Hey, everyone. We’re back after a week’s break for Thanksgiving, and we have lots to catch up on, including Donald Trump’s latest nomination and the threat that nominee poses for journalism. More on that in a moment.

But, first, we return today with not only this newsletter, but the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast.” My guest is David Bauder, the media writer for The Associated Press.

Dave and I talk about whether news organizations will see a “Trump Bump” with Donald Trump returning to the White House, what the future might hold for MSNBC, and Elon Musk and his influence in the White House.

We talked about all the controversy involving MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show and co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who recently went to Mar-a-Lago to visit Trump. It was a move that outraged many “Morning Joe” viewers who felt Scarborough and Brzezinski spent years raging about the dangers of Trump only to then turn around and try to make peace with him.

Bauder wrote about that very topic last week in “At the crossroads of news and opinion, ‘Morning Joe’ hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting.”

On “The Poynter Report Podcast,” Bauder said, “I think they were taken aback a little bit by how angry their viewers were.”

But both Bauder and I agreed that if you’re the hosts of a morning show on a major cable news network, of course you take any chance you get to sit down with the president — or, in this case, the president-elect.

Immediately after the meeting, ratings for “Morning Joe” (and MSNBC in general) decreased. So has “Morning Joe” lost the trust of its viewers?

Bauder told me on the podcast, “I don’t think they’ve completely lost the trust. … I think this is something they’ll have to come back from. Their viewership went down after this happened, but they make the argument that it’s part of the overall Trump Slump and not necessarily directed at them. We’ll find out whether that’s true or not.”

Be sure to check out our conversation.

A real concern

Donald Trump has nominated Kash Patel as FBI director, and the nomination is drawing lots of criticism and warnings.

CNN called it, “ … an extraordinary move that would put a self-described enemy of the so-called deep state as the head of the nation’s top law enforcement agency — a role that would give Patel power to carry out Trump’s threats to go after his political opponents.”

CNN added, “Trump’s interest in Patel speaks to his urge to fill top law enforcement and intelligence positions with supporters who may be open to carrying out his demands for specific investigations as well as inoculating the president against possible future probes.”

Current FBI director Christopher Wray has a 10-year term that’s supposed to go through 2027, so he would either have to resign or be fired for Patel to take over. Patel also has to be confirmed by the Senate. His confirmation is not guaranteed, although many Republicans already have shown their support.

The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus wrote, “It’s important to understand that a new president picking the FBI director of his preference is not the norm — it is an aberration, and a dangerous one. Presidents are generally entitled to political appointees of their choosing, but the FBI director is supposed to be insulated from politics. That is one reason the director is appointed to a single 10-year term, spanning two administrations.”

CBS News’ Kaia Hubbard wrote that Patel “is a controversial figure even within Trump’s world, and a former U.S. official described him as ‘by far the most dangerous pick’ Trump has made. ‘There is no there to him,’ the official told CBS News. ‘He’ll literally do anything.’”

Hubbard added, “John Bolton, who served as national security adviser in Trump’s first term and was Patel’s boss, compared the nomination to Joseph Stalin’s secret police chief. ‘Fortunately, the FBI is not’ Stalin’s secret police, Bolton said. ‘The Senate should reject this nomination 100-0.’”

MSNBC contributor Hayes Brown said on air, “Kash Patel as FBI director would be like if you crossed Alex Jones with J. Edgar Hoover in terms of just how much he would want to ignore precedent and the constraints that have been put on the FBI over the years. With all of the conspiracy theorizing, all of the eagerness to fan the flames of the worst instincts of President Trump, put into power, those two things should never mix.”

So what might Patel being FBI director mean for journalism and the press?

The Washington Post’s Niha Masih wrote, “In a 2023 interview on ‘War Room,’ a podcast hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s onetime chief strategist, Patel threatened to go after journalists if appointed to a role in a Trump administration. ‘We’re going to come after you, whether it’s criminally or civilly — we’ll figure that out,’ he said.”

Collins’ rising star

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, shown here in October. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

While the newsletter was on break last week, CNN made a major move, naming Kaitlan Collins as its chief White House correspondent.

Wait, you say, doesn’t Collins host a show in prime time on CNN? Yes, yes, she does. And she will continue to host “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” each weeknight at 9 p.m. Eastern. She is just adding covering the White House to her already busy schedule.

Covering the White House is nothing new for Collins. She made a name for herself covering the White House during the first Trump administration for CNN and, before that, at The Daily Caller. She already is well sourced when it comes to covering Trump. Her show is expected to temporarily relocate from New York to Washington.

Semafor’s Max Tani wrote, “Unlike many in her age cohort of media peers, who have more often made names for themselves as podcasters, news influencers, or online personalities, Collins rose through the ranks the old-fashioned way — first as a down-the-middle reporter and then as an anchor, reading broadcast scripts and attempting to shake loose newsy bits from live and taped interviews. She’s proved to be one of the network’s best at breaking Trump-related stories and skilled at convincing a wide range of guests, including CNN-skeptical Republicans, to appear on the show, making her one of the few new cable news personalities to get name-checked in pop culture.”

