THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2020 

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Donald Trump

President Donald Trump is the most admired man in America.

That’s according to Gallup, which just released its annual survey tracking the most admired man. Trump edged out former President Barack Obama for the honor, with 18% of respondents selecting him, compared to 15% opting for his predecessor.

Trump benefitted from some ticket-splitting of sorts as President-elect Joe Biden siphoned off a good bit of support from Obama. Forty-four was selected by 32% of Dems, down from 41% last year. Biden, the soon-to-be 46th, notched 13% support with Dems, and 6% overall, finishing third.

Of course, a sitting president almost always takes top prize. In the 74 years Gallup has conducted its survey, the president at the time has topped the list 60 times.

Not so much for Trump, however, who finished behind Obama in 2017 and 2018, and shared the top spot with him in 2019. In fact, NOT having been named most admired two years running might have been an even bigger accomplishment, if not a positive one.

Prior to 2020, Obama had been Gallup’s most admired for 12 years running, for the record.

Still, what can you get a relentlessly media'd media figure who already has it all? An asterisked win at the very end is, really, about the only gift left.

There was a fourth place winner, too. Yesterday's Media Loser. And of course, the Most Admired Woman was awarded. Guess the last name!

MEDIA LOSER:
Lil Pump

Rapper Lil Pump has been banned from flying on JetBlue Airways after refusing to wear a face mask on a flight.

JetBlue representative Derek Dombrowski told USA Today that the singer “became verbally abusive with crew members” on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles after being asked multiple times to wear a face covering. This resulted in law enforcement getting involved.

“His return reservation was cancelled and he is no longer welcome to fly on JetBlue,” Dombrowski told the outlet. “The safety of all customers and crew members is JetBlue’s first priority.”

JetBlue, the first U.S. airline to require passengers wear face masks, mandates that all passengers over the age of two cover their nose and mouth inside all terminals and for the duration of every flight.

Lil Pump made headlines last month when President Donald Trump invited the rapper on stage during his final campaign rally ahead of the 2020 election. The president mistakenly referred to the rapper as “Little Pimp” while introducing him.

Prior to his appearance at Trump’s rally, Lil Pump garnered attention for supporting Trump on social media and posting pictures of himself with the president’s allies, including Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Negative notoriety doesn't always mean a media fail. Just look at Trump's qualified win today!

But being booted by the Blue? Lil bit, yeah.

Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media 2020

See the reporters, anchors, correspondents, executives, and expert analysts who made this year's list.

The A-Block

Morning Fury

America's most admired man President Donald Trump turned his raging internet fury towards top Republicans, on Tuesday, calling for new leadership and characterizing the old as "weak" and "pathetic."

He even called passing defense spending a "disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission" in the onslaught.

Check Blocker

A vote on a House-passed and Trump-supported measure for $2,000 direct stimulus payouts has been blocked and delayed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who by way of procedural maneuvering has pushed the measure into limbo for at least a few more days.

For which he is being roundly slaughtered on Twitter. Seriously. The words "monster" and "hell" came up more than one time.

Also, Sen. Bernie Sanders let him have it in a fiery floor speech.

Also President Trump said Republicans would have to have a "death wish" not to pass this.

YUGE: Levin Splits Facebook

Fox News host Mark Levin says he has now and finally followed through on his long-touted promise of signing off of Facebook, after months of stating he would leave both Twitter and Facebook and make the switch to Parler.

Though, to be clear, his Facebook page remains live at this moment, with more than 1.6 million followers.

Let It Go

CNN counterterrorism analyst Phil Mudd slammed President-elect Joe Biden publicly calling out the Trump administration for “roadblocks” and “obstruction” in the transition process.

"I don’t care if the president’s team is a pain in the ass. We’ve got 23 days. Let it go and give us a positive picture," he said.

Wonder Woman $16.7

Despite premiering simultaneously on HBO Max, Wonder Woman 1984 scored the best box office debut of the pandemic, opening with $16.7 million in the United States and Canada over the Christmas weekend.

Although 2017’s Wonder Woman grossed $103 million in the U.S. its debut weekend, and films typically have stronger openings during the holiday season, Warner Bros. views the numbers as a huge success — showing how much the pandemic has impacted the industry.

The film premiered on Dec. 25 as part of a groundbreaking Warner Bros. deal, which will also work to debut all of the studio’s 2021 titles on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters.

The decision was treated as villainous by critics, but the heroic haul it has lassoed may show a less dire future for theaters than grim forecasts project.

Fox Airs Blatantly Deceptive Ad

Though the 2020 general election occurred roughly two months ago, the Trump campaign just released a new campaign ad that claims voter fraud occurred at a Dekalb County, Georgia polling location.

The 30-second spot relies on now infamous security footage that Rudy Giuliani claims shows clear malfeasance by local poll workers. Except that it doesn’t and has been debunked by Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is himself a Trump supporter.

The clip has also been debunked by numerous news outlets, including Fox News. So why is Fox News airing a blatantly deceptive advertisement that runs counter to their own news reporting? Great question!

Read more here, from Mediaite's Colby Hall.

The Interview, Episode #013 - Rachel Maddow
ICYMI: Rachel Maddow appeared on the latest episode of Mediaite podcast The Interview. Listen to the full episode now...

Must Listen Clip

Embarrassing

ABC News chief legal analyst and Mediaite founder Dan Abrams thoroughly dismantled the “embarrassing” and “un-American” lawsuit brought by far right House Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) that would empower Vice President Mike Pence to ignore the Electoral College certification of President-elect Joe Biden.

“I think it’s important to provide the necessary context, and the context is: This is craaazy!” said Abrams on Monday.

It is that and so much more.

Oh and while we're at it, CNN's John Harwood called ploys from Republicans like Gohmert and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick a "bottomless pit of nuttery." So there's that.

Links We Like

The Resistance's Breakup With The Media Is At Hand
- McKay Coppins, The Atlantic
Trump's Populist Last Stand
- Susan Crabtree, RealClearPolitics

Behold, the Delivery Revolution
- Rich Lowry, National Review

Nero Fiddled. Trump Plays Golf
- Dean Obeidallah, CNN 
Opinion
San Diego's 'Anti-Racist' Grading System Will Fail Disadvantaged Students
- Robby Soave, Reason
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