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Today — March 29th 2024Your RSS feeds

OMISSION: ABC World News Tonight Pretends FAFSA Disaster Doesn’t Exist

There is disaster brewing due to changes in the way college students file their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Delays in transmission of application data due to the rollout of a new application website may potentially affect millions of students, and in some cases, delay or cost them their financial aid. But this story, the most disastrous rollout and implementation of a government website since healthcare dot gov, does not appear to be newsworthy enough for ABC World News Tonight. It’s not like they’re completely unaware of the story. Here’s how the network covered the initial rollout of the application changes on Saturday, December 30th, 2023: WHIT JOHNSON: The process for applying for college financial aid could soon become a bit easier. The Education Department is expected to debut its new online FAFSA form, which allows families and students to provide financial information to schools. The revamp is supposed to simplify the process, but it will also include new ways that aid is calculated, meaning a change in how much in some students that they could receive.  Alas, the process was not made easier. And the glitches are ongoing, to this day. Per the Twin Cities’ Fox affiliate: WASHINGTON - The Department of Education disclosed an error in its evaluation of federal student aid, potentially leading to extended delays for thousands of applicants.  This situation puts numerous students who have sought federal aid for college funding at risk of indefinite postponements, particularly as enrollment deadlines approach. The Federal Student Aid office, which manages the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), announced on March 24 that its system failed to incorporate all necessary data fields to accurately compute aid based on students' reported assets.  Consequently, applicants must have their submissions reprocessed and presented to educational institutions. … The Department of Education stated that the miscalculation has been rectified without specifying the time frame for reprocessing the impacted applications.  However, it acknowledged that the agency had disseminated inaccurate information. Approximately 200,000 applications were affected out of the over 1.5 million already processed in a year, where at least 6 million FAFSAs have been submitted thus far. The current issue arises amidst a significantly delayed system as officials rush to address technical malfunctions in the online form, handle application processing, and expedite the distribution of financial aid packages.  You would think that a major foulup such as this, which has already drawn demands for a congressional investigation, would garner significantly more network evening news air time than a minute and 55 seconds on CBS (2/29), two minutes and 14 seconds on NBC (3/1), and zero minutes on ABC, and yet here we are.  As Erick Erickson rightly notes, this SHOULD be a major national news story. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who has devoted significant portions of his tenure to defending the advancement of the sexualization of children in schools as well as the right of men to compete in women's sports, has escaped the kind of scrutiny that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has drawn over his handling of the border and that Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg has drawn over, well…everything else.  And when you stop to consider whether the story of the FAFSA disaster has truly gone underreported, ask yourself: what would the coverage be like had this happened under Betsy DeVos? Once again, the Regime Media go out of their way to avoid reporting a story that makes the Biden administration look bad.   
Yesterday — March 28th 2024Your RSS feeds

ABC World News Tonight SQUEES Over Biden-Obama-Clinton Fundraiser

There are many reasons that underlie why we often refer to the corporate news media as “Regime Media”. Chief among them, their willingness to propagate Democrat talking points and obsequiously report things in a light most favorable to whatever Democrat is in power. ABC World News Tonight’s coverage of the much-ballyhooed three-president fundraiser in New York City certainly exemplifies “Regime Media”. Watch as anchor Linsey Davis and ABC Chief Biden Apple Polisher….errr…White House Correspondent Mary Bruce open up the propaganda-adjacent report: LINSEY DAVIS: Now, to the race for the White House, and four U.S. Presidents in New York. President Biden, holding a $25 million fund-raiser at Radio City Music Hall tonight, with some high profile support from former presidents. Former President Obama hitching a ride to New York on Air Force One with President Biden. He'll be joined by former President Clinton on the stage tonight. Former President Trump also nearby at the wake for a fallen police officer, just three weeks until the start of his Manhattan criminal trial. ABC's Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce here in New York.  MARY BRUCE: Tonight, President Biden calling in the heavy hitters to give his campaign a jolt. Biden and former President Barack Obama touching down today in New York City. Teaming up tonight with former President Bill Clinton for what the campaign is touting as a record-shattering fund-raiser at Radio City Music Hall. The Biden campaign billing the star-studded night as a massive show of force. If Washington D.C. is Hollywood for ugly people, as some say, then tonight’s event was the equivalent of a star-studded red-carpet premiere for a big-budget film. This certainly explains ABC’s coverage of the celebrity-laden fundraiser. Mary Bruce seemed like an entertainment reporter more than a chief White House correspondent. But there’s little discernible difference between those two beats nowadays. Linsey Davis was sure to set the tone in her intro, including the cheap shot at Donald Trump. Although the Stormy Daniels trial is certainly a newsworthy event, one struggles to see what it had to do with Trump’s visit to the wake of fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller. The answer is: absolutely nothing, beyond a common general geography. What’s more disgusting, it appears that this is the first mention of Officer Diller on ABC World News Tonight- wholly unavoidable because of who attended his wake, but unmentionable beforehand because his death makes the various Democrats in power look bad.  The report ends with Bruce sounding like a Biden communications staffer as she goes through the fundraising totals, contrasting Biden’s campaign haul with Trump’s legal expenses.  Days like this, if it weren’t for Regime Media we’d have no media at all. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Thursday, March 28th, 2024: LINSEY DAVIS: Now, to the race for the White House, and four U.S. Presidents in New York. President Biden holding a $25 million fund-raiser at Radio City Music Hall tonight, with some high profile support from former presidents. Former President Obama hitching a ride to New York on Air Force One with President Biden. He'll be joined by former President Clinton on the stage tonight. Former President Trump also nearby at the wake for a fallen police officer, just three weeks until the start of his Manhattan criminal trial. ABC's Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce here in New York.  MARY BRUCE: Tonight, President Biden calling in the heavy hitters to give his campaign a jolt. Biden and former President Barack Obama touching down today in New York City. Teaming up tonight with former President Bill Clinton for what the campaign is touting as a record-shattering fund-raiser at Radio City Music Hall. The Biden campaign billing the star-studded night as a massive show of force. A conversation with three presidents and musical guests, including Lizzo and Queen Latifah. The event expected to rake in an historic $25 million, more money than rival Donald Trump raised all last month. Tickets for the sold out fundraiser run from $225 to half a million dollars. Select high dollar donors can get their photo taken with all three presidents by famed photographer Annie Leibowitz. Outside the event in New York, pro-Palestinian protesters demanding a cease-fire. Biden and Trump are running neck and neck in national polls, with the race now tightening in key battleground states. Trump today making his own visit to New York, invited by the family to the wake of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, a young father gunned down during a routine traffic stop. It comes as Trump is eager to put crime front and center in this election.  DONALD TRUMP: We have to stop it. We have to get back to law and order, we have to do a lot of things differently, because this is not working. This is happening too often. BRUCE: Now, the Trump campaign is claiming they have their own record-shattering fund-raiser coming up next week. They say that will bring in some $33 million, but the former president has already had to spend at least $60 million in political contributions to pay his legal bills. The bottom line here, Linsey, the Biden campaign is far outraising the Trump campaign, as the former president is still being weighed down by his legal woes. Linsey. DAVIS: Mary Bruce for us in New York today. Thank you, Mary.  

Telemundo Was the ONLY Evening Network Newscast to Cover the End of Disney’s Lawsuit Against Ron DeSantis

The corporate media placed themselves on the side of the sexualization of our children in schools and in opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, referring to the statute not by its name but by the term coined by the rainbow mafia- “Don’t Say Gay”. They then fawned over Disney’s decision to sue the state over revocation of its exclusive government entity. But only Telemundo reported in prime time that the tables turned and Disney tapped out, effectively ending the lawsuit. Here is Telemundo’s report in its entirety, as aired on Wednesday, March 27th, 2024: ARANTXA LOIZAGA: In other news, Florida and Disney came to terms in order to put an end to a nearly 2-year old legal dispute over control of the district that governs the Disney World theme park. Via the agreement, both parties accepted to withdraw their lawsuits and committed to work together towards development of the area. Governor DeSantis’ offensive against the company began after (Disney) expressed its opposition to the controversial law known by its critics as “Don’t Say Gay”. Of course, the report is flawed inasmuch as it also refers to the Parental Rights in Education Act by its derisive activist moniker. Nonetheless, Telemundo showed up. Not a peep from ABC, CBS, NBC, or even Univision. And this stands in stark contrast to how the networks covered the initial filing of the lawsuit. Per CNBC’s report, with significantly more context than Telemundo’s tiny brief: Disney agreed Wednesday to end litigation in state court involving a Florida special tourism district that the entertainment giant effectively controlled for more than five decades until last year after Gov. Ron DeSantis moved to revoke that status. The settlement lifts a significant barrier to the continued development of Walt Disney World in the Orlando area and provides for the potential resolution of a related federal case. The state lawsuit was originally filed in Orange County by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to void agreements the old district board had signed with Disney right before it was dissolved at DeSantis’ behest after Disney opposed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill backed by the governor. Disney in turn had asked the court to rule that the agreements, which benefited the company, were valid. As part of the settlement of that case Wednesday, Disney agreed not to challenge the CFTOD’s determination that the prior agreements with the old Reedy Creek Improvement District were null and void. Reedy Creek got gone, and stays gone as part of the agreement. That is huge. That is an enormous L for Disney- an admission that its exclusive taxing district is gone forever. Surely there was time to cover such a significant business story. But, alas, that was not the case. Which makes the networks’ coverage at the time even more egregious.  As our friend Curtis Houck noted, the networks cheered “Heavy economic hitter” Disney, and eagerly quoted Republicans critical of DeSantis for both standing up for parents’ rights and standing up to Disney. Breathlessly, and with extensive quotes. During prime time and in the morning shows. No opportunity was wasted to try to make DeSantis look bad. Even Nikki Haley’s goofy proposal to take Disney to South Carolina garnered gleeful attention. All in service of the sexualization of children in schools.  Now that Disney’s efforts to change the law fizzled in state court, not a peep. The networks were as quiet as Main Street right before a hurricane.  
Before yesterdayYour RSS feeds

MSNBC Hosts Spike The Football After NBC’s Firing Of Ronna McDaniel

Several of the hosts at MSNBC, pleased with having cowed leadership into terminating the contract of former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, took to the air and celebrated the ouster in an eye roll-inducing display of pious self-congratulation. The inmates rejoice, secure in the knowledge that they do, in fact, run the asylum. The evening began innocently enough, with Ari Melber soberly breaking the news and reading, without really any subsequent dunking, the statement put forth by NBCUniversal News Chairman Cesar Conde (click “expand”): ARI MELBER: We want to turn now to an update from NBC News. NBC News leadership has announced that former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor. We have a new email and update that's come out just within this hour, so this is sort of breaking news here within our organization on a story that has garnered significant attention and criticism. And what I'm going to do now, to be very clear, is read the entire update from NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde. He has written in this new email, quote: “There's no doubt that the last several days have been difficult for the news group. After listening to the concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor.” He goes on to write that “no organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this  appointment undermines that goal.” The news chairman continues to say, quote, “I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it”, says Cesar Conde, the chairman. He explains, quote, “Our initial decision was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a widely diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, particularly during these consequential times.” And then, in closing, this message which again is brand-new. We're airing it for the first time here on MSNBC having come out this hour- quote: “we continue to be committed to the principle that we must have diverse viewpoints on our programs and to that end, we will redouble our efforts to seek voices that represent different parts of the political spectrum”, end quote. If you watch MSNBC as you probably do if you're listening to me right now or you follow news media and politics, this has been a roiling debate since that initial announcement was made on Friday. Many people have weighed in and now the News Chairman says, in response to the legitimate criticism including on this channel, Ms. McDaniel will not be a contributor here. That is the news update. Other than “legitimate criticism”, Melber said nothing really out of the ordinary and handled the story matter-of-factly.  The same can not be said for Joy Reid and Rachel Maddow, who took a victory lap and celebrated their heckler’s veto (click “expand”):  JOY REID: Another thing happened that is not about the abortion situation. Our chairman of the NBC Universal News Group, Cesar Conde, who we both know very well, he sent a memo that we all got as employees here, rescinding the hiring of Ronna Romney-McDaniel. And I know I felt strongly about it, I know you felt very strongly about it- I think everyone from 4 o’clock on, from Nicolle to midnight, we all felt very strongly and said so on our respective shows yesterday. And I just have to say, when somebody does the right thing, I feel like it should be acknowledged as publicly as we acknowledge our outrage. And so I know how I feel about it. I am grateful to Cesar for actually making the right decision. I think it was the right decision. But I want to get your take as well. RACHEL MADDOW: Thank you for asking me about it. I still feel like- I still feel like a little -- it always feels wrong to talk about things, you know, in the company as if it's news.  REID:  Agreed.  MADDOW: It's not the way either you or I are wired. But I will just say that journalists are a fractious bunch, and in our big company with all sorts of different journalistic entities you have all sorts of different people working in this business doing all sorts of different work. And to see the, essentially, unanimous feeling among all of the journalists in this building and also our senior staff and all the producers and everybody in this building about this was one thing. But then to see the executives and the leadership hear that, and respond to it, and be willing to change course based on it, based on their respect for us and hearing what we argued, I have deep respect for that. I do- I mean what I said on the air last night in my show, that I think that acknowledging that you might have gotten something wrong is a real sign of strength, a real show of strength. And I think it's a show of strength and I think it’s a show of respect for the people who work at this company and who make us who we are. That leadership was willing to change on this, and I'm grateful to them. You know, it's not about hiring a Republican. It’s not even about hiring somebody who has Trump ties. This was a really specific case because of Ms. McDaniel’s- her involvement in the election interference stuff. And I'm grateful that our leadership was willing to do the, I think, the bold, strong, resilient thing.  REID: Yeah. I mean, we're going to be using her name because she's a witness in the Michigan electors case. It's less awkward to have to say, “and by the way, this person works for NBC News”. We're glad we don’t have to do that. A recurring theme here is the insistence from some of these propagandists on calling themselves journalists. Especially Maddow, who willfully spread some of the most egregious lies on the efficacy of the Covid vaccine and who gleefully reported the Russia Hoax as factual. What does this all say about Cesar conde, who allowed himself to be held hostage on personnel decisions by a bunch of partisan propagandists? We then move on to Chris Hayes, whose take reminds us of the old South Park episode about the “Pious” sedan (click “expand”).  CHRIS HAYES: A couple of hours ago, NBC News announced that Ronna Romney-McDaniel, the former chairperson of the Republican National Committee, will not be a contributor to the network. This comes four days after NBC News announced her hiring as a political analyst. As you might know, we don't have a show on weekends or Mondays and between then and now I've been closely following the news and talking to lots of people inside the company. And most of what I wanted to say about al this has already been said very well by my colleagues from people like Chuck Todd and Joe Scarborough, to Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid and Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell and others. There’s a reason so many people had this reaction. It’s not because McDaniel is a Republican or a conservative and everyone thought, “oh no a Republican on NBC News”. We all recognize a variety of views is vitally important in understanding our country and doing good programming. The reason this precipitated the visceral gut reaction that it did is that there's just a pretty bright red line in American life after January 6th. On one side of that line are people who aided and abetted this attempt to end the democratic system as we know it. To steal a free and fair election. An attempt that, as Rachel noted last night, is ongoing. It’s very much still happening. There’s lots of Republicans who tried to stop that. But Ronna Romney-McDaniel is unfortunately on the wrong side of that red line. She aided and abetted in the biggest attack to destroy American democracy since the Civil War. She helped perpetuate lies that Donald Trump told as part of his plot to overthrow the constitutional order. As members of the press, as democratic citizens I, we believe in democracy as a system. We’re pro-democracy. We want to keep the system going. People involved in the kind of work we do every day are also signed on to that basic project, I think. And we are in this business at a time when the information environment has never been more polluted and more confusing. More people try to pass off dubious stories and lies. It's important for us to do the best we can to tell the truth all the time and everyone is going to make mistakes. Lord knows we certainly make them. But the big lie of a stolen election is one of the most consequential, systematic lies told in recent memory, probably up there with all the lies about the vaccine, both of which have incredibly damaging effects and both of which have really destroyed the credibility of the people and institutions and the political parties and the corporations that are associated with them. In the end, all you can really ask of people in our profession is diligence, and open-mindedness, and critical thinking, and above all else and this is really important to me, good faith. When I'm speaking to you here right now I'm not putting on a show about what I think and believe. This is it. I could be wrong about things, Lord knows I must be sometimes. I might have opinions you think are wrong, we might tell stories in ways that you think leave stuff out or emphasize a wrong angle but the key to this entire enterprise is the kind of bedrock trust- the trust that we that we really are acting in good faith. We really are trying to get it right. We are not feeding you lies to be good team players. It’s a foundational principle for both working in the press and, I think, healthy democratic dialogue and debate. Whatever your ideology is, wherever you come down on issues, whoever you support for president. Whatever you believe in. And I have to say- I really appreciate working at a place that was able to say, “we got this one wrong”, and they made the right decision. Again, the biggest fraud here is these guys insisting that they be taken seriously as “journalists”. Say what you want about Ronna, but she’s the most transparent out of everyone involved in this sorry episode. Hayes has some chutzpah talking about polluted information environments, given MSNBC’s role (and the corporate media’s writ large) in polluting the information environment. Finally, there’s Alex Wagner, who echoes some of Hayes’ thematics but seems less enamored with the sound of her own voice (click “expand”): ALEX WAGNER: Before we go, I do have an update on a story that some of you may have been following in recent days. NBC News has announced tonight that it has dropped former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel as a paid on-air contributor. Now, that decision comes less than a week after this company announced Ms. McDaniel's hiring, and it is due in no small part to the efforts here both in front of the camera and behind it, to make clear that her hiring was a very serious mistake. A lot of my colleagues in prime time here, actually all of them, are weighing in on this so I'm not going to belabor the point except to say election denial lists do not belong on the payroll of a news organization. People who seek to undermine democracy should not be contracted to work at an institution that seeks to preserve it. Tonight the man who is the boss of all of us, NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde, confirmed that Ronna McDaniel would not be an NBC News contributor either. In a note to the staff he said, “no organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal”. Through the last few days, we have been given license to say what we felt was wrong with this call. And so I also think it's important to speak up when we feel like the right thing was done. Companies make mistakes. Sometimes very big ones, sometimes very publicly. What matters especially, in the end, is how they correct them. And from what we can see right now, at this hour, it looks like our company listened to us, to you, and did what was right.  Thankfully, both Ali Velshi (sitting in for Lawrence O’Donnell) and Stephanie Ruhle spared us the indignity of additional hot takery and preening triumphalism. But the fact remains that MSNBC flexed veto power over a personnel decision, and this will have repercussions beyond McDaniel.  What happens when the MSNBC mob howls over the hiring of someone who advocates against puberty blockers for minors, or for the unborn, or who thinks that the United States should wind down its assistance to Ukraine? Getting a commentator fired over J6 may seem like low-hanging fruit today, but it is in fact a slippery slope. Cesar Conde caved to the MSNBC mob, plain and simple. And the mob is never, ever fully placated.  

OFF THE RAILS: The Network Evening Newscasts OMIT Biden’s Baltimore Bridge Gaffe

Once again, President Joe Biden has committed a major gaffe while addressing the media. And once again the media, always in Protect the Precious mode, pretend that it never even happened. Watch as Biden opens his remarks on the tragic accident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge with a personal anecdote: PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: At about 1:30, a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge which I’ve been over many, many times commuting from the State of Delaware by train or by car. I’ve been to Baltimore Harbor many times. This is usually the red flag that a less partisan media would be on the lookout for. There are many such instances that simply get written off as folksy Bidenisms, such as his claims of being simultaneously raised in the rough-and-tumble Puerto Rican and Polish neighborhoods of Scranton, PA, depending on the audience being pandered to. Biden’s claim of commuting over the Francis Scott Key Bridge is equally suspect- because the bridge never had any rail lines. Per The New York Post: President Biden on Tuesday was fact-checked by social media users after claiming that he’s commuted over Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge “many, many times …  either on a train or by car.”  Numerous people on X noted that the bridge, which fell into the Patapsco River early Tuesday morning after being struck by a massive cargo ship, has never had rail lines attached to it.  … Biden, who claims to have traveled over one million miles aboard Amtrak over the course of his 36 years in the Senate and 8 years as vice president, was skewered for “inserting himself” into yet another tragedy.  Adding insult to injury, The White House tried to gaslight the Post into believing that Biden only meant commuting by car. The White House told The Post that Biden was only making reference to having driven over the bridge. “The President was clearly describing driving over the bridge while commuting between Delaware and D.C. during his 36-year Senate career,’ White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said in a statement. Congratulations to Patterson on acing her MSNBC audition. Unsurprisingly, none of the major evening newscasts covered this egregious fabrication. Facts and accuracy seem to only matter when covering Republicans. Biden, on the other hand, can make stuff up with impunity- secure in the fact that the media will more often than not provide cover for his fabrications and increasingly frequent cognitive lapses.  

Ahead of SCOTUS Hearing, NBC News Promotes Abortion Pill Mills

As we mentioned previously, the media are desperately seeding narrative ahead of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on whether the FDA violated the law when it issued emergency approval for Mifepristone, framing the issue instead as a matter of “access”. But NBC has taken that advocacy one step further.  Watch this segment from correspondent Dasha Burns’ latest dispatch, from what can charitably be called an abortion pill mill: DASHA BURNS: In this basement in upstate New York, one group is giving abortion access to thousands in states where it's illegal. We're not showing faces because they fear repercussions.  Where's a lot of this medication going? ANONYMOUS: The medication is going to all the states that the pharmacy will not send to. So I would say the majority are going to Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia.  What else do you call a center that dispenses pills in a manner so as to skirt questions of illegality? That was certainly appropriate when the discourse centered around opioids, so why wouldn’t it be the case now? This is a follow-up to Burns’ previous item on Mifepristone, wherein she visited a Planned Parenthood in Miami and received several testimonials on the convenience of abortion pills. The whole play here is to build sympathy around the access argument. But the hearing before the Court isn’t at all about access or the availability of abortion pills. Rather, it is about administrative law and a runaway federal bureaucracy. Credit to Burns for at least showcasing the perspective from a pro-life advocate who made this very point, which is something that usually doesn’t make it into the media’s advocacy for unrestricted abortion. We’ll see what coverage looks like after oral arguments. Nonetheless, I predict coverage will continue to center around access to abortion rather than the runaway federal bureaucracy. Especially if the Supreme Court rules against the FDA come June. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on NBC Nightly News on Monday, March 26th, 2024: LESTER HOLT: Back now with the abortion pill battle. While it's banned in 14 states, some activists have taken it upon themselves to mail it to women in those places. But as Dasha Burns explains, that could all change with a case that goes before the Supreme Court tomorrow.  DASHA BURNS: In this basement in upstate New York, one group is giving abortion access to thousands in states where it's illegal. We're not showing faces because they fear repercussions.  Where's a lot of this medication going? ANONYMOUS: The medication is going to all the states that the pharmacy will not send to. So I would say the majority are going to Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia.  BURNS: New York is one of six states operating under new shield laws when it comes to telehealth, which protect providers doing this from prosecution. For now.  How many prescriptions are you mailing out today?  ANONYMOUS: Today we're doing 112. BURNS: Dr. Linda Prine prescribes pills from New York City. What is the scale of this operation?  LINDA PRINE: So before we had the shield law, we were mailing pills to the blue states. After we passed our shield law, the first month we sent about 4,000 pills into restricted states. And now we're up to around 10,000 pills a month BURNS: Anti-abortion rights groups taking notice. KATIE DANIEL: The fact remains that just because you are sitting in California does not mean that you are not violating the laws of Florida, Texas and 30 other states. So I think they have a false sense of security about this. BURNS: But that access in question. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments tomorrow in a case that could prohibit prescription of abortion pills via telemedicine and prevent providers from mailing them. What action do you want the Supreme Court to take? DANIEL: We hope that the Supreme Court will agree with the two lower courts who have already found that it's likely that the FDA broke federal law and its own rules when it brought the abortion drugs to market.  ANONYMOUS: I think what we're talking about is really ways to work around whatever scenario comes up so that we can continue to get these medications to patients. BURNS: Dasha Burns, NBC News, New Paltz, New York.  

