Topic: Potus

CNN's Brian Stelter and Anderson Cooper reported on Twitter's decision to ban President Trump and subsequently block his attempts to tweet from the POTUS and White House government accounts. The media's celebration of these bans is criticized as short-sighted. The discussion posits that big tech companies now exert more control over the government and media flow than elected officials.

A professional sound mixer explains the history of the presidential microphone setup, traditionally consisting of two Shure SM57s. Donald Trump reportedly requested a single mic closer to his mouth, leading the Navy to create a unique, "hog-calling" style rig using an upside-down SM57 on a gooseneck.

Twitter has implemented new policies regarding violence, abuse, and hateful conduct, including the ability to unverify users. A notable clause allows for "newsworthy" content that might otherwise violate rules to remain on the platform if it is in the public interest. This exception is interpreted as a way for Twitter to avoid banning high-profile figures like President Donald Trump.

The hosts discuss the plan to wipe the @POTUS Twitter account clean when the current president leaves office, with the tweets being moved to a separate archive. John C. Dvorak argues that this "breaks the web" and shows a lack of respect for the historical continuity of digital records. They debate whether social media posts should be treated with the same permanence as traditional presidential papers.

Private emails reveal Hillary Clinton’s central role in the 2011 military intervention in Libya, with staff members like Anne-Marie Slaughter congratulating her on turning the President's position. The hosts discuss the "we came, we saw, he died" quote regarding Muammar Gaddafi. Critics argue that the current instability in Libya, Iraq, and Syria is a direct result of the "perpetual war" policies Clinton advocated as Secretary of State.

The discussion explores how the government could easily manipulate social media by creating "rooms of tweeters" to boost specific narratives. By having the POTUS account retweet these state-sponsored accounts, they could gain thousands of followers instantly. The hosts jokingly consider starting their own "techno expert" website to tap into the $50 billion government technology budget.

The official presidential Instagram account is criticized for featuring highly staged, professional photography rather than the authentic snapshots the platform was designed for. A specific post featuring President Obama with Star Wars stormtroopers is cited as an example of modern political branding.

President Barack Obama delivered a speech at the Coast Guard Academy asserting that climate change is an immediate risk to national security. He characterized the denial of climate change as a "dereliction of duty" for military leadership. This stance effectively frames skeptics of man-made climate change as potential enemies of the state.

President Obama launched a personal Twitter account under the handle @POTUS, gaining over a million followers in a single day. The media's focus on this event is criticized as a distraction from more substantive global news. A humorous exchange between Obama and Bill Clinton regarding the handle's permanence is highlighted, alongside a critique of the President's use of the word "axe" instead of "ask" in a recent speech.