Hiring RNC Ronna Is a Flub for NBC
Hiring RNC Ronna Is a Flub for NBC
Plus: A Breakdown of the Bizarre Factions Fighting Over the TikTok Ban Bill.
Recently in The Bulwark:
BILL KRISTOL & ANDREW EGGER: St. Ronna of the Team Players
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LAUREN STILLER RIKLEEN: No Candor, No Credibility: Hiring RNC Ronna Is a Flub for NBC
NBC’S HIRING OF RONNA MCDANIEL, the recently ousted chair of the Republican National Committee, as a commentator is a disservice to viewers and to its own journalists. It is also yet another in a long line of disturbing examples of how political misinformation is being normalized. The network should not be able to get away with its whitewashing of McDaniel.
In her role at the RNC, McDaniel repeatedly vilified the media—including the very network hiring her—as “fake news” and “corrupt.” On Sunday, in her first interview as a paid contributor on NBC’s Meet the Press, McDaniel conceded after years of denial that Joe Biden won the 2020 election “fair and square”—but then she immediately resumed casting doubt on the integrity of the election. The defense she offered of her own role in the election aftermath and beyond lacked candor and introspection.
🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧
Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Bill Kristol and Joe Perticone: The Quitters [Ad-Free🔐]
The Dark Side: NBC News Hires Ronna McDaniel [Ad-Free🔐]
The Focus Group: "I voted for Donald Trump. My bad, fam." (with Tim Miller) [Ad-Free 🔐]
Bulwark Goes to Hollywood 🎧: The 2024 Stunt Awards!
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Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
A.B. STODDARD: Trump’s Legal Fee Scam Is Just the Start, and Republicans Know It.
REPUBLICANS KNEW MAKING HISTORY by nominating a four-time-indicted individual for the presidency would be, well, a little complicated. They knew they would have to explain away an insurrection and the theft of national secrets. They knew they would have to vouch for him against “racist” prosecutors in New York and Georgia, and a “weaponized” Department of Justice for bringing “fake” charges against him.
Fortunately they were assured that Donald Trump could, and would, pay for millions upon millions of dollars in legal bills, and—after anemic fundraising and an uninterrupted string of defeats—the GOP was getting its act together and preparing to win everywhere in this critical election year.
CORBIN K. BARTHOLD: A Breakdown of the Bizarre Factions Fighting Over the TikTok Ban Bill.
THE HOUSE RECENTLY PASSED, in a lopsided vote of 352 to 65, H.R. 7521, a bill that aims to sever TikTok, the popular social media platform, from its Chinese owner, ByteDance. The bill would give ByteDance six months to sell TikTok to a purchaser blessed by the federal government. Should a sale fail to occur—and the Chinese government has said it will not allow one—the bill would require app stores and internet hosting services to stop offering TikTok to users. H.R. 7521 is now in the Senate, which is expected to hold a hearing in the next few weeks (a sign that key senators may want to slow the process down).
🚨OVERTIME🚨
RIP Stumpy… Over the weekend, the Swift family paid our respects to Stumpy, a dying Cherry Blossom tree that is due to be mulched in the near future, as the NPS will be making some needed updates to the Tidal Basin. But don’t worry! Stumpy’s DNA has a good shot of making its way back to the mall in the future.
How are your brackets? Mine is pretty busted. Right now, in first place, we have John Spaight, and tied for second, we have: Shane McGarry, Nick Kuppens, Jonathan Bateson, and Sandy Stiebs.
We’ll see what else the Madness has in store. Congrats to my St. Ignatius Wildcats for winning their second state title in basketball, the last (and first) was during my time there.
A new ad… From our friends at Republican Voters Against Trump, featuring Mike Pence.
In local news… The Bojangles Chain closed up its Maryland locations due to wage fraud. A Fairfax County Thrift shop had an inactive grenade cause a police scare.
From Laddie Mag Model to RNC Co-Chair… Lara Trump, Nepo-Spouse (Mother Jones).
Save the date! RFK announces his Vice Presidential pick tomorrow. What flavor of crazy are we going with? Sports or celebrity?
America First Legal, a Trump-Aligned Group… Is Spoiling for a Fight (NYT🎁)
Will Manfred eventually give us Banana Ball? Don’t get me wrong: I don’t like Manfred’s changes, but if you’re going to go Bill Veeck1, why not go full Veeck? Aren’t we just making a thousand small compromises towards Banana Ball? We’ll see. But in the meantime, enjoy this matchup between the Savannah Bananas and the Party Animals. For now, we get both, and despite Rob Manfred’s meddling, baseball is still pretty great.
The Seattle Kraken’s Organist… Knows some bangers.
How Can Non-Scientists Determine the "State of the Science"? Our friends at Connors Institute discuss.
Florida Students Seize on ‘Parental Rights’… to Stop Educators From Hitting Kids (The74).
Is Reading Passé? A friend of Matt Labash loses his books mojo.
Taking a 1980s camera… To Disney World in 2024.
From memes to mayhem… Put The Anti-Social Network on your Netflix list.
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