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Krystal Ball
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Crystal Ball
Hey guys, Sager and Crystal here.
Krystal Ball
Independent media just played a truly massive role in this election and we are so excited about what that means for the future of this show.
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Crystal Ball
We need your help to build the future of independent news media, and we hope to see you@breakingpoints.com Good morning, everybody. Happy Tuesday. We have an amazing show for everybody today. What do we have? Crystal?
Krystal Ball
Indeed we do. So we've got confirmation hearings set to start today. Pete Hegseth is up first, the nominee for Secretary of Defense. We're also taking a look at the way that some of Trump's nominees have changed their tune on key issues in an attempt to get across the finish line. So some very interesting stuff there. Got a bunch of media news for you. Jen Rubin is leaving the Washington Post and starting a new venture with a Very interesting launch video. So I'll show you that. The big news though is msnbc. Rachel Maddow is being put back in on a nightly basis, at least for the first hundred days of the Trump administration. I think an indication of how much MSNBC is strugg in the ratings and sort of trying to find, regain their identity and plan for the future, et cetera. So really interesting development there. Huge potential news in the Middle east, maybe inching close to a Gaza ceasefire deal. The details on how that was all achieved, obviously the timing as Trump is set to reenter office. All of this very significant, very interesting. So we'll dig into that. Also have some updates for you on a potential TikTok sale. So there was a report that they might be looking at selling to Elon. Who knows? They're denying it. I don't know. It's interesting. We've also got the latest in the back and forth with Steve Bannon just absolutely torching Elon Musk in this continued sort of intra maga war. We are going to once again attempt to have Matt Stoller on today. We had some kind of technical, technical issue yesterday. We wanted to get him to weigh in on Mark Zuckerberg's appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast and what he had to say there in particular about the cfpb. So we're going to try for that again. I think we've got all the tech issues resolved, so it should be good to go this And James C. Fox has a new documentary out about the UFO program, so Sara's gonna talk to him about that. I'm sure that will be quite interesting.
Crystal Ball
It will be interesting indeed. James, one of my favorite UFO filmmakers, he's made some phenomenal films and documentaries in the past. Highly recommend you guys watch them and we will show you where you can as well as talk to him a little bit about what we learned. But as Krystal said, the hearings are off. We are off to the races. Pete Hegseth will be in the box today, very shortly after we finish taping this show actually on Capitol H. Go ahead and put this up there on the screen. Pete Hegseth will be the first of Donald Trump's nominees to appear before the United States Senate for his confirmation hearings, but quickly followed within the next week or so that you guys should pay attention to. So after Hegseth goes up, Kirsty Noem is set to testify on Wednesday at 9am for DHS Secretary Marco Rubio will be at 10am Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Pam Bondi will also be up before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week on Thursday. You also have some hearings that have yet to be scheduled, which is kind of interesting. Those include RFK Jr. For Health and Human Services, Cash Patel for FBI Director, Linda McMahon for the Secretary of Education, and Tulsi Gabbard. Now, the reason why those in particular have been held up is that you have some of these nominees who are going through the vetting process and the ones who appear to be a little bit more precarious. Although we'll talk about this, I think we both generally agree they're probably all going to make it. It just could be more of a rocky road. One in particular has been Tulsi Gabbard, who has not been able to get a confirmation hearing scheduled and has herself come under a lot of pressure to change some of her past positions on fisa. So let's go ahead and put this up there on the screen. This was a key signal from Tulsi Gabbard. She was willing to play ball with the Republicans by completely revers her past position on section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. You guys have probably heard us talk about it in the past. But if what it all comes down to is that section 702 reauthorization has been a key issue actually since the beginning of fisa, but in particular became a bipartisan issue after it was used to spy on Carter Page, the Donald Trump Associate 2017. Is this key part of Russiagate lore. So ever since that happened, there's been kind of a MAGA push to try and to end section 702. The deep state has fought tooth and nail to keep it and they've succeeded. And frankly, this is just more evidence of why they succeed. Janitor James Lankford of Oklahoma literally said he's like, I will not vote for her unless she reverses her position on 702.
Krystal Ball
And she was like, okay, I'm the only one.
Crystal Ball
And he was not the only one. He's the only one who said it out loud. We'll recall in the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, who previously had said some interesting things on 702, Mike Turner, who's in the Intelligence Committee chair and others significantly push. And all of a sudden, miraculously, 702 just sails through the house GOP. And I'm talking about hundreds of people in the House GOP have spoken against Section 702. Here again with Tulsi. I mean, I don't think you can find a figure who is more emblematic of the at least bipartisan push. Originally she went from literally Democrat to Republican. But I think we could say she's generally been skeptical of the deep state, et cetera in the. For her to switch her position on this is really disheartening. I mean, it just means that even here, when you have people who have had this long time position and who want to get through the confirmation process, that is un. You know, it's basically, it's just not possible to be confirmed. And then also it just shows if you're willing to play ball on this. What are you gonna play ball on next time? You have a lot of talk about Epstein files, JFK files, people often are like, why are you so pessimistic? Or whenever I meet a lot of people, people are very excited. They're like, oh, we're really gonna get the files this time. Like, yeah, maybe. I would love to listen. Nobody would love it more than me, but I've seen too much of this game here in Washington. And this is perhaps the most high profile example.
