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☆ Biden and Democratic Party apparatus raised $90 million in March
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Mike Memoli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Buoyed by an energetic State of the Union address to Congress and some extra presidential star power, the Biden campaign and its affiliated fundraising groups raised $90 million in March, nearly equaling what they raised in the first two months of 2024 combined. It comes as former President Donald Trump's campaign is only starting to kick its fundraising operation into high gear. Most of the $26 million raised for the March 28 "Three Presidents" fundraiser, which featured Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as well as musical performances from Lizzo, Queen Latifah and others, came in over the course of March. The Trump campaign has not yet reported its March fundraising. The Biden campaign says that a majority of its fundraising has now come from "grassroots" donors, and it's embracing the contrast with Trump's weekend event.

Persons: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump's, Queen Latifah, Trump, John Paulson, It's, Donald Trump, Rob Flaherty, We've Organizations: Radio City Music Hall, Biden, Democrats, GOP, Trump, PAC, Republican National Committee Locations: New York City, Lizzo, Biden's, Palm Beach , Florida

☆ Biden Reports Major Cash Haul in March as Trump Looks to Catch Up
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Nicholas Nehamas | More About Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“You can’t lie about the numbers,” Mr. Gifford said. His campaign also said he raised $10 million in the 24 hours after his State of the Union address on March 7. Trump campaign aides say they plan to out-raise Mr. Biden’s three-president bash with a major fund-raiser of their own on Saturday in Palm Beach. But Mr. Biden’s prodigious March may take some of the wind out of Mr. Trump’s sails. And there are signs that Mr. Trump may continue to up his fund-raising.

Persons: Mr, Gifford, “, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Trump, Trump’s, Biden’s, “ We’ve, ”, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Biden Organizations: Radio City Music Hall, Republican National Committee, Mr Locations: New York City, Lago, Palm Beach, Fla

☆ Snap's courting of political advertisers is set to bring it a much-needed 2024 revenue boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts at the World Advertising Research Center forecast Snap's ad revenue will grow by 13.7% to $5.2 billion this year, up from a 0.1% increase in 2023. The biggest year-over-year growth is set to come from political and advocacy advertisers in the US, ahead of the November presidential election, WARC said. Beyond the political ad boost, Snap's expected return to double-digit revenue growth will be driven by the platform leaning on artificial intelligence for ad optimization, an improved content experience, and user growth, according to WARC. To be sure, with US political ad spend forecast to exceed $12 billion in 2024, according to Emarketer, Snap will be a drop in the ocean for most political advertisers. Traditional media still takes the lion's share of political ad dollars.

Persons: WARC, Snap's, Biden, Alexandria Ocasio, Alex Brownsell, Brownsell, That's, Liz Bennett, Bennett, Danielle Butterfield, Butterfield, TikTok doesn't, It's, Seat's Bennett, Jason Poinsette, Evan Spiegel Organizations: Advertising Research, Business, Republican National Committee, Google, ESPN, Meta, USA Locations: Alexandria, Texas, Los Angeles

Compounding the problem is that Trump is facing a lot of legal troubles, which have been quite expensive. And let’s be clear, Trump is not paying this out of his own pocket. [MUSIC PLAYING]So there’s been a lot of discussion as to how these legal bills are going to get paid going forward. And Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, has basically been installed as the co-chair at the Republican National Committee, because, of course, it’s a family business, whatever. [MUSIC PLAYING]And she was asked whether she thought that Republican voters would be cool with the party paying her father-in-law’s legal bills, and she was like, “absolutely.”

Persons: I’m Michelle Cottle, I’m, Donald Trump, he’s, Trump, MAGA, We’re, They’re, Biden’s, there’s, Lara Trump, it’s Organizations: “, Republican Party, Republican, Trump, Republican National Committee

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

☆ Trump keeps pushing the limits of the gag order in his hush-money case. It could land him in jail, legal experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Trump's legal team is battling prosecutors over a gag order issued this week in his hush-money case. The article focused on how clients of Loren Merchan's company, Authentic Campaigns, used Trump's legal battles to fundraise. While not illegal, some critics argue Loren Merchan's role in promoting progressive politics creates an appearance of a conflict of interest for Judge Merchan. Trump's legal team last year filed a motion urging Judge Merchan to recuse himself due to his daughter's work, per The Times. Trump faced a $10,000 fine in October for violating the gag order in his New York civil fraud trial.

