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By Scott Whitlock
CBS This Morning stood alone on Monday in exposing the connections between prominent Democrats, like the Clintons and the Obamas, and the sleazy, scandal-plagued Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. ABC ignored the now-fired executive’s years of contributions to Democrats, instead linking him to Donald Trump.
But CBS’s Tony Dokoupil dropped the hammer: “Since 2007, Weinstein has made about $600,000 in political contributions, mostly to Democrats. He donated nearly $40,000 to help Hillary Clinton in 2016 and more than $70,000 to reelect President Obama in 2012.”
He even added, “Michelle Obama praised him a year later.” Dokoupil then included a clip of Michelle Obama talking about the man who, at one point, allegedly masturbated in front of a frightened woman he cornered in a restaurant. Mrs. Obama praised, “He's a wonderful human being, a good friend.”
 In a later segment, Bianna Golodrygra highlighted, “Don't forget, the Obamas' daughter even interned for him as recently as this past summer. So many questions to be asked.” Speaking of the troubling connection, Dokoupil underlined, “[The] Clintons and Obamas have so far been silent. But at least eight senators who also received support from Weinstein say they will donate the money to women and victim’s groups.”
CBS journalists deserve kudos for reporting the story as it is and not trying to cover for the Democrats and their embarrassing connection to Weinstein. The same cannot be said for ABC’s Good Morning America.
 In a two minute and 22 second report, GMA’s Linsey Davis never mentioned the mogul’s close ties to prominent Democrats. Instead, she linked Trump to Weinstein, highlighting a picture of the then-reality TV star with the Hollywood power broker: “Even President Trump, pictured here with Weinstein at a 2009 film premiere, weighing in.”
Contrast the above image that CBS chose to focus on and the picture (at right) that ABC wanted viewers to see. Quite the contrast.
She then included this exchange, pushing the Access Hollywood comparison:
LINSEY DAVIS: But when a reporter attempted to compare Weinstein's behavior with President Trump's, the President made this distinction.
OFF CAMERA REPORTER: Did Harvey Weinstein act inappropriate?
TRUMP: Well, he says they were inappropriate.
REPORTER: A year ago that video that came out —
TRUMP: That's locker room. That's locker room.
 It’s certainly reasonable, given Trump’s own personal history, to bring up the Access Hollywoodtape. But at least mention Weinstein’s Democratic ties.
Over on NBC’s Today,Kate Snow barely improved on ABC's sorry coverage. At the end of a full report on Weinstein, Snow briefly noted, “He was a big donor to Democrats, as well. Many have announced, guys, that they will give the donations over to charity.” That was it.
[The bias by censorship on GMA was sponsored by Oral-B, T-Mobile and National rental car.]
A transcript of the CBS segment is below:
CBS This Morning
10/9/17
7:06am ET
CHARLIE ROSE: Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein this morning is out from the studio he co-founded in 2005. The Weinstein Company released a statement last night saying he had been terminated effective immediately. His abrupt firing came just three days after the New York Times reported Weinstein paid off sexual harassment claims for decades.
GAYLE KING: This weekend, two more women accused Weinstein of unwanted advances. Those claims follow actresses Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, who told the Times they were among Weinstein’s alleged victims. Weinstein was the force behind some of Hollywood’s biggest hits, from Silver Linings Playbook to Pulp Fiction. Tony Dokoupil is here with how some of his powerful friends are now turning their backs on him. Tony, good morning.
TONY DOKOUPIL: Good morning. Harvey Weinstein was a force, not only in Hollywood but Washington, where he gave generously to the campaigns of Democrats. After the allegations surfaced, Thursday, however, Weinstein found himself with far fewer friends to turn to. Harvey Weinstein was fired by his studio's board of directors including his brother Bob. Two prominent attorneys Lisa Bloom and Lanny Davis also quit his defense team this past weekend as more accusers came forward. One script writer told the Times of London Weinstein tried to convince her to take a bath with her in his hotel suite A local news anchor said Weinstein cornered her in a restaurant and explicitly touched himself in front of her. Actress Rose McGowan, one of Weinstein’s accusers, tweeted a picture of herself and wrote, “This is the girl that was hurt by a Hollywood monster.” Janice Min edited the Hollywood Reporter for nearly seven years.
JANICE MIN: This is just what is the start of what is probably going to be months and months of revelations.
DOKOUPIL: But because Weinstein has been responsible, for many of Hollywood's finest films in the last 25 years, Min says many in the industry are still wants to condemn him publicly.
