EPISODE 227: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN

A-Block (1:43) SPECIAL COMMENT: Where is the enterprise, where is the daring, where is the simple nerve of Sophie Alexander, International Affairs producer for the UK’s SKY News. As Trump is doing the carefully staged man-of-the-people bit, the same act from the day he threw rolls of paper towels to the drowning residents of Puerto Rico, he hops into the Cuban hang-out The Versailles Bakery and all Sophie Alexander did was shout a question at Trump: are you ready to go to jail? “The emperor has no clothes.” 

Put her in charge of CNN!

Plus: "The Emperor Has No Clothes." No, not me. Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska, as Trump was arrested for the second time in 70 days.

“The espionage act has been used to go after traitors and spies.” Again – not me. Trump himself, last night, after prosecutors let him turn yesterday into one long campaign ad.

“I certainly won’t support a convicted felon for the White House.” Also, not me. Republican Congressman Ken Buck of Colorado, Freedom Caucus member, signatory to the Texas Amicus Brief-Coup Attempt, who ten days ago said the investigations and the lawsuits and the arrests almost gave Trump credibility and he didn’t care and who yesterday changed sides. Like Nikki Haley and Tim Scott did. Like a trickle of other Republicans have. It may stop here. If it doesn’t, it may stop Trump.

I hesitate to even HOPE that this is where enough of the G-O-P breaks to split the party but the last two days have shown what such a split would look like and it is along two simple fault lines: both conceits are wildly untrue but the Republicans think of themselves as the party of law and order, and the party of absolute prioritization of the military and what has been obvious to the rest of us for eight years is suddenly obvious to many in the GOP: Trump believes neither in law-and-order nor the military – Trump believes only in himself.

What happens when it's The Troops...or The Trump?

B-Block (23:11) POSTSCRIPTS TO THE NEWS: Tommy Tuberville doesn't show up, meaning Dick Durbin can bypass Tuberville's hold on Military Promotions, and Durbin says 'but that wouldn't be playing the game!' And Pat Sajak retires. Good! He's a schmuck! (28:48) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: MSNBC supplants Fox News atop the cable news ratings for the first time in 120 weeks. You're welcome. Vivek Ramaswamy tries to play the crowd at the Trump arraignment. And Doctor/Senator Bill Cassidy posts an umbrage selfie and makes a huge mistake.

C-Block (33:40) EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY: Puppy Simba, on death row at an insanely overcrowded New York pound (34:40) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: The day the president of MSNBC decided to try to chase me around the live studio while his pet project was debuting IN the live story and I had to figure out what to say when I called the cops to tell them he was threatening to kill me.