Anderson Cooper's Gross CNN Defense, Pilots Strike/Picket at Multiple Airlines, Flint Denies Police Records, Joe Biden Fails on Immigration, More!
A whirlwind of a week, summed up for you
Hey there,
Jenn here – Happy Friday! It’s hard to keep a smile on with the news (and reality in general) being what it is these days, but it is a huge positive that so many workers are taking action across the country. Writers! Pilots! Baristas! More! Elon is Eloning, Biden is failing on immigration, and cops continue to get away with … whatever they want.
Here’s the news you may have missed, condensed and easy to read.
New Twitter CEO Incoming (and no, Elon did not take a vote)
Elon Musk has appointed Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter (Musk took over six months ago). The new exec will start in six weeks, focusing on business operations since her background is in ads and she’s the former head of advertising at NBCUniversal and worked for Turner before that.
Musk says he wants to turn Twitter into “X, the everything app.”
Musk has fired thousands of staff and many users have noticed more extreme-right content on the platform than ever before.
There’s been a lot of hubbub on Twitter about the appointment of Yaccarino, with rightwing users claiming she’s leftwing and Elon has sold them out, and with leftwing users noting that she’s a known conservative who served on a council for Trump.
This news comes on the heels of Tucker Carlson announcing his new Twitter show after being fired from Fox News.
Anderson Cooper Defends Horrid CNN Trump Town Hall
Anderson Cooper, abanding journalistic principles, is defending CNN’s decision to host a town hall with Donald Trump. ICYMI, I summarized the whole event here.
In a video, Cooper acknowledges that viewers were really upset with the “disturbing” town hall due to Trump’s lies, conspiracy theories, sexist language toward host Kaitlin Collins (calling her “nasty”), denial of sexual assault liability (despite a jury finding Trump liable a day earlier), and the audience that cheered along and laughed to all of it.
Cooper correctly points out that the pro-Trump audience shows that Trump can become president again. I believe it is so important for people to internalize this possibility and fight against it becoming a reality.
Cooper condescendingly warns people not to stay in their “silos” - that we need to hear from the other side and that we have the choice to take action in our politics. I agree with the latter … but, as for “silos,” that’s exactly what *your network* created, Anderson. There wasn’t any pushback from the audience because it wasn’t an audience representative of Americans broadly. It was an audience – a bubble - a SILO, if you will – representative of Trump supporters. And what you put on TV matters. The lies you allow to be beamed out there to millions of people matter. Collins tried to push back but had an impossible task. What CNN did was not necessary and did not do any good, only harm.
People on social media, and out in the real world, I presume, are angry with Anderson Cooper and CNN (including head Chris Licht) for doubling and tripling down on their decision to move forward with the town hall and for defending it aftward.
Let me highlight again that the MAGA-filled audience LAUGHED about sexual assault.
This falls in line with many recent changes at CNN, with insiders saying its heads are trying to make the network more right-leaning to attract conservatives.
Boo to Anderson, Licht, Collins, and all at CNN who made this happen and who condone it.
Did we learn nothing from endlessly showing empty Trump podiums in 2016?
Southwest Airlines Pilots Have Authorized a Strike
Southwest Airlines pilots have authorized a strike. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association closed its strike authorization vote with 98% participation from union members and 99% approval of the referendum.
Flint Denies Release of Police Settlement Records
The city of Flint has denied a records request by The Center Square to release information on police payout settlements from 2020-2023. Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Grand Rapids are fulfilling the requests made to their cities.
Flint claims to not have an existing summary of all payouts and says the request requires the creation of records or a summary, which is not required under FOIA (this seems like B.S. to me and in my FOIA experience).
We know from court records that Flint paid $40,000 in 2020 for handcuffing a seven-year-old child for an hour and $360,000 in 2023 for sexual harassment and racial discrimination claims.
The Center Square found that Michigan city police payments between 2018-2020 ranged from a few thousand dollars to nearly $18 million.
Flint’s 2023-2024 budget has police and fire departments accounting for 62% of the general fund budget – Flint police will cost $28 million.
Pilots at United Airlines are Picketing
Pilots at United Airlines are picketing at major airports after working without a raise for four years.
UA pilots want to match or exceed the 34% pay increase Delta Airlines gave its pilots.
United has ~14,000 pilots and at least 2,000 are expected to be picketing.
Sen. Mitch McConnell Apparently Wants to Get Rid of Sen. Joe Manchin
Despite Joe Manchin, a “Democrat,” doing the dirty work of the GOP and obstructing Dem. policies for so many years, Mitch McConnell wants him gone.
McConnell hopes for the GOP to regain control of the Senate and this seat is relatively vulnerable.
…How does it feel to sell out the people for no reason, Manchin?
Title 42 Has Expired and Joe Biden is Failing
Title 42, which allowed for migrants entering the country during the height of the Covid-era to be expelled quickly, has expired.
Biden has been (very rightly!) criticized for implementing immigration policies similar to that of Donald Trump - despite the (absolutely correct!) outcry from Democrats when Trump was in office.
Biden’s asylum rule requires that a migrant has been denied legal protection in another country. This creates a higher threshold of proof for migrants to meet and migrant rights advocates are calling this decision life-threatening.
Migrants now must make an appointment to request asylum using an app called CBP One. Some are calling the app “a life-or-death lottery.”
Those who cross without documentation could face a five-year ban on re-entry.
Biden has focused on “lawful pathways” for entry - but this doesn’t take into account how the United States has caused much of this crisis in the first place with its policies toward struggling countries.
Law enforcement at the border has been increased as a result of Title 42 expiring.
Two migrant children have recently died in U.S. custody in the last two months.
Reminder: Biden promised to create a fair and humane immigration system. Even some of his staff and top supporters are condemning the president’s moves.
Tony Awards Will No Longer Be Televised on June 11th Due to the Writers’ Strike
The Writers Guild has denied a waiver request that would allow the Tony Awards to go on as scheduled.
Support writers! (some of my in-field interviews of writers and actors, here)
More to come!
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Solidarity Forever,
Jenn
Keep giving them hell Jenn ... developing a presence on Substack is gonna take a while, but I think you've got the tenacity to get it done.
So you believe in censorship? You’re calling out CNN for platforming Trump and his supportive audience. WTF? That’s censorship. Joe Biden lies to us everyday; all politicians do. Why are Trump’s to be banned from the airwaves but not the Democrat’s lies? I’m no Trump supporter nor a Republican, but I can’t stand the hypocrisy coming from the so-called “left” these days.