Trump is APPALLED at the ‘Large Scale Social Deception’ that His Own Administration Paid For

Donald Trump is notoriously fond of castigating his perceived enemies for offenses that he himself is responsible for. Every time he has falsely accused President Biden of committing crimes, it has been to deflect from his own documented criminality, including 34 felony convictions. Every time he has railed at Democrats for cheating, or attacked liberals as extremists, it has been to cover up his own dishonesty and manic radicalism.

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Trump Lies

Nothing is more predictable than Trump’s displays of pure projection that mirror his worst behaviors. And his feigned blindness to what is obvious to everybody else speaks to the degree of mental deterioration that he must be suffering, and/or his pathological impulse to lie about everything. These may be factors in why Trump’s popularity is wallowing at record lows.

SEE THIS: Trump 2.0 Begins with Approval Ratings that Rank Below Every Other President Dating Back to 1953

Consequently, no one should be surprised that Trump is now unleashing a rancid and utterly unwarranted assault on the media that he despises so thoroughly. Just one day after he brazenly violated the First Amendment rights of the Associated Press (because they wouldn’t kowtow to his preposterous renaming of the Gulf of Mexico), Trump is now making bizarre and unfounded accusations aimed at Reuters. He posted the following harangue on his failing Twitter ripoff, Truth Social

“DOGE: Looks like Radical Left Reuters was paid $9,000,000 by the Department of Defense to study ‘large scale social deception.’ GIVE BACK THE MONEY, NOW!”

What things “look like” to Trump are usually grossly distorted by his perversely warped political baises. And this case is no exception. To begin with, Trump was alerted to this phony atrocity by his unelected co-president and puppet master, Elon Musk, who shortly before Trump’s posting, tweeted that…

“Reuters was paid millions of dollars by the US government for ‘large scale social deception’. That is literally what it says on the purchase order! They’re a total scam. Just wow.”

There a couple of serious problems with these crackpot commentaries. Let’s begin with the fact that the expenditure in question was not one that financed engaging in “large scale social deception.” It was clearly described as a contract to conduct research on nefarious social media operations in order to defend against such threats to national security due to the social media campaigns of foreign adversaries. Naturally Trump is opposed to that because it would put constraints on his BFF, Vladimir Putin, and other tyrants that Trump admires and seeks to emulate.

Furthermore, the expenditures that Trump and Musk are complaining about were made in 2018, during Trump’s occupation of the White House. So he is actually attacking the work of his own administration. And yet, still managing to blame it on “Radical Left[ists]” and demanding repayment of the funds that he paid out. None of this was secret. It was all documented and available online. Mediaite did a quick fact-check and easily found that…

“The contract in question, issued in 2018 during the first Trump administration, was actually awarded to Thomson Reuters Special Services for cybersecurity research. […] The ASED program aims to create scalable systems capable of detecting, analyzing, and mitigating threats to bolster cybersecurity.”

For the record, Thomson Reuters Special Services is a division of the same corporation that owns Reuters News Service, but is not affiliated with it in any working capacity. TRSS has no input into Reuters reporting or editorial practices. It would like saying that Pepsi and Quaker Oats are clandestinely conspiring to alter each others recipes because they are both owned by the same corporation.

The bottom line here is that Trump and Musk are deliberately lying about the pseudo-scandal that they are pretending to have uncovered. And they are demonstrating that they couldn’t care less about the facts that are so readily available. So if anyone still needs more reasons not to trust anything that either of them say (a line that should have been crossed long ago), this should be a convincing closer to that deal. From now on, if you are fooled by these con artists, you want to be fooled. Also, you are in a cult.

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Who Should Fill Andrea Mitchell’s Now Vacant Slot on MSNBC? Jim Acosta? Mehdi Hasan? Or…

MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell hosted the last episode of her program on Friday. Her departure was announced last October in a statement that indicated her interest in doing “more of what I love the most: more connecting, listening and reporting in the field.”

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Jim Acosta, MSNBC

Mitchell will retain her role as chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent. However, no one has yet been named to fill her 12:00pm ET time slot. That leaves some interesting possibilities for the network to counter Trump’s war against the free press that he refers to as “the enemy of people.”

