1 00:00:04,835 --> 00:00:22,555 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. Make 2 00:00:23,435 --> 00:00:28,155 Speaker 1: Them Riot, A man described by Jack Smith as a 3 00:00:28,155 --> 00:00:32,795 Speaker 1: Trump campaign employee, agent and co conspirator, his identity redacted 4 00:00:33,035 --> 00:00:37,555 Speaker 1: replaced by the ID number P five informs a colleague 5 00:00:37,595 --> 00:00:40,155 Speaker 1: on the ground at the vote counting on election night 6 00:00:40,195 --> 00:00:45,755 Speaker 1: twenty twenty in Detroit, make them Riot, do it? Do 7 00:00:45,875 --> 00:00:49,835 Speaker 1: it with three exclamation points. The full paragraph from the 8 00:00:49,915 --> 00:00:54,355 Speaker 1: Jack Smith Opus number one revealed yesterday reads, on November fourth, 9 00:00:54,435 --> 00:00:57,515 Speaker 1: P five, a campaign employee agent and co conspirator of 10 00:00:57,515 --> 00:01:01,955 Speaker 1: the defendant, tried to sow confusion when the ongoing vote 11 00:01:01,995 --> 00:01:04,635 Speaker 1: count at the CCF Center in Detroit, Michigan looked on 12 00:01:04,755 --> 00:01:08,475 Speaker 1: favorable for the defendant. There when a colleague at the 13 00:01:08,515 --> 00:01:12,155 Speaker 1: TCF center told P. Five, we think a batch of 14 00:01:12,235 --> 00:01:16,355 Speaker 1: votes heavily in Biden's favor is right. P five responded, 15 00:01:16,715 --> 00:01:20,595 Speaker 1: find a reason it isn't give me options to file 16 00:01:20,675 --> 00:01:27,595 Speaker 1: litigation and even if it biz sick, meaning even if 17 00:01:27,635 --> 00:01:30,715 Speaker 1: it is. When the colleague suggested that there was about 18 00:01:30,715 --> 00:01:34,795 Speaker 1: to be unrest reminiscent of the Brooks Brothers Riot, a 19 00:01:34,915 --> 00:01:37,075 Speaker 1: violent effort to stop the vote count in Florida after 20 00:01:37,195 --> 00:01:41,395 Speaker 1: the two thousand presidential election. P. Five responded, make them 21 00:01:41,515 --> 00:01:47,475 Speaker 1: riot and do it. Exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point. 22 00:01:50,555 --> 00:01:53,755 Speaker 1: It's one hundred and sixty five pages of that. You 23 00:01:53,875 --> 00:01:57,155 Speaker 1: open the file and the treason falls out and covers 24 00:01:57,195 --> 00:02:01,515 Speaker 1: you like dust from the top of your bookshelf. All 25 00:02:01,595 --> 00:02:04,795 Speaker 1: the evidence you need to prove Trump is guilty of 26 00:02:04,955 --> 00:02:10,435 Speaker 1: knowingly trying to subvert the election and now knowingly trying 27 00:02:10,435 --> 00:02:12,955 Speaker 1: to pretend he was just asking the kind of good 28 00:02:13,115 --> 00:02:17,075 Speaker 1: questions any good president would when there was evidence of 29 00:02:17,115 --> 00:02:22,275 Speaker 1: a crooked vote somewhere. Quoting again, contrary to the defendant's 30 00:02:22,355 --> 00:02:26,315 Speaker 1: public claims of victory. Immediately following election day, his advisors 31 00:02:26,355 --> 00:02:30,155 Speaker 1: informed him that he would likely lose. On November seventh, 32 00:02:30,195 --> 00:02:34,835 Speaker 1: in a private campaign meeting that included P two, P three, P. Four, 33 00:02:35,355 --> 00:02:38,675 Speaker 1: and White House staffer P. Nine, who came to serve 34 00:02:38,715 --> 00:02:41,915 Speaker 1: as a conduit for information from the campaign to the defendant, 35 00:02:42,235 --> 00:02:44,675 Speaker 1: campaign staff told the defendant that he had only a 36 00:02:44,715 --> 00:02:47,875 Speaker 1: slim chance of prevailing in the election, and that any 37 00:02:47,915 --> 00:02:52,235 Speaker 1: potential success was contingent on the defendant winning all ongoing 38 00:02:52,315 --> 00:02:56,955 Speaker 1: vote counts or litigation in Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin. Within 39 00:02:56,995 --> 00:03:00,955 Speaker 1: a week of that assessment. On November thirteenth, the defendant's 40 00:03:01,075 --> 00:03:06,235 Speaker 1: campaign conceded its litigation in Arizona, meaning that, based on 41 00:03:06,355 --> 00:03:12,515 Speaker 1: his campaign advisor's previous assessment, the defendant had lost the election. 42 00:03:13,915 --> 00:03:19,355 Speaker 1: November thirteenth, I suggested here last Friday that a particular 43 00:03:19,475 --> 00:03:23,595 Speaker 1: Trump Post had given us a preview of Jack Smith's tack, 44 00:03:23,915 --> 00:03:26,195 Speaker 1: that there must have been some tip off to his 45 00:03:26,275 --> 00:03:30,955 Speaker 1: lawyers that what was in the Smith submission to Judge Chutkin, 46 00:03:31,195 --> 00:03:34,835 Speaker 1: and that Trump was now scrambling to disprove what must 47 00:03:34,835 --> 00:03:37,755 Speaker 1: have been Smith's basic premise that from the beginning Trump 48 00:03:37,835 --> 00:03:40,875 Speaker 1: knew he had lost, and thus everything he did for 49 00:03:40,955 --> 00:03:44,875 Speaker 1: which he is now charged, he did as a private citizen, 50 00:03:45,035 --> 00:03:49,515 Speaker 1: as a candidate, as a politician, as a criminal, not 51 00:03:49,635 --> 00:03:53,435 Speaker 1: as a president, no matter how immune a corrupt Supreme 52 00:03:53,515 --> 00:03:58,835 Speaker 1: Court would try to make him. That Trump Post read 53 00:03:59,835 --> 00:04:02,795 Speaker 1: shocking breaking news, as exposed by the great John Solomon 54 00:04:03,115 --> 00:04:05,475 Speaker 1: and the great work of Congressman Barry Loudermilk and the 55 00:04:05,555 --> 00:04:09,355 Speaker 1: Republicans on the House Oversight Committee. The deep State chose 56 00:04:09,755 --> 00:04:12,995 Speaker 1: to disregard my direct authorization of at least ten thousand 57 00:04:13,075 --> 00:04:16,275 Speaker 1: National Guard troops to ensure that Washington, DC was safe 58 00:04:16,275 --> 00:04:19,715 Speaker 1: and secure on January sixth, twenty twenty one. These Deep 59 00:04:19,795 --> 00:04:24,315 Speaker 1: State subversives disobeyed the president's directives, which would have prevented 60 00:04:24,355 --> 00:04:27,315 Speaker 1: any unrest that day. January sixth, as it is known, 61 00:04:27,635 --> 00:04:32,795 Speaker 1: would never have taken place. Not only that the Deep 62 00:04:32,835 --> 00:04:37,315 Speaker 1: State betrayed me nonsense, but Trump also again brought up 63 00:04:37,315 --> 00:04:42,275 Speaker 1: his lie about Nancy Pelosi and troops that night in 64 00:04:42,355 --> 00:04:45,595 Speaker 1: his spasm in front of some microphones at Trump Tower, 65 00:04:45,795 --> 00:04:49,755 Speaker 1: and one of Trump's top ass kissers, Joe Kernan of CNBC, 66 00:04:50,315 --> 00:04:52,915 Speaker 1: had said, quote, in the heat of that moment, at 67 00:04:52,915 --> 00:04:55,675 Speaker 1: that point, I think he really did believe that it 68 00:04:55,755 --> 00:04:58,555 Speaker 1: had been stolen at that point. I don't know if 69 00:04:58,555 --> 00:05:03,635 Speaker 1: he believes it anymore. If Jack Smith's tack were is 70 00:05:04,035 --> 00:05:07,875 Speaker 1: that Trump knew all along he lost, and that everything afterwards, 71 00:05:08,075 --> 00:05:13,515 Speaker 1: literally everything after November fourth, was insurrection or an attempted 72 00:05:13,595 --> 00:05:17,995 Speaker 1: alibi for insurrection. Trump had to quickly revive the idea 73 00:05:17,995 --> 00:05:23,035 Speaker 1: that he was just following the clues, just serving the nation, 74 00:05:24,115 --> 00:05:31,755 Speaker 1: just out there presidenting his big ass off. Having Trump 75 00:05:31,835 --> 00:05:34,915 Speaker 1: staffer and Operative P five trying to start a riot 76 00:05:35,475 --> 00:05:38,715 Speaker 1: at the vote counting in Detroit, not on January sixth, 77 00:05:39,355 --> 00:05:43,035 Speaker 1: but on November fourth, kind of puts the bullet from 78 00:05:43,075 --> 00:05:46,275 Speaker 1: a smoking gun through the heart of the I was 79 00:05:46,475 --> 00:05:54,195 Speaker 1: just presidenting argument. So who is P five? There actually 80 00:05:54,195 --> 00:05:56,355 Speaker 1: seems to be an answer. It would be nice if 81 00:05:56,355 --> 00:06:00,515 Speaker 1: it were Rudy Giuliani. It's not He's got a different number, 82 00:06:01,115 --> 00:06:03,435 Speaker 1: or Roger Stone or somebody like that. But in fact 83 00:06:03,635 --> 00:06:07,115 Speaker 1: the consensus is is it's a Trump dirty trickster named 84 00:06:07,235 --> 00:06:11,755 Speaker 1: Mike Roman. The gadfly J Quoh wrote last December that 85 00:06:11,915 --> 00:06:14,835 Speaker 1: Jacksmith had filed a four oh four B notice in 86 00:06:14,875 --> 00:06:18,715 Speaker 1: his case against Trump about evidence probably not included in 87 00:06:18,755 --> 00:06:21,835 Speaker 1: the charges that still went to Trump's motive or his 88 00:06:21,995 --> 00:06:25,435 Speaker 1: quote propensity to commit crimes. Now that the four oh 89 00:06:25,515 --> 00:06:28,755 Speaker 1: four B notice pertained to a Trump campaign employee trying 90 00:06:28,795 --> 00:06:31,795 Speaker 1: to start a riot at the counting center in Detroit 91 00:06:31,835 --> 00:06:35,595 Speaker 1: on election night, quote noted that in June last year, 92 00:06:36,035 --> 00:06:39,875 Speaker 1: CNN had reported that Mike Roman was cooperating with federal 93 00:06:39,875 --> 00:06:43,275 Speaker 1: prosecutors in their pursuit of Trump. Just so happens, Mike 94 00:06:43,395 --> 00:06:46,715 Speaker 1: Roman posted a video from the Detroit count of quote 95 00:06:46,795 --> 00:06:51,555 Speaker 1: unquote challengers being ejected from the vote count Just so happens. Roman, 96 00:06:51,595 --> 00:06:54,795 Speaker 1: isn't some peripheral figure in Trump World. In twenty sixteen, 97 00:06:54,835 --> 00:06:58,995 Speaker 1: he was Trump's chief watcher of the poll sites. In 98 00:06:59,035 --> 00:07:01,515 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, he worked on