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Michael's Daily Memo
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I recently met Tim Shriver. He's got the Kennedy look and the Kennedy commitment to service, just not the family name. His mother was Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, who started the Special Olympics in her backyard. His father was Sargent Shriver, first director of the Peace Corps. Tim has chaired the Special Olympics for three decades. He's a first cousin to Caroline Kennedy and RFK Jr., and a Kennedy by blood in every way but the letterhead.
We got to talking about the state of our elections, and the absence of civility in them. That's the subject of his newest cause. In 2020 he founded UNITE, a nonpartisan group built on a simple premise: the problem in American politics isn't that we disagree. It's contempt. And he believes contempt can be measured. His Dignity Index scores political speech on a scale of one to eight. One is "they're not even human." Eight is treating an opponent as someone with inherent worth. Bipartisan panels of ordinary citizens do the scoring, and Republicans and Democrats score the same passages almost identically.
This month UNITE released a Dignity Voter Guide for the midterms. It never mentions an issue. Instead it asks voters to put one question to every candidate: how do you treat people when you disagree? It suggests follow-ups. "If you win this election, what is your plan for helping ease our divisions?" "Can you name some friends you have in the other political party?" And my favorite: "Do you have colleagues in the other party who will vouch for your habit of treating people with dignity?"
Today, Tim Shriver joins me on air to continue the conversation we started. The guide is here. Score yourself first - that's what he'd tell you.
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DAILY POLL
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Is a candidate's civility toward opponents a factor in your vote?
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TOP STORY
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CNN, MS NOW and Politico are suing the Trump administration after their journalists were barred from the White House and had their press credentials revoked, arguing that the restrictions violate First Amendment and due process protections and asking a federal court to immediately restore their access.
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TODAY'S YOUTUBE
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SPONSORED BY PARX CASINO
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IN OTHER NEWS
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An ICE agent shot and wounded a man in North Austin, prompting investigations by Austin police, Texas Rangers and Homeland Security as local officials call for greater transparency. The man was transported to a local trauma center in serious but stable condition.
Patrick Clancy reflects on the deaths of his three children, his ex-wife’s mental illness, the intense scrutiny surrounding the case and his efforts to grieve, forgive and move forward.
Ed Sheeran addressed the war in Gaza during his first concert since Macklemore was dropped from his tour, calling Israel’s actions “catastrophic and unjustifiable” and becoming emotional as he apologized for his handling of the controversy.
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A MESSAGE FROM COMCAST
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Paramount is considering a $1.5 billion investment in California production and other concessions as it negotiates with state attorneys general to clear the way for its $81 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are set to meet in New York as U.S. efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine de-escalation deal continue amid intensifying attacks in the ongoing war.
Trump says his planned 250-foot “Triumphal Arch” near Arlington National Cemetery will also serve as a military complex equipped to deploy drones and snipers, though the project faces legal challenges from Vietnam War veterans, the National Park Service, and an architectural historian, who argue that it lacks required congressional authorization and would damage historic views around the cemetery.
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MORE NEWS
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Trump says he is weighing whether to escalate the war with Iran, describing options ranging from a deal to economic pressure or military action as he warns that “very big things” could happen soon.
Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia, including hundreds targeting Moscow in what the city’s mayor called the largest-ever attack on the Russian capital, killing two people and damaging an oil refinery and residential building.
Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, says Prince William and Prince Harry will not be surprised by his claim that King Charles told him, shortly after Diana’s death, “we’ll forget her soon enough,” as he defends his account against the Palace’s pushback.
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For the Left
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz says the Trump administration will press countries to enforce Iran sanctions at this week’s General Assembly while highlighting a new security agreement with Greenland and more than $1 billion in U.N. budget cuts and staff reductions.
For the Right
Sen. Ted Cruz praised Trump’s “instinctual genius” in turning the “Lyin’ Ted” nickname into an effective political attack during their bitter 2016 Republican primary battle, saying Trump identified Cruz’s greatest strength—voter trust—and used it against him while the two have since become political allies.
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