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But the consequences — but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails, and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States. But Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign, so he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal. Because, you know, they know — they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself.

Persons: Kamala Harris’s, Let’s, Doug, Cole, Ella, Dougie, Joe Biden, Joe, Tim Walz, Shyamala Harris, Donald Harris, Aretha, Coltrane, Miles, Kamala, Don’t, Shelton, Uncle Sherman, Aunt Mary, Uncle Freddie, Auntie Chris —, Family, —, Maya, Michelle, Thurgood Marshall, Constance Baker Motley, Wanda, Kamala Harris, I’ve, Donald Trump, doesn’t, “, miscarrying, Couples, John Lewis, Trump, Putin, Said, Zelensky, Biden, Kim Jong, let’s Organizations: Democratic, Mayflower, White, U.S . Capitol, Capitol, U.S, Supreme, Trump, Social Security, Affordable, of Education, Medicare, Congress, Republicans, NATO, Fellow Locations: America, India, California, Jamaica, —, Illinois, Wisconsin, East, United States of America, Oakland, Calif, United States, China, Said Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Iran, An America, American

☆ Doug Emhoff, Husband of Kamala Harris, Acknowledges Long-Ago Affair
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Ken Bensinger | Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, said on Saturday that he had an extramarital affair during his first marriage, years before he met Ms. Harris. At the time, Mr. Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer, was married to Kerstin Emhoff, a film producer, with whom he had two children. Mr. Emhoff met Ms. Harris in 2013, and they married the following year. “During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions,” Mr. Emhoff said in the statement. “I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.”

Persons: Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Harris, Emhoff, Kerstin Emhoff, Kerstin, ” Mr, “, ” Locations: Culver City, Calif

☆ Inside the ‘Shakespearean Drama’ of the Murdoch Family
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( John Otis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“That was a sign to ‘Murdoch watchers’ that something was up,” said Jim Rutenberg, a New York Times reporter who broke the news about Mr. Murdoch’s engagement. Mr. Rutenberg, who writes about politics and culture, has long reported on the Murdoch family. In 2019, he and Jonathan Mahler wrote an exhaustive article for The Times Magazine about the Murdochs’ sprawling media empire and its global influence. “That, for better or worse, sort of cemented us as the experts on this family,” said Mr. Mahler, who covers various topics for the magazine, including politics and entertainment. The outcome will determine who will have control of the empire after Mr. Murdoch’s death.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, James, Elisabeth, Prudence, “, ‘ Murdoch, ”, Jim Rutenberg, Rutenberg, Murdoch, Jonathan Mahler, Mahler, Lachlan Organizations: New York Times, The Times Magazine

An “irrevocable” trust? Rupert Murdoch is showing yet again that real life can be more fascinating than fiction. It’s about control of a global media business with extraordinary political power, one that’s still trying to preserve its influence in America and elsewhere. The context: When Murdoch dies, control of the family’s companies, including the broadcaster Fox and the newspaper publisher News Corp, will be shared among his four eldest children via the trust. Under the arrangement, Prudence, Lachlan, James and Elisabeth will each get an equal say in how the businesses are run.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, —, Jim Rutenberg, Jonathan Mahler, isn’t, Murdoch, Prudence, Lachlan, James, Elisabeth Organizations: Fox, News Corp Locations: Nevada, America

☆ Secret family battle for Murdoch empire revealed in sealed court documents: NYT
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Murdoch family, famous for helming one of the world’s most influential news empires, is locked in a secret court battle over succession and control, according to a New York Times report citing sealed court documents. By granting control to only Lachlan, Murdoch is arguing in court, he is protecting the companies’ value – which then benefits all his heirs, according to The Times. He began learning the family business at a young age and rose quickly through the ranks. Rupert Murdoch with his sons Lachlan (left) and James (right) attending his wedding to Jerry Hall in London on March 5, 2016. While apparently considered the most similar to Rupert, Elisabeth has struggled to advance in the family business.

