John Hoeven

Filling in for Chris Matthews on Hardball tonight, NBC's Chuck Todd noted at the open of the program that Pope Francis's U.S. visit would likely yield moments where he speak out to the discomfit of both Republicans and Democrats on certain policy issues. Yet Todd himself didn't seek the emulate such balance when he interviewed Catholic senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.).

The U.S. Senate took the step Thursday of approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline in a bipartisan fashion by a margin of 62-to-36, with nine Democrats joining 53 Republicans to pass it for the first time after failing to do so under the previous Congress.  When the major English and Spanish language networks aired their Thursday evening newscasts, however, the news of the bill’s passage was…

Earlier today in a press conference, Speaker of the House John Boehner made a quip about President Obama's veto threat of a bill to authorize the Keystone XL oil pipeline which indirectly referenced Jonathan Gruber's infamous "stupidity of the American voter" line regarding the selling of ObamaCare.  Hardball host Chris Matthews played the clip on his November 18 program, but seemed completely…

Liberal radio host and MSNBC parolee Ed Schultz -- they let him out only on weekends -- will never face accusations that he's a stickler for accuracy. Schultz counts on those who follow his shows as too dumb or indifferent to care when he gets it wrong, as often the case. On his radio show Tuesday, for example, Schultz made a deceitful claim that bordered on nonsensical while talking about…

On Monday's All In show, MSNBC host Chris Hayes complained about Republicans trying to increase the number of border agents and to bar illegal immigrants from collecting Social Security benefits based on taxes they've paid into the system. After recounting the time when he worked with several illegal immigrants in a bakery who paid Social Security taxes, and the efforts by Republicans to…

Closing out an interview with Sen. John Hoeven (R) of North Dakota on today's Andrea Mitchell Reports, substitute host Chris Matthews thanked the former governor and said he "loved visiting your state this summer" and that he loves Mt. Rushmore, having "sat there for two hours and just looked up at it" during his trip to South Dakota over the summer. Hoeven corrected Matthews, saying he was…