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Category: Media
February 28, 2024
Media

Mehdi Hasan Launches ‘Zeteo’ Media Company… Which is Currently Just a Substack Account.

Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan is launching his own digital media company. Hasan aims for the platform to cater to underrepresented left-wing views, filling what he recognizes as a “gap in the market” among progressive audiences hungry for content. The venture, dubbed Zeteo, aims to be a source of unvarnished truth, even if, in Mr. Hasan’s words, “it’s uncomfortable, even if it bothers people, even if it hinders access, even if it shakes the apple cart.”

While comparable to other media startups by conservative personalities, Hasan differentiates his enterprise by stressing it will not be overly centered on his personal brand, in contrast to the Tucker Carlson Network. Instead, Zeteo, which is set to cost $6 per month, will feature diverse contributors, written content, and podcasts. The startup begins its initial rollout this week, with the official launch scheduled for April via Substack.

Mr. Hasan’s venture into digital media follows the termination of his Sunday show on MSNBC, part of a broader reshuffle within the network’s lineup. He has since joined The Guardian as a contributor.

Hasan has courted controversy throughout his career. The British-born Hasan once gave a sermon in which he called non-Muslims “cattle” who “live their lives as animals.” His final months at MSNBC were marked by radical anti-Israel views and statements, which continued after his firing from the network.

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Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan is launching his own digital media company. Hasan aims for the platform to cater to underrepresented left-wing views, filling what he recognizes as a "gap in the market" among progressive audiences hungry for content. The venture, dubbed Zeteo, aims to be a source of unvarnished truth, even if, in Mr. Hasan's words, "it's uncomfortable, even if it bothers people, even if it hinders access, even if it shakes the apple cart." show more
February 28, 2024
Media

NY Mag: Biden Should Drop Out *If* He’s Still Behind by Summer.

New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait has declared that President Joe Biden should drop out of the Democratic primary despite being the incumbent if he is still behind by summer. The Democrat National Convention is scheduled for August 19-22.

Chait, a regular left-wing media commentator, wrote on Tuesday:

So as of now, it would take a five-point national swing to make the race a pure toss-up. How should we view that situation? On the one hand, there are still ten months to go. The economy is in fantastic shape, and another almost-year of prosperity — along with, hopefully, an end to the war between Israel and Hamas — might give Biden a significant boost in the polls.

On the other hand, this is a way of saying that there needs to be a lot of positive development, with no major bad news, just to get into coin-flip territory. And while it is still somewhat early, the electorate is deeply polarized, and Biden and Trump are both unusually well-known figures. All that suggests there aren’t a lot of persuadable voters out there.

Despite his farcical claim that Biden’s economy is “in fantastic shape,” it is becoming likelier that Republicans will run on immigration more than the economy. New forecasts have suggested America may experience 2.2 percent GDP growth in 2024, taking some of the sting out of right-leaning attacks on Bidenomics. Chait goes on:

Do I think the Democrats are at a point where this is their best chance of winning? At the moment, I don’t know. Biden is saddled with two giant problems. First, the inflation run-up of 2021-2022 left a bitter taste in the electorate’s mouth that the subsequent soft landing hasn’t erased. And second, his age is limiting his ability to campaign and probably making it hard for persuadable voters to believe he’s capable of handling the job (even though I believe he is).

There’s enough time for a combination of an improving economy and a more ambitious campaign effort to improve Biden’s standing on both fronts. But if summer rolls around and the president is still trailing by five points in the tipping-point state, I think the risks of staying the course will be larger than the risks of trying to get Biden to stand down.

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New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait has declared that President Joe Biden should drop out of the Democratic primary despite being the incumbent if he is still behind by summer. The Democrat National Convention is scheduled for August 19-22. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Incredible bet-hedging by Chait here
for exclusive members-only insights
Incredible bet-hedging by Chait here show more
for exclusive members-only insights
February 27, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Media
TECH

WATCH: Kassam Says TikTok Is Like Big Pharma, Hooking Americans on Their ‘New Drug.’

Raheem Kassam, editor-in-chief of The National Pulse, says the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not only propagandizing Western youth through its TikTok app but also buying the loyalty of Western media, like Big Pharma before it.

Speaking to War Room host Steve Bannon, Kassam said the purpose of TikTok’s algorithmically targeted content “is not just to weaponize people towards moral degeneracy, it is also to create fissures in Western civil society.”

“You saw the NBC story up yesterday — they put without any evidence in the whole story [that] Russia is interfering in the 2024 election again, and then they have 2,000 words and not one shred of evidence for it,” Kassam explained, referring to reporting debunked by The National Pulse on Monday.

“Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party is in control, in active control, of the primary distribution mechanism of information amongst young people in America today, and not a peep about it from NBC, not a peep about it from the mainstream media,” he continued.

“In fact, you’ll find that if you sign up to the POLITICO news list and Axios and all this stuff, you’ll see sometimes it says ‘Sponsored by ByteDance.’ What’s ByteDance? It’s TikTok’s parent company. They’re in their pockets,” Kassam told Bannon.

“You said it was like Big Pharma. It is like Big Pharma — and TikTok is their new drug.”

