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Low-Octane Gaslighting – MSNBC
A justice conducting a basic stock trade is evidence of…what, exactly?!
We are becoming convinced that Chris Hayes derives the bulk of his show content from just reading headlines from left-wing outlets. For instance, he saw someone post how the relief aid brought into Gaza from the floating pier constructed by Biden is NOT reaching the Palestinian people – and Chris displayed genuine surprise?
But Chris also wanted to get in on the media dogpile forming on SCOTUS Justice Alito – although he came up with his own wrinkle. Not going with the overblown coverage of the flag outside of Alito's home, Mr. Hayes came up with a NEW revelation.
Last year, after Bud Light sank in the marketplace, the judge sold his shares of Anheuser-Busch and bought shares of competing brewers. That...is it.
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No connection to a court case, no ethics violations (he reported the sales and purchase) no…no reason at all for anyone to care. But he labels this as "The appearance of bias." It appears that way, but no explanation as to HOW it is biased.
During the right-wing boycott of Bud Light last August, Justice Samuel Alito sold a chunk of stock in Bud Light’s parent company and bought shares of Coors on the same day, according to a search of financial records by @chrisgeidner.
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) May 22, 2024
"Kid Rock was out shooting up Bud Light… pic.twitter.com/bNB4qzTYXu
Body Checking the Fact-Checkers – POLITIFACT
Well, a Republican made some public remarks – better get PolitiFact on the case! It's not as if it will clarify the daily verbal errors from the president, so it has the time to go after the likes of Speaker Mike Johnson. He made a comment about the prospect of immigrants being capable of voting in the coming election while not being citizens, and this really bothered PolitiFact.
It jumped in to clarify that it is not possible for the immigrants to vote in the election. So even though in some states they are given driver's licenses and state IDs allowing them to become registered, or by checking a box saying they are a citizen while authorities are forbidden to ask about their immigration status, and despite that in states like Ohio they are purging illegals who are appearing on the voting rolls, this will never actually happen.
Why not, you ask?
Because it is against the voting laws!
So, there you have it. Since it is illegal for them to vote, the people who entered the country when it was illegal to do so will not be able to vote.
Speaker Mike Johnson said immigrants who came to the U.S. under humanitarian parole programs can register to vote at DMV and “welfare” offices. It's illegal for noncitizens to vote. If parolees register, election officials would vet their applications. https://t.co/bcFIWScIlN pic.twitter.com/bHn6Pdvo2E
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) May 21, 2024
Reporting on the Mirror – BUZZFEED
In a rare occurrence of positive financial news for a media outlet, Buzzfeed saw its shares jump by +25% with the announcement that Vivek Ramaswamy purchased millions of shares. While some may think this makes him the primary owner and it will now become a Trump mouthpiece outlet, let's pump those brakes a bit.
His purchase makes him only a 7.7% shareholder, the fourth largest partner in the company. He is overshadowed on the board still by the likes of Comcast and Hearst Communications.
Buzzfeed Shares Soar As Vivek Ramaswamy Becomes 4th-Largest Shareholderhttps://t.co/wQ3dqUwtsq pic.twitter.com/v0R6hnM4xW
— Forbes (@Forbes) May 22, 2024
Presentation Paradox – USA TODAY
This sounds dire, except for all of the positive news you provided.
We are less than two weeks away from Pride Month, but if you are girding yourself to become inundated with rainbow iconography, do not fret, as USA Today tells us there will be fewer companies participating this year. For proof, it offers up…um, all of the companies that WILL be participating this year.
The piece begins with all of the controversies seen last year, with all of the focus on how horrible conservatives had been toward Pride elements. But then, after getting the activist set all worked up, we learn that it will be a full-colored month in the marketplace.
Levi Strauss & Co. told USA TODAY it has no plans to scale back its Pride Month collection or celebration.
"Our plans this year are not scaled back; we have celebrated Pride Month in the past and will continue in the future," Wells Fargo said in a statement.
Jared Todd, senior press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, said his organization is not yet seeing many corporations back off their support for Pride Month.
Gravity Research surveyed a panel of 200 communications and corporate affairs executives including those from Fortune 500 companies. It found that most brands are not adjusting their plans to engage customers during Pride Month.
So, after declaring that those mean conservatives are scaring off companies from participating next month, we are also told, "A small percentage…said they were unsure, indicating that some may be taking the 'wait and see' approach."
Target, Bud Light culture-war hangover: Expect less Pride from brands @PinkMediaWorld - Worried about alienating customers after conservative boycotts slashed sales, some mainstream brands are scaling back Pride merch and promotions. #ILoveGayhttps://t.co/Ydlt2fWYOz
— LGBTQ+ Brand Voice (@LGBTBrandVoice) May 22, 2024
Legalized Press-titution – ASSOCIATED PRESS
Isn't this a wondrous empty gesture from President Biden?!
President Biden announced he is releasing another one million barrels of gasoline to lower gas prices before the July 4 holiday. The Associated Press delivers the good news. What it does not deliver is context.
BREAKING: President Biden is releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeast reserve in a bid to lower prices at the pump.
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 21, 2024
https://t.co/pZgR38ZEgq
After giving Biden credit for this move in the headline and introduction, eventually, we come to learn this move was a mandate from Congress, as the plan is to close up the northeast gasoline reserve. Then at the end of the piece, we finally see that this release will ultimately have little impact that you would notice at the gas pump.
One million gallons amounts to only a few hours of the daily national consumption of gasoline.
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – NBC NEWS
- Was there some sort of doubt that a twister went through the area?
We are very aware of the legal reasons behind a news outlet using veiled language on particular stories. Criminal cases, for instance, need to be described with words like "accused" and "suspected" because of the assumption of innocence. We are unfamiliar with this taking place in the form of weather reporting, however.
Maybe the tornado has a good lawyer? This is our guess because after Iowa was ravaged by storms yesterday, NBC News reports on the aftermath, and when surveying the destruction, appears to be hedging, saying it appears to have been the result of "an alleged tornado."
DEVELOPING: Drone footage from Greenfield, Iowa shows the damage after an alleged Tornado leveled the community pic.twitter.com/NxfyXv14xH
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) May 21, 2024