Highlights of the News

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo became one of the country's brightest political stars during the pandemic's darkest days. But his image has suffered a blow following increased scrutiny over the handling of nursing home deaths in the state https://t.co/HEkovs5k9x pic.twitter.com/lp7oarEAsj

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 20, 2021

A reader responded to Cuomo killing grannies. 

The reader wrote, "The fact he could literally be doing the worst at his job in the world during a critical juncture and be a darling of the media is as much an indictment on the media as it is him. For those of us following Janice Dean, there is little we know today that we didn’t know 10 months ago about his mismanagement. This is only new news to those who tune into CNN."

We hate the news media not only because it chooses sides, but also because it invariably chooses the wrong side.

ITEM 1: The New York Post reported, "Once ridiculed by Sen. Ted Cruz for lounging on the sand during a state government shutdown, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said this week he has little sympathy for the embattled Texas lawmaker amid his tone-deaf jaunt to Cancun, Mexico."

You know what is really tone deaf?

The media getting upset about a trip to Cancun while ignoring a governor who killed thousands of nursing home patients and then lied about it.

ITEM 2: The Daily Caller reported, "CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota was left in shock Friday after hearing a report from correspondent Ivan Watson about the alleged treatment of Uighur women being held in internment camps in the Xinjiang region of China.

"In her broadcast, Camerota prefaced Watson’s report with a background on the situation in Xinjiang.

" 'This morning, shocking allegations of gang rape in detention camps in China. The U.S. government accuses China of the mass internment of up to 2 million members of mostly Muslim ethnic minority groups in recent years,' Camerota said. 'Part of a policy that the U.S. State Department says amounts to genocide. Beijing denies this, claiming the camps are vocational training centers aimed at creating jobs and stamping out Islamist extremism.' "

CNN was super-careful to claim it had not verified this. Unlike its handling of the Russian collusion hoax. It is nice to see CNN report on news that has been out there for years.

ITEM 3: Flashback to last month when CNN reported, "As Joe Biden prepared to be sworn in as United States President on Wednesday, both the outgoing Trump administration and Beijing made a last-minute play to shape his future China policy -- and provide the first major foreign policy challenge of his term.

"About 24 hours before Biden took office, the US State Department officially accused the Chinese government of committing 'genocide' against Uyghurs and other minority groups in Xinjiang, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying there was a 'systematic attempt to destroy Uyghurs by the Chinese party-state.' "

Well, in one month Chairman Xiden has gotten CNN to do a 180 on Red China's abuse of Uyghurs. And I don't mean in changing its spelling to Uighur.

Did it occur to anyone that perhaps Pompeo did this as a favor to the incoming administration? It gets to slap a claim of genocide on Red China while at the same time being able to tell Chairman Xi, gee, we didn't do it.

ITEM 4: Ryan Grim reported, "Merrick Garland Wants Former Facebook Lawyer to Top Antitrust Division.

"Susan Davies has spent much of the last decade working on behalf of major mergers and fending off antitrust enforcement."

So Mark Zuckerberg has nothing to fear from the federal government.

Now look for Democrats to slap what they call tough regulations on Facebook but are really barriers to competition.

ITEM 5: Citizen Free Press reported, "Del Rio, Texas, Mayor Bruno Lozano pleaded with President Biden to halt the release of illegal migrants into the area. Mayor Lozano said the city does not have the resources to house and care for them.

"In 2019, thousands of illegal migrants flooded across the Texas-Mexico border, many with children, declaring asylum. The procedure for the federal administrative courts at the time was to arraign each asylum seeker and then release each with a court date many months or even a year into the future. Each asylum seeker was released into the U.S. on personal recognizance bonds. Many were never seen again. The chief of the Del Rio Sector at that time warned that his border patrol agents had lost operational control of the border.

"President Trump solved the problem with an agreement with Mexico to hold the asylum-seekers in Mexico camps. The Remain in Mexico policy worked and illegal immigration flowed to a trickle. One of the first actions of President Biden was to end Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy with an executive order."

Lozano drew a lot of LGBTQ support (he's gay) when he defeated a long-time Republican mayor in 2018.

