THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Harris Faulkner

Former Army Special Ops Intel Officer and Fox News contributor Brett Velicovich told Fox anchor Harris Faulkner on Wednesday that she and The Faulkner Focus deserve some credit for his organization’s rescue of an American veteran and his family from near Kyiv over the weekend.

Project Dynamo has been working to help those trapped in war-torn Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion, which under Vladimir Putin‘s dictatorial hand has become increasingly bloodthirsty and particularly focused on civilians, as President Joe Biden has pointed out.

Project Dynamo, which is made up of American veterans and civilian volunteers, helps people in war zones get out safely. They’ve done so in Afghanistan and are doing the same in Ukraine – in at least one case the same person from both conflicts.

Over the weekend they helped to rescue retired Sgt. 1st Class Robert “Bob” Platt, his wife, “and the couple’s cats” from a town northeast of Kyiv.

Velicovich and Faulkner discussed Putin's media crackdown and segued to Platt's story as illustrative. They talked about how the press, and Faulkner's focus on stories like this, were part of Platt's rescue. Veterans watching the show last week were able to make the connections and identify Bob Platt, who Velicovich says might not be alive today without that.

It is a compelling and even uplifting story. It's also a stark illustration of the power of media and the ability to share information to save lives. And it is that exact power that Putin's trying to crush in his crackdown on a free press. This is why.

MEDIA LOSER:
Stormy Daniels

Stormy Daniels torched former President Donald Trump and belittled his penis in response to a court ruling she must pay nearly $300,000 to Trump after her failed defamation suit.

Trump released a gloating statement following a federal appeals court ruling which said that she must pay legal fees and other penalties ordered by a lower court because her appeal was not filed in a timely fashion.

Trump called it a "political stunt" and closed by saying "Now all I have to do is wait for all of the money she owes me."

On Twitter, Daniels vowed “I will go to jail before I pay a penny,” and she issued a lengthy statement that took aim at former attorney Michael Avenatti, Trump, and Trump’s allegedly tiny penis.

"Trump’s lie about me was very much a lie and was intended to damage we in the public. However, it was not something I ever wanted to sue over. I never wanted to go forward with this defamation suit because I was afraid of the prejudice associated with my career as an adult film actress/director and it turns out that I was correct. Avenatti filed the lawsuit without my permission and against my wishes. Once it was filed, Trump’s lawyers overwhelmed Avenatti and I was left the victim of an attorney’s fee award,: she wrote in part.

Both statements were guaranteed to go viral, and both have their expected share of childishness.

But when it comes down to it, this was not a win for Stormy Daniels. She's stuck owing Donald Trump — who is also no winner here — and she's getting dragged through the media and social media grinder once again.

The A-Block

"Can’t Make It Up"

News watchers and political observers were amused to see the manner in which former President Donald Trump un-endorsed Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) in his run for the Senate.

Even though Brooks is one of Trump’s staunchest defenders in Congress, his support in Alabama seems to have taken a huge hit in recent months. Brooks’ primary polling dropped from 41 to 16 percent in the last few months, putting him in third place behind rival candidates Mike Durant at 35 percent and Katie Britt at 29 percent.

As it were, Trump released a statement on Wednesday dumping Brooks and blasting his ally’s polling drop. Trump blamed Brooks’ nosedive on him going “woke” at a recent rally they had together where Brooks suggested the Republican Party move on from the 2020 election. Trump continues to falsely claim the election he lost was corrupt and fraudulent.

Trump’s un-endorsement comes shortly after Brooks desperately tried to appeal to the former president in a new campaign ad where he touted Trump’s endorsement and bragged about supporting the Big Lie on January 6th.

The spectacularly failed attempt to kiss up and the relegation to "woke" infamy were a prime target for some grave-dancing and mockery on Twitter.


🇺🇦 FOR LATEST UKRAINE COVERAGE CLICK HERE


In Other News...

GOP Senator Complains at KBJ Hearing Because MSNBC's Morning Joe Laughed at Their Questions

Howard Stern Complains About Mask Mandate Being Lifted: 'The Wackos Are Winning!'

Mitt Romney Ridicules 'Off Course' Attacks of Judge Jackson From GOP Senators: 'There is No There There'

RATINGS: March 21- New Day Beats Morning Joe

Must See Clip

“It’s My Life”

CNN’s New Day showed footage on Wednesday of Ukrainians jamming out on Tuesday to Jon Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” as they prepare to defend Odessa against Russia.

The video shows Ukrainians throwing sandbags onto a truck and along the shore as a man plays the song on the drums and the song blasts on stereos.

Bon Jovi retweeted a video of the Ukrainians jamming out with a personal tribute to them.

Links We Like

Of Course Ashley Biden’s Diary Was “Passed Around” A Trump Fundraiser
- Bess Levin, Vanity Fair
A Wedding's Like A Box Of Chocolates: You Never Know When You're Gonna Get Hanks
- Lester Fabian Brathwaite, Entertainment Weekly
Trump Aide Manafort Removed From Plane For Revoked Passport
- Politico
Invasion of the Fact-Checkers
- Jacob Siegel, Tablet
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