A Caravan is Coming! Jesse Watters Hates Arab Americans and the Return of Hunter Biden.
A condensed overview of 15 hours of Fox News for the week ending 10/5/23
The week before off-year elections in several states Fox News suddenly revealed another caravan of migrants traveling through Mexico en route to the United States. Fox News hosts started their segments with the phrase “right now migrant caravans are headed this way,” to make the threat seem more immediate.
On Monday the caravan was described as 5000 people strong but by midweek the number jumped to 7000 with no explanation. During every segment about the caravan the same recycled images of brown-skinned huddled masses slowly marching were repeated on a loop on half the screen.
As the Israel-Hamas war has morphed into a grueling urban ground invasion Fox News has shifted back to its favorite evergreen topics - ‘the United States is being invaded by dangerous migrants,’ and ‘Hunter Biden and his father committed a slew of financial crimes that we just can’t prove yet'.’
While Fox News personalities dedicated several segments in honor of the life and legacy of the recently deceased actor Matthew Perry, a recovering drug addict, they had no problem mocking Hunter Biden for his past struggles with crack cocaine and alcohol.
Jesse Watters made a statement about Arab Americans and Middle Eastern countries that was so inflammatory PBS and other media outlets included it in segments about the dangerous rhetoric surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.
Shows I covered on Fox News last week:
Fox & Friends
The Five
Jesse Watters Primetime
Jesse Watters Said He Was Over Arab Americans
On Wednesday Jesse Watters made the following statement on “The Five.”
“I want to say something about Arab Americans and about the Muslim world. I'm not going to hold your hand, even though I should, Dana. When I say we, I mean the West and Western technology have created the Middle East. We made them rich. We got that oil out of the ground. Our military protects all of these oil shipments flying around the world, making them rich.”
There’s a lot to this already that’s inaccurate. For starters, the United States has been the largest single producer of crude oil in the world since 2018. Hydraulic fracking technology which goes back as far as the 1860’s but was perfected in the late 1990s revitalized U.S. gas and oil production.
The U.S. military sometimes guards commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, amid alleged attempts by Iran to hijack oil tankers in international waters. Most oil is transported throughout the globe without U.S. military protection.
“We fund their military. We respect their kings. We kill their terrorists. Okay. But we've had it. We've had it with them. Obama, Trump and Biden have tried to get the heck out of that stupid desert. Just as we're about to get out because we have this great balance of power, we're arranging these crazy Muslim fanatics come in and massacre over a thousand of our allies and hold Jewish people hostage. Hold Americans hostage,” said Watters.
I could spend several newsletters breaking down just this paragraph. As much as the U.S. has benefited from the plentiful oil reserves in the Middle East we have also caused a great deal of political upheaval and instability in the region.
In 1953 the United States and the U.K. working together helped remove a freely elected Iranian prime minster Mohammed Mossadeq after he attempted to nationalize Britain-owned Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
Mossadeq was replaced with the corrupt but Western friendly monarch Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
In 1979 the Shah was replaced by the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shiite cleric during the Iranian Revolution plunging the country into a brutal theocratic rule.
I could list several other examples as the United States has a long and sordid history of interfering and meddling with Middle Eastern countries.
“And so, if you're an Arab-American in this country and you ripped down posters of Jewish hostages, of American hostages, no, no, no, no. Someone is going to get punched in the face when you rip down posters of hostages like that. This is absolutely not. And The New York Times, the second sentence, Greg, that I thought was even worse, who is suffering should command public attention and sympathy.
So, what they've done is they've now made suffering a commodity. They'll put a price tag on emotional suffering. You know, is it is it the Jews? Is it Black teens, the Native Americans, the Palestinians, you know, who's suffered the most and he who's suffered the most is allowed, as you say, a free punch. And so now they've justified violence to avenge suffering.
And so now people are above the law. People are below the law. And that's making everybody crazy because we can't live in a country like that. And I won't live in a country like that,” said Watters.
Fox News Deceived its Audience about The White House Position on Antisemitism
On Thursday on “The Five,” Dana Perino started a segment about how President Biden was allegedly only focusing on Islamophobia and not antisemitism.
