1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:22,075 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. The 2 00:00:22,115 --> 00:00:28,035 Speaker 1: Magic Word. Joe Biden has found the magic word, and 3 00:00:28,155 --> 00:00:31,675 Speaker 1: the magic word is the path to defeating Trump, to 4 00:00:31,795 --> 00:00:34,715 Speaker 1: sending him to die in prison, to dispatching at least 5 00:00:34,715 --> 00:00:37,595 Speaker 1: most of his culture back into their sewers, and to 6 00:00:37,795 --> 00:00:41,675 Speaker 1: preserving representative government in this country. And since Friday, the 7 00:00:41,715 --> 00:00:47,235 Speaker 1: magic word and that path have become unmistakably clear. The nation, 8 00:00:47,755 --> 00:00:52,915 Speaker 1: the real nation, Americans loyal to you know, America, not 9 00:00:53,115 --> 00:00:58,315 Speaker 1: some loser business fraud guy. The real nation is angry, 10 00:00:59,035 --> 00:01:03,675 Speaker 1: and all Joe Biden has to do is speak our anger, 11 00:01:03,755 --> 00:01:10,275 Speaker 1: and he and democracy will prevail. Joe Biden righteously angry. 12 00:01:10,435 --> 00:01:15,195 Speaker 1: Is Joe Biden thoroughly invigorated? And Joe Biden is righteously angry. 13 00:01:15,635 --> 00:01:20,115 Speaker 1: And Joe Biden has found the magic word Friday at 14 00:01:20,195 --> 00:01:23,355 Speaker 1: Valley Forge and yesterday at Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston. 15 00:01:23,475 --> 00:01:25,755 Speaker 1: It is one word and happens to not just be 16 00:01:26,035 --> 00:01:30,195 Speaker 1: a perfect adjective for Trump, not just the truth about Trump, 17 00:01:30,435 --> 00:01:33,315 Speaker 1: not just the essence of why Trump has torn this 18 00:01:33,555 --> 00:01:37,155 Speaker 1: nation apart with one lie that contains all the other lies. 19 00:01:37,435 --> 00:01:41,035 Speaker 1: But it is the word that Trump above all else 20 00:01:41,395 --> 00:01:47,955 Speaker 1: cannot stand, cannot respond to, literally cannot live with. It 21 00:01:47,995 --> 00:01:50,355 Speaker 1: is the l word. 22 00:01:50,795 --> 00:01:53,675 Speaker 2: But that's not the real world, that's not democracy, that's 23 00:01:53,835 --> 00:01:57,555 Speaker 2: not America. In America, we all count. In America, we 24 00:01:57,635 --> 00:02:02,595 Speaker 2: witness to serve all those who in fact participate and 25 00:02:02,675 --> 00:02:07,755 Speaker 2: losers as taught to conceive when they lose. He's a loser. 26 00:02:18,675 --> 00:02:22,995 Speaker 1: The word is loser. And the goal in the next 27 00:02:23,075 --> 00:02:25,635 Speaker 1: three hundred and two days is to take that word 28 00:02:25,675 --> 00:02:31,875 Speaker 1: and hang it around Trump's neck, big shiny, gold diamond 29 00:02:32,035 --> 00:02:37,275 Speaker 1: studded letters loser. We need to make the words Trump 30 00:02:37,355 --> 00:02:40,875 Speaker 1: and loser synonymous. Joe Biden needs to keep calling him 31 00:02:40,915 --> 00:02:43,595 Speaker 1: a loser. You need to keep calling him a loser. 32 00:02:43,675 --> 00:02:46,075 Speaker 1: I need to keep calling him a loser. Kareem John 33 00:02:46,155 --> 00:02:48,795 Speaker 1: Pierre needs to call him a loser. Every Democrat and 34 00:02:48,835 --> 00:02:51,875 Speaker 1: every Biden Surrogan on the campaign trail needs to call 35 00:02:51,955 --> 00:02:54,395 Speaker 1: him a loser every day, and we need to do 36 00:02:54,435 --> 00:02:58,595 Speaker 1: it so often that sooner rather than later, somebody somewhere 37 00:02:58,635 --> 00:03:03,795 Speaker 1: on the news screws up and identifies him as loser 38 00:03:04,115 --> 00:03:10,115 Speaker 1: Jay Trump. What Biden said Friday was extraordinary. It turned 39 00:03:10,115 --> 00:03:13,475 Speaker 1: around his campaign prospects on a dime. It awakened every 40 00:03:13,715 --> 00:03:17,675 Speaker 1: worried Democrat, It reassured every worried non trump Ist Republican. 41 00:03:17,875 --> 00:03:19,795 Speaker 1: It reminded the rest of us of how this man 42 00:03:19,875 --> 00:03:23,115 Speaker 1: got elected president after thirty three years of not getting 43 00:03:23,155 --> 00:03:25,995 Speaker 1: elected president. It reminded us that he can't throw it 44 00:03:26,075 --> 00:03:28,595 Speaker 1: one hundred pitches a day anymore. But I don't care 45 00:03:28,595 --> 00:03:30,595 Speaker 1: if you say how old is Joe Biden. He's two 46 00:03:30,635 --> 00:03:34,275 Speaker 1: hundred and six. He still has his fastball. But the 47 00:03:34,395 --> 00:03:43,995 Speaker 1: key to it is Trump loser, loser, Trump, loser Jay Trump. 48 00:03:45,595 --> 00:03:49,035 Speaker 1: I really think that would be enough. That loser is 49 00:03:49,115 --> 00:03:51,715 Speaker 1: the bowl of water we have all been looking for 50 00:03:51,755 --> 00:03:55,395 Speaker 1: since twenty fifteen to throw at this particular wicked witch 51 00:03:55,395 --> 00:04:00,555 Speaker 1: of the West, and they do have identical demeanors. The 52 00:04:00,675 --> 00:04:03,835 Speaker 1: second time Biden has used it, he used it at 53 00:04:03,875 --> 00:04:07,715 Speaker 1: Valley Fourge two. It's on the verge of becoming his 54 00:04:07,875 --> 00:04:11,475 Speaker 1: standard stump speech laugh line, the. 55 00:04:11,475 --> 00:04:16,915 Speaker 2: Legal path, just to trove back to the truth that 56 00:04:17,075 --> 00:04:19,195 Speaker 2: I had won the election and he was a loser. 57 00:04:25,635 --> 00:04:29,675 Speaker 1: And even if loser is not the magic wand against Trump, 58 00:04:29,755 --> 00:04:32,395 Speaker 1: it is clear that Biden and his speech writers have 59 00:04:32,515 --> 00:04:36,995 Speaker 1: also been looking carefully at Trump's rhetoric and the most 60 00:04:37,075 --> 00:04:41,035 Speaker 1: easily loathed parts of his fascist and white supremacist agendas, 61 00:04:41,235 --> 00:04:44,435 Speaker 1: and they are stitching it together with all the other 62 00:04:44,755 --> 00:04:49,795 Speaker 1: worst parts of American history. Yesterday in Charleston, they melded 63 00:04:49,875 --> 00:04:52,755 Speaker 1: Trump and the Big Lie and the twenty twenty election 64 00:04:53,315 --> 00:04:57,675 Speaker 1: with the Confederacy and the Lost Cause and the Civil War, 65 00:04:58,155 --> 00:04:59,875 Speaker 1: and it was perfect. 66 00:05:00,195 --> 00:05:04,835 Speaker 2: After the Civil War, the defeated Confederates couldn't accept the 67 00:05:04,955 --> 00:05:10,075 Speaker 2: verdict of the war they had lost, so they say 68 00:05:11,035 --> 00:05:14,995 Speaker 2: they embraced what's known as the Lost Cause, a self 69 00:05:14,995 --> 00:05:17,595 Speaker 2: serving lie that the Civil War is not about slavery 70 00:05:18,355 --> 00:05:22,715 Speaker 2: but about states rights. And they've called that the Noble Cause. 71 00:05:23,915 --> 00:05:27,075 Speaker 2: That was a lie, a lie that had not just 72 00:05:27,115 --> 00:05:30,955 Speaker 2: a lie, but the terrible consequences it brought on Jim Crow. 73 00:05:32,075 --> 00:05:35,155 Speaker 2: So let me be clear, for those who don't seem 74 00:05:35,195 --> 00:05:39,875 Speaker 2: to know slavery was the cause of the Civils, there's 75 00:05:39,995 --> 00:05:46,595 Speaker 2: no negotiation about that. Now we're living in an error 76 00:05:47,755 --> 00:05:51,955 Speaker 2: of a second loss cause once again there's some in 77 00:05:51,955 --> 00:05:55,875 Speaker 2: this country trying trying to turn a loss into a lie, 78 00:05:56,875 --> 00:06:00,235 Speaker 2: a lie which, if allowed to live, will once again 79 00:06:00,395 --> 00:06:03,475 Speaker 2: bring terrible damage to this country. This time the lie 80 00:06:03,875 --> 00:06:07,955 Speaker 2: is about the twenty election, the election which you made, 81 00:06:08,275 --> 00:06:12,075 Speaker 2: your voice is heard, and your power known. Just two 82 00:06:12,155 --> 00:06:15,675 Speaker 2: days ago, remark the third anniversary of the dark one 83 00:06:15,675 --> 00:06:19,475 Speaker 2: of the darkest days in American history, January sixth, the 84 00:06:19,555 --> 00:06:22,395 Speaker 2: day in which insurrection has stormed the United States Capital, 85 00:06:23,115 --> 00:06:26,275 Speaker 2: trying for the first time in American history, to stop 86 00:06:26,315 --> 00:06:28,635 Speaker 2: the peaceful transfer of power in the country. 87 00:06:28,675 --> 00:06:34,275 Speaker 1: More of this, please, and again. The word loser is perfection. 88 00:06:35,155 --> 00:06:39,235 Speaker 1: Any word that contains lose or loser or losing, or 89 00:06:39,275 --> 00:06:44,795 Speaker 1: say lost cause it melts loser. Jay Trump, just a 90 00:06:44,875 --> 00:06:47,835 Speaker 1: little bit more. And I must say, again, as I 91 00:06:47,875 --> 00:06:50,755 Speaker 1: said earlier and emphasized in the bulletin Friday after the 92 00:06:50,835 --> 00:06:54,275 Speaker 1: Valley Forged speech, that the pivot here towards calling Trump 93 00:06:54,315 --> 00:06:58,035 Speaker 1: what he is and doing so with righteous anger, takes 94 00:06:58,235 --> 00:07:03,955 Speaker 1: twenty years off Joe Biden's age. I'll remind you again 95 00:07:04,075 --> 00:07:06,155 Speaker 1: he asked me to lunch in two thousand and seven 96 00:07:06,155 --> 00:07:08,235 Speaker 1: because his reputation was that of being a hot head, 97 00:07:08,355 --> 00:07:13,715 Speaker 1: of being too angry. Now he is righteously angry without 98 00:07:13,835 --> 00:07:17,755 Speaker 1: being hot headed. He has, in fact, even elevated his 99 00:07:17,835 --> 00:07:22,715 Speaker 1: game one more step. He is meticulously and repeatedly suppressing 100 00:07:22,835 --> 00:07:27,035 Speaker 1: his anger, swallowing his rage. And whether this is completely 101 00:07:27,155 --> 00:07:29,715 Speaker 1: organic or he has practiced this. I don't know, and 102 00:07:29,755 --> 00:07:34,995 Speaker 1: I don't care. He's just angry enough. And the reason 103 00:07:35,635 --> 00:07:38,435 Speaker 1: these two seemingly small things have begun to alter the 104 00:07:38,515 --> 00:07:42,235 Speaker 1: DNA of this campaign, that one word loser and that 105 00:07:42,395 --> 00:07:46,155 Speaker 1: precisely correct amount of anger, is that the rest of 106 00:07:46,235 --> 00:07:50,395 Speaker 1: us have been waiting for them. Trump is a loser. 