PSHAMELESS: Jen Psaki Knocks NBC Hiring of Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

One might reasonably believe, given her brazen negotiation with NBC while still serving as White House Press Secretary, that Jen Psaki would be the absolute last person to run her mouth over the Peacock Network’s hiring of former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel. But, alas, these are not reasonable times.  Psaki did, in fact, weigh in on the McDaniel hire in a self-indulgent and fundamentally unself-aware editorial on tonight’s broadcast of Inside with Jen Psaki. Here it is, in its two minutes of smug, gaslighting entirety (click “expand” to view transcript): JEN PSAKI: You may have seen some news over the last few days about the hiring of former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel as an NBC News contributor. And some, mainly in the right-wing ecosystem, have made the comparison to others who have come from government or politics into the media- including me. And that is a comparison I felt like I had to address. I got into public service for the same reason that many people do. To serve the American people. I worked on my first political campaign when I was just 24 years old. When I was 28, I packed my bags and moved to Chicago to work for Barack Obama. He wanted to make the country a better place, and I wanted to help him. I wanted to work on behalf of the American people to try and make their lives better. That's why I did campaigns and a few years later, I would do the same thing for President Biden when I went to work for him in the White House. I was in the room for tough debates, for difficult decisions, for the messy and at times, incredibly grueling process of governing. And that experience is something that I am extremely proud to bring to this table and to this network. And there are many others who have followed a similar path who I have a great deal of respect for. But here's the thing. That kind of experience only matters and only has value to viewers, all of you, if it is paired with honesty and with good faith. Those qualities are especially important right now at a time when our institutions are under attack and when our democracy is in danger. And our democracy is in danger because of the lies that people like Ronna McDaniel have pushed on this country. To quote Liz Cheney, “Ronna facilitated Trump's corrupt fake elector plot and his effort to pressure Michigan officials not to certify the legitimate election outcome. She spread his lies and called January 6th ‘legitimate political discourse’”. Look, this isn't about Republicans versus Democrats. This isn’t about Red versus Blue. This is about truth versus lies. Service to the country versus service to one man committed to toppling our democratic system. That is the kind of experience that Ronna McDaniel brings to the table. And that experience does not get us to a deeper understanding of anything in the public debate. We’ll be right back. I suppose Psaki deserves a modicum of credit for somewhat cutting to the chase, unlike Rachel Maddow’s opening monologues. Nonetheless, the gaslighting began right after Psaki softened viewers up by boring them with her biography. Seriously, nobody cares.  We know full well that there is an incestuous, revolving door between (almost exclusively Democratic) politics and the media. MSNBC hired Psaki, as Chuck Todd intimated during his own meltdown, purely for access. What Psaki brings to MSNBC’s viewers is a peek into the inner workings of the Obama and Biden administrations. As does Symone Sanders-Townsend. This is the access that MSNBC paid for.  MSNBC provides its viewers with many other unique insights. There are the insights, for example, of former Republicans cashing in on Never Trumpism such as Michael Steele and Nicolle Wallace. There are the insights of racial arsonists with blood on their hands such as Al Sharpton, Russia Hoax conspiracy theorists such as Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes, elite legacies such as Alicia Menéndez, and so on.  What distinguishes Psaki from the rest of this lot is that none of them babbled about honesty and good faith after having exited a career distinguished by its dishonesty and bad faith. Most people in this position just take the bag and go on about their business without the moral preening, especially when they lack the moral standing to preen in the first place. Most egregiously, Jen Psaki admitted to lying in order to advance the Iran Deal and then deleting video evidence of that admission while serving as State Department spokesperson. Her tenure as White House Press Secretary wasn’t much better, as evidenced by our colleague Curtis Houck’s rundown of her worst moments.  I will not apologize for being unimpressed by one political hack, among many, decrying the hiring of another political hack at a network known for its political hackery. Congratulations to Psaki on cashing in, I guess, but just spare us. And if there is to be a next moral lecture, try to deliver it without shamelessly ripping off Barack Obama’s 2004 “Red States, Blue States” speech.  Click here for the full NewsBusters Jen Psaki archive.   

Univision’s Jorge Ramos Gets SHUT DOWN On Immigration, Border Crisis

The most pro-open borders anchor in television got shut down on his own Sunday show on borders and immigration, and it wasn’t even close. Time and time again, Jorge Ramos was forcefully rebutted on the narratives he’s served his viewership for decades.  Watch as Ramos gets absolutely handled by San Antonio-area talk show host and old friend of MRC Latino George Rodriguez: JORGE RAMOS: Trump has called some immigrants “animals”. He says that certain immigrants poison the blood of the United States. Do you agree with Trump? GEORGE RODRIGUEZ: No, I don’t agree with many of the things Mr. Trump says because, well, sometimes he gets out of control. I don't know how to describe it. But I support what he wants to do. He wants to defend the nation. He puts... Look, we have to understand that there are many Latinos like me, who are third or fourth-generation Americans of Latino descent and the thing is that we are Americans first and we want to defend, we want to take care of our nation. THIS is our nation. RAMOS: But your family is immigrant just like mine, George. And to call immigrants- to say that they poison the blood of the United States, that is absolutely false. This country was made thanks to immigrants. RODRIGUEZ: Well, not all immigrants. We have to... Again, we have to be careful that when we talk about immigrants- are we talking about legal immigration or are we talking about out-of-control immigration, illegal immigration? There is a difference. We cannot say that all immigrants are simply immigrants. There are immigrants who have followed the immigration laws and there are those who have not. Ramos first tried running the “animals” hoax past Rodriguez, that is, that hoax which alleges that Trump refers to all immigrants as “animals” on the occasions he has made such utterances, as opposed to criminals and gangsters. This media hoax originally ran in 2019 when Trump referred to MS-13 as “animals”. Most recently, in reference to criminal aliens such as Laken Riley’s killer.  The “animals” hoax is one example of how Spanish-language news media disseminates disinformation into the community. Per a 2022 Bienvenido/WPA Intel study, 69% of Spanish-language news consumers believe that Trump referred to all immigrants as “animals”. Rodriguez moved off of the “animals” question and on to stating the case that Latinos are Americans, as opposed to some separate, alien other. And this prompted Ramos to go into a variant of “we are a nation of immigrants”, plus the appeal to immigrant origins despite Rodriguez having made clear his family has been here for generations and he is rooted in this country. Here again, Rodriguez shut Ramos down by shutting down the conflation between legal, vetted immigrants following the process versus unvetted, potentially criminal migrants streaming across the border. There is a clear shift in the immigration debate that is playing out on Spanish-language TV. Advocates for open borders used to dominate the debate but, as we saw today, this is clearly no longer the case. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned interview as aired on Univision’s Al Punto on Sunday, March 24th, 2024: JORGE RAMOS: There are certainly many people in Texas who support SB-4. One of those people is George Rodriguez, a volunteer spokesman for the Texas Republican Party and conservative broadcaster. George, thank you for being here with us. GEORGE RODRIGUEZ: Thank you very much for inviting me. RAMOS: George, you believe in the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution clearly states that the issue of immigration is (the role) of the federal government, not of Texas. But you believe otherwise. RODRÍGUEZ: No, I totally believe in the Constitution. I believe that a section of the Constitution allows the state to defend itself when there is an invasion, when there is a problem, and that is what we are seeing here in Texas. We have seen- look at what happened on Thursday in El Paso, the avalanche of people who crossed- who tried to forcefully cross the border. That's what we're seeing right now. Thousands of people are crossing every day and we have to do something to protect citizens and property, given that the federal government is not. RAMOS: George, you just said that it is an invasion, but there is no invading country. You know perfectly well that Mexico does not want to conquer the United States and the perception that the majority of immigrants who cross are criminals is false. That is not true. RODRIGUEZ: Yes, it's true. Not that we say the majority, but we don't know who they are. They have caught terrorists. They caught- this past week, they caught a Venezuelan who was fleeing the law in Colombia. We don't know who's coming. More than anything, it's out of control. The people who are entering. Migration. It’s out of control. There is no control. They are entering and after that, they are applying to emigrate, to stay in the United States. That's the opposite of what it should be. They must first apply, and then enter. RAMOS: Well, a Stanford study, you know it perfectly well, establishes that immigrants commit fewer crimes than citizens of the United States, they are imprisoned less. Even the Texas Department of Public Safety concludes that immigrants are less dangerous than United States citizens. So, again, the idea that criminals and terrorists are coming in, that's not the whole story. RODRIGUEZ: Well, many people may say that it is not the whole story, but how many are we going to tolerate? How many criminals? How many terrorists are we going to tolerate? Just because they say, "Well, there aren't many." As long as one comes in, as long as two come in. That's enough for me. And that’s enough for us here in Texas. We must not have any criminals. We shouldn't have any terrorists coming in. RAMOS: Trump has called some immigrants “animals”. He says that certain immigrants poison the blood of the United States. Do you agree with Trump? Rodríguez: No, I don’t agree with many of the things Mr. Trump says, because well, sometimes he gets out of control. I don't know how to describe it. But I support what he wants to do. He wants to defend the nation. He puts... Look, we have to understand that there are many Latinos like me, who are third or fourth-generation Americans of Latino descent and the thing is that we are Americans first and we want to defend, we want to take care of our nation. THIS is our nation. RAMOS: But your family is immigrant just like mine, George. And to call immigrants- say that they poison the blood of the United States, that is absolutely false. This country was made thanks to immigrants. RODRIGUEZ: Well, not all immigrants. We have to... Again, we have to be careful that when we talk about immigrants- are we talking about legal immigration or are we talking about out-of-control immigration, illegal immigration? There is a difference. We cannot say that all immigrants are simply immigrants. There are immigrants who have followed the immigration laws and there are those who have not. RAMOS: Let me finish with this, George. Texas police and law enforcement officials are neither trained nor prepared to detain undocumented immigrants or deport them. This would cost billions of dollars. Who is going to pay for this? RODRIGUEZ: Look, the police are not going to stop just anyone. They are not going to stop someone just because they are Latino. They are going to stop, more than anything, people who are crossing, who are hunting for people who are crossing illegally, who are not crossing on the bridge, who are not introducing themselves to the Border Patrol, those are the people who are going to be caught. And those people- they’re going to have to see who they are, for what reason they come. Those are the people. People in big cities are very busy. The police are too busy to stop so-and-so just because they are Latino. That is a falsehood that Democrats and liberals are proposing. RAMOS: George Rodríguez, thank you for being with us. RODRIGUEZ: Thank you very much.  

ABC’s Jon Karl Tries To Veep-Shame Marco Rubio, Gets SCHOOLED

While behind the moderator desk at ABC This Week, noted January 6th hysteric Jon Karl tried to “gotcha” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on several fronts during a broad-ranging interview, attempting to embarrass him over his prior primary against Donald Trump as Rubio is now under consideration, per reports, to be Trump’s 2024 running mate. Instead, Karl got shut down at each turn. Watch as Karl tries to shame Rubio for considering the offer to join Trump on the ballot “an honor”:  JON KARL: There was some reporting this week that you are possibly under consideration to be Donald Trump's running mate. I don't put a lot of stock in this reporting right now. We're early, but you said it would be an honor to be offered a spot on his ticket. Really?  MARCO RUBIO: Yeah. I think anyone who is offered the opportunity to serve this country as vice president should be honored by the opportunity to do it if you are in public service. I'm in the Senate because I want to serve the country. Being vice president is an important way to serve the country. But I've also been clear. I've never talked to Donald Trump, I’ve never talked to anybody on his team or family or inner circle about vice president. That's the decision he's going to make. He has plenty of really good people to pick from.  KARL: I mean, the reason why I ask is- look what happened to the last guy. I mean, a mob stormed the Capitol, literally calling to hang Mike Pence. RUBIO: Listen, I- KARL: And Trump defended those chants of “hang Mike Pence”. RUBIO: I will tell you this, that when Donald Trump was president of the United States, this country was safer, it was more prosperous. We had relations for example, in a part of the world I care about called the Western Hemisphere, that were very strong and we had a lot of good things done there. I think the country and the world was a better place when he was president. And I would love to see him return to the White House in comparison to the guy who's there now, Joe Biden, who's been a disaster economically. Look at the world- every single day we wake up to a new crisis, a new conflict. Everything has gone on fire since the time Joe Biden took over. Afghanistan's gone down, Ukraine has been invaded. Now the Philippines and the Chinese are on the verge of something bad every single day, not to mention the threats to Taiwan. We have this blowup in Haiti going on in our very own hemisphere. We wake up every day- terrorist attacks and 9 million people across the border.  KARL: But- but- but- but-  RUBIO: I mean, that’s what matters to me. KARL: I mean, you're not suggesting that's all happening because of Biden.  RUBIO: Absolutely, I am. Absolutely I'm suggesting it's happening because of Biden. He's president and his weakness --  KARL: It’s because of Biden that Russia invaded Ukraine? RUBIO: Absolutely.  KARL: It’s because of Biden that Haiti…  RUBIO: Absolutely. I mean, Putin is sitting there saying, these guys can't even stand up to the Taliban and they have to fly people hanging off the wings of these airplanes. Now's the time to go. Really?, asks Karl, in reaction to Rubio’s answer, and then immediately dives back into January 6th hysteria. The underlying sentiment behind Karl's faux incredulousness is that somehow it would not be an honor to be on the presidential ticket. Rubio easily swatted away both the question joining the ticket and on J6 bait, and went into a detailed indictment of President Joe Biden’s policies and how they’ve been detrimental to the country. As a result, Karl was quickly left sputtering when he saw where the conversation was headed. Shortly thereafter, Karl tried to take another shot at embarrassing Rubio for being considered to join the Trump ticket, airing portions of his “con man” speech from the 2016 GOP primary. Here, again, Rubio forced Karl to backtrack. After opening this line of questioning by saying, asking for this “trip down memory lane”, Karl drifted to presidential immunity after getting shut down again: KARL: Can we take a quick trip down memory lane when we’re talking about this? This was you in 2016.  RUBIO: What we are dealing with here, my friends, is a con artist. He is a con artist. First of all, he runs on this idea that he is fighting for the little guy, but he has spent his entire career sticking it to the little guy. If you all have friends that are thinking of voting for Donald Trump, friends do not let friends vote for con artists. KARL: Friends don’t let friends vote for con artists…  RUBIO: It was a campaign.  KARL: You know I could’ve gone on. I could’ve played more. RUBIO: Yeah, but- so, so why didn't you play the clip of Kamala Harris basically insinuating that Joe Biden was a segregationist on the debate stage, and she’s now his vice president?  KARL: We’ve played that, but let me ask you...  RUBIO: But you didn't play it now. KARL: That was then.  RUBIO: Yeah, that was then. But it was a campaign.  KARL: Okay, okay, but let me ask you right now. Where we are right now. Donald Trump is making the case, and he's going to do it before the Supreme Court, that the President of the United States should have absolute immunity, should effectively be above the law for virtually anything that a president does while in office. You don't agree with that, do you?  Karl didn’t like how the stroll down Memory Lane ended, hence the pivot to immunity with a dash of the New York civil trial, which Rubio handled. Anyone under consideration to join Trump on the 2024 ballot can expect the same from the corporate media, with varying degrees of intensity and success: disqualifying questions, attempts to pull up some past statement of opposition to Trump (especially true of former primary challengers), and generalized January 6th hysteria. In other words, more of the same nonsense that the media have burped out for the last 8 years. Click “expand” to view the cited portions of the aforementioned interview as aired on ABC This Week on Sunday, March 24th, 2024: JON KARL: I want to turn to politics. There was some reporting this week that you are possibly under consideration to be Donald Trump's running mate. I don't put a lot of stock in this reporting right now. We're early, but you said it would be an honor to be offered a spot on his ticket. Really?  MARCO RUBIO: Yeah. I think anyone who is offered the opportunity to serve this country as vice president should be honored by the opportunity to do it if you are in public service. I'm in the Senate because I want to serve the country. Being vice president is an important way to serve the country. But I've also been clear. I've never talked to Donald Trump, I’ve never talked to anybody on his team or family or inner circle about vice president. That's the decision he's going to make. He has plenty of really good people to pick from.  KARL: I mean, the reason why I ask is- look what happened to the last guy. I mean, a mob stormed the Capitol, literally calling to hang Mike Pence. RUBIO: Listen, I- KARL: And Trump defended those chants of “hang Mike Pence”. RUBIO: I will tell you this, that when Donald Trump was president of the United States, this country was safer, it was more prosperous. We had relations for example, in a part of the world I care about called the Western Hemisphere, that were very strong and we had a lot of good things done there. I think the country and the world was a better place when he was president. And I would love to see him return to the White House in comparison to the guy who's there now, Joe Biden, who's been a disaster economically. Look at the world- every single day we wake up to a new crisis, a new conflict. Everything has gone on fire since the time Joe Biden took over. Afghanistan's gone down, Ukraine has been invaded. Now the Philippines and the Chinese are on the verge of something bad every single day, not to mention the threats to Taiwan. We have this blowup in Haiti going on in our very own hemisphere. We wake up every day- terrorist attacks and 9 million people across the border.  KARL: But- but- but- but-  RUBIO: I mean, that’s what matters to me. KARL: I mean, you're not suggesting that's all happening because of Biden.  RUBIO: Absolutely, I am. Absolutely I'm suggesting it's happening because of Biden. He's president and his weakness --  KARL: It’s because of Biden that Russia invaded Ukraine? RUBIO: Absolutely.  KARL: It’s because of Biden that Haiti…  RUBIO: Absolutely. I mean, Putin is sitting there saying, these guys can't even stand up to the Taliban and they have to fly people hanging off the wings of these airplanes. Now's the time to go. It’s- and, by the way… KARL: Trump's the one saying that-- suggesting that there should be a deal that effectively gives Putin what he wants in Ukraine, but can we take a quick--  RUBIO: That's not true. What he said is he wants the conflict to end which is striking to me that people- why wouldn't people want peace? What I’ve said is, there is going to be a negotiated (settlement). Russia's not going to take all of Ukraine… KARL: Can we just… RUBIO: …and Ukraine's not going to push Russia back to the- where it was in 2014. I want Ukraine to have the upper hand in any negotiation. KARL: Can we take a quick trip down memory lane when we’re talking about this? This was you in 2016.  RUBIO: What we are dealing with here, my friends, is a con artist. He is a con artist. First of all, he runs on this idea that he is fighting for the little guy, but he has spent his entire career sticking it to the little guy. If you all have friends that are thinking of voting for Donald Trump, friends do not let friends vote for con artists. KARL: Friends don’t let friends vote for con artists…  RUBIO: It was a campaign.  KARL: You know I could’ve gone on. I could’ve played more. RUBIO: Yeah, but- so, so why didn't you play the clip of Kamala Harris basically insinuating that Joe Biden was a segregationist on the debate stage, and she’s now his vice president?  KARL: We’ve played that, but let me ask you...  RUBIO: But you didn't play it now. KARL: That was then.  RUBIO: Yeah, that was then. But it was a campaign.  KARL: Okay, okay, but let me ask you right now. Where we are right now. Donald Trump is making the case, and he's going to do it before the Supreme Court, that the President of the United States should have absolute immunity, should effectively be above the law for virtually anything that a president does while in office. You don't agree with that, do you?  RUBIO: Well, so- I don't think that in the case of immunity, there's two separate issues here. One is: can the president do anything? Can he go out and basically kill, you know, one of the members of the staff overnight inside the White House? Obviously, that's an absurd outcome and that's a common crime. But I do think there's a legitimate issue here that we need to talk about writ large, especially after what we've seen the last three years, is: do we want to live in a country where basically the opponents of a president can extort them, can have leverage over them during their entire presidency and say, “Don’t worry, once you're out of office, we're going to prosecute you, we’re going to come after you, we’re going to charge you for this crime and that crime?  KARL: Yeah, but he’s saying- he’s saying absolute immunity. I mean- RUBIO: I mean- we'll see. KARL: Okay. RUBIO: You know this goes before the Supreme Court. There are going to be oral arguments.  KARL: I'm saying a guy that wants to run for president.  RUBIO: He's not representing himself at the Supreme Court. Lawyers will make that argument, but we're living in a country now where basically if you are president, now you have to think to yourself, “I've got to be careful what I do as president, not even legal or illegal, even on policy because if I upset the wrong people, as soon as I leave some state prosecutor’s going to…”  KARL: You should be careful not to break the law as president.  RUBIO: Well, but look at these prosecutions that are coming about. You've got this lady- clear partisan in New York- who's basically prosecuting the president over loans, something that's never been done to anybody before. The banks… KARL: (Unint)  RUBIO: …who are supposedly victims of what they claim  are all saying “we're don’t even rely on what the president's statements are. We do our own internal investigation to see if the properties are worth what they're worth”, and you've got a judgment on him. That's one example of trying to bankrupt him and jail him.  KARL: OK, but give me this. You don't think the people who attacked the Capitol are “absolute patriots” like Trump says and should be pardoned, do you?  RUBIO: No, what I do think is that people that went into the Capitol and committed crimes of violence or had, you know, zip ties and all of that- are different from someone who walked in through an open door. I think they should have prioritized and only prosecuted the people who committed acts of violence--  KARL: But these are not “absolute patriots”...  RUBIO: If you attack a police officer or go into the Capitol, no. There are people that have been charged, in some cases, egregiously charged for simply walking in. They didn't attack anybody. Why didn't they do that for the people that set all those fires in Portland?  KARL: All right, Senator Rubio. Thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it. RUBIO: Thank you.  

REGIME MEDIA: ABC Whirled News Tonight Gushes Over Record Dow Close

They are what we thought they were. The regime media, in their zeal to act as Biden propagandists, maximize every opportunity to tout some sliver of positive economic news that might offset years of suck in the view of the American electorate. Such is the case with ABC’s irrationally exuberant coverage of the recent spate of record stock market highs. Watch as anchor David Muir and correspondent Erielle Reshef breathlessly proclaim the good news of the Dow pushing towards 40,000, as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Thursday, March 21st, 2024: DAVID MUIR: We turn now to the economy tonight, and another record day for the stock market, in fact, the Dow tonight nearing a remarkable new milestone. The Dow gaining 269 points today, finishing the day at 39,781, closing in on that 40,000 milestone. The Dow more than doubling its value in the last four years, bringing some good news tonight for 401(k)s after Covid and the economic strain that came with it. Let's get right to ABC's Erielle Reshef, she’s live on Wall Street tonight, as the Dow nears 40,000. Erielle?  ERIELLE RESHEF: Hey, David. For the second day in a row, the market surging into record territory. The Fed just yesterday holding interest rates steady and signaling that three cuts could be coming by the end of the year. Some analysts predicting that the first cut could come as early as June. And, of course, that could help offset the cost of credit card debt, as well as car loans, but Americans are already feeling the stock market surge in their retirement accounts, with 401(k)s averaging- they’re up about $12,000. And I want to show you just how far we've come since the stock market crashed at the top of the pandemic. The Dow nearly doubling over the course of the past four years, of course, reason to hope, and positive signs of encouragement for so many Americans feeling the pinch, David.  MUIR: Erielle Reshef live on Wall Street, and of course we’ll be watching it again tomorrow. Erielle, thank you. See that? Muir promises to watch the Dow tomorrow, and this is on the heels of oddly tying yesterday’s record Dow to the Fed’s decision to keep rates as they are: ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20th, 2024:   DAVID MUIR: To the economy tonight, and to another record day in the stock market, following the Federal Reserve's decision to leave interest rates unchanged for now, and signaling it expects to cut rates three times this year. The Dow gaining more than 400 points, hitting a new record high of 39,512. The S&P 500 hitting a new record as well, closing at 5224. About the Fed: Little was said in that report about the reasons why the fed funds rate went untouched. No mention whatsoever. What could the reason have possibly been? From, uh…ABC News: The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday, opting to keep rates highly elevated as progress toward lower inflation has stalled. The move pushes back rate cuts that the central bank expects to make some time this year. But the Fed stuck to its previous projection of three rate cuts by the end of 2024. The Fed Funds rate remains between 5.25% and 5.5%, matching its highest level since 2001. The decision arrives roughly a week after fresh inflation data showed inflation ticked up in February, the latest sign that progress toward cooling prices had struck a rough patch. Ah. Inflation rears its ugly head yet again. Just not on Whirled News Tonight- that might harsh Muir’s stock market vibe. A similar tone is struck by Erielle Reshef, touting “how far we’ve come”, “the Dow nearly doubling over the course of the past four years”, “reason to hope”, and “positive signs of encouragement for so many Americans feeling the pinch”. This so-called news report is indistinguishable from a Biden campaign press release, and stands in stark contrast to how positive financial news was covered during the Trump years.  If it weren’t for regime media, we’d have none at all.  