Krystal Ball
Yeah, I mean, Tulsi has changed her political stripes in any number of ways and shifted her positions on any number of issues. But this is like the core of what she has consistently stood for. And just as a reminder for people, I'm sure you have heard us and other programs talking about Section 702, effectively this was passed alongside the Patriot Act. The idea was that they could target foreign individuals for surveillance. But in the context of that, if that foreign individual happened to be talking to a US citizen, guess what, you're scooping up all their communications as well, then not only does that occur, and we're talking a mass amount of US citizen communications getting swept up in this, then not only does that occur, but US Agencies then are able to do these backdoor searches of that surveillance data that they have pulled without having to obtain a warrant. So this is effectively an end run around. The Fourth Amendment allows what I view as illegal, unconstitutional searches and surveillance of Americans, again without a warrant. There was a huge fight during the Biden administration about the reauthorization. It ends up being reauthorized. There were claims that there were some reforms put into this reauthorization, which was set to last for only two years. So time to just sort of last out the Biden administration, but as part of those reforms, actually what privacy advocates, civil liberties advocates, people like Tulsi Gabbard herself said is that in reality they actually, because the wording on these quote unquote reforms was so loose, they actually expanded the capabilities under section 702, they opened it up, for example, to requiring the collection of data coming through data service centers. And even the language is so loose that it could require someone who's like a janitor at a data center to pull data and spy on their fellow Americans. So that was the quote, unquote, reform. So anyway, section 702, it has not been dealt with. It has not been improved. There are no reforms that have made this any less damaging and any less concerning if you are a civil liberties advocate. And yet that's exactly what Tulsi pointed to in the statement where she completely reverses course and now says, no, I'm good with that. Don't really care. Think that it's all fine and good now. She says that my prior concerns about FISA were based on insufficient protections for civil liberties, particularly regarding the FBI's misuse of warrantless search powers on American citizens. Significant FISA reforms have been enacted since my time in Congress. Congress to address these issues. So she says reforms were passed. We're good to go now. Don't need to worry about it. And our producer Griffin pulled a sound bite of Tulsi just eight months ago. We're not talking years and years. We're talking just eight months ago after these supposed, quote, unquote reforms passed, saying that the reforms actually made everything worse. She decried the very reforms that she's now saying have alleviated all of her concerns. Let's take a listen to that.
Tulsi Gabbard
The bill that would reinstate or extend the FISA authorities, the Foreign Intelligence Security act authorities, for another two years. Section 702 of FISA gives our government the authority to surveil foreign actors essentially to try to identify terrorist threats. But part of that is they have the ability to capture all of the conversations. If you talk to somebody in another country that they're interested in, they can then go in and capture all of your information as an American citizen. And they can do this without a warrant. This has been in place for quite some time, but this legislation that was just passed recently expanded those authorities. So they can go and actually look at like your, your WI FI history. If you're connected to WI Fi, they can look at everything that you did connected to that WI FI signal. And, and in some other ways it's, it's, it took an already bad problem and made it many, many times worse. And again, they're just saying, well, it's for national security.
Crystal Ball
The problem here is that's the thing they always say.
Tulsi Gabbard
That's the thing they always say. And, and it's like, you know, the, I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said, if, if, you know, if you are choosing security over liberty, you will neither be secure nor will you have liberty.
Krystal Ball
So there she is saying those reforms that she's now saying, oh, they alleviated my concerns. She says that those reforms took an already bad problem and made it many, many times worse. And you know, I like obviously Tulsi completely flipping on this to get through the confirmation process. The cope I'm seeing is like, oh, she's saying what she needs to and then when she gets in there, she's gonna go return to form. Just tell me when that. You've ever seen that happen before in Washington. Well, and I don't wanna let Trump off the hook here either because he has also said that section 702 was a key priority. And perhaps if Tulsi is left there out on her own, as she kinda has been, to get through the confirmation process, she's gotta bend and twist to these senators whims. If Donald Trump came in and said, no, this is a priority and this is happening. And you're gonna confirm Tulsi Gabbard. Tulsi Gabbard would get confirmed holding onto her previous principled position with regard to section 702, in my opinion.
Crystal Ball
Yeah, that's always the issue. And this is part of the problem. The President cannot unilaterally just stop the 702 authority. I mean, you can try in terms of how it works with the intelligence community, but as you see with congressional reauthorization specifically, that's why they always hang their hat on it. And it's the one thing they have always gone to war for. I remember reading like in the past, former, I think it's former NSA director being like this greatest single threat to the US intelligence community is to, to not renew section 702. I mean, look, let's take him at his word. And if you don't like the intelligence community and you don't like the current methods, maybe we should not reauthorize it. But that is certainly part of the problem here. And just for people who see, this is how Washington works, guys. And I saw Glenn Greenwald, he did a fantastic segment about this, about the problems with 702 and exactly about how D.C. have shaped people. It shapes people. Even the people who are outsiders, the total outsiders who were told, Tulsi Gabbard even they can be brought to heel. But I will say, you know, it's not just Tulsi. Let's go Ahead and put a four please up on the screen. A lot of these people, again, outsiders are colliding with the legitimate political system. And you guys will see that that does not mean that they have the authority that we may necessarily want them to have. So as you guys saw with 702 we just showed you, but RFK Jr actually on two key positions, one is saying that one is saying he said, I'm quote, all for the polio vaccine. This is despite some past advocacy against that. I have seen some people say, like he was talking about a previous version of the polio vaccine. I'm not 100% certain on that. But what I do know is an absolute flip flop is abortion because he assured Senator James Lankford that he as the HHS secretary would not use any state or taxpayer funded resources to go towards organizations like Planned Parenthood or others. And that if there were some movement within the Trump bureaucracy like against the, what is it, the abortion pill that's currently moving through the US Mail system and others, that which again the HHS secretary, the FDA and these other organizations have significant regulatory authority over, that he would not interfere. So that is one where he's previously a pro choice Democrat. You know, I mean, pretty key litmus test issue, I would say, but has changed. We also have here Pete Hegseth, who has previously opposed women serving in combat roles, by the way, today that is going to be the number one thing you guys are all gonna hear about. So brace yourselves. I was just reading this morning that the Senate Armed Services Committee has seven Democratic women on it. Two of them, one of them is Elizabeth Warren, but one, Kirsten Gillibrand. Not a lot of people know this. Literally one of her key issues in the Senate is women in the military and specifically adjudicating sexual assault in the military. She's previously tried to take it out of the hands of the UCMJ and make it like civilian thing. Terrible idea in my opinion, but whatever disagreement, well, fine, it failed.
Krystal Ball
The concern was that oftentimes women were having to report sexual assault up the chain of command to people who either may have had a close relationship with the abuser or may even be the abuser themselves. So there were problems with, with the previous system.
Crystal Ball
Not saying the previous system was perfect, but anyway, this just has all been adjudicated and it did not work or it did not pass. My point is, is that those people, I think Maisie Hirono as well, who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee, are going to significantly press Pete Hegseth on the Women in combat roles. One of them, Tammy Duckworth, obviously she was wounded in combat. I think she lost two of her legs. So that's going to be a set piece. And they're also going to be pressing him on previous allegations against him. There's some talk here about the FBI report. So if there's anyone that's going to be explosive, spicy for media content and others, I think the Pete Hegseth one certainly today. I also think the RFK Junior 1 is a sleeper. I mean, this is still not one where you're 100% on confirmation, but as I said at the top, I have a reasonable expectation that all these people are going to get confirmed. I think that's Trump has stuck by all of them. He brought Joni Ernst to heel. She previously had been trying to stop Pete Hegset's or Pete Hegsett's nomination. She is also a major proponent of women in combat. Former veteran herself, and I believe she. Didn't she say she was previously she's a sexual assault survivor.