Persons: Trump's, Trump, —, hasn't, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Loren Merchan, Judge Merchan, Loren, Loren Merchan's, Judge Merchan's, Todd Blanche, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Rahmani, it's, Andrew Lieb, " Lieb, — he's, Lieb, isn't Organizations: Service, Trump, New York Times, New York, Authentic, Reuters, Republican National Committee, Business, Attorney Locations: Manhattan, Trump's, New York

☆ Opinion: Trump videos send wildly different messages
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In a video promoting the Bible, Trump said, “Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country. … we need to bring them back.”On Good Friday, Trump posted a very different kind of video. It showed an image of President Joe Biden lying sideways and tied up in the bed of a pickup truck. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign can’t win, but it could swing the presidency to former President Donald Trump,” Begala wrote.

Persons: Matthew Arnold, Homer, King James, Donald Trump, ”, Lee Greenwood’s, AJ Willingham, Trump, Joe Biden, Drew Sheneman, MAGA, Biden, Fareed Zakaria, ” Zakaria, Candida Moss, he’ll, he’s, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Julian Zelizer, ” “, …, ” Clay, “, Obama, “ Obama, CNN Trump, —, Attorney Alvin Bragg, “ Trump, Stormy Daniels, ” Norman Eisen, Andrew Warren, James Antle III, stoked, Letitia James, Dali, Francis Scott Key, Tasos Katopodis, Richard Timme, ” Timme, Salvatore R, Mercogliano, ’, Jalal Baig, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Baig, Paul Hockenos, “ It’s, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Nicole Shanahan, Eric Risberg, Paul Begala, Ross Perot, George H, Bush, “ Robert F, can’t, ” Begala, ” Shanahan “, Sergey Brin, Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, Ro Khanna, Lee Drutman, Mark Osler, Jill Filipovic, Lisa Murkowski, Obeidallah, Johnson Ronna, Ronna McDaniel, Justin Sullivan, McDaniel, ” McDaniel, David Zurawik, Jack Ohman, Walt Handelsman, Tim Hubbard, Dennis Muilenburg —, Max, David Calhoun, ‘, ” Hubbard, Annelle, ” Sheline, ” Don’t, Frida Ghitis, Putin, Howard Fischer, Keith O’Brien, Pete Rose, Nick Anderson, Agency Sara Stewart, Mary Ziegler, Patrick T, Brown, shouldn’t, Emma Firth, Carter ’ Parkwood, Roxanne Jones, Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé, ” Jones Organizations: CNN, Oxford University, New, Trump, Nasdaq, NYPD, Hollywood, Biden, Cupp, Obama, Manhattan, Attorney, Democratic, US Coast Guard, Baltimore, Federal Highway Administration, RFK Jr, RFK, Google, The New York Times, Republican National Committee, NBC News, “, Press, NBC, MSNBC, Content Agency Boeing, Notre Dame, Boeing, US State Department, Israel, Tribune, Agency, Sony, AP Locations: Independence, New York City, America, New, Manhattan, Queens, New York, Baltimore, Coast, Suez, Port, China, Argentina, Red, Gaza, Wales, Northern California, California, Israel, Columbia

Other Republicans in the House and Senate often simply shrug when asked about Trump’s agenda, pointing to policies they like and others they might support. Trump himself has suggested having a “very tiny little desk” on the Capitol steps so he can sign documents on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2025. “On Day 1 of President Trump’s new administration, Americans will have a strong leader," said Karoline Leavitt, the campaign’s national press secretary. Republicans and Democrats resisted a White House effort to commandeer funds for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, leading to the longest government shutdown in history. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who died in 2018, famously gave a thumbs-down to Trump's effort to repeal the health law known as the Affordable Care Act.