MIN: No one wants guilt by association. Anybody who gives a quote is going to have a journalist go back and look at the project they were involved in where Harvey Weinstein was involved.
DOKOUPIL: Since 2007, Weinstein has made about $600,000 in political contributions, mostly to Democrats. He donated nearly $40,000 to help Hillary Clinton in 2016 and more than $70,000 to reelect President Obama in 2012. Michelle Obama praised him a year later.
MICHELLE OBAMA: He's a wonderful human being, a good friend.
DOKOUPIL: Clintons and Obamas have so far been silent. But at least eight senators who also received support from Weinstein say they will donate the money to women and victim’s groups. Weinstein did not respond to our request for comment. But last week he acknowledged his past behave caused colleagues, quote, “a lot of pain.” He also apologized. Weinstein’s attorney say they are preparing a lawsuit against the New York Times. They allege the report there was, quote, saturated with false and defamatory statements. Bianna?
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By Kyle Drennen
After hailing former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for supposedly taking a “stand” for “civil rights” by disrespecting the National Anthem, Monday’s network morning shows had the gall to attack Vice President Mike Pence for walking out of an NFL game on Sunday in protest of such player actions. All three broadcasts touted left-wing “critics” deriding the move as a “PR stunt.”
Filling in for George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s Good Morning America, World News Tonight anchor David Muir proclaimed: “The White House reignites the debate over the National Anthem. Vice President pence sparking a firestorm. Was it a political stunt?”Minutes later, correspondent Mary Bruce announced: “Well, the White House seems to relish this fight and appears to want to keep it going. Again, they are reigniting this debate over the National Anthem.”
Bruce noted that the Vice President was “taking that stand to oppose players who take a knee,” but worried moments later “it wasn’t an impromptu protest” and that “Pence planned to leave all along if players took a knee.”
The protests against the National Anthem by NFL players were not “impromptu” either, in fact, those demonstrations have been highly orchestrated in many cases. That never seemed to bother journalists before.
Bruce explained: “Many 49ers are known for doing exactly that. Their former quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the protests last season.” She highlighted how “49ers player Eric Reid calls Pence’s actions a ‘PR stunt.’” After playing a sounbite of Reid, the reporter piled on: “And this morning some are asking, was it worth it? One Democratic congressman [Adam Schiff] saying, ‘After all the scandals involving unnecessarily expensive travel by cabinet secretaries, how much taxpayer money was wasted on this stunt?’”
“The White House also involved in a new controversy over those player protests at NFL games. The Vice President, Mike Pence, added more fuel to the fire when he walked out of the Colts/49ers game after some players knelt during the National Anthem,” declared co-host Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s Today. Correspondent Peter Alexander warned: “This is the latest chapter in a divisive national debate, but it certainly escalates things.”
Like his ABC colleague, Alexander lined up opponents to denounce Pence:
To attend the game, Pence flew more than 1,800 miles aboard Air Force Two, from Las Vegas to Indianapolis, then another 2,000-plus miles back to L.A. ahead of a political fundraiser. Critics pounced. Democrat Adam Schiff tweeting, “After all the scandals involving unnecessarily expensive travel by cabinet secretaries, how much taxpayer money was wasted on this stunt?”....49er Eric Reid among those kneeling, later calling Pence’s walkout a “PR stunt.”
“He knew our team has had the most players protests, he knew that we were probably going to do it again. And so, this is what systemic oppression looks like,” Reid ranted in a clip that followed.
In contrast to the lengthy hyperbolic coverage on ABC and NBC, CBS This Morning only offered an 26-second news brief on the topic – but still managed to label Pence’s actions as a “stunt”:
 BIANNA GOLODRYGA: The Indy Star reports Vice President Mike Pence left the Colts game after players from the 49ers kneeled for the anthem. Pence was in Indianapolis, Sunday, to see the Colts play San Francisco. After leaving, he tweeted, “President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our flag, or our national anthem. Critics called it a PR stunt, but in a tweet this morning the President said the Vice President's trip was, quote, “long planned.”
The networks wasted no time hammering Pence on Sunday, as the ABC and NBC evening newscasts both dismissed his walkout.
The biased coverage across all three networks Monday morning was brought to viewers by T-Mobile, Edward Jones Financial, and Toyota.
Here are transcripts of the October 9 coverage on ABC and NBC:
Good Morning America
7:01 AM TEASE
 DAVID MUIR: The White House reignites the debate over the National Anthem. Vice President pence sparking a firestorm. Was it a political stunt?
