Why has the media become so vulnerable to Trump, and what can we do about it? Even after Disney's reversal on Jimmy Kimmel, the vulnerability remains — unless we change the rules. Robert Reich Oct 9 Friends, Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves just two weeks and two days ago (although in Trump time, it seems far longer). Disney’s decision to allow Kimmel back on was a victory for freedom of the press and a setback for Trump’s authoritarianism. Nonetheless, today’s media ecosystem is far more vulnerable to authoritarianism than it was decades ago. Today I want to explore three structural changes in our political economy that have made it so, and suggest what must be done to strengthen media independence. 1. Media concentration has facilitated censorship. After Paramount’s CBS settled Trump’s frivolous $16 million lawsuit against them and canceled Stephen Colbert, much to Trump’s delight, the FCC swiftly approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance. The result: a newly consolidated media giant now run by David Ellison — son of Larry Ellison, the world’s third-richest man and a major Trump donor. Now, Ellison has announced Paramount’s acquisition of The Free Press and installed its anti-“woke” founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. This is the same billionaire-led conglomerate that wants to absorb Warner Bros. Discovery — an even bigger step toward the concentration of the power to shape public opinion. The proposed merger would hand control of CNN, CBS News, HBO, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, HGTV, TNT, and more to a single mega-corporation — with Trump’s allies at the helm. When the media is under the control of a handful of people, it’s far easier for an authoritarian in the White House to intimidate that handful — and force them to do his bidding — than when the media is less concentrated. In 1983, the U.S. media was dominated by 50 companies. Today, that number has shrunk to just six giant media conglomerates. 2. Ultra-wealthy individuals are now controlling major media. These are people likely to be biased against the public’s right to know. The second trend has been a shift in control over those media corporations to a relative handful of ultra-wealthy moguls. As noted, the Ellison family is rapidly taking over a large swath of media. Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, bought X (then Twitter) for $42 billion. He then turned it into a right-wing cesspool. Jeff Bezos, the second richest, owns Amazon and The Washington Post. Rupert Murdoch, another billionaire, owns Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post. Why are the ultra-rich buying up so much of the media? Vanity may play a part, but there’s a more pragmatic — some might say sinister — reason. As vast wealth concentrates in the hands of a few, this small group of the ultra-wealthy may rationally fear that majorities of voters could confiscate their wealth through, for example, a wealth tax or the elimination of the “stepped-up basis at death” rule, which would tax all capital gains. If you’re a billionaire, in other words, you may view democracy as a potential threat to your net worth. Control over a significant share of the dwindling number of media outlets enables you to effectively hedge against democracy by subtly (or not so subtly) suppressing criticism of you and other plutocrats. Seen in this light, Jeff Bezos’s decree that The Washington Post’s opinion section support “personal liberties and free markets” isn’t just a means of ingratiating himself with Trump. It also reduces the risk that movers and shakers in the nation’s capital might be seduced into raising taxes on people like Bezos. 3. The shift from stakeholder to shareholder capitalism. Behind these maneuvers lies a third underlying shift — from the stakeholder capitalism of the first three decades after World War II to the shareholder capitalism that began in the 1980s — along with the rise, starting in the 1990s, of CEO pay packages consisting of large amounts of shares of stock and options to purchase additional shares. Paramount (CBS) surrendered to Trump, and Disney (ABC) initially did so, because they determined that fighting him would have cost those firms’ CEOs and shareholders far more. Disney then discovered — when its customers threatened to boycott all Disney products and services — that the actual cost of surrender was far higher than it had counted on. Hence, its decision to reinstate Kimmel. I’m old enough to remember when CBS News would never have surrendered to a demagogic president. But that was when CBS News — the home of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite — was independent of the rest of CBS, and when the top management of CBS had independent responsibilities to the American public. The New York Times, by contrast, decided to fight Trump from the moment he initiated a lawsuit against it. That may be because the Times is owned and controlled by the Ochs-Sulzberger family through a trust that holds a majority of special, high-voting shares in the company. The Times is not dedicated to maximizing shareholder value; it’s dedicated to the public’s right to know. *** Trump and his stooges are engaged in blatant political censorship that runs afoul of the First Amendment. But the three underlying trends I’ve just outlined — the consolidation of media into a handful of outlets, the increasing control of the media by the ultra-rich, and the growing primacy of shareholder interests — have made it far easier for Trump and his lackeys to do their dirty work. When and if We the People are ever back in charge, not only do we have to protect freedom of speech from demagoguery, but we must also reverse these three underlying trends that have made it far too easy for a demagogue to undermine such freedom. This will require: (1) conditioning media ownership on a proven commitment to the public’s right to know, (2) using antitrust laws to prevent or break up media monopolies and giant media conglomerates, and (3) raising taxes on the ultra-wealthy so they have less power to undermine our democracy. Easier said than done, obviously, but key prerequisites for restoring American democracy. *** Here’s CBS News’s Edward R. Murrow in 1954, criticizing Senator Joe McCarthy — and criticizing America for allowing McCarthy’s witch hunt. Would today’s CBS News have allowed Murrow to say this on the air? **** PS: Gentle reminders: You can find my new book, Coming Up Short, at your local bookstore or order through bookshop.org, which supports local bookstores. You can see “The Last Class,” here. Or host a screening for it, here.

