February 8, 2024 was a wild and crazy news day. It began with the sound of unified Supreme Court skepticism toward Colorado removing Donald Trump from the ballot. Then special counsel Robert Hur announced he wouldn't prosecute Joe Biden for misusing classified documents... because jurors would sympathize with a well-meaning elderly person who can't remember when he was Vice President.
This prompted a surprising Biden press conference, and an angry Biden deepened the optical problem, when he confused Mexico with Egypt in the last questioned he answered. CNN's M.J. Lee drew the worst anger when she noted Biden would say "Watch me" when his acuity was challenged, and the American people watched, and most of them think he's not up the job.Biden yelled "That is your judgment! That is not the judgment of the press!"
Associate Editor Nick Fondacaro joined the show to describe how all this unfolded in prime time and on Friday morning.
While some journalists tried to defend Biden and attack Robert Hur, many realized that Biden has a real political problem on his hands, and he's made it worse. There was often a mix of worrying about Biden's problem and making excuses, like CBS reporter Ed O'Keefe claiming "Who among us hasn't screwed up those two countries before?" Egypt and Mexico??
Finally, we had to discuss The View co-host Sunny Hostin discovering through the PBS genealogy show Finding Your Roots that her ancestors were slaveholders -- not only that, but they moved several times -- from Spain to Curacao to Puerto Rico -- to keep holding their slaves. So how would Hostin change her position on demanding reparations for slavery? She wouldn't budge.
Enjoy the podcast below, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
