The Banter Brief: Ali G Vs Zuckerberg, Fiona Hill, And Serial Killer Interviews

1. Most Important Story

This week’s important story was twofold: the devastating impeachment testimonial of Gordon Sondland, and the equally brutal testimonial of Fiona Hill.

Sondland, Trump’s handpicked envoy to Europe, destroyed the GOP’s defense piece by piece in a truly extraordinary hearing that created genuine panic in Republican circles. Sondland was Trump’s man, and he confirmed everything the Democrats are charging Trump with, specifically a quid pro quo.

Subscribers can read Bob Cesca’s take on the effect Sondland’s testimony is having on Trump’s supporters here:

Bob Cesca: Gordon Sondland Confirmed The 'Quid Pro Quo' And It's Driving Trumpers Crazy

Fiona Hill, a British born American foreign affairs specialist and former official at the National Security Council, calmly sat through Republican hectoring, conspiracy theory, and innuendo and rebutted them at every single turn. She was even handed, extremely likable (a far cry from the “Deep State” villains Trump claims are out to get him), and highly articulate. Hill’s defining moment came when she explained the clear distinction between national security, and what she labeled a “domestic errand”, making it abundantly clear how grotesquely corrupt Trump’s attempts were to extort Ukraine into investigating a political rival. Hill also denounced the GOP’s “fictional narrative” that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 presidential election, stating that “I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that Ukraine — not Russia — attacked us in 2016.” 

We won’t know the effects of Sondland and Hill’s testimony on public opinion for a while, but it likely won’t be good.

2. Poll Analysis

Trump approval: According to Gallup, Trump’s approval ratings are slightly up as of this week.

Impeachment: According to an average taken by FiveThirtyEight, 46.3% support impeachment (down from 48% last week), 45.6% do not (no change from last week). Support for impeachment is declining with independents (41% support impeachment, down from 45.1% last week), and Republican support for impeachment is up (12.2% support up from 11.1% last week).

Democrats: it’s too early to tell what effect the recent Democratic debate had on the polls, but again, the most notable trend in the polls is Pete Buttigieg’s surge in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Biden is still the man to beat, but all top candidates now have a credible path to victory.

Takeaway: Trump’s improving approval rating and decline in support for impeachment amongst independents is certainly worrying, but we are yet to see the effects of this week’s hearings.

3. Quote Of The Week

“I believe it’s time for a fundamental rethink of social media and how it spreads hate, conspiracies and lies. Last month, however, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook delivered a major speech that, not surprisingly, warned against new laws and regulations on companies like his. Well, some of these arguments are simply absurd. Let’s count the ways.

First, Zuckerberg tried to portray this whole issue as “choices…around free expression.” That is ludicrous. This is not about limiting anyone’s free speech. This is about giving people, including some of the most reprehensible people on earth, the biggest platform in history to reach a third of the planet. Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach. Sadly, there will always be racists, misogynists, anti-Semites and child abusers. But I think we could all agree that we should not be giving bigots and pedophiles a free platform to amplify their views and target their victims.”

- Sacha Baron Cohen speaking about the devastating effects social media companies (specifically Facebook) are having on society at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in New York.

4. What To Watch

Serial Killer with Piers Morgan - Netflix

Piers Morgan might be an insufferable berk, but he is still one of the best interviewers on the planet and a phenomenal story teller. In this compelling series, Morgan interviews several notorious serial killers for the first time ever. Given access to maximum security prisons around the country, Morgan speaks with child killers, rapists, and psychopaths and attempts to coax them into admitting their crimes, find what motivated them to kill, whether they feel remorse.

The series is worth watching just to see Morgan’s interviewing skills. He is pushed to the very limit of his capabilities when confronted with the sociopathic lying and deception of his interviewees, and often struggles to get anything out of them. To his great credit, Morgan is completely transparent in his efforts, and viewers are given a unique insight into the challenges law enforcement agencies must have faced when interviewing the criminals.

5. Good News

Groundbreaking new clean energy technology supported by Bill Gates has achieved an astonishing breakthrough this week. Reported CNN:

Heliogen, a clean energy company that emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday, said it has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors to reflect so much sunlight that it generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius.

What does this mean? In short, almost completely carbon free energy. This new technology could completely replace fossil fuels in industrial industries that require intensive heating (cement, steel, glass etc).

See you next week!

(images via Youtube/Mother Jones)

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Gordon Sondland Confirmed The 'Quid Pro Quo' And It's Driving Trumpers Crazy

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