7:08 AM SEGMENT [7:08:34 - 7:10:29, 1 min 55 sec]
DAVID MUIR: We turn now to the battle between the White House and the NFL. Vice President Pence walking out of that Colts game in Indianapolis Sunday when players from the San Francisco 49ers knelt during the National Anthem. Let’s get right to Mary Bruce on the Hill, she’s got reaction for us pouring in this morning. Good morning, Mary.
MARY BRUCE: Good morning, David. Well, the White House seems to relish this fight and appears to want to keep it going. Again, they are reigniting this debate over the National Anthem. The Vice President yesterday taking that stand to oppose players who take a knee. And the President says, it was all his idea.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: White House vs. the NFL; VP Pence Walks Out of Colts Game Players Kneel]
As players from the San Francisco 49ers took a knee during the National Anthem Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence staged a protest of his own. The Vice President, who flew from Las Vegas to Indianapolis for Sunday’s game, standing with his hand on his heart. But soon after, he and his wife abruptly left the stadium. Then he tweeted this, “I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our flag, or our National Anthem.” But it wasn’t an impromptu protest. An aide says Pence planned to leave all along if players took a knee. And President Trump is taking credit for the walkout, tweeting, “I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled. I am proud of him.”
Many 49ers are known for doing exactly that. Their former quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the protests last season. 49ers player Eric Reid calls Pence’s actions a “PR stunt.”
ERIC REID: He knew our team and most players protests, he knew that we were probably going to do it again.
BRUCE: And this morning some are asking, was it worth it? One Democratic congressman saying, “After all the scandals involving unnecessarily expensive travel by cabinet secretaries, how much taxpayer money was wasted on this stunt?”
Now, we’ve asked the White House about those criticisms and questions about the expense of the Vice President’s appearance, but, David, so far no response.
MUIR: Alright, Mary, stick with us here.
Today
7:07 AM ET
 SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: The White House also involved in a new controversy over those player protests at NFL games. The Vice President, Mike Pence, added more fuel to the fire when he walked out of the Colts/49ers game after some players knelt during the National Anthem. NBC National Correspondent Peter Alexander with that story this morning. Peter, good morning.
PETER ALEXANDER: Hey, Matt and Savannah, good morning to you. This is the latest chapter in a divisive national debate, but it certainly escalates things. The Vice President, Mike Pence, leaving the Indianapolis Colts game, hosting the San Francisco 49ers, before the game even started, to publicly demonstrate his disapproval with NFL protests – NFL players protesting silently during the National Anthem.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: VP Walks Away From NFL Game; Leaves Over Anthem Protest as Cost of Trip Questioned]
Vice President Mike Pence touching down in Los Angeles after walking out in Indianapolis. Pence leaving Sunday’s 49ers/colts game after more than 20 players took a knee during the National Anthem. The Vice President and his wife did stand, hand over hearts, tweeting out the picture, writing, “President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our flag, or our National Anthem.” Adding, “While everyone entitled to their own opinions, I don’t think it’s too much to ask NFL players to respect the flag and our National Anthem.” The President says he asked the Vice President “to leave the stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country.” Adding, “I’m proud of him and Second Lady Karen.”
To attend the game, Pence flew more than 1,800 miles aboard Air Force Two, from Las Vegas to Indianapolis, then another 2,000-plus miles back to L.A. ahead of a political fundraiser. Critics pounced. Democrat Adam Schiff tweeting, “After all the scandals involving unnecessarily expensive travel by cabinet secretaries, how much taxpayer money was wasted on this stunt?” At the stadium, reporters traveling with Pence were told to stay in the van because there may be an early departure from the game.
It's not surprising the 49ers would take a knee after former Quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the protest last season to bring attention to police brutality and racial injustice. 49er Eric Reid among those kneeling, later calling Pence’s walkout a “PR stunt.”
ERIC REID: He knew our team has had the most players protests, he knew that we were probably going to do it again. And so, this is what systemic oppression looks like.
ALEXANDER: Still, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who recently knelt down with his team, now issuing a warning to his players, “if we are disrespecting the flag, then we will not play. Period. We’re going to respect the flag and I’m going to create the perception of it.”
I reached out last night and the NFL is declining to comment, but President Trump is weighing in this morning on Twitter, tweeting just a moment ago, “The trip by Vice President Pence was long planned. He is receiving great praise for leaving game after the players showed such disrespect for the country!” A senior Pence official tells us that the Vice President was hopeful all the players would stand, but prepared to leave if they didn’t. Matt and Savannah?
