Dan Rather

2 weeks ago | steady.substack.com | Dan Rather

In the middle of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt knew the American people needed a reason for hope and some marker to know if things were improving. So Roosevelt coined the term “first 100 days” as a time increment to measure how a new president was faring. The idea stuck, and since then, a president’s first 100 days are considered a symbolic benchmark of success or failure.

2 weeks ago | steady.substack.com | Dan Rather

Sometimes the lyrics from a great song are timeless. And on occasion, words written decades ago seem more appropriate now than back then. That thought occurred to me as I listened to a clip of a number from one of my favorite musicals with an all-new cast. If you have never seen an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, I highly recommend it. The network invites musical artists to its Washington, D.C., offices to perform.

3 weeks ago | steady.substack.com | Dan Rather

I am able to write this piece today because I have the autonomy and independence to do so. CBS News’s “60 Minutes,” my home for many years, can no longer say the same. Because of Donald Trump, and because of a corporate lust for cash, “60 Minutes” now has oversight and overlords. Prying eyes from corporate offices are never a good thing when reporting the news. Journalism must operate without fear or favor. Independence is necessary for superior journalism.

3 weeks ago | steady.substack.com | Dan Rather

If Pete Hegseth headed the Department of the Interior instead of our nation’s military, we’d probably be writing about something else today. Hegseth might … might be able to deal with, say, national parks. But as secretary of defense, he is a disaster. As has rightly been said before, about so much of what our president has done: This situation would be laughable if it weren’t so dangerous.

3 weeks ago | steady.substack.com | Dan Rather

I can think of no better reason to smile than a song sung by the great Judy Garland. Lucky for us, one of her best is the title song from the 1948 movie “Easter Parade.”The film has quite a pedigree. It stars Garland and Fred Astaire, who came out of retirement to replace an injured Gene Kelly. All the songs in the Oscar-winning movie musical were written by Irving Berlin. The film is based on the American Easter parade, a cultural event that celebrates springtime and fancy bonnets.