CBS Evening News Was Sole PM Newscast to Report Border Overrun at El Paso

We have often chronicled the national corporate media’s aversion to coverage of any story that would reflect poorly on the Biden administration; hence our occasional moniker “Regime Media”. One such story is today’s incident at the southern border in El Paso, Texas. National Guardsmen were overrun as hundreds of illegal migrants ripped the razor wire fence open and rushed through. CBS Evening News stood alone in reporting this event to their audience. Watch the full report in its entirety as aired on Thursday, March 21st, 2024: JERICKA DUNCAN: Well, a chaotic scene today at the border in El Paso. Video shared by The New York Post shows a group of migrants pushing past Texas National Guard troops and rushing through a razor wire fence. In an exclusive interview with CBS News, Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens says the U.S. needs tougher policies to deter illegal crossings.  JASON OWENS: Naturally, they’re going to choose to come between the ports of entry. We need to take that off the table and make sure everybody is coming through the front door, through the port of entry.  DUNCAN: Texas Governor Greg Abbott says authorities quickly regained control and reinforced the barrier. Kudos to CBS for showing up, I guess, as opposed to ABC and NBC. Credit is also due for reaching out to Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens. However, a lot more happened than some migrants pushing through a razor wire fence. Per our friends at The New York Post, who initially broke the story: A group of over 100 migrants attempted to enter the US illegally by rushing a border wall Thursday, breaking through razor wire and knocking over guards in the process. The Post had earlier witnessed around 600 migrants amassed at the international border, as part of a ‘spring surge’ of migrants arriving and hoping to gain access to the US. The Texas National Guard were attempting to organize them into smaller groups, but the situation grew tense after some women and children were separated from adult males by the guardsmen. Video taken by The Post showed one set of migrants, mostly single men, then rushing the Texas troops. A group of men with hoodies, gloves and winter jackets could be seen pulling fencing away and dashing through the concertina wire, as a group of five guards formed a defensive position to fill the gap. It is disgraceful that most of the media would look the other way as the southern border continues to be overrun. And by showing up and doing a 37-second brief, CBS merely distinguishes themselves as the best of a bad lot. Do better next time. For those keeping score on the El Paso border overrun story: CBS: 37 seconds ABC: 0 seconds NBC: 0 seconds  

ABC, CBS AVOID Covering Hunter Biden’s No-Show To Impeachment Inquiry

This is how you know we have a Biden regime media: two of the three major networks avoided providing any evening newscast coverage to the House Oversight Committee’s hearing in furtherance of its impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. And the one that did cover the hearing did its level best to make sure viewers heard nothing substantial- a smother job. Here’s a representative sample of the report- lots of noise, nothing substantial: LESTER HOLT: Fireworks today at a house hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Republicans pressing former Hunter Biden business associates, but one witness accusing them of peddling Russian propaganda. Ryan Nobles has late details for us from the Capitol.  RYAN NOBLES: Tonight, a fiery inflection point in the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. (CROSSTALK) GERRY CONNOLLY:  Excuse me, sir. Excuse me, sir. This is -- Mr. Bobulinsky, this is my time.  NOBLES: House Republicans holding a hearing designed to feature Hunter Biden, who had asked to give public testimony but declined to appear. Instead, the committee heard from a pair of former Hunter Biden business associates, who testified despite President Biden's denials he was involved in his son's businesses. TONY BOBULINSKI: He was an active, aware enabler who met with business associates such as myself to further the business. For crying out loud, this wasn’t even the fireiest of the fireworks at the hearing: AOC - "RICO is not a crime." pic.twitter.com/YcTusJAaP4 — MAZE (@mazemoore) March 20, 2024 In AOC’s defense, perhaps RICO is too Suave to be a crime. Sorry, Tim, I’ll show myself out now.  But seriously, even that would’ve been too much for NBC, which wanted to air NO instances whatsoever of Bobulinski talking about crimes committed by anyone named Biden. Speaking of which, where was Hunter? Much was made of Hunter Biden’s previous demand for a public hearing on the date of his first scheduled private hearing before the House committees. Hunter’s “impromptu” remarks delivered on the Senate grounds, a grandstanding exhibition made possible by (alleged) public flatulator and Chinese spy fornicator Eric Swalwell. NBC only mentioned Hunter’s failure to appear in passing; CBS and ABC none at all. Then there was the strange interview with Lev Parnas, which seemed to serve no other purpose than to raise the specter of Russian propaganda operations.  All in all, NBC’s report on the hearing was an outright smother job. But the smother job is tons more than what ABC and CBS mustered- which is a big, fat nothing. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on NBC Nightly News on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024: LESTER HOLT: Fireworks today at a house hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Republicans pressing former Hunter Biden business associates, but one witness accusing them of peddling Russian propaganda. Ryan Nobles has late details for us from the Capitol.  RYAN NOBLES: Tonight, a fiery inflection point in the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. (CROSSTALK) GERRY CONNOLLY:  Excuse me, sir. Excuse me, sir. This is -- Mr. Bobulinsky, this is my time.  NOBLES: House Republicans holding a hearing designed to feature Hunter Biden, who had asked to give public testimony but declined to appear. Instead, the committee heard from a pair of former Hunter Biden business associates, who testified despite President Biden's denials he was involved in his son's businesses. TONY BOBULINSKI: He was an active, aware enabler who met with business associates such as myself to further the business. NOBLES: They say Joe Biden participated in person and on speakerphone in meetings and dinners with Hunter's foreign business partners. Hunter's former business associate Jason Golanis testifying from prison. JASON GOLANIS: The vice president said hello, and some pleasantries and then “I hope you had safe travels”, and then said, quote, “OK, you be good to my boy”.  NOBLES: But Democrats firing back saying there was no evidence of a crime. JAMIE RASKIN: With any luck, today marks the end of perhaps the most spectacular failure in the history of congressional investigations, the effort to find a high crime or misdemeanor committed by Joe Biden and then to impeach him for it. NOBLES: Democrats invited Lev Parnas, a onetime associate of former President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, who testified that he was tasked with digging up dirt on Biden business ventures in Ukraine.  LEV PARNAS: I found precisely zero evidence of the Bidens' corruption in Ukraine.  NOBLES: In an exclusive interview, Parnas accused Republicans of being willing accomplices of the Kremlin.  PARNAS: They’re not getting down to the truth. All they're doing is pushing the same Russian narrative of propaganda.  NOBLES: And tonight, the Oversight Committee chairman James Comer saying he will invite President Biden to testify at an upcoming hearing. Lester.  HOLT: Ryan Nobles, thanks.  

OOF: Arizona Latinos LAUGH At Weijia Jiang’s Question On January 6th

Talk about a disconnect between the media and the general electorate. Imagine flying all the way to Arizona to do the obligatory panel on Biden’s decline in the polls amongst Latinos, and having your January 6th question laughed off by the panel. That’s exactly what happened to CBS’s Weijia Jiang in Arizona. Watch: WEIJIA JIANG: President Biden has called Trump a threat to democracy and made it a central part of his campaign. Is democracy on the ballot in 2024?  STEVE MACIAS: I don't buy that argument.  RAQUEL GLOWDEN: I don’t, either.  MACIAS: To me, now, that's just another talking point. Every time I hear it, I just kind of tune it out. GLOWDEN: I know. MACIAS: It’s something that, you know…some focus group came up with, and now they're just using it to death. GLOWDEN: I really don't think they understand what democracy is when they say that. You know- the fact that there is a ballot is democracy.  That J6 question was a capper to a brutal panel- brutal for a member of the regime media trying to understand why a key 2020 Biden constituency has turned on him. It was also indicative of the broad disconnect between the elite Acela Media and the general public, Latino or otherwise. The panel reveals that Biden’s most glaring weaknesses are his handling of the border and of the economy- same as everyone else. And even those who had issues with Trump's rhetoric admitted to Jiang’s face that things were better when he was in office. JIANG: The economy is also a factor in how they'll vote.  GLOWDEN: It used to be that we could go out and do things, you know, go to dinner, you know, once or twice a week. Now, no, that's not happening. We have to budget everything down to -- down to the finest thing.  JIANG: Do you think the economy was better under trump?  GLOWDEN: I do.  MACIAS: Um…yeah, yeah, absolutely, I would say so.  During the exchange on immigration, Jiang repeated the “animals” hoax, which conflates all immigrants with criminal migrants for purposes of whenever Trump calls criminal migrants “animals”, as he did in 2019 with MS-13 and last weekend in Ohio, in reference to Laken Riley’s murderer, among others. Pity the Acela journalist traveling all the way to Phoenix, only to get reality-mugged by an electorate that Biden is supposed to have well in the bag. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on CBS Evening News on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024: NORAH O’DONNELL: President Biden and former President Donald Trump cruised to victory last night in the primary elections in the battleground state of Arizona. But in tonight's "Listening to America," CBS's Weijia Jiang hears from voters who aren't happy with their options in the general election.  WEIJIA JIANG: Republican business owner Steve Macias voted for Donald Trump in 2020, but he's not sure if he will do so again. STEVE MACIAS: I- I really still have trouble trying to figure out who I'm going to vote for.  JIANG: The same goes for Democrat Paulina Flores. PAULINA FLORES: In 2020 I voted for Biden. JIANG: And independent Raquel Glowden.  RAQUEL GLOWDEN: I voted for Donald Trump.  JIANG: What happened in the past three years, or didn't happen, that you are still so undecided about who to vote for?  FLORES: It's almost like there's too many chefs in the kitchen, or there isn't a main chef in the kitchen.  MACIAS: On the Biden side, you know, I was thinking, well, okay, good, he is the adult in the room, at least. He's been through this. This will be calm. And it hasn't.  JIANG: Since winning Arizona in 2020, support for President Biden, who spoke outside Phoenix today, has softened among Latino voters. The Latino vote helped Biden clinch wins here in Arizona. Do you think he’s done enough to maintain that lead here?  MACIAS: I think his Latino numbers will go down. JIANG: In part because they say Biden has not done enough to deal with issues at the southern border.  GLOWDEN: He put his vice president in charge of the border czar, and then what happened? She just disappeared. So does he really care about it?  JIANG: But they can't get behind Trump's divisive rhetoric, recently calling migrants animals.  MACIAS: I mean come every time I think, maybe there is a chance I will vote for him, stuff like that comes out and like, ehhhh.  FLORES: And then he says something like, “Ooh, I shouldn’t have said that, dude.”  GLOWDEN: Makes you cringe.  JIANG: The economy is also a factor in how they'll vote.  GLOWDEN: It used to be that we could go out and do things, you know, go to dinner, you know, once or twice a week. Now, no, that's not happening. We have to budget everything down to -- down to the finest thing.  JIANG: Do you think the economy was better under trump?  GLOWDEN: I do.  MACIAS: Um…yeah, yeah, absolutely, I would say so.  JIANG: President Biden has called Trump a threat to democracy and made it a central part of his campaign. Is democracy on the ballot in 2024?  MACIAS: I don't buy that argument.  GLOWDEN: I don’t, either.  MACIAS: To me, now, that's just another talking point. Every time I hear it, I just kind of tune it out. GLOWDEN: I know. MACIAS: It’s something that, you know…some focus group came up with, and now they're just using it to death. GLOWDEN: I really don't think they understand what democracy is when they say that. You know- the fact that there is a ballot is democracy.  JIANG: In our conversation, age also came up as a major issue. And that’s why the voters said they are paying close attention to Vice President Kamala Harris and to whoever Trump chooses as his running mate. They said it could be a deciding factor, Norah. O’DONNELL: Weijia Jiang for us in Arizona. Thank you so much.  

The Media Are Planting Narrative Ahead Of SCOTUS Abortion Pill Hearing

There will soon be another high-stakes Supreme Court hearing on abortion and the media have already chosen the narrative terrain on which they wish to engage the matter, framing the argument as over access to abortion pills. The most succinct version of this frame comes via Norah O’Donnell on the CBS Evening News:  NORAH O’DONNELL: The number of abortions in the U.S. topped 1 million last year for the first time in over a decade. More than 60% were medication abortions, using a 2-pill regimen to terminate early pregnancies. The increase is despite the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade that allowed 13 states to ban abortion with few exceptions, forcing many women to travel out of state. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week, in a case that puts access to one of those medications used in abortions at stake.  Short and sweet: the report faithfully cited the Guttmacher Institute statistics on medication abortions, noted the increase in abortions despite the historic Dobbs opinion, and laid the “stakes” framework for the Supreme Court hearing on Mifepristone. ABC World News Tonight avoided the subject matter for now, but expect a report soon.  NBC Nightly News delivered the same information as CBS did, but with more flourish. Correspondent Dasha Burns went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Miami, where the friendly neighborhood abortion doctor touted the convenience of pill abortions. She then found a convenience testimonial from a podcaster. Burns then got the pro-life attorney to preview some of his Supreme Court strategy before making the dramatic “stakes” argument: The high court now holding the future of this in-demand drug in its hands. The convenience testimonials were sprinkled with the same Guttmacher Institute statistics cited by CBS’s O’Donnell, which seem to have made the rounds.  Both reports framed the issue as one of access and convenience. But that’s not what is at issue before the Supreme Court.  As Vivek Ramaswamy explained during his December town hall with CNN’s Abby Phillip, the Mifepristone hearing is about administrative law and a runaway bureaucracy that appears to have rushed to allow Mifepristone to be dispensed via mail. Watch as Ramaswama resists Phillip’s attempts at steering the debate away from administrative law and towards “ban” language (click “expand”): ABBY PHILLIP: Let me ask you about a little bit of news. The Supreme Court announced that it would hear a case this term that could potentially restrict access nationwide to a widely used abortion drug called Mifepristone. You oppose abortion, but: do you believe that the court should limit the distribution of this drug nationwide?  VIVEK RAMASWAMY: So I think this is a question -- it's the job of the Supreme Court- who would’ve ever thought-  to judge the law. This is a case about administrative law, actually. This is less about the abortion question and it's more about, did the FDA exceed the scope of its statutory authority when it approved Mifepristone on an emergency basis? And these emergency approvals are generally reserved for life saving therapies that need to be brought to market quickly. So this is a symptom, Abby, of what's going on in the administrative state. The people who we elect to run the government, they’re not even the ones who actually run the government right now. It's the bureaucrats in those three-letter agencies that are pulling the strings today. So the most important Supreme Court case of our lifetime- and I want people to understand this- came out last term. It's West Virginia versus EPA. That said, if Congress did not expressly give an agency the right to write a regulation, then that's unconstitutional. And so it is my opinion -- it’s the Supreme Court’s that’ll matter but I'm pretty sure the Supreme Court will come down where I am on this. That the FDA exceeded its statutory authority in using an emergency approval to approve something that doesn't fit Congress’ criteria for what actually counts as an emergency approval. So, yes, I hope they follow the law. I hope that's where they come down. And if the people of this country disagree with that, we have a mechanism for that. It’s called the democratic process. Do it through the front door of Congress.  (APPLAUSE) And there's one thing I’m going to do as the next president: it’s to shut down that fourth branch of government, rescind those unconstitutional federal regulations that Congress never actually passed. And yes, lay off 75% of the federal employee headcount. That’s the answer. PHILLIP: I want to get to our question, but just before we do that, just so that everyone is clear, you do believe that the Supreme Court should ban mifepristone?  RAMASWAMY: I believe that the Supreme Court should put the FDA back in its place. That’s- that’s the… PHILIP: As it relates to… RAMASWAMY: …question that’s before the Court. PHILLIP: But as it relates to this question --  RAMASWAMY: So I believe they should rule on the law.  PHILLIP: As it relates to this particular drug… RAMASWAMY: And as it relates to this particular drug… PHILLIP: Do you believe that will ultimately result in Mifepristone being banned nationwide? And that’s the correct ruling? RAMASWAMY: I believe it will result in Mifepristone being taken off the market until they go through the process that’s ordained for every other drug that doesn’t go through emergency approval.  PHILLIP: Okay. RAMASWAMY: The FDA should follow the law if the rest of us do, too. It’s a simple thing to ask. Keep this exchange in mind as the regime media ramp up their abortion advocacy ahead of another pivotal Supreme Court hearing. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday, March 18th, 2024: LESTER HOLT: We're back now with the battle over the abortion pill. A new study revealing use of the pill has soared since Roe v. Wade was overturned, just as the Supreme Court prepares to hear another case that could limit access to it. Here’s Dasha Burns. DASHA BURNS: Tonight, new data revealing there were more than a million abortions in the U.S. last year, the highest number in more than a decade. A big part of that: medication abortion. Research from the Guttmacher Institute shows they accounted for 63% of abortions in 2023, up 10% from 2020. Dr. Charisse Felix has witnessed this first hand at this Planned Parenthood clinic in Miami. CHARISSE FELIX: You're able to schedule that around your job, around other family obligations, and then there is also the whole added benefit of it not being an- you know, an invasive procedure. BURNS: The FDA has approved the drug for use at up to ten weeks of pregnancy. And under current rules, allows for providers to prescribe it via telehealth and send it to patients in the mail. That's exactly how CEO and podcast host Erin Gallagher was able to access the abortion pill. ERIN GALLAGHER: It arrived in my mailbox, and from there it was up to me to decide when and if I wanted to take it. And as I made the decision to do it, it removes so many barriers.  BURNS: But all that could soon change because of a case before the Supreme Court that could restrict the mailing of abortion pills, require that the drug be provided in-person at a doctor's office, and limit its use up to seven weeks' of pregnancy. FELIX: Most of our patients are finding out that they're pregnant around seven or eight weeks.  BURNS: The group behind the lawsuit, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine which is against abortion rights, believes the FDA exceeded its authority when it made the drug more accessible.  What do you intend to argue before the Supreme Court next week? ERIK BAPTIST: We're going to explain to the Court, and show how the FDA has unlawfully and recklessly removed commonsense safeguards for women and girls who take abortion drugs. And in particular, we're going to highlight the dangerous nature of what the FDA did in 2021 to authorize mail order chemical abortion without any medical intervention or screening. BURNS: In court filings, the government states this drug has been deemed safe and effective since 2000, and says the FDA updated the drug's approval as decades of experience have further confirmed the drug’s safety. The high court now holding the future of this in-demand drug in its hands. Dasha Burns, NBC News, Miami, Florida.  

The Networks Still Pushing The Bloodbath Hoax, Now Wrapped Around January 6th

With The Bloodbath Hoax having been so swiftly and thoroughly debunked, the evening network newscasts had to scramble to find ways to keep this narrative alive. It appears that they’ve settled on wrapping this latest hoax around the Capitol Riot of January 6th, thus magically eliminating the need for context. No surprise here, the most hysterical report comes via ABC World News Tonight and Jon Karl, who acknowledged that former President Donald Trump’s remarks were in fact about the automotive industry, before making them about January 6th: JON KARL: Today Donald Trump is defending comments he made at a rally in Ohio warning of a quote, “bloodbath” if he doesn't win the presidential election in November. Trump made the comment as he was talking about the auto industry, vowing to impose 100% tariffs on some imported cars.  DONALD TRUMP: We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not going to be able to sell those cars- If I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That'll be the least of it.  KARL: Today, Trump insisted he wasn't talking about political violence at all, saying, quote, “I was simply referring to imports allowed by Crooked Joe Biden, which are killing the automobile industry.” But the world saw what happened the last time Trump lost a presidential election, as Trump's supporters violently attacked the Capitol on January 6th. There has been a tactical evolution here. Trump’s remarks are now acknowledged as being about Chinese electric cars potentially built in Mexico (a grossly underreported story, as I said to Tim Graham on the NewsBusters Podcast), but here’s the new switcheroo: the full quote has Trump bracketing the “bloodbath” quote with remarks on the automotive industry. Chopping that last part off, even when restoring context in the beginning of the quote, keeps everything vague enough to keep the Bloodbath Hoax plausible and duct-tape January 6th onto it. Now there’s a fresh angle. And for Karl, perhaps, a fourth Trump book. NBC ran The Bloodbath Hoax as part of its recap of Trump stories as opposed to a standalone item, but with the same basic play: GARRETT HAAKE: And tonight the presumptive GOP nominee also pushing back, saying Democrats, quote, “pretended to be shocked at my use of the word bloodbath” during this riff about Chinese car makers.  TRUMP: We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line. And you're not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it.  HAAKE: Mr. Trump saying he was referring to President Biden allowing imports he says are killing the auto industry. Late tonight, calling Democratic attacks, quote, “misinformation”. TRUMP: The word “bloodbath”, I used it about trade, essentially auto trade, because we're getting ripped off with Biden's really dumb auto policy. HAAKE: The Biden campaign rejecting that it was about only cars.  MICHAEL TYLER: Every single day, Donald Trump is promoting and endorsing and encouraging political violence on the stump. The slightly expanded quote with a bit of context but maintaining plausibility, the (indirect) tie-in to January 6th- it’s all there, with a few more quotes with which to provide the illusion of balance. CBS’s Robert Costa runs the exact same play within his Trump recap, albeit with a slightly different angle. Wash, rinse, repeat: ROBERT COSTA: Meanwhile, the former president has ramped up his incendiary rhetoric on the campaign trail.  DONALD TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you're not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. COSTA: Trump insists he was referring to a potential bloodbath in the automobile industry. In the past, Trump has warned of bedlam if Biden wins, suggesting there will be anger if he is convicted of a crime. TRUMP: There will be bedlam in the country. It's a very bad thing. It's very bad precedent, as we say, it’s the opening of a Pandora's box.  The strategy may have evolved in order to provide a smidgen of context, but it remains as shameless and as reliant on multiple suspensions of disbelief as ever. The title of “regime media” is well earned here. Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the reports respective as aired on their respective evening newscasts on Monday, March 18th, 2024: ABC World News Tonight DAVID MUIR: Back here at home tonight, and to the race for the White House, on the campaign trail, Donald Trump warning of a, quote, “bloodbath” if he loses the election. Tonight, his campaign and what Trump meant by that. The Biden campaign pointing to January 6th. The country and the world seeing what can happen amid dangerous rhetoric. And the moment Trump played the national anthem to honor those who are behind bars for January 6th. Here's Jon Karl. JON KARL: Today Donald Trump is defending comments he made at a rally in Ohio warning of a quote, “bloodbath” if he doesn't win the presidential election in November. Trump made the comment as he was talking about the auto industry, vowing to impose 100% tariffs on some imported cars.  DONALD TRUMP: We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not going to be able to sell those cars- If I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That'll be the least of it.  KARL: Today, Trump insisted he wasn't talking about political violence at all, saying, quote, “I was simply referring to imports allowed by Crooked Joe Biden, which are killing the automobile industry.” But the world saw what happened the last time Trump lost a presidential election, as Trump's supporters violently attacked the Capitol on January 6th. And in Ohio, Trump paid tribute to those arrested for their actions on that day.  ANNOUNCER: Please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6th hostages (The Star-Spangled Banner) KARL: He saluted during a rendition of the National Anthem that was recorded by people in prison for what they did on January 6th. Trump called those now serving prison sentences hostages and patriots, suggesting he'd pardon them as soon as he gets back in office. Today, the Biden campaign condemned Trump's prediction of a bloodbath, accusing him of having an "affection for violence" and a "thirst for revenge" and alleging Trump wants "another January 6th." Not long after Trump paid tribute to the people who attacked the Capitol as, quote, “unbelievable patriots", he posted multiple statements calling for Liz Cheney and other members of the January 6th committee to be prosecuted and sent to jail. In other words, David- Trump wants to pardon those who attacked the Capitol, and he wants to prosecute those who investigated his actions on January 6th.  MUIR: Jon Karl, covering the campaign for us. Jon, Thank you.   NBC Nightly News LESTER HOLT: His criminal cases may be caught up in a cycle of delays, but things may have moved too quickly for former President Trump in the wake of that stunning civil fraud judgment against him last month. In a court filing today Mr. Trump's attorneys saying they have been unable to secure the $464 million bond due next week, saying a bond in the full amount is a practical impossibility. The former president, who built his professional reputation in part on his wealth, was held liable last month for fraudulently overstating the value of assets. Today's development potentially opens the door for New York's state attorney general to seize and sell off Trump assets while Mr. Trump appeals. Meantime, the former president is on the political defensive tonight over some remarks he made over the weekend. Garrett Haake has our report.  GAARETT HAAKE: Tonight the fate of former President Trump's most famous properties could be up in the air, with Trump attorneys telling a judge he's unable to secure bond in the $464 million civil fraud judgment against him, asking a judge for an emergency stay. Guarantors won't accept real estate as collateral but want nearly a half billion dollars in cash, which Trump's company doesn't have, his lawyers say. If he cannot post bond for the full amount by next week, Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James could start seizing his assets, potentially even his Trump Tower penthouse. In their filing, Trump attorneys argue the penalty is grossly disproportional when there were, quote, “no victims, no damages and no actual financial losses” in the case. It comes as the Trump campaign also faces blowback amid Mr. Trump's new inflammatory rhetoric against what he calls criminal migrants.  DONALD TRUMP: They're not people in my opinion. But I'm not allowed to say that because the radical left says that's a terrible thing to say. These are animals. Okay? HAAKE: Mr. Trump has vowed to bring back his Remain in Mexico policy that keeps migrants waiting outside the U.S. until courts decide their asylum cases. The Biden administration is releasing 85% of migrants into the U.S. while they wait for asylum decisions. And tonight the presumptive GOP nominee also pushing back, saying Democrats, quote, “pretended to be shocked at my use of the word bloodbath” during this riff about Chinese car makers.  TRUMP: We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line. And you're not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it.  HAAKE: Mr. Trump saying he was referring to President Biden allowing imports he says are killing the auto industry. Late tonight, calling Democratic attacks, quote, “misinformation”. TRUMP: The word “bloodbath”, I used it about trade, essentially auto trade, because we're getting ripped off with Biden's really dumb auto policy. HAAKE: The Biden campaign rejecting that it was about only cars.  MICHAEL TYLER: Every single day, Donald Trump is promoting and endorsing and encouraging political violence on the stump. HOLT:  And Garrett, NBC News also has new reporting tonight about President Biden showing some growing frustration about his re-election campaign. What do we know? HAAKE: Yeah, that's right, Lester. President Biden shouted and swore about falling poll numbers in a January White House meeting, and has felt cocooned by staff, eager to move more aggressively in campaigning against Mr. Trump, sources tell NBC News. Lester. HOLT: All right, Garrett Haake. Thank you.    CBS Evening News NORAH O’DONNELL: We're going to begin tonight with Donald Trump facing a cash crunch. The former president is on the brink of being forced to surrender some of his most valuable real estate properties to help pay that $454 million civil fraud judgment in New York. He's already admitted that he doesn't have the nearly half a billion dollars in cash, and today, his lawyers revealed that more than 30 firms that they were unable to or , quote, "unwilling" to accept the risk associated with such a large bond. The clock is now ticking with that bond due next week. It's worth remembering the civil judgment stems from a ruling that Trump falsely valued parts of his real estate empire for financial gain. And then on the campaign trail, Trump is also defending himself after a series of disturbing remarks about migrants, January 6th defendants, and warning of a, quote, "bloodbath" if he loses in November. It was all while discussing tariffs on Chinese-made cars. CBS's Robert Costa is here and he'll start us off tonight. ROBERT COSTA: Former President Donald Trump could soon be facing a financial crisis. His lawyers today revealing in a court filing that Trump has failed to obtain a $454 million bond, calling it a practical impossibility. It’s due in just one week and without it, New York Attorney General Letitia James could freeze his bank accounts and seize his prized properties, including Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street.  DONALD TRUMP: The bottom line is, this is rigged. COSTA: Trump, who was unable to reach agreement with more than 30 companies that provide appeal bonds, is also scrambling to raise money for the general election. CBS News has learned Trump is considering enlisting his former 2016 campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, a convicted felon who was found guilty of committing several financial crimes in 2018 and later pardoned by Trump. Meanwhile, the former president has ramped up his incendiary rhetoric on the campaign trail.  TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you're not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. COSTA: Trump insists he was referring to a potential bloodbath in the automobile industry. In the past, Trump has warned of bedlam if Biden wins, suggesting there will be anger if he is convicted of a crime. TRUMP: There will be bedlam in the country. It's a very bad thing. It's very bad precedent, as we say, it’s the opening of a Pandora's box.  COSTA: Over the weekend, Trump also referred to migrants as animals, and described those convicted for crimes related to January 6th as hostages and patriots. That remark drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle. MIKE PENCE: It's just, it's just unacceptable.  JAMIE RASKIN: A hostage is someone who is being held by a criminal group or a terrorist group for a financial or political ransom. That's got nothing to do with people who have been criminally charged and given due process.  COSTA: Meanwhile, former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro will likely be headed to jail. Today the Supreme Court rejected Navarro's push to stave off his sentence for refusing to comply with the congressional subpoena and he is now set to report to a correctional facility tomorrow in Florida, Norah. That is some big news. Robert Costa, thank you.  