 

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ABC Gave Us The Middle Finger AGAIN…Let’s Fight Back NOW

Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network Dec 19

Written by Ben Meiselas

I’ll keep this short.

After entering into a pathetic $15 million settlement with Trump last week, ABC and George Stephanopoulos just announced moments ago that they entered into a new multi-year deal together. Seriously?!

The monetary terms of George Stephanopoulos’ contract renewal with ABC are not yet public, but he was previously making about $15 million a year. It seems likely he’s getting paid significantly more now. Also, if I had to bet, his new contract probably includes strong non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses prohibiting him from discussing the settlement with Trump.

How pathetic is that?!

For those who told me I shouldn’t blame Stephanopoulos for the settlement in the Trump defamation case, and that it was just the fault of ABC, I hope this shows you that both he and ABC were complicit.

ABC is owned by Disney, and Disney reports to oligarch shareholders, including the Murdoch Family Trust. The oligarchs are fully on board with Trump’s Project 2025 agenda.

Stephanopoulos is a company guy who has demonstrated he’s more impressed by his million-dollar salary paid by the oligarchs than by his integrity or the truth. Seriously, how am I supposed to take his reporting seriously ever again if he folds like a napkin in situations like this?

The courageous thing to do in this situation would have been to quit. The worst thing to do is to take more money and double down. Stephanopoulos loves his money, I guess. He loves that oligarch gravy train. But let’s face it, this isn’t unique to Stephanopoulos when it comes to corporate media hosts. Most of them are basically just actors at this point, pretending to report the news but caring most about their million-dollar salaries. They “both sides” their news coverage because they don’t care about the side that’s the truth. That’s sad, and it needs to change.

The good news is this: we are changing that dynamic. You are changing that dynamic. Change is here. Finally.

Tomorrow morning at 9 AM ET, we are releasing a 30-minute interview I did with President Biden from the West Wing of the White House. It’s not airing on a fancy TV network or cable news channel. It’s airing on the MeidasTouch YouTube channel and our podcast platforms.

Guess what?

We were able to land this interview with zero outside investors. With no oligarchs.

Ben Meiselas Interview with President Biden — First Look 👀 Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network · Dec 18 Read full story

With a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the resources ABC has, we now get more views and engagement than them at the MeidasTouch Network. They’re on the ropes, and they know it. They’re now just in “protect oligarchy mode.”

I want to send a powerful message right here and right now to ABC and Stephanopoulos. I want to try to get 1,000 new subscribers to this Substack to celebrate that the Meidas Mighty landed the President Biden interview that airs December 19.

I know it’s an ambitious goal to hit 1,000 new subscribers, but if you can subscribe now and help us keep growing bigger than ABC and Stephanopoulos, let’s send a message together right now!

Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Ron DeSantis Just Got BLINDSIDED By BRUTAL Legal News

 

Occupy Democrats

245K subscribers

Republicans Florida governor Ron DeSantis just got hit with a devastating lawsuit from an unexpected source that may end up the railing and exposing his entire governorship. This won’t end well for him… 

POLITICO Nightly: What Mexico’s new president means for the U.S.