SEE THIS: Trump Hurls Hate and Fear at All of the Media He’s Suing Following the ABC News Capitulation

Among the prospective candidates to succeed Mitchell is former CNN anchor, Jim Acosta. He recently chose to ditch CNN when they tried to banish him to an overnight wasteland, despite his having higher ratings than most of his CNN colleagues. It’s clear that the network’s brass were determined to kiss up to Trump by silencing one of his most honest and effective critics. Acosta signed off by warning that…

“It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant…Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope.”

Other potential replacements might include current weekend MSNBC hosts, Katie Phang, Ali Velshi, Alicia Menendez, Jonathan Capehart, and Ayman Mohyeldin. Another intriguing possibility would be to bring back former host Mehdi Hasan, an insightful journalist who was popular with MSNBC viewers before he was let go. Although he may not be available now as he has started his own successful media enterprise, Zeteo.

Replacing Mitchell with Acosta or Hasan would serve the dual purpose of pissing off Trump. Of course, he will attack whoever gets the spot with his hallmark hatred of anyone who dares to criticize him. And he has a special place in the decaying organ where his heart should be for MSNBC. Some of his recent outbursts include…

You take a look at MSDNC, how evil they are. They’re evil. They’re sick. They shouldn’t even be allowed to do what they do. Because it’s so corrupt. They shouldn’t be allowed to do it.”

MSNBC (MSDNC) uses FREE government approved airwaves, and yet it is nothing but a 24 hour hit job on Donald J. Trump…Our so-called ‘government’ should come down hard on them and make them pay for their illegal political activity.”

MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its ‘Country Threatening Treason.’”

One option that MSNBC must resist is giving another hour of air time Morning Joe host, Joe Scarborough, who is already controlling four hours every weekday morning. The last thing the network needs is to lean closer to the Trump-fluffers at Fox News.

Speaking of which, Fox just announced its own new host, Trump’s daughter-in-lawlessness, Lara Trump. Which is their way of affirming that the network has abandoned any pretense of being anything other than Trump’s Ministry of Propaganda.

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Has Hell Frozen Over? Newsmax Host Shoots Down Trump’s Defense Secretary Nominee, Pete Hegseth

The parade of nominees for Donald Trump’s reoccupation of the White House is in progress on Capitol Hill. Confirmation hearings are being held by the Republican controlled Senate that is almost certainly going to rubber stamp every last one of Trump’s choices to serve in his Politburo…er…Cabinet. And once in place they will swear their allegiance to Trump, rather than to the Constitution.

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Pete Hegseth with Drunk Emoji

Among those being questioned by the senators is Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense. He is a standout among the roster of Trump’s ultra-loyalist, but dangerously unqualified nominees for being particularly unfit for the post to which he aspires. Not only has he never had any experience managing anything on the scale of the Pentagon, his personal history is one replete with sexual misconduct, drunkenness, financial mismanagement, and general ethical and moral bankruptcy.

SEE THIS: Fox News Buries Reports of Trump’s Unsavory, Unqualified Defense Secretary Pick, Pete Hegseth

Despite Hegseth’s dreadful resume, he is being lauded by MAGA World and fawned over by GOP politicians and press. However, there is one notable exception to this lock-step march to Grandmaster of the Military. Greg Kelly, a host on the Trump-fluffing Newsmax network, has come out in opposition to Hegseth. And he has some pretty well thought out reasons. Media Matters reports his reservations delivered on his primetime program. He prefaced his commentary saying that…

“I love President Trump, but he has sometimes gotten it wrong when it comes to the military. Who remembers General Milley? General Milley was Donald Trump’s pick for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And what happened? He turned around and called him fascist to the core and basically waged a coup against Donald Trump while he was in office.”

For the record, there was no coup against Trump, and all Milley did was tell the truth about him. But Kelly was just getting started. He also noted that one of Trump’s defense secretaries during his first term, Mark Esper, was “a bad call, a guy who was totally beholden to the swamp and turned around and called him a threat to democracy.” And then there was “General Mattis [another Defense Secretary]. He turned on President Trump big time.”

