1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:21,515 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio Boy 2 00:00:21,755 --> 00:00:26,675 Speaker 1: does Florida Man? The Republican Rube in high heels ran 3 00:00:26,995 --> 00:00:30,915 Speaker 1: the Fascist looked like a moron today after he dismissed 4 00:00:31,035 --> 00:00:34,075 Speaker 1: Ukraine as not being one of our vital national interests, 5 00:00:34,675 --> 00:00:37,955 Speaker 1: and literally six hours later, a Russian SU twenty seven 6 00:00:37,995 --> 00:00:42,755 Speaker 1: fighter jet was playing bumper cars high in international airspace 7 00:00:42,795 --> 00:00:45,155 Speaker 1: with one of our drones over the Black Sea, seventy 8 00:00:45,155 --> 00:00:50,715 Speaker 1: five miles off the Ukrainian coasts, Ran DeSantis, putting the 9 00:00:50,875 --> 00:00:57,915 Speaker 1: ass in Russian asset. One can only imagine them trying 10 00:00:57,915 --> 00:01:01,195 Speaker 1: to explain all this to this yokel for whom anything 11 00:01:01,235 --> 00:01:04,795 Speaker 1: more complicated than pulling books out of school library is 12 00:01:04,835 --> 00:01:10,315 Speaker 1: an alligator alley, or bullying state legislators from Defuniac's springs, 13 00:01:11,035 --> 00:01:15,035 Speaker 1: or issuing press releases about combating the woke Finoki swamp, 14 00:01:15,595 --> 00:01:19,275 Speaker 1: anything more complicated than that creates that same blank, dead 15 00:01:19,275 --> 00:01:23,835 Speaker 1: eyed look that has sunk Republican after Republican as they've 16 00:01:23,835 --> 00:01:26,275 Speaker 1: tried to step out onto the national stage and instead 17 00:01:26,275 --> 00:01:30,955 Speaker 1: plummeted into the orchestra pit. The US has many vital 18 00:01:31,075 --> 00:01:35,875 Speaker 1: national interests, De Santis said, but quote becoming further entangled 19 00:01:35,915 --> 00:01:39,115 Speaker 1: in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not 20 00:01:39,275 --> 00:01:43,515 Speaker 1: one of them, and the words were still echoing as 21 00:01:43,515 --> 00:01:47,915 Speaker 1: the American intelligence drone and DeSantis' credibility were both shot 22 00:01:47,995 --> 00:01:53,115 Speaker 1: and crashed into murky waters. The irony here is that, 23 00:01:53,235 --> 00:01:56,355 Speaker 1: as a freshman congressman, back when the Republican Party official 24 00:01:56,395 --> 00:01:59,835 Speaker 1: platform was pro Ukraine but anti Russia, as it had 25 00:01:59,875 --> 00:02:06,515 Speaker 1: been since the day they shot Czar Nicholas Descantis urged 26 00:02:06,675 --> 00:02:10,075 Speaker 1: sending defensive and offensive weapons to Ukraine, and he held 27 00:02:10,155 --> 00:02:14,355 Speaker 1: up his vote on a missile defense treaty with Russia 28 00:02:14,515 --> 00:02:18,515 Speaker 1: until and unless Russia withdrew from Ukraine. But of course 29 00:02:18,595 --> 00:02:22,915 Speaker 1: that was before Trump sold the Republican Party to Putin's 30 00:02:22,915 --> 00:02:26,195 Speaker 1: ambassador Sir Gey kiss Leak at the twenty sixteen GOP 31 00:02:26,395 --> 00:02:30,235 Speaker 1: convention in Cleveland. Now, to Trump and Dessentis and most 32 00:02:30,275 --> 00:02:33,555 Speaker 1: of the other bubble heads running for the nomination, they 33 00:02:33,555 --> 00:02:37,075 Speaker 1: are at the territorial dispute stage of aiding at a 34 00:02:37,115 --> 00:02:41,795 Speaker 1: betting Russian aggression because we don't care, you know, if 35 00:02:41,875 --> 00:02:48,035 Speaker 1: it ain't woke, don't fix it. The other irony, of course, 36 00:02:48,115 --> 00:02:51,235 Speaker 1: on a larger sense, is that the Republicans lived off 37 00:02:51,235 --> 00:02:55,875 Speaker 1: their fierce, usually paranoid, QAnon level conspiracy fears and convulsions 38 00:02:55,915 --> 00:03:00,835 Speaker 1: about a hatred of Russia for decades and decades. Bluntly, 39 00:03:00,875 --> 00:03:03,955 Speaker 1: the Republican Party had no credibility about America's role in 40 00:03:03,995 --> 00:03:07,715 Speaker 1: the world. On Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon converted the 41 00:03:07,795 --> 00:03:11,875 Speaker 1: real Soviet era threat into something that could scare Joe 42 00:03:11,955 --> 00:03:15,795 Speaker 1: and Joan Moron in their own home fallout shelter in 43 00:03:15,835 --> 00:03:20,475 Speaker 1: the forties, fifties, and sixties. The various ron Desanti of 44 00:03:20,555 --> 00:03:24,715 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty nine glibly dismissed Hitler in Czechoslovakia and Poland 45 00:03:24,755 --> 00:03:28,875 Speaker 1: and France and you know, the free world as ooh, 46 00:03:28,915 --> 00:03:32,235 Speaker 1: what should we call them? Territorial disputes that were not 47 00:03:32,355 --> 00:03:38,195 Speaker 1: part of our vital national interests. Then the Republicans swerved 48 00:03:38,235 --> 00:03:41,835 Speaker 1: to ferocious anti Russian rhetoric after the Democrats beat first 49 00:03:41,875 --> 00:03:46,155 Speaker 1: Republican isolationists and then the Nazis. Barry Goldwater wanted to 50 00:03:46,275 --> 00:03:49,955 Speaker 1: use nukes to stop the Russia and China back communism 51 00:03:49,955 --> 00:03:53,715 Speaker 1: in Southeast Asia. And then Nixon forged detant with the 52 00:03:53,795 --> 00:03:57,715 Speaker 1: Kremlin and screwed up the Republican Party. Something huge and 53 00:03:57,755 --> 00:04:00,635 Speaker 1: then after he was gone, that Republican pendulum again swung 54 00:04:00,675 --> 00:04:02,995 Speaker 1: all the way back in Saint Ronald of Reagan made 55 00:04:02,995 --> 00:04:07,035 Speaker 1: his infamous nineteen eighty four Mike sound check joke. We 56 00:04:07,155 --> 00:04:09,795 Speaker 1: think it was a joke. I'm pleased to tell you 57 00:04:09,835 --> 00:04:13,875 Speaker 1: today that I have signed legislation that will outlaw Russia 58 00:04:13,995 --> 00:04:18,995 Speaker 1: through every we begin bombing in five minutes. A lot 59 00:04:19,035 --> 00:04:22,995 Speaker 1: of Republicans were very disappointed in Reagan, disappointed that it 60 00:04:23,075 --> 00:04:29,315 Speaker 1: never began bombing. The thing is, all Republicans, Trump and 61 00:04:29,435 --> 00:04:33,235 Speaker 1: DeSantis included right now still try to dine out on 62 00:04:33,275 --> 00:04:37,075 Speaker 1: the fairy tale that Reagan dismantled the Soviet Union. They 63 00:04:37,075 --> 00:04:41,595 Speaker 1: have managed this spectacular tightrope walk for decades in which 64 00:04:41,635 --> 00:04:44,995 Speaker 1: Reagan was both death the destroyer of communist worlds, and 65 00:04:46,115 --> 00:04:49,635 Speaker 1: the peacemaker who led garbageoff down the path to the escalation. 66 00:04:51,115 --> 00:04:53,955 Speaker 1: Now this is not an argument for me for the 67 00:04:54,075 --> 00:04:57,035 Speaker 1: candidacy of Trump. He, after all, is the guy who 68 00:04:57,075 --> 00:04:59,995 Speaker 1: took the money or the interference, or the collusion, or 69 00:04:59,995 --> 00:05:05,635 Speaker 1: the conspiracy or the hookers and cut that Republican tight rope. 70 00:05:06,075 --> 00:05:08,875 Speaker 1: And we all know when you see that R Florida 71 00:05:08,955 --> 00:05:13,195 Speaker 1: after his name or DeSantis' is the R stands for Russia. 