Well it appears that Donald Trump got his Twitter machine back.

The failing @nytimes, which has made every wrong prediction about me including my big election win (apologized), is totally inept!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017

The Trump base is far bigger & stronger than ever before (despite some phony Fake News polling). Look at rallies in Penn, Iowa, Ohio.......

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017

...and West Virginia. The fact is the Fake News Russian collusion story, record Stock Market, border security, military strength, jobs.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017

... Supreme Court pick, economic enthusiasm, deregulation & so much more have driven the Trump base even closer together. Will never change!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017

Well, the "Trump base" is getting smaller. So that's a change.

Hard to believe that with 24/7 #Fake News on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, NYTIMES & WAPO, the Trump base is getting stronger!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017

I think Trump is confusing "getting stronger" with "getting dumber."

Working hard from New Jersey while White House goes through long planned renovation. Going to New York next week for more meetings.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017

You can check the post below to see how "hard" Trump is working.

Perhaps part of that "hard work" was Trump launching Trump TV for the masses of morons who still support him.

He even managed to get a former CNN commentator to do the lying.

WATCH: @kayleighmcenany left CNN yesterday....today, she made her debut on Trump TV sharing "the real news". pic.twitter.com/joqxNfgDuf

— Yashar Ali (@yashar) August 6, 2017

Well that help to dumb down the "Trump base."

Trump TV is alive and well and coming soon to a local station near you.

Courtesy of Press Herald:  

In the midst of the local news, a taped commentary from President Trump’s former special assistant Boris Epshteyn appeared on the screen, trumpeting the administration’s position with what he thought selective use and abuse of facts. 

McCutcheon, a small-business owner and political independent, describes the experience as “surreal,” “extremely jarring” and “so out of place with the friendly, local broadcast from news people I’ve come to trust over the years.” There was no rebuttal, no context, no alternate point of view – a situation he found concerning. 

WGME-TV (Channel 13) and WPFO-TV (Channel 23) each carry the segments nine times a week on orders from their owner, the Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the nation’s largest owner of local television stations and an aggressive, unabashed disseminator of conservative commentary supporting the Trump wing of the Republican Party.

......

Portland’s WGME, a CBS affiliate, and its sister station WPFO, a Fox affiliate, are required to air them. They are the only stations in Maine that are forced to run editorial commentary by their corporate parent. 

“It’s unheard of to have one company pushing one specific agenda reaching so many people and doing it in a way designed to evade local input,” says Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press, a Washington-based group that opposes media consolidation. “The idea of having local stations offer an array of viewpoints is great, but what we get with Sinclair is one set of political leanings being broadcast everywhere.”

Yes, Sinclair Broadcasting is the same conservative news outlet that John Oliver warned us about at the beginning of this month.

What may be even more troubling than the fact that Trump TV will now be broadcast into our homes while camouflaged as local news coverage is how they ended up with so many local TV stations under their control.

Courtesy of The Stern Facts: 

Sinclair Broadcasting is buying dozens of local television stations from the Tribune Company, which will expand their reach to create the largest local news broadcast empire our country has ever seen on TV. 

It’s taken some very special help from the Trump Administration. 

With the addition of one of Trump’s top surrogates, the stage has been set to distribute Administration propaganda nationally, without telling the audience that they’re watching biased local news, even though it’s branded ABC, CBS or NBC. 

Sinclair says it has 173 television stations in 81 markets, broadcasting 514 channels and having affiliations with all the major networks. 

By 2013, Sinclair Broadcasting owned more TV stations than anyone else in the country. 

Now, they will vastly exceed the FCC’s cap on how much local television market share a single corporation — 39% of the national viewing market to be precise — is allowed to hold after purchasing the Tribune company’s 42 stations and 14 more in a separate deal. 

But first, they cut a deal with during the campaign with Jared Kushner for “good” coverage of the Trump Administration, which seems to have paid off with a major regulatory change in their favor. 

What was that regulatory change?

This:

The FCC caps broadcast licensees from reaching more than 39% of Americans to limit the amount of power concentrated into the hands of a single television broadcaster. 

It took a vote on changing regulations initiated by the FCC’s fiercely partisan Trump appointee Ajit Pai who resurrected a regulation that the Obama Administration killed in 2016, reinstating rules about UHF TV signals to enable the $3.9 billion dollar deal that will take Trump TV from 30% of America’s television households up to 72% of local viewers. 

That folks is one of the most egregious examples of "pay for play" that I have ever seen.