Persons: Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch, ”, Rupert Murdoch’s, – Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, Prudence –, Lachlan, –, Prudence, Jerry Hall, Max Mumby, James –, Joe Biden’s, Kathryn, Rupert, Logan Roy, Jim Rutenberg, ” Rutenberg Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Fox Corporation, News Corporation, Street, New, New York Post, Forbes, Fox Corp, News Corp, The Times, Times, Lachlan, Fox News, Democratic, Republican Party, Disney Locations: New York, London, Australia, “

☆ The Secret Battle for the Future of the Murdoch Empire
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | Jonathan Mahler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rupert Murdoch is locked in a secret legal battle against three of his children over the future of the family’s media empire, as he moves to preserve it as a conservative political force after his death, according to a sealed court document obtained by The New York Times. Mr. Murdoch, 93, set the drama in motion late last year, when he made a surprise move to change the terms of the Murdochs’ irrevocable family trust to ensure that his eldest son and chosen successor, Lachlan, would remain in charge of his vast collection of television networks and newspapers. The trust currently hands control of the family business to the four oldest children when Mr. Murdoch dies. Those three siblings — James, Elisabeth and Prudence — were caught completely off-guard by their father’s effort to rewrite what was supposed to be an inviolable trust and have united to stop him. Remarkably, the ensuing battle has been playing out entirely out of public view.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, Murdoch, Lachlan, — James, Elisabeth, Prudence — Organizations: The New York Times

☆ Trump Demands Equal Airtime in Light of Biden’s Planned Address
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Michael Gold | Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ahead of President Biden’s planned prime-time address from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, former President Donald J. Trump and his campaign sent a letter to ABC, NBC and CBS on Tuesday demanding that Mr. Trump be given equal airtime. Mr. Biden is expected to address his decision to end his re-election campaign and outline his plans for the rest of his time in office. In a social media post, he wrote that he would discuss “what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.”But in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times, the Trump campaign’s general counsel, David Warrington, asserted in advance of Mr. Biden’s speech that it would most likely address Mr. Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. Based on that assumption, Mr. Warrington wrote, “it appears that President Biden’s speech will not be a bona fide news event, but rather, a prime-time campaign commercial.” Citing the Federal Communications Commission’s “equal time” rule, Mr. Warrington insisted that Mr. Trump be given similar time on air, arguing that Mr. Biden’s address was a “campaign speech,” even as Mr. Biden is no longer technically a candidate for the presidency.

Persons: Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, Biden, David Warrington, Kamala Harris, Warrington Organizations: ABC, NBC, CBS, The New York Times, Trump, Federal Communications Commission’s

☆ Trump Tries to Flip the Script on Democracy After Biden’s Withdrawal
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Nick Corasaniti | Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ever since rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the Democratic Party has sought to claim the mantle of democracy, painting Donald J. Trump and his allies as extremists willing to deny the will of voters to cling to power. Now, after President Biden dropped his re-election bid and Democrats swiftly aligned behind Vice President Kamala Harris as a replacement, Republicans are trying to flip the argument. In a series of statements and social media posts, Republicans have argued that Democrats, by pressuring Mr. Biden to quit, have “disenfranchised” the 14 million people who voted for him in the party primaries. Instead, it is the Republicans’ latest attempt to muddy the waters on an issue that helped Democrats win key races two years ago. Since Mr. Trump’s attempt to overturn his defeat in 2020, which led to the Jan. 6 riot and criminal charges against the former president, Democrats have cast Republicans as a threat to democratic norms.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, Kamala Harris, Mr, Republicans ’, Trump’s Organizations: Capitol, Democratic Party, Republicans

☆ Election Live Updates: Republicans Leave Convention Unified Around Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | Adam Nagourney | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +74 min

And there was great, great sorrow. They’re going to be OK. They’re going to be doing very well. Now he’s going to get on the plane in a little while and he’s going to go back home to his wife. Great, great student at Yale. So many — just so many heroes, so many great, great people.

