1
00:00:04,755 --> 00:00:08,995
Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of I Heart Radio.

2
00:00:31,195 --> 00:00:36,355
Speaker 1: We know Trump took documents related to nuclear weapons. We

3
00:00:36,475 --> 00:00:39,955
Speaker 1: know Trump took documents that include quote among the most

4
00:00:39,955 --> 00:00:44,795
Speaker 1: sensitive secrets we hold. We know Trump took documents from

5
00:00:44,835 --> 00:00:49,555
Speaker 1: special access programs. But what we do not know is

6
00:00:49,595 --> 00:00:53,595
Speaker 1: the answer to a chilling question so terrifying to contemplate

7
00:00:53,635 --> 00:00:56,955
Speaker 1: that it is almost impossible to give voice to that

8
00:00:57,075 --> 00:01:02,315
Speaker 1: question is what if it is even worse than all that?

9
00:01:03,755 --> 00:01:07,475
Speaker 1: What if it's worse than we can imagine? What if

10
00:01:07,475 --> 00:01:12,115
Speaker 1: phrases like documents related to nuclear weapons and among the

11
00:01:12,155 --> 00:01:15,875
Speaker 1: most sensitive secrets we hold and special access programs are

12
00:01:15,915 --> 00:01:20,475
Speaker 1: not dire descriptions of treachery, unmatched in American history? What

13
00:01:20,595 --> 00:01:29,595
Speaker 1: if they are convenient euphemisms. What if it's worse? What

14
00:01:29,715 --> 00:01:37,115
Speaker 1: if that which Trump stole, truly, genuinely, without hyperbole, threatens

15
00:01:37,155 --> 00:01:40,675
Speaker 1: the very existence of this country, or threatens the very

16
00:01:40,675 --> 00:01:44,675
Speaker 1: existence of life on this planet. What if every fear

17
00:01:45,555 --> 00:01:49,475
Speaker 1: about his ego and about his inability to recognize that

18
00:01:49,555 --> 00:01:53,195
Speaker 1: other people have any meaning independent of his own desires.

19
00:01:53,675 --> 00:01:57,435
Speaker 1: What if every fear about his incapacity to be human

20
00:01:57,835 --> 00:02:02,075
Speaker 1: and his inability to feel guilt or responsibility or empathy.

21
00:02:02,315 --> 00:02:08,715
Speaker 1: What if all those fears are in fact understatements. What

22
00:02:09,475 --> 00:02:13,515
Speaker 1: if it is worse than the worst you could imagine

23
00:02:15,355 --> 00:02:18,315
Speaker 1: Thursday night, in the least likely venue, from the least

24
00:02:18,355 --> 00:02:21,075
Speaker 1: likely person, in the most matter of fact way, we

25
00:02:21,195 --> 00:02:24,595
Speaker 1: got a hint that perhaps we should prepare for the

26
00:02:24,635 --> 00:02:28,555
Speaker 1: possibility that it is worse than we can imagine. That

27
00:02:28,675 --> 00:02:32,355
Speaker 1: every friend of your friend's friend who knows somebody at

28
00:02:32,355 --> 00:02:36,315
Speaker 1: the Bureau and says he stole the nuclear codes, or

29
00:02:36,355 --> 00:02:39,235
Speaker 1: the commentator who from the beginning was invoking Julius and

30
00:02:39,275 --> 00:02:42,395
Speaker 1: Ethel Rosenberg and how they passed along the secrets of

31
00:02:42,395 --> 00:02:45,555
Speaker 1: the atomic bomb to the Soviets and were executed because

32
00:02:45,595 --> 00:02:50,155
Speaker 1: of it me that maybe we knew something, and maybe

33
00:02:50,235 --> 00:02:55,195
Speaker 1: we didn't know anything, but maybe nonetheless we were right anyway,

34
00:02:55,315 --> 00:02:58,755
Speaker 1: or maybe even for us, it is worse than we

35
00:02:59,875 --> 00:03:06,755
Speaker 1: can't imagine. Ronald Kessler was a probly connected investigative reporter

36
00:03:06,795 --> 00:03:09,675
Speaker 1: at the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He

37
00:03:09,755 --> 00:03:14,155
Speaker 1: has since written twenty one books about the FBI, the CIA,

38
00:03:14,315 --> 00:03:17,995
Speaker 1: the Secret Service, and the White House. One of his

39
00:03:18,075 --> 00:03:22,075
Speaker 1: books revealed the mismanagement of the FBI by its director WILLIAMS.

40
00:03:22,075 --> 00:03:26,475
Speaker 1: Sessions and With that revelation, President Clinton fired William Sessions,

41
00:03:26,915 --> 00:03:31,515
Speaker 1: and about that time Ronald Kessler became a superbly connected

42
00:03:31,515 --> 00:03:36,835
Speaker 1: reporter who was also hyperpartisan. He wrote an adoring biography

43
00:03:36,835 --> 00:03:40,595
Speaker 1: of Laura Bush. He wrote another praising the George W.

44
00:03:40,755 --> 00:03:44,795
Speaker 1: Bush presidency. He wrote a third, worshiping Trump. He was

45
00:03:44,915 --> 00:03:49,235
Speaker 1: last seen on news Max doing the Fawning Trump documentary

46
00:03:49,315 --> 00:03:53,355
Speaker 1: and then Thursday night, as they rotated their graphics, their

47
00:03:53,555 --> 00:03:57,595
Speaker 1: chirons as one tenth of your Fox News Channel screen

48
00:03:57,755 --> 00:04:02,035
Speaker 1: first read did the FBI bug Marilago? And then read

49
00:04:02,275 --> 00:04:05,635
Speaker 1: what is the FBI hiding? And then had the FBI

50
00:04:05,835 --> 00:04:10,475
Speaker 1: shady bugging Techniques? Fox News Channel had as its guest

51
00:04:11,115 --> 00:04:17,195
Speaker 1: Ronald Kessler Secrets of the FBI author Ronald Kessler, Trump

52
00:04:17,235 --> 00:04:23,395
Speaker 1: acolyte Ronald Kessler, Trump sycophant Ronald Kessler, Trump apologist Ronald Kessler.

53
00:04:23,875 --> 00:04:28,595
Speaker 1: And that's when something happened that should scare you to

54
00:04:28,715 --> 00:04:32,715
Speaker 1: your core, as it scared me to my core. Ronald

55
00:04:32,795 --> 00:04:37,115
Speaker 1: Kessler went off script. First, he said that the level

56
00:04:37,115 --> 00:04:40,595
Speaker 1: of secret classification for the documents Trump took to Mari

57
00:04:40,715 --> 00:04:44,835
Speaker 1: Lago was above and beyond top secret and above and

58
00:04:44,875 --> 00:04:50,995
Speaker 1: beyond sensitive, compartmented and then before Fox could stop him,

59
00:04:51,115 --> 00:04:55,635
Speaker 1: Ronald Kessler, a Trump guy, began to explain what specific

60
00:04:55,835 --> 00:04:59,915
Speaker 1: kinds of documents would be classified above and beyond those

61
00:05:00,115 --> 00:05:05,395
Speaker 1: levels of secrecy. And this Kessler told Fox News is

62
00:05:05,435 --> 00:05:09,875
Speaker 1: what could be in the boxes of documents that Trump took.

63
00:05:10,515 --> 00:05:16,235
Speaker 1: That could very well include, uh, the plans for counter

64
00:05:16,315 --> 00:05:19,235
Speaker 1: striking against Russia in the event of a nuclear attack.

65
00:05:19,635 --> 00:05:21,915
Speaker 1: That's something that's part of the football program, which I've

66
00:05:21,915 --> 00:05:27,795
Speaker 1: written about, where the president chooses options from these documents

67
00:05:27,915 --> 00:05:30,955
Speaker 1: on how to respond. Yesterday, it was fine within twenty

68
00:05:30,995 --> 00:05:34,555
Speaker 1: minutes to to prevent annihilation of the United States. And

69
00:05:34,595 --> 00:05:38,915
Speaker 1: that's one item that could be in these documents. That

70
00:05:40,315 --> 00:05:42,675
Speaker 1: is the level of danger that a man who has

71
00:05:42,675 --> 00:05:45,315
Speaker 1: written twenty one books about the FBI, Secret Service, and

72
00:05:45,355 --> 00:05:48,155
Speaker 1: White House, that a man who was inclined to give

73
00:05:48,195 --> 00:05:51,595
Speaker 1: Trump the benefit of the doubt and then some that's

74
00:05:51,595 --> 00:05:54,715
Speaker 1: the level of danger Ronald Kesler thinks we may be at.

75
00:05:56,355 --> 00:06:00,875
Speaker 1: We are here. It is worse than we can imagine.

76
00:06:01,715 --> 00:06:05,475
Speaker 1: The documents Trump took quote could very well include the

77
00:06:05,475 --> 00:06:07,995
Speaker 1: plans for counterstriking against Russia in the event of a

78
00:06:08,075 --> 00:06:12,675
Speaker 1: nuclear attack. That is figuratively the beating heart of the

79
00:06:12,835 --> 00:06:17,475
Speaker 1: essence of defense for this country, not from some Cold

80
00:06:17,515 --> 00:06:20,875
Speaker 1: War fiction, but from the reality of an increasingly desperate

81
00:06:20,955 --> 00:06:25,715
Speaker 1: Russian leader at war with Ukraine and belligerent with Europe.

82
00:06:26,555 --> 00:06:32,755
Speaker 1: The plans for counter striking against Russia or what Trump

83
00:06:32,795 --> 00:06:35,955
Speaker 1: took might be something else. But consider again the quotes

84
00:06:35,995 --> 00:06:38,995
Speaker 1: from people in the know. Consider what Kessler said in

85
00:06:39,035 --> 00:06:41,955
Speaker 1: the light of what they have said, that one Washington

86
00:06:42,115 --> 00:06:46,075
Speaker 1: Post source among the most sensitive secrets we know the

87
00:06:46,115 --> 00:06:49,435
Speaker 1: Republican congressman from Utah, the member of the House Permanent

88
00:06:49,435 --> 00:06:52,715
Speaker 1: Select Committee on Intelligence, Chris Stewart. I mean, if he

89
00:06:52,795 --> 00:06:57,835
Speaker 1: had actual special access programs, do you know how extraordinarily

90
00:06:57,955 --> 00:07:02,635
Speaker 1: sensitive that is. That's very, very sensitive. If that were

91
00:07:02,675 --> 00:07:07,195
Speaker 1: actually at his residence, that would be a problem. Unquote,

92
00:07:09,915 --> 00:07:13,715
Speaker 1: Mr Kessler was not finished. Trump might not have taken

93
00:07:13,755 --> 00:07:18,875
Speaker 1: the nuclear retaliatory strike options, or he might not just

94
00:07:19,235 --> 00:07:23,555
Speaker 1: have taken the nuclear retaliatory strike options. What else would

95
00:07:23,555 --> 00:07:27,235
Speaker 1: have received that highest level of security classification? What else

96
00:07:27,955 --> 00:07:31,915
Speaker 1: might Trump have taken? Our penetrations by the CIA of

97
00:07:32,195 --> 00:07:36,435
Speaker 1: foreign embassies of foreign leaders like Putin, as well as

98
00:07:36,475 --> 00:07:42,075
Speaker 1: recruitment of spies overseas. Uh So, we're talking about incredibly

99
00:07:42,995 --> 00:07:46,955
Speaker 1: valuable secrets that the Russians, of course, would have been after.

100
00:07:47,115 --> 00:07:50,195
Speaker 1: The Russians would have been trying to penetrate Mari Lago

101
00:07:50,595 --> 00:07:54,795
Speaker 1: the day and night, and very possibly did recruise spies

102
00:07:55,075 --> 00:07:58,315
Speaker 1: to to obtain these. Just when you think you have

103
00:07:58,395 --> 00:08:02,155
Speaker 1: imagined the worst of whatever is worse than you can imagine,

104
00:08:03,115 --> 00:08:05,555
Speaker 1: a Trump friendly author goes on Box news channel and

105
00:08:05,595 --> 00:08:09,155
Speaker 1: suggests maybe Trump kept the lists of the names of

106
00:08:09,235 --> 00:08:13,035
Speaker 1: spies working overseas for the CIA, who, if identified by

107
00:08:13,075 --> 00:08:18,075
Speaker 1: their native countries tradition holds, are shot or tortured and

108
00:08:18,115 --> 00:08:21,835
Speaker 1: then shot. And Ron Kessler says, oh, by the way,

109
00:08:21,915 --> 00:08:24,075
Speaker 1: the Russians would have been trying to get a spy

110
00:08:24,195 --> 00:08:30,275
Speaker 1: into Mari Lago to get those lists, where those nuclear

111
00:08:30,315 --> 00:08:35,075
Speaker 1: retaliatory target lists, and that the Russians might have succeeded.

112
00:08:38,715 --> 00:08:41,235
Speaker 1: What if it is worse than we could possibly imagine?

113
00:08:41,875 --> 00:08:45,355
Speaker 1: At what point do we stop shaking? By? How much

114
00:08:45,555 --> 00:08:49,715
Speaker 1: does Ronald Kesler have to be wrong before we stop shaking?

