All Episodes Talk: TRMS 2018 Season

[Xena]

In a print interview I remember Rachael saying something to the effect that her job is to 'explain' the news - she is great at explaining all this!  For one thing, I can't keep up with everything, and I think she is able to give me the 'big' stuff.  And yes, she is able to tie it together.... in as straight a line as possible... and at the end of her segments (her 'A' segment) I am always like oooooohhhhhh, so THAT'S why she told me about that weird thing at the beginning, that appeared to have nothing to do with the news today...

She's a storyteller extraordinaire. 

[M. Darcy]

As soon as Rachel started telling the story of the Pence plane incident I knew where she was going.  I hadn't made the connection that Trump's pilot was the same guy who was such a horrible pilot.  Jeez.

Rachel's still keeping attention on the Inaugural $. I think that Inaugural money that went to Melania's advisor, actually went to Melania. I have nothing to prove it - it just seems suspicious that her "advisor" got so much of it. 

Edited February 27, 2018 by M. Darcy

[kimaken]

20 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

Rachel's still keeping attention on the Inaugural $. I think that Inaugural money that went to Melania's advisor, actually went to Melania. I have nothing to prove it - it just seems suspicious that her "advisor" got so much of it.

That was my initial thought when Rachel first brought up this topic--that it was a means for Melania to have some cash stashed when it's time to grab Barron and escape from her awful marriage. I thought it was odd having this close friend suddenly in the party organizing business, and as far as I know, this was the ONLY party planning function this friend has done.  The news report said the friend claimed she only got a little over 1 million herself and the rest went to various vendors -- but there was an official inauguration organization group that I think handled all the actual details, so where did that other 25 million really go? If anyone can ferret out the truth, Rachel can!

[Sharpie66]

56 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

As soon as Rachel started telling the story of the Pence plane incident I knew where she was going.  I hadn't made the connection that Trump's pilot was the same guy who was such a horrible pilot.

Actually, the potential FAA nom isn’t the Pence pilot, but he was in charge of the Trump campaign airplanes (and, I think, Trump’s own pilot on the campaign trail), so he didn’t know how to run even that small operation well.

[M. Darcy]

1 hour ago, Sharpie66 said:

Actually, the potential FAA nom isn’t the Pence pilot, but he was in charge of the Trump campaign airplanes (and, I think, Trump’s own pilot on the campaign trail), so he didn’t know how to run even that small operation well.

That's right!  So much incompetence to keep track of.  

[ScoobieDoobs]

Honestly, I got lost & impatient with Rach & the Pence pilot stuff.  It was too long-winded & I moved onto Anderson -- for only a bit.  I came back to you, Rach, but I was annoyed with you.  Sorry, Rach, but get to it -- don't go around the bend for 20 minutes cuz I have no patience to watch if I don't know where you're going. 

Look, I know this is Rachel's shtick -- to often go around the bend & take a half hour to make a point, but it was NOT effective here.  Her point got lost.  OK, OK, it didn't exactly get lost, but it wasn't as effective as it could have been if she just got to it quickly.  C'mon, Rach, spit this stuff out right away.  Now it's too good, so just get it right out there -- instead of taking forever to get to it.

Rach looked super-excited to report on the Inaugural stuff.  Oh, I'm sure she'll stay all over it & I'm glad of that.  There's certainly more to it.  Wow, Melania ditched that "friend" pretty darn quick when the spotlight went on her.  Suspicious much?  Ah, let's give Rach credit for that bright spotlight.

And Rach hasn't let up on her spotlight on Jared.  Btw, bless you a zillion times for that non-stop spotlight, Rach!  Yup, she clearly looked super-psyched to report on the latest Jared crap.  And it warms my heart to see Rachel talk about Jared's latest troubles so happily.  Well, it's why I keep watching anyway.

Edited February 28, 2018 by ScoobieDoobs

[attica]

Whoo hoo! David Farenthold got a spiffy new haircut for his new on-camera gig! I hope this doesn't cut into his day job....

[maystone]

5 hours ago, attica said:

Whoo hoo! David Farenthold got a spiffy new haircut for his new on-camera gig! I hope this doesn't cut into his day job....

