FOX4
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">includes ukraine and impeach and covid</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">funny i don't list their actions under jrnl fail, just antoher tuesday? SOP raison d'etre
</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see fox 3</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see straight news defectors</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">australia burning down, brexit/deniers UK, all rupert?!</font></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1119 TAG tukr on impeach defense (plus hannity and ingraham core of fox that keeps base from collapse?)</font></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha: enforcer (of course not new, eg tri-lat climate graham bailled at thought of foX?!)</font></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/lou-dobbs-and-guest-bash-rep-matt-gaetz-voting-limit-trumps-war-powers" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Dobbs and guest bash Rep. Matt Gaetz for voting to limit Trump’s war powers</span></a></font></h2><p class="dateline-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; align-items: center; display: flex; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="dateline-compacttype" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 1.5em; margin-right: 1em; width: 1.5em;"><svg viewbox="0 0 24 24" class="icon icon--video" aria-labelledby="icon-label--video"><use xlink:href="#video" xmlns:xlink="xlink"><svg id="video" viewbox="0 0 25 24"><path d="M0 24h24V0H0zM9 7l8 5-8 5z" fill="inherit" fill-rule="evenodd" /></svg></use></svg></span><time datetime="2020-01-09T20:16:58-0500" style="box-sizing: border-box;">01/09/20 </time></p></div></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 3/22/20</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-margin-cell" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: transparent; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="line-height: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">f<a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c8b5d9e8cab6436721aa3b69fa2dddd4c5b32e130544487802ab88b15adcf105dc47e6c7b9e4910efbb4010521709da4e" title="Fox News should never live down its horrid coronavirus coverage" style="">ox News should never live down its horrid coverage of coronavirus and COVID-19</a></font></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;">
</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><div style="line-height: 31px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News’ dismissive coverage of novel coronavirus and COVID-19, which minimized the risk the disease posed in order to provide political cover to President <b>Donald Trump</b>, <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c0e776e352bb4dd07e435324cb48ba08d893e7fa7ecb1f70636c24d5b0fb782480cc6a587ba2ee629a27c1ab49d5b295c" title="should be a stain" style="">should be a stain</a> on the network and its propagandists that never washes out.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox had a responsibility to provide its viewers with clear, accurate information about the ongoing public health crisis. Instead, for crucial weeks, as COVID-19 spread to become a global pandemic, the network’s propagandists downplayed the danger posed by the virus and portrayed it as a politicized hoax engineered by Democrats and the media in order to damage their beloved president. That initial coverage doubtlessly fed Trump’s own lack of concern over the threat, hampering public efforts to curtail the coronavirus. Only after Trump himself showed signs of taking the virus more seriously did many of the network’s hosts pivot and begin informing their viewers they were facing a “crisis.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At a time of maximum peril, Fox put the president’s political standing over the health and well-being of its viewers and the country as a whole. This should follow each and every person who participated in the despicable effort for the rest of their days.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i><b>Fox viewers in denial:</b></i> Fox News’ early coverage of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 appears to have successfully convinced its viewers not to take seriously the risk posed to the public, <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c2594425e32b598558bea9c31d7c2cf9803c91fde12786c21138c659b286b536e11c5581f5a8dcbe7f68cc91fa46665e4" title="according to two polls released this week" style="">according to two polls released this week</a>.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">People who pay the most attention to Fox News are much less likely than others to say they are worried about coronavirus, according to a YouGov/The Economist poll. People who say Fox is their main source of election news are also much more likely to believe the news media has exaggerated the risks posed by coronavirus, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted March 10-16.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pew similarly finds that 66% of Fox viewers say they are “very confident” in Trump’s handling of the outbreak, compared to 24% of all U.S. adults. Only 27% of Fox viewers call coronavirus “a major threat” to the health of the U.S. population as a whole, compared to 47% among all U.S. adults.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i><b>The cost of decades of anti-intellectualism:</b></i> How did we get to a point where scores of people are downplaying the risk of a pandemic for political reasons? It's a story that <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c9d2426f93bf2e6df2f4e0d9b88ac0f999a7dc184843eb69281245ca706bb8028d3c58da17f6f949c40a7e8461e8087a0" title="played out over decades" style="">played out over decades </a>. Conservative leaders spent decades denouncing the press as perniciously liberal and standing up their own news outlets for their supporters to consume instead. The strategy worked: Rank-and-file Republicans came to deeply distrust mainstream news sources; right-wing talk radio, Fox, and a variety of other outlets became profitable and influential businesses; and the right gained immense political power.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In doing so, conservatives had also created a news bubble that became increasingly difficult to penetrate. In the Trump era, the people in charge of letting information through that bubble are political hacks, trained to downplay threats except for those that can be taken advantage of by nativist and revanchist forces.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As this email has documented, leading right-wing voices like <b>Rush Limbaugh</b>, <b>Sean Hannity</b>, and the <i>Fox & Friends</i> crew all downplayed coronavirus until it was too late. Now, the virus is still spreading and we still don't know exactly how bad it will get -- but we do know that four people at Fox <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26cf8f7249d4a756ff0af0fab0ebb35f6ed9160509bcfa5af8d3924dc1251afab1cac0bc3e2242acb81ba01ab6c9db10145" title="have tested positive" style="">have tested positive</a>.</font></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-margin-cell" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: transparent; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="line-height: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c4573eadb20fa1935780229c99130bdee96b49d6d4ca79ed8d6b717fbb1964864e68c0f42130206ce1294ed269bb277b7" title="The pivot: Fox News stops calling coronavirus a hoax -- and instead features way more bigotry and nativism" style="">The pivot: Fox News stops calling coronavirus a hoax -- and instead features way more bigotry and nativism</a></font></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><div style="line-height: 31px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After weeks of downplaying COVID-19, Fox News coverage is shifting to racist fearmongering and perverse victory-lapping about strict immigration enforcement. For Fox and other right-wing media, this is now settling into familiar territory: <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c9d22a13ea06a787a8a454749e505edbc47d256718d3148b1ec60e5cbc6940a3df839b30bc27dd9b94851d75d57ce4884" title="racism, xenophobia, and nationalism" style="">racism, xenophobia, and nationalism</a>. We can expect more of it all as the pandemic worsens.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">First, conservative media outlets anti-Asian bigotry simply referred to the outbreak as the “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus." Health professionals have explained <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26ca6f0d3b744be4bf653b5aa5eac8b60c9e38c7405c5a75f67958e995c8855d20237164ed7b417de78e898920039f6657d" title="time" style="">time</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c77e1c113532ffa5442521f8c6bb232e2fd6521882bf03b8f7c4e1e16d88f16d59f26081995dc695dd83c7b0c4450e257" title="again" style="">again</a> the dangers these racist characterizations pose. The World Health Organization <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c8c52331e9f7c3d4226da801b8c84c57be22d91dfcc6494531a6304499f2c899c081ffed3b4cf44dcfe492b0a8e8cdef0" title="chose" style="">chose </a>COVID-19 as a “clinical and nondescript” name in order to avoid “stigmatization of the place from which it originated.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Soon, it wasn’t enough to just call it the “Chinese virus.” The second strategy, just a step removed from conspiracy theories about a supposed bioweapons lab, promoted the idea that China “unleashed” it upon the world. We've seen this from the likes of <b>Ben Shapiro</b> and <b>Sean Hannity</b>.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The third tactic was to accuse anyone of questioning <b>Donald Trump</b> or right-wing media of doing the bidding for the Chinese government.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Anti-Asian violence is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c11f5aea4aaa2566954b8db0d9119d437b92df0804d7ff670df35fa34fbb0b5683b23994cda0df1295ec677b8d0d46f6e" title="on the rise" style="">on the rise</a>. CNN's senior national correspondent <b>Kyung La</b>h <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c8db07f573c0ce956e88376ee779191dbbf3bcf836a6f4ddd97c346a54e5e40bac954caef8288e64d3392024392b6ce7d" title="described" style="">described</a> how she personally experienced anti-Asian racism this week while reporting on COVID-19.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What Fox News and right-wing media want most of all is to distract from the colossal failings of the Trump administration and to make the national conversation about accusations of racism and a supposed backlash to political correctness. As The Atlantic’s <b>Adam Serwer</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c6393255933c49ff1d4541c57f1a2f884a286fdb2a174b084e384cc0d9e2c47a7cd4157a7e97ebe0c9dd181307112ea3e" title="explained" style="">explained</a>: “<i>They’re far more concerned about riling up the base by drawing accusations of racism than they are dealing with the pandemic. It’s absolutely urgent to them that they be able to get into this argument to distract from Trump’s incompetence.”</i></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There is plenty of reporting on how Trump <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c0eec051fbe04dbaabc70fcf1d81bc0d25889545de4d98ce19d1633c10cd70033c8fff6b91917f13e796cfea57b49fce0" title="long denied" style="">long denied</a> that the novel coronavirus was a problem, or how he <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26cc96afc41ef276f62f593fd35de894102fb1ae50bb5139fd2c48ccb53350c33189c50f56ed42cef2b7b4cfb120ea8a6db" title="ignored" style="">ignored</a> intelligence warnings of a pandemic, or how he <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c63c89bd79e56bfb6d6a4db351e16dec58bc587910c58118b5b595c77c2ff19dcd7b17d96b2556c48489b0f4eafd45eb5" title="forgot" style="">forgot </a>to make long-term plans, or how he and the White House have <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c3380604bea036cdea5ddb456b512ee5ad63137cb9d83b341fde6afafecede43c4bc2fc11dd3bbb43f910390674e56fb9" title="neglected to give basic instructions" style="">neglected to give basic instructions</a> to those they ask for help, or how he's <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26caa86a81a8a3f6c8230b789a7edea4d18d5b6fb4c9097d31b0e752b6d04d7a771534f3ed402c0ec6d20de6ef7c4bc4ab3" title="failed to take actions" style="">failed to take actions</a> that would alleviate the imminent medical crisis that the country <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26cfcdadf83e4ced3a65c5296e49e64783372eb47a4516fee3826bda09529cafea60a94028a72a95fae54fdd4c99dab8706" title="is facing" style="">is facing </a>and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c03b7918cec60fd9a2e6b8eabf89d7a5cb4c9f20854a6999595b5d957a81c521248839a1407dab1421511e8e6f5a20b89" title="is facing and will continue to face" style="">will continue to face</a>.</font></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-margin-cell" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: transparent; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="line-height: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c2e2d7e89699dbe6091cdd388239a6b39372e1df33dce8b35ce75f00c103a83e5372beb76c3bae32fabef6e9c2e902c3d" title="Lou Dobbs coronavirus poll" style="">Lou Dobbs' coronavirus poll</a></font></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[grf]</font></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><div style="line-height: 31px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Folks, this is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c45aa8e0d78cba5f8aff175091d83a1678b1715e9a9539e730b4ad4de92d9ef4b88ab1940a3f6ccc865155c57377942cf" title="a real poll that Lou Dobbs ran" style="">a real poll</a> that <b>Lou Dobbs</b> ran, asking if Trump's response to coronavirus has been "superb," "great," or "very good."</font></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-margin-cell" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: transparent; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="line-height: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c64017306d08296f29dd5bb6ff982559f640aa99cadba6f3fa3523ee2930618b84fe6a3da4a66e9a7dca05f113e7cf904" title="How Fox's medical commentators have spread misinformation during the outbreak" style="">How Fox's medical commentators spread misinformation during the outbreak</a></font></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><div style="line-height: 31px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Instead of giving sound medical advice, Fox News’ medical commentators for weeks <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26cbc022fb47ea7c1c4c0ead947b88c596653e2fb9dc47a3b164364b4631b548226d75a8b1deb8f651ca394c9754df8c728" title="pushed misinformation" style="">pushed misinformation</a> that directly echoed the talking points of both the <b>Trump</b> administration and Fox News opinion commentators.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Most notably was Fox’s chief medical contributor Dr. <b>Marc Siegel</b>. Before March 13, Siegel made 47 weekday appearances to discuss the outbreak. Here are just a few examples:</font></p><ul><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Siegel excused Trump from responsibility over the administration’s <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c461eb049f7caa0524e33bf16d46139463027d6807a36aead812d2140ddb137da9762de1aaaa2191dc6336a3a1811e7c9" title="failure" style="">failure</a> to widely test Americans.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Siegel said the “worst case scenario” for coronavirus is “it could be the flu.” In later appearances, he would contradict what he said here.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Siegel attacked the World Health Organization as “a bunch of alarmists, they are saber rattlers.”</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Siegel claimed coronavirus concerns are being intentionally overblown to hurt Trump politically.</font></li></ul><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Several other medical commentators misled Fox’s audience as the outbreak worsened, including <b>Nicole Saphier</b>, <b>Manny Alvarez</b>, <b>Mehmet Oz</b>, and <b>Janette Nesheiwat</b>.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i><b>Fox hosts quack doctor:</b></i> Fox News <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26cc477411c52f648f10f437c48fb1b1c87f90f8be5dc78d8ce083f24e653d6a4ae7080caecf0ee00231ff1669483f0e68d" title="aired dangerous misinformation" style="">aired dangerous misinformation</a> from <b>Steven Hotze </b>, a disreputable doctor who has a history of pushing “methods [that] are not supported by science and are potentially harmful” and sells bogus colloidal silver. Hotze used his Fox News platform to dismiss concerns about the coronavirus as people going “totally crazy” and told viewers to “conduct your life normally.” He is a bigot who has claimed that “‘Satanic cults’ were driving the ‘homosexual movement,’” compared LGBTQ people to “Nazis,” and said that Houston residents should “drive” LGBTQ people "out of our city.” More recently, Hotze has been a major backer of <b>Roy Moore</b> in Alabama.</font></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-margin-cell" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: transparent; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="line-height: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c8495272b5949f0802d16844b266c2ea7bbb90e991ae51d52ed6dfab892585e4b7170ead5eacdcb6e65fceb1c0f467cca" title="GOP senstors made potentially illegal stock sell-ffs after they were briefed about COVID-19. Here's how cable news covered it." style="">GOP senators made potentially illegal stock sell-offs after they were briefed about COVID-19. Here's how cable news covered it.</a></font></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv1495947851stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv1495947851camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><div style="line-height: 31px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" /><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thursday night, Sens. <b>Richard Burr</b> (R-NC) and <b>Kelly Loeffler</b> (R-GA) came under scrutiny for a series of stock sell-offs that came after their Senate committees received non-public information about the growing coronavirus crisis. The first story broke when ProPublica <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c70c43e4ca6750d49e9b2a2de69875a82f73b640606f1a350d93ac7f6c618f2eecc578811e81529310ddca724c1c15c29" title="published an article" style="">published an article</a> about Burr’s stock dumping despite his public reassurances about the United States’ coronavirus preparedness. Later that evening, The Daily Beast <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c81d6b00e3697fdb7235ee40a2cf0bbd91de46a7d9a7e8885698e499e2049ced6b4d51ee8d19f912fe8721fbd086f5950" title="posted a report" style="">posted a report</a> about Loeffler selling off millions in stocks. The stock market has subsequently suffered major losses.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Friday morning, Sens. <b>Dianne Feinstein</b> (D-CA) and <b>James Inhofe</b> (R-OK) were also in the conversation, although further scrutiny suggests their trades were less problematic. One reporter pointed out that Inhofe was selling stock well before the private meetings, and noted that Feinstein’s trading seemed to be “clearly innocuous.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here's <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26cb4b8213a89c68aa47c13af96cdae9b0f56c568c8369f7845b52506343b8f899c284e3ae878827d4010bc2d9307d49106" title="how cable news" style="">how cable news</a> covered the breaking news. MSNBC gave the matter serious and thorough coverage. Fox News gave it significantly less, and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84a74f631ce0f26c9c9a230582d324084fb2ebf7ca7220965e6d2ee7a95013c28f16169ca0716e1b91b6ad1a93a4a3cb040721b8614d1312" title="was criticized" style="">was criticized</a> for overly focusing on Feinstein, the Democrat, when other cases were far worse. CNN, inexplicably, barely mentioned the apparent corruption....</font></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/managing-fear-republicans-now-have-to-strategically-decide-which-threats-to-maximize-and-to-minimize/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/managing-fear-republicans-now-have-to-strategically-decide-which-threats-to-maximize-and-to-minimize/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Managing fear: Republicans now have to strategically decide which threats to maximize and to minimize</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Jonathan Zimmerman / The Washington Monthly March 16, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In the recent movie Bombshell, a Fox News producer played by Kate McKinnon tells a younger colleague how the network decides what to cover. “The world is a bad place,” she quips. “Ask yourself, what would scare my grandmother or piss off my grandfather? And that’s a Fox story.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That calculus has also been the engine of Republican politics in the age of Donald Trump, who has raised fear mongering to unprecedented heights. The country was under siege fromimmigration, terrorism, and crime, Trump asserted. Only he could make it safe—and great—again. As Democrats correctly noted, Trump has been exaggerating dangers to stoke voters’ prejudices and anxieties.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But coronavirus has scrambled politics in America, just as it has upended everything else. Until he declared a national emergency on Friday, Trump and his GOP media defenders were downplayingthe crisis.And Democrats became the party of fear, warning that Americans should be afraid—very afraid—and that the GOP was in a state of denial.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a Quinnipiac University poll released last week, roughly 60 percent of surveyed Republicans said they were not especially concerned that the coronavirus would disrupt their lives. Two-thirds of Democrats, meanwhile,said they were somewhat or very concerned about disruption from the virus. Most remarkably, Democrats were twice as likely as Republicans to say they were afraid that they or someone they knew could catch Covid-19.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In large part, that’s because of the tone set by Trump. Last month, he said that the virus “dies with the hotter weather” and that it “will go away in April.” He also said that the total number of coronavirus cases stood at 15 and would soon be “close to zero.” Fox News host Sean Hannity quickly echoed the same sentiment, and continually hinted on his broadcast that the entire crisis might be a hoax.Rush Limbaugh likened coronavirus to a common cold.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>These claims also earned a sharp rebuke from a handful of conservative media figures, including Fox’s Tucker Carlson. “People you trust, people you probably voted for, have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem,” Carlson told viewers last week, in a clear reference to Trump. “People you know will get sick. Some may die. This is real.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Carlson was calling Republicans back to their customary sweet spot, as the party of fear. </span>According to numerous research studies, Americans who perceive more danger in the world are more likely to vote Republican, while people who are more optimistic and hopeful typically pull the lever for Democrats.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That was never more obvious than in 2016, when Trump rooted his campaign firmly in fear. And it worked. Two-thirds of Trump supporters feared being a victim of terrorism, as opposed to half of all Americans. And 83 percent of people supporting Trump agreed that the American way of life needed to be protected from “foreign influence,” compared to 55 percent overall.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Never mind that foreign influence—in the form of Russian interference—helped Trump win the election. The larger moral was clear: to motivate voters, as the Fox News producer in Bombshell noted, Republicans and the conservative movement should harp on things that will scare your grandmother.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Well, coronavirus is one of those things—or, at least, it should be. The people most at risk during this crisis are the elderly, of course, who make up a big swath of the Fox News viewership. The viral infection is tailor-made for both Fox and the GOP, if they can wean themselves from their lockstep loyalty to Donald Trump.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Last week, Fox announced that most of its employees would work from home to prevent the spread of coronavirus</b>.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> It also removed Fox Business anchor Trish Regan from her prime-time slot after she dismissed the crisis as “another attempt to impeach the president.”</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the president himself remains casual about coronavirus, as his behavior at Friday’s press conference made evident. Even while declaring a national emergency, Trump shook hands—something health experts have strenuously warned against—with all but one of the CEOs he invited to the White House. And despite having stood next to a Brazilian press aide who was diagnosed with coronavirus, Trump said he would not self-quarantine because has has “no symptoms whatsoever.” Of course, asymptomatic carriers of the virus can spread it to others.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the face of Trump’s ignorance and nonchalant attitude,Democrats need to keep emphasizing the perils of the virus. Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” we’ve been reluctant to engage fear as a political tool. Simply put, we’re afraid to make people afraid.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But sometimes, you have to do precisely that to move them in the proper direction. No matter our partisan affiliations, we should all be afraid of the coronavirus. Although most Americans who contract the virus will recover, they also threaten to infect those in greatest danger: old people and those with pre-existing health conditions. And if a huge number of people contract coronavirus in a very short span of time, they could overrun our hospitals and other medical facilities and compromise the care of those who need it most. Lives are truly at stake: if the virus itself doesn’t kill people, an inadequate response to it might.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The only thing we have to fear right now is complacency, not fear. And we need leaders—in both parties-—who aren’t afraid to say that.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/how-right-wingers-and-trump-apologists-could-get-people-killed-with-coronavirus-disinformation-columnist/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/how-right-wingers-and-trump-apologists-could-get-people-killed-with-coronavirus-disinformation-columnist/</font></a></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>How right-wingers and Trump apologists could ‘get people killed’ with coronavirus disinformation: columnist</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Alex Henderson March 10, 2020</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the death toll from coronavirus continues to climb — passing 4,200 worldwide on Tuesday, according to John Hopkins University in Baltimore — many figures in the United States’ right-wing media believe that their job isn’t to provide accurate information but to defend President Donald Trump at every turn. And by doing so,<b> Never Trump conservative Max Boot asserts in his Washington Post column, they are helping to make a bad situation even worse.</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“President Trump has been widely and correctly excoriated for the way he is dealing with the novel coronavirus,” Boot notes. “By minimizing the danger, he heightens it. Even on Monday, Trump was comparing covid-19 to the ordinary flu — even though its mortality rate appears to be many times higher and its economic effect infinitely greater.”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Boot quickly adds, however, that “Trump could not spread disinformation all by himself.”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“A herd of right-wing pseudo-journalists has jumped the shark along with him,” Boot writes. “They are promulgating narratives so at odds with reality that they are likely to get people killed.”</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Boot goes on to cite some examples, including familiar Trumpistas at Fox News and Fox Business.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“On Monday,” Boot notes, “Trish Regan was on Fox Business denouncing coronavirus concern as ‘yet another attempt to impeach the president.’ In her demented view, Trump’s opponents are deliberately inducing stock-market losses — presumably, Democrats don’t own 401(k)s — in an attempt to ‘to demonize and destroy the president.’<b>Naturally, Trump — Fox News viewer No. 1 — retweeted her diatribe.”</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Breaking911</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@Breaking911</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Business’ Trish Regan says coronavirus is a “scam” to “impeach the President”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Boot is equally critical of Fox News’ Sean Hannity, who insisted on Monday that the president’s critics are trying to “bludgeon Trump with this new hoax” and that they are “scaring people unnecessarily.”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“To a lot of viewers,” Boot asserts, “it will sound as if Hannity is calling the virus a hoax, even if that’s not what he intended.”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Boot also slams radio host Rush Limbaugh as “irresponsible” for claiming that reporting on coronavirus is a plot to hurt Trump’s reelection campaign</b>. However, one right-wing media figure who Boot cites as an “outlier of sanity” on coronavirus is Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. Boot points out that although Carlson is “often the most rabid host on Fox,” he hasn’t been downplaying the severity of coronavirus and has correctly warned his viewers, “This is real.”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Boot concludes his column by stressing that whenever right-wing media figures try to make coronavirus seem less dangerous than it is, they are putting their more gullible viewers or listeners in danger.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“The ‘conservative’ media have long shown their contempt for facts and science — for instance, by playing down the danger of climate change or Russian election attacks,” Boot warns. “Never has their contempt for the truth been more dangerous than it is today. To defeat coronavirus, we must first combat the mental afflictions — irrationality, conspiracy-mongering and Dear Leader-like devotion to Trump — spread by exposure to right-wing media.”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p></div><div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px">fox News </span><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=6752c771d7d2993fc4e475b8af842e3b72ed1769758eda7349b95f7d8b2146fdea4fa3f353b3af34cee296ec3e2b1a687f4bde7208787f4d" title="has been the epicenter" style="" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px">has been the epicenter</a><span style="" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"> of climate change denial in the United States for over a decade now.</span></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 3/20 4 min montage of fox bs</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">several fear alarm eg</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wusreLZ9g-Y" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://</font></a></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 3/20 4 min montage of bs</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wusreLZ9g-Y"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wusreLZ9g-Y</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx an 320</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>Here’s why Trump slammed Fox News for being too ‘politically correct’</b></div><div>Fox News</div><div>Written by Matthew Rozsa / Salon March 6, 2020</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">President Donald Trump blasted Fox News while appearing on the right-leaning network, telling its highest-rated host Sean Hannity that the cable channel invites “inappropriate” guests who criticize him in a desire to be “politically correct.”</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“They put people on I think are inappropriate and say very, very false things, and people don’t challenge them. I think they’re trying to be very politically correct or ‘fair and balanced,’ right, is the term,” Trump told Hannity during a phone interview.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">After Hannity agreed with Trump’s opinion, the president added: “I think they hurt themselves, if you want to know the truth.”</span></div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>Earlier in the interview, Trump complained to Hannity that “the media is all on [the Democrats] side” with the exception of “yourself” and other Fox personalities, including Fox News host Mark Levin and Fox Business host Lou Dobbs. Trump also mentioned Rush Limbaugh</b>, a radio host who the president incorrectly identified as working for the Fox networks.</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Trump has a history of attacking Fox News after the network invites guests who are critical of the president or releases unfavorable poll numbers about him. During a rally in Colorado last month, Trump criticized Fox News and Fox Business Network host Neil Cavuto, saying “they had this woman on Neil Cavuto who doesn’t treat us good” and that Cavuto himself is “not too good.”</span></div><div>
</div><div>That comment referred to A. B. Stoddard, a RealClearPolitics associate editor who claimed that Trump performed poorly during the presidential debates in the 2016 cycle. Trump incorrectly claimed in a tweet that he “won every one of my debates,” even though respondents in post-debate polls picked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as the winner of those contests.</div><div>
</div><div>The president also attacked Fox News in November for releasing a poll, which found that nearly half of Americans wanted him impeached and removed from office.</div><div>
</div><div>“You’re reading the wrong polls. I have the real polls,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “I have the real polls. The CNN polls are fake. The Fox polls have always been lousy. I tell them they ought to get themselves a real pollster. But the real polls — if you look at the polls that came out this morning — people don’t want anything to do with impeachment. It’s a phony scam. It’s a hoax.”</div><div>
</div><div>A spokesperson from Fox News pointed Salon to an earlier statement by the network saying “our polling unit has long been held in high regard for being a nonpartisan source of research.”</div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>Trump criticized Fox personalities Andrew Napolitano, Shepard Smith (who left in October) and others one month earlier after Fox News released a poll showing an increase in support for his impeachment and removal from office.</b></div><div>
</div><div>“From the day I announced I was running for President, I have NEVER had a good @FoxNews Poll. Whoever their Pollster is, they suck. But @FoxNews is also much different than it used to be in the good old days,” Trump tweeted at the time.</div><div>
</div><div>The president then launched a series of personal attacks at Fox News personalities whose opinions he views as unfavorable, including Judge Andrew Napolitano.</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“With people like Andrew Napolitano, who wanted to be a Supreme Court Justice & I turned him down (he’s been terrible ever since), Shep Smith, @donnabrazile (who gave Crooked Hillary the debate questions & got fired from @CNN), & others, @FoxNews doesn’t deliver for US anymore,” Trump added. “It is so different than it used to be. Oh well, I’m President!”</span></div><div>
</div><div><b>Fox News anchor Bret Baier, </b>responding to a presidential attack in 2019 after the network released an unfavorable poll about Trump’s chances in the 2020 election, said that “we have a news side and an opinion side. The opinion folks express their opinions. We do polls. Our latest poll had the Democratic candidates head-to-head, several of them ahead of President Trump. And this poll tracks exactly what the Real Clear Politics average of polls — even a little the other way — and this poll matches what we are seeing out there.”</div><div>
</div><div><b>Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume </b>expressed similar thoughts earlier that year when Trump attacked the network for hosting a town hall event with former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who at that time was running for president.</div><div>
</div><div>“Say this for Buttigieg. He’s willing to be questioned by Chris Wallace, something you’ve barely done since you’ve been president,” Hume wrote on Twitter.</div><div>
</div><div>He added, “Oh, and covering candidates of both parties is part of the job of a news channel.”</div><div>
</div><div>You can watch the full interview below via YouTube:</div></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">=</span></font></div><div><div class="mag-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 19px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/racist-fox-news-host-blames-chinese-people-for-coronavirus-they-eat-raw-bats-and-snakes/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">racist Fox News host blames Chinese people for coronavirus: ‘They eat raw bats and snakes’</font></a></h3><div class="grid-post-box-meta mag-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="author-italic author vcard" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/walter-einenkel/" title="Posts by Walter Einenkel" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Walter Einenkel</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/daily-kos/" title="Posts by Daily Kos" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Daily Kos</a></font></span></div></div><div class="mag-excerpt entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News’ Jesse Watters went after his favorite target Monday night: Chinese people. As host of the The Five, a show on which the cumulative intelligence of the panel adds up…</font></p></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: currentcolor none medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></font></div></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><h3 class="editorial-compacttitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px; background-color: rgb(247, 249, 251);"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/amid-coronavirus-fears-fox-news-tries-its-best-blame-bernie-sanders-and-socialism-stock" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Amid coronavirus fears, Fox News tries its best to blame Bernie Sanders and socialism for the stock market downturn</font></a></h3></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">wapo</font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><a href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af505cbbe73314de12ff4a01553c54fdcfce3c50363f29e427e43db487e53f170404e838b0408cc8f35c70243c7a77a7ddd" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af505cbbe73314de12ff4a01553c54fdcfce3c50363f29e427e43db487e53f170404e838b0408cc8f35c70243c7a77a7ddd</font></a></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/07/its-own-document-fox-news-rips-fox-news-host-sean-hannity/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/07/its-own-document-fox-news-rips-fox-news-host-sean-hannity/</font></a></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" small="small" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref $</font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" small="small" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Opinions</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In its own document, Fox News rips Fox News host Sean Hannity</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sean Hannity on the set of his show on Aug. 7, 2019. (Frank Franklin II/AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Erik Wemple </div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Media critic</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Feb. 7, 2020 at 12:06 p.m. PST</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Each night, Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity engage in some shallow blather during the “handoff” between their ratings-killing programs. In Thursday night’s version, Hannity told Carlson, “You know the deep-state story is even getting bigger. There’s a whole new one developing. I’ll tell you about it privately.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Cute, Hannity....</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Democracy Dies in Darkness</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Opinions</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In its own document, Fox News rips Fox News host Sean Hannity</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sean Hannity on the set of his show on Aug. 7, 2019. (Frank Franklin II/AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">By</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Erik Wemple </div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Media critic</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">February 7, 2020 at 3:06 PM EST</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Each night, Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity engage in some shallow blather during the “handoff” between their ratings-killing programs. In Thursday night’s version, Hannity told Carlson, “You know the deep-state story is even getting bigger. There’s a whole new one developing. I’ll tell you about it privately.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Cute, Hannity.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Just what could this “new” deep-state story be? A clue emerged from a strange sequence of events on Twitter. Marcus DiPaola, who formerly worked at Fox News, posted some tweets about his experience with the network, as well as the front page of an interesting internal document:</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Here's the front page of the internal Fox News Trump-Ukraine timeline. I'll start tweeting some of the highlights shortly. pic.twitter.com/HWGX5sZUh8</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> — Marcus J. DiPaola (@marcusdipaola) February 6, 2020</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">That’s the title page of a dossier from the so-called Brain Room of Fox News, a long-standing research hive at the network. The full Ukrainian report, obtained by the Erik Wemple Blog, is a document of great candor and thoroughness, 162 pages of events and statements and indictments and hearings that detail every last wrinkle in the Trump-Ukraine story. Its timeline starts in February 2014 — when former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kyiv for Russia — and concludes in December 2019 — when Trump declared that his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, would write up a report about the findings of his Ukrainian investigation. “I hear he has found plenty,” said the president.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Brain Room report bears the name of Bryan Murphy, a senior political affairs specialist at Fox News. It also bears this withering assessment of John Solomon, former opinion contributor for the Hill who is responsible for setting in motion faulty story lines regarding Ukraine: “John Solomon played an indispensable role in the collection and domestic publication of elements of this disinformation campaign.” Another part of the document provides this assessment of Solomon: “Focus on stories from disinformation campaign, non-disclosure of conflicts, use of unreliable sources, publishing false and misleading stories, misrepresentation of sources, and opaque coordination with involved parties.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">That says it all. Even as it levels that critique, the Brain Room document discloses that Solomon is a “Fox News contributor.” Indeed, though Solomon appeared as a guest frequently on “Hannity” throughout the Ukraine story, he left the Hill in fall 2019 and was hired as a contributor at Fox News in October.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Not only does the research paper pummel Solomon, it cites a statistic that Solomon, over six months in 2019, “published 45 columns aimed at discrediting the Russia investigation, 12 of which focused primarily on Ukraine." Where did that statistic come from?</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Media Matters for America! Yes, Media Matters for America, the organization essentially built to take down Fox News. Media Matters for America, the organization routinely slammed on Fox News’s air. Media Matters for America, the organization that essentially forced Glenn Beck from Fox News.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It’s a stunning juxtaposition — one that speaks to the integrity of the Brain Room report. Other faces of the Ukraine issue that surface in the report include Giuliani, the ringleader of Trump’s effort to secure an announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of an investigation into the Bidens, who is described as having: “High susceptibility to disinformation” from key Ukrainian actors, according to the document. Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing, a Trump-supporting husband-and-wife legal team, receive this evaluation: “Non-disclosure of financial motives and representation of [Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro] Firtash while spreading false and misleading stories.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Note: Giuliani, diGenova and Toensing appeared on “Hannity” with regularity to take the president’s side on Ukraine. All that explains, perhaps, why Hannity is making noises about a “new” deep state.</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Though Fox News isn’t exactly forthcoming about its internal operations, the Brain Room isn’t a state secret. Occasionally network hosts will reference its work, as did Jesse Watters last fall, when he saw a Washington Post headline that he didn’t believe was real: “When I saw the headline afterwards, I forwarded it to our Brain Room because I thought it was an Onion” story, said Watters. There’s a great reverence among employees for the work of the room, as reflected in this comment from former host Kimberly Guilfoyle in June 2017: “Here are some doughnut facts from our Brain Room, so [they] must be true.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A 2011 story in Rolling Stone quoted a network insider as alleging that the Brain Room was where "the evil resides.” And a former network executive told Gabriel Sherman — for his biography of late Fox News chief Roger Ailes — that the room had a “Nixonian” air. That said, Sherman wrote that the “mystique” of the Brain Room faded over time as staffers realized that it was a professional operation designed to fact-check the news. It’s the Brain Room, for example, that feeds all those contextual facts that viewers see on their screens during congressional hearings and other political events.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">There’s no absence of context in the Brain Room’s Ukraine magnum opus. It has everything, including key revelations and charges against Hannity. Here’s the timeline’s entry for March 26, 2019:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Melinda Haring, the editor of the UkraineAlert blog at the Atlantic Council and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, writes in the Washington Post:</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“The mechanics of the information operation that Poroshenko’s minions pulled off are obvious.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> Lutsenko used Solomon to get to Hannity to get to Trump, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">whose Twitter feed set thousands chattering about nonexistent collusion… If a bunch of obscure foreigners few Americans have ever heard of can play Trump so easily, and so obviously, what’s to stop others from doing the same?”</span></b></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> (387) David Holmes, Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, later said, “The barrage of allegations directed at Ambassador Yovanovitch, a career ambassador, is unlike any anything I have seen in my professional career.” (388)</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Here’s another, absolutely devastating entry:</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> September 26, 2019: John Solomon, Toensing, and diGenova all appear on Hannity again to discuss Shokin’s affidavit, filed at the request of Firtash’s attorneys. At no time during the program does Hannity, Toensing, and diGenova mention who requested the statement nor do they discuss that they are Firtash’s attorneys. Solomon also doesn’t mention that he shares attorneys with Firtash. diGenova says “we’ve known from the very beginning that Mr. Shokin was not a corrupt prosecutor.” (856) Later that night, President Trump tweets a clip of diGenova from Hannity.</span> (857)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">More: In an entry for Oct. 9, 2019, the Brain Room document notes that Andriy Derkach, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, had made a specific allegation regarding corruption by former vice president Joe Biden. The Kyiv Post, notes the Brain Room report, called the charge “dubious.” “Hours later, Giuliani appeared on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News and parroted Derkach’s claim. (897).”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In an entry that footnotes reporting from the Erik Wemple Blog, the document even tosses shade on how Hannity introduces Solomon on his program:</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> May 14, 2018: The Hill’s editor-in-chief sent out a memo to staff stating that “effective immediately” John Solomon would no longer publish stories under the banner of news but instead would be an “opinion contributor.” (218) Solomon said that the choice to have his writing classified as opinion was his. During his TV appearances, Hannity has often continued to announce Solomon as an “investigative reporter” at The Hill.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What we have here is a journalistic blowout. It is a trouncing of Hannity and his treasured contributor, Solomon — written not by some mainstream media outlet or Media Matters for America, but by Fox News itself. Turns out the network is keeping its best reporting to itself.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In a statement to the Erik Wemple Blog, Mitchell Kweit, senior vice president of the Brain Room, said: “The research division of FOX News produces a briefing book for all major stories, which serves as a standing collection of extensive data on major topics for internal use by all those in editorial functions. The Ukraine briefing book is nothing more than a comprehensive chronological account of what every person involved in the Ukraine controversy was doing at any identifiable point in time, including tracking media appearances of major players who appeared on FOX News and in many other outlets. The 200 page document has thousands of data points and the vast majority have no relation to FOX News – instead it’s now being taken out of context and politicized to damage the network.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In an interview with the Erik Wemple Blog, DiPaola commended Fox News for the separation between opinion shows and the so-called straight-news side, where he worked as a freelancer for a few months. “It did feel a lot like church and state,” he says. “They separate news from opinion pretty well.” As for the Brain Room timeline, DiPaola says, “I mean, it’s a Brain Room product, it’s meant to be unbiased. It’s evidence that Fox News Channel isn’t all bad. It’s evidence that there are honorable people working at Fox News all day.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And it’s evidence that those honorable people understand the threat “Hannity” poses to any news organization.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Read more from Erik Wemple:</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sean Hannity and Fox News have normalized media corruption</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The comical hypocrisy of Sean Hannity</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Impeachment report hammers the Hill and John Solomon</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">John Solomon leaves behind lasting damage at the Hill</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Giuliani goes full conspiracy theory in insane ‘Fox & Friends’ appearance</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" small="small" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" small="small" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">random mma 220 grab</font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" small="small" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><ul style="" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af54d9d4b6d27a3287c221418d36caa271131dbbfce9f9b459fb18100463574d219f1987fdc503d7784df7097cb8bf99b0a" title="a hive of stupidity" style="">a hive of stupidity</a> and we have the video to prove it.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We also <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af55e21a8db8f65f7fbc52a78c63fe6cba35deccf5cff554909e41678815c0ac1b562df6ac84bfc00f2ab2d28f36dd9c157" title="have put together" style="">have put together</a> 20 of Fox News' most disgusting moments of the last decade.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch <b>Richard Fowler</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af5aecf80a9b18ba0f813906f16d2c6fa4081a7a1f3e0aa4695a15c15fe573591747da9a24f0b9151dd536fc37aef8a5c84" title="absolutely demolish" style="">absolutely demolish</a> a Fox News contributor's suggestion that Sen. <b>Chris Murphy</b> (D-CT) broke the law by meeting with an Iranian diplomat.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Never Trump Republicans are all over cable news, but there is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af51cf46e6f41bd2bce6e0fb6944547dde278305966d549bfe64175ba8e52196e8e7d81f2a3babdd4f8d7e7c289747923f6" title="no reason" style="">no reason</a> anyone should listen to them, especially when it comes to the Democratic primary.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Rush Limbaugh</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af598e1375f57f0dd7bb97b235faac61458dd47a0f36a4499cde25dc67734a27ade285e1fac9df4c90e33ce8da2187358c7" title="claimed that" style="">claimed that</a> the deep state faked evidence about WMDs in Iraq to embarrass <b>George W. Bush</b>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af5a95eb6445b1fe888a0e08c4fe44ab7b6c905eefb974569c65abfb760bc9d848031e8b87598be7276ca2a3c2c223f1d21" title="is hosting" style="">is hosting</a> Fox's <b>Jeanine Pirro</b> for an event. Pirro pushed the same white nationalist conspiracy theory as the El Paso gunman.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Tucker Carlson</b>'s guest <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=91a4cb4122de0af545afce75c3ac769ccb7fe79222154680cf220e665bbbf6629454e0b9596b3d739f7a6951ad2734a83cd4afe1c3b4e429" title="wants to ban foreign films" style="">wants to ban foreign films</a> from the Oscars.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Rush Limbaugh</b>: Trump <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed3147485f0a3312a4fab329b12e99701d8d38604e3007146351a4b4b9bad83bff50b95f35761bce9538be375ca0f6405345f0" title="told me" style="">told me</a> not to apologize for homophobic attacks on <b>Pete Buttigieg</b>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed314769bf9a4b806898beea04a9637af1a44d9e12d7c7d8427eb3155e905a46a029363fe98259680485b5a075daec465a159c" title="issued a pardon" style="">issued a pardon</a> to <b>Bernard Kerik</b> and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed3147f2e961156ecc8ef481634d144598c9ba55b3feb08a7bbddd3ab77edc4d9ecfc12662bcda694170cd4852ca65573dc059" title="commuted" style="">commuted</a> <b>Rod Blogojevich</b>'s sentence. Both actions had links to Fox News.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Fox News host <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed31479b0bc2e9d33732468b67aa92a310b5f516ae2f2f300715db4f8dc550755710e2e079a15da790763def19809903712ddb" title="called for the government" style="">called for the government</a> to relocate homeless people into what sounds a lot like a camp.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MSNBC contributor <b>Jason Johnson</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed31477be0f7c28fc90784a67a3e69b1cd284a9647a26f4a106b068cb30b5c0680e09efc146a37235924dbbccc8ff7f91ffd02" title="said that" style="">said that</a> the Sanders campaign hires people "from the island of misfit Black girls.” Johnson was <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed314745fb834f1ed6ac78bb3b1cdc7750548ab7b6cab125b27b30882634ca20388a1283f06c0f18fe920fe4fa938f47df9e3d" title="called out on MSNBC" style="">called out on MSNBC</a> by <b>Benjamin Dixon</b>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Sean Hannity</b> and his billionaire guest <b>David Rubenstein</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed3147eb1a901ada8a1613111c265d174d33340d5492973ebfbc5b16a7cd0e2727550a426bd74313f95df627b1e388e8ca2afc" title="discussed how difficult it is to be rich" style="">discussed how difficult it is to be rich</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News host <b>Mark Levin</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed31471be7fc695abe1161a2233ebf744fbca5e4d8cafdb616b7f8032f8c999fcdd4940d9e357f63134609f547e9044bb18431" title="said that" style="">said that</a> <b>Bernie Sanders</b> has an "Islamo-Nazi mentality" and that his campaign hires people who could have come from the Third Reich. Radio host <b>Michael Savage</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed3147acc7799279e493ee761fc7d88ecb828af4f6b3f46e9cc77a9e77fbe2e6a30315ce703d70b6944d8863126964e612b52e" title="made similar remarks" style="">made similar remarks</a>. Shortly after it became clear that Sanders would win the Democratic Nevada caucus, MSNBC host <b>Chris Matthews</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed3147af1be2645de9007ba25faf5067efde95dd03f4d43c97aa74a7f87f84a39c45feb5ff71144c035f6c1f6d90c1b7a63628" title="likened" style="">likened</a> Sanders' rising popularity to the Nazis storming Europe in 1940.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Fox News guest <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed3147e17acd1e68ff74e8dc184263998f71f27aa141edb87b8441cdda0580d2e1681171149efb2875af30c2a3ccbd9e56e61f" title="said that" style="">said that</a> if <b>Harvey Weinstein</b> is convicted, it will “redefine the idea of consent in a very, very dangerous way to where men have to read minds.”</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Nation host <b>Robert Jeffress</b> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=2123bb79b2ed31474252942afee4ce010e8a986ed911d7d67a10d45d9ec6fd0a53e8f1f7fe4a9c5f97a4bebd6cd4d476849804d1c0d1d526" title="said that" style="">said that</a> liberal churches “deserve to die.”</font></li></ul></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" small="small" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" small="small" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">corp coup vid tucker and coulter? shut up and dribble?</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</div><div>Fox News host shuts down strategist who points out Trump has ‘cheated on all’ of his wives</div><div>
</div><div>Written by Walter Einenkel / Daily Kos February 20, 2020</div><div>Jessica Tarlov is a senior strategist with Schoen Consulting, a firm that boasts campaign strategy work for people like Mike Bloomberg and HBO. She is also a frequent contributor to Fox News, coming on as a “Democratic Strategist.” On Monday, Tarlov was on America’s Newsroom, a Fox News show that is every bit as newsroom-y as you might expect from Fox. She was there to discuss Pete Buttigieg’s appearance on the Sunday news shows and specifically his responses to Rush Limbaugh’s homophobic attacks on his same-sex marriage. It’s a way for Fox News to keep playing homophobic statements made by right-wing pundits while playing at being a newsroom.</div><div>
</div><div>Newsroom co-host Sandra Smith asked Tarlov for her thoughts on the matter. Tarlov started within the boundaries for Fox News, pointing out that Rush Limbaugh and conservatives are a wee bit full of shit and clearly homophobic when talking about the sanctity of marriage, pointing out “You see a loving, monogamous couple like Pete Buttigieg and Chasten, his husband, up there showing what is possible. That someone who is in a same-sex relationship could be running for president and doing as well. And then they’re torn down by Rush Limbaugh, who’s been married four times I think.”</div><div>
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</div><div>This was all well and good, but Tarlov then added “And we have Donald Trump, three times married, cheated on all of those wives, and you hear—“, this is when Sandra Smith cut in to strangely say “—Let’s not bring in personal relationships.” A stiflingly bizarre thing to say, and something Tarlov pointed out was incongruous as the attack on Buttigieg was clearly “personal” in nature. Smith pivoted to repeating Limbaugh’s homophobic quote, and then threw to another pundit, one who wasn’t going to point out that Donald Trump is a scumbag and the people that support him are scumbags.</div><div>
</div><div>Limbaugh’s comments and his bloated hypocrisy have been a big win in many respects for Pete Buttigieg, allowing the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to go toe-to-toe with Republicans.</div><div>
</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 220</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>Leaked documents show Fox News believes its guests are blatantly promoting ‘disinformation’: report</div><div>
</div><div>Written by Alex Henderson February 7, 2020</div><div>Throughout the Ukraine scandal and the impeachment of President Donald Trump, much of the commentary at Fox News went out of its way to be favorable to the president and unfavorable to Democrats (although Chris Wallace and legal analyst Andrew Napolitano were willing to offer some critical analysis and part company with their colleagues at times). This week, the Daily Beast has obtained a copy of an internal Fox News briefing book that shows serious doubts within the network about the credibility of guests who have discussed Ukraine with Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and other Trump sycophants at the right-wing cable news outlet.</div><div>
</div><div>The 162-page briefing book, according to Daily Beast reporters Will Sommer, Maxwell Tani and Andrew Kirell, is titled “Ukraine, Disinformation, & the Trump Administration” and was created by Fox News Senior Affairs Specialist Bryan S. Murphy. The book is highly critical of what Trump supporters ranging from Rudy Giuliani (Trump’s personal attorney) to attorneys Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova to Fox News contributor John Solomon have had to say about Ukraine.</div><div>
</div><div>Solomon, in the book, is accused of playing an “indispensable role” in a “disinformation campaign” with Ukraine — while Toensing and diGenova are accused of “spreading disinformation.” And the book alleges that Giuliani promoted disinformation in his effort to oust Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. During House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry last year, Yovanovitch testified that Giuliani pushed to have her removed from that position.</div><div>
</div><div>The research book, according to Beast reporters, “is especially critical of Solomon, a former opinion columnist at The Hill whose opinion pieces about Ukraine made unsubstantiated claims about its government interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Solomon’s pieces for The Hill fueled Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt in Ukraine, which eventually, helped lead to President Donald Trump’s impeachment.”</div><div>
</div><div>Solomon, the Beast reporters point out, has often been featured on Hannity’s show and portrayed as a crusading investigative reporter. But the briefing book accuses Solomon of “non-disclosure of conflicts, use of unreliable sources, publishing false and misleading stories, misrepresentation of sources and opaque coordination with involved parties.”</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) released her plan to push back against disinformation that has seemingly taken over the internet in recent years. That same day, a CNBC headline suggested Warren had proposed “criminal penalties for spreading voting disinformation online.” The poor headline ultimately snowballed into a right-wing media smear accusing Warren of plotting to criminalize political beliefs with which she disagrees.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But Warren's plan only referred to criminal penalties for disinformation related specifically to how people vote: This would target known disinformation like "Vote by text" memes, for instance. It would also target campaigns that misinform about when election day is. These specifically were used to depress turnout in 2016.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing outlets, though, jumped on the CNBC headline to fearmonger that Warren had proposed criminalizing free speech. Soon, t<a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=9d22158b6a7dd323b031fc872f5eea62e0acfeda8f37697572f5c6426a1d31b3408637c872d5fb2b6bbf8ab3d469c2ab3a751b0525118b74" title="he lie was all over Fox News" style="">he lie was all over Fox News</a>.</font></p></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">aha omg fox is making policy, at least on personnel?! </font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></time><time datetime="2020-01-30T11:46:40-0500" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="">BARTIROMO PUSHED LG ON BIDEN? (AND NOT TO FORGET HIS BAIL ON TRI-LAT CLIMATE BILL</font></time></a></p></div></div><div><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><div class="teasercontent" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0%; flex-direction: column; justify-content: center;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; 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background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; 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background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/lou-dobbs/new-book-sheds-light-how-lou-dobbs-pushed-out-trumps-dhs-secretary" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;"><span property="schema:name" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: normal;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">New book sheds light on how Lou Dobbs pushed out Trump's DHS secretary</font></span></a></h2><p class="dateline-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; align-items: center; display: flex; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="dateline-compacttype" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 1.5em; margin-right: 1em; width: 1.5em;"><svg viewbox="0 0 24 24" class="icon icon--article" aria-labelledby="icon-label--article" /><font size="4"><use xlink:href="#article" xmlns:xlink="xlink" /></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><svg id="article" viewbox="0 0 24 24" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><path d="M0 1h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h18v4H0z" fill="inherit" fill-rule="evenodd" /></font></font></span><time datetime="2020-01-30T11:46:40-0500" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">
</font></time><time datetime="2020-01-30T11:46:40-0500" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="">01/30/20 11:46 AM EST</font></time></p></div></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 220</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv0114538997stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv0114538997stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv0114538997camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><div style="line-height: 31px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">trump's impeachment trial appears to be in the end phase now. Here's some ways that media outlets pushed misinformation about it this week:</font></p><ul><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Straight news” anchor Ed Henry <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d3ffc713612c5f03c534936bdbb52622ecef429987a7049e39b39b37a13040a4e6bc6af7302d31a23e83ca9294747b1029" title="spread disinformation and GOP talking points" style="">spread disinformation and GOP talking points</a>.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Trump's impeachment trial defense <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d35cc6f6075802da618a7edfa11c6f49b67e513e8748389ec4cd3bb2a97ec6046f20f70d626c307dae74ef6fdadc7ecfde" title="came from Hannity's Fox show" style="">came from Hannity's Fox show</a>.</b></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Multiple media outlets <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d398c60ba8ee0c32ec0bde6c12e2ab8e15e671caf8dcda38291d6f7504fcb58334ba815b92eb0b308278957d0182e90cd8" title="glossed over" style="">glossed over</a> Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz's radical claim of limitless executive power. A Fox News guest <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d3902f01a2076cfa324d01f2eb0e2d0ddf6d0fdf47e944e98e7b9cba96ac085a513609cba453f0974c2a6ff8d4d1a601d8" title="said that" style="">said that</a> Dershowitz's argument about virtually unlimited executive power was “very good” and “persuasive”</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox's straight news coverage of impeachment <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d3014d6731a402cba60ad3674aa4137c3191307b74c4689ac59d0b7797d50b8ada27edba78a27e9116a5dfa3ad4d347be8" title="was just recycled GOP talking points" style="">was just recycled GOP talking points</a>.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rudy Giuliani's <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d38cd3c4d4aca365cf7932c71672695647d2678d07a91e16bca615408e3a0017d2aff96ec5d0444be87dccae705a0d7134" title="wild podcast" style="">wild podcast</a> featured the same old debunked evidence combined with wildly irresponsible conspiracy theories, like when he suggested that anyone who criticized a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor was bought off.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Julie Millican <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d3cadd30b2530a332f4b6083142c907659bc327ce20857635dac7585dd98c0b7376651102a0f6987c8ca2280602f517df4" title="talked to the CBC" style="">talked to the CBC</a> about how Trump's impeachment defense is “100 percent coming from the right-wing media.”</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We saw media outlets this week run really tough interviews with Republicans or members of Trump's legal team -- but then just tweet out what the person being interviewed said. It happened both with good interviews by <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d3422ef8383c144955bad2025dbae81039f9c5d98b224be9c654c10c1228c4bdfee479d5b315e7646bbcefc1b569bf5108" title="Jake Tapper on CNN" style="">Jake Tapper on CNN</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d3b9aefcebb16c407f3ef92025c1623071f314f89accff81798fc3da41e41b34ccf99189bbcbc2cd56655aeb3913119586" title="Ari Melber on MSNBC" style="">Ari Melber on MSNBC</a>.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PBS and NPR <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d30eb5a972dad558942e302712060265513f81fa032835c15d647b461815b878689f75671b81120ce2e504944ab52d0d5f" title="featured “both sides” impeachment coverage" style="">featured “both sides” impeachment coverage</a> — while Trump threatens them.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>Fox & Friends</i> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d3399663562709e8a778b7776b38f3330121de268368a72c80fec1083a3761aefbceb55a25701e56a34e13ed8ba39f945f" title="pushed for" style="">pushed for</a> no witnesses and a Trump acquittal as soon as possible.</font></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv0114538997stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv0114538997stylingblock-content-margin-cell" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv0114538997stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: transparent; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv0114538997stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv0114538997camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="line-height: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=76fbeba8221230d39cb341e26218284e8710cd3d144ba3e164d17dd943cb705ecd4f190247df71fad6ac9f924758cedaab5f35152f28ae5a" title="Right-wing media never wanted Bolton to testify" style="">Right-wing media never wanted Bolton to testify</a>...</font></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">trumpista base held tgether by evil fox trinity: hanty, ingraham and tucker NOW A NODE
</font></font></font></font><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></font></font></font><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">aha 1/20 promote primary, evil pending; trump only hope to stay in power, so pander to end times homo trans phobia, 1st anti-abortion march; 2x whammy b/c smash and grab anti BO voodoo tax cut to oligarch and corps