72 00:05:13,435 --> 00:05:16,555 Speaker 1: You'll notice I almost never mentioned trump foreign policy here 73 00:05:16,555 --> 00:05:18,835 Speaker 1: because A he is a Russian asset, and this is 74 00:05:18,875 --> 00:05:22,195 Speaker 1: why the Marilago nuclear kleptomania was somehow even worse than 75 00:05:22,235 --> 00:05:24,875 Speaker 1: it first seemed. And B I think it's time to 76 00:05:24,915 --> 00:05:28,515 Speaker 1: start conserving energy here for twenty twenty four, by no 77 00:05:28,595 --> 00:05:31,875 Speaker 1: longer bothering to ask why Trump's supporters go along with 78 00:05:31,915 --> 00:05:35,875 Speaker 1: his treason. They don't understand it, they don't care about it. 79 00:05:36,235 --> 00:05:39,795 Speaker 1: If Trump changed every foreign position he has ever held 80 00:05:40,275 --> 00:05:44,875 Speaker 1: and went with the exact opposite point on the spectrum today, 81 00:05:44,995 --> 00:05:49,355 Speaker 1: they would not only applaud, but few would know the difference, 82 00:05:49,395 --> 00:05:53,195 Speaker 1: and fewer still would even wonder why Trump supporters are 83 00:05:53,315 --> 00:05:56,355 Speaker 1: lost to us and to reality. We can't convince them. 84 00:05:56,635 --> 00:06:01,555 Speaker 1: We just have to stop them anyway. DeSantis already got 85 00:06:01,595 --> 00:06:04,395 Speaker 1: his ppe whacked by the senior Republican on the Senate 86 00:06:04,475 --> 00:06:08,755 Speaker 1: Arm Services Committee, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, quoting Putin wants 87 00:06:08,795 --> 00:06:10,995 Speaker 1: nothing more than to push the United States away from 88 00:06:10,995 --> 00:06:13,275 Speaker 1: our support of Ukraine and prevent us from rolling back 89 00:06:13,275 --> 00:06:18,435 Speaker 1: his destructive policies. We must choose to project strength against 90 00:06:18,555 --> 00:06:22,235 Speaker 1: our adversary, not appease this dictator with words are so 91 00:06:22,315 --> 00:06:27,515 Speaker 1: called de escalation. He's talking to you, Randa the drone 92 00:06:27,515 --> 00:06:30,915 Speaker 1: incident over the Black Sea. Senator Wicker said, quote should 93 00:06:30,955 --> 00:06:35,075 Speaker 1: serve as a wake up call to isolationists. It's yourn 94 00:06:35,595 --> 00:06:38,795 Speaker 1: he's talking about you again in the United States, that 95 00:06:38,955 --> 00:06:41,795 Speaker 1: it is in our national interest to treat Putin as 96 00:06:41,835 --> 00:06:46,115 Speaker 1: the threat he really is. Lindsey Graham went in after 97 00:06:46,195 --> 00:06:48,955 Speaker 1: Dessatis even harder, and he named him though he continues 98 00:06:48,995 --> 00:06:52,075 Speaker 1: to carry water for Trump and against Putin at the 99 00:06:52,115 --> 00:06:55,915 Speaker 1: same time, quote, he's going to go beyond Ukraine Putin. 100 00:06:56,115 --> 00:06:58,195 Speaker 1: If you don't get that, you're not listening to what 101 00:06:58,275 --> 00:07:00,915 Speaker 1: he's saying. The statement by the governor is taking it 102 00:07:00,915 --> 00:07:04,075 Speaker 1: off the table, and that will just incentivize Putin to 103 00:07:04,115 --> 00:07:06,315 Speaker 1: stay in again, aim to fight harder. And if you 104 00:07:06,395 --> 00:07:09,995 Speaker 1: know anything about China, they see weakness in Ukraine. By 105 00:07:09,995 --> 00:07:14,835 Speaker 1: the west. There goes Taiwan, to which De Santis presumably 106 00:07:14,875 --> 00:07:17,555 Speaker 1: looked at the word China. Saw that first big letters 107 00:07:17,635 --> 00:07:24,315 Speaker 1: C and grunted CRT, CRT, CRT, and speaking of Putent 108 00:07:24,395 --> 00:07:27,515 Speaker 1: watching for American weakness about Ukraine, we naturally fall back 109 00:07:27,555 --> 00:07:29,755 Speaker 1: to Tucker Carlson, who we could also describe as a 110 00:07:29,835 --> 00:07:33,315 Speaker 1: Russian asset, except sorry, he's not an asset to anybody. 111 00:07:33,915 --> 00:07:36,515 Speaker 1: In case you and I foolishly thought he had really 112 00:07:36,595 --> 00:07:40,275 Speaker 1: bailed out on last week's End of the World January sixth, 113 00:07:40,555 --> 00:07:45,075 Speaker 1: Jacob Chanslee q Shamon video gas lighting story just because 114 00:07:45,195 --> 00:07:48,435 Speaker 1: he didn't run a second of it during his Indoctrination 115 00:07:48,475 --> 00:07:51,635 Speaker 1: Hour on Monday night. Well, no, he did refer to 116 00:07:51,755 --> 00:07:57,475 Speaker 1: Jacob Chansy last night once, literally just his name once, 117 00:07:57,595 --> 00:08:02,275 Speaker 1: just Jacob Chansy in passing, and there has not been 118 00:08:02,315 --> 00:08:06,155 Speaker 1: any explanation why, nor anything the other Fox shows, nor 119 00:08:06,195 --> 00:08:08,195 Speaker 1: anything online. I mean last night. He even did a 120 00:08:08,235 --> 00:08:12,755 Speaker 1: feature on this Douglas Macky trial proclaiming it another conspiracy 121 00:08:12,875 --> 00:08:15,275 Speaker 1: that's going to send a man to prison for memes 122 00:08:15,835 --> 00:08:18,875 Speaker 1: like that innocent one in twenty sixteen that told people 123 00:08:18,875 --> 00:08:21,395 Speaker 1: they could vote for Hillary Clinton by text, which was 124 00:08:21,435 --> 00:08:23,715 Speaker 1: obviously a joke and everyone who knew it was a joke, 125 00:08:26,075 --> 00:08:28,835 Speaker 1: and Carlson declared that was the worst crime ever against 126 00:08:28,875 --> 00:08:33,235 Speaker 1: American freedom, or the worst since last week or whatever. 127 00:08:33,275 --> 00:08:38,395 Speaker 1: I've lost track Tucker, by the way, the other thing 128 00:08:38,475 --> 00:08:42,155 Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson would have said, besides, this was my choice 129 00:08:42,155 --> 00:08:45,475 Speaker 1: to drop Jacob Chansley like he was milkshakeed duck if 130 00:08:45,475 --> 00:08:48,195 Speaker 1: it really were his choice, which is that he no 131 00:08:48,275 --> 00:08:50,555 Speaker 1: longer had to cover more of January sixth or Jacob 132 00:08:50,635 --> 00:08:53,835 Speaker 1: Chansley because he'd won, and as he said perhaps a 133 00:08:53,955 --> 00:08:58,995 Speaker 1: hundred times last week alone, the tape proves this half 134 00:08:59,155 --> 00:09:02,515 Speaker 1: of Tucker Carlson's life has been Tucker Carlson telling you 135 00:09:02,915 --> 00:09:08,155 Speaker 1: how great Tucker Carlson is. No somebody has stopped him. 136 00:09:08,235 --> 00:09:11,795 Speaker 1: In fact, it never happened. Tucker Carlson never showed Cherry 137 00:09:11,835 --> 00:09:14,235 Speaker 1: Pick video of the mob for four consecutive nights and 138 00:09:14,275 --> 00:09:17,475 Speaker 1: insisted January sixth was just sightseers with a couple of hooligans. 139 00:09:17,475 --> 00:09:22,315 Speaker 1: It's never happened, you imagined it and funny Dog one thing. 