Persons: Donald Trump, “ We’re, ”, Republican Sen, JD Vance, Ohio, Trump, Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell of, Mike Johnson, Vance, wasn't, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, Trump . Greene, Johnson, it’s, Paul Dans, “, Trump’s, Karoline Leavitt, John McCain of, Biden, Sen, Mitt Romney, Jason Chaffetz, GOP Sen, Josh Hawley, ” Hawley, Ted Cruz, Cruz, Eisenhower, Marco Rubio, Rubio, they’re, Vanessa Cardenas, Jill Colvin Organizations: WASHINGTON, Capitol, Republicans, Trump, Republican, Democratic, Republican Party, GOP, Trump’s, Biden, Trump ., Senate, Trump White House, Heritage Foundation's, Democrats, Affordable, Republican National Committee, Justice Department, America’s, Press Locations: Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Washington, U.S, Mexico, John McCain of Arizona, Utah, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Texas, New York

☆ ‘Ultra MAGA’: Donors to new Trump fundraising outfit can obtain special status with maximum contribution
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Daniel Strauss | Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The highest level of contributions to the Trump 47 Committee – as the joint fundraising committee is known – is called “Ultra MAGA” and is designated for individuals who donate $814,600, the current limit that one person can currently donate to Trump 47. A Trump campaign aide did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the fundraising levels. On Thursday, Biden was joined by two former White House occupants – Barack Obama and Bill Clinton – at a star-studded New York fundraiser that the Biden campaign said brought in more than $26 million. Donations to the Trump 47 Committee benefit Trump’s campaign; his leadership PAC, which has underwritten his legal bills; the Republican National Committee and roughly 40 state party committees. The joint fundraising committee was established earlier this month, following Trump’s takeover of the RNC.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, MAGA, “ MAGA, ”, John Paulson, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, – Barack Obama, Bill Clinton – Organizations: CNN, Republican Party, Trump, “, Republican, White, New, Democratic Party, PAC, Republican National Committee, RNC Locations: Florida, New York

☆ Corporate Polish Meets Partisan Reality for NBC’s News Chief
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | John Koblin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Cesar Conde is not the typical leader of a major news institution. A Wharton-trained executive who revived the fortunes of Telemundo and sits on the boards of Pepsi and Walmart, Mr. Conde had limited experience in journalism when, in 2020, he became the chairman of NBC’s sprawling news division, including MSNBC, CNBC, and franchises like “Meet the Press,” “Nightly News” and the “Today” show. Now he is trying to navigate the biggest crisis of his tenure: a journalistic firestorm that prompted an open revolt among his stars and has fueled internal questions about just how neatly Mr. Conde’s corporate experience and ambitions gel with the unique challenges of the news business. The blowback facing Mr. Conde, 50, a former fellow in George W. Bush’s White House who prides himself on having an even-keeled, nonpartisan reputation, is coming from both sides of the aisle. Left-leaning fans of MSNBC felt betrayed, and Republican officials are mocking NBC as biased, even threatening to bar its reporters from this summer’s nominating convention.

Persons: Cesar Conde, Wharton, Conde, Ronna McDaniel, Mr, Donald J, George W, Bush’s Organizations: Telemundo, Pepsi, Walmart, Mr, MSNBC, CNBC, Press, Republican National Committee, NBC

CNN —Top officials at the Republican National Committee are denying reports that there is a “litmus test” for those seeking employment related to whether they believe the 2020 election was stolen. Election fraud has been a key focus for the Donald Trump campaign and the newly elected leadership at the RNC ahead of the 2024 election. Much of that focus stems from the former president’s dissatisfaction with how the RNC handled claims of election fraud around the 2020 election, multiple sources familiar with the matter have said. There is no evidence of widespread election fraud in the last presidential contest. CLARIFICATION: This headline and story have been updated to reflect that reports of a “litmus test” regarding the 2020 election apply to those who were reapplying for positions with the RNC.

