1 00:00:04,755 --> 00:00:08,995 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:22,035 --> 00:00:25,755 Speaker 1: One of the student survivors at Michigan State was a 3 00:00:25,795 --> 00:00:30,515 Speaker 1: student survivor of Sandy Hook, and at least three of 4 00:00:30,595 --> 00:00:35,555 Speaker 1: the student survivors of Michigan State where student survivors at 5 00:00:35,595 --> 00:00:39,315 Speaker 1: Michigan Oxford High School fifteen months earlier, and we can 6 00:00:39,355 --> 00:00:42,315 Speaker 1: say with all too much certainty that some of them 7 00:00:42,355 --> 00:00:52,075 Speaker 1: will also become survivors of Toledo, Dallas, your city, my city, 8 00:00:53,155 --> 00:00:59,475 Speaker 1: because mass gun murders are profit centers. Why does this 9 00:00:59,555 --> 00:01:04,675 Speaker 1: supposedly sophisticated nation abide the ritual sacrifice of our children 10 00:01:04,715 --> 00:01:08,435 Speaker 1: dron and our brothers and sisters and parents to the 11 00:01:08,475 --> 00:01:13,635 Speaker 1: moloch of insane gun owners like Lauren Bobert or Thomas 12 00:01:13,715 --> 00:01:17,275 Speaker 1: Massey or whoever, the ones who get some kind of 13 00:01:17,355 --> 00:01:22,395 Speaker 1: sexual gratification from owning and displaying and stroking and firing 14 00:01:22,435 --> 00:01:28,755 Speaker 1: weapons because it makes other people millions of dollars. That's 15 00:01:28,755 --> 00:01:36,075 Speaker 1: why we are owned by guns. And so we go 16 00:01:36,155 --> 00:01:40,715 Speaker 1: on calculating the averages and deciding if by age five 17 00:01:40,795 --> 00:01:43,075 Speaker 1: it is already too late to teach kids how to 18 00:01:43,195 --> 00:01:47,995 Speaker 1: play dead in their classrooms, And we go on listening 19 00:01:47,995 --> 00:01:51,755 Speaker 1: to fascist asshole madmen like Ron de Santist talk about 20 00:01:51,755 --> 00:01:57,235 Speaker 1: fortifying schools and fortifying movie theaters and fortifying churches, and 21 00:01:57,275 --> 00:02:00,195 Speaker 1: we go on listening to messianic button heads like Eric 22 00:02:00,235 --> 00:02:04,515 Speaker 1: Adams talk about giving more guns to more police, when 23 00:02:04,755 --> 00:02:08,115 Speaker 1: lease often turn out either to be the murderers or 24 00:02:08,195 --> 00:02:10,915 Speaker 1: the cowards who idle in the hallways as the children 25 00:02:10,915 --> 00:02:14,595 Speaker 1: of Uvalde are executed one by one, And we go 26 00:02:14,635 --> 00:02:17,555 Speaker 1: on listening to the fatuous idiots like the Missouri House 27 00:02:18,115 --> 00:02:20,635 Speaker 1: where the police said we need laws to stop fourteen 28 00:02:20,715 --> 00:02:23,515 Speaker 1: year olds from walking down the streets of St. Louis 29 00:02:23,555 --> 00:02:26,595 Speaker 1: carrying a R fifteens and the House voted a hundred 30 00:02:26,595 --> 00:02:30,155 Speaker 1: and four to thirty nine to keep open carry legal 31 00:02:30,315 --> 00:02:34,555 Speaker 1: in Missouri for kids, and we go on listening to 32 00:02:34,675 --> 00:02:38,395 Speaker 1: a moral monsters like Donald Trump talk about arming teachers 33 00:02:38,435 --> 00:02:40,915 Speaker 1: and bringing back firing squads, and we listened to these 34 00:02:41,115 --> 00:02:45,075 Speaker 1: paid scumb Republicans bribed by the gun manufacturers and the 35 00:02:45,115 --> 00:02:48,235 Speaker 1: gun organizations, recite what they have been paid to say 36 00:02:48,275 --> 00:02:53,075 Speaker 1: about responsible gun owners, when after half a million gun 37 00:02:53,115 --> 00:02:56,435 Speaker 1: deaths in this country in the last ten or twelve years, 38 00:02:56,635 --> 00:02:59,315 Speaker 1: it is no longer in doubt, there are no longer 39 00:02:59,355 --> 00:03:08,315 Speaker 1: any responsible gun owners on this nightmare so familiar, so routine, 40 00:03:08,635 --> 00:03:13,195 Speaker 1: and so constant that we no longer remember the details, 41 00:03:14,075 --> 00:03:18,115 Speaker 1: or the location, or the motive were the sequence of them, 42 00:03:18,115 --> 00:03:20,395 Speaker 1: And now we are no longer even remembering that there 43 00:03:20,595 --> 00:03:24,275 Speaker 1: was a nightmare last night or the night before, and 44 00:03:24,315 --> 00:03:28,475 Speaker 1: we're now marbling them into other things in American life, 45 00:03:28,515 --> 00:03:31,995 Speaker 1: as if they were snowstorms or flight delays. And a 46 00:03:32,075 --> 00:03:35,475 Speaker 1: hockey podcaster begins by saying, well, it's tough to do 47 00:03:35,515 --> 00:03:38,395 Speaker 1: this after the Michigan State news, but let's talk about 48 00:03:38,395 --> 00:03:42,035 Speaker 1: the Carolina hurricanes needs at the deadline, and the New 49 00:03:42,115 --> 00:03:45,795 Speaker 1: York Times can run a sidebar that the shooting, well, 50 00:03:45,875 --> 00:03:49,155 Speaker 1: it up ended the lives of thousands, but it also 51 00:03:49,235 --> 00:03:52,115 Speaker 1: put the school back in an uncomfortable spotlight, what with 52 00:03:52,155 --> 00:03:57,115 Speaker 1: the sexual assault scandal. There we go on in an 53 00:03:57,235 --> 00:04:03,315 Speaker 1: unacceptable world in which we are owned by guns. We 54 00:04:03,435 --> 00:04:09,235 Speaker 1: go on to borrow from Churchill in strange paradox, decided 55 00:04:09,275 --> 00:04:15,515 Speaker 1: only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, 56 00:04:16,675 --> 00:04:26,315 Speaker 1: solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent. The dead 57 00:04:26,355 --> 00:04:31,715 Speaker 1: of Michigan State, the dead of Las Vegas, the dead 58 00:04:31,755 --> 00:04:35,875 Speaker 1: at the Pulse, the dead at well, why do we 59 00:04:36,355 --> 00:04:41,435 Speaker 1: bother with individual place names anymore. The dead of the 60 00:04:41,595 --> 00:04:47,155 Speaker 1: killing field, the dead of the transcendent national shooting range, 61 00:04:47,435 --> 00:04:51,315 Speaker 1: that is the United States of America. They are dead 62 00:04:52,475 --> 00:04:56,795 Speaker 1: because somebody is making money off them, and because Ted 63 00:04:56,875 --> 00:05:02,155 Speaker 1: Cruz is making money off them, and Marjorie Taylor Green 64 00:05:03,115 --> 00:05:07,235 Speaker 1: is making money off them, and every horror politician is 65 00:05:07,315 --> 00:05:10,875 Speaker 1: making money off them, and rarely even bothering anymore to 66 00:05:10,995 --> 00:05:15,315 Speaker 1: wash the money through sepack or save America this, or 67 00:05:15,555 --> 00:05:20,995 Speaker 1: shoot America, that the donations come straight and unhidden, and 68 00:05:20,995 --> 00:05:24,235 Speaker 1: whether it's Trump or de Santis or Poor soon to 69 00:05:24,315 --> 00:05:28,275 Speaker 1: be very very surprised, Nicki Haley, or just some other 70 00:05:28,635 --> 00:05:32,955 Speaker 1: idiot free from morality or conscience, whom the moneyed interests select. 