SEIZENFREUDE: Nets Cheer Trump Cash Crunch Ahead Of Appeal Deadline

The network evening newscasts engaged in a feeding frenzy over breaking news that former President Donald Trump faces difficulties in putting together the monetary bond required in order to appeal his New York civil judgment. All three major networks giddily opened their newscasts with this story, bumping the Bloodbath Hoax off of the top spot. Of the three, ABC’s report was the lengthiest, a standalone as opposed to part of a broader recap as was the case with CBS and NBC. Here’s how Aaron Katersky began his video package for World News Tonight: AARON KATERSKY: He has long promoted himself a billionaire -- DONALD TRUMP: I'm really rich…  KATERSKY: But tonight, Donald Trump telling a New York appeals court he cannot cover the $464 million bond he must post one week from today, as he appeals the civil fraud judgment against him. Trump's lawyers saying they face "Insurmountable difficulties." They approached more than 30 insurance companies for help and were rejected by each one. The main reason? Trump does not have enough cash, and the insurance companies were unwilling to accept his real estate assets as collateral. Trump and his eldest sons were found liable for fraudulently inflating the value of their real estate to get favorable bank loans. If Trump does not secure a bond by next week, New York Attorney General Letitia James can ask the court to seize his properties, which she told me she is willing to do.  You're prepared to have the state move to seize Trump's assets?  LETITIA JAMES: We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers.  Katersky dug up footage from his recent interview with New York Attorney General Letitia James which, as we noted at the time, ended with a live shot in front of 40 Wall Street- one of the iconic properties that could be seized as part of an enforcement of the civil fine if an appeal is not granted. As we also observed at that time: The report, of course, gives no voice to those skeptical of the verdict or concerned over its potential far-reaching (and unintended consequences). There is only a platform for James and for confiscation. This is still true today. Over at NBC, the cash crunch story led but was part of a broader compilation on all things Trump including the Bloodbath Hoax. Lester Holt’s frame seemed more aggressive than usual: LESTER HOLT: His criminal cases may be caught up in a cycle of delays, but things may have moved too quickly for former President Trump in the wake of that stunning civil fraud judgment against him last month. In a court filing today Mr. Trump's attorneys saying they have been unable to secure the $464 million bond due next week, saying a bond in the full amount is a practical impossibility. The former president, who built his professional reputation in part on his wealth, was held liable last month for fraudulently overstating the value of assets. Today's development potentially opens the door for New York's state attorney general to seize and sell off Trump assets while Mr. Trump appeals. Meantime, the former president is on the political defensive tonight over some remarks he made over the weekend. Correspondent Garrett Haake notes that Trump’s Tower penthouse could be up for grabs before quickly moving on to “bloodbath” and the other controversies of the day.  Over at CBS, Norah O’Donnell’s frame was more encompassing of the various issues: NORAH O’DONNELL: We're going to begin tonight with Donald Trump facing a cash crunch. The former president is on the brink of being forced to surrender some of his most valuable real estate properties to help pay that $454 million civil fraud judgment in New York. He's already admitted that he doesn't have the nearly half a billion dollars in cash, and today, his lawyers revealed that more than 30 firms that they were unable to or , quote, "unwilling" to accept the risk associated with such a large bond. The clock is now ticking with that bond due next week. It's worth remembering the civil judgment stems from a ruling that Trump falsely valued parts of his real estate empire for financial gain. And then on the campaign trail, Trump is also defending himself after a series of disturbing remarks about migrants, January 6th defendants, and warning of a, quote, "bloodbath" if he loses in November. It was all while discussing tariffs on Chinese-made cars. More of the same here, the story led within a broader recap of the varied Trump stories of the day. It should be noted that none of the networks had anyone on to express concern over how the trial went, the conduct of the parties, or anything else. In terms of this judgment, the media’s concern was centered on whether Trump’s assets would be seized. Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the reports respective as aired on their respective evening newscasts on Monday, March 18th, 2024: ABC World News Tonight DAVID MUIR: We do begin tonight with Donald Trump. Tonight, Trump's lawyers revealing he doesn't have the money. Telling the court Trump is unable to secure a bond for $464 million after the civil fraud judgment against him in New York. Saying Trump is facing, quote, “insurmountable difficulties”, claiming 30 insurance companies were unwilling to underwrite the bond. Tonight, New York state Attorney General Letitia James signaling she will try to seize some of Trump's properties if he's unable to pay the judgment. ABC's senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky leading us off. AARON KATERSKY: He has long promoted himself a billionaire -- TRUMP: I'm really rich…  KATERSKY: But tonight, Donald Trump telling a New York appeals court he cannot cover the $464 million bond he must post one week from today, as he appeals the civil fraud judgment against him. Trump's lawyers saying they face "Insurmountable difficulties." They approached more than 30 insurance companies for help and were rejected by each one. The main reason? Trump does not have enough cash, and the insurance companies were unwilling to accept his real estate assets as collateral. Trump and his eldest sons were found liable for fraudulently inflating the value of their real estate to get favorable bank loans. If Trump does not secure a bond by next week, New York Attorney General Letitia James can ask the court to seize his properties, which she told me she is willing to do.  You're prepared to have the state move to seize Trump's assets?  LETITIA JAMES: We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers.  KATERSKY: There's also the possibility that Trump could put his buildings up for sale now to raise quick cash. But his lawyers say that kind of fire sale would result in irrecoverable losses if his appeal succeeds. So, bottom line, Trump wants the court to let him post a smaller bond. His lawyers say securing anything close to $464 million "is a practical impossibility." There's no telling when the appeals court may rule, but David, if Trump is unable to post a bond, the attorney general could begin to take ownership of Trump's properties. We're not sure that means padlocks and stickers on the door, but she told us she is determined to make sure Trump pays. David? MUIR: Hard to know what to expect. In the meantime, Aaron, the other breaking headline. There's also news in one of the criminal cases against Donald Trump tonight. The hush money trial scheduled to get under way next month. And we learned tonight that key witnesses and a piece of video that the country will remember will be allowed in this upcoming trial?  KATERSKY: David, the judge just ruled that two key witnesses will be allowed to testify. The recipient of the hush money, porn actress Stormy Daniels, and Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen. The judge will also allow the Manhattan district attorney's office to refer to the "Access Hollywood" tape. The one on which Trump explains how he grabbed women. David?  MUIR: Aaron Katersky leading us off here on a Monday night. Aaron, thank you.   NBC Nightly News LESTER HOLT: His criminal cases may be caught up in a cycle of delays, but things may have moved too quickly for former President Trump in the wake of that stunning civil fraud judgment against him last month. In a court filing today Mr. Trump's attorneys saying they have been unable to secure the $464 million bond due next week, saying a bond in the full amount is a practical impossibility. The former president, who built his professional reputation in part on his wealth, was held liable last month for fraudulently overstating the value of assets. Today's development potentially opens the door for New York's state attorney general to seize and sell off Trump assets while Mr. Trump appeals. Meantime, the former president is on the political defensive tonight over some remarks he made over the weekend. Garrett Haake has our report.  GAARETT HAAKE: Tonight the fate of former President Trump's most famous properties could be up in the air, with Trump attorneys telling a judge he's unable to secure bond in the $464 million civil fraud judgment against him, asking a judge for an emergency stay. Guarantors won't accept real estate as collateral but want nearly a half billion dollars in cash, which Trump's company doesn't have, his lawyers say. If he cannot post bond for the full amount by next week, Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James could start seizing his assets, potentially even his Trump Tower penthouse. In their filing, Trump attorneys argue the penalty is grossly disproportional when there were, quote, “no victims, no damages and no actual financial losses” in the case. It comes as the Trump campaign also faces blowback amid Mr. Trump's new inflammatory rhetoric against what he calls criminal migrants.  DONALD TRUMP: They're not people in my opinion. But I'm not allowed to say that because the radical left says that's a terrible thing to say. These are animals. Okay? HAAKE: Mr. Trump has vowed to bring back his Remain in Mexico policy that keeps migrants waiting outside the U.S. until courts decide their asylum cases. The Biden administration is releasing 85% of migrants into the U.S. while they wait for asylum decisions. And tonight the presumptive GOP nominee also pushing back, saying Democrats, quote, “pretended to be shocked at my use of the word bloodbath” during this riff about Chinese car makers.  TRUMP: We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line. And you're not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it.  HAAKE: Mr. Trump saying he was referring to President Biden allowing imports he says are killing the auto industry. Late tonight, calling Democratic attacks, quote, “misinformation”. TRUMP: The word “bloodbath”, I used it about trade, essentially auto trade, because we're getting ripped off with Biden's really dumb auto policy. HAAKE: The Biden campaign rejecting that it was about only cars.  MICHAEL TYLER: Every single day, Donald Trump is promoting and endorsing and encouraging political violence on the stump. HOLT:  And Garrett, NBC News also has new reporting tonight about President Biden showing some growing frustration about his re-election campaign. What do we know? HAAKE: Yeah, that's right, Lester. President Biden shouted and swore about falling poll numbers in a January White House meeting, and has felt cocooned by staff, eager to move more aggressively in campaigning against Mr. Trump, sources tell NBC News. Lester. HOLT: All right, Garrett Haake. Thank you.    CBS Evening News NORAH O’DONNELL: We're going to begin tonight with Donald Trump facing a cash crunch. The former president is on the brink of being forced to surrender some of his most valuable real estate properties to help pay that $454 million civil fraud judgment in New York. He's already admitted that he doesn't have the nearly half a billion dollars in cash, and today, his lawyers revealed that more than 30 firms that they were unable to or , quote, "unwilling" to accept the risk associated with such a large bond. The clock is now ticking with that bond due next week. It's worth remembering the civil judgment stems from a ruling that Trump falsely valued parts of his real estate empire for financial gain. And then on the campaign trail, Trump is also defending himself after a series of disturbing remarks about migrants, January 6th defendants, and warning of a, quote, "bloodbath" if he loses in November. It was all while discussing tariffs on Chinese-made cars. CBS's Robert Costa is here and he'll start us off tonight. ROBERT COSTA: Former President Donald Trump could soon be facing a financial crisis. His lawyers today revealing in a court filing that Trump has failed to obtain a $454 million bond, calling it a practical impossibility. It’s due in just one week and without it, New York Attorney General Letitia James could freeze his bank accounts and seize his prized properties, including Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street.  DONALD TRUMP: The bottom line is, this is rigged. COSTA: Trump, who was unable to reach agreement with more than 30 companies that provide appeal bonds, is also scrambling to raise money for the general election. CBS News has learned Trump is considering enlisting his former 2016 campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, a convicted felon who was found guilty of committing several financial crimes in 2018 and later pardoned by Trump. Meanwhile, the former president has ramped up his incendiary rhetoric on the campaign trail.  TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you're not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. COSTA: Trump insists he was referring to a potential bloodbath in the automobile industry. In the past, Trump has warned of bedlam if Biden wins, suggesting there will be anger if he is convicted of a crime. TRUMP: There will be bedlam in the country. It's a very bad thing. It's very bad precedent, as we say, it’s the opening of a Pandora's box.  COSTA: Over the weekend, Trump also referred to migrants as animals, and described those convicted for crimes related to January 6th as hostages and patriots. That remark drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle. MIKE PENCE: It's just, it's just unacceptable.  JAMIE RASKIN: A hostage is someone who is being held by a criminal group or a terrorist group for a financial or political ransom. That's got nothing to do with people who have been criminally charged and given due process.  COSTA: Meanwhile, former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro will likely be headed to jail. Today the Supreme Court rejected Navarro's push to stave off his sentence for refusing to comply with the congressional subpoena and he is now set to report to a correctional facility tomorrow in Florida, Norah. That is some big news. Robert Costa, thank you.    

REGIME MEDIA: ABC World News Tonight Advances The Bloodbath Hoax

Despite clear, documented context to the contrary, ABC continues to push the discredited piece of Biden campaign propaganda known as the Bloodbath Hoax, and ties it to the Capitol Riot. Additionally, ABC promoted a 2024 version of an immigration narrative that was trotted out both in 2015 and 2019. Watch as ABC’s Chief Biden Apple Polisher Mary Bruce broadcasts campaign disinformation from behind the anchor desk, framing correspondent Maryalice Parks’ video package:     MARY BRUCE: We begin tonight with the race for The White House and former President Trump's campaign now on the defensive, after his fiery rhetoric at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday night. Trump warning, while discussing the economy, that there would be a quote, “bloodbath” if he is not re-elected in November. This after the former president kicked off the event by paying tribute to those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. President Biden's campaign swiftly denouncing those comments as threats of political violence. But even Republicans like former Vice President Mike Pence, who says he will not endorse Trump, are defending his “bloodbath” comment, saying he was referring to imports hurting the automobile industry. As I said during my recap of the Sunday shows, to accept the idea that people who are the elite in the industry of communicating with words are suddenly unable to comprehend plain English requires multiple significant suspensions of disbelief. That’s not to say that some of these elites are not intellectually deficient. But not to this extent. Which leaves willful deception as the only likely reason why reporters, correspondents and anchors would, in near unanimity continue to promote Trump’s assessment of damage to the American automotive industry under a second Biden term as both a violent threat and a January 6th-adjacent attack against democracy. The ABC team also did Team Biden a solid by referring to the violent immigrants Trump called “not people” as “certain migrants”- an obvious rehash of TWO immigration hoaxes. First in 2015 when Trump referred to certain illegal immigrants as “criminals and rapists” and in 2019 when Trump referred to MS-13 as “animals”. The hoax being that Trump smeared all immigrants, when he was clearly referring to a specific criminal element. In so doing, ABC attempts to conflate legal, lawful immigrants with the violent criminals that killed Laken Riley, raped a teenager in Virginia, raped and murdered an 11-year-old girl in Texas, and beat New York cops down right in the middle of Times Square, among many other such cases too numerous to list here. ABC’s furtherance of The Bloodbath Hoax is a most vivid example of the willingness of the corporate media to misinform its public in furtherance of a partisan political agenda- a pursuit to which the truth is secondary. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Sunday, March 17th, 2024: MARY BRUCE: We begin tonight with the race for The White House and former President Trump's campaign now on the defensive, after his fiery rhetoric at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday night. Trump warning, while discussing the economy, that there would be a quote, “bloodbath” if he is not re-elected in November. This after the former president kicked off the event by paying tribute to those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. President Biden's campaign swiftly denouncing those comments as threats of political violence. But even Republicans like former Vice President Mike Pence, who says he will not endorse Trump, are defending his “bloodbath” comment, saying he was referring to imports hurting the automobile industry. ABC’s Maryalice Parks leading us off tonight from Washington. MARYALICE PARKS: Tonight, Republicans forced to defend former President Donald Trump's controversial comment while discussing economic tariffs, that there would be a bloodbath if he lost the 2024 election. DONALD TRUMP: We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not gonna be able to sell those guys, if I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's gonna be a bloodbath for the whole, that's going to be the least of it.  PARKS: Trump's campaign pushing back saying he was only talking economics. Writing, Joe Biden's insane EV mandate will slaughter the American auto industry. Even Mike Pence, who says he will not endorse his former boss, coming to Trump's defense.  MIKE PENCE: The president was clearly talking about the impact of imports devastating the American automotive industry, so…  MARGARET BRENNAN: Was that clear to you? Because it was a little muddled.  PENCE: I think it was. PARKS: But Trump's remark did not come in a vacuum. He started the Ohio event Saturday telling the audience to stand and pay tribute to those who attacked the Capitol on January 6th, trying to stop the certification of Biden's election win. Many of whom have been convicted of serious crimes ranging from assaulting officers to seditious conspiracy. TRUMP: And they were unbelievable patriots.  PARKS: Biden's campaign firing back.  MICHAEL TYLER: What I heard was a continuation of the same rhetoric, the same endorsement of political violence we’ve seen from Donald Trump for years.  PARKS: Trump also ramping up his dehumanizing rhetoric toward certain migrants, with the border battle a major election issue.  TRUMP: If you call them people, I don't know if you call them people, in some cases, they're not people in my opinion. But I'm not allowed to say that because the radical left says that's a terrible thing to say.  PARKS: Trump doubling down on his comments today. TRUMP: If you don't use certain rhetoric, if you don't use certain words and maybe are not very nice words, nothing will happen.  PARKS: Now Mary, the Biden campaign also today said that it raised $53 million with the Democratic National Committee in February. That they now have more than $150 million in cash on hand. That's interesting because it's a considerable fund-raising advantage compared to Trump and the Republican National Committee. They haven't released their February numbers but had about $40 million cash on hand in January. Mary.  BRUCE: And the general election just getting started. Maryalice, thank you.  

SURPRISE: Sunday Shows Push The Bloodbath Hoax

By “surprise”, of course I mean none whatsoever. Once again, the media have taken a quote from former President Donald Trump, stripped it of context, and forwarded a false narrative. In this case, the media took Trump’s threat of 100% tariffs against Chinese electric cars manufactured in Mexico, and falsely turned it into a threat of political violence unless he is elected. Ergo, The Bloodbath Hoax. What Trump said was actually quite clear, as he discussed the potential economic calamity to the domestic automotive industry from unfettered Chinese electric cars manufactured in Mexico:  Media narrative: Trump just called for a bloodbath if he loses the election Trump is predicting a bloodbath in the automobile industry if he loses: pic.twitter.com/uO8DTwbp4Z — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 16, 2024 But the Biden campaign and the media combined to push just the 9 seconds where Trump says, “now, If I don’t get elected, that's going to be the least of it. It'll be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it.” Team Biden pushed it to the media, and the media ran with it throughout Saturday night.  Enter the Sunday Shows. Each show, in their own way, promoted and forwarded the Sunday Hoax. The most egregious example was on ABC This Week. Watch as Susan Glasser of The New Yorker promotes The Bloodbath Hoax, gets shut down by former Department of Justice spokesperson Sarah Isgur, only to continue to press ahead (click “expand” to view transcript): SUSAN GLASSER: Donald Trump, it seems to me, it's very hard eight years into this. We still struggle with how to cover him as journalists, but in a way, the unhinged, rambling rants that you see from the former President of the United States are baked in. And I think in a way, we are all desensitized and inured to the extraordinary, remarkable, and very at times, un-American, and threatening things that the former president is saying. I'm not saying it's easy to understand how to cover it, but I think we have to cover it when the former president, who's already incited violence among his followers, says that there's going to be a bloodbath. After the election if he does not win. He is telling us what he is going to do.  SARA ISGUR: Let me just disagree a little. ‘Cause I'm having super 2016 deja vu over the bloodbath news cycle. This is what Donald Trump does. We’re sitting here talking about a word he used that four days ago, we were all using to talk about what happened at the RNC, that’s in headlines about the markets on Wall Street. And now we're not talking about his 100% tariff policy, which is bonkers. We're talking about whether he used the word “bloodbath” to mean this or that, whether he means violence. We all know what it can be used… MARTHA RADDATZ: So what do you do, ignore it? RICK KLEIN: No. I think very much not. And, look. I think- I think the idea that one comment is going to change the minds of Trump voters, I think we've seen that before, and to Sarah's point, we've long passed that news cycle. But the policies need to be focused on as well, and that's what the campaign is going to be, and continues to be about.  GLASSER: I’m sorry. I just have to say something, like, Donald Trump is attacking in a broad brush sense, the basic pillars of American democracy, period, full stop. If that's not news to you, it's not about tariffs. That's not the reason why millions of Americans are supporting Donald Trump. Let’s be real about that. In Glasser’s view, and despite being reminded about the context by Isgur, it was a broad attack on American democracy. In other words, “bloodbath” is being narratively stretched out and reshaped into another January 6th. The record reflects that moderator Martha Raddatz did nothing to encourage clarification of any kind. Over on CBS’s Face The Nation former Vice President Mike Pence, who was there to not endorse Trump, imploded Margaret Brennan’s attempt to push The Bloodbath Hoax. Also, Brennan made weird, confused dog-like faces again while trying to pretend to not understand Trump’s proposed tariff policy: "I commend you for putting that into context": Mike Pence aw-shuckses CBS's Margaret Brennan attempt to further The Bloodbath Hoax into oblivion. Brennan makes confused faces when introing the Trump video. pic.twitter.com/JYIZDEBZCj — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) March 17, 2024 On CNN’s State of the Union, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi mentioned The Bloodbath Hoax within a broader rant about Trump and intelligence briefings, with no pushback or fact-checking from host Dana Bash: “Should Donald Trump receive intelligence briefings” – @DanaBashCNN to @SpeakerPelosi #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/1l0u3oE6jM — Brent Baker 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) March 17, 2024 Over on NBC’s Meet The Depressed, Kristen Welker asks, if “...that comment, even in the context of talking about the auto industry, does it cross a line for you? You heard what the Biden administration said, they say it’s another sign that he’s using terms related to political violence?”  Louisiana’s @SenBillCassidy gently chides @kwelkernbc on her upset over Trump’s rhetoric: “Sometimes the mainstream media, whether they want to or not, can’t resist and they go just a little bit too far which distracts from what could be the impact.” #MTP pic.twitter.com/xRJ9QG6i8M — Brent Baker 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) March 17, 2024 Welker knew that the proper context of “bloodbath” was about the automobile industry, but she wanted to push “the Biden administration’s” talking point. It was excruciating to watch Brennan and Welker both pretend to not know that Trump was indeed talking about a potential economic calamity to come from a potential BYD plant in Mexico. It takes several significant suspensions of disbelief to accept the idea that people who ply their trade in words and are among the elite in their industry are suddenly unable to comprehend plain English as spoken by Donald J. Trump. There is no other explanation for The Bloodbath Hoax except shameless dishonesty from a media that, as Isgur observed on This Week, has learned nothing from 2016. It may well be that Ana Marie Cox of The New Republic was the most forthright when discussing The Bloodbath Hoax on MSNBC. Who cares about stuff like context and factual accuracy, when ill motive can be imputed to Trump's supporters (and therefore to Trump himself)? Ana Marie Cox justifies The Bloodbath Hoax: We can't take him- you know, look at what he is saying and think "oh, well, we're going to be accurate for this, we're going to say he was referring to the auto industry" when I think we know how his supporters interpret these things. pic.twitter.com/ihtbf1J5K9 — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) March 17, 2024