107 00:07:51,195 --> 00:07:55,075 Speaker 1: Where are the people saying it? Trump is threatening the 108 00:07:55,115 --> 00:07:57,915 Speaker 1: fiber of this nation and the future of the world. 109 00:07:58,075 --> 00:08:01,635 Speaker 1: Where is the person who will literally humiliate him with 110 00:08:01,795 --> 00:08:07,115 Speaker 1: their anger and metaphorically kick him in the crotch? Who 111 00:08:07,155 --> 00:08:11,435 Speaker 1: better to be angry? Who better to defend America from 112 00:08:11,475 --> 00:08:17,515 Speaker 1: this clown than the president of the United States, the 113 00:08:17,595 --> 00:08:24,675 Speaker 1: man who made loser Jay Trump a loser. By the way, 114 00:08:24,715 --> 00:08:27,795 Speaker 1: the resonance of this was immediate, and it underscores my point. 115 00:08:27,835 --> 00:08:32,155 Speaker 1: The Biden campaign reported one million dollars in donations online 116 00:08:32,235 --> 00:08:35,955 Speaker 1: only in the twenty four hours after the Valley Forge speech. 117 00:08:37,355 --> 00:08:42,115 Speaker 1: The campaign has also discovered virality. Since like last Thursday, fourteen, 118 00:08:42,195 --> 00:08:45,435 Speaker 1: quote panels and video segments from that speech were echoing 119 00:08:45,515 --> 00:08:49,555 Speaker 1: over the weekend, and the ones from Charleston were beginning 120 00:08:49,555 --> 00:08:52,395 Speaker 1: to go online last night and just before five pm, yesterday, 121 00:08:52,515 --> 00:08:54,915 Speaker 1: just as he had in his speech, the President's personal 122 00:08:54,955 --> 00:08:58,275 Speaker 1: account posted the clip of Trump dismissing the school shouting 123 00:08:58,395 --> 00:09:00,915 Speaker 1: in Iowa with quote, we have to get over it 124 00:09:01,115 --> 00:09:08,715 Speaker 1: like it was bad weather. Discovered the Internet and this 125 00:09:08,835 --> 00:09:12,755 Speaker 1: business of anger and timing. Let me tell you a 126 00:09:12,795 --> 00:09:15,875 Speaker 1: quick anecdote about the value of loud anger ringing out 127 00:09:15,995 --> 00:09:20,715 Speaker 1: organically during otherwise universal silence. I am making no comparisons 128 00:09:20,755 --> 00:09:26,195 Speaker 1: here other than the circumstances, But for five years after 129 00:09:26,275 --> 00:09:29,675 Speaker 1: nine to eleven, Democrats were afraid, more afraid than usual 130 00:09:30,035 --> 00:09:34,475 Speaker 1: to criticize a Republican president about national security. They were, 131 00:09:35,355 --> 00:09:39,315 Speaker 1: and in retrospect rightfully fearful that if a Democratic leader, 132 00:09:39,515 --> 00:09:43,595 Speaker 1: or a Democratic senator, or a Democratic presidential hopeful complained 133 00:09:44,035 --> 00:09:47,155 Speaker 1: about what was ever more obviously manipulation by the Bush 134 00:09:47,195 --> 00:09:51,675 Speaker 1: administration of the terror threat, that there actually could be 135 00:09:51,835 --> 00:09:54,395 Speaker 1: a follow up to the nine to eleven terrorist attacks 136 00:09:54,755 --> 00:09:57,555 Speaker 1: or some other active terror, and the Republicans would then 137 00:09:57,675 --> 00:10:00,235 Speaker 1: own the political landscape of this nation for the next 138 00:10:00,275 --> 00:10:03,275 Speaker 1: twenty years and would be able to blame the Democrats 139 00:10:03,475 --> 00:10:08,755 Speaker 1: as if they brought off on the theoretical second attack. Well, 140 00:10:08,835 --> 00:10:12,355 Speaker 1: I never got that memo, so I started yelling about 141 00:10:12,355 --> 00:10:15,155 Speaker 1: what Bush was doing in two thousand and five. No plan, 142 00:10:15,595 --> 00:10:18,755 Speaker 1: no strategy, no heeding the warnings, even of my own 143 00:10:18,795 --> 00:10:21,755 Speaker 1: executive producer, who literally said to me, but what if 144 00:10:21,755 --> 00:10:24,875 Speaker 1: there is another attack? And I said, I think our 145 00:10:24,915 --> 00:10:29,235 Speaker 1: show will be the last thing they worry about. Inadvertent, unintended, 146 00:10:29,355 --> 00:10:32,795 Speaker 1: utterly organic, And there were two responses. Viewer after viewer 147 00:10:33,075 --> 00:10:36,435 Speaker 1: greeted me with variations of the same statement. My god, 148 00:10:36,515 --> 00:10:38,595 Speaker 1: I thought I was the only one who felt that way. 149 00:10:39,435 --> 00:10:44,635 Speaker 1: And then the elected Democrats began to respond by challenging 150 00:10:44,715 --> 00:10:49,195 Speaker 1: Bush and the fundamentally evil and manipulative and unfathomable color 151 00:10:49,315 --> 00:10:53,795 Speaker 1: coded terror alert system, which I assumed was a coincidence. 152 00:10:54,595 --> 00:10:56,555 Speaker 1: The next thing I knew, I bumped into John Kerrey 153 00:10:56,555 --> 00:10:58,595 Speaker 1: at Fenway Park in Boston at the two thousand and 154 00:10:58,595 --> 00:11:00,515 Speaker 1: seven World Series, and he said, thanks for winning the 155 00:11:00,555 --> 00:11:03,235 Speaker 1: mid terms for us, and I laughed, assuming he was 156 00:11:03,275 --> 00:11:07,115 Speaker 1: being deliberately and hype robolically absurd. No, I mean it, 157 00:11:07,235 --> 00:11:09,035 Speaker 1: None of us could have said any of that. What 158 00:11:09,115 --> 00:11:12,595 Speaker 1: if we were wrong? But you, you put your head 159 00:11:12,635 --> 00:11:15,115 Speaker 1: through that brick wall, and the rest of us could 160 00:11:15,115 --> 00:11:20,835 Speaker 1: then charge on through good work. I asked John Carey 161 00:11:20,835 --> 00:11:22,395 Speaker 1: if it wasn't supposed to be the other way around. 162 00:11:22,515 --> 00:11:24,395 Speaker 1: It's supposed to be the other way around. But guess 163 00:11:24,435 --> 00:11:29,555 Speaker 1: what it isn't good work. Trump is the living embodiment 164 00:11:29,595 --> 00:11:32,915 Speaker 1: of the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. We all 165 00:11:32,955 --> 00:11:35,115 Speaker 1: know that there are ten year old kids who could 166 00:11:35,115 --> 00:11:38,275 Speaker 1: tell you that. Yet the completeness of Trump's fraudulents has 167 00:11:38,355 --> 00:11:44,195 Speaker 1: never been exposed properly. For one reason, the right person 168 00:11:44,315 --> 00:11:47,395 Speaker 1: had yet to come along to say it, to surprise 169 00:11:47,515 --> 00:11:50,715 Speaker 1: people when he said it, to permit everybody else to 170 00:11:50,755 --> 00:11:58,795 Speaker 1: say it, and then to own the phrase Forever loser, 171 00:11:59,435 --> 00:12:06,595 Speaker 1: Jay Trump, the way loser j Trump has never been 172 00:12:06,675 --> 00:12:11,195 Speaker 1: burdened by consistency, but even this strains what passes for 173 00:12:11,315 --> 00:12:15,515 Speaker 1: credulity in his world. Yesterday, he overtly implied that if 174 00:12:15,515 --> 00:12:18,435 Speaker 1: he regains power, he will indict a former president of 175 00:12:18,515 --> 00:12:22,475 Speaker 1: the United States. Today he was to attend the DC 176 00:12:22,595 --> 00:12:24,835 Speaker 1: Federal Appeals Court hearing at which he and his lawyers 177 00:12:24,875 --> 00:12:28,875 Speaker 1: were to argue that you cannot indict a former president 178 00:12:28,915 --> 00:12:33,115 Speaker 1: of the United States. I wondered for a moment if 179 00:12:33,115 --> 00:12:36,595 Speaker 1: that contradiction of presidential immunity being turned on and off 180 00:12:36,675 --> 00:12:40,155 Speaker 1: like a light bulb even interrupted for just a second. 181 00:12:40,555 --> 00:12:45,955 Speaker 1: Trump's worldview. Trump's worldview, of course, is just a series 182 00:12:45,995 --> 00:12:49,395 Speaker 1: of pictures of himself interspersed with the seven or eight 183 00:12:49,475 --> 00:12:56,755 Speaker 1: mirrors that he wears attached to his SIZEXXXL suit. It 184 00:12:56,795 --> 00:12:59,435 Speaker 1: doesn't really matter, of course. The point is not the 185 00:12:59,475 --> 00:13:03,395 Speaker 1: outcome of these suits. The point is the delay and 186 00:13:04,315 --> 00:13:07,715 Speaker 1: the endless feeding of the Loser J. Trump martyrdom machine. 