Anderson Cooper 360

More on the 'Myth' of 'No-Go Zones,' Which Were Recognized Even Before the 2005 European Riots
By Tom Blumer | January 22, 2015 | 5:28 PM EST

Earlier today (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog), I posted on the establishment press's apparent determination to punish anyone who dares to mention the existence — in their view, the "myth" — of "no-go zones" in France and other European countries.

The tactic seems to be working. The Washington Post's Erik Wemple, who criticized CNN for allowing guests to use the term and failing to challenge them after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, is now praising the network, particularly Anderson Cooper, for backing away, even though one of those guests was a "former CIA official" who, it would seem, would have been asserting his position about their existence based on job experience and other acquired knowledge. Before the term completely disappears down the memory hole, readers should be reminded that it was being used even before the 2005 riots in Europe.

CNN's Cooper and Guest: It's 'Dangerous' to Think Sydney Attack is A 'One-Off'
By Matthew Balan | December 16, 2014 | 4:48 PM EST

Former Islamist Maajid Nawas warned Westerners on Monday's Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN about the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia. Nawas underlined that it was a "mistake" to label perpetrator Man Haron Monis a "lone wolf," as it "doesn't necessary describe the phenomenon correctly....what we're really dealing with here is fundamental inspiration. People are inspired by the ideas; the leaders; the symbols; and the narratives – the iconography behind this ideology."

CNN's Cooper Hounds NYC Police Union Head About 'Inherent Bias' on Race
By Matthew Balan | December 10, 2014 | 4:46 PM EST

CNN's Anderson Cooper forwarded common liberal talking points on race on the Monday and Tuesday editions of his program. During a two-part interview of Patrick Lynch, the president of the union for New York City police officers, Cooper asserted that "everybody has inherent biases...biases that, sometimes they're not even aware of" and wondered, "Aren't those amplified amongst those who have power over others?"

Fireworks on CNN: NYT's Blow vs. Dan Bongino on NYPD Choking Death
By Matthew Balan | December 4, 2014 | 4:25 PM EST

The New York Times's Charles Blow faced off with conservative Dan Bongino on CNN's AC360 on Wednesday over whether an inherent racial "bias" against blacks in American society fed into the controversial case of a NYPD officer choking Eric Garner to death during an arrest. Blow claimed that "society...acculturates us to fear, and...that is how the whole justice system becomes corrupted and biased....we are not always even aware that we have the bias." Bongino, ripped the liberal writer's claims as "utterly absurd."

Jay Carney Admits Obama Acted Directly Against Previous Statements in Immigration Move
By Tom Blumer | November 21, 2014 | 7:45 PM EST

At CNN on Thursday night, Anderson Cooper asked former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who is now a contributor at the network, to square President Barack Obama's Thursday night immigration announcement with past presidential statements that he didn't have the power to do what he had just done.

As seen in the video after the jump, Carney acknowledged his former boss's compete flip-flop (HT the Weekly Standard):

Newt Gingrich Blasts Obama’s Speech: ‘This Was a Gruber Speech’; ‘Simply Not Telling the Country the Truth’
By Curtis Houck | November 21, 2014 | 12:52 AM EST

Following President Barack Obama’s speech announcing his executive order on illegal immigration, CNN political commentator and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich unloaded on the President, likening his speech to statements made by ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber and that those in the “elite” class “really underestimate” the disdain Americans have for unfortified borders.

Responding on CNN in the minutes after it ended, Gingrich opined that it was wrong for the President to go against the incoming Congress as it had “repudiated his policies in the election” a few weeks ago. Gingrich then slammed what viewers just heard as “a Gruber speech” where the President was “simply not telling the country the truth.”

CNN's Bash Brushes Off 'Constitutional Professor' Obama's Past Immigration Remarks
By Matthew Balan | November 20, 2014 | 5:44 PM EST

On Wednesday's AC360, CNN's Dana Bash was hesitant to address President Obama's past remarks on immigration reform, where he repeatedly denied that he couldn't act alone – to the point that she first touted the Democrat's supposed academic credentials. After host Anderson Cooper played five clips of Mr. Obama making this point, Bash replied that "we should also remind people that he's not just the President. He also...was a constitutional professor...so, he speaks...with academic knowledge.

Gen. Honore Jabs the Media: 'People Like You' Driving Chaos in Ferguson
By Matthew Balan | November 18, 2014 | 4:02 PM EST

On Monday's AC360 on CNN, retired Lt. General Russel Honore rebuked the media's coverage of the ongoing controversy surrounding the police shooting of Michael Brown. Anderson Cooper raised how a liberal legal analyst contended that Missouri Governor Jay Nixon's activation of the National Guard, in anticipation of a grand jury decision on the case, was an "escalation of this military-style approach that didn't work in the first place." He then asked, "Do you agree with that – that it could, in some ways, do more harm than – than good?"

CNN's Anderson Cooper 'Burned' By Staff's Prank; Makes Fun of His Scented Candle
By Matthew Balan | November 12, 2014 | 1:23 PM EST

CNN's Anderson Cooper found himself the target of a prank on Monday's AC360. During his regular, light-hearted 'Ridiculist' segment, Cooper was surprised by video footage of his own office and the scented candle burning on his desk. The anchor explained the reason for its presence: "Somebody told me that I smelled...or my jeans smell, because I don't wash them. So, that's why I got the candle, people." The journalist ended up being likened to the fictional character Brian Fantana from the movie Anchorman and his strong, foul-smelling cologne.

CNN: 'Democrats Probably Rightly' Blame McConnell For Gridlock in DC
By Matthew Balan | November 6, 2014 | 12:54 PM EST

On Wednesday's Anderson Cooper 360, CNN's Dana Bash pointed the finger at Senator Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans for the "dysfunction" in the federal government. Bash asserted that "Democrats probably rightly have a complaint that the reason the Senate isn't working is because Mitch McConnell and the opposition made it so."

CNN Rebukes Piers Morgan For 'Sad' Attacks on Anderson Cooper
By Matthew Balan | October 9, 2014 | 1:30 PM EDT

Piers Morgan's former employers at CNN finally responded on Thursday to the former host's recent targeting of Anderson Cooper. Politico's Dylan Byers reported that in an e-mail, network publicist Megan Rivers "accused Morgan of making unjustified attacks on his former colleague [Cooper] in order to find a new job." The former CNN host is now editor-at-large at the Daily Mail.

STUDY: Victims' Families Speak Out Against Obama, Networks Don't Care
By Geoffrey Dickens | September 18, 2014 | 10:03 AM EDT

The mother of ISIS beheading victim James Foley told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, on September 11, that she was “embarrassed and appalled” by the White House’s handling of her son’s kidnapping. On September 8 a spokesman for the family of ISIS victim Steven Sotloff claimed that both families were “bullied and hectored” by the administration.

So how many Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) network stories have been devoted to helping these families tell their shocking stories of a White House that let them down and even intimidated them? Just three (CBS 2, ABC 1, NBC 0).