On Monday's Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN, disgraced former CBS anchor Dan Rather attributed the current protests in Egypt to President Obama's June 2009 speech to the Muslim world in Cairo: " He [Obama] fueled this uprising in Egypt. When he came to Cairo, let us remember, and he spoke of- listen, we stand for freedom and democracy and listening to people. The Egyptians believed his rhetoric " [audio available here ]. Host Piers Morgan's segment with Rather aired 36 minutes into the 9 pm Eastern hour. He devoted the entire interview to the Egyptian issue. Near the end of... continue reading
Teasing an upcoming story on new federal dietary guidelines on Monday's CBS Evening News, fill-in anchor Harry Smith announced: "The assault on salt. Chances are you are eating too much of it." Smith later introduced the segment by fretting: "Two out of three Americans are overweight or obese, an epidemic that is expected to send health care costs skyrocketing." In the report that followed, correspondent Michelle Miller explained: "USDA is now urging Americans...to wean themselves off excess sodium and improve their overall eating habits." She spoke with nutritionist Lisa Young, who insisted, "We need to get the food industry on... continue reading
On Monday's Morning Joe, MSNBC co-host Joe Scarborough hinted that President Obama may have been a major catalyst of the current protests against the authoritarian Mubarak regime in Egypt. Scarborough referred to the president's 2009 Cairo speech and wondered if it inspired the present protests. "Barack Obama, he goes to Cairo, he gives a speech, and he inspires - perhaps he's the one who inspires a lot of these Egyptians to get out into the streets eventually," Scarborough proposed. The Morning Joe panel was discussing the transition of power in Egypt and how it might affect American politics. Scarborough characterized... continue reading
Andrea Mitchell invited on DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, on Tuesday's Andrea Mitchell Reports, to announce the Democrats have picked Charlotte, North Carolina to host their 2012 convention but the MSNBC host couldn't resist hitting Kaine from the left as she scolded Democrats for selecting a right-to-work state. Mitchell, taking up for Big Labor, even challenged Kaine: "I defy you to find a labor hotel for these delegates, for all the AFL-CIO folks coming to Charlotte." The following exchange was aired on the February 1 edition of Andrea Mitchell Reports: ANDREA MITCHELL: Democrats are heading to North Carolina. The party has... continue reading
Rather than bring in a top White House official to respond to a federal judge declaring Obamacare unconstitutional, ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday used the occasion to attack possible presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Highlighting the individual mandate that was struck down, Monday, Stephanopoulos focused on Massachusetts' health care plan passed when Romney was governor: "You not going to apologize for the individual mandate?" Following up, the morning show host chided, "So, let me be specific: Are you apologizing for imposing that requirement that people buy health insurance?" GMA should be given credit, however, for providing serious coverage. In addition to... continue reading
On Tuesday's CBS Early Show, news reader Jeff Glor declared: "Former First Daughter Barbara Bush is taking a very public stand in support of same-sex marriage." After a sound bite was played of Bush doing a video for the left-wing group New Yorkers for Marriage Equality, Glor added: "During his presidency, her father pushed an amendment banning same-sex marriage." While Glor touted the move on air, on CBSNews.com's Political Hotsheet blog on Tuesday, an article on Bush's advocacy proclaimed: "Barbara has had gay friends dating back at least to her time at Yale University, and her support for same-sex marriage... continue reading
While the New York Times has managed to ignore the tens of thousands that participate in the annual "March for Life" in Washington for four years running , it reliably keeps up with left-wing rallies and boycotts, no matter how puny, including those that target conservative groups (and even restaurants like Chick-fil-A ). The latest focus of left-wing rage are the Koch Brothers, whose philanthropy includes support of conservative causes. The group Common Cause bused in a bunch of sign-waving lefties to protest a Koch-sponsored political retreat at a California resort, and Ian Lovett in California and Eric Lichtblau in... continue reading
ABC, CBS and NBC on Monday night devoted more than half of their evening newscasts to the turmoil in Egypt, but while CBS and NBC squeezed in brief mentions of how a federal judge agreed with 26 states that the entire ObamaCare law is unconstitutional, ABC's World News didn't utter a syllable about the major setback for the Obama administration. Anchor Diane Sawyer, however, made room for a full story on an impending snowstorm and four minutes for a new series, "Families on the Brink: What to Do About Mom and Dad?" While CBS anchor Harry Smith provided a short... continue reading
At the top of the 7:30AM ET half hour on Monday's CBS Early Show, co-host Chris Wragge happily proclaimed: "After 130 years, [Thomas] Edison's invention is basically being phased out....The government is replacing the incandescent bulb with a much more energy efficient light." Wragge portrayed the government ban as a new "choice" for consumers: "Consumers will now have a choice of two different kinds of bulbs, the CFL and LED and we're going to tell you the difference and which one is better for you, which one's going to be a little more cost effective." Co-host Erica Hill lamented: "It's... continue reading
ABCNews.com on Monday republished, then removed an article from Mother Jones magazine on Republicans "redefining rape." The piece briefly appeared on the network's website with no explanation that it was by the associate editor of the liberal magazine. The article, by Nick Baumann, featured both the incendiary headline from Mother Jones, " The House GOP's Plan to Redefine Rape " and the nasty sub-headline: "Drugged, raped, and pregnant? Too bad. Republicans are pushing to limit rape and incest cases eligible for government abortion funding." Unlike CBSNews.com, which has an opinion and analysis section, this article received no label. One could... continue reading