1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:21,795 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio has 2 00:00:21,955 --> 00:00:26,875 Speaker 1: convicted Felon Donald Trump completed a quid pro quo with 3 00:00:27,075 --> 00:00:30,955 Speaker 1: Putin and with the Wall Street Journal? Is he that 4 00:00:31,195 --> 00:00:35,075 Speaker 1: low to have traded the life of an American hostage 5 00:00:35,635 --> 00:00:40,355 Speaker 1: for a big anti Biden newspaper story that in depth 6 00:00:40,395 --> 00:00:44,075 Speaker 1: in a moment but first breaking news. Convicted felon Donald 7 00:00:44,115 --> 00:00:47,715 Speaker 1: Trump has lost seven percent of his voters because he 8 00:00:47,795 --> 00:00:52,235 Speaker 1: now is convicted felon Donald Trump, and per new polling 9 00:00:52,275 --> 00:00:54,395 Speaker 1: from The New York Times, nearly half of that seven 10 00:00:54,435 --> 00:00:58,675 Speaker 1: percent has already committed to voting for President Biden. The 11 00:00:58,795 --> 00:01:01,795 Speaker 1: Times did its best to bury this last night, but 12 00:01:01,915 --> 00:01:04,515 Speaker 1: even from a low rent corner of the front page, 13 00:01:04,755 --> 00:01:08,555 Speaker 1: the truth screams out. It's one of the biggest questions 14 00:01:08,555 --> 00:01:11,635 Speaker 1: in the wake of Trump's conviction. Did the verdict change 15 00:01:11,675 --> 00:01:16,115 Speaker 1: anyone's mind? Write Snate Cone and others early on, The 16 00:01:16,155 --> 00:01:21,715 Speaker 1: answer appears to be an equivocal Yes. Times clearly saw 17 00:01:21,755 --> 00:01:25,395 Speaker 1: a good polling idea and stole it. Remember those polsters 18 00:01:25,395 --> 00:01:28,915 Speaker 1: who didn't just ask randos, did Trump becoming a convicted 19 00:01:28,915 --> 00:01:30,715 Speaker 1: fella make you less likely to vote for him? But 20 00:01:30,755 --> 00:01:36,635 Speaker 1: actually recontacted previous polices and ask them that question. The 21 00:01:36,795 --> 00:01:40,675 Speaker 1: Times got two thousand voters it had pulled in April 22 00:01:40,715 --> 00:01:44,235 Speaker 1: and May. That block had Trump ahead by three. That 23 00:01:44,435 --> 00:01:48,035 Speaker 1: same group, as of yesterday had Trump ahead by one, 24 00:01:48,115 --> 00:01:53,795 Speaker 1: and fully seven percent of Trump's April supporters no longer 25 00:01:53,995 --> 00:01:59,915 Speaker 1: back him because he was convicted. The Times says three 26 00:02:00,075 --> 00:02:03,595 Speaker 1: percent has switched from Trump to Biden, and the remaining 27 00:02:03,635 --> 00:02:06,315 Speaker 1: four percent is still on decided about where they will 28 00:02:06,315 --> 00:02:10,435 Speaker 1: now move their vote. Better still, the Time says the 29 00:02:10,475 --> 00:02:15,715 Speaker 1: shift away from Trump is strongest among quote, young, non 30 00:02:15,755 --> 00:02:20,675 Speaker 1: white and disengaged, democratically leaning voters. Of the people who 31 00:02:20,755 --> 00:02:23,075 Speaker 1: previously told us they had voted for mister Biden in 32 00:02:23,115 --> 00:02:25,635 Speaker 1: twenty twenty but would vote for mister Trump in twenty 33 00:02:25,675 --> 00:02:30,315 Speaker 1: twenty four, around one quarter now say they would vote 34 00:02:30,315 --> 00:02:33,955 Speaker 1: for mister Biden, and The Time says the double haters 35 00:02:34,595 --> 00:02:37,795 Speaker 1: who were split among Biden and Trump but didn't really 36 00:02:37,915 --> 00:02:42,035 Speaker 1: like either, a fifth of Trump's support among them is gone. 37 00:02:42,635 --> 00:02:48,515 Speaker 1: These were all huge Biden vulnerabilities two weeks ago. They 38 00:02:48,515 --> 00:02:54,235 Speaker 1: have now shrunk to bite sized. Remember last Saturday, I 39 00:02:54,275 --> 00:02:57,635 Speaker 1: told you that each point lost by Trump from his 40 00:02:58,075 --> 00:03:03,595 Speaker 1: base is seven hundred and fifty thousand Trump votes, that 41 00:03:03,675 --> 00:03:07,515 Speaker 1: a five percent loss would mean something like a dozen 42 00:03:07,675 --> 00:03:12,915 Speaker 1: electoral votes going to Biden, and that each new poll 43 00:03:13,075 --> 00:03:15,915 Speaker 1: reflecting the outcome of the trial here in New York 44 00:03:16,155 --> 00:03:20,875 Speaker 1: affirms damage to Trump of at least at minimal two 45 00:03:21,075 --> 00:03:25,355 Speaker 1: or three percent. The convictions had the effect we all 46 00:03:25,475 --> 00:03:28,075 Speaker 1: knew they would. It is a good bet that the 47 00:03:28,195 --> 00:03:31,475 Speaker 1: use of the magic words will have that effect too. 48 00:03:31,795 --> 00:03:39,755 Speaker 1: The magic words convicted felon Donald Trump. One other set 49 00:03:39,755 --> 00:03:43,675 Speaker 1: of polls more granular, also good News Decision Desk, HQ 50 00:03:43,875 --> 00:03:45,955 Speaker 1: and The Hill have put out their averages of polling 51 00:03:45,955 --> 00:03:48,955 Speaker 1: in the swing states. They have seven swing states. They 52 00:03:48,995 --> 00:03:56,235 Speaker 1: include North Carolina, I mean, I guess, I think of six, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, 53 00:03:56,235 --> 00:04:00,675 Speaker 1: and Georgia. In three way races with Kennedy included. The 54 00:04:00,795 --> 00:04:04,275 Speaker 1: average of twenty two different polls in Wisconsin now has 55 00:04:04,355 --> 00:04:08,675 Speaker 1: Bidden up by three point one points. Using thirty one 56 00:04:08,715 --> 00:04:11,315 Speaker 1: different polls in Michigan, it's now Biden by half a 57 00:04:11,355 --> 00:04:15,155 Speaker 1: point twenty nine polls. In Pennsylvania, Trump had forty one 58 00:04:15,235 --> 00:04:20,195 Speaker 1: point six to forty one point three twenty eight poles. 59 00:04:20,195 --> 00:04:22,235 Speaker 1: In Arizona, the Trump lead is back down to three 60 00:04:22,235 --> 00:04:25,075 Speaker 1: and a hay twenty one poles in Nevada, Trump by 61 00:04:25,115 --> 00:04:28,755 Speaker 1: four point six, twenty six poles in Georgia, Trump by five. 62 00:04:29,995 --> 00:04:34,435 Speaker 1: We are just four weeks removed from the Times Siena 63 00:04:34,475 --> 00:04:38,275 Speaker 1: polls in which Trump was up and up big in 64 00:04:38,515 --> 00:04:43,275 Speaker 1: all of the swing states. Biden in that time, thanks 65 00:04:43,355 --> 00:04:46,315 Speaker 1: largely to the convictions of Trump here in New York, 66 00:04:46,715 --> 00:04:55,835 Speaker 1: Biden has in short, caught up. Now, what would the 67 00:04:55,955 --> 00:05:00,515 Speaker 1: editors of the Wall Street Journal do if convicted felon 68 00:05:00,555 --> 00:05:02,475 Speaker 1: Donald Trump went to them and said, I can get 69 00:05:02,515 --> 00:05:09,155 Speaker 1: putin to send home his American hostage, your reporter Evan Gershkovich. 70 00:05:10,995 --> 00:05:13,835 Speaker 1: What would the editors then do if Trump paused and added, 71 00:05:15,315 --> 00:05:17,395 Speaker 1: I would like you to do us a favor, though, 72 00:05:19,035 --> 00:05:20,915 Speaker 1: And what would the editors do if Trump then paused 73 00:05:20,915 --> 00:05:24,515 Speaker 1: again and said, you need to help get me elected. 74 00:05:25,395 --> 00:05:29,715 Speaker 1: I need you to join our Biden age plot. I 75 00:05:29,795 --> 00:05:33,635 Speaker 1: need you to write a piece that restarts the Biden 76 00:05:33,795 --> 00:05:38,595 Speaker 1: age plot. I'm a convict now, I need to change 77 00:05:38,635 --> 00:05:44,715 Speaker 1: the subject immediately. I need you to publish this by 78 00:05:44,875 --> 00:05:53,355 Speaker 1: Wednesday latest. That imaginary conversation is bluntly the worst thing 79 00:05:53,475 --> 00:05:57,915 Speaker 1: I have ever thought about any journalists in this country, 80 00:05:57,955 --> 00:06:03,875 Speaker 1: any news organization through half a century of cynicism that 81 00:06:03,915 --> 00:06:06,715 Speaker 1: has only grown by dint of the decades of personally 82 00:06:06,795 --> 00:06:10,995 Speaker 1: witnessing the horrible people and horrible acts of this industry, 83 00:06:11,355 --> 00:06:14,435 Speaker 1: grown through three years of working for a Rupert Murdoc 84 00:06:14,515 --> 00:06:17,475 Speaker 1: company and then being personally fired by him because I 85 00:06:17,675 --> 00:06:22,675 Speaker 1: followed his instructions exactly. Even through all that, I have 86 00:06:22,795 --> 00:06:26,595 Speaker 1: never even thought this badly of him and all of 87 00:06:26,595 --> 00:06:33,515 Speaker 1: his journalistic prostitutes. But then it turned out the Washington 88 00:06:33,555 --> 00:06:37,635 Speaker 1: Post buried Trump's foe knowledge of the horrors of COVID, 89 00:06:38,155 --> 00:06:41,995 Speaker 1: as expressed Bob Woodward on tape, and it buried for 90 00:06:42,075 --> 00:06:46,515 Speaker 1: three years the Alito flag scandal, and The New York 91 00:06:46,555 --> 00:06:49,915 Speaker 1: Times led a multitude of its quote reporters unquote sit 92 00:06:50,675 --> 00:06:54,635 Speaker 1: on vital and exclusive Trump news, possibly vital to the 93 00:06:54,675 --> 00:06:59,595 Speaker 1: safeguarding of the democracy, for months, for years for book deals. 