</font></font></font></font><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div></div></div><div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></div><div style=""><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/sean-hannity-trump-political-operative-and-fox-news-doesnt-care"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/sean-hannity-trump-political-operative-and-fox-news-doesnt-care</font></a></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">you’d be forgiven if, amid the lead-up to President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate and the ongoing Democratic presidential primary, you missed BuzzFeed News’ <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmaloop/sean-hannity-trump-allies-mueller-memos-fox-news" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">story</a> last week detailing how <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Fox News host Sean Hannity served “as a central point of contact” between the president and his associates under investigation during special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. But the report -- and Fox News’ lack of interest in addressing it -- marks new terrain for Hannity’s unpaid position in the Trump White House and his network’s effective merger with the administration.</span></font></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;" /><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Hannity has spent the last few years finding new and original ways to set afire the journalism ethics rules enforced elsewhere, from endorsing the then-Republican nominee in a <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/09/20/sean-hannity-in-trouble-at-fox-after-participating-in-trump-ad" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">campaign ad</a> to failing to disclose that he <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-trump-lawyer-michael-cohens-secret-client" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">shared a lawyer</a> with the president to <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-and-end-fox-news-standards-charade" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">speaking at one of Trump’s rallies</a>.</b> Each of these instances underscored Hannity’s unconscionable role as a political operative whose first loyalty is to Trump, someone who simultaneously hosts a propaganda show enforcing the president’s positions while shaping Trump’s views as a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hannitys-rising-role-in-trumps-world-he-basically-has-a-desk-in-the-place/2018/04/17/e2483018-4260-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">powerful adviser</a>.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The details BuzzFeed News revealed after combing through summaries of Mueller team interviews with key witnesses show that the Fox host hasn’t just been advising the president. Former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort and longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen each revealed to the special counsel’s office that Hannity had also counseled them on how to respond to probes from Mueller and the House of Representatives, respectively, even as he reported on their cases on his Fox show. </font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>BuzzFeed News quotes from a particularly instructive summary of an October 2018 interview, in which Manafort describes Hannity as acting as a “back channel” to the president between the time FBI raided Manafort’s residence in July 2017 and when he was indicted in October 2017.</b> “Manafort knew Hannity was speaking to Trump around then because Hannity would tell Manafort to hang in there, that he had been talking to Trump, that Trump had his back, and things like that,” the summary states. “Manafort understood his conversations with Hannity to be a message from Trump.” </font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The summary provides new context for text messages Hannity sent Manafort during that period urging the former Trump campaign chair to “stay strong,” suggesting that Manafort at least believed the remarks to be from the president to influence him not to cooperate with the Mueller probe. And it shows Hannity privately and egregiously engaged with the subjects of his putative reporting.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">These revelations would be completely unacceptable at any other network. But the most important line of BuzzFeed News’ story is the one that indicates that for Hannity’s network, they aren’t even worth publicly addressing: “Fox News declined to answer a series of questions BuzzFeed News sent the network about Hannity’s appearance in the documents.” </font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>This passivity marks a change for Fox, which has previously responded to new revelations about its star host’s second life as an unpaid Trump aide first by pledging tough action and later by at least pretending to care with empty statements. </b>Hannity’s <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/09/20/sean-hannity-in-trouble-at-fox-after-participating-in-trump-ad" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">2016 appearance</a> in the Trump ad led to a swift statement from a Fox spokesperson promising that it would not happen again. After <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-trump-lawyer-michael-cohens-secret-client" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">news broke</a> that Cohen had at one point represented Hannity -- a fact the Fox host never mentioned on-air while discussing Cohen’s own legal troubles -- Fox <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/17/watchdogs-attack-sean-hannity-for-hiding-link-to-trump-lawyer-cohen.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">issued a statement</a> saying that the host had been “spoken to.” And Hannity’s appearance on stage at the November 2018 Trump rally <a href="https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/1059860406448066560" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">led to Fox statement</a> that the network did not “condone” the appearance and that it “has been addressed.” </font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>These were all woefully insufficient responses to what would likely have been, at any other news outlet, firing offenses. </b>But they at least indicated that Fox felt it had to say something about its employee’s casual disregard for basic precepts of journalistic integrity. That no longer appears to be the case. </font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It’s possible that Fox executives have simply given up trying to deny the reality that Hannity’s top priority is the president, not their network or their audience. But this shift in public relations strategy may also speak to a shift in the power dynamic between Fox’s “news” and “opinion” side. In the past, Hannity’s ethical misdeeds would lead to an <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/destructive-propaganda-machine-how-current-and-former-staffers-have-ripped-fox-news?redirect_source=/research/2019/07/10/destructive-propaganda-machine-how-current-and-former-staffers-have-ripped-fox-news/224153" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">angry backlash</a> from his “news”-side colleagues, sometimes spilling out into public view in the form of enraged anonymous comments to other outlets. </font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But over the past year, Fox’s “news” side has been completely routed in this internal battle. Longtime lead anchor <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/shepard-smith/shep-smiths-departure-disaster-fox-news" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Shepard Smith</a>, who was <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fact-vs-fiction-fox-news-shep-smith-regularly-debunks-sean-hannitys-lies-and" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">willing to push back</a> against the disinformation rampant elsewhere on the network and even feud with his prime-time colleagues, left the channel in October. His replacement, <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/bill-hemmer/bill-hemmer-fox-shows-it-fully-committed-pro-trump-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Bill Hemmer</a>, is more comfortable hewing to the pro-Trump line and has used the media rollout for his new gig <a href="https://twitter.com/jeremymbarr/status/1217888651113353216" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">carefully avoiding ruffling the feathers</a> of either Fox’s “opinion” hosts or the White House. Hemmer’s own replacement, Ed Henry, has spent the last few years cozily <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/ed-henry/ed-henry-serial-misinformer-now-one-fox-news-weekday-co-anchors" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">ensconced</a> on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fox & Friends</em>’ curvy couch as a co-host of its weekend edition. With Smith gone, voices of criticism within Fox seem to have been muted.</span> </font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With the “news” side either replaced by shills or cowed by the changing of the guard, Fox executives no longer face internal pressure to rein in the likes of Hannity. That may leave them with no reason to restrain their opinion hosts other than their own regard for journalistic ethics. And as the ongoing silence on the Manafort connection shows, that doesn’t amount to much.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">cf</font></p><ol class="editorial-list editorial-list--inline fielditems" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; list-style: none; padding: 0px; display: grid; gap: 60px; grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);"><li class="fielditem editorial-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><article role="article" about="/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-and-end-fox-news-standards-charade" typeof="schema:Article" class="teaser-compact--major article article--compact editorial-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h3 class="editorial-compacttitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-and-end-fox-news-standards-charade" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; outline: 0px;"><span property="schema:name" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Sean Hannity and the end of the Fox News standards charade</font></span></a></h3><p class="dateline-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.3rem 0px 0px; align-items: center; display: flex; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="dateline-compacttype" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 1.5em; margin-right: 1em; width: 1.5em;"><svg viewbox="0 0 24 24" class="icon icon--article" aria-labelledby="icon-label--article" /><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><use xlink:href="#article" xmlns:xlink="xlink" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><svg id="article" viewbox="0 0 24 24" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><path d="M0 1h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h18v4H0z" fill="inherit" fill-rule="evenodd" /></font></font></span><time datetime="2018-11-06T10:25:51-0500" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">11/06/18 10:25 AM EST</font></time></p></article></li><li class="fielditem editorial-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><article role="article" about="/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-trump-lawyer-michael-cohens-secret-client" typeof="schema:Article" class="teaser-compact--major article article--compact editorial-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h3 class="editorial-compacttitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-trump-lawyer-michael-cohens-secret-client" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Sean Hannity is Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s secret client</font></a></h3><p class="dateline-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.3rem 0px 0px; align-items: center; display: flex; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="dateline-compacttype" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 1.5em; margin-right: 1em; width: 1.5em;"><svg viewbox="0 0 24 24" class="icon icon--article" aria-labelledby="icon-label--article" /><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><use xlink:href="#article" xmlns:xlink="xlink" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><svg id="article" viewbox="0 0 24 24" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><path d="M0 1h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h18v4H0z" fill="inherit" fill-rule="evenodd" /></font></font></span><time datetime="2018-04-16T15:55:20-0400" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">04/16/18 3:55 PM EDT</font></time></p></article></li><li class="fielditem editorial-listitem" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><article role="article" about="/shepard-smith/shep-smiths-departure-disaster-fox-news" typeof="schema:Article" class="teaser-compact--major article article--compact editorial-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h3 class="editorial-compacttitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/shepard-smith/shep-smiths-departure-disaster-fox-news" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Shep Smith's departure is a disaster for Fox News</font></a></h3><p class="dateline-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.3rem 0px 0px; align-items: center; display: flex; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="dateline-compacttype" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 1.5em; margin-right: 1em; width: 1.5em;"><svg viewbox="0 0 24 24" class="icon icon--article" aria-labelledby="icon-label--article" /><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><use xlink:href="#article" xmlns:xlink="xlink" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><svg id="article" viewbox="0 0 24 24" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><path d="M0 1h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h18v4H0z" fill="inherit" fill-rule="evenodd" /></font></font></span><time datetime="2019-10-11T16:59:43-0400" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">10/11/19 4:59 PM EDT</font></time></p></article></li></ol><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">120 mma</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We're only a few days into Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. And yet, one thing is perfectly clear: It is impossible to understate the ways that Fox News is influencing both the proceedings and how many Americans are viewing it. Here's just a partial list:</font></font></font></font></p><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump himself is pushing the Fox News line more than he ever has. Matt Gertz <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=ed517412882f995665272eb0108762d6ec40b5ae4a5f3d763053dc576c5852d176eb697b145369365a42f994a1b555cb81f9e716a9c32089" title="found that" style="">found that</a> Trump sent a record number of live tweets of Fox programming this week.</font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump's impeachment lawyers echoed Fox News talking points, both in their <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=ed517412882f9956b2e2da37c8cacc59fd7c8ed8e9d32da430f81f1bd0db5768bd8aac132a18efcc3d070bd53b27e347f3e69c1021a54673" title="opening statements" style="">opening statements</a> and when <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=ed517412882f995629ba472fd59a9059339486da010861d872bad6af15101b3caae59c77ab84cad66e1c6e4d8fcc6790522c41378379ede5" title="addressing the Senate" style="">addressing the Senate</a> on Saturday. In early December, House Republicans <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=ed517412882f9956d55d22288fe67adeca8e7f8a9e091c2c3ea56b2531fb1ee59b7a9e087221eb6ab7da186e4b231a5be8520a8f6076bcce" title="released" style="">released</a> a 123-page report that read like an episode of <i>Hannity</i>.</font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump's lawyers echoing Fox News makes sense: Trump's legal team has made <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=ed517412882f99568052ec49f5457130c3ad17fe5f90c9bd6600be099c482b065034ee0f03e6e0770ad6d1e1886aae42cdfac00883ada786" title="over a thousand appearances" style="">over a thousand appearances</a> on Fox.</font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News personalities have <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=ed517412882f9956847ac8de8ce4d7b213d90590edf37bc868fbbe3d9c6b76e69d36528229967e47fe5c8d4bb97acff627ae6c806505ae14" title="repeatedly said" style="">repeatedly said</a> that there's no new information in the trial. They did not mention that Republicans have blocked any new evidence.</font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox and conservative media <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=ed517412882f9956b5e6ac9683b51ab1d66df67e371edb5b163af1ca93fc881214a5db0870a1815eb0b68a0152aa08e87638695b56e1e797" title="spent the week" style="">spent the week</a> vilifying lead impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA). This morning, Trump <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=ed517412882f9956d3da6d3fa865ca209f390f27f8335ae448dc62a0f11363000e88c64a2701a37bb907b13224986fcde0978a97be8df54a" title="threatened" style="">threatened</a> Schiff, saying he has not yet "paid the price."</font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conservatives <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=b181cc628a61e7aea3d0c9eb34bdc7f3fffcabe7b61c6b700573aaf180b97298883b3d31abd44ec174053ec96952d82198970ab593d5a071" title="complained about the process" style="">complained about the process</a>, saying that the House should have called all the witnesses, without mentioning that several key witnesses still refused to testify on orders from the White House, even after House Democrats won a court case to compel testimony from former White House counsel Don McGahn. Several Fox personalities had also defended or even urged Trump’s action to block witnesses from testifying.</font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This complaint about the process was particularly acute in the case regarding evidence from former Giuliani associate Lev Parnas. Pro-Trump commentators complained that the evidence was just now being released, but it was <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=b181cc628a61e7ae0f0fa9c2a4643dd195fc8dfb27438fdb2905048c0caad0daac2623ff8411c9e4b1a4dc956593e03d8f0077ffdadefcdf" title="just days ago" style="">just days ago</a> that the judge in Parnas' own case approved the release of the materials.</font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News personalities <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=b181cc628a61e7ae9c152bac83460690d77a8f5ed1fbdaad1217c65b9defc80dacb00265762a46562732bea0215ce3a11708ddadd8fc7c08" title="said that" style="">said that</a> the impeachment trial was too boring. By the weekend, Republican Senators and Trump aides <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=b181cc628a61e7ae5185799577457c16478efd8be1666b45e080d1be48099a408edceea52a2814f7a92c9d49bda45257e3d959fb37904bef" title="were using" style="">were using</a> the same talking point.</font></font></font></font></li></ul><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Diving a little into the mechanics of how Fox News is misleading about the trial, look at this chart about how Fox News is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=b181cc628a61e7ae8d00d2316cb1aac8a321473fe97789299b5ed74a41451318ba747328a214098cfdd83d7bfb38e83032b3ff50c6b7ce28" title="just covering the trial far less" style="">just covering the trial far less</a> than CNN and MSNBC:</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[a bunch more, new anchor] santorum</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">but wait hthere's more</font></font></font></font></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv2172566805stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv2172566805stylingblock-content-margin-cell" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv2172566805stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="background-color: transparent; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv2172566805stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv2172566805camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="line-height: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Week In Dumb</font></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv2172566805stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv2172566805stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv2172566805camarker-inner" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0px 10px;"><div style="line-height: 31px;"><ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Quoting a QAnon Twitter account, Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=49ee40bd03ffa37d45c3af98d42ab474c61b332705ae4c3fb279104412c61441f9dd708ce3531a791f841d678aa1178972a966baff87bad6" title="said that" style="">said that</a> Trump will have a legacy of “real leadership”.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At the March for Life, Trump <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=49ee40bd03ffa37d60164c6bb783cfb26168de7ab5f31b75bb2b721f2e720ab7f8a70bc04fc0730e78883da7bfea257d854d3af15b42e9dc" title="parroted" style="">parroted</a> right-wing media lies about abortion to rile up his base.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Newly released documents prove that Sean Hannity is a Trump political operative. At any respectable outlet, Hannity would be out of a job, but <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=49ee40bd03ffa37db10e4d50915e9568fb15610cc87dc3e294d8e1f65846ae10d45810ede5218a9039ba8000c2a3959dd814d81084d12c75" title="Fox News doesn’t care" style="">Fox News doesn’t care</a>.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News prime-time <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=49ee40bd03ffa37d9a183680a211039e0057c22880d58e2ed0e0d1215e71fde1695978dbcf14e5a54ea4148180bdde6bb2b3d431085c7eb0" title="avoided covering" style="">avoided covering</a> record Australian bushfires until a Murdoch paper (wrongly) minimized the role of climate change.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=a593c18c9453a84fec0b48e9a059039bacbba4c659e81697c7e5fafd2b8cb26da88d28b6ef5584aec848b7eeda92fa90c1e932122b2dfff1" title="furious" style="">furious</a> at a proposal to limit investment in companies where the board of directors consists entirely of white men.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the wake of the Australian fires, climate crisis denialism <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=a593c18c9453a84ffc00476f0a6701903fc13f54b5f1fb3abaf8f2e9750cc5e1a4885871427ac4952fb9dceecc1b0832140561bf212ac11c" title="reportedly" style="">reportedly</a> got a big boost from Facebook.</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chris Matthews <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=a593c18c9453a84fee90a83329bd95256065d01e7d7d7f88f4e31d8a4361e6a2a42bb391d9b6f391d2fa120718608236b4865b68dae823b9" title="bizarrely said" style="">bizarrely said</a> that “we can’t use” the word lie anymore. He then said that Republicans were using "half-truths" instead.</font></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">cf mma RU solanli 1/24/20 split screen silent // scroll of djt accomplishments</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/fox-news-coverage-of-trumps-impeachment-trial-has-been-an-embarrassing-joke/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/fox-news-coverage-of-trumps-impeachment-trial-has-been-an-embarrassing-joke/</font></a></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Fox News’ coverage of Trump’s impeachment trial has been an embarrassing joke</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Alex Henderson January 24, 2020</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">When Rep. Hakeem Jeffries addressed the U.S. Senate on Thursday night as part of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, there was a crucial difference between how Jeffries’ speech was covered on different cable news outlets: while CNN and MSNBC broadcast the speech, Fox News muted the speech while its pundits offered pro-Trump talking points. CNN and MSNBC allowed viewers to hear Jeffries making a compelling case for removing Trump from office; Fox News let views see Jeffries but not hear him. And that Trump-friendly way of covering the trial is the subject of an article journalist Aaron Rupar wrote for Vox this week.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“Starting with ‘The Five,’ the network’s early evening roundtable commentary show, and continuing throughout the evening, Fox News broadcast portions of screen-in-screen video of the trial,” Rupar explains in his Vox article. “But instead of playing the audio, network hosts provided the normal Trumpian spin. So while someone who just looked at the screen may have concluded Fox News was covering the trial, in fact it wasn’t covering it at all.”</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News, Rupar adds, “went as far as to broadcast screen-in-screen video of the trial during commercial breaks — but again, without the sound that was necessary to make any sense of what was being discussed.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Aaron Rupar</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@atrupar</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News has the optics of covering the #ImpeachmentTrial without actually covering it. They've been showing screen-in-screen video of the proceedings without audio. Instead, hosts are providing Trumpian spin. It's propaganda giving the illusion of journalism. Remarkable.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lis Power</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@LisPower1</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Step 1: Dems try repeatedly to get new evidence into the trial</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Step 2: Republicans repeatedly vote it down</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Step 3: Fox criticizes Dems for having no new evidence. </font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Rinse and repeat.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Fox's Jason Chaffetz: "It had nothing to do with proving the facts, there was no new evidence"</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Millions of Fox News viewers, Rupar points out, have been fed a steady diet of “propaganda” and misinformation during Trump’s impeachment trial.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“The 2.7 million people who have been watching Fox News’ impeachment trial coverage at any given time are being told a story about it that’s completely untethered from reality — one that reinforces America’s deep polarization between the roughly 50% of voters who want Trump removed from office and the 40 to 45% who continue to support him through scandal after scandal.”</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Like Jeffries, Rep. Adam Schiff (the California Democrat who chairs the House Intelligence Committee) has, during the trial, made convincing arguments in favor of removing Trump from office for his impeachable offenses — which, according to Schiff, include trying to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and withholding military aid to Ukraine in the hope of getting that investigation. Someone who watched MSNBC or CNN got to hear Schiff skillfully laying out fact after fact after fact showing that Trump committed impeachable offenses. But Fox News carnival barkers like Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, as Rupar points out in Vox, haven’t seriously addressed the facts Schiff presented — only insulted and defamed him.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Aaron Rupar</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@atrupar</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson began his show dismissing the #ImpeachmentTrial by comparing it to "a movie written & directed by children whose ending you already know, & by the way, it's 20 hours long, in Hungarian, with misspelled subtitles." That's how his viewers will process things.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Andrew Lawrence</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@ndrew_lawrence</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News added scary music and, in one section, a red overtone to an Adam Schiff supercut from today</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There’s nothing Schiff could have said on Wednesday that Fox News’ evening and primetime hosts wouldn’t have spun as evidence of his mental instability, his obsession with taking down Trump,” Rupar asserts. “And while viewers were being spun on Wednesday, they were shown soundless video of the trial, the misleading implication being that they don’t have to bother watching it since Fox News is on top of it for them.”</font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ny post is murdoch tabloid? escalator</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-commentators-gleefully-promote-more-us-oil-and-gas-drilling-wake-soleimani" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /></font></font></font><div class="teasercontent" style="box-sizing: border-box; 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background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;"><span property="schema:name" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fox commentators gleefully promote more U.S. oil and gas drilling in wake of Soleimani assassination</span></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h2><p class="dateline-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; align-items: center; display: flex; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><font size="4"><span class="dateline-compacttype" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 1.5em; margin-right: 1em; width: 1.5em;"><svg viewbox="0 0 24 24" class="icon icon--article" aria-labelledby="icon-label--article"><use xlink:href="#article" xmlns:xlink="xlink"><svg id="article" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M0 1h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h24v4H0zm0 6h18v4H0z" fill="inherit" fill-rule="evenodd" /></svg></use></svg></span><time datetime="2020-01-09T16:27:21-0500" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font face="Times New Roman">01/09/20 4:27 PM EST</font></time></font></p></div></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/how-a-right-wing-disinformation-network-keeps-republicans-steeped-in-lies/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/how-a-right-wing-disinformation-network-keeps-republicans-steeped-in-lies/</font></a></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>How a right-wing disinformation network keeps Republicans steeped in lies</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Nancy LeTourneau / Washington Monthly December 30, 2019</span></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Democrats continue to wring their hands over the 2020 presidential primary, Donald Trump and his enablers decided a long time ago that the eventual nominee would be Joe Biden. That explains the pressure the president put on Ukraine to announce an investigation into the Bidens, a move that led to his impeachment.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But just as we saw with the attempts to smear Hillary Clinton in 2016, the disinformation campaign about the Bidens will continue unabated in an effort to drive up negative impressions of the former vice president. Nicholas Grosman has documented the origins of one of those campaigns that is underway.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Hunter Biden is currently involved in a paternity suit in Arkansas. The New York Post recently ran an article titled, “Private-eye firm claims Hunter Biden is linked to multiple criminal probes.” Here’s the lead paragraph.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Hunter Biden is the subject of multiple criminal investigations related to “fraud, money laundering and a counterfeiting scheme,” it’s claimed in court documents filed Monday in his Arkansas paternity case.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The documents they are referring to were filed by a Florida-based private-eye firm, D&A Investigations</b>, and were almost immediately dismissed by the judge because they had nothing to do with the paternity case. Nowhere in the documents did D&A name the agencies behind the purported criminal probes of Biden.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Grossman did what the reporters at the New York Post apparently couldn’t be bothered to do: he googled D&A Investigations and found their web site. The home page lists “active investigations.”</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">D&A opened an independent investigation (Transparency) in August 2016 into Hillary R. Clinton (HRC), Jeffrey Epstein & the Democrat National Committee (DNC) claims of: Russia broke into the DNC. </font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">At the time, William J. Clinton (WJC), HRC, John Podesta, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and John Kerry were in <b>collusion with Rogue Officials in the British Isles, Hong Kong, Iran, Russia, the Ukraine, United States, et al</b>, to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">In other words, the firm is dedicated to spreading conspiracy theories—particularly those that originate as Russian propaganda.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Hunter Biden’s attorney, Brent Langdon, responded to the filings by saying that D&A was engaged in “a scheme by a non-party simply to make scandalous allegations in the pending suit to gain some quick media attention.” As confirmation, the charges were never substantiated and were almost immediately dismissed, and yet they’ve caught fire on right wing media.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hunter-biden-subject-to-criminal-investigation-court-filing-claims-as-alleged-mistress-demands-custody-of-child">
</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hunter-biden-subject-to-criminal-investigation-court-filing-claims-as-alleged-mistress-demands-custody-of-child">https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hunter-biden-subject-to-criminal-investigation-court-filing-claims-as-alleged-mistress-demands-custody-of-child</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Two days after the article in the Post, the story showed up on Fox News under the title, “Hunter Biden is subject of criminal probes, says PI firm hinting at more incriminating details</b>.”<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Other than repeating what had already been reported and using the opportunity to rehash the claims about Burisma, they added that D&A told them “to expect an additional filing soon, and hinted that more incriminating details concerning Hunter Biden’s business dealings would soon come to light.”</span></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The story was then picked up by OAN and made its way to RealClearPolitics. At this point, the title simply reads: “Court Filing Shows Hunter Biden Earned $156 Million From Ukraine Corruption.” We can assume that social media feeds are now inundated with these false claims.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It is worth noting that this attempt to spread disinformation is so blatant that reputable news organizations are simply ignoring it. But as Grossman writes, “to figure out what to do about disinformation, first we need understand how it works.” This case gives us an example of how that happens. Either news organizations like the New York Post, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics are complicit with a firm like D&A Investigations or they aren’t interested in verifying information when it reinforces their biases. As a result, they spread disinformation and lies.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>That is how Trump is able to maintain his 40+ percent support in the polls. Republicans have a propaganda network that keeps them steeped in lies. Back in 2016, mainstream media gave credence to those lies about Hillary Clinton in the name of balance. </b>Beyond offering a mea culpa for their complicity, reporters should do their part to expose the propaganda network for what it is. This story would be a good place to start.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1219 mma</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">impeach</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fox News' <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b6056f57109154b99fa724965a0047393eefca2b0358b8d2feeb2915963d955f310269974cc0a44332c02f631512f3902954" title="rabid praise" style="">rabid praise</a> for Trump's letter, including likening it to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, shows just how we got here.</font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When the House voted to impeach Trump on Wednesday, Fox News did not take it well. Tucker Carlson <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605cf154f139eb8971d74f4de6e59551c005f953c477eba7f0f51446a3ed220c6fce1c549c18f335fd156c559eee03b0327" title="likened" style="">likened</a> representatives to cultists at Jonestown and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605128b342277a42bee498208c6acb4014b795aba8d777b79f31130f79d3e9f164280d24b05283aa298282cd3d08c625f27" title="agreed" style="">agreed</a> with his guest who said that it was "fully unconstitutional.” Laura Ingraham and her guest <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605655e36aa5a871ee5f98680d56a3f03e981de98cffe3a344d0b4993e0134cc45f3aa5ac79b0f4a11bd6d128b0ff1b11eb" title="suggested" style="">suggested </a>that impeachment was just a distraction from the actions of the Obama administration.</font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News contributor <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605dc7d0dbb541b406dd5f26c020aeab90307a8fda7ac92362e99087198dc28f382b708b9e91d17d1b3acacc7a1ce4f0d3f" title="Ed Rollins" style="">Ed Rollins</a>: “How does a president abuse his power? He has the ultimate power.”</font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Press secretary Stephanie Grisham spent more than 5 months appearing exclusively in pro-Trump media -- <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605acc407856b1b8940c38613fcdbacdf126448620ec39d5e6b2a3a7eeb25bbb8af09f29e05d036f23ba9b8ec933a317b0f" title="until the House voted to impeach Trump" style="">until the House voted to impeach Trump</a>.</font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) specifically said that he wanted Trump to have a fair trial. Many in right-wing media <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605115a3e81dc069f07b9d0da29053c0703c7d850fa65b0ad93c33ea74f5f1fe20f7cb502a39b6107c6aaf19bfdea3f0185" title="took him out of context" style="">took him out of context</a> to claim he said the opposite.</font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox contributor <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605a368dc72a69439438e61d93e6d81115be65a925f063163ddb924ba0ab61a87a01d72faea88b17fa200345a98ca6bf0a3" title="Ken Starr" style="">Ken Starr</a> said Trump's Supreme Court appointments cover “a multitude of sins.”</font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Steve Doocy <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605770a37e725edbfdec25dacb2f8461b35e4463234982e90e52cc2f835e4c3357eb4e97e76c71a4c32c4f6717fbe02c068" title="didn't believe" style="">didn't believe</a> a Fox News poll showing half of Americans support impeaching and removing Trump.</font></font></font></font></font></font></li></ul></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1219 mma</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2019, Trump live-tweeted Fox News programming more than 600 times. And that's just the beginning of the story. Media Matters' Matt Gertz <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=d8d72424bd29b605ed7c2d3b265a3a2a88d4018620e18860d77ccba0e29d7ae55335f1112507b6ab166d185c489303f21f774f0956723747" title="has painstakingly detailed" style="">has painstakingly detailed</a> the most important ways the Fox-Trump feedback loop impacted politics and policy this year. More than the previous two years, Fox News drove the federal policy-making process and political reality that had real effects on American lives.</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The year began by Trump partially shutting down the government because, as one Fox host put it, network star Sean Hannity was “running this government” and Trump took his advice over congressional allies. Just a few months later, Trump pardoned war criminals, made military decisions, floated comprehensive policy changes, awarded federal contracts, and initiated federal investigations apparently based on guidance he was receiving from Fox personalities.</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And as the year winds down, the House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment n response to a presidential abuse of power that was driven at every turn by the Fox hosts the president adores.</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Fox continues to spread misinformation to shore up Trump’s base, the network will continue to play a key role in the political landscape. As one Fox contributor told Hannity, “You are the difference between Donald J. Trump and Richard Nixon.”</font></font></font></font></font></font></p></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/climate-deniers/fox-news-year-climate-denial-and-conspiracy-theories"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.mediamatters.org/climate-deniers/fox-news-year-climate-denial-and-conspiracy-theories</font></a></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><header class="editorial-fullheader" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="dateline--group" style="box-sizing: border-box; align-items: center; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap;"><p class="dateline" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <time datetime="2019-12-21T09:18:50-0500" style="box-sizing: border-box;">12/21/19 9:18 AM EST</time></font></font></font></font></font></font></p></div></header><div class="editorial-fullarticle" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 2.25rem;"><div class="field field--name-field-stories-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2019, Fox took climate change denial to insane new levels even as <a href="https://time.com/5750852/temperature-record-2019-climate-change/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">global temperatures reached record heights</a>, <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/hurricane-dorian-wreaks-havoc-fox-casts-doubt-climate-change-science" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">natural disasters wreaked havoc</a>, and <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-news-guest-calls-climate-activist-greta-thunberg-mentally-ill-child" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">youth environmental activism</a> led millions of people in protests around the world. Even if you just look at news of the past few weeks, <a href="https://time.com/5753584/bushfires-australia-catastrophic-fire-alert/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Australia is on fire</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50690995" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">the oceans are running out of oxygen</a>, and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/top-scientists-warn-of-an-amazon-tipping-point/2019/12/20/9c9be954-233e-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">the Amazon rainforest is at a “tipping point.”</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The climate denial narratives on Fox run the gamut from claims that “there’s science on both sides of this issue” to<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> dismissals of the climate crisis as “medieval witchcraft.”</span> Naturally, the <b>hosts and guests also pushed a number of right-wing agenda items like government deregulation and <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-business-panel-panics-over-democratic-proposals-tax-wealthy-communist" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">protecting the wealthy</a>. </b></font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Of course, Fox host Tucker Carlson managed to bring discussion of the issue back to his own racist agenda, noting in one segment that “<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/hosting-climate-change-denier-tucker-carlson-complains-about-relentless-propaganda" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">more people were killed last year in the United States by illegal aliens than were killed by climate change</a>.”</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[vid]</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">payne</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/charles-payne/fox-host-likens-action-climate-change-people-who-sacrifice-humans-volcano-god"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.mediamatters.org/charles-payne/fox-host-likens-action-climate-change-people-who-sacrifice-humans-volcano-god</font></a></font></font></font></font></font></p></div></div></div></div></div><div><p><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1219 mma</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/foxs-jason-chaffetz-set-do-more-gop-fundraisers-despite-purported-network-policy"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/foxs-jason-chaffetz-set-do-more-gop-fundraisers-despite-purported-network-policy</font></a></font></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></font></font></font></p></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/trump-is-seriously-pissed-at-fox-news-believes-the-network-has-screwed-him-on-impeachment-report/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/trump-is-seriously-pissed-at-fox-news-believes-the-network-has-screwed-him-on-impeachment-report/</font></a></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...fox News’ evening opinion hosts — including Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity — have been relentless Trump cheerleaders, mindlessly echoing Trump’s talking point that the impeachment efforts of House Democrats are nothing more than a shameless partisan attack and are devoid of merit. But Napolitano and Wallace, although right-of-center politically, have delved into the actual facts surrounding Trump, impeachment and the Ukraine scandal — and Trump isn’t happy about it.</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sherman explains, “The network’s legal commentator, Judge Andrew Napolitano, declared Trump’s defiance of Congress ‘an impeachable offense’ — a position that directly contradicted the House Republicans’ handpicked witness, George Washington University law scholar Jonathan Turley. Trump has also been engaged in a running war with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace; after Trump tweeted last month that Wallace was ‘nasty,’ fellow Foxer Neil Cavuto rushed to Wallace’s defense.”</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump, in response, has bashed Fox News on Twitter for being — as he sees it — an inconsistent part of his right-wing anti-impeachment defense team. Sherman notes that on December 8, Trump tweeted, “Don’t get why @FoxNews puts losers on like @RepSwalwell (who got ZERO as presidential candidate before quitting), Pramila Jayapal, David Cicilline and others who are Radical Left Haters? The Dems wouldn’t let @FoxNews get near their bad ratings debates, yet Fox panders. Pathetic!”...</font></font></font></font></font></font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/our-reality-tv-president-wants-a-show-trial-in-the-senate/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/our-reality-tv-president-wants-a-show-trial-in-the-senate/</font></a></font></font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb" background-color="background-color"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/trump-accuser-karen-mcdougal-sues-fox-news-for-slander-after-tucker-carlson-alleges-extortion/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump accuser Karen McDougal sues Fox News for slander after Tucker Carlson alleges ‘extortion’</font></a><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/trump-accuser-karen-mcdougal-sues-fox-news-for-slander-after-tucker-carlson-alleges-extortion/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/igor-derysh/" title="Posts by Igor Derysh" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="text-align: right; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Igor Derysh</a><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><span style="text-align: right;">/</span><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/salon/" title="Posts by Salon " class="author url fn" rel="author" style="text-align: right; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Salo</a>n</font><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/12/trump-accuser-karen-mcdougal-sues-fox-news-for-slander-after-tucker-carlson-alleges-extortion/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h3></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b062324e95623779f05cb9eaf7c2994a36692cf051f254f49f4129fd08a9e41dcd3be27948e5c79bcd4a98a24567a9042f16" title="spread disinformation" style="">spread disinformation</a> about a deadly chemical attack in Syria.</font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Despite network policy, Fox’s Jeanine Pirro <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b0627991a278cb755791f76d3eb56871c1e1385da682f670a353f29484868cacd0f2d517316935a02a803637f9ab9d6b2d4e" title="made" style="">made</a> a “surprise” GOP fundraising appearance.</font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>Fox & Friends</i> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b062c3974714e8c28c4c30fb0fe58bf7575e630edd51181a4cc24772f0df3d7e8ed2afd11db38b12b32ac75187dbf32f4eba" title="lauded" style="">lauded</a> Rob Schneider for “standing up for free speech” without noting he was pushing anti-vaccination conspiracy theories.</font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tomi Lahren <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b062150a4be7582257425680cf2848254409112043c0e65c456685aaab6b42b66fd6b4bd5b3d26dc773cb00826feb382e431" title="condemned" style="">condemned</a> the students who booed Melania Trump: “Can you imagine if this were Michelle Obama?” <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b062be3f4d646284093782e1faadf58d1acf561d562644c5566d2278d4d7463e650a8c2b809247ff8b742f41643a96ba2df3" title="Yes we can!" style="">Yes we can!</a></font></font></font></font></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b062ee5f8b703c0b8ec4d07215421b3b3e488d6905970aae5c5b7b9f7671a0b81301f48577e55cb699709e29ee70cf85251a" title="told" style="">told</a> disgraced former host Bill O'Reilly to “go back on Fox”</font></font></font></font></font></li></ul></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fox “news” program <i>Outnumbered Overtime</i>, anchor Harris Faulkner regularly allows guests representing President Trump to <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=756cdd82541603c6598b30e3977a5cdfc2e98fc64e799e111a06ed158efdb6e167a46199b47cccd741b27462df51f3cb5aca0200bafa943a" title="promote lies about abortion" style="">promote lies about abortion</a> without pushing back or challenging their claims.</font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When it comes to abortion-related coverage, Fox’s “news”-side frequently pushes <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=756cdd82541603c62c1f950d0edc44f5fc502275584b8e66be0ad3f0874902b1ccf62154c15dac93d7fe9fad6a3abbb25d281e723a82d901" title="the same anti-abortion misinformation" style="">the same anti-abortion misinformation</a> as its <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=756cdd82541603c64e12075effc4eb0879a010d1fb99bd2090d66fcebc301192601e3aecdfe2c7cb2b80b1b7b013bdb90306b5b4e440ba15" title="opinion coverage" style="">opinion coverage</a>. After state legislatures in New York and Virginia attempted to protect or expand abortion access in the face of conservative attacks, both Fox’s “news” and opinion shows <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=756cdd82541603c659b6c227c13e1db763e8f84b445c8ff960e0b51a22adf667bd162b19b18a5590bd068d81993c0558668b02941e93d32a" title="went all-out" style="">went all-out</a> in <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=756cdd82541603c63d1edff3baa3229069d12e4ef37fe8c360e331782f38b806db1bf73482f679c56f98b4b7e9ab181486a1911e00a8fbf8" title="promoting the lie" style="">promoting the lie</a> that Democrats support abortion “up to birth” or “infanticide” in order to malign Democratic candidates as too “extreme” for voters <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=756cdd82541603c6067cec3a308c95a1dfc85295adac3833c9c5d833a8076135bb5d01df1f29256af8f1b022d91a5c6f0049231f4c474b48" title="before" style="">before </a>the 2020 elections.</font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Faukner is not shy about <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b0627fafb81b8921dfcaa77ad9d4ce9fd36bddc8461fe137347d4810eb1163f78abfd46763399c66486d814ec7e91385957b" title="boosting right-wing misinformation" style="">boosting right-wing misinformation</a> herself or <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b062db8600225e50aef256249d3911f93391007f91455cb160fd72b80e2de447482feb144ea1e3ba5ec01f5d233e48d8cbfc" title="allowing" style="">allowing</a> guests to advance the same without correction. When discussing abortion in particular, Faulkner has allowed members of Trump’s <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b062c58ac6353ca3d13edb7540f40acf3984c027b38c956bdabb8c51bfae15ec3db98ebacd09bd431d6a184d43dec85fa136" title="administration" style="">administration</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b06271b1349e7b843440e8977f3dfc60fc33f3143085bd5d965c116945deccbbbcb23b9bdcdb65d1c2fc907eeb6d4d1f1511" title="campaign" style="">campaign</a> to spread obviously false claims about abortion and abortion access.</font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Most recently, Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s 2020 campaign press secretary, <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b062b8d5a621ac42c610e2f7dcf3b2dd17eb4d1d001cb1c50f8e7b76892d4c7d631d7f762607922bb0d58f84e8baae75f905" title="attacked" style="">attacked</a> Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg as not being a “moderate wonder” in part because he supports “abortion until first breath.” Faulkner did not dispute any of these inaccurate characterizations.</font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even if Faulkner isn’t the primary source of anti-abortion misinformation on her own show, allowing guests to promote these lies is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=7bd00616b8a3b06215b738f00e4181943ecff82ebd0479f6d8f35d4a1caea3b86c531ae5e1107b11f9cd49f4555500cf30e46bd21995d357" title="dangerous" style="">dangerous</a> and obviously contradicts the network’s narrative that its “news”-side is distinct from the toxic opinion programming.</font></font></font></font></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ESCALATOR</font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/trump-impeachment-inquiry/far-right-trump-defenders-blast-russia-aligned-ukrainian-lawmakers"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.mediamatters.org/trump-impeachment-inquiry/far-right-trump-defenders-blast-russia-aligned-ukrainian-lawmakers</font></a></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>as testimony was underway during the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, far-right defenders of the president rapidly spread false and unsubstantiated information in an attempt to bolster a Republican-backed conspiracy theory about Hunter Biden and Burisma,</b> a Ukrainian gas company that previously had Biden on its board of directors.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On November 20, Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testified before the House Intelligence Committee and provided further support for the central premise of the impeachment inquiry. Sondland <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/20/gordon-sondland-impeachment-testimony-071708" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">confirmed</a> that he believed Trump directed an effort to hold up security assistance to Ukraine unless the country announced an investigation into his political adversaries. Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and others close to the president have <a href="https://www.justsecurity.org/66271/timeline-trump-giuliani-bidens-and-ukrainegate/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">repeatedly</a> pushed the evidence-free claim that, as vice president, Joe Biden pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor because that prosecutor was investigating Burisma, where his son worked at the time. (In fact, the prosecutor in question was corrupt, and no Burisma investigation was being carried out at the time when Biden was tasked with advancing the broadly held Western foreign policy goal of pressuring Ukraine to fire the prosecutor.)</font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While the hearing was underway,<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/maga-trolls/facebook-promoting-conspiracy-theory-website-zero-hedge-trending-topics" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">conspiracy theory website</a> ZeroHedge </span>published an article claiming that Burisma founder Nikolai Zlochevsky had been indicted by Ukraine’s prosecutor general, and that evidence indicated that Hunter Biden and other Burisma board members had received money embezzled by Burisma from Ukrainian citizens.<b> NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/sondland-testified-misleading-ukraine-story-spread-among-conservatives-social-media-n1087511" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">reported</a> that the claims in the ZeroHedge article were “incorrect,</b>” as Burisma founder Mykola Zlochevsky has not been indicted, but that “didn’t stop allies of President Donald Trump from widely disseminating the false account of an indictment, seizing on some truthful elements while wildly extrapolating others.” According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-burisma/ukraine-widens-probe-against-burisma-founder-to-embezzlement-of-state-funds-idUSKBN1XU2N7" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">a report</a> from Reuters, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Ryaboshapka, did announce on November 20 an escalation into his investigation of Zlochevsky to include suspicion of embezzlement, but he “did not provide evidence or details” or mention Biden. Reuters added that the investigation is “is effectively on hold” because “the Ukrainian authorities cannot determine Zlochevsky’s whereabouts.”</font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>According to NBC News, the claim that Burisma’s founder had been indicted was shared by tens of thousands of users on<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Twitter </span>during the first hour after it was published.</b> Social media analysis tool CrowdTangle showed that by the morning of November 21, the ZeroHedge story had been shared on Facebook pages with a total of nearly 5.5 million followers. The story also <a href="https://twitter.com/DivestTrump/status/1197186730115207168" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">began to trend</a> on Reddit’s <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/pro-trump-subreddit-full-calls-violence-support-oregon-republicans" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">toxic</a> “r/The_Donald” subreddit. In particular, the story was <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20191120180956/https:/twitter.com/BreakingNLive/status/1197208699183480834" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">initially popularized</a> on Twitter by an account purporting to be a news organization, @BreakingNLive, that was <a href="https://twitter.com/AlKapDC/status/1197239596779741185" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">suspended</a> from the platform later in the day. </font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The false story reached Trump’s inner circle on Twitter, with Donald Trump Jr. liking a tweet promoting the ZeroHedge article <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20191120173737/https:/twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1197207357635387397" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">sent</a> by Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec.</b> (Posobiec appears to have subsequently deleted the tweet.) On YouTube, the indictment claim is being promoted by Red Pill News, a channel verified by YouTube that has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/votezaktaylor/about" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">176,000 subscribers</a>, and a channel belonging to <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/right-side-broadcasting/right-side-broadcasting-unofficial-version-trump-tv-hires-racist-youtube" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">far-right</a> congressional candidate Joey Saladino, which has 252,000 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbJg2U82-8ucpaiS-41jK3g" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">subscribers</a>.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Beyond Posobiec, the ZeroHedge claims were pushed on social media by other prominent far-right conspiracy theorists including Jerome Corsi, Bill Mitchell, and cartoonist Ben Garrison. </span>Proponents of the far-right pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory were also behind the social media push. As NBC News reported, “One minute before the ZeroHedge article was published, the anonymous account that inspired the QAnon conspiracy theory — generally known as 'Q' — linked to the same” article that formed the basis of the claims promoted at ZeroHedge. Major QAnon accounts, including @Jordan_Sather_ and @EyesOnQ subsequently promoted the ZeroHedge article. NBC’s Ben Collins <a href="https://twitter.com/oneunderscore/status/1197269272889827328?s=19" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">reported</a> that “Q” later made a post complaining about the suspension of @BreakingNLive.</font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--twitter-tweet paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="field field--name-field-twitter-tweet field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Beyond social media, the claims first popularized by ZeroHedge were also featured on disreputable right-wing conspiracy theory websites Infowars and The Gateway Pundit as well as smaller such platforms including The Federalist Papers, WayneDupree.com, [your]News, The Daily Coin, and MAGA Daily Report. </span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">(<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3840911" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hannity</em></a> and Fox “straight news” program <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3840901" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: border-box; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fox News @ Night</em></a> later covered the Reuters report as well, while featuring pictures and a discussion of Hunter Biden.)</b></font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The source of ZeroHedge’s story appears to be <a href="https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/625831.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">an article</a> from Interfax-Ukraine that repeated unsubstantiated claims about illegal payments from Burisma to Biden made by Ukrainian Members of Parliament </b>Andriy Derkach and Oleksandr Dubinsky at a press conference they held at the news agency, where they <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-burisma/ukraine-widens-probe-against-burisma-founder-to-embezzlement-of-state-funds-idUSKBN1XU2N7" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">did not offer</a> evidence to back their claims.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Interfax-Ukraine’s <a href="https://twitter.com/rothschildmd/status/1197224946977521664" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">parent company</a> is a Russian business, Interfax, that was recently <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/61672" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">praised</a> by <b>Vladmir Putin</b> as making “a major contribution to strengthening the authority and prestige of journalism.</span>” Derkach’s claim about the payments isn’t new. As Time <a href="https://time.com/5731852/ukraine-politicians-donald-trump-investigations/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">reported</a>, in recent months Derkach has <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/10/10/giuliani-claims-ukrainian-company-paid-joe-biden-900000-in-lobbying-fees/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">repeatedly</a> made <a href="https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/623992.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">public statements</a> alleging improper payments from Burisma to Biden. Those statements failed to catch on in the way the statements made at the press conference on Wednesday did. Other Ukrainian lawmakers have accused Derkach -- who does not belong to a political party and, according to Time, “studied in the early 1990s at Russia’s top intelligence academy” -- of advancing the interests of Russia, which is currently waging a war against Ukraine. According <a href="https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/3-ukrainian-lawmakers-doing-trumps-dirty-work-in-scandal.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">to Kyiv Post</a>, Derkach has made separate accusations about Biden receiving improper payments in an offshore account while providing “no evidence to support these accusations.” According to Ukraine experts <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/sondland-testified-misleading-ukraine-story-spread-among-conservatives-social-media-n1087511" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">interviewed</a> by NBC News, Derkach and Dubinsky are “not credible” and likely held the press conference to boost Trump.</font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mccallum?</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://">https://www.mediamatters.org/martha-maccallum/foxs-news-anchor-pushes-debunked-smear-about-impeachment-witness-marie-yovanovitch</a></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">gabe S sez 3 are core (wallace and baer outliers?); graphic /crawl text slam label overrides nuance of impeach testimony</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 1119</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><h3 class="magcat-titlte entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/trumps-attacks-on-marie-yovanovitch-werent-even-received-well-on-fox-news/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s attacks on Marie Yovanovitch weren’t even received well on Fox News</font></a><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/trumps-attacks-on-marie-yovanovitch-werent-even-received-well-on-fox-news/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></a><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/trumps-attacks-on-marie-yovanovitch-werent-even-received-well-on-fox-news/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/martin-longman/" title="Posts by Martin Longman" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="text-align: right; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Martin Longman</a><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><span style="text-align: right;">/</span><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/washington-monthly/" title="Posts by Washington Monthly" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="text-align: right; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Washington Monthly</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h3></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1119 hannity praised, by geraldo: said only wall between djt and impeach; if nixon had loyal ppl like you/press, he would not have had t cover up burglary?!</font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></p><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 27px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAQQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjhrJDg6vHlAhUBLqwKHZPkCAYQFSgAMAB6BAgEEAA"><div class="rc" style="position: relative;"><div class="r" style="margin: 0px; line-height: 1.57;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/7/20899169/geraldo-rivera-sean-hannity-fox-watergate-trump-nixon-conspiracy-theories" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/7/20899169/geraldo-rivera-sean-hannity-fox-watergate-trump-nixon-conspiracy-theories&ved=2ahUKEwjhrJDg6vHlAhUBLqwKHZPkCAYQFjAAegQIBBAB" style="cursor: pointer; 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text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="S3Uucc">The difference between Nixon and Trump is Fox News - Vox</span></a></font></h3>
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cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8JVuHRXKfE8J:https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/7/20899169/geraldo-rivera-sean-hannity-fox-watergate-trump-nixon-conspiracy-theories+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:8JVuHRXKfE8J:https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/7/20899169/geraldo-rivera-sean-hannity-fox-watergate-trump-nixon-conspiracy-theories%2B%26cd%3D1%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwjhrJDg6vHlAhUBLqwKHZPkCAYQIDAAegQIBBAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.57; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="f" style="line-height: 1.57;">Oct 7, 2019 - </span>But his <span style="font-weight: bold;">love for</span> their conspiracies might bring him down. ... “<span style="font-weight: bold;">You</span> know, <span style="font-weight: bold;">if it</span> wasn'<span style="font-weight: bold;">t</span> [<wbr /><span style="font-weight: bold;">for</span>] your show, Sean, <span style="font-weight: bold;">they</span> would destroy him absolutely,” <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rivera told</span> ... <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hannity may not</span> save Trump <span style="font-weight: bold;">from impeachment</span>, but conservative media outlets <span style="font-weight: bold;">have</span> ... <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nixon</span> wanted Republicans in office, but <span style="font-weight: bold;">they had</span> to be <span style="font-weight: bold;">loyal</span>.</font></span></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8JVuHRXKfE8J:https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/7/20899169/geraldo-rivera-sean-hannity-fox-watergate-trump-nixon-conspiracy-theories+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:8JVuHRXKfE8J:https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/7/20899169/geraldo-rivera-sean-hannity-fox-watergate-trump-nixon-conspiracy-theories%2B%26cd%3D1%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwjhrJDg6vHlAhUBLqwKHZPkCAYQIDAAegQIBBAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">=</font></a></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/in-right-wing-media-universe-trump-is-winning-on-impeachment/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/in-right-wing-media-universe-trump-is-winning-on-impeachment/</font></a></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In right-wing media universe, Trump is winning on impeachment</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Heather <b>Digby Parton / Salon November 15, 2019</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">There was a lot of talk on Thursday about the theater criticism of the impeachment hearings coming from some quarters of the mainstream media. Press Watch’s Dan Froomkin wrote a must-read piece here at Salon taking them to task for trivializing the event and creating the impression among many people who didn’t watch the live testimony that it was boring and worthless. This is another example of the media’s insatiable need for drama, explaining once again how Donald Trump, a carnival sideshow act if ever there was one, wound up in the White House.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Less discussed but equally important was the coverage of the hearings in the right-wing media. They too indulged in theater criticism and sports-style analysis but while some mainstream media reporters declared the hearings dull, they at least reported the testimony accurately. The right-wing media presented a version of the hearings totally at odds with reality.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The Trump TV flagship, Fox News, adopted a novel way of spreading its own propaganda during the hearings themselves. In the guise of on-screen, pop-up informational cards about the witnesses, they delivered Trump talking points</b>. Media Matters’ Eric Kleefeld gathered several examples, notably those in which House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., is described on screen:</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bill Taylor, the acting ambassador to Ukraine, was helpfully described this way:</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent was similarly characterized as someone who had no first-hand knowledge of the events to which he was testifying. This was, of course, the lame official talking point of the day, carried forth by every right-wing media talker on TV and radio, apparently sure that no one would notice that the most damning “first-person” information had been public for weeks: the White House “rough transcript” of President Trump flagrantly attempting to bribe the president of Ukraine. These witnesses were merely filling in background details of the conspiracy that Trump and his henchmen had been plotting for months.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Fox News’ evening opinion shows went a step further and described the hearings as a devastating defeat for the Democrats and an overwhelming victory for President Trump. </b>Indeed, after watching for a couple of hours, Fox viewers could easily assume that the Democrats were going to have to close down the inquiry immediately.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Tucker Carlson thought the glass was half full, saying “it was like Christmas and New Year’s and the Super Bowl all put together.” Sean Hannity took the opposite tack, calling it “the worst show on earth” and dubbing the Democrats on the committee “dumb, bad, stupid and shallow corrupt idiots.” Each in his own way surely reassured the president and his supporters that the Democrats had completely failed to deliver and it had all been a rousing success for him.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In between those two guys, Laura Ingraham made fun of the witnesses and declared that the Democratic impeachment had collapsed.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Meanwhile, right-wing operative<b> Joe diGenova and his wife Victoria Toensing, both of whom are professionally involved in the case </b>— having worked with Rudy Giuliani to spread nasty rumors about Friday’s witness, former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch — appeared with <b>Lou Dobbs on Fox Business and declared that the State Department and FBI agents on foreign assignment are all controlled by George Soros, who for some reason is trying to take over Ukraine.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Holy Shit! Rudy/Trump confidant DiGenova spouts wild list of bananas conspiracy theories after hearing: <b>“There is no doubt that George Soros controls a large part of the foreign service part of the State Department and the activities of FBI agents overseas who work with NGOs</b>.” pic.twitter.com/J7ulAKXvb3</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) November 14, 2019</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joe McCarthy would have been proud. That odious anti-Semitic comment drew a rebuke from the Anti-Defamation League, along with a demand that diGenova be barred from appearing on the network.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That ugly accusation made the rest of the juvenile insults hurled at Taylor and Kent seem tame by comparison. One guest on Carlson’s show said they “looked like people who sat by themselves at recess.” Hannity guest Mark Levin said they reminded him of “two homeless guys.” On talk radio, Rush Limbaugh mocked them as “self-important nerds who believe in their own superiority.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">All these people thoroughly enjoyed themselves.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">They are literally attacking one of the impeachment witnesses for…….drinking water pic.twitter.com/vVSrCcVNcS</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) November 14, 2019</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The upshot is that right-wing media, led by the mothership Fox News and the White House, all took the tack that the hearing on Wednesday was a massive success for the president, largely because the Democrats and the witnesses are creepy, unattractive people.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conventional wisdom holds that this is all done for an audience of one: the president. There is some truth to that, to be sure. Trump is obsessed with media coverage, and if the idea is to buck him up, this absurdly positive spin probably had an effect. But he isn’t the only one listening, unfortunately.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Thursday, AP-NORC released a new survey showing that Americans are having a hard time figuring out what is true and what isn’t. And a certain subset is relying on extremely unreliable sources:</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Democrats are more likely to say they rely on scientists and academics, while Republicans are more likely to trust what they hear from President Donald Trump. “When I hear him on Fox News — that’s where I get all my information,” said Al Corra, a 48-year-old Republican from Midland, Texas. Trump, he said, is the easiest way to cut through an otherwise confusing information environment.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans are more likely than Democrats to put a great deal of trust in the president’s statements, 40% to 5%.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>You can understand why right-wing media would spin the impeachment inquiry as positive news for Trump. Their audience considers him to be a truth-teller and a man of integrity.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Recent PRRI polling shows that Trump has a solid base of support among Republicans, who say nothing he could do could change their minds about him. What people in this group have in common is the fact that they get all their news from Fox, like the man quoted above.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These people are fearfully misinformed, obviously. Trump is the most dishonest person in public life and lies to their faces every single day. Fox amplifies his lies and delivers more of their own in a constant feedback loop. As we continue down the path of impeachment over the next few weeks, it’s clear that won’t just see Trump and his defenders batting back the accusations or spreading alternate conspiracy theories. They’ll do that, of course. But from the looks of things they’ve decided to offer their viewers a full-blown alternate reality in which the impeachment process is actually an ignominious defeat for the “nerdy” Democrats and government officials and a triumph for the president, regardless of what is uncovered.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I knew this was going to be a strange and different process than the two other impeachments I’ve seen in my life. But I didn’t see this coming. Fox News and the right-wing echo chamber are consciously attempting to make Trump supporters happy that he’s being impeached.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Heather Digby Parton, also known as “Digby,” is a contributing writer to Salon. She was the winner of the 2014 Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism.</font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/fox-news-uses-bizarre-graphics-to-smear-impeachment-witnesses-in-real-time"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/fox-news-uses-bizarre-graphics-to-smear-impeachment-witnesses-in-real-time</font></a></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx pix</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">saying that Fox News is a mouthpiece for right-wing disinformation is not a revelatory statement. But the depth of the network’s entanglement with conservative forces cannot be understated. As the first public impeachment hearings take place Wednesday, Fox News has made it clear that, as much as possible, it will lean on the scales to present damning testimony against Donald Trump in a perverse light.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It might seem like satire but as Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff opened the proceedings, Fox News put up graphics alongside Schiff’s face with “information” like: “House GOP has supported censuring Schiff for actions during inquiry;” “9/26: Schiff publicly exaggerated substance of Trump-Zelensky call; “10/13: Schiff admitted to not being clear about contact w/ whistleblower.” If Fox News could, it would likely play ominous music beneath the proceedings any time a Democratic official spoke.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lis Power</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@LisPower1</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News graphics department starts off the impeachment hearings by attacking Schiff's credibility and noting Trump has accused him of treason</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">View image on TwitterView image on Twitter</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The same treatment was afforded to acting Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor during his opening statement. Similar graphics presented “factoids” like: “Oct 23: President Trump dismissed Taylor as a ‘Never Trumper;’ “WH called Taylor’s closed-door testimony ‘Triple hearsay;’ “GOP says Taylor had no first-hand knowledge about Ukraine aid.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Those are real graphics laid over live testimony concerning whether or not the president of the United States acted immorally and criminally, putting his personal political desires over the needs of the American people. But, even though this is not a Saturday Night Live sketch, the amount of forethought and work that goes into creating these graphics and then rolling them out live IS EXACTLY as involved as a segment of SNL. Someone must first come up with the copy (that is the text you read in the graphics), and then that is edited and sorted by a production team. The graphics department creates a series of the captions that can be laid out on a screen in such a way as to not block the video image being shown. Then, as the live feed takes place, a producer/director tells a team, in real time, which camera angles to go to and which graphic packages to put up at any given time.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The fact that Fox News’ “graphic package” for these hearings so closely reiterates the Republican talking points being spouted means there must have been quite a bit of pre-hearing discussion between those working at Fox and people with direct knowledge of the GOP’s game plan. Once again, this is not a revelation. It is more proof of how through-the-looking-glass—and how absent of all objectivity—this “news” organization is.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There is wide-ranging discussion about Fox News’ impeachment hearing disinformation efforts on Facebook and social media outlets. But when will we address the elephant in the room, which is the disinformation that appears every hour of every day on Fox News? The network does a disservice to its audience, and to the nation as a whole.