Month: May 2020

Categories
Coronavirus Media in America

Fox News Facing Thousands Of Costly Lawsuits For Minimizing The Dangers Of Coronavirus

Much like the tangerine god they so ardently adore and fervently worship, the powers-that-be at Fox News enjoy spreading conspiracy theories, half-truths, and outright lies. After all, it’s what their audience wants and demands of them, and it makes them tons of money.

When cornavirus first entered the public consciousness in March, Fox repeatedly told its viewers that there was no need for Americans to fear the virus. Sure, the disease was killing thousands in China, Iran, and Italy, but that was their problem. Coronavirus, according to hosts like Sean Hannity, was just another Democratic “hoax” designed to destroy Donald Trump and distract from the great news coming from the stock market each day.


Now, however, with over 819,000 COVID-19 cases in the United States and the death toll above 45,000, Fox is trying to backpedal and warn their viewers that the virus is indeed a major danger. In fact, when all is said and done, coronavirus could wind up killing as many 70,000 Americans.


But the damage is already done, and greater damage could be on the horizon for Fox, according to Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair, who told MSNBC host Joy Reid that the brass at the network is terrified of the lawsuits that are likely to be filed by those who watched Fox’s coverage, didn’t take precautions, got ill, and in some cases died. As Sherman noted:

“When I’ve been talking to Fox insiders over the last few days, there’s a real concern inside the network that their early downplaying of the coronavirus actually exposes Fox News to potential legal action by viewers who maybe were misled and actually have died from this.”


Sherman then added that the network’s firing of Fox Business host Trish Regan suggests they’re in damage control mode already:

“The Murdochs, of course, own Fox News. So, they were taken personal steps to protect themselves while anchors like Trish Regan and Sean Hannity were telling viewers that it’s a hoax and putting themselves in potentially mortal danger. So I think this is a case where Fox’s coverage, if it actually winds up being proved that people died because of it, this is a new terrain in terms of Fox being possibly held liable for their actions.”

As Donald Trump himself is finding out the hard way, lies do eventually come back to roost. And some of them could even wind up costing Fox News millions in legal fees, judgments, and settlements.

Couldn’t happen to a more deserving gang of douchebags.

Categories
Elections

Lindsey Graham’s Campaign In Free Fall As Poll Shows Him Tied With His Democratic Challenger

In any election, the incumbent has the advantage, if only because he or she has the sort of name recognition the challenger lacks, not to mention an increased ability to raise the funds needed to run.


But this year in the South Carolina Senate race between Sen. Lindsey Graham and his Democratic challenger, Jaime Harrison, it seems that all the usual political trends have been turned on their heads, leaving Graham vulnerable in a state which hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in decades.

Harrison has been outperforming expectations in his race against Graham, while the incumbent seems constantly busy defending Donald Trump’s every utterance no matter how vile, racist, or absurd.

For example, in the first quarter of 2020, Harrison raised $2 million more than Graham, which is unheard of for a challenger, especially in a state as deeply Republican as South Carolina.


And now a new poll shows that Harrison is tied with Graham as we enter the last five months of the 2020 campaign, with FiveThirtyEight reporting the two men in a dead heat, each garnering 42 percent worth of support from voters. That same poll shows Trump with a 10-point lead over presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, which is what you’d expect in a Deep South state such as South Carolina.

The poll also shows that 56 percent of those surveyed view Graham unfavorably, while only 35 percent said their view of the incumbent is favorable. Those aren’t exactly reelection numbers.

Ironically, Graham’s coziness with President Trump could wind up costing him his Senate seat, as The Atlantic recently noted:

“By aligning with Trump, Graham could lose those independent, moderate voters who were so willing to support him when he was the Republican aiming to show the rest of the country a different face of his party. Some evidence indicates that those voters have been animated by the possibility of getting rid of Trump.”


Harrison himself admits that while he may still be considered a long shot, he can sense that the mood in South Carolina suggests the state is ripe for change:

“It’s easy to become cynical—to not speak up and to lose hope. It’s easy to think the struggle isn’t worth it. But never forget our state motto: ‘While I breathe, I hope.’ And hope is here.”

Here’s hoping Jaime Harrison pulls one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. The country certainly deserves better than Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump.

