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Watch a few minutes of the NBA Finals , and youll likely notice how the Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic argues with the officials every time a whistle blows in his direction. Working the refs is a long-standing tradition, but Doncic, one of basketballs marquee stars, takes complaining to a new level. In his eyes, the referees are incapable of correctly calling the game, no matter the circumstance. Whining has become muscle memory.

A similar dynamic has lately been playing out between members of President Joe Bidens campaign staff and journalists. Each week, Biden-team members and a cadre of notable Democrats spend hours locked in a public spat not just against former President Donald Trump, but against the media.

Recently, TJ Ducklo, a Biden-campaign senior adviser for communications, posted on X: The President just spoke to approx 1,000 mostly black voters in Philly about the massive stakes in this election. @MSNBC @CNN & others did not show it. Instead, more coverage about a trial that impacts one person: Trump. Then theyll ask, why isnt your message getting out? Responding to Ducklo, the election statistician turned Substack writer Nate Silver pointed out that Democrats often lament that the media dont cover Trumps misdeeds enough. Ducklo fired back: This perfectly incapsulates [sic] the disconnect between the ivory tower/beltway know-it-alls and voters. Donald Trumps trials dont impact real people. They impact Donald Trump. His horrific, draconian, dangerous policies impact voters. Cover those. Stop covering polls & process.

To suggest that a formerand potentially futurepresidents legal woes are items not worth discussing is, frankly, absurd. But Ducklos complaint was part of a much larger theme: Bidens allies believe that journalists are failing to meet the moment; that theyre falling back on horse-race coverage and ignoring the knock of fascism at Americas door.

Many Biden supporters and campaign staffers have fashioned this argument into a shield against any critical coverage of the president. Like a previous White House occupant raving about fake stories, they sometimes behave as if they are the arbiters of whats newsworthy at all. Sounding a bit like Donald Trump isnt the only problem with this strategy, though; its also highly unlikely to advance the campaigns larger goal of actually winning the election.

Bidens first bid for president , in 1988, was one of the subjects covered in Richard Ben Cramers What It Takes, a masterpiece of the campaign-journalism genre. When Cramer died from lung cancer in 2013, Biden, then serving as vice president, spoke wistfully at his memorial service. Although Biden has endured his share of embarrassments that have triggered unflattering news cycles across his decades in public serviceincluding a plagiarism scandal that ended his 88 bidhe has maintained an apparently earnest belief in the role of journalism in upholding democracy. Now some members of his 2024 team worry that the press has become Trumps unwitting accomplice.

David A. Graham: How Musk and Biden are changing the media

Rather than reserve their concerns for phone calls, as was custom for virtually every pre-Trump presidential campaign, they are following Trumps lead and making their attacks public. Online and on social media, youve certainly seen Bidens aides get into it more with reporters, David Folkenflik, NPRs media correspondent, told me. God knows these are conversations that would have taken place in private before.

Headlines, specifically those that appear in The New York Times, are daily points of consternation. Campaign gripes sometimes seem to share a wavelength with the X parody account New York Times Pitchbot, which has carved out a niche satirizing both sides journalism. Ammar Moussa, the Biden campaigns director of rapid response, posted on X recently that The Wall Street Journal had committed unbelievable journalistic malpractice for its story on what members of Congress allegedly say behind closed doors about the presidents mental acuity. The complaint among Bidens allies was that the story didnt include enough quotes from people who believe the president is up to the job.

Speaking broadly about this moment, Ducklo told me, Media cant cover this election like this is George W. Bush versus Al Gore. Donald Trump is a fundamentally, uniquely different candidate that has to be covered in a uniquely different way than ever before. What does this look like in practice? The Biden campaign seems to believe that journalists should stop reporting on polls, rallies, and other tentpoles of traditional presidential races, and instead devote their resources to telling Americans that Trump wants to be a dictator, over and over again. If that means ignoring Bidens missteps and weaknesses, well, the Biden campaign can accept that.

When I asked the Biden campaign about its relationship with the media, it emailed me a statement: This election isnt just about a few minor policy differenceswe are running against a guy that has all but promised to erode American democracy, rule as a dictator and strip Americans of their freedom Donald Trump has fundamentally changed the stakes of this election, and we firmly believe it is everyones job to not take their eye off the ball of just how dangerous Donald Trump has become to the basic fundamentals this country was founded on, the free press especially.

