THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Jake Tapper

Commerce secretary Gina Raimondo was put completely on the run by CNN anchor Jake Tapper Sunday in a tense interview about various economic issues such as high gas prices and the baby formula shortage. 

Right from the outset of her State of the Union appearance, Raimondo was put to the test by Tapper, who brought the receipts on question after question. 

Raimondo tried to tout recent comments from former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers about inflation potentially starting to go down, but Tapper pressed her about a first-guess Summers made a year ago on President Joe Biden’s economic strategy.

“All due respect, Madam Secretary, Larry Summers a year ago, more than a year ago, was saying the Biden administration was putting too much money into the economy, flooding too much money into the economy,” Tapper said. “And he was concerned about inflation. And a Biden administration official said that Larry Summers was wrong. And it turns out he was right.”

Tapper then brought up inflation and the nation’s baby formula shortage and put Raimondo on the spot. 

“We’re talking about two critical issues here that directly affect the American people where they live, where the Biden administration looks like it was caught flat-footed — inflation and baby formula,” Tapper said. “Not to mention the record gas prices, which were hurt by the war in Ukraine, no doubt. But that’s not the only reason why they’re so high. Why does it seem the Biden administration is consistently playing clean-up on these problems that are playing out exactly as many experts forecast they would — instead of heading them off before they become a crisis?”

Watch here.

MEDIA LOSER:
The Washington Post

Mercy, where to even begin. The Washington Post had an absurdly embarrassing weekend, and much of it played out on Twitter where the entire planet could gawk at the spectacle. 

Taylor Lorenz once again became the story and overshadowed her own article, when she was called out on Twitter by two social media influencers irked at her reporting about their coverage of the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial. Lorenz's article originally claimed these influencers declined to comment, but they both tweeted that they were contacted only after the article was published

The Post added a correction to the article, and then corrected the correction, and that corrected correction is drawing criticism it still hasn't fully disclosed the problems with the article. Lorenz blamed the issues on an unnamed editor and sparred with CNN's Brian Stelter and Oliver Darcy on Twitter to whine she is being targeted by a smear campaign. "Scrutiny by fellow journalists is not the same as a smear campaign by crusaders," Stelter retorted.

Felicia Sonmez is now on day four of a Twitter tirade over her colleague David Weigel retweeting a crass sexist joke on Friday. Weigel was rebuked both internally and publicly by several top Post editors, and apologized and took down the tweet. That didn't satisfy Sonmez, who continued tweeting her complaints and sparring with Post reporter Jose Del Real

Executive editor Sally Buzbee's emailed plea for Post staff to "treat each other with respect and kindness" only incensed Sonmez further, claiming her boss was providing fodder for harassment. 

Weigel’s retweet was bad, but the public infighting about it only made things worse. Nothing about this circus made anything better online for women, and it’s become a messy, embarrassing soap opera for the Post.

The A-Block

Jan. 6 hearings

The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is ready for prime time, preparing to hold their first televised hearing this Thursday, June 9 at 8 pm ET. 

A new report about the committee's plans says they are taking steps to turn their first public hearing into a major spectacle with all the production add-ons of prime time television, including bringing on former ABC News President James Goldston — known for overseeing Good Morning America and Nightline — as an “unannounced adviser.” The goal, according to Axios' Mike Allen, is to present the hearing as a “blockbuster investigative special.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is reportedly pushing his colleagues on the committee to support abolishing the Electoral College. He reiterated that view in an interview with the Washington Post, in which he called the Electoral College an "undemocratic relic" of the Constitution. 

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) told CBS' Robert Costa she does believe Trump was involved in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, calling it "extremely well-organized" and "very chilling."

Republicans are planning their own counter programming for the hearing, strongly encouraged to do so by former President Donald Trump

Former officer Michael Fanone, who was brutally attacked during the Jan. 6 riot, told CNN's Jim Acosta he was pessimistic about the hearings, saying he believes Trump will end up getting off the hook after it's all done. 


In Other News...

'What the Heck is Elon Musk Doing?!' Fox Business Hosts Call Out Tesla CEO

NEW POLL: A Full 58% of Republicans Say ‘White People In This Country Are Being Replaced By Non-White People’

Uvalde Mother Who Ran Into School Says Police Threatened to Violate Her Probation for Speaking to Media

Matthew McConaughey Pushes for 'Gun Responsibility' Over 'Gun Control' After Shooting in His Hometown Uvalde

Florida Man ‘Sustained Injuries to His Private Area’ After Crashing SUV Into FedEx Truck While Receiving Oral Sex: Report

Paramount Sued Over Rights to Top Gun by Heirs of Writer Who Inspired Movie

UFC Fighter Completely Nukes Critics of His Pride Month Attire: I Thought in 2022 People Would Be ‘More Open-Minded and Not Pieces of Sh*t’


Industry News...

CNN Enters the Post-Jeff Zucker Era. Bye-Bye ‘Breaking News’ Banners.

More Brian Roberts & Chris Licht Buzz

RATINGS: 6/2 - Fox Scores Most Viewers For Biden Address, Erin Burnett Leads CNN in Demo

“I have never used those words to describe Donald Trump ever.”

Must See Clip

COW MAYHEM

Commuters in Oklahoma City were surprised this morning when a rogue cow took to the streets of Interstate 40 to cause mayhem.

In the video, captured by Koco News helicopters this morning, two off-road vehicles can be seen attempting to block the cow from re-entering the roadway. Their barricade proved feeble as the cow quickly broke free and continued his journey.

As the helicopters continued to follow the disgruntled bovine, two cowboys galloped into view on horseback and lassoed the cow with ease.

We're generally fans of these videos of frolicking livestock causing entertaining levels of havoc (remember the llamas?) and the Koco News reporter's spirited narration is what really makes this clip a must-see.

Check out the a-moo-sing video here (and no, we're not even a tiny bit sorry for that pun).

Links We Like

Woodward and Bernstein thought Nixon defined corruption. Then came Trump.
- Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Washington Post
In battered Uvalde, where a police chief is in hiding, grief gives way to calls for accountability
- Zach Despart, Texas Tribune
AMERICAN RASPUTIN: Steve Bannon is still scheming. And he’s still a threat to democracy.
- Jennifer Senior, The Atlantic 
The Right Way to Think About ‘Red Flag’ Laws
- David French The Bulwark
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