Categories
Melania Trump The Trump Adminstration

Tone-Deaf Melania Gets Slammed For Tweeting ‘There’s No Need For Violence’ In Minneapolis

There are times when it’s wholly appropriate for a First Lady to speak out on issues that concern the nation. As a matter of fact, a presidential spouse can often reach a larger audience than a head of state, if only because they don’t speak as often.


But that isn’t the case with remarks First Lady Melania Trump made Friday on Twitter regarding the outpouring of rage on the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, regarding the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer who placed his knee on the victim’s throat for what we know now was almost nine minutes.


Mrs. Trump posted this on her Twitter account:

That’s all well and good, but keep in mind the tweet comes just a few hours after her husband suggested shooting looters in Minneapolis. The president made that statement on Twitter, too, and was so inflammatory that the social media platform hid it and placed restrictions on any retweeting of the post. Here’s a screenshot of Trump’s tweet, along with the notice Twitter placed on it:


Given that hateful tweet, Melania’s saying there’s “no reason for violence” rang incredibly hollow and tone-deaf for many, and they let her know it in no uncertain terms:

There’s no need for violence, Mrs. Trump? Wonder if you’d feel that way if someone you loved was pleading “I can’t breathe” and was slowly strangled to death by a cop. Pretty safe to bet you’d be outraged and calling for blood. So spare us your hypocrisy. Just sit down right over there and instead of “be best,” just “be quiet.”

Categories
GOP Whining The Trump Adminstration

Former GOP Congressman Destroys Donald Trump Jr. For His Whining: ‘You’re Such A Punk!’

Donald Trump Jr., much like his father, loves to use Twitter to air his grievances, troll those he disagrees with, spread bogus conspiracy theories, and whine that conservatives are being discriminated against.


As you’d expect, Junior couldn’t help weighing in on the fact that Twitter dared to fact-check his daddy for spreading lies about voting by mail. Perhaps sensing that he needed to try and curry favor with the old man, Don Jr. posted this:

Since when is fact checking a bad thing? Doesn’t the president constantly complain about what he calls “fake news” being disseminated anytime a news organization runs a story about the administration or some possibly illegal act being committed by members of the Trump family? If the goal is to eliminate misinformation, then that standard should be applied to everyone universally, including a man who has told 16,000 lies since taking office four years ago.

Former GOP congressman Joe Walsh of Illinois read Junior’s tweet and countered him with the perfect response:

Game, set, and match Joe Walsh.


Yes, the entire Trump family is composed of punks. Whiny little children masquerading as adults. When they don’t get what they want, they pitch a fit rather than engage in reasoned debate on a topic. Or they dredge up some pathetic distraction (Look! A squirrel!!) to pull attention away from their own actions which have led to them being humiliated.

What Twitter did should have been done a long time ago. Quite frankly, they should have already shut down the president’s account for violating their terms of service, which he agreed to when he signed up.


Now President Trump is threatening to issue an executive order that will somehow punish social media platforms who dare to call him out for his bullshit. The order will be blatantly unconstitutional and likely won’t be upheld by any federal court. But the president will issue it just the same, and then pretend he somehow “won” the battle.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. will continue to be a pathetic little punk trying to gain the love of a man incapable of loving anyone but himself.

Categories
Politics Sexism WTF?!

Eric Trump: My Dad’s Bragging About Sexually Assaulting Women Is Due To His ‘Alpha Personality’

Eric Trump, who has made a habit of saying things that are even more offensive than his father, has tried to excuse the comments his father made in 2016 on Access Hollywood regarding sexually assaulting women as just part of what powerful men do, saying:

“I think sometimes when guys are together they get carried away, and sometimes that’s what happens when alpha personalities are in the same presence.”

Is that right? I’ve heard some pretty stupid excuses for men acting like jackasses, but that’s a new one on me, Eric.


Next, the spawn of Trump attempted to minimize his father’s actions and blame it all on…you guessed it, Bill and Hillary Clinton:

“And, listen, my father apologized for it. He was right to apologize for it, and I’m glad he apologized for it. At the same time, if you look at her track record with women, it’s horrible. It’s absolutely horrible.”


Yes, rationalize, minimize, and then shift blame to others. Classic behavior for a sociopath, which Donald (and I’m beginning to think Eric) clearly is.

Donald Trump has nothing but hatred, bile, and misogyny to offer this country. He truly is a deplorable human being. Then again, so is his son, Eric.