The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds - 634 - Rupert Murdoch - Part Two

Episode Date: May 21, 2024

Comedians Gareth Reynolds and Dave Anthony examine Rupert Murdoch.  Part Two of Two Tour Dates Redbubble Merch Sources     Squarespace  Lectric Bikes Helix Sleep Try First Leaf...

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Look, as you probably know, I travel a lot. Too much? Sure, sure, that's fair. And on the road, if I ever have a choice between a hotel or an Airbnb, I always go Airbnb just because it's better. So for instance, when I was just on tour recently, there were a couple nights where I had off and instead of getting a hotel, I would get an Airbnb because I could have a kitchen. I like a home way over a hotel.
Starting point is 00:00:23 There's just a little bit more of a personalized experience. So whenever it's up to me, I really always go with that just because it's better. Feels like your home, you just have more amenities. But also I recently started thinking like while I'm gone, can I turn my place into an Airbnb? And the answer is yes, it can be as easy as putting your place up and then having a little more scratch generated from someone staying at my place while I'm on the road. So whether you could use a little extra money to cover some bills or for something more
Starting point is 00:00:51 fun, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca slash host. I have dollop tour dates to announce for the year 2024 of our Lord J town. We have our 10th anniversary show coming up in Los Angeles on April 27. Guests are Karen Kilgareff and James Adomian. And then we are going to Australia starting on May 13th in Perth, May 16th in Sydney, May 18th in Brisbane, May 20th in Canberra, May 22nd in Melbourne, and May 24th in Adelaide. You can get your tickets at dolloppodcast.com.
Starting point is 00:01:32 The dollop is brought to you by Electric Bikes. Gareth. Dave, I know. I love riding a bike. I always ride a bike all the time as a kid, and then you just kind of stop doing it as You get older and now Now it's bike time again. Dude you talk about this electric bike all the time. I Absolutely, you talk about it. You're like me and my friend. We got this plan. It's Honestly, I think it's a problem You're listening to the doll and we've
Starting point is 00:02:07 changed format a little bit so let's just let everyone know this is now a little bit more of a relaxed environment. I call it it's a cocktail loungy. Dollop unplugged and this is kind of a place where friends can get together have a drink with each other and just sort of relax and talk about history in a non-slanted, biased way. Maybe put on a jazz record for a little background music. We'd recommend maybe lighting up a cigarette, sitting back, taking a Quaalude,
Starting point is 00:02:35 and just letting the lazy river take you down for a little while. Yeah. If you happen to fall out of your pontoon or your little inner tube, just sink down there and let the water go into your lungs. Just kind of relax and chill out. And husband swapping is welcomed.
Starting point is 00:02:54 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And called it, quote, his jam pad. Jam pad? I'm the fucking hippo guy. Babe, okay. My name's Gary. My name's Gary. Wait. Is it for fun?
Starting point is 00:03:06 And this is not gonna become the Tickly Plot, Gary. Okay. This is like anarchy! On a five-part coefficient. My room's a flage! Now hit him with the puppy. You both present sick arguments. No sleep-tell hippo!
Starting point is 00:03:17 Not sleep-tell hippo! Action, partner. Hi, Gary. No. Nice sleep-tell, my friend. No! No! Roeder! Roeder in the court.
Starting point is 00:03:32 Go to electricbikes.com to discover e-bikes that started to $7.99 with an XP Lite. Buddy. I am riding it all over town. Yep. Well, I live on a hill, so a regular bike is hard, but now with electric bike I can just zip up the hill. You're talking about the uphill, because I think traditionally the downhill has, go ahead.
Starting point is 00:03:55 I'm talking about uphill. It's easier on electric bike. Exactly. So we're on the same page, and everyone's doing real good and we're all on the same page. And it's not cheating, because you're still getting a workout. You can set it to the level that helps you to get a workout or you can go all the way with it. Yeah, I mean I'll go all the way.
Starting point is 00:04:14 Let's not talk about that. I don't do half measures. It's very comfortable. Mine folds up so I can put it in the back of my car, take it somewhere, ride it around. It's really great. I love it. It goes fast. I like fast. Yeah, I know you say that.
Starting point is 00:04:29 You say, you always like to say you live hard. I live hard, I live fast. I really wasn't sure about electric bike with the whole charging and everything and like they looked too bulky and big to me, but. You said it gets a great charge. Yeah, it does. It gets a great charge and I am at this point loving it.
Starting point is 00:04:42 So, go full throttle into spring with electric e-bikes, the number one selling e-bikes in the nation. Get your adventure started at electricbikes.com. And please mention that the dollop sent you in the post checkout survey. That's L E C T R I C e-bikes.com. So this will be coming out. I think we're still on tour for a couple of days. We did the intro, is that the intro now?
Starting point is 00:05:09 Did we do it? Oh, you're listening to the dollop on the All Things Comedy Network. My name's Dave Anthony, this is an American History podcast where each week I read a story to my chill bro. Scatman Rutabaga. Scatman Rutabaga. Scatman Rutabaga. And who has no idea where this jazz is about to flute. Right on, bro, right on, brother.
Starting point is 00:05:34 Cheers, cheers, cheers. Hey. So we're gonna be on tour. We still have, when this comes out, we will still have a show in Melbourne, the dollop. Then we'll have a pastimes the next day. Then we'll have a show in Melbourne the dollop then we'll have a pastimes the next day then we'll have a show in Adelaide and then we'll have the pastimes in Sydney and then and then I go home and you stay for a few days because you're doing shows of the Will Anderson correct? Where are you doing
Starting point is 00:05:58 those? We're doing those at the Comedy Store in Sydney, and then at another venue in Melbourne. You can go to our social media to find out the details. I can't remember what it's called. It's the Carl Room, as they call it. Oh, the underground. Yeah. It's called Deep Carl. Yes.
Starting point is 00:06:21 Yeah, it's not great. It's not horrible. October 7th, 1990. Hey, hey, hey, it's not great not horrible October 7th Finally throw that in on post Is this not post? No? Oh my god. Oh Postcast no, okay. Okay Okay, sorry. This is the... Okay, oh, sorry. October 7th, 1996.
Starting point is 00:06:49 Fox News is launched. Roger Ailes... I was just going to say, I can't wait to find out how Roger Ailes faulted. He's just like, have we got a fat evil sexually harassing me? Well, he'd worked on the Nixon campaign. He'd worked for George H.W. Bush. He had worked on a conservative TV show. What was that? News show started by Joseph Coors. Oh my god. Jesus Christ. He had resigned as CNBC's business director after calling his rival a quote
Starting point is 00:07:26 little fucking Jew prick. Holy shit Said no without the little He was a quote devotee of Hitler's propagandists. Whoa, let me arrive in style. Whoa Perfect hire that's the resume you want when you're starting a news network. Christ. Right? I don't think the time is ever right to be like, you know what the Nazis did proper. You know what I've always loved about the Nazis.
Starting point is 00:08:00 So that's who he hires, and Ailes and Rupert wanted to bring conservative radio shock jock Oh fuck me to TV Rush Limbaugh they want that energy of shock jockey fucking nonsense on TV because what's not great about that No, no, I've always loved it. It's really it's good, so like a focus on personality over facts. And short skirts. Hey brother. Truly though, right? Wasn't there a...
Starting point is 00:08:33 I think that was a thing, yeah. Yeah, there was like a, he just, I mean he was a fucking scallop of a human. Yeah, so you just, I just read every place he had, and then I have a hard time with a woman going into this environment thinking she'll be treated with respect. You're going into a conservative, Nazi-loving, fucks fucking office and you think you're going to be treated with respect? He's a fucking Nazi lover. Well, I mean, look, as you know, I mean, it's kind of the same thing
Starting point is 00:09:06 we talked about in the first one, which is just like, you know, you're just gonna, you know, if you want to launch your career, if you need to make money, and you need to get yourself on the map, you'd probably go, all right, well, I'll do two years here, and then maybe, I mean, think of like, Maybe. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:09:22 But also they could just be totally down with the message. Yeah, well, I mean, think of like maybe. Yeah, but also they could just be totally down with the message Yeah, well, I mean Megyn Kelly. I mean all of them basically said that this little fucking yeah so Fox He looks like a gross Churchill. Yeah, he's saying something. He's horrifying. Yes. Yeah Fox quickly targets the Clinton administration Focusing on the conspiracy theories. It's also fucking crazy that Clinton allows this to basically happen and then he's got them nipping at him right away. Like it's so...
