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Millions of Americans are immersed in a twisted world where language used to describe autocrats is being applied to America's democratic institutions. 

The draconian rhetoric, once reserved for the likes of tyrants and dictators, has become commonplace in right-wing media when referring to President Joe Biden and the elected government he leads. The dark and sinister language, normalized on mainstream conservative platforms such as Fox News, has been on full display this week during coverage of Donald Trump's third indictment.

The Biden White House is referred to as the "Biden regime." Federal law enforcement are referred to as the "Gestapo" and Biden’s "personal police force." Institutions such as the Department of Justice are referred to as "the Department of Injustice." The indictments against Trump are referred to as "political war crimes" and an "assassination."

Talk of imprisoning Democratic politicians — and even their families — in acts of revenge is par for the course. Even floating the outright execution of Biden, as Charlie Kirk recently did, is accepted in the warped world of MAGA Media, where the audience has been programmed through years of conditioning to welcome such vile rhetoric into their homes.

None of this is an exaggeration. It is the reality of what is being broadcast in millions of homes across the country.

It's all part of a larger trend that has dramatically disfigured the conservative media since Trump ascended to power. With the aim of portraying progressives as an evil force in America, right-wing media's most popular figures and outlets have casually appended despotic terms to Biden and his administration.

The extreme vernacular often flies under the radar, drawing eye rolls from those outside this alternate universe and receiving little media attention. But it shouldn't. Language carries with it serious consequences. And repeatedly conveying to millions of people that their democratically elected leader is a tyrant out to nefariously use the force of government to target and imprison his political opposition carries with it great risk.

"I think it's hard to overstate the dangers here: This language moves beyond mere demonization because it suggests a need for violent resistance," Charlie Sykes, a former conservative talk-radio host and an editor-at-large of The Bulwark, told me Thursday. "It's language that undermines the integrity, the democratic institutions, and the justice system itself. And there's a constant escalation without much concern where this leads or who might act on the idea that our opponents aren't just wrong — but evil, dangerous, and illegitimate."

Sykes smartly pointed out, "One does not argue, debate or disagree with the gestapo." Instead, "You go to war with them."

Each day gives way to evidence that the fact-defying repetition is working. A CNN poll published Thursday found that nearly 70% of Republicans and Republican-leaners said they believed Biden's presidential win was not legitimate, a staggering majority despite there being no evidence of widespread election fraud. Perhaps more alarming, about half of Republicans say they now have no confidence at all that elections reflect the will of the people.

Arguably, the rhetoric saturating mainstream right-wing media today is more extreme than the hyperbole used in the weeks leading up to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In those weeks, just like now, right-wing media forces set the stage and gathered the tinder for Trump — who was happy to light a match to the gasoline-soaked kindling gathered before him on January 6.

At the very least, the poison pumped into the national discourse has maimed America's shared sense of democratic principles and contributed to profound polarization, dividing neighbors, friends, and families. But in the wake of Trump's third arrest, over an attempt to topple American democracy, and ever-intensified rhetoric, let's hope history does not repeat itself.

———  BELOW THE FOLD  ———

The Mix at Max: Warner Bros. Discovery released its Q2 earnings on Thursday, with a mixed bag of news and offering a glimpse at the media giant's future plans. The before-the-bell earnings initially sent the company stock into the red only to later see it up 3% after-hours. Here are the highlights:

► Dollars and cents: WBD (CNN's parent company, of course) reported a net loss of $1.2 billion, down sharply from the $3.4 billion during the same period a year ago. The smaller loss came as the company cut costs by $2.2 billion, or 16% compared to a year ago, and revenue rose 5% to $10.4 billion. 

► Streaming update: WBD said its total streaming subscribers slipped by 1.8 million to 95.8 million after launching Max, which includes content from Discovery+. The drop was expected, it said, as subscribers to Discovery+ migrate to the comprehensive Max service. The streamer is "tracking well ahead of our financial projections," said chief executive David Zaslav.

► Strikes' impact: The company’s financials were bouyed in the short-term by the dual strikes in Hollywood, with cash flow increasing by more than $100 million in the quarter from savings of productions shutting down. Zaslav said he was hopeful the strikes will soon be "resolved in a way that the writers and actors feel they are fairly compensated and their efforts and contributions are fully valued."

► Future of sports and news: The company is working to bring news and live sports to its streaming services in the U.S., with Zaslav telling investors on the earnings call that it "now has full capability to deliver live programming" on the Max platform. "News and sports are important, they’re differentiators, they’re compelling, and they make these platforms come alive," he said. "You will hear from us on that soon."

Fox's Station Fight: Rupert Murdoch is facing a rare fight in the city of Philadelphia. The right-wing media mogul's local station is facing a challenge to its license renewal on grounds it has broken character requirements needed to hold a broadcast license, due to Fox News' broadcasting of 2020 election lies. Fox Corporation responded to the filed challenge this week. The company argued that revoking its license would amount to a "violation of the First Amendment." The Daily Beast's Justin Baragona has more.

Threads Usage Tanks: One month after launching Threads to record growth, Meta is having difficulty retaining active users. Sensor Tower data indicated the app's daily active user count is down 82% as of July 31. According to the firm, only 8 million users are logging on each day, a much smaller figure than the 44 million who were using the app at its height just weeks ago. Data from SimilarWeb affirmed what Sensor Tower found, finding that the platform had sharply declined to 11 million active users by July 29. CNN's Brian Fung has more. 

🔎 Zooming in: The decline in usage can likely be attributed to the reality that Threads simply lacks basic functions many users long for. The platform still omits a search function. It has not yet verified many notable figures who bore the blue check on Instagram, but once-upon-a-time had it on Twitter. And, most importantly, it fails to support desktop functionality, a must for journalists and other users who want to post about live events in real-time.

Lizzo Lampoons Lawsuit: Lizzo on Thursday broke her silence on a lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers, alleging they were harassed and subject to a hostile work environment while working for the Grammy-winning singer. "These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing," Lizzo said in a statement. "My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned." Lizzo went on to say that "usually" she chooses "not to respond to false allegations," but described the current claims against her as "too outrageous not to be addressed." Lizzo said that there is "nothing" she takes "more seriously" than the "respect we deserve as women in the world." CNN's Lisa Respers France has more. 

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. We will see you back in your inbox next week.