the fake Elector's scheme. In 99 00:07:01,555 --> 00:07:04,555 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two, he was indicted in Arizona, in Georgia 100 00:07:04,555 --> 00:07:08,555 Speaker 1: and Wisconsin. Check his closets, see if he has any 101 00:07:08,635 --> 00:07:16,675 Speaker 1: shirts with P five monogrammed in the collars. As I said, metaphorically, 102 00:07:16,675 --> 00:07:20,435 Speaker 1: turned to any page in the Smith filing, and treason 103 00:07:20,515 --> 00:07:22,795 Speaker 1: will fall off the shelf and hit you in the 104 00:07:22,835 --> 00:07:27,955 Speaker 1: effing head. There's mister P five. Even before the election 105 00:07:28,235 --> 00:07:31,755 Speaker 1: was called for Joe Biden to indicate just how soon 106 00:07:32,115 --> 00:07:35,075 Speaker 1: Trump campaign staff knew it was over, and just how 107 00:07:35,195 --> 00:07:39,875 Speaker 1: soon Trump campaign staff turned to violence. For a little 108 00:07:39,875 --> 00:07:45,395 Speaker 1: grotesque snapshot of the brutality and the disregard for the country, though, 109 00:07:45,595 --> 00:07:49,475 Speaker 1: and the constitution and human life, there are the stars 110 00:07:49,835 --> 00:07:52,195 Speaker 1: of a little Later in the story, on page one 111 00:07:52,275 --> 00:07:56,715 Speaker 1: hundred and forty two, the defendant further revealed the private 112 00:07:56,835 --> 00:08:00,155 Speaker 1: nature of his desperate conduct as a candidate rather than 113 00:08:00,235 --> 00:08:03,675 Speaker 1: a president, in an exchange that the government does not 114 00:08:03,835 --> 00:08:07,755 Speaker 1: plan to use it. He had with aid P fifteen 115 00:08:08,275 --> 00:08:11,755 Speaker 1: Shortly after the two to twenty four PM tweet on 116 00:08:11,875 --> 00:08:15,835 Speaker 1: January sixth, upon receiving a phone call alerting him that 117 00:08:16,115 --> 00:08:19,155 Speaker 1: Vice President Mike Pence had been taken to a secure location. 118 00:08:19,555 --> 00:08:22,755 Speaker 1: P fifteen rushed to the dining room to inform the 119 00:08:22,795 --> 00:08:25,555 Speaker 1: defendant and hopes that the defendant would take action to 120 00:08:25,555 --> 00:08:29,955 Speaker 1: insure Pence's safety. Instead, after p fifteen delivered the news, 121 00:08:29,955 --> 00:08:33,035 Speaker 1: the defendant looked at him and said, only so what? 122 00:08:35,395 --> 00:08:37,315 Speaker 1: Just to give a little context as to what Trump 123 00:08:37,395 --> 00:08:40,595 Speaker 1: was doing all that day, Smith now has Trump's phone 124 00:08:40,675 --> 00:08:44,355 Speaker 1: log and witness accounts. He has a play by play 125 00:08:44,355 --> 00:08:47,955 Speaker 1: of Trump attorney Kenny the Cheese ken chesbro ordered by 126 00:08:47,995 --> 00:08:52,355 Speaker 1: Trump to come to DC for January sixth, actually going 127 00:08:52,435 --> 00:08:56,235 Speaker 1: so far as Trump's proxy as to have quote marched 128 00:08:56,275 --> 00:08:59,595 Speaker 1: with the crowd to the Capitol and breached the restricted 129 00:08:59,675 --> 00:09:03,915 Speaker 1: areas surrounding the building as the nation teeter's on chaos. 130 00:09:04,115 --> 00:09:07,355 Speaker 1: Trump himself is in the White House dining room. Fox 131 00:09:07,435 --> 00:09:10,715 Speaker 1: News is on the monitor. Trump is on his phone 132 00:09:11,275 --> 00:09:17,115 Speaker 1: scrolling through Twitter. Smith has all of Trump's tweets and 133 00:09:17,235 --> 00:09:23,235 Speaker 1: so what everybody's had those? He's had them analyzed textually, 134 00:09:23,755 --> 00:09:28,035 Speaker 1: and in the filing, Jack Smith asserts they are proven 135 00:09:28,395 --> 00:09:33,195 Speaker 1: private conduct, not presidential actions. Quote the phone's activity log 136 00:09:33,275 --> 00:09:36,195 Speaker 1: show that the defendant was using his phone, and in particular, 137 00:09:36,555 --> 00:09:41,435 Speaker 1: using the Twitter application, consistently throughout the day after he 138 00:09:41,555 --> 00:09:47,075 Speaker 1: returned from the Ellipse speech. Then there is a different 139 00:09:47,155 --> 00:09:50,195 Speaker 1: kind of activity log. Jack Smith says he has previously 140 00:09:50,275 --> 00:09:55,715 Speaker 1: undisclosed evidence of countless interactions between Trump and Vice President Pence, 141 00:09:56,715 --> 00:10:00,075 Speaker 1: which he then outlines. A call between the defendant and 142 00:10:00,115 --> 00:10:04,115 Speaker 1: Pence on November seventh, the day that media organizations began 143 00:10:04,195 --> 00:10:06,915 Speaker 1: to projectden Is the winner of the election. Pence tried 144 00:10:06,955 --> 00:10:11,115 Speaker 1: to encourage the defendant as a friend, reminding him you 145 00:10:11,315 --> 00:10:13,795 Speaker 1: took a dying political party and gave it a new 146 00:10:13,875 --> 00:10:18,035 Speaker 1: lease on life. A November eleventh meeting among the defendant, 147 00:10:18,075 --> 00:10:21,635 Speaker 1: Pence campaign staff and some White House staff, during which 148 00:10:21,675 --> 00:10:25,075 Speaker 1: Pence asked when most of the lawsuits would be resolved, 149 00:10:25,395 --> 00:10:28,275 Speaker 1: When does this come to a head unquote, and the 150 00:10:28,355 --> 00:10:33,875 Speaker 1: campaign staff responded the week after Thanksgiving, A November twelfth 151 00:10:33,875 --> 00:10:37,355 Speaker 1: meeting among the defendant, Pence campaign staff, and some White 152 00:10:37,395 --> 00:10:40,515 Speaker 1: House staff, during which Pence recalls the campaign lawyers gave 153 00:10:40,555 --> 00:10:43,955 Speaker 1: a sober and somewhat pessimistic report on the state of 154 00:10:43,995 --> 00:10:47,795 Speaker 1: election challenges. A private lunch on November twelfth, in which 155 00:10:47,835 --> 00:10:52,475 Speaker 1: Pence reiterated a face saving option for the defendant, don't concede, 156 00:10:52,955 --> 00:10:58,715 Speaker 1: but recognize process is over. A private lunch on November sixteenth, 157 00:10:59,115 --> 00:11:02,435 Speaker 1: in which Pence tried to encourage the defendant to accept 158 00:11:02,435 --> 00:11:04,435 Speaker 1: the results of the election and run again in twenty 159 00:11:04,475 --> 00:11:08,115 Speaker 1: two twenty four, to which the defendant responded, I don't know. 160 00:11:08,595 --> 00:11:13,395 Speaker 1: Twenty twenty four is so far off. A November twenty 161 00:11:13,435 --> 00:11:16,195 Speaker 1: third phone call in which the defendant told Pence that 162 00:11:16,235 --> 00:11:21,395 Speaker 1: the defendant's private attorney P. Seventy six was not optimistic 163 00:11:21,395 --> 00:11:25,035 Speaker 1: about the election challenges. A December twenty first private lunch 164 00:11:25,315 --> 00:11:28,755 Speaker 1: in which Pence encouraged the defendant quote not to look 165 00:11:28,755 --> 00:11:34,555 Speaker 1: at the election as a loss, just an intermission. This 166 00:11:34,795 --> 00:11:36,995 Speaker 1: was followed later in the day by a private discussion 167 00:11:36,995 --> 00:11:39,355 Speaker 1: in the Oval office in which the defendant asked Pence, 168 00:11:39,875 --> 00:11:42,995 Speaker 1: what do you think we should do? Pence said, after 169 00:11:43,035 --> 00:11:46,235 Speaker 1: we have exhausted every legal process in the courts and Congress, 170 00:11:46,435 --> 00:11:50,115 Speaker 1: if we still come up short, the defendant should take 171 00:11:50,515 --> 00:11:55,275 Speaker 1: a bow. It's not a loss. It's an intermission. They're 172 00:11:55,315 --> 00:12:00,555 Speaker 1: not jeering you, they're saying boo ump. And what happened 173 00:12:00,595 --> 00:12:04,955 Speaker 1: after all this? After Pence turned his hair white trying 174 00:12:04,995 --> 00:12:09,755 Speaker 1: to convince Trump. Quote. On December twenty eighth, CC two 175 00:12:09,915 --> 00:12:14,075 Speaker 1: that's co conspirator, co conspirator five, and co Conspirator six 176 00:12:14,515 --> 00:12:19,835 Speaker 1: exchanged text messages in which CC two expressed concern that 177 00:12:19,955 --> 00:12:24,275 Speaker 1: Gomer versus Pence, a lawsuit filed that day before, they 178 00:12:24,395 --> 00:12:27,635 Speaker 1: asserted that Pence had the discretion to choose electoral votes 179 00:12:27,755 --> 00:12:30,995 Speaker 1: during the certification proceeding would prompt a federal court to 180 00:12:31,075 --> 00:12:35,355 Speaker 1: publicly reject and thus preclude the plan that the conspirators 181 00:12:35,355 --> 00:12:39,395 Speaker 1: were advancing in private. Thereafter, at eleven am on January first, 182 00:12:39,435 --> 00:12:42,835 Speaker 1: the defendant called Pence to berate him because he had 183 00:12:42,915 --> 00:12:45,755 Speaker 1: learned that Pence had filed a brief opposing the relief 184 00:12:45,835 --> 00:12:49,275 Speaker 1: sought in Gomert. When Pence explained, as he had before, 185 00:12:49,555 --> 00:12:51,435 Speaker 1: that he did not believe that he had the power 186 00:12:51,555 --> 00:12:55,355 Speaker 1: under the Constitution to decide which votes to accept, the 187 00:12:55,395 --> 00:12:59,355 Speaker 1: defendant told him that quote, hundreds of thousands of people 188 00:12:59,475 --> 00:13:03,355 Speaker 1: are gonna hate your guts, and people are gonna think 189 00:13:03,395 --> 00:13:11,555 Speaker 1: you're stupid, and berated him pointedly, you're too honest. I 190 00:13:11,595 --> 00:13:16,755 Speaker 1: will never admire Mike Pence, and I will never forgive him. 191 00:13:17,035 --> 00:13:22,395 Speaker 1: And while I suppose I would immunize him for the trial. 