ABC Aids And Abets Chuck Schumer’s Interference In Israeli Elections

In fairness, each of the network evening newscasts covered Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s unprecedented and repulsive foray into foreign election interference. But, as usual, it is ABC Whirled News Tonight that consistently prove themselves most willing to carry that Biden water. Note the repetition and echoes as David Muir frames the story and then goes to correspondent Matt Gutman’s video package:  DAVID MUIR: We turn next to Israel, and to a rare and stunning rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu right here in the U.S., and it came from the highest ranking Jewish official in the U.S. government. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, suggesting elections be held in Israel, and saying Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace. Matt Gutman from Israel tonight. MATT GUTMAN: Tonight, that stunning rebuke from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling for Israel to hold new elections because he believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace.  CHUCK SCHUMER: As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7th. GUTMAN: In a 40-minute speech, Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish official in the U.S., saying Israel has lost its way, and demanded it do more to protect civilians in Gaza.  Note what Muir and Gutman drill into viewers’ heads within the first minute: “stunning rebuke”, “highest ranking Jewish official in the U.S.”, “Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace”, and the call for new elections. The water was effectively carried. Gutman even found the time, after parroting the prescribed talking points, to performatively confront an IDF commander and try to play gotcha on the semantics of whether there is hunger in Gaza, using the ever-reliable UN as reference. As for Schumer, we can’t say we’re surprised at this new low. What's a little foreign election interference once you’ve threatened sitting Supreme Court justices with violence? In which Chuck Schumer threatens TWO sitting Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. pic.twitter.com/pA3mryeVK2 — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) March 4, 2020 No more crying about the norms, though. Not anymore, and not after Schumer’s grotesque stunt performed at the behest of The White House, amplified by his apple polishers at ABC News, solely intended to placate “Undecided” voters populating such places as Dearborn, Hamtramck, and Minneapolis among others.  Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Thursday, March 14th, 2024: DAVID MUIR: We turn next to Israel, and to a rare and stunning rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu right here in the U.S., and it came from the highest ranking Jewish official in the U.S. government. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, suggesting elections be held in Israel, and saying Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace. Matt Gutman from Israel tonight. MATT GUTMAN: Tonight, that stunning rebuke from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling for Israel to hold new elections because he believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace.  CHUCK SCHUMER: As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7th. GUTMAN: In a 40-minute speech, Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish official in the U.S., saying Israel has lost its way, and demanded it do more to protect civilians in Gaza. Netanyahu's Likud party criticizing the speech, saying, "Israel is not a banana republic, who's leader can be swapped out”. The Israeli military now says it’ll evacuate 1.4 million displaced people there before it attacks. The president has said such an operation without sufficient consideration for humanitarian concerns will be crossing a red line that could be met with the withholding of military aid to Israel. And tonight, a senior Israeli official telling ABC News the U.S. has recently slowed supplies of ammunition, which, today, the White House denied. But with Gazans facing famine, the White House and Democrats under increasing pressure for a cease-fire and for increased aid into Gaza. Today, at a border crossing not far from Rafah, we spoke to the Israeli commander responsible for allowing aid into Gaza. Israel blaming the U.N. for failing to distribute aid.  Specifically, are you saying that there's no hunger, or that there is no starvation in the north of Gaza?  IDF COMMANDER: I’m saying… GUTMAN: Because the U.N. Is about to declare a famine.  IDF COMMANDER:  I'm saying that there is no starvation, there are challenges. There are challenges of accessibility also.  GUTMAN: David, here in Israel, Senator Schumer's remarks cheered by some including the head of Israel’s opposition but, despite the fact that Netanyahu is deeply unpopular in Israel, even some of his staunchest opponents said it should be only Israeli citizens who decide their prime minister. David. MUIR: Making global headlines tonight. Matt Gutman. Thank you.  

REGIME MEDIA: All But NBC Tout VP Harris' Planned Parenthood Visit

With the notable exception of NBC Nightly News, the evening network newscasts fell over themselves to promote the historic nature of Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic- the first of its kind by a sitting president or vice president. The exuberance at the executive cosigning of the continued slaughter of the unborn was quite palpable. Of these, the most exuberant is, as expected, ABC. Here’s a segment from correspondent Rachel Scott’s report- a master class in Biden apple-polishing: RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, Kamala Harris making history as the first vice president to visit a women's health clinic where abortions are provided, a sign of just how central this issue has become to the Biden campaign.  KAMALA HARRIS: And walking through this clinic, that's what I saw. Are people who have dedicated their lives to the profession of providing health care in a safe place, that gives people dignity. And I think we should all want that for each other.  SCOTT: 21 states have banned or restricted access to abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade. The Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic Harris visited says they've seen a nearly 100% increase in patients coming in from other parts of the country.  HARRIS: How dare these elected leaders believe they are in a better position to tell women what they need? To tell women what is in their best interest? We have to be a nation that trusts women.  ABC was most on-message from a Biden propaganda standpoint, mentioning the overturning of Roe v. Wade FOUR TIMES within a two-minute report. Additionally, Rachel Scott highlighted the disgraceful moment wherein President Joe Biden attacked the Supreme Court during his State of the Union address.  CBS took a different tack, acting more as Planned Parenthood comms than Biden campaign comms, focusing on the “healthcare crisis” aspect of the event’s messaging, and getting reactions both from the head “doctor” at the facility, and the governor of Minnesota. Univision and Telemundo both ran items on the visit by Vice President Harris, known by some within the Hispanic community as Qué Mala Harris. In contrast with the fluffery of ABC and CBS, the Spanish-language networks got in and out in under 20 seconds- public relations briefs instead of campaign events. Of these, and shocking no one whatsoever, Univision’s is the most egregious.  NOTICIERO UNIVISION: ILIA CALDERON: Vice President Kamala Harris visited a Planned Parenthood clinic that performs abortions in Minnesota. No President of the United States has ever visited this type of clinic, and Harris is the first vice president to do so. The White House and the Democratic Party promote the protection of women’s reproductive rights. NOTICIAS TELEMUNDO: JULIO VAQUEIRO: Today, Vice President Kamala Harris toured an abortion clinic in Minnesota. This is the first visit by a president or vice president to an abortion clinic in the nation’s history. Proof of the importance that President Biden’s campaign assigns to reproductive rights, a key issue for many voters ahead of the November elections. That’s four of the five major network evening newscasts that parroted the Biden campaign’s elevation of unrestricted abortion on demand as a campaign issue. NBC, to their credit, sat this one out.  Click “expand” to view the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective evening newscasts on Thursday, March 14th, 2024: ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT: We turn now to the race for president, and tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris, the first vice president to ever visit a Planned Parenthood that provides abortions, telling voters, women's reproductive rights, abortion rights, are on the ballot this presidential election. And tonight here, what's happened, even in conservative states, when the issue of abortion has been put on the ballot after Roe went down. Here's ABC's Rachel Scott tonight. RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, Kamala Harris making history as the first vice president to visit a women's health clinic where abortions are provided, a sign of just how central this issue has become to the Biden campaign.  KAMALA HARRIS: And walking through this clinic, that's what I saw. Are people who have dedicated their lives to the profession of providing health care in a safe place, that gives people dignity. And I think we should all want that for each other.  SCOTT: 21 states have banned or restricted access to abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade. The Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic Harris visited says they've seen a nearly 100% increase in patients coming in from other parts of the country.  HARRIS: How dare these elected leaders believe they are in a better position to tell women what they need? To tell women what is in their best interest? We have to be a nation that trusts women.  SCOTT: Democrats keenly aware voters have moved to protect abortion rights in all six states where it has appeared on the ballot since Roe versus Wade was overturned, including conservative states like Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio. In his State of the Union speech, President Biden noting that, in the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe, the justices themselves wrote: “women are not without political power”.  JOE BIDEN: You're about to realize just how much you were right about that.  SCOTT: The president is counting on abortion to drive voters to the polls this November. As many as 14 states could have measures related to abortion or reproductive rights on the ballot. Among them: Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. Battleground states that could decide this election. As the nation's first female vice president, Harris has been the leading voice on reproductive rights for the Biden administration. David, she's been going state to state, hoping to rally Democratic voters around this issue. David. MUIR: Rachel Scott, covering the race for president for us. Rachel, thank you. CBS EVENING NEWS: NORAH O’DONNELL: Vice President Kamala Harris today became the first sitting vice president or president to visit an abortion clinic. The Biden campaign hopes that putting reproductive rights front and center this election cycle, it’ll motivate voters to go to the polls. CBS's Nancy Cordes reports tonight from Minnesota.  KAMALA HARRIS: The reporter said, “well, you’ve made history”, I guess again, because, you know, I did. [Laughter and applause]  NANCY CORDES: The vice president made history with a half hour private tour of an unassuming spot: A Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul. HARRIS: The reason I’m here is because this is a health care crisis.  CORDES: The clinic has seen a 25% surge in abortions since two neighboring states, along with several others, enacted full abortion bans.  HARRIS: And Doctor, please.  CORDES: Dr. Sarah Traxler is the chief medical officer. SARAH TRAXLER: Our new abortion landscape is difficult. It is dangerous. And it is putting my patients and health care providers at severe risk.  CORDES: The visit was the last stop for the VP in a 6-state swing that has been solely focused on reproductive rights. HARRIS: These extremists, they’re trying to take women back to the 1800s. We must restore the protections of Roe.  CORDES: The issue is a top focus for the Biden campaign, and here's why: 57% of Americans say the overturning of Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago was mostly bad for the country. Minnesota governor Tim Walz:  Is this the most animating issue for Democrats in your state right now? TIM WALZ: Well, it's one of them. I think people are passionate. We are a passionate people. We vote in very high numbers. But I think at the end of the day, it's the one that is most personal and feels the most threatening, and it's the one that's real. CORDES: Donald Trump, who attended a hearing in his classified documents case today, has strategically declined to say if he backs the 15-week national abortion ban favored by some Republicans. DONALD TRUMP: You have to win elections. Otherwise, you’re going to be back where you were, and you can’t let that ever happen again.  CORDES: We got some legal news today, in another one of the four criminal cases that Trump is currently facing. The Manhattan D.A. Offered a 30-day delay in a trial that was supposed to get under way in just a couple of weeks. Now, this is the case that has to do with hush money payments that were allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The defense wants 90 days to review tens of thousands of pages of new documents that were just handed over to them. Norah. O’DONNELL: Nancy Cordes. Thank you for that update.  

'AHA': Joy Reid Discovers That An American Billionaire Might Buy Tik Tok

On tonight’s installment of The ReidOut, broadcast nightly into America’s homes by MSNBC in conjunction with your preferred streaming or cable or satellite dish provider, host Joy Reid discovers that an American billionaire might potentially own Tik Tok as a result of the House-passed bill calling on Tik Tok to divest from under the control of the Chinese Communist Party. Pure CINEMA. Watch as Reid has her “aha” moment, and discovers that billionaires might buy stuff, especially stuff they’ve invested in to begin with:  JOY REID: It feels --I have to say- I'm sorry, but it does feel like this is an attempt to enrich some already rich American billionaire that just wants Tik Tok. Because my question is: what is the difference in the algorithmic threat of this site versus Telegram, versus Facebook, versus Discord, versus X, Twitter, all of them have algorithmic problems and dangers, right? Why is Tik Tok being singled out when they all have the same algorithmic issues and issues of disinformation?  BRIAN CHEUNG: When we talk about data and disinformation, misinformation, it is certainly the same at a Tik Tok as it would be at a Facebook or an Instagram or X or Twitter, right? But the concerns that at least lawmakers cite with regards to this is with the Chinese ownership through Bytedance, that company that owns Tik Tok. But, yeah. You're right. There are certainly a lot of billionaires that have stakes in all these social media apps. And when we talk about Bytedance, you look at Jeff Yass, for example. He is a billionaire who has a 7% personal stake in the company Bytedance and then his investment firm, Susquehanna, has a 15% stake. So, they have a vested interest, as I'm sure other investors do, in seeing how this story plays out. Because they have a financial stake attached to it as well, which will create some interesting undercurrents in the lobby.  REID: Just to be clear. I’m sorry. Not to interrupt you. So you're saying that an American billionaire owns some of this company. So it's not wholly owned by China, right? CHEUNG: Well, I mean, of course the company is based in China. It's based in Beijing, Bytedance, at least. But there are investment stakes that come from a number of shareholders which can include in some cases Americans as well. REID: Aha. I smell a rat. We're going to keep talking about this. Brian Cheung. Thank you very much. I’ll see y’all on Tik Tok. Follow me please on Tik Tok at Joy Reid Official. And we’ll be right back. Ahahahaha! The whole segment was devoted to whining about the potential sale of Tik Tok to an American billionaire pursuant to a forced divestiture. In other words, Reid appears very much to want to leave Tik Tok just the way it is and under CCP control. Regardless of one’s stance on the bill, the idea of a major social media platform granting unrestricted backdoor access to the ChiComs is or should be a major cause for concern. But Reid doesn’t discuss this during her segment with NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Cheung. Instead, she wastes Cheung’s time and insights while she infers that the intent of the bill is to redistribute Tik Tok to an American fatcat which, even when looked at from a skeptic’s perspective, is an incredibly dopey take. Even for Joy Reid. Opposition to the bill, serious opposition unlike the dog vomit that Reid offered up on-air, centers around concerns over the unmerited grant of additional powers to a government already weaponized against opposition and dissent. Or, at a bare minimum, the desire (as expressed by former President Donald Trump) to preserve a competitor of Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram.  In addition to being ridiculous on its face, Reid’s anti-billionaire ranting is superficial. One suspects that Reid’s opposition to divestiture would rapidly dissipate if, say, George Soros were the high bidder. Or Alex, nowadays.  I watch this nonsense so you don’t have to, but take no pity upon me for doing so. For, as Hyman Roth once said to Don Michael Corleone: This is the business we’ve chosen. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned segment as aired on MSNBC’s The ReidOut on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024: MIKE GALLAGHER: Tik Tok is a threat to our national security because it is owned by Bytedance, which does the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party.  MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: I believe that this bill can cause future problems. It's opening Pandora's box. NANCY PELOSI: This is not an attempt to ban Tik Tok. It's an attempt to make Tik Tok better.  SYDNEY KAI KALMAGER-DOVE: The bill seriously undermines civil liberties by essentially banning a platform that 150 million Americans use to engage in free speech and expression. JOY REID: Today a bipartisan House majority passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of Tik Tok if its China-based parent company does not divest ownership. 352 members voted in favor of the bill, 65 against who were an interesting mix of progressives and ultra-MAGA conservatives. The margin of victory is well above the two thirds majority threshold. Tik Tok has headquarters in the United States, but is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese tech firm Bytedance. Roughly 150 million Americans use Tik Tok. Earlier this week, FBI Director Chris Wray reiterated concerns that the Chinese government has the ability to control the app’s recommendation algorithm during a Senate hearing on national security threats. Joining me now is Brian Chueng, NBC News business and data correspondent. Thank you so much for being here. And I have seen some of your Tik Toks and your posts about these- about these topics. If, in fact, this bill was to pass the Senate and be designed by President Biden, would this forced sale be to a person in particular? ‘Cause all I want to know when I heard this is what rich billionaire American wants Tik Tok and who is it that is being set up to buy it? BRIAN CHEUNG: Yeah, and for what it’s worth, it’s going to take some time before there would be any sort of ban on Tik Tok because the way this would have to work is that after passage of the House, which happened today, it would need to go on to the Senate. The Senate would have to pass it, then the president would have to sign it. And then, even after that happens, the clock would then begin for a six-month period by which Tik Tok would have to be divested by the Chinese parent company Bytedance. If they can't do that, then it will be banned. If they can do that, then things go on (unint). We can continue to post our dancing videos on Tik Tok. But, look. At the end of the day the question is, okay, so if this does look like it has a path to being passed and signed into law by the president, which the president said he would do, who might buy Tik Tok? And we have to remember that there is precedent for this because then-president Donald Trump in 2020 tried to do the exact same thing, which was force Bytedance to divest Tik Tok. And when he tried to do so, there were two potential suitors that were named. Oracle and also Walmart. So, there is potentially a potential for this company to be sold. But again- how this plays out in 2024, we’ll have to see.  REID: It feels --I have to say- I'm sorry, but it does feel like this is an attempt to enrich some already rich American billionaire that just wants Tik Tok. Because my question is: what is the difference in the algorithmic threat of this site versus Telegram, versus Facebook, versus Discord, versus X, Twitter, all of them have algorithmic problems and dangers, right? Why is Tik Tok being singled out when they all have the same algorithmic issues and issues of disinformation?  CHEUNG: When we talk about data and disinformation, misinformation, it is certainly the same at a Tik Tok as it would be at a Facebook or an Instagram or X or Twitter, right? But the concerns that at least lawmakers cite with regards to this is with the Chinese ownership through Bytedance, that company that owns Tik Tok. But, yeah. You're right. There are certainly a lot of billionaires that have stakes in all these social media apps. And when we talk about Bytedance, you look at Jeff Yass, for example. He is a billionaire who has a 7% personal stake in the company Bytedance and then his investment firm, Susquehanna, has a 15% stake. So, they have a vested interest, as I'm sure other investors do, in seeing how this story plays out. Because they have a financial stake attached to it as well, which will create some interesting undercurrents in the lobby.  REID: Just to be clear. I’m sorry. Not to interrupt you. So you're saying that an American billionaire owns some of this company. So it's not wholly owned by China, right? CHEUNG: Well, I mean, of course the company is based in China. It's based in Beijing, Bytedance, at least. But there are investment stakes that come from a number of shareholders which can include in some cases Americans as well. REID: Aha. I smell a rat. We're going to keep talking about this. Brian Cheung. Thank you very much. I’ll see y’all on Tik Tok. Follow me please on Tik Tok at Joy Reid Official. And we’ll be right back. Ahahahaha!  

Chris Hayes Cherrypicks Migrant Crime Stories In Failed Fake Debunking

You can tell exactly how damaging the migrant crime narrative is to the left, the media, and the Biden campaign (pardon the redundancies), by the intensity with which the media try to squash it. The latest such instance comes via, of course, MSNBC- specifically, host Chris Hayes. Watch as Hayes closes his report by suggesting that migrant crime does not exist, and that such reports are merely a “roar in the right-wing media machine”, created to instill “fear, not facts”: CHRIS HAYES: And then this month, guess what happened? Manhattan prosecutors dropped the charges against Boada, you know why? They told the judge that further investigation proved that Boada, that guy, who had always professed his innocence, did not participate in the attack in question. They misidentified him. It wasn’t him. They got the wrong guy. Not him. He didn’t do it. Have you seen coverage of that? You think they’ve run 84 segments on Fox News about that? Of course by then, the man’s life is upended. The myth of migrant crime had already become a roar in the right-wing media machine, and they will do it over and over again. Whether it’s false rumors of a migrant caravan about to destroy America or the Guardian Angels live on Fox wailing on a man they claimed was a migrant thief when he was neither. He was an American from The Bronx who had not stolen anything. That happened last month. Remember all of this the next time you hear an immigration horror story out of Republicans. Aiming for fear, not facts. “Fear, not facts” is how best to describe MSNBC on any given issue, but I digress. Here Hayes cherrypicks two stories: the sex trafficking victim mentioned in Sen. Katie Britt’s State of the Union response, and the migrant who had charges dropped against him in the gang beatdown of two New York cops in Times Square. I don’t know the extent to which MSNBC viewers might accept Hayes’ fantasy fiction as truth, but the fact remains: NYPD cops were beaten down by a migrant gang in Times Square. Whether or not young Mr. Boada was a part of that beatdown becomes immaterial to the broader story, which is that migrant crime actually exists. Hayes expects his viewers to forget the fact that a young Georgia woman was brutally murdered by a migrant. An illegal alien, if you will. President Joe Biden addressed the murderous alien as such during the address, and that triggered no small amount of caterwauling on MSNBC. Migrant crime exists. Additionally, there are many such cases that go unreported in national media. This doesn’t mean that they didn’t happen, no matter how badly Hayes wishes it so. There’s the Tren de Aragua murder in Miami, the robbery epidemic in New York City, and several reported rape cases- including such cases where minors are involved.  No matter how fervently Hayes might want this story to go away, it won’t. Hayes’ report very much reminded me of that scene in The Wire where Marlo walks away from the security guard after boosting a lollipop, but not before saying: You want it to be one way. But it’s the other way.  The left and the media would very much like Biden’s border disaster to go away, and these migrant crime stories to disappear from public memory. But it’s the other way. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned segment as aired on MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024: So it’s been a few days since the Republican response to the State of the Union. By now, the performance of Senator Katie Britt has been roasted and panned by Democrats, Republicans, SNL, pretty much everyone. But beyond the spectacle of it, there's a very serious story of misinformation she included that night. Now she’s being called out for it.  In the speech, if you recall, Britt took the horrible, incredibly graphic and disturbing story of a Mexican sex trafficking survivor from 20 years ago in Guadalajara, in the interior of Mexico, and tried to blame Joe Biden's current border policy for it. Britt was roundly criticized by journalists and by the survivor herself. KARLA JACINTO: In fact, I hardly ever cooperate with politicians because it seems to me that they only want an image. I think she should first take into account what really happens before telling a story of that magnitude. HAYES: That was Karla Jacinto Romero, with good advice that Republicans absolutely refused to take. Her story- her horrible story appropriated by Katie Britt. The twisted claims were wildly and grossly misleading. She implied it was happening in the U.S. now because of Biden's border policy? But here’s the thing. That’s gotten a lot of attention. It’s dime a dozen when it comes to right-wing immigrant fear mongering. Remember this guy? Remember him? He's a migrant from Venezuela named Johan Boada. He was the focus of the right-wing media's hate last month after he was accused of being part of a gang that attacked NYPD officers in Times Square, and then he was subsequently photographed flipping the bird while leaving court. And to be clear, when I saw that image and this story break earlier this year, I thought, “if I were a Fox producer, or worked at The New York Post, I’d be running with this. I mean. I’m a bleeding heart liberal and even I found this image provocative, let’s say. So did actual Fox producers, who covered Boada in at least, get this, 84 segments over 38 days, according to Media Matters.  SEAN HANNITY: …were caught on tape giving the middle finger as they waltzed out of jail.   DANA PERINO: He's being let out of court yesterday on bail and he gives America, the press, everybody there the double bird.  JESSE WATTERS: So let me get this straight. He strolls across the border, was given free shelter, beat up cops and suffered no consequences, and this is how he thanks us.   ROBERT ALMONTE: This guy coming out and flipping off the camera, really what he's doing is he’s flipping off all of America. HAYES: The hatefest even went from Fox News to a political ad cut by a pro Trump superPAC. And then this month, guess what happened? Manhattan prosecutors dropped the charges against Boada, you know why? They told the judge that further investigation proved that Boada, that guy, who had always professed his innocence, did not participate in the attack in question. They misidentified him. It wasn’t him. They got the wrong guy. Not him. He didn’t do it. Have you seen coverage of that? You think they’ve run 84 segments on Fox News about that? Of course by then, the man’s life is upended. The myth of migrant crime had already become a roar in the right-wing media machine, and they will do it over and over again. Whether it’s false rumors of a migrant caravan about to destroy America or the Guardian Angels live on Fox wailing on a man they claimed was a migrant thief when he was neither. He was an American from The Bronx who had not stolen anything. That happened last month. Remember all of this the next time you hear an immigration horror story out of Republicans. Aiming for fear, not facts.  