Most of the people willing to speak on the record about this issue have the word former in their job title. Former Deputy White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz, who served in Barack Obamas administration, has become one of the most fiery Democratic voices on the perceived 2024 problem. WSJ adopting the Arthur Sulzberger extortion approach: give us an interview or well parrot Republicans that Biden is too old, Schultz posted on X recently, attacking both that contentious Journal report and the New York Times publisher in the space of a few words.

Youre right, I pop off a lot on this online, Schultz told me. He also acknowledged that most readers of publications like the Times are probably supporting Biden, and that its the low-information voters whom Democrats need to do a better job of winning over. The instrument to reach swing voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, for example, is not the Times, Schultz said, but that doesnt mean the way The New York Times covers this race is insignificant.

Schultz, who playfully referred to himself as a Democratic hack, said that he believes the media have fallen into their worst habit of covering only a single story each campaign cycle. In 2016, he said, that story was Hillary Clintons private email server. Although the media did obsess over Clintons emails, former FBI Director James Comeys very public investigation into the subject is what made it impossible to avoid. At any rate, reporters devoted tons of resources to documenting the 2016 Trump campaigns many scandals, including the infamous Trump Tower meeting about potential dirt on Clinton, and the Access Hollywood tape. Journalists were extremely tough on Trump then, as they are now.

But Schultz sees the past differently and now believes that 2024s single media narrative is Bidens age. He argued that if you were to ask 100 D.C. reporters which candidate is more capable of thinking through and discussing any policy issue, 100 of them would say Joe Biden. Yet Biden, he said, is the only one who gets hammered on age. Schultz even went so far as to say that political journalists have become Trumps enablers: The confluence of the burn-it-all-down message and journalists having a long-standing bias towards negativity it amounts to putting the thumb on the scale for Donald Trump.

Mark Leibovich: Ruth Bader Biden

Kate Bedingfield, a member of Bidens 2020 campaign team who went on to become his first White House communications director before leaving last year, echoed Schultzs larger critique. I am not arguing that Biden should never be criticized, she told me. I dont believe that. Yet she also sid that Bidens flubs on the campaign trail were being covered with the same intensity as, for instance, a Trump statement about how hed subvert the Constitution. Those two things are not comparable, and I dont think its a partisan statement to say that, Bedingfield said.

Biden allies are quick to bring up variations on that theme: The candidates are not comparable, but theyre being covered as if they were. Kate Berner, the White House deputy communications director until last year, suggested that one obvious and major difference between Trump and Biden was precisely their relationship with the media: Reporters feel unsafe covering Trump events, not Biden events.

I have covered many Trump rallies and have never felt unsafe, even when asking his supporters difficult questions. Its true, though, that vilifying the media has been a building block of Trumps political identity. Once, in an interview with 60 Minutes Leslie Stahl, Trump explained his motivation: The more he went after the media, the less voters would trust any negative story published about him. This strategy, in tandem with one coined by his former adviser Steve Bannon, to flood the zone with shit, has succeeded. And if Trump returns to office next year, he has threatened to prosecute his adversariespotentially including journalists.

The Biden campaign doesnt menace journalists, but it doesnt trust them, either. Biden has held the fewest press conferences of any American president since Ronald Reagan. And Biden staffers clearly believe they have every right to set the agenda of journalistic decision making. As Berner put it, Theres plenty of work that the White House and the campaign and others do behind the scenes to shape a story, to push back, to have editorial conversations. But when coverage is particularly out of bounds, its fair for them to make those criticisms public, because working the refs publicly is an important way of taking that spotlight and turning it around back on them. That this statement sounded Trumpian seemed lost on her.

Few people better understand the competing motivations of the media and politicians than David Axelrod. Long before becoming an architect of Barack Obamas presidential election campaign and a White House adviser, Axelrod was a newspaper journalist. He told me about covering City Hall in Chicago and having mayors threaten to expel him from the building because they didnt like the stories he was writing. Axelrods opinion on this strategy is that its ineffective.

Generally, my view is if you are spending your time complaining about news coverage, its kind of a losers lament and a waste of time, Axelrod said. He went on: Trading snarky asides with members of the news media is not, to me, putting points on the board. Unless youre going to embrace the idea that Trump has, which is youre gonna make the news media a foil I dont really sense thats their plan, he said of the Biden campaign.

Sometimes youre going to get a bad story that you deserve, he add later. And sometimes youre going to get stories that you dont like, but that are within the parameters of what good reporting is. And those you should let go.