Krystal Ball
She is, yeah.
Crystal Ball
Anyway, so my point is that she had some, some objections to him, but. And she also wanted the job herself. Now it seems that she's either endorsed him or she's like, I'm willing to hear him out in confirmation. Hexteth may have some of the biggest trouble. But, you know, Tulsi Gabbard. Tulsi Gabbard, Cash Patel and RFK Jr. I think are going to have some of the toughest confirmation hearings, especially with the way that the Democrats are going to try and to create viral moments and more political inquiry and create political conditions to make them unconfirmable. But considering what we've seen so far, I don't see anything other than some crazy kind of black swan event happening that would prevent any of them from being able to take their.
Krystal Ball
I think they're all likely to get through. I think Tulsi is probably the one that is the most dicey because I don't think a single Democrat will vote for her. I mean, you know, these things are personal.
Crystal Ball
Yeah.
Krystal Ball
A lot of the stuff away. Like, yeah, she, she is a turncoat in terms of the Democratic Party, so they're not gonna be excited to vote for her. And then they, you know, worry about her different foreign ties, et cetera, et cetera. But. And Republicans are gonna be. The hawks in the Republican caucus are also gonna be somewhat skeptical of her, which is why this section 702 thing was so significant. Her changing her stripes on this one is so significant in an attempt to get herself across the finish line, because I think she felt that especially without. Again, I think if Trump came in and said, tulsi is my pick, I won her through, I will punish anyone who doesn't vote for her. Section 702 is a key priority for me. You are not gonna block her nomination over something that I support and is my agenda the will of people, blah, blah, blah. I think he could get her over the finish line without her having to change her stripes, but that's obviously not the way that things are playing out. So, again, I think she'll get through. I think hers might be the one that has the biggest question mark. And then you never know what could come up in an FBI report that causes a problem. That sort of wild card situation. Is there something that we don't know about these various picks that could ultimately come out? But given the fact that, number one, the Republicans have really, you know, when Trump said, vote for Mike Johnson, they all fell in line. They voted for Mike Johnson. Right. When he called up Joni Ernst and said, you're going to be behind PETA Hegseth, which I'm assuming is what happened, she was like, all right, fine. I'm going to be behind Pete Hegseth. So I think the Republicans are going to fall in line and some of the Democrats are going to vote for. I think the Democrats are going to vote for more of these picks than they voted for Trump's picks back in 2016, because they have decided, a good number of them have decided that they're not really gonna resist the Trump administration in the way that they did last time around. There's just less of a desire to fight on some of these things. So, yeah, I think these picks are all probably going to get through.
Sagar Enjeti
I'm Jason Alexander.
Peter Tilden
And I'm Peter Tilden. And together on the really no, really.
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Podcast, our mission is to get the true answers to life baffling questions, like.
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Why they refuse to make the bathroom door go all the way to the floor.
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We got the answer.
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Will space junk block your cell signal? The astronaut who almost drowned during a spacewalk gives us the answer. We talk with the scientist who figured out if your dog truly loves you and the one bringing back the woolly mammoth. Plus, does Tom Cruise really do his own stunts? His stuntman reveals the answer. And you never know who's gonna drop by.
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How are you?
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Hello.
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Wayne Knight, welcome to really. No, really.
Crystal Ball
Bless you all.
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Hello, Newman. And you never know when Howie Mandel might just stop by to talk about judging?
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Really?
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That's the opening?
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Really? No. Really?
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Yeah, really? No, really.
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Jon Stewart
Catch Jon Stewart back in action on the Daily show and in your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition PodC. From his hilarious satirical takes on today's politics and entertainment to the unique voices of correspondents and contributors, it's your perfect companion to stay on top of what's happening now. Plus, you'll get special content just for podcast listeners, like in depth interviews and a roundup of the week's top headlines. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Adnan Virk
What's up everybody? Adnan Burke here to tell you about a new podcast from iHeart podcast in the National Hockey League. It's NHL unscripted with Vir and Demers.
Jason Demers
Hey, I'm Jason Demers, former 700 game NHL defenseman turned NHL Network analyst. And boy, oh boy, does daddy have a lot to say.
Adnan Virk
I love you, by the way, on NHL Network. We're looking forward to getting together each week to chat and chirp about the sport and all the other things. Things to running it that we love, right?
Jason Demers
Yeah, I just met you today, but we're going to have a ton of guests from the colliding worlds of hockey, entertainment and pop culture. And you know what, tons of back and forth on all things NHL.
Adnan Virk
Yeah, you're soon going to find out we're not just hockey talk. We had all kinds of random stuff on this podcast. Movies, television, food, wrestling, even the stuff that you wear in NHL.
Jason Demers
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Crystal Ball
Which brings us now to one of the most hilarious parts of all of this is, as you said, the fall apart of the resistance. That's a good transition. So perfect example and how different this all is. Let's put this up there on the screen. The Washington Post editorial board has now issued endorsements for all of the Trump Cabinet nominees. And hilariously, they endorse all but four of those nominees. Pete Hegseth, RFK junior Russ Vought for the Office of Management and Budget and the DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Now I think why this is ironic and kind of hilarious is just that it shows you how the Washington Post under Bezos is trying to strike this balance of resistance audience with respectability. Washington institution politics. Now, you can have one, you cannot have both. And as we'll show you soon, with their traffic numbers, they're actually getting neither. But some of the most hilarious like ways that they endorse people, you can just read, for example, Marco Rubio. Here's why they endorse him. The son of immigrants, Rubio is respected by Senate colleagues and understands the vital importance of American leadership. That's it. That's their entire Jeff Bezos tune on why you should confirm him, for example, on Pete Hegseth or RFK Jr. They just say with Hegseth. The former Fox News anchor lacks the temperament and moral fiber required to lead the Pentagon. He persuaded Trump to pardon accuse war criminals and has a well documented history of womanizing and heavy drinking, though he says he'll give up the bottle if he gets one of the most sensitive and powerful jobs in the world. So they're switched between like incisive things that they to criticize others on. And for those though, like Doug Burgum, they say the outgoing North Dakota governor and Stanford MBA built a successful software company that he sold to Microsoft. That's it. That's the only thing that they write for him. So the reason why this is funny is you have to pair this endorsement and all of that with what is also going on over at the Washington Post. So let's move on to the next one, shall we? Washington Post traffic from Semaphore has gone from 22.5 daily active users in 2021.