Starting point is 00:09:58 Well, in 96, I would like to know the exact date of the Telecommunications Act in which he stripped all of the regulations out of telecommunications. But it's right around this time. The Monica Lewinsky scandal breaks. So funny that Roger Ailes was like, that's disgusting. They just go after it relentlessly. Tabloid internet guy Matt Drudge becomes a host. It's a real who's who.
Starting point is 00:10:25 Yeah. In 1998, Rupert announced his son, Lachlan, would succeed him, quote, I'm a great believer in nepotism. If you're Lachlan, you're like, Dad, don't. I mean, if you haven't watched the show Succession, you see all of the three lines here. Completely based on it. It's all 100% based on it. 96%.
Starting point is 00:10:42 They did a really good job of like... That year, Rupert and Anna announced they were divorcing. Weeks later he was dating Wendy Ding, a junior executive at Star TV in Hong Kong. Without telling her Rupert announced Anna was leaving the News Corp board. Oh wow. That's a good, that's cool. In 1998, 28 year old Lachlan married Australian model Sarah O'Hare and 68 year old Rupert married Wendy who was 36. Oh fucking hey.
Starting point is 00:11:18 It's just, I don't, I mean, well look, I, you know, far be it for me to say that, you know, you can't date younger, but there is- Look, some- Your dad was 43 and he married a fucking 18 year old. Like that is creepy. That's creepy. That's creepy.
Starting point is 00:11:36 At least she's like 36, she's more of an adult. I mean, some people like older dudes or older women, like it's a thing. Yeah. This to me seems like someone making money. Yeah. 9-11 made Fox News really take off. The irony.
Starting point is 00:11:53 They started the ticker tape along the bottom. They were the first one. All the other new guys, news guys did it. Remember that right off the 11? Yeah, oh yeah. It was all ticker tape stuff. Yeah. They turned patriotism up to 11. Well, they became big flaggers. Yeah, big flaggers.
Starting point is 00:12:08 They were the ones who basically put the flag in the logo. Yeah, and they made the whole thing was kind of like it looked like if a flag spelled out Fox. Yeah, like they were doing all that shit and it was very effective. And it's also after 9-11 Do you if you if there was any dissent as to what bush was doing it was not supporting troops right they made it that the Yeah, we haven't gotten there yet, though Can't wait
Starting point is 00:12:39 so Yeah, it's it takes off because of that and her all the Rivera So, yeah, it takes off because of that. And Geraldo Rivera quote, "'Armed himself with a pistol and proclaimed "'that he would be honored to kill Osama Bin Laden.'" Oh my God, that guy. That jackass. That guy is just.
Starting point is 00:12:58 He's just so fucking stupid. Yeah, he just would take any job. It's weird to see Bill Maher slowly turn into him though. The next, The next year... I mean, I'm no Bill Maher fan, but Geraldo is bozo. Well, we still have time. There's still some time too. There's some time on the clock.
Starting point is 00:13:16 I love that he had a gun though. The next year, Fox overtook CNN as the highest rated cable news channel. Right after September 11, all Murdoch media suggested Sonoma Sayne was responsible and that the US should declare war on Iraq. The New York Times dubbed it Mr. Murdoch's War. Well, but also again keeping in mind that the New York Times was where Dick Cheney was planning stories. Yeah, Karl Rove was like just, yeah, no, that was 100%. I would call it the New York Times War, but whatever.
Starting point is 00:13:49 Fox News was becoming the main profit driver of News Corp. So Lachlan was appointed as New York Post editor, and he purged most of the staff in the paper, the most the papers ever purged workers. Quote, veteran editors and columnists, including the papers, one liberal voice and replace them with juniors who would be both loyal and enthusiastic and cheap.
Starting point is 00:14:16 It's just, you know, you just see the machinations of all the things of today within that. Like when you talk about like Trump is purging of all these, you know, I mean, this is what you fucking do. You just, homers, yeah. This isn't, people are like, oh, what a genius businessman. It's not hard to fucking go in and clean house. Be a fucking prick.
Starting point is 00:14:36 It's not hard. Be a prick. Be all about money. Yeah, it's not hard. That's how you do it, yeah. No, it's not. That's what's hardest if you have to do it under like, you know, regulations and things like not. That's what's hardest if you have to do it under like,
Starting point is 00:14:45 you know, regulations and things like that. And keep your people working and figure out how to make a profit. And happy. If there was, instead of there was like a profit index, it was like a overall worker happy index. If we were able to function under something like that, I mean, just imagine if you just turned up
Starting point is 00:15:03 and it was like, I don't know, but these Apple workers sure are happy. There's another son though. Yeah, there's James and Lachlan. And Lachlan, but Lachlan's the only one really working. Right now, yeah. Okay. So he purchases a staff, they cut the price
Starting point is 00:15:20 to drive the other papers out of business. Monopoly. They make it more trashy. In 2002, Lachlan was promoted to Deputy Chief Operating Officer of News Corp, which isn't a position. It's just totally... Yeah, it's like Starfleet. Front page of the Post, September 2002.
Starting point is 00:15:39 Quote, Saddam aims to give terrorists briefcase bio bombs. And then there's a photo of someone, could be Saddam, holding a metal attache case. Could be biological weapons, but it's just a scary image, right? Bill Riley told viewers, according to a poll, quote, 66% of Americans support going into Iraq, even without UN mandates, which is totally the opposite of what
Starting point is 00:16:06 the poll showed. The poll showed 37% support. It's pretty cool. Making it up as you go along. Now O'Reilly in February 2003 said, quote, once the war against Saddam begins, this is what you're talking about. We expect all Americans to support our military. and if they can't do that, to shut up. Americans, and indeed our allies, who actively work against our military once the war is underway will be considered enemies of the state by me, who gives a fuck. Just fair warning to you, Barbra Streisand and others who see the world as you do. It's so amazing. It's so dumb. It's so dumb you do. It's so amazing. It's so dumb.
Starting point is 00:16:47 It's so dumb, but it's also so amazing when they are saying they hate us for our freedom and then he's espousing things like this, which is the exact opposite. Like all the things that they claim that we need to spread throughout the Middle East at this time is about the freedoms of democracy. And yet he's on there being like,
Starting point is 00:17:08 you're not allowed to dissent. Right. On the eve of the war, Rupert said Bush, quote, can't back down now, or he'd be handing the whole of the Middle East to Saddam. What's that even mean? It's so fucking crazy. That's, it's just so insane.
Starting point is 00:17:26 Memos told reporters then. I mean even Saddam was like, thank you, but really, like I'm not that good at this. I'm not doing that. Memos told reporters then to keep it positive. Emphasize all the good we're doing and not to write about the number of dead. Do not fall into the easy trap of mourning
Starting point is 00:17:44 the loss of US lives and asking out loud why we are there. Oh, Christ. So news, so your actual... Journalism. Your actual... Journalism. The journalism thing, yeah. Ignore journalism.
Starting point is 00:17:57 Doubters return to shreds. Pentagon employees urging caution were, quote, the surrender lobby or defeatists. The Sun called anti-war people traitors. When Bush declared mission accomplished, the Sun wrote, the not-in-my-name crowd and the Starbucks strategists got it hopelessly, ridiculously wrong. Imagine a time when Starbucks was associated with liberalism. But it's so, yeah, it's just, yeah. It was the, liberalism. But it's so, yeah, it's just that it was the mission accomplished was hilarious.
Starting point is 00:18:31 Mission accomplished was amazing and they had they had Bush in that little flight suit and he got on there and I remember very clearly, you know, he had the like the the little codpiece almost hunched up, and there was coverage where male or female reporters are going, I'll tell you what, it looks a little meaty down there. They were literally just going, well, look, let's be honest, he's got a big old fucking cock, which is when you're just going, what are we doing? It's so crazy. I'll tell you, you know, it's a real cockpit is George W. Bush's groin. Look at the size of that thing, huh?
Starting point is 00:19:11 He's got a real anaconda down there. Oh, man, our president's got a giant cock. I'll tell you what, Saddam Hussein better hope that he dies in some sort of silo explosion because the fate worse than death would be having to suck on Bush's huge cock for a... Look at the size of that, huh? Crikey. The Australian wrote, the coalition of the whining got it wrong.
Starting point is 00:19:35 Oh, by the way, we didn't. By the way, and it never mattered. They never acknowledged being wrong about W&Ds. Never, never, never. They never brought up all the shit they were wrong about. Around this time, Lockheedle leaves News Corp to start an investment firm. He's only got a hundred million dollars inherited, so it's hard for him to do that. What is he, like he must be pretty nervous about taking a chance on himself. Yeah, they're just scraping by. As President Bush's popularity sinks, so does Fox News ratings. Rupert likes to go where he thinks the popular tide is turning, so he wants to back Obama.