NBC, CBS Newsers OMIT Reporting On Inconvenient CPI, Inflation Numbers

Another month, another inconvenient Consumer Price Index report- and another embarrassment for the Biden administration which the Regime Media now have to spin away or, as in the case of the evening network newscasts, outright hide from viewers. The lone network to report on the February inflation numbers, in an embarrassingly brief report at that, was ABC. Here is that report in its entirety as aired on World News Tonight on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024: DAVID MUIR: Now to the economy tonight. A new report suggesting the inflation fight has stalled. Consumer prices in February were up 3.2% from a year ago, that's slightly above what was expected. The cost of gas and rent rising last month, but food prices were flat. The Federal Reserve meets next week, analysts still think a rate cut could come this summer. That’s about all of 18 seconds, which is 18 seconds more than NBC and CBS were willing to muster for this steaming pile of an inflation report. It goes without saying that had the inflation numbers come closer to where they need to be in order for the Fed to announce a rate cut, and thus provide Team Biden with a huge boost ahead of the reelection, the reporting would have been extensive, exultant, ebullient, and comprehensive across the dial. But that’s not the kind of inflation report we got. Per the report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), shelter and energy continue to drive the “unexpected” increase in inflation. Anchor David Muir mentioned that in his brief, what with his references to “the cost of gas and rent”. However, Muir did not mention the cost of in-home gas service as an additional driver of inflation. Mind you, it’s still winter out there. The report closes with the usual rate cut wishcasting. And if this report from Reuters is any indication, Muir may need to keep on wishcasting until June at the earliest: Those continued price pressures will not change what Fed policymakers do next week, when they are universally expected to leave the policy rate in the 5.25%-5.5% range where it has been since last July. But it means too little data might exist by their April 30-May 1 meeting to give them confidence that inflation is durably on a path toward the Fed's 2% goal, analysts say. Even by June, there may be insufficient data to justify more than a couple of rate cuts all year. Tuesday's inflation report "is an ugly read that will do nothing to soothe nerves" at the Fed, wrote BMO economist Scott Anderson. "Clearly, restrictive monetary policy has not yet fully done its work and a patient and slightly hawkish Fed must remain in place for the monetary medicine to fully take effect." Given the choice to report the full extent of the significance of this inflation report to the American consumer, one major evening newscast flicked off a minimalist report and the other two omitted the subject altogether. The election might still be close to eight months away, but the media are already in midseason protect-the-precious form.  

Evening Nets HIDE Wray Testimony About ISIS-Linked Migrant Smuggling Network

Monday’s evening newscasts turned a blind eye to an emerging threat along our southern border: a migrant smuggling network with ties to ISIS. It is difficult to find a rationale for doing so other than a willful refusal to report anything that would further damage the Biden administration (and/or campaign) on what is its weakest issue: immigration. Watch this exchange between Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and FBI Director Christopher Wray: Today @FBI confirmed they are very concerned about a migrant smuggling network at our border with ties to ISIS pic.twitter.com/NLKGIK8W86 — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 11, 2024 That's a cut-and-dried assessment of a clear and present danger along the southern border, on the radar of our intelligence community as conveyed to the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. And absolutely NO ONE saw this story on their evening newscasts. ABC World News Tonight came the closest, only vaguely touching on the issue within a broader report on the emerging threats hearing that focused more heavily on Ukraine and China. Here’s that portion, as aired on Monday, March 11th, 2024:     PIERRE THOMAS: The FBI concerned about the potential that terrorists and others might try to come through a porous southern border.  CHRISTOPHER WRAY: …a whole host of threats that emanate from the border. Some of them are criminal threats. We talked about fentanyl and violence. And then, of course, we have concerns that it could be a vulnerability that terrorist organizations could seek to exploit. That’s it. Wray talked at length about a very specific threat, and yet it was inexplicably deemed unfit to air. And yet as bad as that was, it was far more than was offered to the public by CBS or NBC. CBS only mentioned the hearing in passing within their report on the war in Gaza. No video excerpt. Only a passing citation of the Director of National Intelligence’s (Avril Haines) warning that “the war in Gaza will likely have a generational impact on terrorism.” NBC omitted the subject matter completely. At a moment time when the nation's southern border is at its most vulnerable, the Director of the FBI went before the Senate Intelligence Committee and warned about a migrant smuggling network with ties to ISIS. That, in conjunction with the outbreak of migrant crime across our cities, should've raised ALL the red flags, and drawn significant coverage across the dial.  To omit such a thing from viewers is a dereliction of duty in service of a political agenda, and is completely inexcusable.

Nets All Over The Place On Trump-Biden Row Over Social Security

With the general election underway, the campaigns are off to the races…and so are the networks’ respective political correspondents. And they seem to be all over the place, as their coverage of reaction to remarks made by former President Donald Trump over the future of Social Security. CBS barely covered the issue, lumping it in as a throwaway item within a broader political roundup by White House correspondent Nancy Cordes: NANCY CORDES: In the same interview, Trump suggested he is open to cutting Medicare or Social Security to save money. Biden seized on that in New Hampshire. JOE BIDEN: I'm never going to allow that to happen. I won't cut Social Security, I won't cut Medicare.  There is no video of Trump’s remarks, nothing to point to except Cordes’ interpretation of Trump’s remark and a sampling of Biden’s seizing. About 15 seconds within a 2-plus minute report. ABC aired the Trump remarks in question, but did not mention Trump’s subsequent clarification until the end of the report, which in summary was vintage ABC Biden sycophancy. Or apple polishing, as my colleagues refer to ABC-Disney News’ gleeful willingness to self-degrade for Team Biden: RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, the stark difference between the two candidates on full display. President Biden seizing on new comments by Donald Trump. The former president seeming to suggest he would be open to cutting entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. Correspondent Rachel Scott served, per ABC custom, as a human bullhorn through which Biden talking points were broadcast and amplified- whether on Biden’s budget, or on the “seizing”- a recurring topic throughout the evening.  NBC was the cleanest of the three on Trump’s remarks, and aired the clarification on Social Security earlier into the report than did ABC (the end) or CBS (not at all). In addition to airing the clarification, correspondent Garrett Haake included a Trump quote demonstrating further reluctance to cut Social Security. GARRETT HAAKE: The Trump campaign saying he was not talking about cutting benefits but cutting waste. Mr. Trump just last week posting, "Republicans have no plans to cut Social Security."   Of the three networks, NBC appeared to be the most reluctant to gaslight their viewers. Of note, NBC was also the only report to include Biden’s backtrack on his description of the illegal alien that murdered UGA nursing student Laken Riley as “an illegal”. Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective network evening newscasts on Monday, March 11th, 2024: ABC World News Tonight: DAVID MUIR: Now, to the race for the White House tonight. What former President Trump said just this morning about government entitlement programs including Social Security. President Biden on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, pouncing. Here's Rachel Scott.  RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, the stark difference between the two candidates on full display. President Biden seizing on new comments by Donald Trump. The former president seeming to suggest he would be open to cutting entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.  DONALD TRUMP: There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting, and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements, tremendous, bad management of entitlements. There's tremendous amounts of things, numbers of things you can do.  SCOTT: Biden tweeting out Trump’s comments with these words: "Not on my watch." Hitting him again on a campaign swing in New Hampshire.  JOE BIDEN: Donald Trump said cuts to Social Security, Medicare, are on the table again. I'm never going to allow that to happen. SCOTT: Biden today unveiling his budget wish list. A $7.3 trillion plan highlighting his priorities for voters. It includes $4.7 billion for border security. And a host of programs to help the middle class, including a $2,600 child tax credit. A new tax credit for first-time home buyers, and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, including insulin. To pay for it all, Biden wants to raise taxes on corporations and impose a 25% minimum tax on people worth more than $100 million. The president again drawing a sharp contrast with Donald Trump. BIDEN: Do you really think the wealthy and big corporations need another $2 trillion tax breaks? Because that's what he wants to do. SCOTT: Biden pledging that nobody who earns less than $400,000 will see their taxes go up.  BIDEN: Nobody -- not a single cent -- nobody will pay a single penny more, and they haven't thus far. Folks, it's about fundamental fairness.  SCOTT: David, back to Medicare and Social Security. Donald Trump saying today there's a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting. Now, his campaign says what he was talking about was cutting waste, not the programs themselves. David. MUIR: Rachel Scott tonight. Rachel, thank you.   CBS Evening News: Now, to America Decides 2024 and the race for president. Tonight, there’s a shake-up at the Republican National Committee engineered by Donald Trump. CBS News has learned that dozens are being pushed out as the former president's allies and his daughter-in-law take over. Here's CBS's Nancy Cordes with headlines from the campaign trail.  NANCY CORDES: Campaigning in New Hampshire today, President Biden brought up the company his opponent kept this weekend.  JOE BIDEN: He was with Viktor Orban, who talked about democracy being a problem. CORDES: Viktor Orban is the authoritarian-leaning leader of Hungary who has cracked down on the judiciary, the press, and LGBTQ+ rights. He drew high praise from Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. DONALD TRUMP: …because he said this is the way it's going to be and that's the end of it. He is the boss. And he is a great leader, fantastic leader.  CORDES: Orban later told the Hungarian press that Trump had promised he would not give a penny to Ukraine if elected. The Trump campaign disputes that. They’re also fielding questions about Trump’s abrupt reversal on TikTok. He now opposes a ban on the Chinese-owned social media site.  TRUMP: It was a meeting that lasted for a few minutes.  CORDES: in an interview this morning, Trump denied that his change of heart came after meeting with financier Jeff Yass, whose fund has a multibillion-dollar stake in TikTok's parent company. TRUMP: I don't think I ever met him before, but he never mentioned TikTok.  CORDES: In the same interview, Trump suggested he is open to cutting Medicare or Social Security to save money. Biden seized on that in New Hampshire. BIDEN: I'm never going to allow that to happen. I won't cut Social Security, I won't cut Medicare.  CORDES: In the wake of the State of the Union address, Biden is hitting battleground states and airing a new ad about his age. BIDEN: Look, I'm not a young guy, that's no secret. But here's the deal. I understand how to get things done for the American people.  CORDES: In Rome, Georgia this weekend, Trump called Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech a --  TRUMP: Angry, dark, hate-filled rant.  CORDES: Then he mocked the president’s lifelong stutter.  TRUMP: Listen, I’m going to bring the country to-to-to-to-gether.  CORDES: It was not the first time Trump has made fun of a disability or speech disorder. A Biden campaign official said that it shows that Trump is, quote, “weak and insecure”. It came in the same speech that Trump referred to reporters as “criminals”. Norah. O’DONNELL: Nancy Cordes, at the White House, Thank you.   NBC Nightly News: LESTER HOLT: Let's turn to the race for the White House now and a new clash over Social Security. President Biden accusing Donald Trump of suggesting he'd make cuts to the entitlement program. The Trump campaign firing back tonight, saying Mr. Trump never said that. Garrett Haake now with late details. GARRETT HAAKE: President Biden ramping up his re-election campaign tonight, attacking Donald Trump in battleground New Hampshire.  JOE BIDEN: Donald Trump said cuts to Social Security and Medicare are on the table again. I'm never going to allow that to happen. HAAKE: Hitting the former president after he responded to a reporter who suggested something needed to be done about entitlements.  DONALD TRUMP: There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements. I don't necessarily agree with the statement.  HAAKE: The Trump campaign saying he was not talking about cutting benefits but cutting waste. Mr. Trump just last week posting, "Republicans have no plans to cut Social Security." The president today laying out his budget in a show of second-term priorities. The largely symbolic plan would boost spending to $7.3 trillion while raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The president calls for restoring the full child tax credit and proposes national paid leave. BIDEN: It's just about basic fairness. Just basic decency. HAAKE: Meanwhile, Mr. Trump in battleground Georgia blasting president Biden for saying he regretted using the word “illegal" to describe the alleged killer of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Police say the suspect was a Venezuelan migrant who crossed the border illegally two years ago. BIDEN: Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. I shouldn't have used “illegal”. I should’ve- it's “undocumented”.  JONATHAN CAPEHART: So you- you regret using that word? BIDEN: Yes.  HAAKE: Mr. Trump met with Laken Riley's family before his Georgia rally.  TRUMP: Well, he was illegal. And I say he was an illegal alien. He shouldn't have been in our country and he never would have been under the Trump policy. HAAKE: And today Mr. Trump's lawyers argued that the March start of his New York criminal trial should be delayed until the Supreme Court rules on his claim of presidential immunity. That judge could issue his decision as soon as next week. Lester. HOLT: Garrett Haake, thank you.  

Former DoJ Spox: Biden Missed His Sister Souljah Moment On Immigration

The media’s sugar rush over President Joe Biden’s performance at the State of the Union has largely worn off. Like the president’s cognitive cocktail. What remains is the media’s angst over the president’s use of the term “illegal” to describe the illegal alien that killed UGA nursing student Laken Riley.  The left tut-tutted the president into submission over the term. As our very own Tim Graham noted: Obviously, leftists -- including leftist journalists -- were furious over this gaffe. "No person is illegal!" Even murderers deserve ethnically sensitive descriptions! Biden quickly expressed his regrets, he should have said "undocumented person." MSNBC doesn't press Biden for letting criminals in. They press him for using the wrong word for the criminal. Biden, of course, taps out to the language police and backtracks on his use of the term. Now watch as former Department of Justice spokesperson Sarah Isgur points out what a botch that was for Biden, as aired on ABC This Week on Sunday, March 10th, 2024: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Rachel, you were inside the chamber. What an atmosphere.  RACHEL SCOTT: The level of decorum and the lack thereof, rather, and it was interesting to see President Biden. Look, he knew this from the last time he gave this address that Republicans booed him. But going toe to toe, head to head with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene as if this was some sort of, like, high school debate open forum, repeating back the words she was saying to him. Challenging him on that, and that's where he sort of caught himself in this bind when it came to using the term “illegal”, which obviously drew a lot of backlash from Democrats and now the president has- has backtracked on that. STEPHANOPOULOS: I'm not so sure that was as much of a mistake even though he took it back, as people made it out to be.  SARAH ISGUR: What a missed Sister Souljah moment for President Biden. He has this back and forth, he gets the better of it, but then once again sort of caves to that sort of far left campaign staff level base within the Democratic Party where you're worried more about what you called the murderer than you are about the woman who was murdered. And again, when you are trying to reach those voters who are going to decide this election, not the Democratic base, but the people who don't like two of their choices here and are looking for some way forward- total missed opportunity. “What an atmosphere”, gushed host George Stephanopoulos over the State of the Union, fresh off of attempting to rape-shame Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) over her political choices- namely, her endorsement of Donald Trump. And after correspondent Rachel Scott weighs in and polishes a bushel of Biden’s apples, as per the custom at ABC News, Isgur comes in and points out the obvious. Biden did, in fact, miss out on an opportunity to call out the most open-borders elements of his party, and use the opportunity provided him by Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene’s callout in order to do something on immigration more serious than call yet again for passage of the dead Senate bill…perhaps even call for passage of the House-passed H.R. 2. Note Stephanopoulos saying “I’m not so sure that was much of a mistake…” But Biden proved that he is captive to the Very Online left, both in campaigns and in the media- and beholden to the Professional Latinx which are a large part of his electoral coalition. At a time when Biden’s coalition is cracking, he can’t afford to lose much more support. So he backtracked.  The rest of the liberals on the panel had nothing for Isgur. And so it is that President Joe Biden, on the urging of his Very Online coalition, which includes the media, apologized for mislabeling an illegal alien murderer while never apologizing for his administration’s role in enabling the murder in the first place.  

Former Clinton Staffer George Stephanopoulos Rape-Shames Nancy Mace Over Trump Endorsement, Gets WRECKED

George Stephanopoulos’ recent interview with U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) proves the extent to which the media, rather than reporting facts and allowing informed viewers to decide for themselves, have devolved into partisan Maoist apparatchiks bent on punishing dissent. There is no other explanation for Stephanopoulos’ disgusting attempts to shame Mace, a survivor of sexual assault, for her support of former President Donald Trump. Mace, to her credit, resisted Stephanopoulos’ multiple attempts to shame her. Here’s how the interview began (click “expand” to view full transcript):  GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw? U.S. REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Well, I will tell you. I was raped at the age of 16, and any rape victim will tell you- I've lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped. I didn't come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt, and it's a shame that you will never feel, George. And I'm not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim. I'm not going to do that.  STEPHANOPOULOS: It's actually not about shaming you, it’s a question about Donald Trump… MACE: No, you are shaming me. STEPHANOPOULOS: You've endorsed Donald Trump for president.  MACE: Right. STEPHANOPOULOS: Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury. Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It's been affirmed by a judge. It repeated the… MACE: It was not a criminal court case, number one. Number two, I live with shame, and you're asking me a question about my political choices trying to shame me as a rape victim and find it disgusting. And quite frankly, E. Jean Carroll's comments when she did get the judgment, joking about what she was going to buy, it doesn't -- it makes it harder for women to come forward when they make a mockery out of rape. When they joke about it. It’s not- it’s not OK.  STEPHANOPOULOS: Doesn't it make it harder for women to come forward when they're defamed by presidential candidates?  MCE: It makes it harder when other women joke about it, and she's joked about it. I find it offensive. And I also find it offensive that you are trying to shame me with this question.  STEPHANOPOULOS: I'm not trying to shame you… MACE: You are. I have dealt with this for 30 years. STEPHANOPOULOS: …in fact, I applaud your candid…  MACE: Do you know how hard it was to tell my story 5 years ago when they were doing a fetal heartbeat bill when there were no exceptions for rape, incest -- or li- rape or incest in there? I had to tell my story because no other woman was coming forward. STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking… MACE: No rape victims were represented and you're trying to shame me this morning… STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking if… MACE: …and I find it offensive and this is why women won't come forward.  STEPHANOPOULOS: Women won't come forward because they're defamed by those who perpetrate rape. Donald Trump… MACE: They are judged and they are shamed and you’re trying to shame me this morning. I think it’s disgusting. STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m not…I’m not shaming you at all. I called you “courageous”. MACE: I told my story- it took me 25 years to tell my story, I was judged for it. I still get judged for it today.  STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you a very simple question. Explain why… MACE: And I answered it. You’re shaming me for my political choices. It bears noting that Stephanopoulos first came to prominence by working for noted accused rapist Bill Clinton, who he enabled throughout his presidency and admitted, when it was convenient to do so, that he “didn’t want to know” what Clinton was really up to. Today’s disgusting interview did not escape the notice of Clinton’s most prominent victim, Juanita Broaddrick, who alleges to have endured similar rape-shaming by Stephanopoulos:  You’re not alone, Nancy. He did it to me, too, when he was Bill Clinton’s mouthpiece. https://t.co/J42ZJZrdzQ — Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) March 10, 2024 What Nancy Mace resisted was much more than the political shaming of a rape victim due to her political choices. It was a Maoist struggle session, intended to shame a class-traitor. The class, in this instance, being rape victims which, per Stephanopoulos’ sick logic, Mace betrays by endorsing Trump over Biden.  And because Stephanopoulos viewed Mace as a class traitor, he found it entirely appropriate to lead with the question you saw in the video above. This is what immediately jumped out at me after years of watching Univision’s Jorge Ramos ask Hispanic conservatives some variant of “why do you endorse Trump despite his calling immigrants rapists and criminals?” Mace, to her great credit, shut that nonsense down and threw it right back in Stephanopoulos’ face- which often flummoxed him and left him grasping to get back on track. Once he realized Mace wasn’t going to be shamed into submission, he let his contempt fly freely.  Imagine the thermonuclear outrage if the players were inverted, and a prominent Democrat congresswoman was asked on, say, Fox News about her endorsement of accused sexual predator Joe Biden. Our friend Bonchie has a point here: Could you imagine the outrage if a major news anchor asked AOC about being raped and then tried to use that to shame her political opinions? We'd never hear the end of it. The mediasphere would literally implode in on itself. There'd be congressional hearings. — Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 10, 2024 Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned interview, as aired on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, March 10th, 2024: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Our next guest is Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a Donald Trump supporter who gave candid and courageous testimony about her own experience as a rape victim weeks before launching her run for Congress in 2019.  U.S. REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): From some of us who've been raped, it can take 25 years to get up the courage and talk about being a victim of rape. And the first thing that happens when a woman comes out in public and says she's been raped, what is the first thing out of someone's mouth? Is that it didn't happen. This is why women do not come forward. They are afraid.  STEPHANOPOULOS: Congresswoman, thanks for joining us this morning. You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw? U.S. REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Well, I will tell you. I was raped at the age of 16, and any rape victim will tell you- I've lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped. I didn't come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt, and it's a shame that you will never feel, George. And I'm not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim. I'm not going to do that.  STEPHANOPOULOS: It's actually not about shaming you, it’s a question about Donald Trump… MACE: No, you are shaming me. STEPHANOPOULOS: You've endorsed Donald Trump for president.  MACE: Right. STEPHANOPOULOS: Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury. Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It's been affirmed by a judge. It repeated the… MACE: It was not a criminal court case, number one. Number two, I live with shame, and you're asking me a question about my political choices trying to shame me as a rape victim and find it disgusting. And quite frankly, E. Jean Carroll's comments when she did get the judgment, joking about what she was going to buy, it doesn't -- it makes it harder for women to come forward when they make a mockery out of rape. When they joke about it. It’s not- it’s not OK.  STEPHANOPOULOS: Doesn't it make it harder for women to come forward when they're defamed by presidential candidates?  MCE: It makes it harder when other women joke about it, and she's joked about it. I find it offensive. And I also find it offensive that you are trying to shame me with this question.  STEPHANOPOULOS: I'm not trying to shame you… MACE: You are. I have dealt with this for 30 years. STEPHANOPOULOS: …in fact, I applaud your candid…  MACE: Do you know how hard it was to tell my story 5 years ago when they were doing a fetal heartbeat bill when there were no exceptions for rape, incest -- or li- rape or incest in there? I had to tell my story because no other woman was coming forward. STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking… MACE: No rape victims were represented and you're trying to shame me this morning… STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking if… MACE: …and I find it offensive and this is why women won't come forward.  STEPHANOPOULOS: Women won't come forward because they're defamed by those who perpetrate rape. Donald Trump… MACE: They are judged and they are shamed and you’re trying to shame me this morning. I think it’s disgusting. STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m not…I’m not shaming you at all. I called you “courageous”. MACE: I told my story- it took me 25 years to tell my story, I was judged for it. I still get judged for it today.  STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you a very simple question. Explain why… MACE: And I answered it. You’re shaming me for my political choices. STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m not. I’m asking you a question about why you endorse someone who’s been found liable for rape. Just answer the question. MACE: It was not a criminal court. This was- this was… STEPHANOPOULOS: It was a civil court that found him liable for rape.  MACE: It was a civil court. And, by the way, she joked about the judgment and what she was going to do with all that money and I find that offensive. STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you about the man who's…  MACE: But as a rape victim who's been shamed for years now because of her rape, you're trying to shame me, again, by asking this political question. STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve repeated that- you’ve repeated that again and again and again.  MACE: I think it's offensive. As a woman, I find your- I find it offensive. STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you… MACE: My political choices- I’ve endorsed the man that I believe is best for our country. It's not Joe Biden, and you looked at the dueling rallies yesterday in Georgia. Laken Riley's family was with Donald Trump. They weren't with Joe Biden, the same guy yesterday that apologized for calling her killer an illegal who was an illegal. And here you are trying to shame a rape victim. I find it disgusting.  STEPHANOPOULOS: I mean, you keep saying I'm shaming you. There’s nothing I…  MACE: You are. The questi- it’s- it is. It is.  STEPHANOPOULOS: How is the question asking you about a presidential candidate who’s been-- MACE: You're asking a rape victim.  STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m-- -- there's no question about that, and you are- you've courageously talked about it. MACE: You’re questioning my political choices because I've been raped, I think that's disgusting.  STEPHANOPOULOS: No. I’m questioning your political choices because  You're supporting someone… MACE: You’re shaming me. You’re trying to shame me. STEPHANOPOULOS: …who was found liable for rape-- actually, I'm not trying to shame you.  MACE: You are. That’s exactly what you’re doing… STEPHANOPOULOS: You haven’t answered the question… MACE: …and I think it's disgusting.  STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you're welcome to say that but you’re also- you have to answer the question.  MACE: I did. STEPHANOPOULOS: Why are you supporting someone who was found liable for rape?  MACE: I just answered your question. STEPHANOPOULOS: What is the answer? MACE: He was not- he was not found guilty in civil- in a criminal court of law. He- it was a civil- it was sexual abuse. It wasn’t actually rape, by the way. And E. Jean Carroll joked about all the money she's going to get and made a mockery out of this case. And I think that's offensive. There is a reason why women don't come forward. And when you have someone who says that they're raped and they make a mockery out of this civil court judgment, it's offensive to other women. It makes it harder for other women to come forward when another woman has made a mockery of it. STEPHANOPOULOS: You said other women don't come forward because they are afraid. Because they are defamed by those who… MACE: They are judged and shamed like you’re trying to shame me this morning.  STEPHANOPOULOS: They are-- they are afraid to come forward, as you said, because they are defamed by those who commit the rape.  MACE: And they are judged. STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s what Donald Trump has been found guilty of doing. MACE: He defended himself over that and denies that it ever happened, but he was not found guilty in a criminal court of law. It was a civil judgment over sexual abuse.  STEPHANOPOULOS: So is that the distinction you're making- a civil judgment is okay, but a criminal judgment is not?  MACE: This is different. And they didn't even input all of the evidence into the civil case either because some of the information she provided wasn't even accurate or correct. But to sit here and ask me as a rape victim- to try to shame me for my political choices is wrong. And I think it's offensive. I mean-  STEPHANOPOULOS: You can repeat that again and again and again and again…  MACE: And I'm going to because I find it deeply offensive.  STEPHANOPOULOS: …and I’ve done nothing to shame you. You don't find it offensive that Donald Trump has been found liable for rape? MACE: I find it offensive, as a rape victim, that you're trying to shame me for my political choices and I've said again repeatedly, E. Jean Carroll has made a mockery out of rape by joking about it. I don’t find that funny. Rape is not funny. STEPHANOPOULOS: You've made it perfectly clear you’re comfortable… MACE: Rape is serious… STEPHANOPOULOS: It is serious. MACE: …it’s not funny, and it shouldn't be made a mockery of.  STEPHANOPOULOS: It is… MACE: If you want to defend a woman who made a mockery out of rape, then you go ahead and do that. I’m not going to do that. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, actually, what you’re doing is defending a man who's been found liable for rape. I don't understand how you can do that. MACE: Not in a criminal court of law. This was a civil judgment over sexual abuse, not rape by the way, and she made a mockery out of it.  STEPHANOPOULOS: Can we pull up The Washington Post’s headline right there? In fact, it has been shown to be rape. The judge affirmed that it was, in fact, rape. Donald Trump was found to have committed rape. That's just a fact.  MACE: That is a civil judgment, not a criminal court. They're two very different things and you know better. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you’ve- I- I- I just showed you the facts. MACE: You know better.  STEPHANOPOULOS: You show that you’re very comfortable with what Donald Trump has done… MACE: …and what you’ve done is offensive to women who have been raped. What you’ve done this morning is offensive. STEPHANOPOULOS: We'll let the viewers decide about that. Let's talk about January 6th. You had just been sworn into Congress on January 6th. You voted to certify the election and you said Donald Trump must be held accountable for the violence right after the riot. Let's show that. MACE: We've got to hold not only the president accountable and ensure he doesn't hold office again in the future, but also we need to hold Members of our Congress, even in my own party, accountable for the rhetoric and the actions that led up to Wednesday's events.  STEPHANOPOULOS: You said he should never hold office again, so why are you supporting his run for president?  MACE: Well, I listened to my voters. I listened to my voters in South Carolina, and they've moved beyond January 6th. I said my piece on January 6th. I was very clear about how I felt about it, and I also as you stated, I voted to certify the Electoral College for every single state in the country. But something’s happened between now and then and that was Joe Biden, and I listened to my voters. They move on. They don't ask me about January 6th. Maybe that's what you in the media- you guys talk about at your cocktail parties, but voters are not talking about it. They ask me about February 22nd, the day that Laken Riley was murdered by an illegal immigrant. They ask me about October 8th, the day that Maddie Hines, a South Carolina girl- 4-year-old girl murdered by an illegal immigrant who was deported under Donald Trump and allowed back in under Joe Biden's administration, they're talking about the over 8 million illegals who’ve come across our southern border in an invasion of our country and a actual threat to democracy allowing that to happen. That's what they talk about. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not- not talking about January 6th doesn't mean it didn't happen. You were very clear right there. You said… MACE: I was very clear. I just said that. STEPHANOPOULOS: You said he should never hold office again because of what happened on January 6th and what he did. You said he should be held accountable. How has he been held accountable? How are you holding him accountable? MACE: Voters held him accountable through our Republican primaries this year. He's won overwhelmingly, America supports him. They're not looking back, they’re looking forward. Since January 6th, we’ve had three years of Joe Biden. The American people do not like or support it. You've seen the polling. You’ve cited the polling in your show today showing that Trump is beating Joe Biden on all the critical issues that the American people care about- talking about immigration, the border, inflation, et cetera. He's very strong on those issues, stronger than Joe Biden and that’s- I listened to my voters. I talk to South Carolinians every single day and they support Donald Trump. He's going to win our state overwhelmingly in November. STEPHANOPOULOS: How have you held Donald Trump accountable for what he did on January 6th? MACE: The American people have held him accountable through the ballot box, just as they will hold Joe Biden accountable in November at the ballot box. That’s where it’s going to be done. STEPHANOPOULOS: And you will continue to support him even if he's convicted of a felony?  MACE: Well, here’s the thing. You know, the court cases and lawsuits, that has nothing to do with you or me or- it doesn't affect the American people. The chaos that Joe Biden has created by having a wide open border affects every single American. We see- we saw it affect Laken Riley's family on February 22nd, we’ve seen it affect Maddie Hines' family in South Carolina. We've seen the violence right here in New York, in Times Square where illegal immigrants beat up two New York Police Department cops. These things affect -- fentanyl crisis affects everybody. Ten years ago, I couldn't tell you what fentanyl was. Today? Last year, I knew two people personally who died of fentanyl overdoses. So the chaos that Joe Biden has created over the last three years has made Americans rethink who they want to have president, and we have two back-to-back presidencies to compare. They've both been president and the American people I believe right now are overwhelmingly choosing Donald Trump regardless of how you feel. STEPHANOPOULOS: So you've made it very clear you're comfortable with Donald Trump being found liable for rape and you’re comfortable with his actions on January 6th. You still support him. MACE: I didn’t say I was comfortable. You're putting words into my mouth. STEPHANOPOULOS: You wouldn't condemn it.  MACE: I- no, you're putting words into my mouth. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, are you comfortable with it? MACE: I support Donald Trump for president.  STEPHANOPOULOS: So you’re comfortable with it.  MACE: I just endorsed him a few weeks ago. STEPHANOPOULOS: Even though he's been found liable for rape.  MACE: In a civil judgment, not a criminal court case. But you go ahead and keep shaming women who’ve been raped. Good luck with that.  STEPHANOPOULOS: Thank you for joining us. We'll be right back.  