140 00:09:22,395 --> 00:09:27,795 Speaker 1: Another January sixth story has also disappeared at Last Word, 141 00:09:27,875 --> 00:09:31,555 Speaker 1: Marjorie Taylor Green and James it's amazing nobody asks me 142 00:09:31,595 --> 00:09:34,075 Speaker 1: about my college girlfriends, saying I hit her and I 143 00:09:34,115 --> 00:09:37,515 Speaker 1: threatened her life. Comber, We're still planning to visit the 144 00:09:37,595 --> 00:09:42,115 Speaker 1: January sixth quote political prisoners at the District of Columbia Jail, 145 00:09:42,955 --> 00:09:45,955 Speaker 1: but it appears that the last new story about this 146 00:09:46,195 --> 00:09:50,675 Speaker 1: or quotes from either of them are from Monday, except 147 00:09:50,755 --> 00:09:54,395 Speaker 1: from one little report from Channel nine in Washington, which 148 00:09:54,475 --> 00:09:57,435 Speaker 1: just briefly touches on this. And I swear the more 149 00:09:57,475 --> 00:10:00,955 Speaker 1: I read about all of this, the more I daydreamed 150 00:10:00,995 --> 00:10:04,515 Speaker 1: that there was a zoom call midday Monday with Carlson, 151 00:10:04,675 --> 00:10:07,795 Speaker 1: the Murdochs and Taylor Green and Kevin McCarthy and all 152 00:10:07,795 --> 00:10:10,355 Speaker 1: the other vermin and there was one message about January 153 00:10:10,355 --> 00:10:13,515 Speaker 1: sixth and Jacob Chansley and publicity and going to the jail, 154 00:10:13,635 --> 00:10:16,435 Speaker 1: and the message was shut up, please shut up. Over 155 00:10:16,515 --> 00:10:18,995 Speaker 1: God's sake, shut up about it. We're all getting sued. 156 00:10:21,955 --> 00:10:26,475 Speaker 1: WUSA Television reported that a federal judge has now denied 157 00:10:26,595 --> 00:10:29,435 Speaker 1: yet a third motion from a January sixth defendant to 158 00:10:29,515 --> 00:10:32,875 Speaker 1: be released from pre trial custody at the DC Jail. 159 00:10:33,515 --> 00:10:38,995 Speaker 1: Christopher Quaglin alleged proud boy felony charges of inflicting bodily 160 00:10:38,995 --> 00:10:41,955 Speaker 1: injury on officers and assaulting police with a dangerous weapon 161 00:10:42,115 --> 00:10:46,395 Speaker 1: a stolen riot shield and pepper spray. The Quaglin motions 162 00:10:46,835 --> 00:10:50,275 Speaker 1: reference standing sewage and shut off water in the jail, 163 00:10:50,315 --> 00:10:54,195 Speaker 1: and the judge, Trevor McFadden, replied that the US marshals 164 00:10:54,235 --> 00:10:57,795 Speaker 1: attended to both within days of the report. Early in 165 00:10:57,875 --> 00:11:01,835 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, Quaglin also introduced the letter from the 166 00:11:01,875 --> 00:11:05,955 Speaker 1: MAGA Republican Congressman about disparate treatment of the January six prisoners, 167 00:11:05,955 --> 00:11:09,275 Speaker 1: and Judge McFadden answered that in this way, the January 168 00:11:09,315 --> 00:11:11,995 Speaker 1: sixth defendants are the first ones he's ever seen who 169 00:11:12,035 --> 00:11:15,595 Speaker 1: have been given tablets on which to view video and 170 00:11:15,715 --> 00:11:20,555 Speaker 1: other discovery materials. And in fact, he thinks the January 171 00:11:20,555 --> 00:11:23,155 Speaker 1: sixth collection at the DC Jail may be the best 172 00:11:23,275 --> 00:11:28,675 Speaker 1: treated prisoners anywhere. And there is a punchline, because there 173 00:11:28,755 --> 00:11:32,955 Speaker 1: is always a punchline. The judge who said all that 174 00:11:33,075 --> 00:11:36,355 Speaker 1: and said that, no, the January sixth defendants are being 175 00:11:36,395 --> 00:11:44,515 Speaker 1: anything but mistreated. Judge Trevor McFadden is Federalist Society and 176 00:11:44,675 --> 00:11:54,075 Speaker 1: was appointed on June seventh, twenty seventeen by Yeah, by Trump. 177 00:12:08,475 --> 00:12:10,595 Speaker 1: Still ahead of us in this edition of Countdown, Yes, 178 00:12:10,675 --> 00:12:13,955 Speaker 1: Biden has completely pissed off the Republicans by again correctly 179 00:12:14,035 --> 00:12:18,115 Speaker 1: noting that the MAGA demand to freeze spending or they 180 00:12:18,155 --> 00:12:21,595 Speaker 1: will not vote to increase the debt limit will cut 181 00:12:21,635 --> 00:12:25,075 Speaker 1: into the two billion dollars a year in federal funding 182 00:12:25,675 --> 00:12:29,235 Speaker 1: for local police. So, like Joe said, the Republicans want 183 00:12:29,275 --> 00:12:33,835 Speaker 1: to defund the police. Oh are they pissed? Oh? A 184 00:12:33,955 --> 00:12:36,675 Speaker 1: Minnesota state senator calmly explains that there is no need 185 00:12:36,715 --> 00:12:39,795 Speaker 1: for free breakfasts or lunches in schools there because he 186 00:12:39,915 --> 00:12:43,955 Speaker 1: has never personally met anybody who's actually suffering food insecurity. 187 00:12:44,395 --> 00:12:47,315 Speaker 1: Whereas he called it hunger, Well, that's great. If we 188 00:12:47,355 --> 00:12:50,115 Speaker 1: simply introduced this idiot to everybody in the country, they'll 189 00:12:50,115 --> 00:12:54,275 Speaker 1: never be hunger here ever again, worse persons ahead, And 190 00:12:54,475 --> 00:12:57,835 Speaker 1: somebody mentioned Dan Abrams to me, and I was reminded 191 00:12:57,875 --> 00:13:01,555 Speaker 1: of the day MSNBC transferred him from hosting the Missing 192 00:13:01,595 --> 00:13:06,115 Speaker 1: White Woman of the Week show to running the entire network, 193 00:13:06,515 --> 00:13:08,875 Speaker 1: and he dreamed up the slogan that would make us 194 00:13:08,955 --> 00:13:14,075 Speaker 1: number one quote keeping it real things I promised not 195 00:13:14,115 --> 00:13:22,875 Speaker 1: to tell. Coming up, that's next, Let's discountdown. This is 196 00:13:22,915 --> 00:13:30,395 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olberman. Boscripts to the news, some headlines, 197 00:13:30,435 --> 00:13:34,675 Speaker 1: some updates, some snarks, some predictions, dateline Pennsylvania's Finishing Trades 198 00:13:34,795 --> 00:13:39,755 Speaker 1: Institute in Philadelphia. Oh are the Republicans pest? I mean, 199 00:13:39,835 --> 00:13:42,035 Speaker 1: the last time they were this fist they attempted a 200 00:13:42,155 --> 00:13:45,795 Speaker 1: coup for the second time in five days. The President 201 00:13:45,795 --> 00:13:49,315 Speaker 1: has pointed out that the ironically named Freedom Caucus says 202 00:13:49,355 --> 00:13:52,035 Speaker 1: it will not vote to increase the debt ceiling unless, 203 00:13:52,075 --> 00:13:56,035 Speaker 1: among other things, the Inflation Reduction Act is skewered and 204 00:13:56,235 --> 00:14:00,635 Speaker 1: discretionary spending is capped at twenty twenty two levels for 205 00:14:00,675 --> 00:14:02,995 Speaker 1: the next ten years. Well, guess what's included in those 206 00:14:03,035 --> 00:14:08,715 Speaker 1: two things. FBI budgets and two billion dollars a year 207 00:14:09,235 --> 00:14:14,875 Speaker 1: in federal funding for local police. Cut that and you 208 00:14:14,955 --> 00:14:20,555 Speaker 1: are defunding the police. Yes, mister President. Last week I 209 00:14:20,635 --> 00:14:23,875 Speaker 1: laid out of my budget that we invest more in 210 00:14:23,915 --> 00:14:27,155 Speaker 1: safer communities and expand access to mental health services for 211 00:14:27,195 --> 00:14:33,675 Speaker 1: those affected by gun violence. Congressive Republicans should pass my 212 00:14:33,715 --> 00:14:36,355 Speaker 1: budget instead of calling for cuts to these services or 213 00:14:36,435 --> 00:14:40,035 Speaker 1: defunding the police or abolishing the FBI. As we hear 214 00:14:40,075 --> 00:14:43,755 Speaker 1: from our magor Republican Oh, are the Republicans pissed, but 215 00:14:43,835 --> 00:14:46,795 Speaker 1: the messaging is perfect. In fact, Joe Biden needs to 216 00:14:46,795 --> 00:14:50,675 Speaker 1: give us speech, a full speech two three hours explaining 217 00:14:50,715 --> 00:14:54,675 Speaker 1: what this means, step by step about federal funding for 218 00:14:54,795 --> 00:14:57,835 Speaker 1: local police and how the Republicans are defunding the police. 