BY RACHEL SHIN Presented by Citi Claudia Sheinbaum celebrates following the results of the general election in Mexico at Zocalo Square in Mexico City. | Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images MEET LA DOCTORA — America’s closest partner — on trade, migration, energy and more — has made history by electing its first woman as president. Now the U.S. is watching Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum with one question in mind: Will she be a facsimile of her predecessor or blaze her own path? Sheinbaum served nearly five years as mayor of Mexico City, resigning in 2023 to seek the presidential nomination. Before entering politics, she was an environmental engineer, worked on a UN panel of climate scientists, and received the nickname “la Doctora” for her stellar scientific credentials. Sheinbaum’s landslide victory was propelled by the endorsement of Mexico’s current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), her political mentor and the wildly popular founder of the country’s dominant, populist MORENA party (Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional). She’s promised to follow many of his precedents, including cooperating with Washington on reducing migrant border crossing, but it’s not yet clear whether she’ll diverge from him on key issues highly relevant to the U.S. including gang violence, energy and international investment. To understand the significance of Sheinbaum’s election for U.S.-Mexico relations, Nightly spoke with Lila Abed, the director of the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute and a columnist for El Heraldo de México and Opinión51. We discussed how Sheinbaum’s election fits into the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship, and what may be on the horizon for the U.S.’s top trade partner. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What are the key differences between AMLO and Sheinbaum, the former president’s hand-picked successor? What changes can the U.S. expect?  Security cooperation between Mexico and the United States under the AMLO administration really deteriorated. There’s going to unfortunately need to be a rebuilding of mutual trust between U.S. and Mexico’s security agencies. From speaking to folks close to Claudia’s team, there really is an incentive to restart the relationship with the United States in terms of security cooperation. Sheinbaum, at least in her political platform, has signaled stark differences, one being that she wants to create a national intelligence agency that can better gather intelligence and information, that coordinates all levels of federal, state and municipal level in terms of security cooperation. I think this will allow the United States and Mexico to better exchange intelligence and information and continue doing operations on the ground that serve both the U.S. and Mexico’s priorities in terms of security. How do you expect Sheinbaum to cooperate with the Biden administration on immigration?  On the migration front, Sheinbaum is going to continue to cooperate with the United States because Mexico has a real objective to stem migrant flows into Mexico. Mexico is no longer just a transit country for migrants. It is now a destination, and the Mexican government has to absorb thousands of migrants that are going to potentially stay in Mexico if they can’t reach the U.S.-Mexico border. Sheinbaum has stated that she wants the United States to provide funds and resources so that Mexico can absorb these migrants on Mexican soil. She will press, like AMLO did, for the United States to fund some of the social programs that in her view could really address the root causes of migration. Sheinbaum is a renowned climate scientist. Do you see her following her predecessor’s investment in domestic fossil fuel infrastructure, or pivoting to renewables?  She has said that she wants to attract more investment for the renewable and clean energy sector. That’s very different from AMLO’s preference for fossil fuels and dirty energy. She is a scientist by trade. So that might drive her idea of bringing more foreign direct investment in the renewable energy sector, which is super important for the United States. I think Sheinbaum has a better understanding of how vital the energy sector is for the United States and how important it is to preserve a good standing as the top trading partner of the United States in order for the economy to keep growing. Despite being the U.S.’s top trade partner, Mexico has also been cozying up with Chinese investors. What is Sheinbaum’s stance on China, and how could that impact the Mexico-U.S. relationship?  It is true that investment from China has increased in Mexico in the past years. Sheinbaum understands that this is a hotspot for the United States, but she is going to have to balance this relationship with China because, for example, Chinese companies offer Mexican citizens a cheaper alternative to EVs than the United States. So she’s going to have to keep her consumers happy and at the same time make sure that she keeps the United States happy and keeps U.S. national security protected. Mexico’s high level of violence will be one of Sheinbaum’s most urgent challenges upon taking office in October. How will she tackle Mexico’s pervasive gang violence? If we look at what she did as mayor of Mexico City, we can get an idea of what to expect during her six-year term. Her security strategy in Mexico City did provide really positive results on a variety of issues. I think she’s going to have a much stronger security strategy than AMLO’s