187 00:13:08,195 --> 00:13:10,875 Speaker 1: Every time I hear about Trump being the victim of 188 00:13:10,915 --> 00:13:13,755 Speaker 1: this and the target of that, I think of the 189 00:13:13,795 --> 00:13:18,355 Speaker 1: eighties British punk comedy The Young Ones and the episode 190 00:13:18,355 --> 00:13:21,035 Speaker 1: in which one character was nailing himself to the cross 191 00:13:22,035 --> 00:13:24,595 Speaker 1: and another character was warning him, you can never do 192 00:13:24,635 --> 00:13:27,075 Speaker 1: it without help, because you can never hammer in the 193 00:13:27,155 --> 00:13:34,395 Speaker 1: last nail. He knows he's tried. That's Trump. The hearing 194 00:13:34,515 --> 00:13:37,635 Speaker 1: today was also to deal with this curious premise that 195 00:13:37,715 --> 00:13:40,075 Speaker 1: Loser J is a victim. There's that word again, of 196 00:13:40,115 --> 00:13:42,755 Speaker 1: double jeopardy, because the Senate did not vote him guilty 197 00:13:43,115 --> 00:13:45,395 Speaker 1: in his last impeachment, and since there are no criminal 198 00:13:45,435 --> 00:13:50,235 Speaker 1: penalties involved in impeachment and removal, it seems specious at best. 199 00:13:50,315 --> 00:13:55,635 Speaker 1: Then again, so does he. There is no ruling expected today. Meanwhile, 200 00:13:55,635 --> 00:13:58,795 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on February eighth 201 00:13:58,835 --> 00:14:03,035 Speaker 1: on the Colorado fourteenth Amendment disqualification. The Second Circuit Court 202 00:14:03,035 --> 00:14:05,875 Speaker 1: of Appeals denied his demand to have already denied claim 203 00:14:05,915 --> 00:14:09,515 Speaker 1: of immunity and the E. Gene Carroll case reconsidered. His 204 00:14:09,635 --> 00:14:12,395 Speaker 1: lawyers have filed to have the Georgia indictments dismissed because 205 00:14:12,435 --> 00:14:15,235 Speaker 1: of immunity, just for him, of course, not for any 206 00:14:15,235 --> 00:14:18,475 Speaker 1: other president. His co defendant, Michael Roman, filed to have 207 00:14:18,515 --> 00:14:21,715 Speaker 1: the Georgia indictments dismissed because he claims the district attorney 208 00:14:21,795 --> 00:14:25,075 Speaker 1: hired a romantic partner to be a prosecutor. And before 209 00:14:25,075 --> 00:14:27,595 Speaker 1: you panic over that, A, even if it's true, there's 210 00:14:27,595 --> 00:14:30,755 Speaker 1: no reason the charges would be automatically dismissed. B it 211 00:14:30,795 --> 00:14:33,275 Speaker 1: would be the dumbest thing ever done by a prosecutor. 212 00:14:33,315 --> 00:14:37,555 Speaker 1: Then again, ask the OJ Simpson prosecution team. And see 213 00:14:37,995 --> 00:14:40,835 Speaker 1: this is five months to the day that Trump accused 214 00:14:40,915 --> 00:14:43,275 Speaker 1: the same district attorney of having had an affair with 215 00:14:43,275 --> 00:14:45,755 Speaker 1: a gang member she was prosecuting, and that turned out 216 00:14:45,795 --> 00:14:51,195 Speaker 1: to be complete crap. By the way, at some point, 217 00:14:51,315 --> 00:14:56,035 Speaker 1: with enough trials, don't they do the clicker thing on 218 00:14:56,275 --> 00:15:00,035 Speaker 1: Trump's card, and he gets a free one for now. 219 00:15:00,075 --> 00:15:02,195 Speaker 1: The Georgia story is on the pile with two other 220 00:15:02,235 --> 00:15:05,715 Speaker 1: stories from yesterday. Mediaite says it has a tape of 221 00:15:05,795 --> 00:15:09,035 Speaker 1: Roger Stone from before the twenty twenty election, telling a 222 00:15:09,035 --> 00:15:11,395 Speaker 1: New York police buddy that, quote, it's time to do it, 223 00:15:11,595 --> 00:15:16,355 Speaker 1: unquote it being the assassination of Congressman Jerry Nadler or 224 00:15:16,435 --> 00:15:20,395 Speaker 1: Congressman Eric Swallwell quote, then we'll see how brave the 225 00:15:20,395 --> 00:15:24,155 Speaker 1: rest of them are unquote. I'm not buying it right now, 226 00:15:24,275 --> 00:15:26,515 Speaker 1: largely because I know the founder of Mediaite and his 227 00:15:26,635 --> 00:15:30,955 Speaker 1: scoops were wrong about forty five percent of the time. 228 00:15:32,035 --> 00:15:37,555 Speaker 1: Stone says, the tape is AI. I say Stone's hair 229 00:15:37,795 --> 00:15:41,795 Speaker 1: is AI. Also there is the New York Post story 230 00:15:42,275 --> 00:15:45,355 Speaker 1: of a former Epstein victim sending emails to one of 231 00:15:45,395 --> 00:15:49,435 Speaker 1: the paper's columnists eight years ago claiming she had video 232 00:15:49,715 --> 00:15:53,435 Speaker 1: of another victim having sex with Trump, Clinton, Prince Andrew, 233 00:15:53,475 --> 00:15:58,595 Speaker 1: and Richard Branson, but especially with Trump, then retracting all 234 00:15:58,635 --> 00:16:00,915 Speaker 1: of this weeks later in another email. Right now, that 235 00:16:00,995 --> 00:16:05,355 Speaker 1: story is notable only because Trump's idiot son, that would 236 00:16:05,395 --> 00:16:08,875 Speaker 1: be idiot number one idiot Junior, distributed this story on 237 00:16:08,875 --> 00:16:11,515 Speaker 1: social media and asked, this seems like a big deal 238 00:16:11,515 --> 00:16:14,475 Speaker 1: of true, why has nothing been done about it? While 239 00:16:14,515 --> 00:16:16,995 Speaker 1: conveniently leaving his own father's name out of the story 240 00:16:17,035 --> 00:16:20,075 Speaker 1: because obviously their crowd would never read the story, just 241 00:16:20,195 --> 00:16:23,835 Speaker 1: his tweet. That would be his father's name that he 242 00:16:23,915 --> 00:16:27,595 Speaker 1: left out of it. His father's name, loser j Trump. 243 00:16:31,595 --> 00:16:35,515 Speaker 1: The legal thing that did get my attention largely flew 244 00:16:35,715 --> 00:16:38,995 Speaker 1: under the radar. It begins to look as if Dan 245 00:16:39,155 --> 00:16:44,675 Speaker 1: Scavino has flipped or at least did not perjure himself 246 00:16:44,715 --> 00:16:48,955 Speaker 1: when grilled by Jack Smith's team, ABC News reporting that 247 00:16:48,995 --> 00:16:52,315 Speaker 1: Scavino flashed out the skeleton of what Trump was doing 248 00:16:52,835 --> 00:16:56,435 Speaker 1: during Trump's coup, we knew the one word answer was 249 00:16:57,195 --> 00:17:02,475 Speaker 1: watching Scabino. Loser. Jay's internet guy said all those around 250 00:17:02,475 --> 00:17:05,875 Speaker 1: Trump urged him repeatedly that day to write something online 251 00:17:05,915 --> 00:17:09,115 Speaker 1: to call it off quote, but he was just not 252 00:17:09,275 --> 00:17:13,235 Speaker 1: interested at that moment to put anything out. Scavino and 253 00:17:13,275 --> 00:17:16,955 Speaker 1: another Trump aide, Nick Luna, reportedly built a timeline for 254 00:17:17,035 --> 00:17:19,635 Speaker 1: the Special Prosecutor about Trump and the mortal danger to 255 00:17:19,755 --> 00:17:23,635 Speaker 1: Mike Pence. Told Pence had been taken to a secure location, 256 00:17:23,995 --> 00:17:27,995 Speaker 1: Luna says, Trump responded, so what Scabino said, they then 257 00:17:28,075 --> 00:17:30,475 Speaker 1: spent twenty minutes trying to get Trump to do something 258 00:17:30,915 --> 00:17:33,995 Speaker 1: to tamp down the insurrection, and when they gave up 259 00:17:33,995 --> 00:17:36,435 Speaker 1: and left Trump alone, he made his infamous tweet about 260 00:17:36,755 --> 00:17:39,435 Speaker 1: Pence not having had the courage to do what was necessary. 261 00:17:40,435 --> 00:17:43,515 Speaker 1: White House attorneys then descended upon Scavino thinking he had 262 00:17:43,515 --> 00:17:45,915 Speaker 1: written that, whereupon they all went back into Trump and 263 00:17:45,955 --> 00:17:49,515 Speaker 1: insisted it was quote, not what we need, and he answered, 264 00:17:49,635 --> 00:17:53,235 Speaker 1: but it's true. You don't have to be an attorney 265 00:17:53,235 --> 00:17:55,795 Speaker 1: to figure where Smith would be going with this, and 266 00:17:55,835 --> 00:17:59,315 Speaker 1: whether tipped hand or coincidence. President Biden hit this same 267 00:17:59,395 --> 00:18:04,075 Speaker 1: note on Friday. This new part of testimony from Scavino 268 00:18:04,155 --> 00:18:07,715 Speaker 1: and Luna goes to an underrated part of the Smith prosecution. 269 00:18:08,395 --> 00:18:11,795 Speaker 1: Apart from Trump's over acts to overthrow the incoming government, 270 00:18:11,835 --> 00:18:14,475 Speaker 1: there was also, as Biden put it, the greatest dereliction 271 00:18:14,555 --> 00:18:17,355 Speaker 1: of duty by any president ever. If your job is 272 00:18:17,395 --> 00:18:21,555 Speaker 1: to throw the switch in the trolley track meme to 273 00:18:21,675 --> 00:18:25,235 Speaker 1: avoid people being run over, and you don't throw the switch, 274 00:18:25,275 --> 00:18:26,955 Speaker 1: you are just as guilty as if you'd covered the 275 00:18:26,995 --> 00:18:32,155 Speaker 1: tracks with rocks and derailed the trolley. That report, of course, 276 00:18:32,275 --> 00:18:35,875 Speaker 1: got less play yesterday and Sunday than did the appalling 277 00:18:35,955 --> 00:18:40,515 Speaker 1: performance by Kristin Welker on Meet the Press Congresswoman Ava 278 00:18:40,595 --> 00:18:43,995 Speaker 1: Braun of Upstate New York. I'm sorry I always confuse 279 00:18:44,555 --> 00:18:48,595 Speaker 1: Ava Braun and Elise Stephanic. Congresswoman Elise Stephanic called the 280 00:18:48,675 --> 00:18:53,635 Speaker 1: January sixth convicts and defendants quote hostages, just as Trump did, 281 00:18:54,195 --> 00:18:57,235 Speaker 1: and Welker simply stared blankly in response and did not 282 00:18:57,475 --> 00:19:00,835 Speaker 1: ask the question that would have won her a Peabody. 283 00:19:01,315 --> 00:19:03,315 Speaker 1: It would have been a one word question, and the 284 00:19:03,395 --> 00:19:08,835 Speaker 1: question would have been hostages. I will note again that 285 00:19:08,875 --> 00:19:11,995 Speaker 1: while the fury against Kristen Welker and NBC for this 286 00:19:12,515 --> 00:19:16,315 Speaker 1: has been no more than she deserves, also told you so, 287 00:19:17,595 --> 00:19:20,675 Speaker 1: the reason for it is incorrect. She did not fail 288 00:19:20,795 --> 00:19:24,995 Speaker 1: to do her job one more time. The ownership of 289 00:19:25,115 --> 00:19:28,355 Speaker 1: every news organization in America has had this meeting, formally 290 00:19:28,435 --> 00:19:31,235 Speaker 1: or informally, on the record or off. What do we 291 00:19:31,315 --> 00:19:35,755 Speaker 1: do if Trump regains power? How do we protect our profits? 