CNN apparently tried to be “fair and balanced” during the channel’s CNN Newsroom program on Tuesday morning, April 11, when co-hosts John Berman and Poppy Harlow moderated a debate that degenerated into an argument between political commentators Jeffrey Lord and Angela Rye that dealt with topics ranging from the relationship between America and Russia to global climate change.
Rye’s comment to Lord came near the end of the segment, when she told him: “Climate change is a real thing. … Tell your friends that there are icebergs melting, OK? We have a real challenge, and your guy is dialing back regulations that are harmful not just to the American people, but globally.”
“This is a problem we have to acknowledge where there should be bipartisan agreement and could be based on facts. Facts are non-negotiable despite what you and your friends believe,” she stated.
Berman began the segment by asking Lord, an American Spectator editor and NewsBusters contributing writer, about the turbulent relationship between American President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation.
“Well, so much for the idea that Vladimir Putin was a link to give Donald Trump the presidency,” Lord noted. “I don’t think that’s worked out the way the critics have suggested.”
The contributing editor added:
Look, I have said all along from Day One it is not possible that Vladimir Putin preferred Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump is going to take Vladimir Putin and every other world leader at face value until they do something that crosses a line.
Referring to the charge that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attacked people in his own country with chemical weapons, Lord stated that “this clearly was a very, very disturbing” incident, and Trump responded with a missile attack on the airfield where the weapons were launched.
“We’ve seen what it’s like when a president does not act,” he continued, “so we’re just going to have to go on from here and play it as it goes.”
Co-host Poppy Harlow then turned her attention to Rye: “This administration has had to win, like [Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil] Gorsuch, et cetera, and they’ve some roadblocks like the failure to pass the health-care reform bill and like the travel ban not making it through the court system.”
“Still, the stock market is way up, and illegal border crossings are way down,” she noted. “How do you brand the first 100 days?”
Rye responded: “I think wins are determined by how they impact the American people, and … frankly, the Trump administration has had many epic fails.”
“The only real thing where Donald Trump has actually won, besides of course Gorsuch and he had the Senate to help out there,” she stated. “He is winning on golfing. He’s 28 days in out of 100, and that’s so funny because he was critic-in-chief for Obama’s golf game.”
Berman intervened:
On top of that, CNN is reporting that President Trump is on pace to spend more personal travel in his first year than President Obama spent all eight years that he was in office.
It just so happens I don’t think there’s anything wrong with presidential golfing. Doesn’t this prove that then-candidate Trump was dead wrong about him when he was running for office?
“Nah, I don’t think so,” Lord answered. “I think this is just a ‘media gotcha.’ I’m looking for things like: Did President Obama donate his first quarter salary to the National Park Service? I don’t think so. Did he play on his own golf course? I don’t think so. “
“That’s costing us $3 million, Jeffrey,” Rye interrupted. “Every trip!”
“Look, the important thing is Neil Gorsuch,” Lord continued. “He’s going to be on that court for a very long time, which is why Angela and her friends were so upset and why they had to trigger the use of the nuclear option.”
“You’re talking about wins for the American people,” Rye shot back. “Climate change is a real thing. You talk about me and my friends. Tell your friends that there are icebergs melting, OK?”
“We have a real challenge,” she continued, “and your guy is dialing back regulations that are harmful not just to the American people, but globally.
“This is a problem we have to acknowledge where there should be bipartisan agreement and could be based on facts,” Rye added. “Facts are non-negotiable despite what you and your friends believe.”
“Facts are non-negotiable,” Lord agreed. “The reason Donald Trump is in the White House is because people had had it with the Obama era.”
Hollow concluded the interview by stating: “John and I have to go golfing.”