failed “Hugs Not Bullets” strategy, which focused on the prevention side of security instead of frontally combating transnational criminal organizations. And she will receive pressure from the United States. I think Mexico will continue to place the illicit flow of arms from the United States and Mexico as a priority for the Mexican government on the security agenda. There’s real optimism from different U.S. security agencies that this will be a restart, a 180 from what they saw with AMLO. What’s the significance of Sheinbaum’s landslide and the extreme dominance of the MORENA party? The governing party won not just the presidency, but won a super majority in Congress, seven out of nine governorships, the mayorship of Mexico City, and the majority of the major districts in the Capitol. So it really is a testament that Mexico’s democratic system is reversing into a single, dominant hegemonic party. Why is this important to the United States? Because if Mexico doesn’t have a democracy, forget about security cooperation, forget about nearshoring, because companies are not going to want to invest in a country where there’s no separation of powers, where there’s not an independent, autonomous judicial branch, where there’s no clear rules of the game. All of this could affect all aspects of the bilateral relationship and that is something to keep an eye on. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @rachel_shin_ . A message from Citi: How will digital currencies shape the future of finance? As blockchain technology advances, digital currencies are poised to disrupt traditional banking models and could redefine the global monetary landscape. Central banks are working across global stakeholders to help determine what future adoption might look like – presenting both challenges and opportunities for businesses. Explore in-depth analysis from Citi on the potential implications in the Citi GPS Report, Money, Tokens, and Games.   WHAT'D I MISS? — Appeals court halts Trump’s criminal proceedings in Georgia amid scrutiny of Fani Willis: A Georgia appeals court has halted all pretrial proceedings in Donald Trump’s Atlanta-based criminal case while a three-judge panel considers whether to disqualify the lead prosecutor, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The order issued today effectively confirms that the sprawling racketeering case against Trump and more than a dozen codefendants — charging them with an attempt to corrupt Georgia’s 2020 election results — will not come before a jury in 2024. — Contraception bill fails in Senate: Senate Republicans blocked passage today of a bill to protect Americans’ access to birth control , one of several legislative actions Democrats have pledged on reproductive rights in the leadup to the November election. Only Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) broke with the GOP to vote in favor of the legislation, which failed 51 to 39 — short of the 60 votes needed to advance. The vote comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump telling a local television station that he’s “looking at” restrictions on contraception, and just ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision that ended the federal right to abortion. Trump quickly walked back his comment in a social media post, vowing never to “ban” birth control. — Two of Hunter Biden’s exes describe his years of drug abuse: Hunter Biden’s federal trial on gun-related charges took a personal turn today as two of his former romantic partners, including his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, took the witness stand and described Biden’s years of abusing crack cocaine . Both women were called by prosecutors, who have charged the president’s son with three felonies stemming from his purchase of a handgun in October 2018. Prosecutors say he lied about his drug addiction on a federal gun-purchasing form and then illegally possessed the gun for about two weeks.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY .     NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 CORPORATE OUTREACH — Former President Donald Trump will attend a private meeting with one of the most powerful business lobbying groups in Washington as he tries to craft an alliance with major corporate leaders, reports NBC News. Joshua Bolten, the CEO of the Business Roundtable, confirmed in an email to members today that Trump will be at the group’s plenary meeting in Washington on June 13. Though President Joe Biden was invited, he cannot attend due to overseas travel for a G7 meeting. The business group instead asked White House chief of staff Jeff Zients to come, according to Bolten’s email. Zients accepted the invitation last week and plans to address the group on June 13, according to a person familiar with his plans. The meeting is off the record and closed to the press, Bolten wrote in his message. THE DAILY VEEPSTAKES — Donald Trump’s search for a running mate is intensifying , as the former president awaits sentencing on felony charges and prepares for next month’s Republican National Convention, writes NBC News.. Vice presidential contenders recently received vetting materials. Trump’s search, according to one source, is heavily concentrated on four top prospects: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and JD Vance of Ohio. Another source described a three-way competition involving Burgum, Rubio and Vance.   