GUTHRIE: Alright, Peter Alexander, thank you.
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By Nicholas Fondacaro
 While the Big Three Networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) were busy hyping up the feud between President Trump and Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker Monday evening, they blacked out Twitter’s targeting of the conservative woman looking to replace the retiring Senator. Earlier in the day, Twitter blocked the advertising for a campaign video posted by Marsha Blackburn and claimed it was “ ’inflammatory’ & ‘negative.’”
During the two minute and 43 seconds long campaign ad, which explained why she was running for the Senate, Blackburn touted just how pro-life she was. “I’m 100 percent pro-life. I fought Planned Parenthood and we stopped the sale of baby body parts, thank God.” According to Twitter, that part was the problem.
A spokesperson for the social media company told the campaign’s vendors that Blackburn’s talk of stopping the sale of baby body parts was “deemed an inflammatory statement that is likely to evoke a strong negative reaction.” And if the campaign wanted to be allowed to promote the advertisement, that part had to be taken out.
Unironically, Twitter’s own advertising policy declared that company “provides a platform for its users to share and receive a wide range of ideas and content, and we greatly value and defend our users' ability to express themselves.”
Clearly, Twitter’s standards are not universally applied in any sort of fair or even way. For instance: Singer Nancy Sinatra posted a tweet calling for all members of the NRA to be killed by a firing squad after the Las Vegas mass shooting, with absolutely no response from the company.
And since she had her video barred from being promoted, Blackburn had put out a series of tweets containing the video and asked her supporters to help spread the word. “Twitter shut down our video ad, claiming it's "inflammatory" & "negative." Join me in standing up to Silicon Valley … Retweet our message,” one of them read.
Another tweet exclaimed that “this is the video Twitter didn't want you to see. Watch it then retweet it to your followers. Don't let Silicon Valley censor Republicans!”
Also included in the barred campaign ad, was a message from Blackburn to her leftist detractors: “I know the left calls me a wingnut or a knuckle-dragging conservative. And you know what? I say that’s all right. Bring it on.”
The hypocrisy from the Big Three Networks on this censorship was staggering.
Recently, ESPN sportscaster Jemele Hill took to Twitter to assert that the President and his supporters were all white supremacists. And after the President called for Hill’s suspension or firing, the Big Three were up in arms with claims of First Amendment violations. And they were also dead silent when Hill’s coworker Linda Cohn was suspended for saying the company was too political.
Hill was eventually suspended, not for what she said about Trump but for threatening the company’s bottom-line when she Tweeted that her followers should boycott the advertisers for the Dallas Cowboys because of their new no kneeling policy (ESPN was one of them). Only NBC mentioned that on Monday night but hid it in a tiny news brief.
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By Kyle Drennen
While the broadcast networks were thrilled in September at the prospect that President Trump might strike a deal with Democrats to pass DACA legislation, his call for border security to be part of any such proposal left the NBC, ABC, and CBS morning shows crying foul Monday morning as they channeled liberal outrage.
“The President also waging a new battle over immigration this morning, with the White House demanding a border security crackdown in exchange for protecting young undocumented immigrants, known as DREAMers, from deportation,” correspondent Kristen Welker declared on NBC’s Today. She warned viewers: “The most controversial request? Funding for a southern border wall, a key Trump campaign promise.”
Continuing to bemoan the supposed “crackdown” proposal, the White House reporter noted:
Also on the list of immigration proposals: cracking down on sanctuary cities, tougher action against unaccompanied minors, and beefed up border security. In a statement, Democratic leaders said the White House can’t be serious about compromise given the hardline policies they’re asking for.
At the top of 8 a.m. ET hour, fellow correspondent Peter Alexander quoted Democratic Party talking points word for word:
Overnight, leading Democrats rejecting the proposals as a failed attempt at compromise. In a joint statement, Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer saying the wall “was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations.” Adding, “If the President was serious about protecting the DREAMers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so.”
On ABC’s Good Morning America, fill-in co-host and World News Tonight anchor David Muir announced: “Overnight, the Trump administration revealing their list of demands they say need to be met to strike a deal on protecting the so-called DREAMers....Democratic leaders quickly responding this morning, saying the President can’t be serious.”
“He wants funding for a border wall, he wants a tougher legal immigration system in this country. The response, you said it, David, from Chuck and Nancy, as he calls them, this administration can’t be serious,” followed correspondent Mary Bruce minutes later.
