“A Complete Sh*t Show”: Inside the Gawker-Fusion Media Fiasco

[View this email in your browser]( [images-hive-logo (1).jpg]( “A Complete Sh*t Show”: Inside the Gawker-Fusion Media Fiasco Good morning! It was another demoralizing day for Donald Trump, dear reader, as Nancy Pelosi began shopping for a new speaker’s gavel. Allies fear the president is [about to go postal]( on Robert Mueller (or Jeff Sessions . . . [or Rod Rosenstein](. The F.B.I. raid on Michael Cohen has the [far right in hysterics](. And Mark Zuckerberg faced down the [worst-case scenarios]( for Facebook. But who wants to talk about yesterday’s news, anyway? Today, we lead with Joe Pompeo’s inside story on the fate of Nick Denton’s former Gawker empire. Chris Smith explains how Trump’s apoplexy over Stormy Daniels could be good news for Paul Manafort. Bess Levin recalls donor-vessel Paul Ryan’s proudest moment. And Maya Kosoff breaks down how Zuckberg turned his would-be congressional grilling into a tech-support session. We’ll be discussing it all on a very special edition of V.F. Hive on Cheddar, live from Vanity Fair’s Founders Fair summit, which you can watch [here]( at noon Eastern. (Guests include Stitch Fix C.E.O. Katrina Lake and Aspect Ventures co-founder Jennifer Fonstad, among many, many others.) We hope that you’re enjoying what you’re reading. Have a great day! [Isaac Lee partakes in a Bloomberg TV interview in June of 2015.] “A Complete Shit Show”: As Fusion Media Implodes, Will the Gawker Orphans Hit the Block? By Joe Pompeo Two years after its splashy acquisition of the former Gawker sites, Isaac Lee’s Fusion Media Group is careening into a new era of belt-tightening and downsizing. Will Penske or Diller be enticed to help them unload what’s left? “Why Hurry to Make a Deal?”: With Trump Raging at Mueller, Manafort May Be Gunning for a Pardon By Chris Smith His upcoming trial looks unwinnable. But pushing the anti-Mueller narrative could win points with Trump. Paul Ryan’s Proudest Moment: Setting the Country on a Collision Course with Financial Ruin By Bess Levin The House speaker framed the achievement in glowing terms while discussing his impending retirement. Zuckerberg’s Interrogation Turns Into Septuagenarian Tech Support By Maya Kosoff After preparing for the worst, the Facebook C.E.O. spent most of his time catering to senators who didn’t understand how “the Facebook” works. The Great G.O.P. Retreat By Tina Nguyen “No regrets,” Ryan insists, as Democrats prepare to retake the House. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, [vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com]( to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2018. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.