Robert Costa

Diligent Drudge Includes Obamacare Penalty in First Federal Tax Estimate; Media Hysteria Ensues, But AP Ignores
By Tom Blumer | March 25, 2014 | 12:56 AM EDT

On Friday afternoon, Matt Drudge announced in a tweet that "(I) Just paid the Obamacare penalty for not 'getting covered'... I'M CALLING IT A LIBERTY TAX!"

A White House spokesman and the "progressive" press proceeded to thoroughly embarrass itself in its rebuttal attempts. How do I know? Because, four days later, despite the substantial and widely-known uproar, the Associated Press, aka the Administration's Press, doesn't even have a story on the topic; a search at 11:30 p.m. on Monday on Drudge's last name came up empty. If Drudge's detractors had the upper hand, AP would be all over it.

WashPost Buries GOP Slam of Obama Regarding al Qaeda Resurgence; Runs Two Christie Bridge Pieces on A1
By Ken Shepherd | January 10, 2014 | 6:59 PM EST

"Republican lawmakers Thursday blamed the Obama administration for the stunning resurgence of Iraq’s al-Qaeda franchise and called on the White House to take assertive steps to help Baghdad beat back militant uprisings in the country’s west." That's how Ernesto Londono opened his January 10 story "Republicans blame Obama administration for al-Qaeda resurgence in Iraq," a front-page-worthy story which Washington Post editors buried on page A10.

By contrast, the Post ran not one but two Chris Christie bridge-scandal stories on the Friday edition's front page. The other stories rounding out the front page centered on efforts to hash out a long-term security agreement with Afghanistan, the Washington Redskins announcing their new head coach, and privacy/data-collection concerns from dashboard computers in new cars.

Oops! NPR Host Diane Rehm Asserts Reagan Was President In 1979, And No One Corrects Her
By Tim Graham | December 9, 2013 | 8:28 AM EST

On Friday's edition of The Diane Rehm Show that's broadcast on many NPR stations from Washington, the host mangled her presidential history, but her guests and producers all humored her, like you might humor a nice lady who's 77. No one suggested a gold watch and an open space for a younger NPR liberal behind the mic.

As Rehm and a crew of reporters aerobically compared Barack Obama to Nelson Mandela, Rehm claimed Reagan was president in 1979 when she first took the microphone at WAMU-FM in Washington and he didn't want the U.S. involved in any anti-apartheid activities (video below):

Washington Post Hires National Review Reporter Robert Costa
By Matthew Sheffield | November 7, 2013 | 11:50 AM EST

Earlier today the Washington Post announced that it had hired National Review's Washington Editor Robert Costa. This marks perhaps the first time in decades that a top-tier "mainstream" news outlet has hired away a reporter from a right-leaning publication.

By contrast, left-leaning political magazines like the Nation, Mother Jones, or the New Republic have frequently been places where publications like the Post or the New York Times turn to for their reporter farm teams. Elite national media outlets have even taken somewhat frequently to hiring former Democratic political aides as their reporters as we've chronicled for years in our "Revolving Door" series.

Report: Christie's Father, Wife and Brother All Want Him To Run - Decision This Weekend
By Noel Sheppard | September 30, 2011 | 1:30 PM EDT

National Review's Robert Costa has spoken to Chris Christie's father who claims the New Jersey governor is getting a lot of support from his family to run for president including himself.

In a brief segment on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" Friday, Costa told host Chuck Todd that Christie is back in Trenton and will be making a decision this weekend (video follows with transcript and commentary):