But even though that was a major clarion call for Tea Party conservatives, and their queen Sarah Palin, back in the day they won't utter a peep about it.

Why?

Because it helps further their agenda, that's why.

Face it my friends, journalism, facts, and even the fabric of our reality are now under constant assault. And the only defense we have on our side is the truth.

Here's hoping that will be enough.

So Trump TV might have just launched. Kinda.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign on Monday began airing a live nightly video news program, fanning speculation that Trump may seek to capitalize on his supporters’ zeal by launching a media network after November’s election. 

“This is an effort to bring our message directly to you. You don’t have to take it through the media filter and the spin they put on it,” said Cliff Simms, the Trump adviser who co-hosted the program, which was broadcast on Facebook. “We plan to do this each and every night.” 

Co-host Boris Epshteyn, a senior adviser to Trump, insisted the Trump-focused news show was not a test run for anything else. “The left-wing media’s even trying to spin this, believe it or not,” Epshteyn said. “They’re saying, well this is ‘Trump TV.’ That’s not what this is. This is our campaign, and most importantly, our candidate being out there and speaking directly to the voters.”

Well we have been hearing about this possibility for over a month now, and even though there are denials coming from the Trump camp this seems to me to be Trump's first toe dipping into the world of conservative journalism.

As you know there was also a segment aired during the last debate, and THAT one seemed to do well.

However last night's segment suffered due to lack of interest: 

Without a debate to stir interest, ratings were down. The audience for Wednesday’s show peaked at 200,000 people, according to Politico. Monday’s program began with just shy of 60,000 viewers, and within 30 minutes half the audience had moved on.

Yeah I don't think that 30,000 viewers is going to be anywhere near enough to give Fox News a run for their money.

If you visit the HuffPo link you will see an incredibly amateurism segment that looks like it was put together by a middle school media club.  (From a poor school, in a bad neighborhood, without access to modern editing software.)

In fact as I watched it I thought less of Fox News and more of another fairly recent attempt to launch a personality driven media outlet.

Oh god, he really is Sarah Palin 2.0.

Rachel Maddow discusses Sarah Palin's past, and wonders what her role might be with Trump TV.

I thought this was a great segment last night.

The only quibble I have with it is when Rachel suggests that Sarah Palin would have finished her first term as governor and run for a second term if she had not been tapped by John McCain.

In fact Palin was already in trouble here in Alaska, Troopergate, and many of the ethics charges that were filed against her after the pick as VP might still have occurred.

However I will admit that her arrogance and sense of entitlement was taken up to eleven by the time that she returned to Wasilla, and that because of her experience on the national stage she felt much too important to waste her time on anything as silly as Alaska politics.

As for her ability to "help" Donald Trump launch a new media empire?

The only thing that Palin could show him how to do is to fail, and then quit, which is essentially what she is now famous for doing.

Hopeful future TV talking head Sarah Palin provides her audition tape for Trump TV.

Palin says Trump will accept election results if they are "legit results" pic.twitter.com/9fvzz5zLBC

— Holly Bailey (@hollybdc) October 20, 2016

On Facebook Sarah "Back to you Jim" Palin expanded on this brief response: 

It was great to witness UNLV's Presidential debate tonight. Great running in to many friends! ("Friends?")

Trump ran the table and clearly explained his vision for making America safe and strong again. What a gamble it would be to vote for status quo failed government... more of the same of what dug us into the mess we're in today. (That "mess" would be the result of Republican leadership, NOT the Obama administration. For all you history buffs.)

Thank you to superb law enforcement personnel for keeping everyone safe tonight. Incredible job; incredibly tough task they accomplish - with a smile, no less! 

Seems silly media sheep are all chomping down on one issue after this debate, at least according to all the reporters who hollered out this same question to me: "What about Trump not accepting the election results?” 

More power to Trump for explaining how vitally important the legitimacy of every election is to our democracy within our Republic. (Gee what a surprise that she sees no problem with questioning the legitimacy of a national election. After all she is still convinced that she and John McCain won back in 2008. Not kidding!)

What reasonable person would preemptively accept any and all hypothetical questions and conditions of any hypothetical election? Trump's answer was RIGHT. (Hang on I think you got a little batshit on your keyboard there Sarah.)

Every American's sacred vote MUST be respected and legitimized in today's elections - but they must be FAIR elections. We're in the midst of proof of voter fraud and questionable - even violent - participatory elements in campaigns. That's why state legislators are now cracking down on voter fraud via tighter laws ensuring the security of our elections. (Well we know where SHE'S been getting her "news.")

