Steve Doocy, Sean Hannity, Ice Cube, and Mount Rushmore. Also the middle plane seat and not reading intel briefings.

THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Steve Doocy and Sean Hannity

Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy suggested Tuesday that President Donald Trump should get over his reluctance to wear a face mask and start setting an example. And on Monday night, Fox's Sean Hannity made a similar, but more generalized observation and admonition.

Doocy called it "patriotic" to wear a mask to protect others, while Hannity said he thinks they work, and can only help to speed up the return to business and leisure in the country.

"I went to my grocery store every week, guess what? They wore masks. Nobody at my grocery store, thank God, got coronavirus. I think they work,” Hannity said. “If I wear a mask, and if it opens up baseball, concerts, NFL football, I’d rather wear a mask to go to the game to protect grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, and watch the ball game.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was on with Fox & Friends and urged Americans to use masks as a preventive measure, along the same lines that Hannity was arguing, prompting Doocy to ask: "What about the president?"

"I just don’t see any downside in the president being seen more often wearing it. It's symbolic. Obviously, it's patriotic because you’re not only protecting yourself, you’re protecting other people."

The refreshingly direct, no-nonsense approach here is praiseworthy. And yes, patriotic.

MEDIA LOSER:
Ice Cube

Rapper Ice Cube told Jake Tapper to “watch” his “mouth” on Monday after the CNN host called Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan a “vile anti-LGBTQ anti-Semitic misogynist.”

“Farrakhan is a vile anti-LGBTQ anti-Semitic misogynist. Why is a Fox channel airing his propaganda?” tweeted Tapper, after it was announced that the Fox Soul network would be airing Farrakhan’s Message to America this week.

And that's what drew the Ice Cube tweet that turned into a 24-hour blue-check war: "Watch your mouth Jake."

A previous Daily Beast article, unsparing in criticism, made the rounds again. “It is hard to give Ice Cube the benefit of the doubt given the fact that his anti-Semitic activities have extended beyond the realm of the internet," wrote Marlow Stern.

“He’s an ardent supporter of Louis Farrakhan, one of the world’s most prominent anti-Semites, and, most troubling of all, the rapper and actor was accused in May 2015 of ordering his entourage to beat up a rabbi.”

And overnight and into Tuesday the social media responses continued, with even fellow celebrities and prominent liberals weighing in.

The implicit threat against the press support of outright bigotry, are enough for a media loser moment . But add in the day long negative press and it's a clear PR fail to boot.

The A-Block

Banned

Streaming service Twitch suspended President Donald Trump’s account for “hateful conduct” on Monday, while Youtube banned several channels including those of David Duke, Stefan Molyneux, and Richard Spencer.

“Hateful conduct is not allowed on Twitch,” a Twitch spokesperson told Mediaite of the Trump suspension.

Not Helping

Senator Chuck Grassley (R- IA) put on a weird media critic hat this week, attacking Sean Hannity and Fox News for apparently not being committed enough to re-electing Trump.

“I would blame Fox more than I blame the president, because the president, it’s easy for him to digress here and there, but Hannity — you assume Fox wants him to get reelected," he said in his frustration that Hannity failed to somehow herd Trump and keep him on message.

A written briefing

Trump and the White House have been denying the New York Times story that there were briefings on the alleged Russian bounties offered to the Taliban for killing Americans, claiming it wasn’t credible. But the Times is now reporting the president received a written briefing on the subject in late February.

But maybe he doesn't read things, suggested Fox's Ainsley Earhardt by way of explanation.

Plane-spoken Question

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Tuesday asked Dr. Anthony Fauci why the federal government wasn’t doing more to enforce social distancing on planes and buses, particularly after American Airlines’ Friday announcement that it would begin booking flights at full capacity as of July 1.

If you ask us, the middle seat has ALWAYS been a threat to health.

Fox Ekes Out Primetime Win, Slays Day

Fox News edged out CNN in Friday primetime ratings in the coveted 25 –54 age demographic, despite its night-time lineup having guest hosts for all three hours.

Meanwhile, The Five pulled the best ratings outside of primetime and ranked second in all of cable news in both overall viewers and in the demo as the network took the total day ratings title as well.

Get the insider scoop from Mediaite+!

Mount Rushmore

The Democratic National Committee deleted a Twitter post on Tuesday that definitely suggested Mount Rushmore is a symbol of white supremacy, after being called out for the tweet by half of Twitter. Guess which half.

In other deleted tweet news

Washington Post Global Opinions editor Karen Attiah on Sunday deleted a pair of Twitter messages suggesting “white women” were “lucky” that the current protest movement hasn't been calling for “revenge” against them.

Your Fecal Matter Will Not Be Tolerated

Parler CEO John Matze has laid out five rules to help users keep from getting banned on his platform, including a rule against “posting pictures of your fecal matter.”

Must See Clip

Well that's one question answered

Politico reporter Ryan Lizza asked White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday if President Donald Trump believes it is good that the South lost the Civil War. McEnany called the absurd question "absurd."

They talked about Confederate flags and monuments, too.

It's quite a moment.

Links We Like

Playing the 2020 Corporate Virtue Signal Blame Game: It’s not them, it's you
- Jim Geraghty, via National Review
In the Covid-19 death of a hospital food worker, a microcosm of the pandemic
- via STAT News
Trump is reliving Charlottesville — and enacting the lessons he took from it.
- Jonathan Karl, via The Atlantic
Somebody tell Cam Newton that the New England Patriots ain't it
- via The Root
Reckoning Over Representation: Black Hollywood speaks out, but is the industry listening?
- via Variety

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