I have written this newsletter seven days a week without missing a single day since April 1, 2020 – that is 1,155 consecutive days in a row, with no breaks ever.
Even on holidays. Even on vacation. In sickness and in Japan.
1,155 issues without missing one day, one news cycle.
For that entire time, I have made the full content of every day’s edition of the Wide World of News available for free to anyone who wished to access it. Reading this newsletter has never been contingent on becoming a paid subscriber or contributor (despite my daily dogged pitches for support).
Until now.
This is an important moment for this newsletter and for me.
I hope that some of you will find this a useful and exciting transition. No doubt many will find the change annoying and frustrating.
Starting on June 15, in two weeks, the Wide World of News newsletter will only be available as part of a much larger (and admittedly expensive) package of services.
Since I sometimes joke in these pages, let me be emphatically clear: This is not a joke, but, rather, an announcement.
My new Wide World of News Concierge Coverage includes the newsletter, but the newsletter is just a part of what will be included. There will be two tiers available, the Mario and the Luigi, details of which are listed below.
The newsletter in its current configuration will cease general publication on June 15, and only those who subscribe to the new concierge service before then will receive it without interruption.
For the past three years, publishing the daily newsletter has been a bracing challenge (rising early, communicating with sources, reading and processing everything I considered relevant, writing the darn thing), yet a rewarding one, because of all of you.
It has been an honor and a pleasure getting your support (emotional and financial), your comments, your fascinating stories and experiences, your criticism, your gentle typo corrections. I have appreciated every brilliant insight and nudge, every tweak and pat on the back. For those of you who never got in touch, I was still happy to have you out there. For me it’s been a lifeline, a purpose, and a community, and an inspiring reminder that this country is graced with powerful minds and generous souls.
So for clarity:
Only those who buy one of the two tiers of services detailed below will continue getting the daily newsletter after June 15.
Those who do not purchase the new service will still get occasional updates from me via these emails but NOT the daily newsletter. I understand that many of my readers will not be interested in the new service given the expanded elements and/or the price.
I’m truly sorry to make a change that will cut some of you off from our daily contact. I understand possible disappointment for those who enjoy reading the newsletter.
If you are a voluntary annual paid subscriber or voluntary contributor who is not interested in the concierge service and would like a pro-rated refund, please contact me. If you have been kicking in monthly or annually, you will no longer be billed.
Once again, I say: It has been a true honor to have you all as my readers, some of you every day for years. You have been supportive, challenging, engaging, informative, and ever present. Those of you who have been able and willing to provide voluntary financial support have shown me such kindness.
Some of you started out as strangers and are now close and beloved friends.
What an extraordinary experience it has been to write this for you, with your help.
But this WWoN chapter is ending, and another one is beginning.
Even as I usher in the new, I will always cherish the old.
I hope those of you who are professionally or personally interested in the new service will give it serious consideration. As you look at the two prices below, please keep in mind that the costs are not just for the newsletter (although it is the only newsletter available with fake Ron Klain memos and fake “McLaughlin Group” transcripts – and will be of particular value in the thick of next year’s existential presidential election).
Repeating: the newsletter is just one element included in both packages.
To the rest of you: Thank you and I will see you soon, with occasional updates here.
All my best,
Mark
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The Wide World of News Concierge Coverage will be animated by the same DNA you get from the newsletter — my reporting and analysis, more important than ever as we approach an epic U.S. presidential election. Think of me as your private tour guide to the 2024 race and the next administration.
This is a unique product unavailable anywhere else: Actionable information not dumbed down to cable news chatter or social doom scrolling. Instead, you’ll get the inside track on what will happen next and why, from my unbiased reporting, sharpened by deep sourcing and contacts across the political spectrum.
The newsletter itself will not change. BUT, going forward, it will ONLY be available as part of this new service.
From June 15 onward, only members of the new Wide World of News Concierge Coverage will continue to receive this valuable resource.
The new premier package will include services that go far beyond what the newsletter has provided until now.
I will highlight three elements available as part of the exclusive top tier membership that I believe will prove to be indispensable to you (and to your company):
* You will receive 2 exclusive one-hour briefing sessions from me over the next year. Many members will request speeches with Q&A about the presidential election, public policy, or in which direction specific issues are likely to go. For those of you who have not heard me give a talk, I must say that I am a better speaker than I am a newsletter writer. I can give your board, your core team, your club or organization, or your family and friends an insider look at the latest data, compelling stories, and forecasts connected to the campaign. For those who regularly organize events, this provides an opportunity to easily and affordably book a speaker who is well-informed and truly non-partisan, scheduled well in advance or on short notice.