Starting point is 00:20:17 Ailes refuses and instead hires Karl Rove, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and John Bolden. But that's on Rupert. You hired a fucking whore and conservative nightmare. What did you think? He's going to back Obama? Like, no. That's why you hired Ailes.
Starting point is 00:20:37 So Beck Show debuts the day before Obama's inauguration. Glenn Beck. Remember when Glenn Beck was the lunatic? Those are the good old days. Remember when Samantha Bee had him on? Yeah, well, yeah. Remember when that was crazy? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:20:54 And now like anyone will have on Tucker Carlson or Alex Jones. Ails to Beck. Quote, I see this as the Alamo. If I just had somebody who was willing to sit on the other side of the camera until the last shot is fired, we'd be fine. That's just crazy. So they stir up controversies and just nuts conspiracy theories that get attention, which boost rating and make some more money.
Starting point is 00:21:17 And when the economy dipped one week after the election. The best. So that's two months before Obama's in office. One week after the election. The best. So that's two months before Obama's in office. One week after the election. The old bubble. Sean Hannity called it the Obama recession. It's just crazy. It's crazy.
Starting point is 00:21:32 On day two of his presidency, Hannity declared socialism has failed. Oh my God. Sean Hannity is, I mean they keep lowering the bar, but boy, Sean Hannity is a real fuckwit. On day three Laura Ingraham said quote our country is less safe. Oh my god. You would just be, long term it would be a wise strategy to just give it six months before you start being a fucking buffoon. Yeah. Glenn Beck called Obama, quote, a racist with a deep-seated hatred for white people.
Starting point is 00:22:09 You know what this president is doing right now? He's addicting this country to heroin, the heroin that is government slavery. What is he even talking about? Literally, what could that even be connected to? It's absolutely insane. Literally, what could that even be connected to? It's absolutely insane. I just, you gotta love when white people feel comfortable, when white dudes feel comfortable
Starting point is 00:22:33 being like, this man is a racist towards white people and we are on the brink of slavery. It's like, yeah, you're in charge of those calls well 2010 quote putting the common good first leads to death camps Like if you saw that and let's you like that's a good first draft, but we can't go with that He called women psychos. He compared himself to an Israeli Nazi hunter. In 18 months after the inauguration, Beck used the word Nazi 202 times, Hitler 147, and fascism 193. This all led to advertising boycotts and viewers bailing,
Starting point is 00:23:26 and then Beck was fired in April of 2011. So it lasted what, five years? No, three years. But going through it in real time, you were starting to go, wow, it keeps getting worse over there. And then they would replace the worst with like, we're trying to be the, but then everyone is,
Starting point is 00:23:49 everyone gets, I mean, I guess now it's, I mean, Sean Hannity's still in the fucking hair, right? They're all, they're all, yeah, it's all terrible. Rupert and Wendy have two daughters now, and they suggest. He must have been furious. They should have a share of the family fortune. The two daughters who are children.
Starting point is 00:24:11 Yeah. But the other four kids do not agree. And so they block it somehow. Rupert wants to move News Corp headquarters to Delaware from Adelaide. wants to move new headquarters to Delaware from Adelaide. What? Can you, fuck I was like, is there an Adelaide in America? Delaware. Delaware has low taxes, it's business friendly laws.
Starting point is 00:24:37 It's the credit card state. Right. Joe Biden time. Yeah. And it's a state where quote, extreme corporate secrecy enables corrupt people, shady companies, drug traffickers, embezzlers and fraudsters to cover their tracks when shifting dirty money from one place to another.
Starting point is 00:24:53 Jesus. I'll never forget in the 2006 election when it came out that both Hillary and Trump had their companies in the same exact same building in Del. So this all leads to it's just so fucking that's Rupert tells investors he's he's not going to take advantage of those like lax bullshit things in Delaware and these laws and right, especially ones that allow the family to acquire super voting shares. Well, I mean, every time he said
Starting point is 00:25:27 they're not gonna do something, he's helped that. Yeah, that's exactly what they did. Yeah, so it secures more power for the Murdochs. He buys the Wall Street Journal for 50 billion in 2007, promising editorial independence. Again, doesn't happen. I mean, the Wall Street Journal was like, I mean, again, it all like is eroding as time goes on,
Starting point is 00:25:50 but it was considered to be, I mean, these papers were considered at one point to be like, actually important. Yeah, legitimate news sources. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And now they're just titles. I mean, Wall Street Journal would always have a conservative slant, but it was still like, you know,
Starting point is 00:26:09 a news source. Wasn't like... Now it's just crazy. Although I do love to see tits on page three. Okay, that's upsetting. I love that. In England, in August 2006, two News of the World employees, reporter Clive Goodman and private investigator
Starting point is 00:26:27 Glenn Moclair, were arrested for intercepting voicemail messages and hacking phones. The World ran an innocuous story about Prince William hurting his knee, but Williams' people realized there's no way they could have gotten that information legally. And the police discovered the men had tapped Williams' phone. Crazy. They plead guilty and they're sentenced to prison in 2007. Then editor Andy Colson resigns. Then he goes to work for Tory leader David Cameron. But that's fine. That's fine. that's fine. That's fine.
Starting point is 00:27:06 That's fine. By the way, the best part about David Cameron is how he put his dick in a pic. Yeah. The company said Goodman was a rogue reporter, but in court, five other hacking victims came up. None were the Royal Family, which is his beat. So that sets off some flags.
Starting point is 00:27:26 The Guardian starts doing some digging, and in 2009, the Guardian reports at least three hacking victims were paid hush money that totaled 1.3 million pounds, and that the phone hacking was rife at News of the World. The cops say, well, there's no need to investigate because anyone who's been affected has already been informed. Mm-hmm, okay.
Starting point is 00:27:56 Which is, yeah. For the public good, though. Don't worry about the crimes. We told the people. They've been paid. Gareth, we are also brought to you by Helix. We told the people. They've been paid. Gareth, we are also brought to you by Helix. Helix Sleep, buddy. It is the bed of the past and the future.
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Starting point is 00:28:27 Well, they're German. I have been sleeping on mine for like, I could say it's been like seven years now we've had Helix mattresses. Yep, and when my mother stays with me, she sleeps on the Helix and she, yeah, every morning I go, how'd you sleep? And she goes, like a lock. Yeah, my son has one, he loves his. Me and the wife have one.
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Starting point is 00:29:14 No I don't. That sounds like nothing to do with Helix. He said he was... That's wrong. ...accredited. He called the police. Oh boy. So I'd recommend a Helix mattress. I'm gonna go make two phone calls. You finish this. I'm gonna go make two phone calls. Helix is offering up to 30% off all mattress orders and two free pillows for our listeners.
Starting point is 00:29:30 Hector, it's Gareth. Go to helixsleep.com slash dollop. That's helixsleep.com slash dollop. Are you really associated with Helix? Because I'm hearing a lot of mixed stuff over here while we're doing an ad. This is their best offer yet and it won't't last long with heat links better sleep starts now email me that if you can The dollop is also brought to you by square space. I have don't even don't even play Don't even play with me right now As everybody knows are deep in the square space your website website, our website, my website, Sourcepage. All of it. All of our website, every website we have an association
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Starting point is 00:30:21 This is not a negotiation. You are doing what the dollop wants and the dollop wants Squarespace. Correct. This is not a negotiation. You are doing what the dollop wants and the dollop wants Squarespace everywhere now. Jeez, it's just like the people don't get it. They don't get it and it's getting serious. Yeah, it really is. We're kind of done with the BS. Yeah.
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Starting point is 00:31:35 Just go do it. Gareth, we are also brought to you by Penrose First Leaf. This is a big time of year, Gareth. It's a time for renewal. It's a time for a new you, a new me, that means you reconnect with friends, family, people you haven't seen in a while. Why you crying? And when I do that, I make sure that I have
Starting point is 00:31:58 plenty of wine on hand for us to celebrate. That's why I have first leaf, Gareth. Dave, you know how much I love wine. I love wine, I love wine. So much so that I put it on you last night. Yeah, that's actually true. We celebrated, we had an old fashioned wine shirt. But I also, I think I don't know what wine I really like.
