1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:21,075 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. This 2 00:00:21,515 --> 00:00:27,475 Speaker 1: ends with Elon Musk demanding that the government bail out Twitter. Right, 3 00:00:28,235 --> 00:00:31,315 Speaker 1: I will get to this unexpected observation by one leader 4 00:00:31,355 --> 00:00:34,235 Speaker 1: about another from the Michigan State Republican Conference quote he 5 00:00:34,355 --> 00:00:36,515 Speaker 1: kicked me in my balls as soon as I opened 6 00:00:36,555 --> 00:00:40,355 Speaker 1: the door, and also Trump's apparent use of the IRS 7 00:00:40,395 --> 00:00:45,595 Speaker 1: to punish his opponents. But first with Threads, a pale 8 00:00:45,715 --> 00:00:49,195 Speaker 1: and mostly flaccid knockoff of Twitter run by the man 9 00:00:49,235 --> 00:00:53,355 Speaker 1: who preceded Musk as the most unpopular tech pro in 10 00:00:53,435 --> 00:00:59,555 Speaker 1: the world, crossing the one hundred million users threshold overnight, 11 00:01:00,915 --> 00:01:04,995 Speaker 1: Musk expecting that someday, someday, soon he will be shaved 12 00:01:05,035 --> 00:01:07,915 Speaker 1: by Uncle Sam. That has to be his end game, 13 00:01:08,075 --> 00:01:11,555 Speaker 1: doesn't it. I mean, it barely makes sense as it is, 14 00:01:11,635 --> 00:01:13,875 Speaker 1: but it would be the only thing that would even 15 00:01:13,995 --> 00:01:17,955 Speaker 1: barely make sense after the bottomless pit of debacles since 16 00:01:17,955 --> 00:01:21,475 Speaker 1: he took over the nation's prominent clearinghouse for news and 17 00:01:21,555 --> 00:01:25,755 Speaker 1: political exchange and turned it into the world's largest, overflowing 18 00:01:25,875 --> 00:01:32,235 Speaker 1: fascist toilet. Mark Zuckerberg's new site, Oh this is nice. 19 00:01:32,235 --> 00:01:35,475 Speaker 1: Does it do anything now? Maybe it'll do something later? 20 00:01:35,795 --> 00:01:40,555 Speaker 1: Sign me Up. It exceeded seventy five million users by Friday, 21 00:01:41,035 --> 00:01:44,955 Speaker 1: ninety million on Saturday night, and based on the account 22 00:01:45,275 --> 00:01:49,715 Speaker 1: serial numbers appearing on Instagram, shows no sign of slowing 23 00:01:49,795 --> 00:01:53,675 Speaker 1: down as it barrels past one hundred million all since 24 00:01:53,715 --> 00:01:58,075 Speaker 1: coming online last Wednesday night. It ain't the product. It 25 00:01:58,195 --> 00:02:02,515 Speaker 1: is the seething hatred of Elon Musk, a hatred he 26 00:02:02,635 --> 00:02:07,635 Speaker 1: cannot possibly understand, a hatred that merely burst out of 27 00:02:07,755 --> 00:02:12,915 Speaker 1: control when, as Jonathan v Last put it, he turned 28 00:02:13,075 --> 00:02:19,675 Speaker 1: Twitter into the cable company exactly, and all Musk has 29 00:02:19,715 --> 00:02:23,635 Speaker 1: been able to do since all of this happened is 30 00:02:24,155 --> 00:02:29,115 Speaker 1: tweet quote Zuck is a cook and personally service the 31 00:02:29,115 --> 00:02:34,355 Speaker 1: account of the dangerous Libs of TikTok, which maybe makes 32 00:02:34,395 --> 00:02:36,555 Speaker 1: sense after all, because at this rate, within a week 33 00:02:36,635 --> 00:02:39,235 Speaker 1: or two, Libs of TikTok will be the last account 34 00:02:39,275 --> 00:02:44,555 Speaker 1: still using Twitter. But back to my point, Musk has 35 00:02:44,635 --> 00:02:48,555 Speaker 1: to have some vague way out in his mind. He 36 00:02:48,635 --> 00:02:51,595 Speaker 1: must have some fantasy that he will eventually turn to 37 00:02:51,635 --> 00:02:55,395 Speaker 1: the government to save Twitter. He paid forty four billion 38 00:02:55,435 --> 00:02:59,475 Speaker 1: dollars for this thing in March, he placed its value 39 00:02:59,515 --> 00:03:03,275 Speaker 1: at twenty billion by May. Fidelity Investments PEG did at 40 00:03:03,315 --> 00:03:06,395 Speaker 1: fifteen billion. If he is losing two and a half 41 00:03:06,435 --> 00:03:12,435 Speaker 1: billion dollars a month, Twitter goes broke around Thanksgiving. Musk 42 00:03:12,635 --> 00:03:16,035 Speaker 1: belongs to that group of quote businessmen on quote who 43 00:03:16,075 --> 00:03:21,475 Speaker 1: succeed based on three things and three things alone, government handouts, 44 00:03:21,635 --> 00:03:24,355 Speaker 1: suing when he does not get his way, and then 45 00:03:24,435 --> 00:03:27,555 Speaker 1: loudly and publicly pretending he does neither of those things. 46 00:03:27,795 --> 00:03:30,675 Speaker 1: It is the Trump formula. It would have been the 47 00:03:30,675 --> 00:03:34,395 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Holmes formula except somebody realized she was speaking in 48 00:03:34,475 --> 00:03:39,275 Speaker 1: a phony. Boys. The only thing Musk has actually done 49 00:03:39,315 --> 00:03:43,715 Speaker 1: since Threads went live was step one threatened to sue 50 00:03:43,755 --> 00:03:49,875 Speaker 1: Zuckerberg UH for hiring all the people Musk fired, and 51 00:03:49,955 --> 00:03:54,195 Speaker 1: he actually has sued somebody else. Musk's ex corp. Has 52 00:03:54,235 --> 00:03:57,475 Speaker 1: sued what had been Twitter's law firm to get the 53 00:03:57,515 --> 00:04:01,195 Speaker 1: money back that the previous Twitter owners paid them when 54 00:04:01,235 --> 00:04:04,195 Speaker 1: they successfully kept Musk from walking away from his deal 55 00:04:04,235 --> 00:04:07,715 Speaker 1: to buy the Dump. The lawsuit seeks to recover most 56 00:04:07,755 --> 00:04:11,155 Speaker 1: of the ninety million dollars Twitter paid Woktel, Lipped and 57 00:04:11,275 --> 00:04:13,875 Speaker 1: Rosen and Cats in the days before the closing of 58 00:04:13,915 --> 00:04:16,795 Speaker 1: the Musk deal last October twenty seven. It says Waktel 59 00:04:16,915 --> 00:04:21,955 Speaker 1: at all quote exploited Twitter by accepting the money that 60 00:04:22,115 --> 00:04:26,595 Speaker 1: Twitter agreed to pay it because Musk agreed to pay Twitter. 61 00:04:26,755 --> 00:04:29,595 Speaker 1: Come on, judge stuff, These mean people from making me 62 00:04:29,675 --> 00:04:32,075 Speaker 1: do what I agreed to and what the company I 63 00:04:32,115 --> 00:04:37,475 Speaker 1: bought agreed to in writing. The only other play Musk 64 00:04:37,675 --> 00:04:42,235 Speaker 1: has is to ask for a bailout. It seems improbable 65 00:04:42,275 --> 00:04:45,075 Speaker 1: he would do it unless a Republican regains the White House, 66 00:04:45,075 --> 00:04:48,075 Speaker 1: but God forbid that happens. That would only be about 67 00:04:48,075 --> 00:04:51,635 Speaker 1: eighteen months and eighteen days from now, and by the way, 68 00:04:51,635 --> 00:04:55,075 Speaker 1: that would be Musk asking for another bailout, not just 69 00:04:55,195 --> 00:04:58,675 Speaker 1: a bailout. The Ally Times investigated him years ago and 70 00:04:58,795 --> 00:05:01,555 Speaker 1: his various companies and found they had gotten nearly five 71 00:05:01,715 --> 00:05:06,675 Speaker 1: billion dollars in government support by two tho fifteen. Since then, 72 00:05:06,915 --> 00:05:09,755 Speaker 1: SpaceX beat out Jeff Bezos for a six hundred and 73 00:05:09,795 --> 00:05:12,835 Speaker 1: fifty three million dollar NASA contract to go to Mars. 74 00:05:13,435 --> 00:05:15,995 Speaker 1: New York State gave Musk three quarters of a billion 75 00:05:16,035 --> 00:05:20,075 Speaker 1: for a solar panel plant. I mean, you can just 76 00:05:20,395 --> 00:05:23,995 Speaker 1: see it coming. You can hear it coming, Musk's self 77 00:05:24,115 --> 00:05:27,995 Speaker 1: driving Twitter mobile screeching to a sudden stop, and just 78 00:05:28,075 --> 00:05:31,955 Speaker 1: before he goes through the windshield his tone changes to 79 00:05:32,115 --> 00:05:36,155 Speaker 1: pleading a noble and marketplace of ideas this and freedom 80 00:05:36,155 --> 00:05:39,515 Speaker 1: of expression that and save Twitter, Save Twitter, Save Twitter. 81 00:05:39,555 --> 00:05:44,115 Speaker 1: And to paraphrase the line from the classic movie Airplane, 82 00:05:44,635 --> 00:05:47,875 Speaker 1: he bought his ticket. He knew what he was getting into. 83 00:05:48,555 --> 00:05:56,555 Speaker 1: I say, let him crash. Meanwhile, this is not the 84 00:05:56,595 --> 00:05:59,155 Speaker 1: biggest political story of twenty twenty three, but I would 85 00:05:59,275 --> 00:06:01,795 Speaker 1: argue it is thus far the greatest political story of 86 00:06:01,835 --> 00:06:07,475 Speaker 1: twenty twenty three. Quote. We're so divided, Claire County Michigan 87 00:06:07,515 --> 00:06:10,715 Speaker 1: Republican chairman Mark DeYoung told the Detroit News. I just 88 00:06:10,755 --> 00:06:15,075 Speaker 1: wish we could come together. Quote. Mister de Young gave 89 00:06:15,115 --> 00:06:17,555 Speaker 1: his account to the outlet over the phone from an 90 00:06:17,555 --> 00:06:21,155 Speaker 1: emergency room, where he said he was being treated for 91 00:06:21,235 --> 00:06:25,515 Speaker 1: a broken rib. It seems Mark Deong of the Claire 92 00:06:25,595 --> 00:06:29,115 Speaker 1: County Michigan Republicans had had a little disagreement with James 93 00:06:29,235 --> 00:06:32,875 Speaker 1: Chapman of the Wayne County Michigan Republicans. Quote. He kicked 94 00:06:32,875 --> 00:06:36,355 Speaker 1: me in my balls as soon as I opened the door, 95 00:06:36,435 --> 00:06:39,755 