CNS Trashes Competition For RNC Chair Before Effectively Endorsing Her
Topic: CNSNews.com

We've noted how CNSNews.com lovingly quoted Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel touting before the midterm elections that Republicans were all lawyered up and poll-watcher-laden to attack the polls if things went badly for Republicans. Unfortunately for her, Republicans performed poorly enough that mass election challenges weren't plausible -- which put her in a precarious position for staying in power at the RNC. CNS has largely stayed out of that battle -- but it did publsih a Dec. 13 article by managing editor Michael W. Chapman that noted McDaniels' failures but devoted much of it to attacking her main competition for the job, Harmeet Dhillon, for the offense of being insufficiently hateful of LGBTQ people and abortion:

Although 107 Republican National Committee members have signed a letter in support of Ronna McDaniel to be reelected to a fourth term as RNC chairwoman, many conservatives in D.C. and across the country want California Republican Harmeet Dhillon to take the position.

Some conservatives say McDaniel has a long losing streak and needs to go. However, critics have noted that Dhillon has a controversial past on issues such as abortion, transgenderism, and gay marriage, which may make her less than ideal.

In addition to the 107 RNC members (out of 168) who back McDaniel – more than enough votes to win the election in January – SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser praised her and endorsed her for reelection.

[...]

However, long-time conservative leader Morton Blackwell tweeted on Dec. 10, “As Republican National Committeeman for Virginia, I support Harmeet Dhillon for Chair of the Republican National Committee. She has a long and successful record as a leader for conservative principles at the state and national levels.”

Attorney and Republican activist Victoria Toensing told CNS News that many people she has spoken with "are very upset with" McDaniel, and some say "she's a loser."

"I want to express my support for Harmeet," said Toensing. 

Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney, leads the California Republican National Committee, founded the Center for American Liberty, and frequently appears as a commentator on Fox News.

[...]

Concerning some of Dhillon’s controversial background, Suzanne Bowdey wrote in The Washington Stand, the Family Research Council’s news and commentary outlet, that the lawyer has defended Christian students, pro-life journalists, and gender-transition victims over the years. However, Dhillon has also “aligned herself with Republicans who identify as transgender, voiced evolving views on abortion, and said the government should have no role in sanctioning marriages.”

Dhillon is a former board member of the ACLU, former donor to Kamala Harris’ district attorney race in San Francisco, and former general counsel to Caitlyn Jenner’s (Bruce Jenner) gubernatorial run in 2021. In addition, Dhillon worked for Richard Grenell, a gay-partnered man who served as Director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration.

The Washington Stand further reported that Dhillon’s positions on abortion and gay marriage “seem to have ‘evolved’ over the years.”

Yes, "evolved," as in ... moving from a total abortion ban to allowing it "in limited circumstances — life of the mother and rape" and deciding that "the government should not interfere in most private choices by individuals." As if being a slightly less intolerant right-winger is "controversial."

Uitimately, though, Chapman seems cool with Dhillon being RNC chair -- even citing his favorite dishonest Catholic and his boss' kid in support -- even if he's also resigned to McDaniel staying in power:

Despite these controversies, there is no doubt that Dhillon has done yeoman’s work over the years fighting for pro-life clients and other conservative causes, as The Washington Stand details. And when compared it comes to the RNC race, many conservatives prefer Dhillon.

As Catholic League President Bill Donohue told CNS News, “In professional sports, losing coaches are often fired at the end of the season, if not before then. … Ronna McDaniel presided over a losing midterm election. She has to go. Given the monumental failure of the first two years of the Biden administration, expectations were running high that Republicans would post record gains. They did not. One reason they didn’t is because of McDaniel’s leadership."

“Fortunately, Harmeet Dhillon is waiting in the wings,” said Donohue.  “Smart and courageous, she would give the GOP a real shot in the arm. It’s not a close call.”

ForAmerica President David Bozell said, “There is no disputing that the Party has struggled to compete statewide, cycle after cycle, in the same critical states: Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada are top of mind. Romney-McDaniel has had multiple election cycles to solve this problem and yet, the Party remains stuck in neutral. ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ It’s time for new thinking at the top of the GOP.”

[...]

Republican Lee Zeldin, who decided not to run for RNC chairman, said in a statement, “The better path forward would be for Chairwoman McDaniel to listen to and respect the wishes of the actual grassroots voters of our party, and allow the RNC to forge ahead with new leadership. Her greatest service to the Republican Party at this time would be to make room for a new chair."

Zeldin added, however, that McDaniel’s reelection seemed “pre-baked by design,” implying it would be tough to unseat an incumbent from the RNC chair.

That's how Chapman both-sides an issue where it would not advance right-wing narratives to explicitly take a side.

MRC's Mandelburg Rages Against Abortion And Those Who Support And Have Them
Topic: Media Research Center

Tierin-Rose Mandelburg is the Media Research Center's resident abortion extremist, who believes women who have abortions are serial killers and advocates an Orwellian surveillance state to closely monitor women living in states where abortion is illegal in case they travel to another state where abortion is legal. She unsurprisingly spent much of last year spewing hate at abortion, those who support and the women who have them. In a July 15 post, she complained that the feminist site Jezebel highlighted the murder of a pregnant woman as an example of how the overturning of Roe v. Wade could result in more domestic violence:

Last week a Missouri man reportedly murdered his wife after a “heated argument about his affair with another woman.” The man’s wife was supposedly six weeks pregnant and used her phone to search “what to do if your husband is upset you are pregnant,” according to police. 

Jezebel pointed out that the woman’s pregnancy was a “risk” and was the cause for her murder. The outlet suggested that perhaps if she weren’t pregnant, her husband wouldn’t have killed her. This was Jezebels attempt to advocate for abortion rights.

[...]

I don’t think that abusers should go without severe punishment, but I also don’t think the solution to an abuser is to end the life of an innocent child. This lady’s husband was psycho and it is a tragedy that she and her unborn baby died. The solution to death is not more death. 

Things like this are unfortunately going to keep happening but not because of abortion bans but because some people are unable or unwilling to acknowledge that all life has intrinsic value.

When society indicates that not all life is valued, some life inevitably becomes disposable. Every second that abortion is still legal contributes to this mindset. 

Why would it matter if a pregnant woman is killed if it doesn’t matter if her baby is? 

That’s the vile attitude that many possess and that’s why people are subject to domestic abuse. Ending abortion isn't going to stop psychos from killing.

Mandelburg spent a Sept. 28 post raging at a comedian's abortion-related jokes:

“I feel guilty, not getting an abortion when I still had the chance.”

Ladykiller series is set to debut on September 30. The series is a comedy special where comedian Jena Friedman will talk about “marriage, motherhood, and murder” with a strong emphasis on the pro-abort narrative.

[...]

“Sorry,” she added while turning to expose her very pregnant belly and then continuing “while we still had the chance.” Her sarcasm on that last “joke” was deafening. 

The audience erupted into laughter at her insistence that there was a “we” due to the fact that she was pregnant. I presume they’re all in support of dehumanizing unborn children in order to justify their radical pro-death views.

[...]

Unfortunately, Freidman wasn’t overdramatizing her talking points for the entertainment aspect. In a statement following filming Ladykiller, Freidmen said that the show “made me really appreciate having a platform where I could talk about some of the things I have been losing sleep over since Roe was overturned, and to do so particularly before the midterms.” 

Great, so she really is just a horrible human.

The next day, Mandelburg was outraged that another comedian pointed out a location where it's still legal to have an abortion:

On today’s list of people I cannot stand: Amy Schumer.

In an elevator-pitch style, Amy Schumer promoted her show “Inside Amy Schumer.” Schumer advocated for women to visit Colorado for its best attraction: being a state that supports the slaughter of the unborn.

[...]

At the end of the clip, Schumer walked viewers through the use of a private browser to check out different abortion service sites. She also made sure to encourage people to “subscribe to an encrypted VPN internet provider” and to delete search history.  

Schumer also insisted that these services are available “for a limited time only,” alluding to the dwindling opportunity to murder an innocent child (good!). 

It’s pretty cringe-inducing for people to be so adamant about killing kids that they have to make entire shows glamorizing it. This is not something I’ll be wasting my free time watching. That’s a promise.

Oh, but if the MRC paid her to hate-watch Schumer's show, she would happily do it, as we learned when she hate-watched a drag queen on "DancingWith the Star" despite vowing not to do so.

