THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Sandra Smith

Fox News anchor Sandra Smith had at it with Kellyanne Conway on Thursday as she pressed the White House adviser on President Donald Trump’s spread of coronavirus misinformation.

Smith focused on the actions Twitter and Facebook took against the Trump campaign for posting videos of the president’s Wednesday morning interview with Fox & Friends.

The companies flagged the president’s claim that children are virtually immune to Covid-19, and Smith characterized it as false when talking to Conway, who bristled.

"I want to put up the latest CDC numbers on coronavirus cases in children under the age of 18. Under 18 accounts for about 7.4 percent of confirmed cases. That is up 6.7 percent from 2 weeks ago and up nearly 6 percent from a month ago," said Smith, bringing the data to make the case.

"So kids are getting this disease, Kellyanne," she said.

She pressed on the issue as she sparred with Conway, focusing and refocusing on the issue of dangerously spreading misinformation.

It was a great interview. Respectful, responsible, firm, and pursuing a response.

Plus, it was frankly a bit of a counterpoint to the "total war" style currently being cultivated and celebrated at other networks.

MEDIA LOSER:
Alisyn Camerota

CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota took a lighthearted moment with Dr. Anthony Fauci into awkward territory when her questioning about actor Brad Pitt’s portrayal of the epidemiologist went on way too long.

On Thursday morning’s edition of CNN’s New Day, anchor John Berman tossed to Camerota after interviewing Fauci on the raging coronavirus pandemic by telling Fauci “my co-anchor has some important questions for you.”

“I have been listening with rapt attention, but I feel like John didn’t get to the really burning question that America has for you,” Camerota said, “and that is: Did you hear that Brad was nominated for an Emmy for playing you?”

It went on and on and ON from there, with Dr. Fauci eventually having to make the point that ought to have been obvious, and which really earns Camerota the Media Loser spot: 

When she asked him whether he'd be interested in going on stage with Pitt at the Emmy awards, he had to point out that such a spectacle "might be misinterpreted that I’m not serious about what I’m doing.

One could say the same of Camerota, who in an interview with the expert who the government and American health need taken seriously, gushed like she was doing a pop culture puff piece.

That, too, can be interpreted as being not serious. And certainly won't help Dr. Fauci among those who doubt his intentions or gravity.

JUST IN!

New York AG Files Lawsuit to Dissolve the NRA Alleging Massive Financial Fraud By Leadership

The A-Block

No Regerts?

Under questioning from Geraldo Rivera, President Donald Trump did not admit to making any mistakes during the coronavirus outbreak.

In an interview with Cleveland’s WTAM radio, the president was asked if he had any regrets about his actions over the course of the pandemic.

Guess how many mistakes he admitted to.

"What you’re saying is irresponsible."

CNN’s Erin Burnett and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro got in a BONKERS fight over Dr. Anthony Fauci and hydroxychloroquine during their 12-minute interview Wednesday night.

Former Bush White House medical adviser and current CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner was on to respond moments later and unloaded on Navarro.

A Disappointment 

Vice President Mike Pence attacked Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network for being a “disappointment to conservatives” following recent rulings where he’s sided with liberals. Watch.

‘Terrorist Group’

Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and current lawyer of President Donald Trump, pronounced Black Lives Matter a “domestic terrorist group” full of “killers” who “hate white people.”

It was as off the rails as it sounds.

Shearer's Voice

Harry Shearer, who voices both Mr. Burns and Dr. Hibbert for The Simpsonscriticized the show’s decision to bar white actors from playing non-white characters.

“I have a very simple belief about acting,” Shearer said. “The job of the actor is to play someone who they’re not.”

Morning Joe Beats All Morning Shows

MSNBC’s Morning Joe pulled in 1.42 million viewers on Tuesday morning, leading all morning shows from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m — just beating out Fox & Friends, which drew 1.41 viewers. 

The Fox News morning show took the advertiser-coveted demo with 227,000 viewers, compared to Morning Joe’s 202,000.

Fox News was the top rated network in prime time and total day, in both... [MORE]

You've Got Flip-Flop-Mail

Mediaite founder Dan Abrams had some pointed questions for Trump senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis on his SiriusXM program Wednesday, and Ellis struggled to explain the president’s conflicting positions on voter fraud and mail-in ballots in Florida.

The campaign hasn't been able to spin it too well. Ellis didn’t fare much better.

Endorsing the Challenger

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has endorsed Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) opponent in the Democratic primary race for her seat, calling him “the kind of leader who could unite a fractured district.” And saying of Omar that her "ethical distractions" don't serve the District.

"I Couldn’t Get My Pants Zipped"

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. apologized and offered a strange explanation for his now-deleted Instagram post of himself posing with a woman while their pants were unzipped.

Must See Clips

Swan Song

Late-night hosts Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon roasted President Donald Trump for “crawling back” to the safety of Fox News after his “nightmare” interview with Axios’ Jonathan Swan on Monday night.

“You just knew this interview was going to be insane from the get-go, even before Trump sat down when he walked into the room holding a stack of papers," said Meyers.

"He basically tried dating other shows and ended up back with his ex," observed Fallon. 

Not to mention mail-in voting and mocking Rush Limbaugh

GREAT jokes, which is the only real ingredient when filming from home. 

Links We Like

The Unhelpful Red State vs. Blue State COVID Narrative
via Morning Jolt
Does Anthropology Define American Conservatism?
- via Kevin Holtsberry

Remembering Lucille Ball, Pioneering ‘I Love Lucy’ Star and TV Mogul, on Her Birthday
- via Variety
The Bonkers Hollywood-Pedophilia ‘Documentary’ QAnon Loves
- via Daily Beast

Donald Trump Has Revealed The Depths Of America’s Racism, And Forced a Reckoning
- via The Atlantic
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