219 00:14:58,555 --> 00:15:01,875 Speaker 1: So the Republicans get even more pissed all over again. 220 00:15:02,075 --> 00:15:06,595 Speaker 1: Do it dateline Knew Year or ever heard of Zeno's paradox. 221 00:15:06,755 --> 00:15:09,435 Speaker 1: Before you can ever reach your destination, you must travel 222 00:15:09,475 --> 00:15:12,275 Speaker 1: halfway to it, meaning when you get to that point, 223 00:15:12,275 --> 00:15:15,675 Speaker 1: you still have halfway to go, go half of that way, 224 00:15:15,755 --> 00:15:18,555 Speaker 1: and you still have half to go, and on and 225 00:15:18,715 --> 00:15:21,955 Speaker 1: on a gone. A Greek philosopher produced this about two 226 00:15:21,995 --> 00:15:25,235 Speaker 1: millennia ago, and it's been resolved by physics. Yet here 227 00:15:25,315 --> 00:15:29,115 Speaker 1: is Zeno's paradox. Back in twenty twenty three. In the 228 00:15:29,235 --> 00:15:33,435 Speaker 1: prosecution of Trump, former fixer Michael Cohen is to testify 229 00:15:33,515 --> 00:15:35,835 Speaker 1: to the Stormy Daniel's grand jury today at about one 230 00:15:35,955 --> 00:15:40,035 Speaker 1: thirty pm because we're still about halfway to the indictment 231 00:15:40,075 --> 00:15:45,235 Speaker 1: of Trump and day Lione Foster rode out sad note today, 232 00:15:45,595 --> 00:15:49,955 Speaker 1: Danny Lemoi had a telegram channel devoted to taking ivermectin. 233 00:15:50,315 --> 00:15:54,795 Speaker 1: Now there was no vagueness here. Lemoi was old school ivermectin. 234 00:15:54,915 --> 00:15:57,835 Speaker 1: He specifically said, you should take the stuff that is 235 00:15:57,875 --> 00:16:02,115 Speaker 1: prescribed to kill worms in horses and cows, give it 236 00:16:02,155 --> 00:16:07,035 Speaker 1: to kids to veterinary ivermectin. This Lemoy started taking it 237 00:16:07,035 --> 00:16:09,995 Speaker 1: in two twelve and he said it had cured his 238 00:16:10,075 --> 00:16:13,075 Speaker 1: lime disease and it had regenerated That was his word, 239 00:16:13,115 --> 00:16:15,915 Speaker 1: regenerated his heart and it would do the same for 240 00:16:15,955 --> 00:16:19,635 Speaker 1: you and your COVID. Just before seven am on third 241 00:16:19,635 --> 00:16:23,755 Speaker 1: of this month, mister Lemoy posted an update quote happy Friday, 242 00:16:23,795 --> 00:16:28,515 Speaker 1: all you poisonous horse paste eating survivors, and that afternoon 243 00:16:28,595 --> 00:16:32,555 Speaker 1: per vice News. He died suddenly when his heart exploded, 244 00:16:32,995 --> 00:16:35,635 Speaker 1: and the followers of his channel are insisting he did 245 00:16:35,635 --> 00:16:39,435 Speaker 1: not die from taking ivermectin. He died from taking too 246 00:16:39,555 --> 00:16:41,475 Speaker 1: little of it. And no, it does not look like 247 00:16:41,555 --> 00:17:14,875 Speaker 1: anybody posted on his Telegram channel hashtag died suddenly. Thank 248 00:17:14,915 --> 00:17:30,675 Speaker 1: you Nancy Faust. I had a friend mentioned him recently 249 00:17:30,715 --> 00:17:34,235 Speaker 1: and I was reminded of the day MSNBC appointed this joker, 250 00:17:35,075 --> 00:17:37,355 Speaker 1: the host of the Missing White Woman of the Week show, 251 00:17:37,915 --> 00:17:41,115 Speaker 1: to run the network, and then a week after that 252 00:17:41,115 --> 00:17:42,875 Speaker 1: they had to take all his power away from him 253 00:17:42,875 --> 00:17:44,675 Speaker 1: because guess what, he didn't know how to run the 254 00:17:44,755 --> 00:17:49,435 Speaker 1: network and it wasn't his own hair. First time for 255 00:17:49,475 --> 00:17:52,235 Speaker 1: the daily roundup of the misgrants, morons and dunning Krugriffac 256 00:17:52,275 --> 00:17:58,475 Speaker 1: specimens who constitute today's worst persons in the world, Le 257 00:17:58,595 --> 00:18:02,755 Speaker 1: bronze Brian kill me to Fox and Friends, who is there? 258 00:18:02,795 --> 00:18:06,275 Speaker 1: So Steve Doocey looks smart. I don't want to say 259 00:18:06,315 --> 00:18:09,475 Speaker 1: this nation is dying under the yoke of diminished expectations. 260 00:18:09,475 --> 00:18:13,715 Speaker 1: But honestly, Killmead says of Trump quote, since he went 261 00:18:13,755 --> 00:18:18,395 Speaker 1: to East Palestine stopped having lunch with white supremacists, this 262 00:18:18,475 --> 00:18:21,475 Speaker 1: is the most disciplined I've ever seen him. Yeah, he 263 00:18:21,515 --> 00:18:25,195 Speaker 1: wore pants all the time too. Actually I cleaned that 264 00:18:25,435 --> 00:18:27,875 Speaker 1: quote up for poor kill Mead. Kill Mead actually did 265 00:18:27,875 --> 00:18:33,555 Speaker 1: not say white supremacists. He said white supremists. The runners 266 00:18:33,635 --> 00:18:35,835 Speaker 1: up the marketing folks at the National Hockey League, and 267 00:18:35,835 --> 00:18:38,435 Speaker 1: what did somehow thinks was at technological advance back to 268 00:18:38,555 --> 00:18:42,035 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty two. It showed something last night called the 269 00:18:42,155 --> 00:18:45,995 Speaker 1: NHL Big City Greens Classic, in which three D cartoon 270 00:18:46,155 --> 00:18:49,675 Speaker 1: characters were supposed to exactly mimic the actions of the 271 00:18:49,715 --> 00:18:53,235 Speaker 1: Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers in real time, because, 272 00:18:53,275 --> 00:18:55,835 Speaker 1: of course, if you want to watch hockey, you want 273 00:18:55,835 --> 00:19:01,195 Speaker 1: to see cartoons rather than the actual players and game 274 00:19:01,315 --> 00:19:06,715 Speaker 1: and reality. By the way, if you're making them into cartoons, 275 00:19:07,195 --> 00:19:09,675 Speaker 1: how do you not call the teams the New York 276 00:19:09,875 --> 00:19:13,675 Speaker 1: Power Rangers and have them not play Washington but play 277 00:19:13,675 --> 00:19:20,435 Speaker 1: the Winnipeg Jetsuns Power Rangers. Jetsons, but our winner, states 278 00:19:20,435 --> 00:19:25,115 Speaker 1: Senator Steve Draskowski of Minnesota, possibly the stupid mess man 279 00:19:25,155 --> 00:19:28,355 Speaker 1: of the week. He rose to speak against a bill 280 00:19:28,435 --> 00:19:32,955 Speaker 