71 00:05:33,475 --> 00:05:35,755 Speaker 1: It is fair to say that the Republican nominee for 72 00:05:35,795 --> 00:05:39,915 Speaker 1: president in whoever that is, will be underwritten by the 73 00:05:39,955 --> 00:05:43,955 Speaker 1: gun manufacturers and the gun lobby and their masters, the 74 00:05:44,035 --> 00:05:48,315 Speaker 1: death lobby, who pay good money to bad people to 75 00:05:48,475 --> 00:05:52,275 Speaker 1: maintain not just our culture of guns and shooting and 76 00:05:52,515 --> 00:05:57,395 Speaker 1: dead children and thoughts and prayers, but also maintain the 77 00:05:57,435 --> 00:06:00,795 Speaker 1: world's culture of continuing to poison the atmosphere and kill 78 00:06:00,875 --> 00:06:04,515 Speaker 1: off the species one by one because the one billion, 79 00:06:04,755 --> 00:06:08,475 Speaker 1: nine hundred and sixty three million dollars in profit made 80 00:06:08,555 --> 00:06:13,315 Speaker 1: last year by big Oil just isn't enough, because they 81 00:06:13,395 --> 00:06:16,275 Speaker 1: stay up at night anguished by the thought that there 82 00:06:16,315 --> 00:06:21,875 Speaker 1: remains somewhere one dollar not yet stolen from a child 83 00:06:22,315 --> 00:06:26,155 Speaker 1: dying next to the earthquake rubble in Syria or Turkey, 84 00:06:26,195 --> 00:06:30,035 Speaker 1: one dollar yet to be pocketed by Darren Woods, the 85 00:06:30,115 --> 00:06:38,675 Speaker 1: CEO of Exxon Mobile. Away God intended it, it is economics, 86 00:06:39,755 --> 00:06:47,595 Speaker 1: and thus the only solution can also be economics, because 87 00:06:47,635 --> 00:06:49,835 Speaker 1: we will not defeat them in the states that are 88 00:06:49,875 --> 00:06:53,915 Speaker 1: already lost to the control of the death lobby. And 89 00:06:53,955 --> 00:06:57,235 Speaker 1: even if President Biden said tomorrow we are not owned 90 00:06:57,315 --> 00:06:59,955 Speaker 1: by guns, and I don't give a damn. If I'm 91 00:06:59,995 --> 00:07:02,795 Speaker 1: re elected or even renominated, I'm going to issue four 92 00:07:02,875 --> 00:07:06,675 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty executive order and take every damn gun 93 00:07:06,795 --> 00:07:09,395 Speaker 1: I can get off the streets. And if the House 94 00:07:09,435 --> 00:07:12,395 Speaker 1: and Senate won't reinstate the assault weapons man, I will 95 00:07:12,435 --> 00:07:15,315 Speaker 1: do so unilaterally and come and get me in the courts. 96 00:07:17,155 --> 00:07:23,115 Speaker 1: Even if Biden did that, we the anti death people, 97 00:07:24,035 --> 00:07:29,075 Speaker 1: we would lose in the Supreme Court because Clarence Thomas, 98 00:07:29,155 --> 00:07:32,795 Speaker 1: the whore, is on the Supreme Court, because of and 99 00:07:32,835 --> 00:07:36,235 Speaker 1: bought and paid for by the death lobby, and Samuel 100 00:07:36,275 --> 00:07:39,395 Speaker 1: Alito the whore is, and John Roberts the whore is, 101 00:07:39,915 --> 00:07:43,955 Speaker 1: and Neil Gorsch and Drunken Brett Kavanaugh and Bible paralegal 102 00:07:44,035 --> 00:07:50,195 Speaker 1: Amy Coney Barrett. And so we must ask ourselves, what 103 00:07:50,395 --> 00:07:55,155 Speaker 1: economically can we do to the gun lobby, to the 104 00:07:55,155 --> 00:07:59,755 Speaker 1: oil lobby, to the death lobby, and to their minions 105 00:07:59,835 --> 00:08:02,875 Speaker 1: in the Senate and the House, and all the Senates 106 00:08:02,875 --> 00:08:07,875 Speaker 1: and all the houses in all the states in America 107 00:08:08,515 --> 00:08:10,675 Speaker 1: and in this country. There are only a couple of 108 00:08:10,715 --> 00:08:14,515 Speaker 1: measures that might possibly work, and might possibly work fast 109 00:08:14,635 --> 00:08:18,315 Speaker 1: enough so that enough of us won't be killed in 110 00:08:18,435 --> 00:08:23,195 Speaker 1: next year's three hundred gun massacres or the next decades 111 00:08:23,555 --> 00:08:28,395 Speaker 1: three hundred climate crises. And that one thing is to 112 00:08:28,435 --> 00:08:31,635 Speaker 1: spare you the kind words, the soft words. That one 113 00:08:31,675 --> 00:08:37,075 Speaker 1: thing is economic civil war. It can start simply, buy 114 00:08:37,195 --> 00:08:43,075 Speaker 1: nothing from Texas, do not go to Florida, do not 115 00:08:43,315 --> 00:08:49,395 Speaker 1: patronize Missouri. We can start there, and then we can 116 00:08:49,475 --> 00:08:54,395 Speaker 1: get serious. It is a simple mathematical fact that, with 117 00:08:54,555 --> 00:08:57,515 Speaker 1: some exceptions, and a little more nuanced than time permits 118 00:08:57,515 --> 00:09:01,035 Speaker 1: me here. It is a simple mathematical fact that the 119 00:09:01,035 --> 00:09:03,795 Speaker 1: Blue states of this country keep the Red states of 120 00:09:03,835 --> 00:09:08,515 Speaker 1: this country from going bankrupt. It is a simple mathematical 121 00:09:08,555 --> 00:09:11,835 Speaker 1: fact that the Blue states pay in more to the 122 00:09:11,875 --> 00:09:15,275 Speaker 1: federal government than they ever get back in services or infrastructure, 123 00:09:15,435 --> 00:09:20,315 Speaker 1: or certainly in per capita representation. New York pays in 124 00:09:20,395 --> 00:09:24,595 Speaker 1: net twenty four billion a year, California pays inter at 125 00:09:24,635 --> 00:09:28,195 Speaker 1: fourteen billion, and most of that goes to keeping Florida 126 00:09:28,315 --> 00:09:34,875 Speaker 1: and Texas from starving. Florida gets thirty six billion a 127 00:09:34,955 --> 00:09:39,715 Speaker 1: year more than it pays in Texas nearly that much. 128 00:09:41,155 --> 00:09:45,795 Speaker 1: It is state to state socialism, and we all know 129 00:09:45,875 --> 00:09:50,035 Speaker 1: that we can't have socialism. And it is a simple 130 00:09:50,115 --> 00:09:54,355 Speaker 1: fact that the Blue states restrict and regulate guns, and 131 00:09:54,395 --> 00:09:59,515 Speaker 1: the Red states sell guns and sell guns and sell 132 00:09:59,715 --> 00:10:05,595 Speaker 1: guns and profit off dead children. And when the political 133 00:10:05,635 --> 00:10:11,595 Speaker 1: whore's like Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson and Rupert Murdoch 134 00:10:12,675 --> 00:10:16,475 Speaker 1: point to the gun carnage of Chicago, they are actually 135 00:10:16,515 --> 00:10:20,035 Speaker 1: pointing to the gun carnage of weapons smuggled in from 136 00:10:20,115 --> 00:10:25,395 Speaker 1: Indiana to Chicago. And it is also a simple fact 137 00:10:25,435 --> 00:10:27,955 Speaker 1: that we can dance around for decades yet to come 138 00:10:28,195 --> 00:10:33,115 Speaker 1: about how to stop the gun massacres of February and 139 00:10:33,195 --> 00:10:36,915 Speaker 1: the chemical disasters of June two thousand sixty one so 140 00:10:36,995 --> 00:10:41,595 Speaker 1: bad they reminded old timers of where was that East Palestine, Ohio? 141 00:10:42,995 --> 00:10:45,035 Speaker 1: Or we can cut to the chase and put it 142 00:10:45,115 --> 00:10:48,155 Speaker 1: this way. If the Red States do not agree to 143 00:10:48,395 --> 00:10:52,955 Speaker 1: strict and enforced gun regulation and the removal and the 144 00:10:52,995 --> 00:10:57,115 Speaker 1: outlawing of gun manufacture, and a revision of the Second 145 00:10:57,115 --> 00:10:59,955 Speaker 1: Amendment so that the vagueness that isn't actually there, but 146 00:11:00,075 --> 00:11:03,075 Speaker 1: that the death lobby has spent a century convincing millions 147 00:11:03,315 --> 00:11:06,035 Speaker 1: is there, that all doubt about the Second Amendment