THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW STARTS RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> THANK YOU.
MULTIPLE TIMES.
MULTIPLE TIMES. THANK YOU AT HOME FOR JOINING US
THIS HOUR.
THIS HOUR. SO IT IS A SMALL ENOUGH RANGE
WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING FOR
AESTHETICALLY THAT I’M THINKING
YOU HAVE TO REGISTER AS HAVING
ACCEPTABLE HAIR CUT A, OR
ACCEPTABLE HAIR CUT B.
THROWS THE TWO LANES THAT ARE
AVAILABLE TO YOU.
UNDER HAIR CUT A, WE HAVE BEN
AFFLECK.
AFFLECK. OR JOSH BROLIN OR MARK WAHLBERG,
OR JAKE JILLENHALL, OR CHRIS
HENSWORTH OR THE GREAT ANDERSON
COOPER OR JIMMY FALL HONOR THAT
GUY FROM THE HURT LOCKER WHO WAS
SO GOOD.
SO GOOD. I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE TO PUT IN
THE CATEGORY OF HAIR CUT A,
JAMES BOND, AKA DANIEL CRAIG.
ALSO, BEAR GRYLLS.
I HESITATE WITH THESE LAST TWO
THOUGH.
THOUGH. I CAN’T TOTALLY CONFIRM THAT
THOSE AREN’T JUST SLIGHTLY PHOTO
SHOP ED
SHOP ED SHOPPED COPIES OF THE SAME
PICTURE.
PICTURE. LOOK.
LOOK. THEY TURNED THEM INTO EXACTLY
THE SAME DUDE.
SO THROWS XLAMS OF HAIR CUT A IN
THIS ENVIRONMENT.
THIS ENVIRONMENT. BUT DON’T BE FOOLED INTO
THINKING THAT THE AESTHETIC
RANGE IS SINGULAR.
THEY WILL ALSO OCCASIONALLY
ACCEPT A COVER MOD WE WILL HAIR
CUT B.
CUT B. WHICH YOU SEE HERE.
SO IF YOU CANNOT SWING HAIR CUT
A FOR WHATEVER REASON, YOU ARE
ALSO ALLOWED TO BE EL UBALDO.
ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SOME
OTHER KIND OF PROP, A VAGUIVELY
HAIR LIKE PROP TO DISTRACT THAT
THE BALDNESS.
THE BALDNESS. SO THE AESTHETIC WINDOW HERE IS
ONLY OPEN A SLIGHTAL.
A PRETTY TIGHT LINE HERE.
THEY DO OCCASIONALLY BREAK OUT
AND DO SOMETHING A LITTLE
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. FOR EXAMPLE, HERE’S A MAN IN A
HAT.
HAT. HERE’S A MAN ON A MOTORCYCLE.
HERE’S HARRISON FORD, I THINK,
TAKING HIS OWN PULSE MAYBE.
HERE IS A SCARY-EYED MAN
PRETENDING TO BE A MAGICIAN.
HERE’S A MAN WITH A SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT PHOTO FILTER THAN THEY
USE.
USE. THEY DO SOMETIMES MIX IT UP BUT
NOT MUCH.
NOT MUCH. RIGHT?
RIGHT? YOU CLEARLY KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT
IF YOU GO LOOKING FOR MEN’S
JOURNAL MAGAZINE.
JOURNAL MAGAZINE. MEN’S JOURNAL MAGAZINE, IF IT
ISN’T CLEAR ENOUGH.
THEY HAVE A THEME.
THEY HAVE A SPECIFIC LOOK.
BUT NOW, BEHOLD.
WE JUST GOT THE BRAND NEW COVER
OF NEXT MONTH’S MEN’S JOURNAL.
AND -- LOOK.
HEY, WAIT A MINUTE.
THAT’S NEITHER HAIR CUT A NOR
HAIR CUT B.
WHO IS THAT?
I MEAN, LITERALLY GIVEN WHAT
MEN’S JOURNAL USUALLY DOES FOR A
COVER, WHAT IS THIS PERSON DOING
ON THE FRONT OF THE JOURNAL?
IS HER NAME ON THE COVER?
IS SHE BE THE FACEBOOK
DETECTIVE?
DETECTIVE? IS HER NAMESTYLE AND DESIGN?
IS HER NAME TONIC COCKTAIL?
NOT A TERRIBLE STAGE NAME.
IT TURNS OUT HER NAME IS ON THE
COVER.
COVER. IT IS DOWN THERE ON THE RIGHT.
SECOND TO LAST LINE IN THE FINE
PRINT RIGHT UNDERNEATH MASTER
THE CABLE PULLEY.
IT SAYS SHE IN RED.
SHE IS KAREN McDOUGAL.
WITH THIS MOST UNUSUAL COVER,
THE READERS OF MEN’S JOURNAL
MAGAZINE ARE INVITED TO, AS YOU
SEE THERE, GET KAREN McDOUGAL’S
WORKOUT.
WORKOUT. YOU KNOW WHAT?
THIS IS KIND OF A DEPARTURE FOR
THIS MAGAZINE.
THIS MAGAZINE. CAN YOU SPOT WHICH OF THESE KIDS
IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER?
WE DID HAVE A WARNING ABOUT THIS
WAS COMING.
WAS COMING. WHEN I SAW THE WARNING THAT IT
WAS COMING, I DIDN’T TOTALLY
BELIEVE IT WOULD ARRIVE BUT IT
HAS ARRIVED.
HAS ARRIVED. A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE "WALL
STREET JOURNAL" GAVE THE WARNING
THAT WE SHOULD LOOK FOR THIS.
WHEN THEY POINTED POUT KAREN
McDOUGAL, A FORMER PLAYBOY
MODEL, A WOMAN WHO SAID SHE HAD
A LONG RUNNING AFFAIR WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP, THE JOURNAL
REPORTED THAT SHE WOULD BE
PLACED ON OF ALL THINGS, MEN’S
JOURNAL FOR THEIR SEPTEMBER
ISSUE.
ISSUE. DESPITE WHAT APPEARED TO BE
TOTAL BEWILDERMENT BY THE
MAGAZINE’S OWN STAFF.
McDOUGAL WOULD BE A RARE SOLO
WOMAN ON THE COVER OF THE
HIGH-END MEN’S LIFESTYLE
MAGAZINE WHICH TYPICALLY SHOW
CASES MALE CELEBRITIES.
THE MALE’S CHIEF REF NEW OFFICER
AND CONTENT OFFICER HAVE TOLD
SOME EMPLOYEES THAT THEY
UNSUCCESS APPEALED TO DAVID
PECKER, THE CEO OF AMERICA
MAGAZINE, WHO REPORTEDLY ORDERED
THE COVER.
THE COVER. THEY ASKED HIM TO CONSIDER
REPLACING HER ON THE COVER.
THE EXECUTIVES SAID THEY ARGUED
THAT WOULD IT HURT THE
REPUTATION MAKING IT TOUGHER TO
ATTRACT TOP TALENT FOR FUTURE
EVER COULDS AND POTENTIALLY
ALIENATING HARD-WON ADVERTISERS.
NEVERTHELESS, THERE SHE IS.
GET HER WORKOUT.
GUYS.
GUYS. IT SAYS IT RIGHT THERE IN THE
FINE PRINT.
FINE PRINT. FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN 2016
THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL"
PUBLISHED THE FIRST REPORT THAT
THIS COMPANY, AMERICAN MEDIA,
MOST FAMOUS FOR OWNING THE
"NATIONAL ENQUIRER," REPORTED
FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE PLEK
AMERICAN MEDIA HEADED UP BY
DONALD TRUMP’S FRIEND DAVID
PECKER, THE JOURNAL REPORTED
THAT THEY HAD GIVEN KAREN
McDOUGAL A $150,000
QUOTE/UNQUOTE CONTRACT THAT
INCLUDED THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO
PUBLISH HER STORY ABOUT HAVING
THIS ALLEGED LONG-RUNNING
EXTRA-MARITAL AFFAIR WITH DONALD
TRUMP.
TRUMP. HAVING OBTAINED THOSE EXCLUSIVE
RIGHTS TO PUBLISH THAT STORY,
AMERICAN MEDIA AND DAVID PECKER
DECIDED TO NOT RUN THE STORY.
THAT WAS WIDELY VIEWED AS WHAT
IS CALLED A CATCH AND KILL DEAL
IN WHICH AMERICAN MEDIA
BASICALLY TOLD, BASICALLY DID
DONALD TRUMP THE FAVOR OF MAKING
SURE THAT EMBARRASSING STORY
ABOUT THIS ALLEGED AFFAIR WOULD
NEVER RUN IN PRINT.
SO AMERICAN MEDIA PAID MISS
McDOUGAL IN AUGUST 2016, LATE IN
THE GAME, RIGHT?
DONALD TRUMP WAS ALREADY THE
NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT AT THAT.
DID THE PRESIDENT HAVE THIS
AFFAIR?
AFFAIR? SHE SAID YES.
HE SAYS NO.
YOU SAY STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS
MATTER.
MATTER. I DON’T WANT TO KNOW.
I UNDERSTAND.
I UNDERSTAND. BUT FEDERAL PROSECUTORS ARE
LOOKING INTO WHETHER THAT WAS AN
EFFORT TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME
OF THE ELECTION.
AN EFFORT THAT WAS POTENTIALLY
ILLEGALLY COORDINATED WITH
CANDIDATE DONALD TRUMP AND HIS
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. THAT IS A MATTER OF FEDERAL
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. AN AUDIO TAPE APPARENTLY MADE
SURREPTITIOUSLY HAS SINCE BEEN
RELEASED WHICH HAS TRUMP WITH
COHEN ON TAPE DISCUSSING IT.
AND SPECIFICALLY THEY DISCUSS
TRUMP’S INTENTION TO PAY
AMERICAN MEDIA BACK THAT
$150,000 THAT THEY PAID TO KAREN
McDOUGAL TO MAKE THAT STORY GO
AWAY.
AWAY. SO NOW THERE ARE TWO NEW THINGS.
NUMBER ONE IS THIS.
AMERICAN MEDIA REALLY HAS TAKEN
THIS SOMEWHAT HILARIOUS STEP.
WHERE IS MY BEN AFFLECK IS
WHERE’S MY DUANE THE ROCK
JOHNSON?
JOHNSON? THEY’VE TAKEN THIS STEP TO MAKE
IT LOOK LIKE THAT CONTRACT, THEY
SIGNED KAREN McDOUGAL UP TO
RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION,
THEY’RE TRYING TO MAKE IT LOOK
LIKE THAT CONTRACT HAD NOTHING
TO DO WITH CATCHING AND KILLING
HER STORY ABOUT AN ALLEGED
AFFAIR WITH TRUMP.
THEY’RE NOW TRYING TO MAKE IT
SEEM LIKE THAT WAS A LEGIT
PUBLISHING CONTRACT.
PUBLISHING CONTRACT. THEY REALLY DID WANT TO LOCK UP
THE COVER STORY RIGHTS TO KAREN
McDOUGAL’S WORKOUT.
McDOUGAL’S WORKOUT. FOR MEN’S JOURNAL.
IF THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL" IS
RIGHT, THEY WENT TO SUCH LENGTHS
TO SCRAPE THIS TOGETHER AT THE
LAST MINUTE THAT THEY DIDN’T
EVEN ACTUALLY TAKE HER PICTURE
FOR THIS MAGAZINE COVER OR EVEN
TALK TO HER FOR THIS MAGAZINE
COVER.
COVER. QUOTE, MISS McDOUGAL HAS NOT
PARTICIPATED IN A PHOTOGRAPHY
SHOOT OR INTERVIEW WITH MEN’S
JOURNAL STAFF, ACCORDING TO
AMERICAN MEDIA EMPLOYEES AND A
PERSON FAMILIAR WITH THE MATTER.
THE EDITOR PLANNED TO USE OLD
PICTURES AND TO RECYCLE ARCHIVED
CONTEN FOR A PIECE ABOUT HER
FITNESS ROUTINE.
FITNESS ROUTINE. SO THAT’S THE FIRST NEW THING.
PUTTING TOGETHER THIS MAGAZINE
COVER, SCRATCHING IT TOGETHER.
ALL OF A SUDDEN TO MAKE IT LOOK
LIKE THAT 150,000 DEAL WITH
KAREN McDOUGAL TO COVER UP THE
PRESIDENT’S ALLEGED AFFAIR,
TRYING THE MAKE IT LOOK LIKE
WASN’T THAT AT ALL.
THEY WERE REALLY AFTER HER FOR
HER MASTERY OF THE CABLE PULLEY.
OR WHATEVER.
OR WHATEVER. ACCORDING TO THE REPORTING ON
THIS, ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN
EMPLOYEES, TO TAKE ADVERTISER
HIT TORSION TAKE EDITORIAL HIT
TO THE MAGAZINE WHICH THIS
ENTAILED, WE KNOW THEY WERE
WARNED THAT THAT BY THEIR OWN
SENIOR EMPLOYEES.
SENIOR EMPLOYEES. AMERICAN MEDIA TO THINK THIS WAS
WORTH IT.
WORTH IT. THEY HAD TO BE SCARED ENOUGH BY
THE LEGAL JEOPARDY THEY THOUGHT
THEY MIGHT BE IN WHEN IT COMES
TO THAT CONTRACT.
THIS WOMAN AND WHAT THEY CAN
WITH HER FOR TRUMP DURING THE