Tag: tweets

Conspiracy Theories and Flawed Journalism

 

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Donald Trump has once again stirred up a hornet’s nest with one of his tweets, this time concerning the death of Lori Klausutis, an employee of then-Congressman Joe Scarborough. The story in a nutshell is that Klausutis, an otherwise fit young woman of 28, died in Scarborough’s Fort Walton Beach office from a head injury she sustained when passing out due to an undiagnosed heart condition. It has been a favorite topic among conspiracy theorists for almost 20 years.

The medical examiner’s report should have been the end of it. After all, the outcome of the autopsy was perfectly reasonable. But then several things got in the way. One, the medical examiner that made the ruling turned out to be a bit of a crackpot, arrested a decade later for illegally keeping stolen body parts in a South Florida storage facility. Secondly, Scarborough himself hasn’t helped. Here he is joking about the incident on Don Imus’ nationally syndicated radio show while pushing the launch of a show on MSNBC:

That was in 2003. Laughter is a strange reaction from someone who said it was outrageous rumors that caused him to resign his seat in Congress.

Finish your work week with Friday’s Three Martini Lunch. Join Jim and Greg as they applaud Attorney General Bill Barr for telling President Trump that his tweets on prosecutions and more make it hard to do his job and they discuss why Democrats are so determined to discredit Barr. They also welcome news that Bernie Sanders is not doing well among voters who have private health insurance and that New Hampshire might be winnable for Republicans for the first time in 20 years if Sanders is the Democratic nominee. And they get a kick out of the news that Michael Bloomberg has hired the same PR firm behind the Fyre Fest debacle, but Jim also dives into the significance of Bloomberg’s bottomless campaign war chest.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome a federal judge’s decision to strike down Obamacare now that Congress has repealed the individual mandate.  They also cringe as President Trump’s digs his legal holes deeper and deeper with more impulsive, ranting tweets.  And they react to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren admitting she’s not a person of color just weeks after trying to score political points with her DNA test.

Jim is back!  Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America celebrate Jim’s return from the National Review cruise with three crazy martinis.  First, they marvel that President Trump is having trouble finding someone willing to serve as his chief of staff.  They also grumble as USA Today decides to tarnish Kyler Murray’s Heisman Trophy win by reporting that he had a few tweets that were unkind toward gays  – when he was just 15 years old.  And they roll their eyes as Time magazine unveils their ten finalists for “Person of the Year.”

Trump Fatigue Syndrome: Is There a Cure?

 

I’m tired. And I take full responsibility for my condition. I’m not here to blame Donald Trump for my difficulties. I also think I’m not alone, and I care a great deal for all the people who are in the same dire straits. My biggest concern is that Donald Trump’s prospects for 2020 could be at risk. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First, let me explain how I arrived at this point. I’m one of those many people who was not a Trump supporter at the beginning, but I came on board early as I saw his many accomplishments: tax cuts, great economy, Supreme Court justices, cuts in regulations, demands that the Europeans pony up for NATO—and the list goes on.

But as I was on my morning walk, I realized I wasn’t alone. In fact, I’m a suburban woman—one of those females who is beginning to pull away. I know that Trump will need every vote he can get. I know he has every reason to attack the media. I realize that he’s a fighter and when he sees people do stupid things, he feels obligated to call them out. I get it.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America largely cheer the House Republican tax plan, which cuts business and individual tax rates, kills the death tax and simplifies the system.  They also sigh as President Trump tweets out his desire to see this week’s Manhattan terrorist face capital punishment, a public statement many Americans agree with but could complicate federal prosecution of the murderer.  And they highlight the latest development in Virginia Democrat Ralph Northam’s no good, very bad week, as the candidate for governor flip-flops and suddenly supports banning sanctuary cities in Virginia.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America discuss House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi feeling the heat from members of her own party after Tuesday’s loss in Georgia, but they are excited to see her determined to keep her job despite being a drag on the party. They also express concern over the new Senate Republican health care bill, which Democrats were already protesting and has some Republicans on edge as well. And they speculate on President Trump admitting he knows of no tapes of his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey.

Presidents are defined by rhetorical moments: Reagan and Kennedy at the Berlin Wall; George W. Bush rallying the nation after the 9/11 attacks. And Donald Trump? So far his presidency hasn’t been one of major addresses. Hoover fellow Peter Robinson, author of Reagan’s famous speech at the Brandenberg Gate, discusses the art of presidential wordsmithery in this age of shock tweets and nonstop news cycles.

Presidents are defined by rhetorical moments: Reagan and Kennedy at the Berlin Wall; George W. Bush rallying the nation after the 9/11 attacks. And Donald Trump? So far his presidency hasn’t been one of major addresses. Hoover fellow Peter Robinson, author of Reagan’s famous speech at the Brandenberg Gate, discusses the art of presidential wordsmithery in this age of shock tweets and nonstop news cycles.