On Friday, NBC’s Today show echoed the infamous words of former President Jimmy Carter as it told Americans to “turn down the thermostat” in order to deal with wildly inflated fuel costs this winter. While the report mentioned pressure on current Carter-esque President Joe Biden to find a way to lower oil and gas prices, the network completely ignored the administration’s radical push to destroy the fossil fuel industry.
“Now let’s move to the record inflation causing Americans to pay more for just about everything,” co-host Hoda Kotb declared at the top of the segment. She specifically warned: “And with the cold weather arriving, fuel costs are spiking nationwide. That means more pain at the pump and for heating your home too.”
Correspondent Tom Costello announced: “From the northeast to the midwest, meteorologists predict a cold winter, which could make it expensive one too.” He highlighted the eye-popping inflation numbers:
Prices have already jumped dramatically. Natural gas up 130% from a year ago. Heating oil up 59%. And prices could move even higher as the months get colder. From Americans warming their homes to filling their tanks.
Costello only briefly noted the political impact on Biden: “Now some lawmakers are calling on President Biden to tap into the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.” Though the notion that the President could do anything about the soaring fuel prices was dismissed just as quickly: “But experts say the nation is largely at the mercy of the global energy markets and the reserve is only meant for short-term emergencies.”
Amazingly, not one word was said about Biden cancelling the Keystone XL oil pipeline immediately as he took office in January or the administration looking into the possibility of shutting down an existing pipeline in Michigan.
The idea of increasing domestic oil and natural gas production wasn’t discussed at all in NBC’s coverage. Which is no surprise coming from the same network that has cheered Biden’s radical agenda to dismantle the fossil fuel industry.
Wrapping up the segment, Costello offered tips on how viewers could reduce their energy costs:
Well, I was really surprised by the amount of money you can save on your heating bill if you’d simply turn down the thermostat. By about eight hours a day or so, if you turn it down seven to ten degrees, you can save up to 10% on your heating bills. So that’s pretty significant. You can consider heavier curtains on the windows, right? You keep the heat in if you can.
He might as well have donned a sweater for how identical his words were with President Carter’s 1977 speech calling on Americans to conserve energy by lowering their thermostats in the middle of winter.
Rather than question the far-left environmental policy of the Biden administration and how that may be contributing to the massive surge in oil and gas prices, NBC is telling Americans to avoid turning up the heat as bitter cold winter temperatures arrive and buy “heavier curtains.”
These Jimmy Carter-style tips were brought to viewers by Hyundai and Walmart. You can fight back by letting these advertisers know what you think of them sponsoring such content.
Here is a full transcript of the November 12 report:
7:09 AM ET
HODA KOTB: Now let’s move to the record inflation causing Americans to pay more for just about everything. And with the cold weather arriving, fuel costs are spiking nationwide. That means more pain at the pump and for heating your home too. NBC’s Tom Costello has more on how bad it could get this winter. Hey, Tom, good morning.
TOM COSTELLO: Yeah, Hey, Hoda. You know, what happened is last year during the pandemic we had energy prices sinking rather dramatically, right, nobody was on the roads, kids were not in school. Fast forward to today and the economy is rebounding in a very strong way. The roads are full, factories are operating on all cylinders, kids back in school, so demand for fuel is really surging. The trouble is, oil companies are struggling to keep up.
Mid-November in New England, temperatures are falling and Edward Markarian is making the rounds, delivering heating oil and sticker shock to his customers.
EDWARD MARKARIAN: As much as I hate to show them the bill, they like their gas, but they understand what’s going on.
COSTELLO: From the northeast to the midwest, meteorologists predict a cold winter, which could make it expensive one too.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: You have to heat your home and, you know, you just have to pay the higher cost.
COSTELLO: Prices have already jumped dramatically. Natural gas up 130% from a year ago. Heating oil up 59%. And prices could move even higher as the months get colder. From Americans warming their homes to filling their tanks.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN B: Gas prices are bananas. I drive my car for a living so, yeah, at $4 a gallon, you’re like, really?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I don’t have enough money to pay for gas every day, so this is crazy.
COSTELLO: The national average for unleaded now $3.41 a gallon, a seven-year high, that’s up
from $2.11 last year during the pandemic economic slowdown. Filling up on the west coast right now even worse: $3.87 in Washington, $3.96 in Nevada and a staggering $4.64 in California. Now some lawmakers are calling on President Biden to tap into the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. But experts say the nation is largely at the mercy of the global energy markets and the reserve is only meant for short-term emergencies.PATRIK DEHAAN [GASBUDDY HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS]: Keep in mind that any release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve would only satisfy a small portion of global daily demand. This is a much bigger picture than just the U.S. alone.
COSTELLO: Meanwhile, record inflation could spell trouble for the President’s massive $1.75 trillion social spending package. Moderate Democrat Senator Joe Manchin reportedly hinting that he may support delaying a vote on the bill until next year. The Senator tweeting this week that the inflation threat is “getting worse” and D.C. “can no longer ignore” it.
HOTB: So, Tom, winter is approaching, people are probably wondering what ways they can try to save money on those home heating bills. What do you know?
COSTELLO: Well, I was really surprised by the amount of money you can save on your heating bill if you’d simply turn down the thermostat. By about eight hours a day or so, if you turn it down seven to ten degrees, you can save up to 10% on your heating bills. So that’s pretty significant. You can consider heavier curtains on the windows, right? You keep the heat in if you can. Get a home audit. They will come in, they will determine where you’re leaking air, where you’re getting the cold air coming in, and often some states even offer you a cut – or a discount I should say – on getting your home sealed up for the holidays. I did this a couple years ago. Saved us a lot of money on our heating bills, guys. Also, insulation. Blow insulation into your attic, that saved us a lot of money, too.
KOTB: Alright, thank you, Tom Costello, for us there in D.C.. Thanks, Tom.
