THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - MONDAY, MAY 2, 2022

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Bryan Llenas

Fox News reporter Bryan Llenas warned a Nicaraguan immigrant not to swim across the Rio Grande and may have saved the man's life.

Reporting from Eagle Pass, Texas on Monday, Llenas aired footage of two migrants attempting to swim across the river to illegally enter the United States. One man was seen clinging to a cement pillar in the middle of the water; the other struggled to swim and was then submerged, never coming back up for air.

Llenas aired footage of the surviving man who eventually let go of the pillar and was carried downstream by the current caused by the release of water from a nearby dam. When the man, who identified himself as LB Castro, managed to pull himself onto the foot of a bridge, Llenas spoke to him in Spanish and told him about the situation.

"I told him that help was on the way and I pleaded with him to hold tight," Llenas reported, describing how he had shouted at Castro, pleading with him to not attempt the dangerous swim again. 

Immigration and border security are among the most contentiously debated issues in modern American politics, but neither side scores points when people die crossing the border. Llenas showed how journalism doesn't require setting one's humanity aside.

MEDIA LOSER:
Rachel Campos-Duffy

Fox News’ Rachel Campos-Duffy expressed pride in not being vaccinated as she talked about why she decided not to attend Saturday’s White House Correspondents Dinner.

Campos-Duffy hosted Fox & Friends with Will Cain and Pete Hegseth on Sunday, and they were joined by weekday host Steve Doocy — who attended the dinner along with his son, Fox News White House reporter Peter Doocy. As the elder Doocy reflected on the festivities and spoke about the event’s Covid protocols, Campos-Duffy said she was invited to go, but decided against it because she didn't want to comply with the event's vaccine requirements. 

From there, Campos-Duffy offered a retort to President Joe Biden, who knocked Fox News over those at the network who have been smearing vaccines even as their colleagues got inoculated and boosted.

Campos-Duffy objected to Biden's description of Fox as "all vaccinated," pointing to Hegseth as she declared, “He’s not vaccinated. I’m not vaccinated. We allow people choice. And so, that’s the part that I thought was so ironic.”

It's well past tiresome to hear certain on-air personalities at Fox News brag about being unvaccinated, but adding in the disdain for Covid protocols at a crowded indoor event just makes it worse. 

The A-Block


WHCD

The White House Correspondents' Dinner is back, baby. With pandemic fears waning since the release of the vaccines and a president willing to attend, the annual event returned with its odd mix of politicians, media figures, and Hollywood A-listers. 

President Joe Biden delivered remarks, including taking shots at Fox News over the opposition expressed by some of their on-air personalities to the Covid-19 shots. 

Unsurprisingly, Fox News' Pete Hegseth and Rachel Campos-Duffy didn't appreciate Biden's jokes about their network. 

Host Trevor Noah roasted everyone from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to CNN+, but also wrapped his time at the podium with a powerful statement about journalism as the "bastion of democracy."

Unsurprisingly, DeSantis didn't appreciate Noah's jokes

As usual, there were a lot of celebrities in attendance, including Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian, spotted palling around with Martha Stewart

Mediaite's Leia Idilby has the full rundown on the bold-print names who attended the event itself and the various pre- and post-parties, including one octogenarian senator who put everyone to shame. Check out all the pics and details here.


🇺🇦 FOR LATEST UKRAINE COVERAGE CLICK HERE


In Other News...

‘Aren’t We Part of the Problem?’ Brian Stelter Questions Whether Media Treats Democracy Like a ‘Reality Show’

NBC News Reveals Plagiarism Scandal; Discloses 11 Articles Were Improperly Sourced

Nancy Pelosi Gets Props From Conservatives for Going to Ukraine: ‘No Sarcasm, No Irony, Good for Her.’

NY Times Drops Massive Tucker Carlson Investigation Declaring Program ‘Most Racist Show In The History Of Cable News’

John Oliver Doesn’t Mind If ‘Disney Pays More In Taxes’ But Not Through ‘Dipsh*t’ Ron DeSantis

CHRISTOPHER: WH Reporters Complain Biden Era a ‘Bore’ and ‘Jawing’ with Psaki ‘Makes You Look Like An A**hole’ in Politico Whinefest


RATINGS: Jake Tapper Leads CNN in the Demo

Must See Clip

Who the heck is "J.D. Mandel"?

Whoops.

Former President Donald Trump appeared to forget who he endorsed in Ohio’s Senate race two days before the state’s primary election.

In a crowded seven-way GOP primary featuring multiple self-funding candidates, there was a bitter fight for Trump's coveted endorsement. 

Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance scored the former president's stamp of approval in late April, but Trump whiffed when attempting to give Vance a shoutout at a "Save America" rally in Nebraska on Sunday. 

“You know we’ve endorsed Dr. [Mehmet] Oz, we’ve endorsed J.P., right? J.D. Mandel,” Trump said, seemingly combining the names of Vance and his fellow GOP contender Josh Mandel.

Watch the awkward blooper here, and watch Morning Joe's Joe Scarborough delight in mocking Trump's gaffe here.

Links We Like

Tucker and the Dangers of Crying Wolf
Charlie Sykes, The Bulwark
The winners and losers of Apple’s anti-tracking feature
- Sara Morrison, Vox
The Party of Big Business Is Getting More Anti-Conservative by the Day
- Stephanie Slade, The New York Times
This Is How America’s Culture War Death Spirals
- Derek Thompson, The Atlantic
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