Maybe there were good reasons that all of these faithful, heroic, military officers were repulsed by Trump once they got to know him. Kelly then offered some detailed arguments against Hegeth’s nomination…

“I think the regulations suggest that since he paid money in a confidential settlement to a woman who accused him of assault — I — it’s akin to blackmail. And when you’re when you pay blackmail, I don’t think you’re eligible. […] We have all kinds of regulations that say if you’re vulnerable to blackmail, you shouldn’t be in a high level national security position. And that’s what his own attorney has called it – blackmail and extortion.

[And that…]

“[Hegseth] went on The Megyn Kelly Show and he made a case that he didn’t have a problem drinking.” [And also that] “he told [Fox News host] Will Cain in 2021 that, yeah, he had a problem.”

MORE HERE: Pete Hegseth’s Fox News Co-Host Admits He Had a Drinking Problem, But It’s Now ‘Under Control’

Kelly’s arguments for nixing Hegseth are compelling and ought to taken seriously by the senators considering his confirmation. His vulnerability to blackmail and/or extortion would create an existential threat to the nation’s national security. Add that to his moral vacancy and glaring inexperience, and you have a portrait of someone who should never be in charge of the U.S. military.

The question is, will enough senators have the integrity and patriotism to vote “NO”? Or will the Republican majority kowtow to Dear Leader Trump out of cultish devotion and/or fear?

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GOOD NEWS: Rachel Maddow Will Return to Airing 5 Days a Week for the First 100 Days of Trump 2.0

The tsunami of unsettling reports that have saturated the media in recent weeks has cast a pall on the newborn year of 2025. They include the unfolding consequences of the last November’s election, the persistent news of deadly conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and of course, the catastrophic wildfires that have ravaged several neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

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Rachel Maddow

Amidst all of those harrowing happenings the nation has also had to contend with the dystopian soap opera surrounding the reoccupation of the White House by Donald Trump. His toxic tendencies and temper tantrums have lived up to the worst predictions made prior to his unwelcome ascendancy. He has even managed to combine separate awful affairs to merge into mega-monstrosities.

SEE THIS: Trump Lashes Out Manically at Firefighters and Jack Smith in a Rabid Late-Night Freakout

So it comes with some relief to learn that there will be some respite in the storm of psychobabble that consumes America’s airwaves. MSNBC has just announced that Rachel Maddow, who has been on the air weekly for the past several months, is returning to a five-day-a-week schedule

“MSNBC fans are about to get a bigger dose of its marquee host: For the first 100 days of Trump’s second presidency, ‘The Rachel Maddow Show,’ will revert to its former five-night-a-week schedule.”

It is significant to note that this is a temporary change that will be in place for the first 100 days of Trump’s second term in office. Those will be particularly volatile days in the words of Trump himself, who has promised that “all hell will break loose.” He has said that there will a hundred or more executive orders from day one, a day on which he is also planning the biggest mass deportation in history.

Consequently, Maddow will have her hands full for the duration of her extended broadcasts. And it’s safe to predict that not much of the rest of the media will be covering the issues as thoroughly and honestly as she will. Alex Wagner, who has been airing on Tuesday through Friday, will take to the road for special reports on “Trumpland: The First 100 Days,” before returning to her anchor desk in May.

For a sneak preview of Maddow’s priorities for her program, what follows are some of her answers in an interview about the schedule change.

Question: What’s it going to be like covering Trump in 2025 vs. 2017? Have you learned any lessons from his first administration?
Answer: In the first Trump term, one of the things that we learned was this idea of watching what they do, not what they say. Trump is a real master of shifting the news cycle toward himself and away from himself as best suits his purposes, simply by saying really transgressive and shocking things all the time. […]

We’re already seeing the freneticism of the Trump news cycle taking over, even during the transition. We’re seeing the unpredictable cadence of the way news breaks as opposed to a more competent rational administration. So we’ll see; we’re trying to be ready for anything.