</font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">f<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/fox-news-erroneously-reported-that-obamas-pc-meetings-were-political-correctness-meetings/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.4; display: inline !important;">ox News erroneously reported that Obama’s ‘PC meetings’ were ‘political correctness’ meetings</a></font></font></font></font></div><div class="mag-post-box hentry" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; width: 374.545px; overflow: hidden; display: table; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(236, 236, 236); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="magcat-detail" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="grid-post-box-meta mag-meta" style="text-align: left; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="author-italic author vcard" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/walter-einenkel/" title="Posts by Walter Einenkel" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Walter Einenkel</a> / <a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/daily-kos/" title="Posts by Daily Kos" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Daily Kos</a></font></span></font></font></font></div></div></div><div class="mag-post-box hentry" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; width: 374.545px; overflow: hidden; display: table; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(236, 236, 236); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="magcat-thumb" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; float: left; position: relative; transition: opacity 0.3s ease 0s;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="penci-image-holder penci-lazy small-fix-size" href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/ivanka-trump-thinks-whistleblower-wants-to-overturn-2016-election-what-was-the-motivation-behind-all-of-this/" title="Ivanka Trump thinks whistleblower wants to overturn 2016 election: ‘What was the motivation behind all of this?’" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; position: relative; width: 120px; background: url(" https="https" www.alternet.org="www.alternet.org" wp-content="wp-content" uploads="uploads" ivanka_trump_cropped-780x516.jpg="Ivanka_Trump_cropped-780x516.jpg" center="center" cover="cover" no-repeat="no-repeat" rgb="rgb" display="display" inline-block="inline-block" vertical-align="vertical-align" top="top" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" /></font></font></font></font></div></div><div><a class="penci-image-holder penci-lazy small-fix-size" href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/ivanka-trump-thinks-whistleblower-wants-to-overturn-2016-election-what-was-the-motivation-behind-all-of-this/" title="Ivanka Trump thinks whistleblower wants to overturn 2016 election: ‘What was the motivation behind all of this?’" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; position: relative; width: 120px; background: url(" https="https" www.alternet.org="www.alternet.org" wp-content="wp-content" uploads="uploads" ivanka_trump_cropped-780x516.jpg="Ivanka_Trump_cropped-780x516.jpg" center="center" cover="cover" no-repeat="no-repeat" rgb="rgb" display="display" inline-block="inline-block" vertical-align="vertical-align" top="top" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="penci-image-holder penci-lazy small-fix-size" href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/ivanka-trump-thinks-whistleblower-wants-to-overturn-2016-election-what-was-the-motivation-behind-all-of-this/" title="Ivanka Trump thinks whistleblower wants to overturn 2016 election: ‘What was the motivation behind all of this?’" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; position: relative; width: 120px; background: url(" https="https" www.alternet.org="www.alternet.org" wp-content="wp-content" uploads="uploads" ivanka_trump_cropped-780x516.jpg="Ivanka_Trump_cropped-780x516.jpg" center="center" cover="cover" no-repeat="no-repeat" rgb="rgb" display="display" inline-block="inline-block" vertical-align="vertical-align" top="top" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="penci-image-holder penci-lazy small-fix-size" href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/ivanka-trump-thinks-whistleblower-wants-to-overturn-2016-election-what-was-the-motivation-behind-all-of-this/" title="Ivanka Trump thinks whistleblower wants to overturn 2016 election: ‘What was the motivation behind all of this?’" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; position: relative; width: 120px; background: url(" https="https" www.alternet.org="www.alternet.org" wp-content="wp-content" uploads="uploads" ivanka_trump_cropped-780x516.jpg="Ivanka_Trump_cropped-780x516.jpg" center="center" cover="cover" no-repeat="no-repeat" rgb="rgb" display="display" inline-block="inline-block" vertical-align="vertical-align" top="top" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/what-fox-news-dismayed-news-staff-can-learn-from-the-deadspin-exodus/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/what-fox-news-dismayed-news-staff-can-learn-from-the-deadspin-exodus/</font></a></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>What Fox News’ dismayed ‘news’ staff can learn from the Deadspin exodus</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Melanie McFarland / Salon November 3, 2019</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On Thursday morning, CBS announced the hiring of Catherine Herridge, who recently left Fox after working there for 23 years. Herridge was Fox’s chief intelligence correspondent and has extensive experience, making her an attractive get for CBS News. There, she’ll serve as a senior investigative correspondent covering national security and intelligence for an organization that still hews to a legacy forged in no small part by Edward R. Murrow.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is not the kind of employee a news organization wants to lose during an impeachment process revolving around issues of national security. But the executives at Fox News have to expect it won’t be the only departure from its “hard news” side which, according to multiple reports, is increasingly at odds with the prime-time opinion portion of the operation driving its ratings success and the tone of its coverage.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Herridge’s CBS hire follows the more widely reported departure of Shepard Smith in early October, but the news about her transition over to network was muted by the more alarming development that the<b> news website Deadspin effectively ceased to exist.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That the demise of a news site staffed by around 20 journalists would send out a larger hue and cry than the defection of a long-tenured reporter from Fox News to the news organization that brings us “60 Minutes” tells us something about that state of media as it struggles to exist today. Given the size and reach of Fox News relative to that of Deadspin, one would think the Herridge transition would merit bigger play.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The reason it hasn’t is because of the sheer defiant bravery of what the staff of Deadspin did in reaction to an abrupt, senseless shift in editorial direction imposed by the site’s new parent company G/0 Media.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>As of Friday, every single one of its nearly 20 journalists resigned in reaction to the firing of its interim editor-in-chief, Barry Petchesky, when Petchesky refused to follow the mandate imposed by the site’s parent company G/0 Media.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The new owners dictated that culture and politics coverage would be handled by other sites in the G/O Media family, even though content that is not specifically sports-related often outperformed the site’s sports content.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Programming note: My Kinja access has been revoked. I apologize for any and all spelling and grammar errors, as I cannot fix them,” tweeted former staffer Diana Moskovitz, apparently the one who turned off the lights on her way out. “From here on out, all content published on Deadspin is not us. I hope we sent out Deadspin right. We did our best.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">G/O Media, formed by Boston-based private equity firm Great Hill Partners, purchased Deadspin along with properties that formerly came under the Gawker media umbrella in April 2019. Sister sites include Gizmodo, The Root and Jezebel – all of which cover a variety of topics in ways that suit each individual site’s specific voice.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Deadspin centered upon sports, but its political coverage, for example, could be as cheeky was it was dead on target.<b> Deadspin’s 2014 Gamergate coverage is another terrific example of an important story that would have been outside of the “stick to sports” mandate, one that exposed a shocking view of sexism and harassment in the gaming industry to the wider public.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The new management drove editor-in-chief Megan Greenwell out of her job in August, and she revealed later that executives were intimidating reporters who were attempting to report a story about the company’s takeover. Then came the massive flood of ads clogging up the site, causing longtime readers to rebel. Finally last week, the editorial staff had enough and walked.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Plenty of tried-and-true reporters stay on in jobs they’re not thrilled about and cover stories they’d rather not cover because at the end of the day, they’re still working at places that are recognizable as bastions of journalism.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Deadspin staffers who resigned refused a sinister, cynical order to hollow out their newsroom’s mission, one that up until now had resulted in irreverent, necessary reporting and respectable metrics, despise management’s public statements of the contrary.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Once a news organization moves away from its mission to provide its consumers with facts and information, and reworks its editorial priorities in an effort to squeeze cash out of a place, decline becomes inevitable, and shifting mandates ever more untenable.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To an outsider, asking a news site to “stick to sports” may sound like a reasonable request. But what happens when there’s a sports story that a friend of management doesn’t like? Maybe the mandate changes a little to make sure that all future stories are entirely positive. And so it goes, until basically Deadspin and titles like it become catalogs fueled with robot content . . . exactly what it is right now.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Understand that to walk away from a journalism job with nothing lined up, even in this relatively robust economy, could amount to walking away from the profession entirely. Full-time staff journalism jobs are hard to come by these days, with newsrooms shedding positions and print versions of magazines and newspapers pulling back their publication frequency or going entirely digital.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A person might have assumed that glossy copies of Glamour, Seventeen and Teen Vogue might always have place in a teenager’s messy room, but they ceased producing print versions this year. Entertainment Weekly only hits mailboxes monthly now. And USA Today is expected to phase out its print editions entirely at some point after New Media Investment Group acquires the national daily news publication’s parent company Gannett.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So yes, while I imagine that ditching Deadspin likely was as much of a survival move for these folks as one based upon principle — workplaces like that generally aren’t great for one’s sanity or long-term career goals — that doesn’t stop it from being a brave stand.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The private equity destruction of Deadspin is part of an industry-wide trend that’s been going on for several years and has been examined in a number of publications, including this 2017 piece by The American Prospect.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Newspapers, magazines, and websites are most vulnerable to this strain of predation. Fox News, however, is securely in the hands of the Murdoch family and continues to be one of the most lucrative media brands going. Money is not its problem. What ails it is a broken system that prioritizes appealing to the baser emotions of rabid right-wing devotees of demagogue as opposed to reporting facts.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And yet, Fox’s executives and some of its anchors are very sensitive to criticisms that they’re not following journalistic principles and practicing “straight news.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Fox anchor Shannon Bream responded to such critiques in a conversation with Forbes (from which G/0 Media hired a few executives connected to the Deadspin disaster, it should be noted) and opined that Fox’s “straight news” division is alive and growing despite Smith’s exit.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She invited viewers to watch for a week and “make their own decisions.” Media Matters took her up on that challenge; you are welcome to read its findings, watch the corresponding clips, and, as Bream says, decide for yourself.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The likes of Bream and Harris Faulkner and other anchors on the news side are probably content to stay where they are until their inevitable transitions into political consulting.</b> Chris Wallace isn’t going anywhere either; he and Martha MacCallum are among the network’s few remaining legitimizing presences and likely have free rein to do their jobs as they see fit.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But as the impeachment inquiry moves into the public testimony phase, bringing ultimate transparency to the process, Fox’s straight news correspondents should be wondering whether it’s time to jump ship before the partisan spin gets even more out of hand than it already is.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It’s no surprise that longtime correspondent Carl Cameron left Fox in 2017 — early days into this administration, relatively speaking. Fox only became more fused with the Trump White House after Cameron’s departure, and he’s since gone on record about his dismay at how heavily the opinion side of Fox is weighted over its news operation.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2018 Jerusalem-based foreign correspondent Conor Powell quit Fox after nine years with the network, reportedly because he’d become uncomfortable with the direction in which the organization was going.<b> He was replaced by Trey Yingst, former chief Washington correspondent for One America News Network.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not long after Powell left, senior correspondent Adam Housley also jumped ship. And of course, we have the news about Herridge and Smith. Like Cameron, Herridge and Smith stuck around through the Roger Ailes era and continued to work for a news organization tilted toward conservative viewpoints while repeating their motto of “fair and balanced.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One can understand why reporters on its hard news side may stay where they are despite the flurry of anonymous complaints to media reporters about plummeting morale and the horror at whatever Tucker Carlson said last night about Adam Schiff and bodily fluids. Attempting to practice journalism at Fox News may be a thankless job, but it’s one that pays better than most jobs in journalism or elsewhere.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For those aspiring to do work with journalistic integrity, there must come a point at which the effort to dig up facts and produce data-driven stories feels fruitless when a few hours later the talking heads on the other side of the office are ignoring that work exists. Not merely that, but perpetuating conspiracy theories, questioning the patriotism of decorated veterans, and maligning elected officials who refuse to cater to Donald Trump’s whims.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The hope is that this virulently dishonest direction has an expiration date. Provided the country doesn’t crack in half, eventually Fox News will have to make an effort to become more centrist. Not entirely (that’s improbable, if not impossible) but perhaps not as thirsty for the racist wingnut audience.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Eventually Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Carlson will be gone. Their replacements may be worse; the audience will determine that. But any reporter aspiring to do solid journalism or general respectable work should not wait for those winds to shift.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What happened to Deadspin is depressing. Walking out of a compromised employment situation into uncertainty is downright frightening. But the example set by its staffers is heartening, I suspect they and others who take similar leaps of faith will discover that holding onto their integrity is worth far more to their careers in the long run — and that it makes for a hell of a parachute.</font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This week, Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, gave testimony in relation to his firsthand knowledge of the July 25 phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It has been reported that Vindman testified that he objected to Trump's back door foreign policy with Ukraine, which reportedly included a quid pro quo suggestion that the country provide him with dirt on Joe Biden's son Hunter, on two occasions.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In service of the president, <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=84f7980301ab3feba51b743ad4e835e3183869f41b6dac30f2a767cc910a03d9a5c512b429f2fd706f114402dc8c6f347c2847f0186daa32" title="right-wing media launched a smear campaign" style="">right-wing media launched a smear campaign</a> against Vindman, accusing him of harboring inner loyalty to Ukraine. Vindman was born in Ukraine, emigrated to the United States as a child, served in the Army, and earned a Purple Heart in Iraq. The accusations made by right-wing media are in bad faith, but do align with previous strategies made by right-wing media to attack the credibility of any figure that interferes with Trump's personal interests.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last week, we detailed right-wing media's efforts to <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=dfb888578b2d8d2572c87a319cbb90a5b85994850538a8114177bde81564cff18e7de9cd1af83c5e962fec141594625fa4ce51dfaf61e123" title="discredit Bill Taylor" style="">discredit Bill Taylor</a>, and it appears that they will use the same tactic going forward. From the newly employed CNN political commentator and former Republican member of Congress <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=282f45f2a328cbf822178106616a10b63a3cf9c8a9d57f879a37b3f93cd2c74e4f9b716be81575cb4e9abdfb6eb9737d0810e36ac3817f89" title="Sean Duffy" style="">Sean Duffy</a>, to <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=80906aebfc750f9dfcd2a0e2c14bc76f23abd13b6715d873cb3d936f60f0a2c9b117ccade42519a7f8e3a19d59221a918a7e8ef352d11cda" title="Laura Ingraham" style="">Laura Ingraham</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=c5e4b86a2139974c190c83dca556c1c880d305db109c0afde9baa2e82ea9c0acd5499106c74b61ef11a2e2613ea69b14ca57d66ddea0d9c1" title="Brian Kilmeade" style="">Brian Kilmeade</a> at Fox, conservative pundits across the board are in unison, repeating the same lies and conspiracy theories in an effort to protect the president.</font></font></font></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 1119</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Since becoming White House press secretary on July 1, Stephanie Grisham has held zero press briefings. Instead, Grisham <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=cd83a7d4ccf2566aba4b0a153ed86ec4d067f611f9926daa1071c54cf6ec67d8ca501778efc70579210fe8c853d863783809ac17ba95020b" title="has found the time to grant interviews to some of President Donald Trump’s favorite current and former Fox News hosts" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">has found the time to grant interviews to some of President Donald Trump’s favorite current and former Fox News hosts</a>.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It is not new that Grisham appears on Fox News, or that Grisham tells pro-Trump lies. Sarah Sanders certainly did both quite a bit while she held the office.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But it is new that Grisham appears virtually <i>only</i> on Fox News.</font></font></font></font></p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Grisham's particular innovation is to move the entire office of White House press secretary into the world of Fox News and Fox-adjacent media. After giving her first TV interview to Sinclair’s Eric Bolling (who was fired by Fox for sending unsolicited explicit photos to coworkers), Grisham has given seven interviews to Fox News -- including last night with <b>Jeanine Pirro</b>. Instead of actually briefing the press at the White House, Grisham <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=0b90bfc7b0a2fe4d8276d2b40b8755ccdd9b850b7b5428887708e3a740c0ececa9a7b0b2cc8bdaab59cf22d45ad812aa6134464ba4459978" title="treats her duties" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">treats her duties</a> as press secretary as complaining to pro-Trump pundits about how unfair everyone else is to the president.</font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">u<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor was deposed this week in a closed-door hearing before three House committees. In testimony obtained by several media outlets, Taylor explained in detail how Trump worked to withhold aid from Ukraine in exchange for announced investigations into the Bidens. Following Taylor's detailed and credible testimony, Republicans and right-wing media</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8dacc9c26a2bc5635d00a9834fd2e62294a93a2b691781468bc491a2a292815d929f249a422eb8b82015c9a68931308b25b" title="worked tirelessly to discredit Taylor" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">worked tirelessly to discredit Taylor</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, a career civil servant.</span></font></font></font></font></div><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Taylor's testimony on Tuesday contradicted the administration's insistence that Trump did not pressure the Ukrainian president,</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> laying out explosive details of exactly how Trump urged President Zelensky to "go to a microphone and say he is opening investigations of [Democratic presidential candidate Joe] Biden and 2016 election interference.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">" This is an explicit quid pro quo arrangement.</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>While a large focus of right-wing media's spin has focused on disputing the meaning of a quid pro quo arrangement, conservative media has also spent ample time tearing down Taylor's testimony and credibility. Here are some examples of both.</b></font></font></font></font></p><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends co-host <b>Brian Kilmeade <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8da0cb59a334fabb79452db430b0e4a6eee8b8bb8271d981fe134614f7d847d6763801080fbe6e461eda2cd9214bfb66c10" title="said" style="">said</a> that "you have to suspend disbelief" to believe that Trump denied aid to Ukraine based on Taylor's testimony.</b></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8da0cb59a334fabb79452db430b0e4a6eee8b8bb8271d981fe134614f7d847d6763801080fbe6e461eda2cd9214bfb66c10" title="said" style="">said</a>, "It sounds like Bill Taylor didn't like the Rudy Giuliani track. He was disappointed with the way the president was handling things and Rudy Giuliani was Rudy Giuliani was handling things. It doesn't mean that there was quid pro quo."</font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On The Ingraham <b>Angle, host Laura Ingraham <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8da7819dbbd9ecd78c7b1b57200dc874a89cd82753ac416e8092ad42bddd20781d631598788b240161fab0d5386dd6600d7" title="smeared" style="">smeared</a> Taylor as "a 'Never Trumper' himself" before implying that strong reactions to his testimony from members of Congress are all "spin."</b></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conservative commentator Bill Mitchell <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=5ec0bc19dfeea6c4e46ccbd1cf5131a8ddd655c613ede8f697212e6b2b42b71b41a505c5d9cd125b0d16efe0afcb9e4fcfe0bcfa39e85243" title="said" style="">said</a> on Twitter that Taylor "is clearly a<b> #DeepState hack. </b>His wild accusations against Trump were destroyed under Republican cross examination."</font></font></font></font></li></ul><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">After right-wing media spent days attacking Taylor, the lawyer for U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=5ec0bc19dfeea6c4b272432f811ad083c8862b1120aabdcc7690aa28be1ada808120ddcdea9a0e9fa88717172493d24d7a9d97eae54e994f" title="told the Wall Street Journal" style="">told the Wall Street Journal</a> that Sondland told House investigators that Trump's actions amounted to a quid pro quo.</font></font></font></font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fo<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">x News anchor Shannon Bream hosted renowned journalist Ronan Farrow, whose reporting and new book</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Catch and Kill</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">on media cover-ups of sexual harassment and assault reports have made enormous waves in the industry, included bringing deserved heat on NBC News executives. But Bream's interview with Farrow got interesting</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8da7bcbfc1f0091fee009d2509ac29cce649f770d2633610f06d99d40dcd79a15746420b33926edf95c9c153ed1fa501917" title="as soon as Farrow's reporting about how the National Enquirer buried stories about Trump came up" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">as soon as Farrow's reporting about how the National Enquirer buried stories about Trump came up</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></font></font></font></div><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Bream went out of her way to try to draw distinctions between Trump and other predators in Farrow's book,</b> saying that Trump engaged in "consensual" relationships. Farrow pushed back, saying that "this is the first example of a reporter looking at the master list of all of the killed stories that the Enquirer had about Trump. And on that list was, for instance, the Jill Harth allegation, which is an allegation of nonconsensual contact of assault. So, you know, it's important to know when we talk about Trump, there are those serious allegations in the mix as well."</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jill Harth filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Trump in 1997 and <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8dad2a136df48d51da99dd4ffeebccbf6987c8d821821b7a8e0669edb32770caa635c7e8815b05ab3c4c54a962b3fdcb5d8" title="spoke out in 2016">spoke out in 2016</a>, saying that Trump had repeatedly groped and attempted to rape her.</font></font></font></font></p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">This interview has major ramifications. It comes as Fox News and Bream <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8da46677605948acb22875b3fd48ccec8da3f5865dc84ca0d0b211f8e2cc965f765d36149e6cb77b4358959c6e89983dc8d" title="are trying to make a big PR push">are trying to make a big PR push </a>in the wake of Shep Smith's abrupt resignation from Fox News. Smith resignation <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8daa4db6b42df39bc6bf1c88c1ba60083f2a1aee2a2c4b117eb5ebaf45e97e9ab81f081e25be6577dcafaf8a39994a8b618" title="was prompted">was prompted</a> by the widespread pro-Trump ethos at the network.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Fox's defense to this has been to declare that its news side is different. But this interview reveals that talking point as just another Fox lie. The network has no problems with Farrow's reporting while he's talking about NBC News executive or Harvey Weinstein or anyone of the sort. But as soon as the topic switches to Trump, the network goes into full-fledged protect mode. There's </span><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=143284f36916b8dae0984f0bdf8ce633d84f300569d74511401f3964f05082294b299b97ef3833652b188ea86c20a82058900cf5a78f096d" title="just no question" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">just no question</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> at this point that the entirety of the network is a propaganda operation.</span></font></font></font></font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 1019
</font></font></font></font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font></font></font></font></div></div></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/with-propaganda-channel-fox-news-creating-firewall-for-trump-critics-says-mass-mobilization-needed-to-oust-president/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/with-propaganda-channel-fox-news-creating-firewall-for-trump-critics-says-mass-mobilization-needed-to-oust-president/</font></a></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>With ‘propaganda channel’ Fox News creating firewall for Trump, critics says mass mobilization needed to oust president</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Julia Conley / Common Dreams October 23, 2019</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A new survey released Sunday reveals just how impenetrable President Donald Trump’s level of support among regular Fox News viewers is, and suggests that a mass mobilization among those who support impeaching and removing Trump from office may be the only way Congress will finally hold him to account.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) polled 2,000 people and found that among Republican voters who use Fox News as their regular news source, 55 percent said that no action taken by Trump could cause them to oppose him.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The findings bolstered the president’s statement, made during the 2016 election, that he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and [he] wouldn’t lose any voters.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the results varied for Republicans who don’t regularly turn to Fox for their news; only 29 percent of them said there was nothing Trump could do to lose their approval, and only 39 percent said they strongly approve of the president.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Ninety percent of Republicans who don’t watch Fox regularly said they don’t support impeachment and removal of Trump from office, compared to 98 percent of those who do watch Fox.</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The former number “is overwhelmingly high,” Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent wrote, “but suggests that among this group, at least, Trump could suffer losses on the margins as the inquiry turns up worse revelations.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As journalist Mehdi Hasan wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, Fox News is “not just a conservative news outlet. It is a propaganda channel for the president and his party, and there is no liberal or centrist equivalent to it.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mehdi Hasan</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@mehdirhasan</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is what a lot of well-meaning liberals don’t understand about Fox - it’s not just a conservative news outlet. It is a propaganda channel for the president and his party, and there is no liberal or centrist equivalent to it. https://twitter.com/millicentsomer/status/1186288529938104320 …</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lili Loofbourow</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@Millicentsomer</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The poll ... finds that an astonishing 55% of Republicans who watch Fox News as their primary news source say there is almost nothing Trump could do to lose their approval. By contrast, only 29% of Republicans who don’t cite Fox as their primary source say this.” https://twitter.com/brianbeutler/status/1186286472128880641 …</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">23.2K</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">8:31 PM - Oct 21, 2019</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">6,728 people are talking about this</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hasan later highlighted an on-air remark from Fox News host Mark Levin that “there hasn’t even been a hint of scandal” since Trump took office as further proof that the network offers “just pure and endless propaganda.”</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@mehdirhasan</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I said it last night and I will say it again: Fox News doesn’t even pretend to be a news channel anymore and is now just pure and endless propaganda on behalf of this scandal-ridden President. https://twitter.com/jasonscampbell/status/1186627394708365315 …</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jason Campbell</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@JasonSCampbell</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mark Levin: "While [Trump's] been president there hasn't even been a hint of scandal. Not a hint."</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump notoriously watches several hours of Fox News on a daily basis and has been known to regularly speak with host Sean Hannity after Hannity ends his nightly show.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Sargent wrote in the Post, the network’s coverage of Trump’s recent plan to host next year’s G7 summit at his resort in Doral, Florida—a violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause—played a role in reversing the president’s decision:</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump pulled the plug on his corrupt scheme to host the Group of Seven summit at his Doral resort after getting informed that some moderate Republicans—the ones he needs to keep in line on impeachment—didn’t want to defend it, amid indications that it would become part of the case for impeachment. He also witnessed some Fox News personalities disapproving of it…That’s when Trump concluded the jig was up on Doral, the New York Times reports.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to Sargent, with both Trump and his most loyal supporters tuning in to Fox News on a regular basis, the network serves to reassure his base that Trump has done nothing wrong to deserve the impeachment inquiry House Democrats have initiated, while protecting the president from real accountability:</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s difficult to say whether Republicans watch Fox because they’re already in lockstep with Trump, or whether they’re inclined that way because of what Fox tells them. But these things seem to reinforce one another—and that may prove a significant factor in keeping GOP lawmakers in line behind him.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[…]</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This hermetically sealed-off version of reality has created a space in which Republicans are backing Trump because he’s only done right.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In recent days, Trump critics including New York Times columnist David Leonhardt and Crooked Media editor Brian Beutler have argued that with Fox News at the president’s disposal and Fox‘s Republican viewers showing no sign of abandoning Trump, the president is essentially protected from impeachment unless a mass mobilization is begun by the at least 50 percent of Americans who do support his removal.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The Fox effect is protecting Trump from removal, and mass mobilization is likely the only way for impeachment supporters to overcome it,” Beutler tweeted.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Leonhardt on Sunday wrote that Fox‘s hold on Republican voters makes it increasingly unlikely that their Republican representatives in Congress will defect and announce their support for impeachment.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Protest may be more important than in the past, because the elite institutions that helped bring down Richard Nixon, like political parties and the national media, are weaker today,” he wrote.</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A mass protest “can wake up more Americans to the gravity of the situation,” Leonhardt added. “It can mobilize progressives to work as hard as they did during the 2018 midterms. It can confront congressional Republicans with their cowardice.”</font></font></font></font></div></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fox is in fragile/transition state mid oct? 10/18 djt meltdown w/ nancy 3rd grade pol; big defeat on syrian kurds vote (just house?)</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /></font></font></font><div class="teasercontent" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0%; flex-direction: column; justify-content: center;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; 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background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/fox-chyron-disastrous-day-dems-their-secret-soviet-style-impeachment-attempt" rel="bookmark" class="teaserlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; display: flex; outline: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News chyron: “Hannity sources: Disastrous day for Dems in their secret Soviet-style impeachment attempt”</font></span></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h2><p class="dateline-compact" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; align-items: center; display: flex; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="dateline-compacttype" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 1.5em; margin-right: 1em; width: 1.5em;"><svg viewbox="0 0 24 24" class="icon icon--video" aria-labelledby="icon-label--video" /><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><use xlink:href="#video" xmlns:xlink="xlink" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><svg id="video" viewbox="0 0 25 24" /></font></font><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman"><path d="M0 24h24V0H0zM9 7l8 5-8 5z" fill="inherit" fill-rule="evenodd" /></font></font></span><time datetime="2019-10-17T21:27:01-0400" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">10/17/19 9:27 PM </font></time></p></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">hnn 1019</font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; width: 658px;"><tbody><tr style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px;"><td style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px;"><h2 style="margin: 0px !important;"><a href="https://hnn.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=191ccdd6c73c5afeafd52cfb8&id=93d6a754fd&e=5871539293" target="blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hnn.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D191ccdd6c73c5afeafd52cfb8%26id%3D93d6a754fd%26e%3D5871539293&source=gmail&ust=1571596981478000&usg=AFQjCNFp6EjQ8iZIyJw4MrU3JOHIN3zS6w" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">difference between Nixon and Trump is Fox News</font></a></h2><span style="line-height: 26px; margin: 0px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">by Nicole Hemmer</font></span><p style="margin: 0px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News shields President Trump. But his love for their conspiracies might bring him down.</font></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">rudy under investigation? ctr-intel?</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">will this finish djt? fox? hannity? (tucker also support this bs?)</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>mick "co-signed" on quid pro quo</b></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">omg this could finish djt? 10/18/19</font></font></font></font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/john-solomon/how-conservative-writer-john-solomon-served-conduit-rudy-giulianis-ukraine-conspiracy" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.mediamatters.org/john-solomon/how-conservative-writer-john-solomon-served-conduit-rudy-giulianis-ukraine-conspiracy</font></a></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">At the center of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump lies a disinformation campaign led by his personal attorney</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> Rudy Giuliani</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> that was aided and abetted by conservative writer John Solomon. Through Solomon, Giuliani injected his disinformation campaign straight into the heart of conservative media -- Fox News -- with seemingly full knowledge of at least some at Fox. And eventually, Solomon </span><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/john-solomon-to-join-fox-news-as-contributor" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background: rgb(255, 255, 102); box-sizing: border-box; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">landed</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> a job at the network.</span></font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It is now known that Trump <a href="https://www.axios.com/timeline-trump-ukraine-investigation-2e91c79c-d33e-45c4-b78f-6b34bf597e5d.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">blessed</a> Giuliani to run a shadow foreign policy campaign in Ukraine, in which he sought information that would undermine the intelligence community's findings that Russia interfered in our 2016 election to benefit Trump. Giuliani was also trying to dig up dirt to smear former Vice President Joe Biden, a front-runner to challenge Trump in the 2020 election. </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Much attention has focused on Giuliani’s actions and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/us/politics/rudy-giuliani-ukraine-associates.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">shady cast of characters</a> he worked with, but less has been paid to the right-wing media figures who colluded with the president’s lawyer to make his smear campaign public -- a plan that came dangerously close to succeeding. </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What follows is a case study in how right-wing media work hand in hand with Trump cronies to smear his enemies, undermine democracy, and defend the president at all costs. </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here’s how it went down.</font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Key Takeaways</font></font></font></font></h2></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;" /><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; clear: both; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rudy Giuliani, working with con men and Trump cronies, pursued an “investigation” in Ukraine that he claimed showed both Ukrainian collusion with Democrats in 2016 and evidence that then-Vice President Joe Biden acted corruptly in Ukraine to benefit his son.</font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In March, Giuliani sent the results of his investigation to the State Department to be investigated and to conservative columnist John Solomon. </font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The same month, Solomon began publishing a series of columns that mirrored the sourcing and claims Giuliani made in his State Department dossier.</font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Over the next six months, Solomon published 45 columns aimed at discrediting the Russia investigation, 12 of which focused primarily on Ukraine. </font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During that same time period, Solomon appeared on Fox News or Fox Business at least 72 times. </font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fifty-one of those appearances were on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hannity</em>, whose host dutifully promoted Solomon’s scoops and wove them into his ever-evolving conspiracy theory that deep state elements in the government have been plotting to overthrow Trump.</font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On October 5, John Solomon landed a job at Fox.</font></font></font></font></p></li></ul></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Key players</font></font></font></font></h2></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Rudy Giuliani</strong> -- the president’s personal attorney who has traveled around the globe attempting to dig up dirt on Democrats and discredit the Russia investigation on Trump’s behalf.</font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lev Parnas</strong> and <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Igor Fruman</strong> -- two Soviet-born <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article235626327.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">con men</a> with ties to Ukraine who worked with Giuliani to <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mikesallah/rudy-giuliani-ukraine-trump-parnas-fruman" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">concoct</a> the disinformation campaign and to get the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-lev-parnas-worked-for-rudy-giuliani-and-donald-trump" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">fired</a>, reportedly in the hopes of advancing their business interests in the country. The two have since been <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-foreign-born-men-who-helped-giuliani-on-ukraine-arrested-on-campaign-finance-charges-11570714188" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">arrested</a> for campaign finance violations related to making allegedly illegal campaign donations to Republican candidates and committees, as well as a pro-Trump super PAC. They also reportedly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-whistleblower-firtash/indicted-giuliani-associate-worked-on-behalf-of-ukrainian-oligarch-firtash-idUSKBN1WQ2H5" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">worked</a> for Dmitry Firtash.</font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b id="docs-internal-guid-6be9c6ab-7fff-c298-54ef-65a76d55d209" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Dmitry Firtash</b> -- a Ukrainian pro-Russian oligarch and former <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/doj-ex-manafort-associate-firtash-top-tier-comrade-russian-mobsters-n786806" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">business </a>associate of Paul Manafort who is in Austria fighting extradition to the United States to face charges <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/politics/giuliani-aide-linked-to-rich-ukrainian-fighting-extradition-to-chicago-/5612232/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">related</a> to a bribery conspiracy. At the same time Parnas and Fruman were working with Giuliani, the two were <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/ukrainian-oligarch-firtash-linked-giuliani-pals-gas-deals-biden-dirt-n1067516" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">reportedly</a> also working on Firtash’s behalf to push for the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine as part of a plan to install new leadership at Ukraine’s Naftogaz gas company. Part of this plan reportedly would have included <b>Naftogaz paying “Firtash a debt of more than $200 million that Firtash believes he is owed by the company</b>.” NBC reported that while this was happening, Firtash “was playing a key role in the effort by Parnas, Fruman, and Giuliani to hunt for dirt on Donald Trump's political opponents in Ukraine.”</font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Victoria Toensing</strong> and <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Joe diGenova</strong></span> --<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> two attorneys closely tied to Trump who also worked with Giuliani to support his efforts in Ukraine. The duo are known for their role in <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/donald-trumps-new-legal-team-comes-straight-sean-hannitys-greenroom" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">bolstering conspiracy theories</a> about the Russia investigation and at one point were considered to join Trump’s personal legal team. The two quietly <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-23/trump-friendly-lawyers-join-legal-team-of-ukraine-s-firtash" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">represent</a> Dmitry Firtash in fighting his extradition to the United States. They <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-foreign-born-men-who-helped-giuliani-on-ukraine-arrested-on-campaign-finance-charges-11570714188" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">hired</a> Parnas as an “interpreter” to work with them on the Firtash case while Parnas was also working with Giuliani.</span></font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">John Solomon</strong> -- a conservative columnist who until recently was the executive vice president of The Hill. Solomon was the conduit through which Giuliani, Parnas, Toensing and diGenova planted their stories in order to spread their coordinated disinformation campaign through the media.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sean Hannity</strong> -- Fox News host who is close to Trump and worked with Giuliani to make his show an integral part of their media strategy, providing a place where they could sow the seeds of the smear campaign against Biden. Giuliani and Hannity discussed this strategy in January, and Solomon became a staple on Hannity’s prime-time programming.</font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The plan</font></font></font></font></h2></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>According to Parnas, his friendship with Giuliani <a href="https://www.whqr.org/post/meet-businessman-helping-giuliani-find-dirt-democrats-ukraine#stream/0" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">began</a> two years ago as they were running in similar political circles and attending the same events. In late 2018, Parnas and Fruman began connecting Giuliani to a network of disgraced former and current Ukrainian officials and prosecutors to dig up dirt on Biden and the 2016 election.</b> </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The conspiracy theory they <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/rudys-big-plan-to-defend-trump-on-ukraine-play-the-george-soros-card?ref=author" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">concocted</a> went like this: Ukrainian officials worked with Democrats to find dirt on Trump’s one-time campaign manager Paul Manafort in order to damage Trump. They did so, Giuliani claimed, by fabricating the “black ledger” that showed that Manafort had received millions of dollars from the former pro-Russia Ukrainian ruling party that had been recently overthrown. The revelation of this ledger helped <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/us/politics/paul-manafort-resigns-donald-trump.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">force</a> Manafort’s resignation from Trump’s campaign, and Manafort was eventually <a href="https://www.apnews.com/7f967313552c4f7fb56c9c1a1cfbb97a" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">prosecuted and convicted</a> of a wide range of crimes as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian electoral interference in the 2016 election. </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In addition, according to Giuliani’s <a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1909/19/CPT.01.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">conspiracy theory</a>, the Ukrainian Embassy was working with Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and in return, the American Embassy and the Obama administration actively blocked investigations in Ukraine that Giuliani claims targeted Democrats’ political allies. <b>As with most conspiracy theories on the right, George Soros is involved in this one too.</b> The theory posits that a Ukrainian good governance, anti-corruption group -- the Anticorruption Action Centre (AntAC) -- was involved in framing Manafort and was corruptly tied to an FBI agent who was investigating Manafort. Giuliani also claims that an investigation into the group was shut down due to U.S. pressure and that the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/top-state-department-official-expected-to-face-questions-about-ukraine-and-giuliani/2019/10/14/8ba23d18-eeca-11e9-b2da-606ba1ef30e3_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">provided</a> Ukrainian officials with a “do not prosecute” list that included people linked to AntAC. As a bonus, through the “investigation,” Giuliani claims to have been presented with evidence that then-Vice President Biden acted corruptly by withholding U.S. aid to force the resignation of a Ukrainian prosecutor investigating his son.</font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Nothing about this conspiracy theory is true.</b> First, there’s no evidence that the infamous “black ledger” was fraudulent, and several payments listed in the document have been <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/meet-the-florida-duo-helping-giuliani-dig-dirt-for-trump-in-ukraine" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">confirmed</a> to be accurate. The Intercept <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/09/22/reporters-stop-helping-donald-trump-spread-lies-joe-biden-ukraine/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">reported</a>: “Sergii Leshchenko, a former investigative journalist and reformist member of parliament who helped publicize the off-the-books payments” said that “Giuliani ‘is a liar’ for saying that the black ledger was a forgery. ‘It is a real document, with real signatures,’ Leshchenko said in a telephone interview, explaining that it had been examined by Ukrainian law enforcement experts.” Giuliani seems to have adopted the false claim about the ledger from Manafort, whose legal team has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/giuliani-consulted-on-ukraine-with-imprisoned-paul-manafort-via-a-lawyer/2019/10/02/7a6dc542-e486-11e9-b7da-053c79b03db8_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">embraced</a> it since 2017 and whom Guiliani has been meeting with to discuss the materials. </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As for Giuliani’s claims that investigations into AntAC were dropped due to political pressure, the State Department has <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/giuliani-says-state-dept-vowed-investigate-after-he-gave-ukraine-n1061931" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">called</a> claims of a so-called “do not prosecute” list “complete poppycock.” And an investigation into the group’s handling of foreign aid money was widely believed to be <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/09/22/reporters-stop-helping-donald-trump-spread-lies-joe-biden-ukraine/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">politically motivated</a> <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/rudys-big-plan-to-defend-trump-on-ukraine-play-the-george-soros-card?ref=author" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">retaliation</a> for the group’s anti-corruption work. Finally, while Biden did pressure Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was roundly criticized for blocking corruption investigations, there’s no evidence that he did so to benefit his son. In reality, the push to get the prosecutor in question, Viktor Shokin, fired was a part of an <a href="https://www.justsecurity.org/66101/trump-and-giulianis-quest-for-fake-ukraine-dirt-on-biden-an-explainer/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">anti-corruption effort</a> by advocates and international supporters of Ukraine. The United States’ well-established position was that ousting Shokin was a critical aspect of anti-corruption measures. The investigation into the energy company whose board included Hunter Biden was long dormant, and Hunter Biden was never the subject of the investigation. </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Nonetheless, Giuliani <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/giuliani-ukrainians-brought-me-substantial-evidence-of-collusion-with-hillary-clinton-other-top-democrats" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">says</a> he completed his “investigation” in March and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/giuliani-says-state-dept-vowed-investigate-after-he-gave-ukraine-n1061931" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">sent</a> his findings to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/politics/state-department-inspector-general-briefing-congress/index.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">understanding</a> that Pompeo would investigate. (NBCNews.com, however, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/giuliani-says-state-dept-vowed-investigate-after-he-gave-ukraine-n1061931" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">reported</a>: “A source with knowledge of the events said ... that Pompeo never promised Rudy Giuliani that he would investigate the contents of the envelope or anything related to Ukraine.”) Giuliani also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/us/politics/rudy-giuliani-investigation.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">sent</a> the materials to Solomon.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>NBCNews.com <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/giuliani-says-state-dept-vowed-investigate-after-he-gave-ukraine-n1061931" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">obtained</a> a copy of the documents that Giuliani sent to the State Department in March and reported that they contained “a glimpse of an intricate media strategy to spread the story including segments being placed on Fox News.</b>”<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> NBC said the “documents also show that Giuliani, through conservative writer John <b>Solomon’s columns in The Hill, attempted to tie former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch to the liberal donor George Soros</b> as part of a massive conspiracy to take down Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and help Hillary Clinton win the 2016 election.” The materials Giuliani sent included interview notes from interviews he conducted with then-current and former Ukrainian prosecutors that “paint the picture of the narrative that Giuliani has been pushing involving the Bidens.”</span></font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The media strategy</font></font></font></font></h2></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Giuliani and associates feed story to Solomon</font></font></font></font></h4></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Around the same time Giuliani sent his packet of materials to the State Department, he also sent the materials to Solomon, who began reporting on its contents through the opinion pages of The Hill without identifying the materials as having originated with Giuliani</span>. Solomon’s writing for some time <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/leaked-memo-colleagues-unload-on-john-solomon-the-reporter-who-kicked-off-trumps-ukraine-conspiracy" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">had focused</a> heavily around trying to discredit the Mueller investigation and the notion that Russia meddled into the 2016 elections to help Trump. On March 20, he <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/435029-as-russia-collusion-fades-ukrainian-plot-to-help-clinton-emerges" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">published</a> the first of many scoops specifically related to Ukraine’s involvement in this effort. Over the next six months, Solomon published 45 columns aimed at discrediting the Russia investigation, 12 of which primarily focused on Ukraine. </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In his reporting, Solomon spelled out Giuliani’s conspiracy theory in detail. For instance:</b></font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; clear: both; list-style: none; padding: 0px;"><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He reported that Ukrainian officials <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/437719-ukrainian-to-us-prosecutors-why-dont-you-want-our-evidence-on-democrats" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">claimed</a> to have “evidence of wrongdoing by American Democrats and their allies in Kiev, ranging from 2016 election interference to obstructing criminal probes,” at least some of it <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/436816-joe-bidens-2020-ukrainian-nightmare-a-closed-probe-is-revived" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">related</a> to Biden. </font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Solomon <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/437719-ukrainian-to-us-prosecutors-why-dont-you-want-our-evidence-on-democrats" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">reported</a> that these officials tried to “deliver their evidence to Washington” but were unable because the American ambassador (Yovanovitch) “blocked” them “from obtaining a visa” to the U.S. </font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He weaved an elaborate story about Americans working with Ukrainians to dig up dirt on Trump’s one-time 2016 campaign manager Manafort, in order to damage Trump. </font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/449206-fbi-warned-early-and-often-that-manafort-file-might-be-fake-used-it-anyway" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">claimed</a> that the infamous “black ledger” that showed Manafort had received millions in undisclosed payments from Ukrainian officials was fabricated and<a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/440730-how-the-obama-white-house-engaged-ukraine-to-give-russia-collusion" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;"> released</a> to damage Trump. He also <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/440730-how-the-obama-white-house-engaged-ukraine-to-give-russia-collusion" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">suggested</a> that in January 2016, Obama’s Department of Justice pressured Ukraine to help the department investigate Manafort in response to Trump’s rise in popularity in the Republican primary race (Manafort did not join the Trump campaign until March 2016). </font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">He <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/456619-george-soross-secret-2016-access-to-state-exposes-big-money-hypocrisy-of-democrats" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">strongly suggested</a> that the Obama State Department pressured Ukrainian officials to drop an investigation into a Ukrainian good governance group linked to Soros because Soros backed Clinton. </font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He also <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/435906-us-embassy-pressed-ukraine-to-drop-probe-of-george-soros-group-during-2016" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">claimed</a> the U.S. ambassador’s “do not prosecute” list included people related to this organization, and he strained to <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/435906-us-embassy-pressed-ukraine-to-drop-probe-of-george-soros-group-during-2016" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">link</a> the group to the Manafort investigation by claiming that an FBI agent involved in the investigation is tied to the same group.</font></font></font></font></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding-left: 2.4rem; position: relative;"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And, of course, he <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/436816-joe-bidens-2020-ukrainian-nightmare-a-closed-probe-is-revived" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">claimed </a>that Biden withheld a billion dollars worth of U.S. aid to shut down an investigation into Burisma Holdings and Biden’s son Hunter through his position on the company’s board.</font></font></font></font></p></li></ul></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Solomon’s reporting relies heavily on the sources <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Giuliani</span> fed him.</b> In an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-gambit-for-trump-giuliani-engaged-parade-of-ukrainian-prosecutors/2019/09/26/4d3dc72e-e072-11e9-8fd3-d943b4ed57e0_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">interview</a> with The Washington Post, Giuliani named three current and former Ukrainian prosecutors as persons he interviewed, specifically <b>former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin</b>, then-Ukrainian <b>Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko,</b> and Nazar Kholodnytsky, head of Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.<b> </b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Giuliani is also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/giuliani-meets-with-former-diplomat-as-he-continues-to-press-ukraine-inquiries/2019/05/24/faf59e0c-7e64-11e9-a66c-d36e482aa873_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">known</a> to have met with a former Ukrainian diplomat named Andrii Telizhenko and is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/world/europe/ukraine-prosecutor-biden-trump.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">linked</a> to Kostiantyn Kulyk -- Lutsenko’s deputy who was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2019/09/27/giuliani-trump-ukraine-005098" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">indicted</a> on corruption charges in 2016.</b> Eight of the twelve columns Solomon wrote on the topic featured at least one of these five sources.</span></font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">At least three of Solomon’s columns feature information meant to undermine the validity of the Russia investigation that may have been leaked from the Ukrainian pro-Russia oligarch Dmitry Firtash’s legal team, which included </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">diGenova and Toensing. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Toensing and diGenova</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> </span><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/03/ukraine-scandal-digenova-toensing-022049" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background: rgb(255, 255, 102); box-sizing: border-box; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">have been working</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> with Firtash since at least July -- and indeed Solomon published an </span><a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/454185-how-mueller-deputy-andrew-weissmanns-offer-to-an-oligarch-could-boomerang" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background: rgb(255, 255, 102); box-sizing: border-box; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">entire column</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> in July based exclusively off material and anonymous sources from Firtash’s legal team. They appear to have been involved with his case much earlier than July, though. </span></font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Included in the material Giuliani sent to the State Department is <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-ukraine-dirt-file-has-private-email-between-john-solomon-and-rudy-allies" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">a March 26 email</a> from Solomon -- titled “Fwd: Outline of <b>Soros</b> reporting, including embedded documents” -- in which <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Solomon forwarded a draft of his article before it was published to the same three people working with Giuliani who are also known to have been working with Firtash -- Parnas, Toensing, and diGenova</span>.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> The <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/435906-us-embassy-pressed-ukraine-to-drop-probe-of-george-soros-group-during-2016" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">column</a> was the first of three that mentioned Firtash, and it attempted to tie AntAC -- and through it Soros -- “to highly visible U.S. actions against the oligarch Dmitri Firtash, a major target of the Soros group, and Manafort.” Solomon repeated the suggestion in his August 7 <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/456619-george-soross-secret-2016-access-to-state-exposes-big-money-hypocrisy-of-democrats" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">column</a> on Soros’ “secret 2016 access” to State Department officials. In a fourth <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/463307-solomon-these-once-secret-memos-cast-doubt-on-joe-bidens-ukraine-story" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">column</a>, Solomon reported on an affidavit of a former Ukrainian prosecutor that he exclusively received. The <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/427618359/Shokin-Statement" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">affidavit</a> was prepared “at the request of lawyers acting for Dmitry Firtash … for use in legal proceedings in Austria.”</span></font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Solomon brings the conspiracy theory to Fox</font></font></font></font></h4></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The next stage in the plan involved Solomon taking his “scoop” to Fox News, specifically to Sean</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Hannity. From March 20 -- when Solomon published his first story on the Ukraine conspiracy theory -- through October 2, Solomon appeared on Fox News or Fox Business at least 72 times.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Fifty-one of those appearances were on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hannity</em>, whose host dutifully promoted Solomon’s scoops and wove them into his ever-evolving conspiracy theory that “deep state” elements in the government have been plotting to overthrow Trump. Giuliani also appeared on those networks frequently, clocking in at least 64 appearances on Fox News and Fox Business during that time period. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Toensing and diGenova appeared over 75 times on the two networks during this period.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> </span></font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The fact that they were working together on these stories, or -- in the case of Toensing and diGenova -- that they were legally representing Firtash, was certainly not transparent to viewers. In perhaps the most egregious example, on the September 26 <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/nunes-compares-ukraine-call-hysteria-to-russia-hoax" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">episode</a> of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hannity</em>, Hannity hosted Solomon to report on an <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/427618359/Shokin-Statement" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">affidavit</a> he obtained from the disgraced prosecutor Shokin, who claimed he was forced to resign to stop the investigation into the company connected to Hunter Biden. Hannity then hosted diGenova and Toensing to discuss it, and the two hailed the affidavit as proof of their conspiracy theory and declared it would “shoot a hole in” Biden’s defense. </font></font></font></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">However, the <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/427618359/Shokin-Statement" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">affidavit</a> states that it was prepared “at the request of lawyers acting for Dmitry Firtash … for use in legal proceedings in Austria.” In other words, diGenova and Toensing were part of the legal team that produced the affidavit that Solomon later exclusively obtained, wrote up, and then took to Hannity -- a fact not mentioned by any of them. Giuliani has since repeatedly <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-rudy-giuliani-on-face-the-nation-september-29-2019/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">referenced</a> this affidavit in numerous media appearances to support his claims about Biden’s alleged corruption. </font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Hannity repeatedly gave clues suggesting he knew the full range of stories Solomon would be reporting.</b> For instance, despite the fact that Solomon’s March 20 column did not mention Biden or corruption, Hannity teased on his radio show that day that “I just happen to have a little birdie telling me in my ear that, well, Joe Biden may have an issue here that is bigger than anything ever alleged about Donald Trump.” On September 23, Hannity and Giuliani <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/pence-calls-out-the-assume-the-worst-media-after-whistleblower-complaint" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">admitted</a> to having talked about the Biden Ukraine story as early as January.</font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The payoff</font></font></font></font></h2></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Giuliani repeatedly touted and praised Solomon’s “blockbuster” reporting.</b> He has at least twice opined that Solomon should “get a Pulitzer Prize” and has taken to Twitter to sing Solomon’s praises:</font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--twitter-tweet paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="field field--name-field-twitter-tweet field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hannity, too, repeatedly <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/sen-graham-on-democrats-calls-for-trumps-impeachment" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">praised</a> Solomon’s “great reporting” as he hyped Solomon’s columns. He regularly <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/philadelphia-residents-taunt-police-officers-during-standoff" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">described</a> Solomon as a “friend” of the program and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/lara-trump-biden-has-realized-he-needs-to-move-farther-left-to-fit-in-with-new-democrats" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">declared</a> that mainstream news outlets, like The New York Times, “peddled lies, conspiracy theories and hoax[es]” about the Russia investigation whereas Solomon “was right” all along. On April 25, Hannity asked Trump about Solomon’s and others' reporting around the Russia investigation, and the president <a href="https://factba.se/transcript/donald-trump-interview-sean-hannity-fox-telephone-april-25-2019" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">replied</a>: “These are great reporters. … These are people that should be getting Pulitzers.” Trump added, “These are the ones that should be winning. It sounds like big stuff. It sounds very interesting with Ukraine.” </font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Solomon’s efforts paid off. On October 5, Fox News <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/john-solomon-to-join-fox-news-as-contributor" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">confirmed</a> that John Solomon had joined the network as a contributor.</b> During his first appearance on Hannity as an official Fox News employee, Hannity <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/lara-trump-donald-trump-will-win-in-2020-because-american-people-are-winning" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">said</a>: “John Solomon, welcome to the family. It’s been a long time coming, sir.”</font></font></font></font></p></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div></div></div></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 1019</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>As the last credible journalist to have a daily show on Fox News, Shep Smith probably should have resigned a long time ago. The network has been a right-wing propaganda network for years, and under Trump has turned into regime TV. On Friday, he <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=fa40e68085e4854f46c68bb7d6a28445a2dbbcfca21c30adb2855328701abf78bfc8b21bebdddd09ec1f9a5001acb88beb59550e627f1e2e" title="finally did resign">finally did resign</a>, and initial reports <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=fa40e68085e4854f233862acfa5c2e702ab710995c8358c9c6f4270e1da1dd5dbee25be2a1072e3b7b9ed3291a96e4290e59c6bbf63c63b9" title="have indicated">have indicated</a> that his actions were driven by how bad the network has gotten.</b></font></font></font></font></p><div style="line-height: 31px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Smith's resignation comes shortly after Fox News executives reportedly <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=fa40e68085e4854f7e76dbf1d613727d6ac5d2cf9a99caedea7841bd3a2a1de5ff474f85606ff64cd6decbc9a4b7c81c663b953a2cc1e8d1" title="sided against him">sided against him</a> in an on-air feud with Fox News host Tucker Carlson over the seriousness of Trump's behavior in regards to Ukraine.</b> In the end, Carlson <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=fa40e68085e4854f48585cd24ec35f6621e0853ec07f976d8bf8648a646990ff32ecf8d36dbb5daa9b5c80d0aec403b5edd172fedea85f0e" title="said that">said that </a>Smith was giving partisan opinion and not news. The entire episode was extremely telling: <b>Tucker Carlson portrayed Smith's show -- at first implicitly and then explicitly -- as leftist fake news, </b>much the same way he does nightly with CNN and MSNBC, </font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">even teaming up with close Trump ally Joseph diGenova. And Fox News executives were fine with it.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith's departure is a disaster for Fox News. As Media Matters' Matt Gertz <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=fa40e68085e4854fef342c188c7814824e740555709793c10f7b4efe66e00a8270ce9471a05e45f32029bad7de134670b7bcd2290f572d21" title="wrote">wrote</a> in the wake of Smith's announcement, "Smith’s willingness to push back against the misinformation rampant elsewhere on the network had made him extremely valuable to Fox. It provided the network’s executives with a fig leaf they could wave whenever critics argued that Fox was nothing more than a propaganda apparatus on behalf of the president and his allies. That fig leaf is gone. Fox belongs to the Seans Hannity and Lous Dobbs. And now, everyone knows it."</font></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gird your loins: Fox News is about to get even worse.</font></font></font></font></p></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/william-barrs-corruption-tour-continues-with-secret-rupert-murdoch-meeting/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/william-barrs-corruption-tour-continues-with-secret-rupert-murdoch-meeting/</font></a></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>...T</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>rump’s top cop, Attorney General William Barr, had a private meeting in New York with none other than the ogre of media, Rupert Murdoch. </b>According to</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/us/politics/barr-murdoch-trump.html" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The New York Times</em></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, Murdoch and Barr met Wednesday at Murdoch’s residence. Whether or not there were any others in attendance is not clear, and what the two men discussed over eye of newt and goblets of blood is also unknown. What is known is that Murdoch is powerful and he represents a lot of right-wing propaganda outlets, and Barr is suspected of having involved himself in high crimes and treason.</span></font></font></font></font></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News has been a <a title="" href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/4/14/1849796/-Rupert-Murdoch-and-Fox-News-continue-to-slowly-poison-our-country-to-death" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">poisonous beacon</a> of Trump’s misinformation campaign against the world and reality for the past few years but in recent months, the cable network’s unwavering support of the president has shown some cracks. This has been coupled with random attacks from the sputtering orange white supremacist himself, unhappy at the network for what he has seemingly perceived as a betrayal...</font></font></font></font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fox poll 51% pro impeach, trump sez their pollster sux and i'm prez</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">syria kurd david webb talk radio</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/fox-news-pundit-hurls-insults-after-getting-laughed-at-for-absurd-defense-of-trumps-syria-withdrawal/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/fox-news-pundit-hurls-insults-after-getting-laughed-at-for-absurd-defense-of-trumps-syria-withdrawal/</font></a></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">some fissures on kurds/isis and ukraine but</font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Any resistance there may have been to Donald Trump's worst impulses inside the White House has gone by the wayside. This week, The Washington Post <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=102f4d22efb97e9a842cc13f3119cfa4eeb45211dfb49089a7a3e2bbff29ea07d66c803d1c61e4ee9b7334db7fce2a908868b76baff985ee" title="reported" style="">reported</a> that administration officials, fearing retaliation or diminishing influence, have all but given up trying to temper the president's authoritarian instincts.</b></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Effectively, a nation governed by Trump's worst impulses is one governed by Fox News. Media Matters' Matt Gertz <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=102f4d22efb97e9a58ab5059877551e2b8c8e4e265d93772cf9a045964a39c9dfd08c508f75006ccace7dd7d9bc16e75536084556a37d888" title="highlighted" style="">highlighted</a> the various ways Fox News has influenced domestic and foreign policy, as well as the Justice Department investigations.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Additionally, Trump and White House officials are now parroting the network's language regarding impeachment, calling the inquiry led by House Democrats a "coup."</b> Impeachment, <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=102f4d22efb97e9ae5ae5995ecb9cb0218d239c4509829ced852613b224b3699bd5a7b7cf692f43ad333e3379020f54c9d6675f056a59034" title="by definition" style="">by definition</a>, is not a "coup." It is the legal process laid out in the Constitution for holding a president accountable for alleged crimes.</font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, the urgency of this language is extremely dangerous. In just the past several years, we have seen several violent attacks or attempted attacks carried out in some part due to right-wing media's increasingly urgent anti-immigrant rhetoric about an "invasion" or a "great replacement." However, as Gertz pointed out, this "has not given Trump pause as he continues to amp up his rhetoric, nor has it led Fox to reflect on the influence its programming has on the most powerful person in the world."</font></font></font></font></p></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/todd-starnes-and-fox-news-part-ways-what-finally-did-it/">http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/todd-starnes-and-fox-news-part-ways-what-finally-did-it/</a></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></font></font></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/4/14/1849796/-Rupert-Murdoch-and-Fox-News-continue-to-slowly-poison-our-country-to-death"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/4/14/1849796/-Rupert-Murdoch-and-Fox-News-continue-to-slowly-poison-our-country-to-death</font></a></font></font></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When I first watched Fox News in the late 1990s, my reaction can probably best be described as a tempered sense of horror. As a former reporter, editor, and journalism student I found it hard to believe that anyone could take such a shoddy caricature of journalism seriously. The embarrassingly lowbrow lack of quality among its “reporters" and "anchors," the fact that virtually none of them (aside from, at that time, Brit Hume) had any prior serious journalistic credentials or experience, seemed so obvious—and the blatant right-wing bias in the garbage that they spewed so divorced from reality—that I recall feeling almost a sense of comfort in my confidence that while this parody of an actual news channel might provide some entertainment value to a certain, limited type of audience, it could never be viewed by Americans overall as a legitimate, reliable source of information.</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>