192 00:13:23,355 --> 00:13:25,555 Speaker 1: I will never say he did what the vice president 193 00:13:25,595 --> 00:13:28,235 Speaker 1: of the United States should have done at that time, 194 00:13:28,275 --> 00:13:32,115 Speaker 1: as opposed to say, the vice president of the Republican Party, 195 00:13:32,755 --> 00:13:35,515 Speaker 1: which was to go public with these events as they 196 00:13:35,595 --> 00:13:40,235 Speaker 1: happened and secure the nation and thus himself. But I 197 00:13:40,275 --> 00:13:44,275 Speaker 1: will confess it is almost poignant to see how long 198 00:13:44,595 --> 00:13:48,875 Speaker 1: Mike Pence thought he could somehow find a human being 199 00:13:49,115 --> 00:13:53,435 Speaker 1: inside Donald Trump's body. He must have still been trying 200 00:13:53,475 --> 00:13:55,955 Speaker 1: when word got to him that some of Trump's supporters 201 00:13:56,035 --> 00:13:59,675 Speaker 1: were out there outside the Capitol building and building the 202 00:13:59,675 --> 00:14:05,275 Speaker 1: gallows just for him. Still, the Pence quote are not 203 00:14:05,435 --> 00:14:12,795 Speaker 1: nearly as satisfying as the Amy Coney Barrett quote. That's right, 204 00:14:13,155 --> 00:14:18,115 Speaker 1: Amy Coney Barrett. Why that's Amy Coney Barrett's name, Justice 205 00:14:18,195 --> 00:14:23,355 Speaker 1: Amy Cony Barrett, the Trump appointee. Smith's point number two, 206 00:14:23,995 --> 00:14:28,115 Speaker 1: Even if the conduct were deemed official, the government could 207 00:14:28,155 --> 00:14:32,235 Speaker 1: rebut the presumption of immunity. In any event, even if 208 00:14:32,275 --> 00:14:37,355 Speaker 1: the defendant's efforts to convene fraudulent electors could be considered official, 209 00:14:37,835 --> 00:14:42,315 Speaker 1: the presumption would be rebutted because quote, a president has 210 00:14:42,395 --> 00:14:47,155 Speaker 1: no legal authority and thus no official capacity to influence 211 00:14:47,195 --> 00:14:51,715 Speaker 1: how the states appoint their electors. Un quote, and accordingly, 212 00:14:51,755 --> 00:14:56,715 Speaker 1: there is quote no plausible argument for barring prosecution of 213 00:14:56,755 --> 00:15:06,715 Speaker 1: that alleged conduct. Barrett Jay concurring, in part, while Congress 214 00:15:06,755 --> 00:15:10,115 Speaker 1: has a limited role in the appointment of presidential electors, 215 00:15:10,635 --> 00:15:19,475 Speaker 1: the president has none. The case and each part of 216 00:15:19,515 --> 00:15:23,275 Speaker 1: the case, and each page of the Smith filing, the 217 00:15:23,395 --> 00:15:30,155 Speaker 1: case against Trump is inarguable. It is moral and thorough 218 00:15:30,595 --> 00:15:35,035 Speaker 1: and legally impervious. And of course none of that matters anymore, 219 00:15:35,955 --> 00:15:39,435 Speaker 1: because the point of Donald Trump is to enable individual 220 00:15:39,475 --> 00:15:42,795 Speaker 1: human beings in this country to behave as if they 221 00:15:42,795 --> 00:15:48,075 Speaker 1: were themselves, corporations to behave as if right or wrong, 222 00:15:48,795 --> 00:15:53,675 Speaker 1: innocence or guilt, responsibility or subversion, or any other questions 223 00:15:53,675 --> 00:15:57,635 Speaker 1: of the morality of an individual's personal conduct is irrelevant. 224 00:15:58,395 --> 00:16:01,955 Speaker 1: That there are only two emotions remaining in the world, 225 00:16:02,555 --> 00:16:06,835 Speaker 1: greed and a calculation about how much of this I 226 00:16:06,875 --> 00:16:11,635 Speaker 1: can get away with. There may never be a Trump 227 00:16:11,715 --> 00:16:15,115 Speaker 1: trial because a Trump election would erase the chance of it, 228 00:16:15,315 --> 00:16:18,875 Speaker 1: and with that would erase the entirety, the entirety of 229 00:16:19,075 --> 00:16:22,035 Speaker 1: justice in the United States of America, and with that 230 00:16:22,315 --> 00:16:26,755 Speaker 1: erased the entirety of the United States of America. Perhaps 231 00:16:26,795 --> 00:16:30,035 Speaker 1: worse yet, a Trump election might lead to everything in 232 00:16:30,115 --> 00:16:34,355 Speaker 1: Smith's filing being addressed in some kind of sham trial 233 00:16:34,515 --> 00:16:38,955 Speaker 1: somewhere in which the Supreme Court or whoever would replace 234 00:16:39,075 --> 00:16:43,835 Speaker 1: Jack Smith and Tanya Chutkin when Trump disappears them, would 235 00:16:43,915 --> 00:16:46,035 Speaker 1: go through each of these one hundred and sixty five 236 00:16:46,075 --> 00:16:50,675 Speaker 1: pages and call everything P five did official and subject 237 00:16:50,715 --> 00:16:55,875 Speaker 1: to presidential immunity, and state everything Mike Pence said communications 238 00:16:55,875 --> 00:16:59,635 Speaker 1: with his Majesty President Trump, which may not be quoted 239 00:17:00,915 --> 00:17:06,075 Speaker 1: on penalty of death in the real United States of America, 240 00:17:06,115 --> 00:17:09,955 Speaker 1: the one we still have. This is enough for anybody 241 00:17:09,995 --> 00:17:12,715 Speaker 1: who reads it to demand not just that Trump be 242 00:17:13,075 --> 00:17:17,115 Speaker 1: tried and convicted and imprisoned for life, but that even 243 00:17:17,235 --> 00:17:20,635 Speaker 1: at this late date, right now, he'd be removed from 244 00:17:20,675 --> 00:17:27,675 Speaker 1: the presidential ballot by any legal means available. The problem 245 00:17:27,715 --> 00:17:30,275 Speaker 1: is the real United States has already been damaged enough 246 00:17:30,315 --> 00:17:33,635 Speaker 1: by Trump, Advance and Pence and the Supreme Court and 247 00:17:33,755 --> 00:17:37,515 Speaker 1: every last one of them, that such a moral, patriotic 248 00:17:37,595 --> 00:17:43,075 Speaker 1: action is virtually impossible even now, And if Harris and 249 00:17:43,115 --> 00:17:48,675 Speaker 1: Walls lose on November fifth, it will be utterly impossible thereafter. 250 00:18:12,235 --> 00:18:14,915 Speaker 1: If Harris and Walls lose on November fifth, it will 251 00:18:14,955 --> 00:18:19,915 Speaker 1: be utterly impossible thereafter, unless with a day to think 252 00:18:19,955 --> 00:18:23,515 Speaker 1: about it, I'm beginning to doubt. I really understand now 253 00:18:23,675 --> 00:18:30,155 Speaker 1: what jd Vance was doing during that vice presidential debate. Oh, 254 00:18:30,195 --> 00:18:35,995 Speaker 1: he lied, he foretold in America dedicated to prejudice, hatred, superstition. 255 00:18:37,195 --> 00:18:41,315 Speaker 1: He looked, as I said, like an Amway salesman, an eyeliner. 256 00:18:42,155 --> 00:18:46,275 Speaker 1: But he rejected. If not Trump, certainly, then he rejected 257 00:18:46,315 --> 00:18:52,795 Speaker 1: Trump's entire persona, his entire reason for being, the hatred 258 00:18:52,835 --> 00:18:56,595 Speaker 1: that fuels Trump and so many who are enslaved to Trump. 259 00:18:58,955 --> 00:19:00,875 Speaker 1: At first glance, it sounded like a good way of 260 00:19:00,915 --> 00:19:03,355 Speaker 1: selling the Trump agenda to those rejecting it out of 261 00:19:03,395 --> 00:19:07,995 Speaker 1: hand because of the state of the Trump perversions. But 262 00:19:08,435 --> 00:19:11,795 Speaker 1: at the core here Trump is insane, and with each 263 00:19:11,915 --> 00:19:15,155 Speaker 1: passing day it is evident that his paranoia and his 264 00:19:15,235 --> 00:19:18,355 Speaker 1: delusions of grandeur, and his conviction that he is omnipotent 265 00:19:18,435 --> 00:19:22,595 Speaker 1: and perfect, these things are increasing. Why would Trump ever 266 00:19:22,675 --> 00:19:26,875 Speaker 1: go along with something like that performance by jd Vance 267 00:19:27,395 --> 00:19:31,555 Speaker 1: that did not serve to sell the fiction of Trump perfection? 268 00:19:33,195 --> 00:19:38,955 Speaker 1: Did jd Vance freelance that part? I'm gonna have to 269 00:19:38,995 --> 00:19:41,515 Speaker 1: think this one through long and hard. But I wonder 270 00:19:41,875 --> 00:19:45,915 Speaker 1: if JD. Vance revealed a side hustle during the vice 271 00:19:45,955 --> 00:19:52,075 Speaker 1: presidential debate, is he could he be potentially running a 272 00:19:52,195 --> 00:19:56,195 Speaker 1: coup against Trump. I don't mean something before the election. 273 00:19:56,275 --> 00:19:59,875 Speaker 1: I mean a coup with multiple landing points in the future, 274 00:19:59,915 --> 00:20:02,915 Speaker 1: in which it could be Vance who takes over the 275 00:20:02,955 --> 00:20:05,915 Speaker 1: Trump cult. If Trump is beaten, takes it over. If 276 00:20:05,995 --> 00:20:08,075 Speaker 1: Trump really meant what he said about not running again, 277 00:20:08,115 --> 00:20:10,795 Speaker 1: if he loses, takes it over by force. Even if 278 00:20:10,835 --> 00:20:16,075 Speaker 1: Trump doesn't mean that, the great gaping hole in the 279 00:20:16,275 --> 00:20:20,315 Speaker 1: entire decade long Trump conspiracy is that there is nobody 280 00:20:20,355 --> 00:20:25,795 Speaker 1: there to succeed him. His children are idiots. The congressmen 281 00:20:25,795 --> 00:20:31,915 Speaker 1: are all Derek van Orden and Clay Higgins, and they 282 00:20:31,955 --> 00:20:36,435 Speaker 1: all fail the central casting test in a different way. 283 00:20:37,115 --> 00:20:39,435 Speaker 1: The other option, of course, is that if Trump wins, 284 00:20:40,835 --> 00:20:44,875 Speaker 1: do you really think, having watched him, that this Vance 285 00:20:44,915 --> 00:20:48,595 Speaker 1: would hesitate to lead a palace revolt to at some 286 00:20:48,715 --> 00:20:52,995 Speaker 1: point next year twenty twenty six, twenty twenty seven to 287 00:20:53,155 --> 00:20:57,515 Speaker 1: invoke the twenty fifth Amendment. The moment Trump starts speaking 288 00:20:57,555 --> 00:21:03,915 Speaker 1: in tongues, or he falls over during a speech, or 289 00:21:03,955 --> 00:21:16,355 Speaker 1: he gets pushed over during speech. We have a lot 290 00:21:16,395 --> 00:21:18,715 Speaker 1: of poll numbers about that debate now, and they divide 291 00:21:18,755 --> 00:21:21,795 Speaker 1: into three categories. The first is a true interior number. 