Question: There seems to be an exhaustion factor about Trump news. Do you agree, and if so, is it understandable, unhealthy, or both?
Answer: Everybody sort of implicitly knows that pretending something isn’t happening does not ensure that the thing doesn’t actually happen; there’s a sort of head-in-the-sand wish casting that’s happening with a lot of people checking out of the news, thinking ‘If I don’t hear about it, if I don’t look at it, then maybe it’s not happening.’ But people know that’s not actually the way to stop it from happening.”

Question: Trump has long attacked the press as the enemy…How do you deal with that?
Answer: As long as we’re still here, our job is pretty clear: Follow the facts, don’t be intimidated, tell true stories, help people understand the world. And I’m going to keep doing that […] Americans broadly know that we need a free press. We don’t need just state TV; we don’t need to have the government control the media, as happens in authoritarian countries. You want a free and independent and even oppositional press if you want a healthy country, and I think the country recognizes that. All of us in the business recognize that.

It will be refreshing to get Maddow’s insights on a more frequent basis while Trump and his MAGA media minions seek to deflect and distort what they are doing. And hopefully she will have some influence on her peers that results in better journalism all around. Especially while so many lies are proliferating on social media platforms that have abandoned fact-checking and thus, their responsibility to the their readers, their nation, and the world.

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Morning Joe’s Craven Capitulation to Trump is Just Cause for MSNBC to Consider Pulling the Plug

Whenever an emerging totalitarian regime starts to reveal its intentions, there are weak citizens and organizations that seek to get in front of the tyrannical train and declare their allegiance to the dawning dictatorship before it actually assumes power.

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Donald Trump, Woman, Fear

That display of spinelessness was evident when the Washington Post and other media enterprises withheld their endorsements of Kamala Harris prior to the election. It’s especially disturbing when comedy news satire programs are more credible journalists than mainstream media…

SEE THIS: The Media Still Doesn’t Get the Danger that We – and They – Are In, But the Daily Show Does

With the election behind us, it took less than two weeks for a usually reliable news network to fall under the spell of the demagogic cult leader, Donald Trump. On Monday morning the hosts of Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, opened their program with a report on their recent visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home/hotel. It was not exactly a story of courage or journalistic integrity (video below). Mika began…

“Over the past week, Joe and I have heard from so many people from political leaders to regular citizens deeply dismayed by several of president-elect Trump’s Cabinet selections, and they are scared. Last Thursday, we expressed our own concerns on this broadcast and even said we would appreciate the opportunity to speak with the president-elect himself. On Friday, we were given the opportunity to do just that.”

Joe said that he talked to Trump about a lot of issues, including those with which they disagreed. “What we did agree on,” Mika said, “was to restart communications” [and that] “He seemed interested in finding common ground with Democrats on some of the most divisive issues.” And if she believes that Trump has any genuine interest in finding common ground she is terminally naïve. She continued…

“We have been as clear as we know how in expressing our deep concerns about President Trump’s actions and words in the coarsening of public debate, but for nearly 80 million Americans. election denialism, public trials, January 6th, were not as important as the issues that moved them to send Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote. Joe and I realized it’s time to do something different and that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump, but also talking with him.”

First of all, Trump had less than 77 million votes, and only about two million more than Harris. It was one of the closest elections in modern times, and not in any way a mandate for Trump, or reason for Democrats to cave in. Furthermore, merely because Trump came out slightly ahead is no reason to forget the atrocities he was responsible for, including the violent January 5th insurrection, and his dozens of felony charges and convictions.

Joe suggested that “this is a president who is not seeking reelection, so maybe, just maybe now could be time for both parties to get to work.” Which is patently absurd. Trump is not thinking about reelection as a factor in pursuing his authoritarian power grab. In fact, he may not be thinking about ever having to stand for election again at all, while still staying in power.

Mika added that “Hyperbole and personal attacks will not work. My hair on fire doesn’t work. We have all seen that. What also does not work is threatening political opponents with arrest, harassment and even jail. That is a failed path.” Of course, she’s wrong. Trump succeeded with his threats and fear mongering and therefore, will see no reason to abandon those tactics now. Continuing…

“We know that this will be a consequential presidency. The question is whether it will be constructive. It will take a new approach from all sides, from both parties, and a leader who can bring them together. And only time will tell if Donald Trump can be that leader.”