</div><div>I should have paid more attention to the “horror" aspect of my initial reaction. Because as it turned out, a horror is actually what Fox News has become in our lifetime, a horror which, along with “talk radio," has done more extensive and lasting damage to the fabric of this country than any Islamic terrorist (to borrow a tired cliche right out of the Fox News playbook) could ever wish for in his wildest dreams.</div><div>
</div><div>Wikipedia pretty much nails it:</div><div>
</div><div>Fox News has been described as practicing biased reporting in favor of the Republican Party, the George W. Bush and Donald Trump administrations and conservative causes while slandering the Democratic Party and spreading harmful propaganda intended to negatively affect its members' electoral performances.[9][10][11][12] Critics have cited the channel as detrimental to the integrity of news overall.[13][14] Fox News employees have said that news reporting operates independently of its opinion and commentary programming, and have denied bias in news reporting, while former employees have said that Fox ordered them to "slant the news in favor of conservatives."[15]</div><div>
</div><div>In hindsight, I gave far too much credit to what I naively viewed as a reasonably enlightened American population. I know now those vast swaths of this country are woefully, willfully and obstinately ignorant, ignorant to the point of threatening violence if only to defend their racial and sexual biases and prejudices, and those are the very people that Fox News targets like a venomous, insatiable predator.</div><div>
</div><div>But from the start, Fox News was aided by an even more insidious aspect. Because the Fox brand was already associated with decidedly non-doctrinaire, mass-marketed professional sports and entertainment, it was easy for people to assume that its presentation of “news” was a legitimate and natural development—that it was simply an extension of corporate competition extended to the news industry, albeit one with a slightly rightward tilt. If you ask me, this, more than anything, is why it came to be accepted by millions and became the juggernaut it is today.</div><div>
</div><div>However much its origins were rooted in raw, unchecked capitalism, the monster created by Fox News now literally threatens the outright destruction of the American republic. Millions of Americans have allowed themselves to be comfortably sucked into the vortex of what is essentially a propaganda and contrived outrage and blame generator on a scale unprecedented in its reach and effects.</div><div>
</div><div>The symbiosis between Fox News and the Republican Party has been documented ad nauseam. It simply achieved its apotheosis in the administration of Donald Trump who is widely acknowledged to rely exclusively on Fox News propaganda in making policy decisions and staff appointments that impact the lives of millions of Americans. Worse, we have a huge cross-section of the American public willing to support those decisions, solely because they are validated and legitimized by Fox News.</div><div>
</div><div>The fact that this propaganda outlet was foisted on us by Rupert Murdoch has long since faded from the national conversation even as our national policies and the actions of those who implement them are now dictated almost exclusively by his “agenda.” When Donald Trump speaks of immigrants as a foreign menace it is without the slightest sense of irony that the real menace to America is one beamed into our homes by an Australian media mogul who decided decades ago to devote his accumulation of money and power towards refashioning our country to serve his own ends.</div><div>
</div><div>As Eric Alterman, writing for The Nation, puts it:</div><div>
</div><div>From day one, billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch and communications savant and sexual terrorist Roger Ailes created Fox News as a political mechanism through which they could control the Republican Party and shift the debate in favor of their regressive agenda. Republican candidates were routinely given contracts and free airtime to spout lies about immigrants, climate change, tax cuts, and so much else, and Fox’s hosts rarely pushed back. Sometimes the network’s anchors lied outright, but most often they left the fabulism and incendiary hate speech to their contributors.</div><div>
</div><div>There have been many devastating testimonials published here and elsewhere that detail the ruinous impact that a constant diet of Fox News has had on the minds and attitudes of our parents, friends, and loved ones. How once compassionate, thoughtful people in our lives have succumbed to the corrosive, divisive poison poured incessantly into their brains by highly-paid, morally vacant provocateurs like Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Tucker Carlson, and Jeanine Pirro.</div><div>
</div><div>Add in supposedly “serious" commentators such as Neil Cavuto, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, all of the Fox News circus performers who essentially appeared out of nowhere with no established journalistic capacity but were somehow, suddenly being taken very seriously by millions in this country-- as if they’d always been around, as if their opinions had always mattered.</div><div>
</div><div>Jen Senko, Jodie Evans and Matthew Modine even produced a full, feature-length film titled The Brainwashing of My Dad that chronicles the deterioration of Senko’s father into an angry, one-dimensional shell of himself, parroting Fox News talking points....[many eg]</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/09/life-after-trump-paul-ryan-is-now-embarrassed-by-the-president-and-is-pushing-fox-news-to-dump-the-him"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/09/life-after-trump-paul-ryan-is-now-embarrassed-by-the-president-and-is-pushing-fox-news-to-dump-the-him</font></a></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">report describes the behind-the-scenes crisis emerging at Fox, which has been thrown into turmoil as the Democrats’ rapid impeachment push knocks the network off-kilter. Most dramatically, that disruption has played out in an on-air feud between hosts Shep Smith and Tucker Carlson. Sherman found that Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace felt compelled to intervene and tell Smith to back off, though a spokesperson for the network denied this claim.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The report continued:</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The ultimate referee of this fight will be Lachlan Murdoch. In recent months, Rupert’s oldest son has been holding strategy conversations with Fox executives and anchors about how Fox News should prepare for life after Trump. Among the powerful voices advising Lachlan that Fox should decisively break with the president is former House speaker Paul Ryan, who joined the Fox board in March. “Paul is embarrassed about Trump and now he has the power to do something about it,” an executive who’s spoken with Ryan told me. (Ryan did not return a call seeking comment.) But a person more sympathetic to Trump has told Lachlan that Fox should remain loyal to Trump’s supporters, even if the network has to break from the man.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">mma 919</font></div><div style=""><p helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ppearing Friday on Fox Business to discuss the Democratic debate the night before, Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=96927e51c0e1f6e305121f26963efbfbd9369f326c9a6de354942a34f04c2e8d85697cd0f4546f24c577391578a51b386e0fdeaf380d2c58" title="suggested that" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">suggested that</a> A<b>mericans may have to shoot immigrants, saying “The people in the middle of this country, we are going to be armed and ready, because we have to have a means to defend ourselves from — who knows who's coming in?”</b></font></p><p helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" font-size="font-size" px="px" style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Guns were a main topic in right-wing media after former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) called for a mandatory buyback of AR-15s and AK-47s. Shortly after, a Texas state rep. tweeted that "My AR is ready for you <b>Robert Francis [KENNEDY?!]</b>.” Many right-wing media figures </span><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=96927e51c0e1f6e3bb1857cc2ae8c2d7000a47bc12151aeffe0354ec3767129376b0fe565b5a7c57c5cbf823581ad069ae9ddc5466c99917" title="defended" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">defended</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> the obvious </span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">death threat</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">, and the representative was even feted on</span></font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> </span><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=96927e51c0e1f6e336f8beb8db688db7e2b6f693cee898f6de53f8a0492dfc9c2623060db5888a4727910d999ebc6264b5d39d9801066cdb" title="Dana Loesch's radio show" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Dana Loesch'</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">s radio show</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> and on</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=96927e51c0e1f6e3d746935443e82c96624b8b728106d21647404622e30920446d0cd2b1b044785f698ca22afe4327fd6c89fe1953963b3a" title="Fox News" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Fox News</a>.</span></font></p><p helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" font-size="font-size" px="px" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Elsewhere on Fox News, Fox host Jesse Watters <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=96927e51c0e1f6e38f67b466c5a2d485210c18195fab1091931c9c4543e9329ed3ad83ab278b498209624c6feb7860d7eb12c5d12dc0f514" title="suggested" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">suggested</a> that a buyback program, similar to what <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=96927e51c0e1f6e3e7ddb16cd34a1900df7c0a117c78162a720b59054199109048a61b3e1964a5775247ed3fffd2df722082fdf1ae86d657" title="Australia" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Australia</a> has done, would result in gun owners in America murdering police officers. Others on Fox have made <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=96927e51c0e1f6e395dc1d4c2fd43e87b2631cb5fc67b637c287cf6c64f8b7224bc7c40faf77235bac8afe75d8e723d9902b3c322fc23e94" title="similar remarks" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">similar remarks</a>.</font></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FOX3919 capt</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3/18 thru the trump looking-glass</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">capt txt 719</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see FOX4 919 TIPPING PT?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/09/longtime-fox-news-producer-i-cant-tell-you-how-unpopular-trump-is-here/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</div><div><b>Longtime Fox News producer: ‘I can’t tell you how unpopular Trump is here’</b></div><div>
</div><div>Written by Dana Kennedy / DC Report September 12, 2019</div><div>Does Fox News need President Donald Trump? Or does President Trump need Fox News? If former Fox News strongman and Trump supporter, the late Roger Ailes, were still running the network, those questions might never come up.</div><div>
</div><div>But as Trump himself tweeted in June after Fox reported that Trump was trailing five presidential candidates in the polls, “Something weird is going on at Fox News.”</div><div>
</div><div>True enough – and Trump seems unable to stop it. And it’s not just that his longtime ally Rupert Murdoch turned the leadership of Fox over to his son Lachlan last year. “I can’t tell you how unpopular Trump is here,” a longtime Fox News producer told DCReport, “and people are getting bolder about saying so.”</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The soap opera within a soap opera at Fox News isn’t hurting ratings. Far from it. Even though Trump began criticizing Fox back in January, which in turn kicked up bitter in-fighting between Fox’s on-air talent and producers,<b> FNC was the most-watched basic cable network in America for the 34th week in a row</b> the week of Aug. 26, TVNewser reported.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Compared with the same week one year ago, Fox was up 6% but MSNBC and CNN were down 24% and 21%, respectively.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Trump’s base has been with Fox News longer than they’ve been with Trump,” veteran TV critic Bruce Fretts (TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly), told DCReport.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">‘Loyal to Fox, Not Trump’</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“They’re still probably going to vote for Trump but their real loyalty is to Fox. Trump still needs Fox to speak to his base. So he’s got to either bite the bullet and say these are my guys—or totally shoot himself in the foot.”</span></div><div>
</div><div>But for now, Trump’s strategy is to increase the potshots at his once-favorite network.</div><div>
</div><div>“Sharpiegate,” the inane media storm over an actual hurricane that Trump furiously insisted all week could have hit Alabama, is the latest presidential debacle to further divide not just the country–but the once-faithful at Fox.</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In recent months, longtime FNC anchors Shepard Smith and Neil Cavuto have broken rank spectacularly with what Smith calls “Trumplandia” while Fox’s pro-Trump (and prime-time) stalwarts, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, the network’s biggest moneymakers, along with Jeanine Pirro and Lou Dobbs, have defiantly backed him.</span></div><div>
</div><div>At the end of August, even Fox’s longtime political analyst and frequent Trump supporter Brit Hume fired back at Trump after Trump ripped the network for hiring left-wing panelists like former DNC chair Donna Brazile and Juan Williams.</div><div>
</div><div>“The New Fox News is letting millions of GREAT people down!” Trump tweeted. “We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!”</div><div>
</div><div>Tweeted Hume in response, “Fox News isn’t supposed to work for you.”</div><div>
</div><div>Last week, Fox’s White House correspondent John Roberts got dragged into the middle when he was summoned to the Oval Office after his afternoon live shot. According to an internal Fox email from Roberts that was obtained by CNN, Trump wanted Roberts to acknowledge that the original forecasts for Hurricane Dorian “had Alabama in the warning cone.” CNN also quoted a White House aide privy to the meeting saying that Trump called Roberts in to “hit back at Shepard Smith.”</div><div>
</div><div>Doctored Hurricane Map</div><div>
</div><div>Earlier that same day, a visibly disgusted Smith lit into Trump over both his refusal to admit he was wrong about Alabama being in the path of Dorian–and for whipping out a clearly doctored hurricane map during a White House briefing Tuesday.</div><div>
</div><div>“Why would the president of the United States do this?” Smith said. “He decries fake news that isn’t and disseminates fake news that is. Think China pays the tariffs. The wall is going up. Historic inauguration crowds. The Russia probe was a witch hunt. You need an ID to buy cereal. Noise from windmills causes cancer. It’s endless!”</div><div>
</div><div>Smith may not be Fox News’ highest-rated personality but he is among the most respected at the network and his relentless fact-checking of Trump carries considerable weight.</div><div>
</div><div><b>“There’s a real downside to being in the tank for Trump,” said Fretts. “Fox News went all-in on him at first. They thought hey, this guy we propped up got elected—and we can exploit this power. Then Ailes, Bill O’Reilly and Bill Shine were brought down but it was too late. They had created a monster. And now those with some integrity at the network, like Shep and Cavuto, are distancing themselves bigtime and calling Trump out.”</b></div><div>
</div><div>Last spring, Trump began threatening to look for “another network” and repeatedly cited One America News Network, a relatively tiny right-wing news network based out of San Diego possibly best-known for hiring a young Tomi Lahren to host a talk show right out of college.</div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>OANN, launched in 2013, has been relentless in their favorable coverage of Trump. </b>The Washington Post reported in 2017 that “On One America newscasts, the Trump administration is a juggernaut of progress, a shining success with a daily drumbeat of achievements.”</div><div>
</div><div>Oddly, Charles Herring, president of OANN, was less than effusive when discussing Trump in both a telephone conversation and email with DCReport.</div><div>
</div><div>“Since 2015, before Mr. Trump announced that he was running for President, the network has been aware that Mr. Trump is an avid viewer,” Herring said.</div><div>
</div><div>“Our mission has not changed since the inception of the network and has not been influenced by our Presidents since launch. One America News Network appreciates the support from all of our viewers.”</div><div>
</div><div>Editor’s Note: Dana Kennedy is a former Fox News anchor, as well as a former reporter for MSNBC, CNN and ABC News.</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PR shop for treas dept mnuchin</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-business/democracy-forward-files-official-complaint-coordination-between-fox-business-and</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/trump-campaign-video-features-fox-hosts-diamond-and-silk-interviewing-fox-contributor</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump campaign video with Diamond and Silk claims that Democrats “are going to drive us back to the days of slavery”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WRITTEN BY ERIC HANANOKI</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PUBLISHED 09/03/19 3:48 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Diamond and Silk for the Trump campaign</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Nation hosts Diamond and Silk have been guest-hosting a show for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. Their work includes a video featuring an interview with Fox News contributor Alveda King and another video where they claim that Democrats “are going to drive us back to the days of slavery.” Despite Fox News claiming that it “does not condone any talent participating in campaign events,” the two have also been appearing in other Trump campaign videos and have been headlining Republican fundraisers. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Diamond and Silk are North Carolina-based sisters whose official biography describes them as “Video Vloggers, Internet Sensations,” and “Influencers” who are known for “their out spoken and loyal support for President Donald J Trump.” Fox Nation began airing a weekly Diamond and Silk program late last year. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The two have repeatedly appeared in campaign videos and events for the Trump reelection campaign while also hosting their Fox program. After Diamond and Silk appeared at an April 27 Trump rally in Green Bay, WI, Fox News celebrated their remarks by airing several minutes of “highlights” from their speech on Watters’ World (on-screen text read: “Diamond & Silk rock Trump rally!”).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News promotes Diamond and Silk in Green Bay]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">They have also been fundraising for Republican groups -- the two appeared at a March 30 fundraising dinner for the Bush Legacy Republican Women of Weatherford in Texas, and an August 10 event for the Watauga and Ashe County Republican Parties in North Carolina. They're scheduled to do a September 23 event for Republican Women Federation clubs in San Diego County, CA.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Fox News personalities can now add Trump campaign hosting duties to their resume. On August 27, the Trump campaign posted two campaign videos starring Diamond and Silk and featuring interviews with right-wing commentators Alveda King (who is also a Fox News contributor) and Stephen Moore. In the videos, the duo stated that they were broadcasting from Trump Tower in New York City, NY, and sitting in for regular host Lara Trump while she’s on maternity leave.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The videos, part of the campaign’s Real News Insights show, are meant to organize support for Trump’s reelection campaign and push back against the purported “fake news” in the media. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Diamond and Silk-hosted videos unsurprisingly include over-the-top praise for Trump. In the King interview, Diamond said Trump has “managed to do more than all of these [Democratic presidential candidates] have done within the past three-hundred and some years -- and I say that because I combined all of their records together.” </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In her interview with Moore, Silk said that Trump is “looking out for the best interests of America but we have Democrats that’s looking out for the failure of America. That right there should tell you who you need to vote for.” Diamond later said: “When we listen to these Democrat candidates and the things that they are pushing for, it is going to drive us back to the days of slavery with nothing. These people want to control our very existence. I don’t want the government controlling me.” </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In March, after Diamond and Silk appeared in a Trump campaign video, Fox News attempted to distance itself from the two. The network told The Hollywood Reporter’s Jeremy Barr that “the duo are not employees of the network: ‘Diamond & Silk license short weekly videos to Fox Nation – they are not Fox News contributors or employees. When they appear on FNC and FBN, they do so as guests.’” That statement might have been news to Fox News’ own employees, who have described them as “Fox News Channel contributors,” “Fox Nation contributors,” and “Fox Nation hosts.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News described Diamond and Silk as “hosts” and “contributors” until they appeared in a Trump campaign video</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">03/20/19 2:10 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News gives Diamond and Silk a Fox Nation show</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">11/26/18 5:09 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Nation hosts have been campaigning for Republicans in violation of the network's supposed standards</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/jeanine-pirro/fox-host-jeanine-pirro-will-financially-help-trump-keynoting-jexit-fundraiser-his</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jeanine Pirro doesn’t just support President Donald Trump on her Fox News program -- she’s also padding his bank account by headlining an upcoming “Jexit” event supporting Trump at his Washington, D.C., hotel. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jexit is a Florida non-profit corporation which aims “to educate and encourage American Jews that are currently members of the Democratic Party to exit the Democratic Party and join President Trump who is the greatest friend to Israel and the Jewish people.” The group also claims that there’s “anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party.” Trump recently pushed the anti-Semitic smear that Jewish Democrats are “very disloyal to Israel” and has encouraged Jewish people to leave the Democratic Party. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pirro is scheduled to keynote an October 20 fundraiser for Jexit at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. Tickets to the event range in price from $165 to $250 for VIP guests (the VIP level includes a “private Lincoln Room meet and Champagne toast with Judge Jeanine”). All attendees receive a signed copy of Pirro’s new book Radicals, Resistance & Revenge: The Left’s Plot to Remake America -- which presumably means that Pirro also stands to financially benefit from the event. Fox News regular and Trump campaign adviser Steve Rogers will also appear at the event. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pirro has repeatedly boosted the president's bottom line by appearing at events at Trump properties. In February, for instance, she headlined a pro-Trump party at the president’s Mar-a-Lago hotel in Florida for which the proceeds went to his club. That Republican financial support is a two-way street: GOP organizations have paid Pirro more than $230,000 for speeches since Trump’s inauguration. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump and members of his administration have frequently appeared at events at or stayed at Trump properties. The Washington Post has reported that “the federal government and GOP campaigns have spent at least $1.6 million at his properties since he entered office, according to a Post analysis, though the actual figure is likely to be higher because of the difficulty of obtaining up-to-date records.” And numerous people and groups looking to influence the Trump administration, such as lobbyists, businesses, and foreign governments, have also spent big money at Trump properties. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other Fox News personalities, including Greg Gutfeld, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Chris Stirewalt (who is a member of Fox’s “news” division), have also appeared at events at Trump properties. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pirro is also scheduled to do at least three events connected with the group Trump Team 2020 Florida, an organization which is not actually affiliated with Trump’s reelection campaign but which is nonetheless dedicated to helping him win next November. Pirro will appear at Florida events and give out her book to paid attendees on September 18, September 19, and September 22. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In November, after Pirro and Hannity appeared at a rally with Trump, Fox News claimed that it “does not condone any talent participating in campaign events” -- an assertion has been proved false over and over again.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pirro recently complained during a commercial break on Sebastian Gorka’s radio program that Fox News has restricted her book tour schedule, stating that the network “reviews everything. They’re unbelievable.” She also confirmed that the network “suspended” her over her bigoted remarks about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and said, “I'm not going to get fired. You know? I'm worried that that suspension was the basis to tee up for anything I do wrong, they'll fire me.” </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By the time that Trump tweeted and then told journalists at the White House that Alabama would be hit hard by Hurricane Dorian, it was obvious that he was wrong. Instead of admitting that he was referring to well-out-of-date forecasts, Trump has spent a week insisting he was correct (including changing a map with a marker) and attacking media outlets who point out he was lying. Fox propagandists were the rare allies who leapt to his defense.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity had a full meltdown in defense of Trump, complaining of "psychotic jackasses in the media mob." When his guest - a prominent climate change denier - even said that Trump was wrong, Hannity began speaking over him and said that they were out of time.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lou Dobbs seemed giddy about Trump continuing to keep pushing the lie, saying of the media: "You mess with the bull, you get the horn.” avoided filming violence from right-wing protesters. Geraldo Rivera said that Trump was "unfairly mugged by the media." Fox News host Howard Kurtz attackedthe media for covering Trump's repeated lies about a natural disaster.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At one point this week, Trump even called Fox News' John Roberts into the Oval Office to talk with him about his statements.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This all raises the question of why Trump was relying on days-old information about a natural disaster. And aside from golfing, Trump spent a significant amount of time in the days that Dorian's trajectory turned away from Alabama livetweeting Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 919</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox's Geraldo Rivera: Trump is being “unfairly mugged by the media” for repeatedly lying about Alabama and Hurricane Dorian</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">09/05/19 9:14 AM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During coverage of Hurricane Dorian, Fox “hard news” show hosts climate denier</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">09/03/19 5:14 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/martha-maccallum/during-coverage-hurricane-dorian-fox-hard-news-show-hosts-climate-denier</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During coverage of Hurricane Dorian, Fox “hard news” show hosts climate denier</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roy Spencer uses his Fox News appearance to deny the documented link between climate change and hurricanes</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Special PROGRAMS</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CLIMATE & ENERGY</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WRITTEN BY JOHN WHITEHOUSE</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PUBLISHED 09/03/19 5:14 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During coverage of Hurricane Dorian, Fox “hard news” anchor Martha MacCallum hosted climate denier Roy Spencer who denied the proven link between hurricanes and climate change. Spencer also laughably asserted that climate change was occurring slowly; MacCallum did not provide any substantive pushback to his statements.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video file</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CitationFrom September 2 edition of Fox News' coverage of Hurricane Dorian</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MARTHA MACCALLUM (ANCHOR): Special breaking coverage tonight of Hurricane Dorian. Dorian is an extremely powerful storm, and we are sure to hear people blame its strength on global climate change. So, should we? Is that correct? Roy Spencer is a meteorologist, principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and author of the book Inevitable Disaster: Why Hurricanes Can't Be Blamed on Global Warming. So we know where you're coming from on this, Roy. It's good to have you with us tonight. You know, a lot of people look at this and they say that global warming has heated the surface of the ocean and that over time, those trapped gases continue to make that hotter and that that warm water is what leads to the fact that we've had five [Category] 5s in just the last few years. What do you say to them? </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ROY SPENCER (METEOROLOGIST): Well, there's all kinds of statistics, Martha, that you could look at. The ones I look at are the long-term, because that's climate. Climate is long-term. And since 1900, out of all of the major hurricanes that have hit Florida, there has been no long-term trend in either their intensity or in the number of major hurricanes -- that is Cat. 3 or stronger -- that have hit Florida. Even if Dorian were to hit Florida as a Category 4, which it looks like now is not going to happen, there still would be no long-term trend. Now yes, we do expect, theoretically, that warmer waters should lead to stronger hurricanes. And the waters out around the Bahamas, where Dorian really intensified, are unusually warm. But if you go back, again, through the last hundred or more years, and look at the sea surface temperatures in that area and the hurricanes that have hit Florida, it turns out that the seven hurricanes -- since 1871 -- the seven hurricanes that went over the most unusually warm water for that time of year, and then hit Florida -- all of them occurred before 1950. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MACCALLUM: That's very interesting. Another statistic out there, and you tell me what you think about it, is that since 1970, you've had a one-tenths of a percent celsius increase every decade. So it's this slow but steady climb, and according to those numbers, that show that over time, the oceans are warming up. What do you say about that? </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SPENCER: That's right. The oceans are warming up.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MACCALLUM: What do you say about that? </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SPENCER: The oceans are warming up. The atmosphere is warming up. I think, probably based on the theory, over 50% of that is due to humans. But the warming is very slow. And warm waters is only one part of hurricane formation, OK? In order to have a hurricane, most of the tropics -- most of the tropics all the time, during the summer, are capable of producing or supporting a major hurricane. What's usually missing is a preexisting disturbance. For instance, most of the hurricanes we get started out as African easterly waves that come off of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. That's where most of them come from, the disturbances. So you need that. But you -- even more important, you need low wind shear. So you've got these different ingredients you have to have. It's kind of like tornadoes. You have to have a special mixture of certain ingredients. It's not just sea surface temperature. Otherwise we'd be having major hurricanes all over the tropics, and we don't. They are a relatively rare phenomenon. So, yeah sea surface temperatures are important but statistically, like I said, if you look at the data going back over 100 years, you really can't support increasing hurricane activity with the increasing sea surface temperatures that we actually are seeing.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contrary to Spencer’s assertions, the link between hurricanes and climate change is a well-known fact. The Union of Concerned Scientists broke the science down into three parts: Warmer water gives more fuel to hurricanes; rising seas worsen storm surges; and warmer air holds more water for rainfall.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The link between hurricanes and climate change</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CitationThe Union of Concerned Scientists</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Inside Climate News also points to a study linking slow-moving hurricanes like Dorian and Harvey to climate change.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Beyond that, Spencer’s assertion that climate change-driven “warming is very slow” is preposterous. Scientists are warning that the planet is reaching a tipping point beyond which the Earth could be pushed into “into a spiral of runaway climate change.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lastly, it’s ridiculous for Fox News to book Spencer at all. Spencer is a longtime climate-denying gadfly who is the “official climatologist” of Rush Limbaugh, someone else who frequently lies about climate change. Spencer has previously argued that climate activists “are supporting policies that will kill far more people than the Nazis ever did.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2011, an editor of the journal Remote Sensing resigned after concluding that it should never have published a study by Spencer denying climate change due to “fundamental methodological errors or false claims.” The editor also harshly criticized Fox News for running with and exaggerating the study. Spencer had also released a study in 2003 that used faulty calculations to purportedly show that temperatures in the troposphere had remained constant over the previous two decades.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News anchor Shep Smith has acknowledged that climate change is real. MacCallum’s decision to host Spencer on her “news”-side program goes to show how little the facts actually matter at Fox.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Hurricane Dorian wreaks havoc, Fox casts doubt on climate change science</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">09/05/19 12:42 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fake fight / wwf ?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AN 919</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/09/why-has-donald-trump-turned-on-fox-news/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Why has Donald Trump turned on Fox News?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Heather Digby Parton / Salon September 5, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I wrote on Tuesday about Trump’s allegedly “innovative” strategy to attack the media, pointing out that conservatives have been doing this for decades. They’ve been “working the refs” of the mainstream media since before Richard Nixon’s day. Trump even has an enemies list, although his wrinkle on that authoritarian impulse is to tweet out the names of the people he considers enemies while Nixon had the good grace to keep it secret.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump has recently seemed a bit confused about all this. Perhaps the stress is getting to him. But lately he’s been “working the refs” at Fox News, apparently upset that they have had the temerity to interview people, at least once in a while, who express views opposed to Trump’s. He’s been exploding about this on his Twitter feed:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@realDonaldTrump</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> · Aug 28, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Just watched @FoxNews heavily promoting the Democrats through their DNC Communications Director, spewing out whatever she wanted with zero pushback by anchor, @SandraSmithFox. Terrible considering that Fox couldn’t even land a debate, the Dems give them NOTHING! @CNN & @MSNBC....</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald J. Trump</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@realDonaldTrump</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">....are all in for the Open Border Socialists (or beyond). Fox hires “give Hillary the questions” @donnabrazile, Juan Williams and low ratings Shep Smith. HOPELESS & CLUELESS! They should go all the way LEFT and I will still find a way to Win - That’s what I do, Win. Too Bad!....</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That’s not how it’s supposed to work. Fox News has always allowed Democrats to come on the air from time to time in order to keep up the pretense that it’s a legitimate news organization. They even used to feature some liberal-leaning pundits just so they could say they were “fair and balanced.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This was always nonsense, of course. The whole point of the network was to provide a right-wing media outlet to benefit the Republican Party. As Russell Crowe, playing Roger Ailes in the recent Showtime “The Loudest Voice,” put it:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cable is about one thing: niche. The loyalty of a passionate few. We need to program directly to the viewer who is predisposed to buying what we’re trying to sell. In politics it’s called “turning out the base. “If we can do that, then they will never change the channel. And what is that niche? Well, I think it is conservatives. It’s roughly half the damn country.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The show is based on the book of the same name by Gabriel Sherman about Ailes and Fox News. I don’t know if that quote is taken from that research, but it certainly conveys Ailes’ vision. After years of pummeling the mainstream media for being liberal, conservatives had prepared the ground for a right-wing news network posing as an objective news organization. In order to maintain that fiction, it was important that they at least pay lip service to some objectivity in the news side even as their bombastic opinion stars like Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity fed the audience the red meat that Ailes knew would keep them coming back for more.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ailes supported the Trump campaign — after resisting it at first —but he was in the middle of his own horrific sexual harassment scandal and in failing health. He was forced out of the network before Trump was elected and was relegated to helping the candidate prep for the debates against Hillary Clinton. (That reportedly didn’t go well, although the parties involved didn’t agree on why. ) But prior to that falling out, there had been talk that Ailes and Trump were planning to start a new TV network if Trump lost the election. Obviously that didn’t happen although if Trump is defeated in 2020 there’s a good chance that plan will be revived in some form. It’s impossible to believe that Trump will be able to let go of the media spotlight. He would certainly have a built-in audience, potentially poached from Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump has openly shared his supposed reasons for being hostile to his favorite network. He is angry at recent Fox News poll which show, as do all the other reputable polls, that a large majority of Americans disapprove of him personally and are opposed to his policies. After a recent survey showing that the top five Democratic candidates would beat him handily if the election were held today, he told reporters:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it. Every place I go we have lines outside. Fox has changed. And my worst polls have always been from Fox. There’s something going on at Fox, I’ll tell you right now. And I’m not happy with it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake pointed out that other polling shows that among those who “strongly approve” of Trump, a vast majority trust Fox News more than any other network. He knows that many of his voters see the poll numbers and may wonder why he’s always talking about how successful he is. So he needs to discredit Fox — forcing his fans to take sides and choose who to believe.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But it isn’t just the poll that has him fuming:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald J. Trump</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@realDonaldTrump</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> ....I don’t want to Win for myself, I only want to Win for the people. The New @FoxNews is letting millions of GREAT people down! We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That even got Trump fanboy Brit Hume’s hackles up and he replied, “Fox News isn’t supposed to work for you.” Trump can be forgiven for making that mistake. Fox has been slavishly devoted to him since Ailes first set the wheels in motion during the 2016 campaign. Neil Cavuto ranted for some minutes about “integrity” and the like. But others began fawning to the point of outright delusion:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kyle Griffin</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@kylegriffin1</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Joe Walsh: "Stuart, do you believe this president lies?"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Biz host Stuart Varney: "No."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Walsh: "You don't believe he's ever lied?"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Varney: "He exaggerates and spins."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Walsh: "Okay, do you believe he's ever told the American people a lie?"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Varney: "No."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[vid]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rupert Murdoch turned over the running of Fox Corp. to his eldest son, Lachlan, just before the sale of the company’s entertainment division to Disney. It hasn’t gone all that well. Fox News had already lost a step since Ailes departed and it’s been getting worse. It isn’t the slick production it once was, largely abandoning its pretense at being a major network and pretty much simply adopting the crude Breitbart-Trump line. There has been nonstop controversy over the network’s turn to overt white nationalism, with advertisers leaving in droves. Reporters and pundits are at each other’s throats, with the channel’s biggest star, Sean Hannity, in open revolt.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Meanwhile, the younger, supposedly more liberal son, James Murdoch, who was responsible for the embarrassing phone hacking scandal in Britain, is said to be increasingly “troubled” by the direction of the network and is thinking of taking some of his billions and buying a rival network (as well, perhaps, as a comic book publisher.) There have been reports of Rupert possibly coming back to right the ship, despite his age and his health problems.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As in the HBO drama “Succession,” which is clearly based on the Murdoch clan, the saga of Trump and Fox News is really about the extreme ineptitude and weakness of second-generation heirs to great fortunes. As Lucy Prebble, a writer and executive producer of the show, told the BBC, “Everybody is a coward, everybody is an idiot and everybody is trying to cover their back almost all of the time.” That sure does sound familiar.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The writer Hugh Montgomery observed that “Succession” is “part of a reckoning with the particular strain of rich white men who continue to have a grip on the Western political and media establishment — and have, arguably, or very clearly, abused that power to monstrous effect.” I’m afraid that reckoning still has a way to go.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">this is the inverse of mueller as savior?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following the confirmation of William Barr to the position of attorney general in February, Sean Hannity pushed one message: Investigate the president’s political enemies, or suffer the consequences. It appears Hannity got his wish.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This week, Trump’s campaign press secretary Kayleigh McEnany gave up the game. In an interview on his radio show, Hannity stated that Trump is opposed by “pretty much everybody except for like me” and subsequently asked McEnany to assess the impact that “the media mob” would have on the 2020 election. McEnany responded,“Yeah, the work that you do every night, Sean, is going to go a long way. It already has. We now have the Justice Department looking into the misdeeds of the Obama administration."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hannity and Fox have long shilled for the president, attacking his enemies and shielding him from criticism at every turn. However, attributing a federal investigation to Hannity takes the network’s influence to a new level.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Media Matters’ Matt Gertz pointed out this week, “It was inevitable for Hannity’s pro-Trump commentary to become the foundation of the president’s reelection campaign. That the campaign acknowledges that messaging might come via a federal investigation is an ominous sign.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 819</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President Donald Trump spends most days watching hours of Fox News programming and many nights talking with its stable of pro-Trump hosts. But his recent criticism of the network shows that he doesn’t understand the con at the heart of the network’s model. Fox is a propaganda outlet whose success depends on maintaining just enough trappings of journalism to avoid that label. And if Trump turns his warning shots into a sustained assault, the result could spell disaster for the network.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox and Trump have enjoyed a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship. The network helped drive Trump’s political rise, all but fused with his administration after his election, and regularly cheerleads for him. Trump, in turn, is obsessed with the network, whose programming and personalities shape his worldview and frequently impact his decision. He regularly promotes Fox’s coverage and has given its hosts unprecedented access, lifting the network’s ratings.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But Trump clearly views the network as part of his messaging operation, and he has publicly aired his grievances when it has failed to live up to that standard by hosting Democrats or publishing unfavorable polls. While watching Fox on Wednesday morning, he again saw something he didn’t like: an interview with the Democratic National Committee’s communications director. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The president quickly responded on Twitter, denouncing the segment for “heavily promoting the Democrats.” After listing other Fox commentators who he claimed had taken Fox too far to the left, Trump declared: “We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s critique was that it is unacceptable for the network to provide anything short of the sycophancy he gets from Fox hosts like Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs. Its failure to produce such programming around the clock is, in Trump’s telling, an affront to his supporters that should lead them to abandon the outlet for one of its competitors. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That view clashes sharply with Fox’s business model, which depends on creating the impression the network isn’t a 24/7 propaganda outlet. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox was founded on a con. The network claimed to be the only outlet providing an honest review of the news of the day without liberal bias, epitomized by its slogan “fair and balanced.” At the same time, it effectively served as an arm of the Republican Party, smearing Democrats while both helping to elect Republicans and pushing them to emulate the cutting, hyperpartisan style of its biggest stars.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the decades since, Fox executives have consistently pushed back against criticism by arguing that while the network’s “opinion” hosts are conservative, it also features a “news” division which produces objective journalism like other media outlets. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is largely farcical -- Fox’s purported “news” hours feature much of the same disinformation as its “opinion” hours. But they provide the appearance of similar programming on other networks, with interviews of members from both major parties, reports from correspondents, and panel discussions. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That image is essential to maintaining the network’s business model. Fox draws a sizable audience that comes for its core product of right-wing propaganda undergirded by bigotry and conspiracy theories. But major advertisers are rightfully uncomfortable associating their own brands with such content, and in recent months, dozens of companies have abandoned the network’s most-watched shows, sending Fox’s overall ad inventory into a tailspin. Fox executives have sought to keep advertisers from abandoning the network altogether by stressing the credibility of the network’s “news” division.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There are opposing tensions in this argument. Advertisers must be willing to ignore the unhinged commentary that occurs on the network’s other hours. And Fox’s core viewers, who adore the president and the hard-right prime-time hosts who support him but are turned off by the “news” personalities, need to accept that not every hour on the network can be Hannity. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now the president himself -- the Fox superfan supreme -- is signaling that he wants to blow up that fragile equilibrium. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the short term, Fox employees can try to turn the criticism to their benefit by citing the president’s response as evidence that they aren’t really propagandists. But if Trump sustains his criticism, it will trap the network in a vulnerable position with no good options. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If the network tries to push back on Trump’s criticism, the result could be a cycle of escalations that triggers a viewer backlash. Previous altercations have shown that Fox’s audience will side with Trump over the network, and Trump has repeatedly promoted the even more overtly propagandistic One America News Network, suggesting a potential alternative for unhappy Fox viewers. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If Fox responds by shifting its coverage to be even more favorable to Trump, it will be abandoning the argument it has used to pacify its advertisers. More of them will likely flee in response, and it will become ever more difficult for the network to win them back. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And if the network does nothing, the result could be either -- or both.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox’s infamously hyperaggressive PR team has been unusually quiet so far, leaving the network’s response to the president’s criticism in the hands of its commentators. “Fox News isn't supposed to work for you,” senior political analyst Brit Hume tweeted in response to the latest salvo.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox’s problem is that Trump disagrees, and its audience is likely on his side.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AN 810 c de v</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...Many people believe that Ted Turner’s gift to television is 24-hour news. But Turner’s real gift was that he took graphics production technology out of the hands of engineers and put it in the hands of artists. That revolutionized television production on a scale that most people do not realize. It was remarkable. I knew that, so I hired a gentleman from New York who was the godfather of television graphics and he came in and built a graphics production facility that was second to none.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many of the techniques perfected by Fox News were actually borrowed from CBN, such as the style, tone and obvious bias that is used to frame the narrative.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ten years before Fox News, there was CBN News. There was “The 700 Club.” CBN had a slogan, “TV Journalism with a Different Spirit.” We pioneered point-of-view journalism for television. In so doing, because Pat Robertson was very conservative politically, he was able to blend Republican Party politics and conservative politics with the Bible, and in so doing he presented a consistent message that if you were for Jesus, then you were for the Republican Party. From a journalistic standpoint, we were presenting a right-wing version of the news.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Huckabee Sanders lands new gig as a Fox News contributor</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">David Badash / The New Civil Rights MovementAugust 22, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Huckabee Sanders has been weighing a run for governor of Arkansas.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">pension plan</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Business host Lou Dobbs: Man who plowed truck into ICE protesters was ‘well within his rights’</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Lou Dobbs speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) ]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Igor Derysh / Salon August 16, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Business host Lou Dobbs praised a corrections officer who intentionally plowed his truck into a crowd of protesters outside a Rhode Island ICE facility, saying the attack was justified.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A correctional officer at the Donald W. Wyatt PVT Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island, intentionally drove his pickup truck into protesters demonstrating against the detention of migrants by ICE on Wednesday, the Providence Journal reported. Capt. Thomas Woodworth was placed on administrative leave after protest organizers said a 64-year-old protester suffered internal bleeding and a broken leg in the attack and another protester was injured as well. Fellow corrections officers sprayed protesters with pepper spray, sending three other people to the hospital.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The protesters were part of the “Never Again” movement, a Jewish protest group that likens ICE detention facilities to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. The protesters had been organizing outside the Rhode Island facility since early July.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video of the protests shows the black pickup truck accelerate toward protesters and stop suddenly just before hitting anyone. After demonstrators began to bang on the hood of his truck, the vehicle pushed forward again.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Several injured after driver plows truck into immigration protesters outside ICE facility in Rhode Island. https://t.co/KlhQXBlEaW pic.twitter.com/tizuWqlLmH</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— ABC News (@ABC) August 15, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dobbs played an edited clip that cut out the part where Woodworth drove at the protesters and praised his actions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LOL. Lou Dobbs recasts incident at RI immigrant detention facility as attack on truck driver by selectively slo-moing the footage and editing out the part when the ICE guard (now suspended) intentionally ran into/over demonstrators. cc: @NeverAgainActn @mollycrabapple pic.twitter.com/K0XfqLC3oY</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 16, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Protesters in Rhode Island harassing a federal detention worker last night,” said Dobbs, an ally and adviser of President Trump. “These demonstrators blocking an entrance to a facility holding illegal immigrants when the driver tried to pull into the parking lot, the protesters surrounded him, yelling, banging on the hood of the truck, blocking his entrance.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dobbs claimed the protesters “committed assault” by banging on the truck after Woodworth drove toward them.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Speaking to former acting ICE director Tom Homan, Dobbs said, “I know that it must just gladden your heart to see a bunch of demonstrators at an Immigration Customs Enforcement facility blocking the path of a guard and then complaining about the fact that he sought to do what is within his rights, which is to proceed to park his vehicle and go to work.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Homan also attacked the protesters, wondering whether any of them “even got a job.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Homan previously worked in the Trump administration and Dobbs has frequently consulted with the president. The Daily Beast reported last year that Dobbs has been “involved with some of the administration’s more sensitive discussions.” Trump has even put Dobbs on speakerphone during multiple Oval Office meetings so the Fox host could weigh in, according to the report, which added that Trump will occasionally “cut off an official so the Fox Business host can jump in.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dobbs is in some ways the godfather of what is now called Trumpism.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“He was Trump before Trump,” former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told the Washington Post. “He has always sort of epitomized the intellectual foundation of the Trump movement on trade and immigration, even if he doesn’t get enough attention. He was more Breitbart than Breitbart, going back years.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A spokesperson for Never Again accused Dobbs of creating “propaganda” to help “distort reality” to help justify the Trump administration’s “inhumanity.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Lou Dobbs just justified and promoted the car ramming that that caused one of our peaceful protesters to have serious injuries,” the group said. “This was an attack that could have (and has, as in Charlottesville) killed someone. Fox News is inciting violence.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">vehicles charlottesville, cda and now ICE jewish</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Business host Lou Dobbs: Man who plowed truck into ICE protesters was ‘well within his rights’</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Igor Derysh / Salon</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ailes and atwater used tv to get bush41 electd in a way unprecedented? sorta bypass party? here merge of gop and fox:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For years, Sean Hannity has poisoned the well for special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into the investigation of Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election. That effort came to a head when Mueller testified before two House committees, with Hannity effectively dictating the GOP’s strategy in handling Mueller. The night before the hearings, he urged congressional Republicans to focus their attention not on the results of the investigation, but on the investigators. And that’s exactly what many of them did, using questions ripped from Hannity’s program to demand Mueller weigh in on the network’s conspiracy theories.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One House Republican cited Gregg Jarrett, the Fox legal analyst who once argued on Hannity’s show that in light of the Mueller probe, “the FBI has become America’s secret police” like “the old KBG.” Another entered into the record an op-ed he had written for Hannity’s website. Others championed Hannity’s feverish focus on tangential topics like former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele’s memos, the research firm Fusion GPS and its founder, Glenn Simpson, and the purported political leanings of Mueller’s staff.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee and a Hannity regular, devoted much of his opening statement during the afternoon hearing to the Fox host’s twisted theory that the real collusion during the 2016 presidential campaign was between Russia and the Democrats.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch this: We put together a full supercut of Hannity and other Fox figures juxtaposed with Republicans during the hearings, and it is utterly uncanny. There can be no more denying the facts: Fox News and the Republican Party have merged.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">pirro fired,[nope pa of djt thus access] not tucker yet</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2019/07/22/comprehensive-review-revolving-door-between-fox-and-trump-administration/224292</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Note: This post reworks and adds to our previous report, “A comprehensive list of former Fox employees who have joined the Trump administration.” It will be updated as additional former Fox employees join or leave the Trump administration, and as former Trump administration officials are hired by Fox or its parent company</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President Donald Trump’s unprecedented relationship with Fox News has created a revolving door between the network and the White House.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump has stocked his administration with former Fox employees. Cabinet secretaries overseeing federal departments, senior White House aides advising the president on crucial issues, and U.S. ambassadors representing the country abroad, among others, all worked for the network before joining Trump’s administration. Those are just the ones who actually made the jump to the Trump administration -- several other current or former Fox employees have been connected to various administration jobs but have not received them.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Meanwhile, several former senior members of the Trump administration have joined Fox or its parent company, either in top executive roles or as on-air commentators.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nine current Trump administration officials previously worked at Fox as of July 22, while eight more officials worked at Fox before joining the administration but have since left. Five former Trump administration officials subsequently took jobs at the network or its parent company after leaving government.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Current Trump administration officials who used to work at Fox</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Former Trump administration officials who used to work at Fox</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Current Fox employees who used to work in the Trump administration</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Fox has long served as a comfortable landing spot for Republicans between stints in politics or government, these hires are happening within the context of the network fusing with Trump’s administration. The president’s worldview is shaped by the hours of Fox programming he watches each day -- both his public statements and his major decisions often coming in response to what he sees -- leading him to treat Fox employment as an important credential in hiring. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At the same time, prior employment in the Trump administration is apparently valued by Fox founder Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, whose media empire benefited greatly after becoming a pro-Trump propaganda outlet.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s affinity for staff with a Fox pedigree extends outside the administration. He hired Jay Sekulow to join his legal team because the president liked the way Sekulow defended him on Fox, and he nearly added the similarly credentialed Joseph diGenova and Victoria Toensing to the group as well. Then there’s Kimberly Guilfoyle, who left her job co-hosting a Fox show and became the vice chairwoman of a pro-Trump super PAC the next week (she is also dating Donald Trump Jr.).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump also consults with a “Fox News Cabinet” of current network employees. He reportedly speaks frequently with Rupert Murdoch. And Fox hosts including Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro, Tucker Carlson, and Pete Hegseth all reportedly influence Trump not only through their programs, but advise him privately as well.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Current Trump administration officials who used to work at Fox</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ben Carson, secretary of housing and urban development. Carson, formerly a prominent neurosurgeon, became a right-wing media sensation after using a February 2013 speech in front of President Barack Obama to trumpet conservative economics and health care arguments. He joined Fox News as a contributor in October 2013 and left just over a year later to run for president. After Trump’s election, Carson joined his administration as the secretary of housing and urban development. His tenure has been dogged by scandals involving lavish spending for office furniture and other ethics issues, as well as a general failure to carry out his department’s mission.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Elaine Chao, secretary of transportation. After a career in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors capped by serving as labor secretary in President George W. Bush’s Cabinet, Chao became a Fox News contributor. She left the network in 2012 and took a seat on the board of directors of News Corp., at the time Fox’s parent company. In 2016, she stepped down from the board after Trump nominated her as secretary of transportation. Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); former Fox News contributor Erick Erickson has alleged that he was taken off the air because of his criticism of McConnell at Chao’s behest.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">John Bolton, national security adviser. Long recognized as one of the most hawkish members of the foreign policy community, Bolton served in the Bush State Department and as ambassador to the United Nations. He joined Fox as a contributor in 2006 and became the network’s go-to voice for national security stories for the next decade, using the platform to push for military options in North Korea and Iran. Those appearances caught the attention of Trump, who said during a 2015 interview, “I watch the shows” for military advice, and that he liked Bolton because “he’s a tough cookie, knows what he’s talking about.” In March 2018, Trump named Bolton as his national security adviser.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Scott Brown, ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. Glowing Fox News coverage helped power Brownto victory in his 2010 run for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. After losing his reelection bid two years later, he joined the network as a contributor, using it as a platform to burnish his profile over the next year while exploring a run for Senate in New Hampshire. He left the network, lost that 2014 race despite the network’s efforts to promote him, and was rehired two weeks later. After Brown endorsed Trump in February 2016, Fox hosts began promoting him for the vice president slot. In August 2016, former Fox host Andrea Tantaros named him in the sexual harassment lawsuit she filed against Fox and several network executives. Trump nonetheless nominated Brown to be ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa in April 2017, and he was confirmed that June. He subsequently faced a State Department inquiry after making inappropriate comments to a female server at an official event.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Georgette Mosbacher, ambassador to Poland. Mosbacher, a Republican businesswoman and donor, longtime Trump friend, and a Fox News contributor, was nominated to be ambassador to Poland in February 2018 and confirmed by the Senate that July.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Richard Grenell, ambassador to Germany. Grenell, a Republican communications professional who spent seven years as spokesperson for the U.S. delegation to the U.N., joined Fox News as a contributor in 2009 and was still in the network’s employ when he was nominated to be ambassador to Germany in September 2017. He was confirmed in April 2018 “despite objections from Democrats that his past epithets about prominent female politicians made him unfit for the job.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Morgan Ortagus, State Department spokesperson. After working in the Bush and Obama administrations, Ortagus became a Fox contributor, then was named State Department spokesperson in April.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lea Gabrielle, State Department special envoy. In February, the State Department named Gabrielle, a former Fox News reporter, as special envoy and coordinator of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, an agency that counters foreign propaganda and disinformation.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Monica Crowley, Treasury Department assistant secretary for public affairs. A C-list conservative commentator who spent two decades as a Fox contributor, Crowley was a reliable source of the network’s typical combination of bigotry, right-wing talking points, and attacks on the press. Most notably, she pushed several bigoted conspiracy theories about President Barack Obama’s heritage, including promoting a documentary about his purported “real father.” Trump’s plan to name her to a top National Security Council post was scuttled by revelations that she had plagiarized parts of her 2012 book and Ph.D. thesis, but she was appointed to the Treasury position in July 2019.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Former Trump administration officials who used to work at Fox</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bill Shine, White House communications director. Shine, a close friend of Hannity’s who once produced his show, rose through the executive ranks at Fox News, eventually becoming network founder Roger Ailes’ right-hand man and then Fox co-president. Shine resigned from Fox in May 2017 after his reported role helping to cover up the network’s culture of sexual harassment became too embarrassing, but he landed a plum White House job as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications. Shine left the White House for a role on Trump’s reelection campaign in March 2019. His exit reportedly came in part because Trump “feels he was sold a bill of goods by Hannity,” who had urged the president to hire Shine to improve his press coverage.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Heather Nauert, acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. Nauert worked at Fox from 1998-2005 and 2007-2017 in a variety of roles. In April 2017, she left her position reading headlines as a news anchor on Fox & Friends, the morning program the president watches religiously, to become spokesperson for the State Department. In March 2018, she was named acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, replacing an official close to Rex Tillerson, who had just been ousted as secretary of state. She was nominated as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in December 2018, triggering stories about her lack of qualifications for the role outside of her Fox News connection. She withdrew from consideration for the post and left the administration in February, reportedly because her nomination was complicated by the fact she had “employed a nanny who was in the United States legally but was not legally allowed to work.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Anthony Scaramucci, White House communications director. Scaramucci, a hedge fund mogul and a former Fox Business contributor and host, spent 10 days as White House communications director before his proclivity for giving expletive-laced interviews and publicly feuding with other White House staffers triggered his removal.