Krystal Ball
Just after January 6th.
Crystal Ball
That was the peak, right, just after January 6th to about 3 million. 3 million. So you guys can do the math on what that means. Daily active users down to 2.5 to 3 million. So that means that they have had a 60% decline now currently in the overall traffic numbers just month over month since they decided not to do that endorsement. And then the Wall Street Journal has previously reported that the Post revenue fell from 190 million in 2023 to 174 million just last year. Keep in mind, both the 190 and 174 figure are not enough to cover their bills. And Bezos is still losing some $100 million or so per year operating the paper. Now they've done significant layoffs and all of that. But part of the problem behind all of this is that the only time they were ever in the green and profitable is by highlighting the very resistance figures like Jennifer Rubin and others who were plot twist has decided to leave the paper. We'll show you in a second. But all of their democracy dies in the darkness. Branding, et cetera. It might've made Bezos a little uncomfortable and at odds with Trump, but it was the only market based success that they could ever achieve by ditching that. They both have gone from a paper that just, I mean, breaks some news, not a ton. They're great journalists. Obviously we have Jeff Stein here on the show, but it's not an institution in the same way the New York Times is at all. But also by ditching the resistance and then trying to find this like, almost like Journalesque medium, they just have no identity. So it's a good example of whenever you're just constantly moving your principles around, especially your customers and others, you're gonna find yourself in a position like this. Now, Bezos is filthy rich and he probably just doesn't care. But you know, if you run the paper, this is still like, this is what, second largest newspaper in the United States, one of the most nationally known papers in the entire world. And it's basically collapsing in front of our eyes. Like, it's not inconceivable that this revenue drops below 100 million this year with all of these crazy cuts and things they're trying to do over there, and that more and more of their star journalists and others who are the only ones who brought in traffic are just gonna leave. So. Okay. I mean, that seems to be the case. All the top reporters I know of, Linstein, are gone. They all left. They just decided they don't want to deal with it anymore.
Krystal Ball
Yeah, I mean, so just to go back for a second to the cabinet endorsement thing, which is not a thing I've ever seen any paper do before, and it's just like she's like, who is she? Weird. Exactly. And the analysis is so shallow. Like for son of immigrants, for Kristi Noem, dog jokes aside, she served in Congress in two terms as governor of South Dakota. So we give her a thumbs up. It's like, okay, but like, what does she believe? And does that qualify her to be a homeland security sector?
Crystal Ball
South Dakota population is less than 1 million, by the way. So just so we're all aware.
Krystal Ball
But the other thing that's ironic too is 5 seconds ago they were like, we don't do endorsements.
Crystal Ball
Yes, Good point.
Krystal Ball
People decide, oh, now suddenly when you're gonna endorse almost all of Trump's nominees, suddenly you're back in the endorsements game, lo and behold. So yeah, they've destroyed their brand. They built a brand very explicitly around Trump resistance, unlike the new, bought a bunch of businesses and tried to make it more than even just the news at all. They have all these other verticals that I think in many ways are more profitable even than the main news business that they engage in. Bezos really went all in on Trump resistance. And by the way, there's still a market for that, a dramatically underserved market at this point, given the fact that the Post is out of the game. MSNBC has Joe and Mika making their little sojourn to Mar a Lago and we'll get back to them in a second. Cnn, the Democratic Party themselves, like bending the knee in many instances, all of these tech oligarchs, et cetera. Remember, I mean, yes, Trump won the popular vote for the first time, Republicans have a mandate, but he also only won the popular vote by 1.5 percentage points. There are still a lot of people in this country who are not excited about him being president, are critical of him and want to see that reflected in their media consumption. So, yeah, the brand is completely destroyed, as you said. Sagar, like, who is this for at this point? Because certainly MAGA is not looking to the Washington Post for their directions. And I think it's very clear that for Bezos, the Washington Post is like a little blip on his bottom line. It doesn't matter whether it's profitable or not. What's much more important to him is how Amazon does his larger and like the cloud computing business that he has as well, which is a huge part of his bottom line under the first Trump administration. He felt, I think correctly, that he was blocked from a significant government contract because of an adversarial posture vis a vis Trump and he's not gonna repeat that mistake again. So that's where his bread is buttered and that's what he is going to shift the paper in the direction of you. Also recently, I think we covered this while you were away, Stocker. There was a cartoonist who had been at the paper for years and years, award winning, Pulitzer Prize winning, whatever, who had submitted an editorial cartoon that had Bezos and Mickey Mouse and the LA Times owner and some other oligarchs. Zuckerberg, I think, was one of them, basically like bending the knee to Trump. And the cartoon was blocked. And so she decided like, okay, that's it, I'm out of here. And that's actually what Jen Rubin also cites that cartoon being blocked and that cartoonist's departure for part of her justification for why she was ultimately going to move on. So, yeah, I think, you know, as a business, obviously it's already a catastrophe. And I wouldn't look to them for any like, really serious critical reporting because Bezos is only gonna let that critique go so far because of his other business interests and not wanting to get crosswise with discovery.
Crystal Ball
Yeah, which is why it's hilarious. Let's put this up there on the screen about Jennifer Rubin. She has announced her departure from the Washington Post and has decided to join us in the independent sphere, starting a startup publication called the Contrarian, not owned by anyone.
Krystal Ball
Hilarious.
Crystal Ball
Yeah, it's just crazy. There is nobody less contrarian than that.
Krystal Ball
She's the most like purveyor. I don't know if people know the insight. She was like, you know, a Mitt Romney.
Crystal Ball
Yeah, she was a Republican, a rock.
Krystal Ball
War, supporting like neocon conservative. And then she makes this transition in the Trump era, which, okay, fine, but oftentimes too, who. She's one of these figures. Obviously MAGA hates her because she doesn't support Trump. But I mean, where is she even really politically is a really open question because she seemingly has completely flipped a lot of views in the Trump era, which is convenient for a Washington Post audience where she is and was very popular. So it actually is kind of a blow to them that she is leaving.