Wrong again. Trump has no intention of bringing anyone together. He has said so explicitly, reiterating his threats against his critics, political opponents, and the media.

Joe closed by saying that he is “not here to defend or normalize Donald Trump.” But that’s precisely what he is doing. How else can he justify cozying up to someone he once compared to Hitler? A comment that drew a response from Trump’s spokesperson threatening that “their sad, miserable existence will be crushed when president Trump returns to the White House.”

This would be a good time for MSNBC to reconsider whether having Joe and Mika on for three hours every weekday is really a good idea while Trump and his regime are dismantling democracy. And it will be interesting to see how their network colleagues (Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Jen Psaki, Alex Wagner, Nicole Wallace, etc., respond. Katie Phang has already made her feelings clear…

https://x.com/KatiePhang/status/1858520409710182606

UPDATE: CNN is reporting that “According to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, Scarborough and Brzezinski were credibly concerned that they could face governmental and legal harassment from the incoming Trump administration.” [and that] “the incoming Trump administration could use its wide-ranging powers to punish people deemed enemies.”

So in other words, the cowards capitulated.


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CNN Moves Don Lemon and Others to New Morning Show in Major Network Shake Up

On Thursday morning CNN announced that it is moving primetime anchor, Don Lemon, to a new morning show, that he will co-anchor along with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. It’s the latest in a series of programming changes by the network’s new CEO, Chris Licht.

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Donald Trump, CNN

The move out of primetime for Lemon may look on the surface like a demotion. However, mornings are one the biggest revenue generating time periods in television news and it gives Lemon three hours daily instead of two. So it’s hard to assess whether there was any intention on the part of Licht to suppress Lemon’s generally liberal-leaning views. The test will come when we see his presentations in the new morning lineup, and when Licht announces who gets the now vacant primetime slot. Licht also still has an open slot where Chris Cuomo used to air.

RELATED: CNN Cancels ‘Reliable Sources’ – Brian Stelter Walks – As Network Leans to the Right

For his part, Lemon celebrated the change saying that it was “time to shake things up,” and that he was “honored by [Licht’s] belief in me.” CNN’s announcement stated that…

“The network on Thursday unveiled a new marquee morning program that will debut later this year, anchored by stars Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, and Kaitlan Collins. […] In recent weeks, Licht has started to put his stamp on the network’s programming, with the announcement of the new morning show his most significant move to date.”

Nevertheless, partisans on both sides are staking out positions on the move. Keith Olbermann addressed it with the benefit of his personal past experience at MSNBC with Licht…

“Chris Licht (who, when we worked together at msnbc, I believed used to eat paste) has now surrounded Don Lemon with an ex-Daily Caller “journalist” and somebody who last month demanded an apology from Biden to Republicans.”

On the other side, Sean Hannity of Fox News weighed in with his customary lack of any beneficial experience (also misspelling the name of “Christ” Licht}, saying that…

“LEMON LOSES PRIMETIME: Don Downgraded to Morning Show Slot”

CNN recently merged with Discovery Networks, which has a notably conservative executive team and board of directors. When Licht was hired to run the network it seemed like a positive choice considering that he was previously the producer of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” But that may have been a premature assessment.

Licht almost immediately began making statements about how he is more interested in cutting back on news analysis in favor of just presenting a dryer, context-free brand of straight news. And his first programming decision was to cancel Brian Stelter’s “Reliable Sources.”

If CNN’s new management thinks that striving for some form of artificial neutrality is going to garner them more ratings or respect, they will be sadly mistaken. The right is going to demonize them no matter what they say. They have the “CNN = Communist News Network” baked in. And Donald Trump has already started lying about what’s going on at the network:

RELATED: Big Liar Donald Trump Lies Bigly that CNN Has Prohibited Saying the Phrase ‘The Big Lie’

There could be pluses and minuses about this program change. Lemon has a strong following and could provide some serious competition for Fox and Friends and Morning Joe on MSNBC. But how the primetime hours will be filled is going to tell us more about the direction CNN is headed. If Jim Acosta moves into the timeslot, there may yet still be hope. If it’s Chris Wallace, not so much.