An Oct. 4 post by Mandelburg petulantly ranted about a perfectly legal mobile abortion clinic:

This is not fake news. 

On October 3, Planned Parenthood announced its creation of a mobile abortion clinic. According to NPR, Planned Parenthood plans to drive the bus to red-state borders to make the act of murdering unborn babies more accessible.

How pleasant. 

The first mobile clinic is set to open in southern Illinois, a state where abortion is not only legal but celebrated.

[...]

I wonder if it will have a morgue attached to the clinic considering all the murders it plans to conduct. And hey, "We Deliver" could be a great value-add to Planned Parenthood's baby parts business.

This is a grotesque play from the left. Planned Parenthood is a vile organization that dehumanizes the unborn and treats their lives like mundane inconveniences that need to be eliminated.

This mobile clinic is a disgrace. I hope they bought a lemon.

Mandelburg raged against the mobiile abortion clinics again in a Nov. 2 post:

Baby on board? Not for long.

On Wednesday’s CBS Mornings, co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King introduced Planned Parenthood's new “solution” to abortion bans — mobile abortion clinics. Though CBS did include the perspective of one pro-lifer, the overall climate of the clip is a celebration of the mobile baby morgues.

[...]

Money spent to save women and children is much better than an RV aimed to kill but, this is the left we're dealing with.

Mandelburg also targeted Vice Presient Kamala Harris for failure to hate abortion the way she does. She spent a Sept. 9 post complaiing that Harris referenced abortion rights while speaking at a religious convention. The anti-abortion extremist unironically complained that Harris "likened pro-life legislatures to 'extremists,'" adding:

Harris also referenced verses from 1 Corinthians, but declined to reference any other passages from the Bible in which the Lord commands, “Thou shalt not murder,” nor the other parts in which Scripture reminds us of the sanctity of life. None of that helped her narrative.

Christianity is clearly against abortion, but Harris still claims to follow it closely --- yikes.

Mandelburg similarly complaikned in an Oct. 5 post:

I find it hysterical that Harris often alludes to faith when trying to justify abortion. She claims to be a Christian and follow the Holy Bible, which is unquestionably against abortion. Even so, she pretends that faith and abortion are on the same page. 

“One does not have to abandon their faith or beliefs to agree that the government should not be making these decisions for the women of America," she added.

Perhaps her translation of the Bible is different than mine. 

Harris also called pro-life lawmakers “extremist so-called leaders.”

I’ve said this numerous times, but it really makes me chuckle when the left calls lawmakers who advocate for saving lives the “extremists.” That makes no sense.

Yes, the woman who wants an anti-abortion surveillance state doesn't think wanting one is "extreme."

Mandelburg lashed out at Harris again in an Oct. 26 post:

I really didn’t know that there were more than one version of the Holy Bible. One that supports the slaughter of the unborn and one that doesn’t … oh wait. 

Yet again, Vice President Kamala Harris thinks that the Christian faith supports abortion. She has proven that point over and over and over again.

Most recently, on October 25, she was at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque talked with NM Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and a local doctor, Dr. Eve Espey. The trio spoke on protecting the right to murder innocent children in New Mexico and beyond. 

Harris reiterated her regular talking points in order to help justify her enthusiastic support for abortion.

“One does not have to give up their faith or deeply held beliefs, one does not have to abandon one’s faith or deeply held beliefs to agree, the government should not be making this decision for her,” VP Harris told the audience. 

Ah, that’s one of her favorites.

Mandelburg further lectured Harris:

The Christian faith recognizes the intrinsic value of life at the moment of conception. It’s a grave evil to murder an innocent child, yet Harris seems to think her Christian faith doesn’t need to be neglected in order to support abortion. Harris is just trying to justify her claims by pretending, or convincing herself and others that the Bible supports abortion.

I’ve read the whole thing, and I can assure you, it doesn’t. 

It’s blasphemy against God for Harris to be manipulating the words of the Holy Bible to help push an anti-life agenda, but given her and her accomplices track record, it's not surprising.

Mandelburg is clearly unable to tolerate opinions that differ from her own. But then, that narrow-minded intolerance is what makes her an ideal MRC employee.

Newsmax Waited Until Brittney Griner Was Released Before Sniping At Her
Topic: Newsmax

Unlike its ConWeb buddies at the Media Research Center, Newsmax didn't spend much time launching personal attacks on WNBA star Brittney Griner after she was imprisoned in Russia on trumped-up drug charges -- it has been anti-Russia and pro-Ukraine, after all -- focusing instead on President Biden's purported incompetence in freeing her. A Nov. 14 column by Hugh Dugan, for instance, bashed Biden for having "cock-a-doodle’d the 'wrongful detention' talking point yet again" and insisted the U.S. should show "a modicum of humility" because "Russia was not so induced to give credence to the charge that Ms. Griner’s detention was wrongful." And a Nov. 28 article quoted a sportswriter calling out "the lack of sympathy — and outright anger — directed at Brittney Griner ... because she's not white, or male, or straight."

After Griner was freed following a swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout, however, Newsmax leaned into some sniping, largely framed around Republican congressmenappearing on Newsmax TV  complaining about her getting released instead of a different imprisoned American, Paul Whelan. The apparently unironically named Charlie McCarthy wrote in a Dec. 8 article:

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Newsmax on Thursday that President Joe Biden "has upped the ante for what it takes to get someone out of Russia."

Lankford appeared on "National Report" following news that Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in exchange for the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The exchange deal did not include Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who has been held prisoner in Russia for nearly four years.

[...]

Lankford said he was happy that Griner was coming home, but again questioned the cost.

Sandy Fitzgerald wrote the same day:

WNBA star Brittney Griner's sentence of nine years in a Russian prison was far too long for a "too minor crime" of possession of cannabis oil, but her release in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, whose nickname is the "Merchant of Death," means the return of an "evil man" who will "kill more Americans, more innocent people, and more people in general throughout the world," Rep. Jeff Van Drew told Newsmax on Thursday.

[...]

Meanwhile, U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive, has been jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government have called baseless, and Van Drew said Biden "doesn't really seem to care as much" about securing his release.

Jay Clemons followed with an attack on Griner:

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., said Americans will be pleased WNBA star Brittney Griner is coming home after being detained in Russia for eight months but they should also be upset with the Biden administration's handling of a hostage swap that didn't include U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan. 

"It's interesting and disappointing in what we see from the left that tends to say [America] is a 'racist, misogynist, and colonialist' country. These people tend to have never been abroad ... in countries where you can be snatched from the street and held [in jail] — for any reason," Waltz told Newsmax Thursday afternoon, while appearing on "American Agenda" with hosts Bob Sellers and Katrina Szish.

"We don't have a perfect country, but it's still the greatest in the world," said Waltz, while making the point that Griner has a public record of protesting America, but still returned home.

Clemons served up another complaining, sniping congressman in a Dec. 9 post:

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, maintains the Biden administration has made a "mess" of the last few days — in terms of trumpeting the prisoner-swap release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russia, but neglecting to bring home retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and American Marc Fogel in a deal that allowed a convicted terrorist and arms dealer, Viktor Bout, to return to Moscow.

[...]

On the surface, Nehls doesn't have a problem with Griner coming home, despite her open loathing of America, prior to the eight-month detainment in Russia. But the Texas congressman would also like Griner to show some humility upon returning to the states.

Regarding Griner, Nehls hopes she "will consider" singing the national anthem at her next sporting event, or perhaps going to an elementary school and leading the children in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

"You owe it to America," said Nehls of Griner.

Fitzgerald returned for a Dec. 10 article with yet another GOP congressman:

The prisoner swap that resulted in the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russia and not U.S. Marine veteran and police officer Paul Whelan in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout shows a "pattern of weakness" and "capitulation" from Democrats and the Biden administration, Rep. Scott Perry told Newsmax on Saturday.

[...]

"There's got to be a priority here, and the priority apparently is about what's trending on social media and what looks more politically correct," said Perry.

Griner is Black and openly gay.

"What the priority should be is the person that's out, making sure that every single one of us can live free, the Marine remains in prison and it just seems to be lopsided," he added.

All of these congressman and all of these Newsmax writers failed to note that, as we've pointed out, Whelan received a bad-conduct discharge from the Marines following a court martial for attempted larceny, false statements and dereliction of duty, among other things. In other words, he actually committed crimes that were much worse the Russia accused Griner of doing (having a couple vape cartridges of cannabis oil).

