Page 14 - aruba-today-20201017

a14 people & arts
Saturday 17 OctOber 2020
For grateful NBC, Savannah Guthrie changes the subject

By DAVID BAUDER It requires enormous home-
AP Media Writer work, both to know the
NEW YORK (AP) — Savan- facts and anticipate how
nah Guthrie did more than Trump will respond, he
just display her journalistic said. Even then, it's possible
chops at NBC News' town to become so absorbed in
hall with President Donald fact-checking that it dis-
Trump. She changed the rupts the flow of conversa-
subject for her bosses. tion, he said.
NBC was reeling heading When Guthrie asked Trump
into Thursday's event, un- about his personal financ-
der widespread criticism for es and taxes, the president
scheduling it at the same tried to cut off the con-
time as ABC's town hall with versation by saying what
Democratic opponent Joe he has since 2016, that he
Biden. NBC was accused of couldn't talk about it be-
rewarding Trump for reject- cause he was under audit.
ing the debate commis- Guthrie said there was no
sion's plan to do the sec- law that prevented some-
ond debate virtually. one being audited from
That was quickly forgotten discussing his taxes, and
when the president sat op- pressed on: "Who do you
posite Guthrie, who ques- owe $421 million to?" she
tioned him specifically on Moderator Savannah Guthrie speaks during an NBC News Town Hall with President Donald Trump asked.
when he last tested positive at Perez Art Museum Miami, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Miami. Associated Press She jumped in when, dur-
for COVID-19 (he said he ing a discussion about
didn't remember), whether ject from filibustering. That body's crazy uncle who don't know that?" White House events where
he had pneumonia (didn't background also teaches can just retweet anything." Trump is "hands down" the masks were not worn, the
say) and his personal fi- how to crystallize what an Similarly, Guthrie described most difficult public fig- president mentioned how
nances. audience is thinking in a the theory promoted online ure to interview, said Axios he was touched by people
The Georgetown Law plain-spoken way, as evi- by QAnon that Democrats reporter Jonathan Swan, at a reception for relatives
School graduate had denced in her most-quot- are running a satanic pe- who with Fox News' Chris of military members killed
clearly done her home- ed moment. dophile ring and that Trump Wallace and now Guthrie in service. She took an un-
work, seemingly prepared She was incredulous when, was the savior meant to have received the most usual amount of time for
for each response. When after asking why Trump had stop them, and asked why praise of any TV journalists head-to-head question-
the president recited a sta- retweeted a false conspir- he didn't denounce it. to take him on this election ing, given that the format
tistic from a study on the acy theory that American Trump said he knew noth- cycle. called for questions from
effectiveness of masks in special forces didn't really ing about it. "The biggest challenge with the audience to dominate
spreading COVID-19, Guth- kill Osama bin Laden, he "I just told you," she said. President Trump is that it's the event. She followed up
rie had read it, too, and said that he "just put it out Just because she says never a linear conversa- audience questions, too:
countered him. there" to let people decide something doesn't mean tion," Swan said. "It's like rid- When Trump talked about
As host of the "Today" show, for themselves. it's true, the president re- ing a bronco. The crafting health care and maintain-
Guthrie knows the impor- "I don't get that," Guthrie torted. of the questions doesn't re- ing protection for preex-
tance of time and how said. "You're the president. "There's not a satanic pe- ally matter because he re- isting conditions, Guthrie
to stop an interview sub- You're not like you're some- dophile cult," she said. "You sponds to topics." pointed out that his admin-
istration was trying in court
New book will include final thoughts from Justice Ginsburg to eliminate that.
One look online provided
an illustration of Guthrie's
preme Court Justice Ruth "Over the spring and sum- effectiveness. Words like
Bader Ginsburg and some mer of this year, as Justice "condescending," "bad-
previously unreleased ma- Ginsburg and I assembled gering," "argumentative"
terials have been gath- this book, I had the special and "bully" were used on
ered by one of her former privilege of working close- social media by supporters
clerks and will appear ly with her one last time," of the president. Memes
in a book coming out in said Tyler, now a profes- popped up with Guthrie's
March. sor of law at the University face made to seem like a
The University of Cali- of California, Berkeley, in vampire or devil.q
fornia Press announced a statement. "As we ex-
Thursday that it will pub- changed drafts of various Solution Sudoku
lish "Justice, Justice Thou parts of this book, the Jus-
Shalt Pursue: A Life's Work tice was every bit as rigor-
Fighting for a More Perfect ous an editor as she had
Union," on which Ginsburg been 20 years ago when
Members of the Philadelphia National Council of Jewish worked in collaboration I clerked for her. Right up
Women gather in prayer to honor the late Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Friday, with Amanda Tyler. The until the end, she was still
Oct. 2, 2020. book was in production teaching me about the
Associated Press at the time Ginsburg died, craft of writing, how im-
on Sept. 18 at age 87, and portant precision is, and
By HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Some was originally scheduled to never use four words
AP National Writer final thoughts from Su- for next fall. when three will do."q
Puzzle on Page 13