94 00:07:02,315 --> 00:07:04,955 Speaker 1: And then the Wall Street Journal printed a piece on 95 00:07:05,075 --> 00:07:11,555 Speaker 1: President Biden's age, again, a piece that is as journalistically 96 00:07:11,595 --> 00:07:16,675 Speaker 1: bankrupt as anything I have ever read in the press 97 00:07:16,675 --> 00:07:22,835 Speaker 1: of this country, a piece which quoted only Republicans, including 98 00:07:22,955 --> 00:07:26,235 Speaker 1: Kevin McCarthy, but not including Kevin McCarthy's other comments that 99 00:07:26,315 --> 00:07:29,915 Speaker 1: know Biden was sharp as hell, after which the co 100 00:07:29,995 --> 00:07:33,915 Speaker 1: author of the piece, Shoubin Hughes, went on CNN and 101 00:07:33,955 --> 00:07:38,235 Speaker 1: dismissed McCarthy's sharpness comments by insisting, quote McCarthy was doing 102 00:07:38,555 --> 00:07:41,795 Speaker 1: that tactically because he also had to get along with 103 00:07:41,875 --> 00:07:45,515 Speaker 1: President Biden. In other words, this reporter was acknowledging that 104 00:07:45,635 --> 00:07:49,475 Speaker 1: McCarthy either lied to her about Biden, or he lied 105 00:07:49,515 --> 00:07:53,875 Speaker 1: to Biden and everybody else about Biden. But they at 106 00:07:53,875 --> 00:07:56,235 Speaker 1: the Wall Street Journal believed him credible enough to serve 107 00:07:56,275 --> 00:08:00,435 Speaker 1: as the primary source for this piece when McCarthy is 108 00:08:00,475 --> 00:08:04,315 Speaker 1: in fact a worthless, bitter and broken man who is 109 00:08:04,435 --> 00:08:11,195 Speaker 1: twoh sleazy even for his own Republican party. This is 110 00:08:11,275 --> 00:08:16,395 Speaker 1: a piece for which Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Senator 111 00:08:16,435 --> 00:08:21,795 Speaker 1: Patty Murray and Senator Jack Reid were interviewed, but when 112 00:08:21,835 --> 00:08:24,675 Speaker 1: they said on the record, no, he's fine, they were 113 00:08:24,875 --> 00:08:30,755 Speaker 1: edited out. Their quotes were not included, their conclusions were 114 00:08:30,755 --> 00:08:34,715 Speaker 1: not included, But several dozen Republicans who would not go 115 00:08:34,755 --> 00:08:37,555 Speaker 1: on the record were permitted to slander the president anonymously. 116 00:08:38,835 --> 00:08:42,475 Speaker 1: A piece so bad, so devoid of even the attempt 117 00:08:42,515 --> 00:08:44,755 Speaker 1: to make it not look like something written by the 118 00:08:44,835 --> 00:08:50,315 Speaker 1: Gateway Pundit so bad that it was defended by Chris Silizza. 119 00:08:51,715 --> 00:08:56,275 Speaker 1: And still I hesitated to even suggest that this Wall 120 00:08:56,275 --> 00:08:58,475 Speaker 1: Street Journal piece did not occur in a vacuum, but 121 00:08:58,555 --> 00:09:02,115 Speaker 1: in perhaps a quid pro quote, because to do that 122 00:09:02,155 --> 00:09:07,835 Speaker 1: would require a degree of moral corruption at the Wall 123 00:09:07,875 --> 00:09:13,835 Speaker 1: Street Journal, a kind of terrible disqualifiing conclusion to the 124 00:09:14,035 --> 00:09:17,635 Speaker 1: entire ethical construction of the lives of not just the 125 00:09:17,635 --> 00:09:21,035 Speaker 1: writers of the story, Annie Lynsky and Shauvin Hughes, but 126 00:09:21,155 --> 00:09:24,915 Speaker 1: every editor and every publisher at the Wall Street Journal 127 00:09:24,955 --> 00:09:28,795 Speaker 1: who touched this piece. It requires them all to have 128 00:09:29,075 --> 00:09:33,955 Speaker 1: sold their souls in exchange for what might be a 129 00:09:34,115 --> 00:09:39,435 Speaker 1: worthless promise by two of the worst human beings who 130 00:09:39,435 --> 00:09:45,075 Speaker 1: have ever lived. It requires the Wall Street Journal to 131 00:09:45,315 --> 00:09:50,395 Speaker 1: literally be just as subhuman and as selfish and as 132 00:09:50,515 --> 00:09:57,395 Speaker 1: corrupt as Trump. The saddest thing here is the possibility 133 00:09:57,435 --> 00:10:00,115 Speaker 1: that these events are not connected, that there was no 134 00:10:00,315 --> 00:10:03,435 Speaker 1: quid pro quote, but that it will always look like 135 00:10:03,515 --> 00:10:06,755 Speaker 1: there was one. The saddest thing is that the corruption 136 00:10:07,355 --> 00:10:12,755 Speaker 1: unleashed upon our country by Trump, by this Murdoch slime, 137 00:10:13,635 --> 00:10:18,995 Speaker 1: these personifications of evil and immorality, that what they have 138 00:10:19,155 --> 00:10:23,275 Speaker 1: done to us is so great that this exchange true 139 00:10:23,395 --> 00:10:27,595 Speaker 1: or not, is plausible. This exchange if you hurt Biden 140 00:10:27,635 --> 00:10:30,315 Speaker 1: for me, I'll make sure if Putin doesn't kill your friend, 141 00:10:30,675 --> 00:10:35,355 Speaker 1: that is true or false, entirely plausible. And that is 142 00:10:35,435 --> 00:10:38,915 Speaker 1: Rupert Murdoch's fault, and that is Donald Trump's fault. And 143 00:10:38,955 --> 00:10:46,635 Speaker 1: may they both burn in hell forever for that especially. 144 00:10:47,355 --> 00:10:49,555 Speaker 1: And yes, I hesitate about this part too, because to 145 00:10:49,595 --> 00:10:53,435 Speaker 1: the core of my being I hate conspiracy theories. And 146 00:10:53,515 --> 00:10:55,955 Speaker 1: the conspiracy theories I hate most are the ones that 147 00:10:56,075 --> 00:11:00,435 Speaker 1: seep into journalism and into life just because of the 148 00:11:00,475 --> 00:11:03,875 Speaker 1: sequence of timing, because of the logical fallacy that be 149 00:11:04,275 --> 00:11:09,675 Speaker 1: followed a therefore a caused B and yet there is 150 00:11:09,715 --> 00:11:16,675 Speaker 1: the timing. On May twenty third, Trump suddenly started talking 151 00:11:16,715 --> 00:11:24,155 Speaker 1: about Evan Gershkovich, the kidnapped, detained Wall Street Journal reporter, 152 00:11:25,315 --> 00:11:28,075 Speaker 1: and about bringing him back from Moscow, and how the 153 00:11:28,115 --> 00:11:30,275 Speaker 1: only way to bring him back was to elect him, 154 00:11:30,595 --> 00:11:34,035 Speaker 1: because Putin will send him back, but only to Trump, 155 00:11:34,075 --> 00:11:36,515 Speaker 1: not to Biden. He'd be back after a Trump election, 156 00:11:36,755 --> 00:11:39,755 Speaker 1: but before the inauguration, and almost nobody pointed out that 157 00:11:39,795 --> 00:11:42,675 Speaker 1: by saying this, Trump was admitting that actually he could 158 00:11:42,715 --> 00:11:46,955 Speaker 1: convince Putin to send Gershkovich home now, but he won't, 159 00:11:48,595 --> 00:11:51,635 Speaker 1: and nobody pointed out that in doing so, Trump also 160 00:11:52,035 --> 00:11:56,355 Speaker 1: had made himself part of the Russian gang holding Evan 161 00:11:56,435 --> 00:12:03,355 Speaker 1: Gershkovich hostage to day. And yet it was late Tuesday night, 162 00:12:03,475 --> 00:12:08,955 Speaker 1: nine pm Eastern that the Wall Street Journal's genuinely unbelievable 163 00:12:08,995 --> 00:12:13,435 Speaker 1: attempt to reignite what even Politico had termed the Republican's 164 00:12:13,515 --> 00:12:19,635 Speaker 1: biden Age plot, an effort for whom editors on my 165 00:12:19,755 --> 00:12:23,275 Speaker 1: high school newspaper would have been fired and probably expelled. 166 00:12:24,755 --> 00:12:31,315 Speaker 1: This story dropped like a hunk of excrement from Rupert 167 00:12:31,395 --> 00:12:37,235 Speaker 1: Murdoch's soul nine pm Eastern Tuesday night. And what had 168 00:12:37,275 --> 00:12:41,675 Speaker 1: happened earlier Tuesday, What had happened at eleven twenty two 169 00:12:41,795 --> 00:12:48,475 Speaker 1: am Eastern Tuesday, involving Trump and the same Wall Street Journal. 170 00:12:48,635 --> 00:12:52,435 Speaker 2: Gershkevich, the reporter for the Wall Street Journal, who is 171 00:12:52,515 --> 00:12:56,675 Speaker 2: being held by Russia, will be released almost immediately after 172 00:12:56,715 --> 00:13:00,995 Speaker 2: the election, but definitely before I assume office. He will 173 00:13:01,035 --> 00:13:04,635 Speaker 2: be home, He will be safe. Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, 174 00:13:04,675 --> 00:13:07,235 Speaker 2: will do that for me, and I don't believe he'll 175 00:13:07,235 --> 00:13:08,235 Speaker 2: do it for anyone else. 176 00:13:08,795 --> 00:13:14,395 Speaker 1: Coincidence no doubt. Trump posts a video out of nowhere 177 00:13:15,075 --> 00:13:18,515 Speaker 1: in response to no one again dangling the carrot that 178 00:13:18,555 --> 00:13:21,155 Speaker 1: he and he alone can free the Wall Street Journal hostage, 179 00:13:21,675 --> 00:13:23,955 Speaker 1: and nine hours and thirty eight minutes later, the Wall 180 00:13:23,955 --> 00:13:26,915 Speaker 1: Street Journal posts an article in which facts and on 181 00:13:26,955 --> 00:13:30,275 Speaker 1: the record quotes which contradict the Trump campaign lie were 182 00:13:30,275 --> 00:13:39,555 Speaker 1: deliberately edited out by The Wall Street Journal The same day, 183 00:13:40,515 --> 00:13:43,515 Speaker 1: would Trump have demanded this piece of fiction hit job 184 00:13:43,555 --> 00:13:47,115 Speaker 1: on Biden be written by Lynskey and Hughes, or rewritten 185 00:13:47,115 --> 00:13:50,195 Speaker 1: by editors and blamed on Lynsky and Hughes in exchange 186 00:13:50,635 --> 00:13:55,995 Speaker 1: for ransoming their friend. Well, he already did something like that. 187 00:13:56,555 --> 00:13:59,595 Speaker 1: He did it to President Zelenski on July twenty fifth, 188 00:13:59,635 --> 00:14:02,555 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen. I would like you to do us a favor, 189 00:14:02,675 --> 00:14:08,435 Speaker 1: though He'd help Zelenski defend Ukraine against Putin's crimes, as 190 00:14:08,515 --> 00:14:17,035 Speaker 1: long as Zelensky concocted false evidence smearing Joe Biden. If 191 00:14:17,075 --> 00:14:20,395 Speaker 1: you think Trump wouldn't call Murdoch or Wall Street Journal 192 00:14:20,475 --> 00:14:23,675 Speaker 1: editor Emma Tucker a Murdoch import from his Times of 193 00:14:23,715 --> 00:14:28,035 Speaker 1: London and say I can get Evan home. On November sixth, 194 00:14:28,395 --> 00:14:31,555 Speaker 1: I can help you defend him against Putin's crimes. I 195 00:14:31,555 --> 00:14:36,875 Speaker 1: would like you to do us a favor, though you're crazy. 