Meanwhile, Newsmax host Eric Bolling sneered that Griner is "a mere basketball player" who "can’t free-throw or hide her stash to save her life." (Actually, her free-throw percentage is above the average for both the WNBA and the NBA.) And columnist Michael Dorstewitz whined that "Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine, is going on his fourth year in Russian captivity his arrest at a Moscow hotel for espionage" and grumbled that the "America-hating, lesbian doper" was released instead: "So the issue wasn’t justice so much as it was identity politics, and Griner checked all the boxes: she’s Black, female, and lesbian — and a basketball star to boot! Whelan never had a chance."

And it wouldn't be Newsmax if it wasn't doing Trump stenography:  A Dec. 8 article by Michael Katz hyped that "Former President Donald Trump slammed Thursday's prisoner exchange that freed U.S. women's basketball star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison, calling it an 'unpatriotic embarrassment,'" and a Dec. 11 article by Nick Kotsoubinas touted how Donald Trump claimed he would not have traded Griner for Bout and bragged that he turned down a Whelan-Bout trade.

Days later, Newsmax was still having people snipe about the Griner release deal. A Dec. 17 article by Solange Reyner hyped Oliver North's complaint that "Biden's decision to trade notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner benefits Russian President Vladimir Putin more than it does the U.S." The same day, an article by Fitzgerald had former DEA agent Derek Maltz, who showed no expertise in international diplomacy, complain that "WNBA star Brittney Griner's return to the United States is a good thing, but it took a "bad deal" to get her here."

WND Misrepresents Yet Another COVID Vaccine Study
Topic: WorldNetDaily

Misrepresenting studies regarding COVID vaccines is a major pastime at WorldNetDaily, and Art Moore added another one to the list in a Dec. 19 article:

A new study by the Food and Drug Administration confirms the concerns of many physicians worldwide of a link between blood clots and the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

The researchers examined data covering 17.4 million elderly Americans who had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. They found that the incidents of pulmonary embolism, or blood clotting in the lungs, met the initial safety signal, meaning further investigation is warranted, the Epoch Times reported.

After a more thorough evaluation, the statistical signal continued to meet the criteria. Researchers said three other outcomes initially raised red flags but did not meet the statistical threshold: a lack of oxygen to the heart, a blood platelet disorder called immune thrombocytopenia, and another type of clotting called intravascular coagulation.

The FDA, however, said it will not act on the results because they don't prove the vaccines cause any of the four outcomes. The agency said the findings, published by the journal Vaccine, "are still under investigation and require more robust study."

Without citing any evidence, the authors said the FDA "strongly believes the potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the potential risks of COVID-19 infection."

But as a more responsible and fact-based media outlet reported:

Social media users are misinterpreting a study published this month in the journal “Vaccine,” to falsely claim it proves that the FDA has admitted that Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot causes blood clots.

“So the FDA finally came out and said that Pfizer’s Covid shot causes blood clots? Only 2 years late!” wrote one Twitter user who received more than 37,000 shares and 168,000 likes on the post.

Other social media users shared a link to a post from a conservative publication that has spread vaccine misinformation in the past. While the article more accurately conveys the results of the study, the contents are behind a paywall and its headline left out key context, stating: “Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Linked to Blood Clotting: FDA.”

But the FDA made no such an announcement, and the claims take the study’s findings out of context, according to experts.

[...]

Dr. Jeffrey Olin, a cardiologist and professor at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine in New York, reiterated that the paper found a “signal,” but emphasized that this is not the same as causation.

“There was a slightly increased signal in that vaccine compared to the other ones they tested,” said Olin, who is also the director of vascular medicine at Mount Sinai’s center for cardiovascular health. “So you can’t assess causation. All you can say is there’s an association. And then if you want to assess causation you need to have a much more sophisticated study.”

Olin noted that the group who received the Pfizer vaccine were older, more likely to be in nursing homes and had more comorbidities that would put them in the hospital — all things that are associated with blood clotting.

“It’s impossible to sort out those things as the cause versus the vaccine,” he said.

That's not the only thing Moore and WND have mislead about. He wrote in a Nov. 23 article:

President Biden repeatedly has scolded Americans who choose not to take the experimental mRNA COVID shots under emergency use authorization, charging they are responsible for a "pandemic of the unvaccinated."

On Wednesday, however, the administration's reliable media ally, the Washington Post, reported "a majority of Americans dying from the coronavirus received at least the primary series of the vaccine."

The report came a day after Biden's top health adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and his COVID coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, declared the data "overwhelmingly" show the effectiveness of the vaccines in preventing hospitalization and death.

[...]

The Post reported the latest data show 58% of COVID-19 deaths in August 2022 were from people who were vaccinated or boosted.

Some argue that with 68% of Americans fully vaccinated, a higher percentage of the unvaccinated are dying.

But Moore skipped the part in the Washington Post article pointing out that vaccine efficacy wanes over time and that regular booster shots are needed. He also censored other reasons behind the finding: More people have received at least one vaccination, and older people are more likely to die from COVID regardless of vaccination status.

Moore is deliberately misleading is readers. That's bad journalism, and yet another reason why WND is barely surviving these days.

NEW ARTICLE -- New Press Secretary, Same MRC Hate: October-December 2022
Topic: Media Research Center
Curtis Houck and Co. seemed to be getting bored with spewing hate at Karine Jean-Pierre and fluffing right-wing journalists, so the frequency of the Media Research Center's press briefing write-ups diminished toward the end of the year. Read more >>

MRC Predictably Bashes Jan. 6 Committee (Again) As Its Mission Ends
Topic: Media Research Center

The Media Research Center has constantly attacked the House committee looking into the Capitol riot and its causes -- not that it ever offered any factual counterpoint to the testimony revealed by the committee -- so it's not a shock that as the committee concluded its business and prepared to issue its final report, the MRC simply couldn't stop the hate. Nicholas Fondacaro whined in a Dec. 19 post:

With the January 6 Committee having held their final hearing on Monday by sending criminal referrals against former President Trump and others to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the liberal broadcast networks swooned for their friends on the committee. ABC and NBC suggested the committee was better at conducting investigations than the DOJ. Meanwhile, CBS was itching to see soon-to-be former Republican Congresswoman and committee vice chair, Liz Cheney (WY) run for president against Trump.

Immediately following the proceedings, ABC chief anchor David Muir opined, “We have just witnessed an extraordinary moment in American history, the January 6 Select Committee with both Democrats and Republicans … Voting unanimously to send a criminal referral to the Department of Justice.”

ABC chief Washington correspondent Jon Karl joined him to blow smoke for the committee. According to him, the biased committee conducted the most thorough investigation in American history. “This committee conducted a thorough investigation … one of the most thorough we have seen of any single incident in American history,” he proclaimed.

Again, no factual counterpoint was offered -- Fondacaro was simply being paid to whine. Kevin Tober similarly complained with the additional whine that something historic was described as "historic":

On Monday, the hyper partisan January 6 congressional committee recommended criminal charges against former President Donald Trump. Due to this news, the “big three” evening newscasts brought out the confetti and each led with the story while hyping its “historic” nature, with one network going as far as to laughably claim that the committee was “bipartisan.” 

During ABC’s World News Tonight, anchor David Muir hyped how the “January 6 committee making history today for the first time Congress has recommended criminal charges for a former President.”  

Muir bragged that the committee voted “unanimously to recommend former President Trump be charged by the Justice Department for his actions leading up to and including January 6,” and reminded viewers how many seasons the Pelosi circus ran: “The committee's nearly 18-month investigation, ten public hearings, depositions from more than 1,000 witnesses.”

Meanwhile on CBS Evening News, anchor Norah O’Donnell began the program by proclaiming it a “historic day on capitol hill,” because “for the first time in American history, Congress has referred a former President to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution, recommending four felony charges for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.”

O’Donnell told viewers that “the statute for one of those charges, insurrection, says someone convicted shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” 

Which of course, is the entire point of the committee.

Tober didn't explain why that was a bad thing.

Aiden Moorehouse cheered that "Former Acting FBI Director and current CNN analyst Andrew McCabe took a much more cautious tone than most media pundits, and accidentally hinted at how the blatantly partisan and theatrical presentation the Committee opted for ended up hurting it in the end," adding that "McCabe lent credence to one of the strongest accusations against the conduct of the January 6 Committee: that it was purposefully designed as a theatrical production intended to push a narrative more focused on short-term electoral gains in 2022 than any real long-term accountability." Never mind, of course, that Moorehouse's employer would have criticized the committee whatever it did because its beloved Donald Trump was being investigated.