Speaker 1: mister de Young said, adding that mister Chapman ran at 96 00:06:39,835 --> 00:06:45,275 Speaker 1: him and slammed him into a chair. Maga make America 97 00:06:45,515 --> 00:06:51,075 Speaker 1: groin again. Now I understand if you're not as excited 98 00:06:51,115 --> 00:06:53,755 Speaker 1: about this story as I am, based on the last 99 00:06:53,755 --> 00:06:56,475 Speaker 1: eight years, you may have a kind of baseline assumption 100 00:06:56,515 --> 00:07:00,395 Speaker 1: that this is how all Republicans behave all the time. No, sir, 101 00:07:00,835 --> 00:07:03,675 Speaker 1: only the ones in Michigan. Only at the annual State 102 00:07:03,675 --> 00:07:07,915 Speaker 1: Committee meeting at the Darty Hotel in Claire, which is 103 00:07:07,955 --> 00:07:10,075 Speaker 1: why if you were in the neighborhood there over the 104 00:07:10,115 --> 00:07:15,195 Speaker 1: weekend you saw all the cops there. Republicans had traveled 105 00:07:15,195 --> 00:07:17,915 Speaker 1: from across the state to that gathering by plane, by 106 00:07:17,995 --> 00:07:19,515 Speaker 1: car and I believe, in the case of the new 107 00:07:19,515 --> 00:07:24,275 Speaker 1: state Chairwoman, Christina Carramo by Broom, Karamo is the wackadoodle 108 00:07:24,275 --> 00:07:27,875 Speaker 1: who insists demonic possession is sexually transmitted. And as an 109 00:07:27,915 --> 00:07:30,435 Speaker 1: assigned I would just like to ask a question I 110 00:07:30,475 --> 00:07:35,515 Speaker 1: have not heard raised before about this. How does she know? That? 111 00:07:37,395 --> 00:07:39,795 Speaker 1: Turned out the weekend riot was only supposed to be 112 00:07:39,875 --> 00:07:44,155 Speaker 1: open to State Committee members, so everybody else, all the 113 00:07:44,195 --> 00:07:49,195 Speaker 1: other Republicans were locked out. So this Chapman of Wayne County, 114 00:07:49,275 --> 00:07:52,915 Speaker 1: the Kicker, led them in the pledge of allegiance out 115 00:07:52,915 --> 00:07:54,955 Speaker 1: in the lobby, and that's what led this de Young 116 00:07:55,035 --> 00:07:58,595 Speaker 1: of Claire County, the kick e to peek out to 117 00:07:58,755 --> 00:08:01,955 Speaker 1: a small window in the door, whereupon he saw somebody 118 00:08:02,035 --> 00:08:04,635 Speaker 1: flipping him off. And when DeJong went to see what 119 00:08:04,875 --> 00:08:07,555 Speaker 1: was happening, I'll just repeat the quote, he kicked me 120 00:08:07,595 --> 00:08:11,435 Speaker 1: in my balls as soon as I opened the door. Now, 121 00:08:11,595 --> 00:08:14,395 Speaker 1: Chapman says he only did this because de Young had 122 00:08:14,435 --> 00:08:19,315 Speaker 1: swung at him and said, I'll kick your ass. Michigan 123 00:08:19,355 --> 00:08:22,635 Speaker 1: Republicans apparently unanimously agree that Chapman ran at DeJong and 124 00:08:22,675 --> 00:08:25,555 Speaker 1: slammed him into a chair, and, after first removing his 125 00:08:25,635 --> 00:08:28,995 Speaker 1: own glasses because a gentleman does not kick another gentleman 126 00:08:29,035 --> 00:08:32,555 Speaker 1: in the balls while wearing glasses, Chapman grabbed de Young 127 00:08:32,635 --> 00:08:36,435 Speaker 1: by the legs and knocked him down. This is at 128 00:08:36,515 --> 00:08:41,075 Speaker 1: least the second physical brawl among Michigan Republican leaders since April. 129 00:08:41,195 --> 00:08:44,515 Speaker 1: There are at least two lawsuits pending, to say nothing 130 00:08:44,555 --> 00:08:48,835 Speaker 1: of the criminal charges pressed over the weekend. And ice packs, 131 00:08:49,595 --> 00:08:53,955 Speaker 1: plenty of ice packs. And the cause of this discontent 132 00:08:54,555 --> 00:08:59,555 Speaker 1: Joe Biden Trump versus DeSantis. Ha ha ha, No, it's that 133 00:08:59,715 --> 00:09:03,515 Speaker 1: Chairwoman Caramo. She has removed veteran committee members, and one 134 00:09:03,515 --> 00:09:06,075 Speaker 1: of them, the ex budget chair. Fairman, told the Detroit 135 00:09:06,115 --> 00:09:09,755 Speaker 1: News that spending under Caramo is quote so far out 136 00:09:09,755 --> 00:09:12,755 Speaker 1: of proportion with income as to put us on the 137 00:09:12,795 --> 00:09:21,315 Speaker 1: path to bankruptcy. And all I can say about this nauseating, unprofessional, degrading, 138 00:09:21,995 --> 00:09:26,835 Speaker 1: fiscally imprudent descent into financial chaos and ball and ass 139 00:09:26,915 --> 00:09:31,315 Speaker 1: kicking by Michigan Republicans is keep it up, fellas, in fact, 140 00:09:32,595 --> 00:09:41,275 Speaker 1: take it national. Speaking of which, even in twenty twenty three, Coulch, 141 00:09:41,315 --> 00:09:45,195 Speaker 1: you have imagined this headline. Ron DeSantis has accused someone 142 00:09:45,675 --> 00:09:50,395 Speaker 1: of conspiring with big tech to supposedly bury the Hunter 143 00:09:50,555 --> 00:09:54,115 Speaker 1: Biden so called scandal in twenty twenty before the election. 144 00:09:54,915 --> 00:09:57,675 Speaker 1: Who does the small man in the high heels in 145 00:09:57,715 --> 00:10:01,395 Speaker 1: search of a balcony think colluded in the effort to 146 00:10:01,475 --> 00:10:09,235 Speaker 1: protect Hunter Biden and Joe Biden. Trump No that Trump. 147 00:10:10,035 --> 00:10:12,995 Speaker 1: DeSantis went on Fox, and I'm thinking he may be 148 00:10:13,075 --> 00:10:16,155 Speaker 1: a little desperate at this point. DeSantis went on Fox 149 00:10:16,195 --> 00:10:19,075 Speaker 1: and said, quote, I look at the Hunter Biden censorship, 150 00:10:19,315 --> 00:10:22,155 Speaker 1: and yet those were Donald Trump's own agencies that were 151 00:10:22,155 --> 00:10:25,955 Speaker 1: colluding with big Tech. I would never allow that to happen. 152 00:10:26,235 --> 00:10:32,635 Speaker 1: I would fire those people immediately. I don't know if 153 00:10:32,675 --> 00:10:38,955 Speaker 1: you've noticed that here. I am often critical of Donald Trump, 154 00:10:39,915 --> 00:10:43,235 Speaker 1: But I must say that I'm not exactly sure if 155 00:10:43,315 --> 00:10:48,715 Speaker 1: Ron Desatus's charged that Trump worked with big tech to 156 00:10:48,995 --> 00:10:54,355 Speaker 1: protect the bidens before the twenty twenty election really stands 157 00:10:54,475 --> 00:10:59,355 Speaker 1: up to scrutiny. This may be a calumny up with 158 00:10:59,555 --> 00:11:05,275 Speaker 1: which mister Trump should not put no other than that 159 00:11:05,355 --> 00:11:07,835 Speaker 1: bit of farce. It was all quiet on the Trump 160 00:11:07,915 --> 00:11:09,995 Speaker 1: in front over the weekend, though a few burps were 161 00:11:10,035 --> 00:11:12,155 Speaker 1: omitted here and there, and one of them struck home 162 00:11:12,355 --> 00:11:15,915 Speaker 1: no pun intended. In the Peters Struck Lisa Page suits 163 00:11:15,915 --> 00:11:18,835 Speaker 1: against the Department of Justice, no less a figure than 164 00:11:18,915 --> 00:11:21,795 Speaker 1: ex Trump chief of staff John Kelly quoted his own 165 00:11:21,835 --> 00:11:25,435 Speaker 1: real time notes from twenty eighteen to state under oath 166 00:11:25,515 --> 00:11:30,355 Speaker 1: for the lawsuit that quote, President Trump questioned whether investigations 167 00:11:30,395 --> 00:11:33,995 Speaker 1: by the Internal Revenue Service or other federal agencies should 168 00:11:34,075 --> 00:11:38,235 Speaker 1: be undertaken into mister Struck and or Miss Page. I 169 00:11:38,355 --> 00:11:41,595 Speaker 1: do not know of President Trump ordering such an investigation. 170 00:11:41,955 --> 00:11:44,635 Speaker 1: It appeared, however, that he wanted to see mister Struck 171 00:11:44,635 --> 00:11:50,395 Speaker 1: and miss Page investigated. You may recall that previously Trump's 172 00:11:50,435 --> 00:11:54,315 Speaker 1: fired FBI director James Comy and Deputy Andrew McCabe were 173 00:11:54,355 --> 00:11:58,475 Speaker 1: each subjected to the most exhaustive kind of IRS audit, 174 00:11:59,195 --> 00:12:02,035 Speaker 1: which about five thousand taxpayers out of one hundred and 175 00:12:02,075 --> 00:12:07,475 Speaker 1: fifty three million taxpayers are put through annual. Everybody involved 176 00:12:07,955 --> 00:12:12,595 Speaker 1: has sworn up down in sideways that the McCabe and 177 00:12:12,675 --> 00:12:17,915 Speaker 1: Komy audits were not Trump political revenge, although now Kelly's 178 00:12:17,955 --> 00:12:21,515 Speaker 1: statement about struck end page may change that. Thinking the 179 00:12:21,795 --> 00:12:25,955 Speaker 1: personal note, I received notice that I was being audited 180 00:12:26,075 --> 00:12:31,355 Speaker 1: in twenty seventeen, in January twenty seventeen, on January twenty fourth, 181 00:12:32,515 --> 00:12:37,435 Speaker 1: January twenty fourth, twenty seventeen. Honest to god, I do 182 00:12:37,555 --> 00:12:41,355 Speaker 1: not think it had anything to do with Trump having 183 00:12:41,355 --> 00:12:46,955 Speaker 1: been inaugurated four days previously. Four days previously, among other things, 184 00:12:46,955 --> 00:12:51,595 Speaker 1: would have meant he'd have to have worked and worked quickly. 