196 00:14:37,155 --> 00:14:40,355 Speaker 1: The question isn't whether what Trump would do that. My god, 197 00:14:40,435 --> 00:14:43,835 Speaker 1: it's only a surprise he didn't do it earlier, given 198 00:14:43,835 --> 00:14:46,155 Speaker 1: his statement in May. Given this new video, I would 199 00:14:46,195 --> 00:14:48,395 Speaker 1: be willing to wager he did do this. The only 200 00:14:48,475 --> 00:14:50,555 Speaker 1: question is whether the Wall Street Journal would do it 201 00:14:50,595 --> 00:14:54,955 Speaker 1: with him. And if they didn't and the Biden age 202 00:14:54,955 --> 00:15:00,635 Speaker 1: plot piece was actually somehow published coincidentally nine hours later, 203 00:15:00,875 --> 00:15:03,795 Speaker 1: then perhaps the Journal and Rupert Murdoch and Emma Tucker 204 00:15:03,835 --> 00:15:10,075 Speaker 1: are not so much soulless monsters but utter morons. And 205 00:15:10,115 --> 00:15:13,595 Speaker 1: amid the thousand terrible things I have accurately accused Rupert 206 00:15:13,715 --> 00:15:15,715 Speaker 1: Murdoch of being, perhaps the only one I never have 207 00:15:16,115 --> 00:15:23,755 Speaker 1: is accusing him of being an utter moron. Now, about 208 00:15:23,795 --> 00:15:27,795 Speaker 1: this piece and its authors and their willingness to manipulate 209 00:15:27,835 --> 00:15:31,715 Speaker 1: the news or to be manipulated by Republicans or Trump 210 00:15:31,755 --> 00:15:36,235 Speaker 1: cultists or their bosses or Rupert Murdoch or whoever, there 211 00:15:36,315 --> 00:15:39,915 Speaker 1: are significant reasons to be of doubt about the credibility 212 00:15:39,955 --> 00:15:44,635 Speaker 1: of Annie Lynsky and Shauvin Hughes. If you remember the 213 00:15:44,755 --> 00:15:49,435 Speaker 1: Washington Post reporter who mocked President Biden quote walking through 214 00:15:49,475 --> 00:15:54,275 Speaker 1: a graveyard. That was Annie Lynsky quote, Biden goes to 215 00:15:54,315 --> 00:15:57,435 Speaker 1: a church and walks through a graveyard in Wilmington as 216 00:15:57,475 --> 00:16:02,635 Speaker 1: his legislative agenda is dying in Washington, with a picture 217 00:16:02,635 --> 00:16:06,115 Speaker 1: of it. October third, twenty twenty one. At face value, 218 00:16:06,195 --> 00:16:08,595 Speaker 1: it was tasteless enough that she should have been fired 219 00:16:08,635 --> 00:16:13,875 Speaker 1: on the spot. But that was just face value. Annie 220 00:16:13,955 --> 00:16:16,435 Speaker 1: Lynskey either did not know enough about her own job 221 00:16:16,555 --> 00:16:19,835 Speaker 1: or did not care enough to know that the graveyard 222 00:16:19,915 --> 00:16:22,755 Speaker 1: in Wilmington is the one in which Biden's late son, 223 00:16:23,315 --> 00:16:25,915 Speaker 1: his late infant daughter, and his late first wife are 224 00:16:25,955 --> 00:16:32,155 Speaker 1: all buried. Annie Lynsky, co author of this Wall Street 225 00:16:32,235 --> 00:16:37,515 Speaker 1: Journal crap, initially deleted her tweet about the graveyard without 226 00:16:37,515 --> 00:16:40,595 Speaker 1: even apologizing, and then she had to correct that tweet 227 00:16:40,635 --> 00:16:44,915 Speaker 1: and put in an emotionless tweet reading I'm sorry. And 228 00:16:44,995 --> 00:16:48,795 Speaker 1: the attack on Biden visiting the graves of his son 229 00:16:48,915 --> 00:16:52,515 Speaker 1: bo and his wife Nelia, and his daughter Naomi. His 230 00:16:52,635 --> 00:16:55,075 Speaker 1: daughter was one year old when she and her mother 231 00:16:55,115 --> 00:16:59,035 Speaker 1: were killed in a car accident, the attack on Biden 232 00:16:59,155 --> 00:17:03,155 Speaker 1: and the tasteless ain't I clever? Linkage of the graveyard 233 00:17:03,195 --> 00:17:06,955 Speaker 1: and the dying agenda actually worse than they seemed at 234 00:17:06,955 --> 00:17:11,995 Speaker 1: the time. Annie Lynskey covered the twenty sixteen Clinton campaign 235 00:17:12,035 --> 00:17:16,475 Speaker 1: for The Boston Globe, and at a substance abuse event 236 00:17:16,795 --> 00:17:19,515 Speaker 1: on the campaign trail, a woman in the audience stood 237 00:17:19,555 --> 00:17:22,195 Speaker 1: up and revealed her son was an addict who had 238 00:17:22,195 --> 00:17:27,315 Speaker 1: committed suicide. And Annie Lynskey, who would later mock Biden 239 00:17:27,475 --> 00:17:32,195 Speaker 1: going to see his dead family, decided that Hillary Clinton's 240 00:17:32,235 --> 00:17:37,675 Speaker 1: response to this poor woman was stilted and cold, and 241 00:17:37,755 --> 00:17:43,555 Speaker 1: annie Lynskey's assessment of Secretary Clinton's emotions was published on 242 00:17:43,595 --> 00:17:46,275 Speaker 1: the front page of the Sunday Boston Globe under the 243 00:17:46,315 --> 00:17:50,435 Speaker 1: headline in New Hampshire, Clinton is lacking in the art 244 00:17:50,555 --> 00:17:58,475 Speaker 1: of contact. This fiasco, this week's fiasco, This complete, unalloyed 245 00:17:58,475 --> 00:18:01,235 Speaker 1: appearance of a quid pro quoll between her and her 246 00:18:01,275 --> 00:18:03,995 Speaker 1: paper and the Trump campaign. This is only the latest 247 00:18:03,995 --> 00:18:08,115 Speaker 1: in this series of self degradations, which are the only 248 00:18:08,275 --> 00:18:12,235 Speaker 1: stories of consequence written in the entire career of Annie Lynskey. 249 00:18:14,475 --> 00:18:21,075 Speaker 1: And as to her partner in this piece of journalism, 250 00:18:21,235 --> 00:18:24,555 Speaker 1: Shoubin Hughes, who seemed unconcerned that she was admitting on 251 00:18:24,675 --> 00:18:28,595 Speaker 1: national television that Kevin McCarthy was a tactical liar, while 252 00:18:28,635 --> 00:18:31,995 Speaker 1: simultaneously evincing that it had never dawned and may never 253 00:18:32,115 --> 00:18:34,875 Speaker 1: yet dawn on her. That McCarthy may have been tactically 254 00:18:34,955 --> 00:18:39,555 Speaker 1: lying to her. Her mediocre career is best summed up 255 00:18:39,595 --> 00:18:43,235 Speaker 1: by this from the thirteenth of February twenty thirteen. Assigned 256 00:18:43,235 --> 00:18:45,875 Speaker 1: by the Wall Street Journal to cover reaction to the 257 00:18:45,915 --> 00:18:48,715 Speaker 1: first State of the Union Address for the second term 258 00:18:48,995 --> 00:18:55,315 Speaker 1: by President Obama, Her dispatch from Washington begins quote Ted Nugent, 259 00:18:55,955 --> 00:18:59,795 Speaker 1: the rock star and gun rights advocate, stuck to his 260 00:18:59,875 --> 00:19:04,395 Speaker 1: promise to remain respectful as US President Barack Obama delivered 261 00:19:04,395 --> 00:19:07,435 Speaker 1: the State the Union address, but after the speech concluded, 262 00:19:07,595 --> 00:19:15,475 Speaker 1: mister Nugent returned to form unquote Honestly, I am still 263 00:19:15,515 --> 00:19:18,955 Speaker 1: looking for reasons to believe that my wild theory that 264 00:19:18,995 --> 00:19:22,995 Speaker 1: the journal is trying to ransom its reporter by servicing 265 00:19:23,115 --> 00:19:29,755 Speaker 1: Donald Trump is nonsense? Is paranoia? Is something else? That 266 00:19:29,875 --> 00:19:35,595 Speaker 1: This deplorably bad story was co written by this Lynsky 267 00:19:36,955 --> 00:19:41,195 Speaker 1: idiot and by the journal's resident expert on Ted Nugent's 268 00:19:41,235 --> 00:19:45,315 Speaker 1: responses to State of the Union addresses. That's not helping me, 269 00:19:47,435 --> 00:19:50,195 Speaker 1: nor are the other reporters who, before the Wall Street 270 00:19:50,235 --> 00:19:53,635 Speaker 1: Journal story became toxic, decided to defend it and promote it. 271 00:19:53,795 --> 00:19:57,395 Speaker 1: I mentioned Soliza, also known by his real name Kiss 272 00:19:57,435 --> 00:20:02,835 Speaker 1: of Death. There's also Boston Globe Washington Bureau chief Jackie Kucinich, 273 00:20:02,995 --> 00:20:05,635 Speaker 1: whose only concern was that the Democh who were interviewed 274 00:20:05,635 --> 00:20:07,915 Speaker 1: for the piece but whose quotes were then dropped because 275 00:20:07,915 --> 00:20:13,715 Speaker 1: they disproved the journals slash Trump narrative. Qcinich didn't care 276 00:20:13,715 --> 00:20:17,035 Speaker 1: about the journalistic malpractice there. Her interest was what those 277 00:20:17,075 --> 00:20:20,835 Speaker 1: Democratic protests said about Biden's security. They don't say a 278 00:20:20,835 --> 00:20:23,675 Speaker 1: goddamn thing about his acuity, ma'am. They say a lot 279 00:20:23,755 --> 00:20:26,755 Speaker 1: of things about the Wall Street Journal's honesty, and Annie 280 00:20:26,795 --> 00:20:30,555 Speaker 1: Lynsky's honesty, and Schaubin Hughes's honesty, or, more accurately, their 281 00:20:30,635 --> 00:20:37,675 Speaker 1: utter lack of honesty. The last straw was Kendelanian from 282 00:20:37,795 --> 00:20:43,915 Speaker 1: NBC News, pimping this story by adding only the word stunning. 283 00:20:45,955 --> 00:20:49,235 Speaker 1: When last we heard from this boil on journalism's ass 284 00:20:49,715 --> 00:20:54,715 Speaker 1: Dalanian was defending Robert Herr, the corrupt Partisan Special Council, 285 00:20:56,035 --> 00:21:00,555 Speaker 1: the Trump groupie who turned his report exonerating Biden of 286 00:21:00,595 --> 00:21:06,155 Speaker 1: all wrongdoing into a psychological evaluation of the press. And 287 00:21:06,195 --> 00:21:10,835 Speaker 1: I think in doing this Dealanian gave away probably inadvertently. 