Satanic Target, Twitter Fiascos, Lies About Title 42 and the Return of Hillary Clinton
A condensed overview of 20 hours of Fox News for the week ending 5/28/23
When Fox News gets desperate it reverts to its familiar tropes - gay people are trying to brainwash your children, Christians are being persecuted, the country is being overrun by migrants, and the ultimate Democratic villainess Hillary Clinton has returned to destroy everything.
Since the network fired Tucker Carlson ratings for his old 8 p.m. time slot have plunged by more than half and the primetime ratings overall have dropped 40%. Viewers have flocked to the much smaller network Newsmax along with online sources.
Fox News also slashed its entire investigative reporting unit last week with more layoffs expected.
Elon Musk, once celebrated as a brilliant innovator and champion of free speech by the network is now openly challenging the news giant for its audience.
Tucker Carlson teased he will start his new media venture on the social media platform and Fox News’ second favorite presidential candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, decided to launch his campaign on Twitter before sitting down for an extended interview on “Fox News Tonight.”
Luckily for Fox, the Florida governor’s campaign announcement on a Twitter Space was plagued with technical problems and two tech billionaires, Elon Musk and David Sacks, dominating the discussion.
As usual Fox News declined to inform its viewers about various climate disasters around the world, the former president’s many legal problems or the prison sentences handed down to some of the organizers of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.
Shows I covered last week
Fox & Friends - 1st hour
The Five
Jesse Watters Primetime
Fox News Tonight
The Return of Hillary Clinton
Fox News tried so hard to lure viewers back that the first segment on Tuesday’s episode of “The Five” was dedicated to Hillary Clinton’s alleged dig of President Biden and an implied bid to run for president.
There’s absolutely no evidence that Clinton intends to run for any political office much less president but Fox News couldn’t help themselves. The network has pushed this claim countless times before.
The segment was inspired by Clinton’s statements about President Biden last week at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in Washington, D.C.. During an interview with Financial Times editor Edward Luce, Clinton said Biden has a “good record” as president, “people still have the right to consider” his age as a factor to re-elect him to another term in office as reported by The Hill.
Fox News left out that Clinton also said she supported his candidacy and that Biden “Doesn’t get the credit yet that he deserves for what is happening out in the country, in terms of jobs and growth and planning for the future, with chips and other stuff,” said Clinton.
The Fox News personalities took Clinton’s one remark about Biden’s age all the way to the sun and declared she had plans to run for president herself.
The segment began with Jesse Watters dramatically declaring Clinton’s nonexistent run for president.
“She's baaaaaack. Sneaky Hillary Clinton up to her old tricks again and fueling 2024 speculation. Hillary's not exactly giving a glowing review of his presidency. If Hillary is not sealing Biden's nomination, she's certainly stealing his talking points,” said Watters.
Target and the Satanic Plot to Make Your Kids Gay
Fox News promoted two falsehoods about Target’s LGBTQ Pride themed product line.
The first inaccurate claim was that Target was selling satanic themed items. This misconception came from past products sold in the U.K. under the label Abprallen owned by Erik Carnell. Carnell is a London based trans designer who sold items with what appeared to be tongue-in-cheek occult and satanic imagery on his website.
Fox News took images from the Abprallen website and falsely claimed t-shirts with the slogan “Satan respects pronouns,” were being sold at Target stores. Absolutely no satanic or occult themed items were part of the Target Pride line designed by Carnell.
The second false claim promoted on Fox News was that “tuck friendly” swimsuits designed for trans people were being sold in children’s sizes. During segments about this story specific examples of the trans friendly swimsuits were showcased on camera in adult sizes.
Target ended up pulling some of its Pride themed items due to physical threats on its staff members. According to reporting by the Washington Post, Target spokeswoman Kayla Castañeda said in a statement.
“Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior,” she said.
Fox Also Went After Drag “Nuns”
Fox News also took the time to trash a LGBTQ themed charity The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence after the L.A. Dodgers invited then disinvited then re-invited members of the charity to accept a Community Hero Award at a Pride themed event at Dodgers stadium.
