A New Low for Journalism? - Scott Pelley Implodes + Rep. Pfluger Joins the Progrum

**Josh Holmes** (0:00)
There's no dignity in journalism for people like Scott Pelley.

**Michael Duncan** (0:04)
This is one of the most sanctimonious, self-important people in political media.

**Josh Holmes** (0:09)
He feels like he needs to speak for a quote-unquote journalist. What he means is old-school, left-wing gatekeepers.

**John Ashbrook** (0:16)
He did his whole tirade, Scott Pelley did, and got fired for it.

**Josh Holmes** (0:22)
When you walk in and say your boss is an ignorant slut, essentially, and then you're shocked that that comes with repercussions, you have built yourself a silo that no person in America can relate to.

**John Ashbrook** (0:41)
Fox News recently reported that the 340B federal health care program designed to provide discounted drugs to low-income patients at hospitals is facing, quote, allegations of widespread health care fraud and abuse. According to reports, the program has morphed into a windfall for hospitals and outpatient clinics leaving behind those who can least afford it. A federal judge blocked a North Dakota law that sought to exploit 340B to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from drug makers to hospitals and pharmacies, noting that the program is, quote, being abused to provide a windfall for hospitals.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board weighed in calling abuse of 340B grift and a scam to taxpayers. According to an economic consultancy, the abuse of 340B raises the cost of other major health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which lost a combined $20 billion last year due to lost rebates in this program. Learn more at americansforopengovernment.com.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:49)
This program has become one of the most influential podcasts in America.

**John Ashbrook** (1:54)
I love the personality.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:55)
You guys are killing it.

**Scott Pelley** (1:56)
I just saw your number one. Congratulations.

**Josh Holmes** (1:58)
It's an honor and a pleasure to welcome the great Sean Hannity.

**SPEAKER_7** (2:03)
Guys, I love you.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:05)
Congratulations on all your success.

**August Pfluger** (2:07)
This is why you listen to The Ruthless Podcast, because nobody else would ask that question.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:10)
The only political podcast worth listening to is The Ruthless Podcast.

**SPEAKER_9** (2:14)
It's time for our main event.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:17)
The Ruthless Podcast.

**Josh Holmes** (2:21)
Good Tuesday to you. Welcome back to the Ruthless Friday program. I'm Josh Holmes along with Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook. Comfortably Smug, he has an arduous end of the week. He's got a new family to consider here. And so, we've baked in one of those liberal leave days. And this is one of those days that he's gonna have to take advantage of.
You just nodding along.

**Michael Duncan** (2:49)
Wait, is this the week of his big speech? Yes. Where he's gonna make an address to the Republicans of North Carolina?

**Josh Holmes** (2:56)
He is.

**Michael Duncan** (2:57)
Yeah, I cannot wait for that.

**Josh Holmes** (2:58)
He is.

**John Ashbrook** (2:59)
I'm in, like I'm in a hearing on Capitol Hill, I'm gonna reserve the balance of my time. Until he returns to the show, then I can provide my thoughts.

**Josh Holmes** (3:08)
Oh, you're gonna do it directly.

**John Ashbrook** (3:09)
I want him to be here for it.

**Josh Holmes** (3:10)
Yeah, no, you'd like to look at him right in those sunglass eyes. Yeah.
I get it. I get it. Well, we have plenty to talk about. I don't know that I've had more incoming from a text message standpoint of just friends around the city than I did about this Scott Pelley, CBS 60 Minutes deal that played out over the weekend, where people were just enchanted by the idea that we might weigh in. And so we thought we'd avail ourselves about this. For those of you who missed that particular transaction, Barry Wise over at CBS News has been making some changes, and it has dawned upon her at the onset of her hiring that CBS had somewhat of a negative reputation with at least 50% of the country, in large part because they had demonstrated bias in basically every facet of the news. But the old grandfather of CBS News is, of course, 60 Minutes, it's the most successful, long-running news magazine show in American history.
And it was anchored at the time by just legends in the field, right, the Mike Wallace's, Morley Safers, and Ed Bradleys, and well, it's lost, it's lost her. And of course, over the last 15 years or so, really, since Dan Rather did the George W. Bush hit piece that they all had to retract before the 2004 election, it just slid sideways. But there's some revealing stuff in here and that she came in and wanted to change a bunch of different things, but not necessarily upset the apple cart. And like it goes to show, like if you ever were taking over anything big, you ought to fire everybody at the outset and rebuild it. Like trying to work within a system that is geared against you provides problems.