288 00:21:10,875 --> 00:21:14,795 Speaker 1: I mean, who would deliberately include Kendalanian in a media conspiracy? 289 00:21:15,395 --> 00:21:17,355 Speaker 1: But I think he inadvertently gave away what this is 290 00:21:17,395 --> 00:21:21,435 Speaker 1: all about. Remember, in March, Delanian had written one of 291 00:21:21,435 --> 00:21:25,835 Speaker 1: the most hilariously self unaware paragraphs in recent American journalistic history. 292 00:21:25,915 --> 00:21:29,195 Speaker 1: Quote the Robert Herr hearing is a perfect example of 293 00:21:29,195 --> 00:21:32,635 Speaker 1: what American politics has become. A career public servant spends 294 00:21:32,675 --> 00:21:36,915 Speaker 1: a year reaching conclusions that are inconvenient for partisans of 295 00:21:36,955 --> 00:21:40,115 Speaker 1: each party, so they set about questioning his motives and 296 00:21:40,155 --> 00:21:46,155 Speaker 1: ethics on national television. Ah, there we are. The House 297 00:21:46,235 --> 00:21:48,995 Speaker 1: is trying to get the Robert Herr President Biden interview 298 00:21:49,075 --> 00:21:51,955 Speaker 1: tapes right now, trying to get them out of the 299 00:21:51,995 --> 00:21:56,595 Speaker 1: Department of Justice so that the House Republicans can quote 300 00:21:56,635 --> 00:22:00,075 Speaker 1: them and leak them and put them in Trump campaign ads. 301 00:22:01,195 --> 00:22:05,635 Speaker 1: The fascists are circling back to what again. Even Politico 302 00:22:05,835 --> 00:22:09,955 Speaker 1: recognize this as the Biden age plot, because Biden has 303 00:22:10,115 --> 00:22:13,635 Speaker 1: caught up to Trump in the polls, because Trump has 304 00:22:13,795 --> 00:22:17,795 Speaker 1: been convicted, because Trump is a convicted felon because Trump 305 00:22:17,955 --> 00:22:21,755 Speaker 1: is a convict, because it is affecting his support seven 306 00:22:21,835 --> 00:22:25,835 Speaker 1: percent in the goddamn New York Times. It is trying 307 00:22:25,835 --> 00:22:29,555 Speaker 1: to revive the Biden age question. And yesterday it was 308 00:22:29,595 --> 00:22:31,595 Speaker 1: the turn of the Wall Street Journal to carry water 309 00:22:31,675 --> 00:22:34,755 Speaker 1: for Trump. And he's sick of fans like Robert her 310 00:22:35,595 --> 00:22:38,155 Speaker 1: And oh yeah, who was the main named source in 311 00:22:38,195 --> 00:22:42,515 Speaker 1: that journal piece? Why was Kevin McCarthy another Trump whore? 312 00:22:45,795 --> 00:22:49,315 Speaker 1: Make no mistake what the Wall Street Journal did. It 313 00:22:49,435 --> 00:22:55,115 Speaker 1: prostituted its news pages for Donald Trump. The only doubt 314 00:22:55,195 --> 00:22:59,835 Speaker 1: is precisely why. I think the circumstantial evidence and the 315 00:22:59,875 --> 00:23:02,555 Speaker 1: timing support this crazy idea that there could have been 316 00:23:02,555 --> 00:23:08,075 Speaker 1: a quid pro quo over Gershkovich. And it is with 317 00:23:08,195 --> 00:23:10,715 Speaker 1: that unfortunate man I would like to leave this. I 318 00:23:10,755 --> 00:23:14,235 Speaker 1: am not Annie Lynsky. I am not going to mock 319 00:23:14,435 --> 00:23:20,075 Speaker 1: the human concern for his well being, his release, his 320 00:23:20,515 --> 00:23:24,315 Speaker 1: very survival. He is a prisoner of a man the 321 00:23:24,355 --> 00:23:29,555 Speaker 1: world should rid itself of as quickly as possible, Vladimir Putin. 322 00:23:31,075 --> 00:23:33,515 Speaker 1: I am not going to mock even the thinking that 323 00:23:33,635 --> 00:23:35,955 Speaker 1: must have crossed the minds of dozens of good people 324 00:23:35,955 --> 00:23:38,555 Speaker 1: at the Wall Street Journal, who have said to themselves 325 00:23:38,555 --> 00:23:40,795 Speaker 1: in the last year, I'd do anything to get my 326 00:23:40,955 --> 00:23:46,475 Speaker 1: friend Evan home. I have only sympathy and empathy. I 327 00:23:46,515 --> 00:23:51,835 Speaker 1: had a pow Miia bracelet, a Vietnam pow Mia bracelet 328 00:23:51,875 --> 00:23:56,875 Speaker 1: as a teenager. If he were my relative, my friend, 329 00:23:56,955 --> 00:24:00,115 Speaker 1: my colleague. I do not know how far I would 330 00:24:00,115 --> 00:24:02,035 Speaker 1: go to get him back, or at least think of 331 00:24:02,115 --> 00:24:04,235 Speaker 1: going to get him back. But I still know that 332 00:24:04,235 --> 00:24:07,475 Speaker 1: I would not do a deal with Trump and by 333 00:24:07,555 --> 00:24:12,835 Speaker 1: extension putin and bluntly, I have no idea whether or 334 00:24:12,875 --> 00:24:14,755 Speaker 1: not people at the Journal would say the same thing, 335 00:24:16,195 --> 00:24:20,315 Speaker 1: or if perhaps they have already faced that choice and 336 00:24:20,395 --> 00:24:23,075 Speaker 1: that article was the result of them already having made 337 00:24:23,995 --> 00:24:53,155 Speaker 1: that deal. Okay, I am not going to put the 338 00:24:53,195 --> 00:24:56,955 Speaker 1: blame solely on her. Georgia is a red state, despite 339 00:24:56,995 --> 00:25:00,155 Speaker 1: who the senators are. The governors who appointed the appeals 340 00:25:00,235 --> 00:25:04,515 Speaker 1: judges were Republicans. But everything in the Georgia election interference 341 00:25:04,515 --> 00:25:09,195 Speaker 1: can is now on hold after the State Court of 342 00:25:09,235 --> 00:25:15,275 Speaker 1: Appeals stays all proceedings. That's every hearing and every motion 343 00:25:15,715 --> 00:25:21,075 Speaker 1: and even every scheduling until the challenge to that decision 344 00:25:21,155 --> 00:25:24,395 Speaker 1: not to disqualify Fannie Willis is heard at the beginning 345 00:25:24,475 --> 00:25:27,955 Speaker 1: of October. There is no chance this will be completed 346 00:25:27,995 --> 00:25:32,915 Speaker 1: before the election. Again, How she could have not known 347 00:25:33,435 --> 00:25:36,115 Speaker 1: that she had to be a million miles beyond the 348 00:25:36,155 --> 00:25:41,235 Speaker 1: slightest hint of the mildest reproach. How she could not 349 00:25:41,315 --> 00:25:46,315 Speaker 1: have known? That makes my blood run cold. Trump, though 350 00:25:46,475 --> 00:25:48,515 Speaker 1: was defeated in New York, the gag order will stay 351 00:25:48,515 --> 00:25:51,915 Speaker 1: in effect until at least sentencing on July eleventh, and 352 00:25:51,955 --> 00:25:54,195 Speaker 1: there's still nothing new on any attempt to postpone that 353 00:25:54,315 --> 00:25:57,315 Speaker 1: sentencing until after the Republican Convention the next week. In 354 00:25:57,315 --> 00:26:00,715 Speaker 1: ho Chi Min City. I'm sorry in Milwaukee, I was 355 00:26:00,715 --> 00:26:03,555 Speaker 1: looking at that Internet archive shot of their website with 356 00:26:03,635 --> 00:26:08,275 Speaker 1: the photo of Hochi City instead of Milwaukee. And since 357 00:26:08,315 --> 00:26:11,275 Speaker 1: everything legal about Trump ends at the Supreme Court anyway, 358 00:26:11,515 --> 00:26:14,275 Speaker 1: I will actually direct you to an excellent story from 359 00:26:14,275 --> 00:26:19,755 Speaker 1: the Washington Post to clip and save. Justin Juvenile's piece 360 00:26:20,275 --> 00:26:23,995 Speaker 1: is headlined Alito's account of the upside down flag doesn't 361 00:26:24,035 --> 00:26:27,395 Speaker 1: fully add up. Here's why. Of course they should have 362 00:26:27,435 --> 00:26:30,155 Speaker 1: gone with doesn't fully fly. Here's why. But I'm nitpicking. 363 00:26:31,435 --> 00:26:34,195 Speaker 1: It is a very useful article and literally worth saving 364 00:26:34,315 --> 00:26:36,915 Speaker 1: somewhere in your computer. And there is one point I 365 00:26:37,035 --> 00:26:40,635 Speaker 1: have not heard articulated this well, and this simply before that, 366 00:26:40,635 --> 00:26:44,355 Speaker 1: I would like to quote in full. The most pivotal 367 00:26:44,435 --> 00:26:47,435 Speaker 1: question about the upside down American flag has yet to 368 00:26:47,435 --> 00:26:53,835 Speaker 1: be fully answered, Martha and Alito's motivation for flying it. Obviously, 369 00:26:53,835 --> 00:26:56,715 Speaker 1: this is about Alito's insistence that his wife flew all 370 00:26:56,755 --> 00:27:01,795 Speaker 1: her flags a politically, that the Virginia upside down flag was, 371 00:27:02,475 --> 00:27:06,755 Speaker 1: as she so colorfully put it, an international sign of distress. 372 00:27:08,515 --> 00:27:12,275 Speaker 1: Quoting the Post again, Alito repeated his contention that a 373 00:27:12,315 --> 00:27:16,395 Speaker 1: neighborhood dispute sparked the flag flying in a statement to 374 00:27:16,435 --> 00:27:18,875 Speaker 1: The New York Times, which first reported the flag controversy 375 00:27:18,915 --> 00:27:22,235 Speaker 1: last month. The Justice then told Fox News reporter Shannon 376 00:27:22,315 --> 00:27:26,355 Speaker 1: Breem the dispute began when his wife confronted a neighbor 377 00:27:26,915 --> 00:27:32,395 Speaker 1: about an anti Trump sign that featured an expletive, indicating 378 00:27:32,435 --> 00:27:40,995 Speaker 1: the argument likely did have a political dimension. Ah, so 379 00:27:42,155 --> 00:27:46,595 Speaker 1: it was not political, except that missus Alito started it 380 00:27:46,955 --> 00:28:02,875 Speaker 1: by complaining about a political sign. Gotcha? Also of interest here, 381 00:28:02,915 --> 00:28:07,075 Speaker 1: how crazy, how self abnegated? How horrorsh are African American 382 00:28:07,275 --> 00:28:11,115 Speaker 1: elected officials of this nation who are campaigning for convicted 383 00:28:11,155 --> 00:28:15,395 Speaker 1: fellon Donald Trump? Even though he is an obvious white supremacist. 