1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:21,115 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. The 2 00:00:21,155 --> 00:00:24,675 Speaker 1: head of the political unit at NBC News is now 3 00:00:24,715 --> 00:00:27,915 Speaker 1: reported to have been actively working with the former chief 4 00:00:27,955 --> 00:00:31,395 Speaker 1: of staff of the Republican National Committee to try to 5 00:00:31,395 --> 00:00:35,035 Speaker 1: stir up a social media ground swell to save Rana 6 00:00:35,155 --> 00:00:39,795 Speaker 1: McDaniel's job at NBC News, and she and perhaps the 7 00:00:39,915 --> 00:00:43,875 Speaker 1: chairman of NBC News as well, were reportedly willing to 8 00:00:44,035 --> 00:00:48,515 Speaker 1: throw MSNBC under the bus, and reportedly willing to throw 9 00:00:48,715 --> 00:00:53,995 Speaker 1: its ex Biden Press secretary now budding star Jensaki under 10 00:00:53,995 --> 00:00:58,075 Speaker 1: the bus, and for good measure, reportedly willing to throw 11 00:00:58,195 --> 00:01:02,715 Speaker 1: Chuck Todd under the bus in hopes of saving Rana 12 00:01:03,155 --> 00:01:09,075 Speaker 1: McDaniel and perhaps saving their own jobs as NBC executives. 13 00:01:09,795 --> 00:01:14,475 Speaker 1: This is important beyond your ordinary media car crash and 14 00:01:14,635 --> 00:01:18,715 Speaker 1: debris field, and it's fascinating confirmation that there are no 15 00:01:18,835 --> 00:01:23,315 Speaker 1: adults in television and very few smart people as well, because, 16 00:01:23,515 --> 00:01:28,635 Speaker 1: unlike say CNN, NBC is not one news entity. It 17 00:01:28,675 --> 00:01:33,635 Speaker 1: has NBC News, it has MSNBC, it has CNBC, it 18 00:01:33,675 --> 00:01:37,515 Speaker 1: has Telemundo, it has local NBC News operations in most 19 00:01:37,555 --> 00:01:42,915 Speaker 1: major cities. If its key executives are colluding with operatives 20 00:01:43,075 --> 00:01:47,555 Speaker 1: of one political party, one very anti press, anti news, 21 00:01:47,915 --> 00:01:52,195 Speaker 1: anti democracy political party, by being willing to damage figures 22 00:01:52,315 --> 00:01:55,315 Speaker 1: formerly with the other political party who they now employ 23 00:01:55,755 --> 00:01:58,955 Speaker 1: and the primary source of TV commentary design for the 24 00:01:58,995 --> 00:02:01,995 Speaker 1: adherents to that other political party. If they are willing 25 00:02:02,075 --> 00:02:07,315 Speaker 1: to do that, this is an ormous scandal that transcends 26 00:02:07,555 --> 00:02:10,755 Speaker 1: the hiring of Rona McDaniel, the firing of Rona McDaniel, 27 00:02:11,035 --> 00:02:17,195 Speaker 1: or television news itself. It's Puck News that is reporting that. 28 00:02:17,315 --> 00:02:20,435 Speaker 1: After McDaniel debuted on Meet the Press on Sunday, and 29 00:02:20,515 --> 00:02:23,515 Speaker 1: after Kristen Welker told the audience she had no say 30 00:02:23,555 --> 00:02:27,395 Speaker 1: in McDaniel's hiring, and after Chuck Todd attacked that hiring, 31 00:02:27,915 --> 00:02:32,395 Speaker 1: NBC News Chairman Saysar Conde and Vice president Carrie Bodoff 32 00:02:32,515 --> 00:02:37,875 Speaker 1: Brown were unnerved, but both quote seemed to anticipate the 33 00:02:37,915 --> 00:02:43,275 Speaker 1: impending insurgency and frantically tried to pre empt it. On Sunday, 34 00:02:43,315 --> 00:02:48,035 Speaker 1: Bootoff Brown reached out to Ronal McDaniel's aide and former 35 00:02:48,155 --> 00:02:51,755 Speaker 1: chief of staff at the RNC, Richard Walters, to see 36 00:02:51,755 --> 00:02:55,315 Speaker 1: if there were any friends or colleagues who could speak 37 00:02:55,395 --> 00:03:00,875 Speaker 1: up on her behalf. The two Sides also discussed having 38 00:03:00,955 --> 00:03:05,435 Speaker 1: those folks call attention to what they saw as a 39 00:03:05,555 --> 00:03:08,915 Speaker 1: double standard. After all, this was the same network that 40 00:03:09,035 --> 00:03:14,995 Speaker 1: was turning Saki into a Maddow adjacent primetime star. Walters 41 00:03:15,075 --> 00:03:19,315 Speaker 1: later assured Budoff Brown, the NBC vice president, that they'd 42 00:03:19,355 --> 00:03:24,795 Speaker 1: been able to advance conservative pushback on social media against 43 00:03:24,915 --> 00:03:28,995 Speaker 1: Chuck Todd specifically, and that this might give NBC News 44 00:03:29,035 --> 00:03:35,395 Speaker 1: some cover, for which Budholph Brown thanked him unquote, you 45 00:03:35,475 --> 00:03:39,435 Speaker 1: heard that right. The vice president of News for political 46 00:03:39,515 --> 00:03:43,755 Speaker 1: coverage coordinated with the former chief of staff at the 47 00:03:43,795 --> 00:03:48,795 Speaker 1: Republican National Committee to try to dirty up MSNBC's first 48 00:03:48,995 --> 00:03:53,555 Speaker 1: promising new host since I hired Madow out of my 49 00:03:53,635 --> 00:03:57,315 Speaker 1: own pocket in two thousand and eight, to subject Jensaki 50 00:03:57,595 --> 00:04:00,835 Speaker 1: to at least ginned up criticism from the right on 51 00:04:00,875 --> 00:04:04,435 Speaker 1: social media and maybe by television columnists and those who 52 00:04:04,435 --> 00:04:08,235 Speaker 1: covered news about the news. Puck does not explain why 53 00:04:08,275 --> 00:04:11,475 Speaker 1: Conde is mentioned at the start of this startling detail, 54 00:04:11,795 --> 00:04:14,435 Speaker 1: or if he knew or approved of what Bututoff Brown 55 00:04:14,555 --> 00:04:19,195 Speaker 1: was doing with the x RNC chief of staff. Incredibly 56 00:04:19,715 --> 00:04:23,755 Speaker 1: that NBC News Vice President Carrie Budoff Brown confirmed all 57 00:04:23,835 --> 00:04:28,275 Speaker 1: this to Puck News in a statement to quote it. 58 00:04:28,835 --> 00:04:31,915 Speaker 1: After Meet the Press, I had a conversation with Richard 59 00:04:31,955 --> 00:04:35,755 Speaker 1: Walters and asked if McDaniel had supporters who could speak 60 00:04:35,835 --> 00:04:39,155 Speaker 1: on behalf of her being an NBC News contributor. I 61 00:04:39,395 --> 00:04:43,235 Speaker 1: never discussed what to say, how to say it, or 62 00:04:43,275 --> 00:04:48,635 Speaker 1: who to focus on. Unquote Carrie Butoff Brown everybody, Vice 63 00:04:48,715 --> 00:04:53,435 Speaker 1: president of NBC News and chair of the board of 64 00:04:53,595 --> 00:04:59,755 Speaker 1: directors for the International Center for Journalists, which describes itself 65 00:04:59,835 --> 00:05:06,875 Speaker 1: as a nonprofit dedicated to promoting journalistic in integrity. I 66 00:05:06,995 --> 00:05:11,435 Speaker 1: might add journalistic integrity, but not at NBC or MSNBC, 67 00:05:11,595 --> 00:05:14,795 Speaker 1: and not if you're Jensaki, or even if you're Chuck Todd, 68 00:05:15,555 --> 00:05:19,915 Speaker 1: confirming that she conspired with the chief of staff at 69 00:05:19,955 --> 00:05:24,315 Speaker 1: a political party now dedicated to undermining faith in elections 70 00:05:24,515 --> 00:05:31,715 Speaker 1: and democracy itself to bolster a disqualified, dishonest commentator in 71 00:05:31,875 --> 00:05:35,395 Speaker 1: Who's hiring She had just played a primary role by 72 00:05:35,515 --> 00:05:39,875 Speaker 1: undermining her company's primary news operation and its newest anchor. 73 00:05:40,115 --> 00:05:42,875 Speaker 1: And despite whatever complaints you or especially I might have 74 00:05:42,995 --> 00:05:44,875 Speaker 1: with him, and the complaints I have with him are 75 00:05:44,955 --> 00:05:47,355 Speaker 1: large enough and public enough that he hates my guts. 76 00:05:47,715 --> 00:05:52,075 Speaker 1: Who moderated your own operations primary news vehicle for nine years, 77 00:05:52,075 --> 00:05:56,235 Speaker 1: and if he didn't work out, Chuck Todd Damnsure worked hard. 78 00:05:57,315 --> 00:06:02,035 Speaker 1: In some respects, it is more unbelievable that Carrie Butdoff 79 00:06:02,115 --> 00:06:06,235 Speaker 1: Brown did this than that NBA News hired Ronal McDaniel 80 00:06:06,275 --> 00:06:10,475 Speaker 1: in the first place. That statement ain't the flex you 81 00:06:10,595 --> 00:06:14,355 Speaker 1: think it is, madam. It is a confession to the 82 00:06:14,395 --> 00:06:18,475 Speaker 1: business equivalent of a cover up. Somebody who read it 83 00:06:18,555 --> 00:06:21,195 Speaker 1: asked me why she hasn't been fired yet. My answer 84 00:06:21,395 --> 00:06:26,515 Speaker 1: was because it isn't five pm on Friday yet. And 85 00:06:26,595 --> 00:06:31,195 Speaker 1: now we move on to the next question. Is Carrie 86 00:06:31,235 --> 00:06:34,875 Speaker 1: Budolph Brown going to be the only one of the 87 00:06:34,995 --> 00:06:38,995 Speaker 1: NBC News executives likely to get fired now? Because they 88 00:06:39,035 --> 00:06:43,275 Speaker 1: were stupid enough to think that their audiences, that America, 89 00:06:43,635 --> 00:06:48,035 Speaker 1: that their journalists and opinionators would accept the former head 90 00:06:48,075 --> 00:06:52,475 Speaker 1: of the Republican Party, who still actively denying the legitimacy 91 00:06:52,515 --> 00:06:56,635 Speaker 1: of an American presidential election, still rationalizing her own effort 92 00:06:56,715 --> 00:06:59,995 Speaker 1: to undermine democracy, as recently as in her debut on 93 00:07:00,035 --> 00:07:04,515 Speaker 1: Meet the Press, still still lying about provable facts about 94 00:07:04,515 --> 00:07:10,435 Speaker 1: the Democratic Party as recently as this passed Sunday on NBC, which, 95 00:07:10,755 --> 00:07:14,195 Speaker 1: if any other NBC News executive is going to take 96 00:07:14,235 --> 00:07:17,835 Speaker 1: the fall for having engaged that network in a shocking 97 00:07:18,195 --> 00:07:23,955 Speaker 1: and disgraceful episode. Who else is primarily responsible for this 98 00:07:24,195 --> 00:07:32,275 Speaker 1: colossally stupid plan and its newest, extraordinarily panoramically almost immeasurably 99 00:07:32,395 --> 00:07:36,635 Speaker 1: unconscionable coda, the butt off Brown scheme to make Rona 100 00:07:36,715 --> 00:07:41,115 Speaker 1: McDaniel look better by making Jensaki and M's NBC look worse. 