A message from Citi:     AROUND THE WORLD Posters of candidates displayed for the European elections on administrative notice boards in Paris. | Magali Cohen/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images TO THE POLLS — Across Europe, the radical right is on the rise. This week’s European Parliament election will reveal just how much . In France, the far-right National Rally party is on track to receive a third of the vote, more than double the support of its nearest rival, President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party. In Germany, despite a series of scandals, the AfD is headed for second place, ahead of every partner in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition. In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy party is floating far ahead of the chasing pack. Five years ago, a “Green wave” in the 2019 European Parliament election spurred the Continent’s leaders to launch an epochal restructuring of the economy aimed at making the EU climate-neutral by 2050. This year, the tide is flowing in the opposite direction. An even stronger performance by parties once shunned as too toxic to work with will likely have an even larger effect as Europe’s political leaders realize the radical right is no longer at the gates — it’s inside the palace and can no longer be ignored. The European Parliament election runs from June 6-9 — keep tabs on the results here . And if you’re an American who hasn’t heard much about what’s going on this week, here’s a primer . BUZZ THE TOWER — Ukrainian officials are pressing the U.S. and other countries to ramp up their F-16 pilot training , saying the current pipeline isn’t producing enough aviators to fly the jets that will be soon donated to Kyiv. Ukraine says it has 30 pilots who are eligible to start training in the U.S. immediately. Yet the Biden administration has told Kyiv it lacks the school seats in its Arizona-based program to accept more than 12 pilot trainees at a time, according to three people with direct knowledge of the request. Two other facilities in Denmark and Romania have a similar issue with available training spots. It’s the latest hurdle in the drawn-out effort to get modern F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Kyiv began pushing for the aircraft in the months following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, but was repeatedly rebuffed by the Biden administration. In May 2023, President Joe Biden greenlit other countries’ requests to send their F-16s, but logistical challenges repeatedly delayed the training. Further complicating the effort, it took months for Western countries to agree to send their own aircraft to Ukraine.   JOIN US ON 6/12 FOR A TALK ON THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY : As air travel soars again, policymakers and airlines are grappling with a series of contemporary challenges to the industry's future. Join POLITICO on June 12 for a topical and timely conversation with government leaders and aviation stakeholders about the state of the airline industry. From what passengers want to what airlines need amid the high demand for air traffic, workers and technology solutions. What can Washington do to ensure passengers and providers are equipped to fly right? REGISTER HERE .     NIGHTLY NUMBER Up to $17 billion The amount that Disney plans to invest in its Florida resort , now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the company are set to bury the hatchet and approve an agreement. Five DeSantis-appointed supervisors who oversee the Disney World district voted today to give initial approval to a new development agreement. RADAR SWEEP SUBSCRIPTION-BASED COFFEE — In our regular work-from-wherever era, a lot of people are choosing to post up for hours — or the full day — at coffee shops. For the businesses, it can be inviting to have a full place. But usually, people sitting there for hours and not ordering anything beyond one coffee when they arrive is bad for business, making it difficult to stay afloat. One potential solution? A subscription model . Pay a nominal fee and get to sit in the place all you want. Could your favorite coffee shop become a little more like a gym, or a newspaper? Andy Vasoyan reports for Slate. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1989: A Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Cangan Blvd. in Tiananmen Square. The man, calling for an end to the recent violence and bloodshed against pro-democracy demonstrators, was pulled away by bystanders, and the tanks continued on their way. The Chinese government crushed a student-led demonstration for democratic reform and against government corruption, killing hundreds in the strongest anti-government protest since the 1949 revolution. | Jeff Widener/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here . A message from Citi: How will digital currencies shape the future of finance? As blockchain technology advances, digital currencies are poised to disrupt traditional banking models and could redefine the global monetary landscape – presenting both challenges and opportunities for businesses. Blockchain-based products can make a significant impact in terms of wide consumer adoption in digital currency, especially central bank digital currency (CBDCs), gaming, and social. Momentum on adoption has positively shifted as governments, large institutions, and corporations have moved from investigating the benefits of tokenization to trials and proofs of concept. Explore in-depth analysis from Citi on the potential implications in the Citi GPS Report, Money, Tokens, and Games.     Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   FOLLOW US

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