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">K.T. McFarland, deputy national security adviser. After serving in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations and losing a race against then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), McFarland became a Fox national security analyst. She used that position to push for war with Iran, defend the use of torture, and push for the profiling of Muslim Americans. In November 2016, Trump picked her to be deputy national security adviser under Michael Flynn. She served only briefly in that position. Flynn was replaced by H.R. McMaster in February 2017 following the revelation that Flynn had lied to the FBI and Vice President Mike Pence about whether he had discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition. McFarland was subsequently offered other opportunities in the administration and nominated to be U.S. ambassador to Singapore, but the nomination stalled over her connection to the Russia investigations -- she had reportedly been in contact with Flynn during his conversations with the Russian ambassador -- and she withdrew in February 2018.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president. A bombastic, self-proclaimed national security “expert” with dubious credentials, a proclivity for anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, and ties to foreign extremist groups, Gorka made frequent appearances on Fox News during the 2016 presidential campaign and was briefly hired by the network before decamping for the Trump White House. His job was ill-defined, and he apparently did little other than go on television to support the president before he was canned in August 2017. He then returned to Fox News as a full-fledged contributor, albeit one who was reportedly banned from appearing on the network’s “hard news” programming. In March, he left Fox for Sinclair Broadcast Group, whose stations now broadcast his bigotry around the country.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">John McEntee, personal aide to the president. Fox hired McEntee as a production assistant in 2015. He later served as Trump’s personal aide both during the presidential campaign and in the White House. When McEntee was fired in March 2018, CNN reported that it was “because he is currently under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security for serious financial crimes.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tony Sayegh, Treasury Department assistant secretary for public affairs. Sayegh, a former Republican communications consultant and Fox contributor, served as the top spokesperson for the Treasury Department from April 2017 to June 2019.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mercedes Schlapp, White House director of strategic communications. Before joining the White House in September 2017, Schlapp was a Republican political consultant and a Fox News contributor. In July 2019, she left the White House for Trump’s reelection campaign.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Current Fox employees who used to work in the Trump administration</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hope Hicks, executive vice president and chief communications officer at Fox Corporation. Hicks, who first entered Trump’s orbit as a public relations flack working on Ivanka Trump’s fashion line, is reportedly one of Trump’s close confidates. In January 2015, a few months after she joined the Trump Organization, Donald Trump selected her to be press secretary on his 2016 campaign, one of its earliest hires. After Trump’s election, she served as White House communications director and was promoted to director of strategic communications. Hicks left the White House in April 2018. That October, she was announced as executive vice president and chief communications officer of what became Fox Corporation, Fox News’ parent company.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Raj Shah, senior vice president at Fox Corporation. A former Republican political operative and a senior aide at the Republican National Committee, Shah served as White House principal deputy press secretary before leaving the administration in January 2019. In July 2019, CNN and The Washington Post reported he had joined Fox Corporation as a senior vice president.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Abigail Slater, senior vice president for policy and strategy at Fox Corporation. Slater, an attorney who specializes in technology issues, worked for the Federal Trade Commission and a trade association for internet companies before joining the White House in February 2018 as special assistant to the president for technology, telecommunications and cybersecurity. In April 2019, she left the administration to lead Fox Corporation’s federal policy team.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">David Bossie, Fox News contributor. A right-wing operative who has a history of employing dirty tricks and smears, Bossie was Trump’s deputy campaign manager in 2016. Fox News hired him as an on-air contributor in February 2017, even though he is reportedly bound by a non-disparagement agreement that prohibits him from publicly criticizing Trump. Indeed, Bossie has used his Fox platform to offer boilerplate defenses of Trump. In December 2018, as Fox personalities recommended him to replace White House chief of staff John Kelly, Bossie made an on-air pitch for the post on Fox & Friends. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tom Homan, Fox News contributor. Homan served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from January 2017 until his retirement in June 2018, using that post to promote the president’s inhumane policies while spreading fear of and among immigrants, often on Fox. Homan joined the network as a contributor in August 2018. As a Fox employee, he staunchly supported the president’s immigration policies and statements and called for draconian responses to the purported migrant “invasion.” During a June 2019 Fox interview, Trump announced that he had hired Homan for a “border czar” position in the White House -- to the visible shock of the interviewers -- but Homan subsequently said that he had considered taking such a position but had not done so.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">marcotte</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/07/fox-news-has-gone-so-deep-into-white-nationalism-that-donald-trump-now-believes-its-how-hell-win-in-2020/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump thinks white nationalism is going to win him the 2020 election. This much is clear. Trump’s racist Twitter rant on Sunday — in which he suggested that four nonwhite congresswomen, three of whom were born in the United States, are “originally” from somewhere else and should therefore “go back” — might have seemed at first like a spontaneous eruption of racist rage from the simmering bigot in the White House.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Soon, however, it became clear that this was strategic. Trump thinks it’s a winning move to echo the claims of David Duke and other white nationalists who believe the United States is for white people. He justified his racism by saying that “many people agree with me,” and by continuing to rave on Twitter about how the real purveyors of “racist hatred” are those who look askance at his embracing the rhetoric of Stormfront and the KKK.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Heather Digby Parton argued for Salon, this is more than an explosion of racist anger. Trump “believes that most Americans are as racist as he is and that he will be rewarded for this indecency with a second term.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There’s good reason to think Trump and his boosters are wrong about this. As New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie pointed out on Twitter, “Trump’s popularity has taken its sharpest dips whenever he goes full racist,” and that even that seemingly rock-solid level of support that sits right around 42% in opinion polls has dipped into the 30s when Trump openly aligns himself with white nationalist views. Thanks largely to his racism (as well as his stunning lack of competence), Trump has spent his entire term in office with lower overall approval ratings than any president in more than 60 years.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So where does Trump getting this idea that ever more extreme racism is the way to win over voters? One major source is likely his favorite TV network and the only source of information he tends to take seriously: Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For years now, Fox News has been mainstreaming arguments that used to be the province of fringe websites run by neo-Nazis and other groups who believe the U.S. is meant to be a country of white people and for white people — perhaps with others permitted in small numbers of they stay quiet and keep to themselves. Trump was a major factor in the early rumblings of white nationalism on the network, which gave him considerable airtime during his reality TV days to air conspiracy theories about Barack Obama’s birth certificate. Such “birther” theories rested fairly obviously, in the first place, on the belief that black people cannot be “real” Americans.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Since Trump was elected, the Fox News programming that promotes white nationalist ideas has slowly grown both in airtime and in severity. At Salon, we sounded the alarm in the early months of Trump’s presidency, when prime-time Fox News host Tucker Carlson began to experiment with segments that used euphemisms like “Western civilization” to package the idea that white people are inherently more civilized while people of color are a threat to national stability.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Since then, Carlson and many of other Fox News pundits have only grown bolder. “Replacement theory” — the white nationalist idea that has spurred multiple terrorist attacks, holding that white people will somehow be removed and “replaced” by people of color — used to be confined to fringe neo-Nazi websites with atrocious early-2000s design aesthetics. Now that’s become a regular feature of slick Fox News segments, which suggest that immigrants of color are “invading the country” and can never be “fully American,” and that demographic changes from immigration are “more change than human beings are designed to digest” and inherently a threat to “your neighborhood.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The network also hypes the idea that nonwhite immigrants are dirty and diseased, as well as inherently criminal. (For about the 400th time: Immigrants, documented or otherwise, are less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens. There is no serious dispute about this.) Furthermore, because many immigrants speak languages other than English and may eat unfamiliar food or bring cultural practices that appear foreign to some, American society will soon be “tipping over a cliff.” is is the same kind of rhetoric that was used to demonize the Irish and Italian immigrants of the past, who were seen as threats to American culture due to scary foreign practices like putting garlic in food and praying with the Rosary. One hardly needs to mention the bigotry and discrimination directed at Jewish immigrants, who were barred from certain neighborhoods and many commercial establishments well into the 20th century. Unfortunately, most of the Fox News audience for this rhetoric, the president included, doesn’t know anything about that history, or care to learn.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s true that Fox News ratings are high, and that is incredibly meaningful to Trump, who has a long-standing obsession with TV ratings dating back to his days as host of “The Apprentice.” More important still, Trump tends to view TV ratings as the single most meaningful metric of public opinion, one that far outweighs more statistically significant measures like political polling.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In looking over Trump’s Twitter obsession with TV ratings, it’s clear that he believes — or at least pretends to believe — that ratings are tied tightly to alliance with his racist agenda. It’s not just that he routinely mocks CNN and MSNBC for supposedly having poor ratings. Any TV product that deviates too far from a racist agenda, he believes, takes a ratings hit for it. When NFL players were protesting racism, Trump gleefully declared it was hurting TV ratings. When the Oscars tried to improve racial diversity and attendees decried Trump’s bigotry, he gloated that it was the “Lowest rated Oscars in HISTORY”. He even repeatedly (and falsely) tried to argue that his inauguration ratings exceeded Barack Obama’s.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The pattern is clear: Trump believes racism is more popular than anti-racism, because, he believes, racism gets TV viewers and anti-racism doesn’t. And getting TV viewers is the only measurement he takes seriously.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By any measure of cable viewership, there is no denying that Fox News has disturbingly high ratings. Its daytime audience is 1.3 million viewers on average and the prime time shows pull 2.4 million people. That doesn’t just outdo other cable news networks, but mainstays like TNT and HGTV. Carlson gets nearly 3 million viewers a night, numbers that far exceed his rabid fan base of open white nationalists. Racism does sell, and the audience for white nationalist rhetoric is not small. Nearly 129 million Americans voted in 2016, meaning that only about 2% of the electorate is tuning into Carlson’s show on any given night. By contrast, the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” has nearly 19 million viewers. Racism sells, sure — but exponentially less well than unfunny sitcoms with aggressive laugh tracks.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s racism is wildly popular with his base, in other words, but a large majority of Americans find it repulsive. No amount of the president’s obsessive dissection of cable ratings will change that. That’s not to say Trump’s opponents should become complacent or assume that his unpopularity will automatically translate into a 2020 defeat. Unfortunately, racists are dramatically overrepresented in politics, due to the outdated mechanism of the Electoral College, which is how Trump won the 2016 election while getting nearly 3 million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton. He could certainly pull it off again.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Still, Trump’s apparently adamant belief that white nationalism will pay off in electoral terms doesn’t reflect any reputable political polling. It appears instead to be an artifact of his obsession with TV and with Fox News in particular. It’s a closed loop of awfulness: The more Trump pushes his racist agenda, the more the network amplifies his message, and the more he believes his bigotry is massively popular. Unless and until Trump takes a decisive L in 2020, he’s going to keep believing the majority of Americans are secretly on his side.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://grist.org/article/veteran-fox-news-reporter-now-writes-for-a-climate-conscious-blog/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News has been the most-watched news network for the better part of two decades, amassing millions of viewers every month. And it’s safe to say that regular viewers aren’t getting a clear-eyed view of the state of the planet.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of the network’s regular guests, Marc Morano, has suggested that carbon dioxide doesn’t contribute to climate change because humans exhale it. When a recent U.N. report found that human activity has put 1 million species at risk of extinction, Fox said that assessment might be an exaggeration. Its chief political anchor, Bret Baier, said in 2009 that the earth is “in a cooling period.” (In an emailed statement to Grist, Baier noted that the past five years have been the warmest on record. “The story has changed and the data has changed and I continue to provide all sides of a very controversial policy issue,” he added.) A recent survey showed Republicans who don’t watch Fox News are twice as likely as other Republicans to accept that human-induced climate change is real.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So it’s probably for the best that the network covered climate change for a grand total of 10 minutes and 20 seconds last year (just a little less than the other major networks).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But Fox’s news division isn’t populated solely by fact-resistant folks. Carl Cameron covered politics at Fox News for two decades: First, as one of the News division’s first reporters in 1995, and then as chief political correspondent and the network’s first chief White House correspondent. He’s always seen climate change as a reality. “For me, climate science is science,” he said. “It’s not science when it’s opinion.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cameron recently joined a media initiative called Front Page Live, a three-week-old online news aggregation site started by the journalist Joe Romm. It’s meant to bring readers daily news without an agenda. “Essentially, it’s an antidote to the Drudge Report, which slants right and is often climate-denying,” Cameron said. Front Page’s issue areas include immigration, justice, and the “climate crisis.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Grist interviewed “Campaign Carl” about his two decades at Fox News, why covering our overheating world is more important now than ever, and what it would take to save Fox News from itself.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q. Why do you care about the climate?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A. I was into ecology back in the day, in the ‘70s. I went to No Nukes concerts. I protested in a nuclear plant and got billy-clubbed in my calves. I tried to jump a picket fence, and the cops decided not to arrest me, but they left a couple of bruises. I was a subscriber to the Whole Earth Catalog when I was just a kid. I went to the first Earth Day. Being environmentally friendly is neither right nor left, Democrat nor Republican. Hell, if you’ve gotta attach it to somebody who made a difference, how about the Bull Moose Party and Teddy Roosevelt?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Unfortunately, in all my years of covering presidential politics, I can honestly say no television news operation did a serious job on which candidates were serious about climate change. It was a box that got checked off at debates, it was a box that got checked off on policy papers, a couple of speeches here and there. But it was never really a consequential issue other than with Al Gore.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q. Did you notice Fox clamping down on climate coverage while you were there?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A.In the news? No. I would always put those stories in, I would always cover candidates who would make those speeches. But, in terms of the tone of the network, that was far dominated by the opinion makers who, generally speaking, have been climate deniers. And frankly, President Trump dominates everything because the media has chosen to make tweets worthy of news, notwithstanding the fact that a huge percentage of Trump’s tweets promised threats have never come to fruition. They still cover them as though its news.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">My views weren’t important when I was working as a reporter at Fox. I made a concerted effort to align with neither party and made it clear to everybody I was working with that my job is to give the voters accurate information so that they can make their decisions. And that’s what I tried to do. I didn’t have any pressure to share a right or left wing opinion. And I didn’t, not on the air at least and very rarely around the workplace.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q. You’ve left Fox News now, but I wonder: Can the network be fixed? Can the entertainment side of business ever stop dominating the news?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A. Cable news, whether it’s CNN, Fox, MSNBC, or anything else on cable, is a business. And the No. 1 priority is ratings, solely because ratings equals revenue. And at every single one of the cable stations, they are trying to put things on the air that will keep your eyeballs not on Wolf Blitzer or Sean Hannity or Rachel Maddow, but on the Geico commercials between them.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The anchors shouldn’t be doing it. Sean Hannity is, to an awful lot of Fox viewers, an anchorman. That’s a problem.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q. It seems to me that climate change has finally entered the mainstream conversation in a new way this cycle. You’ve covered many presidential elections. Do you see it that way?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A. I think people who thought that this was decades or centuries away, people who followed the debate and were inclined one way or another, were undecided about climate change. I think the extreme weather events, the rising sea levels, the melting ice caps have actually gotten through to people.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s amazing to think that this information was out there 20 years ago and only now is it becoming a prevailing [issue]. Instead of it being a climate problem, we have newspapers, television hosts, and politicians talking about a climate crisis. So there’s progress. Way, way too slow. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q. Fox’s talk shows have been bashing the Green New Deal a lot. What do you think of the way the network has handled that particular progressive proposal?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A. The Green New Deal is a subject of conversation and that’s what we need, more serious conversation. We need to have legislation, we need to have laws. We need to do serious stuff. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has definitely rung everybody’s bell, and that’s a great thing. If Fox chooses to cover the issue, well, science will speak for itself as opposed to opinion. And that’s the way it has got to be.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I don’t think you’re going to hear the news department at Fox report that climate change is fake. I know you’re not. I think that if you watch the talk show stuff, yeah, you’re gonna hear all kinds of propaganda and nonsense.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I joined Front Page Live to help the purveyance of factual news that can move the country forward. Listen, if there’s a great article in the National Review or in a conservative publication, TV station, or web page, if it’s relevant, if it’s important, we’re gonna put that out there, too.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I mean, this is about trying to get back to information that people can use to make decisions about what they want our country and what they want their lives to be like, as opposed to wishful thinking from carnival barkers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2018/10/29/these-are-fox-news-leading-advertisers/221904</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News in its current incarnation is operationally a propaganda network for Donald Trump, using any amounts of racism, sexism, and bigotry necessary to push his message, whatever the cost. Media Matters has repeatedly documented the network's increasing and dangerous promotion of extremism, its embrace of white nationalism, and more. Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Jeanine Pirro, Tucker Carlson, Lou Dobbs, and Fox & Friends are the tip of the spear, but the entire network is culpable.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following recent right-wing terrorist events with documented connections to Fox News, the media is starting to catch on. A number of leading commentators called for a boycott of all Fox News advertisers following these terrorist events. “The most effective thing Americans can do is boycott companies that advertise on Fox,” said Edward Luce, the U.S. national editor of the Financial Times. Right-wing columnist Max Boot called for companies to "boycott Fox News until they pull back from the hate."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters President Angelo Carusone made a prescient warning when he wrote recently that the biggest cause of Fox News’ reported advertiser problem was the channel’s own talent. Today, he urged media buyers and advertisers to strongly reconsider financially supporting what is going on at Fox News until there are some meaningful changes there:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This latest controversy over Lou Dobbs’ Fox program promoting an anti-semitic lie is nothing new. Racism, anti-semitism, and dangerous conspiracy theories aren’t unusual for Fox News; they’re the network at its core. But lately the programming is only getting more extreme and volatile, and this explains why the time in between major controversies at the network just keeps getting shorter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News’ never-ending focus on demonizing political opponents and front-line communities - echoing Trump and framing the struggle against these groups as an urgent matter of life or death - makes the network an increasingly bad business decision for advertisers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Given all this, it's not surprising to see more and more brands and media buyers avoid portions of or all of Fox News. But for those brands that still haven't gotten that message: The latest acts of right-wing violence fomented by the bigotry and lies on Fox News and outlets like it are a reminder of what their advertising dollars are supporting.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We urge Fox News advertisers to talk to their media buyers, listen to their customers, and consider suspending their relationship with Fox News until the network makes meaningful changes to curb its propagandistic narratives that intentionally spread disinformation and incentivize violence.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Former Fox News reporter delivers brutal fact-check to network’s ‘right-wing hosts’ and ‘partisan misinformation’</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">written by News Corpse, Daily Kos June 25, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Viewers of Fox News will remember a frequent face on the network during many of the elections for the past couple of decades. He was such a ubiquitous presence he was referred to endearingly as Campaign Carl. However, Carl Cameron retired from Fox News after twenty-two years a couple of years ago. And if anyone is wondering what happened to him since, well, you might be surprised.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cameron just announced his participation in a new Internet news aggregation site called Front Page Live. He formed it with David Romm of ThinkProgress to be “an antidote to the Drudge Report.” The founders plan to provide a platform for progressive news along with opportunities to take action on causes like climate change and liberal politics. And unlike Drudge, their focus will be on accurate news stories, rather than flagrantly slanted propaganda of shills like Breitbart and Infowars and … Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cameron released a video (see below) explaining his new venture, and he didn’t mince words about his former employer and colleagues at Fox:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“What’s a former Fox guy doing here on Front Page Live partnering with progressives? Well, it’s about facts, not partisanship. The idea of fair and balanced news appealed to me. But over the years, the right-wing hosts drowned out straight journalism with partisan misinformation.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Indeed, the State TV hucksters at Fox News (Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro, the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends, and more) have submerged the network with a deluge of falsehoods. Note that Cameron didn’t merely criticize partisan information, but explicitly called it what it is: Misinformation. He could have gone even further to label it disinformation and would still have been correct. He continued with some biting commentary on Donald Trump saying that:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I have a unique insight and understanding of how the right operates and literally 30 years of covering Donald Trump. Trump’s a conman. He DID collude, and coordinated with Russia to get elected. He encouraged them to intervene in the 2016 election on live television. We all saw it. And recently he said he’d accept their help again because he sees nothing wrong with it. And yes, he is still helping Russia by refusing to take strong actions again a future cyber attack.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is a remarkable transformation. Cameron says that he kept his political views to himself while at Fox News because he was interested in being a journalist. Had Fox known that they would have fired him. It will be interesting to see if the new website is able to generate the kind of viral news dissemination that Drudge has managed for the conservative media. At least it’s satisfying to see that someone was able to shed the mantle of the wingnut cult and renounce the professional liars at Fox. There may be hope after all.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> =</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha 619 several fear and scam nodes to disambiguate (this started with sinclair tv weather guy refusing to run red alerts mandated, sponsor support.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">but made me realize it's fox's biz model?!</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox news segment goes off the rails as anti-gay hate group head promotes ‘health hazards of homosexuality’ book on-air</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">David Badash / The New Civil Rights Movement</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At the end of the six-minute segment Schaper held up and tried to advertise a book titled, "The Health Hazards of Homosexuality," which is authored by MassResistance.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/heres-who-fox-news-considers-prominent-conservative-voices/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Laura Ingraham took to her primetime program on Fox News last night to defend conspiracy theorists, extremists, and an unabashed neo-Nazi as “prominent voices” in the conservative movement that have been supposedly “censored on social media.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A graphic produced by Fox News featured eight people who have been suspended or claim to have been throttled on social media platforms. The figures featured were dubbed “prominent voices censored on social media."[nice grfx]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here’s who Fox News considers a “prominent” conservative figures.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The graphic featured first Alex Jones, the creator and leading voice of the conspiracy theory outlet Infowars. Jones is currently facing multiple defamation lawsuits regarding his insistence that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, which resulted in the families of slain children being harassed and traumatized by Jones’ viewers. Jones’ intentional spread of disinformation, harassment, and bullying of victims of tragedies and his regular distribution of offensive content broke enough community guidelines on social media platforms to result in a wide-scale deplatforming of his operation online. Infowars has regularly provided a safe space for extremists to recruit to their efforts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Next on the graphic was Milo Yiannopoulous, a disgraced right-wing hate monger who stirredharassment and vitriol online and violated the community guidelines of many social media sites, resulting in his accounts being permanently suspended. His comments online after the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand, where a white supremacist slaughtered practicing Muslims in two mosques, resulted in him being banned from entering the country of Australia. Yiannopoulous was once a prominent figure in the right-wing movement, thanks in large part to flush funding from the conservative mega-donor Mercer family. The Mercer family funding and Yiannopoulous’ spotlight was dimmed after BuzzFeed News published leaked emails showing Yiannopoulous’ collaboration with white supremacists and his attempt bring them into the mainstream. After audio surfaced of Yiannopoulous appearing to endorse pedophilia, Yiannopoulous was effectively designated persona non grata among conservatives.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Beside Yiannopoulous is Laura Loomer, an anti-Muslim activist whose targeting of Islamic worshipers (and any random person whose appearance led her to believe they are Muslim) violated social media rules against hateful content and resulted in her removal from major tech platforms. Loomer has had numerous affiliations with members of the white nationalist movement and endorsed Faith Goldy, who recited the white supremacist “14 Words” in her bid to become mayor of Toronto. Loomer, a former Project Veritas operative, has collaborated with Infowars on disinformation campaigns surrounding shootings in Florida and Las Vegas.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Candace Owens, who began her career in conservative media using the moniker “Red Pill Black,” joined Ingraham in-studio for the segment and was also featured on the graphic. She was briefly suspended by Facebook earlier this month after one of her posts had been flagged for violating community standards, but she currently uses the site freely. Owens got an early boost in her career from Alex Jones and has continued to advance in conservative circles despite her early affiliations. Owens was recently filmed saying that the problem with Adolf Hitler was that he was too ambitious and took his plans beyond Germany.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michelle Malkin, who argued in a 2004 book that the United States was right to displace and intern 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry in America during World War II, was another “prominent” voice Ingraham featured. Malkin frequently parrots white nationalist rhetoric on immigration; at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, she likened immigration to an “invasion” that “endangers” Americans. She closed that speech by saying, “diversity is not our strength,” and followed her speech by giving an interview to the racist website VDARE.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Actor and ardent Trump supporter James Woods, who is not banned from Twitter, but rather has refused to delete a post on his Twitter profile with the hashtag “#HangThemAll” that would result in his account being unlocked, was also featured as a “prominent” censored conservative voice. Before being locked out of Twitter, Woods also shared a meme of the Christchurch shooter depicted as a clown, part of a push by white supremacists to find a new way to launder their voices into relevance.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News deemed Paul Nehlen as another “prominent” conservative voice. Nehlen is a failed state congressional candidate in Wisconsin who pivoted his campaign message to explicitly target Jews and then funneled the money he made to his wife and neighbor. He was banned from social media for being an explicit Nazi and is so aggressive that even the white supremacist internet haven Gab decided to boot him. Angry White Men recently reported that Nehlen and his likewise-failed neo-Nazi counterpart Patrick Little had been debating the best way to start a race war in the United States. And as Right Wing Watch reported earlier this week, Nehlen has promoted the writings of neo-Nazi James Mason, which advocate terrorism to fulfill a white supremacist agenda.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dan Scavino, White House social media manager, was also featured on this list because he accused Facebook of censoring him for replying to a comment. Platforms are known to throttle accounts if software suspects an account may be spamming and there is no evidence that Scavino was targeted for restriction otherwise.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s for segments like these that Democrat presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren rejected an invitation to appear on Fox News for a town hall interview, calling the network a “hate-for-profit” scam and drawing criticisms from conservatives. Figures like Meghan McCain insisted that Warren’s refusal to subsidize Fox News with her appearance were off-base and cut her off from conservatives.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/05/28/study-right-wing-sources-dominate-abortion-related-news-facebook/223680</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2019, right-wing media have dominated abortion-related coverage with sensationalized anti-choice rhetoric and harmful misinformation. And on Facebook, anti-abortion misinformation is consistently outperforming all other coverage of abortion-related news.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Media Matters study of top-engaged U.S. abortion-related coverage on Facebook in the month of April found that 63% of links with the most Facebook interactions came from right-leaning websites, and 72% of the Facebook page posts with the most interactions came from right-leaning pages. Two anti-abortion websites, LifeNews.com and Live Action, made up almost 30% of viral links, and the two main Facebook pages affiliated with these sites made up more than a quarter of the most popular Facebook posts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Top-engaged content from right-leaning sources often pushed anti-abortion misinformation. Twenty-three percent of links from right-leaning websites reviewed in this study pushed for six-week bans on abortion (also inaccurately referred to as “heartbeat bills”) based on the anti-choice claim that abortion should be banned as soon as fetal cardiac activity is detected, typically by six weeks. Medical experts, however, say "cardiac activity isn't a credible measure of fetal viability." Right-leaning websites and pages also shared false stories about Democrats supporting “infanticide” (they don’t) and anti-conservative censorship by social media platforms (there is none).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sixty-three percent of the top links related to abortion news on Facebook came from right-leaning websites.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters reviewed 278 top links related to abortion news which collectively earned 13.6 million interactions on Facebook. Right-leaning websites had 175 links (63%), which earned over 8.6 million interactions (63.6%). Websites that aren’t politically aligned had 80 links (28.8%), which earned 3.8 million interactions (27.8%). And left-leaning websites had just 23 links (8.3%), which earned 1.2 million interactions (8.6%).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...much more, grafs</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For years, Media Matters has documented how Fox News operates as the communications are of the Republican Party. Among other examples, party officials cycle in and out of the network like a revolving door and Fox employees fundraise and even stump for Republican candidates.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, on many occasions Fox employees went even further, using their close relationships to party officials for personally benefit. This week, Media Matters compiled a comprehensive list of examples of Fox figures using their proximity to Republican officials for personal gain and celebrity to benefit the party.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here are some of the most egregious examples:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox hosts Tucker Carlson, Lou Dobbs, Greg Gutfeld, Sean Hannity, Pete Hegseth, Laura Ingraham, and Jeanine Pirro have received over $500,000 combined in speaking fees from Republican groups while working at the network.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Members of Fox's purported "news" division, such as anchor Shannon Bream and Fox News Senior Vice President of business news Neil Cavuto, have also headlined conservative events, including alongside Republican officials. In one instance, Bream spoke at a conference that also featured then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (whom she later interviewed on her program).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News employees have spoken at events that have financially benefited President Donald Trump. For instance, Chris Stirewalt -- a member of Fox’s “news” division -- spoke at an event for the petroleum industry at Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. And Jeanine Pirro has done events in which the proceeds went to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Three Fox News hosts -- Brian Kilmeade, Pete Hegseth, and Shannon Bream -- have cancelled speeches at conservative events this year following Media Matters reporting.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">contractor direct line to trump brain // whitaker:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/05/24/how-one-company-used-fox-centric-pr-strategy-try-get-trump-give-it-lucrative-federal-contract/223793</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">omg</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News has unprecedented influence over President Donald Trump’s decision-making. Trump’s worldview is shaped by the hours of propagandistic and sycophantic programming he often watches in a day, as well as his private consultations with many of the network’s stars on a wide variety of topics. As a result, Fox’s commentators have at times dictated the president’s policy agenda and political strategy, harnessed the news cycle by directing his attention to their particular obsessions, provided staffers for his administration, and hand-picked the recipients of his pardons.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And now, the network is emerging as a platform that can determine who could receive hefty federal contracts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump has “alarmed” military commanders and Department of Homeland Security officials by aggressively lobbying them to grant a border wall contract to Fisher Industries, a North Dakota-based construction company whose CEO, Tommy Fisher, has regularly appeared on Fox and other conservative outlets to promote his company’s bid.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fisher claims that his company can build a border wall both faster and cheaper than his competitors thanks to a patent-pending installation system, but the Army Corps of Engineers determined that Fisher’s design “did not meet its requirements and lacked regulatory approvals” and that the firm’s previous work on a barrier project “came in late and over budget,” the Post reported. Rejected through the procurement process, Fisher is trying to go around it through the right-wing media, a method that has allowed him to reach the president. Trump is now trying to sidestep the contracting process because, as Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) explained to the Post, he “had seen [Fisher] on television” -- specifically on Fox -- “advocating for his version of the barrier.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fisher has used a Fox-centric PR strategy to directly pitch the president in hopes of obtaining a federal contract, making at least 10 appearances on Fox News and its sister network, Fox Business, since January 2018, according to a Media Matters review. Programs the president regularly watches, including Fox & Friends and The Ingraham Angle, have repeatedly granted Fisher an uncritical platform to shill for his company.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fisher’s strategy mimics that of K Street lobbyists who pay off TV pundits to promote their messages during on-air appearances and lawyers who put their clients and their relatives on Fox to ask the president for pardons.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The CEO has honed his pitch to appeal to the president in particular, as demonstrated by his March 5 appearance on Fox & Friends, during which co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked him to explain “why should the president, or why should his administration, choose your company?"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[vid]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fisher first appealed to the president as a businessman, saying Trump should know that his company would do the work for less money than other companies, get it completed faster, and throw in access roads and other additions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He went on to describe his company as “the first responder” of the industry, appealing to Trump’s well-known obsession with police officers and firefighters.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And he also tried to link the bid to one of Trump’s notable construction successes, the renovation of the Wollman Rink in Central Park in the 1980s. “I think he’ll understand,” Fisher argued, “just like the Central Park deal with the ice skating rink, if you need it done now, nothing against government bureaucracy, but it takes time, so you need an expert to come in there and do it now and do it right.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Earhardt ended the interview by giving Trump another reason to prefer Fisher: “You might be able to build it just in time for that election, too.” </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And Fox’s promotion of Fisher’s bid has not been limited to the network’s supposed “opinion” shows. On April 19, the network’s flagship “news” broadcast, Special Report, ran a packaged report that essentially served as an infomercial for Fisher’s proposal. Introduced by anchor Bret Baier and reported by national correspondent William La Jeunesse, the segment featured an interview with Fisher and credulously repeated his claims that he could construct the wall “faster, better, and cheaper."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[vid]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">All of this laudatory coverage has had Fisher’s desired effect, with the president reportedly promoting the company’s bid in meetings with senior military and DHS officials and forcing them to explain “that the president could not just pick a company” to get the contract in defiance of the federal procurement process.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fisher harnessed the incredible power of Fox’s hold on the president to get much closer than he should have to taxpayer dollars. He won’t be the last to try to do so.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At this very moment, Trump and allies of his administration are blocking more than 20 Democratic congressional probes. Historians, professors, and legal experts have explained that the administration's actions are unprecedented and that the administration's stonewalling of oversight could quickly set new precedent for unchecked executive power for years after Trump is gone.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media have provided extensive cover for the Trump administration. Brian Kilmeade said, "So there are countless investigations. ... And for the most part, the White House looked at all of this and said this is out of control." Jeanine Pirro stated, "The only constitutional crisis is the one created by Obama administration officials of a false collusion." Jesse Watters, simply claimed, "All presidents refuse to hand things over to Congress."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There's a real cost to normalizing this blanket stonewalling. As law professor David Alan Sklansky said, “Our system depends on some commitment by both parties and by all public officials to continuing a constitutional order.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> 519 1st burr then Fox News viewers unleash furious attacks on GOP’s Amash for impeachment talk: ‘This chump is toast’</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tom Boggioni / Raw Story</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to Amash, Trump's actions and behavior meets the "threshold" for impeachment.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Responding to a suprise tweetstorm from Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) late Saturday, saying President Donald Trump has committed impeachable offenses without directly calling for impeachment, Fox News fans lit up the comments section on the network’s website calling for congressman to step down — along with some racist insults.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to Amash, Trump’s actions and behavior meets the “threshold” for impeachment. The Michigan Republican also took more than a few shots at Attorney General Bill Barr, by writing, “In comparing Barr’s principal conclusions, congressional testimony, and other statements to Mueller’s report it is clear that Barr intended to mislead the public about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s analysis and findings.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Needless to say, Trump’s fans took to the comments to defend their man.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">You can see a sampling below:...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/04/new-report-details-failure-of-cable-and-network-outlets-to-accurately-describe-climate-emergency-call-it-a-crisis/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx twt</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Name and shame.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That’s the dual directive from a new report that calls on news organizations to use appropriate language when discussing the climate crisis—even as the report calls them out for inaction.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The report—titled “‘Call It a Crisis’: The Role of U.S. Network News in Communicating the Urency of Climate Change” (pdf)—analyzed the coverage of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News to determine just how much urgency the influential outlets bring to their reporting.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/public-citizen-call-it-a-crisis-report-april-29-2019.pdf</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to David Arkush, managing director of Public Citizen’s Climate Program, the specific words that journalists and news anchors use—or choose not to use—matters.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The words we use to characterize an issue make a difference in how it is perceived and prioritized politically,” said Arkush.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When outlets with massive nightly audiences like the ones the report studied “consistently fail to use language that conveys that climate change is a crisis or emergency,” Arkush added, “they unwittingly put a heavy thumb on the scale in favor of complacency and inaction.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News was the worst offender, with the use of “climate crisis” coming in for only five mentions during the coverage period—all of which, as Public Citizen noted, were efforts to “minimize the issue with false logic, mockery or misinformation.” But other news networks weren’t much better than the conservative channel.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The only network to use the term in double digits was CNN, and only 16 of the 26 mentions were by a host. Van Jones, whose eponymous show ran every other Sunday during the survey period, accounted for six of those mentions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Public Citizen</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@Public_Citizen</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> NEW REPORT: In 2018, only 50 of 1,429 national TV news segments used the word “crisis” or “emergency" when discussing climate change. That's a measly 3.5 percent.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here's how the networks stack up:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MSNBC: 7%</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NBC: 6%</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CNN: 3%</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CBS: 3%</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ABC: 2%</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox: 2%</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://pubc.it/2XTXQEE </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">55</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">12:23 PM - Apr 29, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">50 people are talking about this</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Networks should name the problem clearly to avoid confusion, said Allison Fisher, outreach director for Public Citizen’s Energy Program.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Climate coverage on broadcast and cable television news is still at best spotty and at worst riddled with misinformation,” Fisher said. “Calling it a crisis indicates that the stakes are high and that the issue is urgent. Most of all it signals to viewers that the time to act on climate is now.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How to report on the climate crisis has long been an issue for news organizations. In July 2018, MSNBC host Chris Hayes said on Twitter that while he was personally invested in the story, the topic was “a palpable ratings killer.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“So the incentives are not great,” said Hayes.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chris Hayes</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@chrislhayes</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Replying to @elongreen</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">almost without exception. every single time we've covered it's been a palpable ratings killer. so the incentives are not great.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">526</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">7:08 AM - Jul 24, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fox cheerleader venez</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.foxnews.com/world/drug-trafficking-maduro-venezuela</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx pix [vid?]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">-</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Drug trafficking keeping Maduro in power in Venezuela, analysts say</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hollie McKay [who?]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Hollie McKay | Fox News</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pence says Venezuela ambassador 'shouldn't be here' while addressing the UN Security CouncilVideo</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pence says Venezuela ambassador 'shouldn't be here' while addressing the UN Security Council]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It has been more than three months since the U.S. accelerated its onslaught of economic sanctions on Venezuela, coupled with the back of a new interim President – heightening official expectation that the Nicolas Maduro-led regime would crumble.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Only the socialist dictatorship has failed to fall. While there an array of factors to blame, analysts are pointing to illicit trafficking rings as a fundamental Maduro lifeline.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The Venezuelan military forces has become a narco-criminal, armed organization. Most of the top and mid-commanders are deeply involved in corruption, drug operations, and serious human rights abuses,” Johan Obdola, president of Latin America-focused global intelligence and security firm IOSI, told Fox News, noting that cartel-led, massive drug operations continue to spawn the country keeping the top echelon well-fed and financed. “Small pro-regime policing agencies and military units across the nation conduct these criminal operations centered on drug trafficking, kidnapping, and robbery to survive the crisis.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kevin Ivers, Vice President and Latin America expert at public policy firm DCI Group, pointed out that years ago, the elite of the Venezuelan military was put in charge of the core elements of the domestic economy, such as the importation and distribution of food and consumer goods.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[In this Feb. 14, 2019 file photo, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during an interview at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. (???????AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This has encouraged corruption and profiteering that has made key elements of the military part of what can be called the regime’s ‘mafia,’ and this has extended beyond consumer goods to drug trafficking,” he explained. “Maduro has also spent years systematically splintering the military into factions and playing them off each other to make it difficult for them to unite against him.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PENCE CONFRONTS VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR AT UN: ‘YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE’</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, concurred that many in the upper echelons receive a cut from the regime’s illicit trafficking network – from drugs to food and medicine racketeering.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There aren’t enough incentives (for military leaders) to leave and disincentives to stay to tip the balance, especially at the top,” he noted.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Indeed, military defections – once considered key to Maduro’s expulsion – have dipped from 80 to 100 per day earlier this year to just two or three, according to the Washington Post. And of those, very few have come from the highest ranks and thus failed to generate a game-changing ripple effect.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There were no key defections, roughly 500 members of the military without any real commanders. In a 110,000 military it had no impact,” explained Carlos Ponce, a senior fellow, and director of Latin America Programs at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. “There was no real analysis of the military structure and the breaking points.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ponce said that former leader Hugo Chavez intentionally dismembered the lines of command to avoid a coup d’état while he was in power. He also pointed out that those who did make the leap have been paying the price.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The commanders and high-ranking officials allegedly caught in anti-Maduro meetings have been tortured and their families isolated from any social or food program,” Ponce noted. “So there is a disincentive for anyone who showed discontent with the regime – jail or torture and abandonment to their families.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Maduro’s reign is also being held together by external players. The U.S estimates that more than 20,000 Cuban agents alone are now planted within the Venezuelan military and law enforcement, presiding over internal operations and the movements of the top brass.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Maduro relies heavily on foreigners to prop up his regime – Cuba, Russia, and Iran. They have a vested economic and political interest in ensuring he succeeds. Economically, to ensure that it is they that control the largest proven oil reserves in the world,” said John Wood, analyst and author of 'Russia, the Asymmetric Threat to the United States.' “Politically, to render the U.S. visibly impotent in its own backyard and thereby lay the groundwork for building a viable military threat to the USA in its own hemisphere.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[Eight-year-old Franyelis feeds her baby brother Joneiber as their mother Francibel Contreras holds a bowl of scrambled eggs and rice, at a soup kitchen in the Petare slum, Caracas, Venezuela. Contreras brings her three malnourished children to the soup kitchen in the dangerous hillside slum where they scoop in spoonfuls of food in what could be their only meal of the day. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Obdola also underscored that the Cubans have “established an intense regional intelligence and surveillance operation” in bordering areas and in countries that support regime change in Venezuela.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This operation is intense and mostly in Colombia, Brazil and other nearby nations where a very unique gathering of spies, intelligence and even terrorist operations are very active,” he said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FIRST SHIPMENT OF RED CROSS AID ARRIVES IN VENEZUELA]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the U.S., which has vowed to refurbish the rule of law and bring about new leadership in Venezuela, is yet to dramatically change its strategy.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that “all options” are on the table when it comes to Venezuela, insisting that the strategy is “not just an American strategy” but the “Venezuelan’s people’s strategy.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Sometimes people think Maduro is winning, and yet he’s handed over all his power to the Cubans, to the Russians,” Pompeo told the Voice of America Spanish. “This is weakness from Maduro. And so this weakness will ultimately lead to his departure, and democracy and prosperity will be restored in Venezuela.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He has also taken aim at China’s role in standing by Maduro financially, mandating that their role is prolonging the protracted crisis in Venezuela.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[People cross the Tachira River into Colombia near the Simon Bolivar International bridge, which Venezuelan authorities only open to students and the sick, in Cucuta, Colombia, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, on the border with Venezuela. People crossing the river are using makeshift bridges as the water level grows with the approaching rainy season. (AP Photo/Schneyder Mendoza)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Once awash will oil wealth and deemed the richest country in Latin America, Venezuela has been beleaguered by an economic crisis since 2015 which has since spiraled into a grave humanitarian catastrophe and prompted the exodus of almost four million into now overburdened neighboring nations. Maduro has consistently blamed the U.S. for purporting to wage "economic war," but has largely denied that there are mass problems.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GET THE FOX NEWS APP</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On the ground in the poverty-plagued Venezuela, it’s a mix of exasperation and desperation with the vast majority continuing to push for change and turn to the U.S. for support as time rolls on.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There is more room for applying sanctions,” Ivers added. “Anything that cuts off the regime’s ability to generate cash, that disrupts its flow of contraband goods and drug trafficking finances, and increases the pressure of possible prosecution of senior military and regime figures for crimes against humanity or other criminal acts, will bring the regime closer to the negotiating table to seek an end to the conflict.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hollie McKay has a been a Fox News Digital staff reporter since 2007. She has extensively reported from war zones including Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma, and Latin America investigates global conflicts, war crimes and terrorism around the world. Follow her on Twitter. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BS fox</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx vid</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blackwater founder pitches plan to privatize Afghanistan war</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Erik Prince makes the case for replacing U.S. troops with private contractors in Afghanistan.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The founder of the private security firm Blackwater is pushing for a plan to deploy a group of mercenaries in Venezuela to support the people’s efforts to topple Socialist dictator Nicholas Maduro, according to a report.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Erik Prince is said to have been advocating for the Venezuelan plan for the last several months, seeking political support and investment from powerful pro-Trump figures and wealthy exiles from the Latin American country.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">TATA & PRINCE: PRECEDENT FOR SYRIA, AFGHANISTAN PULLOUT LIES WITH WWII-ERA FLYING TIGERS</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to Reuters, Prince suggested during meetings in the U.S. and Europe that a private army of 5,000 would be deployed in support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The State Department didn’t respond to Fox News’s request for comment about the report.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But a person familiar with the Trump administration’s thinking told Reuters it’s unlikely the White House would support Prince’s plan. A spokesman for Prince, meanwhile, insisted that Prince “has no plans to operate or implement an operation in Venezuela.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump warns Moscow over troops in Venezuela, says 'all options are open'Video</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The reported push in Venezuela comes following amid a failed attempt to convince Trump to outsource the Afghanistan War to private contractors that Prince said could do more and for a lower cost than the thousands of U.S. military troops currently stationed in the country. Blackwater is now named Academi. Prince's new company is Frontier Services Group.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“History supports presidential authorization for the use of private military contractors during transition operations to help the U.S. and its allies achieve strategic aims. Now is the time to begin the transition, secure our vital interests, and husband our precious resources,” an op-ed co-authorized by Prince read back in January.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DRUG TRAFFICKING KEEPING MADURO IN POWER IN VENEZUELA, ANALYSTS SAY</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But Trump reportedly followed the advice of his cabinet members such as former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and decided not to pursue the plan.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yet when it comes to Venezuela, Prince claims that the private troops would also facilitate the change in the country as it would likely help to cause a so-called “dynamic event” that would end the stalemate that existed for over four months now, with the socialist regime still in place, according to Reuters.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Guaido has largely been recognized as the legitimate leader of the Venezuela, with most Western countries throwing their support behind him, but his rule hasn’t yet been accepted by the military and security agencies, which remain loyal to Maduro.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GET THE FOX NEWS APP</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Such situation caused an impasse, with no side having full claim to legitimacy and Maduro continuing to rule the country by force.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Associated Press contributed to this report.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">419 mma random</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Week In Dumb</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How corrupt is the NRA? It's too corrupt even for Oliver North. In fact, the NRA is in a full scale meltdown. Its president Oliver North was forced out on Saturday, a day after CEO Wayne LaPierre accused North of trying to extort him. North, for his part, accused LaPierre of charging more than $200,000 on wardrobe purchases to a vendor, and warned in his resignation letter that the NRA had engaged in financial improprieties. The NRA has also suspended its longtime top lawyer. All this is happening while the NRA is suing Ackerman McQueen, the producer of NRATV. The NRA itself is reportedly in a "desperate" financial situation. Meanwhile, the New York attorney general has launched an investigation of the group's tax-exempt status.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When an NRA member at its annual meeting called out the group's "obfuscation" in discussing these problems, he was quickly shot down by an NRA official.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA tried to pretend it was business-as-usual at its annual meeting, with its top lobbyist declaring that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) does not represent "real America."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">An NRATV host attacked Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) over a fake Sanders Twitter account.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Already terrible at enforcing its rules, Facebook let Trump violate its ad policies until a reporter noticed.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NBC reporter Ben Collins explained Twitter's failure to combat white supremacist content. A new report exposed that Twitter is reluctant to take any action against white supremacist content like it did against ISIS because if it did, then it would have to confront some Republican politicians.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A new Washington Post report went deep on how Fox host Lou Dobbs is the most influential voice to Trump. This week, Dobbs and his guest called for Trump to make it easier for forces to open fire on the border.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another Lou Dobbs guest echoed a white nationalist conspiracy theory, saying that migrants "are attempting to replace us."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing outlets like The Wall Street Journal editorial page are touting a deeply flawed new study attacking electric vehicles.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump Fed pick Stephen Moore repeatedly said that he liked working at Fox News because he met "a lot of beautiful women" there. Moore has also praised slave-owning Confederate general Robert E. Lee and hates climate science so much that he even attacked Ivanka Trump.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson's wild new talking point is that abortion is somehow a tool of "corporate" oppression.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Fox host blamed bank regulation for high tuition and the student loan crisis.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The latest phony right-wing controversy: Outrage over “Easter worshippers” tweets.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Fox host admitted that Russian interference may have cost Democrats the 2016 election.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity in April 2019: "Hillary Clinton's email server is a real threat to our safety and security."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">519</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Week In Dumb</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA's new president helped block the construction of a bell tower to honor Martin Luther King Jr. -- in 2015.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following the lead of Herman Cain, Stephen Moore withdrew from consideration for a Federal Reserve Board seat after it became clear that the Trump favorite would not get enough support to be confirmed. Moore complained that if he were that sexist and misogynist, then why was he on cable news so much. Ironically, he foisted this grievance upon longtime cable news fixture Tucker Carlson -- who obviously has his own ugly track record.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends hosted a climate denier, who claimed that carbon dioxide cannot be classified as a pollutant because humans exhale it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson claimed that The View inspires terrorists. Carlson, of course, is a favorite of neo-Nazis.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Fox contributor claimed to Sean Hannity that Mueller's letter was an attempt by the deep state to prevent an investigation of Mueller.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox's Steve Doocy suggested that AG Bill Barr should refuse to testify before the House because it would just be a "perjury trap."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">....</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following the release of the Mueller report, right-wing media and Republican lawmakers have asserted that now is time for the Department of Justice to investigate those who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election. While some just lied that the report exonerated the president and his campaign, others are concerned enough to demand investigations into their political opponents. We've assembled more than two dozen examples. Here are just a few:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox host Sean Hannity: “If any of this started before July 31, the alleged beginning of the FBI's collusion investigation, we need to know when it started. And finally, we need to know this big question: What did he know? What did President Obama know? And when did he know it?”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Business Host Stuart Varney: “I would simply like to know what did President Obama know about an ongoing spying operation into a competitor's political presidential campaign? … Will we find out what Hillary was doing?”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on a Fox "straight news" program: “I actually believe you cannot allow the people from the internal, high levels of the FBI to get away with what they did here. ... There’s a lot of information, a lot of questions that still needs to be answered because this should never be allowed to happen to any other president again.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier: Baier falsely gave credence to the idea that investigators need to be investigated, saying, “We don't yet know about the origins of the investigation, the [inspector general] may shed some light on this, as other investigations in the early stages.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News spent weeks in May 2017 spreading the conspiracy theories trying to link murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich to WikiLeaks. From Sean Hannity to Newt Gingrich to Steve Doocy, the objective was clear: If there were any possibility that Rich was the source of the emails, then it would not have been Russia. And if it were not Russia, Trump would be cleared of any malfeasance. But now, thanks to Robert Mueller's final report, we finally have proof that it was all a lie.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2017, following Rich's murder, right-wing conspiracy theories arose, asserting that the staffer had provided DNC emails to Wikileaks for publication. There was never a shred of evidence to support this conspiracy theory. No responsible news organization ran with anything close to this. But Fox News did.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This was a transparent attempt to protect Trump from the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to aid his campaign. After running with the story for days amidst criticism, Fox finally pulled the initial report. Hannity then continued pushing it, stopping only when Rich's family asked him to. Fox News eventually promised an internal investigation into the matter -- and this week marked 700 days since that promise. And still, we've heard nothing.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There is no reason to believe that anyone at Fox will be held accountable for their actions. Fox has never cared about the basic ethical standards accepted at most newsrooms. As Media Matters' Matt Gertz explained, "Fox is a propaganda outlet geared toward ensuring the continued dominance of Trump and his movement. The pain of Rich’s family is simply the cost of doing business."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/04/fox-news-reporter-chastised-colleagues-for-sounding-like-a-white-supremacist-chat-room-report/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many reporters and pundits at Fox News haven’t been shy about jumping through hoops to defend President Donald Trump even when he is at his worst. Nonetheless, there are times when Fox News employees show some integrity, and a new report from the Daily Beast indicates that Jon Decker is one of them. Maxwell Tani and Andrew Kirell of the Daily Beast are reporting that Decker (a White House correspondent for Fox News Radio) called out two of his colleagues on Thursday for sounding “like a white supremacist chat room.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This week, former Vice President Joe Biden officially announced that he was running in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary and released a campaign video that, among other things, criticized Trump for his response to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 and his assertion there were “good people on both sides.” According to Tani and Kirell, Doug McKelway (a general assignment reporter at Fox News) set out to discredit Biden’s video and defend Trump.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tani and Kirell, based on reviews of “internal e-mails,” found that McKelway sent an e-mail to “dozens of network employees” and hoped to “fact-check Biden.” McKelway, according to Tani and Kirell, opened his e-mail with a Winston Churchill quote: “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” And McKelway highlighted a quote from his own interview with Brian Lambert, who was an armed attendee of the Unite the Right rally.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lambert had told McKelway, “They’re denying people their right to assemble. They’re denying their right to speak freely, however hateful their views may be.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Moments later, according to Tani and Kirell, Cody Derespina (a digital senior editor at Fox News) responded to McKelway’s e-mail, agreed with him and added “a snippet of a Fox News interview with Jarrod Kuhn, a Charlottesville marcher who claimed he was not a white supremacist, but simply there to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Seeing the e-mails from McKelway and Derespina, Decker jumped into the e-mail conservation and wrote, “I really don’t understand the point you are making. Jarrod Kuhn was one of those individuals in Charlottesville holding a tiki torch while the mob chanted, ‘Jews will not replace us.’”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">An hour later, McKelway acknowledged that Lambert “revealed himself to be not the squeaky clean 1st Amendment supporter he claimed to be on live TV.” And Decker responded, “So much for your Winston Churchill quote”—adding that “invoking Churchill to what happened in Charlottesville” was “rather offensive.” And Decker, according to Tani and Kirell, went on to write, “Based upon the slew of e-mails that I’ve received today, both of you should send an apology to your Fox News colleagues—many of whom are hurt and infuriated by your respective posts. Your posts read like something you’d read (in) a white supremacist chat room.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/04/these-are-the-4-times-fox-news-was-referenced-in-the-mueller-report-and-why-they-make-trump-look-even-worse/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With the release of the redacted version of the Mueller report by Donald Trump’s plant in the Justice Department, Attorney General William Barr, there is going to be a flurry of furious spinning by Trump’s devoted martinets in the right-wing press. Trump himself will continue his frantic robo-rant of “no collusion, no obstruction,” as he has been doing for months.