'World News' Plays Populism Card: Bashes Wall St. Bonuses; Ignores Fan

Just in time for what they call "bonus season," ABC's "World News" treated its viewers to a little anti-Wall Street populism Sunday night. On "World News" Jan. 10, weekend anchor Dan Harris explained there was "backlash" against Wall Street for bonuses that haven't even been paid out yet. But the ABC report made no mention of bonuses paid to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives. "This week on…
Jeff Poor

Bolton Slams Olbermann on Pantybomber Conspiracy Theory

Former American Ambassador to the UN John Bolton took MSNBC's Keith Olbermann to task last week for accusing US intelligence agencies of deliberately ignoring red flags that led to the failed Christmas day bombing plot (h/t Johnny Dollar). Olbermann suggested that the CIA and other agencies might have been engaged in some sort of turf war, and allowed the plot to move forward. He insinuated that…
Lachlan Markay

Today Brings on Two Libs That Let Harry Reid Off the Hook

NBC's Today show, on Monday morning, invited on former Democratic liberal Congressman Harold Ford Jr. and PBS' liberal Washington Week moderator Gwen Ifill to discuss whether Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should step down for his "Negro dialect" comments about Barack Obama and not surprisingly neither guest suggested Reid should go. Both Ford and Ifill dismissed any comparison to…
Geoffrey Dickens

Conflict of Interest? Intel Gives $250 Million Obama Charity in Midst

Media once eager to criticize Bush administration's ties to private companies give Obama a pass.
Jeff Poor

Time's Joe Klein: Prop 13, Conservatism Caused 'California Bust

While he conceded that liberal labor unions, particularly "reactionary" teachers unions have had a role in California's fiscal mess, Time columnist and blogger Joe Klein placed the lion's share of the Golden State's woes on conservatives who have pushed for lower taxes. Upset that conservative writer George Will had chalked up "all that is wrong in California at liberalism's doorstep," Klein used…
Ken Shepherd

Rachel Maddow Blames Clerical Error for Near Disaster on Flight

When it comes to protecting Americans from al Qaeda, "the buck stops here," President Obama proclaims.Obama's apologists in the media are finding that too close for comfort.MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, for example, offered this novel analysis on the underlying cause of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab nearly bringing down Northwest Flight 253 over Detroit --MADDOW: Moments after the president was done…
Jack Coleman

Open Thread

NB Staff

Rachel Maddow Insists Climategate Is 'All Made Up,' Conservatives 'Ref

Tim Graham

Media Inflated Civilian Deaths at Gaza School, Ignored Israeli Account

Brad Wilmouth

Ho Hum: CBO Estimate of $390 Billion Oct.-Dec. U.S. Deficit Gets Two E

On Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office issued its Monthly Budget Review for December 2009. It estimates that December's federal deficit will be $92 billion when the Treasury Department releases its Monthly Treasury Statement on Wednesday, and that the deficit for the first fiscal quarter will be "about $390 billion." The CBO director's related blog post is here. The establishment press has…
Tom Blumer

'The Wanda Sykes Show' Depicts Jesus Threatening to Give Tiger Woods

The week-old story of Brit Hume's Christianity vs. Buddhism remarks is apparently still fodder for a good laugh, and comedienne Wanda Sykes attempted to squeeze out one more. The late-night talk show host arguably stepped over the line with a skit this week when she jokingly entertained the notion that Jesus was willing to give Tiger Woods crabs.The Jan. 9 broadcast of Fox's "The Wanda Sykes Show…
Erin R. Brown

Hey Al—'Frostproof, Florida' Forecast: 22 Degrees

Less than a year ago, ABC global-warmist weatherman Sam Champion was warning people against moving to Florida because of the supposed danger of disastrous sea-level rises due to global warming.  Maybe Sam was on to something—but for the diametrically opposite reason . . . Check out the Weather Channel's forecast for the town of "Frostproof, Florida" for tonight: 22 degrees—a full 10 degrees below…
Mark Finkelstein

Venezuela Slipping Into Socialist/Statist Darkness, Figuratively and L

Four recent stories out of Venezuela each give readers brief glimpses at how Hugo Chavez's brand of authoritarian socialism is critically wounding what could be a resource-rich, financially prosperous country: January 9, Associated Press -- "Venezuela weakens currency for 1st time in 5 years." January 10, Bloomberg -- "Chavez Says He’ll Seize Businesses That Raise Prices." December 22, AFP…
Tom Blumer

George Will Says Reid's Obama Remark Wasn't Racist, Liz Cheney Says 'G

A somewhat surprising debate occurred Sunday when conservatives George Will and Liz Cheney took different sides of the Harry Reid racist remark issue.Appearing on the Roundtable segment of ABC's "This Week," the former Vice President's daughter said, "[O]ne of the things that makes the American people frustrated is when they see time and time again liberals excusing racism from other liberals."…
Noel Sheppard