"Riffed from the Headlines" is Townhall's daily VIP feature with coverage of the deeply flawed aspects of journalism in the nation. We'll look to bring accountability to the mishaps, malaprops, misdeeds, manipulations, malpractice, and manufactured narratives in mainstream media.
08.12.22
Pre-Written Field Reports – NBC NEWS
- "Our insiders suggest something MIGHT happen…or not."
Look, we understand that in the furor of all the FBI/warrant/nuke codes/not-a-raid coverage, it is a high priority to be first with news items. The highest priority, however, is to actually HAVE a news item.
At NBC, Kristen Welker had many of the elements in place – inside sources, contacts delivering updates, and timeliness. She just kinda sorta maybe lacked anything significant. In terms of the sealed FBI warrant, the Trump team had two options: Ask to unseal it or fight to keep it sealed. In a BREAKING piece, Welker tells us Trump met with lawyers, and they are considering…doing something.
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A source familiar w/deliberations tells me, fmr Pres Trump’s been talking to his team of attorneys by phone tonight as he considers how to respond to the AG’s order to unseal the search warrant:
— Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) August 12, 2022
Per source he’s weighing whether to challenge the order or to encourage the release.
Reporting on the Mirror – CNN
- We politely ask that you people get a grip and please do not whip out any gags about this news.
Jeffrey Toobin announced he is stepping down from his post at CNN. He exposed this information on his account, and he sounds firm in his decision by saying it was the last day that he appears. After his hard times in 2020, he actually has come a long way, so hopefully, he will have a handle on things going forward. It remains to be seen what he has to show us in the future.
Friends, I’ve decided that, after 20 years, I’m leaving @cnn after my vacation. Was great to spend my last day on air with pals Wolf, Anderson and Don. Love all my former colleagues. Watch for my next book, about the Oklahoma City bombing, coming in 2023 from @simonandschuster
— Jeffrey Toobin (@JeffreyToobin) August 12, 2022
GIlded Reframe – THE HILL
Recall how for weeks, we were lectured in the press on how important the Inflation Reduction Act was for suffering Americans? Then recall how this weekend, immediately after the bill was passed, everyone in D.C. raved about anything else but how the bill stopped inflation? Well, today, we learn that the hundreds of billions in new spending on things like electric vehicles and doubling the size of the IRS will not actually lower inflation! So…at least one news outlet deduced the conclusion most citizens had arrived at by last Sunday.
Inflation Reduction Act may have little impact on inflation https://t.co/Y32hBEqfzC pic.twitter.com/g0FZZicUGd
— The Hill (@thehill) August 12, 2022
Blue Anon – ABC
- Ex-wives are notorious for aiding in federal crimes.
Normally we would not dignify a soap opera actress with anything valid to say, but in this case, it is such an invalid crackpot thing to say we could not resist. Nancy Lee Grahn of "General Hospital" infamy suggests that Donald Trump's ex-wife Ivana, who recently passed away, should be exhumed. The reason: At her funeral, she had an excessive amount of pallbearers, and this would indicate her coffin was filled with classified documents.
Dear @FBI, I know u don't need advice from a soap star, but having been in 10 or 10k implausible storylines in my 37 yrs, may I recommend digging up Ivana. Cleary it didn't take 10 pall bearers to carry a liposuctioned 73 yr old who methinks was in her weight in classified docs.
— Nancy Lee Grahn (@NancyLeeGrahn) August 11, 2022
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – National Public Radio
The ongoing marvel of our contemporary journalism class is how so many seem to have an abject refusal to do basic research. Granted, if Gov. Ron DeSantis is involved, the emotional pique is such that researching topics becomes nearly an impossible feat.
At NPR, Scott Neuman discovered that Florida recently passed the new ability for residents to get a license plate that displays the Gadsen flag, and all he saw were problems.
- "'The state can't claim a lack of knowledge about what this image represents to most of the public,' says Rachel Carroll Rivas, deputy director of research and analysis for the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center."
More than ten other states have a Gadsden plate without incident, representing the flag that has been an insignia for centuries of opposition to tyranny, but now that DeSantis is endorsing it, this can only be seen as a symbol of violence and intolerance because of January 6 connotations, and all other manners of contrived controversy.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said a new Florida license plate featuring the Revolutionary War-era Gadsden flag sends a "clear message to out-of-state cars." Critics say it symbolizes a dangerous far-right extremist ideology.https://t.co/7rU6zTwj9p
— NPR (@NPR) August 11, 2022