185 00:12:55,995 --> 00:12:58,435 Speaker 1: And then there is the revenge of my distant cousin, 186 00:12:58,515 --> 00:13:03,995 Speaker 1: Voladimir Zelenski. Martha raddits on this week on ABC. By 187 00:13:04,035 --> 00:13:07,075 Speaker 1: the way, again everything revolves around me. I worked with 188 00:13:07,115 --> 00:13:11,395 Speaker 1: her in nineteen eighty four. Martha raddits quote, Trump says 189 00:13:11,395 --> 00:13:13,115 Speaker 1: he would end the war in twenty four hours if 190 00:13:13,115 --> 00:13:17,475 Speaker 1: he was elected president. Cousin Zelensky quote, Well, it looks 191 00:13:17,475 --> 00:13:19,995 Speaker 1: as if Trump already had these twenty four hours once 192 00:13:20,035 --> 00:13:22,875 Speaker 1: in his time we were at war, and as I 193 00:13:22,955 --> 00:13:26,115 Speaker 1: assume he had that time at his disposal, he must 194 00:13:26,115 --> 00:13:32,635 Speaker 1: have had some other priorities. Obviously, in an ideal world, 195 00:13:32,715 --> 00:13:37,035 Speaker 1: we should admit Ukraine to NATO immediately, just because Zelensky 196 00:13:37,035 --> 00:13:40,835 Speaker 1: would class the joint up. But the arguments against doing 197 00:13:40,875 --> 00:13:43,755 Speaker 1: it now are inarguable. And whatever you make of the 198 00:13:43,795 --> 00:13:49,235 Speaker 1: president's stutter, stumbles, and he's often whispery asides and sometimes 199 00:13:49,315 --> 00:13:52,475 Speaker 1: slowness to do things like, you know, expand the Supreme 200 00:13:52,555 --> 00:13:55,955 Speaker 1: Court or even entertain it, Joe Biden's logic continues to 201 00:13:55,995 --> 00:14:00,435 Speaker 1: be both succinct and inarguable. He noted two things about 202 00:14:00,595 --> 00:14:05,875 Speaker 1: Ukraine and NATO yesterday on CNN. First, russia'srategic goal is 203 00:14:05,955 --> 00:14:11,475 Speaker 1: to divide NATO, break it up. A vote to admit 204 00:14:11,595 --> 00:14:15,835 Speaker 1: Ukraine to NATO now would not be unanimous, It might 205 00:14:15,875 --> 00:14:21,235 Speaker 1: not even pass. To vote now about Ukraine is ironically 206 00:14:21,875 --> 00:14:27,795 Speaker 1: to give Russia what Russia wants. More importantly, what happens 207 00:14:27,835 --> 00:14:31,115 Speaker 1: to the Ukraine war with Russia if it stops being 208 00:14:31,315 --> 00:14:34,915 Speaker 1: Ukraine and allies versus Russia, or all right, more cynically, 209 00:14:35,115 --> 00:14:38,315 Speaker 1: if it stops being Ukraine as proxy versus Russia. What 210 00:14:38,395 --> 00:14:43,995 Speaker 1: if Ukraine is in NATO, the war instantly becomes NATO 211 00:14:44,755 --> 00:14:50,355 Speaker 1: versus Russia, quoting the president. If the war is going on, 212 00:14:51,155 --> 00:15:01,075 Speaker 1: then we're all in a war. We're at war with Russia. 213 00:15:03,035 --> 00:15:06,755 Speaker 1: Also of interest here they or may not care about sports. 214 00:15:06,795 --> 00:15:10,875 Speaker 1: But what were once the two largest American metropolitan newspaper 215 00:15:10,915 --> 00:15:15,675 Speaker 1: sports departments have basically gone out of business on the 216 00:15:15,715 --> 00:15:19,355 Speaker 1: same day, with the one in New York having the 217 00:15:19,435 --> 00:15:22,955 Speaker 1: added attraction of ending up with a full fledged revolt 218 00:15:23,355 --> 00:15:26,035 Speaker 1: by the twenty eight remaining sports staffers at the New 219 00:15:26,115 --> 00:15:30,275 Speaker 1: York Times. And how did they express that? Well, what else? 220 00:15:30,395 --> 00:15:35,675 Speaker 1: They wrote a letter to the editor. But for absolute 221 00:15:35,835 --> 00:15:40,195 Speaker 1: media collapse, Neither of those stories comes close to a 222 00:15:40,275 --> 00:15:44,875 Speaker 1: media meteor who in thirty five days has gone from 223 00:15:44,955 --> 00:15:49,115 Speaker 1: a claimed audience of one hundred and twenty million viewers 224 00:15:49,635 --> 00:15:55,075 Speaker 1: to a claimed audience of nine million viewers one hundred 225 00:15:55,075 --> 00:15:58,075 Speaker 1: and twenty million to nine That is a drop of 226 00:15:58,235 --> 00:16:01,715 Speaker 1: ninety two and a half percent. That's a lot of percent. 227 00:16:02,635 --> 00:16:06,075 Speaker 1: And who who has fallen on so far so fast? 228 00:16:06,595 --> 00:16:12,835 Speaker 1: His name is? That's next? This is countdown. This is 229 00:16:12,915 --> 00:16:26,235 Speaker 1: countdown with Keith Oberman, my crazy friend. Postscripts to the news, 230 00:16:26,315 --> 00:16:31,635 Speaker 1: some headlines, some updates, some snart, some predictions. Dateline, Woodstock, Maine. 231 00:16:32,075 --> 00:16:37,675 Speaker 1: Remember Tucker Carlson. The eighth episode of his Twitter video series, 232 00:16:37,715 --> 00:16:40,915 Speaker 1: recorded in his studios in the main Woods, dropped eleven 233 00:16:40,995 --> 00:16:44,435 Speaker 1: days ago, and the metrics provided by his new home 234 00:16:44,555 --> 00:16:48,635 Speaker 1: suggested has been viewed by nine million people on Twitter, 235 00:16:48,795 --> 00:16:52,315 Speaker 1: or at least seen by them in passing nine million 236 00:16:52,315 --> 00:16:56,595 Speaker 1: people on Twitter is slightly down from the first episode 237 00:16:56,635 --> 00:17:00,635 Speaker 1: of Tucker's Twitter Hour one hundred and twenty million, slightly 238 00:17:00,715 --> 00:17:05,875 Speaker 1: down ninety two and a half percent down. The collapse 239 00:17:05,915 --> 00:17:09,955 Speaker 1: has been terrifying, even if, like me, you hate Tucker Carlson, 240 00:17:10,115 --> 00:17:13,115 Speaker 1: as Media Matters for America noted, first episode one hundred 241 00:17:13,115 --> 00:17:18,235 Speaker 1: and twenty million, fourth thirty three million, fifth, seventeen and 242 00:17:18,275 --> 00:17:23,635 Speaker 1: a half million, eighth, nine million, and Twitter views even 243 00:17:23,675 --> 00:17:27,035 Speaker 1: if they really meant you had nine million people watching 244 00:17:27,115 --> 00:17:30,995 Speaker 1: all five minutes of a Tucker Carlson twitterview, which they don't. 245 00:17:31,235 --> 00:17:34,475 Speaker 1: They just are not comparable to TV ratings. TV viewers 246 00:17:34,755 --> 00:17:38,555 Speaker 1: are the average number watching in any given minute in 247 00:17:38,595 --> 00:17:41,675 Speaker 1: a quarter hour, So one and a half million people 248 00:17:41,715 --> 00:17:45,515 Speaker 1: watched Fox at eight pm last Thursday. That's the last 249 00:17:45,515 --> 00:17:48,595 Speaker 1: set of ratings we have so far, that's basically one 250 00:17:48,715 --> 00:17:53,515 Speaker 1: and a half million people per minute. So Tucker Carlson's 251 00:17:53,555 --> 00:17:57,915 Speaker 1: old venue is outrating him in his new venue by 252 00:17:57,995 --> 00:18:01,955 Speaker 1: at least ten to one. If a Tucker Carlson episode 253 00:18:02,035 --> 00:18:04,835 Speaker 1: drops in the woods and nobody hears it, does it 254 00:18:04,875 --> 00:18:10,635 Speaker 1: make a sound of rage, thwarted, fascist, scheming, scumbag agony? 255 00:18:11,475 --> 00:18:15,515 Speaker 1: I sure hope, so dyline the White House happily. I 256 00:18:15,555 --> 00:18:18,395 Speaker 1: have next to no practical experience with this, but it's 257 00:18:18,435 --> 00:18:23,195 Speaker 1: probably a good idea not to giggle uncontrollably if you 258 00:18:23,235 --> 00:18:26,635 Speaker 1: are actually asking a question at the White House press 259 00:18:26,675 --> 00:18:29,475 Speaker 1: briefing about cocaine. 260 00:18:29,755 --> 00:18:35,955 Speaker 2: Secondly, sorry, cocaine again, but that was questioning history during 261 00:18:35,995 --> 00:18:40,955 Speaker 2: press gaggle with Andres. That was I guess he said 262 00:18:40,955 --> 00:18:42,915 Speaker 2: that he had. He didn't keep his avoiding it because 263 00:18:42,955 --> 00:18:45,475 Speaker 2: of the halftime. I'm just asking you again, who just 264 00:18:45,475 --> 00:18:49,715 Speaker 2: said once for all whether or not the cocaine belongs 265 00:18:49,715 --> 00:18:50,475 Speaker 2: to the Wine family. 266 00:18:50,555 --> 00:18:57,035 Speaker 1: So the reporter, if you're wondering, and I was, is 267 00:18:57,115 --> 00:19:03,195 Speaker 1: named Caitlin Dornboss. She is new to the New York Post. Naturally, 268 00:19:04,395 --> 00:19:09,115 Speaker 1: don't giggle. Having known White House reporters and Washington reporters 269 00:19:09,355 --> 00:19:11,995 Speaker 1: who frequent the White House, having known them off and 270 00:19:12,035 --> 00:19:15,915 Speaker 1: on for about thirty years, even dated one, lived with 271 00:19:15,955 --> 00:19:20,035 Speaker 1: one basically for three years. I just assumed it belonged 272 00:19:20,155 --> 00:19:24,155 Speaker 1: to one of them, or one hundred and thirteen of them. 273 00:19:24,595 --> 00:19:29,235 Speaker 1: Dateline Council Bluffs, Iowa. Juxtaposition is everything. First that cocaine question, 274 00:19:29,515 --> 00:19:33,995 Speaker 1: then Donald Trump again with the free food, but at 275 00:19:34,035 --> 00:19:34,955 Speaker 1: a dairy queen. 276 00:19:35,235 --> 00:19:47,275 Speaker 3: Everybody wants a blizzard, Okay, I will do the blizzard things. 