Moorehouse's boss, Tim Graham -- who had previously complained that non-right-wing media was covering the final pre-election hearing from the committee isntead of the latest legal fiasco by right-wing prosecutor John Durham, which the MRC also ignored -- was in full whine mode for his Dec. 19 podcast: "Monday's rerun hearing of the House January 6 committee drew the usual supportive wave of live coverage -- and then led the evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS. Coming next are the massive 500-page copies of the committee's final report -- The New York Times, The New Yorker, and MSNBC's Ari Melber are all pushing versions of the report. The committee's own official report -- with commentary by Rep. Adam Schiff -- is coming out on the second anniversary of the January 6 riot." Graham followed up in his Dec. 21 column, with an added dose of Hunter Biden Derangement:

After the final hearing of the Pelosi-picked House January 6 panel, Time magazine sent out an email to its audience, under the headline "Trump should be prosecuted, Jan. 6 Committee declares in historic criminal referral”. To our leftist media elite, everything the Democrats do to promote themselves is “historic.”

Is it surprising to anyone that the House Democrats (and Cheney and Kinzinger) want Trump in an orange jumpsuit? Is it “historic” if the referrals are ignored by the Justice Department?

Obviously, the riot itself is historic, in the worst way. But Time and their media pals would never consider the heavy-handed Hunter Biden scandal censorship “historic,” as in an ever-more-obvious plot to prevent Donald Trump’s re-election. They cannot mentally connect Hunter censorship to January 6, even though that kind of rigging outraged Republican voters of all kinds. You get the sense that journalists get emotional and hyperbolic and imagine that anyone talking about Hunter’s laptop is an honorary rioter. 

But Graham is serving up an implicit defense of Trump by not criticizing his actions leading up to the riot or during it, in which he spent three hours watching it on TV instead of trying to stop it. No, it's all about the evil Hunter Biden, and Trump is as pure as the driven snow.

The MRC also published a Dec. 29 syndicated column by Cal Thomas complaining that the committee had a "predictable outcome" and insisting that "One can oppose Donald Trump’s run for president in 2024, while still questioning the way the House committee conducted itself." But he too failed to dispute any of the evidence the committee uncovered.

Kupelian's Christmas Message: Subscribe To WND's Sparsely Read Magazine!
Topic: WorldNetDaily

WorldNetDaily managing editor David Kupelian penned a Dec. 15 article that was also sent out as a money beg to WND's mailing list:

Dear WND readers,

First, MERRY CHRISTMAS – I know I speak for everyone at WND in saying how much we truly appreciate your readership, loyalty and support.

I have an earnest request for you, and it is simply this: If you read and appreciate WND and would like to see us survive the never-ending and utterly insane attacks on us by Big Tech, one of the most important – and rewarding – ways you can pitch in is by becoming a subscriber to our monthly magazine, Whistleblower. Stay with me here.

If you haven’t read Whistleblower, honestly you have no idea what you’re missing.

Actually, we've read enough of WND's promos for it to know exactly what we're missing -- highly biased examinations of issues designed to draw right-wing eyeballs, capped off with a screed from Kupelian himself.

Of course, that's not what Kupelian thinks -- Whistleblower is his baby, and he has to beg people to subscribe, so the sales pitch was on:

Each monthly issue is a totally unique deep dive into one single topic, a trip down to the hidden realm where politics, culture and the spiritual realm intersect – in other words, to REALITY.

[...]

Friends, for the sake of your family and loved ones who need the type of insight and encouragement found in Whistleblower, and for the sake of our country that's under total siege – and for the sake of helping WND during a time of extraordinary and literally never-ending challenges courtesy of Big Tech, please subscribe to Whistleblower today, or renew (or extend) your subscription. And also please generously give Whistleblower gift subscriptions this Christmas. For many years, Whistleblower – which is available in both PRINT and state-of-the-art DIGITAL versions – has been WND's single most popular GIFT choice.

Kupelian also plugged the current issue of Whistleblower, which, yes, is yet another highly biased rant against something he doesn't like:

To illustrate, consider the current Whistleblower issue, titled “HOLY WAR: Defeating the growing cult of leftism and its total war on Christianity.”

Whether it’s the “Climate Change Cult” or the “Anti-Racism Cult,” or the “Cult of Wokeness” or the “Transgender Cult” with its appalling sexualization and grooming of America’s children – or any of the other ever-expanding cults, like the “COVID Cult” and the “Cult of Globalism” and the various “TikTok Cults,” every month the list grows and grows. What on earth is going on?

Clearheaded, right-thinking Americans are starting to realize that the irrational, deranged – and often demonic – leftwing political and cultural movements currently capturing the minds of millions of Americans are nothing short of full-fledged religious cults.

This Whistleblower issue reveals how today’s leftwing cults are not only negatively transforming America, they also frequently instigate full-bore social contagion episodes. For example, there’s the hypnotic influence various TikTok personalities exert on adolescents, especially girls, persuading many to “identify” as transgender and undergo horrendous surgical amputation of healthy body parts. There are few limits to this social contagion phenomenon, which Western medicine refers to as “mass sociogenic illness.” And of course, the “Climate Change” and “Anti-Racism” cults and others are being deployed (to use Obama’s words) to “fundamentally transform the United States of America.”

Anyway, all this and much more is explored in a deeply insightful way I can guarantee you have not seen before, in the current Whistleblower issue, “HOLY WAR.”

Actually, the only thing Kupelian should be guaranteeing is that -- as his screed indicates, as taken from his essay -- there will be nothing  at all deep or insightful about this issue. Meanwhile, Kupelian has little moral standing to make this argument -- he remains in the grip of the Trump cult, as well as the cult of far-right Christianity that will not accept any other interpretation or lifestyle and depicts anyone who disagrees with him as not just wrong but evil.

Not only is that not deep or insightful, it's also not good journalism. No wonder WND remains on the precipice on failure -- and that Kupelian has to beg for money to keep him employed.

 

Newsmax Touts Trump's NFT Trading Cards, Buries Criticism
Topic: Newsmax

Newsmax -- always a shill for all things Donald Trump --  pl;ayed along with yet another tease in a Dec. 14 article by the apparently unironically named Charlie McCarthy:

Former President Donald Trump said he will make a major announcement Thursday concerning America's need for a "superhero."

"America Needs a Superhero! I will be making a Major Announcement tomorrow. Thank you!" Trump posted in all-caps Wednesday morning on Truth Social.

Trump's post was accompanied by a video, which begins with him restating the country's need for a superhero.

The video then gives way to animation showing the former president, standing before Trump Tower, with a buttoned-down shirt torn open to reveal a Superman-like outfit with the symbol "T" on his chest. Light beams protrude from Trump's eyes.

The spot ends showing "Major announcement. Thursday, December 15th."

Trump's post gave no indication what the announcement would be about.

McCarthy did, interestingly, hint that this was a distraction from bad news, noting that the post "came on a day that The Wall Street Journal reported its new poll showed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holding a 52%-38% lead over Trump among Republican primary voters."

The next day did indeed bring that "major announcement" -- and, yes, McCarthy was there for that too, while seeming to concede it was a tad underwhelming:

Former President Donald Trump's self-proclaimed "MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT" concerns a new digital trading card collection.

Trump on Wednesday teased that he would have a "MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT on America's need for a "superhero." He followed through with a Thursday morning post on Truth Social.

"MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! My official Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection is here!," Trump posted with an image of the former president standing Superman-like in a costume showing  a "T" on his chest and an American flag cape.

"These limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career! Collect all of your favorite Trump Digital Trading Cards, very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting. Go to collecttrumpcards.com/ & GET YOUR CARDS NOW! Only $99 each! Would make a great Christmas gift. Don’t Wait. They will be gone, I believe, very quickly!"

Trump last month officially kicked off his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

After Trump's Wednesday post, some wondered if the announcement would concern a running mate, or the former president's return to Twitter, Newsweek reported.

Newsmax didn't report on related issues with the cards, such as lauching them as the NFT market decllines (and the value of the Trump NFTs fell quickly), criticism of such a money-grubbing venture by even his allies, and using images into which Trump was photoshopped that may or may not have been stolen. Instead, a Dec. 16 article by Nicole Wells bragged about how the NFTs had sold out, with only a token noting of criticism:

The entire collection of former President Donald Trump's digital trading cards reportedly sold out within 12 hours of launching — raising millions in the process.