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Raheem Kassam, editor-in-chief of The National Pulse, says the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not only propagandizing Western youth through its TikTok app but also buying the loyalty of Western media, like Big Pharma before it. show more
February 27, 2024
William Upton
Media
Politics

WATCH: NeverTrumper Jonah Goldberg ‘Jokes’ on CNN That He ‘Can’t Stop Cutting’ Himself.

Jonah Goldberg, a CNN commentator and NeverTrumper, made a disturbing and off-color ‘joke’ about committing self-harm on CNN Tuesday morning. Appearing on CNN This Morning, Goldberg suggested the acquiescence of GOP establishment figures to Donald Trump’s nomination as the Republican candidate for President has driven him to engage in “cutting.”

Referencing a New York Times report that former President Trump may be close to securing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s (R-KY) endorsement, Goldberg said: “It’s stories like this that are why I can’t stop cutting myself.”

Cutting is considered to be a nonsuicidal form of self-harm, often in response to depression, anger, or stress. The act of cutting can be fatal, though death is often not the intention. Hunt quickly tried to move on from Goldberg’s comments, responding: “Let’s not joke about this.”

Goldberg told Hunt he had “significant respect for McConnell” and had hoped he’d resist backing Trump for the White House after the January 6th, 2021, capitol riots. A former editor with National Review, the neoconservative Goldberg lamented that political pragmatism would likely lead McConnell to endorse Trump despite the alleged animosity between the two political leaders.

“I said earlier just as an aside that politicians will always disappoint you,” Goldberg told Hunt, adding: “This is a perfect example of it.” After departing National Review in 2019 — partly over his NeverTrump views — Goldberg founded the online political blog The Dispatch with several staff from the now-defunct neoconservative Weekly Standard.

Around 17 percent of individuals engage in self-harm in their lifetime, while 45 percent of self-harm incidents take the form of cutting. Self-harm actions are a sign of underlying mental health issues and stresses that need professional attention.

If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm, call or text the National Alliance on Mental Illness hotline (NAMI) at 800-950-6264 or call or text 988.

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Jonah Goldberg, a CNN commentator and NeverTrumper, made a disturbing and off-color 'joke' about committing self-harm on CNN Tuesday morning. Appearing on CNN This Morning, Goldberg suggested the acquiescence of GOP establishment figures to Donald Trump's nomination as the Republican candidate for President has driven him to engage in "cutting." show more
February 27, 2024
Media

WATCH: Biden Wears Ukraine Flag Pin on ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers.’

The 81-year-old American President, Joe Biden, appeared on the Late Night With Seth Meyers talk show on Monday night, sporting a Ukraine-U.S. flag pin on his lapel as he took shots as his presumptive opponent Donald Trump, and defended his record on the U.S. southern border.

Attempting to pin the blame on the invasion of the United States on House Republicans, Biden made the claim that Donald Trump was somehow blocking a border funding bill, without addressing why he failed to secure the border when the funding was there over the past three years.

Biden also used the appearance to peddle the false claim that Donald Trump called his wife Melania “Mercedes” during the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland. In reality, Trump was addressing Mercedes Schlapp, in the audience, praising her for a testimony towards his wife Melania.

“Mercedes, that’s pretty good!” Trump said in response to Mercedes Schlapp’s organization of the event.

WATCH:

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The 81-year-old American President, Joe Biden, appeared on the Late Night With Seth Meyers talk show on Monday night, sporting a Ukraine-U.S. flag pin on his lapel as he took shots as his presumptive opponent Donald Trump, and defended his record on the U.S. southern border. show more
president trump interview
February 26, 2024
The National Pulse
Media

SURVEY: Have YOU Joined The Fight Against Fake News?

Today, we’re asking National Pulse readers if they have taken the step towards joining this 100% reader-funded news site in the battle against fake news.

Please answer the eight short questions below, and help us grow our influence as well as our understanding of your needs as a reader.

If you haven’t yet joined, click here. The survey, as a Google form, follows below, thank you.

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Today, we're asking National Pulse readers if they have taken the step towards joining this 100% reader-funded news site in the battle against fake news. show more
February 26, 2024
Raheem J. Kassam
Media

NBC Claims, Without Evidence, that Russia is Interfering in 2024 Election.

NBC News has published an article claiming Russia’s 2024 election interference has already begun despite offering no evidence over the course of almost 2,000 words on the topic.

“Russia is already spreading disinformation in advance of the 2024 election, using fake online accounts and bots to damage President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats,” the article opens, attributing the claim to “former U.S. officials and cyber experts” while going on to quote a 2016 Obama State Department intern, Bret Schafer, alongside current Biden national security advisor Jake Sullivan.

Schafer, who now works at the Soros-and-EU-funded German Marshall Fund think tank, alleged – also without evidence – that Russia has an “incentive” to hurt Joe Biden at the upcoming U.S. election. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently admitted, however, that his work has been aided by Biden’s weakness, calling him “better for Russia.”