292 00:19:36,035 --> 00:19:38,715 Speaker 1: How do we make sure he prosecutes somebody else and 293 00:19:38,755 --> 00:19:44,195 Speaker 1: not us? The answer invariably is to platform little weasels 294 00:19:44,755 --> 00:19:48,435 Speaker 1: like this Elise Stephanic. She may look like she has 295 00:19:48,555 --> 00:19:52,435 Speaker 1: just escaped from the insurance commercial about young adults turning 296 00:19:52,475 --> 00:19:56,195 Speaker 1: into their parents. But she is the deadliest kind of fascist, 297 00:19:56,435 --> 00:19:59,075 Speaker 1: the fascist who is in it just for the power 298 00:19:59,195 --> 00:20:04,155 Speaker 1: or the money, and thus will do anything anyway. If 299 00:20:04,155 --> 00:20:07,715 Speaker 1: you think your quote news unquote person will be either 300 00:20:07,715 --> 00:20:12,355 Speaker 1: as journalistically immoral or stupid as Kristen Welker was on Sunday, 301 00:20:12,395 --> 00:20:14,395 Speaker 1: all the better. I don't know which it is. In 302 00:20:14,435 --> 00:20:17,915 Speaker 1: Welker's case, I will remind you again that a dozen 303 00:20:17,995 --> 00:20:22,155 Speaker 1: journalists disqualified themselves the night before the first Republican debate 304 00:20:22,155 --> 00:20:25,315 Speaker 1: by dining with Trump, Goon's Jason Miller and Swift vote 305 00:20:25,355 --> 00:20:29,715 Speaker 1: los Veda, and Welker was one of them. She's a disgrace, 306 00:20:31,115 --> 00:20:33,155 Speaker 1: but she may have known exactly what she was doing 307 00:20:33,235 --> 00:20:38,595 Speaker 1: or in this case not doing. Lastly, for comic relief, 308 00:20:38,675 --> 00:20:41,235 Speaker 1: Dean Phillips, who is still claiming he is a Democrat, 309 00:20:41,555 --> 00:20:44,315 Speaker 1: and Marianne Williamson, who is still claiming she is running 310 00:20:44,315 --> 00:20:49,275 Speaker 1: for president, staged a debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, yesterday. 311 00:20:49,635 --> 00:20:53,635 Speaker 1: According to Politico, much of the sparse crowd in attendance 312 00:20:54,115 --> 00:21:03,355 Speaker 1: consisted of seventh grade students after school detention. I presume 313 00:21:09,155 --> 00:21:11,515 Speaker 1: also of interest here, let me. Just read the headline 314 00:21:11,515 --> 00:21:15,155 Speaker 1: from the Wall Street Journal for safety's sake, quote Elon 315 00:21:15,275 --> 00:21:19,475 Speaker 1: Musk has used illegal drugs, worrying leaders at Tesla and SpaceX. 316 00:21:19,875 --> 00:21:22,675 Speaker 1: Some executives and board members fear the billionaire's use of 317 00:21:22,755 --> 00:21:31,555 Speaker 1: drugs including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms, and ketamine spacexstasy. Am 318 00:21:31,595 --> 00:21:35,515 Speaker 1: I right, that's next? This is wait say it with 319 00:21:35,635 --> 00:21:42,555 Speaker 1: me now, loser, Jay Trump, This is countdown. This is 320 00:21:42,675 --> 00:21:54,715 Speaker 1: countdown with Keith olbern Ohe scripts to the news, some headlines, 321 00:21:54,795 --> 00:22:02,555 Speaker 1: some updates, some snark, some predictions, date lines, San Francisco, California. 322 00:22:02,835 --> 00:22:05,155 Speaker 1: Rather than try to paraphrase this, I'm just going to 323 00:22:05,195 --> 00:22:08,395 Speaker 1: read a couple of paragraphs. As somebody was once suspended 324 00:22:08,395 --> 00:22:10,675 Speaker 1: from Twitter by Elon Musk because he said I had 325 00:22:10,715 --> 00:22:14,435 Speaker 1: doxed him when I had not given an address, a location, 326 00:22:14,675 --> 00:22:17,755 Speaker 1: or any information about him or anybody else, as somebody 327 00:22:17,795 --> 00:22:20,115 Speaker 1: who has watched him do stupid thing after stupid thing 328 00:22:20,155 --> 00:22:22,715 Speaker 1: that he thinks is funny, or that he thinks is brilliant, 329 00:22:23,035 --> 00:22:25,075 Speaker 1: or that he thinks has never been thought of before. 330 00:22:25,515 --> 00:22:28,275 Speaker 1: I have to say this never occurred to me, because 331 00:22:28,275 --> 00:22:30,115 Speaker 1: it just seemed to me it would be impossible for 332 00:22:30,275 --> 00:22:33,115 Speaker 1: Musk to have gotten away with this, but the Wall 333 00:22:33,155 --> 00:22:37,475 Speaker 1: Street Journal headline pulled no punches. Quote Elon Musk has 334 00:22:37,635 --> 00:22:42,435 Speaker 1: used illegal drugs, worrying leaders at Tesla and SpaceX. Some 335 00:22:42,595 --> 00:22:45,995 Speaker 1: executives and board members fear the billionaire's use of drugs, 336 00:22:46,395 --> 00:22:52,115 Speaker 1: including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms, and ketamine could harm his companies. 337 00:22:53,835 --> 00:22:56,475 Speaker 1: So that's why he thought carrying the sink into Twitter 338 00:22:56,515 --> 00:23:00,275 Speaker 1: headquarters was witty. I mean. Last night, he tweeted, quote, 339 00:23:00,435 --> 00:23:04,555 Speaker 1: Mark Cuban is a racist. He named his son X. 340 00:23:05,435 --> 00:23:09,395 Speaker 1: He renamed his social media site x. Now it begins 341 00:23:09,435 --> 00:23:13,155 Speaker 1: to make sense from the article his again, quoting the Journal, 342 00:23:13,235 --> 00:23:16,635 Speaker 1: drug use could have major consequences, not just for his health, 343 00:23:16,675 --> 00:23:20,795 Speaker 1: but also the six companies and billions in assets he oversees. 344 00:23:21,235 --> 00:23:24,275 Speaker 1: According to people familiar with Musk and the companies, the 345 00:23:24,315 --> 00:23:29,915 Speaker 1: world's wealthiest person has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms, 346 00:23:30,555 --> 00:23:34,635 Speaker 1: often at private parties around the world, where attendees signed 347 00:23:34,635 --> 00:23:37,555 Speaker 1: non disclosure agreements or give up their phones to enter. 348 00:23:37,955 --> 00:23:40,355 Speaker 1: According to people who have witnessed his drug use and 349 00:23:40,435 --> 00:23:44,315 Speaker 1: others with knowledge of it, Musk has previously smoked marijuana, 350 00:23:44,435 --> 00:23:46,955 Speaker 1: in public and has said he has a prescription for 351 00:23:47,035 --> 00:23:50,995 Speaker 1: the psychedelic like ketamine. In twenty eighteen, for example, he 352 00:23:50,995 --> 00:23:54,315 Speaker 1: took multiple tabs of acid that a party he hosted 353 00:23:54,355 --> 00:23:57,155 Speaker 1: in Los Angeles. The next year, he partied on magic 354 00:23:57,235 --> 00:24:00,435 Speaker 1: mushrooms an event in Mexico. In twenty twenty one, he 355 00:24:00,475 --> 00:24:04,635 Speaker 1: took ketamine recreationally with his brother Kimball Musk, in Miami 356 00:24:04,755 --> 00:24:07,475 Speaker 1: at a house party. He has taken illegal drugs with 357 00:24:07,555 --> 00:24:11,995 Speaker 1: current SpaceX and former TESLA board member Steve Jervitsen. People 358 00:24:12,035 --> 00:24:14,435 Speaker 1: close to Musk, who is now fifty two, said his 359 00:24:14,515 --> 00:24:17,795 Speaker 1: drug use is ongoing, especially his consumption of ketamine, and 360 00:24:17,875 --> 00:24:20,275 Speaker 1: that they are concerned it could cause a health crisis. 361 00:24:20,795 --> 00:24:24,635 Speaker 1: Even if it doesn't, it could damage his businesses. Wait, 362 00:24:24,755 --> 00:24:28,035 Speaker 1: there's more. Illegal drug use would likely be a violation 363 00:24:28,115 --> 00:24:31,715 Speaker 1: of federal policies that could jeopardize SpaceX's billions of dollars 364 00:24:31,795 --> 00:24:35,475 Speaker 1: in government contracts. Musk is intrinsic to the value of 365 00:24:35,475 --> 00:24:38,995 Speaker 1: his companies, potentially putting at risk around one trillion dollars 366 00:24:39,035 --> 00:24:43,155 Speaker 1: in assets held by investors, tens of thousands of jobs, 367 00:24:43,435 --> 00:24:49,155 Speaker 1: and big parts of the US space program unquote. There 368 00:24:49,195 --> 00:24:52,675 Speaker 1: followed some toothless denials by company executives. But what would 369 00:24:52,675 --> 00:24:55,635 Speaker 1: you do if that had been written about you? The 370 00:24:55,755 --> 00:24:59,075 Speaker 1: amazing strength of the Wall Street Journal piece also underscores 371 00:24:59,075 --> 00:25:02,955 Speaker 1: the wisdom of the old gag, updated slightly for the circumstances. 372 00:25:03,435 --> 00:25:05,995 Speaker 1: Just because you're paranoid does not mean they're not out 373 00:25:05,995 --> 00:25:09,275 Speaker 1: to get you, especially if the paranoia might be fueled 374 00:25:09,315 --> 00:25:41,475 Speaker 1: by quote LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms and ketamine. Thank you, 375 00:25:41,555 --> 00:25:47,315 Speaker 1: Nancy Faust, sky High by Jigsaw sky High. Oh google it, 376 00:25:47,315 --> 00:25:54,315 Speaker 1: it's a great joke. Dateline thirty Rock, Well, this is 377 00:25:54,355 --> 00:25:56,835 Speaker 1: a shock. His show was canceled in November, and they 378 00:25:56,835 --> 00:25:59,635 Speaker 1: made a whole series of bullshit deck chair shuffling so 379 00:25:59,675 --> 00:26:01,955 Speaker 1: they could get away with claiming they just ran out 380 00:26:01,995 --> 00:26:05,675 Speaker 1: of weekend show slots and they had too many. As now, 381 00:26:05,915 --> 00:26:11,155 Speaker 1: Mehdi Hassan has left MSNBC. Was he fired, It doesn't matter. 