101 00:07:43,395 --> 00:07:47,515 Speaker 1: The favorite among the early answers is all of them. 102 00:07:49,075 --> 00:07:53,595 Speaker 1: The Hollywood Reporter has also published its insider TikTok piece, 103 00:07:54,275 --> 00:07:57,395 Speaker 1: not as well sourced as Pucks, and the title is 104 00:07:57,475 --> 00:08:00,955 Speaker 1: kind of boring. The leadership vacuum that led to the 105 00:08:01,035 --> 00:08:08,035 Speaker 1: Rona McDaniel fail at NBC is Rana Ghazi, but the 106 00:08:08,115 --> 00:08:11,875 Speaker 1: pictures under the Hollywood Reporter headline are the real tell. 107 00:08:12,315 --> 00:08:15,995 Speaker 1: There's an image of McDaniel next to a picture of 108 00:08:16,315 --> 00:08:20,875 Speaker 1: NBC News chairman Sayesar Conde, and Condy is on there 109 00:08:20,915 --> 00:08:24,675 Speaker 1: because the point of the Hollywood Reporter piece is saysar 110 00:08:24,755 --> 00:08:29,555 Speaker 1: Conde will not survive this. The first non Rana part 111 00:08:29,715 --> 00:08:34,195 Speaker 1: of their story is about Condey's failures. The first non 112 00:08:34,315 --> 00:08:37,995 Speaker 1: Rana paragraph begins with the unstated prediction that Conde just 113 00:08:38,155 --> 00:08:42,155 Speaker 1: blew his chances for promotion within NBC, and it ends 114 00:08:42,235 --> 00:08:45,675 Speaker 1: with the unstated doubt that he'll be able to keep 115 00:08:45,715 --> 00:08:49,635 Speaker 1: his current job. It starts with quote for Conde, who 116 00:08:49,675 --> 00:08:52,315 Speaker 1: is believed to be angling to rise to the CEO 117 00:08:52,475 --> 00:08:56,315 Speaker 1: job at NBC Universal in the fullness of time, it's 118 00:08:56,435 --> 00:09:00,595 Speaker 1: fair to question whether this deeply embarrassing episode will have 119 00:09:00,675 --> 00:09:05,675 Speaker 1: major consequences. The same paragraph ends with quote, the News 120 00:09:05,715 --> 00:09:08,835 Speaker 1: division seems to have fallen prey to a confusing leadership 121 00:09:08,835 --> 00:09:12,675 Speaker 1: structure at a level one wrung below Condey, who, as 122 00:09:12,715 --> 00:09:16,715 Speaker 1: one insider put it, quote, is not a news guy. 123 00:09:17,715 --> 00:09:23,115 Speaker 1: End quote. Well, even if he is a newsguy, the 124 00:09:23,155 --> 00:09:27,635 Speaker 1: Hollywood reporter's implication is he won't be one for much longer. 125 00:09:28,715 --> 00:09:32,035 Speaker 1: The official version of all this is that the McDaniel 126 00:09:32,115 --> 00:09:35,515 Speaker 1: hiring began with Carrie butoff Brown extended to the President 127 00:09:35,555 --> 00:09:40,515 Speaker 1: of Editorial at NBC News, Rebecca Blumenstein, got unanticipated support 128 00:09:40,515 --> 00:09:44,515 Speaker 1: from the hapless president of MSNBC, Rashida Jones, and culminated 129 00:09:44,595 --> 00:09:48,475 Speaker 1: in the green light from Caesar Conde that those above 130 00:09:48,755 --> 00:09:52,955 Speaker 1: Conday in the NBC and Comcast management structure, like the 131 00:09:52,995 --> 00:09:57,355 Speaker 1: acting chairman Michael Cavanaugh and the ultimate boss, the owner, 132 00:09:57,435 --> 00:10:03,595 Speaker 1: Brian Roberts, that they knew nothing. However, again quoting the 133 00:10:03,595 --> 00:10:07,915 Speaker 1: Hollywood Reporter, one NBC veteran questions whether higher ups, even 134 00:10:07,955 --> 00:10:12,875 Speaker 1: including Roberts, weren't at least informed of the arrangement, that is, 135 00:10:13,075 --> 00:10:17,075 Speaker 1: the hiring of Ronald McDaniel before it was announced. At minimum, 136 00:10:17,075 --> 00:10:21,195 Speaker 1: this person suspects that Kavanaugh might have been looped in quote, 137 00:10:21,275 --> 00:10:24,475 Speaker 1: you do not hire an election denier without having it vetted. 138 00:10:25,675 --> 00:10:29,475 Speaker 1: If that wasn't the case, says another longtime insider, leadership 139 00:10:29,595 --> 00:10:33,355 Speaker 1: problems are to blame. In terms of NBC News, this 140 00:10:33,395 --> 00:10:37,955 Speaker 1: person says, it sort of stinks. From the head of 141 00:10:37,995 --> 00:10:40,395 Speaker 1: all the divisions in the company, someone has to be 142 00:10:40,555 --> 00:10:49,555 Speaker 1: in charge of news unquote. Yikes. If that were not enough, 143 00:10:49,715 --> 00:10:54,075 Speaker 1: Puck News adds on this subject, quoting another NBC News journalist, 144 00:10:54,875 --> 00:10:57,635 Speaker 1: Executives need a moment where they fight for the team, 145 00:10:58,235 --> 00:11:02,995 Speaker 1: and Sazar never had that moment. He has no relationships 146 00:11:02,995 --> 00:11:06,875 Speaker 1: with the news division. The journalist later added, never really 147 00:11:07,235 --> 00:11:13,235 Speaker 1: has tried. Good night, says our conde. Wherever you are, 148 00:11:14,835 --> 00:11:17,955 Speaker 1: it is hard to believe that this sentence might now apply. 149 00:11:18,315 --> 00:11:22,755 Speaker 1: But wait, there's more. While the third member of the 150 00:11:22,915 --> 00:11:26,915 Speaker 1: NBC gang that couldn't shoot straight. The president for editorial Bluemenstein, 151 00:11:27,475 --> 00:11:29,635 Speaker 1: gets away with no more of a connection to Rona 152 00:11:29,715 --> 00:11:33,315 Speaker 1: McDaniel than a love of Michigan that they share. There 153 00:11:33,395 --> 00:11:38,995 Speaker 1: is one more genuinely shocking development, again from Puck News quote. 154 00:11:39,475 --> 00:11:42,115 Speaker 1: There was no discussion of putting McDaniel on the avowedly 155 00:11:42,195 --> 00:11:47,435 Speaker 1: anti Trump MSNBC. Late in February, however, Carrie but Off 156 00:11:47,515 --> 00:11:51,955 Speaker 1: Brown reached out to McDaniel with a new development. Rashida Jones, 157 00:11:52,035 --> 00:11:55,875 Speaker 1: the president of MSNBC, was very interested in having McDaniel 158 00:11:55,915 --> 00:12:00,155 Speaker 1: appear as a contributor on her network as well. Was 159 00:12:00,315 --> 00:12:07,115 Speaker 1: that something McDaniel would consider, McDaniel said she would well 160 00:12:07,155 --> 00:12:11,075 Speaker 1: if she did. She was the only person connected to 161 00:12:11,315 --> 00:12:15,875 Speaker 1: MSNBC who would have ever said that in ten million years, 162 00:12:16,915 --> 00:12:21,115 Speaker 1: except the president of MSNBC. And remember when the spit 163 00:12:21,315 --> 00:12:24,715 Speaker 1: hit the fan last Sunday, when seemingly everybody in American 164 00:12:24,755 --> 00:12:28,835 Speaker 1: politics who was not a vice president, a president, or 165 00:12:28,875 --> 00:12:32,555 Speaker 1: a chairman at some branch of NBC News or another 166 00:12:33,075 --> 00:12:35,155 Speaker 1: realized that this was not just the hiring of an 167 00:12:35,155 --> 00:12:39,235 Speaker 1: election denier, but the elevating of election denial to a 168 00:12:39,275 --> 00:12:44,275 Speaker 1: place of legitimacy in the unending corporate quest for political media. 169 00:12:44,355 --> 00:12:47,555 Speaker 1: Both Sides ism and it was the whitewashing of an 170 00:12:47,635 --> 00:12:51,995 Speaker 1: amnesty for somebody on the outer fringes of actual conspiracies 171 00:12:52,275 --> 00:12:56,915 Speaker 1: like the Trump fake Elector's plot. While everybody was figuring 172 00:12:56,955 --> 00:13:01,555 Speaker 1: that out, MSNBC President Rashida Jones was telling her enraged 173 00:13:01,715 --> 00:13:05,715 Speaker 1: on air talent and producers that no, no, of course 174 00:13:05,875 --> 00:13:11,995 Speaker 1: Roni McDaniel would never appear on MSNBC, just because weeks earlier, 175 00:13:12,155 --> 00:13:16,995 Speaker 1: MSNBC President Rashida Jones had offered her money to appear 176 00:13:17,555 --> 00:13:23,275 Speaker 1: on MSNBC. Now Jones was saying the opposite, even as 177 00:13:23,315 --> 00:13:28,315 Speaker 1: the Vice President Budolph Brown worked with Republicans to save 178 00:13:28,475 --> 00:13:33,715 Speaker 1: McDaniel by making MSNBC and Jensaki the victims in the 179 00:13:33,795 --> 00:13:38,155 Speaker 1: latest corporate round of both Sides and what about ism? 180 00:13:38,955 --> 00:13:43,635 Speaker 1: And then Jones was additionally quoted as saying yet another thing, 181 00:13:43,675 --> 00:13:46,355 Speaker 1: that she had never promised anybody McDaniel would not appear 182 00:13:46,395 --> 00:13:49,075 Speaker 1: on MSNBC. She had only said there was no anticipation 183 00:13:49,635 --> 00:13:53,235 Speaker 1: that she would appear on MSNBC. And if that sounds 184 00:13:53,235 --> 00:13:55,915 Speaker 1: like it was a distinction without a difference, remember that 185 00:13:56,035 --> 00:13:59,635 Speaker 1: on the air Monday Night. Matdows specifically called out attempts 186 00:13:59,955 --> 00:14:03,835 Speaker 1: to leave the door open for McDaniel on MSNBC. Quote 187 00:14:04,315 --> 00:14:08,155 Speaker 1: were told this weekend in clear terms, Rona McDaniel will 188 00:14:08,155 --> 00:14:11,595 Speaker 1: not be on our air. Rona McDaniel will not be 189 00:14:11,795 --> 00:14:18,795 Speaker 1: on MSNBC unquote. Rasheedah Jones may still have an office 190 00:14:18,915 --> 00:14:22,595 