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Naturally, Fox News will assume its predictable role as the main line of defense for Trump. They will focus exclusively on any positive angles among the vague interpretations of Mueller’s report offered by Barr or other Republican partisans. And they will brazenly ignore anything in the report that is remotely detrimental to Trump, of which there is a significant amount. Even Chris Wallace of Fox News noted that “There is a lot of stuff in here that is damaging to the president, politically embarrassing to the president.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, Fox News itself had a place in the Mueller report with four references to Trump’s State TV affiliate. The following passages from the report illustrate just how deeply integrated Fox is with Trump and his associates. For instance:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Page 70:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“That night, the White House Press Office called the Department of Justice and said the White House wanted to put out a statement saying that it was Rosenstein’s idea to fire Comey. Rosenstein told other DOJ officials that he would not participate in putting out a ‘false story.’ The President then called Rosenstein directly and said he was watching Fox News, that the coverage had been great, and that he wanted Rosenstein to do a press conference. Rosenstein responded that this was not a good idea because if the press asked him, he would tell the truth that Comey’s firing was not his idea.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What we have here is Trump keeping tabs on the investigation by watching Fox News, and then trying to get Deputy AG Rosenstein to lie for him about FBI Director James Comey’s firing. That’s obstruction of justice right there. The fact that Rosenstein refused doesn’t make Trump’s attempt any less illegal. And then there’s this:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Page 99:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“[Reince] Priebus recalled learning about the June 9 meeting from Fox News host Sean Hannity in late June 2017. Priebus notified one of the President’s personal attorneys, who told Priebus he was already working on it. By late June, several advisors recalled receiving media inquiries that could relate to the June 9 meeting.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s rather remarkable that Priebus, Trump’s chief of staff, found out about the infamous Trump Tower meeting (with Don Jr, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and some Russian operatives) only by watching Fox News. That’s how out-of-the-loop Trump’s closest White House aide was, but also how integral Fox News is to Trump’s affairs. And that’s not all:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Page 126:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“In a Fox News interview on August 22, 2018, the President said: ‘[Cohen] makes a better deal when he uses me, like everybody else. And one of the reasons l respect Paul Manafort so much is he went through that trial-you know they make up stories. People make up stories. This whole thing about flipping, they call it, I know all about flipping. The President said that flipping was ‘not fair’ and ‘almost ought to be outlawed.'”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In this “interview” with the unabashedly pro-Trump “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends, Trump is laying the groundwork for threats directed at his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, while simultaneously praising his more loyal campaign chairman, Manafort. This is a fairly clumsy attempt at witness tampering. Which he did some more of here:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Page 151:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“In January 2019, after the media reported that Cohen would provide public testimony in a congressional hearing, the President made additional public comments suggesting that Cohen’s family members had committed crimes. In an interview on Fox on January 12, 2019, the President was asked whether he was worried about Cohen’s testimony and responded:'[I]n order to get his sentence reduced, [Cohen] says “I have an idea, I’ll ah, tell-I’ll give you some information on the president.” Well, there is no information. But he should give information maybe on his father-in-law because that’s the one that people want to look at because where does that money-that’s the money in the family.'”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump made these accusations during an interview with his adoring acolyte, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. They were directed against Cohen’s family as a flagrant attempt to scare him into keeping his mouth shut.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s hard to see why Mueller didn’t think he had sufficient evidence to indict Trump, or at least to recommend that Congress take up an inquiry that could lead to impeachment. And as guilty as Trump now appears to be, it’s plain that Fox News was a willing accomplice every step of the way. It is not insignificant that Fox was referenced four times in the report. They were further included in twenty-seven footnotes. No other national news network was referenced in the body of the report even once. What does that tell you?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2018/10/29/these-are-fox-news-leading-advertisers/221904</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News in its current incarnation is operationally a propaganda network for Donald Trump, using any amounts of racism, sexism, and bigotry necessary to push his message, whatever the cost. Media Matters has repeatedly documented the network's increasing and dangerous promotion of extremism, its embrace of white nationalism, and more. Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Jeanine Pirro, Tucker Carlson, Lou Dobbs, and Fox & Friends are the tip of the spear, but the entire network is culpable.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following recent right-wing terrorist events with documented connections to Fox News, the media is starting to catch on. A number of leading commentators called for a boycott of all Fox News advertisers following these terrorist events. “The most effective thing Americans can do is boycott companies that advertise on Fox,” said Edward Luce, the U.S. national editor of the Financial Times. Right-wing columnist Max Boot called for companies to "boycott Fox News until they pull back from the hate."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters President Angelo Carusone made a prescient warning when he wrote recently that the biggest cause of Fox News’ reported advertiser problem was the channel’s own talent. Today, he urged media buyers and advertisers to strongly reconsider financially supporting what is going on at Fox News until there are some meaningful changes there:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This latest controversy over Lou Dobbs’ Fox program promoting an anti-semitic lie is nothing new. Racism, anti-semitism, and dangerous conspiracy theories aren’t unusual for Fox News; they’re the network at its core. But lately the programming is only getting more extreme and volatile, and this explains why the time in between major controversies at the network just keeps getting shorter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News’ never-ending focus on demonizing political opponents and front-line communities - echoing Trump and framing the struggle against these groups as an urgent matter of life or death - makes the network an increasingly bad business decision for advertisers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Given all this, it's not surprising to see more and more brands and media buyers avoid portions of or all of Fox News. But for those brands that still haven't gotten that message: The latest acts of right-wing violence fomented by the bigotry and lies on Fox News and outlets like it are a reminder of what their advertising dollars are supporting.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We urge Fox News advertisers to talk to their media buyers, listen to their customers, and consider suspending their relationship with Fox News until the network makes meaningful changes to curb its propagandistic narratives that intentionally spread disinformation and incentivize violence.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Leading advertisers</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Allstate</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GM</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Procter & Gamble</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bayer</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trivago.com (Expedia)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Progressive</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ancestry.com</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Applebee's</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">IHOP</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bowflex</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Proactiv</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Subaru</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sheex</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sandals Hotel/Resort</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Safelite Auto Glass Co</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nutrisystem</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">USAA</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MyPillowUSA</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LifeLock</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">StarKist</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Booking.com</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WeatherTech</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LetGo</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">HomeToGo</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ClearChoice Dental</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WellsFargo</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">JennyCraig</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tecovas</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AstraZeneca</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Prevagen</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CarFax</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Elite Singles Dating Service</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GlaxoSmithKline</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SoClean</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mint Mobile</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Eli Lilly</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Norwegian Cruise Line</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Novo Nordisk</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Voya</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ADT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nestle</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Liberty Mutual</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Angie's List</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Home Advisor</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Our Time Dating</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Match.com</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">TripAdvisor</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ford</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This list was originally posted October 29, 2018. It was last updated on March 27, 2019.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A comprehensive list of former Fox employees who have joined the Trump administration</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If you want to force action on climate change, Fox News needs to be fought -- not engaged with. That's what Media Matters' Evlondo Cooperwrote about this week, pointing to years of its misinformation and bad faith attacks. Even now, the network is leading the charge to attack the Green New Deal. And while it's tempting to argue with them, as an institution it's not going to change unless forced -- and the way to force that change is through sustained pressure, not arguments. The Democratic tactic of engaging with Fox News has failed: Fox News is more vulnerable than it's ever been, but it's not going down without pressure. It's time to fight.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref also </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see new green deal for lnx vid</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the last week of March, Fox News aired more than twice as many prime-time segments discussing the Green New Deal as MSNBC and CNN combined, Media Matters found. Fox ran 22 segments on the Green New Deal, and only half of them even mentioned climate change. MSNBC and CNN aired 14 and five segments, respectively, but all of those discussed climate change.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox aired more Green New Deal segments than CNN and MSNBC combined from March 25 to 31</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed. Markey (D-MA) introduced the Green New Deal on February 7, thrusting the issue of climate change into the national political conversation. On March 26, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called a procedural vote on the resolution, attempting to embarrass Democrats by forcing them to take a stance on it before senators had a chance to hold hearings and debate the measure. Almost all Senate Democrats banded together to call McConnell's bluff by voting "present" instead of yes or no. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters analyzed prime-time cable news coverage of the Green New Deal during the week of the Senate vote. From March 25 to 31, Fox News ran 22 segments discussing the Green New Deal on its weekday and weekend prime-time shows airing between 5 p.m. and midnight. Across this same period, MSNBC aired 14 prime-time segments discussing the Green New Deal, and CNN aired five.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Melissa Joskow / Media Matters</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Only half of Fox's Green New Deal segments mentioned climate change, 11 out of 22, despite the fact that the plan is designed specifically to address the climate crisis. In contrast, all segments about the Green New Deal on MSNBC and CNN discussed climate change.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters did a similar analysis in February in the days after the Green New Deal was introduced. It found that Fox covered the Green New Deal more than three times as often as MSNBC and CNN combined from February 7 to 11; Fox aired 34 segments that mentioned the proposal, MSNBC aired eight, and CNN aired three. And during that period, Fox mentioned climate change in 41% of its Green New Deal segments, MSNBC mentioned climate change in 62%, and CNN mentioned it in 67%. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Comparing those earlier findings to our new ones, Fox ran fewer segments on the Green New Deal in the last week of March than it had during that stretch in early February, and a similar proportion of the segments mentioned climate change. MSNBC and CNN, in contrast, both improved their performance, airing more segments on the Green New Deal and discussing climate change in all of them. And in the case of MSNBC in particular, many of the segments were longer and more substantive and informative.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the overall trend of Fox covering the Green New Deal more than its cable competitors continued, and that's a significant problem because Fox's coverage is so bad. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox's coverage of the Green New Deal was rife with misinformation and mockery</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the last week of March, many of Fox’s 22 segments mentioning the Green New Deal contained misinformation. A number of them falsely suggested or stated that the plan would ban airplanes or cars, which it would not. Others claimed that the Green New Deal would cost $93 trillion or $100 trillion, though both figures have been debunked. In four cases, the misinformation came directly from President Donald Trump; he maligned the Green New Deal during a speech in Michigan, and Fox aired footage of that speech without rebutting Trump's false statements. Donald Trump Jr. spread false information too. On the March 25 episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, he mocked the plan and said, "we don't exactly have $93 trillion to spend to say you're going to take a bus to Hawaii."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another classic example of a Fox discussion about the Green New Deal came on the March 30 episode of Watters' World, in which Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale was interviewed:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">JESSE WATTERS (HOST): Good, now, what is the data telling you about socialism? The Green New Deal, are people responding to that? Or is this a killer at the ballot box?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BRAD PARSCALE: I mean, look, I think it’s a great issue for the president. I think it's just, as he said last -- as he's been trying to say all week, I think it’s incredible how much they just want $100 trillion, destroy the economy, turn us into Venezuela.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WATTERS: He wants to run against the Green New Deal.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PARSCALE: Oh yes. Oh yeah.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WATTERS: He is licking his chops.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PARSCALE: Yeah, it's like a juicy steak. I mean, getting rid cows, airplanes, no more Hawaiian senators --</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WATTERS: Right, yes, it's like the Big Mac president running against the vegans. It's not going to fly.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Two of Fox's prime-time Green New Deal segments cast doubt on the scientific consensus around climate change. One came from Tucker Carlson on the March 27 episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, during which he said, “The climate seems like it is changing. Climate changes a lot, always has, maybe human activity is causing it.” In the same episode, he also made the false claim that “nobody is dying from global warming in this country.” The next night on Hannity, guest Rush Limbaugh was more explicit in his climate denial, claiming, “We don't even have the power to impact the climate. We can't change it for better or worse. But it is constantly changing. All we can do is adapt to it. We're the best in the world at that.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But both Tucker Carlson Tonight and Hannity, Fox's flagship evening opinion shows, spent less time on the Green New deal in the last week of March than they had in early February, when they both aired rants about its allegedly oppressive nature.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In contrast, Fox News @ Night with host Shannon Bream, which Fox bills as a straight "news" program, aired more segments on the plan in the last week of March than it had in early February. The Fox News @ Night segments also spread misinformation, like the false claim that the plan would cost $100 trillion. Fox News @ Night also gave a platform to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on March 27 to continue the ridiculous attack he had made on the Green New Deal on the Senate floor earlier that day; on the show, Lee mocked the plan further, saying, "The Green New Deal is its own punch line."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MSNBC aired strong coverage of the Green New Deal and climate change, thanks in large part to Chris Hayes</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MSNBC aired 14 segments on the Green New Deal in the last week of March, and nine of them ran on All In With Chris Hayes. All of MSNBC's segments discussed the plan within the context of climate change.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hayes produced standout coverage of the Green New Deal, including substantive discussion of what it aims to do and why climate action is critical. After the Senate vote on March 26, Markey appeared on All In With Chris Hayes to explain the reasoning behind the Democrats’ strategy to vote “present”:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): I voted “present” because Mitch McConnell and the Republicans, who are making a mockery of the legislative process, they gave us no hearings. We could have no expert witnesses. We could have no scientists. We could have no people from the states which have been affected by the massive climate-related damage, which has occurred from forest fires in California to the storms across the Midwest, the hurricanes sweeping through Texas and Florida. None of that was allowed to be presented as part of a hearing process.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">…</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CHRIS HAYES (HOST): Today illustrated to me the enormous gap -- I mean, I think the Republicans by and large, your fellow colleagues, they see it all as a joke, as a stunt. I mean, the gap between what the actual physics are -- what the science says, what the scale of the challenge is -- and where the Republicans are, it almost seems un-overcomeable to me. Does it to you?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MARKEY: It is pretty big. I mean, the United Nations and their scientists at the end of 2018 said that climate is warming so rapidly that it now poses an existential threat to the planet. The 13 federal agencies with jurisdiction over climate issued their own report at the end of 2018. They came to a conclusion that said this is very serious and we had to do something about it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On March 29, All In With Chris Hayes aired a special episode in which Hayes interviewed Ocasio-Cortez and a host of others about climate change and the Green New Deal. This episode accounted for four of MSNBC's segments about the Green New Deal in the last week of March. Hayes also aired segments about how Republicans are failing to substantively engage on climate change and how climate change is already affecting residents of the Bronx, among others.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to a recent Public Citizen analysis, Hayes discussed climate change more than his MSNBC peers over the past 24 months -- even though he called climate change a “palpable ratings killer” last July. He was criticized for that comment, and since then he's aired climate coverage more often. Public Citizen is now calling on Hayes to commit to cover climate change at least once a week.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other discussions of the Green New Deal on MSNBC came during interviews with politicians, including Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) on MTP Daily, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) on Politics Nation, and Markey again on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One MSNBC segment included a guest who argued against taking dramatic steps to combat climate change. On the March 26 episode of MTP Daily, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens warned that we could "bankrupt ourselves in the process of ensuring ourselves against the potential risk." Host Katy Tur and NBC analyst Heather McGhee both pushed back against Stephens' claim that climate change isn't serious enough to warrant bold action. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CNN infrequently mentioned the Green New Deal, but connected it to climate change when it did</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CNN aired only five prime-time segments that discussed the Green New Deal in the last week of March. Climate change was brought up in all of them.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Three of these discussions occurred during interviews with Democratic presidential candidates. On the March 26 episode of Erin Burnett Tonight, Julián Castro, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said he was a "fan of the Green New Deal." Though he did not say the words "climate change" or "global warming," he spoke about the climate crisis, noting the need to "protect our planet" and the promise of renewable energy. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper appeared on CNN Tonight on March 26 and said he does not support the Green New Deal, but he thinks climate change is "one of the defining issues of our times." And during a CNN town hall on March 27, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) restated his support for the Green New Deal and emphasized the importance of fighting climate change.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox is distorting the public conversation about the Green New Deal</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It is good news that MSNBC and CNN have been discussing the Green New Deal in the context of climate change, and in some cases examining its policy ideas in-depth.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Unfortunately, Fox News is still talking about the Green New Deal more than its cable competitors, and often in dishonest and destructive ways. By spreading misinformation about the proposal, Fox is distorting the national dialogue about it. Sean McElwee -- co-founder of Data for Progress, a progressive think tank that helped to shape the Green New Deal -- made this point in a March 27 op-ed in The New York Times:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The core challenge the Green New Deal faces is not so much on the merits of the concept or even its political feasibility; it is that many of its Democratic supporters have met an aggressive and one-sided onslaught from the right with very little by way of response.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">…</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Though many components of the Green New Deal are popular, the Republican propaganda machine has already reshaped the narrative, and it has done so with virtually no coordinated pushback from progressives, or certainly nowhere near enough, a worrying pattern.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Progressive pushback has emerged more often in recent weeks, especially on MSNBC. But Fox, by covering the Green New Deal so aggressively and negatively, is already prejudicing many voters against it before they have a chance to learn what it actually calls for and why. McElwee cited polling by the progressive project Navigator that found Republican Fox viewers were more likely than other voters both to have heard a lot about the Green New Deal and to have seen negative coverage, and a recent poll by Navigator found that Fox News viewers were more inclined than others to deny that human-made climate change is happening.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox is unlikely to change its approach, so other media outlets need to step up with more frequent, honest, and probing coverage of the Green New Deal and other proposals for addressing the climate crisis. Failure to do so will distort the overall discourse around climate change and hinder the process of finding solutions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Methodology</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters conducted Nexis and IQ Media searches for mentions of "green new deal" in programs that aired on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC between 5 p.m. and midnight from March 25 to 31. We then searched within those transcripts for mentions of “climate” or "global warming." We counted any segments that were devoted to the Green New Deal or made substantial mention of it. We did not count teasers, passing mentions, or rebroadcasts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/04/12/Candidates-who-care-about-climate-change-should-be-wary-of-partnering-with-Fox-News/223427</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News is trying to entice Democratic presidential candidates to participate in town halls on the network, as Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) is scheduled to do on April 15. Though Sanders has explained his reasoning for wanting to do a town hall on Fox, there are plenty of good reasons why other candidates should think carefullyabout whether they want to partner with the network. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox is a pernicious propaganda machine for the Trump White House, and it has a long history of both denying and downplaying climate change and helping to block climate action. Fox is currently at the peak of its political influence, but it's also at a precarious point both financially and in the court of public opinion. Many advertisers have fled and others are considering following suit, not wanting to be associated with the network's bigoted and toxic commentary. Fox is now desperately courting advertisers by trying to paint itself as a legitimate news outlet ahead of May 13, when it will host an "upfront" event at which it aims to sell about 60 to 70 percent of its advertising space for 2020. Democratic candidates might want to keep their distance and not enable Fox's attempt at whitewashing its toxicity.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox consistently spreads right-wing misinformation, lies, and climate denial</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The New Yorker recently exposed how Fox News has developed a symbiotic relationship with the Trump administration and has become a nexus of the right-wing disinformation network. And earlier in April, The New York Times Magazine detailed how Fox founder Rupert Murdoch’s media empire “helped elevate marginal demagogues, mainstream ethnonationalism and politicize the very notion of truth” in the U.S. and beyond, “destabiliz[ing] democracies around the world.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After the New Yorker published its piece in March, the Democratic National Committee barred Fox News from hosting any of its upcoming presidential primary debates.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News has been especially destructive on the climate change narrative, serving as an echo and amplification chamber for climate denial and environmental deregulation efforts. For years, Fox has played a critical role in undermining the public consensus around climate change by eroding trust in climate scientists and scientific institutions, according to a 2013 study. A separate study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that 72 percent of Fox News segments about climate science in 2013 "contained misleading statements." In the years since, the network has continued to parade a coterie of network personalities, fringe cranks, and conspiracy theorists to push misinformation about climate change and attack those working to confront the climate crisis.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the Trump administration, Fox News has also provided a safe haven for disgraced officials like former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Not only did Pruitt and Zinke prefer Fox News over other news networks, they both used their appearances on Fox to question climate science and to advocate for harmful environmental rollbacks, often with little to no pushback from fawning hosts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox's "straight news" anchors are not honest brokers on climate change and other critical issues</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News claims that Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, the Fox hosts who will anchor the town hall with Sanders, are straightforward newscasters. But a closer look at their past comments and reporting reveals that they cannot be trusted to foster good-faith discussions about key issues, including climate change.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MacCallum has denied basic climate science and made ridiculous claims about global warming. In 2014, on Fox News Radio's Kilmeade & Friends, she said:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MARTHA MACCALLUM: I mean the climate has changed over the course of the thousands and thousands of years that the Earth has been in existence. It has changed, you know, by several degrees up and down over the course of it. I just don't think that there is convincing evidence that the presence of man has altered that more dramatically than say the earth being covered with volcanoes emitting, you know, naturally noxious gases.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That same year, MacCallum downplayed the importance of climate change and argued that Democrats in Congress should be concentrating on other issues instead. And in March 2015, after the Obama administration announced a voluntary emission-reduction pledge ahead of the U.N. climate talks in Paris, MacCallum was critical of the move and falsely said that the U.S. was going to the "upper end of the range" with its commitment and "nobody else has to do it." In fact, dozens of other countries had by that point announced targets to cut or curb their greenhouse gas emissions, including the European Union, whose target was more ambitious than the one the U.S. put forth.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Baier has a reputation for not being as bad as some of the more explicit climate deniers on his network, but according to a 2014 analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists, he has still aired "a number of segments containing inaccurate statements about climate science." He has given climate skeptics a platform to attack climate science and climate action, often with very little pushback.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox is now desperately trying to convince advertisers that it's not toxic</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In March, Fox News executives held an unprecedented meeting with its advertisers to persuade them not to abandon the network after more than 30 companies had dropped their ads since the initial push began in December of last year. Recent calls for companies to pull their ads from Tucker Carlson Tonight and Justice with Judge Jeanine came in response to Media Matters releasing audio of Fox host Tucker Carlson's racist and misogynistic rants on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show from 2006 to 2011, and to Fox personality Jeanine Pirro’s anti-Muslim tirade against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For years, Fox News has let its prime-time hosts spew bigotry, propaganda, and dangerous conspiracy theories on a nightly basis, while using its so-called "news" programming to give the network a veneer of respectability. But the "news" side and the "opinion" side of Fox News are two sides of the same coin. Fox is dangerous and corrupt from top to bottom.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Fox executive wooing Democratic candidates has actively hampered honest reporting on climate change</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bill Sammon, Fox's senior vice president and Washington managing editor, is courting Democratic candidates for town halls and trying to get the DNC to reconsider its decision not to let Fox host a debate.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sammon has a notoriously terrible record on climate change. In 2009, he sent a memo to Fox journalists ordering them to curtail honest reporting on climate change:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We should refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed (or cooled) in any given period without IMMEDIATELY pointing out that such theories are based upon data that critics have called into question.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He sent the memo out less than 15 minutes after a Fox correspondent accurately reported that U.N. scientists said the 2000-2009 period was "expected to turn out to be the warmest decade on record." When the correspondent returned to the air a few hours later, he added views from climate "skeptics" into his reporting. Sammon has also tilted Fox's coverage of other issues further to the right.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Four years ago, Sammon played a key role in crafting questions for a Republican presidential primary debate. Do Democratic candidates want to invite Sammon to craft questions for them now?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With Fox on the ropes with advertisers, Democratic candidates should consider if they want to throw Fox News a lifeline this spring.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">New York man has been arrested and charged with threatening to assault and kill Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). This is the second person this year arrested who has been linked to threats on Omar. The New York man shared right-wing content on social media. As others have noted, there is a direct line between the anti-Islam remarks of Fox host Jeanine Pirro and these threats. All of this is happening while white nationalist terrorism is on the rise -- and the current administration is actively downplaying the threat.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">John Whitehouse</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Why are leading Democrats giving a lifeline to Fox News?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News is a propaganda machine feeding its audience bigotry, conspiracy theories, and disinformation. Last month, the New Yorker's Jane Meyer aptly summarized just how much Fox has merged with Trump's administration. This has contributed to growing pressure on Fox, which is now in a crisis trying to secure advertising commitments. So it's very curious to see leading Democrats trying to throw the network a lifeline.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has said she "would not mind" participating in a presidential debate on Fox; Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, IN, has criticized other Democrats for not appearing on the network; and other, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Govs. John Hickenlooper and Jay Inslee, and Reps. John Delaney and Tulsi Gabbard have sat for Fox interviews. This week, Fox announced that the network will host an April 15 town hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders. (The Fox hosts for this town hall are demonstrable propagandists who happen to work on the news side.) Fox anchor Bret Baiertweeted that town halls with other Democratic candidates are "in the works." The DNC put out a weak statement in response all but encouraging the candidates to partner with the network.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It may be that many simply do not understand the moment that Fox News is in. Fox has had so many advertisers distance themselves that it had to hold an emergency meeting weeks ago. And we're now in a critical stretch, with many of Fox's advertisements for the coming year being sold at the "upfronts" in May. So now is the worst possible time to go on Fox: the network will leverage Democrats appearing in order to try to get advertisers to come back. Fox News gets a massive win just by having any candidate come on: it legitimizes the network not just in the eyes of advertisers, but with many other news networks as well.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now, Democrats argue that they need to go on Fox to reach voters who might not otherwise hear their message. That's not a particularly persuasive argument. The candidate's time is the most valuable commodity in a campaign, and Fox's propaganda is extremely effective. The network drives increases in Republican voter share and pushes its viewers to the far-rightwith a flow of misinformation and hate. Polling shows that Republican Fox viewers are so firmly committed to Trump that it's a waste of time to try to change their minds. In an age where the media is so fragmented, campaigns can find better uses of their time.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Democratic presidential candidates are allowing themselves to be used by the president's propaganda network. Fox's current advertising woes create a key moment of accountability for the network -- a real chance to force change. That requires commitment, and teamwork, something that's admittedly hard in the middle of a presidential campaign. But instead, the Democratic candidates are giving the network cover.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And to go one step further, Democrats have been using a strategy to engage with Fox News for well over a decade. By now, it should be clear that the strategy has failed. Fox has only used that legitimacy to grow stronger. Now is the time to fight back against Fox, and to stop enabling it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity's show is what conspiracy theorists crave</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity, one of Trump's loudest supporters and an unofficial presidential adviser, has promoted conspiracy theories to provide cover for or amplify the president's agenda. On many occasions, Hannity's arguments have overlapped with QAnon conspiracy theory narratives.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The QAnon conspiracy theory centers around an anonymous account who pretends to be a government official with "Q" security clearance. The account posts cryptic messages on far right internet forum 8chan and followers of the conspiracy theory then decode the post and spin current events believed to be related to the post as evidence of either a plot against Trump or of victories against the "deep state." We've already seen individuals motivated by QAnon start to wreak havoc in the real world, like a man in Arizona who used an armored vehicle to blockade a bridge near the Hoover Dam. The Christchurch shooter also posted his manifesto to 8chan.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last week, the account posting as "Q" urged its followers to watch Hannity on two occasions. The endorsements certainly caught its followers' attention.Media Matters analyzed mentions related to Hannity on 8chan's "/qresearch/" board, and found a major spike after both endorsements.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Additionally, many Fox News figures have directly amplified the conspiracy theory. Fox White House correspondent Kevin Corke even tweeted an image of a coffee cup with "Q" written on it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: A new report revealed that Sean Hannity worked with Trump and top Republicans on health care policy.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lachlan Murdoch stands by Tucker Carlson's white nationalism</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson regularly echoes talking points from white nationalists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis, and leaders of these groups regularly praisehis rhetoric. Just this week, a former white nationalist who is the son of the founder of Stormfront said that his family watches Tucker Carlson "because they feel that he is making the white nationalist talking points better than they have."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But now it's clear that at Fox News, Carlson's white nationalism is looked upon fondly. When Carlson was under intense public pressure and began losing advertisers after saying that immigrants make America "dirtier," Carlson received personal support from the CEO of Fox's parent company, Lachlan Murdoch.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The New York Times Magazine reported that Lachlan Murdoch reassured Carlson of his support in a text message to Carlson. In a public appearance in November of 2018, Murdoch explained that viewers should empathize with the Fox hosts that push racism, saying "I'm not embarrassed by what they do at all. ... I frankly feel in this country, we all have to be more tolerant of each other's views."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NYT report on the Murdochs is worth reading in full. It is crystal clear now, if there was ever any doubt, that the Murdochs are happy to encourage and profit from the rise of nationalism globally. In America, that means deliberately stoking nativism and, at least, tolerating racism from within the company and even encouraging it in our politics.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News ratchets up the nativism and racism</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox's rhetoric on immigration and President Trump's demand for a border wall has regularly included racism, nativism, and other anti-immigrant commentary. Trump frequently takes the advice of Fox personalities over his own advisers, and his tendency to defer to Fox News makes the network's anti-immigration rhetoric particularly problematic. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox has given airtime to toxic narratives that include the demonization of immigrants, descriptions of people seeking asylum as an "invasion," support for the myth that Democrats want to increase undocumented immigration as a way to secure illegal votes, and concerns that immigrants are "replacing" America's white population -- a common and dangerous white supremacist talking point.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And yet in recent days Fox's rhetoric has gotten even worse. Here's what Fox figures and guests have been saying about the border and immigration lately:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Prime-time Fox host Tucker Carlson told Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen that "one party has a vested interest in changing the population." (4/2/19)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Business host Lou Dobbs said immigration could "consign tens of thousands, perhaps millions of Americans to their deaths." (3/29/19)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Prime-time Fox host Laura Ingraham said undocumented immigration amounts to an "invasion of the country." (3/28/19)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On her podcast, Ingraham said immigration is pushing "Western civilization" toward "tipping over a cliff." (3/28/19)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fox & Friends, guest Betsy McCaughey said Trump should end "this asylum scam" because many migrants crossing the border are "fake asylum seekers." (3/18/19)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt asserted that undocumented immigrants are "using these kids" to enter the United States. (3/7/19)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At her March 19 presidential campaign event in Davenport, IA, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) fielded a series of questions from potential voters on a wide range of topics. However, it was a very specific part of her answer to a broadly worded question about immigration that made news.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That night, the Republican National Committee’s “GOP War Room” YouTube channel posted a link to an 18-second clip in which Gillibrand says, “We need comprehensive immigration reform. If you are in this country now, you must have the right to pay into Social Security, to pay your taxes, to pay into the local school system, and to have a pathway to citizenship.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gillibrand was pretty clearly saying that she supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, noting that these are people who in many cases already make contributions into Social Security and local school districts via taxes. The YouTube clip was deceptively titled “Sen. Gillibrand: Expand Social Security To All Illegal Immigrants,” a distortion of what she said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The clip was posted to YouTube at 9:33 p.m. EDT. Less than 90 minutes later, Fox News’ Laura Ingraham played the clip for her audience, adopting the RNC’s misleading interpretation.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“A 2020 Dem wants to give illegals, you kidding me, another benefit?” said Ingraham before throwing to a commercial. Upon returning, she played the clip and added, “Anything else, Kirsten? Well, there you have it. She wants to expand Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That, of course, is untrue and gives the impression that Gillibrand wants to start cutting checks to undocumented immigrants. In reality, what she’s proposing would result in more money being paid in to Social Security, with more people who are currently undocumented being able to do things aboveboard.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On March 20, Hannity covered the story, inviting Trump supporters Mike Huckabee and Larry Elder on to thrash the nonexistent radical policy proposal. Huckabee took things even further when he said that this would be the equivalent of giving undocumented immigrants “grandma’s Social Security,” telling the audience that this policy would result in people currently on Social Security losing out on benefits because “we’re going to be giving it to people who broke into this country illegally.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SEAN HANNITY (HOST): Doesn't a sanctuary state or city, governor, aren't they aiding and abetting criminal activity? Isn't this a case of rewarding illegal activity? And if we only pay attention to the laws we want, can we have a system of laws?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MIKE HUCKABEE (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): Sean, you are so outdated. You are going to have to get in the groove, man. Don't you know that if a person comes here illegally, not only should -- well, listen, Sean, let's not only give them grandma's Social Security, let's toss in a car and maybe rent for, you know, a nice home.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I'm just amazed that people are applauding this kind of stuff. And I hope Kirsten Gillibrand has to go out and talk to people in their 70s who can barely afford food and tell them that they're going to get not their Social Security raised because we're going to be giving it to people who broke into this country illegally. I can't wait to see whether she gets applause in a roomful of retirees, living off of Social Security, when she makes that ridiculous proposal.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Up to this point, Fox News had covered the story only on what it bills as its “opinion” shows. That changed when Fox News @ Night picked it up.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News @ Night is described as “a live hour of hard news and analysis of the most compelling stories from Washington and across the country.” In a 2017 interview with TVNewser, host Shannon Bream, who is scheduled to headline a conservative group’s fundraiser next month, was clear: “I’m in the news division, so it will be all straight news, not opinion.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the March 20 show, Bream delivered the story while a series of chyrons appeared on the screen below her, each hyping the RNC-crafted distortion and with one even including a fabricated quote about Social Security being a right (Gillibrand said people should have the right to pay into Social Security, not that Social Security benefits were a right). The segment was barely distinguishable from the network’s “opinion” side commentary. [</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[pix of banners with distor headlines]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The following morning, the story appeared on “news” and “opinion” programs, doing away with the illusion that there’s a line between the two. This could be a big problem for Fox.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends and America’s Newsroom both covered the story during their March 21 broadcasts (and Fox & Friends did again on March 22), both repeating the spin put on it by the RNC.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In an effort to keep advertisers from walking out the door over the white nationalist rhetoric of the likes of Ingraham and Tucker Carlson, the anti-Muslim commentary of Jeanine Pirro, or the conspiracy-mongering of Sean Hannity, Fox has been trying to emphasize the work of its news division. But there’s only so much Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace can do for the channel’s credibility, as others who the network has put forward as able to handle tasks such as debate moderation -- namely Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum -- are either dangerously sloppy or overtly partisan. While the network’s No. 1 fan, who happens to be the president of the United States, would almost certainly love it if Fox were to run even more opinion programming, the news side serves a purpose as a smokescreen.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The truth is that there’s no real distinction between what counts as news and opinion at Fox. The two sides feed into each other, and in this case, both were fed by the RNC. Fox News is a propaganda network, and it’s starting to reflect poorly on the skittish advertisers that remain.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Over the years, Fox News anchor Shep Smith has been has been one of few figures at the network to criticize Donald Trump and debunk right-wing lies. And oftentimes, his criticism prompted positive coverage of him and his employer. This sequence is Fox's public relations strategy. As Media Matters'Matt Gertz explained, "Smith doesn't have his job despite his deviations from the Fox lines — he is supremely valuable to the network because of them."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Fox's ability to maintain viewership relies on stoking the fears of its audience, its public relations strategy relies on the network's ability to demonstrate some level objective reporting. Consequently, as advertisers become increasingly cautious about advertising on Fox because of its fearmongering, network executives rely ever more on "news" team anchors like Smith to maintain credibility.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So, on Sunday, March 17th, when Donald Trump tweeted that Shep Smith is Fox's "lowest rated anchor" and "should be working" at CNN, Fox's public relations strategy took full effect. The president's criticism spurred significantcoverage and praise of Smith, and provided network executives with the semblance of credibility it needed.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Shep Smith cannot undo the damage that others at Fox News do on a daily basis. At Fox News, Smith is nothing more than the Washington Generals, destined to lose again and again to the propagandists at the network. As The Washington Post's, Erik Wemple explained, "Nothing that Smith says during his Fox news program — no matter how sick his burns on Trump might be — neutralizes the impact of Dobbs or Sean Hannity or Tucker Carlson or dozens of other Fox talking heads. Nothing. Episodic truth-telling about Trump doesn't excuse fulsome conspiracy-theorizing about Trump."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith's value to Fox News is singular: He provides an illusion of credibility that the network uses to lure advertisers back to the network.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: Fox "news side" anchor Shannon Bream was scheduled to keynote a fundraiser for a Koch linked group alongside the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. After Media Matters reported on her appearance, Bream suddenly "had to cancel." She was replaced by a Wall Street Journal columnist.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Finally: The Republican National Committee, Fox News opinion, and Fox News "news side" teamed up to push a distortion of a Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) quote about immigrants and Social Security. As Parker Molloy details, this is the perfect distillation of how all three elements work as cogs in the right-wing propaganda machine.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">new Navigator Research poll reports that "the Fox News echo-chamber" has created "an alternative reality in American politics," with Republicans who watch Fox News a few times a month or more showing significantly more radical views than those who don't watch the network.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">79% of GOP Fox viewers say that "people within the FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies are trying to sabotage President Trump." That's compared to 49% of Republicans who don't watch Fox, 24% of non-Republicans who watch Fox, and 8% of non-Republicans who don't watch Fox.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That's an astonishing divide between Republicans who watch Fox and the rest of the public on the question of whether or not Trump is the victim of a massive "deep state" conspiracy to remove him from office.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox has been feeding this conspiracy to its audience for years. Sean Hannity has led the charge, but many of his colleagues have adopted the same rhetoric.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the Mueller investigation moves toward its conclusion, the overwhelming support among Fox viewers for the idea that the president is being sabotaged by the FBI and intelligence agencies is seriously concerning. The Fox-GOP infrastructure is already priming the pump for another investigation into the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton's email server.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/03/14/advertisers-ditch-carlsons-pirros-fox-news-shows-as-protesters-urge-companies-to-join-them/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...[vid montage anti-mus by pirro]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Beginning Sunday, Media Matters for America, a watchdog group that monitors conservative media outlets, released several audio clips of Carlson’s appearances on the “Bubba the Love Sponge Show,” a Tampa, Florida-based radio show, from 2006 to 2011.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In one set of recordings, Carlson made controversial statements about child rape and comments that some have called misogynistic.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“If you’re talking to a feminist and she’s giving you, ‘Well, you know men really need to be more sensitive,’ no actually, men don’t need to be more sensitive. You just need to be quiet and do what you’re told,” he is heard saying in one recording.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In another segment, Carlson is heard calling Iraq a “crappy place filled with a bunch of, you know, semiliterate primitive monkeys” and jokingly using a homophobic slur.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After the recordings were published, some companies decided to pull their advertisements from Carlson’s show.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Debby Jennings, a spokeswoman for SHEEX, a bedding company, told The Post on Tuesday that “due to the inappropriate statements of Tucker Carlson that have recently come to light, SHEEX has made the decision to cease advertising on his television program, ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca tweeted Monday that it had ceased advertising on Carlson’s show and would not resume in the future.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a statement to The Washington Post this week, Carlson was defiant. “Media Matters caught me saying something naughty on a radio show more than a decade ago,” he said. “Rather than express the usual ritual contrition, how about this: I’m on television every weeknight live for an hour. If you want to know what I think, you can watch. Anyone who disagrees with my views is welcome to come on and explain why.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News Channel spokeswoman Carly Shanahan responded to a request for comment by resending a December statement on boycott efforts against Carlson’s show.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We cannot and will not allow voices like Tucker Carlson to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts from the likes of Moveon.org, Media Matters and Sleeping Giants,” the December statement said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pirro also faced wide condemnation – including a rebuke from Fox News Channel – for suggesting on her Saturday show that Omar, who has criticized pro-Israel lobbyists, did not support the Constitution because she was Muslim and wore a hijab.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Omar wears a hijab, which, according to the Koran 33:59, tells women to cover so they won’t get molested,” Pirro said Saturday. “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Novo Nordisk, another pharmaceutical company, told The Post it was “reevaluating” its ads on Pirro’s show. Spokesman Ken Inchausti confirmed that Novo Nordisk will continue to advertise elsewhere on Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We absolutely condemn Ms. Pirro’s comments, which are offensive and completely contrary to our values,” a spokesperson for Letgo, a website for buying and selling used goods, told the Hollywood Reporter. “We are in the process of ensuring our ads will no longer run during her show.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NerdWallet also told the Hollywood Reporter that “we’re no longer advertising on this show and don’t have plans to in the future.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ThinkProgress reported that Botox manufacturer Allergan and GreatCall, a health technology company, would not advertise their products on Pirro’s show going forward.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Representatives for Letgo, Allergan, GreatCall and NerdWallet did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pirro later denied saying Omar was “un-American.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I’ve seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday night’s show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American,” she said. “My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News Channel’s hosts have previously faced companies pulling advertisements from their shows over controversial comments.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related Articles</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson says he’s the victim of a powerful bully. Meet the 24-year-old who found the tapes.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News condemns Pirro’s comments on Rep. Omar</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson made sexually explicit jokes about Miss Teen USA contestant</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even some at Fox News are outraged that Hannity, Pirro stumped for Trump</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video shows Tucker Carlson cursing during a bar scuffle</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Whoopi Goldberg-Jeanine Pirro on-camera ‘View’ argument spills over to backstage</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox host Pirro clocked doing 119 in a 65</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Companies withdrew their ads from Laura Ingraham’s show last year after she mocked one of the young Parkland gun control advocates for being rejected from colleges. In December, more than a dozen companies pulled ads from “Tucker Carlson Tonight” after Carlson implied immigration “makes our own country poorer and dirtier and more divided.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But as The Post’s media reporter Paul Farhi noted in December after Carlson’s immigration comments, these advertiser decisions don’t tend to affect the company’s bottom line and the commercials can be aired at other times.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, that did not stop activists from trying the tactic again on Wednesday.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A small crowd of about 150 turned out on Wednesday morning at Fox headquarters in Midtown Manhattan to pressure the network’s advertisers. The gathering, which was organized by Media Matters, was designed to coincide with the network’s first-ever upfront presentation, which featured over 100 advertisers. The network was “extremely proud to open our doors,” Fox News Channel’s Marianne Gambelli said in a statement.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some members of the crowd carried signs with slogans like “Fox News is Bad for Business,” before dispersing at about noon.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There are many reasons that Fox News’ false dichotomy between the network’s so-called “news” and “opinion” divisions is laughable, but there is perhaps no clearer indication than the sheer amount of anti-abortion misinformation spread by both "opinion" and “straight news” personalities alike.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After the Democratic National Committee announced that Fox News would not be hosting any of this year’s Democratic presidential primary debates, backlash from Fox’s senior leadership was swift, with officials imploring the DNC to “reconsider its decision” on account of the “ultimate journalistic integrity and professionalism” reportedly shown by some of the network’s hosts. As Variety previously reported, the network had already rolled out a messaging campaign to reassure wary advertisers about the outlet’s legitimacy, extolling the virtues of the network’s news hosts. This messaging campaign is merely a repackaging of the same inaccurate story Fox has been telling for years: Viewers and critics shouldn’t hold the blatant xenophobia, sexism, racism, and lies of the opinion side against the allegedly objective news team. But this recycled talking point further falls apart when it comes to anti-abortion misinformation spread by the network’s hosts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In January, abortion rights measures in New York and Virginia sent Fox News and broader conservative media into a frenzy. Although both measures were attempts to protect abortion access should the Supreme Court overturn or weaken Roe v. Wade, Fox News hosts across the network’s news and opinion programs seized on the opportunity to spread sensationalized misinformation and attack Democrats for allegedly supporting “infanticide” or so-called abortions “up until birth.” Despite these inaccurate characterizations, Fox News devoted over six and half hours of coverage before the 2019 State of the Union address to falsely claiming that these state measures allowed “infanticide” -- a talking point that ultimately appeared in President Donald Trump’s remarks. In fact, Trump and Republican lawmakers are reportedly banking on using anti-abortion extremism to rally voters for the 2020 elections -- a strategy that was on full display during the most recent Conservative Political Action Conference.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s no secret that Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity -- each a part of Fox’s volatile and increasingly bad-for-business prime-time lineup -- are all frequent anti-abortion misinformers. Although Fox has attempted to distinguish the work of Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, Shannon Bream, and Chris Wallace from their colleagues, these "news"-side hosts have all pushed their share of lies, distortions, and misinformation about abortion and reproductive rights.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bret Baier</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although Fox clearly has a profit motive in portraying Baier as a straight news host, there is little to distinguish him from his colleagues on the opinion side when it comes to his abortion-related reporting. In Media Matters’ annual study of abortion-related coverage on evening prime-time cable news programs, Baier and his program Special Report have consistently been dominated by anti-choice talking points and inaccurate statements about abortion and reproductive rights.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Notably, Baier hosted a 2016 town hall with Democratic presidential candidates and used the platform to recycle misleading right-wing anti-abortion talking points. On his program, in the same year, Baier inaccurately described a common abortion procedure as “dismemberment abortion” and misled viewers that a Supreme Court case involving access to contraceptives was actually about abortion rights. Baier previously invoked a longstanding right-wing media talking point comparing legally operating abortion providers to convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell. In 2009, Baier even went so far as to falsely assert that the Obama administration would allow doctors to be jailed for refusing to perform abortions. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Martha MacCallum</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Beyond frequently hosting anti-choice guests such as Live Action founder Lila Rose and Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins, MacCallum seemingly makes little secret of her personal views on abortion and will often use sensationalized rhetoric when discussing the topic.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even before MacCallum became a staple of Fox’s evening lineup, she was already a serial anti-abortion misinformer. In 2015, MacCallum attacked Planned Parenthood for allegedly using taxpayer money to support abortion care (the organization does not, as the Hyde Amendment bars the use of federal funds for abortion services). Like Baier, MacCallum also used a 2016 presidential primary forum as an opportunity to spread anti-abortion misinformation sourced from the anti-choice group Center for Medical Progress’ (CMP) deceptive videos attacking Planned Parenthood. Since MacCallum began hosting her own program, she has consistently promoted anti-abortion talking points about later abortion and Planned Parenthood. In 2017, MacCallum pushed several myths about the existence of so-called “sex-selective” abortion practices, even demanding a guest on her program explain whether it was acceptable “for someone to decide because they don’t like the sex of their baby to abort it at eight months.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Shannon Bream</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Whether appearing as a correspondent on Special Report or hosting her own program, Fox News @ Night, Bream has been a frequent source of anti-abortion misinformation on Fox. Despite representing the network’s so-called “straight news” contingent, Bream’s promotion to host her own program was celebrated by anti-abortion leaders.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bream was a frequent promoter of CMP’s deceptive videos, even hosting the Fox News “special” promoting the group’s claims in 2015. In 2016, Bream touted “exclusively obtained” copies of letters from a House investigation based on CMP’s allegations -- letters received a full day before they were publicly released or shared with Democratic members of the investigative panel, in direct violation of congressional rules. Since then, Bream has repeatedly signal-boosted anti-abortion talking points and myths by spreading misinformation about abortion safety, letting guests make inaccurate allegations about Planned Parenthood without pushback, and citing polls commissioned by anti-abortion groups without necessary context to suggest a lack of public support for abortion. If there’s a talking point circulating around anti-abortion media and personalities online, it’s more likely than not that it will eventually surface on Bream’s program.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chris Wallace</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although Chris Wallace does not discuss abortion as frequently as some of his Fox colleagues, his invocation of so-called “partial-birth” abortion during the final debate of the 2016 presidential election is more than enough to disqualify the anchor from consideration as a fair and balanced voice on abortion-related issues. Wallace’s inaccurate and sensationalized question was then picked up by other right-wing media outlets and has since re-emerged in Trump’s current talking points about abortion. Wallace has also shown a propensity for repeating right-wing smears against Planned Parenthood, citing anti-choice videos attacking the organization well before CMP’s campaign of deception began.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It doesn’t matter whether viewers watch so-called "news" or "opinion" programming: Both are likely to contain sensationalism, outright lies, and harmful characterizations about abortion patients, providers, and procedures -- seemingly no matter the potential consequences.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox downplays report that Trump ordered officials to give son-in-law Kushner a security clearance</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/03/18/Dont-believe-right-wing-media-when-they-say-the-Green-New-Deal-would-cost-93-trillion/223140</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx twt</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Don’t believe right-wing media when they say the Green New Deal would cost $93 trillion</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Politico calls the analysis "bogus," and even its lead author won't defend it</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog ››› March 18, 2019 9:44 AM EDT ››› EVLONDO COOPER</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Melissa Joskow / Media Matters</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media outlets have repeatedly asserted that the Green New Deal would come with the absurd price tag of "$93 trillion" or "$94 trillion," uncritically repeating claims from a back-of-the-envelope, deeply flawed analysis produced by the American Action Forum, a conservative think tank. Politico recently determined that the $93 trillion figure was "bogus," and quoted the lead author of the AAF analysis, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, admitting that he had no idea how much it would cost to implement the Green New Deal.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">American Action Forum has ties to the fossil fuel industry</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The American Action Forum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and its 501(c)(4) “sister organization,” the American Action Network (AAN), have been funded by a who’s who of the polluter syndicate.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AAN has received at least $250,000 from the American Petroleum Institute, a trade association for the oil industry that has donated to groups in the Koch network. And AAN has received at least $35,000 from the American Natural Gas Alliance, a pro-fracking gas industry trade group. Dow Chemical has given at least $250,000. AAN has also been funded by other Koch-connected groups such as Americans for Job Security, Donors Trust, and the Wellspring Committee. It's gotten money from Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS too. AAN has in turn donated millions to AAF.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Though some information about its funding has been made public, AAN has generally refused to disclose its donors. In 2014, MSNBC called AAN a "dark money power player," noting that it had been running numerous attack ads against Democratic candidates. FactCheck.org noted that same year that AAN has spent tens of millions of dollars supporting Republican candidates. In 2018, a watchdog group filed suit against AAN for violating campaign finance laws and abusing its nonprofit status.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AAF's Green New Deal cost analysis is problematic from top to bottom</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Considering the think tank’s connections to the fossil fuel industry, it’s not surprising that the American Action Forum’s report found the Green New Deal untenable. What is surprising is how flippant Holtz-Eakin, president of AAF and former head of the Congressional Budget Office, was about the rigor of the analysis he co-authored. When challenged about the accuracy of the report’s claim that the Green New Deal would cost some $93 trillion over 10 years, Holtz-Eakin told Politico, “Is it billions or trillions? Any precision past that is illusory.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Green New Deal resolution introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) on February 7 is just a broad, 14-page outline of goals with no policy specifics, so determining a price tag was a fanciful exercise. AAF's claims of a $92.9 trillion total cost, or $653,000 per household, have no basis in reality. As Politico reporter Zack Colman put it:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When they set out to put a price tag on the Green New Deal last month, Holtz-Eakin and his associates had no real policy or plan to evaluate, so they made one up to perform back-of-the-envelope calculations.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">…</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And the AAF study does not distinguish between government and private-sector spending, nor does it attempt to quantify the benefits of reducing pollution or other policies. For example, Stanford University civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson estimated that eliminating the electricity sector’s carbon emissions would avoid $265 billion in annual U.S. damages beginning in 2050.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Colman also pointed out that more than $80 trillion of the alleged $93 trillion total cost would come from implementing a jobs guarantee and universal health care -- policy ideas that have no direct relation to greening the economy, even though they are in the Green New Deal resolution.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Politico declared that the $93 trillion figure is "bogus" -- or, in an earlier version of the article published behind a firewall, "essentially vapor."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The fact-checking project PolitiFact also found the $93 trillion figure to be untrustworthy, calling it "only about as strong as a clothespin in high wind." It noted that "the [AAF] report itself is full of assumptions, qualifiers and caveats," and when a fact-checker reached out to Holtz-Eakin, the AAF president "made it clear to us that the report aims to provide very rough estimates on a plan that’s only partially developed." PolitiFact rated as "false" this claim from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA): "At $93 trillion, the Green New Deal would cost more than the entire recorded spending of the U.S. since the Constitution went into effect in 1789."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other journalists have also pointed out major problems with the AAF analysis. Paul Blest at Splinter noted that AAF used cost estimates for a universal jobs program ("$6.8 trillion to $44.6 trillion") and universal health care ("$36 trillion") that are vastly higher than estimates produced by other think tanks. AAF also failed to account for how much money programs like universal health care could save. According to Blest:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[AAF's] ballpark estimate on a federal jobs guarantee has a range of $38 trillion. The centrist Brookings Institution’s estimate last year, by the way, put the high end on a job guarantee at $543 billion a year, or $5.4 trillion over 10 years.