277 00:19:47,955 --> 00:19:53,435 Speaker 1: See, you don't know what a blizzard might be, ask Junior. Now, 278 00:19:53,515 --> 00:19:56,595 Speaker 1: this has nothing to do with blizzards or Trump or Iowa, 279 00:19:56,635 --> 00:19:58,595 Speaker 1: but it does have something to do with dairy queen, 280 00:19:58,795 --> 00:20:01,275 Speaker 1: So why not tell it here? My dad delighted in 281 00:20:01,355 --> 00:20:05,635 Speaker 1: telling this story in the late seventies early eighties. Maybe 282 00:20:05,715 --> 00:20:08,435 Speaker 1: he was the architect on two shoe stores in the 283 00:20:08,475 --> 00:20:11,955 Speaker 1: Southwest that he and the team from the shoe company had, 284 00:20:11,995 --> 00:20:14,995 Speaker 1: for whatever reason, decided to drive to while they were 285 00:20:14,995 --> 00:20:18,435 Speaker 1: building one in one location something like Luaco, Texas, to 286 00:20:18,595 --> 00:20:22,875 Speaker 1: drive to the other location in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Why 287 00:20:22,955 --> 00:20:27,075 Speaker 1: they drove nobody knew then or now, And after hours 288 00:20:27,075 --> 00:20:30,515 Speaker 1: of driving on the highways of Texas and seeing literally nothing, 289 00:20:30,555 --> 00:20:34,715 Speaker 1: my dad said. There suddenly appeared an exit sign on 290 00:20:34,795 --> 00:20:37,515 Speaker 1: the highway, and the name of the town on the 291 00:20:37,595 --> 00:20:52,035 Speaker 1: exit sign read Capital Nacogdches nac Ogdches, and the four 292 00:20:52,075 --> 00:20:56,595 Speaker 1: men simultaneously burst into laughter. After arguing for a few 293 00:20:56,595 --> 00:20:58,915 Speaker 1: minutes how in the world to pronounce the name of 294 00:20:58,955 --> 00:21:00,795 Speaker 1: that place, they decided, well, let's get off at the 295 00:21:00,795 --> 00:21:03,115 Speaker 1: exit and we'll go to a coffee shop or something. 296 00:21:03,115 --> 00:21:06,275 Speaker 1: We'll find out. What they found at the end of 297 00:21:06,315 --> 00:21:10,395 Speaker 1: the dust covered exit was a dairy queen. The street 298 00:21:10,475 --> 00:21:13,555 Speaker 1: was covered in dust, the parking lot was covered in dust. 299 00:21:13,795 --> 00:21:16,435 Speaker 1: The floor of the dairy queen was covered in dust. 300 00:21:16,995 --> 00:21:19,675 Speaker 1: It fell to my dad to ask the teenaged kid 301 00:21:19,875 --> 00:21:24,475 Speaker 1: behind the counter four vanilla cones and four black coffees, 302 00:21:24,515 --> 00:21:28,115 Speaker 1: and say, son, how do you pronounce the name of 303 00:21:28,235 --> 00:21:32,075 Speaker 1: this place? My dad said. The boy looked at them 304 00:21:32,115 --> 00:21:37,195 Speaker 1: like they were aliens, slowly and making sure he moved 305 00:21:37,275 --> 00:21:40,315 Speaker 1: his gaze from the one to the other. As he 306 00:21:40,395 --> 00:21:42,355 Speaker 1: did it, he said. 307 00:21:44,955 --> 00:22:06,875 Speaker 4: Day, queen, this is sports Senate. Wait, check that not anymore. 308 00:22:07,635 --> 00:22:14,355 Speaker 4: This is countdown with Keith Ulberman in sports. 309 00:22:14,515 --> 00:22:17,635 Speaker 1: Of course, it's Nacadochis. Everybody knows that Nacadochus, home of 310 00:22:17,715 --> 00:22:20,355 Speaker 1: Darryl Brandon of the nineteen sixty seven American League champion 311 00:22:20,395 --> 00:22:27,915 Speaker 1: Boston Red Sox daye queen in sports. It's been heading 312 00:22:27,955 --> 00:22:30,715 Speaker 1: this way since the first radio station signed on just 313 00:22:30,835 --> 00:22:33,315 Speaker 1: over a century ago. But if you need an official 314 00:22:33,435 --> 00:22:38,315 Speaker 1: date when the American newspaper sports section died market down 315 00:22:38,395 --> 00:22:41,955 Speaker 1: is July nine, twenty twenty three. Yesterday, separately, the Los 316 00:22:41,995 --> 00:22:45,875 Speaker 1: Angeles Times and The New York Times revealed that's about 317 00:22:45,915 --> 00:22:49,715 Speaker 1: it here in fun City. It's full mutiny. Everything but 318 00:22:49,795 --> 00:22:53,595 Speaker 1: the staff barricading itself inside the New York Times Sports office, 319 00:22:53,875 --> 00:22:56,715 Speaker 1: which used to produce a daily sports section thick enough 320 00:22:56,755 --> 00:23:00,595 Speaker 1: to kill rodents. With all twenty eight remaining writers and 321 00:23:00,715 --> 00:23:03,795 Speaker 1: editors in the Time Sports department, wrote a letter. The 322 00:23:03,915 --> 00:23:06,475 Speaker 1: Washington Post got a copy of the letter, and they 323 00:23:06,515 --> 00:23:09,635 Speaker 1: sent it to executive New York Times editor Joe con 324 00:23:09,995 --> 00:23:13,395 Speaker 1: and company chairman A. G. Sulzberger. And it is a 325 00:23:13,555 --> 00:23:17,555 Speaker 1: declaration of war. Quote. For eighteen months, the New York 326 00:23:17,555 --> 00:23:21,315 Speaker 1: Times has left its sports staffed twisting in the wind. 327 00:23:22,195 --> 00:23:25,315 Speaker 1: We have watched the company by a competitor with hundreds 328 00:23:25,355 --> 00:23:28,395 Speaker 1: of sports writers and way decisions about the future of 329 00:23:28,435 --> 00:23:31,715 Speaker 1: sports coverage at the Times without in many instances so 330 00:23:31,875 --> 00:23:35,355 Speaker 1: much as a courtesy call, let alone any solicitation of 331 00:23:35,395 --> 00:23:39,115 Speaker 1: our expertise. What the New York writers are particularly worried 332 00:23:39,115 --> 00:23:42,275 Speaker 1: about is the company's acquisition of the website The Athletic, 333 00:23:42,635 --> 00:23:46,395 Speaker 1: and indications it will be merged into their department in 334 00:23:46,475 --> 00:23:49,635 Speaker 1: some way, which would be a saving grace at least 335 00:23:49,635 --> 00:23:53,195 Speaker 1: for readers, Except The Athletic itself just wiped out about 336 00:23:53,195 --> 00:23:57,195 Speaker 1: twenty sports beat writers across the country. The writing has 337 00:23:57,235 --> 00:23:59,915 Speaker 1: been on the wall at the Times for years. They 338 00:23:59,915 --> 00:24:03,515 Speaker 1: are basically down to one full sports section a week. 339 00:24:04,275 --> 00:24:07,115 Speaker 1: They put a smiley face meanwhile, on the disaster at 340 00:24:07,155 --> 00:24:09,675 Speaker 1: the Los Angeles Times, but even as the sports editor 341 00:24:09,715 --> 00:24:12,955 Speaker 1: there jauntily wrote, today we are introducing a new era. 342 00:24:13,315 --> 00:24:16,195 Speaker 1: She went on to reveal that the new era means, quote, 343 00:24:16,275 --> 00:24:19,795 Speaker 1: you no longer will see box scores, standings and traditional 344 00:24:19,835 --> 00:24:23,835 Speaker 1: game stories, but those will be replaced by more innovative reporting, 345 00:24:23,955 --> 00:24:29,195 Speaker 1: in depth profiles, unique examinations of the way teams operate, investigations, 346 00:24:29,275 --> 00:24:34,595 Speaker 1: our distinct columnist voices, elite photography, and more. In other words, 347 00:24:35,075 --> 00:24:40,435 Speaker 1: you're all fired. God forbid. They train artificial intelligence to 348 00:24:40,475 --> 00:24:44,755 Speaker 1: write sports columns. Actually, I lived in LA twice for 349 00:24:44,795 --> 00:24:47,155 Speaker 1: a total of about ten years, and in retrospect, it's 350 00:24:47,195 --> 00:24:50,675 Speaker 1: clear that for at least three decades their TV sports 351 00:24:50,715 --> 00:24:54,955 Speaker 1: column was generated by artificial intelligence, and not a lot 352 00:24:54,995 --> 00:25:00,235 Speaker 1: of it. The cutbacks are just a shame. Sports newspaper 353 00:25:00,315 --> 00:25:03,995 Speaker 1: columns and articles and sections especially, and the smell of 354 00:25:04,115 --> 00:25:07,275 Speaker 1: them where the way most of us came into sports 355 00:25:07,275 --> 00:25:10,075 Speaker 1: as fans, and they are not going to be re 356 00:25:10,275 --> 00:25:15,635 Speaker 1: established somewhere else, not at ESPN, not online, even with 357 00:25:15,755 --> 00:25:48,955 Speaker 1: a perfume that smells like newsprint, nowhere, thank you, Nancy Faust. 358 00:25:49,875 --> 00:25:53,595 Speaker 1: There are cutbacks everywhere, even in the sports themselves. Major 359 00:25:53,675 --> 00:25:56,755 Speaker 1: League Baseball held its draft last night. Baseball is desperately 360 00:25:56,755 --> 00:25:59,715 Speaker 1: trying to make its amateur draft into something like the 361 00:25:59,835 --> 00:26:02,915 Speaker 1: NBA or the NFL, without recognizing that the only way 362 00:26:02,955 --> 00:26:05,675 Speaker 1: to do that is to make high school and college 363 00:26:05,715 --> 00:26:09,395 Speaker 1: baseball as important as high school and college football and 364 00:26:09,475 --> 00:26:15,515 Speaker 1: basketball are. And it's not sorry. Good news is I 365 00:26:15,595 --> 00:26:18,195 Speaker 1: did recognize the name of the first pick this year, 366 00:26:18,475 --> 00:26:19,715 Speaker 1: for the first pick of. 367 00:26:19,755 --> 00:26:24,075 Speaker 4: The twenty twenty three MLV Draft. It's Hurt Hirts pick 368 00:26:24,195 --> 00:26:25,395 Speaker 4: Paul Teams R. 369 00:26:27,835 --> 00:26:32,035 Speaker 1: Ironically, it was the New York Times on its demise 370 00:26:32,155 --> 00:26:34,835 Speaker 1: day yesterday, which did a story on one of the 371 00:26:34,875 --> 00:26:38,875 Speaker 1: flailing draft innovations that has actually hurt baseball, limiting the 372 00:26:38,955 --> 00:26:42,315 Speaker 1: draft to just twenty rounds roughly six hundred and thirty 373 00:26:42,395 --> 00:26:44,915 Speaker 1: players or so, when the draft used to go on 374 00:26:45,235 --> 00:26:49,635 Speaker 1: forever infinity now to be fair. In twenty twenty, Baseball 375 00:26:49,675 --> 00:26:52,395 Speaker 1: cut the draft to just five rounds because of the pandemic. 