NBC's Mitchell Mourns: 'A Sad Way' for Helen Thomas' Career to End

On her self-titled MSNBC show on Monday, Andrea Mitchell Reports, NBC's Andrea Mitchell mourned Helen Thomas' resignation as a long time White House correspondent, over recent inflammatory remarks about Israelis, as "a sad way" for her career to end. Talking with NBC's political director Chuck Todd, Mitchell spoke about the loss "in the family" of the White House press corps and bemoaned the end…
Geoffrey Dickens

CNN's Don Lemon Acts as Helen Thomas Apologist in Fleischer Interview

CNN anchor Don Lemon repeatedly defended rabidly anti-Israel columnist Helen Thomas as he interviewed Ari Fleischer late in the 7 pm Eastern hour of Sunday's Newsroom. After playing Thomas's remarks, Lemon lauded her in his first question to Fleischer: "Helen Thomas has broken down many barriers for women....She has a lifelong achievement...in journalism. Should that count for anything?" [audio…
Matthew Balan

Comic on CBS 'Early Show': Americans 'All to Blame' for Oil Spill, Bei

Promoting his latest HBO special on Monday's CBS Early Show, comedian Robert Klein turned his attention to the Gulf oil spill and who's to blame: "...we're all to blame. We're pigs. It's a parable for us. American pre-eminence is not guaranteed and unless we learn that this stuff has dangers – where are all those 'drill, baby, drills' now?" [Audio available here]Those comments were prompted by co…
Kyle Drennen

(Updated) I Want My Effin' MTV - 100 Swears in 122 Minutes

Updated below: Bob Parks has video.Updated below: MTV apologizes."Ready to make the censors' ears bleed?" That's how Anna Kendrick summed up MTV's attitude toward decency June 6 during the network's annual Movie Awards broadcast. It wasn't just the censors who endured a two-hour swear-fest. The television audience had the pleasure of hearing 30 percent of the vulgarities uttered throughout the…
Nathan Burchfiel

Press Generally Giving Helen Thomas the Kid-Glove Treatment

(UPDATE: It will be really interesting seeing how the press handles Helen's retirement announcement.) It isn't particularly surprising that the establishment press is for the most part attempting to give Helen Thomas's hateful remarks and her dubious apology a very light once-over -- if they're covering her outrageous statements (that citizens of the Jewish state of Israel should “get the…
Tom Blumer

BREAKING: Helen Thomas Announces Retirement; Second Half of Interview

Via Politico, Hearst Newspapers columnist Thomas issued a statement today: "I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon." Michael Calderone at Yahoo! News reports that a…
Tim Graham

Former Clinton Aide George Stephanopoulos Touts Sex Scandal Rumors Aga

Ex-Clinton operative tuned journalist George Stephanopoulos on Monday touted allegations about a supposed affair between South Carolina's Nikki Haley and a lobbyist. Recounting the details of the charges leveled against the Republican politician, the Good Morning America host marveled, "And down in South Carolina, they can't just seem to get enough of it, in the gubernatorial primary, the leading…
Scott Whitlock

Planned 'JC' Cartoon Illustrates Comedy Central's Uneven Irreverence

Managing Editor's Note: The following was originally published today at the Washington Post/Newsweek "On Faith" page. Mr. Bozell was asked to contribute this "Guest Voice" column to explain his complaints about Comedy Central's planned "JC" cartoon. Comedians often pride themselves on being irreverent, and in today's popular culture a favorite thing to ridicule is religion. The network Comedy…
Brent Bozell

F-bombs and Women Kissing at the MTV Movie Awards

As I walked into the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Studios Sunday evening, I had no idea the level of vulgarity I was in store for.Attending my first MTV Movie Awards, I was immediately stunned by the number of F-words in the opening video clip of Tom Cruise recreating his movie executive roll in the film "Tropic Thunder."Little did I know that the evening would be filled with F-bombs from a…
Noel Sheppard

Howard Kurtz Gives Weak Reassurances Over Possible Newsweek Sale to 'I

"I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords."That is the Kent Brockman line from "The Simpsons" that Newsweek staffers fear they might have to repeat in some form if their magazine is purchased by NewsMax aka "insect overlords." To make all the nervous liberals out there feel better, Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post which owns Newsweek has given some reassurances that the NewsMax purchase…
P.J. Gladnick

Time's Joe Klein: Push Helen to the Back of the Briefing Room

Time's Joe Klein, no fan of the present Israeli government he, has weighed in on Helen Thomas's now infamous "get the hell out of Palestine" comments.Writing for his magazine's Swampland blog yesterday, Klein denounced the Hearst columnist's comments as "odious," but stopped short of demanding her ouster from the White House press briefing room. Instead, Klein urged in his June 6 post that Thomas…
Ken Shepherd

Bummed-out Obama Fans: 'You Don't Feel The Leadership

Like tar balls on a Pensacola beach, doubts about Pres. Obama's leadership are beginning to accumulate even among his most avid supporters appearing in the MSM.  Today's Morning Joe provided two prime examples of the phenomenon in the persons of Jeffrey Sachs and Donny Deutsch.Both men are self-described Obama supporters.  Yet each expressed disappointment at the lack of leadership the president…
Mark Finkelstein

Open Thread: Afraid to Face Voters, Dems Skip Townhalls

NB Staff

Helen Thomas Booted by Her Speaking Agency, Loses Local H.S. Graduatio

Jane Furse of the New York Daily News reports "Iconic White House reporter Helen Thomas was dropped by her speaking agency and booted as a high school commencement speaker Sunday following inflammatory remarks she made about Jews and Israel." The tone was daintier at The Washington Post, where she wasn't "booted," the agreement was mutual: Alan Goodwin, principal of [Walt] Whitman [High School],…
Tim Graham