Persons: Donald Trump, they’ve, Trump, Joe Biden, Ronna McDaniel, McDaniel, Drew McKissick, Trump’s, Michael Whatley, Lara Trump, –, Chris LaCivita, James Blair, LaCivita, Blair Organizations: CNN, Republican National Committee, RNC

☆ The New York Times News Quiz, March 29, 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

NBC News this week cut ties with the former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, whom it had hired just four days earlier. What is her name?

Organizations: NBC, Republican National Committee

Yet the idea of building rosters of paid political contributors took off with cable news. MSNBC, CNN and Fox News Channel are, in large part, political talk channels and seek experts to help fill the time. Being on call to opine can be lucrative work; several reports had NBC agreeing to pay McDaniel $300,000 a year. Even NBC News, whose MSNBC cable outlet appeals to liberals, has more than a dozen Republican contributors. John Kasich and Bulwark founder Charlie Sykes — either predate Trump in their active political work or oppose him, or both.

Persons: —, Ronna McDaniel, Donald Trump, McDaniel, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, Cesar Conde, ”, Mark Whitaker, Shana Alexander, James Kilpatrick's, George Stephanopoulos, Tim Russert, Michael Steele, John Kasich, Charlie Sykes —, MAGA, Reince Priebus, Mick Mulvaney, Mulvaney, Priebus, Tom Bossert, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Trump, David Urban, Mark Esper, Griffin, Mike Pompeo, Alex Conant, Mark Lukasiewicz, ” Lukasiewicz, “, Jay Rosen, NBC's Conde, McDaniel didn't, Joe ”, Mika Brzezinski, That's, ” Conant, Brian Roberts, Conde, Rebecca Blumenstein, Rashida Jones, Carrie Budoff Brown, Jones, Margaret Sullivan, ___ David Bauder Organizations: NBC News, Republican National Committee, GOP, Republican, NBC Universal, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, NBC, RNC, Ohio Gov, Trump, CBS, ABC News, Trump Homeland Security, Networks, Hofstra, “ Journalists, New York University, ” Networks, Republicans, Comcast, Washington Post, Center for Journalism, Columbia University, Guardian, Associated Press Locations: Washington, MSDNC

☆ Trump-backed GOP leaders call for embrace of early and mail-in voting even as former president continues to cast doubt
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Daniel Strauss | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

That’s very much a state-by-state process.”“Republicans will have to develop that if they decide they want to push mail voting and early voting or both. Republicans’ uneven approach to early voting reached an apex during the pandemic when Trump would regularly cast doubt on the safety and security of voting by mail or voting early. “Vote early. Vote early. But the danger for Republicans is that disillusionment with mail-in voting or voting early, fueled in large part by Trump, might be too deeply baked into party sentiment.

Persons: Donald Trump, “ We’ll, ”, Lara Trump, we’re, ” Lara Trump, Michael Whatley, ” Whatley, –, Barry Burden, ” Burden, “, Glenn Youngkin, I’m, ” Youngkin, Ronna McDaniel, Tennessee Sen, Bill Hagerty, Byron Donalds, Trump, ” Trump, don’t, “ there’s, you’ve, Schouten, Kate Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Top Republican, GOP, Republican National Committee, Fox News, RNC, Trump, Republican, Party, Elections Research, University of Wisconsin -, MIT, Science, Britain’s, Virginia Gov, Virginia, ‘ Bank, House Republican, Tennessee, Florida Rep, Bank, Republicans, Pew Research Locations: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Iowa, Nevada , Arizona, Wisconsin

☆ Stephen Colbert Recaps the Ronna McDaniel Drama at NBC
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Trish Bendix | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. ‘Representation Matters!’The former Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was fired by NBC just five days after being hired as an on-air contributor. “In case you’re unfamiliar with McDaniel, she is terrible,” Stephen Colbert said, recalling McDaniel’s involvement with former President Donald Trump and his denial of the 2020 election results.