At the top of CBS This Morning, co-host Charlie Rose proclaimed: “Top Democrats reject the President’s new demand for an immigration crackdown as part of a deal to extend DACA.” During his later report, correspondent Major Garrett lamented: “When President Trump ended DACA but signaled he was open to a legislative compromise, we reported at the time that soon the White House would follow up with very tough immigration proposals. Well, now they’re here.”
After characterizing the policy proposal as being “meant to reassure President Trump’s base that he hasn’t gone soft on the issue,” Garrett touted how “Democratic leaders said the proposals go ‘far beyond what is reasonable.’” Continuing to read from the Democrats’ partisan statement, he offered: “‘This proposal fails to represent any attempt at compromise,’ they wrote. Referring to earlier talks with the President, the Democratic leaders said wall funding ‘was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations.’”
All the hosts and correspondents seemed to forget that Democrats were the minority party and not actually the ones setting the agenda in Washington. Perhaps that memory loss explains the apparent shock they had at the Republican president actually making legislative demands.
The biased coverage across the three networks was brought to viewers by Kohl’s, Lincoln, and Tylenol.
Here are excerpts of the October 9 coverage on NBC, ABC, and CBS:
Today
7:04 AM ET
(...)
 KRISTEN WELKER: The President also waging a new battle over immigration this morning, with the White House demanding a border security crackdown in exchange for protecting young undocumented immigrants, known as DREAMers, from deportation. The Trump administration circulating a wish list in Congress. The most controversial request? Funding for a southern border wall, a key Trump campaign promise.
DONALD TRUMP: We will build a wall, believe me.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Trump’s Border Wall Showdown; Immigration Demands Could Derail “DREAMers” Deal]
WELKER: Also on the list of immigration proposals: cracking down on sanctuary cities, tougher action against unaccompanied minors, and beefed up border security. In a statement, Democratic leaders said the White House can’t be serious about compromise given the hardline policies they’re asking for.
(...)
8:03 AM ET
PETER ALEXANDER: Also this morning, a wish list from the White House on immigration reform. The Trump administration’s top priority, a renewed push for a southern border wall, in exchange for a deal to protect young immigrants, known as DREAMers, from deportation.
Overnight, leading Democrats rejecting the proposals as a failed attempt at compromise. In a joint statement, Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer saying the wall “was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations.” Adding, “If the President was serious about protecting the DREAMers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so.”
(...)
Good Morning America
7:04 AM ET
(...)
 DAVID MUIR: Overnight, the Trump administration revealing their list of demands they say need to be met to strike a deal on protecting the so-called DREAMers, young undocumented immigrants brought here as children. Democratic leaders quickly responding this morning, saying the President can’t be serious.
(...)
7:07 AM ET
MUIR: And in the meantime, Cecilia, as we watch this back and forth with Bob Corker, a fellow Republican, we’re following another major political headline this morning involving immigration and the DREAMers, the 800,000 undocumented immigrants that were children brought here by their parents. We remember that dinner, Cecilia, you reported on it. The President, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leaders came out saying major progress on the DREAMers without tying it to the wall. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: White House Lays Out DACA Demands; Sent Immigration “Wish List” to Congress”]
CECILIA VEGA: Yeah, exactly, it sounds like President Trump is attaching conditions to this deal to allow DACA recipients to stay in this country. He wants funding for a border wall, he wants a tougher legal immigration system in this country. The response, you said it, David, from Chuck and Nancy, as he calls them, this administration can’t be serious.
(...)
CBS This Morning
7:00 AM ET TEASE
 CHARLIE ROSE: And top Democrats reject the President’s new demand for an immigration crackdown as part of a deal to extend DACA.
(...)
7:03 AM ET
BIANNA GOLODRYGA: The President challenged Democrats to support his immigration goals in order to so-call keep the DACA protection for young undocumented immigrants. Major Garrett is at the White House with more. Major, good morning.
MAJOR GARRETT: Good morning. When President Trump ended DACA but signaled he was open to a legislative compromise, we reported at the time that soon the White House would follow up with very tough immigration proposals. Well, now they’re here. And the timing reflects as grim political reality here at the White House, where aides are significantly worried tax reform will falter, leaving the President with no significant accomplishments in his first year. And at the end of that first year, negotiating with Democrats to legalize an Obama-era executive action many Trump supporters regard as amnesty.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Border Crackdown; President Lays Out New Hardline Approach on Immigration]
The White House sent Congress an immigration wish list meant to reassure President Trump’s base that he hasn’t gone soft on the issue that helped propel him to the presidency. The administration told Congress any DACA deal must fund the border wall, crackdown on sanctuary cities, impose new skills-based legal immigration criteria, and speed up deportation procedures.