Trump teased a "major announcement" earlier this week on his social media platform Truth Social. While some people thought he could be announcing a running mate for the 2024 presidential election, the news that he was releasing a digital trading card or nonfungible token (NFT) collection was criticized by both supporters and detractors.

Wells also included a very defensive statement from the marketer of the NFTs:

It was not immediately clear who receives the money and how it will be used.

NFT INT, which created the digital cards, said that money from their sale will not be used to fund Trump’s 2024 bid for the presidency, which he announced last month.

"These Digital Trading Cards are not political and have nothing to do with any political campaign," the company said on the cards’ website. "NFT INT LLC is not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Digital LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates. NFT INT LLC uses Donald J. Trump's name, likeness and image under paid license from CIC Digital LLC, which license may be terminated."

As it turns out, NFT INT has its headquarters in a mailbox at a UPS Store in Park City, Utah, and is owned by a different company run by a current Trump lawyer and a former Trump adviser, the mailing address for which is the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach.

In between all this, Luca Cacciatore cranked out a Dec. 15 stenography piece gushing over how "Trump unveiled a five-point plan to tackle censorship Thursday night, vowing to protect 'lawful speech' from being labeled as disinformation. Newsmax provided coverage of the strategy rollout." Cacciatore made no mention of the NFT imbroglio, even though that and not this five-point plan was what people would be talking about.

CNS Nitpicks Biden's Christmas Message For Not Ramming Religion Down Americans' Throats
Topic: CNSNews.com

CNSNews.com's nitpickiness of President Biden even extends to his Christmas messages. In December 2020, CNS repeated Biden's Christmas message, though it saited until four days after Christmas to report on it and refused to identify him as president-elect -- not a surprise, since it was still promoting Donald Trump's election fraud conspiracies. CNS didn't even report on Biden's 2021 Christmas message.

But for the 2022 Christmas message, CNS decided to nitpick. A Dec.23 article by Susan Jones nitpicked how Biden delivered it:

Instead of an end-of-year press conference, where he might be asked a few difficult questions -- about the border chaos, for example -- President Joe Biden delivered a "Christmas Address to the Nation," as the White House described it.

His message: "Things are getting better."  And: "Spread a little kindness."

The message was delivered at the White House, with no reporters present.

An article by Craig Bannister later that day nitpicked the words he used -- a running theme lately -- then compared him unfavorably to the last president:

This year, when President Joe Biden spoke at his second annual White House Christmas tree lighting ceremony, he neglected to mention either “Christ” or “Jesus,” just as he did last year.

Not until the last two sentences of his remarks, did he wish Americans a “Merry Christmas” and mention “God” (“God bless you.”)

At the 2021 Christmas tree lighting ceremony, on December 2, Biden did actually commemorate a birthday: that of his Interior Secretary, not that of Jesus Christ (“It is wonderful to join you here on your birthday, Madam Secretary.  Happy birthday”).

In contrast, at his last Christmas tree lighting ceremony in 2019, President Donald Trump reminded Americans of the Christian heritage and beliefs that Christmas trees represent:

Bannister didn't not that there's no evidence that Trump lives the words he spoke, nor doid he explain why the president must shoehorn Christianity into a secular ceremony.

In an apparent attempt at partisan contrast, managing editor Michael W. Chapman cranked out two articles on the Christmas messages from more conservatively correct Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump; Chapman made sure to put their references to Jesus by name in the headlines. For unexplained reasons, Chapman also reposted a 2019 article recounting how "As heavy clouds and torrential rain stalled the advance of the U.S. Third Army during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, Gen. George S. Patton ordered the Third Army chaplain to compose a prayer for good weather to kill Germans, to 'crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies.'"

From there, the nitpicking duties went to CNS' new commentary editor, Georgiana Constantin-Parke,who began her Dec. 29 column with a bit of an apology (while also making sure to include her employer's senility narrative):

There already have been several articles about President Joe Biden’s 2022 Christmas message. And while some might see this type of scrutiny as nitpicking or quite a tedious hobby of the right wing or right-leaning individuals in general, it is essential that one is always aware and awake, as the reality of faith and the burden of freedom demand. Analyzing the actions and words of our leaders is vital to understanding our potential futures. 

However, firstly, one must acknowledge that both he and his speech writer are human, and therefore cannot be expected to be free of flaws. On the other hand, they are also not expected to be all flaws.

Secondly, let us take into consideration that this is probably not an easy time for him, as the memory of the death of his first wife and one of his children many years ago around this time is not one which will ever go away. We should offer prayers for the souls of his departed loved ones and be understanding of this difficult time for him and his family.

Finally, whether he is in the (arguably) early stages of Alzheimer’s, or he lies habitually, or is no longer the Christian he claims to be, or perhaps he is doing the very work of those who would see the church dismantled around the world, makes no difference in one respect: he is, somehow, the President of the United States.

Tump lied habiltually, but we don't recall CNS ever being concerned about that.Constantin-Parke then moved to a partisan attack on Biden's message:

So what was his message?

At first glance, it was one that called people to unity, to remember the light for which we all stand, no matter our beliefs, and to be kind and empathetic to one another. In a nutshell, it was a classic example of ‘do as I say not as I do’ rhetoric -- his messages to the electorate have rarely been uniting or empathetic or ones to steer people toward the light of goodness. 

Encouraging the mutilation of children through speedy so-called gender-affirming care, treating children in the womb as if they were parasites there to steal the mother’s independence, and calling for an end to patience with the unvaccinated, among other things, did anything but unite or inspire kindness in people.

Then the real nitpicking began, with Constantin-Parke being weirdly perturbed that Biden said "Son of God" instead of "Jesus Christ":

An important part of the speech revolved around, as some have noted, hinting to Christ rather than saying His name. This is true. But perhaps the more noteworthy concern was the way he talked about Christianity and the picture he painted of religion and faith in general.

To start off, the language used was one of an objective observer rather than a participant in faith. He stated that Christmas is about the birth of a child that “Christians believe to be the son of God.” It would perhaps have been more appropriate for a practicing Christian to have noted “ a child all of us Christians know as the Son of God, the Christ.”

By distancing himself from his declared faith, Catholicism, he made a clear statement. Perhaps they did not want him to seem overzealous or fanatical, but rather inclusive. But the problem with this approach is the message that it sends to everyone.

It wasn't until near the end of her column that Constantin-Parke acknowledged that Biden might be the president ofall Americans, not just the Christian ones, and that his message should be at least somewhat universal -- yet she still insisted on slamming his Christmas message anyway:

Of course, I could be wrong and he could truly have meant to speak of joy and unity and show himself as the president of all Americans, not just Christians. But even then, you cannot stand and defend peoples’ faiths while distancing yourself from your own. Not to say that he should be the most devout Christian, but if he just does not trust in Christ anymore, why lie about it? His actions speak quite clearly. And many would probably call him brave for stating his disbelief or change of creed.

Or perhaps he has not pondered nor does he care about the discrepancies between his words and actions. This is politics after all. But then again, even politicians have to tell some truths sometimes, otherwise there is no point to any political system. So, where are Biden’s truths? 

The real issue is that he is diminishing the idea of religion and faith in general and shrouding it in a light of embarrassment and myth.  This is a more diplomatic version of what the communists did in Socialist Romania. They ridiculed faith and church so that no “serious scientist” and “man of reason” would ever dare think of “such nonsense.”

This is the direction the Christmas message was heading. It was not the avoidance of the words Jesus Christ or the watered-down presentation of his own declared faith that were the most problematic, but the combination of what was blurred and what was made clear.

So inclusive Christmas messages are sending America down the road to communism? Constantin-Parke didn't explain why the president must force-feed Christianity to Americans who aren't Christian.

The MRC's Autumn of Hunter Biden Derangement
Topic: Media Research Center

Elon Musk's selectively released "Twitter files" is not the only Hunter Biden-related narrative the Media Resarch Center pushed in the final few months of 2022 (while whining that it was not inaccurately made into a right-wing obsession with Hunter's genitals). Its Hunter Biden Derangement Syndrome continued to reign at the MRC since the last time we checked in, with lots of complaining that the non-right-wing media was ignoring whatever minor development was blowing up in their right-wing media bubble.