be 148 00:11:06,075 --> 00:11:08,595 Speaker 1: erased and replaced by the simple statement that private gun 149 00:11:08,675 --> 00:11:12,835 Speaker 1: ownership is illegal without a series of licenses and mental 150 00:11:12,875 --> 00:11:15,955 Speaker 1: health tests, and that the owner is liable for whatever 151 00:11:16,115 --> 00:11:18,075 Speaker 1: is done with his gun, and if that includes murder, 152 00:11:18,115 --> 00:11:20,675 Speaker 1: then the owner is liable for life imprisonment, whether he 153 00:11:20,715 --> 00:11:23,155 Speaker 1: fired the gun or not. If the Red States do 154 00:11:23,235 --> 00:11:26,235 Speaker 1: not agree to that, and by the way, to reapportioned 155 00:11:26,235 --> 00:11:29,915 Speaker 1: representation in the House and the Senate, so that Idaho 156 00:11:30,035 --> 00:11:32,755 Speaker 1: does not have as many senators as a real state 157 00:11:33,675 --> 00:11:37,475 Speaker 1: and not a welfare state like Idaho, And if they 158 00:11:37,515 --> 00:11:40,595 Speaker 1: do not agree to the resignations of Chief Justice Roberts 159 00:11:40,675 --> 00:11:44,075 Speaker 1: and Justices Alito, Barrett, gorstch Kavanaugh, and Thomas. If the 160 00:11:44,115 --> 00:11:46,715 Speaker 1: Red States do not agree to that, then the Blue 161 00:11:46,715 --> 00:11:52,475 Speaker 1: States will simply stop paying money into the federal government, 162 00:11:53,035 --> 00:11:55,835 Speaker 1: and the Blue States will simply spend that money directly 163 00:11:55,915 --> 00:12:00,795 Speaker 1: on their own citizens. And if the leaders of our 164 00:12:00,875 --> 00:12:03,715 Speaker 1: Blue states who will not comply with this, then the 165 00:12:03,795 --> 00:12:07,075 Speaker 1: only solution we have since the murders at Michigan State 166 00:12:07,075 --> 00:12:10,515 Speaker 1: Monday night and the murders at your town name here 167 00:12:10,955 --> 00:12:15,075 Speaker 1: next week, our profit streams for many people, the only 168 00:12:15,115 --> 00:12:19,355 Speaker 1: solution we have is to then stop paying our federal 169 00:12:19,395 --> 00:12:22,995 Speaker 1: taxes until our state leaders recognize that the only way 170 00:12:22,995 --> 00:12:26,035 Speaker 1: out of this nightmare is to threaten the Red States 171 00:12:27,195 --> 00:12:30,515 Speaker 1: and thus threatened the gun lobby, and thus threatened the 172 00:12:30,555 --> 00:12:35,275 Speaker 1: oil lobby, and thus threatened the death lobby with economic strangulation, 173 00:12:36,995 --> 00:12:43,555 Speaker 1: economic civil war, to save the country, to save the 174 00:12:43,595 --> 00:12:48,475 Speaker 1: next six hundred thousand Americans who will die by gun 175 00:12:48,595 --> 00:12:53,475 Speaker 1: violence almost certainly by the year five, if it does 176 00:12:53,515 --> 00:12:59,475 Speaker 1: not get worse before then six hundred thousand, the same 177 00:12:59,595 --> 00:13:03,235 Speaker 1: number who were killed in the actual Civil War. And 178 00:13:03,395 --> 00:13:06,795 Speaker 1: if you ask your sell or, you are asked by 179 00:13:06,835 --> 00:13:11,675 Speaker 1: what right we could threaten economic civil war just say 180 00:13:11,715 --> 00:13:17,995 Speaker 1: this is constitutional under the Second Amendment quote a well 181 00:13:18,075 --> 00:13:23,555 Speaker 1: regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, 182 00:13:24,515 --> 00:13:26,675 Speaker 1: the right of the people to keep and bare arms 183 00:13:26,675 --> 00:13:30,195 Speaker 1: shall not be infringed. Our rights to the security of 184 00:13:30,235 --> 00:13:34,475 Speaker 1: a free state have been infringed upon by the gun 185 00:13:34,515 --> 00:13:38,395 Speaker 1: lobby and the death lobby, which has convinced generations of 186 00:13:38,395 --> 00:13:41,115 Speaker 1: gun fetishists that an amendment that does not contain the 187 00:13:41,155 --> 00:13:46,155 Speaker 1: word own nor any synonym for own, does contain it. 188 00:13:46,635 --> 00:13:49,715 Speaker 1: The Constitution is a property document. It mentions rights only 189 00:13:49,755 --> 00:13:53,355 Speaker 1: fifteen times. It mentions voting only thirty seven times. This 190 00:13:53,435 --> 00:13:55,795 Speaker 1: is out of nearly eight thousand words. But it mentions 191 00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:59,955 Speaker 1: money and ownership a hundred and three times. The Second 192 00:13:59,995 --> 00:14:04,395 Speaker 1: Amendment is about making sure nothing interferes with a well 193 00:14:04,675 --> 00:14:10,475 Speaker 1: regulated militia. Well regulated militia, that is, they're protecting our 194 00:14:10,635 --> 00:14:13,555 Speaker 1: rights as citizens to have, as it says in the 195 00:14:13,595 --> 00:14:18,755 Speaker 1: Second Amendment, the security of a free state. Our Second 196 00:14:18,755 --> 00:14:22,595 Speaker 1: Amendment rights have been trampled on by Donald Trump and 197 00:14:22,675 --> 00:14:27,715 Speaker 1: the Republicans, the anti Second Amendment Republicans. We need to 198 00:14:27,755 --> 00:14:35,035 Speaker 1: start enforcing the Second Amendment. We need an economic civil 199 00:14:35,075 --> 00:14:37,035 Speaker 1: war against the gun lobby and the death lobby, and 200 00:14:37,035 --> 00:14:39,795 Speaker 1: those corrupted and financially insolvent red states that stand in 201 00:14:39,795 --> 00:14:42,595 Speaker 1: the way of peace and security in this country because 202 00:14:44,315 --> 00:14:52,435 Speaker 1: we are owned by guns. But god damn it, we 203 00:14:52,515 --> 00:14:56,835 Speaker 1: are not going to be owned by guns any longer. 204 00:15:11,155 --> 00:15:14,675 Speaker 1: Still ahead, Diane Feinstein is out of the California Senate race, 205 00:15:14,755 --> 00:15:17,195 Speaker 1: so we can all exhale and throw her a party. 206 00:15:18,115 --> 00:15:21,555 Speaker 1: Elon Musk makes a fool of himself on Twitter again, 207 00:15:22,315 --> 00:15:24,995 Speaker 1: and yes it actually happened. A former boss of mine, 208 00:15:25,475 --> 00:15:28,275 Speaker 1: a president of MSNBC, really did do it. He really 209 00:15:28,275 --> 00:15:31,435 Speaker 1: did chase me around the studios one night and threatened 210 00:15:31,475 --> 00:15:35,275 Speaker 1: to kill me. And they made him apologize for that. 211 00:15:36,435 --> 00:15:38,915 Speaker 1: Things I promised not to tell. Coming up, that's next. 212 00:15:38,955 --> 00:15:49,875 Speaker 1: This cis Countdown. This is Countdown with Keith Olberman post 213 00:15:49,875 --> 00:15:52,955 Speaker 1: scripts to the news, some headlines, some updates, some snarks, 214 00:15:52,955 --> 00:15:56,155 Speaker 1: some prediction. State line, Washington. Another shoe has dropped from 215 00:15:56,195 --> 00:16:00,635 Speaker 1: the Special Counsel's office. Jack Smith's staff has asked to 216 00:16:00,755 --> 00:16:04,595 Speaker 1: judge to erase the attorney client privilege of the Trump lawyer, 217 00:16:04,715 --> 00:16:08,755 Speaker 1: Evan Corkeran This is about that June document that Corker 218 00:16:08,875 --> 00:16:12,515 Speaker 1: and wrote and the other Attorney Christina bob signed the 219 00:16:12,515 --> 00:16:16,075 Speaker 1: one that said that Trump was voluntarily turning over every 220 