115
00:08:54,155 --> 00:08:57,595
Speaker 1: If it's only half as bad as Kessler is speculating,

116
00:08:57,795 --> 00:09:01,515
Speaker 1: is that okay? Then if the documents are not the

117
00:09:01,635 --> 00:09:04,995
Speaker 1: nuclear retaliatory strike options or the names of our buis

118
00:09:05,035 --> 00:09:07,315
Speaker 1: in the Kremlin, but they're still so secret that they're

119
00:09:07,355 --> 00:09:11,355
Speaker 1: classified at the level beyond top secret and beyond sensitive

120
00:09:11,355 --> 00:09:16,675
Speaker 1: compartmented if he had actual special access programs. Was how

121
00:09:16,715 --> 00:09:19,715
Speaker 1: the Republican Congressman Chris Stewart of the House Select Intelligence

122
00:09:19,715 --> 00:09:23,995
Speaker 1: Committee began his rhetorical question, do you know how extraordinarily

123
00:09:24,115 --> 00:09:34,875
Speaker 1: sensitive that is? Trump the spy? How does one segue

124
00:09:34,955 --> 00:09:38,595
Speaker 1: from that? Well, you don't? You just say there are

125
00:09:38,635 --> 00:09:40,715
Speaker 1: a couple of other things to mention. You have the

126
00:09:40,755 --> 00:09:43,515
Speaker 1: advantage of me. My noon Friday, you will have seen

127
00:09:43,555 --> 00:09:46,235
Speaker 1: the redacted affidavit that earned the government the search warrant

128
00:09:46,235 --> 00:09:50,515
Speaker 1: at Mari Lago for god knows what's in Pandora's box.

129
00:09:51,795 --> 00:09:54,795
Speaker 1: I don't think it'll mention the lists of spies or

130
00:09:54,875 --> 00:09:57,595
Speaker 1: the options for a response to a Russian nuclear attack

131
00:09:57,635 --> 00:10:00,355
Speaker 1: against this country. But you do not have to be

132
00:10:00,395 --> 00:10:03,715
Speaker 1: a lawyer to read Judge Reinhardt's finding Thursday to understand

133
00:10:04,155 --> 00:10:06,795
Speaker 1: that it is almost complete victory for the government and

134
00:10:06,835 --> 00:10:09,715
Speaker 1: for the redactions it wanted. Quoting him, I find that

135
00:10:09,755 --> 00:10:12,275
Speaker 1: the government has met its burden of showing a compelling

136
00:10:12,315 --> 00:10:16,355
Speaker 1: reason slash good cause to seal portions of the affidavit

137
00:10:16,395 --> 00:10:19,835
Speaker 1: because disclosure would reveal one the identities of the witnesses,

138
00:10:20,075 --> 00:10:26,475
Speaker 1: law enforcement agents and uncharged parties to the investigations, strategy, direction, scope,

139
00:10:26,515 --> 00:10:31,235
Speaker 1: sources and methods, and three grand jury information. The government

140
00:10:31,235 --> 00:10:33,795
Speaker 1: has met its burden of showing that its proposed redactions

141
00:10:33,835 --> 00:10:37,355
Speaker 1: are narrowly tailored to serve the government's legitimate interest in

142
00:10:37,395 --> 00:10:40,515
Speaker 1: the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least

143
00:10:40,635 --> 00:10:46,995
Speaker 1: onerous alternative to sealing the entire affidavit end quote. Also

144
00:10:47,035 --> 00:10:49,995
Speaker 1: you should know, CNN reported Thursday. Since the beginning of

145
00:10:50,035 --> 00:10:53,275
Speaker 1: the year, Trump has been taking legal advice about this

146
00:10:53,395 --> 00:10:58,475
Speaker 1: particular topic from Tom Fitton, which is interesting because although

147
00:10:58,475 --> 00:11:01,835
Speaker 1: he runs the nuisance suit organization Judicial Watch, he is

148
00:11:01,875 --> 00:11:05,795
Speaker 1: not a lawyer. He just appears on Twitter in polo

149
00:11:05,875 --> 00:11:09,435
Speaker 1: shirts two sizes too small to show off his muscles

150
00:11:09,515 --> 00:11:13,995
Speaker 1: or his nipples or something. After Trump returned fifteen boxes

151
00:11:13,995 --> 00:11:17,635
Speaker 1: of stolen documents to the Archives in January, CNN reports

152
00:11:17,675 --> 00:11:19,875
Speaker 1: fit and told him he shouldn't have done that and

153
00:11:19,915 --> 00:11:23,835
Speaker 1: should not return anymore. And if the proverbial man who

154
00:11:23,915 --> 00:11:26,355
Speaker 1: is his own lawyer has a fool for a client,

155
00:11:26,675 --> 00:11:29,115
Speaker 1: then a man who has a non attorney spokesman as

156
00:11:29,115 --> 00:11:33,555
Speaker 1: his own lawyer is just a damned fool. We also

157
00:11:33,595 --> 00:11:36,515
Speaker 1: know Trump may soon be sued by the web host

158
00:11:36,595 --> 00:11:41,995
Speaker 1: for his truth social platform. Fox Business News reports that

159
00:11:42,115 --> 00:11:46,755
Speaker 1: the company right Forge claims Trump stopped paying them months

160
00:11:46,755 --> 00:11:49,555
Speaker 1: ago and owes them a million, six d thousand dollars.

161
00:11:51,435 --> 00:11:54,315
Speaker 1: And to circle back to that silly little end of

162
00:11:54,355 --> 00:11:58,715
Speaker 1: the world nuclear counter strikes thing, we know that Trump's

163
00:11:58,795 --> 00:12:02,595
Speaker 1: legal team has not yet seen the Affidavid used to

164
00:12:02,635 --> 00:12:05,675
Speaker 1: obtain the search warrant. But of course we also know

165
00:12:06,395 --> 00:12:10,475
Speaker 1: Trump knows exactly what they were looking for in those

166
00:12:10,515 --> 00:12:19,315
Speaker 1: boxes marked classified, marked top secret, marked sensitive, compartmented, marked

167
00:12:19,675 --> 00:12:26,355
Speaker 1: special access programs that could very well include, uh, the

168
00:12:26,435 --> 00:12:30,155
Speaker 1: plans for counter striking against Russia in the event of

169
00:12:30,155 --> 00:12:33,395
Speaker 1: a nuclear attack. That's something that's part of the football program,

170
00:12:33,395 --> 00:12:38,195
Speaker 1: which I've written about, where the president chooses options from

171
00:12:38,235 --> 00:12:41,835
Speaker 1: these documents on how to respond. Yesterday, it was fine

172
00:12:42,155 --> 00:12:46,315
Speaker 1: within twenty minutes to to prevent annihilation of the United States,

173
00:12:46,315 --> 00:12:49,475
Speaker 1: and that's one item that could be in these documents.

174
00:12:49,595 --> 00:12:52,675
Speaker 1: Maybe Ronald Kessler, now seventy eight years old, was just

175
00:12:52,755 --> 00:12:55,395
Speaker 1: showing off and regaining some of the glory from his

176
00:12:55,475 --> 00:12:57,955
Speaker 1: days with the Washington Post in the Wall Street Journal.

177
00:12:58,035 --> 00:13:04,595
Speaker 1: Maybe he's wildly, wildly, wildly wrong. Maybe just the same,

178
00:13:05,635 --> 00:13:10,555
Speaker 1: Maybe we should just presume going forward that it all

179
00:13:10,675 --> 00:13:15,515
Speaker 1: could be worse than we can possibly imagine, and that

180
00:13:15,675 --> 00:13:34,555
Speaker 1: those boxes cumulatively are Pandora's box. Still ahead on countdown,

181
00:13:34,555 --> 00:13:38,235
Speaker 1: where do we go after that? Well, Bill Barr has

182
00:13:38,275 --> 00:13:41,435
Speaker 1: turned on Trump and the White House to borrow the

183
00:13:41,435 --> 00:13:44,675
Speaker 1: old Shakespearean line, went to the critics of the student

184
00:13:44,715 --> 00:13:49,395
Speaker 1: loan Forgiveness program and hoist them all with their own petards. Also,

185
00:13:49,435 --> 00:13:51,875
Speaker 1: it's the anniversary of some of the music in this show.

186
00:13:51,955 --> 00:13:54,035
Speaker 1: I'll explain that it will make sense after I do.

187
00:13:54,715 --> 00:13:56,795
Speaker 1: And this is the weekend edition, so it's time for

188
00:13:56,835 --> 00:13:59,755
Speaker 1: me to read you some James Thurbert. This week it's

189
00:13:59,755 --> 00:14:03,875
Speaker 1: going to be a catbird seat. Well that is next

190
00:14:03,955 --> 00:14:14,675
Speaker 1: this ascount Um, you know this is cutdown with you

191
00:14:14,715 --> 00:14:21,275
Speaker 1: know Keith coming up? Oh did the White House beat

192
00:14:21,315 --> 00:14:23,395
Speaker 1: the ever loving crap out of the Republican critics of

193
00:14:23,435 --> 00:14:26,915
Speaker 1: the student loan Forgiveness program? Plus Bryce Harper returns to

194
00:14:26,915 --> 00:14:31,195
Speaker 1: the Philadelphia Phillies and that could hurt them first. In

195
00:14:31,235 --> 00:14:33,435
Speaker 1: each edition of Compdown, we feature a dog in need

196
00:14:33,475 --> 00:14:35,515
Speaker 1: whom you can help. Every dog has its day and

197
00:14:35,595 --> 00:14:39,115
Speaker 1: good news. Yesterday's dog do do on the kill list.

198
00:14:39,155 --> 00:14:43,595
Speaker 1: Here in New York rescued Amen. Today something a little different.

199
00:14:43,595 --> 00:14:46,275
Speaker 1: This is National Dog Day and here in New York,

200
00:14:46,395 --> 00:14:49,435
Speaker 1: I'm blessed. My pups are blessed by as good an

201
00:14:49,435 --> 00:14:52,595
Speaker 1: animal hospital as there is, the Schwartzman Animal Medical Center.

202
00:14:52,755 --> 00:14:55,875
Speaker 1: They've helped my gal Stevie through cancer. They did heart

203
00:14:55,955 --> 00:14:58,795
Speaker 1: surgery on my guy Ted that saved his life, and

204
00:14:58,835 --> 00:15:01,235
Speaker 1: helped all my dogs, especially my little Mishu, who was

205
00:15:01,275 --> 00:15:03,835
Speaker 1: born with a fatal heart defect, and they looked after

206
00:15:03,915 --> 00:15:06,235
Speaker 1: him as if he their own until the day he died.

207
00:15:06,875 --> 00:15:10,195
Speaker 1: They're fundraising for the a m C to the Rescue Fund.

208
00:15:10,675 --> 00:15:12,915
Speaker 1: This allows them to treat dogs who are still in

209
00:15:12,995 --> 00:15:17,315
Speaker 1: the pound or awaiting adoption elsewhere, so that forever families

210
00:15:17,355 --> 00:15:19,555
Speaker 1: won't be scared off because of the burden of needed

211
00:15:19,555 --> 00:15:23,195
Speaker 1: and often expensive healthcare. So today I'm gonna tweet out

212
00:15:23,195 --> 00:15:25,635
Speaker 1: the link to donate to the a m C to

213
00:15:25,675 --> 00:15:28,075
Speaker 1: the Rescue Fund. Please do so if you can, or

214
00:15:28,155 --> 00:15:36,835
Speaker 1: just retweet it that'll help too, And thank you. Coming

215
00:15:36,875 --> 00:15:39,075
Speaker 1: up on countdown, you know who's a pal of Florida

216
00:15:39,115 --> 00:15:44,715
Speaker 1: Governor Ronda Santis. You know Rhonda Rhonda Santis. His pal

217
00:15:45,035 --> 00:15:48,715
Speaker 1: is Clarence Thomas. You know how we know that Jenny

218
00:15:48,835 --> 00:15:54,195
Speaker 1: Thomas plus Jared Kushner believes he is immortal to tails

219
00:15:54,195 --> 00:15:57,275
Speaker 1: ahead in worse persons. First postscripts to the news, some headlines,

220
00:15:57,355 --> 00:16:09,995
Speaker 1: some thoughts, some snark, state line Washington. Okay, frankly, I

221
00:16:10,035 --> 00:16:13,595
Speaker 1: no longer care how much the Biden loan forgiveness program costs.