376 00:26:52,675 --> 00:26:55,355 Speaker 1: So twenty rounds is a lot better than five. But 377 00:26:55,475 --> 00:26:58,435 Speaker 1: as Tyler Kepner noted in The Times yesterday, he was 378 00:26:58,475 --> 00:27:01,035 Speaker 1: one of the signatories to the Times Letter to the Editor. 379 00:27:01,475 --> 00:27:04,155 Speaker 1: Hall of famer John Smoltz was chosen in the twenty 380 00:27:04,195 --> 00:27:08,995 Speaker 1: second Kevin Kiermeyer, the star outfielder of Toronto thirty first round, 381 00:27:09,115 --> 00:27:12,755 Speaker 1: Zach McKinstry, lead off man in Detroit thirty third round. 382 00:27:13,195 --> 00:27:15,995 Speaker 1: Those rounds don't exist anymore. As I noted in a 383 00:27:15,995 --> 00:27:19,195 Speaker 1: piece I did for ESPN three years ago, first Baseball 384 00:27:19,235 --> 00:27:22,595 Speaker 1: had purged the minor leagues, cut from the official Major 385 00:27:22,675 --> 00:27:26,995 Speaker 1: league affiliated minor league's forty teams one thousand roster spots, 386 00:27:27,355 --> 00:27:31,875 Speaker 1: eliminating the Williamsport Crosscutters who play where the Little League 387 00:27:31,875 --> 00:27:35,955 Speaker 1: World Series is, eliminating the Auburn Double Days who played 388 00:27:35,955 --> 00:27:39,755 Speaker 1: two hours drive from the Hall of Fame. Just awful optics, 389 00:27:40,155 --> 00:27:43,475 Speaker 1: though Williamsport has come back in a new prospects league, 390 00:27:43,955 --> 00:27:47,115 Speaker 1: a kind of desperate circuit for everybody who was not drafted, 391 00:27:47,155 --> 00:27:49,395 Speaker 1: and there are more of them than ever. You may 392 00:27:49,435 --> 00:27:51,955 Speaker 1: already know about Mike Piazza, who's in that Hall of 393 00:27:51,955 --> 00:27:55,875 Speaker 1: Fame near where the Double Days used to play, sixty 394 00:27:55,955 --> 00:27:59,435 Speaker 1: second round in nineteen eighty eight, pick one, three hundred 395 00:27:59,435 --> 00:28:03,275 Speaker 1: and ninety overall, forty third from last, none of which 396 00:28:03,315 --> 00:28:06,955 Speaker 1: is mentioned on his plaque in Cooperstown. His draft round 397 00:28:07,075 --> 00:28:10,595 Speaker 1: long gone, his pick number eliminated along with the seven 398 00:28:10,755 --> 00:28:14,915 Speaker 1: hundred and eighty nine picks before it. The stars, the 399 00:28:14,955 --> 00:28:18,275 Speaker 1: immortals do not always go early in the baseball draft. 400 00:28:18,395 --> 00:28:21,195 Speaker 1: It's not like the football draft. It's not like the 401 00:28:21,275 --> 00:28:24,275 Speaker 1: basketball draft, and the people running baseball, led by this 402 00:28:24,395 --> 00:28:28,595 Speaker 1: idiot Rob Manfred, don't understand that and believe they can 403 00:28:28,755 --> 00:28:33,555 Speaker 1: change it. The last nine picks of the twelfth round 404 00:28:33,595 --> 00:28:39,915 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty five were in order, Carl Ergenzinger, C. A. McGowan, 405 00:28:40,475 --> 00:28:48,635 Speaker 1: Don Alley, Manny Washington, Gary Wormol Duff, Craig Scoggins, Ron Mattney, 406 00:28:49,115 --> 00:28:51,115 Speaker 1: who made it to spring training with the Cubs a 407 00:28:51,155 --> 00:28:56,475 Speaker 1: couple of times, Rich Coslick, and then in round twelve 408 00:28:56,475 --> 00:28:59,915 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixty five, after the immortals like worml Duff 409 00:28:59,955 --> 00:29:04,475 Speaker 1: and Ergenzinger, then the Matt's drafted a guy named Nolan. 410 00:29:04,675 --> 00:29:09,035 Speaker 1: Baseball needs the men who went in the twenty first 411 00:29:09,155 --> 00:29:11,995 Speaker 1: round or later two and not just as players. In 412 00:29:12,075 --> 00:29:15,275 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy five, that was Ron Rennicke, an outfielder future 413 00:29:15,315 --> 00:29:17,675 Speaker 1: manager of the Brewers in the Red Sox. In nineteen 414 00:29:17,755 --> 00:29:22,315 Speaker 1: ninety four, pick number seven eighty one was Boston immortal 415 00:29:22,395 --> 00:29:26,635 Speaker 1: and longtime Major leaguer and current LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. 416 00:29:27,115 --> 00:29:30,475 Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty two, pick number five five four was 417 00:29:30,595 --> 00:29:34,155 Speaker 1: the now general manager of the Washington Nationals, Mike Rizzo. 418 00:29:34,235 --> 00:29:38,235 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty seven, pick number eleven of round number 419 00:29:38,275 --> 00:29:43,315 Speaker 1: twenty six was Dusty Baker, and in nineteen sixty six, 420 00:29:43,395 --> 00:29:47,555 Speaker 1: number eight thirty three in the sixty third round, the 421 00:29:48,035 --> 00:29:51,955 Speaker 1: last player chosen was a five foot six inch tall 422 00:29:52,075 --> 00:29:56,435 Speaker 1: second baseman from Saint John's University named Matt Galante. Matt 423 00:29:56,475 --> 00:29:59,235 Speaker 1: Galanty never played in the Majors, went to one spring 424 00:29:59,315 --> 00:30:02,275 Speaker 1: training with the Yankees, but he coached with the Astros 425 00:30:02,355 --> 00:30:05,875 Speaker 1: for sixteen years, managed them for f month. He taught 426 00:30:05,915 --> 00:30:08,475 Speaker 1: Craig Bigio how to be a second baseman, he taught 427 00:30:08,555 --> 00:30:10,915 Speaker 1: Jeff Bagwell how to be a first baseman. And in 428 00:30:10,955 --> 00:30:14,915 Speaker 1: their Hall of Fame induction speeches, each of them thanked 429 00:30:14,995 --> 00:30:21,475 Speaker 1: Matt Gallante by name, the ultimate baseball lifer. Then how 430 00:30:21,515 --> 00:30:25,275 Speaker 1: does the next ultimate baseball lifer, the next Matt Gallante, 431 00:30:25,795 --> 00:30:31,395 Speaker 1: even begin his baseball life if the draft has ended 432 00:30:32,115 --> 00:30:50,435 Speaker 1: forty three rounds before he would have been chosen still ahead. 433 00:30:50,475 --> 00:30:55,155 Speaker 1: The twentieth anniversary was last Thursday, the day former Ambassador 434 00:30:55,275 --> 00:30:57,915 Speaker 1: Joe Wilson wrote his famous op ed in The New 435 00:30:57,995 --> 00:31:01,835 Speaker 1: York Times that destroyed the Bush Administration, destroyed its lie 436 00:31:01,875 --> 00:31:04,915 Speaker 1: that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So 437 00:31:05,075 --> 00:31:08,715 Speaker 1: the Bush Administration decided to destroy him, to destroy Joe 438 00:31:08,755 --> 00:31:12,675 Speaker 1: Wilson and his wife, the secret CIA operative and craziest 439 00:31:12,675 --> 00:31:16,475 Speaker 1: of all, they thought I would help them do all that. 440 00:31:17,075 --> 00:31:19,755 Speaker 1: Next in things I promised not to tell first time 441 00:31:19,755 --> 00:31:21,595 Speaker 1: For the daily roundup of the miss Grants, morons and 442 00:31:21,635 --> 00:31:24,995 Speaker 1: Dunning Kruger effect specimens who constitute today's worst persons in 443 00:31:25,035 --> 00:31:30,195 Speaker 1: the world. The Bronze. Jene Piro, America's leading authority on 444 00:31:30,315 --> 00:31:33,915 Speaker 1: boxed wine. For once, it's less what she said than 445 00:31:33,955 --> 00:31:36,195 Speaker 1: where she said it. She's gone on the podcast of 446 00:31:36,235 --> 00:31:40,515 Speaker 1: Michael Schuyer, a man so overwhelmed by fantasies of genocide 447 00:31:40,515 --> 00:31:43,835 Speaker 1: and slaughter that he was even fired by Fox. During 448 00:31:43,875 --> 00:31:47,315 Speaker 1: the podcast, Schuer told Piro that the Second Amendment was 449 00:31:47,395 --> 00:31:51,155 Speaker 1: needed quote to take care of these vermin who quote 450 00:31:51,235 --> 00:31:56,195 Speaker 1: rigged elections that echoed Shoyer's previous online arguments that we 451 00:31:56,235 --> 00:32:00,755 Speaker 1: need to quote liquidate quote Fauci, Kate Sperks, the Bidens, Harris, 452 00:32:00,755 --> 00:32:04,435 Speaker 1: the Clintons, the Obamas, the Bushes, and most media because 453 00:32:04,475 --> 00:32:08,315 Speaker 1: they quote are all direct descendants of Mount Setungue. Joseph Stalin, 454 00:32:08,675 --> 00:32:14,675 Speaker 1: Paul Pott, Margaret Sanger, Adolf Hitler. Schoier is nuts? What's Nutsier? 455 00:32:15,315 --> 00:32:19,515 Speaker 1: Janeine Piro did not hang up on him, even for 456 00:32:19,595 --> 00:32:22,075 Speaker 1: her the runner up, Nicki Haley. Each of the one 457 00:32:22,195 --> 00:32:25,035 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy three different Republican presidential candidates has a 458 00:32:25,075 --> 00:32:28,915 Speaker 1: core issue. Nicki Haley's is she knows who will live 459 00:32:29,195 --> 00:32:33,075 Speaker 1: and who will die and when. For at least the 460 00:32:33,115 --> 00:32:35,915 Speaker 1: third time fourth time, she has stated or implied that 461 00:32:35,955 --> 00:32:38,875 Speaker 1: if Joe Biden is re elected, he will die in office. 