Starting point is 00:32:21 Like I've never thought about it like that. And then you go through and you take a quiz, a survey, and they're basically asking really like, like I've never thought about it like that. And then you go through and you take a quiz, a survey, and they're basically asking you like, do you like this flavor, do you like this flavor, what kinds do you, and then they send you a box. Catered box. A catered box where you go, oh my God, this is what, now I know what wine I like.
Starting point is 00:32:38 Yeah, these are the wines I like. As opposed to like randomly walking around a store and going, I guess oak sounds good. Yeah, and the guy's like, that's vermouth. So yeah, you have your own very, very own wine concierge. You can curate and customize the wine. They ship it to your house. And it's great, it's really good.
Starting point is 00:32:56 The boxes we've gotten two now, they're delicious. Yep, it is great. Yeah, really, really like them. And then every single selection is backed by First Leafs. 100% guarantee. And I back it with my Gareth tea. So that is two airtight promises. Not helpful. Well if you have any questions like what to pair it with stuff like that First Leaf's personal wine concierge they're right there to offer you expert advice. Yep. So I love reconnecting with friends and
Starting point is 00:33:23 family over bottles of First Leaf wine and I bet you feel that way Yep. So I love reconnecting with friends and family over bottles of First Leaf wine, and I bet you feel that way too. So give First Leaf a try, head over to firstleaf.com slash dollop to sign up and save 50% on your first six hand curated bottles plus free shipping. That's T-R-Y-F-I-R-S-T-L-E-A-F dot com slash dollop to save 50% on your first six bottles plus free shipping. Try firstleaf dot com slash dollop.
Starting point is 00:33:50 Go do it. Do it. Like we always say, why not? We don't. Look, as you probably know, I travel a lot. Too much? Sure. Sure, that's fair.
Starting point is 00:34:02 And on the road, if I ever have a choice between a hotel or an Airbnb, I always go Airbnb just because it's better. So for instance, when I was just on tour recently, there were a couple nights where I had off and instead of getting a hotel, I would get an Airbnb because I could have a kitchen. I like a home way over a hotel. There's just a little bit more of a personalized experience. So whenever it's up to me, I really always go with that just because it's better. It feels like your home, you just have more amenities.
Starting point is 00:34:32 But also, I recently started thinking like, while I'm gone, can I turn my place into an Airbnb? And the answer is yes, it can be as easy as putting your place up and then having a little more scratch generated from someone staying at my place while I'm on the road. So whether you could use a little extra money to cover some bills or for something more fun, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca slash host. Head of News International UK, Rebecca Brooks, also a good friend of David Cameron, said
Starting point is 00:35:03 it was all unsubstantiated and false, and then she accused the Guardian of lying. And then the Press Complaints Commission, which is run by the press, concluded the Guardian exaggerated. The Guardian editor said the inaction and closing of ranks was, quote, fascinating in what it said about Britain and the settlement of so many people in public life had made over two generations or more with Rupert Murdoch.
Starting point is 00:35:32 Ugh. In October 2010, Rupert tells shareholders quote, there was an incident more than five years ago. He was immediately fired and in fact, he subsequently went to jail. We challenged people to give us evidence and no one has been able to. So there you go. No one's ever been able to give him evidence.
Starting point is 00:35:51 So what's the... Guardian reporter. You think he's ever had someone killed? Murdoch? Yeah. Probably. Guardian reporter Nick Davies had found Glenn Mclare, who's the PI, had 4,332 names and 3,000 phone numbers. Wow.
Starting point is 00:36:11 Holy fuck. Civil litigants are stacking up. Actor Sienna Miller reveals the name of the journalist who paid Mclare to hack her voicemail. So they like hacked her voicemail, her and Jude Law were in a relationship, like for a year, it was like a nightmare. Total nightmare.
Starting point is 00:36:30 The world's news editor is then suspended. They admitted harassing Miller and hacking her phone for 12 months, and the police now finally open an investigation. Reveals corruption, turns out cops got $100,000, a thousand pounds in bribes. Makes sense that they wouldn't think an investigation was important.
Starting point is 00:36:53 June 30th, 2011, the Tory government, under David Cameron, said it would wave through a deal for News Corp to increase its share of Beast Sky B from 39,000 to 100,000. So all this shit is going on and they're like, let him be more powerful. Yeah, let him be more powerful. Yeah, I mean, you really, you have no leg to stand on as far as, I mean, it's right out in the fucking open.
Starting point is 00:37:23 Yeah. Six days later, Davies reported News of the World hacked the phone of a murdered child, possibly interfering with the police investigation. That causes a furor. Ads are pulled. Two days later, James Murdoch e-mailed staff to say the paper is closing down. They were a, quote, toxic brand. The final edition has no ads.
Starting point is 00:37:47 And they said all proceeds from sales would go to charities, but no charity would take the money. Oh, that's amazing. Christ, that's amazing. God damn, that's so fucking. It's it's yeah, it's like the fact that they're closing it down because it's a brand versus like we are reprehensible.
Starting point is 00:38:07 We're terrible. We gotta close down. We can't do that. We're out of control. We are shitty people. We are not okay. There's no morals. There's morals.
Starting point is 00:38:15 A friend told Rupert to donate 200,000 pounds to save the children and Rupert said quote what all those Africans? Ouch. 100,000 pounds to save the children and Rupert said quote what all those Africans? Oh, yeah Ouch Now over 30,000 people sign a petition opposing Rupert to buying out B sky B and the government backed off the deal. Oh wow This I'm sure this plays out where he gets it Well, yeah, so Rupert now flies to London to try to save the deal and also help with
Starting point is 00:38:47 the PR nightmare that is happening. Sure, yeah. Put your face in front of this. That's really what the movement needs. Rebecca Brooks resigns and was arrested. Oh, shit. Right after she's arrested, she has an hour-long phone conversation with Tony Blair, who offered to be her unofficial advisor.
Starting point is 00:39:05 That's disgusting. Just disgusting. Again, that's labor, and now we're talking about the guys that are supposed to be helping. Well, by the way, you want to talk about credibility. I mean, Tony Blair during the George W. Bush Iraq thing. Whatever credibility that guy supposedly had was... Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:39:20 Tony Blair offers to be your unofficial advisor. News International ran full-page ads apologizing and Rupert and James visited Milly Dowler's parents to apologize. So they go to the murdered kid's parents to apologize. And now they didn't kick them in the face. Yeah. When Rupert appears at a parliamentary committee
Starting point is 00:39:40 investigating the scandal, he said it was quote, the most humble day of my life. But he clearly told by PR people to say that, but he could try and- Well, let's be honest, it very well could be, but that says a lot about the life he's led as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:39:58 He's contrite, he's meek, but he denies responsibility, and he has a lot of memory lapses. That's the other fucking thing with these people never remember these motherfuckers are on top of everything Until it's time to reveal what they know. I mean, it's just so great so so he's got a lot of memory lapses and Someone tries at some point someone tried to throw a pie in his face, but Wendy Murdoch blocked it and slapped the person Someone tried to throw a pie in his face, but Wendy Murdoch blocked it and slapped the person. Both Rupert and James say they didn't know...
Starting point is 00:40:28 It's the first time he's ever been blocked from doing stuff. There's something there. Both Rupert and James said they didn't know about the payout to the first hacking victim, but that means an editor would have been able to green light a one million pound payment, which is absolutely bullshit. By late 2012, 90 people had been arrested and 72 civil claims paid. Wow. So fully like, admittedly.
Starting point is 00:40:59 A criminal enterprise. Yes. James and Rupert testimonies of no knowledge were contradicted by a lot of people. In May 2012, the majority of the parliamentary committed concluded Rupert was quote, not a fit person to exercise stewardship of a major international company. What took you so fucking long?
Starting point is 00:41:23 I mean, come on. It's insane. And he and James knew about the rogue reporter defense was false. And James showed willful ignorance. And then after that, Ripper blamed a News Corp lawyer for everything. The inquiry went on for nine months.
Starting point is 00:41:43 There were 337 witnesses. It looked how the press treated the public, relationships between the press and the police, and the media and politicians. Rupert testified for two days. He's vague, forgetful about his role, but he has a good memory when he's blaming other people. Also, it all comes together for that. Witness and actor Steve Coogan compared News Corp to a protection racket, using negative coverage, quote, as a weapon against those who get in its way. Be nasty to us and you will feel our wrath. Historian Tony Garten-Ash said the inquiry demonstrated that, quote, politicians spin
Starting point is 00:42:20 doctors, PR men, public figures, and now it emerges even senior police officers said to themselves, don't take on Murdoch. Yeah. Yeah, well you let him get so goddamn powerful that it's like, well, you know, I mean. Think about all the media owns and what he can do to you. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:42:36 Like any person. Well, we deal with that now. I mean, where you have a government and the people that actually run the government are far too powerful. So you should be fearful of them. If you fucking rattle that cage too much, you're gonna be behind it.