1: providing free breakfasts and lunches in school in Minnesota. But 281 00:19:33,075 --> 00:19:36,355 Speaker 1: there's no need, he says, because there is no hunger 282 00:19:36,395 --> 00:19:40,195 Speaker 1: in Minnesota, no food insecurity among kids. And this jackass 283 00:19:40,275 --> 00:19:44,555 Speaker 1: Draskowski knows this because he has personally never met anybody 284 00:19:46,315 --> 00:19:50,595 Speaker 1: who is hungry. Mister President, I have yet to meet 285 00:19:50,675 --> 00:19:56,235 Speaker 1: a person in Minnesota that is hungry yet today, I 286 00:19:56,355 --> 00:19:58,835 Speaker 1: have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that says 287 00:19:58,875 --> 00:20:02,835 Speaker 1: they don't have access to enough footie. Now I should 288 00:20:02,915 --> 00:20:07,795 Speaker 1: say that hunger is a relative term, mister President. You 289 00:20:07,875 --> 00:20:11,595 Speaker 1: know I had a cereal bar for breakfast. I guess 290 00:20:11,635 --> 00:20:16,195 Speaker 1: I'm hungry. Now that to some might be that maybe 291 00:20:16,195 --> 00:20:18,435 Speaker 1: that's the definition of the bill. I don't know. I didn't. 292 00:20:18,555 --> 00:20:21,195 Speaker 1: I didn't see a definition of hunger in the bill, 293 00:20:21,315 --> 00:20:28,555 Speaker 1: mister President. Senator burning hell, would you Apart from the 294 00:20:28,555 --> 00:20:31,795 Speaker 1: fact that the Second Harvest, Heartland Hunger Relief Network and 295 00:20:31,915 --> 00:20:35,675 Speaker 1: Food Bank in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, calculates that one in 296 00:20:35,875 --> 00:20:40,675 Speaker 1: six Minnesotas has experienced food insecurity, one in eleven kids. 297 00:20:40,715 --> 00:20:45,475 Speaker 1: It gets worse. This Senator Draskowski's degree from the University 298 00:20:46,115 --> 00:20:51,475 Speaker 1: of River Falls is in agriculture. Of course, he's also 299 00:20:51,675 --> 00:20:56,595 Speaker 1: NRA and anti immigration and anti education. Minnesota State Senator 300 00:20:56,675 --> 00:20:59,235 Speaker 1: Steve If I haven't met one, they don't exist like 301 00:20:59,835 --> 00:21:02,595 Speaker 1: you know, say, people who might like me or a 302 00:21:02,715 --> 00:21:10,675 Speaker 1: naked woman. Draskowski two days worst person and this time 303 00:21:10,715 --> 00:21:27,275 Speaker 1: I made it, and the still a head on Countdown. 304 00:21:27,275 --> 00:21:29,355 Speaker 1: So this guy interviewed a friend of mine on TV, 305 00:21:29,595 --> 00:21:32,355 Speaker 1: made a fool of himself, calling her cerebral palsy a 306 00:21:32,515 --> 00:21:37,035 Speaker 1: disease like it was infectious. She then wiped the floor 307 00:21:37,075 --> 00:21:38,635 Speaker 1: with him, and I thought I should mention that this 308 00:21:38,715 --> 00:21:41,155 Speaker 1: was hardly the biggest humiliation of his career, not by 309 00:21:41,195 --> 00:21:43,995 Speaker 1: a long shot. The day they actually thought this idiot 310 00:21:43,995 --> 00:21:48,515 Speaker 1: could run MSNBC lasted a week next In Things I 311 00:21:48,555 --> 00:21:50,715 Speaker 1: promised not to tell first, in each edition of Countdown, 312 00:21:50,755 --> 00:21:53,195 Speaker 1: we feature a dog. Indeed you can help. Every dog 313 00:21:53,275 --> 00:21:58,115 Speaker 1: has its day to Poplar Bluff, Missouri and Hopper. Hopper 314 00:21:58,195 --> 00:22:00,595 Speaker 1: is a big black mutt puppy left to die on 315 00:22:00,635 --> 00:22:03,835 Speaker 1: the rural streets. Saving Saint Louis Pets found him, got 316 00:22:03,875 --> 00:22:07,195 Speaker 1: him hospitalized. He's got parbo He crashed Monday night, but 317 00:22:07,195 --> 00:22:10,595 Speaker 1: they got him back up to critical but stable. This rescue, 318 00:22:10,635 --> 00:22:13,635 Speaker 1: like all rescues, has been stretched to the breaking point financially. 319 00:22:14,035 --> 00:22:17,795 Speaker 1: It needs our help. Look for Hopper on Cuddley or 320 00:22:17,835 --> 00:22:20,835 Speaker 1: you can find the details on Hopper on my Twitter feeds. 321 00:22:21,995 --> 00:22:25,755 Speaker 1: We have to help. Where all the dogs have I 322 00:22:25,915 --> 00:22:48,075 Speaker 1: thank you and Hopper thanks you to the number one 323 00:22:48,115 --> 00:22:51,755 Speaker 1: story on accountdown and my favorite topic, Me and Things 324 00:22:51,795 --> 00:22:55,755 Speaker 1: I Promised not to tell. I was a witness to 325 00:22:55,955 --> 00:23:00,435 Speaker 1: the greatest management fiasco in television history, and it began 326 00:23:00,595 --> 00:23:05,675 Speaker 1: on Monday, June twelfth, two thousand and six. My girlfriend 327 00:23:05,675 --> 00:23:07,715 Speaker 1: at the time, Katie Turr, was coming in from la 328 00:23:07,835 --> 00:23:10,595 Speaker 1: for a week, and my vacation had started the previous 329 00:23:10,595 --> 00:23:13,875 Speaker 1: Friday at exactly nine O one pm. At nine O 330 00:23:14,075 --> 00:23:16,955 Speaker 1: two pm on that Friday night, the acting chief of MSNBC, 331 00:23:17,075 --> 00:23:20,435 Speaker 1: Phil Griffin, called me, insisting that even though I was 332 00:23:20,555 --> 00:23:24,235 Speaker 1: on vacation, we had to meet for breakfast at nine 333 00:23:24,395 --> 00:23:27,595 Speaker 1: thirty am Monday. I said that made it a not 334 00:23:27,915 --> 00:23:30,475 Speaker 1: vacation and he said, we will give you two additional 335 00:23:30,555 --> 00:23:32,995 Speaker 1: days off later. Something is happening you need to know 336 00:23:33,075 --> 00:23:38,955 Speaker 1: about first, I sighed. The previous Wednesday, they had fired 337 00:23:38,995 --> 00:23:41,555 Speaker 1: the president of MSNBC, the one who had once chased 338 00:23:41,595 --> 00:23:44,755 Speaker 1: me around our offices in Secaucus, New Jersey, threatening to 339 00:23:44,835 --> 00:23:48,035 Speaker 1: kill me because he was squeamish about blood. See if 340 00:23:48,115 --> 00:23:50,715 Speaker 1: that makes any logical sense to you. He threatened to 341 00:23:50,795 --> 00:23:55,155 Speaker 1: kill me because he was squeamish about blood. Jeff Zucker, 342 00:23:55,675 --> 00:23:59,115 Speaker 1: then the president of NBC, had called my agent and 343 00:23:59,195 --> 00:24:02,555 Speaker 1: asked how my relationship with the aforementioned acting chief Phil 344 00:24:02,595 --> 00:24:04,915 Speaker 1: Griffin was. It was obvious they were going to put 345 00:24:04,915 --> 00:24:07,955 Speaker 1: Griffin in charge, and as the marquee anchor on the network, 346 00:24:07,995 --> 00:24:10,155 Speaker 1: they needed me to find it out from them rather 347 00:24:10,195 --> 00:24:12,875 Speaker 1: than from a gossip side or something. I could not 348 00:24:12,955 --> 00:24:17,275 Speaker 1: begrudge them the courtesy. So on the first weekday of 349 00:24:17,315 --> 00:24:19,515 Speaker 1: my vacation, Griffin and I met for breakfast, and as 350 00:24:19,555 --> 00:24:23,395 Speaker 1: soon as coffee arrived, he said, so listen, buddy, I'm 351 00:24:23,435 --> 00:24:25,835 Speaker 1: gonna be the executive in charge of MSNBC, but I'm 352 00:24:25,835 --> 