Morning Groveling

It is hard to read the "Morning Joe" crew's efforts to restart relations with Trump as anything but kissing the ring.

Author

Oliver Darcy
November 18, 2024

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. (Screen grab via SnapStream)

In mid-October, after Jeff Bezos blocked The Washington Post from endorsing Kamala Harris ahead of the election, Joe Scarborough went on the air and let loose on the Amazon billionaire. "The anticipatory kowtowing to a guy who is saying he is going to be an autocrat is the first step," Scarborough warned as the "Morning Joe" crew discussed the very real possibility of democratic backsliding in the U.S.

"Right, Washington Post," Mika Brzezinski agreed.

Less than a month later, Scarborough and Brzezinski are now the ones taking heat for very publicly kowtowing to Trump. The MSNBC hosts astonished their audience and the news industry on Monday morning when they revealed at the top of their show that they traveled to Mar-a-Lago on Friday for a meeting with the unhinged president-elect. During the meeting, which the hosts requested, the trio agreed to "restart communications," Brzezinski said. Scarborough tried to reassure viewers they are “not here to defend or normalize” Trump.

"For those asking why we would go speak to the president-elect during such fraught times," Brzezinski said, "I guess I would ask back: Why wouldn’t we?"

Uh, have you watched your own show?

The about face from the two outspoken hosts bewildered the media industry. "WTAF," one anchor texted me, using the shorthand for What The Actual Fuck. "Didn’t they just call him fascist?" asked another. "Did NBC [brass] make them do it?" wondered a third. The dismay inside MSNBC was just as palpable…

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The Information Wars

Comcast boss Brian Roberts. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Comcast Gets Cozy: It's not just the "Morning Joe" hosts trying to make nice with Donald Trump. MSNBC's corporate parent, Comcast, is also curtsying before the president-elect. The Brian Roberts-led company on Monday released a glowing statement praising Trump's selection of Brendan Carr as Federal Communications Commission chair. The statement lauded Carr's "successful track record at the FCC" and his "his extensive knowledge of the communications industry." It went on to "commend President-elect Trump on his choice."

You might be wondering: Is this the same Brendan Carr who is behaving like a right-wing clown on social media? Yes, it is! Since being selected by Trump, Carr has said he plans to end DEI initiatives at the FCC, threatened broadcast media outlets by signaling he could come after their licenses, and said the country "must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans." That's the guy Roberts' company believes is a fantastic pick for FCC chair.

Of course, like all business leaders, it's no surprise that Roberts does not want to find himself in Trump's crosshairs. He will have business before the government and Trump can make his life difficult, to say the least. Behind the scenes…

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The Fourth Estate

Cutting the Wire: The Associated Press is reducing its workforce. The wire service said Monday it will cut some roles and offer buyouts to other staffers, with the moves impacting about 8% of its workforce. Chief executive Daisy Veerasingham noted that…

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