Add liberal host Bill Press to the list of liberals who want the sequester to hurt Americans in order to prove a political point. On Tuesday morning’s Full Court Press , his radio talk show simulcast on Current TV, Press predicted that the FAA furloughs that went into effect Sunday will be just the tip of the big, bad sequester iceberg: “[Y]ou know what, it’s gonna get worse and worse and worse and worse and at some point, Americans are gonna be down on their knees saying please get rid of this sequester. It’s gotta happen; you cannot do these... continue reading
On Wednesday's NBC Today , news anchor Natalie Morales complained about having a flight delayed due to the FAA furloughing air traffic controllers in the wake of the sequester: "I was traveling to Boston yesterday, which is a 50-minute flight, shuttle. And it took me about two and a half hours to get there....the pilots got on and they said, 'It's not the airline's fault....you can go online and sign the petition to end the furloughs.'" [ Listen to the audio ] The account echoed a similar report from CNBC's Jim Cramer , who on Tuesday's Squawk Box explained: "We... continue reading
Nightline co-anchor Bill Weir on Tuesday belatedly celebrated Earth Day by touting a left-wing environmentalist who is pushing for new carbon taxes and opposing the construction of the Keystone oil pipeline. Weir failed to label Bill McKibben as a liberal. Instead, the journalist simply referred to him as an "organizer," an "agitator" and a "lobbyist." Weir lectured his audience, " So, how does [McKibben] convince a nation of oiloholics to dry out? Well, he organizes and agitates and lobbies for a tax on carbon . He gets arrested for protesting that big new pipeline from Canada and tries to convince... continue reading
CNN's blackout on the trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell resumed after three reports on April 12 broke a three-week silence on the story. Aside from a brief 90-second mention on April 14, the network didn't touch the trial for 11 days until host Jake Tapper reported it on the afternoon of April 24. While the vast majority of that air time was spent on live coverage of the Boston bombing and the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, CNN still managed to report on stories like airport traffic and Mark Sanford's "soap opera," just not the Gosnell trial. On Friday, April... continue reading
For the first time in over a week, CBS covered the murder trial of abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell on Wednesday's CBS This Morning . But instead of a full report, as on April 15 , Norah O'Donnell read a news brief that lasted just 13 seconds on the trial judge dismissing three of the murder charges against the Philadelphia physician [audio available here ; video below ]. ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today on Wednesday failed to cover this noteworthy development in the case. Neither broadcast network has aired one second of reporting on the Gosnell trial on their... continue reading
After initially airing more substantive portions of her April 15 interview with President Obama, on Wednesday, NBC Today co-host Savannah Guthrie made time to show a third part of the exchange: "...because of breaking news, we weren't able to show you yet our brief chat after that interview..." The "chat" that followed covered such hard-hitting topics as the First Lady's "mom dancing" on Jimmy Fallon, the President's own dance skills, and what viral videos he watches. [ Listen to the audio ] Guthrie wondered: "What did you think of her [Michelle Obama's] mom dancing?" A clip followed of the First... continue reading
NBC and ABC completely skipped a scathing new report that singles out Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for blame after the September 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. CBS, in contrast, offered full reports on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Evening News anchor Scott Pelley announced, " House Republicans fired off a blistering report today criticizing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ." [MP3 audio here .] On CBS This Morning , Norah O'Donnell trumpeted, "House Republicans issued a scathing report on the Benghazi attack. U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed last September." Yet, the ABC... continue reading
On Monday's NBC Nightly News , during a round-up of news stories that were eclipsed by coverage of the Boston bombing, anchor Brian Williams highlighted the failure of gun control legislation, noting that it "broke through last week but otherwise would have dominated our coverage..." [ Listen to the audio ] In the brief item, Williams recalled how President Obama labeled the political defeat "a shameful day in Washington" and lamented: "Upwards of 90% of the American people support it, but not enough members of the U.S. Senate." Williams then declared: "The President showed a rare flash of anger. The... continue reading
Norah O'Donnell spotlighted former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's " troubles with his ex-wife " on Tuesday's CBS This Morning , and asserted that the disgraced Republican " seemed a little bit out of touch " after running a political ad "saying it's been a tough week for him after...what the people in Boston have gone through." By contrast, O'Donnell's co-anchor, Charlie Rose, played up how "former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner may be eying a return" and touted " why the unlikely scenario is becoming a real possibility " for the Democrat on the April 11, 2013 edition of... continue reading
At the top of Monday's NBC Nightly News , anchor Brian Williams eagerly parroted Obama administration talking points when it came to blaming the sequester for sporadic flight delays: "The traffic jam starting to build up at our airports. Flight delays just beginning to emerge today as those budget cuts in Washington begin to hit home." [ Listen to the audio ] Later on the broadcast, Williams again declared the delays to be a sign of "the impact of Washington all across this country" and predicted: "Now the American people as a whole just might take further notice because now... continue reading