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ABC's "World News Tonight with David Muir" is season's top newscast

Mike Allen, author of AM

David Muir introduces chief meteorologist Ginger Zee. Photo via ABC News

ABC News tells Axios that for the first time in 24 years, "World News Tonight," anchored by David Muir, won the season (2019-2020) as the #1 newscast in total viewers, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49.

Why it matters: In a sign of our times, Muir's dinnertime newscast out-delivered primetime, daytime, morning, late-night and cable.

  • Muir, one of the few news anchors who went into the studio throughout the pandemic, interviewed President Trump, George Floyd’s brother Terrence, and had the exclusive first interviews with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

For the week ending Sept. 13 (Nielsen releases last week's data today), Muir averaged 9 million viewers, NBC's "Nightly News with Lester Holt" had 7 million and the "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell" had 5.1 million.

Editor's note: Updates with 2019-2020 season.

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Mike Allen, Margaret Talev
Oct 24, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Post-debate poll finds Biden strong on every major issue

Joe Biden speaks Friday about "The Biden Plan to Beat COVID-19," at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

This is one of the bigger signs of trouble for President Trump that we've seen in a poll: Of the final debate's seven topics, Joe Biden won or tied on all seven when viewers in a massive Axios-SurveyMonkey sample were asked who they trusted more to handle the issue.

Why it matters: In a time of unprecedented colliding crises for the nation, the polling considered Biden to be vastly more competent.

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Jonathan Swan
9 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences — and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — stopped it.

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Axios
Updated 10 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: Coronavirus deaths reach 4,000 per day as hospitals remain in crisis mode — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution — Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead Operation Warp Speed amid rollout of COVID plan — Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
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