Democratic leaders said the proposals go “far beyond what is reasonable.” “This proposal fails to represent any attempt at compromise,” they wrote. Referring to earlier talks with the President, the Democratic leaders said wall funding “was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations.”
(...)
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By Nicholas Fondacaro
 On Monday, EPA Director Scott Pruitt announced that he would be putting an end to the Obama-era policy known and the Clean Power Plan. The plan put stiff regulations on new and existing coal-fired power plants which resulted in many being closed down, miners to be let go, energy bills to skyrocket, and put greater strain on the power grid. All in the name of so-called green energy. CBS Evening News was put off by the EPA’s reversal and turned to China for their example for how the U.S. should operate.
“The head of the Environmental Protection Agency declared today the war on coal is over,” announced fill-in Anchor Elaine Quijano. “Scott Pruitt told an audience in Kentucky he plans to repeal an Obama-era rule that limits carbon emissions from power plants that burn coal. China, on the other hand, is doing the opposite.”
CBS Correspondent Ben Tracy was in China touring the vast solar power plants known as “solar farms” there:
On a farm in northern China, they are planting a new crop. Nearly 200,000 solar panels in the heart of coal country. In the south, China just flipped a switch on the world's largest floating solar installation. Built on top of a lake created by an abandoned coal mine.
“Projects like these help China double its solar capacity last year. It is now twice as big as the U.S. Capacity,” he touted. Nearly half of all the new solar installations in the world are now happening here in China.”
Tracy cited the radical leftist organization Greenpeace and pushed their dubious claim about how fast China was constructing their solar farms. “And they're doing it quickly. Greenpeace says they are installing the equivalent of a soccer field full of solar powers every hour of every day.”
As he wrapped up his report, Tracy championed China for making it their “government’s mission” to create more green energy:
It's spending hundreds of billions of dollars to subsidize renewable energy as China tries to wean itself off coal, still its dominant power source. And the reason for its notoriously toxic air. But China now produces two-thirds of the world's solar panels and has become a major competitor for the U.S. solar industry which employs a quarter million American workers.
Tracy failed to mention that when President Obama tried to subsidize the green power industry in the United States billions in investments were a bust.
In 2015, The Washington Times wrote the failed investments left taxpayers $2.2 billion in the hole. “Nearly $1 billion in loans have already defaulted under the Energy Department program,” they reported at the time. “Which included the infamous Solyndra stimulus project and dozens of other green technology programs the Obama administration has approved, totaling nearly about $30 billion in taxpayer backing, the Government Accountability Office reported in its audit.”
What also went unreported by Tracy was the fact that the International Trade Commission found in late September that the import of cheap solar panels was hurting U.S. panel makers. The Commission was putting together their recommendations for President Trump and he was expected to come down on the side of help U.S. solar panel manufactures.
Transcript below:
CBS Evening News
October 9, 2017
6:37:53 PM Eastern
ELAINE QUIJANO: The head of the Environmental Protection Agency declared today the war on coal is over. Scott Pruitt told an audience in Kentucky he plans to repeal an Obama-era rule that limits carbon emissions from power plants that burn coal. China, on the other hand, is doing the opposite. Ben Tracy reports coal is on the way out, solar power is coming in.
[Cuts to video]
 BEN TRACY: On a farm in northern China, they are planting a new crop. Nearly 200,000 solar panels in the heart of coal country. In the south, China just flipped a switch on the world's largest floating solar installation. Built on top of a lake created by an abandoned coal mine. Projects like these help China double its solar capacity last year. It is now twice as big as the U.S. Capacity.
Nearly half of all the new solar installations in the world are now happening here in China. And they're doing it quickly. Greenpeace says they are installing the equivalent of a soccer field full of solar powers every hour of every day.
MAGGIE QIU: We have 28 solar power plants in operation in China. And three more are under construction.
TRACY: Maggie Qiu is executive president of Panda Green Energy. It has installed enough solar panels to power more than 40 million homes. Why are you building so many solar farms?
QIU: We intend to bring the better future to our next generation by using such clean energy, reducing the air pollution. That is the company’s mission.
TRACY: It's also the government's mission. It's spending hundreds of billions of dollars to subsidize renewable energy as China tries to wean itself off coal, still its dominant power source. And the reason for its notoriously toxic air. But China now produces two-thirds of the world's solar panels and has become a major competitor for the U.S. solar industry which employs a quarter million American workers. Ben Tracy, CBS News, Datong, China.
