"As someone who practiced press law for more than twenty years, and served as a senior executive of news organizations for just as long, I was shocked by the decision of ABC News last week..."

"... to pay $16 million to settle Donald Trump’s libel case over George Stephanopoulos’s This Week broadcast in March. The shock came, and still lingers, because I—and every experienced press lawyer not involved in the case with whom I have discussed it—considered the case one in which ABC was likely to eventually prevail. The decision to settle has been greeted by a lot of commentary, but almost no reporting of new facts. Understandably, that’s generated a good deal of hand-wringing about corporations 'bending a knee' or gloating about the humbling of legacy media or an arrogant press getting its comeuppance. But such speculation does little to explain what happened...."

Writes Richard J. Tofel, in "Questions ABC News Should Answer Following the $16 Million Trump Settlement/The decision to cave and apologize has unnerved American journalists. The network owes them an explanation" (Columbia Journalism Review).

As long as I'm talking about apologies...

"George Stephanopoulos and ABC apologize to Trump, are forced to pay $15 million to settle defamation suit/ABC News will pay $15 million as a charitable contribution to a Trump presidential foundation and museum" (Fox News).

The defamation had to do with the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit. Stephanopoulos incorrectly asserted "Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury."

"ABC says Trump and Harris have agreed to debate on Sept. 10."

The NYT reports.

The 90-minute debate is expected to be held in Philadelphia, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. The ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis will serve as moderators. The debate will probably be held without a live audience, but the exact format and ground rules are still being determined, the people said.

Remember my prediction, 5 days ago, when I ranked the likelihood of the possible outcomes:

1. The originally planned version of the debate takes place, with one change: a live audience.

2. The originally planned version of the debate takes place, unchanged.

3. There is no debate.

4. A third version of the debate is hammered out.

5. The Fox News debate, as proposed by Trump, actually happens.

The originally planned debate had George Stephanopoulos has the moderator, so there has been a change, though not the one I predicted. But the live audience is still a possibility. I'm glad Harris is exposing herself to the risks of debate. It is a big risk for her, and it's not for him.

Trump rejects the old agreement to debate — with Kamala Harris swapped in for Joe Biden — and proposes a new one. But I think, in the end, the old one will prevail.

Here's what Trump wrote at Truth Social last night:

I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th.

He has agreed. She hasn't agreed, and I don't think she will. Why would she? She's boldly claimed Joe Biden's position as the Democratic Party's candidate, and she can claim status as the successor to the agreement. And she will want to, because the terms are favorable to her, and the terms of the proposed new agreement are worse. It's Fox News, instead of ABC.

The Debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest.

That "conflict of interest" is not new. It existed when the agreement was with Biden. Trump could have backed out of the agreement with Biden too. It's just a matter of how we the people would view the backing out. Is Trump afraid? Harris is already out there taunting him, saying "If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face." That's a taunt that will work against any criticism he might make of her. She's not going to give up the old agreement. Not only are the terms better for her...

"You saw it today. How many-- how many people draw crowds like I did today? Find me more enthusiastic than today? Huh?"

Said Joe Biden, in his interview with George Stephanoulos, and Stephanoulos had to push him back:

"I don't think you wanna play the crowd game. Donald Trump can draw big crowds. There's no question about that."

Biden briefly tried to change the subject to the kind of people Donald Trump draws:

"He can draw a big crowd, but what does he say? Who-- who does he have?"

Yeah, who are those people who go to Trump rallies? At least he caught himself before making some sort of miserable "deplorables" remark.

Meanwhile, here's a view of Biden's audience yesterday (on TikTok).

"Have you had the specific cognitive tests, and have you had a neurologist, a specialist, do an examination?"

George Stephanopoulos pushed Joe Biden, in the big ABC interview that aired last night.

Biden had just wafted the theory that the job of being president is itself, inherently, "a full neurological test every day." As if we can just watch him. But we can't watch him. He's been hiding, and he's insulated by others who can cover for all his shortcomings.

Pushed — about "specific cognitive tests" by "a neurologist, a specialist" — Biden said "No. No one said I had to. No one said. They said I'm good."

Well, then, Stephanopoulos asked again, "Would you be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological and cognitive tests and release the results to the American people?"

And Biden repeated the theory that the job itself is the neurological test: "Look. I have a cognitive test every single day." He elaborated, wordily: "Every day I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I'm running the world" — running the world! — "not-- and that's not hy- — sounds like hyperbole, but we are the essential nation of the world.... I'm workin' on what we were doin' with regard to-- in Europe with regard to expansion of NATO and whether it's gonna stick. I'm takin' on Putin...."

In short, he adamantly refuses to take the specific tests from a specialist and show us the results. Because he's in the difficult job and attempting to do it, shielded from public view, we're supposed to feel assured that he's capable of doing it. I don't feel reassured. But at the same time, I wouldn't trust medical specialists to perform this task of testing the mental competence of political candidates. The specialists are human beings with preferences, who may deploy their expertise to mystify. I actually believe Biden's theory that the test is in the performance of the job. But the big problem is that we haven't been allowed to observe him doing the job. He has not exposed himself in action and his hiding gives rise to an inference that he lacks competence. 

"President Biden arrives Friday in Madison, Wis., for what will be a critical few hours as he holds a rally attempting to inject new life..."

"... into a flagging campaign and sits for an ABC News interview as part of an effort to demonstrate his verbal and mental ability...."