00:24:28,835 Speaker 1: gonna be staying here in the city to oversee the 353 00:24:28,875 --> 00:24:32,275 Speaker 1: Today Show. So MSNBC will also have a general manager, 354 00:24:32,995 --> 00:24:36,075 Speaker 1: and the general manager will being charging Secaucus, and the 355 00:24:36,075 --> 00:24:40,235 Speaker 1: new general manager will be Dan Abrams. Well, I paused 356 00:24:40,235 --> 00:24:43,515 Speaker 1: for a second and then burst into laughter. I mean 357 00:24:44,075 --> 00:24:48,515 Speaker 1: thirty seconds of a riotous belly laugh, loud enough that 358 00:24:48,555 --> 00:24:54,195 Speaker 1: other people at the restaurant at Norma's in the Parker 359 00:24:54,275 --> 00:24:56,715 Speaker 1: Meridian in New York City turned around to look at 360 00:24:56,755 --> 00:24:59,755 Speaker 1: me to find out what was so funny. Then I 361 00:24:59,835 --> 00:25:04,435 Speaker 1: composed myself. Then I laughed again, then a third laugh, 362 00:25:04,715 --> 00:25:07,955 Speaker 1: a fourth laugh. Oh my god, Phil, that is the best. 363 00:25:08,475 --> 00:25:10,355 Speaker 1: You get me to get up early on the first 364 00:25:10,395 --> 00:25:12,475 Speaker 1: day of my vacation and you hit me with that 365 00:25:13,755 --> 00:25:17,915 Speaker 1: Dan Abrams running something We've known each other, what Phil 366 00:25:18,315 --> 00:25:21,795 Speaker 1: twenty five years next month? That is the best joke 367 00:25:21,915 --> 00:25:24,995 Speaker 1: you have ever told me. Dan Abrams and I laughed 368 00:25:24,995 --> 00:25:27,355 Speaker 1: again for another thirty seconds, and one of my friends, 369 00:25:27,395 --> 00:25:30,635 Speaker 1: who was a waiter there, came over and said, everything okay. 370 00:25:31,675 --> 00:25:34,835 Speaker 1: Because Phil could never interrupt anybody who was praising him. 371 00:25:34,875 --> 00:25:37,875 Speaker 1: He smiled back at me, and when I finally stopped laughing, 372 00:25:37,915 --> 00:25:40,915 Speaker 1: he said, well, well, thanks, I guess, but I'm serious. 373 00:25:41,155 --> 00:25:43,315 Speaker 1: We've been talking to Dan for several months about this, 374 00:25:43,355 --> 00:25:45,635 Speaker 1: and he just has the kind of analytical mind that 375 00:25:47,915 --> 00:25:50,355 Speaker 1: it had taken me more than a minute to realize 376 00:25:50,395 --> 00:25:53,435 Speaker 1: Griffin was serious. That he and the President of NBC News, 377 00:25:53,435 --> 00:25:56,835 Speaker 1: Steve Kappus, and that President of NBC Jeff Zucker, had 378 00:25:56,875 --> 00:26:00,515 Speaker 1: actually decided to take the host of our nine PM show, 379 00:26:00,955 --> 00:26:05,915 Speaker 1: which had been devoted for years to excruciating lowest common 380 00:26:05,955 --> 00:26:11,155 Speaker 1: denominator tabloid crap coverage of the missing white woman of 381 00:26:11,195 --> 00:26:13,835 Speaker 1: the week, to take a man who had the respect 382 00:26:14,115 --> 00:26:19,075 Speaker 1: of absolutely no one on air or off at MSNBC, 383 00:26:19,955 --> 00:26:22,275 Speaker 1: A man who made me, in that regard, look like 384 00:26:22,355 --> 00:26:25,475 Speaker 1: Saint Francis of ASSISI. A man who had only been 385 00:26:25,515 --> 00:26:28,075 Speaker 1: in television for twelve years, a man who had never 386 00:26:28,195 --> 00:26:32,395 Speaker 1: run anything in his life, A man with indescribably bad 387 00:26:32,435 --> 00:26:35,795 Speaker 1: hair that none of us could identify. Was it a 388 00:26:35,835 --> 00:26:39,115 Speaker 1: two pay? Was it a weave? Was he hit by lightning? 389 00:26:39,835 --> 00:26:42,435 Speaker 1: And that was the most sincere thing about him? His hair? 390 00:26:43,195 --> 00:26:46,835 Speaker 1: They had actually decided to appoint this gossip monger with 391 00:26:47,035 --> 00:26:50,835 Speaker 1: no experience to run a network that was just now 392 00:26:51,115 --> 00:26:57,515 Speaker 1: finally establishing itself as a factor in American political media. 393 00:26:57,835 --> 00:27:00,275 Speaker 1: Christ Phil, what are you thinking? I said to him, 394 00:27:00,355 --> 00:27:05,395 Speaker 1: He's a buffoon. I'd rather work for Joe Scarborough. He's descending. 395 00:27:05,675 --> 00:27:09,475 Speaker 1: He insults his producers, he insults our producers. He leaks 396 00:27:09,715 --> 00:27:13,315 Speaker 1: constantly to the reporters and the gossip blogs. Half of 397 00:27:13,315 --> 00:27:17,355 Speaker 1: his exclusive sources turn out to be wrong. And I 398 00:27:17,435 --> 00:27:21,075 Speaker 1: might be the best friend he has there. Phil Griffin 399 00:27:21,235 --> 00:27:24,715 Speaker 1: chugged his coffee. Well, I'm sorry about that. I mean, 400 00:27:25,395 --> 00:27:28,315 Speaker 1: I mean it's not gonna make any practical difference for you. 401 00:27:28,315 --> 00:27:30,515 Speaker 1: You would countdown will report directly to me. Dan is 402 00:27:30,595 --> 00:27:32,875 Speaker 1: gonna have any responsibilities for any of the primetime shows. 403 00:27:33,235 --> 00:27:35,275 Speaker 1: He's only going to be hands on with the daytime shows. 404 00:27:35,315 --> 00:27:37,275 Speaker 1: But he'll be the general manager of the network. And 405 00:27:37,315 --> 00:27:40,595 Speaker 1: we think he has a lot of exciting ideas. And 406 00:27:40,675 --> 00:27:44,595 Speaker 1: I said exciting ideas about what exciting ideas about Sean 407 00:27:44,595 --> 00:27:49,955 Speaker 1: Bennet Ramsey. Phil, we have just stopped being the running joke, 408 00:27:50,515 --> 00:27:54,035 Speaker 1: the bottomless punchline of cable news. And once this gets out, 409 00:27:54,795 --> 00:27:57,635 Speaker 1: we will be less respected than we were a year ago. 410 00:27:59,075 --> 00:28:02,515 Speaker 1: I paused, and the news bounced off the walls of 411 00:28:02,555 --> 00:28:08,035 Speaker 1: the restaurant and hit me afresh again. Dan Abraham's general 412 00:28:08,555 --> 00:28:15,515 Speaker 1: manager of MSNBC. He will get you fired, Phil. I 413 00:28:15,515 --> 00:28:17,235 Speaker 1: don't know if he will get you fired because he's 414 00:28:17,235 --> 00:28:19,435 Speaker 1: trying to get you fired, or he'll get you fired 415 00:28:19,475 --> 00:28:21,995 Speaker 1: because he'll be so bad at this that everybody will quit. 416 00:28:22,275 --> 00:28:26,075 Speaker 1: But you've just committed professional suicide. Un Campus and Zooker, 417 00:28:26,315 --> 00:28:31,635 Speaker 1: dead Men Walking. Phil Griffin was now read. I had 418 00:28:31,675 --> 00:28:34,395 Speaker 1: only previously seen him read when he was very, very 419 00:28:34,475 --> 00:28:37,435 Speaker 1: drunk and we were in our twenties. I was hoping 420 00:28:37,475 --> 00:28:39,315 Speaker 1: you'd give him a chance, and I said some very 421 00:28:39,355 --> 00:28:42,555 Speaker 1: pleasant things about giving him a chance to destroy what 422 00:28:42,555 --> 00:28:44,595 Speaker 1: we had been building up for the last year. And 423 00:28:44,635 --> 00:28:46,795 Speaker 1: did Phil remember that my contract was up in six 424 00:28:46,835 --> 00:28:49,995 Speaker 1: months and CNN was already publicly courting me to go there. 