1 00:00:04,755 --> 00:00:08,995 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of I heart radio. 2 00:00:17,035 --> 00:00:19,835 Speaker 1: I don't want to call this the best of countdown. 3 00:00:21,355 --> 00:00:24,715 Speaker 1: It's both pretentious and falsely modest. Let me try the 4 00:00:25,155 --> 00:00:28,555 Speaker 1: you should listen to this again edition of countdown. Happily, 5 00:00:29,315 --> 00:00:32,235 Speaker 1: maybe unhappily, for our country. Several of the segments I've 6 00:00:32,275 --> 00:00:34,835 Speaker 1: done in the first few weeks here have unexpected residence 7 00:00:34,915 --> 00:00:38,875 Speaker 1: even today. Let me start in August nineteen. This was 8 00:00:38,995 --> 00:00:41,995 Speaker 1: right after the new president of CNN, Chris Licked, and 9 00:00:42,115 --> 00:00:44,275 Speaker 1: I knew from his days as the Hatchetman for Joe 10 00:00:44,275 --> 00:00:47,995 Speaker 1: Scarborough at MSNBC, began what we now realize is a 11 00:00:48,035 --> 00:00:52,075 Speaker 1: full fledged purge of the Liberals at CNN. We did 12 00:00:52,115 --> 00:00:54,675 Speaker 1: not know at this point that John Harwood, who I 13 00:00:54,715 --> 00:00:57,595 Speaker 1: also worked with an MSNBC, had already been fired effective 14 00:00:57,595 --> 00:01:00,715 Speaker 1: September two. We did not know Brianna Keller and Jeff 15 00:01:00,795 --> 00:01:05,075 Speaker 1: Zeleny of CNN would tweet identical Republican talking point about 16 00:01:05,075 --> 00:01:08,835 Speaker 1: the marines at President Biden's speech about the Republicans attempt 17 00:01:08,875 --> 00:01:11,955 Speaker 1: to overthrow the government, and do so presumably to curry 18 00:01:11,955 --> 00:01:15,915 Speaker 1: favor with licked and his boss, the trump funder John Malone. 19 00:01:16,635 --> 00:01:19,795 Speaker 1: We did know, though, that lick had already canceled reliable 20 00:01:19,875 --> 00:01:23,795 Speaker 1: sources and fired its host, Brian Stelter, and if anybody 21 00:01:23,835 --> 00:01:26,115 Speaker 1: told you that was some sort of cost saving move. 22 00:01:26,555 --> 00:01:29,475 Speaker 1: STELTER had three years left on his contract and John 23 00:01:29,515 --> 00:01:32,915 Speaker 1: Harwood had two years left. Here's what I said on Augustine. 24 00:01:39,875 --> 00:01:42,155 Speaker 1: I've had problems with some of Brian's work since he 25 00:01:42,195 --> 00:01:45,115 Speaker 1: founded the TV newser blog while he was in college 26 00:01:45,115 --> 00:01:47,755 Speaker 1: in two thousand four later at the New York Times, 27 00:01:48,235 --> 00:01:50,715 Speaker 1: but I've never had any problem with his intent nor 28 00:01:50,795 --> 00:01:54,155 Speaker 1: his work ethic. And his stuff on CNN made him 29 00:01:54,195 --> 00:01:56,875 Speaker 1: such a target from the far right that you would 30 00:01:56,875 --> 00:01:59,955 Speaker 1: have thought he was me or that he was on 31 00:01:59,995 --> 00:02:02,955 Speaker 1: the air seventeen hours a day on CNN rather than 32 00:02:02,995 --> 00:02:07,315 Speaker 1: once a week. The reason was simple. AFTER MSNBC CUT 33 00:02:07,315 --> 00:02:10,035 Speaker 1: A deal to stop calling out Fox News, pretty much 34 00:02:10,475 --> 00:02:14,675 Speaker 1: nobody in television called out Fox News and the rest 35 00:02:14,755 --> 00:02:19,715 Speaker 1: of the lunatic right propaganda machine, except stelter. His firing 36 00:02:19,755 --> 00:02:22,435 Speaker 1: was no surprise. You may not know it, but CNN 37 00:02:22,475 --> 00:02:24,995 Speaker 1: was recently taken over by a company owned by billionaire 38 00:02:25,035 --> 00:02:28,915 Speaker 1: trump Downer John Malone, and Malone intends to vary gradually 39 00:02:28,955 --> 00:02:32,155 Speaker 1: reduce CNN to at best twenty four hours a day 40 00:02:32,155 --> 00:02:35,915 Speaker 1: of both sides is him. Think Michael smirconish on a loop. 41 00:02:37,315 --> 00:02:39,915 Speaker 1: stelter did the most damage to the right. Therefore stelter 42 00:02:40,035 --> 00:02:41,715 Speaker 1: was the first to go. He will not be the last. 43 00:02:42,595 --> 00:02:47,515 Speaker 1: CNN's new president, Chris Licked, is there to dismantle the 44 00:02:47,595 --> 00:02:51,715 Speaker 1: liberal parts of CNN. I know this because I worked 45 00:02:51,755 --> 00:02:54,995 Speaker 1: with him at MSNBC, where he decided that part of 46 00:02:55,035 --> 00:02:57,955 Speaker 1: his job was to try to dismantle the liberal parts 47 00:02:57,955 --> 00:03:03,635 Speaker 1: of MSNBC. When stelter was fired, the daily Beasts Impeccable 48 00:03:03,675 --> 00:03:07,355 Speaker 1: Media Guy Lachlan Cartwright reported that quote. Everything about this 49 00:03:07,475 --> 00:03:11,315 Speaker 1: rollout points to discovery board member John Malone and discovery 50 00:03:11,315 --> 00:03:14,435 Speaker 1: CEO David Zaslov. A source familiar with the situation told 51 00:03:14,435 --> 00:03:17,435 Speaker 1: the daily Beast Chris licked did not want to do this. 52 00:03:18,395 --> 00:03:20,955 Speaker 1: I am sure the quote is accurate and I'm sure 53 00:03:20,955 --> 00:03:24,115 Speaker 1: whoever told cartwright that believes the quote to be true, 54 00:03:24,475 --> 00:03:28,235 Speaker 1: but it misses the point. What Chris Lick wants to 55 00:03:28,275 --> 00:03:31,555 Speaker 1: do is whatever John Malone and David Zaslov tell him 56 00:03:31,555 --> 00:03:36,235 Speaker 1: to do. He is a corporate lackey. Worse, he's a 57 00:03:36,275 --> 00:03:40,115 Speaker 1: corporate henchman. So here's the story. I promised not to 58 00:03:40,155 --> 00:03:44,275 Speaker 1: tell perhaps the most amazing thing about my ten years 59 00:03:44,275 --> 00:03:48,555 Speaker 1: at MSNBC was the fact that Joe Scarborough and his producers, 60 00:03:49,115 --> 00:03:53,275 Speaker 1: especially his chief henchman, ever got their own show on 61 00:03:53,355 --> 00:03:56,955 Speaker 1: the air. Because nobody I have ever worked with in 62 00:03:57,155 --> 00:04:01,155 Speaker 1: radio or television, in sports or news in the twentieth 63 00:04:01,195 --> 00:04:05,515 Speaker 1: century or the one, ever spent more time trying to 64 00:04:05,675 --> 00:04:09,035 Speaker 1: screw with other programs on the same network then did 65 00:04:09,155 --> 00:04:13,275 Speaker 1: Joe Scarborough. And until just about the time I left 66 00:04:13,275 --> 00:04:15,795 Speaker 1: in two thousand and eleven, the guy he sent in 67 00:04:15,875 --> 00:04:19,035 Speaker 1: to do most of the sabotage for him was this 68 00:04:19,115 --> 00:04:22,835 Speaker 1: henchman guy. The reason this should matter to you now 69 00:04:23,115 --> 00:04:28,235 Speaker 1: is scarborough's henchman was Chris licked, the new president of CNN, 70 00:04:28,235 --> 00:04:31,915 Speaker 1: and if they scoured the nation to find the worst 71 00:04:32,075 --> 00:04:35,395 Speaker 1: person to run CNN in a time when democracy is 72 00:04:35,435 --> 00:04:39,435 Speaker 1: threatened by one political party and tepidly defended by another, 73 00:04:39,795 --> 00:04:43,915 Speaker 1: it's Chris licked. I know, I know, you turn on 74 00:04:43,955 --> 00:04:46,155 Speaker 1: the TV and you see Joe Scarborough and you see 75 00:04:46,155 --> 00:04:51,075 Speaker 1: exactly what I see. A blank, dazed, darting, paranoid, no soul, 76 00:04:51,635 --> 00:04:56,275 Speaker 1: stupid check engine light. Look, but if you don't trust me, 77 00:04:56,395 --> 00:05:01,835 Speaker 1: trust my scars, my Joey Scars. Behind that Vapid face 78 00:05:02,635 --> 00:05:07,555 Speaker 1: is a master saboteur. Early in two thousand and eight, 79 00:05:07,595 --> 00:05:09,675 Speaker 1: the late Tim Russert called me and warned me that 80 00:05:09,715 --> 00:05:12,435 Speaker 1: the GOP had upped its pressure on me. He said 81 00:05:12,475 --> 00:05:16,115 Speaker 1: he had heard from somebody in New York that somebody 82 00:05:16,155 --> 00:05:17,875 Speaker 1: in New York was going into the office of the 83 00:05:17,915 --> 00:05:20,875 Speaker 1: President of NBC News saying that Joe Scarborough couldn't get 84 00:05:20,915 --> 00:05:23,835 Speaker 1: his friend John McCain to come on to his new 85 00:05:23,875 --> 00:05:28,675 Speaker 1: morning show because I was so critical of McCain. On countdown, 86 00:05:28,995 --> 00:05:31,915 Speaker 1: Tim was not sure it was scarborough, but if it wasn't, 87 00:05:32,595 --> 00:05:35,115 Speaker 1: who else could have gotten in to see the president 88 00:05:35,115 --> 00:05:39,115 Speaker 1: of NBC News other than Scarborough or his executive producer? 89 00:05:40,595 --> 00:05:43,635 Speaker 1: The evidence for the new CNN president, Mr Licht, being 90 00:05:43,675 --> 00:05:47,235 Speaker 1: directly involved in interfering with programming to benefit somebody else's 91 00:05:47,275 --> 00:05:50,955 Speaker 1: friends or political cronies was vague in two thousand and eight, 92 00:05:51,235 --> 00:05:54,715 Speaker 1: but not at all vague two years later, early in 93 00:05:54,835 --> 00:05:57,955 Speaker 1: January two thousand ten, the Republican candidate to fill the 94 00:05:57,995 --> 00:06:01,555 Speaker 1: Senate seat of the late Ted Kennedy, Scott Brown, the 95 00:06:01,675 --> 00:06:05,795 Speaker 1: former semi nude model, was at a alley when one 96 00:06:05,835 --> 00:06:09,515 Speaker 1: of his supporters talked about, quote, shoving a curling iron 97 00:06:09,715 --> 00:06:13,555 Speaker 1: up the backside of the Democratic Senate candidate Martha Cokeley. 