Persons: Dana, Bob, ”, Lee, you’ll, it’s, didn’t, Nobody, “, I’m, Corey Comperatore, David Dutch, James Copenhaver, We’re, Corey, Helen ., David, James, Dan Newlin, Dan, Trump, —, Aileen Cannon, I’ve, Don, Kimberly, Ivanka, Jared, Eric, Lara, Tiffany, Michael, Barron, he’s, “ Dana won’t, That’s Lee Greenwood, … Eric, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, They’ve, Jason, Jason Aldean, Vance, Usha, He’s, He’ll, MAGA, ” MAGA, I’ll, you’re, nobody’s, We’ve, Somebody’s, they’re, It’s, can’t, We’ll, don’t, “ I’m, we’ll, Biden, They’re, that’s, you’ve, I’d, gee, You’d, That’s what’s, Donald Trump, That’s, There’s, Tom Homan, Brandon Judd, They’ll, Obama, They’d, “ You’ve, we’re, we’ve, Hannibal Lecter, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin, Rachel, Laken Riley, horrifically, Viktor Orban, what’s, Bush, it’ll, Kim Jung Un, Sam Brown, Sam, You’ve, Abdul, Don’t, You’re, Ronald Reagan, America’s, Franklin Graham, Franklin, Billy Graham, he’d, soldiered Organizations: of Pennsylvania, Secret Service, Service, Democrat, Republican Party, Republican, Democrats, America, Yale, ISIS, Space Force, Energy, Apple, Trump, Republican Senate, White, Republicans, United Auto Workers, Social Security, Border Patrol, ICE, ”, Lambs, University of Georgia, “, U.S, Senate, Washington, D.C, Yankee, Win Locations: America, United States, Butler Township, of, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Asia, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, Philippines, China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, Germany, Mexico, Nevada, United States of America, There’s, South America, Africa, Middle East, Venezuela, Caracas, El Salvador, Houston, Los Angeles, Maryland, Hungary, “ Russia, Georgia, Crimea, Syria, Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan, Bagram, Cuba, Miami, U.S.A, Wisconsin , Wisconsin, Washington, Japan, Delaware, Valley Forge, Yorktown, Gettysburg, Midway

☆ Live Election Updates: Trump to Close Convention in Full Control of His Party
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +22 min

For the last eight years, President Trump has given everything he has to fight for the people of our country. And then President Trump flew to Milwaukee and got back to work. A leader who rejects Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s Green New Scam and fights to bring back our great American factories. President Trump represents America’s last best hope to restore what — if lost — may never be found again. And every single day for the next four years, when I walk into that White House to help President Trump, I will be doing it for you.

Persons: Vance, Trump, Donald Trump, Corey Comperatore, Don, Eric squirmed, I’ve, Joe Biden, Joe, ”, Donald J, Biden, Mamaw, “, We’ve, who’s, Kamala Harris’s, —, I’m, Usha, Ewan who’s, Vivek who’s, America’s, It’ll, Trump’s, Mamaw couldn’t, That’s, Kamala Harris, he’s, Joe Biden’s, ” We’re, “ Honey, it’s, that’s Organizations: Michigan, America, United States Senate, Republican Party of, NAFTA, China, United States Marines, Fi, The Ohio State University, I’m, Ohio State, Yale Law School, Trump, Mirabel, Social Security, Iraq, Washington, Workers, Chinese Communist Party, ISIS, United, Republican Party Locations: Milwaukee, Ohio, America, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Middletown , Ohio, Washington, Mexico, Iraq, Michigan, New York City, American, Afghanistan, Wisconsin, China, U.S.A, Eastern Kentucky, Appalachia, Ohio , Pennsylvania, that’s Kentucky, United States, Kentucky, Michigan , Wisconsin , Pennsylvania

☆ Live Election Updates: Trump to Close G.O.P. Convention in Full Control of His Party
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +22 min

☆ Tucker Carlson, Ousted by Fox, Roars Into Milwaukee as a Top Trump Ally
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