Crystal Ball
Because she, business wise, she's number one every time.
Krystal Ball
It's crazy to me.
Crystal Ball
But anyway, who are you who reads Jennifer Rubin College?
Krystal Ball
Yeah, she has a big audience there. So the fact that she's leaving, I mean, it really genuinely is a significant development for them. And I mean, on the one hand it's like, all right, you are standing by your principles. You don't wanna be controlled by Bezos or bend the knee to Trump or whatever. Okay. But it is funny to call it the contrarian one. If you wanna know what beltweight conventional wisdom is, just go and read a Jennifer Rubin post and you will be well schooled in what the conventional wisdom of this town is at this point.
Crystal Ball
Absolutely. That's why I'm excited for these people to get into the independent sphere. I have no idea what it actually means to cultivate an audience, to build a sustainable business, to be able to operate without Jeff bezos cutting you W2 income every year. Be totally insulated from what it means to actually fend for yourself. So welcome, Jen. We're happy to have you here in this sphere. Let's check in in a year, shall we?
Krystal Ball
You know what? I actually think they might be successful, to be honest with you. I actually. Because this market, but I mean, this market of like Trump resistance is really underserved at this point. And she is a known quantity in that space. And so I wouldn't write it off, maybe. Right. I think it could be from a business perspective, I think it could be a successful venture.
Crystal Ball
I think it's possible. But I mean, look on the independent side, it's not like it isn't saturated either. You got the bulwark, you got that lady, what's her name? Heather Cox Richardson, something like that. She's huge. I mean, she's one of the top substacks in the country. These Midas Touch dudes. Look.
Krystal Ball
Yeah, they are blown up.
Crystal Ball
Not my cup of tea, but they're big, they've built. Here's my thing. I don't like it, but I know that they're at the very. I mean, I'm pretty sure they are funded by Democratic super PACs and all that. So it's not 100% legit, but anybody who can command a million views, a video, I pay attention, you know, somebody's out there. I have actually met Boomer, actually. I was in LA and I was no San Diego and I was in an Uber and this guy was like. He's like, you look familiar, you know, whatever. And then he's like. He said, I think I've seen you before on the Midas Touch. And I was like, no, that's not me. I have no idea. But then he was just telling me about how much he loves the Midas Touch and how they've really opened his mind as to how Donald Trump is the next Hitler.
Krystal Ball
Here's what I respect.
Crystal Ball
But I was like, hey, you know.
Krystal Ball
Here'S what I respect. Is there not to like, like self serious, to dig into the, like, diaper don't.
Crystal Ball
Oh, absolutely.
Krystal Ball
Like they will chase every rabbit hole. And so listen, that's what's allowed them to build an audience. And you know, I think like, there is a lot of churn in the liberal media space right now and a lot of people who are very dissatisfied with the Post, with the Times and with MSNBC and CNN and who are totally radically changing their media consumption habits right now. So that's why I think there is an opening, like, if you're a liberal in that lane and you're starting something new I do think that there is an audience there to potentially capture and become part of their daily media diet. Now, there are no bad ideas. There's only bad execution. And they may well suffer from bad execution as we're about to see in this launch video, which we've now teased extensively. But I'm just saying, I do think if they do a good job with it and fill that market need, I do think there is an audience out there for them. It would not surprise me.
Crystal Ball
Certainly possible. As we said. As to their chops self though, here's the launch video that they had. Take a listen. Do politics. We're gonna do law. But we know that any successful pro democracy movement also has to be very vocal about culture. We'll have a humor column, we'll even have a cooking column. But we're gonna sprinkle in a little bit of pro democracy flavor. What is pro democracy?
Krystal Ball
I love that energy. I love that energy. See, you wanna find out, you gotta subscribe to find out. Sager.
Crystal Ball
All right, Jen, we wish you the best.
Sagar Enjeti
I'm Jason Alexander.
Peter Tilden
And I'm Peter Tilden. And together on the really Know really.
Sagar Enjeti
Podcast, our mission is to get the true answers to life. Life's baffling questions, like why they refuse.
Peter Tilden
To make the bathroom door go all the way to the floor.
Sagar Enjeti
We got the answer.
Peter Tilden
Will space junk block your cell signal? The astronaut who almost drowned during a spacewalk gives us the answer. We talk with the scientist who figured out if your dog truly loves you and the one bringing back the woolly mammoth. Plus, does Tom Cruise really do his own stunts? His stuntman reveals the answer. And you never know who's gonna drop by.
Sagar Enjeti
Mr. Bryan Cranston is with us.
Peter Tilden
How are you?
Sagar Enjeti
Hello.
Peter Tilden
My friend Wayne Knight. About Jurassic Park.
Sagar Enjeti
Wayne Knight. Knight. Welcome to really no really, sir.
Crystal Ball
Bless you all.
Peter Tilden
Hello, Newman. And you never know when Howie Mandel might just stop by to talk about judging.
Sagar Enjeti
Really?
Crystal Ball
That's the opening.
Sagar Enjeti
Really?
Krystal Ball
No.
Sagar Enjeti
Really?
Adnan Virk
Yeah.
Sagar Enjeti
Really?
Crystal Ball
No really.
Sagar Enjeti
Go to reallynoreally.com and register to win.
Peter Tilden
500, a guest spot on our podcast or a limited edition sign. Jason Bobblehead.
Sagar Enjeti
It's called really no really? And you can find it on the iHeartRadio app on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is back at the Daily show, and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondence and contributors. And with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed, listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Adnan Virk
What's up everybody? Adnan Virk here to tell you about a new podcast from iHeart podcast in the National Hockey League. It's NHL unscripted with Virk and Demers.
Jason Demers
Hey, I'm Jason Demers, former 700 game NHL defenseman turned NHL Network analyst. And boy oh boy, does Daddy have a lot to say.
Adnan Virk
I love you, by the way, on NHL Network, we're looking forward to getting together each week to chat and chirp about the sport and all the other things surrounding it that we love. Right?
Jason Demers
Yeah, I just met you today, but we're going to have a ton of guests from the colliding worlds of hockey, entertainment and pop culture. And you know what, Tons of back and forth on all things NHL.
