On Wednesday, NBC’s Today was the only broadcast network morning news show to give coverage to House Speaker John Boehner’s lawsuit against President Obama. Today devoted 19 seconds to the story, while both ABC and CBS ignored it completely.
During the 7:00 a.m. news brief, NBC national correspondent Peter Alexander reported that Boehner was considering a lawsuit against the President for “exceeding his constitutional authority when it comes to administering the laws that Congress passes.” [MP3 audio here; Video below]
Further, Alexander reported that “Boehner has often accused Obama of picking and choosing what portions of laws to enforce, sometimes by issuing executive orders.”
Instead of mentioning the story, ABC's Good Morning America devoted 57 seconds to a video of a dancing park ranger fired for his dancing skills while working that were seen as provocative. Over on CBS, CBS This Morning used 29 seconds to cover how gamblers in Scandinavia successfully bet money that a soccer player from Uruguay would bite an opponent in this year’s World Cup.
Some of the issues in which President Obama has either used executive orders or selectively enforced laws to go around Congress in his presidency include immigration, the minimum wage, and workplace discrimination, and welfare requirements. Over the course of his time in office, Obama also moved to: Stop the enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act, delay portions of Obamacare, and appoint Richard Cordray to the oversee the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without seeking congressional approval.
The entire segment is transcribed below.
NBC
Today
June 25, 2014
7:13 a..m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Developing Story: Boehner To Sue The President? Accuses Him of Exceeding Constitutional Authority]
PETER ALEXANDER: Today, House Speaker John Boehner says he's thinking about suing president Obama. Boehner’s accusing the President of exceeding his constitutional authority when it comes to administering the laws that Congress passes. Boehner has often accused Obama of picking and choosing what portions of laws to enforce, sometimes by issuing executive orders.