Starting point is 00:42:54 Absolutely. The report was 2,000 pages. It recommended replacing the Press Complaints Commission with an independent body that could impose fines. Yeah, great. And demand corrections. Let me guess, no. David Cameron rejected the recommendations. I mean this guy was such a prick. Yeah. His ministers met with News Corp execs more than any media organization. Some Tory MPs worked at News Corp. One made 60,000. So your options are the party that works for News Corp. Or the party that won't bust News Corp.
Starting point is 00:43:34 Right. 60,000 pounds to write for the Times and another was paid 195 pounds for a column in the News of the World while they were MPs. Any politician who criticized the phone hacking scandal or journalists reporting on it were told their betrayal would quote not be forgotten by News Corp. News Corp spied on members of the investigating parliamentary committee hoping to find something to blackmail them with. One Labour MP quote my neighbor caught people rummaging through my bins and rustling through papers in my
Starting point is 00:44:07 garbage. He got one of them in a headlock and demanded to know what he was doing and the person told him he was working for the sun. Well, can we just for a minute take our hat off to the greatest neighbor of all time? Everyone deserves a neighbor like this. Who will fucking throw someone in a headlock for a confession? Headlock Jimmy? Yeah. Yeah. Just your neighbor is just like, well, they've come around
Starting point is 00:44:29 and I fucking jammed him in my foot, gave my fucking half Nelson I have. Well said, who do you fucking work for? He said, I work for number so I start smashing the fucking bin on his cranium over and over again. Do you know what he fucking lets me go? I thought work for news call, let me go, I thought, what if a news call let me go? So that's what you're fucking dealing with. By the way, you're putting glass in your plastics.
Starting point is 00:44:51 Yeah, that's why I'm voting for Brexit. You're not spending, no, come on. Fuck. Before the 2012 News Corp. I've done that to another, and he was your binman. I messed up. I said who you work for? It's the bloody city, mate. I said yeah, tell me. You stay out of this fucking rubbish.
Starting point is 00:45:13 Yeah, it's a lot. Yeah, well, listen. I'm just protecting you, mate. Yeah, I mean, it's a lot. I've seen a woman sneaking into your apartment the other day. Yeah, that was me. Listen, you need to get a job. Fucking just fucking smashed her face into that fucking door. Have you been? I said who are you? What are you doing? I said to her, mind your fucking business, Lassie.
Starting point is 00:45:33 Are you sending out resumes and stuff just looking for a job at all? Well, I've got a full-time security gig now, haven't I? Well, you're not getting paid. By the way, I've seen a tiny little jockey in your place the other day playing with blocks and Legos and things like that Oh fucking shabby my What are you doing? You stay hey, this is a grant house. I said crying well. That's why we're getting the restraining order You know this bloke tried to drop off for fucking restraining all the other. Yeah. Oh, fuck he put a knife through his chest.
Starting point is 00:46:05 I said, you mind your business. You what will you work for? We worked for the government. He says what he said. I said, you get out of here. I said, use his garage property. You kill him alone. You put him in the bin.
Starting point is 00:46:19 So yeah, no, I'm not going to let anyone mess with you, mate. You're fine. I now mostly concerned about you No, you've got well the other day. No, right I was thinking I'll go have a rummage around your place because you seem a little bit off You can't be rummaging your I see myself in the mirror and I throw myself right into us. So what are you doing? It was me. I was behind the whole father was fucking have you thought about splitting your own throat? I tried Yeah Yeah, but it's very difficult. Yeah, but you know, that's why jump off a bridge
Starting point is 00:46:54 Well, I cut a hole in the sheet and I put me on through it and I started stabbing myself and I said who are you? No, it's been absolute madness It's not been going. All, mate. Yeah, I'm absolutely I'm absolutely don't like the way you're looking at me right now. Yeah, I'm upset Everybody's scared of you So you're telling me you've You're crossing yourself. I just have to take care of this haven't't I? What's what's no worried you're turning on you before the 2012 News Corp general meeting Rupert tweeted quote any shale shareholders
Starting point is 00:47:38 with complaints should take profits and sell in public. He showed contrition about the hacking, but in a recorded conversation with the Sun reporters, he said they were, quote, picked on by the establishment and the left-wing get-even crowd, and the inquiry was over next to nothing. But how fucking hysterical is it that he now owns so much media
Starting point is 00:48:01 that his own paper's employees are holding a press conference with him about what he's done. I mean, it's like he, he, he wasn't a press conference. He was just talking to them in a meeting. But oh, but not for the paper. No. Okay.
Starting point is 00:48:17 Right. No, just, just him talking about the paper with these people. Right. In 2012, Rupert's mother died. His marriage is starting to fall apart, partly due to rumors that she was having affairs. Who? Wendy. Right. Um With Tony Blair was the main one. That she was fucking Tony Blair?
Starting point is 00:48:35 Yeah, Jesus Christ. She would like say- if you lose a woman to Tony Blair She would like say i'm going to uh, the Carmel ranch with my friend Cindy And then Cindy would just bail and Tony Blair would roll in and stay there for two days. But you can't hide it because Tony Blair comes with guards and all this other shit and people know he's missing or whatever. Plus he probably leaves moles on anyone he's with. He leaves moles, yeah.
Starting point is 00:49:01 Imagine you're cheating with Tony Blair People like leaders She's definitely got a powerful man thing. Yeah, but you can do better than him You know mine fall asleep into something a little more comfortable. Yeah, don't please no Rupert interviewed staff who told them things like that. She got on the ranch of the friend. So he heard he interviewed all the staff I mean this guy just like was hacking phones. He kind of should be on the fight. She's fucking someone else I also apparently Eric Schmidt Rupert he said Rupert files for divorce in New York without telling Wendy or
Starting point is 00:49:40 Asking her anything about the rumors because he had done his own investigation. Sure. News Corp now divides into two. There is the Fox. There's New News Corp, which has newspapers publishing. There's some Australian assets. 21st Century Fox, which owns Fox TV and film. And Rupert would be executive chairman of News Corp. What's he, 106th now? He's pretty fucking old. in film and Rupert would be executive chairman of News Corp. What's he, 106 now?
Starting point is 00:50:09 He's pretty fucking old. The family owns about 40% of each. So Fox News was shocked when Obama won in 2012. They couldn't believe it. What was the most obvious thing ever that he was gonna win? Like it wasn't even. Well, remember they were doing the whole, I think it was, yeah it was.
Starting point is 00:50:24 It was when Karl Rove, whatever, but Karl Rove was like confident there was some bait and switch going on and that he was like, trust me. Yeah. Viewership was half in 2013 when it was in 2009, and so Rupert asked Lachlan to return. Okay. In 2014, he became non-executive co-chairman of News. His titles are getting insane.
Starting point is 00:50:53 It's just still made up. It's just, yeah. It's not a thing. James gets an equally vague role at Fox. Right. They're each making $20 million a year. Right. A friend said, Lachlan said his time in Australia gave him
Starting point is 00:51:07 a positive appreciation of egalitarianism and a suspicion of elites. Fuck you. And then Lachlan bought a $12.5 million non-elite mansion in Santa Monica. But I mean, imagine growing your whole, like living your whole life. Yeah. as Rupert Murdoch's son.
Starting point is 00:51:28 Yeah. And then being mad at elites. And then being like, look, I'm honestly a little skeptical of these people who grow up with money. Skeptical of elites. 2014 was the 50th anniversary of the Australian paper. Prime Minister Tony Abbott called it the, quote, greatest newspaper in the English-speaking world. No institution, no university has so
Starting point is 00:51:50 consistently and so successfully captured and refined the way we think about ourselves. In an awful way. Why don't you go ahead and say your favorite Abbott fact real quick. Well, then he ate an onion like an apple. Yep. Yeah. So that's who we're dealing with. The paper would turn against him a year later. Good.
Starting point is 00:52:11 Now Rupert starts dating Jerry Hall. He's 84, she's 59. So that's so much better. I mean that's only 26 years. I find it to be horrifying. Well 84 is like. 84? They married a couple months later. It's only 26 years. I find it to be horrifying. Well, 84 is like- 84? Be married a couple months later.
Starting point is 00:52:28 It's horrifying. What does he even do? I mean, is his, you're- Are you talking about his penis? I'm about to. May I? I mean, he probably takes Viagra, so he can bang away.
