Good morning! For the next few weeks this newsletter will be overindexing on campaign news, just like your brain probably will be 😉 But today my kids are off from school, so we're going to a water park in... the swing state of Pennsylvania. See, there's no escaping the election... |
Legendary journalist Bob Woodward's new book "War," out today, is primarily about President Biden's handling of foreign conflicts. He concludes that Biden's national security team "will largely be studied in history as an example of steady and purposeful leadership." (I posted the remarkable epilogue page here.)
But with the book coming out during an election year, the reporting about Donald Trump stands out, particularly the scene with Trump's former Joint Chiefs chair Mark Milley calling Trump "the most dangerous person ever" and "fascist to the core."
The quote comes on page 179, and dates back to March 2023, when Milley and Woodward spoke at a Cohen Group reception in DC. Milley repeated the word "fascist" more than once. He exclaimed, "We have got to stop him! You have got to stop him!" Woodward says "by 'you' he meant the press broadly."
"I will never forget the intensity of his worry," Woodward concludes.
The scene is a "digression" in the book, but an important one, Slate reviewer Fred Kaplan writes. "War, published on the eve of another election, is meant not only as a look back on the Biden years but a warning about the dangers ahead if Trump is allowed another four years in the White House."
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The dictionary definition |
In the pre-Trump era, Lawrence O'Donnell said to Woodward on MSNBC last night, Milley's warning would have been "just inconceivable."
"Well," Woodward said, "then he proved it, and events prove it."
Media outlets often hesitate to apply the word "fascist" to a leader's actions or attitudes, and for good reason, given the historical connotations. I remember wondering if "How Fascism Works" author Jason Stanley was going too far when he told me in a 2020 interview that "Trumpism is something akin to a fascist social and political movement."
The best answer, as always, is to report it out. Gather examples. Interview experts. Show the evidence. Yesterday on "The Lead," Jake Tapper showed several clips of Trump's anti-immigrant and authoritarian language, then read a dictionary definition of fascism aloud. "You can be the judge," he said, "as to whether General Milley's characterization sounds like what Mr. Trump is proposing out there on the stump."
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Similarly, the NYT's Charles Homans attended seven of Trump's rallies in late 2023 and early 2024 compiled examples of the candidate's intensifying us versus them rhetoric. Then Homans reached out to people like political historian Federico Finchelstein, who told him, "This is how fascists campaign."
"War" is #1 on Amazon's new releases list right now. Its revelations are being widely covered. But it's worth noting that Milley's "fascist" depiction of Trump has not been mentioned a single time on Fox News, according to a TVEyes closed captioning search. I suspect Kamala Harris may try to change that when she sits down for her first-ever formal interview on Fox tomorrow.
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>> Peter Bergen penned a review of "War" for CNN.com here.
>> Woodward will be on "Anderson Cooper 360" tonight and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Thursday, just to name a couple...
>> On CBS, "asked if 'War' is his last book, Woodward replied, 'Never know.' He's thinking of mining his files for a memoir of his extraordinary career..."
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At a rally Monday night in Erie, Pa., Harris said "please roll the clip," then pointed to a large screen playing several of Trump's chilling threats, including his recent suggestion to Maria Bartiromo that the military should be deployed against the "enemy from within" on Election Day. "He considers anyone who doesn't support him, or who will not bend to his will, an enemy of our country," Harris told an arena filled with supporters. And "we know who he would target because he has attacked them before." She named "journalists whose stories he doesn't like," election officials "who refuse to cheat," and "judges who insist on following the law."
>> Last night, Jimmy Kimmel showed the same Trump/Bartiromo clip and said, "Just a former president suggesting he'll use the military against his fellow citizens for exercising their freedom of speech. Nothing to worry about, folks. Seriously, when is he gonna grow that little mustache already? Because there's only three weeks left!"
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Harris is trying to reach news-avoiders |
For the Harris campaign, "the target audience for the next three weeks contains essentially no one who watches Fox News or MSNBC or reads the Times, the Post, the Daily Dish (or Puck)," John Heilemann of Puck wrote here.
Yes, Harris is doing that Fox interview tomorrow with Bret Baier, for some obvious reasons. (And Harris aides are emphasizing that Trump is staying inside his right-wing media bubble while she tries to pop that bubble.) But for the most part Harris is trying to reach an audience of news-avoiders and news-cynics rather than (I'm raising my hand now) news-junkies.
>> MSNBC's Ja'han Jones noted that Harris "is blanketing Black media outlets as she unveils a slate of policy proposals aimed at Black men."
>> The Shade Room, an online tabloid with a huge Black audience, published an interview with Harris, and it was the site's #1 story overnight.
>> Today, Harris will be in Detroit for a live town hall with Charlamagne tha God, airing on 130 radio stations and streaming all over the place. (Notably, the Trump campaign is using Charlamagne clips in an anti-trans ad.)
>> Hey, Vox's Jonquilyn Hill says, "if you're a member of the press wondering why campaigns are going to these other platforms, you need to get a better sense of who your competition is."
