With only a week till Donald Trump takes the oath of workplace that can reignite his wildfire of a presidency, the MAGA motion is already in open civil struggle over who will get to be a part of Trump’s unique (and extremely highly effective) interior circle. Nowhere was that clearer than in Steve Bannon lambasting billionaire Elon Musk as “truly evil,” whereas urging the Tesla CEO to “go back to South Africa.” Yikes!
You wouldn’t have heard about that in the event you watched the cable information exhibits this previous week. It shouldn’t shock you to know that the key media networks are all in a sophisticated state of “anticipatory obedience” to Trump’s incoming authoritarianism. Meaning no extra criticism of MAGA bigwigs—particularly Musk, the largest, richest wig of all of them.
That media silence feels even weirder when you think about that the Bannon vs. Musk feud is without doubt one of the dominant points burning up the terminally on-line right-wing punditverse. Really, we stay in two mutually unique worlds.
From MAGA brawls to the high-stakes battle to bury particular counsel Jack Smith’s report on Trump’s misconduct, cable TV’s speaking heads missed fairly a couple of large tales this week.
The states of Greenland and Canada
The most important broadcasters wrote off Donald Trump’s surprising threats to annex Greenland, make Canada a U.S. state, and seize management of the Panama Canal nearly as shortly because the president-elect issued them. Whereas it’s clear the company media plans to deal with Trump’s more and more hostile threats with an eye fixed roll, the reality is extra critical. Trump’s gambit isn’t only a slap within the face to America’s allies, it’s a possible political minefield each at house and overseas.
Each day Kos’ Andrew Mangan wrote Sunday about how Trump’s effort to show Canada into America’s 51st state may trigger The Donald extra complications than he could notice. That features welcoming 5 new political events into the American political sphere, lots of whom are so progressive they make America’s Democrats appear to be a bunch of right-wing radicals. However Trump’s troubles don’t cease with a brand new Congress: The state of Canada would possess 50 electoral votes—an enormous electoral shift.
Elsewhere at Each day Kos, Alix Breeden tackled Trump’s aggressive threats to economically sanction Denmark except they comply with hand over Greenland to the USA. And as Breeden notes, Trump’s lust for an island within the Arctic Circle isn’t pushed by delusion alone. Greenland’s big provide of priceless minerals and shut entry to Arctic oil fields would show an enormous boon as the USA seeks to weaken China’s grip on strategically essential uncommon earth metals.
Trump is critical sufficient about his territorial expansionism that he’s refused to rule out seizing Greenland by way of army drive. Company media retailers could deal with Trump’s statements as foolish punchlines, however world leaders don’t threaten struggle on NATO nations flippantly—even dopes like Donald Trump. Luckily for the GOP, cable information retailers have made certain voters received’t see Trump’s newest assault on America’s allies.
DOGE goes digging
You’ll assume the goings-on of the world’s richest and most politically related man could be absolute catnip for cable information retailers longing for scandal and sensationalism. But most Individuals have barely heard a peep about Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity because it was first introduced months in the past. As John Adams as soon as wrote, it’s marvelous how political vegetation develop within the shade—and DOGE is spreading like kudzu.
As an alternative, a number of the most incisive protection of Musk’s unofficial presidency comes from media retailers in Europe, the place Musk is being (appropriately) branded a democracy-threatening villain by political leaders, together with France’s Emmanuel Macron. Each day Kos’ Oliver Willis has additionally been scorching on Musk’s path, together with a terrific piece on how DOGE is already harassing authorities officers regardless of not being an actual authorities company and holding no precise energy.
This all comes regardless of rising numbers of presidency officers—on each side of the aisle—telling Musk and his DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy that they merely received’t discover $2 trillion in federal spending cuts. Each day Kos’ Emily Singer reviews that every one these conferences have led Musk to decrease expectations round what DOGE can obtain. When pressed, Musk couldn’t even identify any spending areas he would minimize. That is going to go nice, y’all.
Singer additionally reminds Republicans of a fact they’d reasonably neglect: Any spending cuts approaching something even near $2 trillion would essentially embody slashing the nation’s large protection finances. That’s a no-go space for the GOP. Ramaswamy has stated DOGE isn’t even contemplating trimming the protection finances, which suggests DOGE will battle to hit even sharply lowered spending objectives. This was presupposed to be the straightforward half!
It’s straightforward to know why the media has closed their eyes to Musk’s wild claims. In any case, Musk’s sprawling community of enterprise and funding relationships means lots of the executives chargeable for figuring out TV information protection have no less than a tangential connection to the notoriously litigious Musk. Most retailers would reasonably keep away from scrutiny and a possible lawsuit altogether by merely permitting Musk to function outdoors of the realm of press accountability.
Democracy, as they are saying, dies in darkness—and it’s getting fairly dim on the market, of us.
Attain out!
Preserve the dialog going all week by sharing tales you assume the media missed with me at @themaxburns on Bluesky! And bear in mind: If you happen to’re tuned to cable information, you aren’t even getting half of the story.
Till subsequent week, hold your eyes peeled and keep inquisitive, associates.
