THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020  

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Brian Stelter

When CNN’s Brian Stelter had Trump legal adviser Jenna Ellis on Reliable Sources to talk about the the campaign and more on Sunday, the interview pretty quickly turned into a battle.

The Trump campaign sent a cease and desist letter to CNN last week, demanding they apologize and delete a poll showing Biden with a formidable lead over the president, which is consistent with other recent polls on the ex-veep’s 2020 fortunes.

When Stelter asked what legal claim they can make against the network, Ellis defended by means of attack. 

“The only reason CNN published this because it’s junk science,” Ellis said.

“Your comment about polling and industry standards is totally false,” Stelter countered. “It’s important to interrupt when you share fake information.”

It became a full food fight...and more than once. The fight went viral, and even prompted a response from the campaign.

"We condemn Brian Stelter’s behavior and call on CNN and Stelter to apologize," wrote deputy communications director Ali Pardo in an absurd statement.

Going to blows isn't always praiseworthy, but Stelter calling out flat-out falsehoods from a guest, and causing a ruckus, while doing it, certainly worked out in his favor as a media/PR win this time.

MEDIA LOSER:
Laurence Tribe

Prolific cable news guest and Harvard Prof. Laurence Tribe stepped in it when he tried to boost Elizabeth Warren for VP by telling Washington Post that while some people would be disappointed with the pick in "symbolic ways," he thinks that "African Americans above all would be the first to say they are more interested in results than cosmetics."

The reaction to that quote was fast and furious, and included an oft-repeated view that Tribe's analysis was "racist."

Throw in a mini-loser to Warren, because the subject of the Washington Post article was a letter from allies urging former VP Joe Biden to select her as his running mate. Unless the Post is burying some big names, their description of the effort is decidedly low wattage.

Former Pete Buttigieg staffer Rodericka Applewhaite, reacting on Twitter, said Tribe "has no business speaking for Black people" and that dismissing calls for black leadership as "cosmetic" is racist.  A succinct summary of the general reaction to Tribe's characterization. Not a good a moment.

Recent events have put Warren further in the veepstakes rearview mirror, and at least one recent poll shows that Warren has lost more than half of her support among black voters.

Having allies out there calling a black VP "cosmetics" ain't likely to help.

The A-Block

Book Report

President Donald Trump‘s niece, Mary Trump, is planning to publish a “harrowing and salacious” tell-all book in August, right before the Republican National Convention. 

One of the most significant disclosures she makes is revealing herself as the primary source for a 2018 New York Times investigative story that revealed Trump’s “dubious tax schemes…including instances of outright fraud.”

The book, titled Too Much and Never Enough, is scheduled to be released on August 11, less than two weeks before the RNC will kick off, and promises plenty of dirt and family feud drama.

Water for Elephants

President Donald Trump appeared to struggle several times during a commencement address he delivered Saturday afternoon at West Point, including stumbling over the pronunciation of the name of the legendary World War II General Douglas MacArthur, a ginger descent down a gently sloping ramp, and needing two hands to lift a glass of water.

He later tweeted about the walk down the ramp. after the clip had gone viral and hit all the media liveblogs.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said Trump's tweet made covering his ramp-mentum "legitimate."

Dictatorial Editorial

Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano tore into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for threatening to rollback plans to ease coronavirus restrictions across the state.

Napolitano joined Fox Business host Dagen McDowell on Monday, and said of Cuomo that "the governor is showing a dictatorial side to him.”


"You one-man homeowner’s association"

John Oliver went ballistic on Tucker Carlson during Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, ripping the Fox News host for his rant on Sesame Street before diving into his main story on facial recognition.

On dead racist losers

CNN’s Jake Tapper closed Sunday’s State of the Union by blasting President Trump for his continued defense of military bases named for Confederate leaders amid growing pressure to have them renamed.

Former Bush administration secretary of defense Robert Gates said on Meet the Press Sunday that it’s time to rename bases named for Confederate leaders.

“Opportunities are presented by events, and I think we now have an opportunity particularly to change the names of our military facilities," said Gates.

"Battle for the soul of journalism"

Fox News’ Chris Wallace spoke with colleague Howard Kurtz Sunday and expressed concern about too many reporters become anti-Trump “advocates.”

“I think too many reporters have fallen into the role of being advocates and, frankly with this president, anti-Trump advocates,” he said.

Hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine will stop being administered for emergency use on coronavirus patients, the Food and Drug Administration announced Monday.

Must See Clip

Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune

On Fox News Channel’s The Story, host Martha MacCallum read from a Reddit post that was shown on screen in a report on the self-declared autonomous zone around a police precinct, dubbed the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” or or “CHAZ” by the demonstrators.

The problem? It was a joke post, using quotes from the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

MacCallum read it aloud on air as if it were a serious example of dissent within the ranks and it was totally amazing.

Watch our clip splicing the Fox segment with the actual film. It's awesome.

Links We Like

Joe Biden needs to learn an urgent lesson from the 2004 election
- Michael E. O’Hanlon, via New York Times
God save America from fearful Christians
- David French, via The Dispatch
The pandemic hunger crisis has only just begun
- via The Atlantic
If Rayshard Brooks' shooting was justified, then PDs need to re-examine use of tasers
- Leon Wolf, via The Blaze
Is Black Lives Matter an idea or an organization?
-  Dan McLaughlin, via National Review
Twitter
Facebook
Visit Mediaite
Copyright © 2018 Mediaite LLC All rights reserved.

Write to us:  [email protected]

Problems with these e-mails? Update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.