Following the trend set when news broke early Wednesday, the major broadcast networks continued their praising of the move by President Obama to seek normalized relations with Cuba on their Wednesday night newscasts. Between the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC, they made only a few, brief mentions over the course of their 30-minute programs that Cuba was both a communist country and brutal in the treatment of its own people (especially dissenters). [MP3 audio here ; Video below] On the CBS Evening News, substitute anchor Norah O’Donnell uttered the lone reference at the top of the program in... continue reading
During Wednesday’s NBC Nightly News , correspondent Mark Potter reported from Havana, Cuba on the news that President Obama was altering U.S. relations with the communist state and parroted a long-standing liberal argument as to why Cuba’s economy has struggled for over half a century. Speaking about the regime of Fidel and Raul Castro, Potter chose not to blame the policies of the Castros, but those of the United States in why the island nation has suffered economically: “His revolution is showing its age too and Havana, known for its charm and vintage cars, is on life support, its economy... continue reading
Ed Schultz one-upped colleague Chuck Todd on his MSNBC program on Wednesday. Hours after Todd likened President Obama's policy announcement on Cuba to the fall of the Berlin Wall , Schultz compared the Democrat's address to a famous 1987 speech given at the Wall by his predecessor, Ronald Reagan: " Isn't this Barack Obama's 'tear down this wall, Mr. Castro' – that kind of a moment? I mean, if change can take place with the Soviet Union, why can't it take place with the Cuban people here?" [ video below ] Moments before Schultz made this beyond bizarre statement, guest... continue reading
During an NBC News Special Report on Wednesday, Nightly News anchor Brian Williams could barely contain his excitement over President Obama announcing the reopening of diplomatic relations with Cuba: "A momentous day, especially for those Americans old enough to remember the Cold War. The curtain came down between Cuba and the United States in January of 1961 and in just a moment diplomatic relations, at least the first steps to which, will be reestablished.... It is a day of momentous change, fast-moving change..." Turning to White House correspondent Chris Jansing, Williams remarked: "Chris, quite a day." Jansing replied: "Unbelievable. Fifty... continue reading
NBC, CBS and ABC on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning worried if yet another addition to the Bush "dynasty" will be good for the country. Yet, these same networks were excited earlier this year about the continuation of the Clinton brand. If, as many expect, Hillary Clinton announces a presidential run early next year, will journalists worry about the impact of a Democratic dynasty? On Good Morning America , Jon Karl featured Donald Trump declaring, "The last thing we need right now is another Bush." Karl underlined, "And you know, a lot of folks agree with that. Just think about... continue reading
On Wednesday morning, American Alan Gross was released from a five year imprisonment in Cuba in exchange for the release of three Cuban spies convicted in the United States. In response to the release, Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) spoke out strongly against the prisoner swap. Despite the bipartisan disapproval surrounding President Obama’s actions, during her NewsNation hour, MSNBC host Tamron Hall repeatedly brought on liberal guests to slam Republican Senator Marco Rubio’s comments without acknowledging the Democratic opposition to the prisoner exchange. During her broadcast, Hall spoke to Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and scolded Senator Rubio... continue reading
Appearing on Wednesday's NBC Today , Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd spun former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announcing that he was "exploring" the possibility of running for president in 2016 as a boost for the candidacy of Hillary Clinton: "By the way, the big Jeb Bush announcement helps Hillary because it'll scare Democrats and rally them around Hillary even more." Moments earlier, co-host Savannah Guthrie touted support for Clinton in the latest NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll: "Obviously it's pretty clear Hillary Clinton is running, so we'll all wait for an official announcement. She polls very, very well,... continue reading
The magazine GQ released its list of the “20 craziest politicians” in the U.S. on Tuesday and, not surprisingly, the liberal publication selected 17 Republicans for the list compared to only three Democrats. Among the more prominent Republicans included Senators and possible presidential candidates Rand Paul (Ky.) and Ted Cruz (Texas) as well as incoming Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa). The three Democrats named to the list were Congressman Hank Johnson (Ga.), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), and Vice President Joe Biden. The writer of the piece, Stephen Sherrill, introduced the list this way: How do you feel about facts? Do... continue reading
A federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled on Tuesday that portions of President Barack Obama’s presidential action on immigration were unconstitutional as “Congress's lawmaking power is not subject to presidential supervision or control” and that “congressional inaction does not endow legislative power with the executive.” However, if you tuned into any of the Tuesday evening newscasts on the major broadcast networks, you would not have found any mention of the decision . [MP3 audio here ; Video below] Over on the Fox News Channel (FNC), Special Report with Bret Baier led off on Tuesday evening with the story and a full... continue reading
On her 12 p.m. ET hour MSNBC show on Tuesday, host Andrea Mitchell could barely conceal her disgust while reporting on a new NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll showing a majority of Americans supported the enhanced interrogation tactics used by the CIA after September 11th: "51% said that the procedures used, the interrogation enhanced tactics, which have been defined as torture, 51% said that they were acceptable under the circumstances. Only 28% said that they went too far." Turning to NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, Mitchell cautioned that "polling is always an imprecise measure because of the way... continue reading