Here's some of what the MRC was obessing over (and whining about) in the last few months of 2022:

• New York Magazine Digs Into the 'Sordid Saga' of Hunter Biden's Laptop: Will MSM Ignore?
• On FNC: Hunter’s Ex-Business Partner Bobulinski Drops Bombshells, Networks CENSOR
• CBS & NBC Report on Feds Ready to Charge Hunter Biden, ABC & PBS Ignore
• ABC Relents! Finally Notices Feds Poised to Charge Hunter Biden
• Latino Media Reluctant to Report Potential Hunter Biden Charges
• NEW NewsBusters Podcast: Hunter Biden Story Rises from the Dead
• SEE YOU IN COURT: Law Group Sues FBI For Hunter Biden Docs
• Cuomo Downplays Hunter Lying on Federal Gun Buying Form, a Felony
• Nets Ignore Report Joe Biden Knew About Hunter's Business Dealings
• Same Dismal Pattern: CBS Only Mustered One Hunter Biden Story, ABC and NBC Fail to Notice
• CNN Tries to Warn GOP Not to Investigate Hunter, Wokeness
• Nervous Morning Joe Tries to Laugh Off Hunter Biden Laptop Investigation
• Vince Coglianese SCHOOLS Juan Williams on Evidence Against Hunter Biden
• Nets Ignore the Courtroom Drama With Hunter Biden’s Baby Mama

And it wouldn't be the MRC if its obsession with George Soros wasn't shoehorned in as well, so we also have "Soros-Funded Group Tied to Twitter’s Efforts to Squash Hunter Biden Laptop Scandal."

We've already noted how the MRC keeps blaming the media for not embracing the right-wing narrative on the then-unverified Hunter laptop story (and not criticizing the New York Post for providing any independent verification at the time that would have kept the story from being treated as anything other than a partisan October surprise), as well as how that the MRC smeared not only Hunter but her daughter on her wedding day, how it lashed out at media outlets who won't push the right-wing anti-Hunter narrative as "liberal rags." and how it complained that interview with Hunter's ex-wife didn't dish enough sleaze for the MRC's prurient satisfaction.

We've also noted how the MRC loves to run up the numbers on purported Hunter Biden scandals, and it tried to add to that list with an Oct. 13 piece by Geoffrey Dickens declaring, "Eight Brand New Hunter Biden Scandals the Nets Are CENSORING." That inflated the number of MRC-declared Hunter "scandals" to 35.

But if there's anything the MRC really doesn't like, it's normal media people pointing out that Hunter Biden is a thing only inside the right-wing media bubble. Kevin Tober complained in an Oct. 9 post:

On Sunday's Meet the Press on NBC former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed the newsworthiness of the FBI's announcement that they now have collected enough evidence to charge President Biden's crack delinquent crackhead son Hunter with tax and gun-related charges. Psaki claimed that she looked online at the front pages of local newspapers around the country and didn't see the story. Therefore, according to her, it's just an inside-the-Beltway Washington story. 

[...]

Psaki is only making NewsBusters point that the media is covering for Joe and Hunter Biden by not covering this story. Just because a handful of leftwing newspapers aren't covering the Hunter Biden scandal doesn't mean it's not a big story. 

Mark Finkelstein whined even more in a Nov. 18 post:

Hypothesis: 

CNN's Don Lemon is a shameless pro-Democrat hack.

Proof:

Just before the presidential election, theNew York Post broke bombshell stories, derived from Hunter Biden's laptop, indicating that he was trading influence with his father for big paydays from companies in Ukraine and China. And that on at least one of the deals, 10% of the payments had been earmarked for "the big guy," which one of Hunter Biden's partners has said was a reference to Joe Biden.

The liberal media, including CNN, and Big Tech, including Facebook and Twitter, circled the wagons, dismissing the New York Post story as "Russian disinformation."

But—after the election—the Washington Post and the New York Times admitted that the information on Hunter's laptop was authentic—not Russian disinformation.

So . . . you'd think that Don Lemon would have the journalistic integrity to acknowledge that a congressional investigation into the matter is very much justified, and indeed, necessary.

But no. On today's CNN This Morning, CNN's Pamela Brown reported on her interview with Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House oversight committee, who will be leading the investigation. Comer indicated that although Joe Biden will not be subpoenaed, this will be an investigation of the president.

Lemon, expressing skepticism, asked Brown whether there is any "there, there" to the investigation. Lemon suggested that the investigation is nothing more than "retribution" for the Democrats' investigations of Donald Trump.

And Lemon concluded the segment by scoffing at the importance of the investigation:

"The American people are dealing with a lot of things. I'm not sure this is one of them."

Right. Because who cares if the sitting President of the United States had been profiting from his son's influence-peddling?

Never mind, of course, that the Hunter laptop story looked enough like Russian disinformation for numerous intelligence officials to initially dismiss the story, coupled with the New York Post's failure to provide any initial independent verification. But in Finkelstein's eyes, that's not the Post's fault, apparently.

This is how desperate the MRC wants to take down President Biden, that it feels it must destroy his son in order to make that happen.

CNS Doing Word Counts On Biden Now
Topic: CNSNews.com

CNSNews.com loves to do word counts on Democrats (though never on Republicans) -- heck, it's still doing that to Barack Obama even though he hasn't been president for years. President Biden is the latest nitpicking target, and CNS is obsessing over how he repeats certain words in his speeches. Susan Jones complained in a Oct. 5 article:

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris convened the second meeting of their reproductive rights taskforce on Tuesday, each giving introductory remarks and slamming pro-life views as "extremist."

Reading from a binder when his moment came, Biden used the word "extreme" or "extremist" six times in five minutes to describe abortion bans and the people who support such bans.

After citing each example and even putting it in boldface, Jones then went the gaslighting route (like its Media Research Center parent) to pretend that Democrats are the real extremists on abortion:

Some pro-life Americans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said Democrats are the real extremists on abortion:

In a speech on the Senate floor in May, McConnell accused Democrats of supporting "an extreme and radical abortion policy."

“Our Democratic colleagues want to vote for abortion on demand through all nine months, until the moment before a baby is born," McConnell said.

"Democrats’ radical bill is as extreme as extreme gets. It ignores modern science. It is tone-deaf to public opinion. Nothing about their bill merely codifies the current case law on this issue. Their extreme proposal goes way, way beyond codifying the status quo. It would roll back many existing laws.

"Democrats’ bill would functionally allow elective abortion through all nine months. Abortion until the moment of birth.

Jones cited no example of an abortion taking place at "the moment of birth."

Craig Bannister did his own word count for a Nov. 30 article:

President Joe Biden repeatedly promised his audience that he was being truthful on Tuesday, when he addressed a South Korean-owned computer chip manufacturer in Bay City, Michigan.

On 29 occasions during his speech, Biden reassured those in attendance either that “I mean it,” it’s “not a joke,” it’s “a fact,” or he was “serious” about what he said.

Biden said 13 times that he meant what he said. Three of those times, Biden revealed that he “really” meant what he said, and another three times he explained that he “seriously” meant it.

Four of his comments were “not a joke,” Biden explained.

Nine times, Biden declared that he was providing a “fact,” including three times he doubled down on the claim.

Biden said that three of his comments were “serious.”

On multiple occasions, Biden used more than one of the reassurances in the same sentence, such as when he declared union workers to be the world’s most highly skilled and trained:

We cannot recall an instance in which CNS called out how many times Donald Trump used a certain word or phrase, even though there are many opportunities for it to do so --  for instance, his multiple claims that "big, strong" men keep coming up to him and crying.

WND Pushed Conspiracy Theories Against Kari Lake's Opponent
Topic: WorldNetDaily

WorldNetDaily has embraced Kari Lake's election denierism, so it's not surprising that it would launch attacks on the woman who defeated her for Arizona governor, Katie Hobbs. An anonymously written Nov. 14 article tried to build a conspiracy theory out of the idea that because Hobbs was Arizona secretary of state, she would be signing off on her own election:

It is a conflict of interest?

Democrat Katie Hobbs, the party's candidate to be governor of Arizona, is holding a small lead in the race over Republican Kari Lake as the last few percentages of precincts are counted – a week after the fact of the election.

And as the state's elections chief as secretary of state, she could be in the position to certify her own election.

Which has raised objections from Lake, who suggested Hobbs should recuse, because of the apparent conflict.