Adnan Virk
Yeah, you're soon going to find out where not just hockey talk, we had all kinds of random stuff on this podcast. Movies, television, food, wrestling, even the stuff that you wear on NHL.
Jason Demers
Now you wish you could pull off my short shorts, Virky.
Adnan Virk
That's sure to cause a ruckus. Listen to NHL Unscripted with Virk and demers, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Krystal Ball
All right, let's go ahead and move over to MSNBC where there are very interesting doings and put this big blockbuster news up on the screen. You guys probably know Rachel Maddow had taken a step back from the network. She was focusing on her own longer form productions and only hosting the show once a week. Plus they would bring her in for any big breaking news and she would sit at the desk with all the other primetime anchors. Whatever. Alex Wagner had been brought back in to fill her, I believe, 9pm slot on those other nights when she's not hosting. Well, they are bringing Rachel back in to host five nights a week and sending Alex Wagner out into the field for Trump's first, at least first 100 days is what the plan is. They say it's a broader move by MSNBC to draw viewership to its coverage for that first 100 days. And they talk about the numbers in this Variety piece and just how catastrophic they have been for MSNBC after Trump's reelection. They see between the election and the end of 2024, their primetime audience between the age of 25 and 54. That's the only thing that matters, by the way, the key demographic is the only thing that matters because that's what advertisers pay for. Ads based on dropped by 65%. 65%, according to data from Nielsen. They're making a couple other new moves. Jen Psaki is going to launch a podcast called the Blueprint with Jen Psaki that's going to look at the future for the Democratic Party. Like she's the one to tell us what direction to go in. Chris Hayes is going to debut a new recurring segment called Here Is what Is True that will scrutinize misinformation tied to news coming out of Washington and how it affects political discourse. But this whole direction saga, it just smacks of utter desperation.
Crystal Ball
Oh, absolutely.
Krystal Ball
Because. And I do actually, I mean, I do think that Rachel may be their only host left who really has that kind of, like, trust and credibility with the audience. Especially after that Joe and Minka visit to Mar A Lago. It was devastating to them. It was devastating. The Morning Joe numbers immediately, in that same day that they announced that they did that, their numbers dropped some 40% hour over hour. That's in a morning show. And audience share is supposed to build hour over hour. And I really think that that stench of Trump capitulation has damaged the entire network. Not to mention just normal, like, okay, the other team won. This is really depressing. We don't really wanna watch news right now. That's a common dynamic. And potentially they could rebuild from that. They did last time that Trump won as well. But also last time they had Russiagate, which was oversold, and this elaborate conspiracy theory. But it made for. That's part of why they indulged in it so heavily. It made for compelling viewers because every night it was like, my God, what piece of the puzzle is Rachel Maddow going to unfurl and explain for us and help to fill this in and what's gonna be the dramatic conclusion, et cetera, et cetera, all this cast of characters, and that's really how they made their comeback in the Trump era. It's not clear what would serve that same role this time around. Democrats in general are in disarray. There's no coherent view of how to oppose Donald Trump. Trump this time around either. So they're not all, you know, oars are not all rowing in the same direction. So the only thing they can think to do is basically bring back in the one person that they know still has the trust of the audience and see if she can write the ship.
Crystal Ball
But the problem is with this strategy is she already left. So you're. I mean, they probably had to pay her a boatload of money to come back for this 100 days. What about after that? You know, is the plan that. Oh, they'll find their footing. I mean, I'm assuming that's literally what it is. They're like, oh, we'll figure it out.
Krystal Ball
We'Ll see what tech is, rebuild those viewership habits.
Crystal Ball
That's what they're hoping. I mean, I don't either because, you know, it's really important to know the media was not the creator of the resistance. It was like a dual pathway where, yes, MSNBC and all these other people invented Russiagate to feed the resistance, but the resistance was a thing. I was here in dc, There were people marching up and down the streets after Donald Trump won. The day after Trump won, I was at the Trump Hotel for a work thing and the entire place was flooded with protesters. I remember the Women's march. It was impossible to even get around this. What was it, 4 million people showed up here in Washington D.C. remember all those videos of ladies in their hats?
Krystal Ball
It was monumental on the planes.
Crystal Ball
It was big. It was big, all right, cringe, but big. But you know, it was the thing. And there was clearly like a demand for that type of content. That's part of where it came from. This time I don't see it as much, not at all. I'm not saying that there aren't a lot of people out there who don't like Trump or they wanna see something a little bit different, but they're not, it's not like a 911 style event to them and they're tired or they've just been. They've heard it all before. So that level of engagement, the illegitimacy that they viewed him as, cause he didn't win the popular vote. A lot of the arguments are just gone. And at this point, everything they possibly could have done has been tried arrest, you know, the court cases, Michael Avenatti, Cohen even. They are probably rolling their eyes at this point. No, they just have to say, I can't take this shit anymore.
Krystal Ball
I think it is that exhaustion. It's not that they're any less depressed about his victory. It's like we tried everything. Like we were in the streets, we marched, we protested. Like we watched Rachel Maddow every night. You know, we tweeted about drumpf. We did. He got arrested, he got charged, he did January 6th. And people saw what they're own eyes, the extremism. And there was this mass revulsion against the actions that he took and the actions he didn't take on that day. And I think the sense is like, yeah, we did all that and none of it worked. And even we managed to get Joe Biden out of the way and have a better chance, at least at being able to succeed. So I think this time. And there's also. So in 2016, he really felt like an aberration, especially because he didn't win the popular vote. And there were all these Russia and Comey, and there were all these like, oh, well, and Hillary runs a bad campaign and maybe she was a uniquely bad candidate. And so there was this sense of this was a blip, and that's not the sense now. So, yeah, there's not the same grassroots movement against him, and there's certainly not media that's orienting itself in order to help to build up that grassroots energy movement of resistance, et cetera. And so, yeah, and then the other thing we haven't even mentioned is Comcast is selling msnbc. They're being cut loose, along with other cable news properties that are under the Comcast brand, and they're being launched down into the ether as effectively a startup in the coming years. They're being cut loose from NBC, where that provided them with some news gathering and some legitimate news gathering ability. So they're really at sea. And I do, like I said, the word that comes to mind for me looking at this, bringing Rachel back in for the first hundred days is just desperate. It's the only thing they could figure to do to try to rebuild something so that when that sale, when that spinoff does occur, they have something of viewership, something that could even theoretically make sense as a business possibility. Because right now, given these numbers, it's not looking good. And they pay their, remember, huge overhead. I mean, the amount that they pay these hosts.
