Fox News Channel

The Barack Obama Presidential Center In Chicago Opens!

Ronald 3 Comments

On Thursday, June 18, there was a three hour opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

There were lots of entertainers performing; the presence of all three former Presidents and First Ladies; and magnificent speeches by both Michelle Obama and Barack Obama.

As the Obama Presidential Center opens, as it did on Friday, June 19, the Juneteenth national holiday, public opinion polls show Obama is the most popular former President, and his wife is regarded as an exceptional First Lady.

Of course, Fox News Channel and Donald Trump badmouthed the event, but it did not succeed, and never will, to undermine the accomplishments, common decency, empathy, and principles of the 44th President and his wife.

This author and blogger hopes to visit the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago at some point in 2027, adding to the list of Presidential sites he has visited, which include all Presidents in modern times, except Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George H. W. Bush

“SIXTY MINUTES” Controversy Emblematic Of News Media Crisis!

Ronald 28 Comments

A free unlimited news media is essential for a democracy to survive, but the Donald Trump Presidency has been working full time to destroy freedom of the press.

Allowing CBS News to be “destroyed” by Paramount SkyDance owner David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison, in the name of “pleasing” Donald Trump and his aim of destroying the truth and the facts of history and current affairs, is a disaster, a tragedy of massive proportions. Their interference with the flagship show, SIXTY MINUTES, is a disgrace!

Scott Pelley, the highly regarded journalist who was the leading “star” of SIXTY MINUTES, denounced what is going on, and now has been fired, and the future of the landmark show, that has been part of the heritage of outstanding journalism, is in crisis after 58 years longevity since 1968.

If the Ellisons get their way, they will gain control of CNN as well, and further destroy honest, factual journalism.

Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos has undermined the Washington Post, with his machinations at that reputable newspaper, and the right wing tilt of its editorials.

And there have been controversies surrounding ABC News and the Los Angeles Times as well.

All this, as well as the manipulative, deceitful, lie based Fox News Channel and the New York Post, owned by Rupert Murdoch and his right wing empire.

So honest, accurate journalism is in a massive crisis.

Media Monopoly A Threat That Needs To Be Stopped By State Attorneys Generals!

Ronald 5 Comments

For 30 years, America has been burdened by the biased, extremist right wing Rupert Murdoch control of Fox News Channel, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post.

But now, other multi billionaires Larry Ellison and his son David Ellison, are on the road to creation of an even more damaging extremist right wing monopoly of the media, under the title Paramount Skydance, and with Bari Weiss, the new executive at CBS News, a willing partner.

If they are not stopped by hoped for successful action in court of states’ Attorneys Generals, the following news organizations and other cable channels will be lost as stable, balanced sources of news and entertainment, as they would be part of a massive monopoly:

Cable News Network (CNN)
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
CBS Entertainment
Comedy Central
Home Box Office (HB0)
MTV
Nickelodeon
Discovery Channel
TLC
Turner Classic Movies
Food Network
Cartoon Network

Sports entertainment would be also be part of this massive monopoly, including combining the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and also Golf, Tennis, College Basketball, and Soccer under the same umbrella.

This not only will destroy two reputable news organizations, but also undermine movie theaters and the film industry, as the intention of the Ellisons is to put their emerging monopoly on films only online in the long term, leading to shutting down of movie theaters.

This would be a pro Trump media monopoly, and undermine competition in the entertainment industry on sports, on television news coverage, and in the film industry.

The thought of CBS and CNN being destroyed, with their long term legacy of a century and half century, respectively, is emotionally hard to imagine!

Right Wing Split Over Iran War Escalates

Ronald 60 Comments

Who would think that the Donald Trump MAGA Republicans are rapidly escalating their massive split over the Iran War, perpetrated by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel 19 days ago?

We are seeing a major, bitter dispute of two groups of so called MAGA Republican and right wing Sycophants, on their podcasts and also right wing cable stations, particularly Fox News Channel.

In the Anti Iran War camp, we have among others:

Tucker Carlson
Joe Rogan
Megyn Kelly
Candace Owens
Steve Bannon
Piers Morgan

In the pro Iran War camp, we have among others:

Mark Levin
Ben Shapiro
Sean Hannity
Jesse Watters
Brian Kilmer
Laura Loomer

Both camps are engaging in bitter, nasty, aggressive, insulting rhetoric, almost like a “holy war”, more than a bit shocking!

And sadly, the Anti Iran War camp is engaging in antisemitism on a massive scale, along with anti Israel rhetoric, denouncing Zionism in a way highly disturbing!

MS NOW New Name For Former MSNBC: Still Best Cable News Channel!

Ronald 5 Comments

The former cable news channel, MNSBC, in existence since 1996, now has been recast as MS NOW.

It still has the same shows, hosts, and contributors it has had in the recent past, after being recast in recent months.

It remains, by far, the best, most competent, and most accurate cable news channel, surpassing the original news channel, CNN, which has become far less reputable as time has passed.

And MS NOW is way beyond other cable news channels, most specifically Fox News Channel, which has become, ever more, a total disgrace in regards to accuracy, and has been more of a contributor to Trump Administration appointments of horrendous individuals who have no concern for the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the rule of law!

Even more disgraceful are NewsMax TV, and OANN (One America News Network), which make Fox News Channel look, comparatively, “respectable”, although it is not such.

NewsNation is a recent addition to cable news channels, perceived as “best” after MS NOW and CNN, and with such luminaries as Chris Cuomo, Elizabeth Vargas, and Leland Vittert.

Right Wing Fanatics Who Endanger America With Their Rhetoric!

Ronald 15 Comments

Freedom of speech is essential as part of the Bill of Rights, but that does not mean that anything uttered by right wing fanatics should be be given slack as free to exploit for profit without accountability.