98 00:06:13,795 --> 00:06:17,795 Speaker 1: Scott Brown clearly heard the remark from the crowd and responded, quote. 99 00:06:17,995 --> 00:06:21,795 Speaker 1: We could do that. On January Eighteenth, on countdown, I 100 00:06:21,795 --> 00:06:24,555 Speaker 1: did a brief commentary about how unsuitable Brown was for 101 00:06:24,595 --> 00:06:29,955 Speaker 1: public office. I said he was, quote, an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, 102 00:06:30,235 --> 00:06:33,995 Speaker 1: x Nude model, tea bagging supporter of violence against women 103 00:06:34,195 --> 00:06:38,555 Speaker 1: and against politicians with whom he disagrees. Unquote. I had 104 00:06:38,635 --> 00:06:42,035 Speaker 1: quotes from Brown. I had videotape of him disparaging his 105 00:06:42,115 --> 00:06:45,435 Speaker 1: minority opponent in a local election to her face at 106 00:06:45,435 --> 00:06:49,875 Speaker 1: a debate to back up what I said. An hour later, 107 00:06:50,315 --> 00:06:54,515 Speaker 1: Joe Scarborough commenced a tweet storm against me. Quote. Alberman 108 00:06:54,595 --> 00:06:59,315 Speaker 1: calls Brown a homophobic, racist reactionary who supports violence against women. 109 00:06:59,515 --> 00:07:03,515 Speaker 1: How reckless and how sad it's no longer enough to 110 00:07:03,555 --> 00:07:06,395 Speaker 1: simply disagree with on one I'm sorry, I just fell 111 00:07:06,435 --> 00:07:10,275 Speaker 1: into my scarborough impression. Justice went beck called the President Racist. 112 00:07:10,795 --> 00:07:15,315 Speaker 1: This sort of rhetorical exclaimism must be discouraged. chapened the 113 00:07:15,395 --> 00:07:20,915 Speaker 1: debate end. Quote and impression now there was a standing 114 00:07:20,995 --> 00:07:24,555 Speaker 1: rule at MSNBC. You want to criticize another MSNBC PERSONALITY, 115 00:07:24,995 --> 00:07:29,755 Speaker 1: go ahead, have a blast, but it must be on 116 00:07:29,915 --> 00:07:32,635 Speaker 1: the air on MSNBC and the other person must have 117 00:07:32,675 --> 00:07:36,115 Speaker 1: an opportunity to reply in real time in the same 118 00:07:36,115 --> 00:07:38,675 Speaker 1: show or in some kind of face to face way. 119 00:07:38,955 --> 00:07:44,955 Speaker 1: No hit and run, no Joe Scarborough tweet storms. If 120 00:07:44,995 --> 00:07:47,435 Speaker 1: you criticize them by name or by inference in any 121 00:07:47,515 --> 00:07:50,715 Speaker 1: other medium, newspaper, interview, Radio, social media, you were to 122 00:07:50,835 --> 00:07:55,835 Speaker 1: receive an automatic suspension. The next day, January, called the 123 00:07:55,835 --> 00:07:58,795 Speaker 1: president of MSNBC, Phil Griffin, and I asked how long 124 00:07:58,875 --> 00:08:03,955 Speaker 1: Joe Scarborough's automatic suspension was gonna be. Griffin asked me 125 00:08:03,995 --> 00:08:06,675 Speaker 1: to come into the office a little earlier than usual 126 00:08:07,115 --> 00:08:09,835 Speaker 1: and to go see him. He said he had already 127 00:08:09,875 --> 00:08:13,315 Speaker 1: had a meeting about the tweets that morning with Scarborough's 128 00:08:13,315 --> 00:08:18,675 Speaker 1: executive producer, Chris Licht. Griffin explained that scarborough, according to Lickt, 129 00:08:19,235 --> 00:08:24,515 Speaker 1: considered Scott Brown a friend. More importantly, Chris licked warned 130 00:08:24,555 --> 00:08:27,875 Speaker 1: Griffin that if Griffin folloled through and enforced the suspension rule, 131 00:08:28,435 --> 00:08:31,075 Speaker 1: scarborough would have no other option than to go to 132 00:08:31,155 --> 00:08:35,315 Speaker 1: the press and tell reporters, especially reporters at right wing 133 00:08:35,435 --> 00:08:40,515 Speaker 1: websites like Tucker Carlson's, the daily caller, that he scarborough 134 00:08:40,595 --> 00:08:44,435 Speaker 1: had been suspended because he scarborough was a conservative, but 135 00:08:45,035 --> 00:08:48,915 Speaker 1: I was a liberal and that I, and not Phil Griffin, 136 00:08:49,595 --> 00:08:56,395 Speaker 1: RAN MSNBC. What can I do? Griffin was scared. I 137 00:08:56,515 --> 00:08:59,115 Speaker 1: told him he could fire scarborough and licked because they 138 00:08:59,155 --> 00:09:01,875 Speaker 1: had just tried to blackmail him and eventually he was 139 00:09:01,915 --> 00:09:04,035 Speaker 1: going to have to fire them both anyway. But then 140 00:09:04,075 --> 00:09:05,915 Speaker 1: I knew he would not do this and that I 141 00:09:05,995 --> 00:09:09,315 Speaker 1: knew now that he would not suspend scarborough either. And 142 00:09:09,355 --> 00:09:13,475 Speaker 1: Griffin did not suspend him. Partial score. Scarborough's friends to 143 00:09:14,195 --> 00:09:20,435 Speaker 1: MSNBC's rules of behavior. Nothing. But Phil Griffin did send 144 00:09:20,435 --> 00:09:23,675 Speaker 1: out a memo to the entire company insisting that anybody 145 00:09:23,715 --> 00:09:27,795 Speaker 1: who criticized another MSNBC show or host in another medium 146 00:09:27,795 --> 00:09:32,155 Speaker 1: would be suspended. Except Scarborough, who had just done exactly 147 00:09:32,195 --> 00:09:37,515 Speaker 1: that and then threatened his own employers. On January, Brian 148 00:09:37,635 --> 00:09:40,595 Speaker 1: stelter's old blog TV news or got a copy of 149 00:09:40,635 --> 00:09:44,155 Speaker 1: Griffin's memo. They wondered why scarborough had not been suspended. 150 00:09:44,195 --> 00:09:47,595 Speaker 1: So they called the MSNBC president and they printed quote 151 00:09:47,875 --> 00:09:51,595 Speaker 1: Griffin Responds to TV news or quote. An important rule 152 00:09:51,675 --> 00:09:54,515 Speaker 1: was broken. I spoke to Keith and he said in 153 00:09:54,555 --> 00:09:58,275 Speaker 1: the spirit of teamwork and the free flow of ideas, 154 00:09:58,475 --> 00:10:01,715 Speaker 1: he didn't think it warranted punishment or suspension. I also 155 00:10:01,795 --> 00:10:05,515 Speaker 1: talked to Joe and he apologized to me. That's why 156 00:10:05,635 --> 00:10:08,115 Speaker 1: I made the decision that this didn't rise to the 157 00:10:08,195 --> 00:10:10,435 Speaker 1: level of punishment. But I felt it was necessary to 158 00:10:10,475 --> 00:10:15,715 Speaker 1: reiterate my long standing policy bull crap. Reiterate my long 159 00:10:15,795 --> 00:10:19,155 Speaker 1: standing policy, which I just did not enforce, against Joe Scarborough. 160 00:10:19,195 --> 00:10:22,435 Speaker 1: The whole thing was totally fabricated, licked and scarborough had 161 00:10:22,435 --> 00:10:25,955 Speaker 1: threatened to smear their own bosses in the right wing 162 00:10:26,035 --> 00:10:29,475 Speaker 1: Echo Chamber. It should have been both fired on the spot. 163 00:10:30,635 --> 00:10:33,795 Speaker 1: In May two thousand ten scarborough said something on the 164 00:10:33,795 --> 00:10:36,635 Speaker 1: air about a Democrat getting away with not being investigated 165 00:10:36,675 --> 00:10:39,715 Speaker 1: for something. I forget the details. I didn't bother to 166 00:10:39,755 --> 00:10:42,955 Speaker 1: look it up. You can if you want, then. Marcos 167 00:10:42,995 --> 00:10:45,755 Speaker 1: Malitzis the editor of the daily coast website and not 168 00:10:45,835 --> 00:10:48,435 Speaker 1: just a regular contributor to countdown, but somebody who had 169 00:10:48,435 --> 00:10:51,915 Speaker 1: been promoting the show and the MSNBC brand on that 170 00:10:51,955 --> 00:10:56,515 Speaker 1: website every day for five years. Marcos sent a snarky 171 00:10:56,555 --> 00:11:01,075 Speaker 1: but legitimate tweet questioning scarborough's credentials to criticize others who 172 00:11:01,115 --> 00:11:05,075 Speaker 1: had not been investigated for stuff. Marcos invoked the staffer 173 00:11:05,115 --> 00:11:09,075 Speaker 1: who died in an accident in Joe Scarborough's congressional office. 174 00:11:09,675 --> 00:11:14,195 Speaker 1: Scarborough then attacked Meliitsus on twitter, inaccurately claiming melitsus had 175 00:11:14,195 --> 00:11:18,955 Speaker 1: accused scarborough of murder. A few days after that I 176 00:11:18,995 --> 00:11:21,675 Speaker 1: got a phone call from the MSNBC president, Phil Griffin, 177 00:11:21,675 --> 00:11:23,115 Speaker 1: and if you got a phone call rather than a 178 00:11:23,155 --> 00:11:25,355 Speaker 1: call to come into his office, you know he was 179 00:11:25,475 --> 00:11:28,835 Speaker 1: really scared. Griffin told me Chris licked has been in 180 00:11:28,875 --> 00:11:31,275 Speaker 1: to see me. Joe Won't put up with having Marcos 181 00:11:31,355 --> 00:11:34,795 Speaker 1: militsis on his network anymore. Not only that, but lick 182 00:11:34,875 --> 00:11:38,875 Speaker 1: says many of Joe's friends who also appear in dayside 183 00:11:38,875 --> 00:11:42,595 Speaker 1: and prime time won't come on if Marcos melitzis is 184 00:11:42,595 --> 00:11:48,835 Speaker 1: permitted to continue here. Chris is insisting that Marcos be 185 00:11:48,955 --> 00:11:52,035 Speaker 1: banned from MSNBC immediately. Chris says he's afraid that if 186 00:11:52,075 --> 00:11:54,715 Speaker 1: we don't do that, Joe Won't come into work tomorrow. 