This seems like a heavy load for the 32-year-old Collins, covering the White House and hosting a prime-time show. But she has shown, so far, that she can handle anything thrown at her. Collins is now right alongside Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer and Erin Burnett as the featured stars of the network. And you could probably add Abby Phillip, who hosts CNN’s 10 p.m. weeknight program, to that list, as well.

Listening to Dateline

Is there anything more addictive on television than NBC’s “Dateline?” I’ve written about the show many times in the past, including in 2021 when I talked with correspondent Josh Mankiewicz for the 30th anniversary season.

Anyway, “Dateline” is not just a cult favorite TV show, but a very popular podcast, too. Currently on Apple Podcasts, “Dateline” is the No. 1 subscriber show, the No. 4 top show, and Nos. 3 and 9 on the top episode chart.

And on Tuesday, a new original “Dateline” podcast series launches. It’s called “Deadly Mirage” and is hosted by Mankiewicz. Here’s the trailer.

If there’s a Will …

Legendary Washington Post columnist George F. Will is celebrating 50 years as a columnist.

His piece about that: “A columnist’s first 50 years.”

Will wrote, “It has been said that a deadline is a writer’s best friend. But if writing is a chore — a painful duty — for a columnist, he or she should find another vocation. Enjoyment is infectious, and readers will only value, over time, the company of a columnist who clearly enjoys the craft of assembling sentences, paragraphs and arguments.”

The Post recognized Will with several pieces:

• David Von Drehle with “The Iron Man of America’s op-ed pages.”
• Lisa Birnbach with “It takes a lot of discipline to look that effortless.”
• Filmmaker Ken Burns with “A man at work.”

Strong sports announcer moments

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram (17) pushes Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) from behind after his hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit)

Thanksgiving weekend is known for a bunch of things — remembering what we’re thankful for, family gatherings, turkey, the start of the holiday (and shopping) season, and, of course, football.

This past weekend featured two controversial football moments that provided some strong announcer moments.

First, on Saturday, in what is considered the best rivalry in college football, Michigan upset Ohio State. There was a nasty postgame brawl between players from both teams after Michigan tried to plant their school flag on Ohio State’s midfield emblem. It was a bad scene with law enforcement using pepper spray in an attempt to break up the fight.

Afterward, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, probably the preeminent college football analyst on TV, said, “Hate to see this at the end of the game. Just the whole throwing the flag at the middle of the field, Ohio State’s reaction — just classless on both sides.

Herbstreit, by the way, played at Ohio State, but he has been really good over the years in being honest and neutral when it comes to anything involving Ohio State.

Then, on Sunday, there was an ugly moment during an NFL game when Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair delivered a cheap shot on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who suffered a concussion. This also started a fight with Al-Shaair and another Jacksonville player being ejected from the game.

Fox Sports’ announcer Daryl Johnston, a longtime fullback for the Dallas Cowboys, delivered the kind of no-nonsense, strong analysis expected from color commentators, but often not delivered.

Johnston said, “It’s everything you’re not supposed to do. Everything. You’ll see this in slow motion and Azeez Al-Shaair does everything you’re trying to prevent in this situation. It’s reckless. It’s disrespectful. There’s an honor that you give to your opponent on the football field and you respect him. And there’s opportunities to be physical and give big hits and play this game in that manner. And there’s other times when there’s a respect that you grant to your opponent.”

Johnston wasn’t the only one to call out Al-Shaair. Awful Announcing’s Sam Neumann has more of the strong reaction.

Media tidbits

• Politico’s Brendan Bordelon with “Elon Musk vs. Stephen Miller: Washington preps for battle on high-tech immigration.”
• For Politico Magazine, Nancy Scola with “Democrats Face an Existential Crisis on X.”
• The Wall Street Journal’s James Hookway with “The Sportscaster Who Scored Big Writing About Spoons, Urinals and Coat Hangers.”
• ESPN NFL analyst Randy Moss told viewers during Sunday’s “NFL Sunday Countdown” show that he is dealing with some health-related issue that required him to wear glasses on the air. Moss said, “I just want to let the viewers know that me and my wife, me and my family, we are battling something internally. You know, I have some great doctors around me. I couldn’t miss the show, I wanted to be here with you guys. I feel great, but if you all see me with these Michigan turnover glasses that I have on, it’s not being disrespectful because I’m on television, man. I’m battling something, I need all the prayer warriors. God bless you all and thanks for the prayers.”

Hot type

• Cool story from “CBS News Sunday Morning” and correspondent Mo Rocca about the nationally known radio DJ: “Elvis Duran on the magic of radio and his special bond with listeners.”
• Looks as if the “Best of the Year” lists have started. I can’t get enough of them. The New York Times’ James Poniewozik, Mike Hale and Margaret Lyons with “Best TV Shows of 2024.”
• Finally, a recommendation. The latest episode of HBO’s “Music Box” series is “Yacht Rock — A Dockumentary,” which debuted over the weekend. It is terrific. Directed by Garret Price, it features interviews with Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross and a bunch of the guys from Toto, as well as great insight from Questlove, Thundercat and Fred Armisen, among others. Here’s the trailer.

More resources for journalists

• Early bird applications to Transform your crime coverage close soon.
• Leadership Academy for Women in Media applications close this Friday!
• Our training for public media executives application period ends this week.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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