All of a sudden, Tucker Carlson has roared back to the forefront of Republican politics. Once the top-rated anchor on Fox News — only to be abruptly ousted 15 months ago, his national platform yanked out from under his feet — Mr. Carlson has made an improbable re-emergence into America’s living rooms at this week’s Republican National Convention. He is even returning to prime time: Mr. Carlson is set to deliver a televised address to the convention on Thursday in a coveted slot shortly before Mr. Trump accepts his party’s nomination. Mr. Carlson once electrified Fox viewers with racial grievances and flimflam conspiracy theories. But behind the scenes over the past year, Mr. Carlson has become more deeply allied with Mr. Trump than at any point in his long relationship with the former president, a man for whom the broadcaster once expressed deep ambivalence.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Mr, Carlson, Donald J, Trump, Joe Roganesque Organizations: Fox News, Republican National Convention, Mr, Fox

☆ Rupert Murdoch Shows Up at Republican Convention
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ron DeSantis, bestowing Mr. DeSantis with the brute-force promotional heft that only he could deliver. But on Tuesday, Mr. Murdoch, the recently retired global media titan, was in Milwaukee to take his place among the rank-and-file Republican faithful. And with that, he became one of the most prominent one-time Trump detractors to line up behind the former president and join a convention that has doubled as a resounding show of Republican unity. Mr. Murdoch, 93, has not been a regular at conventions. But his appearance is also another extraordinary turn in his contorted relationship with Mr. Trump, whose unshakable hold over the audience of Mr. Murdoch’s major cable network, Fox News, has kept Mr. Murdoch yoked to the former president for the better part of the past decade.

Persons: Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch, Donald J, Trump, “ Trump, Trump’s, Ron DeSantis, Murdoch yoked Organizations: Trump, Republican, Gov, Wall Street, The New, The New York Post, Fox News Locations: Milwaukee, The New York

Mr. Holt’s coverage ran on MSNBC immediately after the shooting on Saturday and he was scheduled to interview Mr. Biden on Monday. The person said staff members were surprised on Monday when MSNBC ran programming from its digital news service, NBC News Now, instead of the main NBC News show, “Today,” which was not pre-empted. A spokesman for MSNBC denied that NBC had made the programming change because of political considerations. In a statement, the network said: “Given the gravity and complexity of this unfolding story, NBC News, NBC News NOW and MSNBC have remained in rolling breaking news coverage since Saturday evening. MSNBC made other programming changes after the shooting on Saturday.

Persons: Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Kristen Welker, Mr, Biden, ”, Joe ”, Ali Velshi Organizations: NBC, MSNBC, NBC News, NBCUniversal News, Republican Locations: Savannah, Milwaukee

☆ Unbowed by Jan. 6 Charges, Republicans Pursue Plans to Contest a Trump Defeat
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | Nick Corasaniti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Republican Party and its conservative allies are engaged in an unprecedented legal campaign targeting the American voting system. Their wide-ranging and methodical effort is laying the groundwork to contest an election that they argue, falsely, is already being rigged against former President Donald J. Trump. The campaign involves a powerful network of Republican lawyers and activist groups, working loosely in concert with the Republican National Committee. Many of the key players were active in Mr. Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Mr. Trump’s allies have followed a two-pronged approach: restricting voting for partisan advantage ahead of Election Day and short-circuiting the process of ratifying the winner afterward, if Mr. Trump loses.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s Organizations: Republican Party, Republican National Committee

On Today’s Episode:Top Democrats, Swallowing Fears About Biden’s Candidacy, Remain Behind Him, by Catie Edmondson, Maya C. Miller, Robert Jimison and Annie KarniA Late Play by the Biden Campaign: Running Out the Clock, by Adam Nagourney and Jim RutenbergHow Mar-a-Lago Became the Center of Gravity for the Hard Right, by Karen Yourish, Charlie Smart and David A. FahrentholdAt Least 25 Reported Killed in Israeli Airstrike at School Turned Shelter in Gaza, by Liam Stack and Anushka Patil‘Rust’ Jury Chosen After Questions About Guns, Movies and Alec Baldwin, by Julia Jacobs

Persons: Catie Edmondson, Maya C, Miller, Robert Jimison, Annie Karni, Adam Nagourney, Jim Rutenberg, Karen Yourish, Charlie Smart, David A, Liam Stack, Anushka Patil, Alec Baldwin, Julia Jacobs Organizations: Biden, Gravity Locations: Gaza