Persons: Ronna McDaniel, McDaniel, ” Stephen Colbert, Donald Trump Organizations: Netflix, Republican National, NBC

☆ Trump is a ringmaster of multiple sideshows as Biden cranks up pace of reelection bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

That’s a sharp contrast to Biden, who this week wrapped up his post State of the Union tour in North Carolina. The state was in Trump’s column in 2020 and 2016, but Democrats think they can seriously put it back in play. Trump was back in his former home state on Thursday, attending a wake for a fallen police officer on Long Island. It’s too early to say whether unseen work that the Trump campaign is doing to build organizations in key states is paving the way for a successful run back to the Oval Office. Biden tries to build on State of the Union performanceUnlike Trump, Biden has been campaigning in a way that leaves no doubt about the stakes of the coming election.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Joe Biden, That’s, Biden, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, ” Biden, Roe, Wade, Trump, ”, It’s, There’s, Nikki Haley, Jonathan Diller, Juan Merchan, Letitia James, can’t, MAGA, Kamala Harris, White, – Biden, “, Donald, Democrats –, Clinton, Obama, CNN’s MJ Lee, Donald Judd Organizations: CNN, America, Union, Trump, Republican, South Carolina Gov, Republican National Committee, RNC, Washington, Democratic, New York, Nasdaq, Intel, Democrats, Radio City Music, Israel, Hamas, Arab Locations: New York, Trump’s, North Carolina, Long, Michigan, “, Arizona, Raleigh, Biden’s, Gaza

☆ NBC’s Ronna McDaniel disaster is dragging Comcast into the political firestorm
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It’s difficult to succinctly summarize the disastrous state of affairs at the news division, given that multiple engines are failing simultaneously. sand and refusing to dump McDaniel until after his top television personalities, including Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow, went on the air and excoriated the hire. Ironically, NBC News’ attempt to make inroads with Republicans through the hiring of McDaniel has had the opposite effect. On Wednesday, Trump spent part of the day ranting on Truth Social against the Comcast boss over the McDaniel disaster, characterizing Roberts as a weak leader whose employees are running amok. I asked Comcast spokespeople on Wednesday if either Roberts or Cavanagh were taking any action.

Persons: Brian Roberts, Cesar Conde, Conde, “, Ronna McDaniel, McDaniel, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, Puck’s Dylan Byers, Byers, Carrie Budoff Brown, Republican Richard Walters, Todd, ” Brown, Richard Walters, Stephen Labaton, Labaton bashed, Labaton, Rashida Jones, Jones, Rebecca Blumenstein, Blumenstein, I’m, Elon Musk, Donald Trump’s, Biden, Tom Cotton, Roberts, Trump, ” Trump, It’s, can’t bode, Conde’s, Michael Cavanagh, Cavanagh Organizations: New York CNN, Comcast, NBC News, NBC Universal News Group, Republican National, NBC, MSNBC, NBC News ’, Republican, NBCU, Fox, The New York Times, NBCU News, –, Comcast spokespeople Locations: New York, Miami, Washington, MSDNC

☆ NBC cut ties with Ronna McDaniel after extraordinary pressure, but its problems aren’t over
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Only 80 hours elapsed between NBC News announcing Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor and the network ousting her from that very role. But for the leadership at NBC Universal News Group, those were 80 painful hours. “What a sh*t show!” a media executive exclaimed to me Tuesday shortly after Conde relieved McDaniel of her NBC News credentials. “These Radical Left Lunatics are CRAZY and the top people at NBC ARE WEAK,” Trump raged on his Truth Social platform. The objection to McDaniel from both within and outside of NBCU was not that she is a Republican.

Persons: Ronna McDaniel, Cesar Conde, ”, ” Conde, “, I’m, McDaniel, Conde, Ronna, Anna Moneymaker, it’s, Cesar, Peacock, Donald Trump, ” Trump, Ari Fleischer, George W, Bush, NBCU, Rachel Maddow, Joy, ” Maddow Organizations: New, New York CNN —, NBC News, NBC Universal News Group, NBCU News, Republican National Committee, NBC, NBCU, MSNBC, Conde, Trump, Republican Locations: New York, NBCU

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A requirement for Pennsylvania voters to put accurate handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots does not run afoul of a civil rights law, a federal appeals court panel said Wednesday, overturning a lower court ruling. A divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold enforcement of the required date on return envelopes, a technical mandate that caused thousands of votes to be declared invalid in the 2022 election. A lower court judge had ruled in November that even without the proper dates, mail-in ballots should be counted if they are received in time. U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter said the envelope date is irrelevant in helping elections officials decide whether a ballot was received in time or if a voter is qualified.