* You will also receive exclusive access to focus group sessions, moderated by me, with voter participants from around the country reacting to the latest news. Because I convene these sessions online, they can be booked and staged more quickly than traditional brick-and-mortar focus groups. Focus groups are one of the most compelling ways to understand where the hearts and minds of voters are at a given moment. I will arrange focus groups to discuss presidential announcements, debates, veepstakes, October Surprises (even if they happen in July), health concerns, personality quirks, campaign strategy, team shakeups, and so on. These sessions will give us all regular insights into the campaign. For a taste of how I conduct focus groups, click here to see one I did right after the Capitol was stormed on January 6, 2021.
* The First Tuesday of the Month salon conversations will be the sort of get-togethers that are normally reserved for the best-connected insiders. I will invite Concierge members and other guests — the most informed, interesting, and provocative souls — to chat about the latest in the campaign. These off-the-record conversations will be fun and compelling, and a chance to connect with people around the country who are plugged in to the latest information. Some might call it hard news, some might call it watercooler chat, some might call it gossip, some might call it not-so blind items – but I can promise it will be both juicy and valuable.
I am confident that you will find either the Mario or Luigi tier to be well worth their price, with Zoom sessions, private speeches, email exchanges, and the daily newsletter offering a roadmap to the campaign that you won’t find anywhere else. It will be of great value to you professionally and personally.
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The Wide World of News Concierge Coverage is available in two tiers, which include:
* The flagship daily morning newsletter you read now: the Wide World of News.
* Breaking news analysis emails, arming you in real time for your next meeting or video conference call.
* Exclusive Zooms for both breaking news and scheduled events, hosted by me and featuring notable guests from across the political world. These sessions include Q&A, with members getting special access.
* Replies from me to two monthly individual emails on the topics of your choice.
* Two one-hour Zoom sessions per year directly with me. You can also gift your sessions.
* The First Tuesday of the Month salon conversations over Zoom, curated by me, featuring off-the-record, hyper sophisticated, on-point conversations about politics, government, the economy, and the media.
* Access to view special online focus groups of voters from around the country that will provide unique insight into the 2024 presidential campaign and issues of the day.
PRICING
For individuals, the Wide World of News Concierge Coverage is available in two tiers, Mario and Luigi:
Many organizations and individuals (including some of you) pay monthly fees to consultants who charge as much as one hundred times the cost of my new service.
I intend to build the Concierge Coverage into the centerpiece of my professional work, and I am eager to invest the time and commitment to make this a valuable suite of services.
I hope you will get on board by signing up before June 15. To begin getting the full benefits of concierge coverage, please send your annual payment by that date.
You may pay by Zelle, wire transfer, credit card, ACH, or check.
Please let me know by replying to this email if you plan to become a member and which payment method you plan to use.
Members must pay in full up front for the twelve-month cycle.
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INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP PAYMENT OPTIONS
Zelle: To pay by Zelle, contact me for bank information.
Bank Wire Transfer: To pay by wire transfer, contact me for account details.
Credit Card/ACH: To pay by credit card or ACH (including a 3% processing fee), click here.
Check: Make it out to “Wide World of News LLC” for $4,800.00 (Mario level) or $3,360.00 (Luigi level) and contact me for the mailing address.
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OTHER OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES
-- Group and organization rates available. Please inquire by replying to this email.
-- Invoices and receipts are available for those subscribers who wish to expense the annual cost.
-- Email me to inquire about sponsorship, advertising, partnership, or investment opportunities.
-- Members can purchase additional custom Zoom sessions with me on an a la carte basis.
-- If you know of other individuals or organizations who might wish to become members, please forward them this email (with your recommendation!) or send referrals my way.
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ELEVEN POINTS YOU CAN DROP IN CONVERSATION TODAY TO LOOK SMART
1. The Senate is going to pass the Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal by the weekend; there will be no default; instead focus on the prospect that enough trust and respect is now in place between the president and the speaker (and their operations) that we could see some additional actual legislating done (China, Russia, tech, jobs) on a bipartisan basis, with divided government, during the midst of an intense presidential campaign.
2. The way the alchemic interaction between the media, the polls, and public opinion works means that no matter what Joe Biden does to defy expectations and get stuff done (winning the White House, winning the midterms, passing several pieces of massive legislation, building an anti-Putin coalition, avoiding fiscal default, etc.), until his poll numbers improve (job approval, desire to see him run again, horserace numbers), his media coverage is not going to get much better (which will, paradoxically, keep his poll numbers from improving). At some point, Biden would prefer to stop being underestimated and start being esteemed. That might require repelling a Martian invasion…and, even then….