In fact, the secretary of state's role in certifying elections is largely ceremonial and there was no real reason for Hobbs to recuse herself.

Art Moore pushed another Hobbs attack in a Nov. 29 article:

As Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake challenges Maricopa County's certification of the 2022 election in court, the chairman of another county is declaring he voted to certify under duress.

"I found out today that I have no choice but to vote 'Aye' or I will be arrested and charged with a felony," said Ron Gould, chairman of the Mohave County Board of Supervisors.

Lake's opponent, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is overseeing the election, has threatened felony charges for officials who don't certify the election.

Hobbs is suing Cochise County, which refused to certify by the Monday deadline.

But as a more responsible media outlet reported, there was a state-mandated Nov. 28 deadline for Arizona counties to certify the election , but county officials clung to a dubious claim that the county's voting machines weren't certified as an excuse to delay certification, adding that "County boards do not have the legal right to either change the results provided by their elections officials or refuse to certify them."

An anonymously written Dec. 2 article rehashed numerous pro-Lake, anti-Hobbs claims, including that "It was Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who curiously 'won' that race, that sent an email to officials in Mohave County threatening to file felony charges against them."

Bob Unruh tried to manufacture a conspiracy theory in a Dec. 6 article:

Multiple people have called for an investigation into Katie Hobbs, the Democrat governor-elect of Arizona, after it was revealed that she colluded with Big Tech to censor information about the election in which she was on the ballot.

Republican attorney general nominee Abe Hamadeh's campaign issued a statement that, "The Secretary of State (Hobbs) was working with the federal government and Big Tech to silence free speech and political dissent in an election that she was on the ticket for. This needs to be fully investigated."

Also, firebrand U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said, "The SOS of AZ and Gov candidate, Katie Hobbs, used the power of the AZ SOS to collude w/Twitter to unconstitutionally violate 1st Amendment rights of Americans for her own political gain. This is communism and Hobbs can not be governor. I'm calling for a Federal investigation."

It is a report at Just the News that explained Christinia Bobb, a lawyer for Donald Trump for President 2024, wondered, "What else did Katie Hobbs have removed? And how much censorship took place under her office?"

The report said Twitter removed several statements from the social media site after Hobbs' office contacted an organization called the Center for Internet Security, "which forwarded it to Twitter."

Unruh is lying. In fact, the Hobbs action in question did not try to "censor information about the election in which she was on the ballot" -- it was made on Jan. 7, 2021, months before Hobbs announced for governor, something even the dubious Just the News admits. The request specifically address the false claim made in those tweets that the state's voter registration system is controlled by foreigners. Unruh offered no proof otherwise, nor did he explain why lies should never be challenged or why it's "censorship" to remove verifiably false information.

Despite that, Andy Schlafly perpetuated this misinformation, delcaring in his Dec. 6 column that "In a story broken by The Gateway Pundit, Twitter censored tweets critical of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs at her request" without mentioning important context like the untruth of the tweet being "censored."

NEW ARTICLE: The MRC Flips Over Elon Musk, Part 5
Topic: Media Research Center
The Media Research Center continued to embrace the chaos Musk unleashed when he took over Twitter -- and even defending him over statements by Musk that appeared anti-Semitic. Read more >>

MRC Ramps Up Musk Hero Worship Over 'Twitter Files' Release
Topic: Media Research Center

As the selectively released "Twitter files" continued to roll out to Elon Musk's handpicked journalists, the Media Research Center kept cranking out the stenography, as well as the usual whining that non-right-wing media outlets weren't parroting Musk's narrative:

• Latest Twitter Files Dump Reveals ‘Safety’ Exec. Purposely Orchestrated Trump Ban
• Nets Bury Heads in the Stand, Shut Out Mention of Fourth Twitter Files Batch
• Twitter Files Part Five: How Twitter Twisted Rules to Justify Banning Trump
• Nets Avoid Twitter Files Part Five in Favor of Lizzo, Royals, and....Sex Toys

This happened as even Fox News host Trey Gowdy downplayed the importance of the selectively released files.

In between, however, P.J. Gladnick served up a little hero worship in a Dec.12 post:

At just two minutes before 6 AM Eastern Time on Sunday morning, Elon Musk drove the left and their media allies nuts with a short tweet: "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci."

This quickly resulted in a wall of fury to the extent that even media outlets that have been engaged in Censorship Denialism such as CBS News were forced into mentioning the Twitter Files.

Gladnick concluded by gushing over the prospect of Twitter releasing "COVID files": "The reaction to the Twitter Covid Files could be so extreme as to smoke out ABC and NBC News into joining CBS News by forcing them to also break out of their Censorship Denialism and mention the previously taboo topic of the Twitter Files."

Catherine Salgado cheered another Musk move in a Dec. 13 post:

New Twitter CEO Elon Musk has reportedly dissolved Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council, as the Twitter Files uncover details of Twitter’s previous biased censorship.

Forbes reported that the 100 “activists, academics and civic leaders” of the Trust and Safety Council were informed by email Monday of the council’s dissolution, hours before being set to meet with Twitter executives about supposed “recent issues” on the platform. The “About” link for the council on Twitter’s website now brings up the short message, “Nothing to see here.”

Reportedly, former Head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth, who recently left Twitter, and former Twitter General Counsel Vijaya Gadde deliberately orchestrated the ban of then-President Donald Trump from Twitter in 2021, even though Trump broke no rules.

While the Trust and Safety Council was meant to advise Twitter about safety, Twitter’s censorship of conservatives while ignoring actual violent incitement indicates the council’s definition of safety might have been politically biased.

Of course, nobody imagined that the president of the United States would help to incite a violent insurrection, which is why there may not have been a prohibition against it. She also failed to mention that Musk disbanded the council about an hour before it was scheduled to meet with Musk and other Twitter officials, suggesting a bit of cowardice on his part.

Brian Bradley, meanwhile, complained that the crappy working conditions Musk is making Twitter employees work under was being exposed:

Instead of reporting honestly on the newsworthy revelations of the Twitter Files, The Washington Post continues to take personal shots at the platform’s new CEO Elon Musk.

On Dec. 9, Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary released a “perspective” piece that hit Musk for such absurdities as requiring high work ethic from his employees and laying off workers to cut costs.

“Looking back at 2022 … Elon Musk emerged as the grand marshal of maniacal management,” Singletary wrote in a piece titled, “Here’s why Elon Musk is the worst kind of boss.”

Singletary continued: “Those who remained were told to commit, in writing, to a ‘hardcore’ workplace or quit. ‘This will mean working long hours at high intensity,’ Musk said in an email to employees. Hundreds chose unemployment, refusing to sign a pledge to perform at levels best reserved for robots.”

[...]

It appears that Singletary left a key part out of her commentary: There is a value in hard work, and bosses value it.

Bradley then whined about how the Post pointed out the right-wing leanings of the reporters Musk hand-picked for his "Twitter files" release:

Meanwhile, when The Post did write something of substance covering the Twitter Files, it attempted to smear the reporters breaking the story. The publication stealth-deleted a description of journalists Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss – who have reported on the Twitter Files – as “conservative,” Fox News reported. Taibbi and Weiss have not identified themselves as conservative, and it appears that The Post had only included the reference initially to discredit the release of the damning Twitter Files.

Bradley offered no evidence to prove that Taibbi and Weiss are not conservative -- their denials mean nothing -- and the fat that he cited the decidedly right-wing Fox News to complain about this adds another level of irony.

Bill D'Agostino served up a time-count piece:

NewsBusters has found liberal cable news networks CNN and MSNBC have almost completely ignored the first five installments of the Twitter Files, which revealed Twitter employees engaged in rampant censorship of conservatives. Since the first set of documents were published on the evening of December 2, less half of one percent of the coverage on either network has even bothered to mention the story.

MRC analysts examined all regular programming on both CNN and MSNBC between 7:00 p.m. Eastern on December 2 and 7:00 pm ET on December 13. Not including commercials, MSNBC aired approximately 133 hours of news during that period, of which only 0.26 percent (1,253 seconds) included any mention of the Twitter Files. Of the approximate 130 hours of non-commercial time on CNN during the same span, just 0.34 percent (1,574 seconds) dealt with this topic.

D'Agostino was silent on how much time Fox News spent on the story.