Persons: Susan Paradise Baxter, Judge Thomas Ambro, “, ” “, Ambro, ” Ari Savitzky, ” Organizations: Pennsylvania, Circuit, Electoral College, U.S, Assembly, Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, Republican, Republican National Committee Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Pennsylvania, ”

☆ Ronna McDaniel's single interview on NBC could cost the network $30,000 per minute
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ronna McDaniel wants to be paid for her two-year contract after she was axed as a NBC News contributor, per Politico. McDaniel made an appearance on "Meet the Press" this past Sunday and was let go on Tuesday. It means that McDaniel's interview with moderator Kristen Welker could cost NBC News about $30,000 per minute. Todd on Sunday told Welker during the "Meet the Press" taping that top network leaders needed to apologize to her. (Welker affirmed that the interview was scheduled before McDaniel had been brought on by the network.)

Persons: Ronna McDaniel, McDaniel, Bryan Freedman, —, Kristen Welker, Bryan Freedman —, Megyn Kelly, Don Lemon, Chris Cuomo, Freedman, aren't, Chuck Todd, Joe, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Brzezinski, Todd, Welker, Cesar Conde, Conde Organizations: NBC, Politico, Service, Republican National Committee, NBC News, Sunday, NBCUniversal News, Business Insider Locations: Scarborough

☆ NBC’s Ronna McDaniel Hire Wasn’t Politics, or TV, as Usual
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the past week the best drama on NBC — apologies to Dick Wolf — has been in the news department. On Friday, NBC News announced that it was hiring Ronna McDaniel, the former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, as a political analyst. By Sunday morning, Kristen Welker was grilling Ms. McDaniel on “Meet the Press,” after which the former host Chuck Todd told his successor on-air that their bosses “owe you an apology.” By Monday morning, the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” condemned the hire. This kind of full-on, on-air revolt was something else — because Ms. McDaniel’s hiring was something else. The fiasco at NBC was in part a sign of how media outlets are struggling to cover politics in unusual times.

Persons: Dick Wolf —, Ronna McDaniel, Kristen Welker, McDaniel, Chuck Todd, “, ”, Joe ”, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Organizations: NBC, NBC News, Republican National Committee, “, Press Locations: MSNBC’s

$254.1 million in donations Various Trump accounts $107 million in legal expenses $254.1 million in donations Various Trump accounts $107 million in legal expensesHow Trump Moved Money to Pay $100 Million in Legal BillsFormer President Donald J. Trump has spent more than $100 million since leaving office, on lawyers and other costs related to fending off various investigations, indictments and his coming criminal trials, according to a New York Times review of federal records. $84.6 million in donations MAGA PAC Save America PAC MAGA Super PAC $10.5 million $16.7 million $60 million $27.2 million in legal expenses $84.6 million in donations Save America PAC MAGA Super PAC MAGA PAC $10.5 million $16.7 million $60.0 million $27.2 million in legal expenses The New York TimesAs Mr. Trump prepared to announce his 2024 run late in 2022, he faced a quandary: His PAC could not directly spend money to elect him as president. $104.2 million in donations Save America PAC MAGA Super PAC MAGA PAC Trump 2024 Committee $11.8 million $42.3 million $11.3 million $48.0 million $59.3 million in legal expenses $104.2 million in donations Save America PAC MAGA Super PAC Trump 2024 Committee MAGA PAC $11.3 million $11.8 million $42.3 million $48.0 million $59.3 million in legal expenses The New York TimesEarly last year, Mr. Trump made a change to bring more money into Save America, the PAC that was paying his legal expenses. Save America PAC MAGA Super PAC Trump 2024 Committee MAGA PAC $900,000 $10 million $9.7 million At least $9.7 million in legal expenses Save America PAC MAGA Super PAC Trump 2024 Committee MAGA PAC $900,000 $10 million $9.7 million At least $9.7 million in legal expenses The New York TimesThe more than $100 million in legal spending since leaving office does not include spending from Mr. Trump's 2024 campaign, which has not paid for his personal legal bills. Then, Mr. Trump will have to decide: Whose money will he use to pay his lawyers?

