With the aftermath of the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump drawing significant coverage, the Springfield “dogs and cats” story is beginning to recede from view- except on CBS, which chose to flog the story for at least one more night.
Watch CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell’s absolutely bonkers open to the Springfield item filed by correspondent Nikole Killion:
CBS's Norah O'Donnell watched Lester Holt tie the 2nd attempted assassination of @realDonaldTrump to Springfield rhetoric last night and said, "hold my box wine" pic.twitter.com/MYfIImhHI3
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) September 17, 2024
NORAH O’DONNELL: Donald Trump is blaming Democrats for inflaming political rhetoric. But the former president's own words seem to be increasing the threat of political violence in Springfield, Ohio. That's where a false and ugly accusation against Haitians, thousands of whom are legal permanent residents, is impacting everyday life. CBS's Nikole Killion reports on the growing controversy.
NBC’s Lester Holt did the same exact thing yesterday- the forced and accusatory tying in of Springfield with the most recent assassination attempt. For all the media’s denunciations of “inflammatory rhetoric”, they sure are good at cooking up some incitement of their own.
Killion’s report is a rehash of the common themes echoed in Springfield coverage, but with a reduced emphasis on actual cats and dogs. There was time to replay some JD Vance video from Sunday, and there was time to ask a restaurant manager about prank calls asking whether they serve cats. On plates.
But the most interesting part of the report doesn’t come until the very end:
BURYING THE LEDE DEEP INTO THE EARTH'S CRUST: The matter of the Springfield bomb threats being FOREIGN HOAXES is buried at the end of CBS's report- the only network evening newscast still milking...errrr...covering Springfield. pic.twitter.com/NyX9OxbqUK
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) September 17, 2024
NIKOLE KILLION: Governor DeWine says all of these bomb threats have been hoaxes so far, and he tells me that many of these calls are coming from overseas from a specific country, although he wouldn't go into detail. Norah?
NORAH O’DONNELL: Nikole Killion in Springfield tonight. Thank you, Nikole.
This is a significant piece of information that completely upends the Springfield narrative. Might these be the same foreign actors we keep hearing are trying to interfere in our elections? We don’t know (yet).
Burying the lede isn’t good form but at least CBS aired this information, which is more than can be said for ABC and NBC, which did not air this information on their evening newscasts.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the CBS Evening News on Monday, September 16th, 2024:
NORAH O’DONNELL: Donald Trump is blaming Democrats for inflaming political rhetoric. But the former president's own words seem to be increasing the threat of political violence in Springfield, Ohio. That's where a false and ugly accusation against Haitians, thousands of whom are legal permanent residents, is impacting everyday life. CBS's Nikole Killion reports on the growing controversy.
NIKOLE KILLION: Tonight the town of Springfield is stepping up security as viral unfounded claims about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets continue to circulate, amplified by former President Trump and running mate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
DONALD TRUMP: In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating- they’re eating the pets.
KILLION: After a pair of elementary schools evacuated, Governor Mike DeWine came to the city to announce that three dozen state troopers would be posted Tuesday, so they can stay open.
MIKE DEWINE: Look. Parents are scared. And when parents are scared, we need to react and I don't blame them.
KILLION: Two local colleges moved their classes online, including Wittenberg University, following threats targeting the Haitian community. The city also canceled a major cultural festival at the end of the month as a safety precaution.
ROB RUE: If they just backed off their words a little bit, this could help our environment. This would help. We need help not hate. We need help.
KILLION: Over the weekend, members of the far right group The Proud Boys were seen marching through the streets and a branch of the Ku Klux Klan spread leaflets with hateful messages.
JD VANCE: Well, we condemn all violence…
KILLION: Vance expressed concern this weekend but doubled down on the false claims.
VANCE: If I have to create stories so that the American media pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do.
KILLION: Do you think a senator should make something up?
DEWINE: Well, I don't know that's what he meant. I think he wants to use this, I guess, to illustrate a problem we really do have and that is a problem along our southern border.
KILLION: In Springfield's little Haiti, Roman Pierre is a manager at a Creole restaurant that has been bombarded with calls.
ROMAN PIERRE: A lot of people call me. They say, “You sell cat? You sell dog?” I say, “ No, we don't sell those kind of things”.
KILLION: He says Trump and Vance should apologize.
PIERRE: Haitians are good people.
KILLION: Governor DeWine says all of these bomb threats have been hoaxes so far, and he tells me that many of these calls are coming from overseas from a specific country, although he wouldn't go into detail. Norah?
O’DONNELL: Nikole Killion in Springfield tonight. Thank you, Nikole.