3. Ron DeSantis has something of the same problem. Although he has already demonstrated more tactical and strategic assets, dexterity, toughness, and thoughtfulness than any other Republican candidate who has ever tried to beat Donald Trump in an election contest (in less than a month as a candidate!), the Sunshine State topper will have to try to close the polling gap in Iowa and New Hampshire at a time when the daily poll drumbeat shows him still more than four football possessions behind. Tough cycle to snap….
4. Someday, the long-running, clever effort to coordinate between the DeSantis campaign and its anointed Super PAC will either be studied as a model of how to be aggressive and/but inside the lines to brilliantly and creatively help a presidential campaign win -- OR will be studied by the DOJ, the FEC, and the Trump and Biden campaigns as a model of something very different.
5. No matter how big the Republican presidential field gets, Donald Trump will remain first among equals in his capacity to get press coverage; he got umpteen articles in the conservative press and Dominant Media two days in a row simply by unveiling a “new” immigration “plan” and with his World’s Fair “plan.” This is a massive, enduring, and familiar edge for Mr. Trump over all comers.
6. Iowa isn’t quite Fenway Park, but no lead is safe there. DeSantis (or Tim Scott) could remain behind Trump in reputable caucus polls by 25% in November and still win (assuming “winning” means beating the mystical Expectations Game with a surging second place, not necessarily actually winning an outright first).
7. No matter how big the Republican presidential field gets in 2023, what will matter in terms of Trump’s capacity to benefit from many rivals is how many folks are on the ballot getting more than 4% of the vote come the actual caucuses and primaries. If, say, eight candidates are dividing less than 15% of the vote (totally possible) then Trump’s ceiling could end up being lower than DeSantis’ floor.
8. The Stop Trump establishment is now engaged in two simultaneous projects that ironically work at cross purposes – a pair of efforts that will almost certainly continue right through the end of the year and into 2024. On the one hand, this group of plutocrats, pols, and press allies are going to work to winnow the field down, to try to avoid a re-run of 2016 when so many weakish Trump alternatives allowed the brash businessman to sweep to the nomination with relatively low percentage wins. On the other hand, this same group will work to get ANOTHER candidate IN the race, to lure a white knight into running -- like Glenn Youngkin or Jamie Dimon (there will be more names, trust me…). Both projects will likely have the exact opposite effects than those intended: elevating Trump, diminishing his rivals, sowing chaos, and freezing the field in a place that makes the mavens of Mar-a-Lago giddy.
9. Team Trump’s determination to treat the Dominant Media better than Team DeSantis does is a real factor in their battle that works in Trump’s favor – something Team Trump knows and something Team DeSantis might know or might not know. Whether the DeSantis high command is ceding this edge to their rival camp after a cost-benefit analysis or not is immaterial.
10. It is impossible for the press to determine the extent to which Casey DeSantis is currently helping her husband win votes, but two things are certain: (1) as of now, the media likes writing about the parenting-cute tales of the First Couple of Florida; and (2) you can expect a lot more exchanges such as this:
After Semafor got this eyebrow-raising quote:
“She’s great at this and it works very well for Ron. They really connected with Iowans. It’s a night and day contrast to Trump’s dysfunctional family dynamic,” a person close to DeSantis texted during the couple’s Iowa swing this week.
….a Trump ally told the Wide World of News this in response:
“Casey DeSantis is great. The problem is the awkward, robotic man standing next to her on the stage.”
11. I know on paper Chris Christie’s support from Republican voters is so weak that he stands not a chance of becoming the party’s nominee. But Christie does not campaign on paper. If he returns from the debate stage and New Hampshire with the heads of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis on two separate pikes, let’s see who will deny him the nomination – or, at least, a crack at it. A media-savvy, fearless, psy-ops expert, experienced former prosecutor, and former presidential candidate has advantages in this competition that his Third Man/Woman rivals do not. Remember, in the end, presidential contests are about earned media, not paid media.
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The King Kong Versus Godzilla Daybook
Via the Associated Press:
Trump, after appearing Wednesday night at a GOP legislative dinner in Des Moines, is set to appear Thursday morning at one of the twice-monthly breakfasts of a conservative club at a restaurant in Urbandale. The Westside Conservative Breakfast events are a long-standing stop for Republican candidates for all levels of elected office, including presidential hopefuls.
The former president is later expected to have lunch with faith leaders, visit with activists and supporters and then participate in a town hall with Sean Hannity taped late afternoon in the Des Moines suburb of Clive. The town hall will air at 9 p.m. Thursday on Fox News.
DeSantis’ stop in New Hampshire is scheduled to look similar to his Iowa swing, with a series of appearances around the state and one event billed as a “fireside chat” with his wife, Casey DeSantis.