425 00:28:50,515 --> 00:28:53,355 Speaker 1: I said, I'm gone. You might as well release me 426 00:28:53,395 --> 00:28:58,035 Speaker 1: from the contract right now. I'm out. And then something 427 00:28:58,035 --> 00:28:59,955 Speaker 1: else popped into my mind. Oh, and listen, did you 428 00:28:59,995 --> 00:29:02,275 Speaker 1: think there might be a problem because he and I 429 00:29:02,395 --> 00:29:04,555 Speaker 1: dated the same woman nine years ago, and he told 430 00:29:04,795 --> 00:29:06,675 Speaker 1: she'd be making a mistake to get involved with me. 431 00:29:08,035 --> 00:29:15,115 Speaker 1: Phil's eyes widened. He had forgotten, Like I said, he'll 432 00:29:15,115 --> 00:29:18,355 Speaker 1: have nothing to do with countdown. An hour later, my 433 00:29:18,395 --> 00:29:20,955 Speaker 1: home phone rang and it was Dan Abrams. I just 434 00:29:20,995 --> 00:29:23,075 Speaker 1: wanted to say how much I'm looking forward to working 435 00:29:23,075 --> 00:29:26,515 Speaker 1: with you on Countdown. As time goes by, Phil will 436 00:29:26,555 --> 00:29:28,635 Speaker 1: be more and more overwhelmed at the Today's show, and 437 00:29:28,795 --> 00:29:30,915 Speaker 1: I'll be making the day to day decisions. I'll be 438 00:29:31,115 --> 00:29:35,795 Speaker 1: your guy. After a few minutes of this, which I 439 00:29:35,795 --> 00:29:38,395 Speaker 1: swear I could hear his phone scratching against his two 440 00:29:38,395 --> 00:29:42,355 Speaker 1: pay and during which I said nothing, but uh, my 441 00:29:42,435 --> 00:29:45,235 Speaker 1: home phone rang again and it was the NBC president, 442 00:29:45,315 --> 00:29:49,035 Speaker 1: Jeff Zucker. So you guys report to Dan, and if 443 00:29:49,035 --> 00:29:50,515 Speaker 1: you need to go further, you can go to Phil. 444 00:29:50,595 --> 00:29:52,515 Speaker 1: And I said, Phil had just told me Abrams would 445 00:29:52,515 --> 00:29:54,795 Speaker 1: have nothing to do with Countdown, and I intended to 446 00:29:54,795 --> 00:29:58,115 Speaker 1: make sure that was true. Zooker, showing the loyalty and 447 00:29:58,155 --> 00:30:01,315 Speaker 1: consistency that was so publicly displayed in the original Chris 448 00:30:01,355 --> 00:30:05,475 Speaker 1: Cuomo C and N Fiasco, immediately said, well, if this 449 00:30:05,515 --> 00:30:09,275 Speaker 1: doesn't work, F Dan Abrams, hell, F Phil Griffin, you 450 00:30:09,355 --> 00:30:12,795 Speaker 1: come to me. The first thing I had done when 451 00:30:12,795 --> 00:30:15,155 Speaker 1: I had gotten home was to call my executive producer, 452 00:30:15,195 --> 00:30:18,755 Speaker 1: Izzy Povich. She had been as fascinated as I had 453 00:30:18,795 --> 00:30:21,115 Speaker 1: been as to why I had to have a business 454 00:30:21,155 --> 00:30:25,595 Speaker 1: breakfast on day one of a vacation. Well, I sighed, 455 00:30:25,675 --> 00:30:29,395 Speaker 1: you'll never believe who the new general manager of MSNBC 456 00:30:29,875 --> 00:30:34,195 Speaker 1: is she guessed Phil Griffin, then me, and then the 457 00:30:34,235 --> 00:30:37,595 Speaker 1: manager of the New York Yankees, Joe Tory. I said, 458 00:30:37,675 --> 00:30:41,715 Speaker 1: all would have been better choices. I said, it's Dan Abrams. 459 00:30:42,955 --> 00:30:45,995 Speaker 1: She laughed so hard I had to pull the phone 460 00:30:46,155 --> 00:30:51,035 Speaker 1: away from my ear. After she finally calmed down, Izzie said, 461 00:30:51,475 --> 00:30:54,035 Speaker 1: you had me going, Oh my god, what a disaster 462 00:30:54,195 --> 00:30:57,955 Speaker 1: that would be. I'm sorry I fell into the bit. Yeah, 463 00:30:58,115 --> 00:31:01,675 Speaker 1: just kidding, she laughed again. No, actually, I'm not kidding. 464 00:31:01,795 --> 00:31:05,155 Speaker 1: She laughed again and said come on, and so I said, yeah, yeah, 465 00:31:05,155 --> 00:31:08,075 Speaker 1: I'm kidding. She laughed again. No, actually I'm not kidding. 466 00:31:08,155 --> 00:31:10,635 Speaker 1: Dan Abrams is the new general manager. She laughed again. 467 00:31:11,595 --> 00:31:13,715 Speaker 1: We must have done this for two or three minutes. 468 00:31:14,635 --> 00:31:17,115 Speaker 1: There was an old Eddie Izzard bit I stole it 469 00:31:17,195 --> 00:31:22,115 Speaker 1: from him about the death of Engelbert Humperdink. I finally 470 00:31:22,155 --> 00:31:26,115 Speaker 1: stopped when she said, wait, I saw Dan Abrams getting 471 00:31:26,115 --> 00:31:29,195 Speaker 1: out of his car in the President's parking space this morning. 472 00:31:29,235 --> 00:31:33,675 Speaker 1: You're you're You're not kidding. Oh my god. I have 473 00:31:33,715 --> 00:31:38,235 Speaker 1: to call my husband and tell him I'm quitting. Well, 474 00:31:38,235 --> 00:31:39,995 Speaker 1: it all worked out about as well as I had 475 00:31:40,035 --> 00:31:42,995 Speaker 1: predicted at his first meeting with the producers, Dan Abrams 476 00:31:42,995 --> 00:31:45,915 Speaker 1: revealed his first exciting idea. He had apparently been given 477 00:31:46,035 --> 00:31:48,315 Speaker 1: enough lead time about his appointment to have made up 478 00:31:48,315 --> 00:31:52,555 Speaker 1: giant banners containing the new MSNBC network slogan, which he 479 00:31:52,555 --> 00:31:56,235 Speaker 1: had dreamed up the banners, he told the producers, we're 480 00:31:56,315 --> 00:31:58,915 Speaker 1: going to be hung around the studios, and in fact, 481 00:31:58,915 --> 00:32:01,715 Speaker 1: we're being hung around the studios. As they spoke, and 482 00:32:01,835 --> 00:32:04,075 Speaker 1: behind him there was one cupboard in a drape cloth 483 00:32:04,395 --> 00:32:07,195 Speaker 1: and he pulled the string. The cloth fell off, revealing 484 00:32:07,195 --> 00:32:12,235 Speaker 1: his first exciting idea of the new network slogan, MSNBC 485 00:32:13,275 --> 00:32:21,355 Speaker 1: keeping it real, keeping KIPI n apostrophe, no g keeping. 486 00:32:23,515 --> 00:32:26,595 Speaker 1: That was the highlight of his tenure as the general manager. 487 00:32:27,515 --> 00:32:31,795 Speaker 1: The blowback against disappointment was so universal nobody trying to 488 00:32:31,955 --> 00:32:35,755 Speaker 1: hide it. Abrams first move was to cancel a show 489 00:32:35,795 --> 00:32:40,035 Speaker 1: hosted by an Xbox News walking malaprop artist named Rita Cosby. 490 00:32:40,315 --> 00:32:44,675 Speaker 1: She almost took hostages. Abrams delayed the meeting to tell 491 00:32:44,755 --> 00:32:49,275 Speaker 1: her staff from noon until six pm. Abrams then gave 492 00:32:49,315 --> 00:32:52,475 Speaker 1: an interview about his vision for MSNBC and told the 493 00:32:52,515 --> 00:32:57,635 Speaker 1: reporter quote, documentaries are our most important programs, and the 494 00:32:57,675 --> 00:33:02,475 Speaker 1: staffs of the uncanceled primetime shows, mine included nearly walked 495 00:33:02,475 --> 00:33:05,595 Speaker 1: out because in fact we were our most important programs. 