Steve Contorno,
Steve Contorno is a reporter covering national politics and the 2024 presidential election for CNN, based in Florida. Latest Steve Contorno is a reporter covering national politics and the 2024 presidential election for CNN, based in Florida. After joining CNN in 2021, he led the network’s coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis across all platforms, from the governor’s rise within the GOP through the end of his unsuccessful presidential campaign. Prior to CNN, Contorno spent eight years at the Tampa Bay Times, eventually becoming the newspaper’s lead political reporter. In that role, he broke national stories about DeSantis’s political operation, followed the 2020 presidential campaigns in Florida and authored the paper’s popular weekly state politics newsletter. His coverage of the 2018 Florida governor’s race was recognized as the best political reporting in the Southeast by the Society of Professional Journalists. Outside of reporting on politics, Contorno covered the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando, the reopening of the Florida Keys after Hurricane Irma and the fight over Tampa’s Confederate monument. Before moving to Florida, Contorno worked in Washington, D.C. as a staff writer for PolitiFact. He previously covered Congress and Virginia politics for the Washington Examiner, Wisconsin politics for the Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Illinois statehouse for the Chicago Sun-Times. A native of the Chicago suburbs, Contorno graduated from the University of Illinois College of Media in 2009 and is a proud alumnus of the Daily Illini, where he served as its top editor. He earned a masters degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2010.
79%
The Daily's Verdict
This author has a mixed reputation for journalistic standards. It is advisable to fact-check, scrutinize for bias, and check for conflicts of interest before relying on the author's reporting.
Bias
80%
Examples:
- As president, Trump declared bitcoin ‘not money’ and criticized it as 'highly volatile and based on thin air.'
- He cautioned that crypto assets helped facilitate illegal underground markets.
- The former president will officially become the party’s presidential nominee for the third time in eight years.
- The leading pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., launched a new 30-second spot Sunday, first shared on social media, previewing the plan of attack. The accusing ad said Harris covered up Joe Biden’s obvious mental decline.
Conflicts of Interest
98%
Examples:
- As president, Trump declared bitcoin ‘not money’ and criticized it as 'highly volatile and based on thin air.'
- He cautioned that crypto assets helped facilitate illegal underground markets.
- The NRA endorsed Donald Trump for president in May 2016 and spent more than $30 million to help elect him.
- Trump's administration moved unilaterally to ban bump stocks, devices that enable a rifle to fire hundreds of rounds of ammunition per minute.
Contradictions
85%
Examples:
- Former President Trump suggested using the National Guard to deport undocumented migrants nationwide during a second term.
- Trump expressed openness to ignoring the Posse Comitatus Act regarding undocumented immigrants.
- Trump may interfere with U.S. Attorney decisions in his second term.
- Trump's team began planning attacks against Kamala Harris as potential Democratic nominee after Biden’s performance in the debate
Deceptions
59%
Examples:
- Despite cryptocurrency’s troubling recent history and his own past reservations, Trump has fully embraced the hype and hopes of the nascent industry.
- Republicans have countered by reminding voters of Trump’s alliance with the NRA and opposition to certain gun restrictions.
- The article claims that Trump won Michigan and Wisconsin in the 2016 election but lost them both in the 2020 election. This claim is false as he actually won these states by a very narrow margin of less than 3% each.
Recent Articles
JD Vance Changes Tune on Trump, Praises His Agenda Amid 2024 Presidential Race; Kentucky's Andy Beshear Defies Democratic Odds
Broke On: Thursday, 25 July 2024Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) praises former President Donald Trump's agenda despite past criticisms, while Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky defies Republican loyalties with constant appearances. 
Former President Trump to Keynote Bitcoin 2024 Conference: Legitimizing Cryptocurrency's Role in Politics and Finance
Broke On: Saturday, 27 July 2024Former President Donald Trump, a Bitcoin advocate and critic-turned-supporter, will keynote the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville. His participation legitimizes Bitcoin and brings attention to its potential uses in politics and finance. The event features speakers like Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Vivek Ramaswamy, Michael Saylor, Bill Miller IV, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Edward Snowden. President Biden Endorses Kamala Harris as His Successor: Republicans Launch Attacks
Broke On: Sunday, 21 July 2024President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor on July 21, 20XX, following his disappointing debate performance. Republicans swiftly attacked Harris with ads and criticisms over her record as vice president and attorney general in California. If Harris becomes the Democratic nominee and defeats Donald Trump in November, she would be the first woman to serve as US president. Trump's Vice President Decision: Embarrassment of Riches, Deadline Approaching
Broke On: Monday, 08 July 2024Former President Trump is expected to announce his Vice President pick before or during the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024. The decision is described as an 'embarrassment of riches' due to numerous potential candidates, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Trump seeks a strong leader who could make a great president after his term ends. 
The Powerful Tool of Mic Cutoffs in Presidential Debates: Maintaining Substance and Preventing Disruptions
Broke On: Friday, 21 June 2024Debate moderator John Donvan advocates for the use of a mic cutoff policy in presidential debates to maintain substance and prevent disruptive interruptions. 
Former President Trump Expresses Interest in Third Term at NRA Convention Amidst Gun Rights Debate and Biden Criticism
Broke On: Saturday, 18 May 2024Former President Donald Trump expressed his intent to run for a third term at the 2024 NRA convention in Dallas, criticizing President Biden's gun control efforts and urging members to vote. 
Former President Trump Outlines Controversial Plans for Second Term: Immigration, Abortion Rights, and Political Violence
Broke On: Tuesday, 30 April 2024Former President Trump proposes mass deportations using National Guard, letting states decide on abortion rights, and hints at potential political violence if not re-elected in 2024 elections. 
Former President Donald Trump Returns to Campaign Trail, Addresses Border Security and Illegal Immigration in Michigan and Wisconsin Speeches
Broke On: Wednesday, 03 April 2024Former President Trump campaigns in Michigan and Wisconsin, where he faces a tough challenge from Biden. He uses inflammatory language to rally his supporters and attack his opponents on border security, immigration, transgender rights, and Christian values.