00:16:16,115 --> 00:16:21,515 Speaker 1: classified document he'd taken and stashed at Marilago. Obviously, Smith 221 00:16:21,595 --> 00:16:24,275 Speaker 1: wants to know whether Trump ordered Corkran to write that 222 00:16:24,355 --> 00:16:26,675 Speaker 1: and knew it wasn't true when he did, and to 223 00:16:26,795 --> 00:16:29,875 Speaker 1: get that they need Corkran to be at risk of 224 00:16:29,915 --> 00:16:33,115 Speaker 1: an obstruction of justice charge if it somehow was not 225 00:16:33,275 --> 00:16:37,515 Speaker 1: Trump's idea. Gonna make a wild guess on whose idea 226 00:16:37,595 --> 00:16:42,115 Speaker 1: this was. Dateline. San Francisco Senator Diane Feinstein has relieved 227 00:16:42,155 --> 00:16:46,155 Speaker 1: California Democrats of the Odium of throwing her off the cart. 228 00:16:46,675 --> 00:16:50,555 Speaker 1: Eighty nine years old and in the Senate since she 229 00:16:50,675 --> 00:16:54,475 Speaker 1: had widely been abandoned by her party, with retired Speaker 230 00:16:54,595 --> 00:16:58,155 Speaker 1: Nancy Pelosi saying she would be endorsing Congress and Adam 231 00:16:58,235 --> 00:17:02,075 Speaker 1: Shift for the nomination presuming Feinstein retired. Well, now she 232 00:17:02,195 --> 00:17:06,195 Speaker 1: has retired. Katie Porter is already also running. Barbara Lee 233 00:17:06,315 --> 00:17:09,435 Speaker 1: is a probable. Feinstein has taken a lot of justifiable 234 00:17:09,515 --> 00:17:13,035 Speaker 1: crap lately, but she has been an extraordinary public servant 235 00:17:13,235 --> 00:17:17,355 Speaker 1: who survived two terrorist assassination attempts. Was president of San 236 00:17:17,395 --> 00:17:21,075 Speaker 1: Francisco Board of supervisors and kept the city together as 237 00:17:21,115 --> 00:17:24,715 Speaker 1: acting mayor when George Mosconi and Harvey Milk were murdered 238 00:17:24,715 --> 00:17:28,275 Speaker 1: in She was then elected to the mayor's post shortly 239 00:17:28,315 --> 00:17:32,515 Speaker 1: thereafter and served ten years on that job. Dateline, South Carolina. 240 00:17:32,555 --> 00:17:34,955 Speaker 1: After sucking up to Trump for seven years and saying 241 00:17:34,955 --> 00:17:38,155 Speaker 1: she would never run for the Republican nomination if he did, 242 00:17:38,955 --> 00:17:42,955 Speaker 1: NICKI Haley is running for the Republican nomination. I would 243 00:17:43,035 --> 00:17:46,835 Speaker 1: never root for Trump for anything, but his reaction to 244 00:17:46,915 --> 00:17:50,195 Speaker 1: this over the next few weeks is gonna be hi 245 00:17:50,275 --> 00:17:54,355 Speaker 1: hilarious and Dateline Central Park, New York. Flat go of 246 00:17:54,395 --> 00:17:58,755 Speaker 1: the Eagle owl was now smarted near Bethesda Fountain in 247 00:17:58,835 --> 00:18:02,635 Speaker 1: Central Park. That's about ten blocks north of his former 248 00:18:02,675 --> 00:18:05,235 Speaker 1: home in the Zoo. He also brief we went out 249 00:18:05,275 --> 00:18:09,555 Speaker 1: onto East seventy st. Flacco has been free for one 250 00:18:09,635 --> 00:18:14,075 Speaker 1: day shy of two weeks now. He's obviously surviving very 251 00:18:14,075 --> 00:18:16,915 Speaker 1: well on his own. He seems to really like going 252 00:18:16,955 --> 00:18:21,275 Speaker 1: around the park, and he is feeding himself on rats, 253 00:18:22,155 --> 00:18:25,795 Speaker 1: as we true New Yorkers do. In fact, he is 254 00:18:25,875 --> 00:18:31,635 Speaker 1: so voracious Flacco has actually reduced the rat population, and 255 00:18:31,715 --> 00:18:34,595 Speaker 1: in fact that makes him a front runner for New 256 00:18:34,675 --> 00:19:09,955 Speaker 1: Yorker of the Year Award. Thank you Nancy Faust time 257 00:19:09,995 --> 00:19:12,435 Speaker 1: for the daily roundup of the miscrants, morons and done 258 00:19:12,435 --> 00:19:16,955 Speaker 1: in Krueger effects specimens who constitute today's worst persons in 259 00:19:16,955 --> 00:19:22,115 Speaker 1: the world. The bronze Elon Musk. He has tweeted the 260 00:19:22,155 --> 00:19:26,955 Speaker 1: world's only century old meme, the one that tries to 261 00:19:26,955 --> 00:19:32,195 Speaker 1: connect Stonehenge, Easter Island and the Washington Monument by drawing 262 00:19:32,235 --> 00:19:35,355 Speaker 1: a stone man inside the Earth whose head is at 263 00:19:35,395 --> 00:19:38,555 Speaker 1: one end at Easter Island, and then his toes are 264 00:19:38,595 --> 00:19:41,955 Speaker 1: at the exact opposite point of the earth in Stonehenge, 265 00:19:42,035 --> 00:19:46,475 Speaker 1: and well in Washington that would be his monument as 266 00:19:46,515 --> 00:19:51,035 Speaker 1: the Washington Monument. There are no coincidences, Musk, wrote Sage Lee, 267 00:19:51,715 --> 00:19:55,035 Speaker 1: except the exact opposite point on the earth to Stonehenge 268 00:19:55,115 --> 00:19:58,875 Speaker 1: is not anywhere near Easter Island. It's three thousand, eight 269 00:19:58,915 --> 00:20:02,835 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy nine miles east northeast of Easter Island. 270 00:20:03,755 --> 00:20:07,075 Speaker 1: Nice meme, el Oh, the runner up, Well, this is 271 00:20:07,115 --> 00:20:10,395 Speaker 1: a coincidence. The runner up is Elon Musk. You may 272 00:20:10,435 --> 00:20:12,555 Speaker 1: have seen this earlier, but it was new to me 273 00:20:12,635 --> 00:20:15,515 Speaker 1: at six eight pm Eastern on Sunday night, not long 274 00:20:15,555 --> 00:20:20,035 Speaker 1: after the Super Bowl started, Musk tweeted, quote go Eagles, 275 00:20:20,275 --> 00:20:23,675 Speaker 1: and since sports ball is obviously a mystery to him, 276 00:20:23,675 --> 00:20:26,675 Speaker 1: he put three American flags in front of Go Eagles, 277 00:20:27,195 --> 00:20:29,555 Speaker 1: and then another three after it, and then after the game, 278 00:20:30,075 --> 00:20:34,355 Speaker 1: which the Eagles lost, he deleted the tweet. And he 279 00:20:34,475 --> 00:20:38,835 Speaker 1: also deleted a tweet congratulating the victorious Casey Chiefs and 280 00:20:38,915 --> 00:20:44,835 Speaker 1: halftime performer Rihanna. But our winner is oh work at 281 00:20:44,835 --> 00:20:47,875 Speaker 1: this selon Musk again. Well, now we know why he 282 00:20:47,995 --> 00:20:52,315 Speaker 1: deleted the go Eagles tweet and why is knitwitted conspiracy 283 00:20:52,355 --> 00:20:55,155 Speaker 1: theory tweets keep showing up on your feed, in some 284 00:20:55,235 --> 00:20:58,075 Speaker 1: cases five or ten of them in a row. I'll 285 00:20:58,115 --> 00:21:01,955 Speaker 1: just read from the website platform er quote at two 286 00:21:01,995 --> 00:21:05,315 Speaker 1: thirty six on Monday morning, James Musk's and an urgent 287 00:21:05,395 --> 00:21:08,755 Speaker 1: message to Twitter engineers. Quote, we are debugging an issue 288 00:21:09,515 --> 00:21:14,395 Speaker 1: with engagement across the platform, wrote James Muska, cousin of 289 00:21:14,395 --> 00:21:18,275 Speaker 1: the Twitter CEO, quoting any people who can make dashboards 290 00:21:18,315 --> 00:21:21,875 Speaker 1: and write software, please can you help solve this problem? 