382 00:26:11,395 --> 00:26:13,995 Speaker 1: They wanted him out and they got him out. I 383 00:26:14,195 --> 00:26:17,075 Speaker 1: wasn't fired. They wanted me out, and they got me 384 00:26:17,115 --> 00:26:20,275 Speaker 1: out by breaching my contract. Of course, it cost them 385 00:26:20,275 --> 00:26:22,355 Speaker 1: eighteen mil and I wanted to leave. But that's neither 386 00:26:22,395 --> 00:26:24,915 Speaker 1: here nor there. And once again, let me recamp all 387 00:26:24,995 --> 00:26:28,075 Speaker 1: the protests about the latest firing there of a prominent 388 00:26:28,195 --> 00:26:33,715 Speaker 1: MSNBC commentator from those free speech advocates and liberal profiteers. 389 00:26:33,955 --> 00:26:39,275 Speaker 1: I'm sorry I misread that liberal prophets Matto, Lawrence O'Donnell, Crseyes, 390 00:26:39,355 --> 00:26:44,835 Speaker 1: Alex Wagner, and Saki. I lied. There were no protests. 391 00:26:45,395 --> 00:26:49,595 Speaker 1: None of them said anything. Why should they? It wasn't 392 00:26:49,635 --> 00:27:09,435 Speaker 1: their show that got canceled. Yet this is Sports Senate. 393 00:27:09,875 --> 00:27:17,275 Speaker 1: Wait check that not anymore. This is Countdown with Keith 394 00:27:17,395 --> 00:27:26,235 Speaker 1: Alberman in Sports Dateline, Bristol, Connecticut. Hello, Aaron Rodgers will 395 00:27:26,275 --> 00:27:29,475 Speaker 1: reportedly appear on ESPN again today for the first time 396 00:27:29,515 --> 00:27:33,075 Speaker 1: since he defamed his Disney colleague Jimmy Kimmel, and Kimmel 397 00:27:33,115 --> 00:27:36,435 Speaker 1: threatened to sue him. At host Pat McAfee accused executive 398 00:27:36,515 --> 00:27:40,595 Speaker 1: vice president Norby Williamson of leaking inaccurate ratings about the show. 399 00:27:41,355 --> 00:27:44,315 Speaker 1: McAfee doubled down mondays, saying he did not take back 400 00:27:44,355 --> 00:27:47,915 Speaker 1: anything he said and mocking Williamson while he schmoozed two 401 00:27:47,915 --> 00:27:51,395 Speaker 1: other ESPN bosses and the chairman of Disney, Bob Eiger. 402 00:27:51,995 --> 00:27:55,875 Speaker 1: What happens next, Well, if Jimmy Kimmel acts, McAfee gets 403 00:27:55,955 --> 00:27:59,315 Speaker 1: fired it's kind of simple. Assuming that does not happen, 404 00:27:59,355 --> 00:28:03,395 Speaker 1: the answer is short term. Rogers apologizes to McAfee for 405 00:28:03,515 --> 00:28:07,075 Speaker 1: causing him such grief, and he blames his paranoid I'm 406 00:28:07,075 --> 00:28:08,955 Speaker 1: afraid of needles, but I have to pretend I know 407 00:28:09,035 --> 00:28:13,275 Speaker 1: the real story of vaccines, defamation of Kimmel on the 408 00:28:13,355 --> 00:28:17,435 Speaker 1: liberal media, or Joe Biden or Joe Rogan or me 409 00:28:17,915 --> 00:28:23,195 Speaker 1: or god knows what. That's short term. Long term McAfee 410 00:28:23,195 --> 00:28:26,915 Speaker 1: does something like this again, implodes and gets fired, or 411 00:28:27,755 --> 00:28:31,795 Speaker 1: knowing how TV management works and especially how ESPN management works, 412 00:28:32,395 --> 00:28:35,475 Speaker 1: he doesn't. He doesn't implode, But at some point in 413 00:28:35,475 --> 00:28:37,955 Speaker 1: the next month or two, McAfee wakes up to a 414 00:28:37,995 --> 00:28:41,355 Speaker 1: call from Bob Eiger and those two ESPN execs he mentioned, 415 00:28:41,595 --> 00:28:43,595 Speaker 1: telling him that the new executive in charge of his 416 00:28:43,675 --> 00:28:52,875 Speaker 1: show is Norby Williamson because trust me, management always wins, 417 00:28:55,275 --> 00:29:01,475 Speaker 1: always always and dateline Germany, and they did not say 418 00:29:01,555 --> 00:29:08,075 Speaker 1: which city. The soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer, maybe the best 419 00:29:08,075 --> 00:29:10,715 Speaker 1: defensive player of the twentieth century, has died at the 420 00:29:10,755 --> 00:29:13,475 Speaker 1: age of seventy eight. He captained West Germany to the 421 00:29:13,475 --> 00:29:15,635 Speaker 1: World Cup in nineteen seventy four and then was the 422 00:29:15,635 --> 00:29:19,355 Speaker 1: country's manager when it won again in nineteen ninety. Twice 423 00:29:19,435 --> 00:29:22,075 Speaker 1: he won the ballon d'Or as the world's best player. 424 00:29:22,635 --> 00:29:24,955 Speaker 1: He was also known for the whole of his life 425 00:29:24,995 --> 00:29:28,555 Speaker 1: as one of the most gracious individuals in sports. After 426 00:29:28,635 --> 00:29:32,315 Speaker 1: fourteen seasons at Bayern Munich, he finished his playing career 427 00:29:32,355 --> 00:29:35,195 Speaker 1: with two stints with the legendary New York Cosmos. The 428 00:29:35,275 --> 00:29:38,155 Speaker 1: second one the last one, began at the UNISEF charity 429 00:29:38,195 --> 00:29:41,875 Speaker 1: game before seventy seven thousand fans at Giant Stadium in 430 00:29:41,915 --> 00:29:45,395 Speaker 1: New Jersey in August of nineteen eighty two. CNN sent 431 00:29:45,435 --> 00:29:47,955 Speaker 1: me to cover that game, or at least the preview 432 00:29:47,955 --> 00:29:51,235 Speaker 1: of it, when soccer was entirely a curiosity and the 433 00:29:51,355 --> 00:29:54,155 Speaker 1: UNISEF part of it was far more interesting to our audience. 434 00:29:54,675 --> 00:29:58,115 Speaker 1: I was offered two players as interviewees. One was the 435 00:29:58,195 --> 00:30:02,275 Speaker 1: Yugoslavian defender Bogig Bogiesovich of the Cosmos, a free spirit 436 00:30:02,315 --> 00:30:04,955 Speaker 1: with a great sense of humor, and the other was 437 00:30:04,955 --> 00:30:09,515 Speaker 1: Franz Beckenbauer. Even I knew who Franz Beckenbauer was. We 438 00:30:09,555 --> 00:30:11,635 Speaker 1: did a couple of live shots before the game, and 439 00:30:11,675 --> 00:30:13,675 Speaker 1: then on a whim I asked them if we could 440 00:30:13,715 --> 00:30:15,995 Speaker 1: do a silly bit of satire about the fact that 441 00:30:16,035 --> 00:30:19,435 Speaker 1: the eighteen players on the Cosmos roster came from eleven 442 00:30:19,515 --> 00:30:23,475 Speaker 1: different countries. I explained my idea, and the reserved, courtly 443 00:30:23,595 --> 00:30:28,915 Speaker 1: friendly Beckenbauer roared and slapped his hands together. We rolled 444 00:30:28,955 --> 00:30:30,835 Speaker 1: tape and I introduced them both, and I said that 445 00:30:30,875 --> 00:30:33,955 Speaker 1: Bogisovich had kindly agreed to be the interpreter for the 446 00:30:34,035 --> 00:30:37,875 Speaker 1: German Beckenbauer. I said, Bogie, would you ask Franz how 447 00:30:37,915 --> 00:30:40,115 Speaker 1: it feels to be back at Giants Stadium after so 448 00:30:40,195 --> 00:30:43,235 Speaker 1: many years? And he turned and looked at Beckenbauer, and 449 00:30:43,275 --> 00:30:44,955 Speaker 1: he paused for a second, as if he were trying 450 00:30:44,955 --> 00:30:49,155 Speaker 1: to find the right words. Hey, Franz, how it feeled 451 00:30:49,155 --> 00:30:52,955 Speaker 1: to be back at Giants Stadium? You feel how? Beckenbauer 452 00:30:53,075 --> 00:30:56,435 Speaker 1: paused and said, with typical elegance, would you tell him? 453 00:30:56,475 --> 00:30:58,515 Speaker 1: I am delighted to be back with my old friends 454 00:30:58,595 --> 00:31:01,755 Speaker 1: in this wonderful stadium and with you here on CNN. 455 00:31:02,515 --> 00:31:06,555 Speaker 1: Bogiesovitch paused again, nodded to Franz, turned to me and said, 456 00:31:07,075 --> 00:31:10,835 Speaker 1: he said he likes it here. We had to stop. 457 00:31:10,875 --> 00:31:13,955 Speaker 1: At that point, Beckenbauer and I were laughing too hard. 458 00:31:14,475 --> 00:31:16,355 Speaker 1: I don't remember if we used the video on the 459 00:31:16,435 --> 00:31:19,715 Speaker 1: air or not. A sure hope we did. Franz Beckenbauer 460 00:31:19,755 --> 00:31:22,315 Speaker 1: asked me if my heritage was also German. Then he 461 00:31:22,395 --> 00:31:25,395 Speaker 1: gave me a two handed panshake goodbye. That was the 462 00:31:25,435 --> 00:31:27,795 Speaker 1: only time I ever met him and the last time 463 00:31:27,875 --> 00:31:29,915 Speaker 1: I ever saw him, and it was more than forty 464 00:31:29,915 --> 00:31:32,595 Speaker 1: one years ago. And yesterday when this news came across, 465 00:31:33,395 --> 00:31:38,235 Speaker 1: I felt my heart sink. Apparently everybody who knew Franz 466 00:31:38,275 --> 00:32:05,435 Speaker 1: Beckenbauer or thought they did, felt exactly that way. Still 467 00:32:05,475 --> 00:32:07,555 Speaker 1: to come on countdown, since we're back to the story 468 00:32:07,595 --> 00:32:10,315 Speaker 1: of leaked ratings? Have I got a story about leaked 469 00:32:10,395 --> 00:32:15,995 Speaker 1: ratings the day MSNBC leaked mine at Current TV? Only 470 00:32:16,755 --> 00:32:19,715 Speaker 1: they were the wrong ratings. They were higher than my 471 00:32:19,835 --> 00:32:23,315 Speaker 1: actual ratings at Current TV. Things I promised not to tell. 472 00:32:23,315 --> 00:32:25,315 Speaker 1: Coming up for some of the daily roundup of the miscreants, 473 00:32:25,315 --> 00:32:29,515 Speaker 1: morons and Dunning Kruger effect specimens who constitute today's worst 474 00:32:29,555 --> 00:32:33,875 Speaker 1: persons in the world, the brons worse. Okay, this was 475 00:32:33,915 --> 00:32:38,035 Speaker 1: the only thing missing from the Republican presidential primary. One 476 00:32:38,115 --> 00:32:41,475 Speaker 1: of the candidates explaining that some of her best friends 477 00:32:41,515 --> 00:32:45,075 Speaker 1: are black. Over to you, Nikki Haley. 