In a break from our usual format contrasting two evening news programs from opposite sides of the aisle, this week we’ll be digging into two left-leaning broadcasts from CNN and MSNBC to investigate how the echo chamber sounds from within.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper kicked off his Wednesday evening broadcast talking about the coronavirus and the ever-growing death toll left in its wake — now up to a quarter million Americans — then quickly dove into the ongoing debacle surrounding the recent presidential election.
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi filled in for Rachel Maddow, who’s under quarantine after coming into contact with a Covid-19-exposed associate. Velshi appeared to begin on a lighter note by looking at the 1954 record set by British runner Roger Bannister — the first person to run a mile in under four minutes during competition — before comparing Bannister’s post-race fatigue with that of the American public’s following the Trump presidency.
(CN) — Discussing the growing number of Americans falling prey to Covid-19, CNN’s Anderson Cooper noted that government health officials have been unable thus far to speak to President-elect Joe Biden about the ongoing health crisis.
Cooper ascribed that lack of communication to President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede defeat in the recent election, however unlike classified intelligence briefings there doesn’t seem to be a real impediment to key health officials simply picking up a telephone and chatting with whomever they choose.
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi meanwhile looked into Trump’s allegations of voter fraud in a number of Democrat-voting counties, noting that Trump is somehow claiming that said fraud only occurred among Biden voters.
According to Velshi, Trump is singling out counties with large populations of Black voters to have their votes unduly thrown out.
Selective fraud
Velshi discussed the ongoing ballot recount in a handful of states where the Trump campaign is footing the bill to have election results tallied again. Velshi highlighted Wisconsin, saying Trump is specifically focused on counties with the greatest population diversity.
“That’s how Trump and his allies and his legal goons are trying to overturn this election in his favor,” Velshi said. “Their strategy is targeted to diminish and discount and disenfranchise Democratic voters, generally speaking non-white Democratic voters.”
The gist of Trump’s message in this regard seems to be that voter fraud absolutely took place — but only in counties that voted for Biden — everyone else is above board. The kicker is that Trump made the same accusations nearly verbatim against senator, and now supporter, Ted Cruz after Cruz won the 2016 Iowa Republican primary.
Velshi astutely points out that the Trump campaign isn’t actually alleging widespread fraud, however, only fraud in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, two counties that overwhelmingly voted Democrat in the recent election.
Transition trouble
Cooper reported that a handful of current and former officials inside the Trump administration have reached out to Biden and his transition team in recent weeks, seeking to maintain continuity inside the government while ensuring the transition process proceeds as seamlessly as circumstances allow.
“Most people in Washington know how this goes, except of course the man in the Oval Office,” explained CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny. “So, it’s a mix of people who are currently serving, and who have recently left who are Trump political appointees. And again, not necessarily fans of Joe Biden, but they know he won this election.”
Zeleny said Biden officials he spoke to appreciate the overtures, but that it doesn’t replace the General Services Administration funding and the sensitive national security data which Biden should be privy to as president-elect but has been denied by the Trump administration.
House fire
The president has been on a firing spree since losing the election, most recently getting rid of his top elections cybersecurity official, Christopher Krebs.
Velshi said Krebs was fired for pushing back on Trump’s claims of election fraud and for refusing to edit or remove content that refuted those claims. The division inside the Department of Homeland Security previously helmed by Krebs had released a statement saying “The Nov. 3rd election was the most secure in American history,” at which point Krebs’ fate was likely sealed.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship, Republicans joined Democrats in praising Krebs and decrying his ouster.
“It’s the president’s prerogative, but I think it just adds to the confusion and chaos and I’m sure I’m not the only one that would like some return to a little more of a — well, I don’t even know what’s normal anymore,” said Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas.
Maddow briefly chimed in herself from home where she’s under quarantine, saying Krebs did a remarkable job in a difficult position. She said he left with a “badge of honor” for being fired by Trump. Maddow was particularly complimentary about Krebs’ refusal to bite his tongue or twist the truth to appease the president, unlike much of the president’s staff
Covid-19
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta appeared dumbfounded by the current state of the pandemic in the United States. The U.S. leads the world in coronavirus deaths, recently topping 250,000 and far outpacing countries such as India with vastly greater populations, with no end in sight until spring when many experts believe a vaccine could become widely availability.
“So many of these deaths were preventable. If you look at the death rate in the United States and compare it to countries around the world, we have the most deaths. I never imagined that the best we would be able to do in this country is to be the worst in the world, and yet here we are,” Gupta said.
Cooper noted it took the U.S. 10 months to reach these dismal figures, but that if the current trends continue, we could be nearing a half million dead by next summer.
Given that a growing number of people, either due to fatigue or misplaced ideology, have all but given up on mask-wearing, lockdowns, distancing and other mitigation measures, those numbers appear unavoidable. That various politicians continue to be photographed eschewing the very safety measures they espouse while instructing their constituents to abandon Thanksgiving isn’t helping, either.
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