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SNL's Michael Che
In this terrible coronavirus pandemic, one inescapable observation is the truth of the adage that disease does not see wealth or fame. It is indiscriminate, in the literal sense, when it comes to any factor other than risk. And we have seen wealthy, famous, powerful people affected just as we have everyday working Americans.
Comedian, actor, and writer Michael Che, co-host of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, announced in April that his grandmother had passed away from Covid-19.
But it is not just hardship that finds purchase in every strata of American society. It is also generosity, concern for others, charity, and courage that spreads from one person to the next in the United States.
We have, in this space, mentioned others who are taking steps to help and pitch-in during the pandemic, from starting foundations to simply hand-sewing masks and giving them to medical professionals. (We have more good news along those lines below in today's newsletter.)
Michael Che joins the list with a unique and amazing decision that will make a huge impact in the lives of a lot of people.
On Wednesday night, Che said in an Instagram post “It’s crazy to me that residents of public housing are still expected to pay their rent when so many New Yorkers can’t even work.”
It is not just the disease itself, but the necessary defense against it that have caused hardship to go around, enough that the government sent out stimulus checks. That hardship, which can be physical, emotional, and yes, economic, can produce good and bad reactions. Even baffling ones (see today's Media Loser section). But for Che, it prompted an act of generosity, in memory of his grandmother.
“Obviously, I can’t offer much help by myself. But in the spirit and memory of my late grandmother, I’m paying one month’s rent for all 160 apartments in the NYCHA building she lived in,” he said. “I know that’s just a drop in the bucket. So I really hope the city has a better plan for debt forgiveness for all the people in public housing, at the very least.”
It can be hard to know what to do in times like this, and frustrating to feel trapped and powerless. But it is when someone reaches out with a hand and offers whatever it is they can offer that we feel a little less alone and a little less isolated.
We are at home. But we can still be together. |
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 | MEDIA LOSER:
Dr. Mehmet Oz
Television doctor and regular Fox News guest Dr. Mehmet Oz had a rough day in the media on Thursday, over a comment he made when speaking to Fox's Sean Hannity on Wednesday night.
A really, really bad day.
Dr. Oz was on with Hannity to talk about what, on the right, is a much bigger story than the pandemic: the end of the response to the pandemic. The re-opening that was (sort of) the subject of yesterday's Michigan protest. It was on opening schools that Oz offered the remark that launched a thousand tweets.
“I tell ya, schools are a very appetizing opportunity,” he unadvisedly and bafflingly declared to Hannity. “I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing that the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3% in terms of total mortality.”
"Oh! Only two to three percent more death with children as the vectors! What a deal!" tweeted the Daily Beast's Sam Stein, pretty much capturing the general reaction.
On Thursday, author James Surowiecki tweeted a thread that explained how a lot of the reaction articles were making some errors in recounting exactly what it was that Oz was distastefully phrasing as "appetizing." A difference in numbers that is fairly significant and, to a certain extent, mitigating.
Reason, too, pointed out that painting his remarks as being specifically about juvenile deaths, (see Crooks and Liars headline "Dr. Oz Wants Schools To Reopen Because Only 2 To 3% Of Kids Will Die") is likewise misleading.
Mitigating, certainly. But the ghoulish moment, and inexplicable choice of the word "appetizing", are not absolved by adjustments to the math.
And considering that the case that folks like Sean Hannity and others on the right are making is dependent on convincing both government and citizens that the risks are not as severe as generally reported, his choosing the schools -- the children -- for his excitement at assuming risk for economic reward could not have been more counterproductive or unhelpful.
In other words, Oz didn't just self-own, he made the entire argument that has now become a singular drumbeat on the right appear exactly as callous and cold as its opponents believed.
It's an obvious media fail. And it didn't have to be. An own goal for sure. |
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| The Plan President Donald Trump’s plan to reopen the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic was reported by multiple outlets on Thursday — ahead of the president’s White House briefing on the road ahead. The plan, reportedly shared with governors, has three phases, which the President will be covering at the briefing, scheduled for 6pm today. [Watch the briefing here.]
Trump has apparently asked every Republican Senator to join a bi-partisan group that will be tasked with implementing the plan.
Well, not EVERY Republican.
New York Still, the states have their own plans and their own issues to face as time wears on. For example, as of right now, New York state has shutdown through May 15. But new comments from the mayor of New York City suggest that a reopening might actually be much farther away.
Appearing on Fox News Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) suggested that a late summer or early fall reopening might be more realistic.
Michigan
Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer said that the “gridlock” protest outside the state capitol this week was “a political protest” and not really about the measures she has implemented to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was a definitely a political rally. I’ve not often seen a Confederate flag at the state capitol—and there were a few of them. There was someone who had signs that had a swastika on it…It was really a very political demonstration and rally,” Whitmer said on SiriusXM’s The Dean Obeidallah Show.
China Fox News anchor Bret Baier detailed on Hannity new reporting that “multiple sources” believe the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab before accidentally escaping and infecting the population.
"Not as a bio-weapon, let’s just be clear about that, there is no one who’s saying this was a bio-weapon,” Baier emphasized in the report.
Radio Radio kingpin Rush Limbaugh responded to a new report from The New York Times that President Donald Trump was considering starting a radio show from the White House during the coronavirus crisis — but opted not to so as not to compete with Limbaugh.The radio host told his listeners Wednesday that he thought there was “nobody better to fill my shoes” than Trump — and invited the president to audition for the job. |
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| GOOD NEWS With the deluge of headlines blaring the latest crisis sparked by the spread of the coronavirus, Mediaite has decided to dedicate at least one story per day to good news coming in from around the world. Spring Brook Country Club Manager David Bachman appeared on Fox & Friends recently to talk about his club is connecting its members with local hospitals to provide much needed supplies and support.
Bachman founded ClubsHELP as a way of "connecting golf and member clubs with local hospitals to activate a powerful network that provides critical resources and support for our frontline hospital workers.
Amazingly, after his interview aired on Fox News, more than 60 clubs signed up to participate in the effort. And that new attention also brought in a big name: Ernie Els.
Els is a former world #1 and is in the Golf Hall of Fame, and he, too, joined Fox & Friends to talk about why ClubsHELP caught his attention, what he's doing to help, and what he hopes others will do to join in.
The power of cable news meets the power of helping others. That's good news. And there's more, below, in our Must-See block. |
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| A miracle baby born in pandemic
A mother in New York, who delivered her baby while in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator, finally met her newborn baby on Wednesday once she recovered from the coronavirus.
The videos here, from her perspective and from the reports, are uplifting.
It's a needed moment of miraculous joy. |
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You know how you always liked watching TV, but the scales fell from your eyes when you got HBO, and got to see all kinds of stuff you couldn’t see on regular TV — without all those dadgum commercials? Mediaite is doing that. We’ve introduced a new premium experience that will you to enjoy Mediaite free of advertisements — even in the videos — along with additional exclusive reporting. And since we’re all in this coronavirus outbreak together, we’re offering a free first month for everyone. That experience is called Mediaite+ — a shorter way of saying “Mediaite PLUS!” “Mediaite PLUS what?” you ask. Well, it's... |
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