THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Neil Cavuto

Everyone is talking about Neil Cavuto. That's because for two days in a row, the veteran Fox News anchor has faced attacks from President Donald Trump.

First, Trump launched a Twitter barb at Cavuto after A.B. Stoddard, of RCP, called the president's 2016 debate performances "disastrous."

It's a fairly indisputable comment. Trump's 2016 debate showings were insane. He's a weird guy! Nonetheless, it was likely jarring for Trump to see someone mock him so harshly on his favorite network.

It prompted a bitter tweet, which Cavuto addressed and fact checked by the end of his show. Bravo.

Trump wasn't done though. He made a rambling attack on both Stoddard, Cavuto and Fox News at his rally Thursday night.

He was back on Twitter Friday to suggest Cavuto's firing for low ratings (Cavuto's ratings are robust.)

Here's the thing. Everyone knows that Trump's feud with Fox News is utter bullsh*t. That makes his tweets attacking the network quaint at best. They are a good opportunity for Neil Cavuto to elegantly chide the president, earning a little boost in the ratings while he's at it.
MEDIA LOSER:
Pete Hegseth

Fox News host and former future Trump cabinet secretary Pete Hegseth takes the prize today for a take so hot, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has proposed a comprehensive plan banning it.

On Fox & Friends this morning, Hegseth made the stunning claim that Democratic lawmakers and journalists are the real "agents of Russia" for reporting on and being concerned about recent reports that Russia is trying to interfere in the 2020 presidential election — and are on Trump's side again.

“This is what they do, the Democrats the media fell for it. They keep falling for it. They hate Trump so much. They are willing to parrot what The Kremlin is saying. They’re the agents of Russia. Not Donald Trump, not this White House,” Hegseth said.

When all else fails. a good flipping of the script is usually a solid — if unimaginative — go-to move, but the problem here us that the origin of the reports that have created the uproar is... President Donald Trump's own intelligence community.

The call is coming from inside the house, Pete, and so is your loser of the day award.

 

The A-Block

Bernie Bites

Bernie Sanders has been on the offense since taking a commanding lead in the Democratic primary.

He may not have ripped off the heads of his rivals like Elizabeth Warren's best impression of a Francisco Goya painting at Wednesday's debate, but his barbs have landed with a bang.

In an upcoming interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, a preview of which was released Friday, Sanders took a shot at rival Mike Bloomberg.

"I think it’s quite likely that Trump will chew him up and spit him out," Sanders said of the billionaire former mayor of New York.

After Bloomberg's disastrous performance at his first debate, could Bernie have a point?

Bloomberg wasn't the only billionaire under Sanders's sights.

He returned fire at former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein on Friday, after the famed executive trashed Sanders in an interview.

“I think I might find it harder to vote for Bernie than for Trump,” Blankfein told the FT over a Pinot Noir.

Sanders had a curt response on Twitter: "I welcome the hatred of the crooks who destroyed our economy."

Trump Marches

Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in December. He was acquitted in February, but with one particular Republican voting to convict, technically making his the first bipartisan conviction vote of a president.

Think public support for Trump would have plummeted after months of a grueling impeachment probe? Think again.

A new Gallup poll showed Trump above water in public approval for one of the rare few times of his presidency (49% to 48%).

He appears buoyed by one staggering number in the poll: satisfaction with “the way things are going in the U.S.” is at its highest since 2005.

Granted, that number is only at 45%. We're all a little cynical it seems.

Regardless, those are daunting numbers for Democrats going into 2020.

Choose Your Battle

This Saturday, the highly anticipated Nevada caucuses are going down. Nevada is an important state, as it's far more diverse than Iowa and New Hampshire. Caucus sites open at 1 p.m. EST, and results will start coming in at 3 p.m.

You can follow along with our obsessive coverage on Mediaite.com.

Already exhausted by the 2020 primary election season? Want to see two people literally beat the crap out of each other on a world stage?

We've got something for that too. The heavyweight championship boxing match between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury goes down Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mediaite's Joe DePaolo explains here why this is a fight you can't miss.

A Cheat Sheet

So who is going to actually win in Nevada? The consensus is that Bernie Sanders will take the state.

Per the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders is favored to win the caucuses — buoyed by his support among young people, Latinos and very liberal voters, a coalition that he hopes will carry him to success across the country."

“If Sanders wins here by a large margin, I think he has a chance to win South Carolina and be in a very strong position going into Super Tuesday,” Nevada Independent editor Jon Ralston told the Times. “But if he does not, if there’s an upset or if Joe Biden finishes a strong second and stories are written about how he’s the comeback kid, that could change everything.”

Must-See Clip of the Day

Chasten Buttigieg Responds to Rush Limbaugh

Pete Buttigieg's husband Chasten took on Rush Limbaugh in an interview with ABC after the radio host's controversial comments about the couple kissing on stage.

In the interview, Chasten said he's "been dealing with the likes of Rush Limbaugh" his "entire life," and added, "What I’m actually worried about are the young people in this country who are watching the historic nature of this campaign… wondering if this country is actually a safe place for them to be."

"I know what it’s like to feel like this country doesn’t stand for you," he continued.

Watch that here.

Links We Like

The Times finds out what happened between E Jean Carroll and ELLE Magazine
via NY Times
Condé ends NDAs 
- via Daily Beast

Meet the Tenant: Chuck Todd was once Amy Klobuchar's landlord
- via Page Six
What do Chloe Sevigny, The Strokes, Boots Riley, John Cusack and Cardi B have in common? They Bern hard.
- via Vanity Fair
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