187 00:11:55,875 --> 00:11:58,915 Speaker 1: Upon hearing that, I laughed and I congratulated Phil Griffin 188 00:11:58,995 --> 00:12:02,915 Speaker 1: on the clear win win he'd just been given. But 189 00:12:02,995 --> 00:12:06,715 Speaker 1: Phil was very bad at an forcing MSNBC's rules, but 190 00:12:07,035 --> 00:12:09,915 Speaker 1: very good at creating new ones on the spot to 191 00:12:10,035 --> 00:12:14,755 Speaker 1: protect Joe Scarborough and Chris licked and their friends. I'm 192 00:12:14,795 --> 00:12:18,715 Speaker 1: banning the LITZAS for many further appearances on MSNBC. I said, Phil, 193 00:12:18,755 --> 00:12:22,115 Speaker 1: he's a contributor to my show. You are suspending my 194 00:12:22,235 --> 00:12:26,515 Speaker 1: contributor who has driven hundreds of thousands of viewers to 195 00:12:26,595 --> 00:12:30,115 Speaker 1: countdown at MSNBC and I don't have any say in it. 196 00:12:30,915 --> 00:12:34,395 Speaker 1: You are owned by Joe Scarborough and Chris Licked. What 197 00:12:34,595 --> 00:12:36,355 Speaker 1: you now have to worry about is whether I tell 198 00:12:36,435 --> 00:12:38,475 Speaker 1: this story on the air tonight or I just wait 199 00:12:38,515 --> 00:12:43,155 Speaker 1: and tell it later. Phil now got conciliatory because he 200 00:12:43,235 --> 00:12:45,675 Speaker 1: was scared again and said it could be just a 201 00:12:45,835 --> 00:12:50,995 Speaker 1: suspension if I cooperated. So I called Marcos. He said 202 00:12:50,995 --> 00:12:53,835 Speaker 1: he enjoyed his contributions to countdown. He also did occasional 203 00:12:53,835 --> 00:12:57,835 Speaker 1: appearances on the old ED SCHULTZ MSNBC show and he 204 00:12:57,875 --> 00:13:00,155 Speaker 1: said if there were a chance at resuming them, he'd 205 00:13:00,155 --> 00:13:03,875 Speaker 1: preferred to at least try that. So Marcos and I 206 00:13:03,955 --> 00:13:07,395 Speaker 1: went along with Griffin suspending Marcus Melitz's and to my knowledge, 207 00:13:07,715 --> 00:13:13,395 Speaker 1: Marcus Melitzus has not been seen on MSNBC since. I 208 00:13:13,435 --> 00:13:16,035 Speaker 1: wish I had better notes on some of my conversations 209 00:13:16,035 --> 00:13:21,115 Speaker 1: from the two thousand eight nine eleven era about those 210 00:13:21,195 --> 00:13:23,555 Speaker 1: conversations with the hosts and the producers of the other 211 00:13:23,595 --> 00:13:26,155 Speaker 1: shows like Schultz and Rachel Maddow's show and even Chris 212 00:13:26,195 --> 00:13:28,955 Speaker 1: Matthews and hardball. I must have heard a variation of 213 00:13:28,955 --> 00:13:31,675 Speaker 1: this statement a dozen times from these people. Guess who 214 00:13:31,715 --> 00:13:34,195 Speaker 1: was in Griffin's office explaining that such and such, as 215 00:13:34,275 --> 00:13:36,275 Speaker 1: Joe's friend and Phil really needs to make sure we 216 00:13:36,355 --> 00:13:39,955 Speaker 1: lay off him? Chris licked. It was usually an expletive 217 00:13:39,995 --> 00:13:43,035 Speaker 1: in the middle between Chris and licked. I remember one 218 00:13:43,035 --> 00:13:45,675 Speaker 1: of my producers at the MSNBC a version of countdown 219 00:13:45,675 --> 00:13:47,875 Speaker 1: telling me that one of the other producers told him 220 00:13:47,875 --> 00:13:52,195 Speaker 1: that licked had gone to NBC News President Steve Cappus 221 00:13:52,235 --> 00:13:56,235 Speaker 1: with an actual list of Republicans that Matto and Olberman 222 00:13:56,275 --> 00:14:00,075 Speaker 1: needed to stop criticizing because they were Joe's, here's the 223 00:14:00,115 --> 00:14:07,875 Speaker 1: word again, friends. And we were hurting more joe. What's 224 00:14:07,915 --> 00:14:11,275 Speaker 1: amazing is that, setting aside the issues of unrevealed toward 225 00:14:11,355 --> 00:14:15,035 Speaker 1: love affairs, when CNN fired its nine pm host Chris Cuomo, 226 00:14:15,475 --> 00:14:19,235 Speaker 1: President Jeff Zucker and Senior Vice President Alison Gallis. They 227 00:14:19,275 --> 00:14:22,315 Speaker 1: fired them in essence, because they interfered with CNN content 228 00:14:22,635 --> 00:14:25,915 Speaker 1: and practices in order to do favors for people who 229 00:14:25,915 --> 00:14:33,395 Speaker 1: were their friends or, in Cuomo's case, their relatives at MSNBC, 230 00:14:34,115 --> 00:14:38,835 Speaker 1: interfering with MSNBC content and practices to do favors for friends. 231 00:14:39,075 --> 00:14:41,875 Speaker 1: It was seemingly the only reason Chris licked had a job. 232 00:14:43,275 --> 00:14:46,395 Speaker 1: So CNN got rid of left wingers for a terrible 233 00:14:46,475 --> 00:14:51,035 Speaker 1: violation of journalistic ethics and then hired as president right 234 00:14:51,075 --> 00:14:54,635 Speaker 1: wing henchman who had committed exactly the same journalistic ethical 235 00:14:54,715 --> 00:14:58,875 Speaker 1: problems and who, for his act, the first one of 236 00:14:58,955 --> 00:15:02,235 Speaker 1: his career at CNN, killed off the only national television 237 00:15:02,235 --> 00:15:05,995 Speaker 1: show that regularly held up box news, News Max and 238 00:15:05,995 --> 00:15:09,795 Speaker 1: all the rest to the world to show that they 239 00:15:09,795 --> 00:15:17,115 Speaker 1: were the threats to democracy that they are. This is CNN. 240 00:15:23,795 --> 00:15:26,995 Speaker 1: So that was August nine and, as I said earlier, 241 00:15:27,075 --> 00:15:29,795 Speaker 1: Chris licked had yet to fire his White House correspondent, 242 00:15:29,875 --> 00:15:33,715 Speaker 1: John Harwood, thus eating five years of salaries just to 243 00:15:33,795 --> 00:15:36,515 Speaker 1: knock two liberals and one liberal show off the air 244 00:15:36,555 --> 00:15:41,235 Speaker 1: at CNN. If you think that is ominous. Well, you're right, 245 00:15:41,555 --> 00:15:44,715 Speaker 1: it's sure as hell is ominous. Coming up on this. 246 00:15:44,835 --> 00:15:47,635 Speaker 1: You should listen to this again. countdown. I have been there. 247 00:15:47,835 --> 00:15:49,835 Speaker 1: You may not have noticed, but a long time AGO 248 00:15:49,995 --> 00:15:53,275 Speaker 1: MSNBC tried to make all its liberal shows put on 249 00:15:53,355 --> 00:15:57,795 Speaker 1: a bunch of conservatives for balance. It also let the 250 00:15:57,795 --> 00:16:01,755 Speaker 1: Republican Party dictate who was anchoring the presidential debate coverage 251 00:16:01,995 --> 00:16:05,595 Speaker 1: and who wasn't. The implications were the few, sure, and 252 00:16:05,715 --> 00:16:23,675 Speaker 1: that chilling flashback. Next this is countdown, continuing with the 253 00:16:23,835 --> 00:16:26,675 Speaker 1: you should listen to this again, edition of countdown. It 254 00:16:26,795 --> 00:16:30,755 Speaker 1: is a sad but provable truth. Since trump's rise, in 255 00:16:30,795 --> 00:16:33,315 Speaker 1: two thousand fifteen, there has been at least one meeting 256 00:16:33,395 --> 00:16:35,955 Speaker 1: inside the upper echelons of every company that owns a 257 00:16:36,035 --> 00:16:39,995 Speaker 1: news outlet in America. The topic of that meeting say, 258 00:16:40,035 --> 00:16:43,755 Speaker 1: if the country goes fully fascist, how do we protect 259 00:16:44,435 --> 00:16:49,275 Speaker 1: our profits? Those meetings began at Msnbc in two thousand 260 00:16:49,475 --> 00:16:52,595 Speaker 1: six and they have never stopped, which is what I 261 00:16:52,675 --> 00:16:55,355 Speaker 1: tried to recount at great length in the first episode 262 00:16:55,355 --> 00:16:59,235 Speaker 1: of this podcast version of countdown, from August one, with 263 00:16:59,355 --> 00:17:06,755 Speaker 1: a little piece I called the story so far. If 264 00:17:06,795 --> 00:17:09,475 Speaker 1: you were a viewer of the old TV show. Let 265 00:17:09,475 --> 00:17:15,835 Speaker 1: me explain finally how that became this. My original MSNBC 266 00:17:15,995 --> 00:17:18,395 Speaker 1: news hours. The big show and the White House in 267 00:17:18,475 --> 00:17:22,115 Speaker 1: crisis were the first programs that made MSNBC any money. 268 00:17:22,155 --> 00:17:26,195 Speaker 1: I mean seriously. The network otherwise hemorrhaged cash from its 269 00:17:26,275 --> 00:17:29,795 Speaker 1: launch in until about two thousand five. That's when the 270 00:17:29,835 --> 00:17:33,435 Speaker 1: show I started upon my return in two thousand three, countdown, 271 00:17:33,835 --> 00:17:37,435 Speaker 1: a low rated nightly news digest that was a pretty 272 00:17:37,475 --> 00:17:41,635 Speaker 1: good show, started getting really political and suspicious of Bush 273 00:17:41,635 --> 00:17:44,795 Speaker 1: and Iraq and especially the Republicans, political manipulation of the 274 00:17:44,875 --> 00:17:49,395 Speaker 1: threat of terrorism, and the viewers arrived in droves. By 275 00:17:49,435 --> 00:17:53,435 Speaker 1: the next year. The AD salesman, and contrary to all logic, 276 00:17:53,515 --> 00:17:55,475 Speaker 1: they are the ones from whom you get the truth 277 00:17:55,555 --> 00:17:58,315 Speaker 1: in a news company. They were sending me models of 278 00:17:58,435 --> 00:18:02,115 Speaker 1: Champagne and revealing that countdown was now earning a fifty 279 00:18:02,195 --> 00:18:05,795 Speaker 1: million dollar annual profit. Then V and d five million, 280 00:18:05,995 --> 00:18:09,435 Speaker 1: then a hundred million. They liked me, they really really 281 00:18:09,515 --> 00:18:14,195 Speaker 1: liked me, but management at NBC not so much. RIGHT 282 00:18:14,235 --> 00:18:17,795 Speaker 1: AFTER MSNBC started to make money, it started making enemies. 