I'm reading "Biden faces critical day to push back against calls to withdraw/With a rally in Wisconsin and an interview on ABC, Biden hopes to begin turning the tide after days of criticism of his recent debate performance" (WaPo).

Where is this "rally"? When is it? This is happening in my city, and I can't find anything in the local press about how a person could actually attend this event. Might I stumble into it if I go traipsing about? Will George Stephanopoulos and Biden do their interview in a room with an audience? It's disturbing that Biden has been hidden away throughout his campaign, so if the idea is now finally to emerge into view, why is he so hard to see?

Biden is scheduled to arrive in Wisconsin early Friday afternoon, with plans to be in the state for a few hours....

Does that sound like they want us to see him?

"Trump sues ABC and Stephanopoulos, alleging defamation over Mace interview."

The Hill reports.

... Stephanopoulos... said Trump had been found “liable for rape.” The jury had found Trump liable for sexual abuse under New York law, but not rape....

“Indeed, the jury expressly found that Plaintiff did not commit rape and, as demonstrated below, Defendant George Stephanopoulos was aware of the jury’s finding in this regard yet still falsely stated otherwise,” [Trump’s attorney, Alejandro] Brito continued....

ADDED: The complaint quotes 12 times that Stephanopoulos said "rape," so he really leaned into what he had to know was wrong:

"The judge later tried... to argue that the jury 'implicitly' found Trump liable for rape...."

The dishonesty of Stephanopoulos' interview is striking. He says 10 times that Trump was found 'liable for rape' in the E Jean Carroll case. He says that the jury found Trump 'liable for rape.' In fact, the jury specifically found Trump *not* liable for rape. It found him liable… https://t.co/AGr0WWnaMS

— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 10, 2024

"When the Trump-era press secretaries Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kayleigh McEnany joined Fox News, liberals cried foul about a 'revolving door'..."

"... and claimed the Murdoch-owned network was an extension of the Trump White House. Those voices have said little about Ms. Psaki’s migration to MSNBC, nor that of another Biden White House alumna, Symone D. Sanders, who also hosts a weekend show on the channel. For her part, Ms. Psaki said MSNBC viewers can expect to see her authentic self — and that 'I am not going on television to be a mouthpiece.'"

From "Jen Psaki, Once the Voice of Biden, Moves to an Anchor Chair The former White House press secretary will start hosting a weekly MSNBC talk show on March 19. As for the president, “I am not going to gratuitously attack him'" (NYT).

"The simplest explanation is that Biden simply lied. But there is that possibility that Biden genuinely does not remember what his military advisors recommended a few months ago..."

"... on one of the most consequential decisions of his presidency. If the president insists he did not lie in the George Stephanopoulos interview, is it now acceptable to ask if Biden can remember what he is told in briefings?"

From "Say, How Is Joe Biden’s Memory These Days?" by Jim Geraghty (National Review).

IN THE COMMENTS:  Balfegor writes:

I think Geraghty is ignoring the possibility that Milley and McKenzie are lying. And the possibility that they "recommended" it him, but in a manner calculated to avoid anyone actually doing anything about it. The Rhodesia solution, as it were. I do think it's more likely that Biden just went for the glib, impulsive, obvious lie on the spur of the moment, as has been his practice throughout his long career. But we shouldn't dismiss the possibility that other people in this little drama might also be liars.

Rhodesia solution?

Meanwhile, this Biden interview with George Stephanopoulos was hard to avoid.

 

From the transcript:

"I felt smug afterwards, but I am, also, sincerely a juice person. Also milk. I will go to a restaurant and order a glass of milk."

"People look at me like I’m a lunatic. On planes, I’ll order a Virgin Mary — not because I’m a teetotaler, just because I’m in it for the tomato juice — followed by an orange juice, followed by a glass of milk.... Late in the afternoon, I ate 'sous vide egg bites' from Starbucks, which are these sad low-carb food-like egg disks that say 'I’m not eating bread, but in every other way I have given up.'... On this morning, I was scheduled to appear on Good Morning America to discuss my foreign-policy book, so it was up at 4 a.m. local time to make a Nespresso and Zoom with George Stephanopoulos, who looked perkier than I did, as is his wont. So did the phalanx of six-packed hotties next to whom I lumbered through leg day at the gym shortly thereafter. Time for another ham sandwich and green juice." 

It's the unmistakable voice of — can't you tell? — Ronan Farrow, in "Ronan Farrow Wants to Order a Side of Lox 'They’ll be like, "That’s not a thing. What does that mean?"'" (New York Magazine).

Before now, no one in the history of the world had ever said "phalanx of six-packed hotties next to whom I lumbered." I didn't even know you were allowed to call random strangers "hotties" anymore. But "phalanx of six-packed hotties next to whom I lumbered" — that's mad. And there it is with "sous vide egg bites," "sincerely a juice person," and George Stephanopoulos! 

It's all so alien. I never get anywhere near George Stephanopoulos!

Rand Paul versus George Stephanopoulos. A great confrontation, and I do not agree with the title on this video, that Rand Paul "melts down."

 

Here's the transcript.  

STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Paul, let me begin with a threshold question for you. This election was not stolen, do you accept that fact? 

SENATOR RAND PAUL, (R-KY): Well, what I would say is that the debate over whether or not there was fraud should occur, we never had any presentation in court where we actually looked at the evidence.