When Trump is pressed on this, it harkens back to all the GOP primary candidates who screamed at Trump to support the Republican nominee - no matter what - and Trump initially responded that he could, depending on fair treatment. That is WISE and INSIGHTFUL! (Or as sane people refer to it Irresponsible and Arrogant.)

Trump got screwed in that deal when he eventually pledged to support the nominee and then some of his fellow candidates turned tail and refused to reciprocate when Trump won. 

Trump learned - why give opponents permission and incentive to act unfairly and cheat? It's shortsighted to commit to accepting the outcome of a race REGARDLESS of unscrupulous cheaters. How totally unfair that would be to the American voter! (So far down the rabbit hole here.)

Trump gave potential cheaters fair warning that we'll not give them any quarter. We'll hold them accountable. They'd better be on their toes. Cheaters will not win. (WE'LL hold them accountable?)

Of course Trump will accept the legitimate outcome of a legitimate election! What the heck is so hard to understand about that?(Well I guess it would be easier to understand if THAT WERE ACTUALLY WHAT TRUMP SAID!)


- Sarah Palin

If you will allow me I will give you the benefit of my years of digesting Palin word salad and provide a complete translation.

"Oh god, please give me a job Donnie! Clearly I have no journalistic ethics and will echo whatever talking points are put in front of me, all of them and any of them. I have a bunch of poorly educated, substance addicted losers at home to house and feed, and my damn SarahPAC funds are not even enough to book passage on float plane for a trip across Lake Lucille. Please Donald I will do anything, even all of the things that Melania now refuses to do!"

I think that pretty much sums it up.

Oh wait, you think I am exaggerating the idea that Trump is preparing to launch his media empire and still think he is actually running for President?

Well take a look at this: 

In the minutes before the third and final presidential debate, Donald Trump went live on Facebook in what may have been the inaugural broadcast of a forthcoming Trump News Network. 

A little after 8:30 p.m., Trump’s official Facebook page posted the link to the live video, offering up an alternative to the mainstream broadcast. The message: “If you’re tired of biased, mainstream media reporting (otherwise known as Crooked Hillary’s super PAC), tune into my Facebook Live broadcast. Starts at 8:30 EST/5:30 PST — you won’t want to miss it. Enjoy!” 

The broadcast quickly ballooned to around 200,000 concurrent viewers but quickly fell off to around 120,000. As of the middle of the debate, the feed was holding steady at around 170,000, trailing only the ABC News debate feed on the platform. The livestream featured punditry from retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn and former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, and in place of commercials, the feed was interspersed with pro-Trump ads and a special message from Ivanka Trump. 

Looking more like public access than a glitzy cable news offering, the broadcast moved slowly between guests with at least one or two hot-mic off moments where the hosts discussed where the next segment was headed. There were also hints of some surprise programming after the debate ends.

As you might imagine during this beta version of Trump TV all of the pro-Trump coverage was glowing and according to EVERYBODY who appeared on the feed Trump wiped the floor with Hillary in the debate.

In other words the only prerequisite for participation was to be a complete Trump sycophant  unencumbered with concern for facts or ethical reporting.

In other words Sarah Palin's dream job.

So yes, there is very likely going to be a new alt-right media outlet, and yes clearly Sarah Palin wants to get in on the ground floor.

Donald Trump insider confirms that Trump TV is real.

Courtesy of the Washington Examiner:  

Trump's impending defeat is leading to a chorus of media speculation about his post-election plans. The two most oft-cited assumptions are: 

Trump will not quietly fade into the background. 

Trump will eventually launch a "Trump TV" media venture. 

After speaking with a well-informed Trump insider (name asked to be withheld), I can confirm that both assumptions are true.

Hah! I knew it!

And what will be the focus of "Trump TV?"

"Trump's new aim: Poison a Clinton presidency." 

So essentially Trump is planning to start peeing in Fox's backyard.

Which brings up the question, will Trump simply try to out Right Wing the current Right Wing news outlet?

And in response will Fox News become more CNN-like and reach for the more moderate viewers?

Or will they just double down on crazy and give Sarah Palin her own show along with David Duke, Alex Jones, and  Matt Drudge?

It would seem to me that Fox is between a rock and a hard place, and if they do not evolve in one direction of the other they could cease to exist entirely.

Really the best thing they have going for them is that everything Trump touches eventually turns to shit, so if they can just wait Trump out they might survive to report lies about the Clinton presidency another day.