283 00:18:18,115 --> 00:18:21,595 Speaker 1: The Republicans came right to our door and through it 284 00:18:22,075 --> 00:18:25,595 Speaker 1: the PSYCHOS at Fox News like O'Reilly and Hannity and Ales. 285 00:18:26,155 --> 00:18:30,035 Speaker 1: Remember we called them fixed news or Fox noise. They 286 00:18:30,075 --> 00:18:33,515 Speaker 1: started calling the executives at NBC and its parent company 287 00:18:33,595 --> 00:18:37,875 Speaker 1: G E, demanding that I stopped criticizing them. SOFTER THAN 288 00:18:37,995 --> 00:18:43,315 Speaker 1: CHURCH MUSIC. These fascists could not take criticism. When Tim 289 00:18:43,355 --> 00:18:46,915 Speaker 1: Russier was still alive and defending me internally and externally, 290 00:18:46,995 --> 00:18:49,795 Speaker 1: watching every night and sending me tips and warnings and 291 00:18:49,875 --> 00:18:54,595 Speaker 1: ideas and capable of playing the Republicans inside NBC and 292 00:18:54,715 --> 00:18:59,235 Speaker 1: outside NBC like Fiddles, everything was fine. Then came that 293 00:18:59,395 --> 00:19:04,075 Speaker 1: horrible day June two thousand eight. Tim died and suddenly 294 00:19:04,155 --> 00:19:05,835 Speaker 1: NBC new is was in the hands of a lot 295 00:19:05,875 --> 00:19:10,395 Speaker 1: of cowards and bullies like Tom Brokaw and Joe Scarborough 296 00:19:10,915 --> 00:19:13,475 Speaker 1: and Jeff Zucker and names you would not know, like 297 00:19:13,555 --> 00:19:16,915 Speaker 1: Jeff Immelt and Steve Cappus and Phil Griffin and Chris 298 00:19:17,035 --> 00:19:19,675 Speaker 1: Licked and I really wish you didn't need to know 299 00:19:19,835 --> 00:19:23,035 Speaker 1: Chris lickt's name, but he was scarborough's henchman and now 300 00:19:23,355 --> 00:19:26,755 Speaker 1: he's the new president of CNN and you don't know 301 00:19:26,875 --> 00:19:32,235 Speaker 1: how bad that news is for the future of this country. Anyway, 302 00:19:32,595 --> 00:19:34,835 Speaker 1: I will go into depth on all this background in 303 00:19:34,875 --> 00:19:38,075 Speaker 1: future episodes. How men like these spent a year keeping 304 00:19:38,155 --> 00:19:40,675 Speaker 1: Rachel maddow off the air, telling me I couldn't even 305 00:19:40,715 --> 00:19:43,235 Speaker 1: put her on as my guest host because nobody would 306 00:19:43,235 --> 00:19:48,915 Speaker 1: watch a woman or a lesbian or another liberal. That's 307 00:19:48,915 --> 00:19:50,955 Speaker 1: what they said. Then they lied to me and told 308 00:19:50,955 --> 00:19:53,075 Speaker 1: me they had hired her so that one night Larry 309 00:19:53,155 --> 00:19:55,595 Speaker 1: King talked her into going on his show on CNN 310 00:19:55,635 --> 00:19:58,595 Speaker 1: for two and fifty dollars, and I wound up hiring 311 00:19:58,595 --> 00:20:01,875 Speaker 1: her out of my own pocket to keep MSNBC from 312 00:20:01,915 --> 00:20:05,555 Speaker 1: losing her. Literally the cash in my wall four hundred 313 00:20:05,595 --> 00:20:09,795 Speaker 1: and thirty seven bucks. Anyway, by August of two thousand 314 00:20:09,915 --> 00:20:12,395 Speaker 1: eight Republicans were threatening broke call that if he did 315 00:20:12,395 --> 00:20:16,315 Speaker 1: not get me fired from MSNBC's coverage of the presidential election, 316 00:20:16,635 --> 00:20:19,155 Speaker 1: John McCain would not show up for the debate that 317 00:20:19,235 --> 00:20:22,355 Speaker 1: bro call had inherited from the late Tim Russert. So 318 00:20:22,475 --> 00:20:26,355 Speaker 1: broke call went in and threatened, and that's a nice euphemism, 319 00:20:26,475 --> 00:20:29,875 Speaker 1: NBC management on behalf of the GOP just to get 320 00:20:29,915 --> 00:20:33,755 Speaker 1: to host one more debate. I mean he boasted about 321 00:20:33,755 --> 00:20:36,515 Speaker 1: it in the New York Times. Then within a year 322 00:20:36,515 --> 00:20:40,195 Speaker 1: it was Fox blackmailing the executives at GE actually getting 323 00:20:40,235 --> 00:20:42,555 Speaker 1: the Chairman of G E, Jeff M l, to threaten 324 00:20:42,595 --> 00:20:46,075 Speaker 1: to TAKE MSNBC off the air, just shut it down, 325 00:20:46,595 --> 00:20:50,635 Speaker 1: if Fox continued to criticize him. immilt because his mommy 326 00:20:50,755 --> 00:20:53,275 Speaker 1: was a bill O'Reilly Fan and billow kept claiming her 327 00:20:53,275 --> 00:20:56,835 Speaker 1: little boy jeff was producing weapons used to kill Americans 328 00:20:56,835 --> 00:21:02,435 Speaker 1: in Iraq. I mean honestly, these were adults behaving like this. Well, 329 00:21:02,475 --> 00:21:05,075 Speaker 1: as I tell everybody in the business, there are no adults. 330 00:21:05,875 --> 00:21:09,275 Speaker 1: It got worse and worse. Zooker and Roger Ales Meeting 331 00:21:09,475 --> 00:21:12,595 Speaker 1: Inside Thirty Rock, no less, to decide what I could 332 00:21:12,635 --> 00:21:15,915 Speaker 1: and could not say about Fox News, negotiating what could 333 00:21:15,915 --> 00:21:18,755 Speaker 1: be in our news and what could not, and in 334 00:21:19,515 --> 00:21:22,715 Speaker 1: NBC started suggesting that we put Republicans on countdown, like 335 00:21:22,755 --> 00:21:26,675 Speaker 1: Michael Steele and the deplorable scarborough. Nobody ever asked me 336 00:21:26,715 --> 00:21:30,515 Speaker 1: a direct question as to how, in January, I left 337 00:21:30,635 --> 00:21:33,835 Speaker 1: MSNBC and the highest rated cable news show that was 338 00:21:33,835 --> 00:21:36,515 Speaker 1: not on Fox, and I kept telling them just say, 339 00:21:36,555 --> 00:21:40,555 Speaker 1: we don't consider Fox to be news. It isn't news, 340 00:21:41,155 --> 00:21:44,275 Speaker 1: so why are we comparing our ratings to them? Was 341 00:21:44,315 --> 00:21:46,675 Speaker 1: I fired? Did I quit? Was it something else. So 342 00:21:46,715 --> 00:21:49,475 Speaker 1: I've never actually told the actual story because I wasn't 343 00:21:49,475 --> 00:21:52,635 Speaker 1: asked a direct question about it. Well, one of the 344 00:21:52,675 --> 00:21:55,275 Speaker 1: perks they threw at me when I resigned with MSNBC 345 00:21:55,515 --> 00:21:58,195 Speaker 1: RATHER THAN JUMPING TO CNN in two thousand six, two 346 00:21:58,195 --> 00:22:00,475 Speaker 1: thousand and seven was a slot on the Sunday night 347 00:22:00,635 --> 00:22:03,995 Speaker 1: NBC football broadcast. It was a nice change. I got 348 00:22:03,995 --> 00:22:07,115 Speaker 1: to work with my old ESPN partner Dan Patrick. It 349 00:22:07,235 --> 00:22:09,835 Speaker 1: wasn't life and death that could do the catch phrases 350 00:22:09,875 --> 00:22:14,435 Speaker 1: and the silly voices and say they're not gonna got them. 351 00:22:14,475 --> 00:22:18,035 Speaker 1: But right before season Jeff Zucker called me into his 352 00:22:18,075 --> 00:22:20,595 Speaker 1: office told me I was not focusing enough on countdown 353 00:22:21,075 --> 00:22:25,435 Speaker 1: and I was off the football show. Now, the following 354 00:22:25,675 --> 00:22:29,075 Speaker 1: portion is, of course, a pure hypothetical which is really 355 00:22:29,115 --> 00:22:33,475 Speaker 1: better designed for a college course in contract law. But if, 356 00:22:33,475 --> 00:22:36,835 Speaker 1: in a case like this hypothetical, the guy doing a, 357 00:22:37,395 --> 00:22:40,755 Speaker 1: let's say, hypothetical football show wasn't actually being paid to 358 00:22:40,795 --> 00:22:44,315 Speaker 1: do the hypothetical football show, if doing that hypothetical football 359 00:22:44,315 --> 00:22:47,675 Speaker 1: show were a perk, if it was a non cash 360 00:22:47,875 --> 00:22:51,235 Speaker 1: payment or an incentive to sign a contract rather than 361 00:22:51,275 --> 00:22:55,515 Speaker 1: to go to some other hypothetical network like C N Hypothetical. 362 00:22:55,715 --> 00:22:59,635 Speaker 1: N Well, then, when that hypothetical announceres taken off that 363 00:22:59,715 --> 00:23:02,795 Speaker 1: hypothetical football show, the people who hypothetically took him off 364 00:23:02,835 --> 00:23:07,395 Speaker 1: the show have hypothetically breached his hypothetical contract and all 365 00:23:07,435 --> 00:23:11,275 Speaker 1: of a sudden the hypothetical companies hypothetical lawyers are asking 366 00:23:11,315 --> 00:23:14,915 Speaker 1: the hypothetical announcer how much money it would hypothetically cost 367 00:23:14,955 --> 00:23:19,835 Speaker 1: them to hypothetically cure a hypothetical breach. Back to the 368 00:23:19,915 --> 00:23:22,875 Speaker 1: non hypothetical portion of our story. So now it's a 369 00:23:22,915 --> 00:23:25,915 Speaker 1: few months later, the week before mid terms, which I 370 00:23:25,955 --> 00:23:28,475 Speaker 1: would be anchoring on MSNBC, and while I would be 371 00:23:28,515 --> 00:23:31,235 Speaker 1: covering the Senate and governor races right through election night, 372 00:23:31,435 --> 00:23:33,955 Speaker 1: we were done reporting on the house. I did an 373 00:23:33,995 --> 00:23:37,715 Speaker 1: interview on Thursday, I think, with the congressman, Raoul Galva, 374 00:23:37,755 --> 00:23:40,075 Speaker 1: of Arizona, and then I did a special comment on 375 00:23:40,115 --> 00:23:42,715 Speaker 1: Friday about all the tea partiers running for Congress that 376 00:23:42,835 --> 00:23:45,395 Speaker 1: year and that was it. And that night I was 377 00:23:45,435 --> 00:23:48,955 Speaker 1: on the phone with my friend Kirsten Cinema. Yep, Bat 378 00:23:49,035 --> 00:23:53,315 Speaker 1: Kirston Cinema. How many Kirsten cinemas could there be? She 379 00:23:53,475 --> 00:23:56,755 Speaker 1: told me that Graalva and another Arizona representative had gotten 380 00:23:56,755 --> 00:23:59,475 Speaker 1: a lot of death threats late in the campaign and 381 00:23:59,555 --> 00:24:04,435 Speaker 1: they had spent virtually every last dollar they had on security. Kirston, 382 00:24:05,315 --> 00:24:07,995 Speaker 1: can you donate to these campaigns? And I said I 383 00:24:07,995 --> 00:24:12,155 Speaker 1: had never donated before, but yeah, to Grahalva and to 384 00:24:12,315 --> 00:24:15,235 Speaker 1: a senator in the south, I think, and the other 385 00:24:15,315 --> 00:24:18,235 Speaker 1: Arizona representative who had gotten a lot of death threats. 