Yeah, I was pretty psyched when I read that MSNBC snagged Farenthold. You know, for as awful (too weak a word) as the Trump admin and the GOP have been, this time has led to some stellar reporting and the making of a few new journalists as household names. At least there's a little bit of a bright side.

[TexasGal]

Not gonna lie, I made sure to tune in tonight to see the updated departure list.  And choked on my drink when it popped up and it was SO BIG.  At this rate Rachel is just going to be a disembodied head against a full screen list before long.

[chessiegal]

When I saw Hope Hicks had resigned on Twitter, I turned to my husband and said that Rachel was going to have to update her resignation list tonight, and by the time I turned back to Twitter, she had already tweeted a picture of herself with the resignation list. Too funny.

[ScoobieDoobs]

Mmmm, I think Rach is gonna have to rent a billboard outside the studio in Rockefeller Center -- maybe where the Christmas tree was?  Well, at least she's not trying anymore to recite all the resignations/firings.  It would take too much time from talkin' bout Jared, Jared, Jared. 

Oh man, new Jared stuff every night now, eh?  Heh, heh, heh.  And no, Rach, you didn't have to say you weren't being snarky when saying his downgraded security clearance is humiliating.  It pretty much is. 

Edited March 1, 2018 by ScoobieDoobs

[Calvada]

With all the news that seems to break every night in the hour or so before Rachel goes on the air, I wonder how many staff people they have to monitor the various news outlets.  Is it one intern flipping frantically between websites, or do they have multiple people doing this?  Somehow I picture an air horn going off and someone yelling out "CNN's got a scoop on Kushner!"  Or maybe they have a pre-recorded "General quarters, all hands man your battle stations, this is not a drill." 

[jjj]

Whoa, time to activate my trial access to the New York Times Crossword app!  "It's a hard one!"  I bet it is.  But how cool that Rachel has branched out this way. 

I'm betting it is a graphic on the Friday show!

Edited March 2, 2018 by jjj

[ahisma]

I don't know why I completely lost it over this, but Rachel calling George Papadopoulos Mr. Drunkypants is hilarious!

[Sharpie66]

I just signed up for the NYT crossword app! I don’t usually do crosswords, but I do help my mom a lot, who is a puzzle addict. I will make sure she gets today’s. It took me over an hour to finish, and that was with a lot of internet cheating. I got maybe half the clues without looking them up. Lots of Rachel in it!

Edited March 2, 2018 by Sharpie66

[attica]

I think it was in that movie Wordplay (I think, I may be conflating it with other stuff I've read/seen on Shortz) where I learned how stringent the rules are for constructing the puzzles. They have to be symmetrical top to bottom- that is, if you turn it upside down, the white and black spaces are in the same spot as when you had it right-side up. Obviously, the number of grid squares is absolutely the same day to day (except Sunday), and so on. And also, Will Shortz nearly always rewrites the clues once you've submitted the finished grid. 'Cause that's how he rolls. 

What fun for Rachel!

So it makes me think if she can build a Friday puzzle, she shouldn't be having so much trouble with the Admin-45 Departure Board! Oh, okay, I'll give you the latter is harder by magnitudes....

[Galloway Cave]

"I'm just a middle-aged, childless, pot-bellied lesbian, so this is all I got going for me!" Rachel was full of funny descriptors last night. Well done on the cross word puzzle!

[ahisma]

Rachel deserves the night off, and I like Richard Engel. But ... I was hoping Rachel would be here talking about Trump buddy Carl Icahn who had to quit as an adviser early on because he could personally profit from his policies, and now has managed to unload millions of dollars worth of steel-related stocks before they tanked after the tariffs announcement. Monday's show, maybe?

Richard's reporting on North Korea was good. (Of course Trump added sanctions on everyone but Russia!) But I did have to laugh a little when he said that the Trans-Siberian Railway is not the fastest way to get to eastern Russia, but it is the most dramatic. It's not often a news person will admit out loud to going for the drama!

[jjj]

I was expecting Rachel and a small reference to the crossword puzzle on Friday.  I did not hear her promote the Engle show like she has other times, and I wonder if they lose too many viewers if they say in advance that Rachel will not be on the show.  

Yes, the crossword puzzle *is* hard!  Even with the app that reveals the words!