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Medicare for All, too, the AAF’s number is substantially higher than previous estimates. The libertarian Mercatus Center’s estimate set out to prove last year that Medicare for All would bankrupt the country, and inadvertently found that Medicare for All would eventually save about $2 trillion in national health expenditures. Even Mercatus, however, put the cost of Medicare for All at $32.6 trillion over 10 years.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The ClimateDenierRoundup column at Daily Kos pointed out another problem with AAF's jobs-program estimates:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The jobs price tag is wrong because it’s double counting: many of those jobs would be created by the other parts of the GND. Improving energy efficiency and building a clean energy economy will create a lot of jobs, which are counted in the GND’s green policy price tag tally. But then AAF simply counts those jobs again in the jobs guarantee portion, as though none of those promised jobs would be used to put the green in the Green New Deal.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Green New Deal sponsor Markey called out major flaws in the report too, starting with the basic premise: "Putting a price on a resolution of principles, not policies, is just Big Oil misinformation." Markey pointed out that AAF calculated the cost of "policies that aren't even in the resolution," such as eliminating air travel:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ed Markey</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@SenMarkey</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> The AAF analysis of the #GreenNewDeal spends some time doing basic multiplication on the impact of making all air travel unnecessary, a concept mentioned nowhere in the resolution text.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ed Markey</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@SenMarkey</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Any so-called "analysis" of the #GreenNewDeal that includes artificially inflated numbers that rely on lazy assumptions, incl. about policies that aren’t even in the resolution is bogus. Putting a price on a resolution of principles, not policies, is just Big Oil misinformation.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Markey also noted that AAF did not provide any support for its cost estimate for a low-carbon electricity grid.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ed Markey</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@SenMarkey</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Another example, the $5.4 trillion it estimates to transition our electric grid comes seemingly from thin air, as NO SOURCES are documented for their generation cost assumptions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ed Markey</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@SenMarkey</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The AAF analysis of the #GreenNewDeal spends some time doing basic multiplication on the impact of making all air travel unnecessary, a concept mentioned nowhere in the resolution text. https://twitter.com/SenMarkey/status/1100099740316942336 …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As The New York Times recently put it, "For now it’s impossible to pin down dollar figures on the plan." FactCheck.org agreed, writing that "the experts we spoke to said it’s not possible to put a specific price tag on the Green New Deal."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Perhaps most egregiously, AAF’s analysis of the Green New Deal completely ignored the enormous cost of not fighting climate change. Just last year, climate disasters and extreme weather events cost the U.S. an estimated $91 billion. According to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a 1.5 C rise in the global average temperature would cost $54 trillion. Things only get more expensive (and catastrophic) from there. According to Axios:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">You think $54 trillion is a lot? That number comes from research that also says that a 2.0°C increase will cause $69 trillion of damage, and a 3.7°C increase will cause a stunning $551 trillion in damage.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">$551 trillion is more than all the wealth currently existing in the world, which gives an indication of just how much richer humanity could become if we don't first destroy our planet.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Current policies in place around the world have us on track for about 3.3 C of warming by 2100 if we don't dramatically change course.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AAF's analysis also ignored the significant economic benefits that would come from taking addressing climate change. "Bold climate action could deliver at least US$26 trillion in economic benefits through to 2030, compared with business-as-usual," according to a recent report from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News and other right-wing outlets have been hyping the $93 trillion figure</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media have been heavily citing the AAF report since its release on February 25 -- and they have often used the $93 trillion figure without noting that it's at the top end of a range AAF provided. Fox News has been particularly eager to amplify the huge estimate. Hosts and guests have cited price tags between $91 trillion and $94 trillion on Fox News shows including Fox & Friends, The Greg Gutfeld Show, and Watters’ World, and on Fox Business Network shows including Varney & Co., Trish Regan Primetime, Making Money with Charles Payne, and Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. Sean Hannity has cited the AAF report at least three times on his Fox News show. He typified Fox's incurious reporting on AAF’s analysis during the March 5 episode of Hannity:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SEAN HANNITY (HOST): They are going to eliminate fossil fuels, gas, and oil. They're going to destroy the lifeblood of our economy. They're going to get rid of planes, mandate you rebuild your home. Who's paying for that? The estimates now are as high as $94 trillion in 10 years --that's their proposal.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many other right-wing media outlets have also uncritically amplified AAF's enormous estimate, including The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire, and the Washington Free Beacon. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some Republican politicians such as Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso have also latched onto the $93 trillion estimate and publicized it through mainstream and right-wing media. Barrasso issued a press release with the figure, wrote an opinion piece about it for USA Today, and made an appearance on Fox News to promote it. During Barrasso’s interview on Fox's America's Newsroom, co-host Sandra Smith falsely claimed that “the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office” was behind the $93 trillion figure and Barrasso failed to correct her error. (Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt also falsely credited the report to the CBO.) From the February 28 episode of America’s Newsroom:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SANDRA SMITH (HOST): The Green New Deal, all the rage on the left. But a new study finds that it comes with a staggering price tag: the plan estimated to cost is as much as $93 trillion. That breaks down to $600,000 per household. Those are some big numbers. Joining us now, Sen. John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming who chairs the Committee on the Environment and Public Works. Been hearing you talk a lot about this, sir, and this price tag. It is a lofty one. This is the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that did a study on this and came up with those numbers: $93 trillion, $600,000 per household. What do you think?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Well, this Green New Deal is a big green bomb that will blow a hole in our strong economy. It will destroy the energy independence we now have from foreign countries. It will destroy what we’ve been doing to actually lower emissions. The cost to families -- electricity alone would go up by about $3,600 per family, per year. This is something, Sandra, that we cannot as a nation afford. The economy can't afford it. Our nation can’t survive it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some Fox News personalities and Republican politicians, including President Donald Trump, have cited an even larger unsubstantiated figure for Green New Deal costs: $100 trillion. As Dave Anderson recently reported for the Energy and Policy Institute, that number originated from a flippant Twitter thread by a Manhattan Institute senior fellow. The Manhattan Institute has been funded by ExxonMobil, and the chair of its board is also the CEO of a hedge fund that is the top shareholder in Peabody Energy, a major coal company. The $100 trillion figure was mentioned by Fox host Charles Payne during an interview with EPA chief Andrew Wheeler on March 4 on Your World with Neil Cavuto, and it was also cited on other Fox programs and right-wing sites like Townhall.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing echo chamber amplifies misinformation by design</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The spread of the $93 trillion figure is a textbook example of how the right-wing media sphere disseminates misinformation to stymie climate action (and the spread of the $100 trillion figure too, for that matter). Conservative media outlets have been freaking out about the Green New Deal since even before the resolution was unveiled. AAF rushed out a quickie estimate of its potential costs that even its lead author won't robustly defend. Surely the think tank knew that its ready-made, sky-high number would be quickly picked up and regurgitated by conservative commentators, writers, and politicians -- and it was. It is not likely to matter that AAF's report has been called out as “bogus” and poked full of holes. You can expect right-wing media to keep on promoting it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Short Link</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://mm4a.org/4Br</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Posted In</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Environment & Science, Climate Change</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Network/Outlet</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News, Fox Business</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Person</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald Trump, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Ed Markey, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sean Hannity, John Barrasso, Sandra Smith</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Show/Publication</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hannity, Politico, Daily Kos, Splinter, FOX & Friends, The Five, Your World with Neil Cavuto, Greg Gutfeld Show, Watters' World, Varney & Co., Trish Regan Primetime, Making Money with Charles Payne, Sunday Morning Futures, The Daily Caller, The Daily Signal, The Washington Free Beacon, Townhall</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Stories/Interests</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Climate Change</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2018/10/29/these-are-fox-news-leading-advertisers/221904</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News in its current incarnation is operationally a propaganda network for Donald Trump, using any amounts of racism, sexism, and bigotry necessary to push his message, whatever the cost. Media Matters has repeatedly documented the network's increasing and dangerous promotion of extremism, its embrace of white nationalism, and more. Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Jeanine Pirro, Tucker Carlson, Lou Dobbs, and Fox & Friends are the tip of the spear, but the entire network is culpable.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following recent right-wing terrorist events with documented connections to Fox News, the media is starting to catch on. A number of leading commentators called for a boycott of all Fox News advertisers following these terrorist events. “The most effective thing Americans can do is boycott companies that advertise on Fox,” said Edward Luce, the U.S. national editor of the Financial Times. Right-wing columnist Max Boot called for companies to "boycott Fox News until they pull back from the hate."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters President Angelo Carusone made a prescient warning when he wrote recently that the biggest cause of Fox News’ reported advertiser problem was the channel’s own talent. Today, he urged media buyers and advertisers to strongly reconsider financially supporting what is going on at Fox News until there are some meaningful changes there:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This latest controversy over Lou Dobbs’ Fox program promoting an anti-semitic lie is nothing new. Racism, anti-semitism, and dangerous conspiracy theories aren’t unusual for Fox News; they’re the network at its core. But lately the programming is only getting more extreme and volatile, and this explains why the time in between major controversies at the network just keeps getting shorter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News’ never-ending focus on demonizing political opponents and front-line communities - echoing Trump and framing the struggle against these groups as an urgent matter of life or death - makes the network an increasingly bad business decision for advertisers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Given all this, it's not surprising to see more and more brands and media buyers avoid portions of or all of Fox News. But for those brands that still haven't gotten that message: The latest acts of right-wing violence fomented by the bigotry and lies on Fox News and outlets like it are a reminder of what their advertising dollars are supporting.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We urge Fox News advertisers to talk to their media buyers, listen to their customers, and consider suspending their relationship with Fox News until the network makes meaningful changes to curb its propagandistic narratives that intentionally spread disinformation and incentivize violence.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Below is a list that represents the majority of Fox News’ top advertisers as well some major brands that recently increased advertising on Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Liberty Mutual</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Capital One</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Geico</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sandals Hotel/Resort</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nutrisystem</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Novo Nordisk</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Progressive</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NewDay USA</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sheex</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Qunol</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Allstate</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Autograph Collection Hotel/Resort</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Publishers Clearing House</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sleep Number</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ensure</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carvana Local Dealer</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Homeadvisor</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lear Capital</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SharkNinja</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Celgene</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jewelry Exchange Store</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">USAA</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Aleve</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hulu</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Omaha Steaks</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">HomeToGo.com</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Esurance</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lincoln</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">23andMe</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ancestry.com</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">IHOP</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Land Rover</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smile Direct Club</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Proctor & Gamble</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bayer</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This list was originally posted October 29, 2018. It was last updated on February 4, 2019.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fox News issues weak condemnation of Jeanine Pirro’s Islamophobic comments attacking Congresswoman Omar — but won’t fire her</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News won't run an anti-Nazi ad, but will compare Planned Parenthood to Hitler</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Laura Ingraham</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On February 13, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Fox News executives had “rejected a national advertising buy” promoting A Night at the Garden, an Oscar-nominated documentary short recounting a 1939 Nazi rally in New York City. The ad was reportedly intended to warn Sean Hannity's viewers about the potential dangers of Trump's brand of populism. A Fox News executive subsequently explained that “regardless of the film’s message,” the ad was rejected for being “full of disgraceful Nazi imagery” which “did not meet our guidelines.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, Fox News has no problems using Nazi imagery itself. Just this week, Fox host Laura Ingraham likened Planned Parenthood to Adolf Hitler. Network personalities have made similar Nazi comparisons about the Black Lives Matter movement, gun violence activists, and progressives in general.Fox & Friends was also very sympathetic to the Nazis who marched in Charlottesville in 2017.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is why Fox News is in a crisis. Advertisers are increasingly aware of the extreme rhetoric that the network regularly uses; dozens of advertisers have fled Ingraham's show in the past year alone. Activists are forcing companies to realize the obvious: This style of extremism is simply bad for business.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: Parker Molloy broke down the rhetorical misdirection that Tucker Carlson uses to obscure his white nationalism.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/03/here-are-5-of-the-craziest-revelations-from-the-new-yorkers-expose-of-fox-news-influence-on-trump/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Monday, The New Yorker published Jane Mayer’s stunning exposé into how Fox News, always a right-wing network, has morphed into an overt propaganda instrument of President Donald Trump’s White House, and how the symbiotic relationship between the president and Fox’s billionaire international news mogul owner Rupert Murdoch has effectively created something that has never before existed in American politics.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To some degree, the article covers ground that has long been known or suspected — the way that Trump’s policy decisions on everything from the federal government shutdown to the transgender military ban are informed by his daily binge-watching of Fox talk shows; how former Fox executive Bill Shine has blurred the Fox and White House payrolls since being hired as Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff; and how Fox itself has discarded the few journalistic guardrails it had during President Barack Obama’s years, with hosts like Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs now free to openly join political rallies and offer advice to the president.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But there are some new, mind-blowing revelations in Mayer’s article. Here are five of the most significant:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump ranks reporters on a scale of 1 to 10 for their “loyalty” to him — and Steve Doocy is a 12.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump is well known for assigning numbers to women based on how attractive he thinks they are. But according to Mayer’s reporting, he does the same thing for reporters based on how loyal he thinks they are to him. “Bret Baier, Fox News’ chief political anchor, is a 6; Hannity a solid 10. Steve Doocy, the co-host of ‘Fox & Friends,’ is so adoring that Trump gives him a 12.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Needless to say, this is a dangerous development. Trump has a track record of rewarding and punishing reporters based on his whims. During the presidential transition, he reserved a seat at a press conference for a Breitbart reporter. And last year, Trump suspended the press pass of CNN’s Jim Acosta after he challenged the president’s claims on special counsel Robert Mueller and the Honduran migrant caravan. He later relented after one of his own judicial appointees ordered him to restore Acosta’s credentials.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jared Kushner is effectively Rupert Murdoch’s direct pipeline to the White House.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Despite having essentially no qualifications for any of it, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has worn numerous hats in the administration, from meeting with foreign heads of state to working on the Middle East peace plan to fixing the opioid epidemic — and Trump trusts him enough to have overridden intelligence officials to give him a top-secret security clearance.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One other person who trusts him, according to Mayer’s article, is Murdoch. In fact, Kushner may be Murdoch’s most direct liaison with the Trump administration.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sources told The New Yorker that Kushner routinely asks Murdoch for advice, has “assured Murdoch that the White House is a smooth-running operation, despite many reports suggesting that it is chaotic,” and that the two of them communicate “Like, every day.” Given that the White House has given Kushner such a massive portfolio of responsibility and trust, Murdoch’s relationship with Kushner is likely one of the biggest influences he has on the executive branch.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roger Ailes allegedly fed Trump questions before the GOP debates.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the presidential election, it was reported that former Fox News host Megyn Kelly — who famously tried to question Trump on his treatment of women at the GOP debates only to have Trump dismiss her as on her period — asserted that Trump had help with the debate questions ahead of time. She later denied saying or believing this — but Mayer’s reporting now backs up this idea:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A pair of Fox insiders and a source close to Trump believe that Ailes informed the Trump campaign about Kelly’s question. Two of those sources say that they know of the tipoff from a purported eyewitness. In addition, a former Trump campaign aide says that a Fox contact gave him advance notice of a different debate question, which asked the candidates whether they would support the Republican nominee, regardless of who won.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It is hard to know whether this claim is accurate, as Ailes is deceased and contemporary reporting suggested that Fox was not yet in Trump’s orbit at that point of the Republican cycle. But if true, this would be highly damning — especially considering Trump asserted that the incident where former Democratic National Committee Chief Donna Brazile gave Hillary Clinton CNN questions ahead of time proved the network was “a total fake.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News uncovered the Stormy Daniels scandal during the election — but buried the story and retaliated against the reporter who found it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The revelation that Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen made an illegal hush payment to silence an affair between Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels, first reported in January 2018 by the Wall Street Journal, was a huge story that led to a massive federal investigation, jail time, and congressional investigations.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But all of it could have come out much sooner — because as Mayer reports, Fox News had the story during the 2016 presidential election, killed it, and may have retaliated against Diana Falzone, the reporter who uncovered it:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Falzone had worked on the story since March, and by October she had confirmed it with Daniels through her manager at the time, Gina Rodriguez, and with Daniels’s former husband, Mike Moz, who described multiple calls from Trump. Falzone had also amassed e-mails between Daniels’s attorney and Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen, detailing a proposed cash settlement, accompanied by a nondisclosure agreement. Falzone had even seen the contract.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But Falzone’s story didn’t run—it kept being passed off from one editor to the next. After getting one noncommittal answer after another from her editors, Falzone at last heard from LaCorte, who was then the head of FoxNews.com. Falzone told colleagues that LaCorte said to her, “Good reporting, kiddo. But Rupert wants Donald Trump to win. So just let it go.” LaCorte denies telling Falzone this, but one of Falzone’s colleagues confirms having heard her account at the time.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to The New Yorker, Fox then proceeded to demote Falzone, without explaining why. She later sued Fox, which settled the case and made her sign a nondisclosure agreement that prohibits her from discussing the details of her employment.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump personally ordered an economic adviser to use antitrust lawsuits to attack Fox News’ competitors.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Justice Department’s opposition to the AT&T-Time Warner merger, which is cleared to go through after federal courts demolished the antitrust lawsuit, has always seemed legally suspicious — indeed, one of the reasons judges rejected it is that AT&T put forward compelling evidence that Trump personally wanted to kill the deal to harm CNN.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to Mayer’s reporting, that’s exactly what was going on. Trump ordered his then-economic adviser Gary Cohn to pressure the Justice Department to block the merger — something Cohn refused to do, but which the department eventually followed through with. Trump showed no such anti-corporate sentiment with Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, a deal of similar scope but which would benefit Murdoch financially.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This development also puts the Federal Communications Commission’s unexpected decision last year to kill the Sinclair Broadcast Group’s merger with Tribune Media, which was arguably good for the local news market, in a more sinister light: that merger could have strengthened Fox’s biggest competitor in conservative television broadcasting.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Antitrust law is a powerful pro-consumer tool when applied fairly and equitably, but in the hands of someone like Trump, it can also be used to chill freedom of the press by rewarding and punishing news organizations.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/02/here-are-4-political-wild-cards-on-fox-news-who-have-actually-stood-up-to-gop-propaganda/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of the most Orwellian mottos in the history of cable news is undoubtedly “fair and balanced,” which was Fox News’ motto until 2017 (when it was replaced with “most watched, most trusted”). Clearly slanted to the far right, Fox News was never known for its fairness or its balance. A more honest motto for Fox News would be “all conservative all the time.” But in one sense, Fox News has been as unfair to conservatives as it has been to liberals and progressives: it tends to dictate how they should think.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Realistically, no one expects Fox News to treat liberals and progressives—or even centrists—fairly. That isn’t their market or their audience. But the most frustrating thing of all is Fox News’ expectation that conservatives think a certain way. During the George W. Bush years, right-wingers who were critical of the Bush administration were routinely demonized at Fox News (former Rep. Ron Paul, for example). And in the Donald Trump era, the vast majority of coverage at Fox News is overtly pro-Trump.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nonetheless, Fox News will, on occasion, feature some people on the right who are genuinely analytical and don’t simply recite official Republican Party talking points. Here are some of the less dogmatic right-wing voices at the cable news outlet.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1. Chris Wallace</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans who appear on Fox News typically receive softball questions from most of the employees, but a major exception is Chris Wallace (the 71-year-old son of the late Mike Wallace). Wallace can be a combative interviewer, and Stephen Miller (a Trump senior advisor) got a first-hand demonstration of that this month when Wallace grilled him unmercifully about Trump’s emergency declaration on the U.S./Mexico border. And Wallace was no less combative with AM talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, calling him out on Feb. 17 for giving Trump a pass on executive orders despite having repeatedly lambasted President Barack Obama for executive overreach.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Wallace told Limbaugh, “I understand that you like what President Trump is doing, and you didn’t like what President Obama was doing. And that’s the concern here, is that to the degree you give the president more and more powers—yes, you’re going to get things from one president you like, but you’re going to get executive powers from another president that you don’t like.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2. Judge Andrew Napolitano</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During George W. Bush’s years as president, Fox News’ coverage was overtly favorable to the Patriot Act and other post-9/11 legislation. But unlike Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Judge Andrew Napolitano was never a robotic mouthpiece for the Bush Administration. Napolitano, a libertarian, considered the Patriot Act unconstitutional, and philosophically, he had a lot more in common with Ron Paul or 2012/2016 Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson than he did with former Vice President Dick Cheney.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the Trump era, Napolitano has continued to serve as a legal analyst for Fox News, and the contrast between Hannity and Napolitano can be shocking. Hannity, a Trump sycophant, has jumped through hoops to defend Trump’s decision to make an emergency declaration to force funding of a U.S./Mexico border wall. But Napolitano, in contrast, considers the move unconstitutional.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When the judge appeared on “Fox and Friends” on January 8, he explained that an “emergency declaration allows him to mobilize assets, but it doesn’t allow him to take or occupy property. And it doesn’t allow him to spend money that Congress hasn’t authorized.” Napolitano has also asserted that bypassing Congress to fund a border wall is not the action of a president, but a “prince.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3. Lisa Kennedy Montgomery</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gen-Xers still think of Lisa Kennedy Montgomery as “Kennedy from MTV”: back in the 1990s, she was an MTV veejay. But these days, the 46-year-old Montgomery is primarily focused on politics—and she is more likely to comment on Robert Mueller’s Russia probe or GOP tax policy than on Pearl Jam, Courtney Love or the Stone Temple Pilots. Politically, Montgomery is definitely right of center. But despite being a registered Republican, Montgomery has a lot more in common with the Libertarian Party than she does with Hannity. Montgomery is pro-choice on the abortion issue, supports same-sex marriage, dislikes the Christian Right and opposes the War on Drugs. But Montgomery (who hosts “Kennedy Nation” on the Fox Business Channel and often appears on Fox News’ “Outnumbered”) is also a hardcore fiscal conservative who opposes universal health care, calls Seattle a “socialist hellhole” and favors privatizing Social Security and Medicare—or, as liberals and progressives accurately call it, letting banksters bleed those programs dry.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4. Shepard Smith</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Shepard Smith infuriated his most buffoonish colleague at Fox News, Sean Hannity, when, in 2017, he debunked the Uranium One/Hillary Clinton conspiracy theory that Hannity and President Trump were happy to promote. According to the theory, Clinton was bribed to approve the merger of the mining company, Uranium One, and the Russian nuclear energy organization Rosatom when she was secretary of state under President Barack Obama. The bribes, conspiracy theorists claimed, included $145 millionto the Clinton Foundation. But Smith totally tore apart this conspiracizing — noting that the FBI, after an extensive investigation, found that there was no evidence of bribery. Further, Smith noted, Clinton didn’t personally approve the merger herself.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The Clinton State Department had no power to approve or veto that transaction,” Smith noted. “It could do neither.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The backlash against Smith was swift, with some Fox News viewers asserting that he belonged at MSNBC or CNN instead. And in an interview with Time Magazine’s Daniel D’Addario, Smith distanced himself from Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and other “opinion programming” at Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith told D’Addario, “I get it that some of our opinion programming is there strictly to be entertaining. I get that. I don’t work there.” And Hannity was furious, describing Smith as “clueless” and “anti-Trump.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/02/fox-news-host-laura-ingrahams-guest-says-the-country-is-in-a-civil-war-and-people-should-buy-guns/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On a disturbing episode of Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s “The Laura Ingraham Show Podcast” Thursday, guest Joe diGenova echoed the calls of some of the darkest parts of the far-right movement in the United States.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We are in a civil war in this country,” diGenova, as first pointed out by Media Matters for America. “There’s two standards of justice, one for Democrats one for Republicans. The press is all Democrat, all liberal, all progressive, all left — they hate Republicans, they hate Trump. So the suggestion that there’s ever going to be civil discourse in this country for the foreseeable future in this country is over. It’s not going to be. It’s going to be total war. And as I say to my friends, I do two things-- I vote and i buy guns [video]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One particularly odd fact about his claims is that they seemed to come out of nowhere. Ingraham had just ended a diatribe about how liberals supposedly shifted attention away from discussions about the imperiled Democratic leadership in Virginia government to allegations of a hate crime made by actor Jussie Smollett, who has since been arrested on charges of filing a false police report. It was a bizarre and twisted theory, completely out of line with reality. but it had nothing to do with a supposed “civil war.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But for many on the fringes of the far right, casual talk about political divisions in the United States easily slips into discussions of open warfare and violence.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President Donald Trump, it should be noted, once announced that he was hiring diGenova for his legal team, but he never came on board.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MSNBC’s Chris Hayes noted on Twitter that a man prosecutors say was a domestic terrorist, Chris Hasson, had, according to a court filing, googled “civil war if Trump impeached.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Where could he possibly get such an insane idea?” Hayes asked — and then he linked to diGenova’s comments. “Oh.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hasson was also found with an apparent “hit list” of Democratic politicians and media figures, according to prosecutors — a list that included Hayes.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">404</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here are some of the less dogmatic right-ring voices at Fox News</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of the most Orwellian mottos in the history of cable news is undoubtedly “fair and balanced,” which was Fox News’ motto until 2017 (when it was replaced with “most…</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The 2020 presidential campaign is already starting up, and Fox News is wasting no time lying about it. More on that below. It's also worth thinking about how the media writ large deals with having such a diverse field of candidates. Margaret Sullivan has written an essay about the media's sexism for The Washington Post , and it's worth a read. There will be plenty more thought given to the topic over the coming months, that's for sure.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a rambling address on Friday morning, Trump declared a national emergency to obtain additional funding for a wall on the southern border. In doing so, Trump was doing exactly what Sean Hannity had told him to do on his show just days earlier. Hannity, Lou Dobbs, and other right-wing media figures spent most of 2019 urging Trump to do exactly this.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matt Gertz writes: "Right-wing infotainers can bend the ear of the president of the United States and drastically shift federal government policy according to their whims. They have this outsized influence because Trump consumes hours of television each day and is desperate to receive constant validation from the people he watches. We've reached a point where Fox is all but running the country."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During this address, Trump found time to thank Rush Limbaugh, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and of course Sean Hannity. Some observersfound Trump's address to be a "disgrace" or a "shitshow." A Fox News anchor concluded that it was a "tour de force."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What comes next: Sean Hannity has made clear that he wants William Barr, Trump's new attorney general, to prioritize investigating Trump's enemies, including Hillary Clinton and a slew of people from the Obama administration. And that's not all. Lou Dobbs demanded that Barr investigate Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Debunking a lie: Trump's national emergency is not like any emergency declared by previous presidents. Right-wing media have claimed in recent days that Trump's declaration is just like what previous presidents did. That is not true. As NY Times reporter Charlie Savage noted, the actions of previous presidents "were about invoking statutes to sanction various bad actors on the [international] stage; none were about reprograming funds to finance a disputed policy goal Congress had declined to fund."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lastly: Some conservatives admit that Trump's emergency declaration opens the door for a future president to take action on gun violence or climate change.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The national emergency is based on a lie -- and Fox News figures admit it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media and Donald Trump have made various claims to justify the need for a border wall. They're usually lies.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News personalities are remarkably open about the real reason Trump need a wall right now (after not funding it at all for the two years that Republicans were in control of the government): Politics.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy claimed Trump needs a wall "because he needs to start running for re-election." Fox contributor Dan Bongino was even more explicit, saying that Trump's insistence on building a wall is about giving him a "political victory," stating, "This is not about immigration. I think everybody at this table knows this. This is about a political victory that has to happen."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">February 7, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced a Green New Deal resolution. The resolution outlines what they plan to include in formal legislation down the line.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Over the following five days, primetime cable news coverage of the Green New Deal was dominated by Fox News. Fox News aired a total of 34 segments on the resolution, more than three times the combined total of MSNBC (8 segments) and CNN (3 segments).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Obviously, the Fox News coverage of the legislation was terrible. Many segments did not even mention climate change.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is not the only example of cable news discussion of a policy issue being dominated by the right. In the weeks leading up to the State of the Union, Fox News aired nearly seven hours of coverage of state abortion measures, while CNN and MSNBC covered the same stories for less than 15 minutes combined.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News dominating policy discussions of progressive initiatives has real consequences: They are immediately caricatured, with outright lies getting a massive head start. A large number of people get their first impressions through this distorted coverage, including many in the media.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When one of these issues does eventually jump to mainstream media, myths and lies often make the jump alongside. At minimum, the mainstream debate is partially about debunking the lies that have already happened.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sunday shows fail again: America is in desperate need of an adult conversation about how to address climate change. Instead of that, the Sunday shows talked about climate change and the Green New Deal only through the narrow lens of the political horse race. Maybe we can prioritize fending off a massive destabilizing rise in sea level instead of worrying about whose poll numbers go up or down as a result of endorsing a resolution.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Meanwhile: Right-wing media are somehow worse than useless on the Green New Deal, as they've repeatedly invoked murderous dictators to complain about the initiative. Michael Savage, who has partied with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, even said of Ocasio-Cortez, "“This is a Stalinist in a skirt; this is a Hitler in high heels.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/02/fox-news-ceo-bizarrely-rejects-ad-for-anti-nazi-documentary-not-appropriate-for-our-air/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">hannity</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 25th, the FBI arrested Roger Stone and executed search warrants of his residences in Florida and New York. Stone was charged on seven counts of obstruction, giving false statements, and witness tampering as part of the special counsel's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News immediately worked to minimize the importance of Stone's indictment. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The network utilized three forms of defense for Trump's longtime adviser:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Declare the indictments reveal nothing and assert that there's no evidence of collusion.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Criticize the manner in which Stone was arrested. As Chris Hayes, Elliot Williams, and others pointed out, Fox News suddenly cared about potential civil rights violations and a growing police state only when Roger Stone was arrested.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Deflecting by bringing up other officials, like Eric Holder, James Comey, Hillary Clinton, and more.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Matt Gertz wrote of the role that Fox News plays in the Russia probe,"Hannity has primed his audience to reject any conclusions from the Mueller investigation and to support Trump if he fires the special counsel or demands the Justice Department take action against his political foes. If Trump decides to undermine the rule of law by taking such steps, he will have the fervent support of the Fox Host and his viewers."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And we know that Trump was watching the coverage on Fox. Speaking of that, Trump told Face The Nation in an interview airing today, "You have to get rid of the Russia witch hunt."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: Jerome Corsi said in an interview this week that Stone is "pressuring me to change my testimony." Meanwhile, Stone's explanation for his witness tampering charge was that he was trying to help Randy Credico.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Finally: Stone during the campaign repeatedly bragged about talking with Trump and senior campaign officials.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We've gone over Fox's obsession with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. For months, the network has been obsessed with attacking her, even though the attacks keep backfiring and instead make her look better.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now we have some numbers to show how deep it goes. During the month of January, Fox's prime time shows spent nearly an hour and a half on Ocasio-Cortez in January, while barely mentioning Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at all. In fact, the person on Fox prime time who mentioned him the most was Ocasio-Cortez -- in clips of her trying to confront McConnell over the government shutdown.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And there is plenty about McConnell to discuss, starting with how he singlehandedly kept the shutdown going by categorically refusing to vote on any legislation that might override Trump's veto. McConnell also derided a bill by House Democrats that would make voting easier, and complained that making Election Day a federal holiday would be a "power grab" by Democrats.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What kind of reporting does the Fox News viewership receive through prime-time reporting and commentary? Consider the lessons viewers learned on Thursday, December 20, 2018, an extraordinary day of troubles for Trump’s presidency. Leading print and television journalists outside of Fox expressed shock that Trump suddenly announced plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and quickly draw down half of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. They warned that an American exodus in Syria could benefit the Russians, Syrians, Iranians, and Turks at the expense of Kurds who fought bravely against ISIS. Military leaders and foreign policy experts blasted Trump’s decision as ill-advised and dangerous.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">General Jim Mattis’s decision to resign as Secretary of Defense, also received abundant commentary on December 20. Mattis’s letter of resignation communicated strong disagreement with the direction of U.S. foreign policy. Mattis, in a clear rebuke of the president, noted that during his four decades of “immersion in the issues” he had learned the importance of treating allies with respect and “being clear-eyed about malign actors and strategic competitors.” Both American and international leaders were alarmed that the last general who seemed capable of taming the erratic president planned to leave his post.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On the home front, President Trump led congressional leaders to believe that a compromise was workable on temporarily funding the government. But Trump suddenly reversed his position, insisting there would be no settlement unless Congress provided $5 billion for a border wall. On December 20 the stock market tanked on this news and other developments. The next day Wall Street closed with its worst week since the financial crisis of 2008.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mainstream journalists focused on the chaos associated with these developments. Several Republican leaders joined them in expressing concern, including Senators Lindsay Graham and Bob Corker. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell backed compromises aimed at averting a shutdown, but Trump and his backers in the Freedom Caucus made compromise unworkable.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News television viewers got almost no sense of this mounting crisis when watching prime-time programing on the night of December 20. Shows hosted by Martha MacCallum, Tucker Carlson, Dan Bongino (sitting in for Sean Hannity) and Laura Ingraham directed viewers’ attention to other matters. The programs focused on a subject that had already received extensive coverage on Fox in previous months and years: undocumented immigrants. Hosts and guests warned repeatedly that dangerous foreigners threatened to overrun American society.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even though the real “news” on December 20 was about struggles in Congress to keep the government running, Fox’s prime-time programming highlighted stories about an immigrant invasion. Commentators asserted falsely that Democrats advocated “open borders.” They accentuated a report about a violent undocumented immigrant in California. In each program hosts and commentators left viewers with an impression that the big news of the day concerned security threats from aliens. Speakers praised President Trump for his determination to build a wall.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What other topics dominated the night’s discussions on Fox, essentially eclipsing any discussion of the big stories of the day about blow-back from the president’s controversial actions?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Martha MacCallum’s program featured a lengthy interview with Susan Collins. The senator from Maine talked at length about some extremist critics of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court (individuals who harassed her in disgusting ways).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson drew attention to the work of Robert Shibley, who maintained that America’s universities have been pushing aggressively against free speech. Carlson also took shots at a “Climate Tax” and made fun of claims about Russian interference. He maintained that China was the real threat.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dan Bongino and his guests blasted Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s defense of the “so-called Russia investigation.” Bongino praised a “terrific book” by Gregg Jarrett called The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Laura Ingraham, like all the other prime-time hosts, devoted considerable time to immigration, but she encountered difficulty when a sheriff objected to some of her arguments. The officer acknowledged the difficulty of holding a violent undocumented man in California because of laws pertaining to sanctuary cities, but he noted that many immigrants in his community were good citizens and sought help from law enforcement when troubled by criminals. “That’s a lie!” Ingraham responded. She ended the interview quickly by mentioning “violence, rape, burglary, robbery and other offenses against property and people.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A pattern in the reporting and commentary on Fox was evident in these four prime-time programs. By focusing on old news stories that had been red meat in right-oriented media commentary for years, there was little time left for an analysis of stunning developments in the previous 24-hours. General Mattis’s resignation letter hardly got a nod. The outcry by national and international leaders regarding President Trump’s plan to withdraw from Syria and Afghanistan received little or no attention. The impact of a government shutdown on the American economy and the American people was almost completely ignored. There was hardly a word about the stock markets’ plummet that day or the huge slide of recent weeks. Instead, viewers heard about scary threats from immigrants, Democrats, university administrators, and Chinese hackers. They were reminded often that President Trump fights tenaciously for ordinary Americans.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Much of the discussion did not reflect what used to be identified as mainstream Republican stands on economic and political affairs. Instead, viewers got an earful of analysis from individuals who spoke from the margins of political debates. Hosts and commentators seemed eager to please their most important viewer, the President of the United States. Most of them endorsed and celebrated Donald Trump’s statements and actions, despite their sharply controversial nature. Dan Bongino, substituting as host for Sean Hannity, provided an example of the slant by promoting his co-authored book, Spygate: The Attempted Sabotage of Donald J. Trump.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Endorsing controversial and often questionable ideas, has, of course, been evident in Fox’s broadcasting over many years. A decade and a half ago, the channel sounded a drumbeat for war in program after program, convincing many viewers that Saddam Hussein had been responsible for the 9/11 tragedy, threatened the world with WMDs, including nukes, and needed to be removed. On the same channel host Bill O’Reilly devoted considerable time to warning viewers about a “war on Christmas.” Anti-religious forces were trying to replace “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays,” O’Reilly cautioned. During those years, Roger Ailes, then Chairman and CEO at Fox News, designed the channel’s modus operandi, applying a heavy-handed slant on the news.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Complaints about Donald Trump’s enthusiasts are often misplaced. Many citizens who are regular patrons of Fox News and other right-oriented programming want to be well-informed about current events. They take civic engagement seriously. Those listeners and viewers should be more discerning, of course, but they are not fully to blame for making judgments about national and international affairs that raise the eyebrows of Trump’s critics. Fox News, and other opinion sources on television and radio are primarily responsible for the base’s narrow and skewed viewpoints. Millions of Americans have turned to the Fox News Channel and other sources, seeking knowledge about current events. They have been let down by the manipulators of “news.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Robert Brent Toplin has published several books about history, politics, and film. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">5 dumb wk 1/19 AN</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson warns women being paid more than men will destroy society.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News’ Tucker Carlson is by now well-known for his on-air appeals to white nationalism. Last month, his remarks that immigrants make America “poorer and dirtier” have caused him to lose a raft of advertisers in recent weeks. But he also has a serious problem with women — and according to his broadcast on Wednesday, rising pay for women will lead to “men in decline.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carlson claimed that because “male-dominated” industries like manufacturing are in decline in some parts of the country, but schools, hospitals, and other places that employ large numbers of women are in as high demand as ever, “in many areas, women suddenly made more than men … Study after study shows that when men make less than women, women generally no longer want to marry them.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Over big populations this causes a drop in marriage, a spike in out-of-wedlock births and all the familiar disasters that inevitably follow. More drug and alcohol abuse, higher incarceration rates, fewer families formed in the next generation,” Carlson warned.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch below:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson says women making more money than men leads to “more drug and alcohol abuse, higher incarceration rates, fewer families formed for the next generation” pic.twitter.com/gpAKgy0snV</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) January 3, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Naturally, Carlson doesn’t provide any sourcing for these claims. Nor does he seem to have noticed that women in fact earn less than men on average, not more.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lou Dobbs calls Mitt Romney “treasonous” for his op-ed mildly criticizing Trump.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carlson was not the only right-wing anchor eager to share his opinion this week. Also in the spotlight was Fox Business’ Lou Dobbs, a psychotically pro-Trump anchor who lost itover the Washington Post op-ed by incoming Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), rebuking Trump’s failure of leadership and moral character.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We have Romney,” said Dobbs, “who is basically saying to all of the great Americans in Utah, ‘Go to hell, please! You were a bunch of suckers! And I accepted the Trump endorsement. And now I’m telling Trump what I really think of him.’ What an ignorant — his character?! He’s talking about character?! He’s a traitor, he is treasonous, and betrayed the people of Utah!”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contrary to Dobbs’ assertion, it is not “treasonous” for a member of a co-equal branch of government to criticize the presidency. And in reality, 64 percent of Utah voters wantRomney to stand up to Trump in office. The good news for Dobbs, though, is that Romney is unlikely to follow through on his anti-Trump posturing beyond empty words. He noted in his op-ed that he supports Trump’s policy agenda, and clarified he intends to vote for Trump’s border wall.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump supporter tells Fox News he wants Trump to fire Democrats like contestants on “The Apprentice.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dobbs is not alone in confusion over the right of politicians to challenge the president. With Nancy Pelosi ascending to the Speakership once again, some Trump supporters seem to think the president ought to just fire the Democrats from the House as if they’re contestants on Trump’s old NBC show, “The Apprentice” — as one man identified only as “Phil” told “Fox & Friends” host Pete Hegseth at Grandma’s Pancake House in Shelbyville, Indiana on Thursday.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I’m expecting to wake up some morning and find Fox News — Trump on there, pointing his finger, ‘You’re fired, Democrats,'” said Phil. After everyone laughed, Hegseth had to awkwardly explain to Phil that the president doesn’t have the constitutional authority to oust members of Congress.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch below:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rick Santorum says Black Lives Matter is a “racist” group that “promotes a lot of hateful things.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After years of police shootings of unarmed black suspects, the Black Lives Matter movement is still an issue conservatives struggle to empathize with or even talk about. Look no further than CNN commentator and former GOP Senator Rick Santorum.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Thursday, during a discussion with Anderson Cooper, after fellow commentator Kirsten Powers noted that the GOP has failed to grasp how Trump’s racist rhetoric is hurting their party, Santorum tried to make a whataboutist dodge, saying that Black Lives Matter “promotes a lot of hateful things.” After Powers demanded he provide an example, Santorum started to babble. “There are all sorts of clips and posters of folks in these marches that are as racist on the other way as the white racists are to blacks. You just can’t wipe away all of the things that are said and written and done at these marches as a fringe element any more than you would wipe those away from a group of whites doing the same thing.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At no point did Santorum provide a specific example, or explain how such examples would reflect on an entire movement of activists whose singular goal is to make communities safe for people of color.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump supporters attack Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s high school nickname and dancing skills.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Few political attacks have fallen so hopelessly flat as Trump supporters’ attempts to discredit Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), which reached a new level of absurdity this week.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Wednesday, right-wing blogger Jim Hoft — who Media Matters for America once memorably dubbed the “dumbest man on the Internet” — published what he apparently thought was a blistering exposé of Ocasio-Cortez’s hidden past. The revelations: that she sometimes went by the nickname “Sandy” in high school and that some of her classmates were wealthier than her.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But even this pales in comparison to the misfire of Trump supporter Dan Jordan, who tried to humiliate her by posting this clip of a school-aged Ocasio-Cortez dancing with her friends, only to have her own supporters take it viral and praise her:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2019/01/watch-fox-news-guest-claims-food-stamp-recipients-are-too-busy-watching-porn-to-work/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News guest Star Parker is applauding Trump administration requirements that make it harder for some Americans to use food stamps. On “Fox & Friends” Parker accused people on food stamps of being too busy “watching porn” to go out and get a job.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“These guys are not working, they’re watching,” Parker said. “They’re watching porn, they’re watching women, they’re watching TV, they’re watching everything, but they’re not working,” she claimed. That’s mostly false, according to US News & World Report.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Parker, a far right wing pundit who espouses anti-LGBTQ and pro-white racist positions on Wednesday lamented that under President Barack Obama the stigma of public assistance programs was eliminated. She claims embarrassing people who need to use welfare programs is helpful.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She also claimed that the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program use of a debit-type card instead of “food stamps,” as the program is still often called, turns welfare programs from short-term assistance into a “generational” tool.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Parker touted the strong economy, which includes a low unemployment rate, which makes it harder for those without a job to find one.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Trump administration is working to allow states to reduce access to food stamps by increasing work requirements, despite the fact that a large portion of food stamp users are single parents with children and no access to affordable day care, along with the elderly, and those who are unable to work.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But low-income workers also rely on food stamps.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SNAP “helps millions of low-wage workers put food on the table. That’s right – workers,” Stone writes at US News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Close to 70 percent of SNAP participants are in families with children; more than one-quarter are in households with seniors or people with disabilities,” Stone says. “SNAP provides only a modest benefit (on average, less than $1.40 per person per meal), but research shows that SNAP reduces poverty and food insecurity and, over the long-term, that means better health and economic outcomes for SNAP recipients, especially those who receive it as children.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here’s Parker on national television advancing the idea that’s it’s good to embarrass low-income workers and others who need federal government assistance Parker has written books with titles including, “Pimps, Whores and Welfare Brats: From Welfare Cheat to Conservative Messenger,” and “Uncle Sam’s Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America’s Poor and What We Can Do About It.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News finished the week of Dec. 17 in second place in the cable news ratings race — the week the conservative network, which is known for its relentless support of President Donald Trump, spent significant airtime and webspace criticizing the nation’s leader.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">MSNBC topped Fox News for the first time in that time period since 2000, according to a press release, which cited data from Nielsen. Olympic programming was excluded in the research.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Over the week of Dec. 17, Fox News turned from serving as a refuge for the president into one he came to slam as “Fake News!” Trump last week was criticized on “Fox & Friends,” his favorite morning show— though it’s possible the president’s soft spot for the show has sunk — as well as on FoxNews.com and on-air by Judge Andrew Napolitano, a longtime friend of the president and a Fox News personality.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On “Fox & Friends,” host Brian Kilmeade ripped into the president over his abrupt announcement that he wants to withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria— a decision Kilmeade warned would allow the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, to re-establish its reduced power. Kilmeade, who often defends Trump on television, compared Trump’s announcement to Obama’s attempts to get troops out of Iraq: “He is doing exactly, if not worse, than what President Obama did.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The president appeared to be tuning in as he expressed his frustration on Twitter not long after Kilmeade’s outburst. He said, “I’ve done more damage to ISIS than all recent presidents….not even close!"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Over on FoxNews.com, a headline read: “Trump is about to repeat Obama’s mistake in the Middle East.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“When your enemies are cheering,” wrote former George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen, “you have made a mistake.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During an appearance on “Shepard Smith Reporting” with Fox News host Shepard Smith, Judge Andrew Napolitano, a longtime friend of Trump and a Fox News contributor, told anchor Smith that the White House occupant could already be under secret indictment for allegedly conspiring with Michael Cohen, the attorney who spent many years working as Trump’s personal “fixer,” to break campaign finance law during the 2016 presidential campaign in order to hush up women with whom Trump may have had affairs.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There’s ample evidence — this doesn’t require too much analysis — to indict the president,” Napolitano told Smith. “The question is, do they want to do it? The DOJ has three opinions on this: Two say you can’t indict a sitting president, one says you can. But all three address the problem of, what do you do when the statute of limitations is about to expire? All three agree in that circumstance you indict in secret, keep the indictment sealed and release it the day he gets out of office. You can’t let a person go scot-free because they happen to be in the White House.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When Smith asked whether Napolitano was saying that the president had already been indicted, the judge responded: “that I don’t know about, but he could be, because we don’t know what’s been sealed.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The news about Fox News declining ratings also come in the same week that host Tucker Carlson faced an advertiser exodus in response to the controversial remarks he recently made about immigration — specifically, that it makes the U.S. “poorer and dirtier.” Carlson’s comments were widely criticized, and several people threatened to boycott his advertisers. More than a dozen removed their ads from Carlson’s show in response. As of this writing, at least 16 companies have pulled advertising from “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> FoxNews.com op-ed attacking former Attorney General Eric Holder uncritically relied on, and linked to, a piece by white supremacist Jared Taylor that accused Democrats of subjecting “whites to outright racial plunder.” Fox News changed the link after Media Matters contacted the network.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jeremy Carl, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, wrote a May 23 FoxNews.com op-ed complaining about a Starbucks policy allowing “anyone to spend time in its stores and use restrooms regardless of whether they make a purchase.” He also criticized the company for having engaged "Eric Holder as an adviser on diversity issues,” claiming he “has a long history of making accusations of racial discrimination, often unjustified.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As one piece of evidence against Holder, Carl linked to a January 2015 opinion piece by Jared Taylor on the white supremacist website American Renaissance. Media Matters found the May op-ed while examining media outlets that have uncritically promoted or cited research by white supremacist media.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that American Renaissance “has been one of the vilest white nationalist publications, often promoting eugenics and blatant anti-black and anti-Latino racists. In 2005 for example, after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Taylor wrote, ‘When blacks are left entirely to their own devices, Western Civilization—any kind of civilization—disappears.’” The Anti-Defamation League wrote that Taylor “upholds racial homogeneity as the key to fostering peaceful coexistence.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Taylor’s piece was a review of conservative commentators John Fund and Hans von Spakovsky’s book Obama’s Enforcer: Eric Holder’s Justice Department. The review began by attacking Holder as “a devious, power-hungry, racial zealot” who is “probably the most racially committed black ever to hold a cabinet job” and concluded that while the Republican and Democratic parties are similar, Republicans “are less likely to subject whites to outright racial plunder.” </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[scrensht]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters contacted Fox News about the op-ed and asked if the network thought the research citation was appropriate. The company did not reply but changed the link so it now directs to the Amazon page for Obama’s Enforcer. The site has not noted the change or posted an editor’s note (the op-ed’s timestamp reflects the update).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters later contacted Carl, who stated: “Obviously I would not have intentionally cited American Renaissance in any article I wrote — I wrote this article on a very fast same-day deadline at Fox News’ request and simply missed the sourcing. I suspect I missed it because the article was discussing work by Hans Von Spakovsky from Heritage, whom I do know and whose work I trust. I likely simply erred in assuming it was by Von Spakovsky.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carl, who agreed with Fox's decision to change the citation, also claimed “Holder has a history of numerous racist statements and actions is beyond doubt. I don’t apologize for saying that — then or now. One doesn’t need to link to American Renaissance to make that point, and obviously I would not have intentionally done so.” He additionally suggested that because Media Matters chose to contact Fox directly first rather than the author, it was evidence we are engaging in the “harassment of a critic of leftism" instead of a "pursuit of truth.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It was always inevitable.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At some point, Trump was going to ignore all reason and listen to the loudest voices on Fox News, who demanded he petulantly shut down the government. That time is now.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News spent the week gearing up for a government shutdown, even cheering on Trump when he said he would be “proud to shut down the government.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But as the shutdown neared, Trump and the White House began signalling that they would find other ways to fund Trump's border wall.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pro-Trump media threw a fit. Far right figures like Ann Coulter led the way, demanding that Trump shut the government down. Fox News joined in, with Fox & Friends and figures on Fox primetime shows urging Trump to change course and shut the government down.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump caved, and now the government is shut down.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: Don't let mainstream pundits blame "both sides." Trump sat in the White House and said he would own the shutdown. He is the one who rejected the deal at the last minute. This is the Fox News / Trump shutdown, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to you.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/12/20/Right-wing-media-figures-goad-Trump-into-vetoing-any-spending-bill-that-doesnt-include-bor/222372</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no pix vid lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media figures goad Trump into vetoing any spending bill that doesn’t include border wall funding</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog ››› December 20, 2018 4:39 PM EST ››› COURTNEY HAGLE</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Melissa Joskow / Media Matters</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After criticism from right-wing figures who usually push pro-Trump propaganda, President Donald Trump has backed away from previous plans and instead set up a potential government shutdown by demanding money for a border wall be included in any stopgap government funding bill.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News spent last week pushing for a government shutdown, cheering on Trump when he firmly declared that he would be “proud to shut down the government.” But after the White House signaled earlier this week that it would back off its $5 billion demand to fund a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border in a resolution to keep the federal government funded until next year, right-wing media figures began criticizing Trump and goading him into shutting down the government. Many of his most ardent supporters began to perceive his decision to sign the bill as weak, calling on the president to change his mind and refuse to sign any proposed spending bill that does not include funding for the wall.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Responding to these criticisms, Trump sent a flurry of tweets adamantly defending his position just one day after CNN reported that the president “has become increasingly sensitive to criticism” from his base over the border wall. Trump then renewed his call for funding, telling lawmakers that he will not sign any bill that does not include funding for the border wall in an apparent nod to his supporters.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here is a timeline of some of that recent criticism:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">December 19</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren, who has previously made it clear where she stands on the border wall, said on Fox & Friends that “if we need a government shutdown” to build a wall, “then a shutdown is exactly what we need.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy declare that “effectively, the Democrats win because they didn’t want any money for wall. And the swamp wins because runaway spending, which is in the current budget, continues.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bobby Lewis</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Replying to @revrrlewis</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Steve Doocy: “It looks as if he’s not going to get any wall money. … effectively, the Democrats win. Because they didn't want any money for wall. And the swamp wins, because runaway spending, which is in the current budget, continues.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">10</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">5:12 AM - Dec 19, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Doocy later in the show said that Trump will “look like a loser” to his supporters who “drew that line in the sand and said, ‘This is worth shutting down.’”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends guest Michelle Malkin said that she’s “not going to sugarcoat it” and “not going to spin it” if Trump backs down, describing his decision as “a cave” and “a blink.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2000s has-been and Fox & Friends mainstay Michelle Malkin: “I’m not going to sugarcoat it and I’m not going to spin it. I wish I could but I can’t. This was a cave. This was a blink. … because [Mitch McConnell’s] afraid of a shutdown”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">6:08 AM - Dec 19, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fox’s Outnumbered, Fox Business host David Asman emphasized the importance of the wall to Trump’s supporters, saying that “if [Trump] is viewed by his base as caving on the issue, no matter how they try to spin at the White House, already some of the base is beginning to fray a little bit.” Referring to the White House’s pledge to find funding for the wall elsewhere, Fox host Lisa Kennedy Montgomery claimed that “if this were the Obama administration … we would all be up in arms.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rush Limbaugh attacked the Senate-passed resolution, saying, “Trump’s gonna get less than nothing because this compromise strips out the $1.6 billion for the wall that the Senate Appropriations Committee had already approved weeks ago.” He added, “You can’t say for four years, 'Well, I gotta do this and this and this and this and this before I can accomplish this ... He doesn’t have limitless time to do this."