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CNN cozies up to Trump. Why is CNN providing a platform to the indicted and twice impeached Donald Trump? Does the network see an opportunity to seize a slice of the Fox News audience? Has it no shame?
The planned town hall format, which will be moderated by “CNN This Morning” anchor Kaitlan Collins, is a perfect set-up for Trump to spout misinformation and nonsense about the stolen 2020 election and “witch hunt” investigations.
Who is going to challenge Trump’s lies and exaggerations? It certainly won’t be members of the audience of New Hampshire Republicans who will attend the May 10 event at St. Anselm College.
They are Trump lovers who will toss softball questions to their favorite ex-president. Polling firm JL Partners on April 18 reported that Trump leads the pack of Republican presidential candidates among primary voters in the Granite State.
He is supported by 51 percent of the poll’s respondents compared to 18 percent for Florida governor Ron DeSantis and 10 percent for NH governor Chris Sununu. In a one-on-one match, Trump beats DeSantis 53 percent to 33 percent.
CNN might as well invite Don, Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany to ask dad some questions. If they find New Hampshire a bit chilly in May, CNN could invite the kids to phone in some questions.
Trump has boycotted CNN since the 2016 and regularly trashed it as a purveyor of “fake news,” so why is the network extending an olive branch to the former president?
Providing a propaganda outlet for Trump may boost CNN’s ratings in the short run, but it is a big blow to its integrity.
Chris Licht, who succeeded Jeff Zucker as CNN president a year ago, famously said that he wants the network to focus on “straight news” and to downplay opinion programming.
He has promised a major brand refresh. One prays that Trump, who powered the rise at Fox News, is not part of CNN’s corporate overall.
PR people who view AI as a productivity tool rather than a major threat to their careers are blowing smoke.
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg that he can’t wait to use AI over the next five years to replace 30 percent of non-customer-facing jobs at the former Big Blue. That’s about 7,800 positions.
Krishna is one of the first executives to admit that AI will ax jobs. Most maintain the myth of AI being a tool to empower employees.
The fake news industry is killing journalism, according to the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
It found that two-thirds of the 180 countries covered by the Index reported that political leaders in their countries were involved in massive disinformation or propaganda campaigns.
“The difference is being blurred between true and false, real and artificial, facts and artifices, jeopardizing the right to information,” reported the Index. “The unprecedented ability to tamper with content is being used to undermine those who embody quality journalism and weaken journalism itself.”
RWB warns that the remarkable development of artificial intelligence is wreaking further havoc on the media world.
It cites the fifth version of the Midjourney AI program that generates very high-definition images in response to natural language requests. Midjourney has been creating social media content with increasingly plausible and undetectable fake “photos,” including realistic-looking ones of Donald Trump being stopped by police officers and a comatose Julian Assange in a straight jacket. Both went viral.
Freedom from Tucker Carlson… House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told a reporter from Russian State TV that he supported military aid to Ukraine. “I do not support what your country has done to Ukraine. I do not support your killing of the children, either,” he said on May 1 during a press conference in Israel.
Previously, McCarthy warned there would be no “blank check” for Ukraine to curry favor with the ousted Fox talking head and the lunatic fringe of the GOP led by Marjorie Taylor Green, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert.
Carlson, a fan of Russian strong man Vladimir Putin, was 100 percent against arming Ukraine. He called Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky “an instrument of total destruction” and ridiculed him as someone who dressed like “a manager of a strip club.”
McCarthy doesn’t have to toady up to Tuck any more.
Republican tough guys Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton want Biden to send the National Guard to Columbia University to put an end to student protests... Bernie blasts Bibi for insulting America's intelligence by equating criticism of Israel's government with antisemitism... German court convicts former financial PR exec who claims he wasn't aware that trading on tips is illegal. 
Southern governors claim they know what's best for their working class, and it's not pay raises... A Ukrainian human rights group played a key role in convincing House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote to send arms to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan... Trump Media & Technology Group blames short-selling and not lousy outlook for its stock slump.
The techniques deployed by OJ Simpson's defense team in the 'trial of the century' served as a harbinger for those used by Donald Trump... People worry about the politicization of medical science just as much as they fret about another pandemic, according to Edelman Trust Barometer... Book bans aren't restricted to red states as deep blue Illinois, Connecticut and Maryland challenged at least 100 titles in 2023.
The NBA, which promotes legalized gambling 24/7, seems more than hypocritical for banning player for placing bets... Diocese of Brooklyn promises to issue press release the next time one of its priests is charged with sexual abuse... Truth Social aspires to be one of Donald Trump's iconic American brands, just like Trump University or Trump Steaks or Trump Ice Cubes.
Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun puts competition on notice... Macy's throws in the towel as it appoints two directors nominated by its unwanted suitor... The Profile in Wimpery Award goes to the Ford Presidential Foundation for stiffing American hero and former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney.
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May 31, 2023, by Bill Huey
No need to worry about AI. I read yesterday that people who are “AI Prompts” can earn $375,000 a year without a tech background. Good PR people can teach AI to write. Just be sure to charge at least $1,200 an hour.
Elon Musk worries about AI because he knows that AI will come for people like him first.