292 00:21:21,875 --> 00:21:24,675 Speaker 1: CNN asked how many who watched felt the debate had 293 00:21:24,755 --> 00:21:28,275 Speaker 1: led them to change their minds about which ticket they 294 00:21:28,315 --> 00:21:34,075 Speaker 1: would vote for, and the total was one percent. Since 295 00:21:34,115 --> 00:21:37,795 Speaker 1: the television ratings have come in at forty three million, 296 00:21:37,875 --> 00:21:42,315 Speaker 1: two hundred thousand viewers, one percent of that is four 297 00:21:42,355 --> 00:21:47,355 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty two thousand view voters. Sounds kind of high. Actually, 298 00:21:47,395 --> 00:21:49,555 Speaker 1: four hundred and thirty two thousand votes is a lot 299 00:21:49,955 --> 00:21:53,475 Speaker 1: until you realize that the one percent that changed their 300 00:21:53,595 --> 00:21:57,155 Speaker 1: minds counts those who were voting for Trump and are 301 00:21:57,155 --> 00:21:59,795 Speaker 1: now voting for Harris, and those who were voting for 302 00:21:59,835 --> 00:22:02,515 Speaker 1: Harrison are now voting for Trump. Even if they split 303 00:22:03,275 --> 00:22:09,715 Speaker 1: sixty forty towards Trump, say, the net impact would be 304 00:22:09,755 --> 00:22:15,915 Speaker 1: that Trump gained eighty six thousand votes, like the maximum 305 00:22:16,235 --> 00:22:26,955 Speaker 1: theoretical change last debate of the series eighty six thousand votes. 306 00:22:29,275 --> 00:22:33,475 Speaker 1: Second poll number who won Nearly all polling by Everybody 307 00:22:33,675 --> 00:22:37,635 Speaker 1: showed a tie or a virtual tie. The CBS poll 308 00:22:37,715 --> 00:22:40,515 Speaker 1: was literally forty one forty one with eighteen percent undecided, 309 00:22:41,835 --> 00:22:43,795 Speaker 1: but to employ the old cliche. The game was not 310 00:22:43,835 --> 00:22:46,875 Speaker 1: as close as the score suggested, because virtually all of 311 00:22:46,915 --> 00:22:50,635 Speaker 1: the interior numbers favored Tim Walls. If needed, Are they 312 00:22:50,675 --> 00:22:55,955 Speaker 1: prepared to be President prepared? Walls sixty percent, not prepared 313 00:22:55,995 --> 00:23:00,075 Speaker 1: forty percent, Vance prepared fifty five percent not prepared forty 314 00:23:00,115 --> 00:23:03,875 Speaker 1: five percent. That's a twenty to ten difference. Who did 315 00:23:03,875 --> 00:23:07,595 Speaker 1: a better job talking about abortion? Walls sixty two thirty 316 00:23:07,595 --> 00:23:12,395 Speaker 1: eight about healthcare, Walls fifty nine to forty one About 317 00:23:12,635 --> 00:23:16,795 Speaker 1: conflict in the Middle East? Tide about the economy vanced 318 00:23:16,835 --> 00:23:21,635 Speaker 1: by two points. About immigration, advanced by four points. The 319 00:23:21,795 --> 00:23:26,675 Speaker 1: cell of the Trump campaign economy and immigration, Vance only 320 00:23:26,755 --> 00:23:32,795 Speaker 1: outpolled Walls by a total of six percentage points. There 321 00:23:32,875 --> 00:23:35,955 Speaker 1: is no question Vance lowered his unfavorables Tuesday night. That 322 00:23:36,035 --> 00:23:38,475 Speaker 1: was the idea. He's now at forty nine forty seven. 323 00:23:38,595 --> 00:23:43,235 Speaker 1: He's above water. But Walls lowered his unfavorables too. He 324 00:23:43,315 --> 00:23:46,955 Speaker 1: was fifty two to forty one before the debate per CBS. 325 00:23:46,995 --> 00:23:50,675 Speaker 1: That was plus eleven, and afterwards he was sixty to 326 00:23:50,715 --> 00:23:55,715 Speaker 1: thirty five plus twenty five plus twenty five. The CNN 327 00:23:55,795 --> 00:23:59,555 Speaker 1: poll asking the same question now has Walls at fifty 328 00:23:59,675 --> 00:24:03,875 Speaker 1: nine percent favorable and only twenty two percent unfavorable. That's 329 00:24:03,955 --> 00:24:08,595 Speaker 1: plus thirty Who in the hell is plus thirty seven anymore? 330 00:24:09,235 --> 00:24:11,715 Speaker 1: I mean, do we need to talk about making Tim 331 00:24:11,755 --> 00:24:14,475 Speaker 1: Walls the presidential nominee? I mean, can you do that? 332 00:24:14,835 --> 00:24:18,475 Speaker 1: Could you somehow someday promote the vice presidential nominee and 333 00:24:18,555 --> 00:24:23,355 Speaker 1: make them the presidential never mind? Never? I never mind 334 00:24:23,435 --> 00:24:31,395 Speaker 1: never I never I. Also of interest, here, Vance's whiney 335 00:24:31,475 --> 00:24:33,995 Speaker 1: complaint about the rules where you guys weren't going to 336 00:24:34,115 --> 00:24:38,515 Speaker 1: fact check did not universally go viral, but at least 337 00:24:38,515 --> 00:24:42,435 Speaker 1: nobody with a reputation to uphold took his side when 338 00:24:42,435 --> 00:24:47,155 Speaker 1: the moderators cut him off for lying about the Haitian ohioans. Well, 339 00:24:47,155 --> 00:24:50,275 Speaker 1: I guess I'm gonna have to define reputation because there 340 00:24:50,355 --> 00:24:54,195 Speaker 1: is somebody who was once actually entrusted with a prime 341 00:24:54,315 --> 00:24:59,675 Speaker 1: time hour on CNN who is insisting that Vance was 342 00:24:59,835 --> 00:25:06,835 Speaker 1: right and the moderators were wrong. That's next. This is countdown. 343 00:25:08,795 --> 00:25:33,115 Speaker 1: This is Countdown with Keith Olberman still ahead of us 344 00:25:33,115 --> 00:25:35,715 Speaker 1: on this edition of Countdown. I saw her on TV 345 00:25:35,915 --> 00:25:42,715 Speaker 1: somewhere recently, and then somebody actually mentioned him yesterday to me. 346 00:25:43,595 --> 00:25:45,675 Speaker 1: We used to go skiing with him. We're not friends 347 00:25:45,675 --> 00:25:48,755 Speaker 1: with him anymore, And I flashed back to the day 348 00:25:49,595 --> 00:25:52,555 Speaker 1: that featured both of them, the day that was the 349 00:25:52,635 --> 00:25:56,315 Speaker 1: greatest fault off from possibility to reality in my life 350 00:25:57,075 --> 00:26:02,635 Speaker 1: so far, because the day I die will be worse him. 351 00:26:03,595 --> 00:26:06,275 Speaker 1: He was the guy who ran Countdown project at Current 352 00:26:06,315 --> 00:26:10,035 Speaker 1: TV into the ground. I tried to hire Mattow and Hayes. 353 00:26:10,195 --> 00:26:14,875 Speaker 1: He hired jenk Yuger. She for once, I'm going to 354 00:26:14,915 --> 00:26:18,075 Speaker 1: talk about somebody I did not go out on a 355 00:26:18,155 --> 00:26:22,035 Speaker 1: date with Uma Thurman, and things I promised not to 356 00:26:22,075 --> 00:26:25,395 Speaker 1: tell coming up first, there are still more new idiots 357 00:26:25,435 --> 00:26:27,515 Speaker 1: to talk about in the daily roundup of the miscreants, 358 00:26:27,595 --> 00:26:33,955 Speaker 1: morons and Dunning Kruger effects specimens who constitute today's worst 359 00:26:33,955 --> 00:26:37,875 Speaker 1: persons in the world. Lebron's Worst. Diamond Sports and Major 360 00:26:37,955 --> 00:26:42,795 Speaker 1: League Baseball Baseball playoffs started on TV day before yesterday, 361 00:26:42,995 --> 00:26:46,715 Speaker 1: so naturally, exactly what Baseball wants right now is stories 362 00:26:46,755 --> 00:26:50,155 Speaker 1: about how at least eight of its team's telecasts next 363 00:26:50,235 --> 00:26:53,955 Speaker 1: year just got canceled by the TV company that was 364 00:26:53,955 --> 00:27:00,715 Speaker 1: supposedly going to carry them. Oops. It's Diamond part of 365 00:27:00,835 --> 00:27:05,515 Speaker 1: Sinclair Broadcasting, the part that operates the Bally regional sports 366 00:27:05,555 --> 00:27:08,595 Speaker 1: networks that took over when ESPN bought out the Fox 367 00:27:09,115 --> 00:27:12,435 Speaker 1: Regional Sports Networks. And then ESPN said, what the hell 368 00:27:12,475 --> 00:27:15,715 Speaker 1: did we do that for? And during the endless court 369 00:27:15,755 --> 00:27:20,075 Speaker 1: hearings about the bankruptcy of Diamond yesterday, the lawyer for 370 00:27:20,155 --> 00:27:23,275 Speaker 1: Diamond suddenly announced that of it's remaining dozen contracts with 371 00:27:23,315 --> 00:27:28,155 Speaker 1: big league clubs, it will only actually pursue and broadcast 372 00:27:28,235 --> 00:27:33,635 Speaker 1: the games of one of them, the Atlanta Braves, so Anaheim, Cincinnati, Detroit, 373 00:27:33,675 --> 00:27:36,995 Speaker 1: Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, Saint Louis, and Tampa Bay. Right now, 374 00:27:37,035 --> 00:27:40,475 Speaker 1: you don't have TV carriers for next year. Even though 375 00:27:40,475 --> 00:27:42,995 Speaker 1: each of the teams thought they had contracts with Diamond, 376 00:27:43,675 --> 00:27:47,795 Speaker 1: there were already three teams without deals for twenty twenty five, Cleveland, 377 00:27:47,795 --> 00:27:52,275 Speaker 1: Minnesota and Texas. The thing is, Baseball admitted it knew 378 00:27:52,315 --> 00:27:56,875 Speaker 1: nothing about Diamond doing this, about Diamond canceling the broadcast 379 00:27:57,755 --> 00:28:02,075 Speaker 1: until the Diamond lawyer said so in court. We were sandbagged, 380 00:28:02,435 --> 00:28:05,315 Speaker 1: said Baseball's lawyer, which, if you know anything about how 381 00:28:05,315 --> 00:28:08,395 Speaker 1: baseball is run under its commissioner, Rob Manfred, should not 382 00:28:08,475 --> 00:28:12,515 Speaker 1: surprise you in the least. The other thing is of 383 00:28:12,555 --> 00:28:17,395 Speaker 1: the eleven now homeless TV list clubs Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, 384 00:28:17,435 --> 00:28:22,475 Speaker 1: and Milwaukee constitute one third of all the teams in 385 00:28:22,555 --> 00:28:27,115 Speaker 1: this year's baseball playoffs. These are the successful teams losing 386 00:28:27,155 --> 00:28:31,515 Speaker 1: their TV homes because Baseball on TV is dying, because 387 00:28:31,555 --> 00:28:35,075 Speaker 1: baseball has completely screwed up its business