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By Scott Whitlock
The journalists at CBS This Morning on Monday hyped the city of Copenhagen’s obsessive drive to eliminate cars. Touting solar powers, Mo Rocca praised, “It’s all part of Copenhagen's ambitious plan to become the cleanest energy city in the world.”
Morten Kabell, Copenhagen’s mayor of Technical and Environmental Affairs, bragged, “For many tourists and visitors coming to Copenhagen, it's quite a surprise to notice that bikes have right-of-way for most of the city.”
Rocca marveled, “Discouraging the use of cars has some unintended consequences. The tax on a car can be as much as 150 percent of the sale price of the actual car.” Apparently that is discouraging people from buying newer, environmentally friendly vehicles. Imagine that!
According to Bloomberg, “A basic Porsche 911 Carrera sports car will set you back as much as a one-bedroom apartment in the capital -- $306,600 versus $117,900 in Germany.” Rocca wondered, “Are Danes raised with the consciousness about the climate and healthy environment?”
Co-host Gayle King lectured, "It seems like the U.S. could learn some things from Copenhagen.”
A transcript of the CBS This Morning segment is below:
 CBS This Morning 10/9/17 8:33am ET
GAYLE KING: Cities in the United States are seeking advice from abroad to help fight climate change. The mayors of Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, signed a pact last month with the mayor of Copenhagen in Denmark. The goal is to share ideas to create more sustainable cities. Copenhagen is considered a global leader when it comes to clean energy. The Danish capital has transformed its infrastructure with a goal to become the first carbon-neutral city in the world. CBS Sunday Morning's Mo Rocca is at one school in Copenhagen which serves as an example of the city’s dedication to the cause. Mo, good morning.
MO ROCCA Good morning. I'm out front of the Copenhagen International Solar Powered School. It’s just the latest architectural marvel to grace this beautiful city and it’s all part of Copenhagen's ambitious plan to become the cleanest energy city in the world. Danish architecture has long been renowned the world over for iconic buildings like the Sydney Opera House and the Legrand Arch in Paris.
MADS MANDRUP (C.F. Moller Architects partner): For the kids, they can stand here and they can look at the actually panel and see, ah, this is how it works.
ROCCA: But today's Danish architects, like Mads Mandrup, are designing with a higher purpose. He was the lead architect of a Copenhagen International School. Essentially a solar power plant.
MANDRUP: It is a solar power plant. We have about 12,000 square meters of panels here.
ROCCA: The blue glass panels, which very in hue depending on exposure to light provide half of the building’s power. Denmark is beautiful, but it’s not the sunniest place in the world. What happens on a cloudy day?
MANDRUP: On a cloudy day here, it produces less. But, however, we’ve been monitoring and we are on track in terms of the numbers we’ve set up, of course.
ROCCA: And Copenhagen is on track to reach it goal to become the first carbon neutral city in the world, producing as much energy, all of it clean, as it consumes by the year 2025.
MORTEN KABELL (Copenhagen Mayor of technical and Environmental Affairs): We're currently enlisting about $1 billion in wind turbines in and around Copenhagen. And in the future, we will be doing geothermical heat. And, of course, we’ve planted a whole lot of trees.
ROCCA: Morten Kabell is Copenhagen’s mayor of Technical and Environmental Affairs.
KABELL: I ride my bike every day. I've never owned a car. And for many tourists and visitors coming to Copenhagen, it's quite a surprise to notice that bikes have right-of-way for most of the city.
ROCCA: Today 62 percent of commuters here bike to work, a movement that began during the energy crisis of the 1970s.
CAMILLA RICHTER-FRIIS-VAN DEURS (Gehl architects partner): Gasoline is so expensive that we have all these rules that emphasize cycling.
ROCCA: Architect Camilla Richter-Friis Van Deurs says creating a cleaner city has helped create more people.
RICHTER-FRIIS-VAN DEURS We are growing by about 1000 people every month.
ROCCA: People are having more kids.
RICHTER-FRIIS-VAN DEURS: They are having more babies. They are staying in the city because the city is so liveable.
ROCCA: Her firm, Gehl Architects, helped make New York’s Times Square pedestrian friendly and designed a Danish-style network of bike lanes throughout the city. Tell me, why are bicycle helmets not required?
RICHTER-FRIIS-VAN DEURS: They did a study looking at the overall health of people cycling in the city that women are likely to cycle if you have to wear a helmet. So the health improved overall by not making helmets mandatory.