478 00:32:45,355 --> 00:32:48,035 Speaker 3: I should have said slavery right off the bat. But 479 00:32:48,195 --> 00:32:52,315 Speaker 3: if you grow up in South Carolina, literally in second 480 00:32:52,395 --> 00:32:55,875 Speaker 3: and third grade, you learn about slavery, you grow up 481 00:32:55,955 --> 00:32:58,995 Speaker 3: and you have you know, I had black friends growing up. 482 00:32:59,075 --> 00:33:02,115 Speaker 3: It is a very talked about thing. We have a 483 00:33:02,155 --> 00:33:03,875 Speaker 3: big history in South Carolina. 484 00:33:04,115 --> 00:33:08,475 Speaker 1: Apart from filling out yet another cliche on the cliche scoreboard, 485 00:33:08,915 --> 00:33:10,915 Speaker 1: Nicki Hanley seems to think that the rest of us, 486 00:33:10,995 --> 00:33:13,395 Speaker 1: growing up in the country outside of the South, that 487 00:33:13,475 --> 00:33:17,635 Speaker 1: we never learned about the Civil War. Of course we did. 488 00:33:18,435 --> 00:33:22,635 Speaker 1: We won it worser the runner up, Christina Caramo. The 489 00:33:22,675 --> 00:33:27,395 Speaker 1: election denying demons can be transmitted by sex chair of 490 00:33:27,435 --> 00:33:30,875 Speaker 1: the Michigan Republican Party. After bringing it to within a 491 00:33:30,875 --> 00:33:34,715 Speaker 1: few dollars of bankruptcy, several dozen board members met Saturday 492 00:33:34,715 --> 00:33:37,875 Speaker 1: and voted to oust her. She is, of course, denying 493 00:33:37,875 --> 00:33:41,195 Speaker 1: the outcome of the election. The sidebar here. The source 494 00:33:41,235 --> 00:33:44,435 Speaker 1: of the details for politico dot com anyway, was District 495 00:33:44,475 --> 00:33:48,515 Speaker 1: two Republican State Committee member bre Mogenberg. Now if that 496 00:33:48,675 --> 00:33:51,755 Speaker 1: name sounds familiar, it's because miss Mogenberg was on this 497 00:33:51,835 --> 00:33:55,275 Speaker 1: list last week, accused by the wife of the chairman 498 00:33:55,395 --> 00:33:59,635 Speaker 1: of District two of the Republican Party there, Jennifer Strickland Seabolt, 499 00:34:00,075 --> 00:34:03,875 Speaker 1: of carrying on an affair with mister Sebolt. Miss Mogenberg 500 00:34:03,955 --> 00:34:07,195 Speaker 1: not only goes to state Board of Education meetings wearing 501 00:34:07,195 --> 00:34:11,195 Speaker 1: a wonder woman outfit that apparently looks quite fetching on her, 502 00:34:11,515 --> 00:34:14,115 Speaker 1: but it is also she is the local chair of 503 00:34:14,715 --> 00:34:19,435 Speaker 1: Moms for Liberty. Say it with me now, So it's 504 00:34:19,515 --> 00:34:23,435 Speaker 1: that kind of liberty. Waka waca waca waca. But our 505 00:34:23,475 --> 00:34:29,435 Speaker 1: winner the worst. Speaking of Lauren Bobert, police in Salt 506 00:34:29,595 --> 00:34:32,755 Speaker 1: Colorado confirmed to The Daily Beast that they have investigated 507 00:34:32,835 --> 00:34:38,835 Speaker 1: reports of a frakha a brewhaha, an altercation at a 508 00:34:38,835 --> 00:34:42,155 Speaker 1: restaurant in Bobert's congressional district, the one she's quitting because 509 00:34:42,195 --> 00:34:45,995 Speaker 1: she can't possibly get re elected from there. The report 510 00:34:46,115 --> 00:34:51,795 Speaker 1: that at a popular night spot, Miners Claim restaurant. Of course, 511 00:34:52,395 --> 00:34:57,955 Speaker 1: Bobert punched her ex husband Jason twice in the face. 512 00:34:58,635 --> 00:35:02,555 Speaker 1: The source of the information her ex husband Jason. He 513 00:35:02,635 --> 00:35:05,715 Speaker 1: said there were witnesses, She said no, but he got arrested. 514 00:35:06,195 --> 00:35:07,715 Speaker 1: He reported to the cops that he had been a 515 00:35:07,795 --> 00:35:13,115 Speaker 1: victim of domestic violence. She just couldn't get a grip 516 00:35:13,115 --> 00:35:17,995 Speaker 1: on her emotions, or handle herself in public, or bring 517 00:35:18,155 --> 00:35:23,995 Speaker 1: things to a productive conclusion. The date January sixth. I 518 00:35:24,035 --> 00:35:26,595 Speaker 1: guess it was just a normal tourist visit that got 519 00:35:26,595 --> 00:35:29,755 Speaker 1: out of hand. Lauren, Is that a firm denial in 520 00:35:29,795 --> 00:35:32,315 Speaker 1: your pocket? Are you just glad to see me? Bobert? 521 00:35:32,715 --> 00:35:47,835 Speaker 1: Two Day's worse person and the world. And now to 522 00:35:47,875 --> 00:35:50,435 Speaker 1: the number one story on the Countdown and my favorite 523 00:35:50,475 --> 00:35:54,195 Speaker 1: topic me and I saw her on TV recently, so 524 00:35:54,275 --> 00:35:57,555 Speaker 1: I flashed back and shuddered all over again. Yes, it's 525 00:35:57,595 --> 00:36:01,715 Speaker 1: things I promised not to tell. I suspect that until 526 00:36:01,755 --> 00:36:05,395 Speaker 1: the day I actually die. No day will have started 527 00:36:05,435 --> 00:36:08,755 Speaker 1: so well with such promise, yet ended so badly with 528 00:36:08,795 --> 00:36:13,835 Speaker 1: such a clanging thud as Wednesday, July twenty seventh, twenty 529 00:36:13,955 --> 00:36:18,115 Speaker 1: and eleven did. Near midnight two nights earlier, I had 530 00:36:18,195 --> 00:36:20,715 Speaker 1: just entered my New York apartment back from a New 531 00:36:20,795 --> 00:36:24,555 Speaker 1: York Yankees game, when the last landline telephone I ever 532 00:36:24,635 --> 00:36:30,635 Speaker 1: owned began to ring. Hi, Keith, it's Uma, Yeah, how 533 00:36:30,675 --> 00:36:34,595 Speaker 1: many UMAs could there be? It was the actress Uma Thurman. 534 00:36:34,715 --> 00:36:36,955 Speaker 1: We had texted briefly. We had never met we had 535 00:36:36,955 --> 00:36:39,675 Speaker 1: never spoken. We spoke for ninety minutes, and she was 536 00:36:39,715 --> 00:36:43,155 Speaker 1: self deprecating and vulnerable and razors sharp and warm, and 537 00:36:43,195 --> 00:36:47,915 Speaker 1: she invited me to coffee. On the afternoon of D Day, Wednesday, 538 00:36:47,995 --> 00:36:51,875 Speaker 1: July twenty seventh, twenty eleven, one of the producers I 539 00:36:51,955 --> 00:36:54,235 Speaker 1: had hired to do the new version of Countdown on 540 00:36:54,395 --> 00:36:58,435 Speaker 1: Al Gore's network, Current TV, happened to know Uma Thurman 541 00:36:58,515 --> 00:37:01,635 Speaker 1: from the gym. Erica Ferrari was her name, and she 542 00:37:01,795 --> 00:37:03,875 Speaker 1: was great, and she and Uma Thurman had become close 543 00:37:03,955 --> 00:37:07,755 Speaker 1: enough that Uma had unloaded all her relationship issues on Erica. 544 00:37:07,795 --> 00:37:09,555 Speaker 1: And the next thing I knew, Erica was in my 545 00:37:09,635 --> 00:37:12,515 Speaker 1: office explaining to me that when she explained to Uma 546 00:37:12,555 --> 00:37:15,995 Speaker 1: where she worked and with whom, Uma said the Keith Olderman. 547 00:37:16,315 --> 00:37:19,075 Speaker 1: And now I was being set up for drinks or 548 00:37:19,115 --> 00:37:24,275 Speaker 1: dinner or coffee or something with Uma Thurman. So this 549 00:37:24,315 --> 00:37:27,235 Speaker 1: seemed like a good day. Then two nights earlier we 550 00:37:27,355 --> 00:37:31,315 Speaker 1: had finally had had this marvelous, warm conversation, and Uma 551 00:37:31,355 --> 00:37:34,235 Speaker 1: Thurman had suggested coffee and Wednesday in two thirty or 552 00:37:34,235 --> 00:37:36,315 Speaker 1: so in one of the two or three places in 553 00:37:36,355 --> 00:37:39,555 Speaker 1: Midtown near my studio, and she'd text me with details 554 00:37:39,555 --> 00:37:44,395 Speaker 1: and she couldn't wait. Simultaneously with this, the CEO of 555 00:37:44,435 --> 00:37:47,075 Speaker 1: the Current TV network, Mark Rosenthal, called me up and 556 00:37:47,115 --> 00:37:50,475 Speaker 1: invited me to dinner on Wednesday, July twenty seventh, twenty eleven. 557 00:37:50,515 --> 00:37:53,555 Speaker 1: I'm going to be a busy day, al Gore and 558 00:37:53,675 --> 00:37:56,835 Speaker 1: Current had hired me even before I left MSNBC. That 559 00:37:56,955 --> 00:37:59,275 Speaker 1: was what that was all about. And I had met 560 00:37:59,315 --> 00:38:01,635 Speaker 1: and gotten to know everybody in the organization over the 561 00:38:01,635 --> 00:38:03,955 Speaker 1: following six months before we finally got the show on 562 00:38:04,035 --> 00:38:06,915 Speaker 1: the air. In we got off to a good start, 563 00:38:06,915 --> 00:38:09,715 Speaker 1: even though Current TV was available only in low def 564 00:38:09,835 --> 00:38:13,915 Speaker 1: digital cable. On its first night, Countdown on Current beat 565 00:38:13,955 --> 00:38:18,755 Speaker 1: both MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell's Show and CNN's Elliot Spitzer Show 566 00:38:18,755 --> 00:38:23,195 Speaker 1: and so called demo ratings measuring viewers eighteen to fifty four. 567 00:38:24,275 --> 00:38:28,315 Speaker 1: But by July twenty seventh, twenty eleven, so like two 568 00:38:28,355 --> 00:38:30,555 Speaker 1: months later, it was evident to me that the network 569 00:38:30,595 --> 00:38:34,595 Speaker 1: was run by four kinds of people. One the CEO Rosenthal, 570 00:38:35,035 --> 00:38:36,755 Speaker 1: who used to be at MTV and knew what he 571 00:38:36,795 --> 00:38:39,835 Speaker 1: was doing. Two some dilettants who did not know how 572 00:38:39,875 --> 00:38:42,755 Speaker 1: to plug in a television, let alone put stuff on one, 573 00:38:43,315 --> 00:38:46,195 Speaker 1: three co owner Al Gore, who meant well but who 574 00:38:46,235 --> 00:38:49,995 Speaker 1: had absolutely no judgment when it came to business partners. 