384 00:28:16,275 --> 00:28:20,555 Speaker 1: Congressman Byron donalds now says it was better for black 385 00:28:20,595 --> 00:28:24,955 Speaker 1: people during Jim Crow because Byron Donald's is either a 386 00:28:24,995 --> 00:28:29,235 Speaker 1: political prostitute and an ignoramus, or if you're a glass 387 00:28:29,235 --> 00:28:33,195 Speaker 1: full kind of person, he's just an ignoramus. That's next. 388 00:28:33,715 --> 00:29:00,995 Speaker 1: This is Countdown. This is Countdown, with Keith Olberman still 389 00:29:01,035 --> 00:29:03,155 Speaker 1: ahead of us on this edition of Countdown. I just 390 00:29:03,275 --> 00:29:06,595 Speaker 1: mentioned that when I talk about the pervasive baseline corruption 391 00:29:07,195 --> 00:29:11,235 Speaker 1: of all Rupert Murdoch news operations like the Wall Street Journal, 392 00:29:11,555 --> 00:29:15,075 Speaker 1: I know it firsthand. I worked for Murdoch, and after 393 00:29:15,115 --> 00:29:17,635 Speaker 1: a decade of denying it, he finally confirmed it. He 394 00:29:17,795 --> 00:29:23,155 Speaker 1: fired me personally because I had done exactly what he 395 00:29:23,275 --> 00:29:26,595 Speaker 1: told me to do, things I promised not to tell 396 00:29:26,715 --> 00:29:29,915 Speaker 1: coming up, But first, as ever, there are still more 397 00:29:29,995 --> 00:29:32,995 Speaker 1: new idiots to talk about. The daily roundup of the 398 00:29:32,995 --> 00:29:36,795 Speaker 1: miss Grants, Morons, Undone and krugriffect specimens who constitute to 399 00:29:36,955 --> 00:29:42,795 Speaker 1: Die's worse fashions in the world. Yeah, the runner up 400 00:29:42,875 --> 00:29:45,475 Speaker 1: worse Speaker of the House, Mike I may look like 401 00:29:45,515 --> 00:29:49,115 Speaker 1: a sick, sick man, but you can't prove anything. Johnson, 402 00:29:49,835 --> 00:29:53,115 Speaker 1: He's appointed two new members to the House Intelligence Committee, 403 00:29:53,115 --> 00:29:56,315 Speaker 1: Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, of course, had to turn over 404 00:29:56,355 --> 00:29:59,475 Speaker 1: his phone to investigators looking into the attempt to subvert 405 00:29:59,515 --> 00:30:03,555 Speaker 1: the election. And doctor Ronnie glug glug Jackson of Texas, 406 00:30:03,715 --> 00:30:07,275 Speaker 1: who just got into a profanity laden fight with state 407 00:30:07,355 --> 00:30:10,275 Speaker 1: troopers at a rodeo there last year. 408 00:30:10,835 --> 00:30:11,315 Speaker 2: Glum. 409 00:30:12,035 --> 00:30:18,235 Speaker 1: Now, see, mister speaker, the Intelligence Committee is intended to 410 00:30:18,435 --> 00:30:24,755 Speaker 1: oversee the nation's spies and researchers and gatherers. It's not 411 00:30:24,795 --> 00:30:28,155 Speaker 1: for members of your caucus who need to correct their 412 00:30:28,195 --> 00:30:31,515 Speaker 1: own lack of personal intelligence. That's not why they call 413 00:30:31,555 --> 00:30:35,435 Speaker 1: it the Intelligence Committee. The runner up, good old Matt 414 00:30:35,955 --> 00:30:41,435 Speaker 1: slap the sound of one hand slapping still somehow head 415 00:30:41,435 --> 00:30:44,635 Speaker 1: of Seapack. I don't know whether to laugh or cry 416 00:30:44,715 --> 00:30:48,195 Speaker 1: or applaud Matt's freudian's slip here, but he has written 417 00:30:48,235 --> 00:30:52,195 Speaker 1: and since deleted quote the sham prosecutions of President Trump 418 00:30:52,275 --> 00:30:55,755 Speaker 1: have ignited a fire in the American people. They know 419 00:30:55,875 --> 00:30:59,075 Speaker 1: that it's a rotten process and it's why President Trump 420 00:30:59,555 --> 00:31:03,795 Speaker 1: isn't doing so well with young, Hispanic and Black voters 421 00:31:04,235 --> 00:31:07,595 Speaker 1: on quote vote. If the polling I mentioned earlier in 422 00:31:07,635 --> 00:31:11,755 Speaker 1: this program doesn't convince you if the polling I cited 423 00:31:11,875 --> 00:31:14,115 Speaker 1: yesterday in this program doesn't convince you, if the pro 424 00:31:14,315 --> 00:31:17,995 Speaker 1: polling I cited on Saturday in the special report doesn't 425 00:31:17,995 --> 00:31:21,475 Speaker 1: convince you, that the convictions are killing Trump and totally 426 00:31:21,515 --> 00:31:28,195 Speaker 1: disorienting his supporters, that Freudian slip must convince you. That's 427 00:31:28,235 --> 00:31:31,795 Speaker 1: why President Trump isn't doing so well with young, Hispanic 428 00:31:31,875 --> 00:31:37,955 Speaker 1: and Black voters. Thank you, Matt Well said, But our winner, 429 00:31:38,355 --> 00:31:44,195 Speaker 1: Congressman Byron Donalds the Tim Scott of herschel Walker's. Byron 430 00:31:44,275 --> 00:31:46,915 Speaker 1: wants to be vice president. He wants to prove he 431 00:31:46,915 --> 00:31:50,355 Speaker 1: can be the kind of African American political leader who 432 00:31:50,355 --> 00:31:53,635 Speaker 1: can appeal to Trump's base, the one who's willing to 433 00:31:53,675 --> 00:31:57,755 Speaker 1: deny he is African American. First, there was a Black 434 00:31:57,795 --> 00:32:01,835 Speaker 1: Americans for Trump event in Philadelphia, and almost nobody but 435 00:32:01,995 --> 00:32:04,675 Speaker 1: white folks showed up for that. Then there was a second, 436 00:32:04,795 --> 00:32:08,035 Speaker 1: an event to court the black vote, literally titled Congress 437 00:32:08,155 --> 00:32:12,395 Speaker 1: Kognac and Cigars, at which Donald spoke and my long 438 00:32:12,395 --> 00:32:17,635 Speaker 1: ago ESPN colleague Michelle Tafoya was the moderator. She, of course, 439 00:32:17,715 --> 00:32:21,555 Speaker 1: is so proud of her minority heritage She's partially Hispanic, 440 00:32:21,835 --> 00:32:24,955 Speaker 1: that she used to use the air name Mickey Conley. 441 00:32:25,355 --> 00:32:30,355 Speaker 1: She m seated, and Donald told the Philadelphia Inquire everything 442 00:32:30,355 --> 00:32:32,915 Speaker 1: that every white supremacist would want to hear, a Byron 443 00:32:32,995 --> 00:32:37,515 Speaker 1: Donald say, quoting the paper's report. At another point, Donald 444 00:32:37,515 --> 00:32:40,035 Speaker 1: said he is starting to see the reinvigoration of the 445 00:32:40,035 --> 00:32:43,475 Speaker 1: black family, which he described as younger people forming nuclear 446 00:32:43,515 --> 00:32:46,275 Speaker 1: family units and helping to breathe the revival of a 447 00:32:46,315 --> 00:32:49,155 Speaker 1: black middle class in America. He went on to say 448 00:32:49,195 --> 00:32:53,155 Speaker 1: that those family values had previously been eroded by Democratic 449 00:32:53,195 --> 00:32:56,715 Speaker 1: policies that black voters embraced after becoming loyal to the 450 00:32:56,715 --> 00:33:00,675 Speaker 1: party due to the Civil Rights movement. Quote, you see 451 00:33:01,075 --> 00:33:06,395 Speaker 1: during Jim Crow, the black family was together. During Jim Crow, 452 00:33:06,515 --> 00:33:09,795 Speaker 1: more black people were not just conservative, black people have 453 00:33:09,875 --> 00:33:14,195 Speaker 1: always been conservative minded, but more black people voted conservatively, 454 00:33:14,395 --> 00:33:18,595 Speaker 1: he said. And then hw Lyndon Johnson, you go down 455 00:33:18,675 --> 00:33:21,675 Speaker 1: that road and now we are where we are, he added, 456 00:33:21,675 --> 00:33:24,755 Speaker 1: referring to the former US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. 457 00:33:25,955 --> 00:33:30,275 Speaker 1: So Congressman was better during Jim Crow, where there were 458 00:33:30,355 --> 00:33:35,075 Speaker 1: more conservative votes among black people. Yeah, for the most part, 459 00:33:35,115 --> 00:33:38,955 Speaker 1: black people could not vote at all. Couldn't have voted conservative, liberal, 460 00:33:39,035 --> 00:33:42,355 Speaker 1: or communists or fascist or anything else. Yeah, they often 461 00:33:42,395 --> 00:33:46,715 Speaker 1: got shot when they tried to vote. When between eighteen 462 00:33:46,755 --> 00:33:49,035 Speaker 1: eighty two and nineteen sixty eight, according to the Equal 463 00:33:49,235 --> 00:33:53,475 Speaker 1: Justice Initiatives' extensive research, at least three thousand, four hundred 464 00:33:53,475 --> 00:33:57,675 Speaker 1: and forty six African Americans were lynched in this country, 465 00:33:57,995 --> 00:34:01,035 Speaker 1: at least eight of them in Pennsylvania, where you made 466 00:34:01,035 --> 00:34:04,195 Speaker 1: this idiotic asshole statement of yours about how it was 467 00:34:04,195 --> 00:34:08,475 Speaker 1: better Jim Crow. And if that wasn't bad enough for 468 00:34:08,555 --> 00:34:13,315 Speaker 1: you Byron Donald's Jim Crow fan was also offended when 469 00:34:13,395 --> 00:34:16,635 Speaker 1: Michelle Tafoy asked him about why the cognac and cigar 470 00:34:16,675 --> 00:34:20,075 Speaker 1: events seemed to be almost all male and why almost 471 00:34:20,155 --> 00:34:23,475 Speaker 1: all of Trump's African American support seems to be male only. 472 00:34:24,515 --> 00:34:27,195 Speaker 1: First of all, there's a difference between men and women anyway, 473 00:34:27,315 --> 00:34:31,635 Speaker 1: Donald said. Men have been created by God to be conquerors, 474 00:34:32,275 --> 00:34:35,075 Speaker 1: to be hunters. That's who they are. And so a 475 00:34:35,115 --> 00:34:38,435 Speaker 1: black man in today's America is looking around and saying, 476 00:34:38,755 --> 00:34:41,795 Speaker 1: how can I go hunt for