Speaker 1: at thirty Rock, she may still have business cards that 191 00:14:22,755 --> 00:14:28,635 Speaker 1: say otherwise. But for all intents and purposes, Rashida Jones 192 00:14:28,875 --> 00:14:34,875 Speaker 1: is already the ex president of MSNBC. And we are 193 00:14:34,915 --> 00:14:38,515 Speaker 1: still not done here. The new insight into the Rona 194 00:14:38,595 --> 00:14:42,715 Speaker 1: McDaniel era at NBC and MSNBC five days that felt 195 00:14:42,755 --> 00:14:47,875 Speaker 1: like five lifetimes, five days that were unforgettable no matter 196 00:14:47,915 --> 00:14:52,355 Speaker 1: how hard we will try, is also extremely damaging to 197 00:14:52,435 --> 00:14:57,915 Speaker 1: somebody else, somebody on the air, to the already wobbling 198 00:14:58,155 --> 00:15:03,115 Speaker 1: moderator of Meet the Press, Kristen Welker again from Puck News. 199 00:15:03,995 --> 00:15:08,475 Speaker 1: As chance would have it, McDaniel was already scheduled to 200 00:15:08,595 --> 00:15:12,355 Speaker 1: visit the NBC News bureau in Washington for an off 201 00:15:12,395 --> 00:15:16,195 Speaker 1: the record meeting with Meet the Press's moderator, Kristin Welker 202 00:15:16,355 --> 00:15:21,795 Speaker 1: uh Oh, quoting in light of the network's new interest, 203 00:15:21,875 --> 00:15:26,835 Speaker 1: but off. Brown joined that meeting and with Welker present, 204 00:15:27,275 --> 00:15:30,595 Speaker 1: continued to pitch McDaniel on coming to NBC News as 205 00:15:30,595 --> 00:15:35,155 Speaker 1: a contributor. In a statement, an NBC News spokesperson said, 206 00:15:35,555 --> 00:15:38,435 Speaker 1: as Kristen disclosed viewers on Sunday, she was in no 207 00:15:38,515 --> 00:15:42,795 Speaker 1: way involved in McDaniel's hiring, nor was involved in the 208 00:15:42,835 --> 00:15:48,155 Speaker 1: decision making process, and did not participate in conversations surrounding 209 00:15:48,195 --> 00:15:54,675 Speaker 1: a contributor contract. Now that's a distinction without a difference. 210 00:15:55,475 --> 00:16:02,035 Speaker 1: Kristin Welker had a meeting with Rona McDaniel a month ago. Suddenly, 211 00:16:02,635 --> 00:16:06,395 Speaker 1: the vice president for Political Condent of NBC News shows 212 00:16:06,475 --> 00:16:09,715 Speaker 1: up at that meeting along with Ronald McDaniel. At that 213 00:16:09,795 --> 00:16:12,835 Speaker 1: meeting with Ronald McDaniel and Kristin Welker, that vice president 214 00:16:13,195 --> 00:16:16,955 Speaker 1: continues to pitch McDaniel on coming to NBC News as 215 00:16:16,995 --> 00:16:21,835 Speaker 1: a contributor. A month later, McDaniel has suddenly booked as 216 00:16:21,875 --> 00:16:24,995 Speaker 1: the lead guest on Meet the Press and a week 217 00:16:25,035 --> 00:16:28,075 Speaker 1: ago today, Kristin Welker is informed that McDaniel had been 218 00:16:28,115 --> 00:16:32,635 Speaker 1: hired as an NBC News employee, but Kristin Welker didn't 219 00:16:32,635 --> 00:16:34,395 Speaker 1: have any idea she might have been hired as an 220 00:16:34,475 --> 00:16:42,075 Speaker 1: NBC News contributor. She said so on Sunday. This speaks 221 00:16:42,115 --> 00:16:51,435 Speaker 1: poorly to Kristin Welker's honesty or her memory or both. Whew. 222 00:16:53,395 --> 00:16:56,915 Speaker 1: There are other bits of collateral damage strewn about that 223 00:16:57,075 --> 00:17:01,275 Speaker 1: part of the morgue now containing Ronal McDaniel's NBC News career, 224 00:17:01,795 --> 00:17:03,835 Speaker 1: That part of the morgue which may soon have room 225 00:17:03,875 --> 00:17:08,635 Speaker 1: for the careers of Rashida Jones, Carrie Budoff Brown, Caser Condey, 226 00:17:08,835 --> 00:17:13,755 Speaker 1: maybe Kristin Welker. An NBC News PR flack is said 227 00:17:13,795 --> 00:17:16,955 Speaker 1: to have told McDaniel on Monday afternoon that the MSNBC 228 00:17:17,155 --> 00:17:21,515 Speaker 1: hosts wire quote efing insane, only he didn't say fing. 229 00:17:22,395 --> 00:17:25,355 Speaker 1: The pr flack is then quoted by the Puck Newswriter 230 00:17:25,475 --> 00:17:28,915 Speaker 1: as saying that's not true, and the PR flack implies 231 00:17:28,955 --> 00:17:32,275 Speaker 1: that it was told to the Puck newswriter by Roni McDaniel. 232 00:17:33,275 --> 00:17:38,555 Speaker 1: There is also the hilarious and hilariously and conclusively damaging 233 00:17:38,595 --> 00:17:42,795 Speaker 1: tidbit that, until they dropped her, the CAAA Talent Agency 234 00:17:42,915 --> 00:17:47,675 Speaker 1: represented Rona McDaniel at the same time that it represented 235 00:17:48,115 --> 00:17:55,075 Speaker 1: Carrie Budolph Brown. I could go through the history of 236 00:17:55,235 --> 00:18:00,035 Speaker 1: management at NBC News and MSNBC. I mean, this is 237 00:18:00,115 --> 00:18:04,475 Speaker 1: technically the internet. It is infinite. Just for the moment, 238 00:18:04,795 --> 00:18:07,915 Speaker 1: think of the worst people you could find for a 239 00:18:08,035 --> 00:18:13,795 Speaker 1: job like that, getting those jobs. And then as the 240 00:18:13,835 --> 00:18:17,755 Speaker 1: cliff is approached, suddenly somebody says, wait, I found people 241 00:18:17,755 --> 00:18:21,115 Speaker 1: who are even worse. And the first group of disasters 242 00:18:21,155 --> 00:18:24,035 Speaker 1: is fired and the second group is hired, and as 243 00:18:24,315 --> 00:18:27,995 Speaker 1: the cliff is reached, then somebody else says, no, no, no, wait, 244 00:18:28,355 --> 00:18:31,595 Speaker 1: this third group over here, they're even worse than the 245 00:18:31,635 --> 00:18:37,355 Speaker 1: first two combined. I'll tell the saga later in the podcast, 246 00:18:37,595 --> 00:18:41,595 Speaker 1: the representative saga of the two hundred or so saga. 247 00:18:41,635 --> 00:18:43,955 Speaker 1: As I went through in my decade at NBC News 248 00:18:44,275 --> 00:18:47,715 Speaker 1: of the Day, things got so bad and management proved 249 00:18:47,795 --> 00:18:52,355 Speaker 1: so incompetent that the chairman of GE called Jeff Zooker 250 00:18:52,555 --> 00:18:57,115 Speaker 1: and threatened to shut MSNBC at its two hundred million 251 00:18:57,155 --> 00:19:02,835 Speaker 1: dollar a year profits off that day because they were 252 00:19:02,875 --> 00:19:07,115 Speaker 1: criticizing him by name on Fox News and his mother 253 00:19:07,235 --> 00:19:12,715 Speaker 1: had heard it. But ultimately, if there is one glimmer 254 00:19:12,795 --> 00:19:16,235 Speaker 1: of hope in this amazingly bad saga, it is the 255 00:19:16,315 --> 00:19:22,035 Speaker 1: idea that NBC will not try this again, and the 256 00:19:22,155 --> 00:19:27,355 Speaker 1: underbidders the grateful underbidders for McDaniel from ABC and CNN. 257 00:19:27,635 --> 00:19:30,075 Speaker 1: They are not going to go grab her now that 258 00:19:30,155 --> 00:19:33,875 Speaker 1: she's available, And I don't think any network with any 259 00:19:33,995 --> 00:19:38,235 Speaker 1: level of responsibility is going to offer anything to anyone 260 00:19:38,315 --> 00:19:43,675 Speaker 1: more trumpest and less radioactive than Mike Pence or Michael 261 00:19:43,755 --> 00:19:49,155 Speaker 1: Cohen any time soon. In fact, there seems to be 262 00:19:49,315 --> 00:19:55,795 Speaker 1: that rarest of things in TV news journalistic introspection right 263 00:19:55,835 --> 00:20:00,355 Speaker 1: now about the whole concept of bringing in former party 264 00:20:00,475 --> 00:20:04,595 Speaker 1: officials and executives as experts, as if they were foot 265 00:20:04,795 --> 00:20:10,635 Speaker 1: fall coaches between jobs. Quote as one former Republican official 266 00:20:10,635 --> 00:20:14,435 Speaker 1: who achieved great success in the television business said of McDaniel, 267 00:20:14,635 --> 00:20:19,755 Speaker 1: added puck News. She's not entertaining and she's not an expert, 268 00:20:20,515 --> 00:20:29,075 Speaker 1: so what's the point. A couple of postscripts, I mentioned 269 00:20:29,115 --> 00:20:32,555 Speaker 1: that McDaniel had lied about Democrats on Meet the Press 270 00:20:33,275 --> 00:20:37,435 Speaker 1: last Sunday, so that meant she had a lifetime lying 271 00:20:37,475 --> 00:20:41,675 Speaker 1: average of one thousand on NBC. Here is my math. 272 00:20:42,475 --> 00:20:46,035 Speaker 1: McDaniel said. The RNC is involved with seventy eight election 273 00:20:46,235 --> 00:20:50,595 Speaker 1: integrity lawsuits, including quote ones in Montana right now, with 274 00:20:50,755 --> 00:20:53,955 Speaker 1: Democrats suing to say you should be allowed to be 275 00:20:54,075 --> 00:20:57,355 Speaker 1: registered to vote in two states. Why are they suing 276 00:20:57,355 --> 00:21:02,555 Speaker 1: on that, unquote, they aren't. Two liberal groups in Montana 277 00:21:02,715 --> 00:21:07,475 Speaker 1: are suing to block law there that would establish a 278 00:21:07,555 --> 00:21:11,595 Speaker 1: criminal penalty for anybody who is registered to vote in 279 00:21:11,715 --> 00:21:16,835 Speaker 1: one state then moves to Montana and fails to immediately 280 00:21:17,035 --> 00:21:21,995 Speaker 1: de register in their former home state. It is already 281 00:21:22,075 --> 00:21:25,755 Speaker 1: illegal in Montana to vote in each of two states. 282 00:21:26,275 --> 00:21:28,595 Speaker 1: The liberal groups just want to make sure nobody gets 283 00:21:28,755 --> 00:21:31,915 Speaker 1: fined or sent to prison for still being on the 284 00:21:32,035 --> 00:21:35,555 Speaker 1: rolls in another state and not voting in the other state. 