ABC, NBC Skip Bad Obama Polls Before SOTU; Need to 'Recapture' Magic

In the Tuesday evening newscasts before President Obama’s final State of the Union address, ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News failed to mention any of the poor polling numbers for President Obama on a variety of issues but instead hailed the President’s “big themes” in a speech “trying to recapture the hope and change of when he first took office, despite the setbacks and gridlock…
Curtis Houck
January 12th, 2016 8:49 PM

Matthews: Obama Not 'In the Position' to Give Iran Ultimatum

On special pre-State of the Union coverage on MSNBC moments ago, Hardball host Chris Matthews unwittingly admitted President Obama's weakness vis-a-vis Iran as regards the Islamic Republic's capture of 10 U.S. sailors.
Ken Shepherd
January 12th, 2016 8:42 PM

Open Thread: Obama's 'Walking Dead' State of the Union

Consider this your special Open Thread for State of the Union night. To kick things off, here's a funny tweet by @GayPatriot.
NB Staff
January 12th, 2016 8:19 PM

Mitchell Frets Iran Seizing Sailors Has Made ‘Frantic' Scene for SOTU

Hours before President Obama’s final State of the Union address, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell took to the airwaves of Tuesday’s NBC Nightly News to complain that Iran seizing 10 U.S. Sailors had created a “frantic” situation for the President that “could not have happened at the worst time.”
Curtis Houck
January 12th, 2016 7:59 PM

Wisconsin Fans Banned from Having Fun at HS Games by PC Obsessed Board

If you were sitting there wondering how a country that produced John Wayne, Charlton Heston, and Chuck Norris could, in the space of only a few generations, also produce the man-bun, the V-neck t-shirt, and Zac Efron, I think I’ve found the answer.
Dylan Gwinn
January 12th, 2016 7:42 PM

Heilemann: Chelsea's Health Insurance Attack on Sanders a 'Lie'

Proving that there is nothing and no one she won't sacrifice on the altar of her political ambition, Hillary Clinton today sent her daughter Chelsea out to smear Bernie Sanders by claiming his health care plan would "strip millions and millions and millions of people of their health insurance."  On today's With All Due Respect, Mark Halperin repeatedly said he was "stunned" by the attack. John…
Mark Finkelstein
January 12th, 2016 7:33 PM

MSNBC's O'Donnell and Frank Rich Talk Up Anti-Cruz Birtherism

On Monday's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC, host O'Donnell and Frank Rich of New York magazine talked up the possibility that GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz is not really a natural-born U.S. citizen and therefore not eligible to serve as President. Rich, a former New York Times columnist, praised GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump as "brilliant" for pushing the issue…
Brad Wilmouth
January 12th, 2016 7:26 PM

CNN's Costello: Trump, Sanders Are Both 'Extreme;' 'No Nuance'

Carol Costello surprisingly lumped in Senator Bernie Sanders with Donald Trump on Tuesday's CNN Newsroom: "Donald Trump is suggesting mass deportations and big tariffs to fix the economy. Bernie Sanders is offering things like free college tuition and huge tax increases. These things are extreme. Yet...they're being accepted by many voters." Costello later played up that "there's no nuance in…
Matthew Balan
January 12th, 2016 6:33 PM

Iran Acting Like Persian Gulf AAA, BuzzFeed Editor Spins

"I could be VERY WRONG but this feels more like Iran acting as Triple AAA than the Iranian Hostage Crisis Redux," ThinkProgress alum and BuzzFeed World News Editor/Reporter Hayes Brown tweeted earlier this afternoon. 
Ken Shepherd
January 12th, 2016 5:54 PM

Pelosi on MSNBC: No One Cares What Clinton Did ‘Decades Ago’

Appearing on MSNBC, Tuesday, Nancy Pelosi insisted that the sex accusations against Bill Clinton are not important because he’s not the one running for president and that no one cares about “what Bill Clinton did two decades ago.”  
Nicholas Fondacaro
January 12th, 2016 5:04 PM

Obama Invites 3 More YouTube Interviewers; One Dreams of Torching Cops

Rush Limbaugh ably mocked this Politico headline from State of the Union Day: “Obama struggling to get attention for the State of the Union.” White House reporter Sarah Wheaton pretended that Obama somehow wasn’t the toast of cable news or the recipient of a boatload of Today coverage on NBC live from his executive mansion. The White House strategy also includes another round of interviews with…
Tim Graham
January 12th, 2016 5:02 PM

NewsBusted: Hillary's Charm Offensive About As Charming As a Pantsuit

"A new poll shows that Hillary Clinton’s so-called ‘charm offensive’ is getting mixed results. For instance, most Americans DON’T think Hillary is charming, however they DO find her offensive." -- NewsBusted's Jodi Miller.
NB Staff
January 12th, 2016 4:56 PM

Fusion Dem Forum Recap: We Told You So

Another Democratic candidate forum, seen by few, went as expected.
Jorge Bonilla
January 12th, 2016 4:08 PM

Obama’s Social Media Expert Praises NBC for Pushing White House Spin

During Tuesday’s fawning Today show special at the White House, President Obama’s chief digital officer Jason Goldman appeared on the broadcast and congratulated the hosts for serving as a propaganda tool for the administration: “I think you guys do this really well with the Today show. You know, the stuff you've been doing this morning, showing stuff behind the scenes is really great...and I…
Kyle Drennen
January 12th, 2016 3:42 PM