291 00:21:21,915 --> 00:21:24,715 Speaker 1: This is high urgency. If you're willing to help out, 292 00:21:24,755 --> 00:21:29,435 Speaker 1: please thumbs up this post. What do you think the 293 00:21:29,475 --> 00:21:34,675 Speaker 1: high urgency problem was? Yes, Musk's Eagles tweet generated nine 294 00:21:34,675 --> 00:21:38,835 Speaker 1: point one million impressions, and that made him furious because 295 00:21:38,875 --> 00:21:42,875 Speaker 1: another tweet about the Eagles generated nearly twenty nine million impressions, 296 00:21:43,115 --> 00:21:47,315 Speaker 1: the tweet by President Biden. Back to the platformer account quote, 297 00:21:47,555 --> 00:21:50,835 Speaker 1: Twitter CEO flew his private jet back to the Bay 298 00:21:50,875 --> 00:21:54,515 Speaker 1: Area on Sunday night to demand answers from his team. 299 00:21:54,555 --> 00:21:57,275 Speaker 1: Within a day, the consequences of that meeting would reverberate 300 00:21:57,315 --> 00:21:59,555 Speaker 1: around the world as Twitter users opened the app to 301 00:21:59,635 --> 00:22:05,115 Speaker 1: find that Musk's posts overwhelmed their ranked timeline. This was 302 00:22:05,195 --> 00:22:08,955 Speaker 1: no accident. Platform Or can confirm. After Musk threatened to 303 00:22:09,035 --> 00:22:12,955 Speaker 1: fire his remaining engineers, they built a system designed to 304 00:22:13,075 --> 00:22:17,195 Speaker 1: ensure that Musk and Musk alone benefits from previously unheard 305 00:22:17,235 --> 00:22:19,915 Speaker 1: of promotion of his tweets to the entire user base. 306 00:22:20,475 --> 00:22:24,435 Speaker 1: Unquote all right, Look, everybody likes their tweets to be 307 00:22:24,515 --> 00:22:28,315 Speaker 1: read and retweeted, and some scientists said seeing the like 308 00:22:28,515 --> 00:22:32,075 Speaker 1: and retweet counts grow creates the same effect in the 309 00:22:32,155 --> 00:22:36,275 Speaker 1: brain as eating chocolate. But we have to address the 310 00:22:36,275 --> 00:22:41,315 Speaker 1: possibility here that Elon Musk's brain is chocolate. What is 311 00:22:41,355 --> 00:22:44,955 Speaker 1: wrong with this dude? Fixing the algorithm so that you 312 00:22:45,035 --> 00:22:48,355 Speaker 1: always win. Trump doesn't even do that in his little 313 00:22:48,435 --> 00:22:52,155 Speaker 1: Nazi social media site. I mean, can't somebody who cares 314 00:22:52,195 --> 00:22:58,475 Speaker 1: about Elon Musk, you know, get him committed somewhere, all right? 315 00:22:59,235 --> 00:23:04,155 Speaker 1: This assumes somebody actually does care about him. Ellen, my dear, 316 00:23:04,315 --> 00:23:07,315 Speaker 1: you never assume, you see, when you assume, you make 317 00:23:07,315 --> 00:23:12,315 Speaker 1: an ass of you and me Musk. Two days larst 318 00:23:13,195 --> 00:23:28,555 Speaker 1: Musk and still ahead on countdown. Many of my bosses 319 00:23:28,595 --> 00:23:31,635 Speaker 1: have thought about trying to kill me. One and one 320 00:23:31,835 --> 00:23:36,875 Speaker 1: alone has actually tried it, the saga of Rick Kaplan 321 00:23:37,635 --> 00:23:40,515 Speaker 1: coming up first. In each edition of Countdown, we feature 322 00:23:40,515 --> 00:23:42,835 Speaker 1: a dog in need you can't help. Every dog has 323 00:23:42,875 --> 00:23:47,115 Speaker 1: its day to New York and two sisters, Joy and Easy. 324 00:23:47,755 --> 00:23:52,795 Speaker 1: They are Rottweiler's but they are socialized, mellow, shy, affectionate, 325 00:23:52,875 --> 00:23:58,195 Speaker 1: good with dogs and cats and kids and strangers, and 326 00:23:58,235 --> 00:24:01,035 Speaker 1: they're human. Was evicted and took them both to the 327 00:24:01,115 --> 00:24:03,915 Speaker 1: kill pound. And Joy is on the kill list tomorrow 328 00:24:03,915 --> 00:24:06,875 Speaker 1: at the New York Pound because she caught pneumonia in 329 00:24:06,955 --> 00:24:09,595 Speaker 1: the pound and is on a feeding tube. The law 330 00:24:09,675 --> 00:24:12,795 Speaker 1: of self fulfilling prophecies. Again. They're scared, they get sick, 331 00:24:12,915 --> 00:24:16,475 Speaker 1: they get killed because they're scared and they're sick. We're 332 00:24:16,475 --> 00:24:19,715 Speaker 1: trying to get Joy and Easy adopted together. So what 333 00:24:19,755 --> 00:24:23,675 Speaker 1: we can do is pledge donations to defray the costs 334 00:24:23,715 --> 00:24:26,675 Speaker 1: of a rescue saving them. You can find Joy and 335 00:24:26,755 --> 00:24:30,235 Speaker 1: Easy on my Twitter feeds. I thank you and Joy 336 00:24:30,395 --> 00:24:49,675 Speaker 1: and Easy thank you. Finally our number one story in 337 00:24:49,715 --> 00:24:51,995 Speaker 1: the Countdown things. I promised not to tell them Back 338 00:24:52,035 --> 00:24:56,795 Speaker 1: to my favorite topic, me, How exactly was I supposed 339 00:24:56,835 --> 00:24:59,515 Speaker 1: to tell the police that the man threatened to kill 340 00:24:59,555 --> 00:25:03,315 Speaker 1: me was the president of MSNBC. He was chasing me 341 00:25:03,355 --> 00:25:07,515 Speaker 1: through the studios. He was too overweight to run. But 342 00:25:07,595 --> 00:25:10,155 Speaker 1: even though he inexplicably lied and said he was six 343 00:25:10,155 --> 00:25:13,075 Speaker 1: ft seven, at six ft five, this guy his name 344 00:25:13,075 --> 00:25:14,795 Speaker 1: was Rick Caplan, and he was the soon to be 345 00:25:14,875 --> 00:25:17,835 Speaker 1: ex president of MSNBC, just as he was already the 346 00:25:17,915 --> 00:25:20,995 Speaker 1: ex president of CNN. He still had strides as long 347 00:25:21,035 --> 00:25:25,595 Speaker 1: as my own. Plus On that night of August eighth, 348 00:25:25,715 --> 00:25:29,835 Speaker 1: two thousand five, I was multitasking. I was trying to 349 00:25:29,995 --> 00:25:33,915 Speaker 1: mentally record everything he was shouting, while also drawing him 350 00:25:33,915 --> 00:25:37,795 Speaker 1: away from the live microphones of the live studio in 351 00:25:37,835 --> 00:25:41,355 Speaker 1: which he had started shouting, while also fishing for my 352 00:25:41,475 --> 00:25:44,035 Speaker 1: office key. So I could lock myself in there if 353 00:25:44,075 --> 00:25:47,115 Speaker 1: need be, while also figuring out how I would hit 354 00:25:47,195 --> 00:25:49,555 Speaker 1: him if it came to that, while also trying to 355 00:25:49,595 --> 00:25:53,915 Speaker 1: register the superb double takes from my colleagues past to 356 00:25:53,955 --> 00:25:57,635 Speaker 1: whom he was stomping like an out of shape Frankenstein, 357 00:25:58,275 --> 00:26:03,235 Speaker 1: while also trying to suppress an overwhelming and seemingly inappropriate 358 00:26:03,315 --> 00:26:07,835 Speaker 1: desire to burst into laughter, while still game planning the 359 00:26:08,035 --> 00:26:11,795 Speaker 1: soon to be inevitable call to the cops of beautiful 360 00:26:11,875 --> 00:26:16,835 Speaker 1: downtown Secaucus, New Jersey. Uh yeah, yeah, he's he's trying 361 00:26:16,835 --> 00:26:21,595 Speaker 1: to kill me, my boss, the president of MSNBC. Yeah, 362 00:26:21,835 --> 00:26:26,395 Speaker 1: the Yeah, the cable television network. Yeah, exactly down the 363 00:26:26,395 --> 00:26:31,475 Speaker 1: street from the London fog outlet story. Yeah one MSNBC Plaza. 