Members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence appear in over-the-top drag costumes mildly lampooning Catholic nuns. Fox neglected to tell its viewers that the Sisters are a 501 (c)(3) tax charity run entirely by unpaid volunteers.
According to Influence Watch, over the past 20 years the organization has raised $1.5 million to further its mission. Examples of organizations the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have financially supported include the Center for Immigrant Protection (The LGBT Asylum Project), San Francisco Dyke March, and the Trans Liberation Coalition.
At the same time Fox was lambasting the Sisters for desecrating the Catholic Church the network conveniently neglected to report on a story about an investigation that revealed widespread sexual abuse of children uncovered in several Illinois parishes.
The Illinois attorney general found that almost 2,000 children suffered sexual abuse by 451 Catholic clergy between 1950 and 2019.
The End of Title 42 did NOT turn into the Flood of Migrants Fox Predicted
The following are excerpts I pulled from various segments about the border crisis on Fox News last week. The first clip is from an unnamed Fox News correspondent.
“Nearly a week after Title 42 expired, as many as 35,000 people were reportedly waiting on the Mexico side of the border to cross into the U.S.. Here in El Paso, Texas. Some migrants have been sleeping on the streets as shelters remain at capacity. City officials fear another surge could be coming. CBP says that in April, when Title 42 was still policy, there were more than 211,000 migrant encounters. Border Patrol agents arrested 16 people on the FBI's terror watch list who were attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. It's raising concerns among lawmakers about who may have crossed the border undetected,” said Fox News
On Monday Trey Gowdy also brought up Title 42 during a segment on “Fox News Tonight.”
“That after the expiration of the Title 42, those numbers may get even greater and there may be even more of a strain on the resources of these municipalities that already can't afford it,” said Gowdy.
During a Headline News segment on “Fox & Friends” Ashley Strohmier hyped up the panic.
“Tennessee National Guard troops are now being deployed to the southern border to help deal with the surge of illegal immigrants,” said Strohmier.
The PBS NewsHour told an incredibly different story about the after effects of rescinding Title 42.
Amna Nawaz, a co-anchor of the NewsHour reported from the Mexican side of the border.
“Geoff, as you'll remember, it's now been two weeks since Title 42 ended. That was the pandemic era policy that allowed U.S. officials to immediately expel anyone arriving at the U.S. southern border. And in the weeks before that ended, we'd already seen a huge increase in the numbers of people arriving at the U.S. southern border.
Everyone we talked to then U.S. officials and immigration attorneys and nonprofits, they were all preparing for even bigger numbers for a bigger surge after Title 42 ended. It didn't happen. The numbers actually went down. And the big question was why? Well, we found out why today. When we crossed into Mexico and we spoke with people waiting on the Mexican side of the border.
There is now a huge back up there. People from Venezuela and Honduras and Colombia and further afield who say they are now going to wait because of the rule changes that U.S. officials have implemented. They know now that the message the U.S. officials have been trying to get across for months now saying the border is not open, saying that if you try to enter without permission, you could be banned from entry, saying you can't enter without an appointment with a U.S. border official.
They have heard that message loud and clear. They tell us that they are going to wait. That is why the numbers have gone down,” said Nawaz.
PBS provided even more details about why the end of Title 42 meant a slower rush to the border
Amna Nawaz included even more detail.
“That confusion is based on a matrix of new immigration rules. As Title 42 ended, the U.S. opened up some legal pathways but closed others. Requiring migrants to schedule an asylum interview appointment through a new app called CBP One, barring them from seeking protection in the U.S. If they didn't first seek it in a country they pass through. And banning entry for five years for anyone caught trying to cross illegally.
They also agreed to take in 30,000 migrants a month from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua, but asked Mexico to take in the same number turned away at the border across the border in Brownsville, Texas,” said Nawaz.
Later in the segment Nawaz interviewed a local pastor who confirmed what was once a flood of migrants had turned into a trickle.
“Pastor Carlos Navarro has been stockpiling supplies and prepping beds at his church since well before Title 42 ended for May 11. It was real busy, but after that, on May 11, after seeing 1200 people a day, we next day we only saw 25, and the next day about 40. He says the city is receiving about a few hundred a day now, but he believes they could handle many more,” said Nawaz.
The Ron DeSantis Twitter Fiasco
Elon Musk basically handed Fox News a gift when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had a disastrous presidential announcement on a Twitter Space platform.
After multiple attempts to try to join the Twitter Space I gave up and joined a Twitter group set up by Brian Stelter who broadcast the event from another person’s phone.
Half the event was dominated by Elon Musk and David Sacks, another tech billionaire, blathering on about crypto currency and their own perceived brilliance.
The fiasco was followed by an extended interview with DeSantis on “Fox News Tonight” hosted by Trey Gowdy. Even the DeSantis campaign broke up the Fox interview into short segments and reposted them on Twitter. Fox News handed the DeSantis campaign video clips it could immediately turn into promotional material whereas the Twitter Space provided nothing but fodder.
Johnny Joey Jones - The Anti-Tucker Carlson
Last week Fox News announced that Joey Johnny Jones a disabled veteran who lost both of his legs in combat would host the 8 p.m. time slot for a week.
I thought the choice of Jones was novel since he’s the complete polar opposite of Tucker Carlson. The network is probably trying to build off of Memorial Day by featuring a veteran. Jones is also promoting his newly released book “Unbroken Bonds of Battle.”
I doubt Jones will become the permanent replacement for Carlson as I’m not sure the Fox audience actually wants someone with kindness and empathy in that time slot.
Last week he gave this heartfelt monologue about his time serving our country. I wanted to share this because it’s a rare moment on the network where a host actually shows humanity and empathy towards others including Americans who might have opposing political views.
“The people in this country don't understand the sacrifice because we've been able to secure its freedom and defend its democracy with less and less sacrifice over the decades. I fought in two wars. A lot of Americans believe in our stand that I fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. The collective amount of people that died in those two wars probably doesn't touch the first or second bull run.
And so that doesn't mean those lives don't matter, doesn't mean that sacrifice wasn't worth it. It means that we are we are in such an amazing we may be in the greatest time of this country's existence. Yes. Things feel terrible. I mean, we look at, like you said, Twitter, people arguing with each other over things that really don't matter.
I don't know that they would say, was it worth it? I have faith in them and I know enough of them to know that they would say not only was it worth it, but it worked. And I hope you don't go to a place where you have to do that yourself, that your kids don't have to die on a battlefield at home or abroad.
When people say thank you for your service, I've started saying back to them, Thank you for being worth serving. And I don't just say that because I believe every single person is doing things to be worth serving. But it's a win win for me if they are. I got to say it too, and it made me feel good.
But if they're not, they have to go. Think about that. What does it mean if in their heart they feel like maybe they weren't? We're serving well, They make better decisions tomorrow. Will they treat people better tomorrow? I love this country, and I can't say that if I'm not willing to love everybody in it. Evil notwithstanding. No, I have to agree with someone to want to go fishing with them or enjoy a ballgame.
And I want to agree with them on things that I'm very passionate about, like Second Amendment rights or fiscal responsibility. But I have to agree with them that this country is good, good in its heart, goodness, soul and goodness. People and I travel this country and speak to groups of people all over it from different industries and nonprofits.
And no matter what their politics, there are so many good people in this country. I refuse to believe that the squeaky wheel getting the grease represents the majority of people. I think most people. Idle hands are devil's playground. I think most people are busy living their lives, doing their work and raising their kids, and they don't have time to be a part of whatever is getting all the attention that day,” said Jones.
Stories Fox News Ignored
The World Meteorological Organization, the weather agency of the United Nations, said in a report last week that extreme weather caused the death of 2 million people in the past 50 years and has caused an estimated $4.5 trillion in economic loses.
India faces blackouts and water shortages during a crippling heat wave. Forecasters predicted it could take several more days until monsoon rains bring relief.
More than 80 wildfires, including 23 that were out of control, ravaged parts of Alberta, Canada. Roughly 100,000 residents were forced from their homes and both Montana and Colorado were under air quality alerts from the drifting smoke.
The U.S. territory Guam was hit by super Typhoon Mawar that caused major damage. Most of the island is without power but no deaths or major injuries were reported.
At least 19 students were killed due to a fire in a boarding school dormitory in Guyana. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Most of the students at the school are indigenous children between the ages of 12-18.
Republican lawyer C. Boyden Gray, former White House counsel to George W. Bush, died at the age of 80.
The Biden administration managed to broker a deal between three western states over water use from the Colorado River. California, Nevada and Arizona will be required to conserve 3 million-acre-feet of water through 2026. The deal is voluntary but it prevented federal intervention or mandated cuts to water use.
A live action version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid debuted last week featuring Halle Bailey, a Black actress and singer, in the lead role.
People in Oklahoma who have been on a decade long waiting list for developmental disability services are finally getting the help they need. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services is hoping to completely eliminate the waiting list by next spring.
Democratic Senator of Delaware, Tom Carper, said he will not seek re-election in 2024. He endorsed Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, also a Democrat as his replacement. Rochester is the first black person and woman to represent Delaware in Congress after she was elected in 2016.
Last week marked the one year anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. A teenage gunman used an AR-15 rifle to kill 19 children, two teachers and injure 17 others. Most of the victims were between the ages of nine and 10 years old.
A New York judge set a trial date of March 25, 2024 for the criminal case against former President Donald J. Trump. The case involves charges of falsifying business records in a hush money scheme to pay off a porn actress.
A Russian court extended the pretrial detention for three more months of Evan Gershkovich an American journalist held in Russia on espionage charges. The White House called for Geshkovich’s release along with another American Paul Whelan who has been held on similar charges.
PBS produced a segment about the effort to recruit more Black male teachers. Nationally less than 2% of all teachers are Black men.
The number of people displaced due to civil war in Sudan increased to 1.4 million. Attempts to get both factions to agree to an extended cease fire have failed.
The German government has cracked down on radical climate protesters. Activists from a group known as the “Last Generation” have glued themselves to streets, highways and airport runways in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change.
Cross border attacks into Russia have started to break out in the war in Ukraine. In one case the faction who attacked Russia was made up of Russian military defectors. PBS also produced an extended segment about the Wagner Group, a mercenary military force made up of soldiers for hire and Russian prisoners promised freedom for their military service.
The Texas legislature approved a bill meant to keep sexually explicit books out of school libraries. The bill is expected to become law.
A law in Montana was passed that banned drag queens from reading to children in schools and libraries. Fox News has demonized drag performers for months even implying they were pedophiles.
PBS produced a segment about the plight of women under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban banned women from working with aid groups many have pulled their support for the country as the organizations don’t want to indirectly enable the repressive government.
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts said the court needs to do more to address ethics concerns. This follows a series of stories related to Justice Clarence Thomas receiving lavish gifts and trips from Republican donors.
Stewart Rhodes the leader of the far right militia group the Oath Keepers was sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Two other members of the group received eight and a half and four year sentences for felony and misdemeanor charges related to the riot.
The U.S, and South Korean military stage military exercises meant to simulate an attack by North Korea last week.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III made remarks about how the U.S. military would face China’s challenge in the Pacific during his Naval Academy commencement speech.
President Biden nominated Air Force chief of staff General C.Q. Brown as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
According to new Census data the median age rose to 38.8 as Americans age and the birth rate drops.
The Texas legislature voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton over allegations of illegal activities related to one of his political donors. Paxton has been a frequent guest on Fox News.
The DEA threatened to strip Morris & Dickson, a large drug distributor, of its license if a negotiated settlement over its role in the opioid crisis isn't reached. The company is the 4th largest drug wholesaler in the country.
Last week marked the third anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd an unarmed Black man. His murder sparked nationwide protests for police reform.
The state of Indiana reprimanded a doctor who performed a legal abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim. The state medical board ruled Dr. Caitlin Bernard violated the privacy of her young patient when she revealed some details about her case to the press. Dr. Bernard will have to pay a $3,000 fine but will still be able to practice medicine.
An investigation by The Marshall Project uncovered a culture of abuse in New York State prisons.
By the Numbers
Coming up…
This week I’ll be capturing the first hour of “Fox & Friends,” “The Five,” “Fox News Tonight” hosted by Joey Johnny Jones and “Hannity.” I’ll also capture the Trump town hall on Thursday and make an annotated edit of it.