We have those who have no issue with dividing America for their own profit, and some of them are beyond the pale.

They would include Tucker Carlson, formerly of CNN and later before leaving, at Fox News Channel, now a loose cannon, and becoming more extreme and reckless by the day.

It also includes Megyn Kelly, who acts totally different than a decade ago, before she was on NBC and then dismissed, and now has gone off the deep end in her rhetoric.

It also includes Nick Fuentes, an avowed antisemite, racist, nativist, and misogynist, who has no issue with appealing to single white men who are finding it difficult to adjust to difficult economic times, even though he is himself of Hispanic ancestry!

Fuentes was a major critic of Charlie Kirk before his assassination, thinking he was not extreme enough in his utterances and beliefs!

These are just three of a much larger group of Republican Right extremists, who present a dire threat to political stability for the American future, and unfortunately, have the ear of Republican leadership, including Donald Trump, JD Vance, and the Trump Cabinet Officers, who often embrace them!

All News Outlets Except One Refuse New Pentagon Media Restrictions!

Ronald 1 Comment

Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense (or War insisted by him and Donald Trump) has pushed out all access to Pentagon information, by forcing all journalists to leave their long determined rights to have ability to question and investigate what is going on in our government, regarding military matters and national security.

Except for the one case of One America News, an extremist right wing MAGA Republican news outlet, ALL other news and journalistic websites and their reporters no longer will be able to gain information, except through outside connections, undermining the idea of a government accountable to the population of the nation. Corruption and abuse will flourish as a result!

So 40 news outlets, from left wing to right wing, including
Fox News
Newsmax Media
Daily Caller
Washington Examiner
(all right wing oriented)
join other, more reputable outlets including
NBC News
ABC News
CBS News
CNN
MSNBC
Associated Press
The Economist
The Guardian
The Hill
Huffington Post
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
NPR
PBS Newshour
Politico
Real Clear Politics
Wall Street Journal
Washington Post,
Washington Times
and numerous lesser known news outlets in their unity against the Pentagon mandate!

This is massive interference with Freedom of the Press!

Renaming Defense Department As War Department A Bad Sign For Future!

Ronald 2 Comments

Pege Hegseth, the Fox News weekend host, now heading the Pentagon, has brought the “wrecking ball” to that government agency, and has promoted renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

That was the name of the department that deals with military and security matters from 1789 to 1947, but renamed the Defense Department under President Harry Truman in 1947.

But Donald Trump and his crony, Hegseth, want to promote a war like imperialistic image, and are aggressively engaged in hostile actions toward nations in the Western Hemisphere, including attacks on speculated “drug boats” of Venezuela and Panama regarding the Panama Canal Treaty, as well as pushing the idea of Canada becoming the “51st state”, thereby causing the worst relations with our northern neighbor in more than a century and a half of peaceful neighborliness.

Additionally, there is growing fear of Trump and Hegseth pushing for control of Greenland, taking it away from Denmark, which it has been part of for the past two centuries, thereby causing tensions with NATO.

Additionally, Hegseth has attempted to force journalists who report on the Pentagon to agree to limitations on freedom of the press, but the good news is that journalists of the left and the right have refused enmasse to agree to such limitations.

The idea of reviving the Department of “War” needs to be repudiated in every way possible, and the idea of US invasion of sovereign nations and territories needs to be repudiated vehemently by all civilized nations, as there should not be any caving in to the concept of US imperialism being revived!

45th Anniversary Of CNN: Its Impact On Journalism!

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Forty Five years ago, on June 1, 1980, was the birth of cable news, with the debut of CNN (Cable News Network) by Billionaire Ted Turner, a revolution in the covering of news domestically and around the world.

CNN was without competition until 1996, when MSNBC and Fox News Channel were created as competitors.

Now, there are many more cable and online news channels, but CNN, even with criticisms and blunders that have occurred over the four and a half decades, still stands out as one of the premier news organizations, alongside the NY Times, Washington Post, Public Broadcasting System (PBS), Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

CNN had a slow start and beginning, with the occurrence of the Persian Gulf War in early 1991 the turning point of it becoming massive in its evolution.

Many different personalities, with many controversies over coverage of different issues included, just added to the color and impact of CNN.

Despite recognized shortcomings, as with any institution, the nation and the world have benefited greatly from this great institution that continues to challenge powerful people in many areas of public life, domestic and foreign.

It has opened up the eyes and minds of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Scott Pelley Of “Sixty Minutes” Issues Warning On Authoritarianism!

Ronald 10 Comments

Journalist Scott Pelley of CBS’s “Sixty Minutes”, has many years of reputable work at that news source. He gave a scathing commencement speech at Wake Forest University in North Carolina a week ago, against the authoritarian ideology of Donald Trump, which has provoked wild, vehement accusations from Fox News Channel and its disgraceful talk show hosts.

Pelley, rightfully, warned of the threat to freedom of speech and press represented by the Trump Administration’s attack on journalism, higher education, and law firms.

He also condemned the arrest of foreign students on visas for their use of their right of freedom of speech to criticize the Israel-Gaza War, as well as the attacks on voting rights being perpetrated by the federal government under Donald Trump.

Pelley condemned the fear being promoted by Trump loyalists who are working to undermine the Bill of Rights, and his rhetoric was uncompromising, setting an example for Americans who are terrified at the authoritarian bent of Trump and his supporters.

Pelley has been attacked as being “unhinged”, another of a multitude of examples of “projection”, accusing critics of Trump of what Trump and his supporters do regularly, speak and act in an “unhinged” manner.

Pelley is doing a great service in using his reputation to promote opposition to the dangerous trend that is running amuck around Trump, the movement toward authoritarian Fascism.

If Americans lose the First Amendment, then democracy and the rule of law is lost long term.