364 00:26:31,955 --> 00:26:36,035 Speaker 1: I know it's a dumb address. Uh. He's about sixty 365 00:26:36,475 --> 00:26:40,995 Speaker 1: uh to seventy pounds. By the way, he says he's 366 00:26:40,995 --> 00:26:44,555 Speaker 1: six ft seven, but he's only six ft five. Why 367 00:26:44,795 --> 00:26:46,555 Speaker 1: Why does he lie about his height or why is 368 00:26:46,595 --> 00:26:49,635 Speaker 1: he trying to kill Right? Well, I did a commentary 369 00:26:49,755 --> 00:26:51,995 Speaker 1: urging the viewers to stop smoking, and he's afraid of 370 00:26:51,995 --> 00:26:56,995 Speaker 1: the mention of blood. Hello. Hello, As all of this 371 00:26:57,075 --> 00:26:59,715 Speaker 1: played out in my head, President Kaplan was huffing and 372 00:26:59,755 --> 00:27:02,915 Speaker 1: puffing his way through our giant studio, weaving through the 373 00:27:02,955 --> 00:27:06,195 Speaker 1: news assignment area, past the make up room, down the hallways, 374 00:27:06,235 --> 00:27:09,115 Speaker 1: nearing the offices of my show Countdown, and past the 375 00:27:09,115 --> 00:27:11,475 Speaker 1: bank of a couple of hundred television monitors with a 376 00:27:11,475 --> 00:27:14,875 Speaker 1: different face on every one of them, each seemingly staring 377 00:27:15,075 --> 00:27:18,515 Speaker 1: slack jawed at the executive, screaming threats at the only 378 00:27:18,515 --> 00:27:22,155 Speaker 1: guy on his own network who got any ratings. I'll 379 00:27:22,195 --> 00:27:28,555 Speaker 1: pay you back, I'll get your world, I'll fetish your call. 380 00:27:30,555 --> 00:27:35,315 Speaker 1: This had all begun roughly ten days earlier, in late 381 00:27:35,435 --> 00:27:38,995 Speaker 1: July two tho five, an oral surgeon who had intended 382 00:27:39,035 --> 00:27:41,515 Speaker 1: to examine a growth on the roof of my mouth 383 00:27:41,595 --> 00:27:46,355 Speaker 1: that instead, with one pale look, silently betrayed his suspicion 384 00:27:46,395 --> 00:27:49,195 Speaker 1: that it was cancerous. Then he cut the whole thing out. 385 00:27:49,875 --> 00:27:52,875 Speaker 1: I was on my way to work anyway, It was 386 00:27:52,915 --> 00:27:55,715 Speaker 1: too late to get a replacement, and I was bleeding 387 00:27:55,835 --> 00:27:58,435 Speaker 1: so much that our technical director and I decided to 388 00:27:58,555 --> 00:28:01,995 Speaker 1: pre record all of my on camera segments for that 389 00:28:02,155 --> 00:28:05,675 Speaker 1: night show, thus reducing the chances of viewers hearing me 390 00:28:05,755 --> 00:28:09,595 Speaker 1: say President Bush today while blood used out of my 391 00:28:09,755 --> 00:28:12,555 Speaker 1: mouth over my teeth and lips and onto the desk 392 00:28:13,235 --> 00:28:18,395 Speaker 1: like I was drectul anchor. When the following Wednesday I 393 00:28:18,435 --> 00:28:21,235 Speaker 1: got the unexpected all clear from the surgeon's office, I 394 00:28:21,275 --> 00:28:24,195 Speaker 1: decided to devote some of each night's newscast to a 395 00:28:24,275 --> 00:28:29,315 Speaker 1: campaign to help viewers and myself quit smoking. My premise 396 00:28:29,515 --> 00:28:32,035 Speaker 1: was a simple one that I had never heard argued 397 00:28:32,115 --> 00:28:35,195 Speaker 1: before and have rarely heard argued since, that it would 398 00:28:35,235 --> 00:28:39,235 Speaker 1: be a lot easier to quit if you didn't have 399 00:28:39,395 --> 00:28:43,515 Speaker 1: cancer than if you did have cancer. I pitched my 400 00:28:43,555 --> 00:28:46,555 Speaker 1: producers on the series. I went into Rick Kaplan's office 401 00:28:46,555 --> 00:28:49,755 Speaker 1: to get his seal of approval. He was enthusiastic and supportive, 402 00:28:49,755 --> 00:28:52,955 Speaker 1: and most rare of all, he was paying attention. And 403 00:28:52,995 --> 00:28:54,675 Speaker 1: then I said, I was also going to point out 404 00:28:54,675 --> 00:28:56,875 Speaker 1: that if you got the good outcome like I had, 405 00:28:57,115 --> 00:28:59,315 Speaker 1: they would merely stick a laser in your mouth, and 406 00:28:59,395 --> 00:29:02,115 Speaker 1: you'd smell your own flesh burning for like forty eight hours, 407 00:29:02,275 --> 00:29:04,995 Speaker 1: and you'd have to keep spitting out your own blood. 408 00:29:04,675 --> 00:29:09,315 Speaker 1: Would say that he can't suddenly threw his meaty hands 409 00:29:09,355 --> 00:29:12,035 Speaker 1: out towards me in a strangling gesture, and then just 410 00:29:12,115 --> 00:29:15,275 Speaker 1: as quickly clamped them over his own ears and closed 411 00:29:15,315 --> 00:29:17,995 Speaker 1: his eyes and began actually screaming. No no no no 412 00:29:17,995 --> 00:29:20,515 Speaker 1: no no no no no no no no no. I 413 00:29:20,635 --> 00:29:24,035 Speaker 1: thought he had gone crazy, as it proved he was 414 00:29:24,115 --> 00:29:28,635 Speaker 1: just practicing foregoing crazy. Later, I'm sorry, I'm squeamish. I 415 00:29:28,675 --> 00:29:31,915 Speaker 1: got the point. I just can't handle references to, you know, uh, 416 00:29:32,755 --> 00:29:35,915 Speaker 1: the red stuff. Go ahead with the series. Just just 417 00:29:36,195 --> 00:29:43,075 Speaker 1: toned down the red stuff. I toned down the red stuff. 418 00:29:43,995 --> 00:29:46,395 Speaker 1: And my executive producer, as He Povich, sent him the 419 00:29:46,435 --> 00:29:49,195 Speaker 1: scripts and he told her to tone down the red 420 00:29:49,275 --> 00:29:51,595 Speaker 1: stuff a little more, and I went and I did 421 00:29:51,635 --> 00:29:55,635 Speaker 1: that too. We all decided to start the anti smoking 422 00:29:55,715 --> 00:30:00,475 Speaker 1: series the following Monday, August eight, two thousand five. By 423 00:30:00,595 --> 00:30:04,275 Speaker 1: nauseating coincidence, that was the day after the ABC anchorman 424 00:30:04,355 --> 00:30:08,315 Speaker 1: Peter Jennings had died of lung cancer. The MSNBC president 425 00:30:08,355 --> 00:30:11,555 Speaker 1: had been a producer on jennings newscast. I had long 426 00:30:11,595 --> 00:30:15,795 Speaker 1: since written and recorded jennings obituary, and now the somewhat cold, 427 00:30:15,835 --> 00:30:18,755 Speaker 1: but still journalistically valid segue would have to be made. 428 00:30:18,995 --> 00:30:22,195 Speaker 1: We would have to go directly from the twelve minute 429 00:30:22,195 --> 00:30:24,635 Speaker 1: long Jennings Oh bit to the start of our anti 430 00:30:24,635 --> 00:30:30,115 Speaker 1: tobacco campaign eight or nine minutes into that prerecorded Jennings obituary, 431 00:30:30,195 --> 00:30:32,555 Speaker 1: Rick Kaplan came out of his office and walked the 432 00:30:32,675 --> 00:30:35,515 Speaker 1: fifty ft or so through the vast open newsroom to 433 00:30:35,555 --> 00:30:38,635 Speaker 1: where my anchor desk was. His eyes were full of tears. 