THE DAILY NEWSLETTER  - MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Dr. Anthony Fauci

It would be easy, during this outbreak, to have National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci as a winner in the media almost every day. His opinion is widely respected and, with some notably unhinged exceptions, has been a trusted voice for people from across the political spectrum. 

But his is a particular win this Monday afternoon, It's not just the fine dance he has done to remain hopeful but factual. It's not simply that he can laugh about the idea of being fired for perceived contradiction of the president, while still managing to remain diplomatic.

He is not the winner just because there are rumblings that the president isn't happy with his independence from the political narratives of the White House. An independent nature that has even had him walking back some overselling while giving a joint presser with the president and administration officials.

Nor is it simply a matter of his being willing to put his hand up and say "not so fast" when the political figures appear ready to act politically rather than medically or scientifically.

It is not any of those individual things, but all of them. And it's notable today particularly because he continues to state facts, without being confrontational, even as the media notices and perhaps hypes the idea of a rift. 

Because he's independent of them, too.
MEDIA LOSER:
Brit Hume

On Saturday, Fox’s Brit Hume shared a lengthy blog post on Medium, from a random guy who works in tech, railing against media “hysteria” over the coronavirus and presenting a sunny outlook on the current pandemic.

“This is definitely worth reading,” Hume wrote. “Smart analysis.”

Experts with a better grasp of the virus than a unknown tech guy posting on Medium soon pointed out that his post was riddled with factual errors and inane jargon.

“The introduction should be blaring red warning to any thinking person,” Carl Bergstrom, a biologist at the University of Washington kicked off a scathing Twitter thread debunking the post.

In case you thought we’re being too harsh here, the author of the Medium post wrote on Twitter days ago that spring breakers being told to stop partying was a form of “cancel culture.” He implored them to “party on.”

Granted, Hume was not alone in recklessly sharing the thoughts of this tech guy. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld promoted the post, for example, and complained about it being removed from Medium. Gutfeld, of course, is not a journalist, nor is he even a particularly serious pundit.

But we expect more from Hume, and by sharing this, he fell well short of a hurdle that should be higher in these dangerous times of crisis and misinformation.

The A-Block

Bad Week Ahead

We are now in the center of the of the "15 Days to Slow the Spread" time-frame laid out by the White House and the Coronavirus Task Force on March 16th. 

Surgeon General Jerome Adams started the week by warning America that the coronavirus situation might be about to get worse. Speaking to NBC’s Savannah Guthrie on the TODAY show, he started things off on a dire note by saying, “I want America to understand, this week, it’s going to get bad.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump took to Twitter early Monday and, in a lengthy tweetstorm that included retweeting Tomi Lahren, James Woods, and a sex counselor, all-caps argued that "WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. "

He said that "AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD" the administration will have to "MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO" with regard to removing the social distancing measures and closures currently in place.

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough was not a fan of the tweets, and said that it would be an “act of suicide” for American society to lift restrictions around the country after this 15-day period ends.

Economic Shutdown

Fox’s Maria Bartiromo interrogated Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on the steps being taken to boost the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus outbreak on Monday

“Are you considering a full shut down, Secretary?” Bartiromo asked, leading to a revealing discussion.

Fighting Over the Economy

Things got particularly heated on the Senate floor today over the coronavirus stimulus bill making its way through Congress.

There were some real throwdowns, including an extremely combative argument between Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.

It's Not All Conflict

In fact, a somewhat emotional Jake Tapper on Sunday saluted efforts by everyday Americans to help each other despite the massive disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re in it together,” Tapper said.

There Are Major Companies Hiring Right Now

With millions of people are out of work, several major national chains — particularly those with businesses that have been deemed essential — have announced that they are increasing headcount in the midst of this crisis. Here are some of those businesses.

 

Must-See Clips of the Day

Don't Touch Me, I Won't Touch You 🎵

There are a lot of videos coming out from Hollywood and the Music Industry over the last couple of weeks, as stars cope with being cooped up rather than out in the spotlight. Some, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in a hot tub, we could probably get along without.

But there were two more recent ones that are totally worth watching. One is from national treasure Danny DeVito, in a video solicited by the state of New York.

The other is from legendary global rock star Neil Diamond, who posted a new version of his classic and beloved song, “Sweet Caroline" that has some ... revised lyrics for this trying time.

Check out DeVito here. And do not miss out on Neil Diamond, here.

Did you hear me? I said Danny DeVito and Neil Freakin Diamond, y'all. GO!

Links We Like

Coronavirus Should Be a Wake-Up Call for World Leaders to Work Together
- Madeleine Albright, via TIME
Think Joe Biden Has a Young Voter Problem? Think Again.
via RealClearPolitics
The Comprehensive Timeline of China’s Devastating COVID-19 Lies
- via National Review 
Why a Tiny Colorado County Can Offer COVID-19 Tests to Every Resident
- via The Atlantic
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