CBS’s Nancy Cordes Cheers Biden’s ‘Stamina’ and ‘Fire in the Belly’

The drive-by media was very hopeful in the days ahead of the State of the Union address, and the prevailing sense is that the speech was going to be hailed as successful so long as President Joe Biden didn’t soil himself on the dais. CBS’s early reaction to the speech appears to confirm that sense. Watch as chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes hails Biden’s “stamina” and “fire in the belly”: NORAH O’DONNELL: Nancy Cordes is our chief White House correspondent and Nancy, you covered this president closely. He's been criticized for sometimes flubbing a speech, going off script. Tonight was a bit different.  NANCY CORDES: Norah, this seemed to me to be a speech designed first and foremost to show that Joe Biden has the stamina and the fire in the belly to go another four years. It was designed to be delivered with high energy. He even broke into a call and response at one point and Democratic lawmakers played along. He told jokes. But he came out of the gate criticizing Donald Trump on Ukraine and then on January 6th. That was unexpected. He accused him of unleashing chaos when it comes to reproductive rights and pandering to Vladimir Putin. It seemed to me that this White House understood that one of the biggest obstacles to reelection for him are the persistent voter questions about the president's age. And the White House set out to try to address those questions with a speech in which he ad-libbed about everything from taxes to Snickers.  These statements of attestation to Biden’s vigor and stamina are normally reserved for Cabinet officials and elected Democrats who find themselves compelled to defend the president against accusations (with evidence) of diminished physical and cognitive capabilities. In the case of Cordes though, she delivers these attestations freely, willingly, and without reservation once elicited to do so by anchor Norah O’Donnell.  Cordes’ affirmations of presidential vigor were preceded by John Dickerson’s cheerleading of Biden’s excessive partisanship, as proven by his use of “my predecessor” and “fair”.  The portion of the post-reaction closed out with correspondent Robert Costa’s wishcasting over whether Biden gets Nikki Haley’s voters, and with enthusiasm over Biden’s start to the general election campaign season. CBS’s coverage proves the drive-by media’s desire to cast the speech as successful, at all costs up to and including credibility.  Click “expand” to view the aforementioned portion of post-speech coverage as aired on CBS on Thursday, March 7th, 2024: NORAH O’DONNELL: And there it is. President Biden delivering a feisty and animated State of the Union address tonight. Probably one of the most political addresses I've ever heard, before a joint chamber, at this time drawing a sharp contrast with Republicans. And while he did not mention Donald Trump's name, he referred to his predecessor more than a dozen times, taunting Republicans at times in a vigorous address. I want to bring in our chief political analyst, John Dickerson. John. JOHN DICKERSON: Yes. A stemwinder, Norah. I'm going to pluck two words out of the speech that  President Biden used. He used each of them 13 times. One is the one you just mentioned, “predecessor” or “my predecessor”. Referring to Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy as great as the one America faced in 1941 before World War II. You cannot set the stakes any higher than that in terms of defining who he is running against. The other word he used 13 times is “fair”. This is a policy argument he was making when he talked about- when he talked about lowering drug prices, helping teachers get paid more, helping others go up the ladder of opportunity, helping with housing. All of those policies, those are to help people who are in the middle class and lower. How was he going to pay for it? By increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations. It's a populist pitch aimed at fairness. The speech will fade but those two things, how he defines his opponent and that notion of fairness is pretty much the argument from now until November.  O’DONNELL: Nancy Cordes is our chief White House correspondent and Nancy, you covered this president closely. He's been criticized for sometimes flubbing a speech, going off script. Tonight was a bit different.  NANCY CORDES: Norah, this seemed to me to be a speech designed first and foremost to show that Joe Biden has the stamina and the fire in the belly to go another four years. It was designed to be delivered with high energy. He even broke into a call and response at one point and Democratic lawmakers played along. He told jokes. But he came out of the gate criticizing Donald Trump on Ukraine and then on January 6th. That was unexpected. He accused him of unleashing chaos when it comes to reproductive rights and pandering to Vladimir Putin. It seemed to me that this White House understood that one of the biggest obstacles to reelection for him are the persistent voter questions about the president's age. And the White House set out to try to address those questions with a speech in which he ad-libbed about everything from taxes to Snickers.  O’DONNELL: And Robert Costa, I was struck by that too. We've covered so many of these State of the Union addresses where the president begins with domestic issues. It’s- foreign policy is not usually considered that interesting, but we are in a different era. And he began with Ukraine. He began with his predecessor and Putin and said "My predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin do whatever the hell you want," saying that he’ll bow down. It's outrageous, it's dangerous, it's unacceptable.  ROBERT COSTA: Norah, sometimes timing is everything in politics. And what happened just days ago, Super Tuesday, former ambassador Nikki Haley got out of the race. President Biden tonight making a pitch to Nikki Haley's voters, traditional Republicans who might feel like they don't have a home in Donald Trump's Republican party. He’s quoting Ronald Reagan. He's talking about January 6th, and he's saying to them, “I'm building a coalition that's not only progressives and Democrats but could include some Republicans.” And you look at- sometimes a picture tells a thousand words. You see President Biden there mingling on the House floor. Democrats all smiles, some centrists from the New Jersey delegation there. I saw Senator Bernie Sanders come up with a big grin to say hello to President Biden. They're happy tonight. The president kicked off his campaign with a forceful speech, giving Democrats in that room and nationally a lot of confidence that he has what it takes for a rough campaign against Trump.  

MSNBC Goes Full North Korea Media Over Biden State of the Union Speech

MSNBC’s immediate reaction to President Joe Biden’s shouty, aggressive, and grossly partisan State of the Union address was, even by MSNBC standards, disconnected from reality and more akin to something one might expect from North Korean state media.  Here’s Lawrence O’Donnell kicking off the gushing with expressions of astonishment at Biden’s attack on the Supreme Court:  LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: It was at that moment that I think we all remember- of the way he attacked, I guess is the word for it, the Supreme Court- TO THEIR FACES. Where the camera then goes to this shot of the six Supreme Court justices, three of whom he was very specifically attacking. That’s never been done before. To the extent that a president has a disagreement with the Supreme Court expressed in the State of the Union address, they always try to find the most polite possible language for doing that. This was not the night for that. So that was just astonishing.  “Astonishing”, not as in astonishment at a brazen attack upon the institutions. I was told that these were attacks upon DEMOCRACY itself. Insurrection, even. But, of course, things are (D)ifferent when Biden does it. Bookmark that hot take for when the rabid left stalks the conservative Supreme Court justices at their homes ahead of their ruling on presidential immunity. Then, there’s Nicolle Wallace, who also cheered the attack on the Supreme Court: NICOLLE WALLACE: I- this was his “how ‘bout them apples” speech for me. I mean, this is what, the fourth? You know, we’ve watched this before. I think that grabbing the room by- he started with World War II. And the Civil War. And rooted the threat facing our country from “my predecessor” in those two, you know, epic battles and he quoted Ronald Reagan. It was like a punch in the face to every Republican in the room. And that's how it started. This was the first 90, you know, first 120 seconds. There were Republican- and he rooted the address in the Civil War, World War II, and then quoted Reagan and that was a punch in the nose. It’s why by the end, Lindsey Graham was slouched in his seat with his arm folded, chuckling like it was John McCain up there. I mean, the- the- the- the- the sort of, you know, waving of the white flag by the Re- I mean Mike Johnson's face, I think, told the whole story. And I think that they’re, I mean, they will be attacking him by, you know… I’m sure they are right now, or they will by 11:15 on Fox News but everybody knows that this was a great speech and everybody knows that if this is the message going into the next eight months, the polls will soon reflect that, and this will be a real fight. I think taking on his own age 3 times in the end shows not just Republicans but Democrats he’s not afraid of defending his stature, his status. RACHEL MADDOW: (Biden) said, “In my career, I’ve been called too young and I’ve been called too old. WALLACE: He makes three references about his age. And I think the abortion debate has already been won, and I agree, by taking on the Supreme Court, he’s ready to take it to the next level. I thought this was a really remarkable State of the Union.  Remarkable, she says. Imagine the vitriolic reaction if former President Donald Trump attacked a 6-3 liberal Supreme Court during the State of the Union. They were joined by Joy Reid, who suggested that Biden’s speech was…chemically enhanced. Inadvertent bipartisan consensus! JOY REID:  I thought the speech was very high caffeine. I think Joe Biden woke up this morning, had a cup of coffee and had his Wheaties- he was definitely there to fight. This is somebody who, I was just talking about it in the 7 o’clock hour- about whether or not he is small-c constitutionally capable of essentially being nasty- being aggressive, being harsh. But he came in there tonight ready to fight for the presidency. To fight for the White House in a way that I think I did not expect. The speech was incredibly aggressive. He opened, as Nicolle said, with World War II, Hitler, appeasement, and then he went right for the people in front of him. He said, “my predecessor and some of you- some of you, have sought to bury the truth about January 6 and he accused a member sitting right in front of him of seeking to bury that, then he kept punching.  All in all, MSNBC’s immediate reaction was sycophantic and reminiscent of state media. Upon further review, perhaps I should reconsider the comparison to North Korean state media, which might look at MSNBC’s performance and find it to be way over the top.   

Univision Anchors Parrot White House Line On Biden’s Mental Faculties

Univision’s news division has long been known as a liberal messaging pit, eagerly echoing whatever talking points come out of Democrat White Houses. Such is the case during Univision’s midday newscast, when reporting on President Joe Biden’s recent medical examination. Watch as anchors Carolina Sarassa and Borja Voces marvel over Biden’s mental capabilities, as aired on Univision Newscast Digital Edition on Thursday, February 29th, 2024: BORJA VOCES: It should be noted that it is important to remember this, Carolina, that Biden's doctor said that, in the president's annual physical, he says that he has the condition and faculties to fulfill his duty. CAROLINA SARASSA: And we are talking about this because surely you will remember that President Biden's health has been questioned recently, especially after that report from special counsel Robert Hur who decided that he was not going to file charges against the president over those documents that he kept in his office and also at home, because it supposedly said that he did not have mental faculties and that he was a person with a bad memory, so what he says, well, I think the doctor somewhat disproves that theory on the part of the special counsel. VOCES: He also doesn't give many details, for example, in the case of his memory, right? Which is an issue that was talked about a great deal after the special counsel’s report. What is clear is we know that he can fulfill his duties- he can fulfill his duties as president for additional years. SARASSA: It's good- it's good to know, right? Good to know, indeed.  Univision has done everything in their power to avoid reporting on Biden’s physical frailty and obviously declining mental faculties. Special Editorial Advisor to the CEO Jorge Ramos has written columns suggesting that it is ageism to question Biden’s declining health in any way. During Biden’s speeches, he is usually paired with one of the best (if not the best) interpreter in the business, who makes anyone sound like a president out of central casting. Biden’s decline has been well hidden from Univision’s audience, purely by design. Even now, there was zero mention of the fact that Biden didn’t actually take a cognitive test. The anchors simply parrot the White House’s talking points, North Korean-style. And so it is that we come to today’s edition of the midday newscast, which were I the type to swear, I’d swear was created for the sole purpose of making their audience dumber. This is the newscast, you’ll recall, that features men wearing skirts, collecting Barbies, or dressing like Barbies. So there is an established track record when it comes to how male virility is portrayed. That is one rationale that I can come up with to explain why they’d report on Biden’s medical exam in such a cavalier manner, reflecting wanton disregard for their viewers’ intellect.  The other, likelier rationale, is that Univision remains a partisan Democrat SuperPAC with a broadcast license, and is trying to exert influence upon their viewers so they ignore what lies before them in plain sight. That President Biden is in obvious physical and mental decline.   

Elie Mystal Whines About Timing Of SCOTUS Taking Trump Immunity Appeal

Much of the evening’s prime-time cable news content was centered around the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the Trump appeal on presidential immunity, after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said he had none. The tone has generally been one of tooth-gnashing and wailing over the timing of the hearing date, April 22nd. Among the left wing commentariat, writer and MSNBC guest Elie Mystal vomited up the wildest take of the evening. Watch Mystal affirm, without evidence, that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are going to rule for Trump because they want to retire during a Republican presidency, as aired on MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024: ALEX WAGNER: Well, Elie, in the break leading into the segment, you rightly point out the vested interest that some of these conservatives have in a reelection of Trump as it pertains to their retirement. ELIE MYSTAL: Clarence Thomas doesn't want to die on that court and he’s getting old and he is never going to retire during a Democratic president. So Clarence Thomas- one of the reasons why he’s not re-cruising himself is that Clarence Thomas needs Trump to win again so Clarence Thomas can retire. And most likely, Sam Alito needs Trump to win again so Alito can retire instead of having to die on the bench. And so that’s at least two of the nine who have a vested professional interest in seeing continued Republican hegemony over this country and that’s not the first time this has happened. As we all know, Sandra Day O'Connor wanted George Bush to be president and thus appointed him president in Bush v. Gore, because she wanted to retire under a Republican president. This is how Republicans roll.   Perhaps there is the possibility that, on a matter as novel and significant as presidential immunity, that the Supreme Court wanted to let the record develop organically, allowing the lower court and appellate court to rule on the matter. And that, furthermore, the Court wanted to allow this to run on regular time so as not to rush such an important opinion and get it right. Hence, the court set the immunity hearing on the current October docket, as opposed to January when it was first requested by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Just maybe. But such temperate analyses don’t cut it for MSNBC. Which is how you get Elie Mystal wailing about Republican Court-imposed hegemony, and suggesting that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor appointed George W. Bush to the presidency so she could ride off into the sunset.  Wagner was also joined during the segment by Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern, who echoed these same sentiments. What the segment proved is that the left doesn’t really care about such trivial things as due process or any other such dicta. The only thing that matters is that Donald J. Trump be found guilty and convicted of a serious federal crime before Election Day, 2024. April 22nd throws all that into jeopardy. Hence all the whining and emoting.  

HUNTERMANIA: The Praetorian Media Line Up to Protect the Prince and the Precious

Hunter Biden went to the Capitol for his closed-door deposition with the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. This is his makeup day for the depo he blew off in order to deliver a tirade from behind a podium before stomping off the Capitol grounds. The network newscasts fell in formation today, focused on protecting the Bidens and disqualifying the proceedings. Coverage was nearly identical across the Big Three, touching on some of the same thematic points: a quote from Hunter’s statement denouncing the investigation and calling for it to end, a brief summation of what the investigation is about, and some version of the Smirnov Hoax, to wit: that the controversial FBI FD-1023 (record of confidential informant meeting with agent) with its allegedly false statements contained therein is the entirety of the evidence upon which the impeachment inquiry hinges.  Of the three, ABC’s coverage was the most extensive and most partisan. Here’s correspondent Rachel Scott, dutifully reciting the Smirnov Hoax: RACHEL SCOTT: Republicans built their case largely on a claim from an FBI informant that as vice president, Biden took a $5 million bribe from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where Hunter Biden sat on the board. The Justice Department now calls that story a fabrication, and the informant has been charged with lying to the FBI.  Of course, this is patently false. The impeachment inquiry was NOT built largely on the FD-1023. There is also the trove of documents contained within the laptop, the damning testimony of the IRS whistleblowers, testimony from Hunter’s several business partners, and the evidence collected in furtherance of Hunter's indictment on tax charges. But suggesting that the whole thing hangs on the FD-1023 makes it easier to dismiss the whole thing as little more than a fake partisan sham.  Scott carried the Democrats’ water during a gaggle with House Oversight Chair James Comer, by suggesting that Smirnov’s indictment somehow made the impeachment inquiry illegitimate. Here’s that exchange: SCOTT: Chairman, what do you say to some Democrats who see this as a sham? They say that one of the people that you identified as credible, though… JAMES COMER: Well, then they can --  SCOTT: …has been indicted of a crime. Indicted of lying.  COMER: Listen, they've mentioned three of the people that we deposed as not being credible. These people were the partners of Hunter Biden, okay? It's a reflection on the Bidens, not me, that their partners have all been indicted or in prison.  Scott ended the report with a quote from Hunter’s lawyer.  NBC and CBS followed similar templates, but weren’t interested in doing a full two minutes on Hunter Biden’s closed-door. You had brief reports, of approximately one minute in NBC’s case and CBS’s at around 30 seconds, that were more succinct in laying the narratives needed to protect the precious: the precious here being the electoral prospects of Joe Biden. Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on the network evening newscasts on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024: NBC NIGHTLY NEWS: LESTER HOLT: Also tonight, Hunter Biden, the president's son, testifying to House Republicans today in his father's impeachment inquiry. Ryan Nobles joins us. Ryan, Hunter Biden had pretty sharp words today.  RYAN NOBLES: Yeah, that's right, Lester. Hunter Biden testifying behind closed doors that his father was not involved in any of his foreign business dealings, and he slammed House Republicans for what he called a, quote, “partisan political pursuit of my dad”. And Republicans are investigating whether or not the president was involved in what they describe as an effort by the Biden family to cash in on Joe Biden's political career. They point to testimony that Joe Biden joined a business meeting with Hunter Biden via speakerphone. Now, the impeachment inquiry is struggling to regain momentum after an informant who accused Joe Biden as being part of a bribery scheme was indicted for lying to the FBI. House Democrats say that is enough for the impeachment inquiry to come to an end. Lester. HOLT: Ryan Nobles, thanks.   CBS EVENING NEWS: NORAH O’DONNELL: Hunter Biden on Capitol Hill today sitting down for a seven hour closed-door deposition for House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into his father. The president's son called the inquiry into his family's business dealings “a house of cards, built on lies”. House Republicans accused the Bidens of influence peddling, making millions off clients in Ukraine, China, and other foreign countries. A key witness, Alexander Smirnov, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly lying to the FBI, falsely claiming that the Bidens had taken millions of dollars in bribes.   ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT: DAVID MUIR: Meantime, the president's son Hunter Biden was questioned behind closed doors for seven hours today. The heated hearing part of the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into the president and his son. Here's ABC's Rachel Scott now. RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, President Biden's son Hunter testifying for nearly seven hours. As House Republicans forge ahead with their troubled impeachment investigation. Behind closed doors, Hunter Biden calling the investigation a “partisan political pursuit built on lies”. Insisting, "I did not involve my father in my business." Acknowledging "I have made mistakes in my life, but my mistakes and shortcomings are my own and not my father's." Republicans on the committee unloading.  NANCY MACE: Hunter Biden is being defiant and also dishonest. SCOTT: Republicans built their case largely on a claim from an FBI informant that as vice president, Biden took a $5 million bribe from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where Hunter Biden sat on the board. The Justice Department now calls that story a fabrication, and the informant has been charged with lying to the FBI.  ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: The Republican case has completely fallen apart over the last several weeks. They are now trying to scramble to find anything to substantiate their fairy tale.  SCOTT: Chairman, what do you say to some Democrats who see this as a sham? They say that one of the people that you identified as credible, though… JAMES COMER: Well, then they can --  SCOTT: …has been indicted of a crime. Indicted of lying.  COMER: Listen, they've mentioned three of the people that we deposed as not being credible. These people were the partners of Hunter Biden, okay? It's a reflection on the Bidens, not me, that their partners have all been indicted or in prison.  SCOTT: Tonight, an attorney for Hunter Biden told reporters that after seven hours, Republicans failed to provide any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden. The committee plans to release a transcript of that testimony in the coming days. David.  MUIR: Rachel Scott, live on The Hill for us. Rachel, thank you.  