Amidst fearmongering over “deepfake” audio, video, artificial intelligence, and hacks or leaks, NBC offers only the following justification for peddling the updated Russia hoax:

Accounts from one pro-Russia campaign that Meta, the owner of Facebook, cracked down on late last year, an English-language news influencer persona called “People Say,” are still live on other platforms, though some are dormant.

A “People Say” account on X is still visible, but it has only 51 followers and hasn’t posted in almost a year. Its counterpart on Telegram, which has become a home for some Americans on the far right, is still actively posting divisive content and has almost 5,000 subscribers.

The article offers no further evidence for the headline claim that “Russia’s 2024 election interference has already begun.”

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NBC News has published an article claiming Russia’s 2024 election interference has already begun despite offering no evidence over the course of almost 2,000 words on the topic. show more
February 23, 2024
Media

Vice Media to Cease Publishing On Vice.com, Lay Off Hundreds of Employees.

Vice Media CEO Bruce Dixon has announced a significant reorganization at the once formidable media company. In an email to staff, Dixon unveiled plans to cease publishing content on its website and initiate widespread layoffs, affecting hundreds of employees. “It is no longer cost-effective for us to distribute our digital content the way we have done previously,” said Dixon. He explained that Vice would shift to a studio model, partnering with other media firms for content distribution.

Despite tips and rising speculations about the company’s downfall, the news came as a shocking revelation to its staff. Earlier, employees were cautioned to back up their stories as the website was allegedly being shut down, leading to a heightened sense of panic among the workforce. Dixon refused to comment about the site’s future, fueling further anxiety among employees.

Founded in 1994 in Montreal, Canada, Vice evolved from a punk magazine into a sprawling multinational media corporation. From a peak valuation of $5.7 billion in 2017, plummeting revenues and a shifting media landscape caused a significant devaluation, leading to its filing for bankruptcy last year. The latest reorganization is indicative of the turbulent times faced by the media industry at large.

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Vice Media CEO Bruce Dixon has announced a significant reorganization at the once formidable media company. In an email to staff, Dixon unveiled plans to cease publishing content on its website and initiate widespread layoffs, affecting hundreds of employees. "It is no longer cost-effective for us to distribute our digital content the way we have done previously," said Dixon. He explained that Vice would shift to a studio model, partnering with other media firms for content distribution. show more
February 23, 2024
Ed Kozak
Media

WATCH: MSNBC/POLITICO Reporter Shrieks That Trump Supporters Puts God Above Congress.

POLITICO reporter Heidi Przybyla took to MSNBC on Thursday to express her disdain over the fact that Trump supporters do not believe that rights are gifts granted to citizens by the state but rather by God.

Przybyla, 50, said: “The one thing that unites all of them — because there’s many different groups orbiting Trump — but the thing that unites them as Christian nationalists, not Christians by the way, because Christian nationalists is [sic] very different, is that they believe that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don’t come from any earthly authority. They don’t come from Congress, they don’t come from the Supreme Court. They come from God.”

Observers familiar with the Declaration of Independence and the history of the founding of the United States of America were quick to point out that the idea “that our rights as Americans… come from God” is the very basis on which the country was founded.

The Declaration of Independence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Ms. Przybyla did not mention if she was familiar with the Declaration of Independence.

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POLITICO reporter Heidi Przybyla took to MSNBC on Thursday to express her disdain over the fact that Trump supporters do not believe that rights are gifts granted to citizens by the state but rather by God. show more
February 22, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Media

Mullah Mehdi Turns Hamas Spox in First Guardian Op-Ed After MSNBC Axing.

Fired MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan has demanded Joe Biden stop Israel’s operations against Hamas, accusing the Democrat of “inaction and complicity” in “genocide” and suggesting he is letting “hundreds of wives and children” like his son Beau, daughter Naomi, and first wife Neilia die.

“Joe Biden, like [Ronald] Reagan before him, could end the current carnage with a single phone call to Benjamin Netanyahu,” Hasan declared in the far-left Guardian, praising the late Republican for having referred to Israel’s bombing of Beirut in 1982 as a “holocaust.”

Hasan complained it was “disingenuous nonsense” to claim the White House could not force Israel to abandon its fight against Hamas, agreeing with another commentator that Biden has adopted a position of “feigned powerlessness” while authorizing “self-serving leaks” suggesting he is unhappy with Netanyahu.

“The truth is that the commander-in-chief of the richest country in the history of the world is far from powerless and, like every commander-in-chief before him, possesses plenty of leverage,” Hasan insisted, demanding Biden cut off Israel’s supply of U.S. intelligence and munitions.

“[W]here is [Biden’s] horror over the ongoing terror in Gaza?” Hasan demanded. “Could it be that Biden places less value on Arab lives than… Reagan?”

Hasan’s own views on the value of human life are controversial, as he previously compared non-Muslims to “animals.”

Before MSNBC hired him, Hasan worked for Al Jazeera — a news network owned by Qatar, which hosts much of the senior leadership of Hamas.

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Fired MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan has demanded Joe Biden stop Israel's operations against Hamas, accusing the Democrat of "inaction and complicity" in "genocide" and suggesting he is letting "hundreds of wives and children" like his son Beau, daughter Naomi, and first wife Neilia die. show more