285 00:21:37,115 --> 00:21:41,155 Speaker 1: In the Trumpo sphere, McDaniel, who was late as last 286 00:21:41,195 --> 00:21:46,115 Speaker 1: Friday was the equivalent of roadkill, is rapidly being remodeled 287 00:21:46,595 --> 00:21:49,675 Speaker 1: into a martyr. I don't know who is going to 288 00:21:49,755 --> 00:21:55,995 Speaker 1: keep MSNBC informed of what normal people think, said Hugh Hewitt, 289 00:21:56,515 --> 00:22:01,715 Speaker 1: fired by MSNBC on Fox yesterday. Hugh Hewitt, who like 290 00:22:01,795 --> 00:22:05,795 Speaker 1: all normal people, could not afford completely different first than 291 00:22:05,915 --> 00:22:10,075 Speaker 1: last names. Because Rona McDaniel is about as normal as 292 00:22:10,115 --> 00:22:16,675 Speaker 1: they come. She represents the Republican Party. Hewitt redefined what 293 00:22:16,795 --> 00:22:20,115 Speaker 1: it means to represent the Republican Party. She said that 294 00:22:20,235 --> 00:22:25,155 Speaker 1: McDaniel never denied the election results. Ronal McDaniel July fourteenth, 295 00:22:25,235 --> 00:22:30,355 Speaker 1: twenty twenty three. Quote, I don't think Biden won it fair. 296 00:22:30,755 --> 00:22:34,275 Speaker 1: I don't. I'm not going to say that. Unquote Rona 297 00:22:34,355 --> 00:22:37,995 Speaker 1: McDaniel a little bit more recently than last July March 298 00:22:38,035 --> 00:22:40,875 Speaker 1: twenty fourth, twenty twenty four on Meet the Press, I 299 00:22:40,955 --> 00:22:43,995 Speaker 1: think it is fair to say. I think there were concerns. 300 00:22:44,395 --> 00:22:51,155 Speaker 1: Then in twenty twenty and lastly Trump all caps managed 301 00:22:51,155 --> 00:22:56,435 Speaker 1: to attack Brian Roberts of Comcast, Chuck Todd, everybody on MSNBC, 302 00:22:56,995 --> 00:23:01,155 Speaker 1: and the person he now is suddenly again calling Rona Romney. 303 00:23:02,475 --> 00:23:05,675 Speaker 1: It is notable, and it is a good final laugh 304 00:23:05,835 --> 00:23:15,555 Speaker 1: that in this story, Trump is a sideshow. Also of 305 00:23:15,595 --> 00:23:17,595 Speaker 1: interest here, I'll tell that whole saga of the day. 306 00:23:17,635 --> 00:23:20,515 Speaker 1: They literally were ready to shut down MSNBC. Fire and 307 00:23:20,555 --> 00:23:24,315 Speaker 1: pay me, fire, and Paymato fire, and pay Matthews fire 308 00:23:24,355 --> 00:23:29,155 Speaker 1: and pay everybody, replace us with cartoons or the news 309 00:23:29,315 --> 00:23:34,835 Speaker 1: in Welsh or something. And then God may work in 310 00:23:34,915 --> 00:23:38,755 Speaker 1: mysterious ways. But when the devil wants you to deny 311 00:23:38,875 --> 00:23:43,795 Speaker 1: yourself and deny your beliefs, apparently he does so by 312 00:23:43,955 --> 00:23:48,835 Speaker 1: hitting you in the mouth with a gulf ball. Oh 313 00:23:48,915 --> 00:23:51,955 Speaker 1: you may laugh, but that was set in public at 314 00:23:51,995 --> 00:23:55,955 Speaker 1: a convocation speech at Liberty University. No less and unlike you, 315 00:23:56,035 --> 00:23:58,515 Speaker 1: I have to say it was said in public by 316 00:23:58,555 --> 00:24:03,195 Speaker 1: a woman with whom I used to host SportsCenter. That's next. 317 00:24:03,995 --> 00:24:09,475 Speaker 1: This is a sports center. It's countdown. This is countdown 318 00:24:09,555 --> 00:24:34,675 Speaker 1: with Keith Oberman still ahead of us on this ediative countdown. Well, 319 00:24:34,715 --> 00:24:38,235 Speaker 1: as we near the one week mark of the NBC 320 00:24:38,475 --> 00:24:44,555 Speaker 1: MSNBC Ronni McDaniel crisis that I'm enjoying way too much, 321 00:24:45,595 --> 00:24:47,675 Speaker 1: let me tell you the whole story of the real 322 00:24:47,875 --> 00:24:52,435 Speaker 1: NBC MSNBC crisis, the greatest of all time, the day 323 00:24:53,115 --> 00:24:57,635 Speaker 1: the chairman of the corporation that owned both networks got 324 00:24:57,715 --> 00:25:03,595 Speaker 1: so pissed off at being stalked by Jesse Waters of Fox, 325 00:25:04,315 --> 00:25:06,915 Speaker 1: and so pissed off at me, and so pissed off 326 00:25:06,915 --> 00:25:12,915 Speaker 1: at MSNBC that he decided to close MSNBC to shut 327 00:25:13,315 --> 00:25:19,555 Speaker 1: it down that day, starring Jeff Zooker, Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ayles, 328 00:25:19,675 --> 00:25:23,875 Speaker 1: Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Bill O'Reilly Me, and a cast 329 00:25:23,995 --> 00:25:29,075 Speaker 1: of thousands in things I promised not to tell first, 330 00:25:29,115 --> 00:25:31,915 Speaker 1: Still more new idiots to talk about, the daily roundup 331 00:25:31,955 --> 00:25:34,795 Speaker 1: of the mis grants, morons and Dunning Kruger effects specimens 332 00:25:35,035 --> 00:25:41,515 Speaker 1: who constitute today's worse persons in the world. First the 333 00:25:41,555 --> 00:25:47,315 Speaker 1: brons worse Maria Bartiromo. Tuesday, she was insisting that the 334 00:25:47,355 --> 00:25:51,755 Speaker 1: Baltimore Bridge collapse was the fault of open badhas, which 335 00:25:51,795 --> 00:25:57,395 Speaker 1: translated from the long island means open borders. Yesterday a 336 00:25:57,475 --> 00:26:00,595 Speaker 1: new story, she was complaining to a Conservative congress slob 337 00:26:00,955 --> 00:26:04,835 Speaker 1: named Jeff Van Drew that money might be spent to 338 00:26:04,875 --> 00:26:09,715 Speaker 1: rebuild the bridge in their money already allocated towards transportation, 339 00:26:11,515 --> 00:26:15,235 Speaker 1: which meant isn't there money already allocated towards transportation? She 340 00:26:15,315 --> 00:26:20,355 Speaker 1: wants the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuilt out of whatever 341 00:26:20,435 --> 00:26:24,355 Speaker 1: loose change we can find in the government. This person 342 00:26:24,875 --> 00:26:28,755 Speaker 1: used to do actual business news. I do not know 343 00:26:28,835 --> 00:26:33,715 Speaker 1: in retrospect how the nation survived that. I will congratulate 344 00:26:33,755 --> 00:26:36,595 Speaker 1: Maria Bartiromo, though on one thing, it's impressive that in 345 00:26:36,635 --> 00:26:40,275 Speaker 1: the morning she's on one Fox propaganda channel as herself, 346 00:26:40,635 --> 00:26:43,955 Speaker 1: and then in the afternoons she uses a slightly different 347 00:26:44,035 --> 00:26:48,115 Speaker 1: New York Area accent to create a slightly different character 348 00:26:48,275 --> 00:26:52,035 Speaker 1: on the other Fox propaganda channel, where she portrays quote 349 00:26:52,315 --> 00:26:56,835 Speaker 1: Judge Janine Piro unquote, it's a lot of work. The 350 00:26:56,915 --> 00:27:00,555 Speaker 1: runner up were Sir Jamie Comer. You remember Jamie Comer. 351 00:27:00,795 --> 00:27:03,315 Speaker 1: He's the guy who spent fourteen out of the Republicans 352 00:27:03,355 --> 00:27:06,235 Speaker 1: first fourteen months in the con reational majority trying to 353 00:27:06,275 --> 00:27:12,075 Speaker 1: impeach Joe Biden or Hunter Biden or Larry Bliden or 354 00:27:12,155 --> 00:27:15,355 Speaker 1: tr Bryden of the nineteen eighty six California Angels, or 355 00:27:15,435 --> 00:27:19,715 Speaker 1: Joe Buden or somebody. Damn. It turned out there was 356 00:27:19,715 --> 00:27:22,515 Speaker 1: no evidence, no witnesses who weren't in jail or lying 357 00:27:23,155 --> 00:27:26,155 Speaker 1: or lying then in jail or lying then left lying 358 00:27:26,195 --> 00:27:29,875 Speaker 1: down in jail. There was no vote, there was no nothing. 359 00:27:30,675 --> 00:27:34,395 Speaker 1: Comer is radioactive now even within Republican circles, having failed 360 00:27:34,395 --> 00:27:37,715 Speaker 1: to dirty up the president, let alone get him on television. 361 00:27:38,515 --> 00:27:42,035 Speaker 1: But that's not the way he sees it. There's loads 362 00:27:42,035 --> 00:27:49,195 Speaker 1: of evidence, there's convincing witnesses, unavoidable crimes. Except the conspiracy 363 00:27:49,875 --> 00:27:55,195 Speaker 1: is keeping America from realizing all that's true, because, according 364 00:27:55,235 --> 00:27:58,355 Speaker 1: to Comer, there is one man who is using some 365 00:27:58,395 --> 00:28:03,115 Speaker 1: sort of super mental powers to hypnotize the nation into 366 00:28:03,155 --> 00:28:06,715 Speaker 1: not seeing the evidence that is right before them. In 367 00:28:06,755 --> 00:28:11,835 Speaker 1: this interview with generic Right, wing podcaster number two twenty seven, 368 00:28:12,395 --> 00:28:17,675 Speaker 1: James Comer reveals that the man hypnotizing the nation, the 369 00:28:17,675 --> 00:28:23,595 Speaker 1: man mesmerizing America's conservatives and liberals and everybody else, that 370 00:28:23,755 --> 00:28:31,035 Speaker 1: man with the super powerful mind is Merrick Garland. 371 00:28:31,315 --> 00:28:34,595 Speaker 2: There's this counter effort being made to try to sell 372 00:28:34,595 --> 00:28:37,035 Speaker 2: the American public on the idea that you guys haven't 373 00:28:37,115 --> 00:28:40,515 Speaker 2: found anything. And I think we're dealing here with actual, living, 374 00:28:40,555 --> 00:28:45,875 Speaker 2: breathing business partners testifying on the contrary to quite an extent. 375 00:28:46,475 --> 00:28:48,635 Speaker 2: So what do you like in this too? Is this 376 00:28:48,795 --> 00:28:51,675 Speaker 2: Garland just trying to be a human shield for the president. 377 00:28:52,595 --> 00:28:56,715 Speaker 1: What is this? Well, Garland's working with the deep state, 378 00:28:56,915 --> 00:28:59,875 Speaker 1: who's working with the liberal mainstream media to try to 379 00:28:59,955 --> 00:29:05,195 Speaker 1: indoctrinate into people's minds. There's no evidence Merrick Garland working 380 00:29:05,235 --> 00:29:08,795 Speaker 1: with the deep state and the liberal media indoctrinating America. 