434 00:30:39,155 --> 00:30:42,795 Speaker 1: This is wonderful, he said quietly. Peter would have liked this. 435 00:30:43,595 --> 00:30:45,595 Speaker 1: He gave me a thumbs up. Then he walked to 436 00:30:45,635 --> 00:30:48,235 Speaker 1: a second desk another fifty feet away, where his first 437 00:30:48,315 --> 00:30:51,635 Speaker 1: big hire, a woman named Rita Cosby, was about to 438 00:30:51,715 --> 00:30:56,115 Speaker 1: premier his first big gamble, her new show immediately following mine. 439 00:30:57,075 --> 00:31:00,715 Speaker 1: I was actually moved by Rick Kaplan's comment. I did 440 00:31:00,755 --> 00:31:04,915 Speaker 1: not once think of phoning the Secaucus police, but end 441 00:31:05,875 --> 00:31:08,635 Speaker 1: I began the anti smoking segment, and as I focused 442 00:31:08,635 --> 00:31:10,515 Speaker 1: on the camera and the teleprompter in front of me 443 00:31:10,555 --> 00:31:12,635 Speaker 1: and detailed the blood and the gore and the spitting 444 00:31:12,675 --> 00:31:14,955 Speaker 1: and how that was the good outcome, out of the 445 00:31:15,035 --> 00:31:18,435 Speaker 1: corner of my eye I saw this weird site. The 446 00:31:18,475 --> 00:31:21,755 Speaker 1: President again left his office and waddled out along the 447 00:31:21,795 --> 00:31:24,475 Speaker 1: wall thirty feet ahead of me in the general direction 448 00:31:24,515 --> 00:31:28,075 Speaker 1: of the control rooms. Within moments, as I continued to 449 00:31:28,115 --> 00:31:30,595 Speaker 1: read my script, he was back in the studio and 450 00:31:30,675 --> 00:31:36,915 Speaker 1: standing right next to my camera, gesticulating wildly. I said, 451 00:31:37,075 --> 00:31:39,075 Speaker 1: they never say it, but wouldn't it be really easier 452 00:31:39,115 --> 00:31:41,235 Speaker 1: to quit smoking when you didn't have cancer than when 453 00:31:41,235 --> 00:31:44,555 Speaker 1: you did? And Kaplan responded with the same two handed 454 00:31:44,715 --> 00:31:48,075 Speaker 1: choking gesture he had made briefly in his office much earlier. 455 00:31:48,475 --> 00:31:51,595 Speaker 1: I presumed there was some simple problem, like that the 456 00:31:51,675 --> 00:31:54,515 Speaker 1: building was on fire, but I calculated that I could 457 00:31:54,515 --> 00:31:56,595 Speaker 1: still make it to the show's scheduled finished time E 458 00:31:58,155 --> 00:32:02,795 Speaker 1: d T and still survive even if others perished. That's 459 00:32:02,795 --> 00:32:06,075 Speaker 1: countdown for this the days since the declaration of mission 460 00:32:06,075 --> 00:32:08,795 Speaker 1: accomplished in Iraq. I'm Keith, all remain goodnight and good 461 00:32:08,915 --> 00:32:13,915 Speaker 1: luck your Sliva. Rick Kaplan suddenly screamed from the other 462 00:32:13,995 --> 00:32:16,995 Speaker 1: anchor desk. I could hear, and this is my impression 463 00:32:17,035 --> 00:32:20,995 Speaker 1: of her. Good evening. I'm Rida Cosby. This is Rida Cosby, 464 00:32:21,075 --> 00:32:24,915 Speaker 1: Live and Direct with Rida Cosby, and I'm Rida Cosby. 465 00:32:25,235 --> 00:32:26,755 Speaker 1: She was not a big woman, but she had a 466 00:32:26,795 --> 00:32:29,475 Speaker 1: voice on her like the horn on the Staten Island 467 00:32:29,515 --> 00:32:33,155 Speaker 1: ferry if it had a cold. You are over the top. 468 00:32:33,195 --> 00:32:36,435 Speaker 1: You aren't disgusting. My first thought was that Camplin had 469 00:32:36,475 --> 00:32:39,315 Speaker 1: forgotten that microphones fifty ft away were live during the 470 00:32:39,355 --> 00:32:43,755 Speaker 1: premiere of his pet project, Rina is On. I actually 471 00:32:43,795 --> 00:32:47,195 Speaker 1: whispered to him, silly me, I don't get a half 472 00:32:47,035 --> 00:32:49,555 Speaker 1: for three days on you were told by as He 473 00:32:49,635 --> 00:32:51,475 Speaker 1: poviche At the piece was over the top and you 474 00:32:51,515 --> 00:32:55,675 Speaker 1: needed to cut it, and you didn't. I still couldn't 475 00:32:55,715 --> 00:32:58,075 Speaker 1: bring myself to yell back. We're in a live studio. 476 00:32:58,355 --> 00:33:00,915 Speaker 1: I did cut it, and easy read it and approved it, 477 00:33:00,915 --> 00:33:03,595 Speaker 1: and she said you had too, and and and read 478 00:33:03,635 --> 00:33:06,755 Speaker 1: his premiers going on over there in that sort of direction. 479 00:33:07,075 --> 00:33:09,435 Speaker 1: Maybe you should yell at me closer to the assignment desk. 480 00:33:09,595 --> 00:33:12,275 Speaker 1: Maybe I don't give a crap. If as He approved it, 481 00:33:12,275 --> 00:33:14,315 Speaker 1: then she's an ass and I can't trust you. I 482 00:33:14,355 --> 00:33:16,715 Speaker 1: can't trust you. You're all idiots. I can't believe you 483 00:33:16,755 --> 00:33:18,635 Speaker 1: did this to me. I'm trying to get Rita show 484 00:33:18,635 --> 00:33:20,795 Speaker 1: off the ground. Do you start talking about spitting blood 485 00:33:20,835 --> 00:33:25,035 Speaker 1: into a garbage can? Well, now I was getting angry. 486 00:33:25,035 --> 00:33:28,835 Speaker 1: I couldn't resist. Yes, Rita is in fact live and 487 00:33:28,955 --> 00:33:31,795 Speaker 1: direct from that desk right over there. And if you'll notice, 488 00:33:31,835 --> 00:33:35,035 Speaker 1: she keeps looking over here at us, wondering why you 489 00:33:35,075 --> 00:33:38,515 Speaker 1: are yelling. During the first minutes of her first show, 490 00:33:38,955 --> 00:33:42,235 Speaker 1: So why don't we move over here? Rick began to 491 00:33:42,275 --> 00:33:44,915 Speaker 1: move away from him, and we're walking away from the 492 00:33:44,955 --> 00:33:48,275 Speaker 1: live MOA mix, and and we're walking and we're walking 493 00:33:48,315 --> 00:33:50,715 Speaker 1: and Rick and Keith are walking because the noise isn't 494 00:33:50,755 --> 00:33:54,155 Speaker 1: really professional. Well, we're not talking professionals, are we We're 495 00:33:54,155 --> 00:33:58,155 Speaker 1: talking idiots. We were walking and he was still screaming, 496 00:33:58,515 --> 00:34:01,835 Speaker 1: you're idiots. I will never trust you again. He had 497 00:34:01,835 --> 00:34:04,795 Speaker 1: begun to trot or stumble or whatever he was doing. 498 00:34:04,995 --> 00:34:07,595 Speaker 1: This is not over. I will pay you back, self 499 00:34:07,595 --> 00:34:10,355 Speaker 1: serving garbage. I will get you and I'll get that 500 00:34:10,595 --> 00:34:13,155 Speaker 1: a hole is he for not staying here and reading 501 00:34:13,155 --> 00:34:15,395 Speaker 1: that script? How many times did you intend to say 502 00:34:15,435 --> 00:34:17,955 Speaker 1: spit blood into a garbage can before I stopped you. 503 00:34:19,515 --> 00:34:22,475 Speaker 1: I now realized what he thought had happened, as he 504 00:34:22,515 --> 00:34:25,835 Speaker 1: had gestured spasmodically at me while he stood next to 505 00:34:25,875 --> 00:34:29,235 Speaker 1: my camera. I briefly let my focus shift to amazement 506 00:34:29,235 --> 00:34:31,155 Speaker 1: at the fact that this guy, who had been in 507 00:34:31,195 --> 00:34:34,675 Speaker 1: TV news for twenty five years, knew almost nothing about 508 00:34:34,715 --> 00:34:38,035 Speaker 1: how TV worked. I explained to him that is he 509 00:34:38,635 --> 00:34:40,715 Speaker 1: and one of her assistants and I had gone over 510 00:34:40,755 --> 00:34:44,195 Speaker 1: the script several times and taken out half of the 511 00:34:44,235 --> 00:34:47,995 Speaker 1: gorrier references. Then they suck at television. And since I 512 00:34:48,075 --> 00:34:50,635 Speaker 1: can't trust anybody here, since they won't stand up to 513 00:34:50,635 --> 00:34:53,995 Speaker 1: you and edit the script, since you obviously bullied them, 514 00:34:54,035 --> 00:34:57,315 Speaker 1: he bawled up his