☆ A Late Play by the Biden Campaign: Running Out the Clock
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Adam Nagourney | Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden’s resistance to pressure to end his re-election bid appears to be a strategy aimed at running out the clock, a play to leave his party so little time to come up with another candidate that his opponents stand down. Every day that Mr. Biden defies pressure to step aside, the prospects, and logistics, of replacing him become more untenable, and riskier. “It’s a mess,” said James Carville, a consultant who has been among a roster of Democrats pushing for Mr. Biden to step aside and clear the way for a new nominee. Everybody gets exhausted and just says, ‘It’s too much trouble.’”Mr. Biden’s efforts to dig in were showing signs of initial success. On Tuesday, some Democratic leaders in Congress expressed support for the president and said it was time to move on.

Persons: Biden’s, Biden, Donald J, Trump, Mr, “, ”, James Carville, ‘, ’, Diana DeGette of Organizations: Republican, Democratic Locations: Diana DeGette of Colorado

☆ Should Biden Quit? Democrats Weigh Potential Rewards and Steep Risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Adam Nagourney | Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With President Biden under pressure to drop his bid for a second term, his party has been thrust into uncharted territory, struggling with a long list of risks and rewards as it faces the prospect of replacing Mr. Biden less than two months before the party convention. No presumptive nominee has withdrawn this late in the process. All of this has left Democrats struggling with critical questions: Is it easier to defeat Mr. Trump with or without Mr. Biden at the top of the ticket? Is it riskier to go with a new candidate or stick with a president who appears headed for defeat? On Wednesday, a New York Times/Siena College poll found that Mr. Trump’s lead over Mr. Biden among likely voters had grown to six percentage points after the president’s halting debate performance last week.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Trump’s Organizations: Trump, New York Times, Siena College, Mr

☆ The Road to a Crisis: How Democrats Let Biden Glide to Renomination
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | Adam Nagourney | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the aftermath of Thursday’s presidential debate, as Jill Biden led President Biden off the stage, former Senator Claire McCaskill, the Missouri Democrat, raised what she called a “hard and heartbreaking” question. “You have to ask,’’ she said on MSNBC, “how did we get here?”Barely seven weeks before Democrats gather in Chicago to formally nominate Mr. Biden for a second term, the Democratic Party is in crisis. Many party leaders, donors, activists and ordinary voters, stunned by the president’s faltering debate appearance, now fear he will lose to former President Donald J. Trump and drag Democrats to devastating defeats in congressional and state elections. Mr. Biden is surrounded by a tight circle of longtime aides and family members who have encouraged his desire to seek a second term. But interviews with top party strategists, office holders and people close to Democrats seen as possible presidential hopefuls suggest that, just as crucially, party leaders were lulled into complacency or pressed to step in line at crucial moments when they might have persuaded Mr. Biden to step aside.

Persons: Jill Biden, Biden, Claire McCaskill, ’ ’, “, Donald J, Mr Organizations: Missouri Democrat, MSNBC, Democratic Party, Trump Locations: Missouri, Chicago

☆ How MSNBC’s Leftward Tilt Delivers Ratings, and Complications
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

MSNBC placed a big bet on becoming comfort TV for liberals. Time slots on the cable network once devoted to news programming are now occupied by Trump-bashing opinion hosts. On Super Tuesday, when producers aired a portion of a live speech by former President Donald J. Trump, Rachel Maddow chastised her bosses on the air. But MSNBC’s success has had unintended consequences for its parent company, NBC, an original Big Three broadcaster that still strives to appeal to a mass American audience. Local NBC stations between the coasts have demanded, again and again, that executives in New York do more to preserve NBC’s nonpartisan brand, lest MSNBC’s blue-state bent alienate their red-state viewers.