381 00:29:09,755 --> 00:29:17,595 Speaker 1: I wish Merrick Garland working. I wish. I mean, Jamie 382 00:29:17,595 --> 00:29:22,195 Speaker 1: picked somebody influential in the Biden administration for your telepathic 383 00:29:22,755 --> 00:29:27,995 Speaker 1: conspiracy thing, and maybe we can talk somebody like Commander 384 00:29:28,075 --> 00:29:35,355 Speaker 1: the Dog. But our winner the worst Sage Steel On 385 00:29:35,435 --> 00:29:38,195 Speaker 1: those half dozen or so occasions when I co anchored 386 00:29:38,395 --> 00:29:42,355 Speaker 1: ESPN Sports Center with Sage Steel, including those couple of 387 00:29:42,435 --> 00:29:44,275 Speaker 1: days when she came to New York to try to 388 00:29:44,315 --> 00:29:47,635 Speaker 1: figure out why it was people actually thought I was 389 00:29:47,795 --> 00:29:52,115 Speaker 1: almost as good at doing SportsCenter as she was. I 390 00:29:52,275 --> 00:29:56,155 Speaker 1: frequently and silently asked myself how it was that she 391 00:29:56,235 --> 00:29:59,355 Speaker 1: had not yet done something so overwhelmingly stupid that it 392 00:29:59,355 --> 00:30:04,315 Speaker 1: would instantly end her career. She was so disconnected from reality, 393 00:30:04,355 --> 00:30:07,635 Speaker 1: and I'm she didn't understand that the microphone she was 394 00:30:07,675 --> 00:30:11,075 Speaker 1: wearing on her lapel could be turned on by somebody 395 00:30:11,315 --> 00:30:15,115 Speaker 1: she couldn't see, so she wouldn't know when that microphone 396 00:30:15,195 --> 00:30:18,435 Speaker 1: was live. She was so disconnected from that reality that 397 00:30:18,475 --> 00:30:21,555 Speaker 1: I really used to fear that she would accidentally wander 398 00:30:21,595 --> 00:30:24,355 Speaker 1: out into the streets of Manhattan and towards the East 399 00:30:24,475 --> 00:30:27,235 Speaker 1: River and never be seen again, because she did not 400 00:30:27,515 --> 00:30:31,995 Speaker 1: seem to know that she could not walk on water. 401 00:30:33,395 --> 00:30:36,835 Speaker 1: Then she started doing these overwhelmingly stupid things that I 402 00:30:36,875 --> 00:30:41,475 Speaker 1: always worried about in bunches, attacking her bosses for vaccination 403 00:30:41,595 --> 00:30:45,755 Speaker 1: requirements to work in a huge studio complex during the 404 00:30:45,795 --> 00:30:50,195 Speaker 1: height of the pandemic, and then suing them, getting angry 405 00:30:50,235 --> 00:30:52,755 Speaker 1: because as a conservative and an army brat and thus 406 00:30:52,755 --> 00:30:54,675 Speaker 1: a real American as opposed to the rest of us. 407 00:30:55,035 --> 00:30:57,355 Speaker 1: She had the right to tell Barack Obama that he 408 00:30:57,395 --> 00:31:01,595 Speaker 1: shouldn't identify as black when he, like she herself, was 409 00:31:01,635 --> 00:31:05,715 Speaker 1: actually bi racial. And then they had her do the 410 00:31:05,835 --> 00:31:10,475 Speaker 1: convocation address at Liberty University, which is not an actual 411 00:31:10,635 --> 00:31:14,035 Speaker 1: college or anything, but it has dorms and ceremonies. I 412 00:31:14,155 --> 00:31:18,195 Speaker 1: gave a convocation address at Cornell once, and I talked about, 413 00:31:18,395 --> 00:31:21,355 Speaker 1: you know, the students and their lives and the issue 414 00:31:21,355 --> 00:31:24,515 Speaker 1: of moral force, and went in their lives on the outside, 415 00:31:25,075 --> 00:31:27,075 Speaker 1: they might have to stand up in the real world 416 00:31:27,155 --> 00:31:30,235 Speaker 1: for what's right, because there are no adults out here. 417 00:31:31,195 --> 00:31:35,315 Speaker 1: Sage Steeles convocation speech apparently this past week at Liberty 418 00:31:35,675 --> 00:31:41,755 Speaker 1: was about Sage steel her career, her highlights, her ex husband. 419 00:31:42,595 --> 00:31:45,915 Speaker 1: She did a slide show with highlights from her career, 420 00:31:46,515 --> 00:31:52,355 Speaker 1: her her and best of all, a slide show about 421 00:31:52,475 --> 00:31:56,715 Speaker 1: the day the devil hit her in the mouth with 422 00:31:56,915 --> 00:31:58,395 Speaker 1: a golf ball. 423 00:31:58,795 --> 00:32:02,715 Speaker 3: I heard and felt the worst thing I'd ever experienced 424 00:32:02,715 --> 00:32:09,075 Speaker 3: in my life. I got hit in the mouth directly 425 00:32:09,115 --> 00:32:12,275 Speaker 3: two hundred and eighty yards away a line drive from 426 00:32:12,395 --> 00:32:14,995 Speaker 3: John Rahm's Powerful Club. 427 00:32:15,115 --> 00:32:16,755 Speaker 1: That we were too far away. 428 00:32:16,595 --> 00:32:18,835 Speaker 3: To hear him say four, and it hit me at 429 00:32:18,915 --> 00:32:22,115 Speaker 3: one hundred and fifty miles an hour, directly in my mouth. 430 00:32:22,555 --> 00:32:23,875 Speaker 3: I want you to know what's going through my mind 431 00:32:23,875 --> 00:32:25,435 Speaker 3: at this moment. I was on my knees. Do you 432 00:32:25,435 --> 00:32:29,435 Speaker 3: see my bloody left hand. I had finally realized they're 433 00:32:29,435 --> 00:32:30,715 Speaker 3: not gonna be able to glue the teeth back in, 434 00:32:30,955 --> 00:32:32,315 Speaker 3: They're not gonna be able to put the flesh back 435 00:32:32,355 --> 00:32:34,195 Speaker 3: in my lip, and I threw it on the ground 436 00:32:34,235 --> 00:32:37,315 Speaker 3: and I thought. I sat there and I realized God 437 00:32:37,355 --> 00:32:39,915 Speaker 3: doesn't want me to do this. God is telling me 438 00:32:39,955 --> 00:32:43,955 Speaker 3: to be quiet. God is telling me telling me to 439 00:32:44,075 --> 00:32:47,195 Speaker 3: just stop standing up for myself, Stop standing up for others, 440 00:32:47,915 --> 00:32:50,355 Speaker 3: stop being true to myself. If they want you to 441 00:32:50,395 --> 00:32:52,635 Speaker 3: say you're black and not by racial say it. If 442 00:32:52,675 --> 00:32:55,075 Speaker 3: they want you to say, go vaccine, everybody, get it. 443 00:32:55,075 --> 00:32:57,355 Speaker 3: If not, you want to kill everybody, say whatever they want, 444 00:32:57,435 --> 00:33:00,275 Speaker 3: because this is what happens. This is what happens when 445 00:33:00,275 --> 00:33:03,755 Speaker 3: you're true to yourself. Apparently, then I realized, as I 446 00:33:03,955 --> 00:33:07,995 Speaker 3: was put on this train, sure in the ambulance, that 447 00:33:08,035 --> 00:33:13,115 Speaker 3: wasn't God talking to me. That was something else that 448 00:33:13,275 --> 00:33:15,915 Speaker 3: was evil, That was the devil in my opinion, trying 449 00:33:15,955 --> 00:33:18,315 Speaker 3: to scare me into silence because I just filed this 450 00:33:18,395 --> 00:33:22,595 Speaker 3: lossit that had made global headlines, and I realized it 451 00:33:22,635 --> 00:33:24,595 Speaker 3: was up to me that that hit me there in 452 00:33:24,635 --> 00:33:27,635 Speaker 3: the mouth of all places for a reason to make 453 00:33:27,675 --> 00:33:29,395 Speaker 3: sure I didn't stay silent. 454 00:33:29,595 --> 00:33:33,195 Speaker 1: Let me skip the other interpretation of this, which was, 455 00:33:34,875 --> 00:33:36,915 Speaker 1: why would the devil hit you in the mouth of 456 00:33:36,955 --> 00:33:40,315 Speaker 1: the golf ball after you said all the stupid stuff 457 00:33:40,315 --> 00:33:42,635 Speaker 1: that ended your television career and thus brightened the lives 458 00:33:42,675 --> 00:33:46,635 Speaker 1: of literally hundreds of employees at the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut, 459 00:33:46,755 --> 00:33:49,995 Speaker 1: to say nothing of countless thousands of viewers, and of 460 00:33:49,995 --> 00:33:52,755 Speaker 1: course that select group of your sports center co anchors 461 00:33:53,155 --> 00:33:56,435 Speaker 1: who have since lost weight or seen their hair grow 462 00:33:56,515 --> 00:33:59,075 Speaker 1: back and darken simply because they now get to work 463 00:33:59,115 --> 00:34:02,235 Speaker 1: with somebody who does not fly into a rage when 464 00:34:02,315 --> 00:34:04,195 Speaker 1: she isn't the one who gets to say the first 465 00:34:04,275 --> 00:34:08,315 Speaker 1: four words on the show every night. If the devil 466 00:34:08,395 --> 00:34:10,275 Speaker 1: hit you in the mouth to get you to stop 467 00:34:10,355 --> 00:34:13,475 Speaker 1: saying that, who made you say all those things that 468 00:34:13,555 --> 00:34:19,835 Speaker 1: hurt you but helped thousands, maybe millions, that benefited humanity itself, 469 00:34:20,395 --> 00:34:24,195 Speaker 1: and did so without knocking you teeth out your mouth? 470 00:34:25,195 --> 00:34:27,715 Speaker 1: But let me focus on the background reality here that's 471 00:34:27,755 --> 00:34:32,435 Speaker 1: far more important than that rhetorical question. There, the reality 472 00:34:32,475 --> 00:34:36,435 Speaker 1: that the evangelicals and the self absorbed like Sage Steel 473 00:34:36,475 --> 00:34:41,035 Speaker 1: are uniformly convinced that they and they alone are important 474 00:34:41,115 --> 00:34:44,355 Speaker 1: enough for God to hit them in the mouth with 475 00:34:44,395 --> 00:34:48,075 Speaker 1: a golf ball or for the devil to hit them 476 00:34:48,075 --> 00:34:49,835 Speaker 1: in the mouth with a golf ball, because it couldn't 477 00:34:49,875 --> 00:34:54,835 Speaker 1: possibly be an accident. Somebody sent that golf ball into 478 00:34:54,875 --> 00:34:59,195 Speaker 1: your mouth. How many times in your life have you 479 00:34:59,395 --> 00:35:02,795 Speaker 1: said something that got you into enormous trouble and realized 480 00:35:03,235 --> 00:35:07,235 Speaker 1: that neither God, no or the devil loved nor hated 481 00:35:07,275 --> 00:35:09,715 Speaker 1: you enough to have hit you in the mouth with 482 00:35:09,795 --> 00:35:13,955 Speaker 1: a golf ball to keep you from saying dumb spit 483 00:35:14,275 --> 00:35:22,395 Speaker 1: like that. You are just not important enough for God's. 484 00:35:22,875 --> 00:35:35,715 Speaker 4: Golf ball, But Sage Steel is for Sage God's golf balls. 