462 00:32:39,315 --> 00:32:42,835 Speaker 1: Anyone is better than President Kamala Harris. She told the 463 00:32:42,835 --> 00:32:47,395 Speaker 1: Fox Good Morning Fascism show. Brian Kilmead, who is not 464 00:32:47,635 --> 00:32:51,155 Speaker 1: in on the Haley wishes death on people thing, replied, 465 00:32:51,555 --> 00:32:54,835 Speaker 1: you mean President Biden, to which Haley responded, well, I 466 00:32:54,875 --> 00:32:57,755 Speaker 1: think it's President Harris. A vote for President Baden is 467 00:32:57,755 --> 00:33:01,275 Speaker 1: a vote for President Harris. Of late, Haley has seemed 468 00:33:01,275 --> 00:33:03,955 Speaker 1: to try to swerve away from her explicit April twenty 469 00:33:03,995 --> 00:33:07,275 Speaker 1: seventh announcement that quote, the idea that Biden would make 470 00:33:07,315 --> 00:33:09,475 Speaker 1: it until eighty six years old is not something that 471 00:33:09,515 --> 00:33:12,115 Speaker 1: I think is likely. But of course, now there is 472 00:33:12,155 --> 00:33:15,115 Speaker 1: a second aspect here. As I just mentioned, a Fox 473 00:33:15,195 --> 00:33:18,355 Speaker 1: News character appeared on a podcast hosted by a man 474 00:33:18,355 --> 00:33:23,195 Speaker 1: who insists President Biden should be liquidated by the Second Amendment. 475 00:33:23,995 --> 00:33:26,555 Speaker 1: So when Nicki Haley says this about him dying in 476 00:33:26,595 --> 00:33:30,195 Speaker 1: office included in her morbid fantasies, is of course that 477 00:33:30,275 --> 00:33:33,675 Speaker 1: one that he wouldn't die of natural causes, And Nicki 478 00:33:33,715 --> 00:33:37,435 Speaker 1: Haley should be ashamed of herself even being Nicki Haley. 479 00:33:38,315 --> 00:33:41,355 Speaker 1: Somebody of course needs to explain to her why if 480 00:33:41,355 --> 00:33:43,635 Speaker 1: you're going to try it, give yourself a few hours. 481 00:33:44,715 --> 00:33:48,595 Speaker 1: But our winner, Andrew Mitchell of NBC News and MSNBC, 482 00:33:48,915 --> 00:33:50,915 Speaker 1: it is an awful thing to have to tell somebody 483 00:33:50,915 --> 00:33:53,355 Speaker 1: from your own home county, who has been in this 484 00:33:53,435 --> 00:33:57,275 Speaker 1: business since nineteen sixty seven, who has done spectacular work, 485 00:33:57,515 --> 00:34:00,075 Speaker 1: who help you at critical times in your own career, 486 00:34:00,395 --> 00:34:02,515 Speaker 1: who is a role model to as many women in 487 00:34:02,555 --> 00:34:07,235 Speaker 1: her field as Barbara Walters was, and men too. But 488 00:34:07,555 --> 00:34:10,555 Speaker 1: you have to tell her this. She's now just cannibalizing 489 00:34:10,555 --> 00:34:13,395 Speaker 1: her own reputation. I mean, the daily grind of doing 490 00:34:13,395 --> 00:34:15,715 Speaker 1: a television news show was enough that when I saw 491 00:34:15,755 --> 00:34:17,755 Speaker 1: the opportunity to take a lot of money and get 492 00:34:17,795 --> 00:34:21,315 Speaker 1: out more than a decade ago, I grabbed it. Then 493 00:34:21,355 --> 00:34:22,835 Speaker 1: it was offered to me again the next year, and 494 00:34:22,835 --> 00:34:24,675 Speaker 1: I grabbed it again twice. I was fifty two and 495 00:34:24,715 --> 00:34:28,235 Speaker 1: fifty three years old. It's like a kid. But Andrew 496 00:34:28,235 --> 00:34:30,115 Speaker 1: Mitchell is going to turn seventy seven in a little 497 00:34:30,155 --> 00:34:32,635 Speaker 1: over three months, and it's time to go. This is 498 00:34:32,675 --> 00:34:36,155 Speaker 1: not agism, this is self protection. You can argue this 499 00:34:36,195 --> 00:34:38,395 Speaker 1: should not have been a big story, maybe not a 500 00:34:38,435 --> 00:34:40,755 Speaker 1: story at all on her show, but that's not her fault. 501 00:34:41,115 --> 00:34:44,035 Speaker 1: MSNBC is now just another say what we tell you 502 00:34:44,115 --> 00:34:47,915 Speaker 1: to say, or you're out shop. But in asking NBC 503 00:34:48,075 --> 00:34:51,195 Speaker 1: News reporter Mike Momoli about the cocaine in the White House, 504 00:34:51,555 --> 00:34:56,555 Speaker 1: Andrew Mitchell said, quote Mike two questions. Everybody goes through magnetometers, 505 00:34:57,035 --> 00:35:00,475 Speaker 1: so this would not have been picked up by the magnetometers. 506 00:35:01,195 --> 00:35:03,155 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know if it's in somebody's pocket 507 00:35:03,235 --> 00:35:12,435 Speaker 1: or bag. Magnetometers magnetometers to detect cocaine. Reporter Momoli gently 508 00:35:12,435 --> 00:35:16,115 Speaker 1: tried to explain to m mis Mitchell that magnetometers quote are mainly, 509 00:35:16,115 --> 00:35:20,875 Speaker 1: of course, looking for metallic objects. Unquote, Andrew Mitchell is 510 00:35:20,875 --> 00:35:25,195 Speaker 1: probably thinking one of those catch evil stuffometers, which can 511 00:35:25,235 --> 00:35:28,155 Speaker 1: detect if people are carrying drugs or carrying weapons, or 512 00:35:28,155 --> 00:35:33,115 Speaker 1: carrying anthrax or you know, communicable diseases, or they have 513 00:35:33,195 --> 00:35:36,035 Speaker 1: evil spells cast on them, or they're carrying those little 514 00:35:36,075 --> 00:35:39,035 Speaker 1: wrapped bath soaps that they stole from the Willard Hotel. 515 00:35:39,675 --> 00:35:42,875 Speaker 1: You know those scanners, the ones that don't really exist, 516 00:35:42,915 --> 00:35:46,875 Speaker 1: but she may have dreamt about them. There's one of 517 00:35:46,915 --> 00:35:49,755 Speaker 1: these a month now on Andrew Mitchell reports. It is 518 00:35:49,915 --> 00:35:54,875 Speaker 1: just sad cut back to special projects. It'll give you 519 00:35:54,875 --> 00:35:58,955 Speaker 1: your life back less is more. I know this and 520 00:35:58,995 --> 00:36:03,315 Speaker 1: I'm only sixty four. It'll give you your reputation back. 521 00:36:06,115 --> 00:36:09,875 Speaker 1: Do it, or you'll wind up like Tom Brokaw Andrew 522 00:36:09,915 --> 00:36:15,995 Speaker 1: Mitchell Magnetometers catch powder, Today's worst person in the World. 523 00:36:35,955 --> 00:36:38,315 Speaker 1: Finally to the number one story on the Countdown and 524 00:36:38,395 --> 00:36:42,275 Speaker 1: my favorite topic, me and things I promised not to tell. 525 00:36:42,475 --> 00:36:45,635 Speaker 1: And on Monday, May third, two thousand and four, my 526 00:36:45,755 --> 00:36:48,755 Speaker 1: executive producer phoned me at home and said, we got 527 00:36:48,835 --> 00:36:53,875 Speaker 1: Ambassador Joe Wilson. He'll be on the show tomorrow. Within hours, 528 00:36:53,915 --> 00:36:56,155 Speaker 1: the communications office of the White House of George W. 529 00:36:56,235 --> 00:37:01,435 Speaker 1: Bush began a desperate, ceaseless, tireless effort to send me 530 00:37:01,675 --> 00:37:07,475 Speaker 1: one email with talking points about Ambassador Joe Wilson, which 531 00:37:07,515 --> 00:37:11,275 Speaker 1: repeatedly hilariously failed to get through to me because none 532 00:37:11,275 --> 00:37:15,915 Speaker 1: of them could spell my name correctly. By late in 533 00:37:15,955 --> 00:37:17,995 Speaker 1: the evening of May third, and throughout the morning of 534 00:37:17,995 --> 00:37:21,035 Speaker 1: May the fourth, I got calls and forwarded emails from 535 00:37:21,035 --> 00:37:24,395 Speaker 1: people throughout NBC who had received emails of their own 536 00:37:24,515 --> 00:37:27,235 Speaker 1: from the Bush White House Communications Office, all of them 537 00:37:27,275 --> 00:37:32,515 Speaker 1: with attachments addressed to Keith Oberman without the L Keith Olberman, 538 00:37:32,675 --> 00:37:36,835 Speaker 1: with only one n Kaieth Olberman, Keith spelled wrong, and 539 00:37:36,875 --> 00:37:42,555 Speaker 1: even Keith overman with a V. This was actually truly 540 00:37:43,075 --> 00:37:45,315 Speaker 1: the first day I believed I was having an impact 541 00:37:45,355 --> 00:37:47,275 Speaker 1: on the Bush White House, and also the first day 542 00:37:47,315 --> 00:37:52,995 Speaker 1: I realized they were incredibly stupid. There democracy still had 543 00:37:53,035 --> 00:37:56,995 Speaker 1: a slim chance. The Internet had been operating at more 544 00:37:57,115 --> 00:38:00,515 Speaker 1: or less its present speed since about nineteen ninety seven 545 00:38:00,635 --> 00:38:03,595 Speaker 1: or nineteen ninety eight. My name was all over the 546 00:38:03,635 --> 00:38:07,995 Speaker 1: Internet in article about my news career, about my sports career, 547 00:38:08,435 --> 00:38:12,395 Speaker 1: about my previous news career. There were articles I had written, 548 00:38:12,475 --> 00:38:15,355 Speaker 1: there were books I had written, and these people who 549 00:38:15,355 --> 00:38:17,755 Speaker 1: were trying to reshape the United States of America into 550 00:38:17,755 --> 00:38:24,475 Speaker 1: a reactionary, conservative, cruel, xenophobic, semi authoritarian state, we're not 551 00:38:24,595 --> 00:38:28,755 Speaker 1: smart enough to figure out how to spell my name, 552 00:38:30,915 --> 00:38:32,915 Speaker 1: just so we know who we are talking about. By 553 00:38:32,915 --> 00:38:36,715 Speaker 1: this point, Scott McClellan had succeeded the infamous Aary Fleischer 554 00:38:36,755 --> 00:38:40,955 Speaker 1: as Press secretary. His deputies were Dana Perino, who went 555 00:38:40,955 --> 00:38:43,675 Speaker 1: from being the stupidest person ever to be White House 556 00:38:43,675 --> 00:38:46,635 Speaker 1: Press secretary to being one of the stupidest persons ever 557 00:38:46,675 --> 00:38:50,235 Speaker 1: to have a show on Fox News. Pamelas Stevens, who 558 00:38:50,315 --> 00:38:52,955 Speaker 1: later wound up as a producer at CNN, because political 559 00:38:52,995 --> 00:38:57,395 Speaker 1: press people are exactly like unemployed football coaches or baseball 560 00:38:57,435 --> 00:39:00,915 Speaker 1: managers who get TV jobs and then leave the TV 561 00:39:01,035 --> 00:39:04,275 Speaker 1: jobs to go back onto the field. The communications director 562 00:39:04,315 --> 00:39:07,355 Speaker 1: was named and Bartlett, and there was another communications person 563 00:39:07,355 --> 00:39:10,635 Speaker 1: there named Nicole Wallace, who has somehow shaken off the 564 00:39:10,675 --> 00:39:14,115 Speaker 1: stink of working for both George and Jeb Bush and 565 00:39:14,195 --> 00:39:17,715 Speaker 1: is now considered a darling of MSNBC, even though her 566 00:39:17,755 --> 00:39:21,395 Speaker 1: only true non fascist credential is she doesn't like Trump either. 