Edited March 4, 2018 by jjj

[jjj]

Oh, Rachel, you slay me:  "Going around the networks like Vinnie the Chin in a bathrobe, saying 'I'm too crazy for you to put me in jail'."  About Nunberg.  And yes, Vinnie the Chin did fake mental instability.  

[ahisma]

Yes! She covered Icahn! Plus Jared's business interests, the Stormy Daniels payment, the Romney-Tillerson situation... The corruption stinks to high heaven. The two stories breaking on the same day—Russia not wanting Romney as Secretary of State and Tillerson not using the anti-interference money—draw such a straight line between them. 

[Cajungirl64]

Rachel's gonna have to update her board tonight. Bye Gary Cohn... (Mueller better step it up, because Cohn was the last legit grown up in the Administration). 

[chessiegal]

6 minutes ago, Cajungirl64 said:

Rachel's gonna have to update her board tonight. Bye Gary Cohn... (Mueller better step it up, because Cohn was the last legit grown up in the Administration). 

Rachel's already tweeted it. 

[Morrigan2575]

28 minutes ago, Cajungirl64 said:

Rachel's gonna have to update her board tonight. Bye Gary Cohn... (Mueller better step it up, because Cohn was the last legit grown up in the Administration). 

 

20 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Rachel's already tweeted it. 

she's going to need a bigger board

[jjj]

"We're gonna need a bigger board"  #jaws

[Cajungirl64]

ohhh... She's having waaaay too much fun with the board now.. LOL. 

Seriously, if not for Rachel, I think I'd have lost my mind by now. 

[Morrigan2575]

That board is so big, she could do anything entire show juat reading the titles and naming them, maybe a 1 minute blur on the bigger ones ?

[jjj]

Rachel looks so teeny, teeny, tiny next to The Board.

Yet mighty.

[TexasGal]

Hah!!

[izabella]

Teeny tiny Rachel really made me laugh. 

[Tunia]

That board won't be complete until David Dennison's name is on it.  

[Tunia]

Too Sstormy for Rachel to make it in tonight?

[ahisma]

3 hours ago, Tunia said:

Too Sstormy for Rachel to make it in tonight?

Hahaha! I hadn't thought of that. I was thinking that having to rewrite the show from scratch for weeks on end was wearing her out. I hope she's having a restful snow day!

[ScoobieDoobs]

On 3/7/2018 at 6:05 PM, TexasGal said:

Hah!!

OMG!  What do ya bet someone over there reads here & saw my earlier post making that suggestion?  Luv it!

Oh Rach, you do kill me sometimes . . . your comment that we now know why Manafort has 2 legs -- to support his now 2 ankle monitors he must wear?  Oh that gave me a welcome & hearty belly laugh.  Thanks for that one, Rach.

[ScoobieDoobs]

I always like Rach's signoffs to LOD, but tonite's was adorbs!  LOD pointed out Rach saying "golden showers" 4 times tonite, teasing her about her obvious discomfort saying it.  Oh Rach, your obvious discomfort talking about golden showers (& how it relates to Trump) is OK by me.  It is icky.

[teddysmom]

My mind was officially blown by her coverage of Russian Roulette and the interview with Corn & Isikoff. 

And now the firing of Tillerson for announcing that Russia is a threat.  JFC

I'm watching The Looming Tower right now and I have to say I am sick and fucking tired of the inter agency squabbling between our intel agencies. Get your fucking shit together and protect us! Stop acting like a bunch of whiny fourteen year olds.  

Edited March 13, 2018 by teddysmom
I type faster than I think sometimes

[attica]

43 minutes ago, teddysmom said:

I'm watching The Looming Tower right now and I have to sick I am sick and fucking tired of the inter agency squabbling between our intel agencies.

I remember, back in the Valerie Plame days, being dumsquizzled by why Cheney would think that outing a CIA operative would help him. They're on the same team, after all. I had to have the us v them dynamic explained to me before anything made sense. I mean, not 'made sense' as in 'sensible behavior by rational people', lord knows, but 'followed logically.'

Great interview with C&I. Meaty and filling.

Other than Rachel's squeamishness about it, I don't really get why newsies are so eager to want the pee tape not to exist. 'Oh, Steele says 50-50, that means nope!' Of course it exists (Or did, anyway). Everything we know about Trump and Vlad suggests their separate venalities know no bottom; it's the logical conclusion, both for T's behavior, and V's exacting leverage.