485 00:35:35,715 --> 00:35:42,955 Speaker 4: Nothing but God's golf balls. Steel Today's worst person. 486 00:35:43,475 --> 00:35:44,235 Speaker 1: In the world. 487 00:35:46,835 --> 00:35:48,235 Speaker 3: Talk about rough. 488 00:36:07,675 --> 00:36:12,035 Speaker 1: The executive producer of our MSNBC newscast Countdown, Izzy Povich, 489 00:36:12,115 --> 00:36:14,715 Speaker 1: and I were on the grown up elevator to the 490 00:36:14,755 --> 00:36:18,155 Speaker 1: office of NBC President Jeff Zuocker on the fifty second 491 00:36:18,235 --> 00:36:21,235 Speaker 1: floor of thirty Rock in New York, summoned there by 492 00:36:21,235 --> 00:36:26,275 Speaker 1: some garbled message from MSNBC president Phil Griffin about MSNBC 493 00:36:26,515 --> 00:36:30,555 Speaker 1: being taken off the air. I was mumbling to Izzy 494 00:36:30,715 --> 00:36:35,235 Speaker 1: Sundry imprecations and reminiscences. Eight freaking months is we spent 495 00:36:35,355 --> 00:36:38,315 Speaker 1: twelve freaking months forcing them to create Meadows show? At 496 00:36:38,435 --> 00:36:42,715 Speaker 1: last eight months, all the crap prompter practice getting her 497 00:36:42,715 --> 00:36:46,195 Speaker 1: over her fears rockets past CNN only eight months of 498 00:36:46,235 --> 00:36:49,995 Speaker 1: show and now it's all gone. Izzy reminded me it 499 00:36:50,035 --> 00:36:52,635 Speaker 1: was not just Rachel's show that was threatened, which was 500 00:36:52,715 --> 00:36:56,875 Speaker 1: why poor Court Harson from Hardball was already upstairs along 501 00:36:56,915 --> 00:37:01,155 Speaker 1: with poor Ed Schultz and Phil Griffin, at Rachel's executive 502 00:37:01,155 --> 00:37:03,835 Speaker 1: producer Bill Wolf and some clown from Morning Joe and 503 00:37:03,875 --> 00:37:07,955 Speaker 1: a couple of other NBC executives and us. I know, 504 00:37:08,235 --> 00:37:11,115 Speaker 1: I know. I did the line from the drunken irishman 505 00:37:11,115 --> 00:37:14,395 Speaker 1: from Hitchcock's The Birds, complete with the bad accent. It's 506 00:37:14,435 --> 00:37:18,355 Speaker 1: the end of the world, I said, Jeff Immelt is 507 00:37:18,395 --> 00:37:21,955 Speaker 1: going to take MSNBC off the air. I didn't need 508 00:37:21,995 --> 00:37:24,755 Speaker 1: any of my overwrought visions from two years earlier of 509 00:37:24,795 --> 00:37:28,355 Speaker 1: the future of liberal news commentary falling out the NBC 510 00:37:28,515 --> 00:37:31,155 Speaker 1: window to its death on the rink. This was the 511 00:37:31,195 --> 00:37:35,475 Speaker 1: real thing. The chairman of General Electric was threatening to 512 00:37:35,555 --> 00:37:39,315 Speaker 1: open the window himself, throw us out the window himself, 513 00:37:39,555 --> 00:37:42,275 Speaker 1: and then race down to the pavement to stomp on 514 00:37:42,395 --> 00:37:47,715 Speaker 1: our dying remains himself. Poor Ed Schultz heard Jeff Zucker 515 00:37:47,755 --> 00:37:50,915 Speaker 1: say those words, and he had screwed up his face 516 00:37:50,955 --> 00:37:54,355 Speaker 1: and tilted his head like a puppy hearing a car crash. 517 00:37:54,635 --> 00:37:56,995 Speaker 1: He had not believed it the first time. He had 518 00:37:56,995 --> 00:37:59,715 Speaker 1: not believed it the second time. Zucker said it a 519 00:37:59,755 --> 00:38:02,675 Speaker 1: third time. Immelt is going to take MSNBC off the 520 00:38:02,715 --> 00:38:08,155 Speaker 1: effing air, Schultz groaned. After weeks of Griffin's coaxing, he 521 00:38:08,195 --> 00:38:11,875 Speaker 1: had finally just moved from Nebraska to New York the 522 00:38:11,915 --> 00:38:15,915 Speaker 1: preceding weekend. Yet he was still, somehow only the second 523 00:38:15,955 --> 00:38:19,875 Speaker 1: most strung out person in the room. You, Zucker shouted 524 00:38:19,915 --> 00:38:22,555 Speaker 1: at me, You're the smartest one in the room. What 525 00:38:22,755 --> 00:38:26,235 Speaker 1: the f do we do now? I'll confess I was 526 00:38:26,275 --> 00:38:28,875 Speaker 1: shaken by this because it appeared for once that Zucker 527 00:38:28,955 --> 00:38:32,355 Speaker 1: was not being sarcastic. I had never before seen him 528 00:38:32,395 --> 00:38:35,795 Speaker 1: flush nor flustered. This was a guy who wore fleece 529 00:38:35,955 --> 00:38:39,555 Speaker 1: in July, Yet now he was beat red and sweating. 530 00:38:40,555 --> 00:38:42,595 Speaker 1: Sometimes he knew what he was doing, and as his 531 00:38:42,675 --> 00:38:45,995 Speaker 1: opposition to hiring Madow had proved, sometimes he didn't know 532 00:38:46,035 --> 00:38:48,515 Speaker 1: what he was doing, but he always acted as the 533 00:38:48,515 --> 00:38:52,195 Speaker 1: most confident man in the galaxy. But now he literally 534 00:38:52,235 --> 00:38:54,315 Speaker 1: had no clue what to do next. And he not 535 00:38:54,355 --> 00:38:57,755 Speaker 1: only could not ignore my advice, he desperately needed it. 536 00:38:58,395 --> 00:39:01,835 Speaker 1: This situation and that color on his face were almost 537 00:39:01,915 --> 00:39:06,915 Speaker 1: worth watching the corporate fascists new my network. I asked 538 00:39:07,035 --> 00:39:09,835 Speaker 1: Zucker to explain what happened? You got Dan, Well know 539 00:39:09,955 --> 00:39:13,075 Speaker 1: what happened. Zucker moved towards me, and I stood up 540 00:39:13,075 --> 00:39:15,755 Speaker 1: and I told him I would see myself out. He stopped, 541 00:39:16,275 --> 00:39:19,715 Speaker 1: remembering that he did indeed actually need my help. I'm sorry. 542 00:39:19,715 --> 00:39:24,435 Speaker 1: I apologize. This isn't rational, this is immelt. Last week 543 00:39:24,515 --> 00:39:27,835 Speaker 1: sometime Bill O'Reilly snapped. He told Murdoch he wasn't gonna 544 00:39:27,835 --> 00:39:29,515 Speaker 1: take any more of what you were saying about him 545 00:39:29,555 --> 00:39:31,555 Speaker 1: on the air. So he did a piece last night 546 00:39:31,915 --> 00:39:35,755 Speaker 1: accusing Ge of manufacturing the components that been used in 547 00:39:35,875 --> 00:39:39,315 Speaker 1: roadside bombs that were built in Iran to kill Americans 548 00:39:39,355 --> 00:39:43,075 Speaker 1: in Iraq, which is true. Legally, that's legally true. They 549 00:39:43,115 --> 00:39:46,475 Speaker 1: found roadside bombs that had like thirty year old GE 550 00:39:46,475 --> 00:39:50,475 Speaker 1: transistors or TV tubes from nineteen fifty four or something 551 00:39:50,515 --> 00:39:54,635 Speaker 1: in them. Legally, GE did manufacture components that were used 552 00:39:54,635 --> 00:39:56,835 Speaker 1: in roadside bombs that were built in Iran to kill 553 00:39:56,835 --> 00:40:00,035 Speaker 1: Americans in Iraq. So O'Reilly puts this on his effing 554 00:40:00,115 --> 00:40:03,995 Speaker 1: show as a lead story, and then Fox sent two 555 00:40:04,035 --> 00:40:07,075 Speaker 1: camera crews and this little crap producer from a Riley show, 556 00:40:07,355 --> 00:40:11,275 Speaker 1: Jesse Waters something to steak emmelt out and chase him 557 00:40:11,275 --> 00:40:16,235 Speaker 1: around the GE shareholders meeting in Charlotte. Zucker finally came 558 00:40:16,315 --> 00:40:19,395 Speaker 1: up for air, and I jumped in, Why didn't emmelt 559 00:40:19,395 --> 00:40:22,235 Speaker 1: have six camera crews to stake out the two Fox 560 00:40:22,315 --> 00:40:24,595 Speaker 1: crews and chase them around in Charlotte? I mean, isn't 561 00:40:24,595 --> 00:40:28,115 Speaker 1: that one of our news hubs Charlotte. Doesn't emmelt own 562 00:40:28,235 --> 00:40:31,195 Speaker 1: like twenty camera crews? There? He bring a camera crew, 563 00:40:31,235 --> 00:40:35,275 Speaker 1: you'll bring two camera crews. Zucker started to not like 564 00:40:35,355 --> 00:40:37,995 Speaker 1: me again. Now you suggest that where were you when? 565 00:40:38,195 --> 00:40:41,115 Speaker 1: All right, never mind, it doesn't matter, Emmel says, if 566 00:40:41,115 --> 00:40:44,715 Speaker 1: there's one more story on Bill O'Reilly about GE manufacturing 567 00:40:44,715 --> 00:40:49,075 Speaker 1: components for roadside bombs in Iraq. He's taking MSNBC off 568 00:40:49,155 --> 00:40:52,395 Speaker 1: the air immediately. It'll just be twenty four hours of 569 00:40:52,435 --> 00:40:56,075 Speaker 1: lock up. And I'm fired, and you're fired. And then 570 00:40:56,115 --> 00:40:58,875 Speaker 1: he pointed at Chris Matthews, producer, and Matthews is fired. 571 00:40:59,155 --> 00:41:01,515 Speaker 1: And he pointed at poor Ed Schultz and you're fired, 572 00:41:01,995 --> 00:41:04,755 Speaker 1: and Ed whimpered, So smart ass, what the F do 573 00:41:04,875 --> 00:41:09,195 Speaker 1: we do? I feigned all the nonchalants I could feign. 574 00:41:09,515 --> 00:41:11,955 Speaker 1: If I could have lit a shroot by striking a 575 00:41:11,995 --> 00:41:14,595 Speaker 1: match on the soul of my boot, I would have. 576 00:41:15,915 --> 00:41:20,795 Speaker 1: It's manageable. But Jeff, why is Emmelt so worked up 577 00:41:20,835 --> 00:41:24,315 Speaker 1: about what O'Reilly said about him? Only O'Reilly's nutjob viewers 578 00:41:24,315 --> 00:41:27,635 Speaker 1: actually believe any of that crap. Nobody at GE, nobody 579 00:41:27,635 --> 00:41:31,395 Speaker 1: investing in GE, could possibly believe we're building components for 580 00:41:31,515 --> 00:41:40,475 Speaker 1: roadside bombs. Zucker inhaled deeply. Emmelt's mother believes it. All 581 00:41:40,515 --> 00:41:44,755 Speaker 1: the heads in the room turned toward the president of NBC. Missus. 