You didn't deserve that.

Thanks for taking care of her.

- She's taking care of herself.
- Thirty seconds back.

Okay, well, people are at Hang Chew's
if you want to stop by.

All right, Elliot, listen up.

Breaking news banner.

- Cut the Twitter feeds. Just cut it.
- Ten seconds.

In three, two...

Before we move on, we have breaking news.

Troy Davis was executed by lethal injection

roughly 10 minutes ago
by the State of Georgia.

The Supreme Court in private reviews
denied Mr. Davis' request for a stay.

The family of slain police
officer Mark MacPhail was present,

and, with his last words,
Mr. Davis maintained his innocence.

Mr. Davis was 42 years old.

Troy Davis was convicted in the 1989 slaying

of police officer Mark MacPhail.

He'd go on to spend more
than half his life in prison.

In 2009, the US Supreme Court

took the extraordinary step of ordering
the district court in Savannah

to consider Davis' case for actual innocence.

A year later,
Davis' lawyers presented evidence

at a two-day hearing
before District Judge William Moore, Jr.

Four witnesses in the original trial...

- Congratulations. I just heard.
- Thanks.

Did you call Jim yet?

No.

Okay.

You have reached
the voice mail of Jim Harper,

senior producer of ACN's News Night.

Please...

Voice mail.

- Well, he's probably...
- Two rings.

Over the last several months,
organizations including

Amnesty International
have rallied to Davis' side.

Among those calling
for his sentence to be commuted

were Archbishop Desmond Tutu,

Pope Benedict XVI,

former President Jimmy Carter and several...

- What do you need?
- Follow me, please.

Eric, you're on with
our executive producer MacKenzie McHale.

- Okay.
- Could you identify yourself again, please?

Gunnery Sergeant Eric Sweeney, USMC,
retired.

Could you repeat what you told me
just a minute ago, please?

Well, it's real... Operation Genoa.

Sergeant, this is MacKenzie.

You're saying there really was
a black op called Genoa?

- Yes, ma'am.
- All right.

Are you aware that
you're speaking to the press

about classified information?

Yes, ma'am.

What was Genoa?

An extraction.

Was there anything unusual about it?

We used gas. We used it on civilians.

What kind of gas?

Sarin. They're all dead.

Are you willing to tell me the name
of the person you heard this from?

She's not understanding, Eric.

I didn't hear it from anyone, ma'am.

I was MARSOC.

Special Forces.

I was there.

Here are his final words.

"I ask my family and friends
that you all continue to pray,

"that you all continue to forgive,

"continue to fight this fight.

"For those about to take my life,

"may God have mercy on all of your souls.

"God bless you all."

We'll be back in a moment.