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CNN Cancels ‘Reliable Sources’ – Brian Stelter Walks – As Network Leans to the Right

Thursday afternoon CNN announced that it is cancelling it’s longest running program, and the only credible media analysis show on TV, “Reliable Sources.” It’s host, Brian Stelter, has also announced that he will leave the network.

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CNN, Brian Stelter, Reliable Sources

This Sunday will be the last episode of Reliable Sources. The decision comes shortly after CNN’s parent, Warner Bros., was bought by Discovery Networks, whose CEO David Zaslov is notoriously conservative. Discovery also has on its board of directors John Malone, a longtime right-winger and Trump supporter.

RELATED: Big Liar Donald Trump Lies Bigly that CNN Has Prohibited Saying the Phrase ‘The Big Lie’

The new company hired former “Late Show” producer Chris Licht to run the network. And while that might have seemed like a promising choice, Licht has been making statements about how he is more interested in cutting back on news analysis in favor of just presenting a dryer, context-free brand of straight news.

If they think that trying to stake out a neutral position is going to garner them more ratings or respect, they haven’t been paying attention. The right is going to demonize them no matter what they say if it less than wholly adoring of the right-wing, ultra-MAGA narrative. They already regard bland, non-partisan news readers like Wolf Blitzer as radical lefties. They think Joe Manchin is a socialist. Given the blind, knee-jerk biases of their conservative critics, it makes no sense to try to mollify them. Journalistic ethics requires a commitment to reporting the truth, even when it means calling liars liars. Especially when it means calling liars liars.

Reliable Sources has been an island in a rocky media sea where so many of the players are either slanted to the right or consumed by the need to “balance” stories with conservative lies just to avoid being perceived as “liberal.” CNN could not have picked a worse time ditch a program that helped people become more media literate. Phony neutrality will be perceived as weakness and will shortchange the audience who need more contextualization, not less.

The impact of this cancelation can be assessed by the reactions of the right-wing pundits who never watched it. Twitter was trending all afternoon with derogatory remarks about the program and its host that aren’t worth repeating here. Suffice to say that they were uniformly infantile and devoid of any actual substance.

For its part, Fox News had two stories about the cancelation on their website. They were titled “Brian Stelter out at CNN as network cancels media show ‘Reliable Sources'” and “‘Later, Tater!’ Twitter says goodbye to Brian Stelter after CNN cancels his show.” Both articles reinforced the Fox News hatred for professional journalism standards. And it’s notable that there were two of these articles on CNN, but not a single story on the website’s front page about the CFO of The Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, pleading guilty to 15 felonies. UPDATE: There have two more stories on CNN, but still no story on Weisselberg.

While right-wingers across the InterTubes are celebrating the news of Stelter’s departure as if it was an obituary, Stelter is actually going to be pretty busy. Setting aside whatever new TV role he may assume, he is currently a producer of “The Morning Show” on Apple TV+, a successful adaptation of his book, “Top of the Morning.” It stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell, and has received eight Emmys and 53 nominations. He is also the author of the bestseller, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth.”

RELATED: CNN’s Brian Stelter’s Killer Video Mash Up: Tucker Carlson is the New Alex Jones

It is disappointing that CNN would cancel this unique program at this time. And it portends trouble going forward if they continue in this direction. The media is sorely in need of honest self appraisals. Reliable Sources did that covering TV, radio, print and the Internet. Now there aren’t any programs that are dedicated to that mission. It’s a sad state of affairs, and one that Stelter himself noted in his goodbye tweet…

“I loved anchoring @ReliableSources. It was a rare privilege to lead a weekly show focused on the press at a time when it has never been more consequential.”

UPDATE: Predictably, Trump has weighed in with his customary childish BS, saying that “Brian Stelter of Fake News CNN got fired because he lied, and lied, and lied – ABOUT ME. May he REST IN PEACE!” Of course, Stelter was NOT fired, he quit. And Trump can’t cite a single alleged lie. And Stelter, as noted above, is far from dead. Can’t the same about Trump.

