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Dmitry Muratov
Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov auctioned his Nobel Peace Prize on Monday for a record $103.5 million — money he's donating to help Ukrainian children.
The proceeds from the auction, conducted by Heritage Auctions, will go to UNICEF's humanitarian response for Ukrainian children displaced by Russia’s invasion.
“I was hoping that there was going to be an enormous amount of solidarity, but I was not expecting this to be such a huge amount,” Muratov said in an interview after the bidding ended.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute approved the sale of Muratov's gold medal, in what Heritage Auctions called a first-of-its kind endorsement.
"This generous act of humanitarianism is very much in the spirit of Alfred Nobel," said institute director Olav Njølstad. "The intended sale is therefore subject to the wholehearted approval of the Norwegian Nobel Committee."
In October, Muratov won the 2021 peace prize, along with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression" despite coming under attack by their respective governments.
Muratov, who founded independent Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta in 1993, was the publication’s editor-in-chief when it shut down in March due to the Kremlin’s censorship amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the publication had “published critical articles on subjects ranging from corruption, police violence, unlawful arrests, electoral fraud and ‘troll factories’ to the use of Russian military forces both within and outside Russia."
“Novaja Gazeta’s opponents have responded with harassment, threats, violence, and murder. Since the newspaper’s start, six of its journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya who wrote revealing articles on the war in Chechnya,” the committee stated in October.
Despite years of the Kremlin's censorship efforts, Muratov still managed to transform his reporting into a massive aid to Ukraine. |
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 | MEDIA LOSER:
Jason Chaffetz
Jason Chaffetz apparently does not know the difference between an insurrection and a puppet show.
While on Hannity Monday night, Chaffetz argued that staffers arrested at the Capitol while working for Stephen Colbert should face the same consequences as those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
On Thursday, seven employees of The Late Show were arrested for unlawful entry into the Capitol. One of those detained was Robert Smigel, the longtime voice of cigar-chewing puppet Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
The team was in the Capitol working on a Late Show segment about the January 6 hearings, during which Triumph would interview Democratic and Republican congresspeople who had already agreed to participate in the bit.
After the interviews concluded, the staffers remained in the halls to film additional stand-ups despite reportedly not having permission to do so when the building was closed to visitors. They were arrested by Capitol Police.
The arrests occurred as the House Jan. 6 committee is conducting hearings into the riot.
Since the arrests were reported, multiple Fox News hosts, including Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, have drawn parallels between the arrestees in this recent sock puppet incident and those arrested pursuant to the Capitol insurrection.
“All you asked for is equal application of the law,” said Chaffetz. "If somebody breaks the law, they should be charged. On the one hand, I’m glad that the Capitol Police had the political guts to actually arrest these people, there is I think a question as to, how is it that they got back into the Capitol?”
Chaffetz added, “I want to see these people prosecuted to the same degree and the same outrage that the left pretends on January 6 people.”
Yes, Chaffetz was apparently unable to differentiate between rioters violently storming the Capitol in an effort to overthrow the republic (and hang Mike Pence) and a cigar-smoking toy dog. |
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‘What the hell were they doing?!’
Morning Joe's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were visibly shocked while reporting on developments in the investigation into the massacre at Robb Elementary School.
The Texas Tribune and the Austin American-Statesman both reviewed law enforcement transcripts and surveillance images from the May 24 shooting and released footage from that day.
The reports reveal that cops on the scene had equipment on hand early, but still waited to go into the classroom for an hour.
Brzezinski said, “Documents reviewed by The Austin American-Statesman reveal police officers were inside the school armed with high-powered rifles and the first ballistic shield at 11:52 a.m.”
The Statesman's report further revealed that commander Pete Arredondo prevented cops from going in even after a raft of specialized equipment showed up.
“So that’s 19 minutes after the gunman entered the school, but they didn’t breach the door to take him down for another hour, for 58 more minutes," Brzezinski said. "This photo from the Texas Tribune shows at least two ballistic shields on the scene at 12:04 for just about one minute after –”
Scarborough cut her off, saying, “I’m sorry what the hell? What the. What the hell were they doing?! What the – What the hell was their on-site leader telling them to do?”
Brzezinski went on to share more information from the reports, including transcripts of body cam footage.
"One minute after a student called 911 from inside the classroom pleading for help, officers still didn’t enter the classroom for another 46 minutes," she shared. "The new revelation contradicts the statement from police that officers didn’t have the proper equipment to confront the killer."
Texas Dept of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw later called the police response an "abject failure" while speaking at a Tuesday hearing.
“There’s compelling evidence that the law enforcement response to the attack at Robb Elementary was an abject failure and antithetical to everything we’ve learned over the last two decades since the Columbine massacre,” McCraw testified, adding, “And while they waited, the commander waited for radio and rifles. Then he waited for shields. Then he waited for SWAT. Lastly, he waited for key that was never needed."
McCraw went on to reveal that officers on the scene, who had been waiting for a key to enter the classroom and apprehend the shooter, never checked the door to see if it was locked.
In Other News...
Colbert Rips Tucker Carlson Claiming His Staff Committed Insurrection: ‘Shameful and Grotesque Insult’ to Jan. 6 Victims
Ben Stiller Meets with Zelensky in Ukraine After Touring Areas Devastated By Russian Occupation: The Destruction is ‘Shocking’
Mike Pence Claims ‘Never in My Lifetime’ Has He Seen a President Lie as Much as Joe Biden
Rumf Opinion: The New Lightyear Movie Tears Down 250 Years of Traditional Western Values
Ratings: CNN Tanks in the Demo, Records Lowest Day Since July 2000 |
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Ouch ...
Greg Fischer, the Democratic mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, was brazenly punched in the face this weekend.
Fischer was attending an event at Louisville entertainment and retail complex Fourth Street Live when a man approached him and struck him across the face.
In a video released by the Louisville Metro Police Department, Fischer can be seen talking to someone in the crowd before getting sucker-punched.
Fischer can be seen falling backward as his assailant casually walks away.
Police confirmed Fischer is “doing fine” in a Twitter post, but revealed that his attacker is still at large.
The mayor, elected in 2010, spoke to a WLKY reporter Sunday, assuring the public that he would not let the incident keep him down.
“You know, we are living in strange times all across America right now, I think,” he said. “And I have the honor of being right in the middle of all of it.”
Fischer added, “You know, the only thing you can do moving forwards is just keep moving forward in a compassionate and kind way, and things take care of themselves. You know occasionally in life things happen. You know, you get knocked down. You gotta get back up and keep going.”
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