| 100 Days Under Fire This in-depth story from Mediaite's Joe DePaolo and KJ Edelman offers a behind-the-scenes view of how cable news covered two challenging, multifaceted stories: the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.
The events of the past 100 days have presented a challenge unlike any the cable news business has ever seen. The coronavirus pandemic resulted in the headquarters of all three major networks being largely shut down — requiring home studios to be set up on the fly, and broadcast operations to be completely overhauled. And just when the industry appeared to be settling into a new normal, protests against police brutality erupted nationwide — forcing correspondents and their crews to face down dangerous situations to stay on the air at a time when their viewers need them most.
Over the past several weeks, Mediaite spoke with dozens of correspondents, anchors, and behind-the-scenes personnel from the three major cable news networks to find out how they’ve navigated this unprecedented time. The end result is this story — one of the most comprehensive we’ve ever published.
The story is also a special preview of Mediaite+ — our new premium subscription offering. For more in-depth, insider stories, plus an ad-free viewing experience, subscribe today.
Juneteenth
Today is Juneteenth — the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States in 1865. New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 project, explained the significance of the day on The View.
Watch the full segment here.
Senators 'Want To Be Cute'
There are few things Trump enjoys more than vanquishing a foe, and he was downright gleeful in a Politico interview recounting several of the Republican senators who turned their backs on him and are now no longer in office.
“We will, on occasion, have some senators that want to be cute,” said Trump, offering a warning to GOP moderates who have been distancing themselves from him. “And they don’t want to embrace their president.”
Bowing Out With Grace Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has taken herself out of the running for Vice President, telling Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden that he should pick a woman of color for his running mate.
"Let me tell you this, after what I have seen in my state, what I have seen across the country, this is a historic moment and America must seize on this moment,” Klobuchar told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell. “I truly believe, as I actually told the vice president last night when I called him, that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket.”
Klobuchar's own presidential run performed better than many political observers originally predicted, with the Minnesotan lasting longer than other candidates with better funding and name recognition, and she suspended her campaign and endorsed Biden at a moment that helped him consolidate supporters and vault past Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
She may not be top of the ticket in 2020, but she's proved to be an asset for Biden and her party as they attempt to win back the White House in November.
Surprise! Matt Gaetz is a Dad Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz is no stranger to viral headlines, but he was in them for a new reason on Thursday: a tweet sharing the news that he had a son, 19-year-old Nestor Galban, who came to Florida from Cuba at the age of 12.
Gaetz's tweet came a day after he was in a heated exchange with Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) about the Democrats' police reform bill, in which Gaetz took issue with Richmond's suggestion he didn't understand about raising nonwhite children.
"This is my son Nestor," tweeted Gaetz. "We share no blood but he is my life...I am so proud of him and raising him has been the best, most rewarding thing I’ve done in my life."
In an interview with People magazine later Thursday, Gaetz said that while he had not legally adopted Galban, their family was "defined by our love for each other, not by any paperwork."
Fauci Says No Football?
White House coronavirus guru Dr. Anthony Fauci has some bad news for football fans, saying he had serious doubts that a football season was viable this year, due to the pandemic.
While the NBA is creating a "bubble" for their players -- moving them all to be quarantined in Orlando in early July, prohibiting guests from visiting and the players from leaving -- the NFL has not established any similar plans, and without such precautions, Fauci did not think playing games was possible.
“Unless players are essentially in a bubble — insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day — it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” the Fauci told CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta. “If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”
Not So Fast Doc
Trump slapped down his administration's coronavirus expert in a tweet Friday.
“Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football,” Trump wrote. “They are planning a very safe and controlled opening. However, if they don’t stand for our National Anthem and our Great American Flag, I won’t be watching!!!”
What's That Say About You?
Former White House Chief of Staff, former Office of Management and Budget director, and former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Mick Mulvaney had some ironically harsh words about the tenure of other former White House officials.
In an interview with CNN's Jim Sciutto, Mulvaney was asked about the growing list of former Trump advisers who have publicly criticized the president for being unfit for his job, dishonest, and placing his own political ambitions over the interests of the country.
Sciutto asked Mulvaney, “Are all of them liars when they say that this president is not up to the job?”
“It’s always difficult to tell what someone else is thinking, Jim, so I’m not going to say they're liars,” Mulvaney replied. “I’m going to say they’re wrong, and I think if there was one criticism that I would level against the president is that he didn’t hire very well.”
Mulvaney, as noted above, was himself hired by Trump, for three different jobs.
Breakfast Table Rebranding
The list of companies reviewing their logos to remove and rebrand racist imagery is growing.
First, Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben's announced they would be updating their packages, and Cream of Wheat and Mrs. Butterworth's soon followed.
These logos all date from the late 19th and early 20th century, and have direct connections to minstrel shows -- Aunt Jemima's name is from the title of a minstrel show song -- and racist "plantation myth" stereotypes of the "Mammy" and "Uncle Tom" blacks who were happy and content as slaves, enjoying being domestic servants for white families.
The brands had been criticized for decades over the logos, but the recent George Floyd protests finally brought some new urgency to the companies...and their public relations departments, who are now racing each other to get out press releases declaring their "solidarity" with the black community.
What the new logos will look like has yet to be revealed, but glorifying holding human beings in bondages to sell pancake syrup is an idea that has long since gone stale. 6.5.0 |