model, because baseball 388 00:28:35,075 --> 00:28:38,675 Speaker 1: has emphasized making money today rather than giving up a 389 00:28:38,875 --> 00:28:42,235 Speaker 1: little of it to push and market interest in the 390 00:28:42,275 --> 00:28:45,675 Speaker 1: game as a whole, so that maybe you will watch 391 00:28:45,715 --> 00:28:48,555 Speaker 1: a game even if it is not your team playing, 392 00:28:48,795 --> 00:28:50,675 Speaker 1: or even if you don't have a bet down on 393 00:28:50,755 --> 00:28:55,315 Speaker 1: the damn teams playing. The third thing is the people 394 00:28:55,355 --> 00:28:58,395 Speaker 1: behind all this are from Sinclair Broadcasting. And if that 395 00:28:58,475 --> 00:29:01,355 Speaker 1: name sounds familiar, it should. It's the biggest bunch of 396 00:29:01,435 --> 00:29:07,315 Speaker 1: conservative propagandist trumpest craphound going. And so if the fans 397 00:29:07,355 --> 00:29:11,675 Speaker 1: of the Guardians, Rangers, Twins, Angels, Reds, Tigers, Royals, Marlins, Brewers, 398 00:29:11,715 --> 00:29:16,435 Speaker 1: Cardinals and Rays need to blame somebody, blame the far 399 00:29:16,635 --> 00:29:20,995 Speaker 1: right and its bottomless pit of greed and self interest, 400 00:29:22,395 --> 00:29:25,555 Speaker 1: they'll do something. They'll be on TV next year. But 401 00:29:25,635 --> 00:29:30,595 Speaker 1: right now those teams have the identical TV contracts as 402 00:29:30,635 --> 00:29:34,555 Speaker 1: do the Altunas of the eighteen eighty four Union Association 403 00:29:35,315 --> 00:29:39,315 Speaker 1: Altuna Altuna had a Major League Baseball team, Altuna, Pennsylvania 404 00:29:40,235 --> 00:29:42,995 Speaker 1: and by the way, Baseball. Also, while we're here, congratulations 405 00:29:42,995 --> 00:29:46,435 Speaker 1: on putting those garish, greedy, ugly ads on the playoff 406 00:29:46,475 --> 00:29:49,955 Speaker 1: batting helmets like you said you would. Special congratulations on 407 00:29:50,035 --> 00:29:53,435 Speaker 1: placing them just perfectly on the side of the helmets 408 00:29:53,715 --> 00:29:57,955 Speaker 1: so that they are almost always totally obscured by the 409 00:29:58,035 --> 00:30:01,795 Speaker 1: reflection off the lights in all the stadiums, so we 410 00:30:01,955 --> 00:30:05,075 Speaker 1: can't read the name of the advertiser. So with the 411 00:30:05,195 --> 00:30:08,515 Speaker 1: light streaks over it, the advertiser's name in big block 412 00:30:08,635 --> 00:30:15,635 Speaker 1: letters looks like it's E fooe E foo ee e foy, 413 00:30:16,435 --> 00:30:20,755 Speaker 1: leading manufacturer of beard curlers in the Midwest, I believe, 414 00:30:22,195 --> 00:30:28,555 Speaker 1: brought to you by E fooee. Vita Jects. Why don't 415 00:30:28,555 --> 00:30:31,555 Speaker 1: you do ads for Vita Jects? Get that Vita Jects? 416 00:30:31,595 --> 00:30:35,115 Speaker 1: Feeling lonesome roads the runner up worser. Speaking of bottomless 417 00:30:35,115 --> 00:30:38,395 Speaker 1: pits of greed, there's Fox News, and we all know 418 00:30:38,475 --> 00:30:40,795 Speaker 1: about it's greed and it's self interest, but often we 419 00:30:40,875 --> 00:30:45,155 Speaker 1: overlook the fact that Fox News teams with stupid people, 420 00:30:45,795 --> 00:30:49,595 Speaker 1: I mean with a name like older women. I'm actually 421 00:30:49,635 --> 00:30:53,835 Speaker 1: reluctant to mock almost any other name in human language. 422 00:30:53,835 --> 00:30:56,915 Speaker 1: But for God's sake, if you were a newscaster and 423 00:30:56,995 --> 00:31:03,275 Speaker 1: your last name was spelled as m n, would you 424 00:31:03,395 --> 00:31:06,915 Speaker 1: change it? I mean, I thought about changing Olderman when 425 00:31:06,955 --> 00:31:08,755 Speaker 1: I was still in college. I went on the air 426 00:31:08,795 --> 00:31:12,715 Speaker 1: once as Keith Owen, and it sounded so stupid I 427 00:31:12,715 --> 00:31:15,355 Speaker 1: went to screw it. I don't mind the name, but 428 00:31:15,435 --> 00:31:17,795 Speaker 1: I mean, if your name was asma N, would you 429 00:31:17,875 --> 00:31:22,755 Speaker 1: change it? I know he pronounces it Asman, but good grief, 430 00:31:22,795 --> 00:31:26,595 Speaker 1: it looks like Assman, as in Good Evening. I'm David 431 00:31:26,715 --> 00:31:33,395 Speaker 1: Asman with behind the scenes info. David Asman just does 432 00:31:33,435 --> 00:31:37,555 Speaker 1: not write as that choice would suggest. Brit Hume, the 433 00:31:37,675 --> 00:31:41,515 Speaker 1: oldest and absolutely not the wisest of the Fox fascists, 434 00:31:41,555 --> 00:31:45,555 Speaker 1: praise the work of the disgraced sexual harassment and abuse 435 00:31:45,675 --> 00:31:50,035 Speaker 1: king Mark Halperin, who had criticized CBS fact checking in 436 00:31:50,075 --> 00:31:52,835 Speaker 1: the VP debate, because, as Halprin knows from the end 437 00:31:52,835 --> 00:31:56,915 Speaker 1: of his career, truth is fatal to evil bastards like 438 00:31:56,995 --> 00:32:01,315 Speaker 1: Trump and Hume and Mark Halperin. By the way, you 439 00:32:01,315 --> 00:32:04,115 Speaker 1: know how old Brit Hume is. He's two hundred and six. 440 00:32:05,395 --> 00:32:10,795 Speaker 1: In any event, Hume screenshotted some of Halprin's bitter new fascism, 441 00:32:11,035 --> 00:32:14,875 Speaker 1: his revenge against the left wing media world that he 442 00:32:15,035 --> 00:32:18,515 Speaker 1: thinks shunned him, when in fact Alprin is lucky he's 443 00:32:18,555 --> 00:32:23,115 Speaker 1: not serving a life sentence for his actions anyway. Finally, 444 00:32:23,155 --> 00:32:28,235 Speaker 1: to the point, David Asman responded to Hume praising this 445 00:32:28,515 --> 00:32:32,195 Speaker 1: dick Halprin by saying Halprin was quote again, this is 446 00:32:32,235 --> 00:32:35,155 Speaker 1: Asman writing one of the few who could write truly 447 00:32:35,235 --> 00:32:38,035 Speaker 1: great books like A Soldier of the Great War and 448 00:32:38,155 --> 00:32:43,835 Speaker 1: also do great journalism. Sadly, no, A Soldier of the 449 00:32:43,835 --> 00:32:48,715 Speaker 1: Great War is a book written by Mark Helprin h 450 00:32:48,835 --> 00:32:50,955 Speaker 1: E l p r i N, who has never been 451 00:32:51,035 --> 00:32:54,595 Speaker 1: Mark Halperin h A l p e r i N, 452 00:32:55,635 --> 00:32:57,795 Speaker 1: Mark Helprin, who has never been accused of greeting fellow 453 00:32:57,835 --> 00:33:03,315 Speaker 1: employees at ABC News while he wasn't wearing any pants. Apparently, 454 00:33:03,395 --> 00:33:08,955 Speaker 1: David Assman just assumed Mark Halpern bad Guy and Mark 455 00:33:09,035 --> 00:33:14,355 Speaker 1: Helprin good Guy are the same person, because David Assman 456 00:33:14,715 --> 00:33:18,195 Speaker 1: is a dedicated newsman who can't tell his ass man 457 00:33:18,555 --> 00:33:23,395 Speaker 1: from his elbow man, which is the perfect segue to 458 00:33:23,435 --> 00:33:28,715 Speaker 1: the winner the worst. Chris Effing Cuomo, Holy crap, the 459 00:33:28,835 --> 00:33:32,835 Speaker 1: disgraced XCNN anchor has dropped down to the ranks of 460 00:33:32,915 --> 00:33:38,235 Speaker 1: the nicked. Night of News News Nation, the retirement home 461 00:33:38,675 --> 00:33:42,915 Speaker 1: for ex newscasters where management tells them, no, you still 462 00:33:42,915 --> 00:33:46,235 Speaker 1: have viewers, You still have an audience. If you didn't, 463 00:33:46,235 --> 00:33:48,675 Speaker 1: why would we have all these lights on in here. 464 00:33:49,875 --> 00:33:54,195 Speaker 1: This is a network which has nearly as many viewers 465 00:33:54,835 --> 00:34:04,315 Speaker 1: as this podcast has listeners. Chris Cuomo, desperate broken, addressed 466 00:34:04,315 --> 00:34:07,315 Speaker 1: the VP debate moment where JB. Vance uttered the immortal 467 00:34:07,355 --> 00:34:10,755 Speaker 1: words the rules were you guys weren't gonna affect check 468 00:34:11,395 --> 00:34:14,035 Speaker 1: the debate equivalent of you're not allowed to stop me 469 00:34:14,075 --> 00:34:20,635 Speaker 1: from lying. Cuomo explained, no, Vance wasn't lying. Quote. Vance 470 00:34:20,675 --> 00:34:23,555 Speaker 1: wanted to correct something about how Haitians got into this country, 471 00:34:23,555 --> 00:34:26,635 Speaker 1: and he was right. Cuomo then played the clip in 472 00:34:26,675 --> 00:34:30,155 Speaker 1: which Vance lied again about the legal status of the 473 00:34:30,155 --> 00:34:33,075 Speaker 1: Haitians and again pushed the lie that nearly got a 474 00:34:33,195 --> 00:34:37,875 Speaker 1: Trump loving Maga family in Ohio killed because the father 475 00:34:37,955 --> 00:34:42,835 Speaker 1: and that family defended his Haitian immigrant employees in Springfield, Ohio. 476 00:34:43,075 --> 00:34:46,555 Speaker 1: And then Cuomo came back from the bite and said, well, 477 00:34:46,555 --> 00:34:49,075 Speaker 1: there you have it and look, Vance was right. Okay, 478 00:34:49,155 --> 00:34:51,755 Speaker 1: there's nuance to it, But the bigger problem was why 479 00:34:51,915 --> 00:34:54,595 Speaker 1: was he moved on? We've got so much to get to, 480 00:34:54,675 --> 00:34:56,995 Speaker 1: says who you know what I mean, what is the 481 00:34:56,995 --> 00:34:59,835 Speaker 1: schedule here? So you have a list of topics, That's 482 00:34:59,835 --> 00:35:02,315 Speaker 1: not what it's about. It's about how the American people 483 00:35:02,355 --> 00:35:06,235 Speaker 1: can access these two men and the two theories and 484 00:35:06,315 --> 00:35:08,995 Speaker 1: the narratives. And you got to let them have speak 485 00:35:09,315 --> 00:35:12,875 Speaker 1: because now you created a story where you're the problem. 