THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Rachel Maddow

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow exclusively obtained a Justice Department memo extending a Trump-era policy that places restrictions on investigations into candidates in an election year.

The memo was first authored by then-Attorney General Bill Barr in 2020and renewed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in May 2022.

The policy prohibits opening an investigation into a declared presidential candidate or members of their staff if the probe was not pre-cleared by the attorney general.

Maddow shared the document with viewers on Monday night, noting that it highlights the importance of forgoing "partisan politics" in decisions regarding investigations and criminal charges.

"Department employees must also adhere to the additional requirements issued by the Attorney General on February 5, 2020, governing the opening of criminal and counterintelligence investigations by the Department, including its law enforcement agencies, related to politically sensitive individuals and entities," the memo states.

Maddow, the first to disclose the news publicly, later observed that the memo was written as former President Donald Trump flirts with another run for office.

The anchor also admitted she was "kind of surprised" by Garland's decision to extend the policy, as it was established by Barr while he was working for Trump.

“Well, former President Donald Trump has had the delightful experience of the Jan. 6 investigation essentially rolling out a real-time, primetime criminal referral of him to the justice department,” she said.

MEDIA LOSER:
Grant Stinchfield

Newsmax's Grant Stinchfield has been missing from the network following a recent schedule shakeup.

Before his disappearing act, Stinchfield was the go-to-guy for the most insane take on the internet.

He once claimed Democrats wanted Russian victory in Ukraine, and prior to that, suggested that the invasion was a hoax.

Mediaite's Jackson Richman even declared him "too unhinged for cable news," and Newsmax seems to agree.

Stinchfield has been missing from the network since last month, when Newsmax changed its lineup to place former Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren in the 6 p.m. slot.

The move forced Sean Spicer's showto 5 p.m. and gave Eric Bolling a primetime show, as he took over Stinchfield's 8 p.m. slot.

While the network said Stinchfield would move to weekends following the shakeup, he has not been on air since his show's final broadcast on June 13.

According to the Daily Beast, Newsmax management has been silent to staffers regarding the network's plans for Stinchfield.

An insider, however, revealed that Stinchfield was unhappy to lose a primetime slot he held since August 2020.

"He was not happy,” the insider said. "Few of us were surprised. His show regularly had bad ratings despite having great producers on the team. His show just came off as radio on TV which is boring and not compelling.”

Ouch.

The A-Block

Elon v. Twitter

Twitter earned an early victory in the company's lawsuit against Elon Musk, as the billionaire lost a bid to delay the trial until 2023.

Twitter is seeking to hold Musk to a $44 billion offer, which the SpaceX founder grew cold on after the platform's stock took a hit.

Twitter wanted an expedited hearing, hoping the matter could be resolved before September 2022, but Chancellor Kathaleen S. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery has set an October date for what will be a five-day trial.

While not exactly what the company wanted, the decision still hits Musk far harder, as he pushed for a February trial.

“Delay threatens irreparable harm,” McCormick said in the decision. “The longer the delay, the greater the risk.”

Musk's team argued that the delay was necessary because the trial is “one of the largest take-private deals in history” and requires “billions of actions” to investigate alleged spam accounts Musk fears are on the platform.

Attorney William Savitt, representing Twitter in Delaware’s Court of Chancery, argued Musk is conducting “attempted sabotage” against Twitter and accused Musk of trying to “run the clock” on the potential deal.

Savitt also accused Musk of trying to “wriggle” his way out of the massive buyout purchase.

The judge further determined that Musk's attempt to back out of his deal to purchase the company created a “cloud of uncertainty” for Twitter as a company.

Musk’s attorney Andrew Rossman, on the other hand,vowed that the billionaire has no interest in tanking a company that he holds one of the largest stakes in.

In Other News...

Daughter of 9/11 Victim Destroys Trump on CNN for Hosting Saudi Golf Tournament: ‘This is Blood Money That You’re Taking’

Herschel Walker Claims He Was FBI Agent and Tried to Kill a Man But Stopped Because of His Bumper Sticker

YUGE POLL: DeSantis Crushing Trump By Giant Margin in Their Home State of Florida

WATCH: AOC Escorted By Police Away From Protest Outside Supreme Court

RATINGS: Ari Melber Leads MSNBC, Beating Prime Time

Must See Clip

Whoa, Nellie

The NYPD released body cam video of a particularly stunning police chase on Tuesday.

Footage begins with a mounted officer confronting someone suspected of robbing a sunglasses vendor.

The suspect tries to run away, prompting the officer to gallop down New York City's Times Square on horseback.

Congrats to the four-legged officer and his partner, who successfully tracked the suspect down with some help from nearby law enforcement.

Links We Like

- Jimmy Carter, James A. Baker III, Wall Street Journal
There's trouble in Kentucky's Senate delegation
- Burgess Everett, Politico
Democrats continue to push for MAGA candidates in the primaries
- Allan Smith, Henry J. Gomez, NBC
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