THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2022

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Jim Acosta

CNN Newsroom's Jim Acosta helped shine a light on the human side of of the war in Ukraine with two interviews during this weekend's shows.

The first, on Saturday, was with Bohdan Yurov, a bar owner in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Yurov has transformed his business into an emergency shelter and a distribution center where he has been organizing volunteers to help deliver food, medicine, and other supplies around town, helping feed about 1,800 daily. 

“We will stay strong and we will keep the city and we will keep the country, but it’s only possible with the whole world being united,” Yurov told Acosta. "Like literally, we get up every morning only because we understand that there is a reason to continue fighting.”

Ukrainian restaurateur Misha Katsurin spoke with Acosta on Sunday about the strife Putin's propaganda had caused within his family, with his own father in Russia not believing his description of the war and the damage caused by Russian troops to civilian areas. 

Katsurin created a website to help Ukrainians share the truth about the war with their Russian relatives, to reach out with "love" and "respect." 

Two people with two stories out of the millions affected by this war, but they were important voices to hear. 

MEDIA LOSER:
Maria Bartiromo

Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo received harsh resistance across social media after using a bizarre snippet of apparent gossip to criticize the Biden administration’s handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine during Fox and Friends on Sunday.

“I was on the phone all weekend with various people about this conflict right now,” started Bartiromo when asked to comment on the conflict. “What I took away from all of my phone calls is the strategy of this administration has been underwhelming and not enough.”

“Some people have told me over the weekend that they feel that at the end of the day this administration does not see Putin as the enemy, they see him as a partner on many issues," Bartiromo declared. 

She never cited any sources for her outlandish accusation, just a nebulous "some people." Twitter users buried her with backlash, with many pointing out former President Donald Trump's unrepentant praise for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin

MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle conveyed her sharp disappointment in watching Bartiromo's "downward spiral" while others just called her "nuts" or an "idiot."

There are many fair criticisms of the White House's response to the Ukraine crisis. But Bartiromo's attempt just didn't make sense.

The A-Block

The GOAT is coming back

Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL less than two months ago, but that was apparently enough time off for him. The seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback sent shockwaves through Twitter with his Sunday evening announcement that he was coming back, citing "unfinished business" that undoubtedly focuses on picking up an eighth ring. 

Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Bruce Arians was very excited about his star QB's "unretirement," and former NFL player Dominque Foxworth credited Brady's wife Gisele Bündchen with inspiring the decision. 

The turmoil over Covid protocols continues in the NBA, with Kyrie Irving being allowed to attend a Brooklyn Nets game and sit in the stands, but not actually play on the court. Kevin Durant blasted NYC Mayor Eric Adams for the "stupid" rules that created such a bizarre scene. 

Director Jane Campion bombed with an awkward joke that she faced tougher competition that Serena and Venus Williams because she competed against male directors. 

And this might be the weirdest boxing matchup ever, but we're pretty sure it would rake in piles of cash as a pay-per-view fight: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was even wackier than he usually is on Twitter Monday, challenging Vladimir Putin to a "single combat" fight.


American freelance journalist Brent Renaud was shot and killed by Russian forces outside of Kyiv Saturday. Another American journalist, Juan Arredondo, was with Renaud and was wounded. On Monday, Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall was also wounded outside Kyiv. Our condolences to Renaud's family, friends, and colleagues, and best wishes for a quick and full recovery for Arredondo and Hall. 

🇺🇦 FOR LATEST UKRAINE COVERAGE CLICK HERE


In Other News...

UN Secretary-General Warns: 'Once Unthinkable' Nuclear War 'Within the Realm of Possibility'

The View’s Ana Navarro Calls for DOJ to Investigate ‘Russian Propagandists’ Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard

Politico Sends Josh Hawley a Cease and Desist Letter Over Infamous Jan. 6 Fist-Pump Photo

LEAKED: Memo From Russian Government Reportedly Instructs Media to Promote Fox News' Tucker Carlson

Ukrainian Postal Service Launches ‘Russian Warship, Go F*ck Yourself’ Stamp

Must See Clip

"Putin wing of the media" 

Fox News’ Mark Levin on Sunday slammed those in the media promoting the conspiracy theory that Ukraine has been secretly developing bioweapons in conjunction with the U.S.

It's a baseless conjecture that has been parroted as a talking point by some in American media — most notably Levin’s Fox News colleague Tucker Carlson.

“There are no nukes there. There’s been a phony story about American biotech centers there to develop weapons and so forth,” Levin said.

“And of course, the Putin wing of the Republican party and the Putin wing of the media and the Putin wing of the Democrat party, they’re all over it,” he continued. “No, those are old Soviet locations that the United States…has been trying to deal with. We’re not developing biochemical weapons in Ukraine.”

Watch here. 

Links We Like

The war in Ukraine spills over onto Fox News airwaves
- Philip Bump, The Washington Post
Russia Doesn’t Need Trolls This Time
- Amanda Carpenter, The Bulwark
The U.S. Subsidy That Empowers Putin
- David From, The Atlantic
What we can learn from Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s TV presidency
- Kelsey Piper, Vox
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