575 00:38:50,075 --> 00:38:54,795 Speaker 1: And four in a class by himself, Gore's business partner 576 00:38:55,035 --> 00:38:59,395 Speaker 1: Joel Hyatt, who had made one superb business decision in 577 00:38:59,475 --> 00:39:02,835 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seven that earned him billions of dollars and 578 00:39:02,875 --> 00:39:05,195 Speaker 1: he sold everything and then it earned him billions of 579 00:39:05,235 --> 00:39:09,555 Speaker 1: dollars again. But he had literally never gotten anything right 580 00:39:09,755 --> 00:39:13,875 Speaker 1: since nineteen seventy seven, while at the same time thinking 581 00:39:13,915 --> 00:39:16,995 Speaker 1: he had never gotten anything wrong since nineteen seventy seven. 582 00:39:17,035 --> 00:39:20,635 Speaker 1: He was a liberal. Unfortunately he was a liberal Donald Trump. 583 00:39:21,595 --> 00:39:24,195 Speaker 1: What was worse was that of all these people, only 584 00:39:24,275 --> 00:39:28,635 Speaker 1: Mark Rosenthal understood how ruinously incompetent Joel Hyatt really was. 585 00:39:29,315 --> 00:39:32,275 Speaker 1: Rosenthal had been president of MTV from nineteen ninety six 586 00:39:32,355 --> 00:39:34,515 Speaker 1: through two thousand and four, and whatever you thought of 587 00:39:34,595 --> 00:39:38,755 Speaker 1: all those reality shows and the Real World and stuff 588 00:39:38,835 --> 00:39:42,955 Speaker 1: like that, they were successes. He knew what he was doing, 589 00:39:42,995 --> 00:39:48,035 Speaker 1: and he knew Joel Hyatt didn't. And Mark Rosenthal had 590 00:39:48,075 --> 00:39:50,075 Speaker 1: invited me to dinner as soon as my show was 591 00:39:50,115 --> 00:39:53,435 Speaker 1: over on Wednesday night, July twenty seven, twenty eleven, about 592 00:39:53,515 --> 00:39:56,235 Speaker 1: seven hours after I was scheduled to have coffee with 593 00:39:56,355 --> 00:39:59,755 Speaker 1: Uma Thurman as a dry run for a date, and 594 00:39:59,875 --> 00:40:03,035 Speaker 1: Rosenthal told me he had figured out how we could 595 00:40:03,075 --> 00:40:07,155 Speaker 1: in effect take control of the Current TV network away 596 00:40:07,195 --> 00:40:10,315 Speaker 1: from this Joel Hyatt and not only exploit the good 597 00:40:10,355 --> 00:40:13,355 Speaker 1: start Countdown had made, but build on it and make 598 00:40:13,395 --> 00:40:16,275 Speaker 1: Current TV into the liberal news network we had been 599 00:40:16,315 --> 00:40:20,275 Speaker 1: intending to create and knew would be a success. Dinner 600 00:40:20,515 --> 00:40:22,675 Speaker 1: would be our chance for him to explain it to me, 601 00:40:22,995 --> 00:40:27,595 Speaker 1: to hatch our plan. It was a big, big day. 602 00:40:29,075 --> 00:40:32,755 Speaker 1: I think, without me going into detail, you intuitively get 603 00:40:32,755 --> 00:40:36,075 Speaker 1: the Uma Thurman part of what July twenty seventh, twenty 604 00:40:36,115 --> 00:40:38,115 Speaker 1: eleven was supposed to be. But I need to put 605 00:40:38,155 --> 00:40:40,475 Speaker 1: a little bit more meat on the bones of why 606 00:40:40,515 --> 00:40:43,315 Speaker 1: it was so important at Current TV. This is who 607 00:40:43,355 --> 00:40:47,435 Speaker 1: this guy Hyatt was, that same producer who was doing 608 00:40:47,435 --> 00:40:50,235 Speaker 1: her best to set up Uma Thurman and me Erica. 609 00:40:50,315 --> 00:40:52,635 Speaker 1: She walked in one day, white as the sheet of 610 00:40:52,715 --> 00:40:55,635 Speaker 1: paper she was carrying at arm's length, as if it 611 00:40:55,675 --> 00:41:00,235 Speaker 1: had been printed in bubonic plague. She had found while 612 00:41:00,315 --> 00:41:04,235 Speaker 1: surfing around internet archives, a New York Times article about 613 00:41:04,235 --> 00:41:08,675 Speaker 1: this Hyatt, an article from April thirteen, nineteen ninety. You 614 00:41:08,675 --> 00:41:11,755 Speaker 1: remember the movie Philadelphia where the evil head of law 615 00:41:11,795 --> 00:41:14,955 Speaker 1: firm portrayed by the actor Jason Robards had fired the 616 00:41:14,955 --> 00:41:18,075 Speaker 1: head of his Philadelphia office played by Tom Hanks because 617 00:41:18,115 --> 00:41:21,755 Speaker 1: the Hanks character had AIDS and Hank's character got as 618 00:41:21,755 --> 00:41:25,435 Speaker 1: he's lawyer, a character played by Denzel Washington. Well, this 619 00:41:25,515 --> 00:41:28,715 Speaker 1: guy who co owned Current TV with Al Gore. He 620 00:41:29,075 --> 00:41:33,835 Speaker 1: was the Jason Robard's character he had fired from his 621 00:41:33,955 --> 00:41:37,995 Speaker 1: law firm Hiatt Legal Services, the head of his Philadelphia office, 622 00:41:38,035 --> 00:41:42,395 Speaker 1: Clarence b. Kin, after finding out Clarence b Kin had AIDS. 623 00:41:42,715 --> 00:41:45,395 Speaker 1: In fact, reality was actually worse than the Philadelphia movie. 624 00:41:45,435 --> 00:41:48,435 Speaker 1: In real life, Clarence B. Kine was also African American. 625 00:41:49,515 --> 00:41:52,355 Speaker 1: The time story that Erica Ferrari handed me like it 626 00:41:52,395 --> 00:41:55,875 Speaker 1: was printed on razor blades, recounted how a federal judge 627 00:41:55,915 --> 00:41:58,475 Speaker 1: had not only ordered Hyatt Legal Services to pay mister 628 00:41:58,555 --> 00:42:01,995 Speaker 1: Kane one hundred and fifty seven thousand dollars plus costs, 629 00:42:02,475 --> 00:42:05,675 Speaker 1: but how it had ordered them to pay him immediately, 630 00:42:06,115 --> 00:42:09,755 Speaker 1: like in the next couple days. This was harrowing enough, 631 00:42:09,755 --> 00:42:13,635 Speaker 1: but the final paragraph made my head swim. Quote. What 632 00:42:13,875 --> 00:42:17,275 Speaker 1: pained him most, mister Hyatt said, was the notion that 633 00:42:17,355 --> 00:42:20,515 Speaker 1: his firm discriminated. He noted how it had, after all, 634 00:42:21,275 --> 00:42:23,995 Speaker 1: named a gay black man to run one of its 635 00:42:24,035 --> 00:42:27,195 Speaker 1: major offices, something no law firm its size has ever 636 00:42:27,315 --> 00:42:31,315 Speaker 1: knowingly done. Quote what's totally lost in the shuffle is 637 00:42:31,315 --> 00:42:34,075 Speaker 1: that this is an organization in which anyone can succeed, 638 00:42:34,315 --> 00:42:39,515 Speaker 1: he said. No one has written about that. That was 639 00:42:39,555 --> 00:42:41,995 Speaker 1: this guy Hyatt in a nutshell. He fired a gay 640 00:42:42,035 --> 00:42:44,475 Speaker 1: black man who was dying of AIDS. But he knew 641 00:42:44,475 --> 00:42:48,795 Speaker 1: who the real victim here was himself. And it's not 642 00:42:48,915 --> 00:42:51,595 Speaker 1: like Hyatt had improved over the years. As I mentioned. 643 00:42:51,635 --> 00:42:55,635 Speaker 1: The Night Countdown premiered on Current TV June twentieth, twenty eleven. 644 00:42:55,635 --> 00:42:58,515 Speaker 1: We beat MSNBC and CNN in the ratings, but we 645 00:42:58,595 --> 00:43:02,555 Speaker 1: didn't know it. The next day, our ratings showed that 646 00:43:02,595 --> 00:43:06,755 Speaker 1: we had beaten CNN and just missed beating O'Donnell on MSNBC. 647 00:43:07,595 --> 00:43:09,715 Speaker 1: A few weeks later, one of those networks got a 648 00:43:09,715 --> 00:43:12,595 Speaker 1: friendly reporter to write a story about how since the debut, 649 00:43:12,915 --> 00:43:15,795 Speaker 1: our ratings on Current had sunk, which was to be 650 00:43:15,835 --> 00:43:18,475 Speaker 1: expected and which was a totally legitimate competitive thing for 651 00:43:18,515 --> 00:43:22,075 Speaker 1: the MSNBC guys to do. But the numbers were all wrong. 652 00:43:22,915 --> 00:43:26,315 Speaker 1: The ratings for Countdown that were included in the pro 653 00:43:26,515 --> 00:43:31,915 Speaker 1: CNN pro MSNBC story were somehow higher than the ratings 654 00:43:31,955 --> 00:43:35,275 Speaker 1: we saw every day at current. If I'm not clear 655 00:43:35,315 --> 00:43:39,115 Speaker 1: about this, the story said that, say, on Monday July eleventh, 656 00:43:39,155 --> 00:43:42,475 Speaker 1: we had had one hundred thousand demo viewers, but our ratings, 657 00:43:42,515 --> 00:43:45,755 Speaker 1: the ratings we got from the Nielsen company, they said 658 00:43:45,755 --> 00:43:47,635 Speaker 1: that on Monday July seventh, we didn't have one hundred 659 00:43:47,675 --> 00:43:52,115 Speaker 1: thousand demo viewers when we had seventy five thousand demo viewers. Well, 660 00:43:52,155 --> 00:43:55,395 Speaker 1: something was really really wrong here. So when Hyatt called 661 00:43:55,435 --> 00:43:58,315 Speaker 1: me for our weekly phone chat, I said, look, there's 662 00:43:58,315 --> 00:44:01,275 Speaker 1: something wrong with the ratings. And I explained the article 663 00:44:01,275 --> 00:44:02,715 Speaker 1: to him and he said, oh, I knew they were 664 00:44:02,715 --> 00:44:05,515 Speaker 1: going to do that, show how your ratings dropped. And 665 00:44:05,555 --> 00:44:07,955 Speaker 1: I said, no, you're missing my point. They say we 666 00:44:08,035 --> 00:44:10,315 Speaker 1: had higher ratings than we actually did. 667 00:44:10,475 --> 00:44:10,595 Speaker 3: Oh. 668 00:44:10,635 --> 00:44:12,555 Speaker 1: I knew they were going to do that too, he said, 669 00:44:12,595 --> 00:44:15,195 Speaker 1: with even more condescension. And I said, why would they 670 00:44:15,275 --> 00:44:17,595 Speaker 1: do that? Why would they try to make us look better? 