222
00:16:13,635 --> 00:16:17,315
Speaker 1: It's worth it just for the continuing burn. Another day

223
00:16:17,315 --> 00:16:20,155
Speaker 1: of Republicans at highest dudgeon, all of whom seem to

224
00:16:20,195 --> 00:16:23,355
Speaker 1: have not known that when they got p p P

225
00:16:23,595 --> 00:16:26,875
Speaker 1: loans during the pandemic and then got those loans forgiven,

226
00:16:27,195 --> 00:16:30,275
Speaker 1: it was all in the public record. Among the latest

227
00:16:30,355 --> 00:16:33,915
Speaker 1: to step on, Rakes marked loan forgiveness for me, but

228
00:16:33,995 --> 00:16:38,355
Speaker 1: not for the Molly hemingway of the Federalist. After destroying

229
00:16:38,475 --> 00:16:42,115
Speaker 1: your livelihood with COVID mandates, Biden wants you to subsidize

230
00:16:42,235 --> 00:16:47,195
Speaker 1: rich college graduates. Molly hemingways. The Federalist had three thousand

231
00:16:47,275 --> 00:16:51,635
Speaker 1: dollars and p P loans forgiven. Congressman Mike I was

232
00:16:51,715 --> 00:16:55,635
Speaker 1: just a courier during the coup Kelly of Pennsylvania asking

233
00:16:55,675 --> 00:16:58,315
Speaker 1: plumbers and carpenters to pay off the loans of Wall

234
00:16:58,395 --> 00:17:02,395
Speaker 1: Street advisors and lawyers. Isn't just unfair, it's also bad policy.

235
00:17:02,915 --> 00:17:07,155
Speaker 1: Mike Kelly had even thousand dollars in p P loans forgiven.

236
00:17:08,595 --> 00:17:12,075
Speaker 1: Congressman Matt Gates said, how old are you? And then

237
00:17:12,075 --> 00:17:14,995
Speaker 1: he said, instead of wiping away student loan debt with

238
00:17:15,035 --> 00:17:17,835
Speaker 1: a presidential executive order, we ought to allow people who

239
00:17:17,835 --> 00:17:22,675
Speaker 1: are victims of predatory systems to declare bankruptcy. Matt Gates

240
00:17:22,675 --> 00:17:26,875
Speaker 1: had four two thousand dollars in p P loans forgiven.

241
00:17:27,635 --> 00:17:29,595
Speaker 1: That was actually a mistake on my part, but maybe

242
00:17:29,635 --> 00:17:33,675
Speaker 1: they are PP loans. Marjorie Trailer Park Green said, for

243
00:17:33,755 --> 00:17:37,035
Speaker 1: our government just to say, okay, you're dead is completely forgiven.

244
00:17:37,075 --> 00:17:41,035
Speaker 1: It's completely on fire. Marjorie Trailer Park Green had a

245
00:17:41,075 --> 00:17:43,635
Speaker 1: hundred and eighty three thousand dollars in p p P

246
00:17:43,795 --> 00:17:47,875
Speaker 1: loans forgiven. And we know all of these numbers because

247
00:17:48,555 --> 00:17:52,995
Speaker 1: the White House trolled them all, sub tweeted them attacking

248
00:17:53,035 --> 00:17:55,675
Speaker 1: how much they took and how much they didn't pay back,

249
00:17:56,155 --> 00:17:58,835
Speaker 1: which would be a hundred percent to the White Houses

250
00:17:58,955 --> 00:18:02,435
Speaker 1: seven million, four hundred sixty seven thousand, one hundred sixty

251
00:18:02,475 --> 00:18:05,755
Speaker 1: Twitter followers, and that boys and girl earls is how

252
00:18:05,995 --> 00:18:10,915
Speaker 1: you politics. Dateline Fort Wayne, Indiana. One dark side to

253
00:18:10,955 --> 00:18:13,795
Speaker 1: watching the Republicans burned themselves on this A comment from

254
00:18:13,835 --> 00:18:18,195
Speaker 1: Congressman Jim Banks from the Indiana Third quote, student loan

255
00:18:18,315 --> 00:18:23,315
Speaker 1: forgiveness undermines one of our military's greatest recruitment tools at

256
00:18:23,315 --> 00:18:27,235
Speaker 1: a time of dangerously low enlistments. Quiet part out loud,

257
00:18:27,315 --> 00:18:30,755
Speaker 1: quiet part out loud. I did not know our military

258
00:18:30,915 --> 00:18:34,315
Speaker 1: was the French foreign legion for debtors and educational washouts.

259
00:18:34,475 --> 00:18:39,115
Speaker 1: But there you go. And dateline Rome, Georgia, It's Marge

260
00:18:39,195 --> 00:18:43,515
Speaker 1: again says she was squatted again, and there's doubt again.

261
00:18:51,075 --> 00:18:54,075
Speaker 1: Cynics notes that in each of the two consecutive nights

262
00:18:54,115 --> 00:18:57,235
Speaker 1: when Marjorie Trailway Park Green says she was squatted, her

263
00:18:57,275 --> 00:19:00,075
Speaker 1: front door was not knocked down, and the biggest threats

264
00:19:00,075 --> 00:19:02,755
Speaker 1: so far have been a cop ringing her doorbell and

265
00:19:02,915 --> 00:19:06,715
Speaker 1: the possibility that officers saw her without her makeup. Use

266
00:19:06,795 --> 00:19:10,275
Speaker 1: the emergency eye wash, boys, use the emergency eye wash.

267
00:19:10,915 --> 00:19:15,275
Speaker 1: Dateline sub stack an interview by the infamous Barry Weiss

268
00:19:15,275 --> 00:19:20,195
Speaker 1: assessing Trump's backing of unelectable cultists for office and himself

269
00:19:20,235 --> 00:19:24,195
Speaker 1: in one quote goes thus, Lee, his pursuit of a

270
00:19:24,235 --> 00:19:28,075
Speaker 1: personal agenda and personal power is weakening the Republican Party,

271
00:19:28,355 --> 00:19:30,435
Speaker 1: telling the party if it's not me, I'm going to

272
00:19:30,515 --> 00:19:33,155
Speaker 1: ruin your election chances by telling my base to sit

273
00:19:33,235 --> 00:19:36,315
Speaker 1: home and I'll sabotage whoever you nominate other than me.

274
00:19:36,675 --> 00:19:39,435
Speaker 1: The tactic that Trump is using to exert this control

275
00:19:39,475 --> 00:19:43,755
Speaker 1: over the Republican Party is extortion. End quote who said

276
00:19:43,795 --> 00:19:48,435
Speaker 1: that Bill Barr? Too bad? Bill Barr didn't have a

277
00:19:48,515 --> 00:19:51,355
Speaker 1: chance to catch Trump in the act of extortion. Oh

278
00:19:51,395 --> 00:19:53,515
Speaker 1: yeah he did. That was what was in that memo

279
00:19:53,635 --> 00:19:56,595
Speaker 1: I read to yesterday. I never thought he'd eat my

280
00:19:56,755 --> 00:20:00,715
Speaker 1: face bar added Dateline, New York. Amy Harris and Robert

281
00:20:00,755 --> 00:20:03,595
Speaker 1: Kurlander have pleaded guilty to stealing the diary of President

282
00:20:03,595 --> 00:20:06,275
Speaker 1: Biden's daughter ash Lee and then selling it to Little

283
00:20:06,355 --> 00:20:11,995
Speaker 1: Jimmy o'keeps hilariously named Project Veritas for forty grand When

284
00:20:12,115 --> 00:20:15,395
Speaker 1: Project very ass wanted to authenticate the diary, they gave

285
00:20:15,435 --> 00:20:18,595
Speaker 1: the pair more money to steal more stuff. And guess

286
00:20:18,635 --> 00:20:24,475
Speaker 1: what Little Jimmy O'Keeffe is up. A Eugene Levy sitcom

287
00:20:24,515 --> 00:20:28,075
Speaker 1: and Dateline, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, ranked earlier in

288
00:20:28,075 --> 00:20:29,755
Speaker 1: the day by Fox News is one of the top

289
00:20:29,755 --> 00:20:33,595
Speaker 1: ten Republican candidates for president, appeared on the channel later

290
00:20:33,635 --> 00:20:37,915
Speaker 1: in the day to announce enjoying a fruit filled life,

291
00:20:38,475 --> 00:20:42,755
Speaker 1: even for those of us starting in poverty, fruit filled life.

292
00:20:43,355 --> 00:20:47,595
Speaker 1: Don't forget that fruit filled center and date line. Now,

293
00:20:47,675 --> 00:20:49,715
Speaker 1: let's just play that sound bite again. This is the

294
00:20:49,755 --> 00:20:53,435
Speaker 1: conservative author Ron Kessler on Fox News Channel saying the

295
00:20:53,515 --> 00:20:57,635
Speaker 1: documents purloined by Trump are above the levels of top

296
00:20:57,675 --> 00:21:02,995
Speaker 1: secret and sensitive compartmented and speculating on Fox News just

297
00:21:03,235 --> 00:21:07,515
Speaker 1: what might be in documents Trump took that could very

298
00:21:07,555 --> 00:21:13,955
Speaker 1: well include, uh, the plans for counter striking against Russia

299
00:21:14,035 --> 00:21:16,475
Speaker 1: in the event of a nuclear attack. That's something that's

300
00:21:16,515 --> 00:21:19,795
Speaker 1: part of the football program, which I've written about, where

301
00:21:19,835 --> 00:21:25,195
Speaker 1: the president chooses options from these documents on how to respond.

302
00:21:25,355 --> 00:21:29,915
Speaker 1: Yesterday was fond within twenty minutes to to prevent annihilation

303
00:21:29,955 --> 00:21:32,635
Speaker 1: of the United States. And that's one item that could

304
00:21:32,635 --> 00:21:37,875
Speaker 1: be in these documents. Yippie, Kai a mother. This is

305
00:21:38,355 --> 00:21:45,555
Speaker 1: Sports Center. Wait, check that not anymore. This is Countdown

306
00:21:46,235 --> 00:22:02,715
Speaker 1: with Keith Alberman in Sports That music is nine years

307
00:22:02,755 --> 00:22:06,835
Speaker 1: old today augustus. In thirteen, we premiered the show for

308
00:22:06,915 --> 00:22:09,715
Speaker 1: which that was the theme Overman and eleven pm Eastern

309
00:22:09,755 --> 00:22:12,315
Speaker 1: on ESPN two. I did not choose the name. More

310
00:22:12,355 --> 00:22:14,875
Speaker 1: on that in a moment. First two headlines last year's

311
00:22:14,955 --> 00:22:17,995
Speaker 1: nationally m v P. Bryce Harper rejoins the Phillies today

312
00:22:18,035 --> 00:22:20,875
Speaker 1: after being out since June with a broken thumb. His

313
00:22:20,955 --> 00:22:23,035
Speaker 1: hitting will be welcomed as they try to gain one

314
00:22:23,035 --> 00:22:25,635
Speaker 1: of the playoff wild cards in the National League, but

315
00:22:25,755 --> 00:22:29,395
Speaker 1: Harper could actually hurt the team overall. He's also got

316
00:22:29,395 --> 00:22:31,675
Speaker 1: an elbow injury that is likely to restrict him to

317
00:22:31,675 --> 00:22:33,795
Speaker 1: being the designated hitter for the rest of the year

318
00:22:33,915 --> 00:22:36,835
Speaker 1: rather than being one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball.

319
00:22:36,875 --> 00:22:41,075
Speaker 1: And that means that Nick Costellanos and Kyle Schober, two

320
00:22:41,115 --> 00:22:44,515
Speaker 1: of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball, will both have

321
00:22:44,595 --> 00:22:46,835
Speaker 1: to play in the outfield or not play at all.

322
00:22:47,315 --> 00:22:50,835
Speaker 1: And here's why teams scrimmage alone during the National Football

323
00:22:50,915 --> 00:22:54,755
Speaker 1: League preseason and not against each other. Yesterday's scrimmage between

324
00:22:54,755 --> 00:22:58,235
Speaker 1: the Cincinnati Bengals offense and the L A Rams defense

325
00:22:58,435 --> 00:23:02,675
Speaker 1: ended in a mass brawl. There is video, plus a

326
00:23:02,755 --> 00:23:07,515
Speaker 1: timeless Cincinnati Enquirer photograph of l A's Aaron Donald holding

327
00:23:07,555 --> 00:23:11,475
Speaker 1: a Bengals helmet in each hand. The video shows him

328
00:23:11,515 --> 00:23:14,755
Speaker 1: swinging at least one of them at Bengals players. To

329
00:23:14,995 --> 00:23:18,595
Speaker 1: quote Clidas the slack jawed yokel from The Simpsons, as

330
00:23:18,635 --> 00:23:21,875
Speaker 1: a demolition derby driver's helmet flies into the stands where

331
00:23:21,915 --> 00:23:26,995
Speaker 1: he's sitting. Hey ahead, dang, it's been scoop it out.

332
00:23:27,835 --> 00:23:30,875
Speaker 1: Now the anniversary of the ESPN two show, there are

333
00:23:30,915 --> 00:23:32,755
Speaker 1: a couple of now it can be told parts to

334
00:23:32,835 --> 00:23:36,675
Speaker 1: the tale of that saga. August two thousand thirteen marked

335
00:23:36,715 --> 00:23:41,195
Speaker 1: my return to ESPN on TV anyway, sixteen years after

336
00:23:41,235 --> 00:23:44,515
Speaker 1: I concluded five years doing Sports Center along Dance alongside

337
00:23:44,555 --> 00:23:48,675
Speaker 1: Dan Patrick. Along Dan Patrick. Things were not harmonious when

338
00:23:48,675 --> 00:23:51,795
Speaker 1: I left in but it was largely about my desire

339
00:23:51,835 --> 00:23:55,475
Speaker 1: to live in a big city again. In fact, after

340
00:23:55,515 --> 00:23:58,795
Speaker 1: the ESPN Vice president Howard Katz and I mutually agreed

341
00:23:58,875 --> 00:24:00,635
Speaker 1: that spring that it was time to wrap it up.