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Political media notes and quotes |
>> Here's how the FULL SEND podcast titled its Trump interview on YouTube: "Trump Calls Out Kamala Over FAKE Interview, Talks Joe Rogan, and Why He HATES Jimmy Kimmel!" (YouTube)
>> Trump is making it sound like a Rogan sit-down is in the works, and on Monday Reuters reported that Harris may also tape an interview with Rogan. (Reuters)
>> Glenn Beck is releasing a long chat with Trump this morning. (X)
>> Trump couldn't resist commenting on Gabriel Sherman and Ali Abbasi's new movie "The Apprentice." He says it's a "cheap, defamatory and politically disgusting hatchet job." (Deadline)
>> Dan Pfeiffer tells Democrats "it's time to stop panicking about the polls" because "this is a very close, very winnable race.." (The Message Box)
>> Correction: Yesterday I misspelled the name of The Present Age author Parker Molloy. My apologies. Check out Molloy's newsletter here!
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Four good reads about Trump |
>> What happened at Trump's town hall turned concert last night? The Daily Mail's Rob Crilly says he's never seen anything like it. (Daily Mail)
>> Shawn McCreesh's latest campaign notebook is about "The Trump Voters Who Don't Believe Trump." he says "a lot of people are happy to vote for him because they simply do not believe he will do many of the things he says he will." (NYT)
>> "The media has three weeks to learn how to tell the truth about Trump," Michael Tomasky writes. (TNR)
>>"If Trump loses again, Republicans are ready to falsely blame immigrants," Justin Glawe writes. (Rolling Stone)
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Along with Woodward's "War," here are some of today's new releases:
– "Beyond the Big Lie," by Bill Adair, about the epidemic of political lying in America.
– "Jimmy Breslin: The Man Who Told the Truth," by Richard Esposito, is the first-ever biography of the legendary writer.
– "Sonny Boy: A Memoir," by Al Pacino, is "the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide" – now that's some great marketing copy.
– "What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts)," by Stanley Tucci, is exactly what it sounds like – scrumptious!
– "Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion," by Allie Beth Stuckey, is a conservative podcaster's take on morality.
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The New York Times "is picking another fight in the AI world. The publisher has sent generative-AI startup Perplexity a 'cease and desist' notice demanding that the firm stop accessing and using its content," the WSJ's Alexandra Bruell reports.
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"In the moments when the effects from chemotherapy were so bad, Sara Sidner placed a bucket next to her anchor desk at CNN. You never know when you might have to vomit on national television while delivering the news."
That's the lead of Timothy Bella's remarkable new profile of Sidner, published this morning by The Washington Post. Bella describes how Sidner is "using her platform to spread awareness of breast cancer among Black women," a true public service. Check out the full story here.
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>> The NYT editorial board says the PRESS Act, a federal shield law, is "vital to prevent abuses of power," so conservative senators should stop holding up the bill. (NYT)
>> Oliver Darcy reports on a "blossoming friendship" between Elon Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav. (Status)
>> Vice and BBC vet Ben Hunte is joining CNN as an international anchor and correspondent... (CNN)
>> Brian Schwartz is jumping from CNBC to the WSJ as a White House economic policy reporter... (X)
>> "The BBC director general has said he has 'kind of banned' referring to its high-profile staff as 'talent' as the corporation grapples with the fallout from controversies involving a number of senior presenters," Ben Quinn reports. (The Guardian)
>> SiriusXM shares surged on Monday after reports that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has been increasing its stake in the company. (CNBC)
>> "Each year, Spanish-speaking sports fans can usually find one Spanish-language simulcast of the Super Bowl. This year, there will be two," one by Fox Deportes and one by NBCUniversal's Telemundo, Brian Steinberg reports. (Variety)
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>> In "the battle between governments and tech giants," governments "have kept the upper hand," Jack Nicas and Paul Mozur write. (NYT)
>> Meta is "taking heat for engagement-bait posts on Threads, but the company is sticking by comments — and the idea of posts that 'drive conversation' — as a way to decide what should get recommended," Sydney Bradley reports. (BI)
>> Another story from Bradley: Substack is "ramping up in-person events, with creators hosting readings, debates, and more." (BI)
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Diddy hit with more suits |
"At least half a dozen new lawsuits were filed Monday against musician and producer Sean Combs, accusing him of sexual assault against men, women and a 16-year-old boy," CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister and Kara Scannell report. |
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Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images |
Via the AP: “Major League Baseball's postseason is averaging 3.33 million viewers going into the league championship series, an 18% increase over last year’s average of 2.82 million."
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>> Legendary Entertainment has "bought out the remaining 50% stake owned by Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group, signifying a coda to China's once-lofty hopes of becoming a major player in Hollywood," Samantha Masunaga reports. (LAT)
>> Brutal but true headline: "Lionsgate's Last 6 Films Have All Been Box Office Busts." (TheWrap)
>> "The Beatles' 1964 trip to America will be chronicled in a new documentary from producer Martin Scorsese and director David Tedeschi," Ethan Shanfeld reports. (Variety)
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