my people and hunt 477 00:34:41,835 --> 00:34:44,835 Speaker 1: for my family. They're looking at what Joe Biden has 478 00:34:44,875 --> 00:34:50,195 Speaker 1: done and saying I can't hunt. You took my spear 479 00:34:51,395 --> 00:34:58,075 Speaker 1: unquote spear. You heard him Congressman Byron, Who's gonna tell 480 00:34:58,115 --> 00:35:00,715 Speaker 1: him they just made the racist reference to black men 481 00:35:00,875 --> 00:35:19,275 Speaker 1: throwing spears. Donald's Today's worse person in the world. See 482 00:35:19,275 --> 00:35:21,955 Speaker 1: the number one story on the countdown on my favorite topic, 483 00:35:22,115 --> 00:35:26,315 Speaker 1: me and things I promised not to tell. Over the weekend, 484 00:35:26,595 --> 00:35:30,195 Speaker 1: watching hockey, I had occasion to invoke my days hosting 485 00:35:30,195 --> 00:35:32,315 Speaker 1: the Baseball Game of the Week and the World Series 486 00:35:32,355 --> 00:35:34,595 Speaker 1: for Fox, and it reminded me of the delightful way 487 00:35:34,635 --> 00:35:38,115 Speaker 1: that ended with me being paid one hundred thousand dollars 488 00:35:38,155 --> 00:35:41,115 Speaker 1: a month not to do anything. I have changed jobs 489 00:35:41,155 --> 00:35:44,715 Speaker 1: a lot, and seldom have the departures included gold watches 490 00:35:44,835 --> 00:35:48,515 Speaker 1: and going away parties, at least not going away parties 491 00:35:48,515 --> 00:35:52,195 Speaker 1: to which I was invited. But in forty three years 492 00:35:52,315 --> 00:35:55,395 Speaker 1: in radio and television, I have only actually been fired 493 00:35:55,875 --> 00:35:58,475 Speaker 1: in the traditional sense of go clean out your desk 494 00:35:58,635 --> 00:36:03,035 Speaker 1: and get out twice. Once the order was from a 495 00:36:03,115 --> 00:36:05,555 Speaker 1: drunken radio executive who did not like the fact that 496 00:36:05,595 --> 00:36:09,155 Speaker 1: I was twenty one years old, and he was overruled, 497 00:36:09,235 --> 00:36:11,435 Speaker 1: and he was sent home with a warning by his 498 00:36:11,555 --> 00:36:14,835 Speaker 1: bosses hours later, and I was back on the job 499 00:36:14,875 --> 00:36:19,035 Speaker 1: forty eight hours after that. The other time, when it 500 00:36:19,155 --> 00:36:22,515 Speaker 1: actually happened, You're fired, clean out your desk. That was, 501 00:36:22,675 --> 00:36:25,635 Speaker 1: unsurprisingly at the hands of Rupert Murdoch and Fox, and 502 00:36:25,675 --> 00:36:32,275 Speaker 1: I mean Rupert Murdoch personally, or so he claims. When 503 00:36:32,315 --> 00:36:35,155 Speaker 1: I finally convinced NBC News that I was serious about 504 00:36:35,235 --> 00:36:39,115 Speaker 1: no longer hosting its Monica Lewinsky Athon in nineteen ninety eight, 505 00:36:39,155 --> 00:36:43,155 Speaker 1: the head of NBC Sports, Dick Eversoll, had an ingenious solution. 506 00:36:43,715 --> 00:36:47,235 Speaker 1: He knew his friends at Fox Sports longed to have 507 00:36:47,395 --> 00:36:51,315 Speaker 1: me front their version of SportsCenter, and so he proposed 508 00:36:51,315 --> 00:36:54,915 Speaker 1: the following NBC would give my agent ten days in 509 00:36:54,955 --> 00:36:58,235 Speaker 1: which to negotiate two deals. A deal for me to 510 00:36:58,315 --> 00:37:02,555 Speaker 1: go to LA and host Fox Sports News and Major 511 00:37:02,635 --> 00:37:06,395 Speaker 1: League Baseball on Fox, and another deal in which Fox 512 00:37:06,395 --> 00:37:11,835 Speaker 1: would pay NBC one million dollars for my contract, like 513 00:37:11,915 --> 00:37:18,675 Speaker 1: I was a mediocre baseball pitcher. Amazingly, it worked. I 514 00:37:18,715 --> 00:37:21,155 Speaker 1: got what was then a record breaking salary for any 515 00:37:21,195 --> 00:37:26,115 Speaker 1: cable sportscaster. Ever, NBC got its million, and maybe most startlingly, 516 00:37:26,275 --> 00:37:29,155 Speaker 1: NBC then asked me to stay on the air as 517 00:37:29,195 --> 00:37:34,355 Speaker 1: a lane duck at MSNBC for like six weeks. Curiously 518 00:37:35,075 --> 00:37:38,635 Speaker 1: throughout my career, no matter how abrasive the exit. My 519 00:37:38,835 --> 00:37:42,715 Speaker 1: Lane Duck employers have always, for some reason trusted me 520 00:37:42,835 --> 00:37:46,595 Speaker 1: to stay on their air, even though I was leaving 521 00:37:47,635 --> 00:37:50,435 Speaker 1: in local news in Los Angeles once. I did this 522 00:37:50,595 --> 00:37:55,715 Speaker 1: for three months. Anyway. At first, going to work at 523 00:37:55,715 --> 00:37:59,155 Speaker 1: Fox Sports was a delight. Their news guys, the evil 524 00:37:59,235 --> 00:38:02,235 Speaker 1: Roger Ales and his henchman John Moody, pitched me on 525 00:38:02,315 --> 00:38:05,315 Speaker 1: doing stuff for them, maybe co anchoring with Bill O'Reilly. 526 00:38:05,355 --> 00:38:10,875 Speaker 1: I'm serious. I passed sports. We spent money. I worked 527 00:38:10,875 --> 00:38:13,795 Speaker 1: with friends. I didn't have to talk about politics. I 528 00:38:13,835 --> 00:38:18,035 Speaker 1: could narrate highlights. I could do funny voices way downtown 529 00:38:18,315 --> 00:38:22,715 Speaker 1: Bang I lived on the beach. I mean, my next 530 00:38:22,715 --> 00:38:26,475 Speaker 1: door neighbor was Hawaii. Every time there was a newspaper 531 00:38:26,515 --> 00:38:30,475 Speaker 1: story about ESPN, even though our ratings were terrible, there 532 00:38:30,555 --> 00:38:32,955 Speaker 1: was also my picture in it with a caption like 533 00:38:33,275 --> 00:38:38,835 Speaker 1: challenging ESPN. It was great. But then two things happened. 534 00:38:39,315 --> 00:38:42,435 Speaker 1: The Fox guy, who knew we needed five years at 535 00:38:42,595 --> 00:38:46,435 Speaker 1: minimum just to tie ESPN in the ratings, took me 536 00:38:46,475 --> 00:38:49,395 Speaker 1: to lunch one day and said, sorry, mate, my missus 537 00:38:49,435 --> 00:38:52,795 Speaker 1: is moving back to England tomorrow without me, so I'm 538 00:38:52,835 --> 00:38:57,475 Speaker 1: going good luck. He was replaced by guys who replaced 539 00:38:57,475 --> 00:39:01,235 Speaker 1: the five year plan with a five week plan to 540 00:39:01,435 --> 00:39:06,075 Speaker 1: raise the ratings by literally one fifth of one point. 541 00:39:06,915 --> 00:39:09,675 Speaker 1: I left that meeting, in which they explained their suicidal 542 00:39:09,715 --> 00:39:13,635 Speaker 1: plan and revealed that my salary represented an unsustainable twenty 543 00:39:13,795 --> 00:39:17,155 Speaker 1: percent of their entire budget, and I called my real 544 00:39:17,235 --> 00:39:20,315 Speaker 1: estate agent and put my house on the beach up 545 00:39:20,395 --> 00:39:24,715 Speaker 1: for sale. Not long after, my doctor gave me a 546 00:39:24,715 --> 00:39:27,675 Speaker 1: physical and a warning, cut back on work and stress 547 00:39:27,715 --> 00:39:30,515 Speaker 1: and everything else, or you can have a heart attack 548 00:39:30,595 --> 00:39:33,795 Speaker 1: ten years from now. I told my bosses this, and 549 00:39:33,835 --> 00:39:37,995 Speaker 1: their response was to blackmail me. We have a clause 550 00:39:38,035 --> 00:39:40,075 Speaker 1: in your contract which allows us to send you on 551 00:39:40,115 --> 00:39:42,795 Speaker 1: the road once a week while you are still working 552 00:39:42,835 --> 00:39:45,595 Speaker 1: five days in the studio. We're going to enforce that 553 00:39:45,715 --> 00:39:49,315 Speaker 1: unless you kick back two thirds of your salary. They 554 00:39:49,355 --> 00:39:53,035 Speaker 1: put this in a document. There are, as the kids, say, receipts. 555 00:39:54,275 --> 00:39:59,355 Speaker 1: So I folded to blackmail because two thirds of three 556 00:39:59,355 --> 00:40:02,995 Speaker 1: million dollars a year is still pretty good. But I 557 00:40:03,075 --> 00:40:05,435 Speaker 1: kept doing the job. In nineteen ninety, I broke a 558 00:40:05,475 --> 00:40:08,235 Speaker 1: story that everybody laughed at that Michael Jordan was unhappy 559 00:40:08,275 --> 00:40:10,435 Speaker 1: in retirement and he wanted to come back to play 560 00:40:10,435 --> 00:40:12,715 Speaker 1: in the NBA, but instead of getting a salary, he 561 00:40:12,835 --> 00:40:16,595 Speaker 1: wanted an ownership stake in a team. Two years later, 562 00:40:17,435 --> 00:40:20,675 Speaker 1: he did exactly that. In two thousand, I got to 563 00:40:20,715 --> 00:40:23,755 Speaker 1: host the first Mets Yankees World Series, and hosting baseball 564 00:40:23,755 --> 00:40:26,515 Speaker 1: every Saturday on Fox was a pretty good gig, and 565 00:40:26,595 --> 00:40:28,555 Speaker 1: we were just gearing up for the two thousand and 566 00:40:28,555 --> 00:40:31,435 Speaker 1: one baseball season when I got a tip on April 567 00:40:31,515 --> 00:40:35,275 Speaker 1: twentieth that the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers had 568 00:40:35,355 --> 00:40:38,515 Speaker 1: unofficially put their team up for sale, and in fact 569 00:40:38,515 --> 00:40:41,875 Speaker 1: they were talking to the old owners, the O'Malley family, 570 00:40:42,115 --> 00:40:46,235 Speaker 1: about taking the Dodgers off their hands, selling the Dodgers 571 00:40:46,355 --> 00:40:50,155 Speaker 1: back to the son of Walter O'Malley. This was a 572 00:40:50,275 --> 00:40:53,955 Speaker 1: great scoop, but it had great danger because the owners 573 00:40:53,955 --> 00:41:00,515 Speaker 1: of the Dodgers were Fox, my own employers. The next day, 574 00:41:00,555 --> 00:41:03,395 Speaker 1: after getting this scoop, I made about one hundred phone calls, 575 00:41:03,435 --> 