342
00:24:01,115 --> 00:24:03,595
Speaker 1: I had a job lined up to do four nights

343
00:24:03,635 --> 00:24:06,995
Speaker 1: a week program in York, and I proposed to Howard

344
00:24:07,035 --> 00:24:09,355
Speaker 1: that for the fifth day I come up to Bristol

345
00:24:09,795 --> 00:24:12,715
Speaker 1: just on Sundays, just to do the Sunday eleven PM

346
00:24:12,755 --> 00:24:16,035
Speaker 1: Sports Center. It was rerun all morning on Monday anyway,

347
00:24:16,275 --> 00:24:19,755
Speaker 1: and constituted about of our weekly audience. And I said,

348
00:24:19,795 --> 00:24:24,355
Speaker 1: I'd do it for you ready, the round trip car

349
00:24:24,395 --> 00:24:28,155
Speaker 1: fare and fifty dollars a year. Well, Howard thought long

350
00:24:28,195 --> 00:24:30,875
Speaker 1: and hard about that and said, nah, he just couldn't

351
00:24:30,875 --> 00:24:33,275
Speaker 1: do it because if I was also working for somebody else,

352
00:24:33,515 --> 00:24:37,835
Speaker 1: he and ESPN could not quote control me unquote like

353
00:24:37,915 --> 00:24:40,435
Speaker 1: they could have anyway. Then I signed with NBC News

354
00:24:40,435 --> 00:24:42,755
Speaker 1: and NBC Sports, and the next day the phone rang

355
00:24:43,075 --> 00:24:45,755
Speaker 1: and it was the president of ABC, Bob Iger, who

356
00:24:45,755 --> 00:24:48,315
Speaker 1: I had known since I was nineteen, asking me if

357
00:24:48,355 --> 00:24:50,595
Speaker 1: I could get out of the NBC contract and stay

358
00:24:50,635 --> 00:24:52,515
Speaker 1: with the ESPN and ABC. And I told him no,

359
00:24:52,715 --> 00:24:55,555
Speaker 1: it was like signed and he said, well, if you

360
00:24:55,595 --> 00:24:58,035
Speaker 1: ever want to come back, just call me. I did

361
00:24:58,075 --> 00:25:00,835
Speaker 1: not do that, but as early as two thousand one,

362
00:25:00,875 --> 00:25:03,915
Speaker 1: I began talking to ESPN about rejoining them as the

363
00:25:03,955 --> 00:25:06,675
Speaker 1: primary host on their new radio station in New York.

364
00:25:07,115 --> 00:25:09,915
Speaker 1: The next year, I met with the next ESPN president,

365
00:25:09,955 --> 00:25:14,395
Speaker 1: Mark Shapiro, about doing something. In two thousand five, ESPN

366
00:25:14,435 --> 00:25:16,435
Speaker 1: called and asked me to help out Dan Patrick with

367
00:25:16,555 --> 00:25:18,715
Speaker 1: his radio show once a week, and that went so well.

368
00:25:19,035 --> 00:25:21,635
Speaker 1: We made it every day for two years. In two

369
00:25:21,675 --> 00:25:24,195
Speaker 1: thousand six, Dan had an idea they should move the

370
00:25:24,275 --> 00:25:27,115
Speaker 1: six o'clock Sports Center to New York. I should get

371
00:25:27,115 --> 00:25:30,355
Speaker 1: out of my MSNBC contract and go co anchor Sports

372
00:25:30,395 --> 00:25:32,875
Speaker 1: Center with him. That got as far as the next

373
00:25:32,915 --> 00:25:36,155
Speaker 1: president of the network, who vetoed it. Finally, in two

374
00:25:36,195 --> 00:25:39,115
Speaker 1: thousand twelve, I had dinner with the new new new

375
00:25:39,195 --> 00:25:42,315
Speaker 1: president of ESPN, John Skipper, who remains a friend to

376
00:25:42,355 --> 00:25:45,075
Speaker 1: this day, and he was all for having me returned.

377
00:25:45,115 --> 00:25:49,195
Speaker 1: But it was like how and why doing what? And

378
00:25:49,275 --> 00:25:52,115
Speaker 1: about a year later our answers were provided for us

379
00:25:52,155 --> 00:25:56,355
Speaker 1: by Fox Sports. Fox announced it was going to topple

380
00:25:56,715 --> 00:25:59,795
Speaker 1: ESPN with two new all sports networks that would launch

381
00:25:59,795 --> 00:26:03,875
Speaker 1: in August two thousand thirteen. Now I had been involved

382
00:26:04,075 --> 00:26:06,395
Speaker 1: the preview is time Fox had announced it was going

383
00:26:06,435 --> 00:26:10,435
Speaker 1: to topple ESPN in and Fox still owed me money

384
00:26:10,475 --> 00:26:12,995
Speaker 1: from that, so I held a bit of a grudge.

385
00:26:14,235 --> 00:26:16,995
Speaker 1: Unlike me, I know, and John Skipper had a great

386
00:26:17,035 --> 00:26:19,235
Speaker 1: idea bring me back to ESPN and put the show

387
00:26:19,275 --> 00:26:23,155
Speaker 1: on ESPN two up against Fox's version of Sports Center,

388
00:26:23,235 --> 00:26:27,355
Speaker 1: so that if somebody wanted to watch something besides Sports Center,

389
00:26:27,395 --> 00:26:31,395
Speaker 1: we would be offering them me, Mr Sports Center. Plus,

390
00:26:31,435 --> 00:26:33,915
Speaker 1: if Foxes show actually got any ratings at all, ESPN

391
00:26:33,955 --> 00:26:37,155
Speaker 1: could just brush them away and say ratings Fox isn't

392
00:26:37,195 --> 00:26:41,675
Speaker 1: even doing a quarter of Alderman's ratings. Then somebody, and

393
00:26:41,795 --> 00:26:46,475
Speaker 1: I don't remember who, had a really, really evil idea.

394
00:26:46,915 --> 00:26:50,875
Speaker 1: Fox was throwing a lavish launch party for the press

395
00:26:50,915 --> 00:26:53,315
Speaker 1: somewhere in l A for its new networks in the

396
00:26:53,315 --> 00:26:57,075
Speaker 1: middle of July two. We should do the new show

397
00:26:57,315 --> 00:27:00,635
Speaker 1: and put out the press release right in the middle

398
00:27:01,115 --> 00:27:04,555
Speaker 1: of the big Fox Sports one and Fox Sports to

399
00:27:05,315 --> 00:27:09,635
Speaker 1: press launch party. Oh did we laugh at that idea.

400
00:27:10,115 --> 00:27:12,875
Speaker 1: And when news came back after we did it from

401
00:27:12,875 --> 00:27:15,915
Speaker 1: our spies that reporters were leaving the Fox launch party

402
00:27:15,955 --> 00:27:18,275
Speaker 1: in droves because they had to go right the biggest

403
00:27:18,315 --> 00:27:22,275
Speaker 1: sports media story of the summer, Alberman returns to ESPN,

404
00:27:22,755 --> 00:27:26,755
Speaker 1: Oh did we laugh heartily, bluntly. By the time the

405
00:27:26,755 --> 00:27:29,555
Speaker 1: show premiered nine years ago, I had already earned half

406
00:27:29,635 --> 00:27:32,195
Speaker 1: my total salary. And that's what my bosses said. Fox

407
00:27:32,235 --> 00:27:34,915
Speaker 1: Sports one and Fox Sports two made no ratings impact

408
00:27:34,955 --> 00:27:37,715
Speaker 1: at all. Within a year, every show they launched was canceled,

409
00:27:37,915 --> 00:27:40,075
Speaker 1: and every person on every one of the shows was

410
00:27:40,155 --> 00:27:43,115
Speaker 1: fired Oh, and by the way, the ESPN two show

411
00:27:43,395 --> 00:27:46,115
Speaker 1: it was really good. We just never started on time

412
00:27:46,115 --> 00:27:48,915
Speaker 1: because live ball games would force us start late or

413
00:27:49,035 --> 00:27:51,875
Speaker 1: be transferred over and start on ESPN News or on

414
00:27:51,915 --> 00:27:55,555
Speaker 1: a streaming channel or whatever. But in our first year

415
00:27:55,555 --> 00:27:58,435
Speaker 1: of the hundreds of sports studio shows, we were one

416
00:27:58,475 --> 00:28:00,835
Speaker 1: of only six to be nominated for the Emmy for

417
00:28:01,035 --> 00:28:03,795
Speaker 1: Best Studio Show, and in the second year of the

418
00:28:03,875 --> 00:28:06,675
Speaker 1: hundreds of sports hosts, I was one of only six

419
00:28:06,715 --> 00:28:08,755
Speaker 1: to be nominated for an Emmy for Best Sports Host.

420
00:28:09,035 --> 00:28:12,395
Speaker 1: We only had the two seasons. Plus producer Mike McQuaid

421
00:28:12,395 --> 00:28:14,555
Speaker 1: and Scott Van Pelt were very open about it. They

422
00:28:14,595 --> 00:28:17,835
Speaker 1: liked the format of Alderman so much that they used

423
00:28:17,875 --> 00:28:20,755
Speaker 1: it as the redesigned format of the eleven PM Sports

424
00:28:20,755 --> 00:28:24,675
Speaker 1: Center that Scott still does. Plus the soured relations between

425
00:28:24,915 --> 00:28:28,355
Speaker 1: ESPN and me were repaired sufficiently that I went back

426
00:28:28,395 --> 00:28:30,435
Speaker 1: to work for them again in two thousand eighteen, and

427
00:28:30,435 --> 00:28:32,755
Speaker 1: when I left in October to go back and cover

428
00:28:32,795 --> 00:28:37,475
Speaker 1: the election, I left on friendly terms, friendly enough that

429
00:28:37,555 --> 00:28:40,835
Speaker 1: they let me use this Ulberman ESPN to music for free,

430
00:28:41,715 --> 00:29:02,915
Speaker 1: which means I got to use it twice. Right still ahead,

431
00:29:02,995 --> 00:29:05,195
Speaker 1: James Thurber and the story that was supposed to be

432
00:29:05,235 --> 00:29:09,355
Speaker 1: made into a film directed by Who the Catbirds Seat?

433
00:29:09,515 --> 00:29:12,275
Speaker 1: Coming up first, the daily roundup of the miscreants, morons

434
00:29:12,275 --> 00:29:16,835
Speaker 1: and Dunning Krueger effect specimens who constitute today's worst persons

435
00:29:16,835 --> 00:29:20,675
Speaker 1: in the world. Lebronze Doug Mastriano, the fascist candidate for

436
00:29:20,715 --> 00:29:24,195
Speaker 1: governor Pennsylvania. He's getting clocked in the polls by the

437
00:29:24,195 --> 00:29:27,955
Speaker 1: Democrat Josh Shapiro. But then came the tweet from Carlton

438
00:29:28,155 --> 00:29:33,435
Speaker 1: Poles identifying itself as the most accurate Senate internal in

439
00:29:34,875 --> 00:29:39,195
Speaker 1: claiming a survey of likely Pennsylvania voters had Masstriano ahead

440
00:29:39,595 --> 00:29:43,635
Speaker 1: forty seven point four to Shapiro's forty five point three.

441
00:29:43,995 --> 00:29:48,915
Speaker 1: Mastriano immediately tweeted the Pole out, and then Mastriano's impossibly

442
00:29:49,075 --> 00:29:53,915
Speaker 1: stupid campaign adviser Jenna Ellis retweeted it. Then Kimberly, I

443
00:29:53,995 --> 00:29:57,635
Speaker 1: want to see my photo album, Gilfoyle tweeted it. Finally

444
00:29:57,715 --> 00:30:01,395
Speaker 1: Bright Bart News the we're drunken, We're dead people. They

445
00:30:01,395 --> 00:30:04,035
Speaker 1: wrote the poll up and they tweeted it out. Some

446
00:30:04,155 --> 00:30:06,195
Speaker 1: of them left did up on their accounts for as

447
00:30:06,195 --> 00:30:10,435
Speaker 1: long as five days, and that's when the Carlton polling

448
00:30:10,555 --> 00:30:15,275
Speaker 1: people revealed. He's one guy, a high school student in

449
00:30:15,315 --> 00:30:19,035
Speaker 1: southwestern Connecticut, and he made it up, all of it.