fist and stomped his foot on 515 00:34:57,395 --> 00:35:00,555 Speaker 1: the floor as he called me a bully. I'm now 516 00:35:00,635 --> 00:35:04,355 Speaker 1: going to have to approve every piece of your copy. 517 00:35:05,715 --> 00:35:08,635 Speaker 1: By this point, I was backing into the countdown work 518 00:35:08,755 --> 00:35:11,355 Speaker 1: area with its array of desks, and all the producers 519 00:35:11,395 --> 00:35:13,795 Speaker 1: Caplan had just insulted, and I knew one of them 520 00:35:13,835 --> 00:35:16,155 Speaker 1: would dial the phone when I said, call the cops 521 00:35:16,755 --> 00:35:20,155 Speaker 1: and call this lunatics boss, Did you hear me? And 522 00:35:20,195 --> 00:35:21,595 Speaker 1: if you don't like it and you don't want to 523 00:35:21,635 --> 00:35:25,155 Speaker 1: come into work tomorrow, that's fine too. I never did 524 00:35:25,195 --> 00:35:28,355 Speaker 1: get that part, but now I had him. I crossed 525 00:35:28,355 --> 00:35:31,195 Speaker 1: my arms in front of my chest slowly, like you 526 00:35:31,235 --> 00:35:34,475 Speaker 1: have seen every news anchor do and every television news 527 00:35:34,475 --> 00:35:37,235 Speaker 1: promo ever shown in the history of the world. I 528 00:35:37,355 --> 00:35:41,715 Speaker 1: flashed as evil a slowmost smile as I could, Oh, 529 00:35:41,875 --> 00:35:44,995 Speaker 1: I'll be here tomorrow, and then I made a sweeping 530 00:35:45,075 --> 00:35:48,555 Speaker 1: gesture back towards my staff, who were both of course 531 00:35:49,075 --> 00:35:56,155 Speaker 1: literally and figuratively behind me, and so will all of them. Suddenly, 532 00:35:56,155 --> 00:35:58,955 Speaker 1: at that point, for no apparent reason, Rick Caplan's hysterics 533 00:35:58,955 --> 00:36:02,595 Speaker 1: were replaced by mere confusion. He even stopped huffing at 534 00:36:02,635 --> 00:36:06,835 Speaker 1: almost normal volume. He asked me, yeah, all of who. 535 00:36:07,835 --> 00:36:09,875 Speaker 1: Only at this point did I turn around to discover 536 00:36:10,675 --> 00:36:13,835 Speaker 1: that my entire staff had already left the building. There 537 00:36:13,955 --> 00:36:18,275 Speaker 1: was nobody there behind me. Of course, there was nobody there, 538 00:36:18,595 --> 00:36:20,715 Speaker 1: As he Povich told me later, he went into the 539 00:36:20,755 --> 00:36:23,635 Speaker 1: control room and threatened all of them first. So we 540 00:36:23,675 --> 00:36:25,355 Speaker 1: got on the phone back to the office and tell 541 00:36:25,395 --> 00:36:27,875 Speaker 1: everybody to get the hell out of the building. She 542 00:36:27,955 --> 00:36:30,795 Speaker 1: paused and laughed. I mean, we love you, but we're 543 00:36:30,835 --> 00:36:35,955 Speaker 1: not crazy. Rick Kaplan's exorcism was a brief one. He 544 00:36:36,035 --> 00:36:39,595 Speaker 1: began screaming again, I'm gonna end your career tomorrow. I'm 545 00:36:39,635 --> 00:36:43,675 Speaker 1: gonna completely f you up. He turned and stumbled away 546 00:36:43,715 --> 00:36:47,715 Speaker 1: from my office. Good luck sleeping tonight. I slept like 547 00:36:47,755 --> 00:36:51,395 Speaker 1: a stone. And not because Kaplan had previously threatened to 548 00:36:51,395 --> 00:36:54,555 Speaker 1: fire me for not leaving my father's bedside after what 549 00:36:54,635 --> 00:36:56,875 Speaker 1: they thought was a heart attack to fly to l 550 00:36:56,955 --> 00:36:59,035 Speaker 1: A to appear on the Tonight Show, and not because 551 00:36:59,035 --> 00:37:01,275 Speaker 1: he'd once threatened to fire me because he didn't like 552 00:37:01,315 --> 00:37:05,035 Speaker 1: my tie, and not because he had previously threatened to 553 00:37:05,075 --> 00:37:08,195 Speaker 1: fire me for not doing something during live coverage that 554 00:37:08,275 --> 00:37:10,475 Speaker 1: I had already done but he thought we hadn't done 555 00:37:10,755 --> 00:37:13,275 Speaker 1: because he was watching us, not live but on delay 556 00:37:13,355 --> 00:37:18,795 Speaker 1: on his DVR president of a network. And I slept beautifully. 557 00:37:18,795 --> 00:37:21,755 Speaker 1: Not because I correctly guessed this would be it for 558 00:37:21,875 --> 00:37:25,275 Speaker 1: Rick Kaplan and it was the next day human resources 559 00:37:25,275 --> 00:37:28,675 Speaker 1: forced him to apologize to me, and ten months later 560 00:37:29,075 --> 00:37:35,115 Speaker 1: his bosses fired him. Nor did I snooze blessedly because 561 00:37:35,115 --> 00:37:38,635 Speaker 1: of any bravery or stoicism or fatalism on my part. 562 00:37:38,995 --> 00:37:41,835 Speaker 1: But I slept well simply because of the realization that, 563 00:37:41,995 --> 00:37:46,875 Speaker 1: even after all of this, Rick Caplan was still only 564 00:37:46,915 --> 00:37:52,715 Speaker 1: the second or third craziest MSNBC executive I had ever 565 00:37:52,795 --> 00:38:09,035 Speaker 1: worked for. Countdown has come to you from the studio's 566 00:38:09,075 --> 00:38:13,475 Speaker 1: Elbowler and Broadcasting Empire World headquarters in the Sports Capsule 567 00:38:13,595 --> 00:38:17,075 Speaker 1: Building in New York. Thanks for listening here. The credits 568 00:38:17,235 --> 00:38:20,915 Speaker 1: moost to the music, including our theme from Beethoven's Ninth arranged, 569 00:38:20,995 --> 00:38:24,155 Speaker 1: produced and performed by Brian Ray and John Philip Channello, 570 00:38:24,475 --> 00:38:27,795 Speaker 1: who are the Countdown musical directors, guitarist based and drums 571 00:38:27,795 --> 00:38:31,315 Speaker 1: by Brian ray All, orchestration and keyboards by John Philip. 572 00:38:31,355 --> 00:38:35,355 Speaker 1: Channel produced by t k O Brothers. Other Beethoven selections 573 00:38:35,355 --> 00:38:38,195 Speaker 1: have been arranged and performed by the group No Horns Allowed. 574 00:38:38,715 --> 00:38:41,915 Speaker 1: The sports music is the Alderman theme from ESPN two, 575 00:38:42,275 --> 00:38:44,595 Speaker 1: and it was written by Mitch Warren Davis and appears 576 00:38:44,595 --> 00:38:48,355 Speaker 1: courtesy of ESPN, Inc. Musical comm answered Nancy Faust, the 577 00:38:48,395 --> 00:38:51,635 Speaker 1: best baseball stadium organist ever. Our announcer today was Larry 578 00:38:51,715 --> 00:38:55,075 Speaker 1: David and everything else was pretty much my fault. So 579 00:38:55,155 --> 00:38:57,795 Speaker 1: that's countdown for this, the seven hundred and seventy first 580 00:38:57,995 --> 00:39:01,715 Speaker 1: day since Donald Trump's first attempted coup against the democratically 581 00:39:01,755 --> 00:39:05,555 Speaker 1: elected government of the United States. Arrest him now while 582 00:39:05,635 --> 00:39:09,475 Speaker 1: we still can. The next scheduled countdown is tomorrow. Until then, 583 00:39:09,515 --> 00:39:12,635 Speaker 1: I'm Keith all Reman. Good morning, good afternoon, goodnight, and 584 00:39:12,875 --> 00:39:25,315 Speaker 1: good luck. Countdown with Keith al Reman is a production 585 00:39:25,475 --> 00:39:29,115 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 586 00:39:29,275 --> 00:39:32,795 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 587 00:39:32,875 --> 00:39:34,235 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.