“Biden facing criticism for focusing on Islamophobia despite a despicable wave of anti-Semitism in America. . .Then with all of that in mind, the administration is rolling out a national strategy to counter hate toward Muslims. Vice President Kamala Harris making this announcement on social media,” said Perino.
The producers cut to a prerecorded clip of Vice President Harris.
“As a result of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we have seen an uptick in anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents across America. This strategy will be a comprehensive and detailed plan to protect Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim from hate, bigotry and violence,” said Harris.
Dana Perino continued.
“The White House, when asked about the focus on Islamophobia in the wake of the worst massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. They seem to imply that they've got a handle on anti-Semitism.”
On Monday, the NewsHour included a segment about the Biden Administration’s plan to combat antisemitism on college campuses. Co-anchor Amna Nawaz led the segment.
“And here in the US, fears are also rising among Jewish Americans as reports of anti-Semitic incidents have increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. In response, the White House is unveiling new plans to combat anti-Semitic attacks at schools and college campuses,” said Nawaz.
Laura Barron-Lopez, the White House correspondent, explained the plan.
“So, the White House has unveiled a new plan today they say will combat this rise in antisemitic incidents we're seeing. What does the plan entail? So, a White House official said today that this is in response to a, quote, alarming rise of antisemitic incidents across campuses.
And so, what this action does is it directs the Justice Department and the DHS to partner with campus law enforcement, to work with them, help them help track hate related rhetoric across campuses. DHS, Homeland Security, cybersecurity experts specifically will be helping schools monitor an increase of not just the rhetoric, but also potential threats.
And then administration officials are meeting with Jewish-American groups today and Jewish students later this week. Now, we should note ominous that these tools can also be used for other hate rhetoric that we're seeing, including against Arabs and Muslims on campuses,” said Barron-Lopez.
Jessica Tarlov on the Growing Antisemitism in the United States
On Monday, on “The Five,” during a segment about the rise in antisemitism across the world, Jessica Tarlov, the lone liberal on the program shared her perspective as a Jewish woman.
“Maybe a silver lining in this is that most Holocaust survivors are not alive to see what's going on today. It's horrifying on every level, as it’s rehashing what went on in the thirties heading into the Holocaust, obviously. There were reports this weekend now that Hamas has started openly bragging, by the way, about their crimes, because that was one of the currents of all of this, that it wasn't real.
People who were denying what they had done on October 7th. And it's hard. I think, to have a winning piece of the terror attack in terms of this is the most horrific thing I've ever heard. But now there's a report that a husband he was murdered, then his wife was raped, and they baked their baby in the oven and kept the woman alive so that she could hear the screams of her child melting.
And a signature of the Holocaust is obviously that they put Jews in the oven. So here we are. Now, that language is deserved that we're talking about it. What happened in the Russian airport, reminiscent of the pogroms, were heading back in a very, very dangerous direction. It's heartbreaking. Between Cornell kids locked in the kosher dining hall, Cooper Union, Jewish kids locked in the library faculties, clearly not up to the task in terms of being able to deal with this, few exceptions,” said Tarlov.
Trump’s Former Acting ICE Director Threatens Future Deportations
Tom Homan was the acting ICE director during the Trump Administration. Homan was the mastermind behind the horrific family separation policy.
Under the zero tolerance immigration policy children were taken from their parents at the southern border as a means of deterring others from attempting to illegally enter the United States. Trump’s senior advisor Stephen Miller was a champion of the program, but Homan is the man who came up with it.
Fox News frequently has Homan on as a guest to talk about anything involving immigration. On Friday while a guest on “Fox & Friends,” Homan made it clear what he would do in a second Trump presidential term.
Brian Kilmeade opened the segment.
“They can't tell you how many Hamas and Hezbollah or Islamic jihads are also coming across our border. Which to things start blowing up. Tom, if Trump wins and goes back to the White House, would you go back?”
Homan responded.
“I promised President Trump when he announced that he goes back. I go back and I will run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen, because millions of people are being released in this country, nine out of ten, will get order of removal based on immigration court data. A judge ordered them removed. We're going to find them and we're going to remove them. There's no consequence. We can't fix the border. We're going to have we're going to have a consequence in the Trump administration,” said Homan
Kilmeade agreed.
“Homan goes back with Trump. That's another campaign ad."
Batya Ungar-Sargon Has Some Strange Ideas about Addiction
While a guest on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion editor of Newsweek, had some strange ideas about life expectancy and addiction.
“I want to make one point. He says again and again that in attacking him as an addict, you're attacking the rest of Americans. We know that we have this problem in America. Twenty million Americans have a substance abuse problem. And I found that so disgusting because the people who are suffering from addiction in this country, the people who are dying, deaths of despair from addiction and alcoholism and suicide are Americans without a college degree who have a life expectancy that is ten years less than if you have a college degree.
And for this son of privilege to stand there and steal the valor and the suffering of these people who his own father was part of the administration, the Obama administration that's sold out the futures of Americans without a college degree, it is really, truly, truly appalling,” said Ungar-Sargon.
There is some evidence to support Ungar-Sargon’s claim that Americans without a college degree have a lower life-expectancy than college educated Americans. The problem with her logic is that multiple factors play a role in how long a person lives.
According to a paper by Harvard Medical School, “Why life expectancy in the US is falling,” by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, access to healthcare is directly correlated to life expectancy.
“It's notable, for example, that some of the states with the lowest life expectancies are also the ones with the most uninsured residents and, yet, have turned down Medicaid expansion.”
Ungar-Sargon also makes a huge leap when she connects addiction, a lack of a college degree and a lower life expectancy. The disease of addiction can affect anyone of any socioeconomic status including the wealthiest Americans.
Jesse Watters Has a Theory About Leaf Blowers
On Tuesday, on his signature show “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Watters posed his theory on a new study about leaf blowers.
“Every year, American homeowners waged a month’s long war against Mother Nature. It’s leaf season. The worst season of all. Every Saturday you give up your whole afternoon, to rake your lawn. Then three days go by and your yard’s covered again with leaves. Rinse and repeat. The only saving grace in all this is that using a leaf blower is kind of fun and faster.
It’s Loud. It's powerful. And you just blow the leaves into a big pile that your kids jump into. Most importantly, it's effective. We didn't have a leaf blower. The job takes forever. And trust me, I used to not have a leaf blower my whole life. And if Democrats will get their way and they will. Your gas-powered leaf blowers. Sayonara.
Why? Climate change, obviously. A new study from three lefty nonprofits says this running one gas powered leaf blower for one hour is just as bad as driving a car from Philly to Florida. Not sure I believe that, but okay. also, the study says leaf blowers give your kids asthma, and the study says the leaf blowers make your children deaf.
So, what will save the children going electric, obviously, by an electric leaf blower or else. Primetime is skeptical. We have a feeling that the people who funded the study don't really care about asthma or deaf kids. They just want to ban your regular leaf blower. So, you have to buy an expensive electric leaf blower from then. Funny how that works,” said Watters.
The only study I could find was published by The Regulatory Review in February 2023. It was a brief one-page document that broke down everything Watters mentioned in his segment with more detail.
There was no evidence of a government mandate or regulation that would limit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers or make them unavailable to consumers.
I also checked out some basic pricing of gas-powered and electric leaf blowers. On the website for Home Depot the top selling gas-powered leaf blower was selling for $379 while the top selling electric leaf blower went for $129.
So much for Watters’ theory that a cabal of electric leaf blower manufacturers has come up with some scheme to pose as environmentalists and academics to promote their product.
Stories Fox News Ignored
Every week I compare the hours I’ve watched on Fox to five hours of the PBS NewsHour the following are stories that PBS covered that Fox News did not.
Climate disasters
An extreme record-setting storm hit the U.K., France and Italy causing extreme flooding, property damage and the death of at least 12 people.
India's capital New Delhi was wrapped in a thick layer of toxic haze. The pollution was caused by the burning of crop stubble and industrial emissions, vehicles’ exhaust fumes and dust from construction sites.
In Joliet, Illinois, Joseph Czuba, 71, the landlord who is accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and severely injuring his mother in a suspected hate crime pleaded not guilty to eight charges. He faces life in prison if convicted, he will remain held without bond.
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump both testified in the civil fraud case involving the Trump Organization in New York State.
FIFA banned ousted former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales from the sport for three years for misconduct after he forcibly kissed a player at the Women’s World Cup Final.
The FDA issued a warning over high levels of lead in WanaBana fruit apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches. The product is part of a voluntary recall by the company.
The U.S. faces a shortage of medications used to treat ADHD. The drugs include Adderall, long- and short-acting versions of methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta), as well as Focalin, Vyvanse, and numerous generic equivalents of these drugs.
Jack Lew was confirmed by the Senate as the new U.S. Ambassador for Israel.
Last Tuesday the Michigan attorney general said that the state prosecution of former Gov. Rick Snyder and other officials for their role in the Flint water scandal has stopped.
Hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees continue to flee Pakistan as the government cracks down on undocumented immigrants. As the residents cross the border into Afghanistan they have no water, food or shelter as the country is already in desperate need of humanitarian aid.
According to a report by the U.N. a record 6.9 million people have been displaced due to the long-term internal conflict in Congo.
Some public colleges are cutting academic programs and jobs. In some cases schools are eliminating entire majors. PBS focused on West Virginia University which has cut 32 majors along with 169 faculty members.
A new federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Pregnancy Justice alleges an Alabama jail is mistreating pregnant detainees, putting unborn children at risk.
The infant mortality rate spiked 3% last year — the largest increase in two decades. The four states with the greatest increases were Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas.
Desmond Mills Jr., a Memphis police officer, pleaded guilty to using excessive force in Tyre Nichols death. Mills is one of five Black former officers who have been charged in the case, and the first to plead guilty.
Caribbean nations that were once British colonies are asking King Charles to pay for slavery reparations from his $2 billion personal fortune.
Toyota will raise wages for non-union workers. The move is seen as a way to stay competitive with the big three automakers who recently reached tentative deals with their union to boost pay.
The ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft will pay a combined $328 million to settle complaints that they improperly forced their New York drivers to pay taxes and fees that should have been paid by passengers.
Russia pummeled Ukraine with its biggest drone strike in weeks with 40 kamikaze drones and a cruise missile. Ukraine said it shot down more than half the drones and no casualties were reported.
The U.S. Department of State is issuing nearly new 100 sanctions targeting Russia's future energy production and revenue, metals and mining sector, defense procurement, and those involved in supporting the Russian government's war effort.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) announced that he won’t be seeking re-election. He said the reason he was retiring was his disillusionment with his own party for promoting lies about the 2020 election and downplaying the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) also said she would not seek re-election after nearly three decades in Congress.
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) survived a vote to expel him from the House. Santos is facing a number of criminal charges and a House Ethics Committee investigation.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is starting to receive aggressive criticism from his fellow Republicans over his expansive hold on President Biden’s military nominees. Tuberville has blocked hundreds of military promotions over his personal objections to the Pentagon’s abortion policies.
The Supreme Court will review a Trump-era ban on gun ‘bump stocks,’ which allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more quickly. The court is also likely to rule against a man who wants to trademark the phrase “Trump too small.”
The Federal Reserve decided to not raise interest rates as it continues to track inflation and the health of the economy.
Abortion will be on the ballot in Ohio and Virginia. In Ohio Democrats are promoting a referendum that would enshrine abortion rights in the State Constitution. Virginia voters are set to decide the makeup of the state legislature while the Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, is pushing for a ban on abortions after 15 weeks.
PBS produced an extended segment about Daniel L. Doctoroff, an American businessman and former government official for the city of New York, who is struggling to live day to day with ALS. Doctoroff has started Target ALS a transformative biomedical research nonprofit, in 2013 to accelerate discovery of effective treatments for ALS.
The popular wildlife television series “Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom,” will return to NBC on Saturday mornings.
The truth doesn’t have a chance!