Feb 12, 2020 - Economy & Business

Trump's acquittal brings Fox News its best ratings since his election and inauguration

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The week of President Trump's impeachment acquittal was Fox News' fifth most-watched week and its highest since the weeks surrounding the 2016 election and the president's inauguration, AP reports.

Why it matters: Fox News averaged 4.27 million viewers in prime time last week. The basic cable network was bested only by major networks ABC, which televised the Academy Awards, and CBS.

By the numbers: Of the 40 most-watched programs on basic cable last week, 39 were on Fox News. The exception was one episode of Rachel Maddow's show on MSNBC.

Among its prime time slots, "Hannity" averaged 4.9 million viewers, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" averaged 4.7 million and "The Ingraham Angle" had 4.1 million.

Go deeper: Fox News hits record 2.5 million nightly viewers in 2019

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Axios

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Robert O'Brien: "I don't think there's systemic racism" in law enforcement

White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on CNN's "State of the Union" that he doesn't believe there is "systemic racism" among law enforcement in the U.S., arguing that there's "a few bad apples" that are giving police a bad name.

Why it matters: The mass protests that have swept across the United States are not just a response to the death of George Floyd, but of the dozens of high-profile instances of unarmed black men dying at the hands of police officers over the years.

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Axios

37 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Atlanta mayor on Trump's riot response: "He speaks and he makes it worse"

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms responded on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday to President Trump's tweets and comments about the mass protests that have swept across the United States, urging him to "just stop talking."

What she's saying: "This is like Charlottesville all over again. He speaks and he makes it worse. There are times when you should just be quiet. And I wish that he would just be quiet."

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Alexi McCammond, Stef W. Kight

1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Black Americans' competing crises

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

For many black Americans, this moment feels like a crisis within a crisis within a crisis.

The big picture: It's not just George Floyd's killing by police. Or the deaths of EMT Breonna Taylor and jogger Ahmaud Arbery. Or the demeaning of birdwatcher Christian Cooper and journalist Omar Jimenez. Or the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate harm to African Americans. It's that it's all happening at once.

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