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Yes, I thought the Lanny Davis interview was amazing. And he really threw the president under the bus (for the second or third time today, the others in court). Emily Jane Fox was another great interview, with long-term access to Cohen, including late today. And remember yesterday when Rachel was going "hmmmm, if Cohen is cooperating, why don't the Feds have his Blackberry password?" Well, here is the answer in Fox's article late today: "communication was so limited that although prosecutors filed a letter in court noting that they couldn’t access one of Cohen’s Blackberry devices, they didn’t even reach out to ask for the password." Full article (several free articles per month at VF, so choose wisely!): https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/08/donald-trump-directed-him-to-commit-a-crime-michael-cohen-nails-the-casket-shut-on-his-former-boss Yes, Rossi and Rosenburg both worked in the Eastern District of Virginia. Shallow note: Rachel seemed to have longer eyelashes than usual this evening; maybe it was just me noticing this?

Gene Rossi was on a show earlier today, along with Chuck Rosenberg, and at one point, the host said that Rosenberg used to be Rossi's boss!

Bill Kristol seems to be talking to someone sitting on his left -- is he actually on a set with someone?

So Joe (rightly) has a segment making fun of the idiot president's "CBC" misstatements, then comes back and says "Alll the news that's print to fit." At least he looked a little confused after he said it, like "what did I say?"

Now they are all starting sentences and stopping, because no one can tell who is talking. It's not rude cross talk, just people not knowing when to talk and when to yield.

There is no set I can discern -- just cameras in different locations. It's like watching a bad conference call.

President Jimmy Carter and his wife watch "Law & Order": "They watch Atlanta Braves games or 'Law & Order'." The rest of the article is good reading, also! https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2018/08/17/feature/the-un-celebrity-president-jimmy-carter-shuns-riches-lives-modestly-in-his-georgia-hometown/?utm_term=.54d07f8df794

And Rachel said near the end that she particularly appreciated that he sat down for the interview, because he knows that she has publicly disagreed with him in the past: "for all my disagreements with you on a number of different policy matters, I have profound and earnest respect for your service." Here is the full transcript of the interview: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/rachel-maddow-interviews-john-brennan-read-the-full-transcript

This is the only way I would watch him (and I only had it on in the background) -- on MSNBC, with a critic as interviewer. But it's useful to get a sense of what he is saying to devout followers. it is worth watching for the panel reaction, if you can FF through the Bannon parts.

It was great to get the Brennan interview, and also brave of both of them to do it live -- I had thought ahead of time that it might be a taped interview (nothing wrong with that) that might have been edited. I noticed that Rachel called the 2016 events "the Russian attack," as opposed to interference, and perhaps she has used that term previously. But "attack" was certainly the perspective of Brennan: "Nothing short of treasonous." Rachel: "Nothing short of treason means treason...it means you think the President is serving another country rather our own?" Brennan: "Well, yeah." I missed the date thing at the end, but assume it was about the fact that this is a palindrome week.

Actually, I think you are right. Wow, the end of that episode, from the journalist (I have to get the names on the repeat): "I never want to see another interview with him, and I hope everything he attempts, he fails at." This was a very good organization for the show: interview/disgusted panel/interview/outraged panel/interview/full blast condemnation.

It is very interesting, and good planning, that Ari is mixing panel comments alongside the interview segments. One panelist (sorry, not able to get all the names) basically said this interview shows how reprehensible Bannon is. I'll have to watch the repeat to catch the panel comments. I am sure that between Omarosa and Bannon tonight and Brennan on MTP Sunday and the Manafort verdict, Trump will be removing security clearances every day to try to distract us. No, that will not at all be obvious!

This WaPo article is more clear: media outlets were actually asking for the names of jurors. Unsealing documents did not seem problematic for jurors, because names and identifying information can be redacted. But this is different. This article also says that because of threats, the judge is being protected by U.S. Marshals during the trial, and is staying at a hotel during the weekdays of the trial. I assume his home is also receiving some protection now. So, yes, this judge fully appreciates the danger of releasing juror names. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/jury-begins-deliberations-in-paul-manaforts-tax--and-bank-fraud-trial/2018/08/16/d2b0f486-a170-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html?utm_term=.c87db2229e6a

I do not believe I have ever watched a Bannon interview. Frankly, the clips I saw provided enough of a glimpse into the denial atmosphere of the White House to make it potentially worth watching. But I am ready to mute if necessary. Hopefully others will post analysis -- I doubt it will be from me!

It is interesting that Ari is hosting the interview on Lawrence's show rather than Ari's show. I assume if the "get" had been for "The Last Word," Lawrence would have certainly done the interview -- and it was pre-taped, because I saw the clips already. So, someone must have decided this would be better in prime time. I think they are right -- but still some finagling of whose show gets the "get".