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Did Chris Wallace Ditch Fox News Because of Tucker Carlson and Other Extremist Dirtbags?

At the end of this week’s episode of Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace announced that this broadcast would be his last. It was an unusually abrupt notice of an exit from an enterprise that he’s been with for eighteen years. Ordinarily, planned separations provide several weeks of notice to give both the company and the viewers time to absorb and adjust to the news.

Fox News, Chris Wallace

So what would prompt this surprise departure from one of the longest serving Fox News personalities? Wallace didn’t give any clues in his announcement. He said merely that…

“…after 18 years, I have decided to leave Fox. I want to try something new, to go beyond politics to all the things I’m interested in. I’m ready for a new adventure.”

Wallace didn’t say what form that adventure might take or where he might be headed. There is some speculation that he could join CNN+, the network’s soon to be launched streaming service. And while Fox News hasn’t had the time to consider replacements for Wallace, the early money is probably on Bret Baier. That is if Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson don’t pull rank over the weak-kneed Fox News executives who cower before them.

Speaking of Tucker Carlson, there are good reasons to suspect that he might have given Wallace a shove out the door. Wallace has been critical of Carlson’s ultra-extremist ravings of late. After the airing of Carlson’s false flag crocumentary, “Patriot Purge,” Wallace complained to Fox News executives, Suzanne Scott, Fox News Media CEO, and Jay Wallace, President of News. Wallace was also said to be troubled by Lara Logan’s nauseating comparison of Dr. Anthony Fauci to Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. Some other indications that Wallace and Fox News may not have been a good fit going forward…

In his farewell message Wallace recounted the changes in the media during his years at Fox News. “When I started in this business 50 years ago,” Wallace recalled, “being fair was the basic job requirement to keep you from being fired. And the idea that I stand out now because I’m fair, I think is a kind of sad commentary on the state of journalism.” Wallace isn’t being explicit in this criticism, but it is unambiguously a critique of the sort of bias that is integral to Fox News and its super-partisan editorial mission.

The landscape of cable news is changing significantly. In addition to Wallace exiting Fox News, the network has another open primetime weekday slot at 7:00pm. Brian Williams has left MSNBC. Chris Cuomo is out at CNN. And next year Rachel Maddow will be downsizing her weekday presence on MSNBC.

There is no way to predict what MSNBC and CNN will do with their roster. But we can rest assured that Fox News will become even more radically right-wing, because that’s what they’ve done with every other recent schedule opening. And with the midterm elections next year, they are sure to dig in. We could see (GASP) Jesse Watters, or Maria Bartiromo, or Peter Doocy, or Kayleigh McEnany, in the Fox News Sunday anchor chair next year. They might as well just give the job to Trump.

UPDATE: It has been confirmed that Wallace will be joining CNN+ to host a weekday talk show.

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Fox News vs Itself: Shep Cuts Off Conspiracy Nut’s Notre Dame Fire Rant, Hannity Embraces It

The heartbreaking news from Paris has caused shock and despair around the world as the famed, iconic, 800 year old Notre Dame Cathedral was engulfed in flames. The sight of this majestic testimony to the brilliance and creativity of humankind crumbling into ashes was literally painful to watch. Every decent citizen of the Earth is feeling the loss today.

Notre Dame

So that leaves the indecent cretins with plenty of opportunity to demonstrate how repulsive they can be. And they lost no time in taking advantage of this tragic event. One of them was French official, Philippe Karsenty, who called into to Fox News and was interviewed by Shepard Smith. Karsenty is a right-wing character who regularly espouses ludicrous conspiracy theories and was recently convicted of defamation. His exchange with Smith nearly devolved into another fruitcake tirade until Smith cut him off (video below):

Karsenty: It’s like a 9/11, it’s a French 9/11. It’s a big shock. We’ve had churches desecrated each and every week all over France. So, of course, you will hear the story of the political correctness which will tell you it’s probably an accident.
Smith: Sir, sir, we’re not going to speculate of the cause of something that we don’t know. If you have observations or you know something, we would love to hear it.

