| |  | MEDIA WINNER:
George Stephanopoulos
On Sunday's episode of This Week on ABC, George Stephanopoulos scored substantive interviews with key lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
In a notable exchange with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Stephanopoulos challenged him about his shifting attitude towards former President Donald Trump ever since the events of January 6th.
The anchor questioned Graham if he would support Trump running for president again in 2024, and the senator replied “it’s his nomination for the taking in 2024, if he wants."
Graham added that Trump is “hurting his chances” if he keeps looking back at the 2020 election, which Trump continues to falsely claim was stolen from him.
Stephanopoulos quoted several insults that Trump had lobbed Graham's way, and said to him, “you said that the president will have to change if he wants to be competitive in 2024. He doesn’t really show any signs of changing.”
Stephanopolous also confronted Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) about comments from Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), who affirmed her support for the slogan “defund the police” earlier this week, and claimed to be feeling pressure from Democratic colleagues to change her rhetoric.
The Speaker flatly rejected that Bush was speaking for the entire party. “With all due respect in the world for Cori Bush, that’s not the position of the Democratic party,” Pelosi said.
The Sunday shows don't need to comply with a strict partisan quota in order to be good journalism, but it is good to see two influential members of Congress from both major parties on the same show, facing tough questions. |
|
|
 | MEDIA LOSER:
CNN's John Blake
A writer for CNN argued that the controversy over Joe Rogan's history of using the N-word is comparable to the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Yes, really.
John Blake, a senior writer and producer for CNN, published a column on Sunday that admits “some might say that comparing a podcaster’s moronic musings about race to January 6 is hyperbole,” but then goes on to claim that allowing Rogan to get away with his racial epithets breaks American sociopolitical norms just like the storming of the Capitol did.
“The podcaster Joe Rogan did not join a mob that forced lawmakers to flee for their lives," wrote Blake. "He never carried a Confederate flag inside the US Capitol rotunda. No one died trying to stop him from using the n-word. But what Rogan and those that defend him have done since video clips of him using the n-word surfaced on social media is arguably just as dangerous as what a mob did when they stormed the US Capitol on January 6 last year.”
We'll agree with Blake and many, many others that the N-word is vile, Rogan shouldn't be using it, and many of his defenders seem to be missing the racist history forest for the free speech trees.
But there is a huge and vital difference between words and actions. Rogan is not encouraging his listeners to engage in violent hate crimes. More importantly, he has apologized, and said that his past use of the word now makes him "sick" to hear. That's a far cry from the baseless claims of election fraud that former President Donald Trump and his allies continue to promote -- including various calls for action.
There are fair criticisms to be made of Rogan and his defenders. But Blake's argument was hyperbole, plain and simple. |
|
|
|
|  |
A superb Super Bowl
After a series of thrilling postseason gridiron battles, Sunday's night's Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals stayed true to the trend and delivered an entertainment bonanza, from beginning to end. Here's a recap of our coverage on the Big Game (video links with all the highlights are included in the posts):
President Joe Biden weighed in on the NFL's ongoing minority hiring controversy during an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt that aired during the pregame broadcast. The League hasn't "lived up to what they committed to," said Biden.
Recently-retired Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady couldn't resist a little self-deprecating humor before the game, tweeting a screenshot of a calendar reminder for a game in which he was not going to play.
ESPN's Mike Greenberg got rightfully roasted on social media for eating wings with a knife and fork. Seriously, we have the shocking photos. And if you want even more shocking chicken-wing content, well, here's sports radio host Shaun Morash who somehow didn't fully understand how chicken wings are obtained. Spoiler alert: no, they most certainly do not grow back!
Country music singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton delivered an absolutely gorgeous rendition of our national anthem. If you missed it, it's a must-watch.
The actual football game was exciting throughout all four quarters, with multiple lead changes, controversial officiating calls, and the outcome not settled until the final moments.
The Rams jumped out to an early lead behind a Matthew Stafford touchdown pass to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who unfortunately had to leave the game early after a knee injury.
The Bengals’ first touchdown pass of the game came from a surprising source, with running back Joe Mixon stepping up to make the throw.
The halftime show featured Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar -- plus surprise guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak -- in a high-energy Pepsi-sponsored extravaganza that celebrated the soundtrack to all your Gen X and Millennial friends’ college parties.
Eminem got a lot of buzz for kneeling at the end of "Lose Yourself," a move that was widely reported to be in direct defiance of the NFL's wishes. But an NFL spokesman denied that on Monday, saying they had "watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware Eminem was going to do that."
Snoop Dogg indulged in one of his favorite habits before performing, to the shock of literally no one.
Turning Point USA founder and "Gen Z's designated Puritan scold" Charlie Kirk apparently hated the halftime show, posting a tweet that complained about "sexual anarchy." Unsurprisingly, the tweets he got in response were viciously hilarious.
Cincinnati scored again at the beginning of the second half thanks to a monster 75-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Tee Higgins -- and a controversial missed call by the refs.
There was a fan who ran onto the field. It did not go well for him.
In the end, the Rams took home a 23-20 victory after successfully thwarting Bengals quarterback Joe Burrows' attempt to convert on 4th-and-1 in their final play of the game. Had Burrows made the completion, the Bengals would have had the chance to get into field goal territory and force the game into overtime.
Beckham, watching from the sidelines after his injury, broke down in tears of joy as he watched his team win the Super Bowl.
Another member of the Rams had two reasons to celebrate Sunday night. In addition to the Super Bowl win, wideout Van Jefferson and his wife Samaria Jefferson celebrated the birth of their second son. Samaria reportedly went into labor during the game and her husband was seen hightailing it out of SoFi Stadium to get to the hospital and meet the newest member of his family. Congrats to the Jeffersons!
Finally, here's a recap of some of the ads that got the most buzz.
BREAKING NEWS: A federal judge has just announced that he will dismiss former Gov. Sarah Palin's (R-AK) defamation suit against The New York Times, regardless of the jury verdict.
In Other News... Meghan McCain and Joy Behar Trade Blows in Twitter Feud: ‘Imagine Spending Your Valentine’s Day Trolling’ Your Ex-Colleague Maria Bartiromo Rants That US is Warning of Russia Invasion to Distract From Durham Investigation AOC Questions If U.S. Will Have a Democracy in 10 Years: ‘There’s a Very Real Risk’ It Won’t Last ‘That’s Ridiculous’: CNN Sports Analyst Bashes ‘Absurd’ Olympics Decision to Let Russian Skater Compete After Failing Doping Test
Michael Che Responds After Kanye West Offers to Double His Salary if He Stops Working with Pete Davidson on SNL 6.5.0 |
|
|
| Ice shanty-nanigans The mayor of Hudson, Ohio has made national news, online at least, for sharing at a town meeting recently his hypothesis that permitting ice fishing at a local park would lead directly to ice shanty prostitution.
In perhaps the ultimate slippery slope argument – well slippery, anyway – Mayor Craig Shubert told City Council members his theory about the wages of fishing, and went viral soon thereafter.
Shubert's ironclad logic appears to be that if people are cold they will naturally want to rent a shack on the ice and take a prostitute there. Because obviously.
It's unintentionally hilarious and the incredulous reactions of the local reporter covering the story are a perfect touch. Watch here. |
|
|
|
|
|
