Duration: 51:33 | Recorded on September 27, 2026
S3E36 – The White House’s removal of CNN and MS NOW from the press pool, and a federal judge’s ruling against it, set off a running argument about who gets to question power. Kent calls the exclusion unconstitutional and cites Sherrill v. Knight. Kyle, a Trump voter, agrees viewpoint-based exclusion was the wrong move but argues legacy media treats a press pool seat as an entitlement. Also: Trump’s thin skin, Iran, AI in the press corps, coverage of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, what makes a journalist, and Lincoln’s Team of Rivals.
Bourbon & Rum: two brothers, one liberal and one conservative, staying at the table through real disagreement.
Featured Spirits
Show Notes
/The Press Pool Exclusion: Kent opens with a rant on the exclusion, asking where the Tea Party’s pocket-Constitution Republicans have gone, and cites Sherrill v. Knight for the principle that government can close an event to all media but can’t choose who covers it based on editorial content. Kyle agrees it was the wrong fight but asks which outlets still deserve a seat when fewer Americans get their news from TV talking heads.
/Thin-Skinned or Calculated?: Kent sees a president who can’t take criticism, with Jimmy Kimmel as his example. Kyle argues the outrage is the point: bad press has been good for Trump, and he likes it better than good press.
/Iran, the Economy, and Foreign Policy: Kyle makes the case for short-term pain for long-term gain and warns that red lines can box a country into a corner. Kent agrees the Iran threat needed addressing but worries an unclear objective makes a deal harder to reach.
/Could AI Replace the Press Corps?: Kyle asks when the press pool becomes Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI, and Grok. Kent argues for adversarial reporters: “…what I really do want is skeptical, obnoxious, hateful, self-aggrandizing, ambitious, and egotistical journalists, because that is the counterbalance to tyranny.”
/Media Bias, the Median, and the Mean: Kyle argues CNN and MSNBC go hard on Trump and easy on Democrats. Kent concedes the Biden failure outright: “I’ve said, and will say again, that the coverage of Joe Biden and the lack of coverage of his decline was the greatest media failing of our generation.” He then asks whether lopsided coverage is bias, or a measure of how far Trump sits from the norm.
/What Counts as a Journalist?: Kyle proposes staffing the press pool with outlets opposed to whoever holds office, and Kent walks into the trap. Then: credentials versus curiosity, a lawyer analogy, and whether Kent himself should get a seat.
/Team of Rivals: Kyle says a president should welcome people who vehemently challenge him. Kent answers with Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book on Lincoln’s cabinet and credits Kyle for coming back week after week to be challenged.
References
PBS NewsHour: Judge orders White House to restore access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico (www.pbs.org)
Sherrill v. Knight (en.wikipedia.org)
Trump Just Crossed A Line No President Should Cross (YouTube, The Chris Cuomo Project)
Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin (www.simonandschuster.com)