582 00:41:44,755 --> 00:41:48,875 Speaker 1: Emmelt back in Cincinnati is a devoted bill O'Reilly viewer 583 00:41:49,355 --> 00:41:53,635 Speaker 1: watches him every night, sees this, calls him, says Sonny, 584 00:41:53,675 --> 00:41:56,515 Speaker 1: why are you manufacturing components that were used in roadside 585 00:41:56,515 --> 00:42:01,075 Speaker 1: bombs built in Iran to kill Americans in Iraq? I 586 00:42:01,115 --> 00:42:05,715 Speaker 1: had not expected that, I said to Zucker. So he'll 587 00:42:05,755 --> 00:42:09,555 Speaker 1: really burn what two hundred million a year in profits 588 00:42:10,195 --> 00:42:14,755 Speaker 1: just between Rachel and me? Because his mom watches Bill O'Reilly. 589 00:42:15,515 --> 00:42:18,475 Speaker 1: Zucker got angry again. You bet your effing ass he will. 590 00:42:18,875 --> 00:42:21,115 Speaker 1: Now you said it was manageable. How how the hef 591 00:42:21,155 --> 00:42:24,995 Speaker 1: do we manage it? Alberman, just a minute? How old 592 00:42:25,435 --> 00:42:29,355 Speaker 1: is she? Zucker summoned all his annoyance. How old is 593 00:42:29,435 --> 00:42:35,755 Speaker 1: who ML's mother? How old is she? Jeff Zucker was 594 00:42:35,915 --> 00:42:38,315 Speaker 1: really annoyed. How the f should I know? You're missing 595 00:42:38,355 --> 00:42:41,675 Speaker 1: the point? I had him really worked up, nearly to 596 00:42:41,715 --> 00:42:46,715 Speaker 1: the boiling point. It was great, guess, Zucker spluttered, I 597 00:42:46,715 --> 00:42:49,115 Speaker 1: don't know. He's in his mid fifties. She's got to 598 00:42:49,155 --> 00:42:54,275 Speaker 1: be eighty ninety something. I stifled a fake yawn. Yeah, 599 00:42:54,315 --> 00:42:56,635 Speaker 1: you're right, probably closer to ninety now that I think 600 00:42:56,675 --> 00:43:01,555 Speaker 1: of it. So the problem is she watches O'Reilly. She 601 00:43:01,715 --> 00:43:06,715 Speaker 1: tells him what's on Fox, what O'Reilly's saying about Ge. Well, 602 00:43:06,755 --> 00:43:08,355 Speaker 1: I think you have a simple solution. I'd say, the 603 00:43:08,395 --> 00:43:10,035 Speaker 1: first thing you do is you send over a couple 604 00:43:10,075 --> 00:43:12,355 Speaker 1: of big guys to her house and you pull the 605 00:43:12,395 --> 00:43:17,235 Speaker 1: freaking cable out of the wall. Zucker actually gasped. My 606 00:43:17,355 --> 00:43:20,715 Speaker 1: producer is Ipovich unsuccessfully stifled a laugh, and I saw 607 00:43:20,875 --> 00:43:25,315 Speaker 1: Rachel crack a smile. Zucker regained himself. This isn't funny, Olderman, 608 00:43:26,035 --> 00:43:29,915 Speaker 1: I crossed my legs. Oh, it's a little funny. And anyway, 609 00:43:29,955 --> 00:43:32,955 Speaker 1: it's not essential if the problem is emailed is threatening 610 00:43:32,995 --> 00:43:34,915 Speaker 1: to take the network off the air because O'Reilly is 611 00:43:34,955 --> 00:43:39,755 Speaker 1: avenging himself against me by attacking him and attacking ge. 612 00:43:39,915 --> 00:43:42,515 Speaker 1: The short term solution is easy, and in fact it 613 00:43:42,675 --> 00:43:46,355 Speaker 1: is manageable. The long term solution that's not easy, and 614 00:43:46,395 --> 00:43:48,755 Speaker 1: that's not manageable. But the short term one that's simple. 615 00:43:48,955 --> 00:43:51,475 Speaker 1: Rest of this week, next week, maybe the week after that, 616 00:43:51,595 --> 00:43:57,395 Speaker 1: even we just don't mention Fox News on MSNBC. Something 617 00:43:57,915 --> 00:44:02,515 Speaker 1: resembling a smile crossed Zucker's face. It made him look 618 00:44:02,555 --> 00:44:05,195 Speaker 1: a little less like a lizard person, more like a 619 00:44:05,235 --> 00:44:11,755 Speaker 1: monkey with glasses. You do that forever? No, not forever. 620 00:44:11,795 --> 00:44:15,395 Speaker 1: I would not do that, I said to Bias time. Yes, 621 00:44:15,995 --> 00:44:18,115 Speaker 1: but remember who was it who was in my office? 622 00:44:18,195 --> 00:44:20,195 Speaker 1: Last winter telling me that I should go on the 623 00:44:20,235 --> 00:44:23,595 Speaker 1: air and just to f with Fox. I should ask 624 00:44:23,635 --> 00:44:26,555 Speaker 1: why Rupert Murdoch was still running a huge international media 625 00:44:26,595 --> 00:44:30,115 Speaker 1: company like News Corp, despite all the reports that he's 626 00:44:30,155 --> 00:44:33,355 Speaker 1: suffering from dementia, even though there haven't been any reports 627 00:44:33,355 --> 00:44:37,115 Speaker 1: that he's suffering from dementia. For everybody's sake, here, who 628 00:44:37,195 --> 00:44:40,435 Speaker 1: was that again who told me to do that? Zucker's 629 00:44:40,475 --> 00:44:43,875 Speaker 1: goodwill was gone again? Obviously that was me. What's your point? 630 00:44:44,715 --> 00:44:48,555 Speaker 1: My point is, we built this new brand of ours 631 00:44:48,675 --> 00:44:51,435 Speaker 1: organically on a couple of themes, a couple of statements 632 00:44:51,435 --> 00:44:54,075 Speaker 1: of principle, and one of them is to use your 633 00:44:54,115 --> 00:44:58,275 Speaker 1: words just to f with Fox. If we don't f 634 00:44:58,355 --> 00:45:00,355 Speaker 1: with Fox for a couple of weeks at the start 635 00:45:00,355 --> 00:45:03,675 Speaker 1: of the summer, who's gonna care. Who's gonna notice? But 636 00:45:03,875 --> 00:45:07,715 Speaker 1: like after two weeks, three weeks, our viewers are gonna notice, 637 00:45:08,035 --> 00:45:10,515 Speaker 1: and the TV writers are gonna notice, And then the 638 00:45:10,555 --> 00:45:12,715 Speaker 1: crap we'll hit from every direction you can think of. 639 00:45:13,435 --> 00:45:18,035 Speaker 1: Temporary freeze on mentioning Fox and mentioning O'Reilly and mentioning Murdock. Fine, 640 00:45:18,275 --> 00:45:21,675 Speaker 1: permanent freeze. Might as well let Immelt turn us off 641 00:45:21,675 --> 00:45:25,715 Speaker 1: in the morning. After all, I don't think Zooker actually 642 00:45:25,715 --> 00:45:29,315 Speaker 1: heard the last part about Immelt turning us off. After all, 643 00:45:29,475 --> 00:45:33,555 Speaker 1: the lack of color was returning to his face. Okay, breathe, 644 00:45:33,715 --> 00:45:38,275 Speaker 1: he kept saying to himself. Breathe, breathe, Okay, breathe. He 645 00:45:38,315 --> 00:45:40,995 Speaker 1: looked at me and nodded. He pointed at Izzy and 646 00:45:41,075 --> 00:45:43,235 Speaker 1: at Phil Griffin and me. You and you and you 647 00:45:43,715 --> 00:45:47,075 Speaker 1: and I. We will talk tomorrow, maybe tonight, and we'll 648 00:45:47,075 --> 00:45:50,475 Speaker 1: all meet again next week. Until then, nothing about Fox, anybody, 649 00:45:50,515 --> 00:45:54,755 Speaker 1: are we clear? Nothing on the air about Fox. Silence 650 00:45:54,795 --> 00:45:57,915 Speaker 1: in the room. Then the assorted noises of people rising, 651 00:45:57,995 --> 00:46:02,635 Speaker 1: mixed with attempts to resuscitate poor Ed Schultz. Somebody Matthew's 652 00:46:02,635 --> 00:46:05,595 Speaker 1: guy Harson I think, was almost at the door out 653 00:46:05,595 --> 00:46:07,835 Speaker 1: of Zucker's office, an office so big that it was 654 00:46:07,875 --> 00:46:10,395 Speaker 1: to steal the Ring Lardner line, the size of the 655 00:46:10,515 --> 00:46:15,035 Speaker 1: Yale Bowl, but with lamps. And then a voice spoke up, 656 00:46:15,115 --> 00:46:21,275 Speaker 1: quietly but firmly. Excuse me. It was Rachel Maddow. Excuse me. 657 00:46:22,115 --> 00:46:24,795 Speaker 1: I will not have the content of my show dictated 658 00:46:24,835 --> 00:46:29,315 Speaker 1: by any corporations, including the one I work for. Remember 659 00:46:29,355 --> 00:46:31,235 Speaker 1: this is June two thousand and nine. She still felt 660 00:46:31,275 --> 00:46:34,235 Speaker 1: that way then, and especially one I don't work for, 661 00:46:34,395 --> 00:46:36,675 Speaker 1: I will walk out first. I cannot have the audience 662 00:46:36,715 --> 00:46:39,675 Speaker 1: wondering what else I have not told them. I don't 663 00:46:39,715 --> 00:46:41,475 Speaker 1: do a lot about Fox on my show, but if 664 00:46:41,475 --> 00:46:43,755 Speaker 1: there is a story about Fox, I will not honor 665 00:46:43,795 --> 00:46:46,115 Speaker 1: this freeze. I will report that story. And if I'm 666 00:46:46,115 --> 00:46:50,315 Speaker 1: prevented from reporting that story, I will leave. Whereupon she left, 667 00:46:51,315 --> 00:46:56,355 Speaker 1: Zucker barked Phil Alderman, is he stay? When the rest 668 00:46:56,475 --> 00:46:59,435 Speaker 1: of the room had cleared, Zucker blew air out of 669 00:46:59,435 --> 00:47:02,675 Speaker 1: his mouth as if it were smoke. He gestured violently 670 00:47:02,715 --> 00:47:04,435 Speaker 1: at me with his right arm. I told you she 671 00:47:04,475 --> 00:47:06,635 Speaker 1: was a mistake. You didn't listen to me. I told you. 672 00:47:06,875 --> 00:47:09,315 Speaker 1: Now she's your problem. All of this is your problem. 