Of course, Karsenty had nothing to offer other than his wild speculation. So Smith ended the interview and gave this admonition to any other conspiracy theorists and the weak, gullible minds they seek to disinform:

Smith: We’re not doing that here, not now, not on my watch. The man on the phone with us has absolutely no information of any kind about the origin of this fire and neither do I. The fire investigators will at some point come to a determination about what caused this and conspiracy theories about anything are worthless and in many cases counterproductive and injurious to society. And those who entertain them are not acting in the best interests of the people of this planet.

Well said, Shep. As for “those who entertain” such nonsense, one of Shep’s network colleagues may be among the first to dive further into the conspiracy soup. Sean Hannity told his radio audience that terrorism may have played a role in this fire. He had no facts, or even vague insinuations, to back that up. It was pure exploitation and fear mongering. What’s more, the wingnut Gateway Pundit and ex-Sputnik shill, Cassandra Fairbanks, praised Hannity and called Smith an “arrogant pompous douche.” And finally, Donald Trump himself weighed on the fire story:

Really? Trump is telling the French first responders to “act quickly,” something they probably never thought of. And his advice to have tankers drop thousands of pounds of water on the already damaged and fragile structure was immediately dismissed as incredibly stupid. But then, what else would you expect from Trump?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

https://twitter.com/tylermonroe7/status/1117860871215013889

ObamaCare Signups Breaking Records Despite Trump’s Sabotage and Declaring it Dead

Last month Donald Trump gave a definitive assessment of what he considered the status of ObamaCare. “ObamaCare is finished,” he began. “It’s dead. It’s gone. It’s no longer – You shouldn’t even mention it, it’s gone. There is no such thing as ObamaCare anymore.” Never mind that he sounded like the Monty Python sketch about the deceased parrot. In this case, the departed bird is actually showing signs of life.

Obama Trump Tweet

In fact, the number of people signing up for the Affordable Care Act this year is exceeding all records. It’s still the first week of open enrollment, but this surge is an unmistakably positive sign. As reported in The Hill:

“The surge in sign-ups, which was confirmed by an administration official, comes despite fears from Democrats that enrollment would fall off due to the Trump administration’s cutbacks in outreach and advertising.

“On the first day of enrollment alone, Nov. 1, one source close to the process told The Hill that more than 200,000 people selected a plan for 2018, compared with about 100,000 last year. More than 1 million people visited healthcare.gov that day, compared to about 750,000 last year, the source said.”

In one respect these numbers should not be all that surprising. The polls show that ObamaCare has an overwhelmingly positive approval rating. When asked if Trump should make the ACA work seventy-one percent said that he should. That includes a plurality (48%) of Republicans.

Which makes it all the more puzzling that Trump and the GOP are trying so hard to kill the program. They attempted three separate votes to do so, and all failed. So Trump took it upon himself to try to sabotage the healthcare plan. Among the steps he took to deliberately destroy a popular policy:

  • Trump pulled the plug on all Obamacare outreach and advertising in the crucial final days of the 2017 enrollment season.
  • Trump attempted to bribe health insurers to support his bill to kill ObamaCare.
  • Trump misdirected funds intended to encourage enrollment into a public relations plan aimed at strangling it.
  • Trump stopped paying the cost-sharing reduction [CSR] payments that subsidize many individual policies.

The resiliency of ObamaCare demonstrates the enduring appreciation the American people have for its benefits. They continue to support it, and even to expand it. That’s why the movement to implement a universal Medicare-for-all plan continues to pick up steam. At the same time, Trump’s cynical and destructive efforts to kill ObamaCare will continue to fail. The people recognize it as a hostile assault on their interests and welfare. And it’s one of the primary reasons he is suffering with such historically low approval ratings.

Open enrollment began on November 1, and it continues until December 15 (some states have extended that date. Be sure to enroll or renew within those dates. And since the Trump administration has slashed promotional efforts to inform people, please pass this information on to everyone you know.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Here is Trump being an asshole: