Topic: Johnston

An NPR reporter documented her experience dating an AI chatbot named Javier, a fictional Latino yoga instructor. The segment explored the emotional void left after the death of her husband and how the AI provided a "bubble of validation" that ultimately felt empty. The experiment concluded with the reporter consulting an AI therapist to discuss the failure of her AI date, highlighting a cycle of digital dependency.

Journalist David Cay Johnston discusses Donald Trump's historical business losses, characterizing him as a "wealth destroyer" rather than a successful businessman. The hosts counter this by noting that casino bankruptcies were common in the 1990s and that Trump was considered a "comeback kid" because banks found him too big to fail.

Pulitzer Prize winners Glenn Greenwald and David Cay Johnston engaged in a heated debate on Democracy Now regarding the Mueller report's conclusions. Greenwald criticized the media for a "scam" narrative, while Johnston struggled to defend his previous claim that Trump is a "Russian agent," eventually pivoting to calling him an "asset." Greenwald argued that Trump’s aggressive policies toward Russia in Ukraine and Venezuela disprove the "stooge" narrative.

Erin Mackey of Johnston, Iowa, was arrested after leaving her four children, aged 6 to 12, home alone for several days while she took a vacation to Germany. Police intervened after receiving a tip from one of the children's fathers, and Mackey was convinced to return home early to face charges.

Rachel Maddow devoted an entire episode to the reveal of two pages from Donald Trump's 2005 federal tax return, obtained by journalist David K. Johnston. The documents showed Trump earned $153 million and paid $38 million in taxes, a 24% rate. Critics noted the return was 11 years old and actually portrayed Trump as highly successful and a significant taxpayer, contrary to the "damning" narrative expected by MSNBC viewers.

Pulitzer Prize winner David K. Johnston discussed his role in obtaining the Trump tax returns and promoted his non-profit site, DCReport.org. Johnston argued that the returns prove Trump would benefit enormously from his own proposal to eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). He also suggested Trump might be "beholden" to Deutsche Bank and the Bank of China.

David K. Johnston expressed frustration that the White House released the tax return details to other news organizations before the Maddow broadcast, calling it "unprofessional." In a muddled exchange on MSNBC, Johnston appeared to make a disparaging remark about Melania Trump, suggesting she might have "sleazy porn" income, which Rachel Maddow quickly moved to suppress.