450
00:30:19,355 --> 00:30:22,475
Speaker 1: And Mastriano and Ellis and Gilfoyle and bright Barter just

451
00:30:22,555 --> 00:30:27,035
Speaker 1: gullible and desperate and gullible. Our runner up, Florida Governor

452
00:30:27,235 --> 00:30:32,515
Speaker 1: Ronda Santis, Ronda's cover has been blown. The watchdog group

453
00:30:32,555 --> 00:30:36,035
Speaker 1: American Oversight released an email in which Jenny Thomas attempted

454
00:30:36,035 --> 00:30:39,435
Speaker 1: to pitch one of Ronda's people to get Ronda to

455
00:30:39,475 --> 00:30:42,915
Speaker 1: speak to one of her little insurrectionist groups. She explained

456
00:30:42,995 --> 00:30:45,355
Speaker 1: she had interviewed him and met him, and added, quoting

457
00:30:45,355 --> 00:30:48,755
Speaker 1: the email, my husband has been in contact with him too,

458
00:30:48,795 --> 00:30:53,195
Speaker 1: on various things of late. Jenny's husband, somehow you don't know,

459
00:30:53,755 --> 00:30:58,955
Speaker 1: is Clarence Thomas. And incredibly he's still on the Supreme Court, No, No,

460
00:30:59,035 --> 00:31:02,115
Speaker 1: the one in this country. And he's actually supposed to

461
00:31:02,155 --> 00:31:05,315
Speaker 1: not be in contact with politicians, especially one who might

462
00:31:05,435 --> 00:31:07,875
Speaker 1: run for president like Rhonda might, who would then run

463
00:31:07,915 --> 00:31:10,315
Speaker 1: to the Supreme Court. If you know, he lost the election.

464
00:31:11,715 --> 00:31:15,955
Speaker 1: But our winner, Damien known to you as Jared Kushner,

465
00:31:16,315 --> 00:31:18,715
Speaker 1: remember when he never spoke and we never had any

466
00:31:18,755 --> 00:31:21,515
Speaker 1: idea what he really sounded like or if he was

467
00:31:21,595 --> 00:31:28,235
Speaker 1: really stupid or really really stupid or really really really stupid. Boy,

468
00:31:28,315 --> 00:31:31,755
Speaker 1: those were the days. Huh. The publicity tour for his

469
00:31:31,795 --> 00:31:37,195
Speaker 1: new book, Yes I'm Damien continues on Fox. He says,

470
00:31:37,515 --> 00:31:40,355
Speaker 1: if you noticed under President Trump we had no problems

471
00:31:40,435 --> 00:31:46,635
Speaker 1: with Russia. Yeah, we noticed. Also, he went on some

472
00:31:46,715 --> 00:31:49,875
Speaker 1: online collectible show and said, I think there's a good

473
00:31:49,915 --> 00:31:54,195
Speaker 1: probability that my generation is, hopefully, with the advances in science,

474
00:31:54,435 --> 00:31:59,275
Speaker 1: hopefully either the first generation to live forever or the

475
00:31:59,355 --> 00:32:03,915
Speaker 1: last generation that's going to die. Jared Kushner thinks he

476
00:32:04,035 --> 00:32:08,835
Speaker 1: might be more Yeah, because he personally ignored the climate.

477
00:32:09,275 --> 00:32:12,475
Speaker 1: His generation, it will turn out, will have the ability

478
00:32:12,515 --> 00:32:14,995
Speaker 1: to live forever, but they'll all die anyway. In the

479
00:32:15,035 --> 00:32:21,955
Speaker 1: climate catastrophe of Jared. I will live forever, but I

480
00:32:21,995 --> 00:32:25,675
Speaker 1: don't know. I'm not a vampire. Why do you ask? Kushner?

481
00:32:26,475 --> 00:32:47,915
Speaker 1: Two days worst person in the World to the number

482
00:32:47,915 --> 00:32:49,955
Speaker 1: one story on the Countdown, And since it is the

483
00:32:49,955 --> 00:32:54,035
Speaker 1: weekend edition, it's time for some James Thurber. The Catbird

484
00:32:54,195 --> 00:32:57,435
Speaker 1: Seat combines two of my all time favorite things, Thurber

485
00:32:57,755 --> 00:33:01,675
Speaker 1: and baseball broadcasting. As Thurber will reveal in the story,

486
00:33:01,715 --> 00:33:04,595
Speaker 1: the title comes from a catchphrase used by the Brooklyn

487
00:33:04,675 --> 00:33:08,435
Speaker 1: Dodgers legendary announcer Red Barber, the man who trained Vince

488
00:33:08,475 --> 00:33:12,315
Speaker 1: Scully and is my late friend Vin's only true competition

489
00:33:12,395 --> 00:33:15,155
Speaker 1: for greatest baseball play by play man of all time.

490
00:33:15,995 --> 00:33:18,635
Speaker 1: I met Red Barber once I interviewed him for CNN.

491
00:33:19,235 --> 00:33:22,235
Speaker 1: He called me Keith throughout the interview. I was so

492
00:33:22,355 --> 00:33:27,595
Speaker 1: star struck. It's pretty much all I remember from the interview. Anyway.

493
00:33:27,875 --> 00:33:31,595
Speaker 1: Bert Lancaster bought the movie rights to this story and

494
00:33:31,675 --> 00:33:35,715
Speaker 1: he got Billy Wilder to commit to direct it. Well,

495
00:33:35,715 --> 00:33:38,595
Speaker 1: how come you've never heard of this perfect sounding film,

496
00:33:38,595 --> 00:33:43,275
Speaker 1: The Catbird Seat, directed by Billy Wilder. They sold the

497
00:33:43,355 --> 00:33:46,835
Speaker 1: rights and in nineteen sixty the film was made, but

498
00:33:46,915 --> 00:33:52,315
Speaker 1: they relocated it from Manhattan to Scotland, starring Peter Sellers

499
00:33:52,395 --> 00:33:56,715
Speaker 1: dressed up as an old man as Mr Martin. It's

500
00:33:56,755 --> 00:34:01,195
Speaker 1: okay unless you've read the story or had it read

501
00:34:01,275 --> 00:34:06,955
Speaker 1: to you from the Thurber Carnival five, The Catbird Seat

502
00:34:07,715 --> 00:34:12,995
Speaker 1: by James Thurber. Mr Martin bought the pack of camels

503
00:34:12,995 --> 00:34:16,115
Speaker 1: on Monday night in the most crowded cigar store on Broadway.

504
00:34:16,315 --> 00:34:18,755
Speaker 1: It was theater time, and seven or eight men were

505
00:34:18,795 --> 00:34:22,115
Speaker 1: buying cigarettes. The clerk didn't even glance at Mr Martin,

506
00:34:22,155 --> 00:34:24,795
Speaker 1: who put the pack in his overcoat pocket went out.

507
00:34:25,715 --> 00:34:28,595
Speaker 1: If any of the staff at F and S had

508
00:34:28,675 --> 00:34:32,635
Speaker 1: seen him by the cigarettes, they would have been astonished,

509
00:34:33,555 --> 00:34:36,155
Speaker 1: for it was generally known that Mr Martin did not smoke,

510
00:34:36,395 --> 00:34:41,235
Speaker 1: and never had. No one saw him. It was just

511
00:34:41,315 --> 00:34:43,675
Speaker 1: a week to the day since Mr Martin had decided

512
00:34:43,715 --> 00:34:49,435
Speaker 1: to rub out Mrs Old Jean Barrows. The term rub

513
00:34:49,555 --> 00:34:53,835
Speaker 1: out pleased him because it suggested nothing more than the

514
00:34:53,835 --> 00:34:57,995
Speaker 1: correction of an error, in this case, an error of

515
00:34:58,195 --> 00:35:02,235
Speaker 1: Mr Fitzweiler. Mr Martin had spent each night of the

516
00:35:02,235 --> 00:35:05,195
Speaker 1: past week working out his plan and examining it as

517
00:35:05,195 --> 00:35:08,115
Speaker 1: he walked home. Now he went over it again for

518
00:35:08,235 --> 00:35:13,075
Speaker 1: the hundredth time. He resented the element of imprecision, the

519
00:35:13,115 --> 00:35:16,955
Speaker 1: margin of guesswork that entered into the business. The project,

520
00:35:17,435 --> 00:35:20,995
Speaker 1: as he had worked it out, was casual and bold.

521
00:35:21,555 --> 00:35:26,435
Speaker 1: The risks were considerable. Something might go wrong anywhere along

522
00:35:26,475 --> 00:35:30,795
Speaker 1: the line, and therein lay the cunning of his scheme.

523
00:35:31,195 --> 00:35:35,155
Speaker 1: No one would ever see in the cautious, painstaking hand

524
00:35:35,235 --> 00:35:38,235
Speaker 1: of Irwin Martin, head of the filing department at F

525
00:35:38,355 --> 00:35:42,595
Speaker 1: and S, of whom Mr Fittweiler had once said, man

526
00:35:42,715 --> 00:35:47,555
Speaker 1: is felloble, but Martin isn't. No one would see his hand,

527
00:35:48,515 --> 00:35:54,955
Speaker 1: that is, unless he were caught in the act. Sitting

528
00:35:54,995 --> 00:35:58,275
Speaker 1: in his apartment drinking a glass of milk, Mr Martin

529
00:35:58,355 --> 00:36:02,035
Speaker 1: reviewed his case against Mrs Old Jean Barrows, as he

530
00:36:02,115 --> 00:36:06,675
Speaker 1: had every night for seven I. He began at the beginning.

531
00:36:07,155 --> 00:36:11,715
Speaker 1: Her quacking voice and braying laugh had first profaned the

532
00:36:11,715 --> 00:36:16,675
Speaker 1: halls of F and S. On March seventh nine. Mr

533
00:36:16,675 --> 00:36:20,995
Speaker 1: Martin had a head for dates. Old Roberts, the personnel chief,

534
00:36:20,995 --> 00:36:25,315
Speaker 1: had introduced her as the newly appointed special adviser to

535
00:36:25,395 --> 00:36:29,035
Speaker 1: the President of the firm, Mr Fitzweiler. The woman had

536
00:36:29,075 --> 00:36:33,235
Speaker 1: appalled Mr Martin instantly, but he had not shown it.

537
00:36:33,995 --> 00:36:36,195
Speaker 1: He had given her his dry hand, a look of

538
00:36:36,275 --> 00:36:41,515
Speaker 1: studious concentration, and a faint smile. Wow, she said, looking

539
00:36:41,515 --> 00:36:43,915
Speaker 1: at the papers on his desk, Are you lifting the

540
00:36:43,955 --> 00:36:48,675
Speaker 1: ox cart out of the ditch? As Mr Martin recalled

541
00:36:48,715 --> 00:36:53,315
Speaker 1: that moment over his milk, he squirmed slightly. He must

542
00:36:53,355 --> 00:36:55,835
Speaker 1: keep his mind on her crimes as a special advisor,

543
00:36:55,915 --> 00:37:00,075
Speaker 1: not on her peccadillos as a personality. This he found

544
00:37:00,115 --> 00:37:03,355
Speaker 1: difficult to do. In spite of entering an objection and

545
00:37:03,475 --> 00:37:06,315
Speaker 1: sustaining it, the volts of the woman as a woman

546
00:37:06,835 --> 00:37:10,275
Speaker 1: kept chattering on in his mind like an unruly witness.

547
00:37:10,555 --> 00:37:14,995
Speaker 1: She had for almost two years now baited him in

548
00:37:15,035 --> 00:37:18,355
Speaker 1: the halls, in the elevator, even in his own office,

549
00:37:18,355 --> 00:37:22,595
Speaker 1: into which she romped now and then like a circus horse.

550
00:37:23,835 --> 00:37:27,555
Speaker 1: She was constantly shouting these silly questions at him. I

551
00:37:27,795 --> 00:37:30,395
Speaker 1: left in the ox cart out of the ditch. Are

552
00:37:30,435 --> 00:37:33,435
Speaker 1: you tearing up the pea patch? Are you hollering down

553
00:37:33,435 --> 00:37:36,555
Speaker 1: the rain barrel? Are you scraping around the bottom of

554
00:37:36,595 --> 00:37:40,755
Speaker 1: the pickle barrel? Are you sitting in the cat married seat.

