My observations on the news of the day.
WELL WELL – Regular readers of this blog will recall my questioning of the need for the House Oversight Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee to continue their investigations of Trump team collusion with Russia now that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has been appointed. Well, newly named head of the House committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy, has announced that he intends to leave the Russia query to Mueller. That decision is bound to upset camera hogs Rep. Elijah Cummings (D.-MD) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
MORE ON THE COAL INDUSTRY – As a follow-up to my June 24, post about the New York Daily News mocking President Trump’s promise to bring back the coal industry, the Media Resource Center (MRC) revealed that ABC and NBC refused to cover the opening of the Acosta Deep Mine in Acosta, Pennsylvania earlier this month. The New York Post did cover the opening, and interviewed mine owner George Dethlefsen, who stated that while the mine will employ just 70 to 100 miners, “for every new job generated by the mine, even more jobs, like waitresses, hotel workers, barbers and grocery workers are needed to support the community.”
In their refusal to cover the mine opening, the TV networks missed an opportunity to video tape another protest, because the pathetic environmentalist protestors were there. Oops.
Incidentally, the coal will not be used for energy production, but will be used in the production of steel. Dethleftsen plans to open three more mines in the next 18 months.
THE EU CAN’T MANAGE WITHOUT US – Honestly, I had to laugh when I read that environment ministers from 28 European Union governments had clashed over joint efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as it vies to lead the global fight against climate change. Less than three weeks after President Trump pulled the financial plug on behalf of the U.S., Miguel Arias Canete, European commissioner for climate action and energy, told the group, “More than ever, there is a need for a strong signal from the EU that we are ready to lead the way.”
Marie Harf smiles through bad news. (foxnews.com)
TRY AS SHE MIGHT, the ever-smiling Marie Harf, former deputy spokesperson in the Clinton-Kerry state department, struggled mightily to respond to questions about the failure of President Obama and John Kerry to get tough with the Russians when it was determined that Putin & Co. had meddled in our election system. No, she said, their inaction was not to be construed as a belief that Hillary Clinton was going to win. She would have you believe that Kerry was working under the radar to combat the “Ruskies.”
It was the second time in a week that Harf, now a contributor to the Fox News Channel, had to answer for the failures of the Obama state department. The father of Otto Warmbier, who was essentially sentenced to death by the North Koreans, was critical of Obama’s lack of effort to get his son released, while giving President Trump and Secretary Tillerson credit for achieving Otto’s release.
You may recall that it was Harf, who once stated that if the ISIS terrorists just had jobs they wouldn’t be on the march across the Middle East.
When will someone at Fox inform Harf that you don’t smile when you are discussing deadly serious issues, and this isn’t a posing session for your yearbook photo.
Peggy Noonan comments on the hate in the media. (thelonelyconservative.com)
PEGGY NOONAN’S LATEST COLUMN about the dangerous rage exhibited by so-called celebrities and members of the media was called to my attention by a reader of this blog after he read my criticism of several foul-mouthed anchors of the leftist CNN and MSNBC networks. Noonan writes:
“Too many in the mainstream media – not all, but too many – don’t even bother to fake fairness and lack of bias anymore, which is bad.
Yes, they have reasons. They find Mr. Trump to be a unique danger to the republic, an incipient fascist; they believe it is their patriotic duty to show opposition. They don’t like his policies. A friend suggested recently that they hate him also because he’s in their business, show business.
As we witness “a generation of media figures cratering under the pressure of Donald Trump,” wrote Noonan, “… many of our media figures need at this point to be reminded: You belong to something. It’s called, us.” She concludes with sound advice to the media: “Do your part, take it down some notches, cool it. We have responsibilities to each other.”
Noonan is spot on, but I just cannot see the likes of Rachel Maddow or Mika Brzezinski following her sage advice.
CNN apologizes to Anthony Scaramucci for reporting false ties to Russia. (economictimes.com)
CONSPIRACY NETWORK CNN APOLOGIZES for claiming Trump supporter Anthony Scaramucci had ties to Russia. The network says three reporters have resigned and in the future, two senior editors will review all material.
MINIMUM WAGE BACKFIRES – A study by the University of Washington suggests that the rising minimum wage might actually be harming low-income workers. Workers are currently paid $13 for most businesses with a gradual plan to make it to $15 by 2021, but employers are reducing hiring and hours costing the average low-wage worker $125 a month.