How Univision Reports On Immigration: Manipulative Migrant Storytelling

In discussing how Univision reports on immigration, we often point out the differences in how they cover the issue versus how immigration is covered on other networks. We’ve often characterized Univision as an activist network. And recently, the network aired some of its most egregious pro-immigration propaganda to date. Take notice of this exchange between a Univision producer and three unaccompanied minors who had just arrived at Sasabe, Arizona: REPORTER: Are you taking care of them? ALAN PONCE: Yes. REPORTER: Why are you taking care of them? PONCE: Because they told me to. REPORTER: And do you think you're old enough to take care of them? PONCE: No. VILCHEZ: At six years old, little Ashley told us how she felt. ASHLEY PONCE: My mother left and the one she left in charge of us was my brother. I obey him a lot. Because he is my brother - I obey him a lot because he is very big. REPORTER: Do you love your brother very much? PONCE: Yes. REPORTER: We must pay attention to him. Do you want to see your mom now? PONCE: Yes. REPORTER: What do you want to tell your mom? PONCE: That I love her. She had never broken my heart. REPORTER: Did she break (your heart)? Why? PONCE: Because she left. VILCHEZ: Is there some quote from your daughter that touches you most deeply? JIMENEZ: Yes. That I broke her heart by leaving them. Heart-rending stuff. This is what Univision viewers are shown when immigration is discussed. Cute kids coming unaccompanied across the border, or intact families. You NEVER see, except for that one time where Univision reported on the ongoing influx of Chinese migrants, coverage of the legions of single, fighting-age men coming over the border. Also, it is worth noting the conveniently-placed news crew at the border. Pair that with the correspondent sitting in the living room with the children’s mother, and a reasonable person can infer that this was staged and not at all organic. The story itself is pretty straightforward. Mom in Mexico leaves her children behind, tried sending for them, entrusted them to her mother who refused to send them over, then handed them off to a cousin. Who fell ill and handed them off to coyotes or something. So these kids are floating around the border badlands and they’re about get a TV camera shoved in their faces.  Meanwhile, mom is sitting in her living room in New Jersey with a correspondent who is showing her fresh video of her kids at the border. Ergo, the “broken heart” moment. This manipulative migrant storytelling, intended to generate sympathies towards migrants and support of the current policy, is designed to conceal what actually happens at the border, and aired at the expense of actual news.  Rather than news, our communities are subjected to propaganda. Click “Expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on Noticiero Univision on Monday, February 26th, 2024: ELIAN ZIDAN: We begin this evening with an exclusive. This weekend, in Arizona, three minor siblings were found walking alone along the southern border after being abandoned by a coyote who also helped them cross into the United States. ILIA CALDERÓN: And Univisión, Elián, was the only media that spoke with them and was able to accompany them until the Border Patrol arrived. Blanca Rosa Vílchez contacted the children's mother in New Jersey and through tears told her that she’s counting the hours until she sees them and hugs them. ADELFA JIMÉNEZ: Not having come without them. That's what I would have changed. Not having come without them. BLANCA ROSA VÍLCHEZ: It was a decision she will always regret, says Adelfa Jiménez, to let her children, ages 9, 6, and 3, cross the border alone to join her and her husband in the United States. Why did they cross alone? JIMENEZ: Because in Mexico, my mother is elderly. I told my mother: “bring my children. I will support you- we’ll support you with money.” Bring my children. My mom said no. VILCHEZ: So after not seeing them for a year, they decided to have them brought over by a cousin. JIMÉNEZ: He hurt his foot and returned to Mexico, and just left them in the care of a group. VILCHEZ: Adelfa lost contact with them… Let's watch it together then... …until this video recorded by the Univision team at the border allowed her to see them in Sasabe, Arizona. REPORTER: Are you taking care of them? ALAN PONCE: Yes. REPORTER: Why are you taking care of them? PONCE: Because they told me to. REPORTER: And do you think you're old enough to take care of them? PONCE: No. VILCHEZ: At six years old, little Ashley told us how she felt. ASHLEY PONCE: My mother left and the one she left in charge of us was my brother. I obey him a lot. Because he is my brother - I obey him a lot because he is very big. REPORTER: Do you love your brother very much? PONCE: Yes. REPORTER: We must pay attention to him. Do you want to see your mom now? PONCE: Yes. REPORTER: What do you want to tell your mom? PONCE: That I love her. Shehad never broken my heart. REPORTER: Did she break (your heart)? Why? PONCE: Because she left. VILCHEZ: Is there some quote from your daughter that touches you most deeply? JIMENEZ: Yes.That I broke her heart by leaving them. VILCHEZ: During the last conversation with her eldest son three days ago, he told her that they were with immigration agents. Customs and Border Protection told us they cannot comment on specific cases. JIMENEZ: (holding items of clothing) I'm going to see them wearing this, that's what excites me the most. VILCHEZ: For now, the only thing that encourages her is the hope of preparing for the reunion. JIMENEZ: (praying) what I ask of you, I have always asked you for my children. VILCHEZ: And to have faith that she will see them soon. JIMENEZ: I'm going to cry a lot, but with joy, because I know that they are going to be with me because we are going to form the family that they deserve. VILCHEZ: In Manahawkin, New Jersey, Blanca Rosa Vílchez, Univision.  

ABC’s Mary Bruce Frets Over ‘Uncommitted’ Vote In Michigan Dem Primary

At long last, ABC World News Tonight weighs in on the “Uncommitted” vote in the Michigan Democratic primary, cast against President Biden over his handling of Israel’s war in Gaza. And, of course, the report was bathed in concern over the truest, purest victim of the war in Gaza: the electoral prospects of President Joe Biden. Watch as ABC Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce hectors a local activist and organizer over her decision to refuse to vote for Biden, even if it means a second Trump term: MARY BRUCE: Frustrated and furious, members of the state's large Arab and Muslim community are urging voters in today's Democratic primary to check the "Uncommitted" box in protest.  LEXI ZEIDAN: Biden has lost my vote.  BRUCE: Lexi Zeidan, who supported Biden in 2020, is now helping to organize this protest vote.  But you know where Donald Trump stands on these issues. If sitting out and not voting for Biden means that you may be helping Donald Trump get elected, is that a risk worth taking?  ZEIDAN: I mean, that's a question that I put back on the president. You know, I didn't get us to this point, Biden did. And it might come down to us experiencing short-term pain with Trump in office for long term gain, where we have to have a Democratic party that stands actually on its values.  BRUCE: Short term pain for long term gain. So, you're willing to sit out in November, even if it means Donald Trump wins to send Democrats a message?  ZEIDAN: Absolutely.  Twice Zeidan is hectored by an incredulous Mary Bruce, SHOCKED at the idea that people would vote their principles over a partisan outcome. After interviewing Zeidan, Bruce moves on to the mayor of Dearborn, who is equally resolute. Before closing, Bruce finds a union member to say that the idea of the “Uncommitted” vote is stupid. In the interest of balance, you see. Not at all in the interest of doing crisis comms for a Biden campaign about to be embarrassed by an organic grassroots insurgency in a must-win state. World News Tonight had, to this point, resisted doing anything on “Uncommitted” or Abandon Biden, and now we know why. They waited until the last minute in order to file the most sycophantic report. As of this writing, “Uncommitted” stands at around 15% of the Democratic primary vote. All that apple polishing for naught. Click “expand” to view full transcript of the aforementioned interview as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Tuesday, February 27th, 2024: DAVID MUIR: We turn to the other news tonight, now to the race for the White House. This evening, the primary in the battleground state of Michigan, and the test for President Biden. The potential protest vote from people angry over his response to Israel's continuing military operation in Gaza. The voters say they want to send a message. The question tonight, how big will that protest vote be? And what Michigan's popular governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, says about voters who want someone other than Joe Biden to run for the Democrats. Mary Bruce in Michigan tonight.  MARY BRUCE: Tonight, a major test for President Biden in the critical state of Michigan, a key battleground this November. Biden expected to win today's primary, but not without a significant protest vote over his handling of Israel's war in Gaza.  PROTESTERS: Biden, Biden, you can't hide.  MARY BRUCE: Frustrated and furious, members of the state's large Arab and Muslim community are urging voters in today's Democratic primary to check the "Uncommitted" box in protest.  LEXI ZEIDAN: Biden has lost my vote.  BRUCE: Lexi Zeidan, who supported Biden in 2020, is now helping to organize this protest vote.  But you know where Donald Trump stands on these issues. If sitting out and not voting for Biden means that you may be helping Donald Trump get elected, is that a risk worth taking?  ZEIDAN: I mean, that's a question that I put back on the president. You know, I didn't get us to this point, Biden did. And it might come down to us experiencing short-term pain with Trump in office for long term gain, where we have to have a Democratic party that stands actually on its values.  BRUCE: Short term pain for long term gain. So, you're willing to sit out in November, even if it means Donald Trump wins to send Democrats a message?  ZEIDAN: Absolutely. BRUCE: They're demanding Biden push Israel for an enduring cease-fire. The president says he's hopeful they are close to a temporary deal.  JOE BIDEN: We're close. It's not done yet. And my hope is, by next Monday, we'll have a cease-fire.  MARY BRUCE: Arab and Muslim American voters helped deliver this state to Biden in 2020, when he won by just 154,000 votes. But that support now in doubt. In Dearborn, Michigan, the city's first Arab American mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, tells me this is deeply personal for his community.  ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: When I have a resident who walks up, who talks about 80 innocent family members in the current war in Gaza, what is my response to him? “Well, it could have been worse.” That is an insufficient response.  BRUCE: What is the message you guys are hoping to send to the president today? HAMMOUD: I think the message is the president has not earned our votes.  BRUCE: But Michigan's governor is urging Democrats to get behind Biden, even if they'd prefer a younger candidate. GRETCHEN WHITMER: I would say, the train's out of the station. Get onboard. BRUCE: And today, other Democrats we spoke with, like union worker Rory Gill, worry the protest votes will just boost Trump's chances in November.  What do you make of this “Uncommitted” movement that we're seeing here? RORY GILL: I think it's stupid. I think it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt the Democratic Party. BRUCE: Now, President Biden is expected to win here tonight. The question now, how big will this protest vote be, and what could it mean for November? There is also, of course, a Republican primary here tonight, Donald Trump is again expected to cruise to victory over Nikki Haley, though she is promising to stay in the race through Super Tuesday. David?  MUIR: Every four years, a lot of eyes on Michigan. This is no different. Mary Bruce for us there in Michigan. Mary Bruce, thank you.   

Networks SUPPRESS Arrest of Illegal Alien Shooter of 3 D.C. Cops

Earlier this month, three Metro D.C. police officers were shot in the line of duty, as they were serving a warrant on charges of animal cruelty. All three networks reported on the shooting at the time. However, none of them reported on the arrest of the shooter, perhaps due to a very inconvenient and uncomfortable reason: the shooter is in the country illegally. Per the Department of Justice's press release:  WASHINGTON – Stephen Claude Rattigan, also known as Julius James, 48, of Washington, D.C., has been charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, assault on a police officer while armed, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence following the shooting of three Metropolitan Police Department officers and an hours-long standoff in Southeast DC. He is also being charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals.  … According to court documents, on February 14, 2024, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department responded to Rattigan’s residence in the 5000 block of Hanna Place Southeast to execute an arrest warrant because of a complaint of animal cruelty. That warrant stemmed from an incident in April 2023 in which Rattigan was captured by a security camera beating one of his dogs several times in the face. The DoJ makes no mention of the defendant’s immigration status but our friend Julio Rosas does, upon conferring with his law enforcement sources: 🚨: A law enforcement source has confirmed to me the man who recently shot three DC police officers, Stephen Claude Rattigan, also known as James Claude Julius, is in the US illegally. He has an active ICE deportation order. I reached out to ICE for comment. pic.twitter.com/hN7ij1qa95 — Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) February 26, 2024 As we saw in the case of the illegal alien from Venezuela now charged in the murder of UGA nursing student Laken Riley, there was a concerted effort to conceal the suspect’s immigration status for as long as was feasibly possible. Only after pressure, shaming, and the AP’s sensationally ridiculous piece on fears of whether women’s running is at risk, did the networks fall in line and report on the suspect’s status. As the reporting continues to bear out, will we see the inconvenient fact on the D.C. cop shooter be reported, or will the national networks continue to suppress a fact that is embarrassing to President Biden? Time will tell.  

ABC’s WNT Remains ‘Uncommitted’ to Reporting on Michigan Dems’ Protest Vote

Last week, we reported on the evening news’ spotty reporting of the campaign to persuade Michigan Democrats to vote for “Uncommitted” in tomorrow’s primary, in protest of President Joe Biden’s response to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. A week later, and on the eve of the primary, ABC’s World News Tonight remains steadfast in their refusal to cover the protest vote. CBS omitted coverage of “Uncommitted” last week but came through tonight. Here’s that report as aired on CBS Evening News on Monday, February 26th, 2024: NORAH O’DONNELL: We should note President Biden is on the ballot tomorrow there in Michigan for the Democratic primary, though he doesn't face a serious challenge but- why are people watching it so closely, Ed?  ED O’KEEFE: Yeah, Norah, the Biden campaign tonight is concerned about the state’s large Arab and Muslim American populations angered over the president's stance on the Israel/Hamas war. So progressives here are urging voters tomorrow to vote “Uncommitted”- it’s a version of “None of the Above”, instead of for the president to register their opposition to his war stance. The Biden campaign acknowledges the criticism but says any vote against the president in this battleground state this fall could be a-- it could mean Donald Trump back in The White House. Norah. O’DONNELL: Ed O’Keefe. Thank you. See, CBS? That wasn’t so hard. NBC News bifurcated coverage of “Uncommitted” within the broader political roundup that kicked off the newscast: GABE GUTIERREZ: Tomorrow's primary here in Michigan is high stakes not just for (Nikki) Haley, but for President Biden, who’s facing fierce backlash over the Israel-Hamas war.  PROTESTERS: Free, free Palestine GUTIERREZ: Voters from Michigan’s huge Arab American population have demanded the president support a cease-fire. Some now plan to vote “Uncommitted” in protest.  LEXIS ZEIDAN: My direct message to President Biden is that you cannot continue to use my American tax dollars to aid and abet an ongoing genocide of my people. … GUTIERREZ: Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a national co-chair of Biden's campaign.  What is “Uncommitted” has a strong showing in this primary?  GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): I think there will be a sizable number of votes for “Uncommitted”. I think that it is every person's right to make their statement about what's important to them.  It bears noting that NBC reported on “Uncommitted” last week, even if they failed to address the movement by name on the network newscast. And they did so again tonight. So what’s ABC’s deal? “Uncommitted” made it on to This Week, so clearly the news division is aware that this movement exists. Contributing correspondent Rachel Bade said: RACHEL BADE: I actually talked to the leader of the Abandon Biden movement on the ground there. He's a Palestinian American, those folks who have had family members who have died during the bombardments in Gaza, and he was a Biden voter. Just a few months ago, he had a sign- Biden/Harris sign in his yard. Now he says he would sooner vote for…what did he say? Sooner vote for Mickey Mouse than Joe Biden- even if it means voting for Donald Trump. So I think that- if you look at the numbers- one more thing, Martha, Joe Biden won by 150,000 votes in Michigan. There are 200,000 Muslim or Arab American voters in Michigan. If he alienates all of them, Michigan is gone for him. Anchor David Muir is the managing editor for World News Tonight, which seems to be the most openly partisan of the three major network evening newscasts. His decision to suppress coverage of “Uncommitted”, which is ultimately a story that is embarrassing to the Biden campaign, reflects poorly upon the news division. Exit question: Will Muir cover “Uncommitted” if it garners a significant percentage of the vote, or will he continue to keep his head buried in the sand and hope that viewers don’t find out?  

CBS’s Costa Frets Over No GOP Reckoning For Trump On…Immigration???

A Face the Nation segment on former President Donald Trump’s remarks at the Black Conservative Federation gala in South Carolina led into a bizarre take by Robert Costa lamenting the lack of a GOP reckoning for Trump on immigration, of all things. Perhaps, at this point, we should reconsider naming the program “Faceplant the Nation”. Watch the segment, as aired on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, February 25th, 2024: MARGARET BRENNAN: As for the former president, his Friday night remarks at the Black Conservative Federation gala in Columbia, South Carolina, continued to overshadow his victory.  DONALD TRUMP: Black conservatives understand better than most that some of the greatest evils in our nation's history have come from corrupt systems that try to target and subjugate others to deny them their freedom and deny them their rights. You understand that. I think that's why the black people are so much on my side now because they see what's happening to me, happens to them. These lights are so bright in my eyes that I can't see too many people out there, but- I can only see the black ones. I can't see any white ones you see, that's how far I've come.  BRENNAN: We begin with CBS News Chief Election and Campaign Correspondent Robert Costa who joins us from Charleston. Bob, this was an open primary in South Carolina, but just 3% of voters were black. Do Donald Trump's remarks about black Americans give the party any pause here?  ROBERT COSTA: It's giving Nikki Haley a road ahead at this point, Margaret. She and her campaign believe there are many traditional Republicans across the country who are fed up, not only with former President Trump's legal problems, but his incendiary comments on race, and they believe that they- that could ostracize key voters across the country come November. That's why she's staying in right now, going to Michigan this week for that primary, staying in through super Tuesday. But there is real worry that as Trump takes over the party and the Republican National Committee, there’s no reckoning about how he’s handling issues like race and immigration.  A reckoning for Trump on immigration? What is this, Univision? What’s Costa even talking about? Polling suggests that this issue, especially in this environment, is among Trump’s strongest. Inasmuch as there will be a reckoning, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be for Trump. Not in this political environment, not with this current border crisis raging the way it is. The segment seems to serve little purpose beyond trying to build a permission structure upon which Nikki Haley continues her presidential campaign beyond South Carolina. And it was weird to see that mashed up with Trump’s comments at Friday’s event. It is as if the allegedly wronged black conservatives were little more than props with which to advance the pro-Haley talking points. As of this writing, the Koch network has announced it is no longer spending on the GOP primary. The segment is quickly aging, and not at all well.

ABC This Week: Team Biden Should Be ‘WAY MORE CONCERNED’ About Michigan

The Michigan primary portion of the Acela Media’s ongoing panic over the fraying of President Joe Biden’s coalition is drawing to a close. But ahead of the Tuesday primary, there was time for ABC to get one last Sunday installment into the record. Watch as ABC This Week’s “Power Panel” delves into its latest installment of MICHIGAN DOOM- as aired on Sunday, February 25th, 2024: MARTHA RADDATZ: Let's move onto Michigan. You've got Michigan this week and progressives have been upset about Joe Biden's support of Israel, which we think there might be some sort of ceasefire and hostage release brewing. They- that state has the largest percentage of Arab American voters. How concerned should the campaign be about this?  RACHEL BADE: Way more concerned than they currently are. I actually talked to the leader of the Abandon Biden movement on the ground there. He's a Palestinian American, those folks who have had family members who have died during the bombardments in Gaza, and he was a Biden voter. Just a few months ago, he had a sign- Biden/Harris sign in his yard. Now he says he would sooner vote for…what did he say? Sooner vote for Mickey Mouse than Joe Biden- even if it means voting for Donald Trump. So I think that- if you look at the numbers- one more thing, Martha, Joe Biden won by 150,000 votes in Michigan. There are 200,000 Muslim or Arab American voters in Michigan. If he alienates all of them, Michigan is gone for him.  RADDATZ: And, small numbers, really, overall. We just have a few seconds here, but really could have a profound impact.  ASMA KHALID: A critical impact. And to that point, I spoke with a number of people who sat in meetings either with Biden campaign officials or with Biden officials, policy makers, who are so dissatisfied- came out of those meetings still not convinced that they will vote for Joe Biden.  RADDATZ: Something we'll all watch this week. Michigan coming up. Thanks to all of you. We’re into the third month of the media’s fretting over Biden’s prospects in Michigan, which is primed to be a swing state in 2024. The pattern is the same across networks: A correspondent parachutes into Dearborn, speaks to a few community leaders, and wraps their item by emoting concern over Biden’s electoral prospects should Michigan fall to Trump.  Even the questions are the same. It’s always some variant of “are you willing to refuse to vote for Biden over Gaza even if Trump wins?” And the answers are some variant of “I must vote my conscience” or “If Trump wins, Trump wins”. ABC News had, until now, avoided mentioning “Abandon Biden”, a movement endorsed by both U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib and Bernie Sanders’ “Our Revolution”. The ongoing ask of Democratic primary voters is to embarrass Biden over his Gaza response by voting “Uncommitted”.  With Primary night virtually upon us, what can we expect going forward? Look to the percentages garnered by “Uncommitted” in places like Dearborn and Hamtramck. Should there be news of some sort of ceasefire in Gaza, look to these same correspondents to parachute back into the Arab American community seeking to elicit positive reactions. If not, expect the “DOOM” drumbeat to continue, and for the “Biden’s coalition is crumbling” series to extend itself.  

Rep. Donalds WRECKS NBC’s Welker Over Fake Biden Exoneration Narrative

During a heated back-and-forth on NBC’s “Meet The Depressed”, Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) repeatedly took moderator Kristen Welker to task for disseminating the fake narrative that Robert Hur’s special counsel report cleared President Joe Biden of any criminal wrongdoing in the classified documents case. Watch as Rep. Donalds SHUTS DOWN Welker’s multiple attempts at alleging that the Hur Report exonerated Biden, as aired on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, February 25th, 2024::  KRISTEN WELKER: Again, there's no evidence that the indictments against him are politicized, but sticking to this question, were you offended at all by his comments, Congressman?  U.S. REP. BYRON DONALDS: No, I wasn't because I understood what the president was talking about and like I've said now for the third time. He talked about all the reasons why minority voters want to support him and Kristen, let me push back a little bit. You have to acknowledge the fact that now that the Robert Hur report has come out, about Joe Biden’s misuse of classified information which is a violation of the Espionage Act. He had no rights to any of those documents when he was a senator or vice president and yet there are no charges against  Vice- against President Biden, but President Trump is under prosecution? Come on now. We know that doesn't make sense at all. WELKER: I have to hit the pause button for one minute, Congressman, Because the Hur report was very clear… DONALDS: Sure.  WELKER: …that there was not enough evidence to bring charges against President Biden. And that ultimately there was not any ev- (CROSSTALK) DONALDS: Kristen, I gotta push back on you. That is not tr-- No, no, no, no, no…  WELKER: That is what the Hur report said. That is exactly what the Hur report said. Yes, it is. It said that there wasn’t enough- there wasn’t enough evidence to bring charges… DONALDS: The Espionage Act is clear. The Espionage Act is clear. You cannot possess those documents as a senator or vice president. You have no right to those documents as a senator or vice president. They must remain in a secure facility. Joe Biden took them from a SCIF. That's a violation of the Espionage Act. Period. WELKER: Okay. All right. Bottom line, though, Hur himself said there wasn't enough evidence to bring charges.  Fake News Alert: Despite Welker’s THREE passes at stating the contrary as fact, Hur NEVER said that there wasn’t enough evidence to bring charges. A reasonable human being with grade-school reading comprehension can figure out, upon reading the actual report, that there were TONS of evidence of wrongdoing.  Hur’s actual findings were that his team was unable to prove all of the elements of any potential charges beyond a reasonable doubt, and that he wouldn’t have prosecuted anyway based on DoJ regulations concerning aggravating and mitigating factors (such as prosecuting a sitting president). Also, the “weak memory” and “declining cognitive ability” stuff. The exchange came on the heels of Welker trying to pin Donalds down on statements made by Trump at a black conservatives’ event in South Carolina, and Donalds firing back with the weaponization of government against Trump and how some in the black community might react to that. Welker tried to work Donalds, a Trump vice presidential shortlister per reports, on the recent IVF controversy, as well as on border security. The outcome was the same. Rep. @ByronDonalds SHUT DOWN Kristen Welker like she was the border pic.twitter.com/FfkhU8hgK7 — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) February 25, 2024 This may well be one of the most forceful denunciation of the Senate border bill that we’ve seen be allowed to go to air. Welker took multiple passes on border security, including using the Trump-endorsing Border Patrol Union’s endorsement of the bill as an appeal to authority. Here again, she was shut down.  Welker’s interview of Donalds seemed like an attempt to take down a potential Trump running mate, and failed miserably.  
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