Starting point is 00:52:40 But he's just rich, dude. I mean, that's really all it is. Yeah, but like for him. It's like what it's It's it's ungodly money. Yeah her too I mean she was just with mick jack. I know what a what a fucking fall talk about a downgrade. Yeah, jesus In 2015 donald trump announced he was running for president Ailes had given him a weekly slot on fox and friends where he ranted about Obama birtherism conspiracies and was a political pundit. It's honestly like adorable looking back on it.
Starting point is 00:53:12 That it was like when there was a time when we were just like, oh you lunatic, you get an NBC show. Rupert doesn't like Trump. He found him embarrassing. I mean, yeah, that's the normal reaction. No shit. But Fox News created an audience for Trump. He boosted their ratings.
Starting point is 00:53:34 By 2016, after Rupert had meetings with him, the Post endorsed Trump. The Sun massively pushed Brexit also. Rupert has always been skeptical of United Europe. We're not going to go into Brexit because it's so much, but huge factor in the Brexit disaster. Huge factor. Same with David Cameron. Yep, yep. In July 2016 Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment suit against Roger Ailes. She recorded conversations where Ailes said, quote, you and I should have had a sexual relationship
Starting point is 00:54:09 a long time ago and then you'd be good and better and I'd be good and better. Boy, isn't that a sweet title lady. I mean, honestly, your pitch, if you're good, look, nobody's co-signing the sexual harassing, but if you're gonna do it, let's get a better elevator pitch going. Yeah, a lot better.
Starting point is 00:54:26 You'd be doing really good, and I'd be doing really good, if you'd just let me fuck you. James and Lachlan hired a law firm to investigate, and they publicly backed Ailes, but several Fox News hosts backed Ailes also. Then Megyn Kelly told Lachlan she had been harassed by Ailes and Ailes
Starting point is 00:54:46 got a 40 million dollar severance payout but was kept on as a consultant. Then this just to be clear is the punishment. Yes. Rupert took over as interim chairman. Then Trump wins and the Murdoch machine goes into Trump mode pushing the culture wars. Megyn Kelly, Robert Murdoch hand picks Tucker Carlson for the primetime slot. More lawsuits come. 20 employees allege racial discrimination. If you can believe that.
Starting point is 00:55:16 I mean, I'm okay. I'm just shocked. Then- I wasn't blonde enough. Then there's a ton of sexual harassment allegations against Bill O'Reilly. Bud Rupert had already offered O'Reilly $100 million for four years. Advertisers then targeted by activists and they finally had to fire O'Reilly. But remember they really tried to hang him.
Starting point is 00:55:40 That went on for a long time where it was just like, dude, the loofah. The loofah was a big The loofah was a big problem the loofah end up getting a show on Fox So when a rally's fired Tucker gets promoted again That's what's kind of fucking incredible about its little ecosystem is that it really is It is your you're fully It is, you're fully replaceable because the machine behind it just seems to function. They can get rid of every single one. Get rid of Tucker, you got Jesse Waters.
Starting point is 00:56:16 It's kind of never ending. As soon as Tucker was fired, I was like, it's Jesse Walters because I can't think of a more evil human being. Oh, he is. Fox News, Trump's biggest cheerleader, obviously. They support the Muslim plan, promoting the conspiracy theory that Dem staffer Seth Rich was murdered by the Clintons. The Rich family sues, and they set a lot of court.
Starting point is 00:56:39 By late 2017, Rupert was talking to Jared Kushner, at least weekly, but sometimes daily. Trump gave two-thirds of his interviews to Fox, and Fox and Friends knew when they spoke on air they were talking directly to the president. Oh, and they're, I mean- Just like Morning Joe right now. I was, well, completely, you know I love my Morning Joe. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:01 Watch it maybe twice a week, and boy oh boy, that is a nightmare. But the Trump calling into Fox and Friends was always incredible. Because they would be like, are you sure? And he'd be like, everybody is talking. It was like 5.15 in the morning and he would just be up like freshly dumped. Just like sitting there just espousing the craziest shit. There's no whales in the ocean, and everyone knows if they were land based, they'd be voting. And they were like, wow, that's really interesting, Mr.
Starting point is 00:57:32 Preston. There's two Joe Biden's ones are robot. So Rupert meets with Disney CEO Bob Iger and suggests Disney by 20th Century Fox to compete with the streamers that are coming out. So, Disney buys Fox for $70 billion, but not Fox News or Fox Sports or the lot, Century City. Right. Those are all going to remain with the Fox Entertainment Company, so they get everything
Starting point is 00:58:03 else. In 2018, Fox went hard supporting probably rapist and SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh. And they started warning of a caravan, an invading horde from South America. What ever happened to that caravan? It dispersed. It feels like the caravan. It went, turned around and then it went across into the ocean and then. It feels like it was so big. Yeah, that was it.
Starting point is 00:58:37 Yeah, it was going to really destroy us. But then it like it, I mean there were winds and stuff that drove it off course interesting. Yeah It's strange. There'll be another one. Oh, I bet you there will be It's like the scooby gang. I Guess they're gonna steal white women or babies or something sure a Nazi shot up the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh believing Jews were behind the migrant caravan, he quote, repeatedly posted an image from a Fox News report that showed a truck emblazoned with a star of David helping to transport asylum seekers. I mean, Jesus fucking Christ. That's so they can blame Soros for everything.
Starting point is 00:59:22 Lachlan said quote, we've come to this point where we are more and more intolerant of each other and frankly that has to change. Who the fucking, like a man with a smoking gun that just shot someone in the chest and he's like, we need to stop shooting each other. I guarantee you he believes it. He's like, the left just keep attacking us, and you're like, bro. Media Matters published a leaked messages from a white supremacist chat group celebrating Tucker Carlson for doing more for their cause than anyone else.
Starting point is 00:59:55 Media Matters also dropped old recordings of Tucker being racist and talking disgustingly about a Miss Teen contestant. Tucker said Fox backed him. Shepard Smith was fired for disagreeing with Tucker on air. Rupert quote, If he doesn't want to work here, he shouldn't work here. We'll replace him and get better earnings. And then what happened?
Starting point is 01:00:16 Shepard Smith, who forever was on Fox News delivering their fucking bullshit, then, you know, the CNN, MSNBC's were like he was the best. Yeah but he's off the air now he's not he's not but he had a CNBC show for a little while. He went down the chain and then was gone. Yeah but for a while they were like coming to like the way that they have that MSNBC is now like fully staffed with George W Bush people. At News Corp, at another News Corp general chairholder meetings, Rupert told shareholders, quote,
Starting point is 01:00:51 there are no climate change deniers around. I can assure you. A British think tank described Sky News Australia as, quote, a key global content hub for climate misinformation, a ground zero for climate science agnostics around the world. Sky News has an outsized influence on YouTube where clips denying climate change and COVID go viral.
Starting point is 01:01:13 It feels good. It does feel good. It all feels really warm inside. Well then you're gonna like this. COVID starts. And Fox News hosts downplay it. Except for Carlson, who blamed it on the repulsive Chinese for eating dogs and bats from wet markets.
Starting point is 01:01:29 So it's nice to have a rational voice on the network to sort of balance it out. Yeah, it was the dog eaters. Through February and March, Fox said the left was trying to politicize the virus and it was a plot by China and or North Korea and an attempt to take down Trump. Not real, it's also gonna take down, but after the WHO declared an emergency, Fox decided
Starting point is 01:01:49 to be a public health campaign champion, hosting fundraisers and donating money. But a Harvard public health expert already confirmed that quote, people would die as a result of the misinformation on Fox in those early weeks in April 74 journalism academics and reporters signed an open letter to the Murdoch's calling Fox News coverage quote a danger to public health and to the health of its viewers who average age was 65 now Fox News viewers who average age was 65. Now Fox News is very proud of its 2020 election coverage. As they should be.
Starting point is 01:02:29 They had a polling consultant who often predicted correct outcomes before all their rivals. And he called Arizona for the Democrats early in the night, which upset the on-air presenters who said, quote, what the hell is happening here? Why is Arizona blue? So funny. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha It's real. That's what it is. Soon after, Trump says it's a lie and refuses to concede. Journalist Michael Wolff claims, before the Arizona call was made, that Loughlin called Rupert to check to see if they should announce it. And Rupert agreed, saying about Trump, quote, fuck him.