[teddysmom]

2 minutes ago, attica said:

Other than Rachel's squeamishness about it, I don't really get why newsies are so eager to want the pee tape not to exist. 'Oh, Steele says 50-50, that means nope!' Of course it exists (Or did, anyway). Everything we know about Trump and Vlad suggests their separate venalities know no bottom; it's the logical conclusion, both for T's behavior, and V's exacting leverage.

THIS!!!

I said from the get go the media was focusing on the pee tape too much and not the meat of the Steele memos. And if they read anything about how FSB/Kremlin operates, they use sex to compromise their targets. I believe the pee tape story, but they wanted to dismiss everything because of a couple salacious stories their pure little minds couldn't comprehend. 

Luke Harding lived in Moscow when he was with the Guardian Moscow bureau. He wrote the book "Collusion", which came out end of last year.  He said he knew agents had been in their apartment, left sex books on the night stands, placed microphones, etc and even left a window open once, all because he was reporting on how they operate.  He states if there is a list of the traits they look for in a target, Trump ticks every box. 

FFS John Kennedy was running women in and out of the WH like it was a party at the Playboy mansion. But we don't think Donald Trump would hire hookers?  He makes Kennedy look like a saint. 

[Morrigan2575]

Poor Rachel is getting squeezed out by the board. 

[Tunia]

Rachel's wall will soon be large enough to divide California from Mexico, thus saving U.S. taxpayers $23Billion.  trump will claim that was his plan all along...

Edited March 14, 2018 by Tunia

[Cajungirl64]

I don't know the rules about discussing politics, but Rachel is my "go-to" person and has been for years (my husband knows she's my girl crush - her intelligence and ability to corral the Russia stuff into a narrative people can understand is a gift). Having said that, I've seen her demeanor subtly becoming more discouraged. I get it. The stuff she's already reported would have had any and all former Presidents under a REAL congressional investigation rather than the sham House investigation. I worry about her emotional well-being sometimes because she cares so deeply and knows she has a huge responsibility to relay the truth to the American people. I hope enough people are paying attention to what she's saying. 

[tessaray]

@Cajungirl64 - did you get a chance to read the pinned post at the top of the forum? 

If you keep comments focused primarily on what was discussed on the show, you should be fine.

[attica]

13 hours ago, Tunia said:

trump will claim that was his plan all along...

Yeah, but Rachel's board isn't see-through. Nor does it have a beautiful door.

[M. Darcy]

Rachel's going to have to go to a 4th column soon.  It would be funny but its just sad - this is no way to run a country. 

[Hooper]

Quote

Rachel's going to have to go to a 4th column soon.

Well, actually, a fifth column to describe this administration would be quite appropriate..

[kassygreene]

Somewhere on the net is an image of the board super-imposed on about two-thirds of the exterior of 30 Rock.  I keep waiting for TRMS to reference that.

[Morrigan2575]

4 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

Rachel's going to have to go to a 4th column soon.  It would be funny but its just sad - this is no way to run a country. 

Fairly soon the Board will be a big Rachel will and up a floating head in the corner of the screen. Everything else will be columns of names.

[meowmommy]

So Rachel teases us that she's got "the best reporter in the country on the State Department and the top diplomats in this country" coming on, but it turns out to be bleeping Andrea Mitchell.  Feh.

[Morrigan2575]

Total aside. I noticed this last week but, forgot to mention it. I was catching up on my DVR (Rachel and Lawrence) and noticed that the 8-10 PM hosts have a really nice rapport. It caught my attention when Ali Melbor (?) was filling in for Rachel the handoff to Lawrence was really stiff.  I think Rachel is the glue that holds the prime time block together. 

Edited March 14, 2018 by Morrigan2575

[attica]

I didn't expect to snort with laughter during a guest introduction, but when Rachel earnestly thanked Sarah, the Parkland kid, for "staying up late" to do the show, well, I snort-laughed. It's 9:40, Rachel, and she's in Florida! She's not Richard Engle-ing from some war zone in Crimea! Also, too, she's a high schooler, not a pre-schooler: I'm sure it's not past her bedtime!