00:41:05,155 Speaker 1: and sure enough I got the friend a friend of 576 00:41:05,195 --> 00:41:07,115 Speaker 1: a friend of my agent to confirm that he and 577 00:41:07,155 --> 00:41:11,875 Speaker 1: his family were in preliminary discussions joining the O'Malleys to 578 00:41:11,995 --> 00:41:16,435 Speaker 1: buy the Dodgers from Fox. Two sources great scoop, and 579 00:41:16,515 --> 00:41:18,675 Speaker 1: that night I reached out to my bosses and said, 580 00:41:18,755 --> 00:41:21,595 Speaker 1: what the hell do we do here? The story is solid, 581 00:41:21,995 --> 00:41:25,795 Speaker 1: The Dodgers are for sale. But look, this is your 582 00:41:25,915 --> 00:41:28,435 Speaker 1: candy store, and I do work for you, and if 583 00:41:28,475 --> 00:41:30,515 Speaker 1: you don't want me to report this, I'm obviously not 584 00:41:30,635 --> 00:41:33,075 Speaker 1: going to report it, and I'm not going to pouch 585 00:41:33,315 --> 00:41:35,155 Speaker 1: and I'm not going to give the story to somebody else. 586 00:41:36,395 --> 00:41:39,315 Speaker 1: My boss has replied, good for you. Why don't we 587 00:41:39,395 --> 00:41:42,235 Speaker 1: all get on the phone with the top rupert. Murdoch 588 00:41:42,315 --> 00:41:46,155 Speaker 1: has his own Personal News Corp Public relations department. Let's 589 00:41:46,155 --> 00:41:50,435 Speaker 1: see what he says. So on Sunday, April twenty second, 590 00:41:50,475 --> 00:41:52,915 Speaker 1: two thousand and one, we got Murdoch's own PR guy 591 00:41:52,995 --> 00:41:55,475 Speaker 1: on the blower and I explained it to him. Now, 592 00:41:55,515 --> 00:41:58,075 Speaker 1: mister Murdoch has a policy about this. He never interferes 593 00:41:58,115 --> 00:42:02,115 Speaker 1: in editorial decisions, not even in sourced business stories, not 594 00:42:02,235 --> 00:42:05,955 Speaker 1: even if they involve him. So longung as you make 595 00:42:05,995 --> 00:42:09,075 Speaker 1: it clear your sources are not from within the company, 596 00:42:09,555 --> 00:42:12,395 Speaker 1: and so long as you're confident in your sources, and 597 00:42:12,475 --> 00:42:16,035 Speaker 1: so long as you include our denial, you should proceed 598 00:42:16,115 --> 00:42:18,635 Speaker 1: with this Dodger story. That is what we are paying 599 00:42:18,675 --> 00:42:24,555 Speaker 1: you for. For a brief moment, I thought maybe I 600 00:42:24,715 --> 00:42:28,595 Speaker 1: have misjudged Rupert Murdoch. Well, it turned out to be 601 00:42:28,635 --> 00:42:32,595 Speaker 1: a very brief moment and a very wrong moment. I 602 00:42:32,675 --> 00:42:38,475 Speaker 1: reported the story that night, howls of denials. Five days later, though, 603 00:42:38,515 --> 00:42:41,955 Speaker 1: the Long Beach Press Telegram newspaper had its own story said, 604 00:42:42,595 --> 00:42:46,955 Speaker 1: despite denials, Dodgers are for sale, with far more details 605 00:42:46,995 --> 00:42:49,955 Speaker 1: than I had, And that really was the end of it. 606 00:42:50,315 --> 00:42:53,635 Speaker 1: The team was unofficially for sale. Dodger fans, who hated 607 00:42:53,635 --> 00:42:55,955 Speaker 1: what Fox had done to the team seemed happy, and 608 00:42:56,035 --> 00:43:00,115 Speaker 1: the vast stinking pile of burning excrement that was Fox 609 00:43:00,155 --> 00:43:06,555 Speaker 1: and NewsCorp and Murdoch sailed on unperturbed. But twelve days 610 00:43:06,595 --> 00:43:08,595 Speaker 1: after that, just before I was getting in my car 611 00:43:08,635 --> 00:43:11,515 Speaker 1: to go to the first Fox Baseball meeting for our 612 00:43:11,555 --> 00:43:15,195 Speaker 1: two thousand and one season coverage, the president of Fox Sports, 613 00:43:15,475 --> 00:43:19,155 Speaker 1: yet another Aussie called David Hill, called my agent and 614 00:43:19,235 --> 00:43:22,355 Speaker 1: told her case, not doing any baseball for us this year. 615 00:43:22,635 --> 00:43:29,555 Speaker 1: Business decision click, end of conversation. Nothing else, no firing, 616 00:43:30,075 --> 00:43:32,715 Speaker 1: no get out, no clean out your desk, no announcement. 617 00:43:33,395 --> 00:43:36,435 Speaker 1: But then two days later they turned off my access 618 00:43:36,435 --> 00:43:39,235 Speaker 1: to the Fox computer system, And four days after that 619 00:43:39,275 --> 00:43:43,035 Speaker 1: they called and canceled my cable show, and then that 620 00:43:43,195 --> 00:43:46,355 Speaker 1: night I got two weird calls from Rich Sandomir, who 621 00:43:46,395 --> 00:43:49,515 Speaker 1: was the TV sports critic and TV sports business reporter 622 00:43:49,595 --> 00:43:52,435 Speaker 1: for the New York Times. And Rich asks me, so, 623 00:43:52,675 --> 00:43:55,395 Speaker 1: did you know you got fired by Rupert Murdoch personally? 624 00:43:56,235 --> 00:43:59,635 Speaker 1: And I said, with genuine astonishment that I not only 625 00:43:59,755 --> 00:44:03,555 Speaker 1: didn't know that, but even given my thoughts about Rupert Murdoch, 626 00:44:03,635 --> 00:44:06,555 Speaker 1: I didn't believe that. Well, that's what my sources at 627 00:44:06,555 --> 00:44:09,715 Speaker 1: Fox tell me. Apparently your Dodger story really pissed him off, 628 00:44:09,755 --> 00:44:13,395 Speaker 1: but really, and I said, I had cleared it through 629 00:44:13,435 --> 00:44:16,955 Speaker 1: his personal PR guy. I don't know, Rich Sandomir said, 630 00:44:16,995 --> 00:44:19,475 Speaker 1: apparently he was on vacation and he got back like 631 00:44:19,795 --> 00:44:21,635 Speaker 1: the ninth of this month, and he read all these 632 00:44:21,675 --> 00:44:24,315 Speaker 1: stories about the Dodgers being for sale and how Fox 633 00:44:24,355 --> 00:44:26,035 Speaker 1: Sports was the first to report it, and he called 634 00:44:26,075 --> 00:44:29,035 Speaker 1: up David Hill and he told Hill to fire you immediately. 635 00:44:29,955 --> 00:44:31,835 Speaker 1: So I told Rich, this is the first I have 636 00:44:31,955 --> 00:44:34,955 Speaker 1: heard of this, and I still don't believe it, even 637 00:44:34,955 --> 00:44:37,795 Speaker 1: though the day he mentioned May ninth was the day 638 00:44:37,915 --> 00:44:40,075 Speaker 1: David Hill had called my agent and told her I 639 00:44:40,075 --> 00:44:43,835 Speaker 1: would not be doing baseball for Fox that year. An 640 00:44:43,915 --> 00:44:47,115 Speaker 1: hour later, the phone rings again and it's Rich Sandomir again, 641 00:44:47,195 --> 00:44:50,115 Speaker 1: and he sounds shaken. I got it wrong. I don't 642 00:44:50,155 --> 00:44:52,355 Speaker 1: have any sources at Fox who told me Rupert fired 643 00:44:52,395 --> 00:44:56,635 Speaker 1: you personally. My source said that you were telling people 644 00:44:56,755 --> 00:45:00,715 Speaker 1: Rupert had fired you personally over the Dodger story. And 645 00:45:00,755 --> 00:45:05,275 Speaker 1: I gave Rich a sequence of well, kind of friendly 646 00:45:05,475 --> 00:45:08,795 Speaker 1: uh huhs, and I said, no, I didn't, and know 647 00:45:09,395 --> 00:45:11,195 Speaker 1: you've never been dumb enough in your life to make 648 00:45:11,235 --> 00:45:13,995 Speaker 1: the mistake you're saying you just made. And he said, well, 649 00:45:14,075 --> 00:45:17,075 Speaker 1: I never said somebody at Fox said Murdock fired Joek. Thanks. 650 00:45:17,075 --> 00:45:20,755 Speaker 1: By the next day, they had me come into the 651 00:45:20,795 --> 00:45:24,035 Speaker 1: Fox building on Pico Boulevard and clean out my office 652 00:45:24,075 --> 00:45:27,035 Speaker 1: while a guard watched. And she was a really nice guard. 653 00:45:27,035 --> 00:45:30,115 Speaker 1: In fact, she brought donuts but a lovely way to 654 00:45:30,155 --> 00:45:33,195 Speaker 1: go out. As I packed, I thought more and more 655 00:45:33,235 --> 00:45:35,275 Speaker 1: of what had happened in the month since I had 656 00:45:35,315 --> 00:45:38,435 Speaker 1: gotten that tip about the Dodgers being for sale. As 657 00:45:38,475 --> 00:45:41,315 Speaker 1: I left the Fox lot for the last time as 658 00:45:41,355 --> 00:45:43,475 Speaker 1: an employee, I went back a couple of times to 659 00:45:43,475 --> 00:45:46,795 Speaker 1: attend table reads for the Simpsons. Table reads for the 660 00:45:46,795 --> 00:45:49,355 Speaker 1: Simpsons were much more fun than being an employee at Fox. 661 00:45:49,915 --> 00:45:51,955 Speaker 1: I called a couple of reporters I knew, and my 662 00:45:52,035 --> 00:45:54,275 Speaker 1: agent and some people in the business, and we tried 663 00:45:54,275 --> 00:45:57,555 Speaker 1: to put together a timeline that made some sort of sense, 664 00:45:58,395 --> 00:46:01,275 Speaker 1: because the slow motion firing thing. May ninth, you're not 665 00:46:01,315 --> 00:46:04,955 Speaker 1: doing baseball. May eleventh, your computer it won't work. Teenth, 666 00:46:05,035 --> 00:46:08,355 Speaker 1: your cable show is canceled. May sixteenth, clean out your office. 667 00:46:08,995 --> 00:46:14,475 Speaker 1: A week long firing made no sense until one reporter 668 00:46:14,595 --> 00:46:17,555 Speaker 1: friend said, you know, Fox called me and said, call 669 00:46:17,635 --> 00:46:21,075 Speaker 1: Keith up and provoke him, get him to call us names, 670 00:46:21,795 --> 00:46:24,035 Speaker 1: tell him about this story and that paper, calling him 671 00:46:24,155 --> 00:46:27,435 Speaker 1: washed up, get him going, And then it all clicked. 