Persons: Biden’s, Jen Psaki, Donald J, Trump, Rachel Maddow Organizations: MSNBC, Trump, White, CNN, Fox News, NBC, Local NBC Locations: New York

☆ CNN’s Coverage of Man Who Set Himself on Fire Shows Challenges of Live News
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Until Friday, at least, the cable news coverage of the first criminal trial of a former president carried a hint of anticlimax. With the dry and slow-moving proceedings inside a Lower Manhattan courtroom closed to their cameras, the networks could only offer their usual interviews with experts and analysts, set to the sights and sounds of their outdoor, on-location camera positions. That all changed on Friday when a man from Florida, Max Azzarello, set himself on fire near the courthouse — immediately bringing home the promise and perils of live cable news, especially for the network that invented the genre, CNN. The network’s legal analyst and anchor, Laura Coates, was doing a live interview with a jury-selection expert when Mr. Azzarello began throwing a batch of conspiracy pamphlets into the air, then dousing himself with an accelerant and setting himself ablaze.

Persons: Max Azzarello, Laura Coates, Azzarello, dousing Organizations: CNN Locations: Manhattan, Florida

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicRonna McDaniel’s time at NBC was short. The former Republican National Committee chairwoman was hired as an on-air political commentator but released just days later after an on-air revolt by the network’s leading stars. Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The Times, discusses the saga and what it might reveal about the state of television news heading into the 2024 presidential race.

Persons: Jim Rutenberg Organizations: Spotify, NBC, Republican National, The Times

☆ Seeking Balance, Tripping Up
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The news that NBC had hired and then abruptly cut ties with the former Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel this week may feel like a flashback for TV insiders and viewers. Once again, a major news network is on the defensive over an attempt to balance out its ranks of talking heads — a mainstay of the genre — with a pro-Trump surrogate whose qualifications for the role appeared to run counter to the basic tenets of journalism. McDaniel, after all, had been a prominent exponent of the false notion that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. As my colleague Alexandra Berzon and I reported yesterday, McDaniel was also at times involved in Trump’s attempts to stave off the certification of Joe Biden’s victory. While the crackup may seem as if it was inevitable in retrospect, it was also reflective of a hallmark of the Trump era: After two impeachments, a Capitol riot and numerous criminal indictments, the question of how to cover Trump is no closer to being solved.

Persons: Ronna McDaniel, McDaniel, Donald Trump, Alexandra Berzon, Joe Biden’s, Trump Organizations: NBC, Republican Party, Trump

☆ How Trump’s Allies Are Winning the War Over Disinformation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | Steven Lee Myers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Social media companies suspended Donald J. Trump, then the president, and many of his allies from the platforms they had used to spread misinformation about his defeat and whip up the attempt to overturn it. The Biden administration, Democrats in Congress and even some Republicans sought to do more to hold the companies accountable. Mr. Trump and his allies embarked instead on a counteroffensive, a coordinated effort to block what they viewed as a dangerous effort to censor conservatives. Waged in the courts, in Congress and in the seething precincts of the internet, that effort has eviscerated attempts to shield elections from disinformation in the social media era. It tapped into — and then, critics say, twisted — the fierce debate over free speech and the government’s role in policing content.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden Organizations: Social Locations: Jan, Washington, Congress

☆ Yep, He Did It Again
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Jim Rutenberg | More About Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Rupert Murdoch decided that at 92, it was time to give up the reins of power at his media empire — but it seems he believes age is no barrier for new love, or a new marriage. On Thursday, Mr. Murdoch’s office said that he planned to marry his girlfriend, Elena Zhukova, 67, a retired molecular biologist whom he started dating in the summer. The nuptials, scheduled for June, would culminate a topsy-turvy romantic journey to a fifth marriage for Mr. Murdoch, whose personal dramas have frequently made him the focus of the tabloid gossip industry he helped create. After he divorced Jerry Hall, the model and ex-wife of Mick Jagger, in the summer of 2022, he became engaged to Ann Lesley Smith, a retired dental hygienist, in the spring of 2023. He abruptly broke off that engagement, however, after about two weeks.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, Elena Zhukova, Murdoch, Jerry Hall, Mick Jagger, Ann Lesley Smith

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