567 00:39:22,635 --> 00:39:25,795 Speaker 1: The crack White House media team representing the most powerful 568 00:39:25,795 --> 00:39:28,475 Speaker 1: man in the world in the anxious and foreshadowing years 569 00:39:28,715 --> 00:39:30,635 Speaker 1: after nine to eleven, and on one of them could 570 00:39:30,635 --> 00:39:35,555 Speaker 1: even find anybody else who could spell my name, let 571 00:39:35,595 --> 00:39:40,315 Speaker 1: alone spell it themselves. More on them in a moment, 572 00:39:40,435 --> 00:39:43,835 Speaker 1: But I need to explain who Joe Wilson was if 573 00:39:43,875 --> 00:39:48,755 Speaker 1: you don't know, and why he was so important. Long 574 00:39:48,835 --> 00:39:52,035 Speaker 1: before Colin Powell confessed to Tim Russert that he had 575 00:39:52,075 --> 00:39:54,155 Speaker 1: been lied to by the White House and thus he 576 00:39:54,275 --> 00:39:57,315 Speaker 1: himself had lied to the United Nations about Sadam Hussein's 577 00:39:57,435 --> 00:40:01,995 Speaker 1: imaginary weapons of mass destruction. Those were the excuses from 578 00:40:01,995 --> 00:40:04,995 Speaker 1: Bush Cheney for dragging this country into an unneces siri 579 00:40:05,395 --> 00:40:09,515 Speaker 1: and national soul destroying war in Iraq with lies and 580 00:40:09,555 --> 00:40:13,915 Speaker 1: torture and scapegoating and suppression and brutality. Before that, there 581 00:40:14,035 --> 00:40:17,635 Speaker 1: was Ambassador Joseph Charles Wilson the fourth and in two 582 00:40:17,715 --> 00:40:20,195 Speaker 1: thousand and two, after pressure from the White House, the 583 00:40:20,275 --> 00:40:22,555 Speaker 1: CIA sent him back to the scene of his first 584 00:40:22,595 --> 00:40:27,315 Speaker 1: diplomatic posting, the African nation of Niger to get proof 585 00:40:27,475 --> 00:40:31,075 Speaker 1: for Bush that Saddam was trying to buy yellow cake 586 00:40:31,235 --> 00:40:35,435 Speaker 1: uranium there to make nuclear bombses out of and Wilson 587 00:40:35,515 --> 00:40:38,475 Speaker 1: quickly found out it was nonsense, and he reported back 588 00:40:38,515 --> 00:40:42,075 Speaker 1: and the Bush White House promptly buried his findings and instead, 589 00:40:42,355 --> 00:40:44,395 Speaker 1: in the two thousand and three State of the Union address, 590 00:40:44,515 --> 00:40:47,475 Speaker 1: just before he started bombing Iraq, George W. Bush said, 591 00:40:47,795 --> 00:40:51,435 Speaker 1: the British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought 592 00:40:51,435 --> 00:40:55,555 Speaker 1: significant quantities of uranium from Africa. It was and remains 593 00:40:55,715 --> 00:41:01,075 Speaker 1: a complete lie, and war occurred because of it. And 594 00:41:01,195 --> 00:41:03,955 Speaker 1: Joe Wilson called it a complete lie in an op 595 00:41:04,115 --> 00:41:06,915 Speaker 1: ed in The New York Times on July sixth, two 596 00:41:06,995 --> 00:41:10,235 Speaker 1: thousand and three. The Iraq war was still at this 597 00:41:10,355 --> 00:41:14,355 Speaker 1: stage defined by rah Rah, we're winning, but Sadam's WND 598 00:41:14,515 --> 00:41:16,995 Speaker 1: and his biological weapons and his chemical weapons might be 599 00:41:17,035 --> 00:41:19,515 Speaker 1: over the next hill. And you'd better not criticize what 600 00:41:19,555 --> 00:41:23,515 Speaker 1: we're doing, or maybe you're a terrorist. Joe Wilson said, 601 00:41:23,515 --> 00:41:26,155 Speaker 1: the Emperor had no clothes. In two thousand and three, 602 00:41:26,875 --> 00:41:30,475 Speaker 1: he was an American hero of the highest order. A 603 00:41:30,515 --> 00:41:35,355 Speaker 1: week later, a Dick Cheney flunky named Scooter Libby and 604 00:41:35,475 --> 00:41:39,195 Speaker 1: a Deputy Secretary of State named Armitage began a campaign 605 00:41:39,315 --> 00:41:43,355 Speaker 1: to punish Joe Wilson and discredit him. They leaked to 606 00:41:43,435 --> 00:41:47,435 Speaker 1: a dyspeptic and hate filled columnist named Robert Novak, who 607 00:41:47,595 --> 00:41:51,075 Speaker 1: is now working in the Bureau in Hell, that Wilson's 608 00:41:51,115 --> 00:41:53,995 Speaker 1: wife was an undercover agent for the CIA, and that 609 00:41:54,035 --> 00:41:56,315 Speaker 1: her name was Valerie Plame, and that the pair of 610 00:41:56,355 --> 00:42:00,235 Speaker 1: them were dirty Democrats. And moreover, it was Plame who 611 00:42:00,235 --> 00:42:02,915 Speaker 1: had urged that her own husband be sent to Niger 612 00:42:03,315 --> 00:42:07,395 Speaker 1: to deliberately not find and the uranium or the Sadam 613 00:42:07,435 --> 00:42:11,675 Speaker 1: Hussein signed receipts or whatever Bush expected to find there. 614 00:42:12,875 --> 00:42:16,635 Speaker 1: The Bush White House destroyed the career of risked the 615 00:42:16,675 --> 00:42:21,275 Speaker 1: life of and ruined several assignments and contacts of one 616 00:42:21,315 --> 00:42:25,155 Speaker 1: of this country's own secret CIA agents just to make 617 00:42:25,195 --> 00:42:29,475 Speaker 1: her husband look bad. So in May two thousand and four, 618 00:42:29,555 --> 00:42:31,835 Speaker 1: when Joe Wilson wrote a book about all this crap, 619 00:42:31,875 --> 00:42:35,275 Speaker 1: and he inexplicably wanted to go on MSNBC, which was 620 00:42:35,315 --> 00:42:37,715 Speaker 1: still at that point trying to be more conservative than 621 00:42:37,755 --> 00:42:41,555 Speaker 1: Fox Nudes, and wanted to go on My little Watched show, 622 00:42:41,595 --> 00:42:44,795 Speaker 1: which was considered the neutral outlier on a network full 623 00:42:44,835 --> 00:42:48,955 Speaker 1: of Joe Scarbroughse and Michael Savage's. This was a happy 624 00:42:48,995 --> 00:42:53,635 Speaker 1: surprise for us, which was followed by this wonderful, flailing 625 00:42:53,675 --> 00:42:55,715 Speaker 1: effort by the Bush White House to send me talking 626 00:42:55,755 --> 00:42:58,835 Speaker 1: points about Joe Wilson before I interviewed him. They not 627 00:42:58,875 --> 00:43:02,155 Speaker 1: only could not spell my name, but they were utterly 628 00:43:02,195 --> 00:43:06,315 Speaker 1: convinced that my interview was designed to discredit Joe Wilson. 629 00:43:07,115 --> 00:43:09,635 Speaker 1: The talking points, which eventually got to me from Assistant 630 00:43:09,675 --> 00:43:13,875 Speaker 1: Press Secretary Pamela Stevens, consisted of six items over two pages. 631 00:43:14,235 --> 00:43:18,635 Speaker 1: The headings were as follows. One political motivation This was 632 00:43:18,675 --> 00:43:21,955 Speaker 1: about Wilson calling Dick Cheney a lying sob about a 633 00:43:22,035 --> 00:43:24,595 Speaker 1: year after the knee jair trip. I couldn't figure this 634 00:43:24,635 --> 00:43:27,275 Speaker 1: one out. Dick Cheney was a lying SOB. That's how 635 00:43:27,315 --> 00:43:31,675 Speaker 1: I got to be Vice president. Two. Gingridge spokesman calls 636 00:43:31,715 --> 00:43:35,275 Speaker 1: allegations about alleged March two thousand and three meeting completely falls. 637 00:43:35,995 --> 00:43:41,035 Speaker 1: This cited Newt Gingrich and his people as if they 638 00:43:41,035 --> 00:43:45,035 Speaker 1: were good sources, as opposed to the punchlines they already 639 00:43:45,075 --> 00:43:48,475 Speaker 1: were back then in two thousand and four, talking point 640 00:43:48,555 --> 00:43:53,075 Speaker 1: number three, McClellan points out political objective, and four McClellan 641 00:43:53,155 --> 00:43:57,715 Speaker 1: addresses accusations. These were quotes from the press secretary. This 642 00:43:57,835 --> 00:44:00,955 Speaker 1: man suddenly quit that job two years later two thousand 643 00:44:00,955 --> 00:44:04,595 Speaker 1: and six, and confessed he had repeatedly lied for George W. 644 00:44:04,835 --> 00:44:06,595 Speaker 1: Bush and the others, and now he just couldn't take 645 00:44:06,595 --> 00:44:09,595 Speaker 1: it anymore. And he would come on my show and 646 00:44:09,675 --> 00:44:12,515 Speaker 1: give one of the best atonement interviews I've ever heard. 647 00:44:12,595 --> 00:44:17,435 Speaker 1: It went on for forty five minutes. Five Fleischer says 648 00:44:17,595 --> 00:44:21,955 Speaker 1: VP office did not request trip a quote from McClellan's predecessor, 649 00:44:22,355 --> 00:44:25,675 Speaker 1: who unless he is talking about baseball, you should assume 650 00:44:26,035 --> 00:44:30,675 Speaker 1: he's lying. Plus he might be lying about baseball. And finally, 651 00:44:30,795 --> 00:44:34,475 Speaker 1: six statement by George J. Tennant July eleven, two thousand 652 00:44:34,475 --> 00:44:36,915 Speaker 1: and three. This was a quote from the CIA director 653 00:44:36,955 --> 00:44:40,075 Speaker 1: which they thought was their home run, and it basically 654 00:44:40,115 --> 00:44:44,875 Speaker 1: consisted of this. Bush never saw that report that was it. 655 00:44:46,955 --> 00:44:49,715 Speaker 1: There are three punchlines to this story. Number one. I 656 00:44:49,755 --> 00:44:52,995 Speaker 1: don't know why the Bush Communications office assumed I was 657 00:44:53,035 --> 00:44:55,515 Speaker 1: there to take down Joe Wilson, But the moment I 658 00:44:55,555 --> 00:44:58,955 Speaker 1: saw these talking points, any lingering doubt I had that 659 00:44:58,995 --> 00:45:02,675 Speaker 1: they were not all lying bastards down there was erased. 