672 00:46:28,075 --> 00:46:30,595 Speaker 1: My contract ran through the end of the year two 673 00:46:30,635 --> 00:46:33,995 Speaker 1: thousand and one because Fox was firing me without any 674 00:46:34,035 --> 00:46:36,475 Speaker 1: cause or even claiming there was a cause, without any 675 00:46:36,555 --> 00:46:39,755 Speaker 1: violation of my contract or their rules. Because I had 676 00:46:39,835 --> 00:46:42,475 Speaker 1: left a trail of good behavior on the Dodger story. 677 00:46:42,795 --> 00:46:45,675 Speaker 1: They were trying to enrage me and get me to 678 00:46:45,835 --> 00:46:49,995 Speaker 1: say something nasty that itself would be a violation of 679 00:46:50,035 --> 00:46:53,195 Speaker 1: my contract so they could outright fire me and keep 680 00:46:53,235 --> 00:46:56,435 Speaker 1: the money. And the money still on the contract was 681 00:46:56,475 --> 00:47:02,115 Speaker 1: about eight hundred thousand dollars now after decades of contemplating this, 682 00:47:02,275 --> 00:47:05,915 Speaker 1: I am confident that I am no than the next guy, 683 00:47:06,795 --> 00:47:09,435 Speaker 1: at least not the next guy in television. But on 684 00:47:09,515 --> 00:47:14,275 Speaker 1: my worst, craziest, least rational day, if you said you 685 00:47:14,395 --> 00:47:17,515 Speaker 1: have two choices, Alderman, you can blow up these people 686 00:47:17,555 --> 00:47:19,515 Speaker 1: who are firing you, and you can make them look 687 00:47:19,555 --> 00:47:22,995 Speaker 1: bad in a newspaper for a day and then they'll 688 00:47:22,995 --> 00:47:24,995 Speaker 1: fire you and keep all the money they owe you. 689 00:47:25,555 --> 00:47:30,275 Speaker 1: Or you can keep your big bazoo shut for just 690 00:47:30,475 --> 00:47:33,755 Speaker 1: seven months. You can keep the eight hundred thousand dollars, 691 00:47:34,915 --> 00:47:36,875 Speaker 1: and you can spend the summer doing whatever the hell 692 00:47:36,955 --> 00:47:39,235 Speaker 1: you want, and you can then spend the rest of 693 00:47:39,275 --> 00:47:43,595 Speaker 1: your natural life blowing these people up. If that's the choice, 694 00:47:45,275 --> 00:47:47,955 Speaker 1: I will always take the scenario that gives me the 695 00:47:47,995 --> 00:47:55,475 Speaker 1: eight hundred thousand dollars for doing nothing. Always so. On 696 00:47:55,555 --> 00:47:58,115 Speaker 1: January first, two thousand and two, after the last Fox 697 00:47:58,315 --> 00:48:01,635 Speaker 1: check cleared, I began making a professional avocation out of 698 00:48:01,635 --> 00:48:07,795 Speaker 1: attacking Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox Business, Fox Murdoch, Fox O'Reilly, Fox, 699 00:48:07,875 --> 00:48:12,115 Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson, whatever. And I got the eight hundred thousand dollars, 700 00:48:12,875 --> 00:48:15,995 Speaker 1: but they're lingered for years. This kind of academic question 701 00:48:16,035 --> 00:48:20,235 Speaker 1: of whether Rupert Murdoch had actually fired me for having 702 00:48:20,275 --> 00:48:24,595 Speaker 1: followed the rules set out by his own personal pr guy. 703 00:48:26,115 --> 00:48:29,875 Speaker 1: As usual, these things resolve themselves when you least expect 704 00:48:29,955 --> 00:48:33,315 Speaker 1: them to. Murdoch was speaking at a Dow Jones conference 705 00:48:33,355 --> 00:48:37,595 Speaker 1: in Carlsbad, California, on May twenty eighth, two thousand and eight, 706 00:48:38,395 --> 00:48:40,835 Speaker 1: seven years to the month they got rid of me 707 00:48:41,075 --> 00:48:43,755 Speaker 1: and a story came across the wire with my name 708 00:48:43,835 --> 00:48:47,835 Speaker 1: on it. The guy interviewing him at this conference talked 709 00:48:47,875 --> 00:48:51,155 Speaker 1: about whether there should be dissenting voices on Fox quote 710 00:48:51,155 --> 00:48:53,755 Speaker 1: news unquote, like that guy who was killing it on 711 00:48:53,915 --> 00:48:59,475 Speaker 1: MSNBC Keith Olderman. Now, Murdoch barked, I fired him five 712 00:48:59,555 --> 00:49:04,235 Speaker 1: years ago. He was crizy, timing was off, But there 713 00:49:04,235 --> 00:49:08,435 Speaker 1: it was Rupert Murdoch confessing in front of a crowd 714 00:49:08,755 --> 00:49:13,395 Speaker 1: that he fired me personally, the red badge of courage 715 00:49:13,515 --> 00:49:17,075 Speaker 1: in quotes. I wondered if it still pissed him off 716 00:49:17,075 --> 00:49:18,635 Speaker 1: that he had to pay me the eight hundred thousand 717 00:49:18,675 --> 00:49:22,915 Speaker 1: dollars when I didn't take the grievance bait. Three years 718 00:49:22,955 --> 00:49:25,555 Speaker 1: after that, Murdoch said it again, like I hadn't heard 719 00:49:25,555 --> 00:49:30,075 Speaker 1: it the first time. On February first, twenty eleven, Rupert 720 00:49:30,195 --> 00:49:33,475 Speaker 1: Murdoch was interviewed by his business talking had Neil Cavudo, 721 00:49:33,835 --> 00:49:36,395 Speaker 1: who for some reason asked him if he would consider 722 00:49:36,515 --> 00:49:40,355 Speaker 1: hiring me to put me on Fox News. Now we 723 00:49:40,515 --> 00:49:43,715 Speaker 1: fired him once. We don't believe in firing people. Twice, 724 00:49:44,955 --> 00:49:48,795 Speaker 1: Kavoodo replied, you called him a nut. Lady was a nut? 725 00:49:48,835 --> 00:49:48,915 Speaker 2: On? 726 00:49:49,595 --> 00:49:52,675 Speaker 1: Well, we had him on late night Fox Sports. There 727 00:49:52,715 --> 00:49:55,355 Speaker 1: was never any such show called late night Fox Sports. 728 00:49:55,395 --> 00:49:58,555 Speaker 1: But never mind, Rupe went on, it was impossible. I 729 00:49:58,675 --> 00:50:03,595 Speaker 1: fired him. He he was crizy, fired me for following 730 00:50:03,595 --> 00:50:09,955 Speaker 1: his rules, and I was the one who was crazy. Finally, 731 00:50:09,995 --> 00:50:13,635 Speaker 1: speaking of crazy, I have had for sixty three nearly 732 00:50:13,675 --> 00:50:16,675 Speaker 1: sixty four years now a love hate relationship with the 733 00:50:16,795 --> 00:50:21,515 Speaker 1: name Keith. But did you know that Rupert Murdoch's real 734 00:50:21,595 --> 00:50:25,675 Speaker 1: first name is also Keith, but that rather than call 735 00:50:25,795 --> 00:50:33,715 Speaker 1: himself Keith, he voluntarily chooses to call himself Rupert. I mean, sure, 736 00:50:34,875 --> 00:50:39,595 Speaker 1: my name is Keith, but at least my name ain't 737 00:50:40,035 --> 00:50:57,795 Speaker 1: freaking Rupert. See twenty three years later, It's quite clear 738 00:50:57,795 --> 00:51:00,195 Speaker 1: to me the rules are very simple in Rupert murdoch Land. 739 00:51:00,595 --> 00:51:03,755 Speaker 1: You do what Rupert Murdoch tells you to do, and 740 00:51:03,795 --> 00:51:07,275 Speaker 1: you get fired. You don't do what Rupert Murdoch tells 741 00:51:07,275 --> 00:51:11,075 Speaker 1: you to do, and you get fired. I've done all 742 00:51:11,075 --> 00:51:14,435 Speaker 1: the damage I can do here, still have the eight 743 00:51:14,475 --> 00:51:17,555 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars. Thank you for listening. Countdown. Musical directors 744 00:51:17,555 --> 00:51:20,515 Speaker 1: Brian Ray and John Phillip Schanel arranged, produced, and performed 745 00:51:20,795 --> 00:51:23,715 Speaker 1: most of our music. Mister Ray was on guitars, bass, 746 00:51:23,755 --> 00:51:27,035 Speaker 1: and drums, and mister Shanelle handled orchestration and keyboards. It 747 00:51:27,155 --> 00:51:30,115 Speaker 1: was produced by Tko Brothers. The other music, including some 748 00:51:30,155 --> 00:51:32,715 Speaker 1: of the Beethoven compositions, were arranged and performed by the 749 00:51:32,715 --> 00:51:35,955 Speaker 1: group No Horns Allowed. The sports music is the Olderman 750 00:51:36,035 --> 00:51:39,555 Speaker 1: theme from ESPN two, written by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy 751 00:51:39,555 --> 00:51:43,275 Speaker 1: of ESPN Inc. Our satirical and pithy musical comments are 752 00:51:43,315 --> 00:51:46,355 Speaker 1: by Nancy Fauss, the best baseball stadium organist ever. Our 753 00:51:46,435 --> 00:51:48,795 Speaker 1: announcer today was my friend Kenny Maine, and everything else 754 00:51:48,875 --> 00:51:52,155 Speaker 1: was pretty much my fault. Oh no, ruper Verdock just 755 00:51:52,195 --> 00:51:56,275 Speaker 1: fired me again. Send me eight hundred thousand dollars to 756 00:51:56,355 --> 00:51:59,195 Speaker 1: the following address. That's countdown for this the one hundred 757 00:51:59,195 --> 00:52:02,955 Speaker 1: and fifty fourth day until the twenty twenty four presidential 758 00:52:02,995 --> 00:52:08,355 Speaker 1: election and forty seventh day since convicted fellon Donald Trump's 759 00:52:08,355 --> 00:52:10,875 Speaker 1: first attempted coup against the democratically elected government of the 760 00:52:10,955 --> 00:52:14,955 Speaker 1: United States. Use the July sentencing here and use the 761 00:52:14,995 --> 00:52:17,955 Speaker 1: mental health system, use presidential immunity if it happens, use 762 00:52:17,995 --> 00:52:21,515 Speaker 1: the not regularly given elector objection option from the Supreme 763 00:52:21,595 --> 00:52:25,635 Speaker 1: Court to stop him from doing it again while we 764 00:52:25,835 --> 00:52:31,755 Speaker 1: still can. The next scheduled countdown is tomorrow. Bulletins as 765 00:52:31,755 --> 00:52:35,315 Speaker 1: the news warrants till then, I'm Keith Oldraman. Good Morning, 766 00:52:35,395 --> 00:52:56,475 Speaker 1: good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown with Keith 767 00:52:56,475 --> 00:53:01,555 Speaker 1: Oldreman is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 768 00:53:01,675 --> 00:53:05,675 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 769 00:53:05,755 --> 00:53:06,675 Speaker 1: your podcasts.