Persons: Trump, Donald J, Biden’s, “ MAGA, Trump’s, Trump's Organizations: Trump, Bills, New York Times, Save America PAC, Save America PAC Trump, Save, Mr, PAC Save America PAC, PAC MAGA, America, MAGA PAC, PAC Save America, MAGA, MAGA Super, PAC, Save America, Republican National Committee Locations: New York, Trump’s New York, Save America

☆ NBC News ousts Ronna McDaniel after network’s anchors launch unprecedented on-air rebellion
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Oliver Darcy | Jon Passantino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Creative Artists Agency, the talent agency that brokered McDaniel’s deal with NBC, also parted ways with her, the person said. McDaniel, who recently stepped down from the RNC under pressure from former President Donald Trump, was involved in attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. NBC’s announcement Friday that it had hired McDaniel was quickly met with alarm by the network’s journalists. Welker disclosed that the interview had been scheduled to take place prior to NBC announcing McDaniel would become a paid contributor for the network, stating that she had no involvement in her hiring. MSNBC president Rashida Jones also did not object to the decision, people familiar with the matter said.

Persons: Ronna McDaniel, Cesar Conde, ”, ” Conde, McDaniel, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Kristen Welker, Welker, Chuck Todd, “, ” Todd, Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, Joe, ” Brzezinski, Joe ’, ” Nicolle Wallace, peddle, ” Wallace, Rachel Maddow, —, ” Maddow, hasn’t, Rebecca Blumenstein, Carrie Budoff Brown, Rashida Jones, Joy Reid, Maddow Organizations: New, New York CNN, NBC, Republican National Committee, News, ” NBCUniversal, CNN, Creative Artists Agency, MSNBC, Peacock Network, RNC, ”, NBC News, Todd, Republicans, NBCUniversal News Locations: New York, Michigan, Detroit

The Ronna McDaniel era at NBC News has come to an abrupt and chaotic end. Ms. McDaniel’s appointment, announced with fanfare on Friday, was immediately criticized by reporters at the network and viewers on social media. The backlash at NBC has already created other problems for Ms. McDaniel. Ms. McDaniel was negotiating on Tuesday with lawyers to engage with NBC on her behalf. Leaders in the NBC newsroom, convinced that election year audiences deserved to hear a perspective from conservatives like Ms. McDaniel, believed the hubbub would fizzle out.

Persons: McDaniel, McDaniel’s, NBC’s, Donald J, Trump Organizations: NBC News, Republican National Committee, NBC, MSNBC, Republican Party, Creative Artists Agency, Hollywood

☆ Conservative Commentators Condemn Uproar at NBC
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Santul Nerkar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The decision by NBC News to hire Ronna McDaniel, the former chair of the Republican National Committee, as a political commentator set off a round of sharp criticism from her new colleagues in recent days. Leading on-air figures at NBC and its cable cousin, MSNBC, including Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow, took the unusual step of condemning their bosses’ decision in public. Those internal critics have said that by hiring Ms. McDaniel, the network was authorizing election denialism. In the days after the 2020 election, Ms. McDaniel promoted some false theories pushed by then-President Donald J. Trump, including that votes had been miscounted in key battleground states, and she helped pressure election officials in one Michigan county to hold off from certifying the results. But the uproar at the network has played out differently among many conservative commentators, who have argued that it shows how the journalists at NBC News are overwhelmingly liberal and intolerant of conservative views.

Persons: Ronna McDaniel, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, McDaniel, Donald J, Trump, Biden, Todd, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski Organizations: NBC News, Republican National Committee, NBC, MSNBC, Fox, Fox News Locations: Michigan

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