671 00:44:17,955 --> 00:44:18,075 Speaker 2: Oh? 672 00:44:18,075 --> 00:44:20,715 Speaker 1: I knew they were going to do that too, just too. 673 00:44:21,995 --> 00:44:24,355 Speaker 1: Then there was a long pause while Joel Hyatt made 674 00:44:24,355 --> 00:44:28,595 Speaker 1: something up just to mess with us. I asked him, 675 00:44:28,915 --> 00:44:31,715 Speaker 1: since he had personally purchased the ratings package from the 676 00:44:31,795 --> 00:44:34,515 Speaker 1: Nielsen Company, the first ratings in the history of current TV, 677 00:44:34,755 --> 00:44:37,235 Speaker 1: if he could just review for me what he remembered 678 00:44:37,275 --> 00:44:39,835 Speaker 1: of the process. Well, I went in and made an 679 00:44:39,875 --> 00:44:42,635 Speaker 1: excellent deal. I saved two thousand dollars on their initial 680 00:44:42,635 --> 00:44:45,795 Speaker 1: price point. This man was worth a couple of billion dollars. 681 00:44:46,275 --> 00:44:50,155 Speaker 1: They wanted us to buy not just the live ratings, 682 00:44:50,155 --> 00:44:55,595 Speaker 1: but something called live plus Divver. I thought for a moment, Divver, 683 00:44:56,475 --> 00:45:03,515 Speaker 1: I said, you mean live plus DVR. He laughed, Yes, 684 00:45:03,795 --> 00:45:07,115 Speaker 1: that's it. What the hell is divver? You just use 685 00:45:07,195 --> 00:45:11,275 Speaker 1: the live ratings and TV everybody knows that. I explained 686 00:45:11,315 --> 00:45:15,235 Speaker 1: to him that divverer ratings were comparatively new, about three 687 00:45:15,395 --> 00:45:18,435 Speaker 1: four years old at that point. They added to the 688 00:45:18,555 --> 00:45:21,115 Speaker 1: live rating people who would watch the show on their 689 00:45:21,635 --> 00:45:25,875 Speaker 1: DVR within twenty four hours of having recorded it. He 690 00:45:25,995 --> 00:45:28,275 Speaker 1: had bought the ratings that did not include all of 691 00:45:28,315 --> 00:45:31,155 Speaker 1: those people, so that when we got what we thought 692 00:45:31,195 --> 00:45:33,755 Speaker 1: were our ratings for our premiere night, when we beat 693 00:45:33,755 --> 00:45:36,835 Speaker 1: CNN and almost beat MSNBC but just missed, we didn't 694 00:45:36,875 --> 00:45:40,355 Speaker 1: just miss The ratings package this idiot Hiatt had bought 695 00:45:40,555 --> 00:45:43,875 Speaker 1: did not include anybody who watched the show on their DVRs, 696 00:45:44,395 --> 00:45:46,195 Speaker 1: and that cost us the chance to come out and 697 00:45:46,235 --> 00:45:48,955 Speaker 1: say we beat CNN and MSNBC the first night with 698 00:45:49,035 --> 00:45:51,595 Speaker 1: this crappy, low deaf picture down on chain of channel 699 00:45:51,675 --> 00:45:55,875 Speaker 1: hundred and three. But more importantly, it saved this billionaire 700 00:45:55,915 --> 00:46:04,435 Speaker 1: idiot Hiatt two thousand dollars. So Mark Rosenthal was taking 701 00:46:04,475 --> 00:46:08,195 Speaker 1: me to dinner hours after I was to have coffee 702 00:46:08,235 --> 00:46:11,155 Speaker 1: with Uma Thurman to explain how we could get rid 703 00:46:11,155 --> 00:46:17,915 Speaker 1: of this idiot who thought DVR meant divver. Thus was 704 00:46:17,995 --> 00:46:21,115 Speaker 1: July twenty seventh, twenty eleven, going to be one of 705 00:46:21,115 --> 00:46:26,675 Speaker 1: the turning points in my life. And then about one 706 00:46:26,835 --> 00:46:29,075 Speaker 1: forty five, just when Uma said she was going to 707 00:46:29,075 --> 00:46:31,315 Speaker 1: text me to tell me where to meet her for coffee, 708 00:46:31,435 --> 00:46:33,915 Speaker 1: she texted me. All right, She texted me to explain 709 00:46:33,955 --> 00:46:36,315 Speaker 1: her rehearsal was running a long and she had to postpone. 710 00:46:37,195 --> 00:46:39,555 Speaker 1: And while I was reading between those lines and knowing 711 00:46:39,555 --> 00:46:41,355 Speaker 1: that that actually met she was going back with her 712 00:46:41,395 --> 00:46:44,315 Speaker 1: boyfriend or her husband or whoever he was, a company 713 00:46:44,395 --> 00:46:47,675 Speaker 1: email came into all of our inboxes, and even before 714 00:46:47,715 --> 00:46:50,995 Speaker 1: I opened it, I could hear mass groaning coming from 715 00:46:50,995 --> 00:46:55,555 Speaker 1: my newsroom, Mark Rosenthal seven hours before our dinner to 716 00:46:55,635 --> 00:47:00,235 Speaker 1: plot how to root around Joel Divver slash Jason Robard's 717 00:47:00,235 --> 00:47:03,715 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia. Slash I saved two thousand dollars high at 718 00:47:04,155 --> 00:47:08,435 Speaker 1: Mark rose Thal had been fired and he'd been replaced 719 00:47:08,475 --> 00:47:13,595 Speaker 1: as CEO of Current TV effective immediately by co owner 720 00:47:13,755 --> 00:47:22,595 Speaker 1: Joel Hyatt. Well, Holy Divver. It'd be a better story 721 00:47:22,635 --> 00:47:25,475 Speaker 1: if I never saw Mark Rosenthal or Uma Thurman again 722 00:47:25,515 --> 00:47:27,835 Speaker 1: in my life, but it wouldn't be true. I saw 723 00:47:27,915 --> 00:47:30,075 Speaker 1: Mark many times. And then four years later, I was 724 00:47:30,115 --> 00:47:32,315 Speaker 1: at a New York recording studio doing the voice of 725 00:47:32,355 --> 00:47:36,195 Speaker 1: the newsman character Tom Jumbo Grumbo on the Great animated 726 00:47:36,195 --> 00:47:39,315 Speaker 1: series BoJack Horseman when one of the other studio doors 727 00:47:39,355 --> 00:47:45,995 Speaker 1: opened an outstep to Uma Thurman, radiant, elegant. I introduced myself. 728 00:47:46,075 --> 00:47:49,195 Speaker 1: She smiled, She said she was a fan. She laughed, 729 00:47:49,235 --> 00:47:54,115 Speaker 1: and she said, you know, we must have coffee sometime. 730 00:48:07,955 --> 00:48:11,435 Speaker 1: You know. On the subject of released or leaked ratings 731 00:48:11,715 --> 00:48:17,395 Speaker 1: occurs to me. ESPN also allegedly leaked my ratings to 732 00:48:17,555 --> 00:48:21,555 Speaker 1: a columnist once, but it wasn't ESPN ratings that they 733 00:48:21,675 --> 00:48:24,515 Speaker 1: leaked it was MSNBC ratings. At least that's what the 734 00:48:24,555 --> 00:48:26,635 Speaker 1: columnist told me from USA Today. I've done all the 735 00:48:26,715 --> 00:48:28,795 Speaker 1: damage I can do here. Thank you for listening. Countdown. 736 00:48:28,875 --> 00:48:32,435 Speaker 1: Musical directors Brian Ray and John Phillip Schanelle arranged, produced, 737 00:48:32,435 --> 00:48:34,915 Speaker 1: and performed most of our music. Mister Ray was on 738 00:48:34,955 --> 00:48:37,915 Speaker 1: the guitars, bass and drums, and mister Shanelle handled orchestration 739 00:48:37,955 --> 00:48:41,835 Speaker 1: and keyboards. Produced by Tko Brothers. What happened was this guy, 740 00:48:42,235 --> 00:48:45,155 Speaker 1: Rudy Marsky was the TV sports columnist of USA Today. 741 00:48:45,395 --> 00:48:48,395 Speaker 1: I had left Sports Center in June, started this show 742 00:48:48,395 --> 00:48:51,595 Speaker 1: on MSNBC called The Big Show in October, and there 743 00:48:51,635 --> 00:48:53,915 Speaker 1: were no ratings. It was a terribly rated show until 744 00:48:53,915 --> 00:48:56,195 Speaker 1: the Clinton story broke in January of nineteen ninety eight. 745 00:48:56,195 --> 00:48:59,595 Speaker 1: But this is November, December nineteen ninety seven, and Marski 746 00:48:59,675 --> 00:49:03,955 Speaker 1: calls me up and goes, hey, yeah, John Walsh from ESPN. 747 00:49:04,195 --> 00:49:06,035 Speaker 1: He's been to get me to run the ratings of 748 00:49:06,075 --> 00:49:09,235 Speaker 1: your MSNBC show for weeks now and they don't look 749 00:49:09,315 --> 00:49:11,355 Speaker 1: too good. What do you think of this? I did 750 00:49:11,355 --> 00:49:12,915 Speaker 1: not tell him what I actually thought of it, which 751 00:49:12,995 --> 00:49:16,475 Speaker 1: was way to protect your sources. Rudy anyway, That's what 752 00:49:16,515 --> 00:49:19,795 Speaker 1: he told me. Other music, including some of the Beethoven compositions, 753 00:49:19,795 --> 00:49:22,315 Speaker 1: were arranged and performed by the group No Horns Allowed. 754 00:49:22,795 --> 00:49:25,635 Speaker 1: The sports music is the Olderman theme from ESPN two, 755 00:49:25,675 --> 00:49:29,395 Speaker 1: written by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy of ESPN inc. Our 756 00:49:29,475 --> 00:49:32,475 Speaker 1: satirical and pithy musical comments are by Nancy Fauss. The 757 00:49:32,515 --> 00:49:35,595 Speaker 1: best baseball stadium organist ever. Our announcer today is my 758 00:49:35,595 --> 00:49:42,395 Speaker 1: friend Tony Kornheiser from ESPN. What a coincidence? Everything else was, 759 00:49:42,435 --> 00:49:45,195 Speaker 1: as always, pretty much my fault. That's countdown for this 760 00:49:45,275 --> 00:49:48,155 Speaker 1: three hundred and two days until the twenty twenty four 761 00:49:48,235 --> 00:49:52,555 Speaker 1: US presidential election and the one ninety ninth day since 762 00:49:52,555 --> 00:49:55,755 Speaker 1: dementia j Trump's first attempted coup against the democratically elected 763 00:49:55,755 --> 00:49:59,035 Speaker 1: government of the United States. Use the Fourteenth Amendment, the 764 00:49:59,035 --> 00:50:02,315 Speaker 1: Insurrection Act, and the justice system to stop him from 765 00:50:02,355 --> 00:50:06,635 Speaker 1: doing it again while we still care. The next scheduled 766 00:50:06,635 --> 00:50:09,195 Speaker 1: countdown is tomorrow. Until then, I'm Keith Olderman. Good Morning, 767 00:50:09,235 --> 00:50:25,635 Speaker 1: good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown with Keith 768 00:50:25,675 --> 00:50:30,755 Speaker 1: Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 769 00:50:30,915 --> 00:50:34,915 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio, app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 770 00:50:34,955 --> 00:50:35,875 Speaker 1: your podcasts.