On Thursday's New Day on CNN, the show presented a pre-recorded "Reality Check" in which liberal analyst John Avlon excoriated President Donald Trump for being a global warming skeptic, and asserted that "you ought to have your head examined" if you disagree with the left's fearmongering and alarmism about climate change.
After meteorologist Chad Myers discussed the current threat of hurricanes, co-host Alisyn Camerota introduced Avlon's "Reality Check" as she pivoted:
Look, as Chad just showed us, it's a very active season. We are in the midst of the most active hurricane season in the Atlantic in 15 years, and then, on the West Coast, millions of acres are on fire. President Trump still denies climate change, and John Avlon has our "Reality Check."
The CNN host seemed oblivious to the fact that hurricane activity goes through cycles spanning decades, and have been even worse in the past, so there's nothing at all unusual about a hurricane season that is the worst that it's been in 15 years.
Avlon was then seen beginning his segment:
If you're still in denial about whether climate change is real, you ought to have your head examined. Or you might be President Trump. There are at least 87 wildfires burning across the Western United States, consuming more than 4.7 million acres to date. Phoenix has seen a record 50 consecutive days over 110 degrees while the skies over San Francisco have been choked with orange smoke, making it look like a dystopian sci fi film, but it's all too real, with the Northwest now containing three cities with the worst air quality on Earth.
After a clip of President Trump declaring that "science doesn't know" how the climate will change in the future, Avlon suggested that the President is not a "sentient being" as the CNN analyst added: "Science does know, Mr. President. So does any sentient being. Right now, there are five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic at the same time. That's only happened once before in recorded history."
Avlon seemed oblivious to the fact that by admitting that such an event has happened previously, that means it is not unprecedented and begs for an explanation of why human activity is the only explanation for it happening again.
In spite of evidence undermining the recurring hype around glaciers melting, Avlon moved to hype recent examples of glaciers melting:
There are two major glaciers breaking apart in Antarctica, one the size of Florida. Scientists warn it could lead to runaway ice melt, lifting sea levels as much as two feet. And this comes on the heels of a chunk of ice twice the size of Manhattan breaking off Greenland. This is happening here and now, but President Trump does not have a plan because he does not believe in climate change.
A bit later, he used the incendiary term "climate denier" to refer to global warming skeptics:
His administration censored official climate reports and withdrew us from the Paris climate accords. His administration has erased or obscured the term "climate change" from government websites -- scrubbed it from a list of national security threats -- and he's continued to appoint climate change deniers to senior scientific positions.
Avlon then moved to bolster Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by hyping an endorsement by Scientific American: "So it's perhaps no surprise that Scientific American just made its first presidential endorsement in 175 years. They've endorsed Joe Biden because, unlike President Trump, he's actually proposed a plan to deal with climate change."
This episode of New Day was sponsored by Chewy. Their contact information is linked.
Below is a complete transcript of the "Reality Check" segment from the Thursday, September 17, New Day on CNN:
6:43 a.m. Eastern
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Look, as Chad (Myers) just showed us, it's a very active season. We are in the midst of the most active hurricane season in the Atlantic in 15 years, and then, on the West Coast, millions of acres are on fire. President Trump still denies climate change, and John Avlon has our "Reality Check."
JOHN AVLON: If you're still in denial about whether climate change is real, you ought to have your head examined. Or you might be President Trump. There are at least 87 wildfires burning across the Western United States, consuming more than 4.7 million acres to date. Phoenix has seen a record 50 consecutive days over 110 degrees while the skies over San Francisco have been choked with orange smoke, making it look like a dystopian sci fi film, but it's all too real, with the Northwest now containing three cities with the worst air quality on Earth. Which shows you why comments like this--
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I believe in clean air, immaculate air -- I believe in clean water, all of those things --
TRUMP: I am not a believer in climate change.
AVLON: --are dangerous nonsense. But, of course, Donald Trump doubled down while visiting fire-ravaged California.
TRUMP: It'll start getting cooler -- you just watch.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I wish science agreed with you.
TRUMP: I don't think science knows actually.
AVLON: Science does know, Mr. President. So does any sentient being. Right now, there are five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic at the same time. That's only happened once before in recorded history. There are two major glaciers breaking apart in Antarctica, one the size of Florida. Scientists warn it could lead to runaway ice melt, lifting sea levels as much as two feet. And this comes on the heels of a chunk of ice twice the size of Manhattan breaking off Greenland. This is happening here and now, but President Trump does not have a plan because he does not believe in climate change.
His administration censored official climate reports and withdrew us from the Paris climate accords. His administration has erased or obscured the term "climate change" from government websites -- scrubbed it from a list of national security threats -- and he's continued to appoint climate change deniers to senior scientific positions.
But despite all this, President Trump declared himself the number one environmental President last week. He's hoping you won't remember his move to repeal dozens of environmental regulations, including loosening restrictions on toxic air pollution and rolling back clean water protections. So it's perhaps no surprise that Scientific American just made its first presidential endorsement in 175 years. They've endorsed joe Biden because, unlike President Trump, he's actually proposed a plan to deal with climate change.
Here's the thing: Environmental policies and even climate change didn't used to be a choice between denial and doing something. The conservation movement was basically started by a Republican President, Teddy Roosevelt. Nixon created the EPA, and Ronald Reagan was President when the first major climate change legislation -- the Global Climate Protection Act of 1987 -- became law, and it was sponsored by -- you guessed it -- Joe Biden. But now, while America burns, storms get worse, and sea levels rise, the official position of the Trump administration on climate change can be summed up by this infamous quote.
TRUMP: What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening.
AVLON: And that's your "Reality Check."
BERMAN: Our thanks, John for what is, in fact, reality.