But Republicans must pay attention. Even an ultra-lib like him wants the border controlled. Remain in Mexico worked by ending the free pass and eliminating an incentive to jump the border. 

If Republicans want to hold on to Texas after screwing up this snowstorm, they will need the Hispanic vote. The way to get that is by shutting down the border.

ITEM 6: Fox reported, "Former Vice President Mike Pence has declined an invitation to attend this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, Fox News has learned.

"Pence was invited to speak at the annual event but turned it down, according to a source familiar with the event planning.

"Former President Donald Trump will be in attendance, however, as he is scheduled to make his first major public appearance since leaving office.

"Two sources told Fox News that Trump is planning to address the conference on Sunday, Feb. 28. The event will kick off in Orlando that Thursday."

Pence apparently won't seek office again. I liked him. I did not realize the event is in Florida this year.

You know who would be an awesome speaker at CPAC? Bo Snerdley.

ITEM 7: A reader tipped me to this story, "At nearly 300,000 miles, this 1967 Cutlass Supreme convertible is still driven daily by its original owner."

The car outlived the company!

ITEM 8: Right Journalism reported, "President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for only 77 of Texas’ 254 counties in order to focus on the 'hardest hit' parts of the state, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday.

"Biden’s disaster declaration, issued last Friday, offers much less than what Texas officials had requested.

"Gov. Greg Abbott had asked for a declaration that covered the entire state, as Texans reel from a winter storm that knocked out power and heat across the state, and left millions without safe drinking water."

The story also said, "This news comes after Biden’s administration didn’t allow Texas power plants to operate at 100% capacity during the polar vortex resulting in massive power outages."

Most of the people in the area Biden declared an emergency voted for him.

ITEM 9: Ever notice how smug anti-Semites are?

Disgusting from SNL. 25% of Israel’s population is different religion than Jewish. This statement feeds to the anti Semitic tropes that Jews believe they are better which is not the case and if they actually researched the situation they would see that. pic.twitter.com/Y7NJU1qMXt

— Aaron (@pearlsteinaaron) February 21, 2021

If you want to watch comedy on Saturday night, watch Carol Burnett reruns on Me TV.

ITEM 10: The Associated Press reported, "CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Scientists have cloned the first U.S. endangered species, a black-footed ferret duplicated from the genes of an animal that died over 30 years ago.

"The slinky predator named Elizabeth Ann, born Dec. 10 and announced Thursday, is cute as a button. But watch out — unlike the domestic ferret foster mom who carried her into the world, she’s wild at heart."

Just like her namesake, Liz Cheney.

ITEM 11: Breitbart reported, "Students at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, are demanding the school remove a statue of Judge Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor — the namesake and co-founder of the university — from campus.

"Student protesters took a photo in front of the Judge Baylor statue, holding Black Lives Matter signs and dressed in all black clothing on Baylor’s 176 birthday, as well as the first day of Black History Month, according to a report by the Baylor Lariat."

Not to be outdone, Not the Bee reported, "Students demand removal of George Washington statue from the University of Washington in the state of Washington."

Keep the statues, dump the students. They seem to know everything already.

ITEM 12: Weasel Zippers reported, "Merrick Garland Says He’ll Target White Supremacists."

There are no white supremacists.

What he means is he will target anyone he wants and call them white supremacists.

ITEM 13: NBC reported, "When Ariel Hsu saw a graphic video last week of an Asian American senior citizen in San Francisco being pushed to the ground and the growing social media response around it, she said she was concerned — about both the victim and the outcry.

"Hsu, a chapter leader at the National Asian American Pacific American Women’s Forum, said that given that the suspect in the incident is black, many in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, including herself, were concerned about anti-black sentiment that appeared to be present in some of the online calls for justice.

"The online attention has prompted a conversation on coalition building and allyship that has been growing since last summer’s racial reckoning. Experts point out Asian Americans have the right to feel safe but calls for increased security could have unintended consequences."

There are black supremacists. Garland is too chicken to acknowledge this. We all are.

ITEM 14: The Associated Press reported, "The U.S. stood Sunday at the brink of a once-unthinkable tally: 500,000 people lost to the coronavirus.

