Obama Economy Contracts, CBS Sees ‘Strong Rebound’ While ABC Frets ‘Chianti Caper’
America suffered an economic setback in the first quarter of the year as the GDP for Obama’s economy was revised downward Thursday morning to a negative one percent, yet neither ABC’sWorld News nor the NBC Nightly News considered it newsworthy. The CBS Evening News spun the bad news into a positive. Reporter Anthony Mason insisted “it sets the economy up for rebound this quarter and there are some encouraging signs in the numbers.” ABC fretted over fake French wine, which Diane Sawyer dubbed “the Chianti caper.”
NBC’s Williams: Shouldn’t NSA Be ‘On Guard for A Perversion’ of Surveillance After ‘Bush and Cheney’?
During a live webcast on NBCNews.com immediately following Wednesday’s 10 p.m. ET airing of his interview with Edward Snowden, Nightly News anchor Brian Williams wondered why the National Security Agency was not more receptive to Snowden’s claims of unconstitutional spying: “Knowing that in war powers times…the Bush administration use of war powers with Bush and Cheney, isn’t the general counsel at the NSA a little bit on guard for a perversion, as Snowden put it?”
Brian Williams to Snowden: ‘Did You Vote for President Obama? Did He Disappoint You?’
During his lengthy interview with NSA leaker Edward Snowden, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams found time to ask if the wanted fugitive was an Obama supporter: “Did you vote for President Obama?” After Snowden refused to answer, Williams worried: “Did he disappoint you?” Snowden replied: “…whether or not I voted for President Obama, I was inspired by him. He gave me courage, he gave me hope. I really believed that he would be a positive force for the country. And I still hope he will be.” Williams added: “You, however, looked at it, you were hoping he would reverse some of the Bush policies. You were quoted as saying you were disappointed that he did not.” Snowden noted: “Well, he said he would.”
CBS Investigates the Latest on ‘Ugly’ VA Scandal Without Mentioning Obama’s Name
CBS journalists on Thursday morning investigated the latest details of the expanding Veterans Affairs scandal. Yet despite calling the newest revelation “ugly,” correspondent Nancy Cordes somehow managed to avoid using Barack Obama’s name or to discuss the White House. Instead, she focused on congressional culpability: “But the Inspector General’s report points out Congress and the VA have known about similar manipulations and delays for nearly a decade.” Cordes talked to a GOP House member and pressed: “Florida Republican Jeff Miller is the chair of the House VA committee. If you’ve known about problems like this for years why are you only now calling on the V.A. Secretary to resign?”
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