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ann Coulter unloaded on Trump in a podcast with The Daily Caller, accusing him of being “a joke presidency who scammed the American people.” Coulter said that she will not vote for Trump in 2020 without a border wall, adding, “nor will, I think, most of his supporters.” (Coulter had also vowed earlier in the week to not support Trump in 2020 if the wall was not built.) Within hours of these comments, the president unfollowed Coulter on Twitter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox regular and former NRATV host Dan Bongino filled in as guest host for Sean Hannity’s prime-time Fox News show on Wednesday, discussing the spending bill and the border wall, which he described as “essentially the Trump-MAGA agenda.” Matt Schlapp, chair of the American Conservative Union, claimed that “the fact is is this: The president should veto this bill. This breaks the promise with his supporters.” Though Schlapp admitted that a shutdown “doesn’t mean you get all you want, but you send a message to the liberals” and “that’s why it’s critical for the president to not sign a bill which is a white flag.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@EWErickson</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> No wall.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Central America gets $10.6 billion.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Planned Parenthood still funded.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ISIS gets a reprieve in Syria.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Well done, Republicans.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">975</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">6:28 PM - Dec 19, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On her Fox News show, Laura Ingraham chastised Trump for not getting the funding, declaring that “not funding the wall is going to go down as one of the worst, worst things to have happened to this administration. … It’s a scandal that it hasn’t been built.” Fox regular and Trump legal adviser Joe diGenova agreed with Ingraham, saying: “I hope that when this thing runs out in February, the president says, ‘That’s it, no more. A wall or I’m shutting it down.’”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Breitbart's Joel Pollak said that he would prefer a shutdown:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joel B. Pollak</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On the wall: first, I've stated I prefer Trump to follow through on his threat of a shutdown over it because he made a threat and must follow through on threats if they are to be credible again -- as they will have to be when he tries to wield his veto against a Democratic House.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">7:31 PM - Dec 19, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">See Joel B. Pollak's other Tweets</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">December 20</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee said on Fox & Friends that Trump “has got to look in the mirror and remind himself he ran … on the idea of we’re going to secure the border.” Huckabee also downplayed the impact of a shutdown, saying that “the things that really matter to most Americans day-by-day will be funded.” Guest co-host Jedediah Bila responded by saying that “this is his signature issue, this is what arguably he won on,” claiming that she doesn’t “understand how he survives this personally, for his own legacy.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox host Pete Hegseth, who is known to speak directly to Trump, called for Trump to shut down the government.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pete Hegseth</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@PeteHegseth</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> (2 of 3) ...Don’t listen to squish advisors. Your instincts are right. Dig in and fight. Veto a crap CR bill w/ no WALL funding. Make Dems own “open borders”. Disrupt Washington, DC. Make them all squirm. The American People are behind you.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">No WALL = SHUT IT DOWN...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">5,371</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4:33 AM - Dec 20, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fox & Friends, NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch called on Trump to shut down both the government and the border until he receives funding, saying that she “would love to see the president … just go ahead and shut down the border, and then shut down the government.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fox’s America’s Newsroom, James Freeman of The Wall Street Journal downplayed the significance of a government shutdown, claiming that “if you look at recent history, shutdowns don’t actually do that much political damage.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fox’s America’s Newsroom, Fox contributor and former acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thomas Homan said that Trump “needs to veto any sort of continuing resolution” so that “he can stand up and say, ‘I have done everything I can to protect our border.’”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ben Shapiro said Trump should veto "any funding that doesn't include the wall."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ben Shapiro</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@benshapiro</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> BTW, I'm in favor of Trump vetoing any funding that doesn't include the wall. I'm also in favor of Trump vetoing any funding for Planned Parenthood. He should have done this over the past two years. https://www.dailywire.com/news/39557/shutdown-showdown-trump-refuses-sign-senate-ben-shapiro …</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3,975</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">10:48 AM - Dec 20, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: Trump Refuses To Sign Senate Continuing Resolution, Demands Border Security...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Thursday, President Trump announced that he would not sign a short-term continuing resolution approved by the Senate – a bill that did not include funding for a border wall. Speaker of the House...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Shortly after it was announced that Trump would refuse to sign the bill to keep the government open, Limbaugh said that "the president has gotten word to me that he is either getting funding to the border or he’s shutting the whole thing down." Earlier in the show, Limbaugh had told him to do exactly that in order to be "a hero" to the far right.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">OMFG khj cdv</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">..President Trump is better at commanding the agenda than he is at any other single thing that he as a communicator does. The press has been an accomplice in the process of ceding agenda control to him by virtue of his tweeting -- and having the press respond immediately, as if every tweet is presumed to be newsworthy. Donald Trump has the capacity to get whatever he wants the public to focus on by directing the cable news agenda. We really should ask: Aren't there other things we ought to be paying more attention to? How often are we being distracted from something that Trump does not want us to pay attention to? Being distracted by his effective use of tweets to set an alternative agenda.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News is de facto Trump's state-sponsored media. How does this impact American political culture?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We are increasingly going into ideological enclaves to get our news. To the extent that people find the news compatible with what they already believe, that means they are not being exposed to alternative interpretations of reality and alternative points of view. What is unprecedented about the relationship between Fox News and the president of the United States is the extent to which what is said and shown on Fox News appears to influence what is said and featured by the president of the United States. The traditional model of agenda-setting is that the president sets the agenda and the news media follows. This reversal with Donald Trump and Fox News is something new.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">....</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/tucker-carlson-losing-advertisers-fox-news-response</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News host Tucker Carlson is facing an advertiser boycott in response to his racist attacks on immigrants. As of Tuesday afternoon, 11 companies have pulled advertising from Carlson's program, including Pacific Life, Indeed, SmileDirectClub, Minted, IHOP, Ancestry.com, ScotteVest, Nerdwallet, Zenni, TD Ameritrade, and Nautilus.[many just switch show? kpfa]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the response from Fox News [lnx lost] is not to take any responsibility for his hateful rhetoric. Rather, they are attacking Sleeping Giants and Media Matters for America, two of the groups spearheading the boycott on social media: ... Fox News is referring to an incident in November in which protestors surrounded Carlson's house, called him a racist, and spray-painted his driveway. The event drew condemnation from both sides of the aisle, although some reports now suggest the unruliness of the demonstrators was somewhat exaggerated. Ironically, given they now claim they "do not advocate boycotts," Fox News responded to that incident by boycotting Twitter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In recent months, Carlson has been engaging in increasingly racist bile on his show, with his rhetoric sometimes bordering on outright white nationalism to the point where neo-Nazi Richard Spencer and KKK grand wizard David Duke have praised him for mainstreaming their beliefs. Carlson has claimed that white people aren't "designed" to live around immigrants, that the original motto of the United States proves diversity is bad, and promoted a white nationalist conspiracy theory that South Africa is trying to push white farmers off their land and kill them (which President Donald Trump then tweeted about and caused an international incident).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the remark that prompted the advertiser boycott was a segment on Thursday in which Carlson openly disdained immigrants as unclean. "Our leaders demand that you shut up and accept this. We have a moral obligation to admit the world's poor, they tell us, even if it makes our country poorer and dirtier and more divided," he said. On Monday, he doubled down on this attack.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News has reason to be jittery about advertiser boycotts. In April 2017, Bill O'Reilly, the longtime right-wing host who previously held Carlson's time slot, was forced out after revelations about his multimillion-dollar settlements to female colleagues he sexually harassed prompted advertisers to flee. Another boycott this March targeted Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham after she mocked Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg for not getting into his top choice of college, although she managed to weather the firestorm.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If Fox News wants to prevent advertiser boycotts, they should stop giving legitimacy on air to morally reprehensible people.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">filter bubble fail?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Once again proving they probably don't realize just how popular such ideas have become, Fox News on Tuesday tried to ridicule and discredit key platform planks that progressive Democrats successfully ran on this election cycle but ended up just reminding people that these ideas actually make a lot of sense.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a segment titled "Freshman Insurrection" on Tuesday night, right-wing host Laura Ingraham presented newly-elected House members—namely Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota—as a cabal of nutty radicals hell-bent on upending Nancy Pelosi's leadership as they advocate for "wacky" ideas like providing every, single person in the United States access to healthcare and saving the planet's natural systems from destruction while providing quality, high-paying jobs to millions of people as the country makes a rapid transition to a renewable energy system.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the left-leaning group People for Bernie [Sanders] pointed out:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is the best agenda Fox News has promoted all week. pic.twitter.com/p8FXqMCtTu</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— People For Bernie (@People4Bernie) November 14, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Weird how the right says "nothing is free" but then give the Left wonderful free advertising like this.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Giovanni Torre (@GiovanniTorre) November 14, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Fox really makes the best pro-progressives graphics," said another as screenshots of Ingraham's segment began to make the rounds on social media. The outlet has been caught doing the same multiple times in the last year (here, here, and here).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As it turns out, an increasing number of Americans support bold climate action, a Medicare for All plan, student loan forgiveness and tuition-free higher education, and a more humane immigration system.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Meanwhile, Parker Malloy, editor-at-large for Media Matters for America, offered Fox News her graphic design skills so "wacky" Republicans in the House (albeit less of them in the coming Congress) do not feel left out:...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">random mma 11/18</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity attacks Michelle Obama because she criticized Trump’s racist birther lies</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 10:35 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox guest accuses Democrats of "manufacturing voters" in Florida</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 8:41 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity says efforts to count all Florida votes “purposefully violated the federal law and Florida state law"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 4:13 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Just days after Democrats retake the House, conservative commentators insist that they’re doing it all wrong</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog November 9, 2018 2:57 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Liberty Counsel's podcast compares same-sex marriage to pedophilia and adultery</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 1:49 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NRATV host Dan Bongino used doctored Infowars video of Jim Acosta in White House press briefing</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog November 9, 2018 1:40 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Leading members of Trump’s Fox cabinet support Jim Jordan’s House GOP leader bid</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog November 9, 2018 12:57 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Anti-abortion ballot measures based on right-wing misinformation are a threat to reproductive health</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog November 9, 2018 12:51 PM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NRATV's Grant Stinchfield on the Thousand Oaks mass shooting: Californians are "sheep" because guns are prohibited in bars</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 11:42 AM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NRATV host: Sen. Dianne Feinstein empowers mass shooters</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 11:03 AM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox's Jeanine Pirro suggests both that there were "more votes than people" in Florida and that a "truckload" of ballots were destroyed</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 10:54 AM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matt Schlapp: Gillum's call to "count every vote" means "count the votes of people who are not legally allowed to vote"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 10:35 AM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends contradicts itself on Florida vote count</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog November 9, 2018 9:23 AM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox regular says Stacey Abrams "should be gracious in ... defeat," even though votes are still being counted in Georgia</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 9:01 AM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox guest: There is a "moral hazard of turning Election Day into election season" with things like early voting and mail-in ballots</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video November 9, 2018 8:59 AM EST</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News commentator claims migrants in caravan have ‘leprosy’ and ‘small pox’</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dominique Jackson DOMINIQUE JACKSON</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">29 OCT 2018 AT 17:25 ET </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Charles Payne and David Ward [Photo: Screengrab from video</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY!</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Follow @rawstory</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the migrant caravan crisis grows, Fox News is peddling fear tactics to their viewers. On Monday, a former ICE agent David Ward told Fox News host Charles Payne that some of the migrants have leprosy.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We have three tenants of problems, national security, public safety, and public health issues with these caravans coming to the United States,” Ward said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“In the national security realm, we have all sorts of people, not only from Central America but they are coming in from Africa and the Middle East and other places in this caravan,” he said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He added, “They are going to come between the ports of entry where we have the paths of least resistance. Then [we have] public health. Individuals [are] coming from all over the world that has the most extreme medical care in the world.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They are coming in with diseases such as smallpox and leprosy and T.B. [and this is] going to affect our people in the United States,” he said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch the video below via Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News Was Just Humiliated When Sean Hannity Spoke at a Trump Rally — Contradicting the Network's Promises</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ipcc report 10/8/18 check coverage 12 yrs</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">new report issued by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this week warned that if immediate and unprecedented action is not taken, the dire consequences of global warming will start to take effect within the next 20 years.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The landmark report dominated the environmental news beat this week, but its impact was not reflected in mainstream media coverage.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Unsurprisingly, Fox News did not cover the report until late Monday afternoon, when Shep Smith spent a few minutes on the topic, saying, “climate change is real, the situation is urgent, and time is running out. That's the new warning from a landmark United Nations report." Smith’s reporting was quickly watered down with correspondent Trace Gallagher describing the goals laid out in the U.N. report as “really unreasonable” and “draconian.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While most TV networks are notoriously terrible when it comes to covering the real-life causes and impacts of climate change, Fox News stands out among the worst offenders. The network has spent years telling its viewers that global warming is a hoax. They have devoted coverage to undermining climate science across its platforms -- in 2012, the Union of Concerned Scientists found that 93% of Fox News' representations of climate science were misleading.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox was not alone in ignoring the climate report: 28 of the top 50 U.S. newspapers made no mention of it on their homepages, including 10 that serve cities listed among the "25 U.S. Cities Most Affected by Climate Change."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The predictions offered in the report would likely affect every American, but the media is largely unwilling or unable to dedicate substantive coverage to climate change and related environmental news. While there is clearly a hunger for climate change reporting--particularly on the responses and solutions to this global crisis--coverage is lacking, if not downright misleading, across every network.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch this: Fox News has spent years telling viewers that climate change is not real. We juxtaposed those lies with the dire warnings from the new climate report.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">se mma on tucker c pal with proud boys, NYC beatings</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see proud boys update</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While the Proud Boys are beating people on the streets of New York, right-wing media figures have instead fearmongered about peaceful protesters on the left. Right-wing media figures likened anti-Kavanaugh protesters to deranged monsters, compared them to children, claimed that they are on drugs, called for punitive measures against them, and more. The attacks are out of control.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is all part of a larger tactic on the right. As Matt Gertz explained, the right-wing midterm engagement strategy is telling viewers that Democrats are coming to kill them: “With the midterm elections only four weeks away, a slew of Fox News commentators are warning their conservative viewers that they are physically imperiled by a ‘violent’ leftist ‘mob’ and must vote to keep Republicans in power in order to protect themselves. Their argument is an effort to turn out the GOP base by weaponizing conservative criticism of the protestors who opposed Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: It's not just Fox News. CNN's right-wing pundits are running with this same talking point.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/white-house-promises-look-fox-news-decision-stop-airing-trump-rallies-after-ratings-plummet</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump has described himself as a self-made man who turned a small million dollar loan into a vast multi-billion dollar empire. This week’s damning New York Times report proved the opposite -- that Trump’s fortune was built upon extensive tax fraud and considerable other fraudulent behavior. In theory, the Times report exposing Trump’s past is important enough to should dominate the new cycle.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But right-wing media has made little of this bombshell report, instead choosing to either ignore it or laud him for his ability to skirt the law.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matt Gertz described Fox News’ coverage well: “Several commentators at the Trump-friendly network have explained away the Times’ damning reporting, arguing that the story was a hatchet job from a biased outlet that shows no wrongdoing and in fact proves the president both savvy and virtuous. And those were the commentators who actually bothered to tell their viewers the story existed. Most Fox programs ... including its entire prime-time lineup -- completely ignored the report. Only Shep Smith, whose reporting frequently contradicts the commentary of others at his network, discussed what he termed an 'exhaustive' story in detail without dismissing it during that period.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At this point it’s worth noting the right-wing media’s prior stance on vetting presidents and presidential candidates, specifically President Obama. Simon Maloy recounted the right-wing media’s efforts to misconstrue President Obama’s past this week: “This notion that Obama was hiding his true self found countless avenues of expression -- obsessions over his college transcripts; fine-toothed parsing of personal anecdotes related in his books; sinister insinuations about the childhood years he spent in Indonesia; dimwitted conspiracies about who actually wrote his autobiography; equally stupid conspiracies about his biological father; still dumber conspiracies about the famous black men who could be his ‘real’ father; and bad-faith efforts to impute to Obama the politics of every controversial figure he encountered in his public life. The current president’s ascent in Republican politics began with a bigoted smear campaign to demonstrate that Obama had covered up his true place of birth.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How Fox News Is Turning Brett Kavanaugh Into a Symbol of White Grievance</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Amanda Marcotte, Salon</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News exploiting Kavanaugh conflict to tell white people they’re the real victims of racist oppression READ MORE»</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thursday morning, as the Carolinas and Virginia were preparing to be battered by Hurricane Florence, President Trump tweeted that he did not believe the official death count released by the Puerto Rican government after Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the island last year.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A study commissioned by the Puerto Rican government concluded that nearly 3,000 deaths were directly related to the storms, but apparently after watching a CNN segment on the death toll, Trump pushed a conspiracy theory that the number was just "bad politics" by Democrats who raised the death toll in order to make him "look as bad as possible." Trump also declared earlier in the week that the federal government's response to the crisis in Puerto Rico was an "incredible untold success."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media quickly spun up a range of excuses for the president:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox's Geraldo Rivera responded to news of Trump's tweets by arguing that it is "grotesquely unfair" to blame Trump for the federal government's response to the hurricanes and claiming that the problem with Hurricane Maria coverage is that "intense politically motivated hatred of President Trump deflects attention from what's really needed."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton tweeted, "The dramatic increase in death toll due to hurricane in Puerto Rico is result of statistical guess work. … we should be suspicious of a guess that moves it up to nearly 3,000."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NRATV's Grant Stinchfield said, "I'm there with Donald Trump -- I call bogus on the 3,000 deaths."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Erick Erickson tweeted, "The President would be more willing to accept the truth about the thousands dead in Puerto Rico if news outlet in the country weren't trying to blame him for the deaths."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell claimed, "Dems learned how to politicize natural disasters when Katrina hit New Orleans. It worked against Bush 43 so now they're trying it against @realDonaldTrump with his response to Maria in Puerto Rico last year."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Breitbart.com insisted that Trump was "correct" to argue that Democrats had created a fake death count to smear him, pointing out that earlier estimates put the death toll at around 1,000. Breitbart complained that "the media reported the new estimate as if it were an actual confirmed death toll," even though the Puerto Rican government revised the official death toll to align with that estimate.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lou Dobbs praised the president on his Fox Business show for having "the guts to call out the Dems and national left wing media types, who have blindly accepted an amazing tortured inflation of the death toll." Dobbs later tweeted out a video of the segment, which earned a retweet from the president.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s abject dismissal of almost 3,000 dead Americans and his media allies’ immediate and supportive reaction offers more proof that there is no low to which they will not sink.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">random grab 918 mma</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity: "Secret Service now must do everything within their power" to find anonymous op-ed author</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video September 7, 2018 10:19 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity calls for "the guy that appointed Mueller," Deputy AG Rosenstein, to be "investigated and prosecuted"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video September 7, 2018 9:53 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson attacks American diversity </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video September 7, 2018 9:29 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity falsely claims George Papadopolous wasn't part of Trump campaign following his sentencing</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video September 7, 2018 6:05 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Abortion opponents were reassured by Kavanaugh's comments on Roe v. Wade</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog September 7, 2018 5:36 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity claims the Beto O'Rourke campaign asked for volunteers to transport undocumented immigrants to polling booths. It didn't happen. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Video September 7, 2018 4:45 PM EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AN</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> increasingly clear that President Donald Trump is marching to the drumbeat of Fox News. And people at the network know it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In an interesting moment of candor, Fox News Host Greg Gutfeld laid out just what role his network has played in enabling and bolstering Trump's behavior.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"You know what it is? Trump was radicalized by something, okay?" said Gutfeld on "The Five" on Tuesday. "Because he was a Democrat for a long time, he was pro-choice, liberal in many things. He was radicalized. What was he radicalized by? Us. Fox News. When Fox News happened — he watches Fox, and the world starts to make sense to him, and then — so all he's doing, Juan, is what we do, which is, we bash the media!"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"So he's just doing — he's turned the White House into kind of, like, an alternative Fox show where he sits there and he rips the media," Gutfeld continued, roaring with laughter. "It's kind of refreshing.'</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[vid]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gutfeld, as a Fox commentator, may find that "refreshing," but it is in fact deeply disturbing. Fox News has long operated as an echo chamber for right-wing ideologues who want to promote themselves free from fact-checking — at least one study has found Fox News viewers are less informed on politics than people who don't watch any news at all.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump, moreover, has gotten numerous toxic falsehoods from Fox, from the idea that South African farm attacks are a conspiracy to expropriate land from white people, to the idea that Google is censoring conservative search results. He has endorsed Republican candidates after seeing them promoted on Fox News, including Virginia gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie. He may even be using Fox News segments to steer policy, such as when he tried to ban transgender troops shortly after Tucker Carlson called gender reassignment surgery "child abuse."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">None of this is healthy for democracy or discourse. But it seems to be one of the few ways Trump knows how to govern.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ggl conspiracy </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/what-he-talking-about-fox-news-shep-smith-baffled-trumps-nonsensical-attacks</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News Disables Comments on YouTube Videos About John McCain's Death As Its Supporters Viciously Attack Deceased Senator</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/new-cnn-contributor-slammed-contract-legally-forbidding-any-criticism-trump</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">black sept</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/fox-news-draws-anger-calling-democratic-candidate-grandson-terrorist</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AN</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Adam Housley announced he was leaving Fox, which he joined in 2001, because the network's focus on President Donald Trump and panel discussions had crowded out hard news reporting, reported Politico.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“He’s not doing the type of journalism he wants to be doing,” a former employee told the website. “And he is unhappy with the tone of the conversation of the channel.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Los Angeles-based Housley plans to move to San Fransisco to spend more time with his two young children and wife, Tamera Mowry-Housley, the actress and co-host of the daytime talk show "The Real."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Housley's discomfort with the pro-Trump tone at Fox News is widely shared among the network's reporters, according to current and former employees.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"People are losing their minds," one current Fox News personality told Politico.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conor Powell stepped down as Jerusalem bureau reporter earlier this month over similar concerns, according to a person close to him.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters quit working as a contributor for the network in March because he believed its pro-Trump "propaganda" was harmful to American democracy.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Four decades ago, I took an oath as a newly commissioned officer," Peters said in an email to colleagues. "I swore to ‘support and defend the Constitution,’ and that oath did not expire when I took off my uniform."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Today, I feel that Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law, while fostering corrosive and unjustified paranoia among viewers,” he added.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/08/14/hundreds-newspapers-plan-editorials-denounce-trump-s-war-press-fox-hosts-attack-newspapers/220991</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News and Fox Business hosts are slamming hundreds of newspapers as “anti-Trump” and “fake news” for coordinating to publish editorials on August 16 denouncing President Donald Trump’s war on the press.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump and his administration publicly attacked news organizations and specific journalists hundreds of times in just his first year in office. Though he routinely attacked news organizations during his presidential campaign and the transition period between his election and inauguration, Trump’s anti-press rhetoric reached a new low in February 2017, when he began calling news organizations “the enemy of the American people”: ... more than 100 newspaper editorial boards around the country are reportedly planning to publish editorials on August 16 “on the dangers of the administration’s assault on the press.” Each newspaper will be writing its own editorial in this coordinated effort.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox, which has both served as a platform for Trump’s attacks on the press and promoted his attacks on its own, is now criticizing the newspapers participating in this effort as anti-Trump and “fake news.” On August 13, five Fox News and Fox Business hosts took offense to the coordinated editorial release protesting Trump’s anti-press rhetoric. Fox & Friends First co-host Rob Schmitt said these newspapers are releasing editorials “attacking the president” and that “there is just kind of a mainstream, somewhat leftist bias coming from a lot of our media companies.” Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy commented that The Boston Globe “said essentially they’re going after the president.” Varney & Co. guest host Ashley Webster and Wall Street Journaleditorial board member James Freeman both defended Trump’s rhetoric that the media are “the enemy of the people,” pushing Trump’s ridiculous claim that his critique applies only to “fake news.” Fox Business host Lou Dobbs referred to the planned editorials as “anti-Trump screeds” by “coordinated national left-wing fake news.” And Fox host Laura Ingraham, while criticizing media coverage of antifa actions against reporters, mocked the newspapers’ coordinated effort as “not collusion or anything.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Government, The Presidency & White House, Justice & Civil Liberties</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Network/Outlet</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News Channel, Fox Business</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Person</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald Trump, Laura Ingraham, Steve Doocy, Lou Dobbs, James Freeman, Ashley Webster</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Show/Publication</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends First, FOX & Friends, Varney & Co., Lou Dobbs Tonight, The Ingraham Angle</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Stories/Interests</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump's War on the Press</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/when-will-real-journalists-fox-news-step-denounce-trump-propaganda-machine</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">rantt</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...Fake News hates me saying that they are the Enemy of the People only because they know it’s TRUE. I am providing a great service by explaining this to the American People. They purposely cause great division & distrust. They can also cause War! They are very dangerous & sick!</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“‘Enemy of the people’ is an incendiary phrase,” reported Scott Simon on Weekend Edition Saturday on NPR. “It’s been uttered by some of history’s most vicious thugs — Robespierre, Goebbels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao — to vilify their opponents…who were often murdered.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At Trump’s rally in Tampa on Tuesday night, CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta was assailed by an angry mob of Trump supporters. In a video Acosta tweeted, one rally-goer showed off his “F* the Media” t-shirt, while others spewed venom and waved middle fingers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Just a sample of the sad scene we faced at the Trump rally in Tampa. I’m very worried that the hostility whipped up by Trump and some in conservative media will result in somebody getting hurt. We should not treat our fellow Americans this way. The press is not the enemy. pic.twitter.com/IhSRw5Ui3R</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 1, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Thursday, Acosta implored White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to disavow Trump’s refrain that the media is the “enemy of the people.” She refused to accede. Instead, Sanders told Acosta, “I appreciate your passion,” and proceeded to list the ways in which she has felt threatened.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a conversation with HLN’s S.E. Cupp, Acosta said, “My sense of it is that these opinions that these folks have at these rallies ? they’re shaped by what they see in the prime time hours of Fox News…”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Over at Fox, prime-time host, Sean Hannity validated Acosta’s hunch. In his opening monologue on Tuesday night, Hannity effectively blamed Acosta: “The people of this country, they’re screaming at you for a reason.” The following day, the two locked horns on Twitter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hannity is a propagandist for profit, peddling lies every night. He says he’s just a talk show host, not a journalist. But he’s injecting poison into the nation’s political bloodstream warping public attitudes about the press. I’m confident in the long run the truth will prevail.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 2, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In response, Hannity unleashed vitriol and vulgarity: “Jimmy @Acosta sorry your precious feelings are hurt & that people see through your lying bullshit for what it is. FAKE NEWS. #CNNSUCKS.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Whipping his audience into a foaming frenzy isn’t new for Hannity. He took to the airwaves in June after the horrific shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis where five journalists were killed.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blaming African-American Congresswoman Maxine Waters for the murder spree, Hannity said, “I’ve been saying now for days that something horrible was going to happen because of the rhetoric. Really Maxine?”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At the time, Hannity was roundly criticized on social media. Ben Collins, a reporter for NBC News, tweeted:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“When is it enough for the real people in the daytime news division at Fox News to step in and denounce this guy?”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Who are these real people in the daytime news division at Fox?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Straight news” journalists at Fox include Shepard Smith, Bill Hemmer, Bret Baier, Chris Wallace, Ed Henry, John Roberts, and Eric Shawn. Enough is enough. When will these real journalists step up and denounce Hannity and the Fox propaganda machine?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox has long claimed there’s a firewall between its hard news journalists and opinion hosts like Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Jeanine Pirro, etc.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They are analogous, Fox suggested, to the editorial and op-ed opinion pages of newspapers, which ought not be confused with the straight news coverage,” reported the Columbia Journalism Review in 2010.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the firewall between Fox’s straight news and opinion hosts is now more like a sieve. For example:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Friday, Fox straight news anchor Bill Hemmer told White House aide Mercedes Schlapp that she should “go on offense” against the media.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox journalist, chief national correspondent Ed Henry does double duty as co-host of Sunday’s Fox & Friends. The show is Trump’s favorite partner in the well-documented propaganda feedback loop.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In April, Fox straight news anchor Eric Shawn lent his platform to Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. The JW leader is also a frequent guest on Fox opinion shows.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump has lauded Fitton for working to end the Mueller investigation. As reported by The Washington Post:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“In his tweets, Trump also cited comments by Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, during an appearance Monday on Fox News’s ‘Fox & Friends.’ Trump went on Twitter early Monday to promote Fitton’s interview shortly before it began.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fitton appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show in July. Straight news anchor Shawn mirrored his Fox opinion colleagues who are doing Trump’s bidding.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox hosts are not simply Trump fanboys and fangirls. They are propagating Trump’s blatant and damaging lies.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Wednesday, The Washington Post revealed a recent spike in the number of “false and misleading claims” made by Trump. In his first year as President, Trump made 2,140 false claims, according to the Post. In just the last six months, he has nearly doubled that total to 4,229. Pulitzer Prize winner PolitiFact has cataloged 10 pages of Trump false statements (not including “mostly false” statement and “half-truths.”)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox hosts wreak arguably the greatest destruction by echoing Trump’s lies about the Russia investigation, and his meritless attacks on Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the Justice Department, the Intelligence Community, and the FBI. By doing so, Fox propagandists are accomplishing Putin’s goal of undermining Americans’ faith in their institutions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What’s more, Fox uses its hard news journalists as human shields to deflect criticism about the network’s raison d’être: propaganda arm for the Trump administration.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In April, Bill Maher asked Fox commentator Geraldo Rivera in his interview on Real Time on HBO, “Why Fox News?”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rivera defended the network, citing the “straight news guys,” Smith, Hemmer, and Baier.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This ruse is known to every three-card monte hustler on the street. Fox News journalists are paid shills. They’re plants whose purpose is to create the illusion of journalistic legitimacy. They’re role players in the Fox-Trump con job.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And by sprinkling a little real news into the Fox propaganda machine, journalists there are only lubricating its gears.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To his credit, Shep Smith isn’t shy about railing against Trump, or debunking Hannity’s lies. But Smith is still funneling cash into Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News family coffers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Fox’s ratings report from the first quarter of 2018, Smith delivered an average of 1,437,000 in total viewers — nearly on par with ratings for Fox & Friends (Smith’s audience was only about 6% fewer viewers).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith is also collecting a hefty paycheck — $10 million a year, reported by the Observer in 2016. He’s paid with revenues generated by ratings winners Hannity and the Fox propagandists.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even if he is a fine journalist with noble intentions, what if Smith were fattening revenues of and payrolled by the NRA or the KKK? Working for Fox News is equally indefensible.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith and the other real journalists at Fox may think they’re doing a service. But as Mother Jones editor in chief Clara Jeffery tweeted:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I don't understand why Chris Wallace or Shep Smith or John Roberts or anybody who's arguably an actual journalist stays with Fox. It's pretty much become the same as working for RT or any regime's propaganda outlet.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) July 17, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox journalists have reportedly grumbled about Hannity and the network’s treatment of him — but mum’s the word.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Back in April, when Hannity revealed he had a business relationship with former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, Fox doubled down on Hannity, announcing that he had the network’s “full support.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi wrote at the time that journalists at Fox were “angry and disappointed” about the network’s handling of the Hannity-Cohen matter. But Fox journalists insisted on remaining nameless — they talked to Farhi on condition of being background.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I emailed Farhi, asking why Fox journalists wouldn’t go on-the-record. Farhi responded: “They like their jobs and don’t feel like losing them… Do you go around publicly criticizing your employer?”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But Fox News is an employer like no other.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Trump-Fox symbiosis has been well-documented. As Vanity Fair reporter Gabriel Sherman told Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air in July: “So there is this really bizarre and surreal dynamic that the president of the United States is the executive producer, the head of one of the three cable news networks, which exists to promote his agenda. … I think it’s more than a feedback loop, I think it’s basically one organization.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Understandably, Fox journalists don’t want to risk their livelihoods by dissing their employer. But Fox straight news anchors are serving as enablers for the network’s purveyors of propaganda.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At Trump’s rally Saturday night in Ohio, the president lambasted the media as “fake news” and said journalists “were terrible people.” He then saluted Fox propagandists by name: Tucker, Hannity, Ingraham, Doocy, Kilmeade, Earhardt, Dobbs, and Bartiromo. He called them “the people that love us.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Silence is an act of complicity. Those who don’t speak out against wrongdoing are culpable. As philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “Indifference to evil is worse than evil itself…in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Given the stakes, the enormity of lethal danger posed by Trump and Fox News, real journalists at the network must go on-the-record with their anger and disappointment at their co-workers and bosses.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With the exception of an occasional mild joust from Smith, Fox journalists have avoided criticizing their opinion colleagues. Smith said in a TIME magazine interview in March, “They don’t really have rules on the opinion side. They can say whatever they want.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jimmy Kimmel hosted Fox journalist Bret Baier on his show last week. Kimmel asked Baier about getting “lumped” in with Hannity and Carlson.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kimmel said, “I would imagine that Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace and yourself, that sometimes you’re not crazy about, perception-wise, being a part of that.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Baier responded, “We’re one team, we’re one company.” Then he contradicted himself, saying of his opinion teammates: “We’re two different businesses entirely.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fact check: Fox straight news and opinion are not two different businesses. Fox News is one business entity, one profit center, and part of a larger one.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After the Disney acquisition, Variety reports that “Rupert Murdoch and his family, the founders of Fox, will then spin off Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox Sports, Fox News, Fox Television Stations, and a handful of other assets into a new company that will have revenue of $10 billion and earnings of about $2.8 billion.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here’s the real bottom line: Real journalists who work for Fox News are complicit.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">John Stoehr, editor in chief of the Editorial Board newsletter and fellow at the Yale Journalism Initiative, tweeted:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1. The GOP.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2. Evangelical Christian leaders.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3. The NRA.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4. Fox News.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">5. Every legit reporter who refuses to denounce Fox News. https://t.co/ERKJH41Yvu</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— John Stoehr (@johnastoehr) July 26, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Fox journalists choose not to ruffle feathers at their workplace, other headliners and former Fox News on-air commentators have been speaking out.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Producer/director Judd Apatow mounted an online activist effort, encouraging Fox entertainment talent to speak out. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane joined the row, saying he’s embarrassed to work for Fox. Steve Levitan, creator of Modern Family, said he won’t renew his contract with Fox. (Upon Disney’s acquisition, entertainment talent will no longer face the moral dilemma of working for the Murdoch family enterprise.)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I haven’t worked with Fox since 2002. That family promotes evil ideas and greed and corruption. We all choose who to work with. I understand why that is easier for some than others but many powerful people are powerful enough to speak up to their bosses at a moment like this. https://t.co/8NtsqsR8Xj</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) June 18, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In June, Fox frequent commentator Bruce Turkel announced the end of his relationship with the network, writing in an open letter:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I quit. Quite simply, the position Fox has taken on our government’s policy of separating children from their parents is too heinous for me to accept.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In March, former Fox News analyst Ralph Peters said Fox anchors “understand that they are doing propaganda” for Trump. In an email to colleagues, as he resigned, Peters wrote: “Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law,” saying Fox has degenerated into “a mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox journalists are not exempt from accountability. Real journalists there must denounce Fox propagandists and resign. Otherwise, they may keep collecting fat paychecks from Fox, but they are ethically bankrupt. They’re selling their moral backbones — like body parts for cash.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dan Gillmor, professor of practice at the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, tweeted:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox "News" serving in its chosen role as propaganda arm of the Trump regime. By definition at this point, no journalists of integrity work there. https://t.co/v3lIWNqCc3</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Dan Gillmor (@dangillmor) July 18, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Thursday, after Sanders refused to squash Trump’s claims that the media is “the enemy of the people,” Acosta walked out of the White House press briefing. No other reporters followed him. Maybe next time, they will.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And perhaps real journalists at Fox News will do the right thing — join their colleagues in solidarity, denounce the Fox propaganda machine, and walk away.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">No one from Fox News responded to my inquiries. Ed Henry blocked me on Twitter.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/07/30/report-donald-trump-relies-fox-news-programming-set-white-house-agenda/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Politico is reporting that White House chief of staff John Kelly’s relationship with President Donald Trump is withering and that as they “have proven increasingly incompatible,” Fox News shows and personalities seem to be filling the void in the White House.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media Matters has documented the Trump-Fox News feedback loop since the early days of the Trump administration, but as Trump continues to bring on former Fox News employees for White House positions, Fox’s influence over the administration is becoming more stark. Less than one month ago, Trump hired disgraced former Fox News executive Bill Shine as White House communications director (a move Trump sycophant and “unofficial chief of staff” Sean Hannity staunchly endorsed). And now Politico reports that Kelly, who was ostensibly hired to “impose order on a chaotic” White House, has been unable to prevent the president from soliciting advice from a “coterie of outside advisers, including Fox News host Sean Hannity.” Trump is even reportedly setting his daily agenda by simply tuning into his favorite show, Fox & Friends, as a former White House official told Politico that Trump “comes down for the day, and whatever he saw on 'Fox and Friends,' he schedules meetings based on that.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">From Politico’s July 30 article, by Eliana Johnson:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kelly has done away with “meeting crashers,” the West Wing aides who showed up for meetings uninvited, according to a White House aide, but he has not been able to curb Trump’s practice of adding and subtracting advisers to meetings throughout the day or of turning scheduled gatherings into freewheeling discussions of subjects that suit his interests — including those suggested to him by his coterie of outside advisers, including Fox News host Sean Hannity.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“He comes down for the day, and whatever he saw on 'Fox and Friends,' he schedules meetings based on that,” said one former White House official. “If it’s Iran, it’s ‘Get John Bolton down here!’ … If he’s seen something on TV or [was] talking to Hannity the night before, he’s got lots of flexibility to do whatever he wants to do.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">…</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With closer contact, Trump and Kelly have proven increasingly incompatible. The president makes decisions in part based on the blurts emitted from a media world of his own creation, his television tuned to Fox News and his cellphone at the ready to dial up any number of its on-air talent. Kelly, by contrast, rarely watches television and doesn’t follow Twitter, the forum on which the president announces many of his decisions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twelve Russian military officers were indicted for hacking into Democrats' computers and disseminating the stolen information to disrupt the 2016 election. The indictment also has references of Infowars host and a then-Breitbart columnist.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But perhaps the most immediately notable part of the indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller's probe is that it directly rebuts the long-simmering right-wing media conspiracy theory about murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich. While the indictment alleges that Russians were behind the hacking (something that intelligence had reportedly concluded long ago), right-wing media have for years -- without any evidence -- pressed the idea that it was actually Rich who did it.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity became the ringleader of this effort, relentlessly dedicating his show in May 2016 to the conspiracy theory until pressure from dropped advertisers forced him to stop covering it, even though he promised he was "closer to the TRUTH than ever." Neither Fox News nor Hannity have ever apologized or even explained their botched reports.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now that the office of special counsel Robert Mueller has laid out the actual facts (that Russian hacking came very shortly after then-candidate Donald Trump publicly asked for their assistance), it's time for Hannity to come clean.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But we all know he won't. And neither will Fox News. Newt Gingrich has already refused to apologize. And that's why it's more important than ever for people like you to take action and force Hannity's hand.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That's the only thing that works.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: An Infowars host reacted to news of the indictments by screaming out "Thank you Russia." Fox host Lou Dobbs downplayed them, saying they were just based on hearsay. And Hannity said that the indictments were suspicious because of the timing; Hannity, while absurdly and bizarrely claiming that we still don't know who leaked the emails, said that it could be any other country.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/why-does-fox-news-steve-doocy-still-have-job-after-gretchen-carlson-lawsuit</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Two years ago today, Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed a civil lawsuit against then-Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, detailing serial sexual harassment and retaliation by Ailes and persistent gender-based harassment from her former co-host Steve Doocy. Two years later, the toxic culture for women at Fox has been exposed and Ailes and his deputy have both left the network in disgrace, but Doocy continues to co-host “the most powerful TV show in America.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carlson held several on-air roles at Fox News from 2005 to the day she was fired from the network in 2016, about two weeks before she filed the lawsuit against Ailes. Her suit detailed pervasive harassment by Ailes and retaliation when she rejected his propositions. This included repeated sexual comments about Carlson’s body and several instances in which Ailes told Carlson that she should engage in a sexual relationship with him in order to improve her job standing.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carlson’s lawsuit further detailed allegations of harassment by her former Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy, also dismissed by Ailes:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/critics-roast-fox-news-fawning-trump-interview-bartiromo-rubberstamps-outrageous</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/movement-abolish-ice-gains-mainstream-support-fox-news-goes-attack-mode</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the Movement to Abolish ICE Gains Mainstream Support, Fox News Goes into Attack Mode</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox has long led the media charge to defend ICE and its actions, frequently using the violent gang MS-13to demonize all immigrants.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Bobby Lewis / Media Matters June 30, 2018, 5:41 AM GMT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News is scrambling in response to the grass-roots movement to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has begun seeping into mainstream progressive and Democratic politics. On the evening of June 28, all three of the network’s prime-time shows aired segments attacking the Abolish ICE movement, as did Fox & Friends the next morning.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the Trump administration is stepping up mass deportations, separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border, and interning immigrant children in cages, calls to abolish ICE have spread from a grass-roots Twitter phenomenon to the political mainstream. Multiple candidates for prominent elected positions have endorsed the movement, including New York congressional nominee Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist who ran on the issue leading up to her upset primary win over Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY). Elected Democrats are also beginning to endorse the movement. In the House, three Democrats support abolishing ICE and a fourth, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI), introduced legislation to abolish ICE and investigate possibilities for “a humane immigration enforcement system.” And in the Senate, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) endorsed abolishing ICE, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) said, “We need to probably think about starting from scratch.” Even some ICE agents themselves have called for the agency to be dissolved.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Meanwhile, on Fox, the network’s stars were allied in their defense of ICE. After a brief update on the June 28 mass shooting at an Annapolis, MD, newspaper, Tucker Carlson -- who uses his platform to promote white nationalism -- opened his show by denouncing #AbolishICE as an “ideological revolution on the left” and fearmongering about the criminals and drugs that he claimed would flood the country without ICE. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sean Hannity suggested that members of “the left” are attacking ICE because special counsel Robert Mueller has produced “literally zero evidence that the president ever did anything wrong” in his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, causing progressives to “unravel.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Laura Ingraham complained that “Occupy ICE protesters want to, again, make it impossible for our immigration investigators to do their jobs.” And she ridiculed protesters in Washington, D.C., who were calling for abolishment of ICE as “Jiffy Pop” on account of the “tin foil robes” they wore, which were intended to resemblethe foil blankets ICE is giving detained children. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And Acting ICE Director Tom Homan appeared on Fox & Friends, his favorite safe space, using the Annapolis shooting to argue that anti-ICE protesters “should be respecting law enforcement across the board,” including ICE agents. Homan also said the protesters “need to educate themselves” about ICE’s activities and that they are seeking “better rules for illegal alien families than we have for U.S. citizen families.” </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox has long led the media charge to defend ICE and its actions, frequently using the violent gang MS-13to demonize all immigrants. (ICE also mislabels some immigrants as gang members in order to deport them.) Along with the hosts’ efforts, guests on the network lie and mislead about immigration issues to defend the agency’s critical role in President Donald Trump’s agenda of implementing mass deportations.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...Tomi Lahren is back. The conservative Fox News commentator known for her racist remarks last month earned the nickname "Xenophobic Rage Barbie" after defending Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly's anti-immigrant remarks.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now she is attacking all those on the left, asking why they aren't "loving and tolerant" – something conservatives claim liberals should be forced to be, even in the face of their own intolerance. And after detailing a litany of insults she feels best represent liberals, while wholly ignoring the extraordinary attacks on America from the right, Lahren demands to know why we can't all just get along (video below).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...Trump bringing in Fox News people is now just a regular thing. It’s commonplace to see Fox host Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office one day, and hear about host Lou Dobbs phoning in White House meetings the next. Fox & Friends weekend host Pete Hegseth is rumored to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs one week and is being considered for a communications job a few weeks later. Former Fox & Friends anchor Heather Nauert was installed at a top position in the Department of State. Former Fox contributor John Bolton became the national security adviser. Former Fox commentator Mercedes Schlapp is the director of strategic communications at the White House. Former Fox commentator Tony Sayegh is a Treasury Department’s spokesperson. Former Fox commentator Richard Grenell is now ambassador to Germany.So yeah, Bill Shine is a perfect fit for the Trump White House.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There are also those who didn’t make it: former contributor K.T. McFarland resigned as deputy national security adviser and later withdrew her nomination to become ambassador to Singapore due to controversy over work for disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn; and contributor Monica Crowley was never hired after it was reported that she plagiarized parts of her Ph.D. dissertation. And there’ve been rumors at various times that Trump is considering hiring Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AN</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">omg</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/trump-mulls-hiring-former-fox-news-executive-who-covered-sexual-harassment-gets-bill-oreilly-stamp</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...uring the Trump administration, the position was also held by Sean Spicer twice, Mike Dubke and for ten days, by Anthony Scaramucci.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SCOOP: Former @FoxNews co-president Bill Shine is in final talks with @realDonaldTrump about becoming @WhiteHouseCommunications Director. Announcement could be soon.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) June 27, 2018</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The move was confirmed by The New York Times, which reported, “the move has not been finalized, but two people familiar with the decision said it was likely to be announced and that the president had offered him the job.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Shine left Fox News in May of 2017 after women at the network reportedly circulated a petition demanding he be fired.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Shine reportedly told a female executive that the network’s pattern of sexual harassment was a “necessary evil.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Officials at the White House are aware that they will face blowback for appointing someone so closely tied to Mr. Ailes and the culture of harassment toward women at Fox News,” The Timesnoted. “But they said Wednesday that they believe they can weather it.”It was also reported at the time that Shine had attempted to have a female executive institutionalized against her will at a psychiatric hospital to prevent her going public with about sexual harassment by former Fox News boss Roger Ailes.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to The Times, Kellyanne Conway declined the position and Mercedes Schlapp was not offered the job.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News is reportedly having trouble selling ads for Sean Hannity's and Laura Ingraham's shows. One Fox News staffer told Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman that "The pro-Trump thing isn't working. We can't monetize DACA and the wall and that right-wing shit."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This follows an October 2017 report that Fox News' ad revenue had dropped 17 percent, while revenue for its competitors had remained virtually unchanged.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The toxic conspiracy theories, the pro-Trump propaganda, the racism and sexism and bigotry, and the extreme measures to defend anything that comes out of the White House (including conspiracy theories, racism, sexism, and bigotry) make Fox News unsafe for most advertisers. And whether it's Sean Hannity or Laura Ingraham's show, the core issue is that Fox News management, from the Murdochs on down, is not interested in fixing the problem.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: Once again, Fox News anchor Shep Smith has debunked a pro-Trump lie spread by Hannity. This same thing keeps happening.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/fox-news-judge-jeanine-claims-trump-fulfilling-biblical-prophecy-moving-israeli-embassy-jerusalem</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">pirro</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">trump, dobbs, rudy</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/fox-news-and-white-house-created-massive-toxic-bubble-its-about-pop</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media furious at Comey for the wrong reasons, Zuckerberg goes before Congress, Fox & Friends ignoring Michael Cohen raid, and more...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Friend,</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here are some things that caught my eye this week: Marcy Wheeler on Trump's pardon of Scooter Libby, Ed Burmila on how pundits were wrong to dismiss Trump's corruption, Hilary Hanson on how two black men were arrested for walking into a Starbucks, Emma Grey Ellis and Louise Matsakis on Facebook's role as content moderator, and Sam Ratner's interview with Jon Greene about the relationship between racism and militarism.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">John Whitehouse</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@existentialfish</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <span style="white-space:pre"> </span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media furious at Comey for all the wrong reasons</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">James Comey's book comes out this week, and right-wing media is in full attack mode. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A frequent Fox guest said that Comey is "very disturbed" and should be "sitting in a prison."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News anchor Chris Wallace called Comey's book "bitchy."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mark Levin called Comey a "mob boss."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Fox & Friends host floated attacking Syria to distract from Comey (hours before Trump authorized the strikes).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These attacks aren't new either. Pro-Trump media has attacked Comey ever since Trump fired him, with the sole aim of discrediting anything anti-Trump that Comey might say. Here's some examples from the past year:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jeanine Pirro said that Comey "turned into a political whore."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rush Limbaugh said that Comey was participating in a "silent coup" against Trump.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News figures have regularly (and baselessly) accused Comey of breaking the law in regards to sharing an unclassified memo.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Far-right trolls launched a series of conspiracy theories regarding Comey. One of these lies made it from an "alt-right" troll to an RNC press release.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But there's been one person leading the charge to discredit anything Comey may say: Sean Hannity. Hannity has repeatedly used Comey as a means to attack Robert Mueller. On multiple occasions, he discussed threatening Comey with criminal charges, and then celebrated after Sarah Huckabee Sanders repeated the line from the White House press room.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But this week, Hannity went above and beyond. After Trump told people to watch Hannity's show, Hannity had a complete meltdown, talking about a "Comey crime family" and more. Hannity furiously denied that he colluded with Trump for the segment, but as Simon Maloy notes, Hannity is also a liar.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also: The right-wing argument against Comey collapses when you take into consideration the 2016 election. The argument, both from right-wing media and a Trump tweet this morning, is that Comey announced that the Clinton email investigation was re-opened in the final days of the election in order to help or curry favor with Clinton. This idea is completely ridiculous. Conservatives at the time, even Jeff Sessions, ran to Fox News to praise Comey's actions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There are plenty of valid things to criticize James Comey for. As The Atlantic's Adam Serwer points out, the Clinton investigation was handled very publicly while the counter-intelligence investigation into Trump and Russia was completely under wraps before the election. The FBI's record under Comey, particularly on issues of race and surveillance, calls for scrutiny and criticism. And that is to say nothing of Comey's extremely problematic record under George W. Bush. But these well-founded criticisms of Comey are not what right-wing media are saying.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">robt r:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What’s worrying isn’t that Trump is now getting advice about policy from fanatics like John Bolton and Lawrence Kudlow. Trump has never cared about policy.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The real worry is that – with Robert Mueller breathing down his neck, and several special elections suggesting a giant “blue wave” in November – Trump is getting ready to do whatever it takes to maintain his power, even if that requires fanatical policies.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump is preparing for an epic war over the future of his presidency. This has required purging naysayers from his Cabinet and White House staff, and replacing them with bomb-throwing advocates like Bolton and Kudlow. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News is preparing for the same war, and has made a parallel purge – removing Trump critics like George Will, Megyn Kelly, and Rich Lowry, and installing Trump marketers like Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, and Sebastian Gorka.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump and Fox News are also approaching the war with the same story.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some of it is by now familiar: Liberals have opened America to hostile forces – unauthorized immigrants, Muslims, Chinese traders, criminal gangs, drug dealers, government bureaucrats, coastal elites (Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi), North Korea, Iran, and “political correctness” in all its forms.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump intends to protect America from these forces. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The new twist to the story– requiring the recent purges and a united front – is that these forces are conspiring with the FBI to oust Trump from the presidency.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We all know Trump watches an inordinate amount of Fox News, beginning in the wee hours with “Fox and Friends,” which provides much of the fodder for his morning tweets.The membrane separating Trump’s brain from Fox News has always been thin, but in coming months it’s likely to disappear entirely.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">joe digenova hired b/c good fighter on fox</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div></div></div>