THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Ken Jennings

Ken Jennings choked up at the start of the first Jeopardy! episode without Alex Trebek, eulogizing the longtime host and “his intelligence, his charm,” and “his grace.”

“Let’s be totally clear: No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek, but we can honor him by playing the game he loved,” said Jennings, who will be the first interim host after Trebek passed away from pancreatic cancer in November.

Trebek’s final episode was aired on Friday, officially making Jennings, who has won the most consecutive Jeopardy! wins, the show’s current host as of Monday night's airing.

“You know, sharing the stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life. Not many things in life are perfect, but Alex did this job pretty much perfectly for more than 36 years and it was even better up close,” Jennings said. “We were dazzled by his intelligence, his charm, his grace — really there’s no other word for it.”

“Like all Jeopardy! fans, I miss Alex very much and I thank him for everything he did for all of us,” Jennings added, holding back tears. “And I thank him for everything he did for all of us.”

It was a fitting tribute and a reminder for all of us that the world continues outside of politics.

MEDIA LOSER:
Greg Kelly

As Donald Trump faces the possibility that his presidency will end early and in disgrace, Newsmax TV host Greg Kelly is focusing on a different priority: the impeachment of President-Elect Joe Biden.

Ever since the 2020 election ended, Kelly has denied Biden’s victory, pushed numerous voter fraud conspiracy theories, and claimed Trump would definitely get a second term. When confronted with the unavoidable reality of Trump’s defeat, he compared Biden to a bank robber getting away with his crime.

During a Newsmax segment on Trump’s imminent impeachment for inciting the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol Building, Kelly demanded Biden be impeached for “election fraud.” He then touted “a very interesting clip that I found in a dark corner of the Internet,” which he held up and claimed “that was a confession” of Biden’s supposed involvement in illegal activity.

The video Kelly aired is from an interview Biden did on Pod Save America, where he was talking about how he worked with former President Barack Obama to set up countermeasures against voter fraud.

It's an embarrassing segment for both Kelly and his network, which has become increasingly visible lately.

The A-Block

‘Fair and Square’

Congressman Jim Jordan, one of President Donald Trump’s most ardent backers, refused to acknowledge that President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 election “fair and square” in a fiery exchange during a meeting of the House Rules Committee Tuesday morning.

To reiterate, Jordan refused to admit it this morning. Still.

Freshmen, right?

On a House GOP conference call, freshman Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert told fellow GOP members that the Capitol Police may have been involved in last Wednesday’s Trump-fueled insurrection and took heat from her colleagues for tweeting Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s movements during that same attack.

'Needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in'

“Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.”

FBI warned Washington the Trump extremists were coming.

What I Said Was ‘Totally Appropriate’

“So if you read my speech, and many people have done it, and I’ve seen it both in the papers in the media, on television, it’s been analyzed and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate,” said Trump after being asked about inciting his mob.

Is that a threat? Again?

Less than a week after his mob listened to his 'totally appropriate" speech and stormed the Capitol building, resulting in five deaths, Trump said that impeachment talk is creating “tremendous anger” and that Democrats are “causing tremendous danger” by attempting it. CNN's Kate Bolduan ripped into his comments a short time after.

"Shut the F*** Up!"

An angry and unhinged protester shouted insanely at Sen. Chuck Schumer at a presser while he was discussing the attack on the capitol. And she called on Trump supporters to storm Schumer's house, too.

The heckler shouted that as long as there is “outrage in our hearts, there will be outrage in the streets."

So her threat was essentially that the Democrats are causing tremendous anger and tremendous danger.
 
Don’t Remember the Alamo?

The White House forgot to tell an entire town in Texas that the President of the United States would be stopping by.

From Law&Crime

Staten Island Republican Who Shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ at Protest Apologizes by Saying She Actually Meant to Say ‘Mein Führer’

Collusion 

Far-right Trump supporter Ali Alexander, a top organizer of the January 6th rally in Washington, D.C. that turned deadly, said he was aided in putting on the event by Republican legislators in Congress.

In a number of Periscope live streams ahead of the march, the “Stop the Steal” organizer claimed that among those assisting him were Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL).

Republican Megadonor Passes Away

Sheldon Adelson, billionaire casino magnate, philanthropist, and Republican megadonor, died at the age of 87, his wife announced Tuesday.


Congratulations!

NBC News Pentagon Correspondent Courtney Kube and her husband Eric Dent welcomed 8 pounds 2 ounce Andrew Joseph "AJ" Dent on January 9, 2021 at 12:56pm.



Adorable!

You may remember Kube and her toddler from their likewise adorable viral video moment!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HAPPY FAMILY

Must See Clips/Tweets

Crimson Covid Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide dominated the Ohio State Buckeyes in college football’s national championship game on Monday night. But the celebration afterward in the streets of Tuscaloosa is sparking concerns of a Covid-19 spike.

Shortly after the final whistle on Monday night, Alabama fans congregated en massed to celebrate the school’s sixth national title in the past 12 years. Video captured by James Benedetto of the Tuscaloosa Thread shows a sea of humanity partying in the streets after the Crimson Tide’s 52-24 victory.

The scene sparked massive fears of a coronavirus spike — particularly given that the state’s current positivity rate is north of 20 percent.

Here’s a sampling of the reaction

Links We Like

[ICYMI] Republican No More: The GOP’s Existential Crisis
- Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
'That page doesn't exist': Welcome to life without Trump's Tweets
- Nicholas Goldberg, Los Angeles Times

The Great Social Silencing
- Kalev Leetaru, RealClearPolitics

How Taking Parler Down Could Actually Help Save The Internet
- Chris Riley, Washington Examiner
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