Starting point is 01:03:21 Conservatives were furious at Fox for reporting the facts. Reality, yeah. What are you doing? You're Fox. Fuck him. Conservatives were furious at Fox for reporting the facts. The reality, yeah. What are you doing? You're Fox. So Fox now has to win back their base because they told the truth and they couldn't handle it. So Media Matters reports that Fox News quote,
Starting point is 01:03:41 cast doubt on the election results at least 774 times. So all that is because they made the call that night and then had to get their people. And it worked. Internal memos told reporters not to refer to Biden as president-elect. On air, Trump lawyer Sidney Powell made accusations of a massive coordinated effort to steal the election. Asked about irregularities in Dominion voting machines pal Said quote that's where the fraud took place where they were flipping votes in the computer system or adding votes that did not exist Giuliani then tweeted domain was a front for smart a medic and the truth
Starting point is 01:04:21 Can we come out can we just talk and just take our hats off to the Giuliani phase here where he was, there was a few months there where the man was on fire. He's holding press conferences in landscaping parking lots. He's sticking to it. He's sweating hair dye. He's shitting his pants and meetings. It's incredible He and and him going on any sense and the thing where he's saying that this woman hands her daughter a mint
Starting point is 01:04:54 Oh, yeah, he goes they're handing each other a USB drive Yeah, it was tremendous. Lou Dobbs had Giuliani on his show to expand on the conspiracy theory. Those two. Dominion sends a legal letter to Fox, laying out the defamatory remarks made and suggesting they stop making them.
Starting point is 01:05:22 Right. Trump is shit talking on Fox. He's promoting, oh Right. Trump is shit talking on Fox. He's promoting, I'm sorry, Trump is shit talking Fox. And now he starts promoting One American News and Newsmax, the competitors. Which makes Fox seem like a rational channel. No, it's like my crazy uncle's news. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:05:42 But he gave Fox's Sunday morning future show his first on air interview after the election. Smartematics now sends a legal letter to Fox and they're like, hey, stop this shit. Dominion sends a second letter saying, hey, after we sent you the first letter to stop and retract, you kept doing it. And Dominion employees are now getting death threats. Fox doesn't respond to the letter.
Starting point is 01:06:07 Dobbs calls the 2020 election a cyber Pearl Harbor and an electoral 9-11. What is this? A cyber Pearl Harbor? I can't. Cyber? What is he even trying to say with that? I can't. It's so crazy. What is he even trying to say with that? An electoral 9-11. What is a cyber Pearl Harbor? I mean, Pearl Harbor was just the beginning of a war. I mean, maybe that's what he means.
Starting point is 01:06:38 Well, so was 9-11, really, but it was like, it's- That doesn't make sense, Roy. It makes sense. It's essentially two acts of terrorism. Two big things he knows about. Yes, kind of. They're like buzzwords. Fox ratings drop.
Starting point is 01:06:52 They come second to CNN for the first time since 2001. Some Newsmax shows are beating them. On January 6th, I remember sometimes the numbers would come out and I would just be like, holy shit, so low. Wow, those newsmax elements, upsetting. On January 6th, Fox News host tried to cast doubt about the mob storming the Capitol saying they could be the Radical Left or Antifa. But Hannity, Ingram, and Kilmeade, Kilmeade, Kilmeade, Kilmeade, he's the Fox and Friends guy. Brian Kilmeade, yeah.
Starting point is 01:07:26 He's an empty-headed fucking idiot. They're at that time texting Chief of Staff Mark Meadows telling him Trump needs to speak to the crowd and send them home. So they're on air saying the opposite to what they're saying in text. In 2021, Rupert returns to the US to take a hands-on role at Fox
Starting point is 01:07:44 as the ratings kept sliding. The change was more opinion over actual news. People who defended the election night decision to call Arizona were fired. He said, fuck him. Rupert did it. Smartmatic filed a $2. billion dollar defamation lawsuit against Fox News Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiomo and Jeanine Pirro.
Starting point is 01:08:13 That woman is a fucking demon. Jeanine Pirro is Judge Jeanine Pirro. She's a demon. She is just like. She's like pure truly basically like if a scotch and soda was racist Also read Giuliani and Sidney Powell a month later don't forget Mike Lindell. Oh, yeah Mr. The my pillow guy who sank his own pillow. Yeah a Month later. I mean he was just a guy who made a pillow.
Starting point is 01:08:45 Well, he wasn't because he was also a crack addict. Yes. He doesn't seem sober. No, it doesn't seem sober. But still, when you want to talk about like you hit the fucking life lottery by making a pillow, you made a pillow. You made millions from a pillow. Millions.
Starting point is 01:09:03 Just go away. Your life is good You don't need to worry about America anymore. Go invent your own country. Yeah, do pillow stand. 100% But instead People like you know what I'm just not gonna buy this guy's fucking pillow. Yeah Yeah, it's toast. A month later Domin Dominion files a $1.6 billion lawsuit. Dominion listed Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, the CEO, the President, Rupert and Lachlan.
Starting point is 01:09:32 Fox is now trying to woo back conservatives. Tucker goes full white supremacist. Because they're trying to, I mean, if people haven't seen the other channels, One and Newsmax, they are fucking crazy. Nuts. Crazy. Yeah, so Tucker's full of white supremacists.
Starting point is 01:09:52 Quote, I know that the left and all the little gatekeepers on Twitter become literally hysterical if you use the term replacement. If you suggest that the Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate with new people, more obedient voters from the third world. But that's what's happening actually. I mean, everyone wants to make a racial issue out of it. Oh, you know, the white replacement theory? No, no, no.
Starting point is 01:10:20 This is a voting rights question. It's just purely anti-seemitic, racist fucking nightmare shit. Nazi. The Anti-Defamation League calls for Tucker Carlson to be fired. Quote, someone needs to remind the Murdochs they pay Tucker. They're allowed to sanction him, but it doesn't seem to ever happen. I mean, Tucker Carlson is just pure white supremacist at this point. Lachlan wrote to the ADL saying he respectfully disagreed
Starting point is 01:10:49 that Tucker Carlson's segment was promoting the Great Replacement Theory. Months later, Carlson promoted the Great Replacement Theory again, even more explicitly. In March 2002, Lachlan launched a new Center for the Australian Way of Life to defend Christianity and capitalism with ex-Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, and the director of Australia's most right-wing think tank. So they're, okay, so if you don't know what's going on with America, the Heritage Foundation
Starting point is 01:11:20 is a think tank, which basically is the thing that has created fascism in America. That's where it all comes from. It's the center heartbeat. That's what they're doing to you. If you're in Australia, this is going to be the fascist heartbeat. Lachlan and Abbott's speeches at the launch were published across News Corp media outlets,
Starting point is 01:11:41 but mocked in a lot of other media. Oh, imagine mocking the right wing and then it doesn't work out. In Australia, Rupert's newspapers make up two-thirds of daily papers, the biggest proportion of any individual in any democracy in the world. But even saying that, followed by the term democracy, is just farcical. The Australian Green secured a Senate inquiry into the Murdoch Empire. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rund was the first witness. Quote, Everyone is frightened of Murdoch.
Starting point is 01:12:13 There is a culture of fear across the country, and the fear is rationally based. They've seen many cases of individual political leaders and others who have had their characters assassinated through a systematic campaign by the Murdoch media. Lachlan refused to attend and Rudd called him utterly spineless. Well, it's true that, you know, because they've allowed it to get to this point, it is personally and professionally an enormous risk to try to take them down or question them The other option is fascism. Well, yeah, I mean that's why intervening in this Decades ago is why you do that. You still take the hit. Totally. Yeah
Starting point is 01:12:57 In February 2023 Domain had submitted tons of evidence including text messages from senior execs and presenters to prove Fox promoted the stolen election conspiracy theory. Fox argued the claims were just newsworthy and protected by the First Amendment. Messages from Rupert said he thought the vote-rigging claims were, quote, really crazy and damaging for everybody. Yeah, but he likes money. When asked by Dominion's lawyers whether he could have intervened editorially
Starting point is 01:13:27 to change Fox's coverage, he said, I could have, but I didn't. That's good, but he's at least becoming honest. In April of 2023, Dominion and Fox settled for $787.5 million. Which is really. Nothing. You know.
Starting point is 01:13:49 It's nothing. It's worth it to do that. That makes more, that's a good business decision. Yeah. Fox quote, we acknowledge the court's rulings find certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects Fox's continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.