Trump can win this race without favorable media coverage: By spending the better part of a decade turning the press into his staunch adversary, hes become dependent on negative stories. Critical reporting fires Trump up, but it also gives him material that he can use, in turn, to fire up his base. Trump has sold millions of voters on a fantasy world in which crooked journalists peddle fake news even when theyre recording, reporting, and broadcasting his quotes verbatim. He and his voters believe that any election Trump loses is rigged. That the former presidents trials are all shams. That the Democrats are one enemy, the Department of Justice is another, and the media are a third.

From the January/February 2024 issue: Is journalism ready?

Biden is in a different, arguably opposite position. His campaign argues that Democrats, unlike Republicans, are actually tethered to reality. Bidens people are desperately trying to convince voters that the country is in much better shape than most Americans seem to believe. That elections are safe. That the economy, and unemployment, are not as bad as youve heard. Bidens team needs voters to trust reputable publications that reliably print and publish factssuch as the Times and the Journal.

Then some campaign staffers and high-profile Democratic supporters turn around and attack these publications, in the process casting doubt on their reliability. Its a losing proposition.

When Luka Doncic works the refs, hes not helping his cause. Last Wednesday, during a pivotal game in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, he was forced to sit on the bench with just minutes to go after fouling out (and complaining about it). When Biden-campaign allies work the media, theyre at best wasting time, suggesting that they have run out of better ideas for how to try to save their candidate.

Bidens belief in the Constitution means he supports a free and independent press. Authoritarians rise by lying and sowing mistrust. If journalists are truly going to combat that forceas Bidens campaign implores them to dothey will have to be honest and rigorous about not just Trump but also his opponent.

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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed: Weapons supervisor convicted in fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set freed from jail

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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed: Weapons supervisor convicted in fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set freed from jail

A weapons supervisor who was jailed for involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie, Rust, has been freed.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was released on parole from the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants on Friday, after serving her 18-month sentence, NBC News, Sky’s US partner said, quoting New Mexico Corrections Department spokesperson, Brittany Roembach.

Gutierrez-Reed was released to return home to Bullhead City, Arizona, where she will be on parole for a year for the manslaughter case.

RUST armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed jailed for involuntary manslaughter of Halyna Hutchins, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA - 15 Apr 2024
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in court today as she is jailed 18 months for the involuntary manslaughter on the set of the Rust movie on October 21, 2021 over the fatal shooting of the movie's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

15 Apr 2024
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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in court as she was jailed for 18 months for involuntary manslaughter. Pic: Rex/Shutterstock

Halyna Hutchins pictured in 2017 at an Artists for Peace and Justice party, 70th Cannes Film Festival, France
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Halyna Hutchins pictured in 2017. Pic: Rex/Shutterstock

She was in charge of weapons during the production of the Western film in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021, when a prop gun held by star and co-producer Alec Baldwin went off during a rehearsal.

Cinematographer Hutchins died following the incident, while director Joel Souza was injured.

Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted of charges of tampering with evidence in the investigation, but will be on probation over a separate conviction for unlawfully carrying a gun into a Santa Fe bar where firearms are banned weeks before Rust began filming.

Actor Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.M. (Pool Video via AP)
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Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case against him. Pic: AP

Involuntary manslaughter means causing someone’s death due to negligence, without intending to.

At her 10-day trial in New Mexico in March last year, prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of Rust and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.

The 18-month sentence she was given was the maximum available for the offence.

Baldwin, 67, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dramatically dismissed by the judge during his trial last July over mistakes made by police and prosecutors, including allegations of withholding ammunition evidence from the defence.

The actor had always denied the charge, maintaining he did not pull the gun’s trigger and that others on the set were responsible for safety checks on the weapon.

Rust was finished in Montana and released earlier this month, minus the scene they were working on when Hutchins was shot, Souza, speaking at November’s premiere in Poland, said.

Rust is billed as the story of a 13-year-old boy who, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents’ deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after being sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.

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What do dolphins get up to beneath the waves? Their poo has the answers

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What do dolphins get up to beneath the waves? Their poo has the answers

Scientists are turning detective to work out what British dolphins are up to beneath the waves – by using forensic-style DNA techniques on their poo.

Conservationists have been studying the 250 or so bottlenose dolphins living in Cardigan Bay, west Wales, over many decades.

Up to now, they have only been able to observe the dolphins as they surface to breathe or play, identifying the animals from the unique marks on their dorsal fins to establish which animals were hanging out together and where.