Crystal Ball
Oh, it's millions.
Krystal Ball
Yeah.
Crystal Ball
I was just looking Pete Hegsett's financial disclosure. This guy only works weekends. He's getting paid 2.2 million a year to only work two days a week.
Krystal Ball
So nice gig.
Crystal Ball
Must be nice.
Krystal Ball
Nice gig.
Crystal Ball
You know, that's over at Fox News. Obviously it's probably a little bit higher over there, but I mean, what, cut it in half a million?
Krystal Ball
I mean, Rachel's pulling 30 million. And Joe and Mika make that kind of money. They make 10 million each. Yeah. Huge dollar figures. I mean, every. Every primetime host making at least a million.
Crystal Ball
Right.
Krystal Ball
A year. Rachel's making way more than that. Joe Amica make way more than that. I mean that's if you're, if you're a startup like even they said they'd be a well funded startup. Yeah, right. Even a well funded startup startup can't handle that kind of overhead when you're not bringing in the viewers. So yeah, the future not looking great over there. This is not totally unexpected, but Semaphore broke the news. I can put this up on the screen. Chuck Todd has been meeting with Washington media organizations. He is going to leave NBC at the end of his contract. He'd already been taken off Meet the Press, so not all that surprising that he is looking to move on. It wouldn't surprise me, Sagar, if he also tries to get into the independent media game because the hot spot to be and these people all think that they can make it in our world. And I don't know, some of the ways that he's been talking recently have seemed to me to be an attempt to transition into more of an independent media space. Giving some credence to Bernie Sanders, that kind of stuff where it's very different from the way that he used to approach these topics.
Crystal Ball
Chuck also fancies himself intellectual and he likes to do big history takes. So I could also see him trying to write some Bill O'Reilly style history books. That is, by the way, as a book guy, so depressing. Whenever you check the top 10 books in the United States, number eight is always some fucking killing so and so by Bill O'Reilly. Who are you buying this? I just don't understand it. I think it's like grandmas who buy them as gifts for their grandsons.
Krystal Ball
So they've gotten like ripped apart by fact checkers.
Crystal Ball
Oh, no, no.
Krystal Ball
Look, put the accuracy in there.
Crystal Ball
It's mostly the killing books are just like aggregators. It's like reading a buzzfeed article about an event like Killing Lincoln, right? And it's like narrative style basically. Narrative style aggregation. I actually tried to read Killing Lincoln once. Cause I was like, okay, what's all the fuss about? It's one of the top selling books in the country. It's incomprehensible and bad. I just don't get it. But you know, for Chuck, there's a well trodden path out there.
Krystal Ball
That's true.
Crystal Ball
There's a well trodden path.
Krystal Ball
And he doesn't have the juice that Bill O'Reilly.
Crystal Ball
No, he does not.
Krystal Ball
Bill O'Reilly. Listen, obviously I don't share his politics. He really is kind of the goat of like the cable news Format.
Crystal Ball
Yeah.
Krystal Ball
That man really made cable news what it is. Like the format and his. His style and, you know, his command of the audience and all that stuff. Like, he really was. I have to respect the game. I have to respect the game.
Crystal Ball
Absolutely. I used to watch it growing up. What was it? You know, the debate segments that they used to have. I mean, listen, it was, at one point, I think O'Reilly was commanding like 10 million viewers a night whenever we were in the lead up to the Iraq war. I mean, he honestly has a lot of responsibility for that. For a lot of the problems with the Bush administration, it was a different moment in time. It was almost 20 years ago. It feels like forever. But at one point in time, like, these people were the kings of American politics. So at the very least, thank God that that time is over.
Krystal Ball
Yes, indeed. We've got one last piece here which is more on the dismal television ratings and a new poll. We can put B3 up on the screen here. Americans exhausted by political news, TV ratings and a new poll show, they are tuning out. So about two thirds of American adults say they have recently felt the need to limit media consumption about politics and government because of overload. You should probably do that. It's probably good for your health. Smaller percentages of Americans are limiting their intake of news about overseas conflicts, the economy, or climate change. Seven in 10 Democrats say they're stepping back from political news. Percentage isn't quite as high for Republicans who have reason to celebrate Trump's victory. But still, about 6 in 10 Republicans say they've felt the need to take some time off, too. And the share for independence is similar. Maybe, I don't know, People are bad at really describing what they should do versus what they are doing, et cetera. The fact that cable news ratings are CNN and MSNBC in particular are massively down doesn't necessarily mean that news consumption overall is massively down because as we discussed before, a bunch of, like, left independent channels are actually seeing a huge surge right now. Kyle's obviously being one of them. So, yeah, I think there's a real. I'm sure there's some fatigue after an election. There already is. But it also seems to me like what we're seeing is more of a reshuffling of media habits than a desire to completely step away.
Crystal Ball
Yeah, no question. I totally agree with that.
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is back at the Daily show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports, and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show, correspondents and contributors, and with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Sagar Enjeti
I'm Jason Alexander.
Peter Tilden
And I'm Peter Tilden.
Sagar Enjeti
And together our mission on the really.
Peter Tilden
Know really podcast is to get the.
Sagar Enjeti
True answers to life. Life's baffling questions, like why the bathroom.
Peter Tilden
Door doesn't go all the way to the floor, what's in the museum a failure, and does your dog truly love you? We have the answer.
Sagar Enjeti
Go to reallynoreally.com and register to win.
Peter Tilden
500 a guest spot on our podcast or a limited edition sign. Jason Bobblehead the Really no really podcast.
Sagar Enjeti
Follow us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Adnan Virk
What's up everybody? Adnan Burke here to tell you about a new podcast. It's NHL Unscripted with Verkin Demers.
Jason Demers
Jason Demers here. And after playing 700 NHL games, James, I got a lot of dirty laundry to air out.
Adnan Virk
Hey, I got a lot to say here, too, okay? Each week we'll get together, chat about the sport that we love.
Jason Demers
Tons of guests are going to join into, but we're not just gonna be talking hockey, folks. We're talking movies, we're talking tv, food, and Adnan's favorite wrestling. It's all on le table.