673 00:47:09,355 --> 00:47:12,755 Speaker 1: Get her back on the reservation or else. Now I 674 00:47:12,995 --> 00:47:16,635 Speaker 1: had run out of goodwill and jokes. Oh, I'll get 675 00:47:16,635 --> 00:47:18,555 Speaker 1: her back on the reservation, Jeff. But if you think 676 00:47:18,555 --> 00:47:21,395 Speaker 1: this is my problem, just think about what happens if 677 00:47:21,435 --> 00:47:24,115 Speaker 1: he really does take us off the air, or if 678 00:47:24,155 --> 00:47:27,155 Speaker 1: it just gets out that he threatened to take us 679 00:47:27,155 --> 00:47:33,675 Speaker 1: off the air because his mother didn't like what Fox 680 00:47:34,155 --> 00:47:39,995 Speaker 1: said about him. That's my problem. Uh uh, that's your problem. 681 00:47:40,355 --> 00:47:43,275 Speaker 1: And it's the problem of the CEO of the freaking 682 00:47:43,515 --> 00:47:47,435 Speaker 1: sixth largest corporation in the world who makes his business 683 00:47:47,435 --> 00:47:51,955 Speaker 1: decisions involving hundreds of millions of dollars of profits based 684 00:47:51,995 --> 00:47:57,475 Speaker 1: on what his mother says. At this point, Phil Griffin 685 00:47:57,515 --> 00:48:00,355 Speaker 1: managed to pull Zucker away and Izzy and I made 686 00:48:00,355 --> 00:48:04,355 Speaker 1: for the door, saying nothing until we were in the elevator. Finally, 687 00:48:04,395 --> 00:48:07,235 Speaker 1: she asked, what are you going to do about Rachel? 688 00:48:08,075 --> 00:48:10,715 Speaker 1: I look straight ahead. I have depth perception issues while 689 00:48:10,715 --> 00:48:14,395 Speaker 1: traveling forward, backwards, up or down. Yeah, if I know 690 00:48:14,395 --> 00:48:16,115 Speaker 1: what I'm gonna do about her. But I got an idea. 691 00:48:16,595 --> 00:48:18,515 Speaker 1: I mean, the only person she was really talking to 692 00:48:18,595 --> 00:48:22,515 Speaker 1: in there was herself. This isn't a brand new surprise 693 00:48:22,675 --> 00:48:26,075 Speaker 1: success for her anymore. This is successful. This is what 694 00:48:26,395 --> 00:48:30,075 Speaker 1: nine ten months she's successful. She said she was once 695 00:48:30,155 --> 00:48:32,995 Speaker 1: a dancing cell phone outside of a cell phone store 696 00:48:33,035 --> 00:48:36,995 Speaker 1: outside of Boston. She ain't going back to that. I 697 00:48:37,035 --> 00:48:38,875 Speaker 1: went to talk to Rachel about an hour later and 698 00:48:38,915 --> 00:48:42,835 Speaker 1: reassured her. I mentioned that powerful as Fox was, they 699 00:48:42,875 --> 00:48:44,915 Speaker 1: were not going to be able to re invade Iraq 700 00:48:44,995 --> 00:48:48,635 Speaker 1: by themselves, and unless she moved it way closer than 701 00:48:48,675 --> 00:48:51,915 Speaker 1: it had been, nobody would cross her censorship line, and 702 00:48:51,955 --> 00:48:54,075 Speaker 1: I said, just give me as much time as the 703 00:48:54,115 --> 00:48:57,795 Speaker 1: French government took before fleeing during the Nazi advance in 704 00:48:57,875 --> 00:49:00,515 Speaker 1: nineteen forty. I said, give me, what was it, thirty 705 00:49:00,555 --> 00:49:03,195 Speaker 1: three days? Give me thirty three days if we aren't 706 00:49:03,195 --> 00:49:06,035 Speaker 1: back where we were this morning, and both quit on 707 00:49:06,195 --> 00:49:10,395 Speaker 1: the air, I mean that'd be fun, right. Three nights later, 708 00:49:10,555 --> 00:49:14,195 Speaker 1: well after midnight on a Friday, my NBC issued BlackBerry 709 00:49:14,235 --> 00:49:18,675 Speaker 1: buzzed with a quick email from Rachel matdow Hey. She wrote, 710 00:49:18,995 --> 00:49:22,355 Speaker 1: don't necessarily quote me because I'm really drunk, but just 711 00:49:22,435 --> 00:49:24,755 Speaker 1: make the best deal you can for us. I trust you. 712 00:49:25,035 --> 00:49:26,795 Speaker 1: We don't need to do Fox all the time. I 713 00:49:26,835 --> 00:49:29,635 Speaker 1: never do Fox stories anyway. I just had to say that, 714 00:49:29,955 --> 00:49:32,275 Speaker 1: and this is the best platform we will ever have. 715 00:49:33,635 --> 00:49:36,035 Speaker 1: Well she was right, at least for the time being. 716 00:49:36,315 --> 00:49:37,995 Speaker 1: A couple of weeks later, I had to sneak in 717 00:49:38,075 --> 00:49:40,675 Speaker 1: a script that blasted Fox, and at ten thirty at 718 00:49:40,675 --> 00:49:42,835 Speaker 1: home that night, I got a call from a drunken 719 00:49:42,835 --> 00:49:46,315 Speaker 1: Phil Griffin shouting into the phone. I have a family. 720 00:49:47,675 --> 00:49:51,955 Speaker 1: Zucker had to go meet with Roger Ayles secretly inside 721 00:49:52,035 --> 00:49:55,035 Speaker 1: thirty Rock, and I hope they remember to clean the 722 00:49:55,115 --> 00:49:58,515 Speaker 1: room afterwards, and mlt even had to meet with Murdoch, 723 00:49:58,995 --> 00:50:02,515 Speaker 1: and then, happily, some idiot GE executive decided to boast 724 00:50:02,555 --> 00:50:05,395 Speaker 1: to The New York Times about getting us little talent 725 00:50:05,515 --> 00:50:09,195 Speaker 1: children under control and a big deal with the executives 726 00:50:09,195 --> 00:50:11,755 Speaker 1: over at Fox and how they'd settled everything, which blew 727 00:50:11,835 --> 00:50:14,995 Speaker 1: up the whole deal instantly, because the moment the deal 728 00:50:15,035 --> 00:50:19,715 Speaker 1: went public, NBC looked so stupid, and even NBC News 729 00:50:19,795 --> 00:50:23,555 Speaker 1: was now risked. The only point of the whole thing 730 00:50:23,675 --> 00:50:25,835 Speaker 1: was to keep the Immelts and the Zookers and the 731 00:50:25,875 --> 00:50:28,635 Speaker 1: Griffins and the ales Is from throwing us and our 732 00:50:28,675 --> 00:50:32,355 Speaker 1: little island of liberal commentary out of that window at 733 00:50:32,355 --> 00:50:35,955 Speaker 1: thirty Rock. But as Rachel Mattow and I would be 734 00:50:35,955 --> 00:50:40,235 Speaker 1: constantly reminded in the ensuing years, thirty Rock has a 735 00:50:40,315 --> 00:50:56,835 Speaker 1: lot of freaking windows. I've done all the damage I 736 00:50:56,835 --> 00:50:59,635 Speaker 1: can do here. Thank you for listening. Countdown. Musical directors 737 00:50:59,635 --> 00:51:03,075 Speaker 1: Brian Ray and John Phillip Scheneil arranged, produced and performed 738 00:51:03,435 --> 00:51:06,475 Speaker 1: most of our music. Mister Ray was on guitarist, bass 739 00:51:06,475 --> 00:51:09,995 Speaker 1: and drums, and mister Shanelle handled orchestration and keyboards. Produced 740 00:51:09,995 --> 00:51:14,075 Speaker 1: by Tko Brothers, I keep thinking we are nowhere near 741 00:51:14,675 --> 00:51:19,555 Speaker 1: the end of the current MSNBC NBC News controversy, because, 742 00:51:19,875 --> 00:51:23,915 Speaker 1: among other things, we haven't had the lawsuits yet, or 743 00:51:23,955 --> 00:51:30,435 Speaker 1: the managerial firings, or or whatever's next wherever in television 744 00:51:30,475 --> 00:51:34,955 Speaker 1: they now hire her without ever noticing nine Khank math 745 00:51:35,355 --> 00:51:38,715 Speaker 1: Man Chang's terrible on television even before you get to 746 00:51:38,755 --> 00:51:43,115 Speaker 1: the interaction part. The settlement is clear to me, all right, 747 00:51:43,195 --> 00:51:49,115 Speaker 1: never mind the settlement between Romney McDaniel, Romney McDaniel and 748 00:51:49,715 --> 00:51:53,635 Speaker 1: NBC's it's clear to me where this ends. Any who. 749 00:51:53,955 --> 00:51:56,955 Speaker 1: Other music, including some of the Beethoven compositions, were arranged 750 00:51:56,955 --> 00:52:00,395 Speaker 1: and performed by the group No Horns Allowed. The sports 751 00:52:00,475 --> 00:52:03,675 Speaker 1: music is the Olderman theme from ESPN two, written by 752 00:52:03,675 --> 00:52:06,435 Speaker 1: Mitch Warren Davis. To see a ESPN inc see The 753 00:52:06,515 --> 00:52:11,795 Speaker 1: solution is NBC pays to have her deviated septum fixed 754 00:52:13,035 --> 00:52:15,395 Speaker 1: and then hires her to anchor between say two and 755 00:52:15,475 --> 00:52:21,395 Speaker 1: four in the afternoons. They already have a contract. Our 756 00:52:21,475 --> 00:52:24,315 Speaker 1: satirical and pithy musical comments are by Nancy Fauss, the 757 00:52:24,355 --> 00:52:27,515 Speaker 1: best baseball stadium organist ever, who mistakenly thinks I can 758 00:52:27,555 --> 00:52:31,515 Speaker 1: actually sing our announce to you today was my friend Howard Feinneman, 759 00:52:31,595 --> 00:52:34,995 Speaker 1: and everything else was pretty much my fault. That's countdown 760 00:52:35,035 --> 00:52:37,675 Speaker 1: for this the two hundred and twenty third day until 761 00:52:37,715 --> 00:52:41,835 Speaker 1: the twenty twenty four presidential election, the one and seventy 762 00:52:41,875 --> 00:52:45,675 Speaker 1: eighth day since dementia J Trump's first attempted coup against 763 00:52:45,715 --> 00:52:48,995 Speaker 1: the democratically elected government of the United States. Use the 764 00:52:49,035 --> 00:52:52,675 Speaker 1: fourteenth Amendment and the not regularly given elector objection option, 765 00:52:53,115 --> 00:52:56,315 Speaker 1: Use the Insurrection Act, use the justice system, use the 766 00:52:56,355 --> 00:52:59,275 Speaker 1: mental health system to stop him from doing it again 767 00:52:59,755 --> 00:53:04,595 Speaker 1: while we still can. The next scheduled countdown is tomorrow. 768 00:53:04,715 --> 00:53:07,915 Speaker 1: Bulletins as the news warrants till then, I'm Keith Olremman. 769 00:53:07,915 --> 00:53:27,675 Speaker 1: Good morning, good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown 770 00:53:27,715 --> 00:53:31,475 Speaker 1: with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. For more 771 00:53:31,555 --> 00:53:36,475 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 772 00:53:36,555 --> 00:53:38,355 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts.