If Fox “News” didn’t spend so much time covering for Emperor Trump and his administration, they might have time for some real FAIR & BALANCED reportage. Oh, hell! Who am I kidding?
The Muddy Waters Sessions is not just the terrific double LP that the Blues musician recorded in London in the ’70s. No, it’s also in the dozens of ways Fox “News” has attempted to muddy the waters about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ lies to Congress since the news broke late Wednesday. Even before the bombshell landed, Fox’s Jon Scott Suggests Nobody Cares About Trump’s Ties To Russia. After the news broke Bully Boy Bolling had another stupid opinion, as did aging frat boy Greg Gutfeld.
Then Tucker Carlson promised a Republican Reach-A-Round with Sessions. From the questions, you’d a-thunk he didn’t really want to get to the truth. Still Sessions Couldn’t Even Get Through A Softball Fox News Interview Without Falling Apart. Watch:
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By the time Fox and Friends went on the air this morning, Fox “News” had the talking points figured out:
The Foxy Friends also repeatedly played a clip of Rush Limbaugh saying the following, something Emperor Trump has already echoed:
Blaming the Black guy has worked for Rush and Fox for 8 years. Why not forever?
Meanwhile what scares Friday Fox Follies is that Instead Of Being President, Trump Is Spending Hours A Day Watching Fox News:
It is amazing how much free time that a president has when he doesn’t bother reading intelligence briefings, studying, or holding important meetings. The Trump presidency can be summed up as the president wakes up, watches Fox News, holds a few PR gatherings disguised as listening sessions, meets with a few people, calls it a day usually around 5 PM, eats dinner, watches more Fox News, and angry tweets about what he saw on television either late at night or early in the morning.
This as Bloomberg makes the same point FFF has been hammering for months:
Trump’s World Increasingly Shaped
by Fox News, and Fox by Trump
Trump’s loyalty gives stars like O’Reilly and Hannity greater influence. Trump has given three interviews to Fox News while president, more than any other network. And Fox, along with Bloomberg, was one of the outlets invited last week to attend a White House press briefing that excluded the New York Times, CNN and others. On Wednesday, “Fox and Friends†aired its recent tour of the Oval Office, hosted by the president.
Trump’s fandom could backfire if Fox News becomes viewed as “the Pravda of the government,†Feldstein said.
But, Pravda has nothing on those Foxy Friends on Fox & Friends. Here’s how that exclusive Oval Office tour went:
Critic’s Notebook: Trump Joins
‘Fox & Friends’ for Friendly
Chat About Why He’s Great
Donald Trump Wants Total
Subservience From Interviewers
Fox’s Kilmeade Helps Trump Smear Detained
Immigrants As “Gang Members” And “Murderers”
Trump Blames Obama And Generals For Disastrous Yemen Raid
Trump Calls Those Who Oppose His Tweeting ‘The Enemies’
Left unsaid: That’s where Emperor Trump launched his campaign with his biggest lie: The Search for President Obama’s birth certificate, an important point Eric Wemple misses in Trump credits ‘Fox & Friends’ for his political rise:
The bonhomie was strong. “You have treated me very fairly and I appreciate it,†said the president after Doocy thanked him for a favorable mention at a presidential press conference this month. “I’ve been a friend of your show for a long time,†continued the president. “Remember those call-ins, right?… Maybe without those call-ins, somebody else is sitting here.â€
Maybe without the Russians. There were many factors.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT’S DUE: Once again Shep Smith is the usual outlier. This week he tore a strip off Chris Matthews about anonymous sources. “Don’t shoot the messenger,” was Matthews lame response. Watch:
Also deserving of credit this week: Fox’s Juan Williams Calls Out The Truth Behind Donald Trump’s Yemen Raid Charade During Address To Congress.
THE PRIG TUCKER: Are they already officially be out of ideas? Tucker Carlson Tonight Allegedly Solicits Show Ideas From Reddit
Meanwhile, compare and contrast his softball interview with AG Jeff Sessions to the slufest Tucker Carlson Attacks Bill Nye As A “Bully” During Interview On Climate Change. Sessions was allowed to deliver complete thoughts, but Carlson badgered Nye so much that he started the timer in his phone and then held it up for the camera to see. Watch and read:
So this is how long it takes you to interrupt me, okay? So it takes you quite a bit less than six seconds. So the climate would be like it was in 1750, and the economics would be that you could not grow wine-worthy grapes in Britain, as you can today, because the climate is changing. The use of pesticides in the Midwest would not be increasing because the parasites or the pests are showing up sooner and hanging around longer–
As usual, Carlson seized on minor tangential issues and kept hammering Nye to answer those specific strawmen and wouldn’t let him expound on a single thing. In other words: Typical Tucker.
How else did Tucker embarrass himself this week?
Tucker Carlson Thinks Moonlight’s Best Picture Win Was Because Of ‘Affirmative Action’ • Tucker Carlson Promotes Fox & Friends Shadow Government Conspiracy Interview With Trump • Tucker Carlson Hosted Anti-Muslim Columnist Who Has Called For Gunships To Stop Refugees • Fox’s Carlson: Trump “Is Probably Right To Be Mad†About Media Coverage Of His Presidency • Tucker Carlson Invites On A Transgender Guest And Immediately Insults Her
Stay tuned next week for our next exciting episode of As the Tucker Turns.
HELL FROZE OVER: There was a rare — nearly unpresidented — almost-an-apology from Loofah Lad this week for a fake expert, but only after he was caught.
Bill O’Reilly: Fox News erred in booking
guest falsely billed as Swedish security adviser
“Mr. Bildt does consulting work on terrorism, that is true, but we should have clarified that he had no direct role with the Swedish government,†O’Reilly said. “The information we gave you in the segment was accurate, but in hindsight a more relevant guest should have been used on the anti-immigrant side.â€
Earlier Monday, Bildt accused Fox News of making up his fake title, which was displayed in the caption during his appearance on the network. He said he made clear that he was an “independent adviser.â€
“I have never claimed to be a representative of, nor for, the Swedish Government — or any institution thereof,†Bildt told the New York Times. “Fox News was responsible for the title used — I think it was an unfortunate choice of words, but it is something they will need to answer for.â€
Fox News denied making up the title.
Of course, they did.
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: While Kimberly Guilfoyle, Fox Host, Praises Trump’s Wall Proposal: “We Have Gated Communities And There Is Nothing Wrong With That.”, this writer begs to differ. Read: Homeowners’ Associations Invented To Discriminate.
PASSAGES:
Fox News Hires David Bossie,
Former Head Of Citizens United
And Trump Deputy Campaign Manager
ECHOES OF THAT AILES THANG:
Gretchen Carlson in talks to join MSNBC, sources say
FOX BYTES: Fox Doesn’t Want To Talk Much About Slain SEAL’s Father’s Criticisms Of Trump • Fox Gave Benghazi More Than 10 Times As Much Coverage As Trump’s Botched Yemen Raid • Fox Pundits Very Impressed That Donald Trump Talked About ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism’ During Address To Congress • Trump’s Russia Ties Conspicuously Absent From Fox News Sunday • After Years Of Attacking Michelle Obama, Hannity Pretends “Nobody Picked On†Her • Fox Likens CT Gov. Malloy’s Immigrant Protections To George Wallace’s Racism
Headly Westerfield invites you behind the scenes of the Not Now Silly Newsroom, where Fox News snark mingles comfortably with articles on Racism, Music, and History.