Starting point is 01:14:06 Oh my god, unreal that they can even say that. The Smartmatic lawsuit is still going through the courts. The Smartmatic lawsuit. In May 2023, Rupert fired Tucker Carlson, apparently due to treatment of women after he, quote, used vulgar language to describe a network executive. So what does it mean if you have a network, a news, what does it mean if you have a news network where you have to continue to keep firing people for sexual harassment or language abuse? If
Starting point is 01:14:41 everyone you're hiring is a right-wing asshole then they're going to be right wing assholes and it's all going to be abuse and sexual harassment and everything else. They hate women. I mean, that's like one of the bases for their entire belief system. So yeah, so former News Corp exec Kim Williams said Fox News closely mirrors Rupert's views on things and it produces quote rivers of gold, but it has created toxicity in the US and the complete degeneration of the whole public square. Well that's very concise and true.
Starting point is 01:15:19 Michael Wolf has written two Rupert biographies. He said of News Corp quote, no other public company of its size is such a singular reflection of one man. The board, all men, partly because Rupert believes that women talk too much, may not be the most docile in corporate America, but it is certainly among the most reverential. He claims they generally prove decisions unanimously
Starting point is 01:15:44 based on what Rupert wants. Right. So democracy. Wolf quote, the fundamental currency of the company has always been reward and punishment. Both the New York Post and Fox News maintain enemy lists. We have stuff on him, Murdoch would mutter, about various individuals who I mentioned during my interviews. We have pictures of you against him, then you are his enemy and he fights you. You certainly can't make everything that goes on politically now just about Trump, but that's the Trump playbook as a president. That's a conservative authoritarian playbook.
Starting point is 01:16:24 Yeah, right. In September 2023, Rupert finally retired and Lachlan took over and he remains as chairman emeritus of both companies. In his retirement letter, Rupert complained about elites who run most media, saying they quote, elites. Get fucked. How did they who run too much media? God.
Starting point is 01:16:44 Saying they quote, have open contempt for those who are not members of their rarefied class You pray is in cahoots with those elites. How great would it be to just beat him to death with a Lenin bust? Pedaling political narratives rather than pursuing the truth. Oh man I'm always accused other people of exactly what it is always protests They always accuse other people of exactly what they're doing. It is always Doth Protests. The Sun is still boycotted in Liverpool. Cafes and taxis will kick you out if you read it. That's pretty good.
Starting point is 01:17:12 In 2017, Liverpool Football Club banned journalists from the Sun from its press conferences. That's pretty good. Yeah, I mean, it's too late. This is the pep talk. But for America, it's certainly too late. It's too late. I mean this is the pep talk but for America, it's certainly too late. It's too late And again, you're like the regulation under Clinton is what led to What why do you say it's too late? I have my version of that. Why is it too late? Well, all this stuff was already in place
Starting point is 01:17:37 It's not you had to stop it before it all got in place now the the rich are too powerful and certainly the technology is way too terrifying. I also think that because you've sort of co-opted the brains of a strong sect of our population, trying to take that away from them or trying to undo that would be viewed so you would be able to manipulate people into thinking that's an attack that you're attacking the freedom of the press when you do something like that when really you're just trying to like Suck some of the cancer out of Well, I mean, I don't think I don't think people would I mean they could rile people up
Starting point is 01:18:17 But but if they wanted to put the regulations back in place, I think most people would be like, yeah, it's fine I think if you tried to get rid of Fox News. I don't think that's what it is. You can get rid of Fox News by undoing the power and the wheel that has through, for instance, Fox News owning stations all over the country. The Sinclair stuff. Yeah, they do the same thing with Fox. You could nip that in the bud.
Starting point is 01:18:44 You can nip a lot of these things in the bud, and you can make a difference. You're never gonna be able to get rid of Fox News. That's not happening. It's just not. But you can put back in regulations like the Fair Doctor and other things that take away their ability to do what they are doing.
Starting point is 01:19:01 You neuter it, and then you go after them legally, which is totally doable. I mean, dude, the right wing is always gonna flip out and say you're taking things away. Yeah, but when you watch, think about when Biden came into office and it was like, dude, you gotta expand the Supreme Court. You have to, like these things that have to be done,
Starting point is 01:19:21 they won't do because they, well, there's a number of reasons. But that's the right wing. But among, what do you mean well there's a number of reasons but among what do you mean that's every country everywhere that's the right way yeah even without Murdoch that's the right way yeah that's the right way but it is just over I mean it's like it's over the main reason it's over is because the people who should be fighting them are feckless idiots yeah and don't do it have no there's no.
Starting point is 01:19:45 It's also like we were saying before, if you are going to find these places, it's still a better business. It's like, it's like Boeing. Like why the fuck is Boeing going to change anything if what you're finding them is nothing. And they're killing people. And they kill people. And they're, but their business model is, It's a wiser business model to not undo any of their mistakes and pay you the small fine for what they have done wrong Versus go bad versus a recall or a shutdown, right?
Starting point is 01:20:16 And that is not even just that's reflected in our media, but that's reflected in basically every Every business every business in this country. Every sector of America. I mean, the thing with watching the bird flu thing play out, which is like, it might not happen, it might happen, but no one's watching it. No, there... The point of the bird flu thing is the bird flu is coming. The point of the bird flu thing is nobody's watching. Nobody's doing anything whatsoever.
Starting point is 01:20:45 If there is a jump, hello fuck. Yeah, if there's a jump, it's going to be terrible and it's going to affect the whole world and it's going to be crazy. 5,000 times the anger that China got. Yes. 5,000 times because we're not really sure what happened with China. There's a lot of this could happen. This could happen. I believe Fox News reported that it was the dog eat
Starting point is 01:21:08 It's going to be 100% on us for having Absolutely, no government doing anything to stop it. Yeah anything at all not remotely not testing Not having people wear PPE Absolutely, nothing is happening. There's nothing happening. There's no public safety. We have no idea how spread it is, how anything, and it's just because we're just not a fucking country. We're just a disaster.
Starting point is 01:21:33 No. We're not. We're a fucking crackhead just trying to get ready for the next hit. We have no, there's zero. Zero. We are simply just doing enough to make sure that the billionaires get as much as they can out of it.
Starting point is 01:21:52 As much as they can. As much as they can. And that's it. And it really shows you why a guy like Rupert Murdoch is able to thrive in a country like this. And again, to your point before, the fact that Rupert Murdoch is a right-wing lunatic enabled by Clinton administration. So no matter who you're supporting, they're evil. It's just, yeah, you've probably got your scale of evil, but I mean, truly, who are you more mad at?
Starting point is 01:22:22 You're mad at the enabler or the enabled? Well, that's what I always say. Are you mad at the bad evil guy or the guy who betrayed you? For the bad evil guy. Yeah, I mean, that's what it is. Yeah, which is pretty cool. And watching it, it's what, now, Austria has always been like 10 years behind us
Starting point is 01:22:38 and they're right on target. Oh man, it's really weird when you walk around here because you do go, yeah, there's a lot of seeds. A lot of seeds. A lot of seeds. It's coming. Well, they passed their own telecommunications bill like, you know, seven or eight years
Starting point is 01:22:52 ago. So it's all going. So it's coming. Yeah, it's all being put into place. To process. It just takes a minute. Yep. Yeah, and then you can't ever undo it.
Starting point is 01:23:00 That's right. Sources. Patty Manning, the successor of the high stakes life of Lachlan Murdoch, Patty Manning Rupert, The Last Mogul, uh, there was a podcast, uh, Rodney Tiffin, Rupert Murdoch, uh, reassessment, Tom Roberts before Rupert, Keith Murdoch and the birth of a dynasty. Hill, theconversation.com, theguardian.com, fair.org, Nick Davies, hack attack, how the truth caught up with Rupert Murdock, transparency.org, abc.net.au, NBC News, The Guardian,
Starting point is 01:23:43 and abc.net.au. Well, it's pretty cool. Again, a shout out to Josh, he did the research. All right, everybody, good night. Look, as you probably know, I travel a lot. Too much? Sure, sure, that's fair. And on the road, if I ever have a choice
Starting point is 01:24:01 between a hotel or an Airbnb, I always go Airbnb just because it's better. So for instance, when I was just on tour recently, there were a couple nights where I had off and instead of getting a hotel, I would get an Airbnb because I could have a kitchen. I like a home way over a hotel. There's just a little bit more of a personalized experience. So whenever it's up to me, I really always go with that just because it's better. It feels like your home, you just have more amenities.
Starting point is 01:24:29 But also, I recently started thinking like, while I'm gone, can I turn my place into an Airbnb? And the answer is yes, it can be as easy as putting your place up and then having a little more scratch generated from someone staying at my place while I'm on the road. So, whether you could use a little extra money to cover some bills or for something more fun, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca slash host.

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