1. Lead with 'Rebuke' of Bush on Terror Suspect; Skip Clinton Role ABC and CBS on Monday night led by celebrating a 2-to-1 federal appeals court ruling against the Bush administration's policy of holding a sleeper cell suspect at a military brig without redress in civilian courts, but in eagerly quoting from the ruling neither bothered to mention that the two judges in the majority were Clinton appointees. "Tonight," Charles Gibson teased at the top of World News, "a stinging rejection for the President." Gibson set up his lead story by marveling at how "it is not often you will... continue reading
1. Gibson Rues 'Hope' of Immigration Deal Defeated by 'Polarization' ABC's Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos on Friday night lamented the lost "hope" in the defeat of the compromise "immigration reform" bill as Gibson fretted about how "polarization" killed it. "Immigration bust," Gibson teased World News: "Is there still hope for immigration reform after a highly touted deal falls apart?" He then led the newscast by repeating his "hope" line: "Many had great hopes for the compromise." Turning to George Stephanopoulos in Iowa, Gibson proposed: "The left and the right opposed it. So you've got this polarization that killed the... continue reading
1. ABC Frets Demise of 'Landmark' Immigration; NBC Blames 'Extremes' ABC's Charles Gibson fretted Thursday night over the likely impending demise of the "landmark" immigration deal as George Stephanopoulos blamed conservatives and on NBC Chip Reid faulted "extremes on the left and the right." Gibson teased World News: "Tonight, the landmark compromise on immigration is in big trouble on Capitol Hill. Some Senators saying if we can't pass this, we can't pass anything." Gibson proceeded to assert that the bill "was considered the best hope for doing something on immigration." After a story from Jake Tapper on the debate in... continue reading
1. Couric: Bush Antagonist 'Annoying' Putin, Snubbing Global Warming Discussing the G-8 summit with CBS's Jim Axelrod, Katie Couric on Wednesday night portrayed an "adamant" President George Bush as the antagonist causing Russian President Vladimir Putin to be "annoyed" about NATO plans to install a missile shield in Poland, a controversy, she fretted, that is distracting attention from global warming. "Economic issues and climate change were supposed to be the main topics," Couric asserted on the CBS Evening News, "but they're being overshadowed by the dispute between President Bush and Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, over NATO plans to install a... continue reading
1. NBC to Devote 75 Hours to Al Gore's 'Climate in Crisis' Concerts In what will surely be one of the largest ever, if not the largest, in-kind contributions to a presidential campaign if Al Gore decides to run, NBC Universal announced late last week that its networks will devote an incredible 75 hours of time on Saturday, July 7 to showing Gore's "Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis." In addition to the entirety of NBC's prime time that night hosted by Ann Curry of NBC News, CNBC will carry seven hours of coverage from 7pm to... continue reading
1. Olbermann Suspects Timing of JFK Story, Bush Provoking Cold War On Monday's Countdown show, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann pushed the theory that the recent announcement of a terror plot involving JFK Airport was politically timed to benefit the Bush administration, as the Countdown host revisited and added to a recurring segment titled "The Nexus of Politics and Terror." Olbermann also suggested a connection to Fox News via the participation in Saturday's news conference by New York Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly, the father of FNC correspondent Greg Kelly: "The so-called plot happens to be revealed the day before the second... continue reading
1. Spinning Odierno; CBS: Surge Will Fail v ABC: Insurgents May Quit CBS and ABC on Thursday night offered very different spins on the press conference in Iraq held by Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, with CBS painting a dire picture and ABC seeing hope ahead. On the CBS Evening News, David Martin framed a story around how "U.S. military officers tell CBS News the troop surge, which has now reached full strength, stands no chance of succeeding by September." Martin cited how, "in a briefing from Baghdad, Lieutenant General Ray Odierno began lowering expectations by warning September may be too... continue reading
1. CBS's Smith Urges Gore to Declare, Presses Gore '08 Button on Him On Wednesday's Early Show, co-host Harry Smith stumped for an Al Gore presidency, going so far as trying to place a "Gore 2008" button onto the former Vice President's suit. "They were handing these out at the lecture last night at George Washington University," Smith explained as the two sat in Washington, DC with the Capitol on the background. Holding up the button to Gore's suit, Smith wondered, "here, let's see what it looks like....Save that in a freeze frame." AUDIO&VIDEO 2. ABC Attempts to Justify Anti-American... continue reading
1. Rare Good News on Iraq from CBS: Maliki Says Surge is Working Although Katie Couric began Tuesday's CBS Evening News coverage of Iraq on a downbeat note, pointing out how May has become the "deadliest month" of 2007, with "at least 114" U.S. servicemen killed so far, she moved on to how "in an exclusive interview, Iraq's Prime Minister tells CBS News the security crackdown is working." From Baghdad, Lara Logan offered more of a glass is half full spin as she relayed how, "in his first American television interview since the U.S. troop surge began in February, Iraq's... continue reading
1. CBS Champions the New 'Al Gore 2.0,' Now Known as 'The Goreacle' "He was once called 'Mr. Stiff.' Now he's known as 'The Goreacle,' the new Al Gore," CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric touted in plugging an upcoming Friday night story. With "Gore 2.0" on screen, Couric set up the subsequent tribute by asserting that "no one's getting more attention than the latest edition of Al Gore. Sharyn Alfonsi reports on Gore 2.0." Attention from the media, certainly. Alfonsi trumpeted how "Al Gore seems to have gone from awkward to almost slick," proposing that "all it took was... continue reading