Press Beat

Holy hell, now @samstein, @kenvogel, @jenhab, and @ec_schneider are complaining that Biden is getting $$ the same way all Presidents do, unlike Trump, who is simply firehosing Saudi cash, w/no transparency on terms.

You people are certifiably insane. pic.twitter.com/6y0SyrFZov

— emptywheel (check, mate) (@emptywheel) July 6, 2024

Since the American media is too busy with The Frenzy to cover the explosive legal filings in the Epstein/Trump case except on page A43, the UK press steps in:
https://t.co/Rlb3uvSdp4

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) July 6, 2024

Granted, the Epstein documents are no better founded than the Politico story. But it would still be worth a conversation; well, as much as a President fundraising by letting people overnight in the White House.

Again: We're having a debate about basic competence to do a job (or two, in Biden's case -- BEING President and running to be President, which most journalists seem not to understand).

But NYT is utterly failing their job. Just faceplant for fascism territory. https://t.co/69U9wThrc8

— emptywheel (check, mate) (@emptywheel) July 6, 2024

There are 2 conversations in Washington right now. The public one is that Biden’s ok. The private one is the same people telling reporters it’s a disaster. Biden fans are blaming reporters but the press is just letting the public in on what’s really being said. https://t.co/IiKrDGQg07

— Jane Mayer (@JaneMayerNYer) July 6, 2024

Yes of course- it’s the reason everyone is so legitimately panicked.

— Jane Mayer (@JaneMayerNYer) July 6, 2024

A) Olivia Nuzzi.

Not a single named sourced in this piece, written by an author who has had it out for Biden for a long time. https://t.co/wNiN9F1KiD

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 4, 2024

Jane Mayer is basically saying: “It’s in print , it must be true!” She’s better than this. Then again: News = gossip.

B) “Everyone” is the people engaged in the “two conversations in Washington.” 

This is the silly season. To put it as bluntly as Michael Steele did.

After proclaiming, "I just have never seen such an absolute creation of a wasteland around a candidate by his own people," Steele took aim at Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) for leading the charge against Biden. 

Speaking about Warner and Democratic powerbrokers, he explained, "You trashed Kamala Harris for the last three years, right? So a lot of folks out there in the electorate and certainly within the party say 'I don't think I want to do that.' Now you are trashing the president and you're going to have another meeting with senators." 

"What the hell are these people thinking?" he exclaimed before adding, " [What] is going to happen when you turn to September and whether it is Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket, or Joe Biden, or, I don't know, pick a random Democrat and make them the nominee?" 

"What do you think Republicans are going to do with that? The only commercial that they have to do is run the stupid things that are being said now," he warned.

Stupid things like “everyone in Washington,” no doubt.

The media’s obsessively scrutinized every syllable, word, facial tick, etc about @POTUS, #Biden’s interview last night with #Stephanopoulos. But not one single word that #Trump refused to do the same interview. This unconscionable, dangerous double-standard has to stop…

— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) July 6, 2024

Biden’s making them do it.