THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2021 

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Roger Fisk

Former Obama staffer and FoxNews.com contributor Roger Fisk was a guest on The Faulkner Focus, and called out the network for what he described as “dishonest” coverage of the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

During a segment that showed footage of migrants in Mission, Texas, amid the coronavirus pandemic, fill-in anchor Sandra Smith asked Fisk why there isn’t “a bigger effort” by the Biden administration to get the border “crisis under control.”

“When you hear the Biden administration being criticized by both the right and the left, that probably means that they’re on to something,” replied Fisk, who cited the administration keeping Title 42, which allows the United States to expel migrants who come from a country where there’s a widespread disease and therefore may be a health risk.

Fisk went on to call out Fox News’s coverage, citing footage of migrants underneath a bridge in Texas, which he said refutes the notion that the Biden administration has an "open borders" policy. Fox News’s own drone footage shows those “hundreds of migrants in Border Patrol custody,” he offered as evidence.

He said articles on the Fox website describe "apprehensions being up, seizures being up," and asked, "If the Biden administration is doing nothing, who's doing all these apprehensions? Who is doing all these seizures?"

“The hysteria is at odds with what's happening on the ground," he continued. "To show [that] footage and say that the Biden administration isn’t doing anything is dishonest.”

There was crosstalk and emotions ran high, but it was a great segment that allowed real dissenting views to air. A win for the show and for Fisk.

MEDIA LOSER:
Chris Cuomo

The bombshell report by the office of New York attorney general Letitia James, which concluded that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, revealed that his brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, testified as part of the investigation about his role in advising the governor on how to respond to the charges.

Chris Cuomo, who hosts Cuomo Prime Time at 9 p.m. on CNN, was part of “the Governor’s team of advisors” who “had ongoing and regular discussions about how to respond to the allegations publicly,” according to the investigation.

That confirms reports from May that Chris had participated in strategy calls about how to undermine the sexual harassment allegations.

Also included in the report is an email sent from Chris Cuomo to his brother’s team of advisors containing the draft of a statement responding to the allegations.

The anchor's involvement has been an ongoing situation for CNN, resulting in awkward programming such as when Don Lemon slammed Gov. Cuomo over the "damning" AG's report just moments after the between show banter with Chris.

Cuomo the anchor didn't say anything about it last night, as one may (or may not) expect. But his name trended all morning as Twitter debated his conspicuous role in the polarizing scandal.

In Cuomo’s (sort of) defense, it's a bit of an impossible position. Can you imagine opening your show with a 10 minute segment analyzing your brother's harassment scandal? Probably not.

But the alternative is worse: On the most watched show on CNN, the biggest news of the day was not mentioned. The Democratic governor of New York was given a free pass. Cuomo trashed the Republican governor of Florida instead.

The A-Block

The Party's Over(ish) 

It appears that former President Barack Obama will be celebrating his 60th birthday with a much smaller affair than had been planned. According to The New York Times, the 44th president is canceling the massive birthday party he’d plan to host at his Martha’s Vineyard home due to public health concerns surrounding the delta variant of Covid-19.

The former president has reportedly invited 500 guests and 200 party workers — including a “Covid Coordinator” and is requiring all attendees to prove that they have been vaccinated and have had a recent negative test for the potentially deadly contagion. But the party has now been “significantly” scaled back according to Hannah Hankins, a spokesman for Obama which was reported by the New York Times.

Earlier in the week,  the Obama party had been derided by conservative media as evidence of a double standard or rank hypocrisy among liberal elites, and the New York Post cover was repeatedly cited which blared “It’s My Party and I’ll Defy if I Want To” suggesting that the 44th president is defying CDC guidelines by proceeding with the party.

“They’ve been concerned about the virus from the beginning, asking invited guests if they had been vaccinated, requesting that they get a test proximate to the event,” David Axelrod told the NY Times, adding, “But when this was planned, the situation was quite different. So they responded to the changing circumstances.”

Times reporter Anne Karni appeared on CNN this morning to discuss the story.

Fox & Friends had their own take, too.

 
In Other News...

DeSantis Gives Ben & Jerry’s Parent Company 90 Days to Cease Israel Boycott or Face Consequences

Maryland GOP Governor Urges Twice-Covid Stricken Ravens QB Lamar Jackson to Get Jab: He's ‘Gotta Get Vaccinated’

RATINGS: CNN, MSNBC Beat Fox News in Viewer Demo for Two Daytime Hours on Monday

CHRISTOPHER: The Good Fight’s Joke About Selena Gomez Kidney Transplant Was Not Actually About Selena Gomez Kidney Transplant

Must See Clip

"I Freaking Love Living There"

US wrestler Tamyra Mensah-Stock made history Tuesday, winning gold medal in the women’s freestyle light heavyweight category. Mensah-Stock became just the second woman, and the first Black American, to win an Olympic gold in women’s wrestling.

The 28-year-old was overwhelmed as she attempted to let the reality of winning an Olympic gold medal sink in, struggling not to cry while describing her “dream come true.”

Standing with the American flag draped around her shoulders, Mensah-Stock was asked about the feeling of representing her country.

Her remarks are joyful, emotional, and express a pride that is most welcome among the athletes who are there to represent the United States.

Links We Like

How on Earth Does Andrew Cuomo Survive This?
- David Freedlander, Intelligencer
How on Earth Does Chris Cuomo Still Have a Job?
- Joe Cunningham, Substack
BOTH Cuomos Betrayed Us, Both Need to Go
- Laura Bassett MSNBC
How Will Democrats Make Cuomo Go
- Dan McLaughlin, National Review
Cuomo Shouldn't Have Survived His Covid Scandals Anyway
- Robert Schmad, Washington Examiner
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