THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Nicolle Wallace

Perhaps the most competitive hour of cable news has seen a leader emerge from the pack, as MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, hosted by former Bush White House communications director Nicolle Wallace, has taken a consistent lead among total viewers in the past few weeks.

As the public health, racial injustice, and economic crises storylines have begun to intermingle, Wallace’s show has sharpened its typically scathing criticism of President Donald Trump of late.

According to Nielsen Media Research, Deadline had triumphed in overall viewers at 4:00 p.m. for seven days straight through Friday, July 3, and won 18 out of the previous 25 days. That consistency helped the show to average roughly two million total viewers across all of June, beating out CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper‘s 1.5 million and Fox News’ Your World with Neil Cavuto‘s 1.8 million.

The last hour of daytime programming has been a closely contested battleground for months and Friday’s ratings were an example of how hard-fought the time-slot remains — and how impressive Wallace’s win streak is..

Read the rest, exclusively from and for Mediaite+

MEDIA LOSER:
Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani called the NYPD on Tuesday after actor and notorious prankster Sascha Baron Cohen tried to mock interview him wearing a pink bikini

New York’s former mayor and adviser to President Donald Trump was in a room at the Mark Hotel in Manhattan for what he thought was a legitimate interview on the administration’s coronavirus response. The conversation began with a woman asking Giuliani questions before someone, later identified as Cohen, ran in wearing a pink bikini.

"This guy comes running in, wearing a crazy, what I would say was a pink transgender outfit,” Giuliani told Page Six. “It was a pink bikini, with lace, underneath a translucent mesh top, it looked absurd. He had the beard, bare legs, and wasn’t what I would call distractingly attractive."

Giuliani called the cops, who arrived at the scene, but no crime was determined to have been committed and no arrests were made.

A former prosecutor, not to mention mayor, probably should have known it wasn't a police matter. And for someone who has been in the spotlight for decades - and has been pranked before - definitely should have known he'd come out looking worse for having called them.

The A-Block

SCOTUS Rules Against Trump -- Again

The Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision on Thursday, said that it is not so that President Donald Trump is absolutely immune to the criminal process, meaning a state prosecutor can move forward with an attempt to obtain Trump’s tax returns as part of a criminal investigation.

“Article II and the Supremacy Clause do not categorically preclude, or require a heightened standard for, the issuance of a state criminal subpoena to a sitting President,” the Supreme Court held in Trump v. Vance.

Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the opinion. That was joined by Justices Ruth Bader GinsburgStephen BreyerSonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. Justice Brett Kavanaugh penned an opinion concurring in the judgment; Justice Neil Gorsuch joined.

No Justice No Peace

After weeks of protests over a black man being murdered in the street by police, Trump finally tweeted the words "NO JUSTICE" .... but about his having to turn over his tax returns in response to a lawful subpoena.

All that was missing was the hashtag #TaxLivesMatter

Judge Nap 

Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision on Donald Trump’s tax returns by pronouncing their verdict “a defeat for the president.”

HOWEVER

Law & Crime writes: A strictly technical analysis of this opinion reads as a landmark ruling and a victory for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance–the county prosecutor who issued a subpoena for Trump’s financial records as part of an ongoing criminal probe. But, in real terms, the court’s decision to remand the decision likely means that Vance won’t get Trump’s records anytime soon–if ever. And almost certainly not before November.

Yucking it up

During their 10:00 p.m. show handoff last night, CNN hosts Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon cracked themselves up mocking the contorted reasoning and absurdly over-the-top anti-mask hysteria being seen among a small minority of people around the country.

“What is happening? Have you seen the videos of the people in the stores who are like ‘Get away from me! You’re threatening me!’ I don’t have to wear a mask!’ I want to play all of them. Not say anything and just let people see themselves,” Lemon said.

Joy Reid Moves to Prime Time 

MSNBC’s Joy Reid is officially moving from the weekend to the weekday.

NBC has confirmed that Reid has been tapped to host a new Washington-based show at 7 p.m. on weeknights, and it will launch on July 20. 

Read more on the promotion here.

Also Getting a New Show

The messaging is very clear. Shepard Smith is back. And he intends to do the news.

On Thursday, the former Fox News anchor previewed his new CNBC show — set to debut in the fall. If there is any ambiguity about the show’s mission, it is clarified by its title — The News with Shepard Smith.

“No opinion. No pundits,” Smith said. “Nobody telling you what to think, or how to feel. Just the facts.”

‘Whoa!’

Fox News’ Sandra Smith appeared stunned and hit the brakes on Trump spox Hogan Gidley his odious attack on former Vice President Joe Biden that insinuated something sinister regarding the Democratic nominee and his relationship with children.

Must See Clip

The Mask Police ... or Not

CNN’s Brianna Keilar clashed with an Ohio sheriff Wednesday afternoon over mask mandates and whether people should have the right not to wear facial coverings.

"I’m not trusting what you say,” Butler County, Ohio sheriff Richard Jones snapped when presented with data the White House relies on for Coronavirus information. “I don’t know you that well

And there were several handlebar mustaches worth of similar moments in this clip.

Links We Like

I worry about Joe Biden debating Donald Trump. He should do it only under two conditions.
- Thomas Friedman, via New York Times
Jacksonville citizens sue city, RNC to stop Republican Convention
- via Forbes
Biden looks to curb Covid-19 economic damage with ‘Buy American’ plan
- via Wall Street Journal
Joy Reid is ready for Prime Time
- via The Root
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