555
00:37:43,395 --> 00:37:47,955
Speaker 1: It was Joey Hart, one of Mr Martin's two assistants,

556
00:37:49,075 --> 00:37:53,075
Speaker 1: who had explained what the gibberish meant. She must be

557
00:37:53,115 --> 00:37:56,755
Speaker 1: a Dodging fan, he had said, Red Boba announces the

558
00:37:56,795 --> 00:37:59,675
Speaker 1: Dodger games over the radio, and he uses these expressions,

559
00:37:59,995 --> 00:38:04,035
Speaker 1: picked them up down south. Joey had gone on to

560
00:38:04,115 --> 00:38:07,395
Speaker 1: explain in one or two tearing up the pea patch

561
00:38:07,435 --> 00:38:11,795
Speaker 1: meant going on a rampage. Sitting in the catbird seat

562
00:38:12,235 --> 00:38:15,155
Speaker 1: meant sitting pretty like a batter with three balls and

563
00:38:15,195 --> 00:38:18,875
Speaker 1: no strikes on him. Mr Martin dismissed all this with

564
00:38:18,955 --> 00:38:22,035
Speaker 1: an effort. It had been annoying, it had driven him

565
00:38:22,075 --> 00:38:24,915
Speaker 1: near to distraction, but he was too solid a man

566
00:38:25,115 --> 00:38:31,195
Speaker 1: to be moved to murder by anything so childish. It

567
00:38:31,355 --> 00:38:34,715
Speaker 1: was unfortunate, he reflected, as he passed onto the important

568
00:38:34,795 --> 00:38:37,795
Speaker 1: charges against Mrs Barrows, that he had stood up under

569
00:38:37,835 --> 00:38:43,435
Speaker 1: it so well. He had maintained always an outward appearance

570
00:38:43,475 --> 00:38:48,315
Speaker 1: of polite tolerance. Why I even believed you liked the

571
00:38:48,355 --> 00:38:52,435
Speaker 1: woman mispaired, His other assistant had once said to him,

572
00:38:52,475 --> 00:38:56,995
Speaker 1: he had simply smiled a gavil wrapped in Mr Martin's mind,

573
00:38:56,995 --> 00:38:59,515
Speaker 1: and the case proper was resumed. Mrs all Jean Barrows

574
00:38:59,875 --> 00:39:03,555
Speaker 1: stood charged with willful, flatant and persistent attempts to destroy

575
00:39:03,595 --> 00:39:08,195
Speaker 1: the efficiency and system of F and S. It was

576
00:39:08,235 --> 00:39:11,515
Speaker 1: confident material and relevant to review her advent and rise

577
00:39:11,555 --> 00:39:15,235
Speaker 1: to power. Mr Martin had got the story from Miss Pere,

578
00:39:15,275 --> 00:39:20,115
Speaker 1: who seemed always able to find things out. According to her,

579
00:39:20,995 --> 00:39:25,315
Speaker 1: Mrs Barrows had met Mr Fitweller at a party where

580
00:39:25,355 --> 00:39:28,235
Speaker 1: she had rescued him from the embraces of a powerfully

581
00:39:28,235 --> 00:39:31,515
Speaker 1: built drunken man who had mistaken the President of F

582
00:39:31,675 --> 00:39:35,755
Speaker 1: and S for a famous retired Middle Western football coach.

583
00:39:37,675 --> 00:39:39,835
Speaker 1: She had led him to a sofa and somehow worked

584
00:39:39,875 --> 00:39:45,395
Speaker 1: upon him a monstrous magic. The aging gentleman had jumped

585
00:39:45,435 --> 00:39:47,755
Speaker 1: to the conclusion there and then that this was a

586
00:39:47,795 --> 00:39:51,275
Speaker 1: woman of singular attainments, equipped to bring out the best

587
00:39:51,315 --> 00:39:55,075
Speaker 1: in him and in the firm. A week later he

588
00:39:55,155 --> 00:40:00,595
Speaker 1: had introduced her into F and S as his special adviser.

589
00:40:02,435 --> 00:40:06,275
Speaker 1: On that day, confusion at its foot in the door.

590
00:40:08,315 --> 00:40:11,155
Speaker 1: After Miss Tyson, Mr Brundage and Mr Bartlett had been

591
00:40:11,155 --> 00:40:13,595
Speaker 1: fired and Mr Munson had taken his hat and stalked

592
00:40:13,595 --> 00:40:17,635
Speaker 1: out mailing. In his resignation letter, Old Roberts had been

593
00:40:17,675 --> 00:40:21,555
Speaker 1: emboldened to speak to Mr Fittweiler. He mentioned that Mr

594
00:40:21,635 --> 00:40:25,675
Speaker 1: Munson's department had become a little disrupted, and hadn't they

595
00:40:25,675 --> 00:40:30,475
Speaker 1: perhaps better resumed the old system there. Mr Fittweler had said,

596
00:40:30,475 --> 00:40:35,195
Speaker 1: certainly not. He had the greatest faith in Mrs Barrow's ideas.

597
00:40:35,395 --> 00:40:38,955
Speaker 1: They require a little seasoning. Little seasoning is all, he

598
00:40:39,075 --> 00:40:43,875
Speaker 1: had added. Mr Roberts had given it up. Mr Martin

599
00:40:43,915 --> 00:40:47,275
Speaker 1: reviewed in detail all the changes wrought by Mrs Barrows.

600
00:40:47,315 --> 00:40:50,475
Speaker 1: She had begun chipping at the cornices of the firm's edifice,

601
00:40:50,515 --> 00:40:53,875
Speaker 1: and now she was swinging at the foundation stones with

602
00:40:53,995 --> 00:40:58,675
Speaker 1: a pickaxe. Mr Martin came now in his summing up

603
00:40:58,675 --> 00:41:03,635
Speaker 1: to the afternoon of Monday, November two, just one week ago.

604
00:41:04,795 --> 00:41:08,555
Speaker 1: That day, at three pm, Mrs Barrows had bounced into

605
00:41:08,595 --> 00:41:12,275
Speaker 1: his office. Boom, She had yelled, are you scraping around

606
00:41:12,315 --> 00:41:16,715
Speaker 1: the bottom of the pickle barrel? Mr Martin had looked

607
00:41:16,715 --> 00:41:19,755
Speaker 1: at her from under his green eye shade, saying nothing.

608
00:41:20,835 --> 00:41:23,635
Speaker 1: She had begun to wander about the office, taking it

609
00:41:23,675 --> 00:41:27,075
Speaker 1: in with her great popping eyes. Do you really need

610
00:41:27,315 --> 00:41:33,795
Speaker 1: all these filing cabinets, she had demanded. Suddenly. Mr Martin's

611
00:41:33,795 --> 00:41:38,795
Speaker 1: heart had jumped each of these files, he had said,

612
00:41:38,875 --> 00:41:41,915
Speaker 1: keeping his voice even plays an indispensable part in the

613
00:41:41,995 --> 00:41:45,995
Speaker 1: system of f and s. She had brayed at him,

614
00:41:46,195 --> 00:41:49,555
Speaker 1: well don't tear up the pea patch, and gone to

615
00:41:49,635 --> 00:41:53,515
Speaker 1: the door. From there she had bawled, but you share

616
00:41:53,595 --> 00:41:58,675
Speaker 1: have got a lot of fine scrap in here. Mr

617
00:41:58,675 --> 00:42:02,355
Speaker 1: Martin could no longer doubt that the finger was on

618
00:42:02,675 --> 00:42:07,235
Speaker 1: his beloved department. Her pick axe was on the upswing,

619
00:42:07,355 --> 00:42:11,195
Speaker 1: poised for the first blow. It had not come yet.

620
00:42:11,675 --> 00:42:14,995
Speaker 1: He had received no blue memo from the enchanted Mr Fitweller,

621
00:42:15,235 --> 00:42:20,075
Speaker 1: bearing nonsensical instructions deriving from this obscene woman. But there

622
00:42:20,115 --> 00:42:22,395
Speaker 1: was no doubt in Mr Martin's mind that one would

623
00:42:22,395 --> 00:42:27,555
Speaker 1: be forthcoming. He must act quickly. Already a precious week

624
00:42:27,595 --> 00:42:32,755
Speaker 1: had gone by. Mr Martin stood up in his living room,

625
00:42:32,755 --> 00:42:36,595
Speaker 1: still holding his milk glass. Gentleman of the jury, he

626
00:42:36,635 --> 00:42:42,275
Speaker 1: said to himself, I demand the death penalty for this

627
00:42:42,515 --> 00:42:48,995
Speaker 1: horrible person. The next day, Mr Martin followed his routine

628
00:42:48,995 --> 00:42:51,795
Speaker 1: as usual. He polished his glasses more often and once

629
00:42:51,875 --> 00:42:55,395
Speaker 1: sharpened and already sharp pencil, but not even misspaired noticed.

630
00:42:55,955 --> 00:42:59,035
Speaker 1: Only once did he catch sight of his victim. She

631
00:42:59,155 --> 00:43:01,835
Speaker 1: swept past him in the hall with a patronizing hi.

632
00:43:03,035 --> 00:43:05,315
Speaker 1: At five thirty. He walked home as usual and had

633
00:43:05,355 --> 00:43:08,955
Speaker 1: a glass of milk as usual. He had never drunk

634
00:43:08,995 --> 00:43:12,995
Speaker 1: anything stronger in his life, unless you could count ginger Ale.

635
00:43:14,035 --> 00:43:17,355
Speaker 1: The late Sam Schlosser, the s of F and S,

636
00:43:17,395 --> 00:43:19,715
Speaker 1: had praised Mr Martin at a staff meeting several years

637
00:43:19,715 --> 00:43:24,475
Speaker 1: before for his temperate habits. One of our most efficient workers.

638
00:43:24,515 --> 00:43:28,275
Speaker 1: Neither drinks nor smokes, he had said. The results speak

639
00:43:28,355 --> 00:43:34,915
Speaker 1: for themselves. Mr Fittweiler had sat by, nodding, approval. Mr

640
00:43:34,915 --> 00:43:37,195
Speaker 1: Martin was still thinking about that red letter day as

641
00:43:37,195 --> 00:43:39,835
Speaker 1: he walked over to the Shafts restaurant on Fifth Avenue

642
00:43:39,875 --> 00:43:42,955
Speaker 1: near Street. He got there as he always did, at

643
00:43:42,995 --> 00:43:46,075
Speaker 1: eight o'clock. He finished his dinner and the financial page

644
00:43:46,115 --> 00:43:48,235
Speaker 1: of the New York Sun quartered at the nine. As

645
00:43:48,275 --> 00:43:51,275
Speaker 1: he always did, it was his custom after dinner to

646
00:43:51,275 --> 00:43:54,115
Speaker 1: take a walk. This time he walked down Fifth Avenue

647
00:43:54,115 --> 00:43:58,915
Speaker 1: at a casual place. His gloved hands felt moist and warm,

648
00:43:59,395 --> 00:44:03,715
Speaker 1: his forehead cold. He transferred the camels from his overcoat

649
00:44:03,755 --> 00:44:06,235
Speaker 1: to a jacket pocket. He wondered as he did so,

650
00:44:06,315 --> 00:44:09,475
Speaker 1: if they did not represent an unnecessary note of strain.

651
00:44:10,955 --> 00:44:15,395
Speaker 1: Mrs Barrows smoked only Lucky's. It was his idea to

652
00:44:15,595 --> 00:44:19,915
Speaker 1: puff a few puffs on a camel after the rubbing out,

653
00:44:20,515 --> 00:44:23,955
Speaker 1: stub it out in the ashtray, holding her lipstick, saying Lucky's,

654
00:44:24,635 --> 00:44:27,795
Speaker 1: and thus dragged a small red herring across the trail.

655
00:44:27,875 --> 00:44:31,795
Speaker 1: Perhaps it was not a good idea. It would take time.

656
00:44:32,795 --> 00:44:38,555
Speaker 1: He might even choke too loudly. Mr Martin had never

657
00:44:38,595 --> 00:44:41,515
Speaker 1: seen the house on West twelfth Street where Mrs Barrows lived,

658
00:44:41,515 --> 00:44:43,875
Speaker 1: but he had a clear enough picture of it. Fortunately

659
00:44:43,955 --> 00:44:48,555
Speaker 1: she had bragged to everybody about her ducky first floor

660
00:44:48,595 --> 00:44:53,475
Speaker 1: apartment in the perfectly darling three story red brick. There

661
00:44:53,515 --> 00:44:56,635
Speaker 1: would be no doorman or other attendants, just the tenants

662
00:44:56,635 --> 00:44:59,235
Speaker 1: of the second and third floors. As he walked along,

663
00:44:59,355 --> 00:45:02,515
Speaker 1: Mr Martin realized that he would get there before nine.

664
00:45:04,075 --> 00:45:06,875
Speaker 1: He had con started walking north on Fifth Avenue from

665
00:45:06,915 --> 00:45:09,035
Speaker 1: Shrafts to a point from which it would take him

666
00:45:09,195 --> 00:45:11,875
Speaker 1: until ten o'clock to reach the house. At that hour

667
00:45:11,955 --> 00:45:14,475
Speaker 1: people were less likely to be coming in or going out,

668
00:45:14,955 --> 00:45:17,515
Speaker 1: but the procedure would have made an awkward loop in

669
00:45:17,555 --> 00:45:22,395
Speaker 1: the straight thread of his casualness, and he had abandoned it.

670
00:45:22,395 --> 00:45:24,835
Speaker 1: It was impossible to figure when people would be entering

671
00:45:24,955 --> 00:45:27,355
Speaker 1: or leaving the house anyway, there was a great risk

672
00:45:27,395 --> 00:45:30,675
Speaker 1: at any hour if he ran into anybody, he would

673
00:45:30,675 --> 00:45:32,715
Speaker 1: simply have to place the rubbing out of old Jean

674
00:45:32,795 --> 00:45:38,635
Speaker 1: Barrows in the inactive file forever. The same thing would

675
00:45:38,635 --> 00:45:41,155
Speaker 1: hold true if there was someone in her apartment. In

676
00:45:41,195 --> 00:45:42,715
Speaker 1: that case, he would just say that he had been

677
00:45:42,755 --> 00:45:48,355
Speaker 1: passing by, recognized her charming house, and thought to drop in.

678
00:45:50,235 --> 00:45:52,555
Speaker 1: It was eighteen minutes after nine when Mr Martin turned

679
00:45:52,555 --> 00:45:55,395
Speaker 1: into twelfth straight. A man passed him and a man

680
00:45:55,515 --> 00:45:59,195
Speaker 1: and a woman talking. There was no one within fifty paces.

681
00:45:59,195 --> 00:46:01,595
Speaker 1: When he came to the house halfway down the block.

682
00:46:02,475 --> 00:46:04,515
Speaker 1: He was up the steps and in the small vestibule

683
00:46:04,555 --> 00:46:06,555
Speaker 1: in no time, pressing the bell under the card that

684
00:46:06,635 --> 00:46:09,155
Speaker 1: said Mrs Old Jean Barrows. When the clicking in the

685
00:46:09,195 --> 00:46:11,435
Speaker 1: lock started, he jumped forward against the door. He got

686
00:46:11,475 --> 00:46:14,235
Speaker 1: inside fast, closing the door behind him. A bulb in

687
00:46:14,275 --> 00:46:16,435
Speaker 1: a lantern hung from the hall ceiling on a chain

688
00:46:16,595 --> 00:46:19,755
Speaker 1: seemed to give a monstrously bright light. There was nobody

689
00:46:19,795 --> 00:46:21,515
Speaker 1: on the stair which went up ahead of him along

690
00:46:21,555 --> 00:46:24,355
Speaker 1: the left wall. A door opened down the hall on

691
00:46:24,395 --> 00:46:28,155
Speaker 1: the wall on the right. He went toward it, swiftly

692
00:46:28,315 --> 00:46:33,755
Speaker 1: on tiptoe. Well, for God's sakes, let who's here? Bawled

693
00:46:33,915 --> 00:46:37,115
Speaker 1: Mrs Barrows, and her braying laugh rang out like the

694
00:46:37,155 --> 00:46:40,395
Speaker 1: report of a shotgun. He rushed past her like a

695
00:46:40,395 --> 00:46:45,275
Speaker 1: football tacker, bumping her. Hey, quit shoving, she said, closing

696
00:46:45,315 --> 00:46:48,275
Speaker 1: the door behind them. They were in her living room,

697
00:46:48,395 --> 00:46:50,915
Speaker 1: which seemed to Mr Martin to be lighted by a

698
00:46:51,075 --> 00:46:56,195
Speaker 1: hundred lamps. What's after you, she said, Here's jumpy as

699
00:46:56,235 --> 00:47:00,555
Speaker 1: a goat. He found he was unable to speak his

700
00:47:00,755 --> 00:47:06,115
Speaker 1: heart was wheezing in his throat. I yes, he finally

701
00:47:06,155 --> 00:47:09,675
Speaker 1: brought out. She was jabbering and laughing as she started

702
00:47:09,715 --> 00:47:12,635
Speaker 1: to help him off with his coat. No, no, he said,

703
00:47:13,315 --> 00:47:16,635
Speaker 1: I'll put it here. He took it off and put

704
00:47:16,675 --> 00:47:19,155
Speaker 1: it on a chair near the door. Your hat and

705
00:47:19,155 --> 00:47:23,275
Speaker 1: gloves too, She said, you're in a lady's house. He

706
00:47:23,395 --> 00:47:26,155
Speaker 1: put his hat on top of the coat. Mrs Barrows

707
00:47:26,155 --> 00:47:30,395
Speaker 1: seemed larger than he had thought. He kept his gloves on.

708
00:47:31,835 --> 00:47:37,515
Speaker 1: I was passing by, he said, I I recognized. Is

709
00:47:37,555 --> 00:47:43,195
Speaker 1: there anyone here? She laughed louder than ever now, She said,

710
00:47:43,755 --> 00:47:46,715
Speaker 1: we're all alone. You're white. Is a sheet? You funny man?

711
00:47:46,795 --> 00:47:50,155
Speaker 1: Whatever has come over you. I'll mix you a toddy.

712
00:47:50,355 --> 00:47:53,275
Speaker 1: She started toward a door across the room. Scotch and

713
00:47:53,315 --> 00:47:56,195
Speaker 1: soda be all right, But say you don't drink, do you?

714
00:47:57,515 --> 00:48:01,515
Speaker 1: She turned and gave him her amused look. Mr Martin

715
00:48:01,555 --> 00:48:05,115
Speaker 1: pulled himself together. Scotch and soda will be all right,

716
00:48:05,315 --> 00:48:08,275
Speaker 1: he heard himself say. He could hear her laughing in

717
00:48:08,315 --> 00:48:12,155
Speaker 1: the kitchen. Mr Martin looked quickly around the living room

718
00:48:12,195 --> 00:48:15,155
Speaker 1: for the weapon he had counted on finding one. There

719
00:48:15,995 --> 00:48:18,475
Speaker 1: there were and irons and a poker and something in

720
00:48:18,515 --> 00:48:21,075
Speaker 1: a corner that looked like an Indian club. None of

721
00:48:21,075 --> 00:48:24,715
Speaker 1: them would do it couldn't be that way. He began

722
00:48:24,755 --> 00:48:27,115
Speaker 1: to pace around. He came to a desk. On it

723
00:48:27,195 --> 00:48:30,195
Speaker 1: lay a metal paper knife with an ornate handle. Would

724
00:48:30,195 --> 00:48:32,995
Speaker 1: it be sharp enough? He reached for it and knocked

725
00:48:32,995 --> 00:48:36,435
Speaker 1: over a small brash jar. Stamps spilled out of it

726
00:48:36,475 --> 00:48:39,755
Speaker 1: and fell onto the floor with a clatter. Hey, Mrs

727
00:48:39,755 --> 00:48:42,475
Speaker 1: Barrows yelled from the kitchen. Are you tearing up the

728
00:48:42,515 --> 00:48:48,435
Speaker 1: pea patch? Mr Martin gave a strange laugh. Picking up

729
00:48:48,435 --> 00:48:50,835
Speaker 1: the knife, he tried its point against his left wrist.

730
00:48:50,915 --> 00:48:57,875
Speaker 1: It was blunt. It wouldn't do. When Mrs Barrows reappeared

731
00:48:57,915 --> 00:49:02,115
Speaker 1: carrying two highballs, Mr Martin, standing there with his gloves on,

732
00:49:02,275 --> 00:49:05,595
Speaker 1: became acutely conscious of the fantasy. See he had wrought

733
00:49:06,475 --> 00:49:10,315
Speaker 1: cigarettes in his pocket, a drink prepared for him. It

734
00:49:10,395 --> 00:49:14,995
Speaker 1: was all too grossly improbable. It was more than that,

735
00:49:15,075 --> 00:49:21,115
Speaker 1: it was impossible. Somewhere in the back of his mind

736
00:49:22,035 --> 00:49:28,835
Speaker 1: a vague idea stirred sprouted. For Heaven's sake, take off

737
00:49:28,875 --> 00:49:33,475
Speaker 1: those gloves, said Mrs Barrows. I always wear them in

738
00:49:33,515 --> 00:49:40,035
Speaker 1: the house, said Mr Martin. The idea began to bloom

739
00:49:40,075 --> 00:49:44,275
Speaker 1: strange and wonderful. She put the glasses on a coffee

740
00:49:44,275 --> 00:49:46,475
Speaker 1: table in front of a sofa and sat on the sofa.

741
00:49:46,595 --> 00:49:50,675
Speaker 1: Come over here, you odd little man, she said. Mr

742
00:49:50,715 --> 00:49:53,515
Speaker 1: Martin went over and sat beside her. It was difficult

743
00:49:53,555 --> 00:49:55,475
Speaker 1: getting a cigarette out of the pack of camels, but

744
00:49:55,515 --> 00:49:58,795
Speaker 1: he managed it. She held a match for him, Laughing well,

745
00:49:59,155 --> 00:50:02,675
Speaker 1: she said, handing him his drink. This is perfectly marvelous,

746
00:50:03,275 --> 00:50:09,435
Speaker 1: you with a rank and a cigarette. Mr Martin puffed,

747
00:50:10,075 --> 00:50:13,955
Speaker 1: not too awkwardly, and took a gulp of the high ball.

748
00:50:14,835 --> 00:50:17,835
Speaker 1: I drink and smoke all the time, he said. He

749
00:50:17,995 --> 00:50:21,995
Speaker 1: clinked his glass against hers. Here's nuts to that old

750
00:50:22,035 --> 00:50:27,155
Speaker 1: windbag fitweiler, he said, and gulped again. The stuff tasted awful,

751
00:50:27,835 --> 00:50:30,995
Speaker 1: but he made no grimace. Really, Mr Martin, she said,

752
00:50:31,035 --> 00:50:34,955
Speaker 1: her voice and posture changing. You are insulting our employer.

753
00:50:36,795 --> 00:50:40,755
Speaker 1: Mrs Barrows was now all Special Advisor to the President.

754
00:50:41,955 --> 00:50:45,715
Speaker 1: I am preparing a bomb, said Mr Martin, which will

755
00:50:45,795 --> 00:50:50,155
Speaker 1: blow the old goat higher than hell. He had only

756
00:50:50,195 --> 00:50:52,075
Speaker 1: had a little of the drink, which was not strong.

757
00:50:52,115 --> 00:50:55,955
Speaker 1: It couldn't be that. Do you take dope or something?

758
00:50:56,755 --> 00:51:02,315
Speaker 1: Mrs Barrows asked coldly. Heroin said, Mr Martin, I'll be

759
00:51:02,435 --> 00:51:06,275
Speaker 1: cooked to the gills when I bumped old buzzard off

760
00:51:06,635 --> 00:51:09,875
Speaker 1: Mr Martin, she shouted, getting to her feet, that will

761
00:51:09,915 --> 00:51:13,275
Speaker 1: be all of that. You must go at once. Mr

762
00:51:13,315 --> 00:51:16,155
Speaker 1: Martin took another swallow of the drink. He tapped his

763
00:51:16,195 --> 00:51:19,075
Speaker 1: cigarette out in the ashtray and put the packet camels

764
00:51:19,115 --> 00:51:22,235
Speaker 1: on the coffee table. Then he got up. She stood

765
00:51:22,315 --> 00:51:24,755
Speaker 1: glaring at him. He walked over and put on his

766
00:51:24,755 --> 00:51:29,235
Speaker 1: hat and coat. Not a word about this, he said,

767
00:51:29,355 --> 00:51:32,795
Speaker 1: and laid an index finger against his lips. All Mrs

768
00:51:32,835 --> 00:51:37,235
Speaker 1: Barrows could bring out was it really? Mr Martin put

769
00:51:37,275 --> 00:51:40,755
Speaker 1: his hand on the door knob. I'm sitting in the

770
00:51:40,835 --> 00:51:46,035
Speaker 1: catbird seat, he said. He stuck his tongue out at

771
00:51:46,075 --> 00:51:53,635
Speaker 1: her and left. Nobody saw him go. Mr Martin got

772
00:51:53,675 --> 00:51:57,115
Speaker 1: to his apartment walking well before eleven. No one saw

773
00:51:57,195 --> 00:51:59,715
Speaker 1: him go in. He had two glasses of milk after

774
00:51:59,715 --> 00:52:03,555
Speaker 1: brushing his teeth, and he felt elated. It wasn't tipsy

775
00:52:03,595 --> 00:52:06,235
Speaker 1: in his because he hadn't been and tipsy anyway. The

776
00:52:06,235 --> 00:52:09,315
Speaker 1: walk had worn off all effects of the whiskey. He

777
00:52:09,435 --> 00:52:11,435
Speaker 1: got in bed and read a magazine for a while.

778
00:52:11,795 --> 00:52:16,435
Speaker 1: He was asleep before midnight. Mr Martin got to the

779
00:52:16,475 --> 00:52:19,235
Speaker 1: office at eight thirty the next morning as usual. At

780
00:52:19,235 --> 00:52:21,715
Speaker 1: a quarter to nine, Old Jean Barrows, who had never

781
00:52:21,755 --> 00:52:24,795
Speaker 1: before arrived at work before ten, swept into his office.

782
00:52:25,075 --> 00:52:28,595
Speaker 1: I am departing to Mr Fittweiler now, she shouted. If

783
00:52:28,635 --> 00:52:30,875
Speaker 1: he turns you over to the police, it's no more

784
00:52:30,915 --> 00:52:34,355
Speaker 1: than you deserve. Mr Martin gave her a look of

785
00:52:34,475 --> 00:52:40,035
Speaker 1: shocked surprise. I beg your pardon, he said. Mrs Barrows

786
00:52:40,155 --> 00:52:42,555
Speaker 1: snorted and bounced out of the room, leaving Miss Pared

787
00:52:42,595 --> 00:52:46,675
Speaker 1: and Joey Harton staring after her. What's the matter with that,

788
00:52:46,755 --> 00:52:50,875
Speaker 1: Old Davil now asked Miss Pared. I have no idea,

789
00:52:51,115 --> 00:52:54,435
Speaker 1: said Mr Martin, resuming his work. The other two looked

790
00:52:54,435 --> 00:52:56,915
Speaker 1: at him, and then at each other. Miss Peared got

791
00:52:56,955 --> 00:52:59,955
Speaker 1: up and went out. She walked slowly past the closed

792
00:52:59,955 --> 00:53:04,635
Speaker 1: door of Mr Fittweiler's office. Mrs Barrows was yelling inside,

793
00:53:04,755 --> 00:53:07,355
Speaker 1: but she was not braying. Miss Pared could not hear

794
00:53:07,355 --> 00:53:10,835
Speaker 1: what the woman was saying. She went back to her desk.

795
00:53:12,275 --> 00:53:15,515
Speaker 1: Forty five minutes later, Mrs Barrows left the President's office

796
00:53:15,515 --> 00:53:18,155
Speaker 1: and went into her own, shutting the door. It wasn't

797
00:53:18,235 --> 00:53:21,075
Speaker 1: until half an hour later that Mr Fittweiler sent for

798
00:53:21,235 --> 00:53:24,675
Speaker 1: Mr Martin, the head of the filing department. Neat quiet, attentive,

799
00:53:24,995 --> 00:53:28,115
Speaker 1: stood in front of the old man's desk. Mr Fittweiler

800
00:53:28,315 --> 00:53:32,595
Speaker 1: was pale and nervous. He took his glasses off and

801
00:53:32,675 --> 00:53:37,995
Speaker 1: twiddled them. He made a small roughing sound in his throat. Martin,

802
00:53:38,515 --> 00:53:44,115
Speaker 1: He said, you have been with us more than twenty years, two, sir,

803
00:53:44,315 --> 00:53:49,155
Speaker 1: said Mr Martin. In that time pursued the President. Your

804
00:53:49,235 --> 00:53:55,115
Speaker 1: work and your manner have been exemplary. I trust so, sir,

805
00:53:55,355 --> 00:53:59,595
Speaker 1: said Mr Martin. I have understood, Martin, said Mr Fittweler,

806
00:53:59,875 --> 00:54:03,075
Speaker 1: that you have never taken a drink or smoked. That

807
00:54:03,235 --> 00:54:09,195
Speaker 1: is correct, Sir, said R. Martin. Ah yes, Mr Fittweiler

808
00:54:09,275 --> 00:54:13,635
Speaker 1: polished his glasses. You may describe what you did after

809
00:54:13,715 --> 00:54:18,795
Speaker 1: leaving the office yesterday, Martin, he said, certainly, Sir. He said,

810
00:54:19,155 --> 00:54:22,635
Speaker 1: I walked home. Then I went to Shrafts for dinner. Afterward,

811
00:54:22,875 --> 00:54:25,035
Speaker 1: I walked home again. I went to bed early, sir,

812
00:54:25,075 --> 00:54:27,075
Speaker 1: and read a magazine for a while. I was asleep

813
00:54:27,115 --> 00:54:34,595
Speaker 1: before eleven. Ah. Yes, said Mr Fittweiler again. He was

814
00:54:34,675 --> 00:54:37,235
Speaker 1: silent for a moment. Searching for the proper words to

815
00:54:37,275 --> 00:54:41,755
Speaker 1: say to the head of the filing department, Mrs Barrows,

816
00:54:42,355 --> 00:54:47,755
Speaker 1: He said, finally, Mrs Barrows has worked hard, Martin, very hard.

817
00:54:48,635 --> 00:54:50,755
Speaker 1: It raives me to report that she has suffered a

818
00:54:50,795 --> 00:54:54,635
Speaker 1: severe breakdown. It has taken the form of a persecution

819
00:54:54,715 --> 00:55:02,035
Speaker 1: complex accompanied by distressing hallucinations. I'm very sorry, sir, said

820
00:55:02,115 --> 00:55:07,795
Speaker 1: Mr Martin. Mrs Barrows is under the delusion, continued Mr Fittweiler,

821
00:55:08,075 --> 00:55:12,555
Speaker 1: that you visited her last evening and behaved yourself in

822
00:55:12,595 --> 00:55:17,675
Speaker 1: an unseemly matter. He raised his hand to silence Mr

823
00:55:17,675 --> 00:55:21,155
Speaker 1: Martin's little, pained outcry. It is the nature of these

824
00:55:21,195 --> 00:55:26,115
Speaker 1: psychological diseases, Mr Fittweiler said, to fix upon the least

825
00:55:26,195 --> 00:55:30,715
Speaker 1: likely and most innocent party as the source of persecution.

826
00:55:31,635 --> 00:55:34,915
Speaker 1: These matters are not for the lay mind to grasp, Martin.

827
00:55:35,475 --> 00:55:38,835
Speaker 1: I've just had my psychiatrist, Dr Fitch on the phone. UH.

828
00:55:38,915 --> 00:55:41,835
Speaker 1: He would not, of course commit himself, but he made

829
00:55:41,955 --> 00:55:47,915
Speaker 1: enough generalizations to substantiate my suspicions. I suggested to missus Barrows,

830
00:55:48,555 --> 00:55:53,555
Speaker 1: when she had completed her UH story to me this morning,

831
00:55:53,635 --> 00:55:58,155
Speaker 1: that she visit Dr Fitch or I suspected a condition

832
00:55:58,235 --> 00:56:01,035
Speaker 1: to what she flew, I regret to say, into a

833
00:56:01,235 --> 00:56:06,795
Speaker 1: rage and demanded requested that I call you on the carpet.

834
00:56:07,995 --> 00:56:10,755
Speaker 1: You may not know, Martin, but Mrs Barrows had planned

835
00:56:10,795 --> 00:56:15,115
Speaker 1: a reorganization of your department, subject to my approval. Of course,

836
00:56:15,195 --> 00:56:18,995
Speaker 1: subject to my approval. This brought you, rather than anyone

837
00:56:19,075 --> 00:56:22,235
Speaker 1: else to her mind. But again that is a phenomenon

838
00:56:22,275 --> 00:56:26,315
Speaker 1: for Dr Fitch and not for us. So Martin, I'm

839
00:56:26,355 --> 00:56:32,835
Speaker 1: afraid Mrs Barrow's usefulness here is at an end. I'm

840
00:56:32,995 --> 00:56:37,595
Speaker 1: dreadfully sorry, sir, said Mr Martin. It was at this

841
00:56:37,675 --> 00:56:41,035
Speaker 1: point that the door to the office blew open with

842
00:56:41,075 --> 00:56:44,835
Speaker 1: the suddenness of a gas main explosion, and Mrs Barrows

843
00:56:44,955 --> 00:56:48,915
Speaker 1: catapulted through. It is the little rat denying it, she screamed.

844
00:56:49,035 --> 00:56:52,515
Speaker 1: He can't get away with that. Mr Martin got up

845
00:56:52,555 --> 00:56:56,115
Speaker 1: and moved discreetly to a point beside Mr Fittwaler's chair.

846
00:56:56,555 --> 00:56:59,875
Speaker 1: You drank and smoked at my apartment, she bawled at

847
00:56:59,995 --> 00:57:02,635
Speaker 1: Mr Martin, And you know it. You called Mr Fittwiler

848
00:57:02,635 --> 00:57:04,715
Speaker 1: an old wind bag and said you were going to

849
00:57:04,795 --> 00:57:07,155
Speaker 1: bow him up when you got coked to your gills

850
00:57:07,195 --> 00:57:11,755
Speaker 1: on your heroine. She stopped yelling to catch her breath,

851
00:57:11,795 --> 00:57:14,995
Speaker 1: and a new glint came into her popping eyes. If

852
00:57:15,035 --> 00:57:18,595
Speaker 1: you weren't set to drab, ordinary, little man, she said,

853
00:57:19,315 --> 00:57:23,395
Speaker 1: I'd think you'd planned it all, sticking your tongue out,

854
00:57:23,715 --> 00:57:26,515
Speaker 1: saying you were sitting in the cat buried seat because

855
00:57:26,755 --> 00:57:29,555
Speaker 1: you thought no one would believe me when I told it.

856
00:57:30,355 --> 00:57:36,355
Speaker 1: My god, it's really too perfect. She brayed loudly and hysterically,

857
00:57:36,515 --> 00:57:38,715
Speaker 1: and the fury was on her again. She glared at

858
00:57:38,795 --> 00:57:42,435
Speaker 1: Mr Fittweiler. Can't you see how he has checked usk?

859
00:57:42,515 --> 00:57:47,475
Speaker 1: You all fool? Can't you see his little game? But

860
00:57:47,555 --> 00:57:51,155
Speaker 1: Mr Fittweiler had been surreptitiously pressing all the buttons under

861
00:57:51,195 --> 00:57:53,715
Speaker 1: the top of his desk, and employees of F and

862
00:57:53,835 --> 00:57:57,955
Speaker 1: S began pouring into the room. Stockton said, Mrs Pittweiler,

863
00:57:58,235 --> 00:58:00,955
Speaker 1: you and Fishbone will take Mrs Barrows to her home.

864
00:58:01,515 --> 00:58:04,555
Speaker 1: Mrs Powell, you will go with them. Stockton, who would

865
00:58:04,555 --> 00:58:07,475
Speaker 1: put the little football in high school, blocked Mrs Barrows

866
00:58:07,515 --> 00:58:10,075
Speaker 1: as she made for Mr Martin. It took him and

867
00:58:10,155 --> 00:58:13,075
Speaker 1: fish Mine together to force her out of the door

868
00:58:13,155 --> 00:58:17,115
Speaker 1: into the hall crowded with stenographers and office boys. She

869
00:58:17,275 --> 00:58:22,355
Speaker 1: was still screaming imprecations at Mr Martin tangled and contradictory imprecations.

870
00:58:22,635 --> 00:58:28,635
Speaker 1: The hubbub finally died out down the corridor. I regret

871
00:58:28,675 --> 00:58:33,155
Speaker 1: that this has happened, said Mr Fittweiler. I shall ask

872
00:58:33,195 --> 00:58:36,875
Speaker 1: you to dismiss it from your mind. Martin, Yes, sir,

873
00:58:37,355 --> 00:58:41,115
Speaker 1: said Mr Martin, anticipating his chiefs. That will be all.

874
00:58:42,115 --> 00:58:47,675
Speaker 1: By moving to the door, I will dismiss it. He

875
00:58:47,715 --> 00:58:50,915
Speaker 1: went out and shut the door, and his step was

876
00:58:51,035 --> 00:58:55,195
Speaker 1: light and quick in the hall. When he entered his department,

877
00:58:55,195 --> 00:58:57,955
Speaker 1: he had slowed down to his customary gate, and he

878
00:58:57,995 --> 00:59:03,235
Speaker 1: walked quietly across the room to the double twenty file,

879
00:59:04,355 --> 00:59:10,635
Speaker 1: where ring a look of studious concentration from the Thurber

880
00:59:10,715 --> 00:59:26,715
Speaker 1: connorable The Catbird Seat by James Thurber. I've done all

881
00:59:26,795 --> 00:59:28,395
Speaker 1: the damage I can do here. This is where I

882
00:59:28,395 --> 00:59:32,675
Speaker 1: ask you to rate and review the podcasts. Lie to them,

883
00:59:32,795 --> 00:59:34,955
Speaker 1: tell them it's outstanding, and you listen to it twice.

884
00:59:37,035 --> 00:59:40,555
Speaker 1: The Countdown theme from Beethoven's Ninth Arranged, produced and performed

885
00:59:40,555 --> 00:59:43,715
Speaker 1: by Countdown musical directors Brian Ray and John Philip Channel

886
00:59:44,395 --> 00:59:47,875
Speaker 1: All orchestration and keyboards by John Philip Chanelle guitars based

887
00:59:47,915 --> 00:59:50,515
Speaker 1: and drums by Brian Ray, produced by t k O Brothers.

888
00:59:50,795 --> 00:59:53,435
Speaker 1: The other Beethoven selections have been arranged and performed by

889
00:59:53,475 --> 00:59:57,195
Speaker 1: the group No Horns Allowed. Our sports music the Olderman

890
00:59:57,355 --> 01:00:01,195
Speaker 1: theme from ESPN two Yeah, I told you that story,

891
01:00:01,195 --> 01:00:04,555
Speaker 1: didn't I? Written by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy of esp

892
01:00:04,715 --> 01:00:09,635
Speaker 1: in incorporated my friends, musical comments by Nancy Faust, the

893
01:00:09,635 --> 01:00:12,875
Speaker 1: best baseball stadium organist ever, and our announcer today was

894
01:00:12,995 --> 01:00:17,675
Speaker 1: Richard Lewis. Let's countdown for this day since Donald Trump's

895
01:00:17,675 --> 01:00:20,435
Speaker 1: first attempted coup against the democratically elected government of the

896
01:00:20,515 --> 01:00:23,395
Speaker 1: United States. I'll have a new episode for you Monday.

897
01:00:23,835 --> 01:00:27,675
Speaker 1: Till then, I'm Keith Alderman. Good morning, good afternoon, good night,

898
01:00:28,195 --> 01:00:41,995
Speaker 1: and good luck. Countdown with Keith Alderman is a production

899
01:00:42,155 --> 01:00:45,795
Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,

900
01:00:45,955 --> 01:00:49,475
Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

901
01:00:49,555 --> 01:00:50,915
Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.