660 00:45:03,355 --> 00:45:05,955 Speaker 1: I used the talking pl points in my interview, all right. 661 00:45:06,035 --> 00:45:08,555 Speaker 1: I read them out loud to Joe Wilson, and he 662 00:45:08,595 --> 00:45:12,435 Speaker 1: rebutted each of them with impeccable charm and elegance. He 663 00:45:12,595 --> 00:45:15,315 Speaker 1: and Valerie Plain became regular guests on My show and 664 00:45:15,315 --> 00:45:17,235 Speaker 1: would beat the crap out of George Bush with the 665 00:45:17,275 --> 00:45:20,275 Speaker 1: plum right through the morning of January twenty, two thousand 666 00:45:20,275 --> 00:45:25,635 Speaker 1: and nine. Second punch line. A year earlier, a supply 667 00:45:25,795 --> 00:45:28,355 Speaker 1: clerk with a maintenance company on the ground in Iraq 668 00:45:28,475 --> 00:45:32,595 Speaker 1: was captured Private Jessica Lynch. The military and the Bush 669 00:45:32,635 --> 00:45:35,035 Speaker 1: administration immediately put out the story that she was being 670 00:45:35,075 --> 00:45:40,755 Speaker 1: tortured by them evil Iraqi Sadam Hussein doctors. There was 671 00:45:40,875 --> 00:45:45,315 Speaker 1: the glorious rescue of Jessica Lynch which followed, and the 672 00:45:45,435 --> 00:45:48,515 Speaker 1: parades and the you better not question this story period 673 00:45:48,595 --> 00:45:52,795 Speaker 1: which lasted about six weeks until a Toronto newspaper printed 674 00:45:52,875 --> 00:45:58,915 Speaker 1: a substantially different account that Lynch was rescued from an 675 00:45:58,915 --> 00:46:01,955 Speaker 1: Iraqi hospital and a US military team in good faith 676 00:46:02,515 --> 00:46:05,475 Speaker 1: went in to extract her, but that this was all arranged, 677 00:46:05,515 --> 00:46:08,995 Speaker 1: not by some sort of part of intelligence or US 678 00:46:09,075 --> 00:46:14,755 Speaker 1: operations or the Allies, but by the Iraqi doctors. Some 679 00:46:14,795 --> 00:46:18,075 Speaker 1: of them sneaked over to American lines at great danger 680 00:46:18,115 --> 00:46:20,275 Speaker 1: and said, one of your soldiers is hurt and we 681 00:46:20,315 --> 00:46:22,435 Speaker 1: don't have the right equipment to help her. Could you 682 00:46:22,555 --> 00:46:26,875 Speaker 1: swing by and pick her up? I reported that version 683 00:46:26,915 --> 00:46:30,395 Speaker 1: on MSNBC, and the next day, as I was still 684 00:46:30,435 --> 00:46:34,475 Speaker 1: taking my coat off, my boss, Phil Griffin called me 685 00:46:34,475 --> 00:46:36,835 Speaker 1: in and said that the head of NBC News and 686 00:46:36,915 --> 00:46:40,235 Speaker 1: the president of NBC, Bob Wright, had been on the 687 00:46:40,235 --> 00:46:43,755 Speaker 1: phone all morning to him, insisting I should be fired 688 00:46:44,315 --> 00:46:48,235 Speaker 1: for implying that the Bush administration had lied. Griffin proudly 689 00:46:48,235 --> 00:46:50,875 Speaker 1: said he had talked him into letting me get away 690 00:46:50,955 --> 00:46:56,275 Speaker 1: with just apologizing to the troops. I can't even read 691 00:46:56,315 --> 00:46:59,715 Speaker 1: this with a straight face now twenty years later, apologizing 692 00:46:59,755 --> 00:47:04,555 Speaker 1: to the troops who rescued her. I must credit myself 693 00:47:04,755 --> 00:47:07,235 Speaker 1: when my brain was fulled in that I did some 694 00:47:07,355 --> 00:47:12,115 Speaker 1: quick thinking. The demand was comical nonsense journalistically. On the 695 00:47:12,155 --> 00:47:16,235 Speaker 1: other hand, if I agreed to apologize to okay, the 696 00:47:16,275 --> 00:47:21,075 Speaker 1: troops who rescued her, whoever you want, I would get 697 00:47:21,075 --> 00:47:23,995 Speaker 1: the chance to tell the whole real story of Jessica 698 00:47:24,075 --> 00:47:29,195 Speaker 1: Lynch again. So I did. The apology was fifteen seconds, 699 00:47:29,235 --> 00:47:32,835 Speaker 1: and while unnecessary, was sincere. I didn't want to make 700 00:47:32,875 --> 00:47:34,995 Speaker 1: the troops look bad. They didn't know anything about this crap. 701 00:47:35,835 --> 00:47:38,115 Speaker 1: I made sure, however, that the retelling of the true 702 00:47:38,235 --> 00:47:40,715 Speaker 1: Lynch rescue story took about two and a half minutes. 703 00:47:42,115 --> 00:47:44,195 Speaker 1: That was in June of two thousand and three. So 704 00:47:44,355 --> 00:47:47,115 Speaker 1: why as of May of two thousand and four, the 705 00:47:47,115 --> 00:47:50,315 Speaker 1: Bush White House thought I was sympathetic to them, I'll 706 00:47:50,315 --> 00:47:53,475 Speaker 1: never know, Or why they bothered with me, I'll never know, 707 00:47:54,435 --> 00:47:58,035 Speaker 1: which brings me to the last point. The unintended side 708 00:47:58,035 --> 00:48:01,755 Speaker 1: effect with the long term impact of all those failed 709 00:48:01,755 --> 00:48:04,915 Speaker 1: White House emails with my name misspelled was that this 710 00:48:05,075 --> 00:48:10,235 Speaker 1: Pamelas Stevens person promptly forwarded them to people around NBC 711 00:48:10,875 --> 00:48:15,395 Speaker 1: whom she considered friendly to George W. Bush. One of 712 00:48:15,435 --> 00:48:18,835 Speaker 1: them was Tom Brokaw's assistant, another was in the office 713 00:48:18,875 --> 00:48:22,395 Speaker 1: of future NBC News president Steve Cappus, and the final 714 00:48:22,435 --> 00:48:26,115 Speaker 1: one was to some guy named George Ribey. And so 715 00:48:26,195 --> 00:48:29,075 Speaker 1: I found out all the people in the Bush administrations 716 00:48:29,515 --> 00:48:32,275 Speaker 1: we like them, list at NBC News who I should 717 00:48:32,315 --> 00:48:37,315 Speaker 1: avoid under all circumstances. Let's see Brokaw's assistance. So no Brokaw, 718 00:48:37,515 --> 00:48:40,435 Speaker 1: somebody in Cappus's office, and no Cappus, and this guy 719 00:48:40,515 --> 00:48:45,635 Speaker 1: George Ribey. And George Reba turned out to be a 720 00:48:45,675 --> 00:48:51,315 Speaker 1: guy hired by MSNBC from Fox News to go work 721 00:48:51,315 --> 00:48:55,795 Speaker 1: for Scarborough. He fell out of favor with Joe Scarborough, 722 00:48:55,835 --> 00:48:58,435 Speaker 1: and I guess he didn't henchman enough for Joe's taste, 723 00:48:59,235 --> 00:49:02,435 Speaker 1: and his influence fell to a guy. I don't think 724 00:49:02,435 --> 00:49:18,835 Speaker 1: I've mentioned him to you yet, Chris, I've done all 725 00:49:18,875 --> 00:49:20,995 Speaker 1: the damage I can do here. Thank you for listening. 726 00:49:21,035 --> 00:49:23,555 Speaker 1: Here are the credits. Most of the music arranged, produced 727 00:49:23,555 --> 00:49:26,675 Speaker 1: and performed by Brian ray and John Phillip Schanel, who 728 00:49:26,715 --> 00:49:30,235 Speaker 1: are the Countdown musical directors. Guitars based and drums by 729 00:49:30,235 --> 00:49:34,155 Speaker 1: Brian ray All orchestration and keyboards by John Phillip Schaneil, 730 00:49:34,635 --> 00:49:38,075 Speaker 1: produced by Tko Brothers. Other Beethoven selections have been arranged 731 00:49:38,115 --> 00:49:41,395 Speaker 1: and performed by the group No Horns Allowed. Sports music 732 00:49:41,515 --> 00:49:44,235 Speaker 1: is the Olberman theme from ESPN two and it was 733 00:49:44,275 --> 00:49:47,875 Speaker 1: written by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy of ESPN, Inc. Musical 734 00:49:47,875 --> 00:49:51,115 Speaker 1: comments by Nancy Fauss, the best baseball stadium organist ever 735 00:49:51,435 --> 00:49:55,115 Speaker 1: and star of Saber fifty one. Our announcer today was 736 00:49:55,115 --> 00:50:00,475 Speaker 1: my friend Tony Kornheiser, escaped sportswriter. Everything else was pretty 737 00:50:00,515 --> 00:50:04,315 Speaker 1: much my fault. Don't forget. Countdown now also available on YouTube. 738 00:50:04,715 --> 00:50:09,355 Speaker 1: Subscribe there as well give yourself options. That's countdown for 739 00:50:09,395 --> 00:50:12,395 Speaker 1: this to nine hundred and sixteenth day since Donald Trump's 740 00:50:12,395 --> 00:50:15,035 Speaker 1: first attempted coup against the democratically elected government of the 741 00:50:15,155 --> 00:50:19,035 Speaker 1: United States. Arrest him again while we still can. The 742 00:50:19,115 --> 00:50:22,595 Speaker 1: next scheduled countdown is tomorrow. Bulletins as the news warrants 743 00:50:23,035 --> 00:50:25,875 Speaker 1: till then, I'm Keith Alderman. Good Morning, good afternoon, goodnight, 744 00:50:26,355 --> 00:50:39,875 Speaker 1: and good luck. Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production 745 00:50:40,075 --> 00:50:45,075 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio 746 00:50:45,155 --> 00:50:48,835 Speaker 1: app Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts