Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: renewed violence in Iraq (paragraph break removed):Iraqi authorities say the death toll from five days of intense fighting between Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militias has surged to more than 200. Many of the casualties have occurred in Baghdad's Sadr City, a stronghold of militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. A spokesman for the…
NB Staff

Daily Kos: Conservatives Are Naive, Afraid, Allergic to Deep Thinking

Tim Graham

D.Z. Jackson Plays Judas Card Against Hillary

Just when you thought the conflagration over James Carville's Judas analogy might be dying down, here comes Derrick Z. Jackson to pour gasoline on the flames with a return-fire Judas shot of his own.Readers will recall that when Bill Richardson endorsed Obama, Clinton fan Carville chose Good Friday to say:Mr. Richardson’s endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold…
Mark Finkelstein

Mississippi Judge Indicted: Yet Another 'Name That Party' Story

An Associated Press story by Chris Talbott on the indictment of Mississippi judge Bobby DeLaughter waited until the end of the second paragraph to even name him, and never identified his party: Miss. Justices Suspend Embattled Judge The Mississippi Supreme Court suspended a prominent judge Friday who is being investigated for his role in a dispute over fees involving attorney Richard "Dickie"…
Tom Blumer

Todd Bursts Matthews' Balloon on Casey's 'Spiritual' Endorsement of Ob

He calls it Hardball, but again tonight Chris Matthews showed he's a softy when it comes to Barack Obama. Chris was crestfallen when NBC News political director Chuck Todd laid out the case, chapter and verse, that political payback, even revenge, explained Sen. Bob Casey's endorsement of Obama as much or more than the "spiritual" reasons Chris so wanted to believe in.CHRIS MATTHEWS: Chuck, I…
Mark Finkelstein

CBS Faster to Identify Party of Republican Than of Democrats

On Monday night, the CBS Evening News failed to identify Kwame Kilpatrick as a Democrat in reporting criminal charges filed against the Detroit Mayor, but on Friday night the same anchor, Harry Smith, used the very first word, of his introduction to a story on another politician in criminal trouble, to name the party: Republican Congressman Rick Renzi of Arizona goes on trial next month, charged…
Brent Baker

CNN: Republicans Become Dems in PA, But Not Due to Rush’s ‘Dark St

CNN’s Carol Costello highlighted Pennsylvania Republicans who became registered Democrats on Friday’s "The Situation Room," and brushed aside the possibility that Rush Limbaugh’s "Operation Chaos" strategy to meddle in the Democratic primaries might be a partial explanation for the change. Costello, featuring two former Republicans who are now voting for the Democrats, said of the couple, "[I]f…
Matthew Balan

Media Conflicted About FDA Investigation into Singulair

Paul Detrick

NBC Puts Singulair Worries in Perspective While CBS Warns Viewers

'Early Show' warns of suicide risk for asthma/allergy drug; 'Today' stresses consumer caution.
Paul Detrick

ABC's Sam Champion Hypes Global Warming for Eight Minutes

"Good Morning America's" liberal meteorologist Sam Champion continued his crusade of turning the weather report into an environmental lecture on Friday. Champion, the man who once hosted a segment that warned "billions" could die from global warming, devoted over eight minutes of the program to climate change. Reporting live from Colorado, he promoted the Aspen Institute's conference on the…
Scott Whitlock

Weekend Captionfest

“I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.”
NB Staff

'Evening News': Renter Still Foreclosure Victim Despite $2,500 Payout

Surprise - another foreclosure hardship story on the national evening news. This time it was the March 27 "CBS Evening News." CBS correspondent Ben Tracy had no difficulty finding one family affected, it's just that they were paid well to be affected. He showcased a family in Oakland, Calif., that had to move due to a foreclosure. "What they did not know is that the owner of the home they've…
Jeff Poor

Alterman Continues Record of Playing Fast and Loose With the Truth

Eric Alterman’s new book on Why We're Liberals isn’t just plagued with errors, it makes wild charges, like attacking conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, suggesting she was anti-Semitic for cheering on the movie The Passion of the Christ. In a chapter about how conservatives mock the elites, when they themselves are rich and pampered, Alterman wrote about conservatives: "In Ingraham’s case, as…
Tim Graham

Joy Behar: Rev. Wright's Anti-Italian Slurs a 'Compliment

Justin McCarthy