496 00:33:06,235 --> 00:33:10,195 Speaker 1: While Griffin prevented that mass resignation by swearing Abrams had 497 00:33:10,195 --> 00:33:14,715 Speaker 1: been misquoted. Abrams then launched a series of radio commercials 498 00:33:15,235 --> 00:33:19,835 Speaker 1: for MSNBC documentaries. Abrams tried to get a producer named 499 00:33:19,875 --> 00:33:22,195 Speaker 1: Bill Wolfe, who had been told he was going to 500 00:33:22,235 --> 00:33:25,275 Speaker 1: be the new general manager, to instead host his own show. 501 00:33:26,115 --> 00:33:28,275 Speaker 1: He told me he had figured out the perfect guest 502 00:33:28,275 --> 00:33:31,155 Speaker 1: host for Countdown and was already in negotiations with him. 503 00:33:31,355 --> 00:33:35,395 Speaker 1: Dan Rather, my girlfriend Katie's father, then chimed in with 504 00:33:35,435 --> 00:33:38,915 Speaker 1: a new nickname for Abrams that spread across the television industry, 505 00:33:39,195 --> 00:33:43,395 Speaker 1: Miles Miles, as in Miles the boy producer from the 506 00:33:43,395 --> 00:33:48,755 Speaker 1: sitcom Murphy Brown. I even felt sorry for him, it 507 00:33:48,835 --> 00:33:51,915 Speaker 1: was that bad, and of course I was promptly repaid 508 00:33:51,915 --> 00:33:54,675 Speaker 1: for this mistake. A week after Abrams was hired, the 509 00:33:54,795 --> 00:33:58,835 Speaker 1: cable news blogger named Brian Stelter, who inexplicably wound up 510 00:33:58,875 --> 00:34:00,515 Speaker 1: first at The New York Times and then at CNN, 511 00:34:00,555 --> 00:34:02,355 Speaker 1: and you heard about him getting fired over the summer. 512 00:34:02,795 --> 00:34:05,395 Speaker 1: Brian Stelter called to say he had and told by 513 00:34:05,395 --> 00:34:08,475 Speaker 1: a source at NBC that I had just been fired 514 00:34:09,115 --> 00:34:12,355 Speaker 1: at a meeting an hour before by Abrams and an 515 00:34:12,435 --> 00:34:16,635 Speaker 1: NBC executive named Randy Falco. In fact, Abrams was at 516 00:34:16,635 --> 00:34:20,115 Speaker 1: a meeting with Zucker and the NBC News president campus 517 00:34:20,475 --> 00:34:22,755 Speaker 1: as they desperately tried to steer out of the fatal 518 00:34:22,835 --> 00:34:26,995 Speaker 1: skid they had all swerved into. Phil Griffin was furious. 519 00:34:27,795 --> 00:34:30,675 Speaker 1: Griffin told me he suspected Abrams had been somehow connected 520 00:34:30,715 --> 00:34:33,315 Speaker 1: to this league about this fake story about me getting fired, 521 00:34:33,475 --> 00:34:37,155 Speaker 1: and he began an investigation of him and never trusted 522 00:34:37,235 --> 00:34:42,595 Speaker 1: him again one week, appointed Monday, and a lame duck 523 00:34:43,115 --> 00:34:52,835 Speaker 1: the following Monday, keeping it real keeping. On August ninth, 524 00:34:53,115 --> 00:34:55,915 Speaker 1: three days shy of the two months mark, Phil Griffin 525 00:34:55,955 --> 00:34:58,635 Speaker 1: called my office an hour and a half before my show. Okay, 526 00:34:58,635 --> 00:35:00,835 Speaker 1: you want to say I told you so. We've made 527 00:35:00,835 --> 00:35:02,435 Speaker 1: it clear to Dan that he won't be involved in 528 00:35:02,475 --> 00:35:05,875 Speaker 1: any major decisions going forward. He remain general manager, but 529 00:35:05,955 --> 00:35:09,155 Speaker 1: I'm running everything. In a year or so, buddy, we'll 530 00:35:09,195 --> 00:35:11,315 Speaker 1: say he found out, he he just had to go 531 00:35:11,355 --> 00:35:14,195 Speaker 1: back on the air, and he'll resign and we'll give 532 00:35:14,235 --> 00:35:16,875 Speaker 1: him the nine PM show. Probably, you have to keep 533 00:35:16,915 --> 00:35:22,355 Speaker 1: this confidential I did. I'm surprisingly good at that, at 534 00:35:22,435 --> 00:35:25,995 Speaker 1: least till I started this podcast. Fourteen months later, they 535 00:35:26,075 --> 00:35:28,915 Speaker 1: offed him, by which time I had already started to 536 00:35:28,955 --> 00:35:30,915 Speaker 1: lobby them to make the nine PM host not Dan 537 00:35:30,955 --> 00:35:33,955 Speaker 1: Abrams but Rachel Maddow. They finally gave into that in 538 00:35:33,955 --> 00:35:36,835 Speaker 1: September two thousand and eight, and Dan did not have 539 00:35:36,875 --> 00:35:39,155 Speaker 1: a show or a title, and he finally got the 540 00:35:39,195 --> 00:35:43,355 Speaker 1: message and he left NBC in twenty eleven. The last 541 00:35:43,435 --> 00:35:46,355 Speaker 1: I had heard of Dan Abrams before the News Nation 542 00:35:46,435 --> 00:35:50,715 Speaker 1: retirement home. He had launched a new website. It's called 543 00:35:51,435 --> 00:35:58,875 Speaker 1: Whiskey Raiders because it rates various brands of whiskey. You 544 00:35:58,955 --> 00:36:05,555 Speaker 1: get it, Raiders, Ray Turs, you get it. It's a pun. 545 00:36:06,555 --> 00:36:11,235 Speaker 1: Presumably he chose that pun because somebody else had already 546 00:36:11,235 --> 00:36:27,995 Speaker 1: taken keeping it real. I've done all the damage I 547 00:36:27,995 --> 00:36:30,275 Speaker 1: can do here. Thank you for listening. Countdowns come to 548 00:36:30,275 --> 00:36:33,915 Speaker 1: you from the studios of the Olderman Broadcasting Empire, High 549 00:36:33,915 --> 00:36:36,995 Speaker 1: a top headquarters in the Sports Capsule Building here in 550 00:36:37,275 --> 00:36:40,635 Speaker 1: New York. Here the credits. Most of the music was arranged, 551 00:36:40,675 --> 00:36:43,315 Speaker 1: produced and performed by Brian Ray and John Philip Chanelle, 552 00:36:43,315 --> 00:36:47,035 Speaker 1: who are the Countdown musical directors produced by t Ko Brothers. 553 00:36:47,355 --> 00:36:51,235 Speaker 1: All orchestration and keyboards by John Philip Channel guitars based 554 00:36:51,235 --> 00:36:54,755 Speaker 1: and drums by Brian Ray. Other Beethoven selections have been 555 00:36:54,835 --> 00:36:58,635 Speaker 1: arranged and performed by No Horns Allowed. The sports music 556 00:36:58,755 --> 00:37:00,875 Speaker 1: is the Olderman theme from ESPN two, and it was 557 00:37:00,915 --> 00:37:05,355 Speaker 1: written by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy of ESPN, Inc. Comments 558 00:37:05,395 --> 00:37:08,555 Speaker 1: by Nancy Faust. The best baseball stadium organist ever. Our 559 00:37:08,595 --> 00:37:12,075 Speaker 1: announcer today was Tony Kornheiser. Everything else is pretty much 560 00:37:12,075 --> 00:37:14,835 Speaker 1: my fault. So let's countdown for this, the seven hundred 561 00:37:14,835 --> 00:37:18,275 Speaker 1: and ninety ninth day since Donald Trump's first attempted coup 562 00:37:18,315 --> 00:37:21,955 Speaker 1: against the democratically elected government of the United States. Arrest 563 00:37:22,075 --> 00:37:25,955 Speaker 1: him now while we still can. The next scheduled countdown 564 00:37:26,035 --> 00:37:29,275 Speaker 1: is tomorrow, the Big eight hundredth day. Till then, I'm 565 00:37:29,315 --> 00:37:33,035 Speaker 1: Keith Alderman. Good morning, good afternoon, good night, and good luck. 566 00:37:40,875 --> 00:37:44,835 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. For 567 00:37:45,035 --> 00:37:49,955 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 568 00:37:50,195 --> 00:37:52,195 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.