486 00:35:13,275 --> 00:35:15,395 Speaker 1: Well number one, no, you don't have to let them 487 00:35:15,435 --> 00:35:17,995 Speaker 1: have speak. If one of them is just lying and 488 00:35:18,075 --> 00:35:21,195 Speaker 1: trying to get people killed, you don't have to let 489 00:35:21,235 --> 00:35:23,675 Speaker 1: that happen. Maybe if you knew that, Chris, you might 490 00:35:23,715 --> 00:35:27,755 Speaker 1: still be working at CNN or ABC and not at 491 00:35:28,995 --> 00:35:34,755 Speaker 1: News News Nation. News Nation is the smallest nation in 492 00:35:34,795 --> 00:35:39,435 Speaker 1: the world in television terms. It's Luxembourg. And the other 493 00:35:39,475 --> 00:35:41,915 Speaker 1: thing is Vance was not right. Vance's argument is that 494 00:35:42,035 --> 00:35:45,115 Speaker 1: laws were waived to allow these immigrants to come here 495 00:35:45,155 --> 00:35:49,275 Speaker 1: and stay here, which means they're here legally, and that 496 00:35:49,355 --> 00:35:51,915 Speaker 1: if he and Trump are elected, they will enforce those 497 00:35:51,995 --> 00:35:55,035 Speaker 1: laws in different ways, and these people who are here 498 00:35:55,115 --> 00:35:58,275 Speaker 1: legally now suddenly will not be here legally and they 499 00:35:58,315 --> 00:36:00,635 Speaker 1: will be guilty of not being here legally and they 500 00:36:00,675 --> 00:36:05,035 Speaker 1: will be deported. And in the interim Vance's argument, his narrative, 501 00:36:05,395 --> 00:36:08,595 Speaker 1: as this buffoon Cuomo calls it, is that the immigrants 502 00:36:08,595 --> 00:36:11,915 Speaker 1: are eating cats and dogs. And if maga psychopaths want 503 00:36:11,955 --> 00:36:15,035 Speaker 1: to go to Ohio and threaten them or kill them, 504 00:36:15,355 --> 00:36:18,395 Speaker 1: or threaten or kill those defending them, or in this case, 505 00:36:18,675 --> 00:36:21,595 Speaker 1: threaten or kill the fourteen year old daughters of those 506 00:36:21,675 --> 00:36:26,675 Speaker 1: defending them, that's fine by him because he's JV. Vance, 507 00:36:27,315 --> 00:36:32,235 Speaker 1: snake oil salesman. This is what Chris Cuomo claims, is 508 00:36:32,595 --> 00:36:37,555 Speaker 1: Nuance Advance being right. Now, it's two theories, and now, 509 00:36:37,635 --> 00:36:39,635 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, on top of all of this, 510 00:36:40,195 --> 00:36:44,995 Speaker 1: we're supposed to listen to Chris Cuomo about journalistic ethics 511 00:36:45,395 --> 00:36:49,675 Speaker 1: and political ethics. When Chris Cuomo's response to his brother's 512 00:36:49,755 --> 00:36:52,875 Speaker 1: corruption as governor of New York was to ignore it 513 00:36:53,475 --> 00:36:56,515 Speaker 1: on the air or to cover it up on the 514 00:36:56,635 --> 00:37:01,835 Speaker 1: air and then privately offer media advice to his brother, 515 00:37:02,675 --> 00:37:06,195 Speaker 1: and when CNN finally figured out Chris Cuomo was destroying 516 00:37:06,235 --> 00:37:09,795 Speaker 1: their credibility on this vital story, instead of taking him 517 00:37:09,835 --> 00:37:13,595 Speaker 1: off their network or least putting somebody else on the 518 00:37:13,635 --> 00:37:16,115 Speaker 1: air for a few minutes every night on his show 519 00:37:17,155 --> 00:37:20,995 Speaker 1: to cover the Andrew Cuomo scandals so Chris Cuomo didn't 520 00:37:20,995 --> 00:37:23,355 Speaker 1: have to do it. CNN's answer to this was to 521 00:37:23,475 --> 00:37:26,875 Speaker 1: just have Chris Cuomo never mention the story at all, 522 00:37:27,635 --> 00:37:31,235 Speaker 1: which was a passive aggressive way of downplaying the scandal 523 00:37:31,315 --> 00:37:33,955 Speaker 1: even further and letting Andrew Cuomo get away with it 524 00:37:33,995 --> 00:37:37,435 Speaker 1: a little bit more. But sure, Chris, you tell me 525 00:37:37,475 --> 00:37:42,115 Speaker 1: what's right and wrong here? The statute of limitations on 526 00:37:42,235 --> 00:37:45,755 Speaker 1: being right and wrong says, surely elapsed since twenty twenty, 527 00:37:45,755 --> 00:37:48,355 Speaker 1: hasn't it. Maybe you'll get it right this time, since 528 00:37:48,395 --> 00:37:53,155 Speaker 1: this one doesn't involve any of your own relatives. I've 529 00:37:53,195 --> 00:37:56,435 Speaker 1: mentioned before that the desire to be on television, especially 530 00:37:56,435 --> 00:38:00,475 Speaker 1: when it comes to doing the news, is a psychological illness. 531 00:38:01,475 --> 00:38:06,715 Speaker 1: I confess if you recognize this, yes, you're probably still 532 00:38:06,715 --> 00:38:09,395 Speaker 1: in control. If you don't, and it becomes not a 533 00:38:09,435 --> 00:38:12,955 Speaker 1: desire but a need to be on TV, you wind 534 00:38:13,035 --> 00:38:15,955 Speaker 1: up going on a channel that is propaganda for the 535 00:38:15,995 --> 00:38:20,115 Speaker 1: far right dressed up as independent journalism that nobody watches, 536 00:38:20,635 --> 00:38:23,395 Speaker 1: and you start spouting excuses for Trump and Advance and 537 00:38:23,435 --> 00:38:26,955 Speaker 1: the rest of the fascists excuses so nauseating that if 538 00:38:26,995 --> 00:38:29,435 Speaker 1: your father were still alive to hear it, he'd slap 539 00:38:29,475 --> 00:38:33,955 Speaker 1: you in the face. This is where Chris Cuomo is 540 00:38:33,995 --> 00:38:35,995 Speaker 1: that and the fact that by looking at the tape 541 00:38:35,995 --> 00:38:38,755 Speaker 1: of him saying this last night three or four times, 542 00:38:39,035 --> 00:38:44,195 Speaker 1: I constituted a measurable percentage of his audience. Chris Cuomo, 543 00:38:44,475 --> 00:38:47,915 Speaker 1: who is prostituting himself and whatever he thinks he used 544 00:38:47,955 --> 00:38:53,795 Speaker 1: to stand for two days, worst person in the world. 545 00:39:09,795 --> 00:39:12,115 Speaker 1: And now to the number one story on the Countdown 546 00:39:12,155 --> 00:39:15,475 Speaker 1: and my favorite topic, me and I saw her on 547 00:39:15,555 --> 00:39:19,675 Speaker 1: TV recently, so I flashed back and shuddered all over again. Yes, 548 00:39:19,755 --> 00:39:23,595 Speaker 1: it's things I promised not to tell. I suspect that 549 00:39:23,835 --> 00:39:27,235 Speaker 1: until the day I actually die. No day will have 550 00:39:27,355 --> 00:39:30,995 Speaker 1: started so well with such promise, yet ended so badly 551 00:39:31,035 --> 00:39:35,635 Speaker 1: with such a clanging thud as Wednesday, July twenty seventh, 552 00:39:35,635 --> 00:39:40,475 Speaker 1: twenty eleven did. Near midnight two nights earlier, I had 553 00:39:40,595 --> 00:39:43,115 Speaker 1: just entered my New York apartment back from a New 554 00:39:43,195 --> 00:39:46,955 Speaker 1: York Yankees game, when the last landline telephone I ever 555 00:39:47,035 --> 00:39:53,075 Speaker 1: owned began to ring, Hi, Keith, it's uma, Yeah, how 556 00:39:53,075 --> 00:39:56,995 Speaker 1: many UMAs could there be? It? Was the actress Uma Thurman. 557 00:39:57,115 --> 00:39:59,355 Speaker 1: We had texted briefly, we had never met, we had 558 00:39:59,395 --> 00:40:02,115 Speaker 1: never spoken. We spoke for ninety minutes, and she was 559 00:40:02,155 --> 00:40:05,715 Speaker 1: self deprecating and vulnerable and razor sharp warm, and she 560 00:40:05,755 --> 00:40:10,355 Speaker 1: invited me to coffee on the afternoon of D Day, Wednesday, 561 00:40:10,435 --> 00:40:14,315 Speaker 1: July twenty seven, twenty eleven, one of the producers I 562 00:40:14,355 --> 00:40:16,675 Speaker 1: had hired to do the new version of Countdown on 563 00:40:16,835 --> 00:40:20,875 Speaker 1: Al Gore's network, Current TV, happened to know Uma Thurman 564 00:40:20,955 --> 00:40:24,075 Speaker 1: from the gym. Erica Ferrari was her name, and she 565 00:40:24,235 --> 00:40:26,275 Speaker 1: was great, and she and Uma Thurman had become close 566 00:40:26,395 --> 00:40:30,155 Speaker 1: enough that Uma had unloaded all her relationship issues on Erica. 567 00:40:30,195 --> 00:40:31,955 Speaker 1: And the next thing I knew, Erica was in my 568 00:40:32,035 --> 00:40:34,915 Speaker 1: office explaining to me that when she explained to Uma 569 00:40:34,995 --> 00:40:38,435 Speaker 1: where she worked and with whom, Uma said the Keith Olderman. 570 00:40:38,715 --> 00:40:41,515 Speaker 1: And now I was being set up for drinks or 571 00:40:41,515 --> 00:40:46,675 Speaker 1: dinner or coffee or something with Uma Thurman. So this 572 00:40:46,755 --> 00:40:49,635 Speaker 1: seemed like a good day. Then two nights earlier we 573 00:40:49,755 --> 00:40:53,715 Speaker 1: had finally had had this marvelous, warm conversation, and Uma 574 00:40:53,795 --> 00:40:56,835 Speaker 1: Thurman had suggested coffee and Wednesday in two thirty or so, 575 00:40:57,155 --> 00:40:59,195 Speaker 1: in one of the two or three places in Midtown 576 00:40:59,235 --> 00:41:02,075 Speaker 1: near my studio, and she'd text me with details and 577 00:41:02,075 --> 00:41:06,915 Speaker 1: she couldn't wait. Slaneously with this, the CEO of the 578 00:41:06,955 --> 00:41:09,915 Speaker 1: Current TV network, Mark Rosenthal, called me up and invited 579 00:41:09,915 --> 00:41:12,955 Speaker 1: me to dinner on Wednesday, July twenty seventh, twenty eleven, 580 00:41:13,035 --> 00:41:16,395 Speaker 1: going to be a busy day. Al Gore and Current 581 00:41:16,475 --> 00:41:19,475 Speaker 1: had hired me even before I left MSNBC. That was 582 00:41:19,475 --> 00:41:21,795 Speaker 1: what that was all about. And I had met and 583 00:41:21,875 --> 00:41:24,435 Speaker 1: gotten to know everybody in the organization over the following 584 00:41:24,475 --> 00:41:26,515 Speaker 1: six months before we finally got the show on the 585 00:41:26,555 --> 00:41:29,315 Speaker 1: air in June. We got off to a good start, 586 00:41:29,355 --> 00:41:32,115 Speaker 1: even though Current TV was available only in low def 587 00:41:32,275 --> 00:41:36,315 Speaker 1: digital cable. On its first night, Countdown on Current beat 588 00:41:36,355 --> 00:41:41,155 Speaker 1: both MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell's Show and CNN's Elliott Spitzer Show, 589 00:41:41,195 --> 00:41:44,875 Speaker 1: and the so called demo ratings measuring viewers eighteen to 590 00:41:44,875 --> 00:41:49,515 Speaker 1: fifty four. But by July twenty seventh, twenty eleven, so 591 00:41:49,915 --> 00:41:52,435 Speaker 1: like two months later, it was evident to me that 592 00:41:52,475 --> 00:41:55,355 Speaker 1: the network was run by four kinds of people. One 593 00:41:55,475 --> 00:41:58,715 Speaker 1: the CEO Rosenthal, who used to be at MTV and 594 00:41:58,795 --> 00:42:01,795 Speaker 1: knew what he was doing. Two some dilettants who did 595 00:42:01,795 --> 00:42:03,995 Speaker 1: not know how to plug in a television, let alone 596 00:42:04,035 --> 00:42:07,555 Speaker 1: put stuff on one. Three co owner Al Gore, who 597 00:42:07,595 --> 00:42:11,195 Speaker 1: meant well but who had absolutely no judgment when it 598 00:42:11,235 --> 00:42:15,315 Speaker 1: came to business partners. And four in a class by himself. 