THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020 

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced on Wednesday that it is banning the confederate flag from its racetracks.

NASCAR said the flag runs counter to its aim of providing a “welcoming” environment for fans, in a statement shared on social media and sent to media outlets.

“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” The statement said. “Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”

The news went big, coming on the same day that President Donald Trump made a point of saying he would never consider changing the name of any military bases named after Confederates, and that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called for removing Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol. 

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have also announced plans to ban Confederate symbols.

NASCAR's announcement came just one day after Bubba Wallace, the first full-time African American driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series since 1971, called for the ban in a CNN interview.

It's a big move for NASCAR, which CNN's Van Jones noted has been "Confederate flag-friendly, I’ll put it that way, most of the time."

"Something has touched the conscience of the nation," said Jones.

MEDIA LOSER:
Rob Herring

Founder and CEO of OAN (One America News, also OANN) Robert Herring made the internet rounds on Wednesday, after a Twitter user noticed a pattern.

"The OANN CEO's tweets are just a constant stream of him sucking up to Trump while the president live-tweets Fox News for six hours a day," the tweet, which made the "most viral" page at popular image sharing site Imgur, explained. "I've never seen anything so sad."

Just yesterday, Herring retweeted the president complaining about Fox. "Mr. President, why are you still watching Fox News?" Herring plaintively tweeted, probably while kicking a rock.

The screenshots in the viral tweet showed a record of many such tweets, among them some which were previously highlighted by Politico

"On Twitter, Robert Herring’s views are clear. 'Our ratings are going up because we treat you like you are the President of the United States,' Herring responded to Trump when touting OAN’s ratings. 'Your ratings are going up because you are doing a great job. Let’s keep it up!'”

The rabidly pro-Trump network has been in the news itself more than once lately. Just days ago, as the Green Room noted, OAN aired a segment citing conspiracy blog Conservative Treehouse to promlote a conspiracy theory later shared by President Trump in a tweet that tagged OAN.

The many cries for attention from the boss didn't get him personally tagged in that tweet, but certainly the administration has been boosting the overtly supportive network.

Nevertheless, there are few things that scream "loser" more than panting and pleading for a pat on the head. 

The A-Block

Live PD

As the protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd continue across the country, A&E has decided to cease production on hit show Live PD.

The show, hosted by Mediaite founder Dan Abrams, focused on broadcasting and analyzing the stories of cops on patrol. Live PD’s cancellation comes a day after Paramount Network officials canceled Cops, another popular police docuseries, amid calls for law enforcement reform in light of Floyd’s fatal arrest.

Though the show is not coming back, Abrams spoke out today on the video footage of the death of 40-year-old former postal worker Javier Ambler in police custody.

CHAZ

The New York Times on Thursday praised a police-free area of Seattle taken over by protesters as a “liberated … homeland for racial justice.”

After police abandoned the East Precinct, protesters on June 8 “reversed the barricades to shield the liberated streets and laid claim to several city blocks,” Times correspondent Mike Baker wrote, describing the scene as “part street festival, part commune” and as “a homeland for racial justice.”

Condé Nast

Just within the past few daysBon Appétit editor Adam Rapoport and Condé Nast Entertainment vice president Matt Duckor have been forced to resign, and Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue and Condé Nast artistic director, felt compelled to send an email to her entire staff acknowledging that there had been a “hurtful and intolerant” atmosphere at Vogue.

'This thing is out of control.'

Libertarian commentator Dave Rubin revealed on Fox & Friends that he cancelled his HBO Max account after the platform temporarily removed 1939 movie Gone With the Wind in order to add “historical context.”

“This thing is out of control. Where are the adults in the room?” Rubin asked.

‘Time for Us to Finally Make a Difference’

LeBron James is teaming up with other stars across the sports and entertainment worlds to establish a group designed to protect the rights of African American voters.

In a recent interview the L.A. Lakers superstar explained why he’s launching the group  called More Than a Vote

Fox's Ingraham rails against 'propaganda'

Fox News’ Laura Ingraham opened her show Wednesday saying that what’s happening in the country now is about a “propaganda war” trying to attack American history.

Accompanied by a DEMOCRATS CANCEL AMERICA graphic, Inghraham said liberals have succeeded in the past few decades in “purg[ing] almost all conservatives from academia, the entertainment industry, and journalism, and one by one those sectors ultimately fell victim to oppressive groupthink, which had a terrible effect on their work product and credibility.”

‘I should not have been there.’

General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apologized for taking part in President Donald Trump’s photo-op at the St. Johns Episcopal Church last week, in a stunning dissent from one of the administration’s top military advisers.

Milley made his comments in a prerecorded commencement address for the National Defense University’s graduation ceremony.

"This public statement from Milley was “extremely significant,” Barbara Starr told CNN’s Jim Sciutto.

“He’s the top military adviser,” she said. “He is a symbol to the world of the non-partisan profile of the United States military.”

“What we have this morning,” Starr continued, “is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs saying I shouldn’t have been there. I should not have been there. It raises questions about civil military relationships that the military does not want to be part of. The military, very sensitive to the president threatening to invoke putting active duty military on the streets.”

 

Links We Like

It is time for America to reject the pursuit of doctrinal uniformity.
- Hugo Gordon, via Washington Examiner
The misdirected ire at WHO
- via The Week
“Where is the outrage for a fallen officer that also happens to be African American?”
- via CBS News San Francisco
If we want better policing, we’re going to have to spend more, not less
-  via Washington Post
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