THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020 

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Sacha Baron Cohen

Notorious prankster and star of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Sacha Baron Cohen retaliated against President Donald Trump and exposed Rudy Giuliani even further in the last day or so.

Last week, Trump weighed in on a shocking scene in the new Borat sequel which features Rudy Giuliani laying down on a bed and reaching in his pants while alone in a room with a young female reporter, played by 24-year-old actress Maria Bakalova. The president’s attorney has denied acting inappropriately and insisted he was tucking in his shirt after taking off his microphone.

According to Voice of America White House bureau chief Steve Herman, when asked by reporters on Air Force One last week if he’d seen the footage, Trump replied, “I don’t know what happened. But years ago, you know, [Baron Cohen] tried to scam me and I was the only one who said no way. That’s a phony guy and I don’t find him funny. To me, he’s a creep.”

Both online and in an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Cohen fired back in devastating fashion.

“Well, I’m sure when he was hanging out with his good friend Jeffrey Epstein, they probably spent a lot of their time talking about how creepy I am," he said.

Cohen also revealed that Giuliani had a private security guard seated outside the room where it happened in order to ensure “that no one could come in and out, which is actually even more scary, when you think about it, for her.”

He wrote "Donald Trump says I’m a creep. I say he’s an existential threat to democracy," and called Trump a "racist buffoon" in a set of tweets that went mega-viral

Everyone in the world knows about the Borat sequel. And Cohen's prior work, including more serious remarks, are being shared more than ever. That's great marketing.

MEDIA LOSER:
Laura Ingraham

Fox News’ Laura Ingraham mocked Bill Gates for his criticism of Trump’s new Covid adviser and recent Green Room Media Loser Dr. Scott Atlas, and said that she liked the White House official even more now that the Microsoft billionaire had questioned his bona fides.

Atlas  joined the White House coronavirus task force during the summer after President Donald Trump was impressed by his appearances on Fox News — where he routinely agreed with the president.

Since then, his tenure on the task force has been marked controversy, starting with his open dismissal of the CDC director’s Congressional testimony on mask wearing, being called out by Dr. Anthony Fauci for spreading misleading information, and earning condemnation from infectious disease experts for reportedly pushing a “pixie dust and pseudoscience” herd immunity approach to the pandemic.

Nevertheless, Atlas has become Trump’s most trusted adviser in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak, while the nation is now being hit with a third wave of skyrocketing cases. And Ingraham, too, counts herself among his most ardent fans.

Bill Gates, who has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in vaccine and infectious disease research, called Atlas as a “pseudo-expert” in a recent interview. So Ingraham and and her guest, cardiologist and Gateway Pundit fan fave Dr. Ramin Oskoui, went after Gates. 

"Scott Atlas must be onto something,” Ingraham said convincingly, “if so many of these multibillionaire powermongers are after him.”

“I like Scott Atlas more that Bill Gates went after him,” she added as a devastating follow-up to her previous piercing point about powermongers.

Still, despite the scintillating fare, the gripey interview earns no high marks.

The A-Block

Obama Roast

Former President Barack Obama buried President Donald Trump for his feud with 60 Minutes while speaking at a rally for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — snarking that Trump could not possibly stand up to dictators if “he thinks Lesley Stahl is a bully.”

Obama first addressed Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, faulting the president for wanting to take away health care from Americans. The Trump hit earned boos from the audience, prompting Obama to invoke the now iconic mantra: “Don’t boo — vote.”

The he unleashed on Trumph at length. Seriously.

Also Jared Kusher for a while.

It made Trump furious... at Fox News.

Texas

Texas is moving toward Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to NBC News.

Sassy!

The creators of South Park have put together an amazing YouTube series based on a fictional character, Fred Sassy, who is also a Donald Trump deepfake. It's bizarre. This one features Sassy interviewing deepfake Jared Kushner. It's ... kind of mind-blowing.

 

SEVEN DAYS OUT


With just 7 days to go until Election Day, the lead remains with the challenger but the gaps, and the margins for error, are hot topics.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE POLLS TODAY.

 

Tracy Flick

Reese Witherspoon revealed in a new interview that she’d consider running for office at some point in the future, while also stressing the importance of women being better represented in government.

Riots

Philadelphia saw violence and looting on Monday night as rioters took to the streets to protest the deadly police shooting of an armed African American man.

Several media outlets have said that at least 30 officers were injured after being hit with projectiles thrown by the unruly crowds, with at least one officer hospitalized with a broken leg and other injuries after she was struck by a pickup truck.

New Audio

New audio appears to show Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, lamenting his problems, including his father’s calls to a former business partner and calls from reporters asking about his alleged representation of a former Chinese spy chief.

Frank Luntz on The Interview: Trump ‘Will Not Win This Election’
If He Continues to Focus on Hunter Biden

Must See Clip

'ROCK-Y THE VOTE'

Tenacious D rockers Jack Black and Kyle Gass have released a cover of The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s “Time Warp” to benefit Rock the Vote. The star-studded music video includes appearances by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Susan Sarandon – one of the stars of the 1975 cult classic.

In addition to former presidential candidates Warren and Buttigieg, Tenacious D enlisted many other famous faces to help “Rock-y the vote.” Some of the stars who make appearances in the music video include Sarah SilvermanJamie Lee CurtisGeorge TakeiPhoebe BridgersKaren OJohn WatersEzra MillerEric Andre, and Michael Peña, to name a few.

The Best and Greatest Song in the World?

Links We Like

Amy Coney Barrett’s Confirmation Is Proof That Norms Are Dead
- Sarah Jones, via Intelligencer
The Left Doesn’t Fear Amy Coney Barrett, It Fears the Constitution
- David Harsanyi, via National Review

There Was Nothing Illegitimate About Amy Coney Barrett's Confirmation
- Kaylee McGhee White, via Washington Examiner

Justice Barrett’s First Act? Joining Trump's Dog-and-Pony Show.
- Jay Michaelson
, via The Daily Beast
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