599 00:42:15,755 --> 00:42:20,715 Speaker 1: Gore's business partner Joel Hyatt, who had made one superb 600 00:42:20,795 --> 00:42:24,395 Speaker 1: business decision in nineteen seventy seven that earned him billions 601 00:42:24,395 --> 00:42:26,875 Speaker 1: of dollars, and he sold everything and then it earned 602 00:42:26,915 --> 00:42:30,355 Speaker 1: him billions of dollars again. But he had literally never 603 00:42:30,435 --> 00:42:34,635 Speaker 1: gotten anything right since nineteen seventy seven, while at the 604 00:42:34,675 --> 00:42:38,355 Speaker 1: same time thinking he had never gotten anything wrong since 605 00:42:38,435 --> 00:42:41,715 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seven. He was a liberal. Unfortunately he was 606 00:42:41,755 --> 00:42:45,355 Speaker 1: a liberal Donald Trump. What was worse was that of 607 00:42:45,395 --> 00:42:49,755 Speaker 1: all these people, only Mark Rosenthal understood how ruinously incompetent 608 00:42:49,835 --> 00:42:53,675 Speaker 1: Joel Hyatt really was. Rosenthal had been president of MTV 609 00:42:53,755 --> 00:42:56,075 Speaker 1: from nineteen ninety six through two thousand and four, and 610 00:42:56,155 --> 00:42:59,075 Speaker 1: whatever you thought of all those reality shows and the 611 00:42:59,075 --> 00:43:04,115 Speaker 1: Real World and stuff like that, they were successes. He 612 00:43:04,195 --> 00:43:08,195 Speaker 1: knew what he was doing, and he knew Joel Hyatt didn't. 613 00:43:09,315 --> 00:43:11,755 Speaker 1: And Mark Rosenthal had invited me to dinner as soon 614 00:43:11,795 --> 00:43:14,355 Speaker 1: as my show was over on Wednesday night, July twenty seven, 615 00:43:14,435 --> 00:43:17,555 Speaker 1: twenty eleven, about seven hours after I was scheduled to 616 00:43:17,555 --> 00:43:20,635 Speaker 1: have coffee with Uma Thurman as a dry run for 617 00:43:20,675 --> 00:43:24,715 Speaker 1: a date, and Rosenthal told me he had figured out 618 00:43:24,755 --> 00:43:27,915 Speaker 1: how we could in effect take control of the Current 619 00:43:27,995 --> 00:43:31,795 Speaker 1: TV network away from this Joel Hyat and not only 620 00:43:31,835 --> 00:43:34,955 Speaker 1: exploit the good start Countdown had made, but build on 621 00:43:35,035 --> 00:43:38,195 Speaker 1: it and make Current TV into the liberal news network 622 00:43:38,235 --> 00:43:40,875 Speaker 1: we had been intending to create and knew would be 623 00:43:40,955 --> 00:43:44,275 Speaker 1: a success. Dinner would be our chance for him to 624 00:43:44,315 --> 00:43:48,795 Speaker 1: explain it to me, to hatch our plan. It was 625 00:43:48,835 --> 00:43:53,955 Speaker 1: a big, big day. I think without me going into detail, 626 00:43:54,075 --> 00:43:57,355 Speaker 1: you intuitively get the Uma Thurman part of what July 627 00:43:57,475 --> 00:43:59,995 Speaker 1: twenty seventh, twenty eleven was supposed to be. But I 628 00:44:00,075 --> 00:44:01,995 Speaker 1: need to put a little bit more meat on the 629 00:44:02,035 --> 00:44:04,475 Speaker 1: bones of why it was so important at Current T. 630 00:44:05,235 --> 00:44:09,275 Speaker 1: This is who this guy Hyatt was, that same producer 631 00:44:09,275 --> 00:44:11,555 Speaker 1: who was doing her best to set up Uma Thurman 632 00:44:11,635 --> 00:44:14,475 Speaker 1: and me Erica. She walked in one day, white as 633 00:44:14,555 --> 00:44:17,595 Speaker 1: the sheet of paper she was carrying at arms length, 634 00:44:17,635 --> 00:44:21,515 Speaker 1: as if it had been printed in bubonic plague she 635 00:44:21,675 --> 00:44:25,475 Speaker 1: had found while surfing around internet archives. A New York 636 00:44:25,555 --> 00:44:29,435 Speaker 1: Times article about this Joel Hyatt an article from April thirteen, 637 00:44:29,595 --> 00:44:33,515 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety. You remember the movie Philadelphia, where the evil 638 00:44:33,555 --> 00:44:36,515 Speaker 1: head of law firm portrayed by the actor Jason Robards 639 00:44:36,715 --> 00:44:39,315 Speaker 1: had fired the head of his Philadelphia office played by 640 00:44:39,315 --> 00:44:43,355 Speaker 1: Tom Hanks because the Hanks character had aids and Hanks's 641 00:44:43,395 --> 00:44:45,515 Speaker 1: character got as he his lawyer, a character played by 642 00:44:45,555 --> 00:44:49,835 Speaker 1: Denzel Washington. Well, this guy who co owned Current TV 643 00:44:50,035 --> 00:44:54,315 Speaker 1: with Al Gore. He was the Jason Robard's character he 644 00:44:54,915 --> 00:44:58,675 Speaker 1: had fired from his law firm Hiatt Legal Services the 645 00:44:58,715 --> 00:45:02,755 Speaker 1: head of his Philadelphia office, Clarence B. Kin after finding 646 00:45:02,835 --> 00:45:06,075 Speaker 1: out Clarence B. Kane had a In fact, reality was 647 00:45:06,115 --> 00:45:09,075 Speaker 1: actually worse than the Philadelphia movie. In real life, Clarence B. 648 00:45:09,235 --> 00:45:13,275 Speaker 1: Kane was also African American. The time story that Erica 649 00:45:13,355 --> 00:45:16,355 Speaker 1: Ferrari handed me like it was printed on razor Blades, 650 00:45:16,795 --> 00:45:19,595 Speaker 1: recounted how a federal judge had not only ordered Hyatt 651 00:45:19,675 --> 00:45:22,315 Speaker 1: Legal Services to pay mister Kane one hundred and fifty 652 00:45:22,315 --> 00:45:26,075 Speaker 1: seven thousand dollars plus costs, but how it had ordered 653 00:45:26,115 --> 00:45:29,875 Speaker 1: them to pay him immediately, like in the next couple days. 654 00:45:30,915 --> 00:45:33,635 Speaker 1: This was harrowing enough, but the final paragraph made my 655 00:45:33,715 --> 00:45:38,515 Speaker 1: head swim. Quote. What pained him most, mister Hyatt said, 656 00:45:38,995 --> 00:45:41,835 Speaker 1: was the notion that his firm discriminated. He noted how 657 00:45:41,835 --> 00:45:45,475 Speaker 1: it had, after all, named a gay black man to 658 00:45:45,595 --> 00:45:48,395 Speaker 1: run one of its major offices, something no law firm 659 00:45:48,435 --> 00:45:52,715 Speaker 1: its size has ever knowingly done. Quote. What's totally lost 660 00:45:52,715 --> 00:45:54,995 Speaker 1: in the shuffle is that this is an organization in 661 00:45:55,035 --> 00:45:58,675 Speaker 1: which anyone can succeed, he said. No one has written 662 00:45:58,675 --> 00:46:03,435 Speaker 1: about that. That was this guy Hyatt in a nutshell. 663 00:46:03,515 --> 00:46:06,035 Speaker 1: He fired a gay black man who was dying of AIDS. 664 00:46:06,315 --> 00:46:09,635 Speaker 1: But he knew who the real victim here was himself. 665 00:46:10,835 --> 00:46:13,195 Speaker 1: And it's not like Hyatt had improved over the years. 666 00:46:13,395 --> 00:46:15,995 Speaker 1: As I mentioned. The Night Countdown premiered on Current TV 667 00:46:16,475 --> 00:46:19,995 Speaker 1: June twentieth, twenty eleven. We beat MSNBC and CNN in 668 00:46:19,995 --> 00:46:23,475 Speaker 1: the ratings, but we didn't know it. The next day, 669 00:46:23,915 --> 00:46:26,875 Speaker 1: our ratings showed that we had beaten CNN and just 670 00:46:27,195 --> 00:46:31,075 Speaker 1: missed beating O'Donnell on MSNBC. A few weeks later, one 671 00:46:31,115 --> 00:46:33,315 Speaker 1: of those networks got a friendly reporter to write a 672 00:46:33,355 --> 00:46:36,515 Speaker 1: story about how since the debut, our ratings on Current 673 00:46:36,595 --> 00:46:39,075 Speaker 1: had sunk, which was to be expected and which was 674 00:46:39,115 --> 00:46:42,355 Speaker 1: a totally legitimate competitive thing for the MSNBC guys to do, 675 00:46:42,955 --> 00:46:47,075 Speaker 1: But the numbers were all wrong. The ratings for Countdown 676 00:46:47,475 --> 00:46:51,035 Speaker 1: that were included in the pro CNN pro MSNBC story 677 00:46:51,075 --> 00:46:55,355 Speaker 1: were somehow higher than the ratings we saw every day 678 00:46:55,355 --> 00:46:59,035 Speaker 1: at current. If I'm not clear about this, the story 679 00:46:59,155 --> 00:47:01,955 Speaker 1: said that, say, on Monday, July eleventh, we had had 680 00:47:01,995 --> 00:47:05,835 Speaker 1: one hundred thousand demo viewers. Buttings the ratings we got 681 00:47:05,835 --> 00:47:09,235 Speaker 1: from the Nielsen company, they said that on Monday July seventh, 682 00:47:09,315 --> 00:47:11,195 Speaker 1: we didn't have one hundred thousand demo viewers when I 683 00:47:11,235 --> 00:47:15,435 Speaker 1: had seventy five thousand demo viewers. Well, something was really 684 00:47:15,515 --> 00:47:18,315 Speaker 1: really wrong here. So when Hyatt called me for our 685 00:47:18,435 --> 00:47:21,475 Speaker 1: weekly phone chat, I said, look, there's something wrong with 686 00:47:21,515 --> 00:47:24,075 Speaker 1: the ratings. And I explained the article to him and 687 00:47:24,075 --> 00:47:25,675 Speaker 1: he said, oh, I knew they were going to do that, 688 00:47:26,195 --> 00:47:28,715 Speaker 1: show how your ratings had dropped. And I said, no, 689 00:47:28,755 --> 00:47:31,555 Speaker 1: you're missing my point. They say we had higher ratings 690 00:47:31,755 --> 00:47:33,635 Speaker 1: than we actually did. Oh. I knew they were going 691 00:47:33,675 --> 00:47:36,395 Speaker 1: to do that too, he said, with even more condescension. 