Alex Christy devoted a Dec. 15 post to lashing out at CNN for not adhering to the right-wing narrative on the files:

Thursday’s CNN This Morning had a peculiar take on the Twitter Files and revelations into what went into the decision to block the New York Post story on Hunter Biden’s laptop. Not only was it alleged that the Twitter Files actually made Twitter look good, but it was also claimed that it was Elon Musk that was violating the spirit of free speech.

Against a chyron headline that read, “Culture War Theater,” co-host Poppy Harlow began by asking senior media reporter Oliver Darcy, “the Hunter Biden laptop and the New York Post story that squashed weeks ahead of the election. What has come out of the Twitter Files on that?”

Darcy began by reporting, “that Jack Dorsey admitted that suppressing the New York Poststory was a mistake, so that he did, I think, last year.”

Beyond that, he also added that these things happen because of the nature of the business, “So, the Twitter Files, though, they really showed the-- I think the messy content moderation that was happening behind the scenes and I think we're seeing and it's probably no surprise but we're seeing that not everyone agrees, is on the same page when they're making these complex decisions.”

That conveniently ignores the mental gymnastics Twitter had to perform to justify the ban, but Darcy nevertheless continued, “I will say on this specific Twitter Files drop, I thought what was really noteworthy was Elon Musk’s handpicked reporter, Matt Tiabbi [sic], said that there was no evidence of government involvement in trying to suppress this story and that was a big claim that Elon Musk had made earlier when he was hyping these Twitter Files. I think that's very important to point out here.”

Christy further complained that CNN pointed out that Taibbi was  Musk's "handpicked" journalist chosen to put out Musk's preferred narrative, huffing in response, "Even if Musk had given the materials to Darcy for a traditional news story, he would still be a 'handpicked' journalist, just one that CNN approves of."

CNS Keeps Up Hateful Biden-Is-Senile Narrative
Topic: CNSNews.com

For the past three years, CNSNews.com has highlighted gaffes and misstatements by President Biden for the partisan purpose of making him look senile -- something it refused to do to Donald Trump despite a similar record of gaffes. That malicious narrative continued in 2022. Susan Jones sounded quite conspiratorial in an April 6 article under the headline "Watch As Barack Obama Returns to White House, Stealing the Limelight From 'Vice President Biden'":

Was former President Barack Obama kidding when he referred to President Joe Biden as "vice president" at a White House event on Tuesday? Obama called it a "joke," but...

Why did Biden feel the need to explain his wife's absence from the event celebrating Obama's signature achievement -- the Affordable Care Act?

And why did everyone, including Obama, ignore Biden, leaving him to wander alone in a room now dominated by his former boss?

Those are the questions. Here's the video:

An anonymously written April 22 article was provocatively headlined "President Biden: “The Caption Underneath the Picture Was, ‘Biden Molests Another Child’” -- though the article was about Biden criticizing the picture, which was actually of him comforting a grandchild after the funeral for his son Beau. Talk about burying context.

The smears and deliberate out-of-context quotes continued:

• Biden Plays Peek-a-Boo with Reporters After Leaving Stage – Then, Comes Back Out to Field Another Question (in which Melanie Arter complained that doing so was "tricking Fox News Channel hosts to think his speech was over")
• WATCH: Biden Chokes on the Word 'Kleptocracy'
• Biden on Earth Day: ‘I Have a ‘68 Corvette That Does Nothing But Pollute the Air’
• Biden Begins His Remarks in Alabama: 'Every Once in a While, I Make a Mistake...Once a Speech'
• Biden: ‘I Sleep With a Teacher Every Night’
• Angry Biden Screams: ‘I Don’t Want to Hear Any More of These Lies About Reckless Spending!’
• Biden: "Every Time I Hear 'Hail to the Chief,' I Wonder, Where the Hell Is He?"
• Biden Jokes About His 2 Aneurysm Surgeries: Doctors 'Couldn't Find a Brain the First Time'
• Jarring Transition: Biden Jokes After Remarks on Hurricane
• Trump Shares Comedy Video of Biden Blunders
• Biden Looks Around for Congresswoman Who Died Last Month: ‘Jackie Are You Here? Where’s Jackie?’
• Biden: ‘No One Ever Doubts That I Mean What I Say’
• Not Washington in 1789? Lincoln in 1860?: Biden Says This Midterm ‘Most Consequential Election in Our History’—Then Adds…
• Biden: 'I Don't Know Where I'm Going...I Get Told'
• Biden Tells John Fetterman's Wife She'll Be 'Great' in the Senate
• Pres. Biden Says He ‘Signed’ Student Debt Cancellation ‘Law’ that ‘Passed by a Vote or Two’ - He Didn’t
• Biden: 'Which Way Are We Going?' (in which Jones sneered: "As he frequently does, President Joe Biden needed someone to tell him which way he was supposed to go, right on the grounds of the White House.")
• Biden Uses the Phrase 'Indian Country' 9 Times After Telling Tribes He Was Chided for Saying That

A Sept. 27 article by Peyton Holliday, meanwhile, hyped a poll claiming that 56% of respondents "say they 'have doubts' about the president’s mental fitness for office." There was also an implicitly snarky and anonymously written Oct. 31 article on Biden issuing a proclamation for National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, in which he "call[ed] on Americans 'to recognize their fellow citizens with Alzheimer’s Disease.'"

Concurrent with this was the occasional article about Republicans engaging in performative outrage over Biden's gaffes (again, despite the fact they never fretted over Trump's gaffes). For instance, Craig Bannister wrote in a March 30 article:

President Joe Biden’s constant gaffes, especially those regarding classified information, emboldens the Deep State to keep him in the dark and make important decisions without him, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) warned Wednesday.

Discussing how the administration has had to walk back Biden’s recent remarks, suggesting that Americans are training Ukrainian troops in Poland and that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be removed from office, Rep. Comer told Fox & Friends First that the gaffes endanger American citizens, not just U.S. troops:

[...]

The more public gaffes Pres. Biden makes, the more likely it is that the Deep State will cut him out of the loop and start making decisions without consulting him, Rep. Comer said:

None of that actually happened, of course; Comer was just saying what he thought would get him on Fox News.

Similarly, an Oct. 10 article by Jones reported that "President Joe Biden's comments last week about the world facing the 'prospect of Armageddon' were 'reckless' and dangerous, former (Trump) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday."

On the "opinion" side, Pat Buchanan (whose presidential campaigns CNS editor Terry Jeffrey worked for in the 1990s) has been the leader in pushing the narrative of Biden's purported senility:

• President Joe Biden may be making trips to New Hampshire, but few believe he will be running again in 2024, as the manifestations of his cognitive decline appear more frequent and disturbing. -- April 26
  
• Biden has himself become a drag on the party. His low poll numbers, verbal foot faults, visible frailty and perceived "cognitive decline" all handicap efforts to portray him as a strong, engaged and decisive leader. -- May 3
• Does Biden, with his shuffling gait, regular gaffes, and physical and cognitive decline manifest that attribute of which Hamilton wrote ?-- May 24
• It is not too much to infer from this stunning piece on the front page of the Times that America's newspaper of record, a citadel of liberalism, has decided it is now fair game to confront Biden on the age-and-infirmities issue. Nor is it too much to say that the Times is giving its own belated validation to claims made for many months by conservative media that Biden is neither physically nor cognitively capable of handling the duties of his office, let alone to serve a second term, which would end in 2029 with Biden at 86 years of age. -- July 12

But in a hilarious counterpoint to all of this, a Dec. 2 article by Jones quoted none other than Newt Gingrich conceding that Biden might not be so senile after all and criticizing his fellow Republicans because "We dislike Biden so much, we pettily focus on his speaking difficulties, sometimes strange behavior, clear lapses of memory, and other personal flaws. Our aversion to him and his policies makes us underestimate him and the Democrats":

"Republicans must learn to quit underestimating President Joe Biden," says former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who admits he's no fan of Biden or his policies

[...]

He credits Biden with waging war in Ukraine without any troops; and successfully "polarizing Americans against Donald Trump supporters," resulting in a strong midterm showing for Democrats, despite Americans' concerns about the economy, crime and the border.

Gingrich concludes:

"Today there is not nearly enough understanding (or acknowledgement) among leading Republicans that our system and approach failed. We need to rethink from the ground up how we are going to Defeat Big Government Socialism – including almost inevitable second-time Democrat Presidential Nominee Biden."

Is that a tacit admission that CNS' petty obsession with cherry-picking Biden statements to make him look senile has failed? Perhaps.