386 00:24:18,435 --> 00:24:23,275 Speaker 1: Her name was Gabby Gifford's. The next Tuesday I anchored 387 00:24:23,275 --> 00:24:26,075 Speaker 1: those mid terms. Didn't mention one house race or candidate 388 00:24:26,115 --> 00:24:28,155 Speaker 1: and everything was fine. And then somebody called one of 389 00:24:28,195 --> 00:24:31,915 Speaker 1: the political websites to say oho Alderman donated to some 390 00:24:32,075 --> 00:24:36,275 Speaker 1: Democrats and they called NBC Public Relations. An NBC public 391 00:24:36,275 --> 00:24:38,715 Speaker 1: relations called the President of MSNBC and the president of 392 00:24:38,795 --> 00:24:40,875 Speaker 1: M M S and Wec called me and he said 393 00:24:40,915 --> 00:24:43,275 Speaker 1: this looks bad. I know, what's your right to do it. 394 00:24:43,275 --> 00:24:45,515 Speaker 1: It's not like we're gonna suspend to her anything stupid 395 00:24:45,595 --> 00:24:47,715 Speaker 1: like that. Why would we do that? This is sort 396 00:24:47,755 --> 00:24:49,955 Speaker 1: of our fault too, but it just looks bad. Can 397 00:24:50,035 --> 00:24:54,555 Speaker 1: you know? Can you say something? And I said Yeah, 398 00:24:54,595 --> 00:24:58,475 Speaker 1: you're right, it does look bad. I'll apologize on the 399 00:24:58,475 --> 00:25:01,715 Speaker 1: show tomorrow, even though I don't have to, I will 400 00:25:01,795 --> 00:25:05,235 Speaker 1: voluntarily stop any campaign contributions as long as I'm doing 401 00:25:05,235 --> 00:25:08,155 Speaker 1: this show. And he said great, and I said great, 402 00:25:08,675 --> 00:25:10,635 Speaker 1: and I wrote the apology that night and I sent 403 00:25:10,675 --> 00:25:12,395 Speaker 1: it to him and he said great, and I said 404 00:25:12,435 --> 00:25:15,635 Speaker 1: great because I already had part of tomorrow's show written. 405 00:25:16,555 --> 00:25:20,115 Speaker 1: And that was it. And the next morning, without a hearing, 406 00:25:20,195 --> 00:25:22,915 Speaker 1: without a phone call, without an email, without a warning, 407 00:25:22,995 --> 00:25:27,795 Speaker 1: this hysterical teenager disguised as an adult named Steve Cappus, 408 00:25:27,835 --> 00:25:30,515 Speaker 1: president of NBC News, he puts out a press release 409 00:25:30,515 --> 00:25:35,555 Speaker 1: in which he angrily suspends me indefinitely without pay for 410 00:25:35,755 --> 00:25:40,115 Speaker 1: violations of the NBC News Employee Rule Book that says 411 00:25:40,475 --> 00:25:45,235 Speaker 1: NBC News Employees can't make donations to political campaigns. Now 412 00:25:45,355 --> 00:25:49,115 Speaker 1: NBC had an obvious, huge problem. Within hours there was 413 00:25:49,155 --> 00:25:52,795 Speaker 1: a petition on social media demanding my reinstatement, two hundred 414 00:25:52,795 --> 00:25:58,155 Speaker 1: and fifty thousand signatures. I was stunned. NBC tried to 415 00:25:58,195 --> 00:26:00,115 Speaker 1: get Chris Hayes to fill in for me that night. 416 00:26:00,155 --> 00:26:03,635 Speaker 1: He refused. Even people at Fox News went on the 417 00:26:03,635 --> 00:26:07,355 Speaker 1: air and said this was absurd. And at NBC there 418 00:26:07,395 --> 00:26:10,875 Speaker 1: was a lot of shushing and worrying because everybody at 419 00:26:10,995 --> 00:26:14,515 Speaker 1: NBC News Made Political Donations. They just hit them by 420 00:26:14,595 --> 00:26:17,955 Speaker 1: donating in their wife's name or the kid's name or 421 00:26:17,995 --> 00:26:20,555 Speaker 1: to some sort of fund or whatever. I was the 422 00:26:20,595 --> 00:26:25,075 Speaker 1: only one who admitted to it, but this guy cappus. 423 00:26:25,115 --> 00:26:27,315 Speaker 1: He was piste off and dug in and demanded I 424 00:26:27,435 --> 00:26:29,635 Speaker 1: be suspended for a month through, I don't know, a 425 00:26:29,715 --> 00:26:33,315 Speaker 1: hundred years without pay at least. And all this is 426 00:26:33,355 --> 00:26:39,435 Speaker 1: already public and well documented. But hypothetically again, there could 427 00:26:39,475 --> 00:26:42,995 Speaker 1: have been more to it. See if you hypothetically suspend 428 00:26:43,035 --> 00:26:47,075 Speaker 1: your hypothetical announcer guy again for violating the employee handbook, 429 00:26:48,115 --> 00:26:54,835 Speaker 1: what happens if that hypothetical announcer is not actually an employee? Why? 430 00:26:54,955 --> 00:27:00,355 Speaker 1: If the hypothetical employer has written the contract of the 431 00:27:00,435 --> 00:27:06,355 Speaker 1: hypothetical announcer so that it specifically declares several different hypothetical 432 00:27:06,475 --> 00:27:11,435 Speaker 1: times in the hypothetical contract, that the hypothetical announcer is 433 00:27:11,475 --> 00:27:15,395 Speaker 1: not an employee but just say, to pick a term 434 00:27:15,475 --> 00:27:20,955 Speaker 1: out of thin air, an independent contractor what if, hypothetically, 435 00:27:21,035 --> 00:27:25,195 Speaker 1: the employer could be NBC, could be a bakery somewhere? 436 00:27:25,515 --> 00:27:29,115 Speaker 1: What if, hypothetically, the employer did this in contract legal 437 00:27:29,195 --> 00:27:32,315 Speaker 1: ease so they did not have to pay the hypothetical 438 00:27:32,355 --> 00:27:39,835 Speaker 1: announcer health insurance or dental. Well then, hypothetically, that phrase 439 00:27:39,995 --> 00:27:44,195 Speaker 1: breach re enters the chat and the hypothetical companies, hypothetical 440 00:27:44,275 --> 00:27:47,075 Speaker 1: lawyers go to the executive who just suspended the employee 441 00:27:47,075 --> 00:27:50,075 Speaker 1: who legally is not an employee, and they say hypothetically again. 442 00:27:50,515 --> 00:27:55,075 Speaker 1: You now have four hypothetical choices. One, reinstate the hypothetical 443 00:27:55,115 --> 00:27:58,355 Speaker 1: non employee immediately and hope we don't get sued. To 444 00:27:58,995 --> 00:28:02,835 Speaker 1: reinstate the hypothetical non employee, immediately, apologize and write up 445 00:28:02,835 --> 00:28:07,035 Speaker 1: a new contract, for God's sake. Three, end the show, 446 00:28:07,395 --> 00:28:10,675 Speaker 1: pay the hypothetical non employee every dollar you over the 447 00:28:10,715 --> 00:28:13,235 Speaker 1: remainder of the hypothetical contract and hope you don't get 448 00:28:13,235 --> 00:28:17,795 Speaker 1: sued for damages anyway. Or four, hypothetically, throw a lot 449 00:28:17,875 --> 00:28:21,155 Speaker 1: of money in the air and negotiate a settlement and 450 00:28:21,155 --> 00:28:26,115 Speaker 1: and the hypothetical show. Hypothetically, in the short term, what 451 00:28:26,235 --> 00:28:29,075 Speaker 1: happened was, and I'm quoting from the New York Times, 452 00:28:29,315 --> 00:28:31,995 Speaker 1: they told me on Friday I was suspended. I was 453 00:28:32,035 --> 00:28:34,795 Speaker 1: back on the Air Tuesday. They didn't even dock my 454 00:28:34,915 --> 00:28:39,515 Speaker 1: pay or charge me for any days off. Making this 455 00:28:39,675 --> 00:28:45,035 Speaker 1: wilder still, hours after I was suspended. Al Gore called me. 456 00:28:45,115 --> 00:28:48,435 Speaker 1: AL owned a struggling TV network called current and he 457 00:28:48,515 --> 00:28:51,355 Speaker 1: said what NBC is doing is illegal and if you 458 00:28:51,395 --> 00:28:54,155 Speaker 1: sue them you could own the place. But I think 459 00:28:54,195 --> 00:28:55,915 Speaker 1: I have a better idea. That can be the start 460 00:28:55,915 --> 00:28:59,675 Speaker 1: of something big. You can bring countdown to current TV. 461 00:29:00,395 --> 00:29:03,795 Speaker 1: Will give you fifty million dollars, plus bonuses, plus a 462 00:29:03,795 --> 00:29:07,715 Speaker 1: piece of the network. You'll be an owner. This is 463 00:29:07,795 --> 00:29:11,675 Speaker 1: me talking in the long term. For two months these 464 00:29:11,715 --> 00:29:14,675 Speaker 1: two roller coasters went up and down and my agents 465 00:29:14,675 --> 00:29:19,075 Speaker 1: negotiated attentive contract with current while there was a hypothetical 466 00:29:19,115 --> 00:29:23,475 Speaker 1: attempt to settle the other hypothetical non employee cluster, hypothetical 467 00:29:23,595 --> 00:29:28,395 Speaker 1: F and then literally during the MSNBC countdown show on January, 468 00:29:30,035 --> 00:29:35,595 Speaker 1: during a commercial break, everything got finalized all at once. 469 00:29:36,715 --> 00:29:39,275 Speaker 1: My agent told me it was done. I went on 470 00:29:39,315 --> 00:29:42,515 Speaker 1: the air and said so and nobody, not even the staff, knew, 471 00:29:42,555 --> 00:29:48,475 Speaker 1: which I am still sorry about. Very greatly unavoidable, but 472 00:29:48,595 --> 00:29:50,715 Speaker 1: that's the way it worked. So No, I was not fired, 473 00:29:50,755 --> 00:29:53,555 Speaker 1: countdown was not canceled. The current TV deal had already 474 00:29:53,555 --> 00:29:57,595 Speaker 1: been in place for weeks. And, by the way, during 475 00:29:57,715 --> 00:30:00,395 Speaker 1: every step of this I kept mattow and her agent, 476 00:30:00,555 --> 00:30:04,195 Speaker 1: who had been my agent for twenty seven years, fully 477 00:30:04,275 --> 00:30:07,715 Speaker 1: in warmed. And so that very night that countdown ended 478 00:30:07,715 --> 00:30:11,515 Speaker 1: on MSNBC. Mattow was on Bill Maher show right after 479 00:30:11,555 --> 00:30:14,275 Speaker 1: it all happened and naturally he asked her about it 480 00:30:14,315 --> 00:30:16,995 Speaker 1: and she lied and said it's the first time hearing 481 00:30:17,035 --> 00:30:20,595 Speaker 1: of it, and I thought, uh, Blay, that might be 482 00:30:20,715 --> 00:30:26,275 Speaker 1: the end of that friendship and we haven't spoken since. Anyway, 483 00:30:26,755 --> 00:30:29,435 Speaker 1: the current thing turned out to be a scam and 484 00:30:29,515 --> 00:30:31,755 Speaker 1: it blew up rather quickly and I'll tell that story 485 00:30:31,755 --> 00:30:34,835 Speaker 1: in a future episode. Two. On the other hand, I 486 00:30:34,875 --> 00:30:38,155 Speaker 1: don't have to work for money again. But the weirdest 487 00:30:38,235 --> 00:30:41,835 Speaker 1: thing started happening in September two thousand eleven, not eight 488 00:30:41,875 --> 00:30:46,595 Speaker 1: months after I left MSNBC, feelers from the new owners 489 00:30:46,635 --> 00:30:52,195 Speaker 1: of NBC, comcast. What I consider coming BACK TO MSNBC? Yes, 490 00:30:52,315 --> 00:30:55,795 Speaker 1: I would. Then they got cold feet. Then the next year, 491 00:30:55,955 --> 00:30:58,155 Speaker 1: more feelers. This time I got cold feet and I 492 00:30:58,155 --> 00:31:00,875 Speaker 1: started negotiating and go back to ESPN instead, and I did. 493 00:31:01,395 --> 00:31:04,755 Speaker 1: In Two thousand fourteen I actually met with the new 494 00:31:04,915 --> 00:31:08,195 Speaker 1: NBC News Executives for two hours and they wanted me 495 00:31:08,235 --> 00:31:12,115 Speaker 1: to bring countdown back as soon as possible. And then 496 00:31:12,115 --> 00:31:14,875 Speaker 1: the Brian Williams scandal broken. These new executives all got 497 00:31:14,915 --> 00:31:18,475 Speaker 1: themselves fired and then in October two thou fifteen, I 498 00:31:18,515 --> 00:31:21,035 Speaker 1: met with the new new executives and they wanted me 499 00:31:21,075 --> 00:31:22,995 Speaker 1: to come back. They made an actual offer and it 500 00:31:23,035 --> 00:31:25,955 Speaker 1: was stupid. It was predicated on my doing a show 501 00:31:26,555 --> 00:31:30,715 Speaker 1: without commentaries, like what was the point of countdown or 502 00:31:30,755 --> 00:31:34,875 Speaker 1: me without the commentaries? And even that guy got fired 503 00:31:34,875 --> 00:31:37,515 Speaker 1: in two thousand nineteen and the new chairman of the 504 00:31:37,675 --> 00:31:41,555 Speaker 1: entire NBC Corporation, Jeff Shell, was an old friend of 505 00:31:41,595 --> 00:31:44,195 Speaker 1: mine from Fox sports and he wanted me to bring 506 00:31:44,235 --> 00:31:46,755 Speaker 1: the show back and we got close. And then the 507 00:31:46,795 --> 00:31:49,195 Speaker 1: word came in from the guy who was negotiating for 508 00:31:49,275 --> 00:31:53,395 Speaker 1: me that the chairman of NBC News, Caesar Conde, had 509 00:31:53,435 --> 00:31:57,835 Speaker 1: told him the whole thing had cratered because one person 510 00:31:57,915 --> 00:32:03,355 Speaker 1: at NBC had never and would never forgive me for something, 511 00:32:04,035 --> 00:32:09,875 Speaker 1: and that person, and said Conde, was Rachel Maddow. Rachel Maddow, 512 00:32:09,955 --> 00:32:12,915 Speaker 1: Percy's our conde, vetoed the last chance and it literally 513 00:32:12,955 --> 00:32:17,035 Speaker 1: a decade of talks about putting this program back on MSNBC. 514 00:32:18,435 --> 00:32:22,075 Speaker 1: By the way, NBC's denial of this last set of 515 00:32:22,075 --> 00:32:27,795 Speaker 1: flirtations was that? Yes, for two years NBC CEO Jeff 516 00:32:27,795 --> 00:32:31,035 Speaker 1: Shell kept scheduling meetings with me, but I should have 517 00:32:31,115 --> 00:32:35,035 Speaker 1: known he didn't really mean it. Basically, their explanation was 518 00:32:35,235 --> 00:32:37,835 Speaker 1: I should have known the chairman of NBC was a liar. 519 00:32:38,755 --> 00:32:51,595 Speaker 1: As the kids say. Weird flex but okay. It's so 520 00:32:51,755 --> 00:32:54,835 Speaker 1: bad at MSNBC that when they did finally pick somebody 521 00:32:54,875 --> 00:32:57,395 Speaker 1: as a placeholder in the matadow nine pm slot for 522 00:32:57,435 --> 00:33:00,795 Speaker 1: Tuesday through Friday, the president of MSNBC, who when the 523 00:33:00,795 --> 00:33:04,595 Speaker 1: new setup there's actually the president of scheduling everybody's vacation, 524 00:33:05,275 --> 00:33:09,155 Speaker 1: said about what viewership might look like. Quote. The Universe 525 00:33:09,235 --> 00:33:13,275 Speaker 1: is very different from when Rachel joined the Cable News Spectrum. 526 00:33:13,315 --> 00:33:16,595 Speaker 1: My focus is less about how does this one hour 527 00:33:16,755 --> 00:33:20,875 Speaker 1: perform in this one space? Unquote. Let me translate that 528 00:33:20,955 --> 00:33:24,235 Speaker 1: to you from TV news executive ease. The ratings are 529 00:33:24,275 --> 00:33:27,075 Speaker 1: going to suck and we don't care because we just 530 00:33:27,195 --> 00:33:31,155 Speaker 1: need to look like a news channel with realistic liberal politics. 531 00:33:31,235 --> 00:33:34,315 Speaker 1: We don't actually need to be a news channel with 532 00:33:34,395 --> 00:33:38,035 Speaker 1: realistic liberal politics, because you never know how fast we 533 00:33:38,115 --> 00:33:41,955 Speaker 1: may have to pivot to placate the fascists. One more 534 00:33:41,995 --> 00:33:45,115 Speaker 1: flashback on this special edition. What all this is leading to? 535 00:33:45,715 --> 00:33:49,235 Speaker 1: A month after conservatives convened in Dallas and said about themselves, 536 00:33:49,515 --> 00:33:54,075 Speaker 1: we are all domestic terrorists, they actually pretended to be 537 00:33:54,115 --> 00:33:59,035 Speaker 1: offended when Joe Biden called them semi fascists. That's next. 538 00:33:59,075 --> 00:34:12,075 Speaker 1: This discountdown, Ladies and gentlemen, we are all domestic terrorists. 539 00:34:17,395 --> 00:34:21,235 Speaker 1: One of the most subtle truths about the fascist semi fascists, 540 00:34:21,315 --> 00:34:26,755 Speaker 1: Maga Republicans, Authoritarians, terrorists, all of the above, whatever you 541 00:34:26,795 --> 00:34:29,795 Speaker 1: want to call them, one of the most subtle truths 542 00:34:29,795 --> 00:34:33,915 Speaker 1: about them is that they are self martyring. President Biden 543 00:34:33,995 --> 00:34:35,955 Speaker 1: called them out as the threats they are on the 544 00:34:36,075 --> 00:34:39,475 Speaker 1: night of September one. He had called them semi fascist. 545 00:34:39,555 --> 00:34:43,835 Speaker 1: On August. Oh how they how old and how old? 546 00:34:44,355 --> 00:34:48,275 Speaker 1: But on the weekend of August five, nearly a month earlier, 547 00:34:48,675 --> 00:34:53,195 Speaker 1: the infamous SEAPAC conference in Texas had an expert panel called, quote, 548 00:34:53,555 --> 00:34:58,315 Speaker 1: we are all domestic terrorists. It is the old truth. 549 00:34:58,755 --> 00:35:01,035 Speaker 1: Just because you don't hit back, that does not mean 550 00:35:01,075 --> 00:35:04,475 Speaker 1: the bullies won't punch you anyway. For the third item 551 00:35:04,515 --> 00:35:07,475 Speaker 1: on are you should listen to this again. countdown. Here's 552 00:35:07,475 --> 00:35:10,195 Speaker 1: what I said about the importance of Biden on the 553 00:35:10,235 --> 00:35:14,275 Speaker 1: morning of September two, compared to what CNN and others 554 00:35:14,275 --> 00:35:17,835 Speaker 1: said about the Trivia of marines or no marines. On 555 00:35:17,875 --> 00:35:22,755 Speaker 1: the same day twice, Biden took the oath of office 556 00:35:22,795 --> 00:35:25,075 Speaker 1: of the vice presidency of the United States and said 557 00:35:25,435 --> 00:35:28,075 Speaker 1: I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend 558 00:35:28,075 --> 00:35:31,315 Speaker 1: the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign 559 00:35:31,395 --> 00:35:35,315 Speaker 1: and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance 560 00:35:35,315 --> 00:35:38,355 Speaker 1: to the same and at the first inauguration of a 561 00:35:38,435 --> 00:35:41,235 Speaker 1: president since Lincoln in eighteen sixty one that was threatened 562 00:35:41,275 --> 00:35:44,475 Speaker 1: by traitors within our midst, Biden took the oath of 563 00:35:44,475 --> 00:35:47,075 Speaker 1: office of the presidency and on that day he said, 564 00:35:47,475 --> 00:35:49,995 Speaker 1: I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the 565 00:35:50,035 --> 00:35:52,675 Speaker 1: office of President of the United States and will, to 566 00:35:52,755 --> 00:35:56,795 Speaker 1: the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the 567 00:35:56,875 --> 00:36:01,715 Speaker 1: constitution of the United States. Last night, Joe Biden fulfilled 568 00:36:01,755 --> 00:36:05,995 Speaker 1: those oaths and he accomplished something an amazingly large number 569 00:36:06,035 --> 00:36:09,035 Speaker 1: of those who heard him speak could not manage to do. 570 00:36:09,675 --> 00:36:13,475 Speaker 1: To perceive that, when much of the partisan political structure 571 00:36:13,515 --> 00:36:16,275 Speaker 1: of this nation has become a threat to the rule 572 00:36:16,355 --> 00:36:19,355 Speaker 1: of law in this nation and to the very existence 573 00:36:19,395 --> 00:36:23,155 Speaker 1: of representative government of this nation. It is not political 574 00:36:23,195 --> 00:36:28,075 Speaker 1: to say so. It is above politics, beyond politics and 575 00:36:28,275 --> 00:36:32,995 Speaker 1: in spite of politics. My Maxim in twenty five years 576 00:36:32,995 --> 00:36:36,555 Speaker 1: of covering news and politics in this country has been simple. 577 00:36:36,995 --> 00:36:40,755 Speaker 1: Every problem that has ever been solved has only begun 578 00:36:40,915 --> 00:36:44,035 Speaker 1: to be solved on that day when somebody stood up 579 00:36:44,075 --> 00:36:49,755 Speaker 1: and said this is wrong, this will not stand. We 580 00:36:50,195 --> 00:36:54,795 Speaker 1: must fix this. And that is what Joe Biden did 581 00:36:54,875 --> 00:36:58,755 Speaker 1: last night, which dovetails to a point I made first 582 00:36:58,795 --> 00:37:01,635 Speaker 1: on Monday night here and now will repeat the most 583 00:37:01,715 --> 00:37:05,035 Speaker 1: powerful thing the president can do in this fight is 584 00:37:05,075 --> 00:37:11,115 Speaker 1: to mainstream the truth. Joe Biden used ugly words last night, 585 00:37:11,155 --> 00:37:16,835 Speaker 1: because right now the truth is ugly. He invoked insurrectionists 586 00:37:16,915 --> 00:37:21,755 Speaker 1: and white supremacists, extremists and extremism. He called out the 587 00:37:21,795 --> 00:37:25,155 Speaker 1: mob and violence as a political tool. He called it 588 00:37:25,235 --> 00:37:29,075 Speaker 1: not normal, he called it darkness. He repudiated lies told 589 00:37:29,115 --> 00:37:32,875 Speaker 1: for profit and power and blind loyalty to a single leader. 590 00:37:33,315 --> 00:37:36,555 Speaker 1: He brought up Charlottesville and a dagger at the throat 591 00:37:36,595 --> 00:37:40,995 Speaker 1: of our democracy and rioting in the streets, and he 592 00:37:41,115 --> 00:37:46,875 Speaker 1: named names. Thank God he named names. The Republican Party 593 00:37:46,915 --> 00:37:51,515 Speaker 1: today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and 594 00:37:51,595 --> 00:37:56,115 Speaker 1: the Magary Republicans, and that is a threat to this country. 595 00:37:56,315 --> 00:38:00,435 Speaker 1: Magar Republicans do not respect the constitution, they did not 596 00:38:00,555 --> 00:38:02,795 Speaker 1: believe in the rule of law, they did not recognize 597 00:38:02,835 --> 00:38:06,515 Speaker 1: the will of the people, they refused to accept the 598 00:38:06,555 --> 00:38:10,475 Speaker 1: results of a free election and they're working right now, 599 00:38:11,115 --> 00:38:14,955 Speaker 1: as I speak, in state after state, to give power 600 00:38:15,555 --> 00:38:20,795 Speaker 1: to decide elections in America to partisans and Crownies, empowering 601 00:38:20,835 --> 00:38:25,995 Speaker 1: election deniers to undermine democracy itself. Because within our power, 602 00:38:26,075 --> 00:38:29,955 Speaker 1: it's in our hands, yours in mind, to stop the 603 00:38:29,955 --> 00:38:34,875 Speaker 1: assault on American democracy. This was that rare presidential speech 604 00:38:34,915 --> 00:38:38,515 Speaker 1: in which the sum of the parts may be less 605 00:38:38,515 --> 00:38:43,715 Speaker 1: than the whole. The phrases are everything, the words are everything. 606 00:38:43,755 --> 00:38:45,755 Speaker 1: He said what had to be said and not be 607 00:38:45,875 --> 00:38:49,355 Speaker 1: said by you or by me. As I mentioned Monday, 608 00:38:49,395 --> 00:38:52,355 Speaker 1: every phrase he used last week in the semi fascism 609 00:38:52,395 --> 00:38:55,235 Speaker 1: speech last night and the we the People's speech will 610 00:38:55,275 --> 00:38:59,475 Speaker 1: be repeated and normalized and reported and become the measuring 611 00:38:59,515 --> 00:39:02,475 Speaker 1: sticks by which the peril of the present hour is 612 00:39:02,555 --> 00:39:06,955 Speaker 1: qualified and quantified. And it underscores the peril of the 613 00:39:06,995 --> 00:39:10,555 Speaker 1: present hour that a startling swath of the political media 614 00:39:10,635 --> 00:39:15,355 Speaker 1: in this country could not comprehend what Joe Biden was saying, 615 00:39:15,755 --> 00:39:19,435 Speaker 1: nor why he was saying it at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. 616 00:39:19,875 --> 00:39:23,475 Speaker 1: Political media in this country is a closed industry that 617 00:39:23,635 --> 00:39:27,715 Speaker 1: understands only its own past and its own language. It 618 00:39:27,835 --> 00:39:32,035 Speaker 1: cannot be flexible, it cannot respond to new threats. It 619 00:39:32,195 --> 00:39:35,475 Speaker 1: is unable to function without first shoving everything that ever 620 00:39:35,595 --> 00:39:40,035 Speaker 1: happens into one of the dozen or less templates that 621 00:39:40,115 --> 00:39:43,995 Speaker 1: are the only things that can comprehend or process. People 622 00:39:44,035 --> 00:39:47,235 Speaker 1: from CBS and NBC and ABC and the AP and 623 00:39:47,275 --> 00:39:51,275 Speaker 1: the major newspapers all struggled with the newness of Biden's 624 00:39:51,315 --> 00:39:54,875 Speaker 1: approach last night, as indeed they all struggled with the 625 00:39:54,915 --> 00:39:59,715 Speaker 1: newness and new evil of trump's approach. But CNN deserves 626 00:39:59,755 --> 00:40:02,595 Speaker 1: to be singled out. We know it has installed a 627 00:40:02,635 --> 00:40:06,315 Speaker 1: former Hatchetman for Joe Scarborough as its new president. We 628 00:40:06,435 --> 00:40:09,755 Speaker 1: know its new owner thinks Brent bear of Fox News 629 00:40:10,315 --> 00:40:13,395 Speaker 1: is not only not a biased propagandist but a role 630 00:40:13,475 --> 00:40:18,315 Speaker 1: model for journalism, and three of its correspondents apparently know 631 00:40:18,395 --> 00:40:21,475 Speaker 1: all this as well. Before the speech, an anchor named 632 00:40:21,515 --> 00:40:26,995 Speaker 1: Poppy Harlow demanded an apology to Republicans during the speech 633 00:40:27,035 --> 00:40:30,835 Speaker 1: Anchor Brianna Keller said. Whatever you think of this speech, 634 00:40:30,875 --> 00:40:34,555 Speaker 1: the military is supposed to be a political positioning marines 635 00:40:34,635 --> 00:40:37,915 Speaker 1: in uniform behind President Biden for a political speech flies 636 00:40:37,955 --> 00:40:41,515 Speaker 1: in the face of that, and CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny wrote, 637 00:40:41,875 --> 00:40:44,595 Speaker 1: doing it against a backdrop of two Marines standing at 638 00:40:44,595 --> 00:40:47,035 Speaker 1: attention and the marine band is a break with White 639 00:40:47,075 --> 00:40:50,715 Speaker 1: House traditions, and one wonders where Keller and Zeleny were 640 00:40:51,555 --> 00:40:55,475 Speaker 1: when trump staged the Republican convention on the White House 641 00:40:55,595 --> 00:40:59,315 Speaker 1: lawn or when trump staged a hundred rallies with police 642 00:40:59,355 --> 00:41:02,155 Speaker 1: and military beside or behind him, and still does so. 643 00:41:02,555 --> 00:41:05,435 Speaker 1: One wonders if Keller and Zeleny know that the two 644 00:41:05,475 --> 00:41:09,195 Speaker 1: marines standing behind Joe Biden at Independence Hall are stationed 645 00:41:09,275 --> 00:41:12,595 Speaker 1: there and they were there before Biden arrived and they 646 00:41:12,595 --> 00:41:14,995 Speaker 1: were there after he left and they will be there 647 00:41:14,995 --> 00:41:19,235 Speaker 1: again today. And one wonders how desperate people like Brianna 648 00:41:19,355 --> 00:41:22,275 Speaker 1: Keller and Jeff Zeleny and the others that the other 649 00:41:22,315 --> 00:41:27,475 Speaker 1: outlets could be, how desperate to stay on TV that 650 00:41:27,595 --> 00:41:30,555 Speaker 1: they could apply both sides. Is Hum to a speech 651 00:41:30,755 --> 00:41:33,515 Speaker 1: by a president trying to keep them all from winding 652 00:41:33,595 --> 00:41:37,715 Speaker 1: up having to read only official state approved news that 653 00:41:37,875 --> 00:41:45,115 Speaker 1: compliments Donald Trump. You can't love your country only when 654 00:41:45,195 --> 00:41:49,395 Speaker 1: you win, Joe Biden said last night again. He had 655 00:41:49,435 --> 00:41:54,355 Speaker 1: said it in January two. It is so resonant, especially 656 00:41:54,995 --> 00:41:59,195 Speaker 1: when you hear something else said about the January six insurrectionists. 657 00:41:59,355 --> 00:42:03,675 Speaker 1: I will look very, very favorably about about full ardens, 658 00:42:04,355 --> 00:42:06,915 Speaker 1: if I decided to run and if I win. I 659 00:42:06,955 --> 00:42:12,795 Speaker 1: will be looking very, very strongly about pardons. I think 660 00:42:12,795 --> 00:42:14,995 Speaker 1: that's probably going to be the best because even if 661 00:42:14,995 --> 00:42:17,755 Speaker 1: they go for for two months or six months and 662 00:42:17,835 --> 00:42:22,035 Speaker 1: you know they have sentences, that will be looking very, 663 00:42:22,155 --> 00:42:26,115 Speaker 1: very seriously at full pardons because we can't let that happen. 664 00:42:26,195 --> 00:42:30,355 Speaker 1: What's happened here, and I mean full pardons with an apology, 665 00:42:30,475 --> 00:42:34,315 Speaker 1: just too many. That is what Joe Biden was addressing 666 00:42:34,395 --> 00:42:38,755 Speaker 1: last night. The scum that is Donald Trump dangling mass 667 00:42:38,835 --> 00:42:43,595 Speaker 1: pardons in front of traders. In an online interview hours 668 00:42:43,635 --> 00:42:47,635 Speaker 1: before Biden's speech. I'm going to thank Donald Trump for something. 669 00:42:47,835 --> 00:42:51,155 Speaker 1: You may want to sit down. Thank you, trump for 670 00:42:51,275 --> 00:42:55,835 Speaker 1: proving Joe Biden's point. And, by the way, trump appears 671 00:42:55,875 --> 00:42:58,915 Speaker 1: to be on the odd even plan. If you heard 672 00:42:58,995 --> 00:43:02,955 Speaker 1: that carefully, on odd numbers days he suggests he may 673 00:43:03,075 --> 00:43:06,955 Speaker 1: run for president. On even numbered days he says he 674 00:43:06,995 --> 00:43:11,195 Speaker 1: already is president or should be proclaimed so immediately. And 675 00:43:11,275 --> 00:43:14,475 Speaker 1: yet another interview, trump did something strange even for him. 676 00:43:14,555 --> 00:43:17,275 Speaker 1: His new legal team, in its response to the Department 677 00:43:17,315 --> 00:43:20,715 Speaker 1: of Justice in the special master's suit in Florida, pointedly 678 00:43:21,035 --> 00:43:25,915 Speaker 1: never stated, suggested or implied that trump had ever declassified 679 00:43:25,955 --> 00:43:28,395 Speaker 1: any of the documents trump stolen took to Mari Lago. 680 00:43:28,995 --> 00:43:33,595 Speaker 1: Nor did his lawyers claim to. That was especially telling 681 00:43:33,635 --> 00:43:36,235 Speaker 1: insomuch as the D O J had stated the same 682 00:43:36,275 --> 00:43:40,395 Speaker 1: thing in its filings. The lawyers on both sides agree 683 00:43:41,075 --> 00:43:45,275 Speaker 1: trump had all the documents and trump did not declassify 684 00:43:45,395 --> 00:43:49,595 Speaker 1: them and has not legally claimed that he did declassify them. 685 00:43:49,675 --> 00:43:55,995 Speaker 1: That is called, in Layman's terms, a confession. So what 686 00:43:56,155 --> 00:43:59,915 Speaker 1: did trump immediately do after all these filings? He insisted 687 00:44:00,555 --> 00:44:04,075 Speaker 1: he did declassify the documents. People think that when you 688 00:44:04,115 --> 00:44:07,355 Speaker 1: walk at him as I have confidential documents or whatever 689 00:44:07,395 --> 00:44:11,555 Speaker 1: it may be, Aldi classified, but I had confidential documents 690 00:44:11,555 --> 00:44:15,955 Speaker 1: spread out. All of them flow and like a slab, 691 00:44:17,075 --> 00:44:21,515 Speaker 1: not like a slab, a slab, confidential documents, he said, 692 00:44:21,555 --> 00:44:25,995 Speaker 1: all the classified. Trump's public variants from what his lawyers 693 00:44:25,995 --> 00:44:29,915 Speaker 1: are saying is a problem inside the courtroom of his appointee, 694 00:44:29,955 --> 00:44:34,115 Speaker 1: Judge Eileen Cannon. But as clueless and often childish as 695 00:44:34,115 --> 00:44:37,475 Speaker 1: her conduct so far has been, there is something fascinating 696 00:44:37,515 --> 00:44:40,475 Speaker 1: about her statement late Thursday that, while she is not 697 00:44:40,715 --> 00:44:43,395 Speaker 1: ruling on the trump request for a special master to 698 00:44:43,435 --> 00:44:47,675 Speaker 1: evaluate the possibility of executive privilege for some of those documents, 699 00:44:47,715 --> 00:44:52,115 Speaker 1: she will enter a written order quote, at some point. 700 00:44:53,515 --> 00:44:56,995 Speaker 1: Every day the judge does nothing. Is, of course, positive 701 00:44:57,035 --> 00:44:59,875 Speaker 1: inertia for the Justice Department, because it can continue to 702 00:44:59,915 --> 00:45:03,115 Speaker 1: build its case against trump. The judge also said she 703 00:45:03,195 --> 00:45:06,155 Speaker 1: may order that the justice depart stop looking at the 704 00:45:06,195 --> 00:45:10,635 Speaker 1: documents it reclaimed, while allowing the intelligence services to continue 705 00:45:10,635 --> 00:45:13,675 Speaker 1: to do so to assess damage to the national security. 706 00:45:13,835 --> 00:45:16,995 Speaker 1: In other words, she may try to order something impossible, 707 00:45:17,355 --> 00:45:20,235 Speaker 1: not just ordering that the toothpaste go back into the tube, 708 00:45:20,515 --> 00:45:23,555 Speaker 1: but ordering that only some of the toothpaste has to 709 00:45:23,595 --> 00:45:27,595 Speaker 1: go back into one of a series of tubes. It 710 00:45:27,715 --> 00:45:30,795 Speaker 1: may be her way to respect the law while playcating trump. 711 00:45:31,395 --> 00:45:35,115 Speaker 1: It would be better than say whatever Clarence Thomas would do. 712 00:45:35,835 --> 00:45:38,475 Speaker 1: And of course that blight on the history of mankind 713 00:45:38,675 --> 00:45:41,115 Speaker 1: is back in the news now as well. It turns 714 00:45:41,155 --> 00:45:44,995 Speaker 1: out his ex cult member wife did not just email 715 00:45:45,075 --> 00:45:48,755 Speaker 1: lawmakers in Arizona to erase the presidential vote there, but, 716 00:45:48,875 --> 00:45:51,675 Speaker 1: according to the Washington Post, she tried the same stunt 717 00:45:51,715 --> 00:45:56,875 Speaker 1: in Wisconsin. Quote. Please reflect on the Awesome Authority granted 718 00:45:56,915 --> 00:46:00,355 Speaker 1: to you by our Constitution. She wrote to a Wisconsin 719 00:46:00,435 --> 00:46:03,715 Speaker 1: State Rep and to the Wisconsin State Senate Elections Committee Chair. 720 00:46:04,715 --> 00:46:07,715 Speaker 1: Jenny Thomas is a menace. She is one of the 721 00:46:07,755 --> 00:46:11,715 Speaker 1: People Biden talked about last night. If Clarence Thomas were 722 00:46:11,755 --> 00:46:15,875 Speaker 1: to publicly recuse himself from all political cases, he might 723 00:46:15,995 --> 00:46:18,515 Speaker 1: find a way forward to remain on the Supreme Court, 724 00:46:19,035 --> 00:46:23,435 Speaker 1: but he has not and therefore he must not. Lastly, 725 00:46:23,875 --> 00:46:26,155 Speaker 1: back to the Biden speech and something you may or 726 00:46:26,195 --> 00:46:28,755 Speaker 1: may not have noticed until Biden himself brought it up. 727 00:46:29,195 --> 00:46:33,435 Speaker 1: The fascists make much of his sometimes halting speeches, his coughs, 728 00:46:33,875 --> 00:46:36,875 Speaker 1: his pauses. That he had to make a long and 729 00:46:36,955 --> 00:46:41,075 Speaker 1: painful recovery from stuttering is never mentioned by them. They 730 00:46:41,115 --> 00:46:45,275 Speaker 1: simply questioned his capacities. Last night, for nearly the length 731 00:46:45,315 --> 00:46:49,915 Speaker 1: of that speech, a heckler repeatedly bellowed F Joe Biden. 732 00:46:50,835 --> 00:46:53,955 Speaker 1: I didn't hear it, I didn't notice it until Biden 733 00:46:54,035 --> 00:46:56,955 Speaker 1: himself said the creature was entitled to be outrageous, even 734 00:46:56,995 --> 00:47:02,115 Speaker 1: if quote good manners is nothing they've ever suffered from. 735 00:47:02,275 --> 00:47:05,995 Speaker 1: One wonders if a similar critic of Donald Trump, having 736 00:47:06,035 --> 00:47:08,515 Speaker 1: gotten that close to l Douche in the middle of 737 00:47:08,515 --> 00:47:11,675 Speaker 1: one of his presidential speeches of self pity and shouting 738 00:47:12,075 --> 00:47:17,195 Speaker 1: an identical message about F trump, would be hospitalized this morning. 739 00:47:18,155 --> 00:47:28,915 Speaker 1: We're worse. So that's it for this special you should 740 00:47:28,955 --> 00:47:31,595 Speaker 1: listen to this again edition of countdown. I've done all 741 00:47:31,595 --> 00:47:33,515 Speaker 1: the damage I can do here. The countdown theme from 742 00:47:33,555 --> 00:47:37,235 Speaker 1: Beethoven's ninth the range, produced and performed by countdown musical 743 00:47:37,235 --> 00:47:40,715 Speaker 1: directors Brian Ray and John Philip Chanelle. All orchestration and 744 00:47:40,835 --> 00:47:44,595 Speaker 1: keyboards by John Philip Chanelle, guitars, Bass and drums by 745 00:47:44,595 --> 00:47:48,115 Speaker 1: Brian Ray, produced by T K O brothers. The other 746 00:47:48,155 --> 00:47:51,875 Speaker 1: Beethoven Selections have been arranged and performed by no horns allowed. 747 00:47:52,195 --> 00:47:56,875 Speaker 1: Our sports music the Alberman theme from Espn Two, Written 748 00:47:56,875 --> 00:48:00,235 Speaker 1: by Mitch Warren Davis, courtesy of ESPN INC musical comments 749 00:48:00,275 --> 00:48:04,115 Speaker 1: by Nancy Faust, the Best Baseball Stadium organist ever. At 750 00:48:04,115 --> 00:48:08,075 Speaker 1: our and ounce there's my friends Jonathan Banks, Larry David John, Dene, 751 00:48:08,115 --> 00:48:12,155 Speaker 1: Tony Kornheiser, Richard Lewis and Stevie vand's aunt. I'm Keith 752 00:48:12,155 --> 00:48:15,835 Speaker 1: all Reman, good morning, good afternoon, goodnight and good luck. 753 00:48:24,755 --> 00:48:27,515 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith all reman is a production of I 754 00:48:27,675 --> 00:48:31,315 Speaker 1: heart radio. For more podcasts from I heart radio, visit 755 00:48:31,355 --> 00:48:34,755 Speaker 1: the I heart radio APP, apple podcasts or wherever you 756 00:48:34,875 --> 00:48:36,035 Speaker 1: get your podcasts.