692 00:47:36,675 --> 00:47:38,755 Speaker 1: And I said, why would they do that? Why would 693 00:47:38,755 --> 00:47:40,755 Speaker 1: they try to make us look better? Oh? I knew 694 00:47:40,755 --> 00:47:44,515 Speaker 1: they were going to do that too, just too. Then 695 00:47:44,555 --> 00:47:47,075 Speaker 1: there was a long pause while Joel Hyatt made something 696 00:47:47,155 --> 00:47:51,555 Speaker 1: up just to mess with us. I asked him, since 697 00:47:51,595 --> 00:47:54,955 Speaker 1: he had personally purchased the ratings package from the Nielsen Company, 698 00:47:54,955 --> 00:47:57,315 Speaker 1: the first ratings in the history of current TV, if 699 00:47:57,355 --> 00:47:59,755 Speaker 1: he could just review for me what he remembered of 700 00:47:59,795 --> 00:48:02,995 Speaker 1: the process. Well, I went in and made an excellent deal. 701 00:48:03,115 --> 00:48:05,595 Speaker 1: I saved two thousand dollars on their initial price point. 702 00:48:06,475 --> 00:48:08,875 Speaker 1: This man was worth a couple of billion dollars. They 703 00:48:09,035 --> 00:48:12,675 Speaker 1: wanted us to buy not just the live ratings, but 704 00:48:12,715 --> 00:48:17,995 Speaker 1: something called live plus Divver. I thought for a moment Divver, 705 00:48:18,915 --> 00:48:26,035 Speaker 1: I said, you mean live plus DVR. He laughed, Yes, 706 00:48:26,235 --> 00:48:29,075 Speaker 1: that's it, Divver. What the hell is divver? You just 707 00:48:29,355 --> 00:48:33,275 Speaker 1: use the live ratings, and TV everybody knows that. I 708 00:48:33,315 --> 00:48:37,275 Speaker 1: explained to him that divver ratings were comparatively new, about 709 00:48:37,475 --> 00:48:40,395 Speaker 1: three four years old at that point. They added to 710 00:48:40,795 --> 00:48:43,275 Speaker 1: the live rating people who would watch the show on 711 00:48:43,355 --> 00:48:47,515 Speaker 1: their DVR within twenty four hours of having recorded it. 712 00:48:48,195 --> 00:48:50,555 Speaker 1: He had bought the ratings that did not include all 713 00:48:50,595 --> 00:48:53,115 Speaker 1: of those people, so that when we got what we 714 00:48:53,275 --> 00:48:55,875 Speaker 1: thought were our ratings for our premiere night, when we 715 00:48:55,915 --> 00:48:58,795 Speaker 1: beat CNN and almost beat MSNBC, but just missed. We 716 00:48:58,835 --> 00:49:02,475 Speaker 1: didn't just miss. The ratings package this idiot Higatt had 717 00:49:02,475 --> 00:49:05,235 Speaker 1: bought did not include anybody who watched the show on 718 00:49:05,275 --> 00:49:08,395 Speaker 1: their DVRs, and that cost us the chance to come 719 00:49:08,395 --> 00:49:11,155 Speaker 1: out and say we beat CNN MSNBC the first night 720 00:49:11,315 --> 00:49:13,675 Speaker 1: with this crappy, low deaf picture down on chair of 721 00:49:13,715 --> 00:49:17,555 Speaker 1: channel hundred and three. But more importantly, it saved this 722 00:49:17,675 --> 00:49:26,515 Speaker 1: billionaire idiot Hiatt two thousand dollars. So Mark Rosenthal was 723 00:49:26,595 --> 00:49:30,035 Speaker 1: taking me to dinner hours after I was to have 724 00:49:30,155 --> 00:49:33,355 Speaker 1: coffee with Uma Thurman to explain how we could get 725 00:49:33,395 --> 00:49:39,955 Speaker 1: rid of this idiot who thought DVR meant divver. Thus 726 00:49:40,275 --> 00:49:43,435 Speaker 1: was July twenty seventh, twenty eleven going to be one 727 00:49:43,435 --> 00:49:48,915 Speaker 1: of the turning points in my life. And then about 728 00:49:48,915 --> 00:49:51,355 Speaker 1: one forty five, just when Uma said she was going 729 00:49:51,395 --> 00:49:52,995 Speaker 1: to text me to tell me where to meet her 730 00:49:52,995 --> 00:49:55,835 Speaker 1: for coffee, she texted me, all right, She texted me 731 00:49:55,875 --> 00:49:58,035 Speaker 1: to explain her rehearsal was running along and she had 732 00:49:58,035 --> 00:50:01,595 Speaker 1: to postpone. And while I was reading between those lines 733 00:50:01,595 --> 00:50:03,475 Speaker 1: and knowing that that actually met she was going back 734 00:50:03,515 --> 00:50:05,635 Speaker 1: with her boyfriend or her her husband, or whoever, he 735 00:50:05,795 --> 00:50:09,035 Speaker 1: was a company. Email came into all of our inboxes, 736 00:50:09,275 --> 00:50:11,835 Speaker 1: and even before I opened it, I could hear mass 737 00:50:12,035 --> 00:50:17,395 Speaker 1: groaning coming from my newsroom, Mark Rosenthal seven hours before 738 00:50:17,435 --> 00:50:20,875 Speaker 1: our dinner to plot how to root around Joel Diver 739 00:50:21,155 --> 00:50:25,275 Speaker 1: slash Jason Robard's in Philadelphia Slash. I saved two thousand 740 00:50:25,355 --> 00:50:30,395 Speaker 1: dollars Hyatt. Mark Rosenthal had been fired and he'd been 741 00:50:30,435 --> 00:50:35,595 Speaker 1: replaced as CEO of Current TV effective immediately by co 742 00:50:35,715 --> 00:50:44,555 Speaker 1: owner Joel Hyatt. Well, holy Divver, it'd be a better 743 00:50:44,635 --> 00:50:47,635 Speaker 1: story if I never saw Mark Rosenthal or Uma Thurman 744 00:50:47,675 --> 00:50:49,995 Speaker 1: again in my life, but it wouldn't be true. I 745 00:50:50,035 --> 00:50:52,395 Speaker 1: saw Mark many times. And then four years later, I 746 00:50:52,435 --> 00:50:54,675 Speaker 1: was at a New York recording studio doing the voice 747 00:50:54,675 --> 00:50:58,075 Speaker 1: of the newsman character Tom Jumbo Grumbo on the Great 748 00:50:58,115 --> 00:51:01,315 Speaker 1: animated series BoJack Horseman. When one of the other studio 749 00:51:01,395 --> 00:51:07,395 Speaker 1: doors opened an outstep to Uma Thurman, radiant, elegant. I 750 00:51:07,435 --> 00:51:10,675 Speaker 1: introduced myself. She smiled, she said she was a fan. 751 00:51:11,035 --> 00:51:15,275 Speaker 1: She laughed, and she said, you know, we must have 752 00:51:15,395 --> 00:51:33,835 Speaker 1: coffee sometime. Dipper, what the dollar's Dipper? I saved eleven dollars. 753 00:51:35,395 --> 00:51:39,235 Speaker 1: Oh my god, what a mistake. That was not leaving MSNBC. 754 00:51:39,355 --> 00:51:42,435 Speaker 1: I had to leave MSNBC and not taking the money. 755 00:51:42,715 --> 00:51:45,995 Speaker 1: I like the money, but boy, was this guy an idiot. 756 00:51:46,235 --> 00:51:48,075 Speaker 1: I've done all the damage I can do here. Thank 757 00:51:48,075 --> 00:51:50,395 Speaker 1: you for listening. We're now back to five episodes a week, 758 00:51:50,675 --> 00:51:54,635 Speaker 1: posting nightly just after midnight Eastern. Once again, there is 759 00:51:54,675 --> 00:51:56,995 Speaker 1: a Monday Countdown. Please send this podcast to somebody who 760 00:51:56,995 --> 00:52:00,395 Speaker 1: doesn't listen but should, and as I bash Chris Cuomo's audience. 761 00:52:00,435 --> 00:52:03,275 Speaker 1: Relative to the size of this podcast, this podcast has 762 00:52:03,315 --> 00:52:09,195 Speaker 1: a larger audience than Countdown on Current TV had. Brian 763 00:52:09,275 --> 00:52:13,635 Speaker 1: Ray and John Phillip Shaneil, the musical directors of Countdown, arranged, produced, 764 00:52:13,635 --> 00:52:18,435 Speaker 1: and performed most of our music, and they update it continuously. 765 00:52:19,075 --> 00:52:21,995 Speaker 1: Mister Chanelle handled orchestration and keyboards. Mister Ray was on 766 00:52:22,035 --> 00:52:27,595 Speaker 1: the guitars, bass, drums, and musical innovations was produced by 767 00:52:27,635 --> 00:52:31,595 Speaker 1: Tko Brothers. Our satirical and fithy musical comments are by 768 00:52:31,635 --> 00:52:35,755 Speaker 1: the best baseball stadium organist ever, Nancy Faust. The sports 769 00:52:35,835 --> 00:52:38,755 Speaker 1: music is the Olberman theme from ESPN two. It was 770 00:52:38,795 --> 00:52:42,235 Speaker 1: written by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy of ESPN Inc. Other 771 00:52:42,315 --> 00:52:45,115 Speaker 1: music arranged and performed by the group, no horns allowed. 772 00:52:45,555 --> 00:52:49,275 Speaker 1: My announcer today was my friend Stevie van Zant. Everything 773 00:52:49,275 --> 00:52:52,435 Speaker 1: else was pretty much my fault. That's countdown for today. 774 00:52:52,475 --> 00:52:55,515 Speaker 1: Four weeks and five days until the twenty twenty four 775 00:52:55,595 --> 00:52:58,835 Speaker 1: presidential election and the one thousand, three hundred and sixty 776 00:52:58,875 --> 00:53:02,875 Speaker 1: seventh day since convicted felon drooling Jay Trump's first attempted 777 00:53:02,955 --> 00:53:06,195 Speaker 1: coup against the democratically all government of the United States. 778 00:53:06,755 --> 00:53:11,595 Speaker 1: Use the election, use the Jack Smith filing, use the 779 00:53:11,595 --> 00:53:14,275 Speaker 1: mental health system, use presidential immunity if we have to 780 00:53:14,275 --> 00:53:18,875 Speaker 1: to keep him from doing it again. Wow is douncan? 781 00:53:20,435 --> 00:53:23,315 Speaker 1: The next scheduled countdown is tomorrow. Bulletins as the news 782 00:53:23,355 --> 00:53:26,315 Speaker 1: requires till the next one. I'm Keith Olrimman. Good morning, 783 00:53:26,315 --> 00:53:47,475 Speaker 1: good afternoon, good night, then good luck. Countdown with Keith 784 00:53:47,475 --> 00:53:52,555 Speaker 1: Olriman is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 785 00:53:52,715 --> 00:53:56,715 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 786 00:53:56,755 --> 00:53:57,675 Speaker 1: your podcasts.