"A year into the pandemic, the running total of lives lost was about 498,000 — roughly the population of Kansas City, Missouri, and just shy of the size of Atlanta. The figure compiled by Johns Hopkins University surpasses the number of people who died in 2019 of chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, flu and pneumonia combined."

100,000 died in Chairman Xiden's first month in office. 

But I blame Fauci. He's a medicrat who should have retired two decades ago after failing to find an AIDS vaccine.

ITEM 15: Deadline reported, "The National Football League had a down year, ratings-wise, but it wants to double the fees it receives for allowing its current network partners to broadcast games.

"CNBC reports renewal rates discussions are going on with all four of the league’s existing network partners — NBC, CBS, Fox, and Disney-owned ESPN, according to people familiar with the matter. So far, CNBC says, Disney is pushing back on increased renewal fees.

"The NFL league year starts March 17, giving the sides about a month to wrap up an agreement. The league had few fans in attendance at its games this year, owing to the pandemic, and also saw regular season television ratings drop 7%, according to Nielsen. That makes it imperative to make up the revenue shortfalls.

"Disney pays more than NBC, CBS and Fox for its Monday Night Football package, paying $1.9 billion annually for its rights, CNBC reported. That deal runs through 2021 and includes other co-branding opportunities."

Of course, this is all Hollywood accounting. The networks may double their fees, but how much the NFL gives back is the real story.

ITEM 16: The turnout says it all about that 3 AM landslide victory.

Neighbors of Kamala Harris are welcoming her home #CBSLA #KCAL9 pic.twitter.com/HRQc4jZNfa

— Alex Biston (@AlexBistonTV) February 19, 2021

That's 2 more people than I thought would show up.

ITEM 17: Todd Starnes reported, "A crowd of people cheered as a man waving a giant Trump 2024 flag was attacked on an ice skating rink in New York City’s Central Park.

"The man, who identified himself as Dion Cini, was helped off the ice and appeared to suffer only minor injuries.

"It’s unclear if anyone was arrested or cited for the attack."

Donald Trump built that ice rink. The city had shut it down in 1980 to rebuild it. 6 years and $12 million later, it was still closed. He took over the project and completed it early and under budget in 1986.

Mayor de Blasio closed it to take Trump's name off it. The hate of Donald Trump is a brainwashing of the worst magnitude. I feel sorry for people who turn their minds and their hearts off.

Pray for them.

ITEM 18: Reuters reported, "Americans may still need to wear masks in 2022 even as the country relaxes other restrictions to combat COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said on Sunday."

The Republican message in 2022 and 2024 is simple: Return to Normal, America.

ITEM 19: The Daily Wire reported, "Disney has decided that The Muppet Show — featuring Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy — contains offensive content and can now be seen only on an adult account.

"When viewers open the streaming service, which made five series available last Friday, viewers are greeted with the disclaimer: 'This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,' the Daily Mail reported."

If this so offended Disney, why did Disney buy Jim Henson out? Has Disney no scruples?

For shame, Disney, for making Henson's family rich by buying material Disney believes was "wrong then and is wrong now." By making this material available to adults, Disney promotes what it believes are "negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures."

And what sort of people work for a company that peddles in what they believe is offensive material? If they believe that The Muppet Show is, was, and always will be offensive, then its employees are pimping negative depictions and stereotypes.

Society should shun Disney workers. The Little Red Hen restaurant should not serve Disney workers for making what they believe is offensive content available even to consenting adults.

FINALLY, for the past few months, Yahoo news items have carried a line at the bottom, "Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting."

This is a lie.

Yahoo has stopped comments. That makes sense, but rather than being upfront about it, Yahoo lies.

Sometimes I forget to flip the switch on comments, but that is a mistake. The media should try not to lie. 

I also don't like the "we noticed you have an ad blocker." No. They did not notice. They detected. They have a program that weeds out ad blockers. They should not lie as if we are all fools.

If you use an ad blocker, cool. If you feel guilty about that, OK, donate 5 bucks to a charity and tell me by email. That will delight me. Money I have. Time, not as much as before.