Dolphins in Cardigan Bay. Pic: Sarah Perry/WTSWW
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Dolphins in Cardigan Bay. Pic: Sarah Perry/WTSWW

But now for the first time scientists are using DNA excreted by the dolphins in their poo to build a more complete picture of their lives.

It allows them to identify the sex of individuals and how they are related to other animals. Signficantly, it also shows what the dolphins have been eating.

Dolphin poo. Pic: Sarah Perry/WTSWW
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Dolphin poo. Pic: Sarah Perry/WTSWW

Dr Sarah Perry, marine conservation manager at The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, said: “In order to be able to conserve them, we need to know why they’re here and a big a missing part of that is, what they’re feeding on.

“Is that changing at different times of the year? Are certain species of fish more important to them early on in the year, in the spring, and the summer months, and then does that change over the autumn and winter months?

“Are certain species important for younger animals? We don’t know that, so that kind of information, we need to find out.”

Dr Sarah Perry
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Dr Sarah Perry

Catching dolphin poo involves a large element of luck.

The animals occasionally eject a cloud of waste material as they swim.

But it quickly sinks, so the scientists’ boat needs to be close enough for them to scoop it out of the sea with a fine-meshed net.

A sample is then sent to a lab at the University of Aberystwyth, where DNA is extracted for analysis.

More from Sky News:
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Bates attacks Post Office scheme

Scientists on the hunt for dolphin poo.
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Scientists on the hunt for dolphin poo

Dolphins adapting to effects of climate change

Results so far suggest the dolphins are having to adapt to a change in fish species as the water warms.

Dr Niall McKeown
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Dr Niall McKeown

Dr Niall McKeown, a marine biologist at the university, said: “We are seeing large amounts of sardine, sprat, and anchovy.

“This is quite interesting because these are species that are known to have increased in abundance in Welsh waters in recent years in response, we believe, to climate change.”

A scientist analyses a sample
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Dr Niall analyses a sample

Scientists unsure why dolphin numbers are falling

But questions remain about the dolphins.

The number in Cardigan Bay seems to be falling, but scientists are not sure whether that’s a natural cycle or a response to other factors.

Boat noise and disturbance from some fishing activities, such as scallop dredging, could impact the animals, which rely on sound to communicate.

Dr Parry said: “How lucky are we to have such an important population of dolphins here? It’s crazy that we really don’t know that much about them.”

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Sir Alan Bates attacks ‘kangaroo court’ Post Office scheme after ‘take it or leave it’ offer

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Sir Alan Bates attacks 'kangaroo court' Post Office scheme after 'take it or leave it' offer

Sir Alan Bates has accused the government of presiding over a “quasi kangaroo court” for Post Office compensation.

Writing in The Sunday Times, the campaigner, who led a years-long effort for justice for sub-postmasters, revealed he had been given a “take it or leave it” offer that was less than half of his original claim.

“The sub-postmaster compensation schemes have been turned into quasi-kangaroo courts in which the Department for Business and Trade sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses,” he said.

“Claims are, and have been, knocked back on the basis that legally you would not be able to make them, or that the parameters of the scheme do not extend to certain items.”

More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as if money was missing from their accounts.

Many are still waiting for compensation despite the previous government saying those who had their convictions quashed were eligible for £600,000 payouts.

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‘It still gives me nightmares’

After the Post Office terminated his contract over a false shortfall in 2003, Sir Alan began seeking out other sub-postmasters and eventually took the Post Office to court.

More on Post Office Scandal

A group litigation order (GLO) scheme was set up to achieve redress for 555 claimants who took the Post Office to the High Court between 2017 and 2019.

Sir Alan, who was portrayed by actor Toby Jones in ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, has called for an independent body to be created to deliver compensation.

He added that promises the compensation schemes would be “non-legalistic” had turned out to be “worthless”.

It is understood around 80% of postmasters in Sir Alan’s group have accepted a full and final redress, or been paid most of their offer.

Read more:
Post Office scandal explained

Who are the key figures in the scandal?

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‘Lives were destroyed’

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson told Sky News: “We pay tribute to all the postmasters who’ve suffered from this scandal, including Sir Alan for his tireless campaign for justice, and we have quadrupled the total amount paid to postmasters since entering government.

“We recognise there will be an absence of evidence given the length of time which has passed, and we therefore aim to give the benefit of the doubt to postmasters as far as possible.

“Anyone unhappy with their offer can have their case reviewed by a panel of experts, which is independent of the government.”

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