Adnan Virk
Listen to NHL Unscripted with Vir and Demers, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar – Episode 1/14/25 Summary
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Hosts: Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts
In the premiere episode of "Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar," the hosts delve into a range of pressing political and media-related issues following the recent election. The episode primarily focuses on the confirmation hearings of Donald Trump's cabinet nominees, significant shifts within media institutions like the Washington Post and MSNBC, and broader implications for independent media in the current political climate.
Pete Hegseth's Confirmation Hearing:
Krystal Ball opens the discussion by highlighting the commencement of confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet nominees, with Pete Hegseth slated to appear before the Senate for the Secretary of Defense position.
Krystal Ball [02:01]: "Pete Hegseth will be the first of Donald Trump's nominees to appear before the United States Senate for his confirmation hearings."
Tulsi Gabbard's Shift on Section 702 of FISA:
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic Congresswoman nominated for a position within the Trump administration. Gabbard has reversed her stance on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a move seen by many as an attempt to secure her confirmation.
Krystal Ball [07:57]: "Tulsi has changed her political stripes in any number of ways and shifted her positions on any number of issues. But this is the core of what she has consistently stood for."
Discussion on Section 702:
Section 702 has been a contentious issue, initially enacted alongside the Patriot Act to surveil foreign actors but criticized for allowing the surveillance of American citizens without warrants. Gabbard’s reversal is viewed as indicative of the pressures nominees face to align with Trump’s priorities.
Krystal Ball [012:21]: "Section 702, it has not been dealt with. It has not been improved. There are no reforms that have made this any less damaging and any less concerning if you are a civil liberties advocate."
Notable Soundbite from Tulsi Gabbard:
To underscore Gabbard's flip, the hosts play a clip from her statement eight months prior, expressing concern over Section 702.
Tulsi Gabbard [11:11]: "The legislation that was just passed recently expanded those authorities. So they can go and actually look at like your, your WI FI history... It took an already bad problem and made it many, many times worse."
Endorsement of Trump Nominees:
Krystal and Crystal Ball critique the Washington Post's recent endorsement shift, where the editorial board endorsed almost all of Trump's cabinet nominees, excluding four. This strategic pivot is analyzed as an attempt to balance resistance with respectability, ultimately leading to a loss of identity and audience.
Crystal Ball [25:55]: "The Washington Post editorial board has now issued endorsements for all of the Trump Cabinet nominees. And hilariously, they endorse all but four of those nominees."
Impact on Traffic and Revenue:
The hosts highlight a dramatic decline in the Washington Post’s traffic, noting a 60% drop in daily active users since the endorsement shift. Additionally, revenue figures show a downward trend, with the paper operating at a loss despite significant layoffs and cost-cutting measures.
Krystal Ball [25:55]: "Traffic from Semaphore has gone from 22.5 daily active users in 2021... to about 3 million. That means a 60% decline month over month."
Jen Rubin's Departure:
Adding to the Washington Post's woes, Jen Rubin, a prominent columnist, announces her departure to launch an independent publication, "The Contrarian." This move signifies the exodus of key voices from the paper, further exacerbating its struggles.
Crystal Ball [31:47]: "Jennifer Rubin has announced her departure from the Washington Post and has decided to join us in the independent sphere, starting a startup publication called the Contrarian, not owned by anyone."
Rachel Maddow's Return:
MSNBC responds to plummeting ratings by reinstating Rachel Maddow as a nightly host for the first hundred days of Trump's administration. This decision reflects the network's desperation to regain viewership and identity amidst declining numbers.
Krystal Ball [38:54]: "MSNBC is bringing Rachel Maddow back to host five nights a week... They see their primetime audience between the age of 25 and 54... has fallen by 65%."
Additional Network Moves:
Other notable changes include Jen Psaki launching a podcast and Chris Hayes introducing a new segment to address misinformation. However, these efforts are perceived as too little, too late, with the network's overall direction appearing chaotic and desperate.
Crystal Ball [41:44]: "Jen Psaki is going to launch a podcast called the Blueprint... Chris Hayes is debuting a new segment called Here Is What Is True..."
Declining Cable News Ratings:
The episode discusses a new poll indicating that two-thirds of American adults are limiting their political media consumption due to overload, highlighting a broader trend of audience fatigue.
Krystal Ball [51:17]: "Americans exhausted by political news, TV ratings... they are tuning out."
Shifting Media Consumption Habits:
While traditional cable news like CNN and MSNBC sees a decline, independent and alternative media channels experience growth as audiences seek content that aligns more closely with their views and interests.
Crystal Ball [52:46]: "There is a distinguishable reshuffling of media habits rather than a complete step away."
Krystal and Saagar conclude the episode by emphasizing the turbulent state of both the political and media landscapes. The confirmation of Trump’s nominees, the Washington Post’s strategic missteps, and MSNBC’s struggling ratings paint a picture of an evolving and often destabilized media environment. The hosts express cautious optimism about the potential success of independent media ventures like Jen Rubin’s "The Contrarian," despite acknowledging the challenges ahead.
Krystal Ball [34:19]: "The market of Trump resistance is really underserved... there is an opening for independent media to capture and become part of their daily media diet."
Krystal Ball on Tulsi Gabbard's Flip:
"Tulsi has changed her political stripes in any number of ways and shifted her positions on any number of issues. But this is the core of what she has consistently stood for." ([07:57])
Tulsi Gabbard on Section 702:
"The legislation that was just passed recently expanded those authorities... It took an already bad problem and made it many, many times worse." ([11:11])
Krystal Ball on Washington Post Traffic Decline:
"Traffic from Semaphore has gone from 22.5 daily active users in 2021... to about 3 million. That means a 60% decline month over month." ([25:55])
Crystal Ball on Audience Fatigue:
"Americans exhausted by political news, TV ratings... they are tuning out." ([51:17])
This episode of "Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar" offers a critical examination of the intersection between politics and media. By dissecting the maneuvers of Trump’s cabinet confirmations, the Washington Post’s faltering endorsements, and MSNBC’s reactive strategies, the hosts provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the current challenges facing independent media and the broader political discourse. As the media landscape continues to evolve, the insights from this episode underscore the importance of resilience and adaptability in maintaining journalistic integrity and audience trust.