The hosts on Monday's NBC Today were all in agreement that New City Mayor Michael Bloomberg forcing all residents to sort out rotten food scraps from their garbage for composting – and to hold on to the refuse for days – was a "great idea" that would be "good for the environment." [ Listen to the audio ] Co-host Matt Lauer briefly explained the program: "[Bloomberg] wants you to take your food scraps, put them in a container about the size of a picnic basket in your home, hold them for a few days and then later put them in... continue reading
Over the weekend Eleanor Clift preemptively accused Tea Party Republicans of using racist language in an effort to undermine passage of the farm bill. Appearing on The McLaughlin Group the longtime editor for Newsweek and Daily Beast contributor, during the “Predictions” portion of the show predicted that “Tea Party Republicans" would resort to “racial comments about food stamps” in order to stop the farm bill. The following was aired on the June 16 edition of The McLaughlin Group : ELEANOR CLIFT: Tea Party Republicans, in an effort to kill the farm bill will stereotype and make racial comments about food... continue reading
Saturday's CBS Evening News ballyhooed the " enormous strain on resources " that the budget sequester has apparently put on extinguishing a massive wildfire in Colorado. Carter Evans played up how, in addition to fighting the flames, " federal firefighters are facing another challenge : a loss of $50 million, mandated by the budget sequester. That forced the Forest Service to cut 500 firefighters and 50 engines, just when they're needed most ." The CBS evening newscast was actually late to the game, as the network's Big Three competitors also spotlighted the same figures earlier in June. Anchor Jim Axelrod... continue reading
In a report on Monday's NBC Today about new leaks from National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell took a jab at former Vice President Dick Cheney: "Cheney, who helped institute warrantless evesdropping, no court orders required, a policy Congress later rejected in favor of the current surveillance programs." [ Listen to the audio ] The implication from Mitchell seemed to be that the NSA surveillance program under the Bush administration was wrong but that the program under President Obama is fine. She failed to mention Obama's dramatic shift on the issue, having been a... continue reading
On Friday's All In show, MSNBC host Chris Hayes compared conservatives to clowns as he praised Republican Governor Jan Brewer for breaking ranks with conservatives and pushing for the implementation of ObamaCare in Arizona. Reminiscent of the time he recently called various Republicans "jackasses" and used some version of the word "jackass" 11 times in one segment, Hayes on Friday used some form of the word "clown" 10 times in just over four minutes. After teasing the show, the MSNBC host continued: But we begin tonight with a trip to the circus. It is Friday after all, and when it... continue reading
ABC on Monday allowed a scant 22 seconds to the latest revelation in the scandal engulfing the Internal Revenue Service. NBC and CBS have, thus far, ignored the newest detail. The Associated Press on Sunday night reported that an IRS "supervisor in Washington says she was personally involved in scrutinizing some of the earliest applications from tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status." Josh Elliott on Monday's Good Morning America explained, "That testimony contradicts IRS claims that agents in the Cincinnati field office were solely responsible for targeting those groups." Yet, a brief mention was all the morning show host could... continue reading
On Friday's PoliticsNation , MSNBC's Karen Finney asserted that Rush Limbaugh's "overall mantra" is "us versus them and hate in general," as she responded to a clip of the conservative talk radio host accusing the Republican establishment of being "ashamed" of the conservative base. A bit later, host Al Sharpton asserted that conservatives are "almost like in an echo chamber. They're talking to themselves" -- an irony considering the scarcity of conservative viewpoints on the liberal MSNBC news channel. After Sharpton played the clip of Limbaugh criticizing the Republcian leadership, he went to Finney, who responded: That's part of Rush... continue reading
On Thursday's PoliticsNation , MSNBC host Al Sharpton complained about "shameless" Republicans trying to cut food stamp benefits and creating "a whole bunch of ugly names for people who need a little help," as he was joined by MSNBC.com Executive Editor Richard Wolffe and Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia. The MSNBC host grumbled: Republicans have come up with a whole bunch of ugly names for people who need a little help putting food on the table: welfare queens, takers, the 47 percent. And now House Republicans are poised to pass a bill that would cut more than $20 billion... continue reading
CNN sure loves the Clintons. After running a Hillary puff piece on Thursday, the network fawned over Chelsea on Friday morning's Starting Point . Michaela Pereira, co-host of CNN's new morning show New Day , hyped that " Chelsea Clinton might just be the epitome of girl power. " In her first CNN report, she added that Chelsea "is motivated from within. She's got these two extraordinary parents. " [Video below. Audio here .] CNN slobbered over Chelsea's line that she has a "responsibility gene." Pereira gushed, "I found that so fascinating. She is clearly driven." She added, "I think... continue reading
On Thursday's The Last Word show on MSNBC, host Lawrence O'Donnell and MSNBC contributor Joy Reid asserted that Republicans who oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants are "haters of" and "don't like" Hispanics as the panel discussed the concerns expressed by Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh about increasing the number of immigrants in the U.S. by tens of millions. After coining the term "Limbaugh cohort" to refer to those who oppose amnesty, Reid asserted: The polls show that, right now, Hispanics tend to favor Democratic policies. And again, they don't have confidence that they can ever change that because they don't... continue reading