ROCCA: Got it. Discouraging the use of cars has some unintended consequences. The tax on a car can be as much as 150 percent of the sale price of the actual car.
RICHTER-FRIIS-VAN DEURS Yes. But one of the side effects is the collective car mass is older and, of course, older cars commit more, CO2. So, it's not doing the best it can.
ROCCA: A minor speed bump perhaps on Copenhagen's ride into the future best on display in its neighborhood.
BJARKE INGELS: I think what we've tried to do is to infuse into this sort of contemporary or modern form of architecture an element that is, like, socially and environmentally active.
ROCCA: Bjarke Ingels has moved mountains into Copenhagen's famously flat landscape. This residential tower has a grass rooftop and bike trails that lead all the way to the top. And coming soon, Denmark's first alpine ski run built atop a power plant. And, yes, the plant itself is carbon-neutral.
INGELS: Green technology is not only good for the birds or the fish, but it's amazing for the citizens because now probably now probably the coolest part in Copenhagen is going to be the roof of our power plant.
ROCCA: Ingels says that steam you see is as clean as mountain air. Are Danes raised with the consciousness about the climate and healthy environment?
KABELL: I don't think Danes are born with that but we have a culture of being practical. Danes love being lazy. We're as lazy as anybody else. So, it’s about making the right choices.
ROCCA: So, you can be lazy well into the future.
KABELL: Exactly.
ROCCA: And I must admit there are five-year-olds who go to this school who know more about
engine that I do. And coming up tomorrow, I'm going to give you all a tour of the beautiful and historic city of Copenhagen, Gayle. You're not going to want to miss this.
KING: I never want to miss anything you do, Mo Rocca. I have never been to Copenhagen. You guys have been.
CHARLIE ROSE: I have been. He's doing a great piece about a fabulous restauranteur.
KING: We like Mo Rocca a lot. Seem like the U.S. But it seems like the U.S. could learn some things from Copenhagen.
GOLODRYGA: I don't think he was joking about the five-year-olds knowing more than we do.
ROSE: About energy.
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By Jorge Bonilla, Ken Oliver
The media’s newest shiny anti-Trump personality, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, made the most of her sudden wave of adulatory free publicity in a revealing interview during the latest edition of Univision’s weekly Al Punto program, proving our contention that, aside from a few dedicated correspondents (and local media on the island), there was very little interest in covering the aftermath of Hurricane María’s devastating run through Puerto Rico until a clear Trump-adverse political angle emerged.
Belying her previous protestations that her criticisms have no political motive, in her interview with Jorge Ramos, Cruz was quick to weave her criticism of Trump’s response to Hurricane María in Puerto Rico into an overall sweeping critique of the President’s alleged “lack of respect" for U.S. Latinos, Mexicans and women.
CARMEN YULIN CRUZ, MAYOR OF SAN JUAN: Of course, he hasn't respected the lives of Latinos in the United States. He hasn't respected the lives of Mexicans in the United States. He hasn't respected the lives of women in the United States.
Neither Cruz’ hyper-partisan antics nor Ramos’ special interest in indulging them before a broader audience should come as a surprise to anyone who read our initial profile of the San Juan socialist, or to anyone who has read this byline for any period of time. And the interview certainly fulfilled its intended purposes both of being Trump-adverse, and of further cementing Cruz as the current favored face of Trump’s political opposition.
However, one must be careful to look beyond the stagecraft of the interview (such as Cruz’ “NASTY” t-shirt, concealed by a jacket for an earlier interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid and apparently crafted by one of the lucky few Puerto Ricans who have regained electrical power), and look to the broader political play here.
Univision’s national coverage of Puerto Rico (and by extension, that of Jorge Ramos) has long played up a separatist agenda, and has given preferential treatment to politicians who advocate for the island's independence. That is why Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, from Chicago, is the news division’s go-to voice on coverage pertaining to Puerto Rico, and why the network disgraced itself earlier this year as it elevated and nearly deified convicted FALN terrorist Oscar Lopez Rivera.
Mayor Cruz, for those who didn’t know, is the leader of the separatist faction of the island's Popular Democratic Party, which has long been aligned with Democrats in the continental U.S. Cruz, who was endorsed by Bernie Sanders in her 2016 mayoral re-election campaign, supports independence for Puerto Rico and is widely expected to run for Governor in 2020. It is within this backdrop that the interview, laced with separatist iconography and language, played out.
Note the flag that hangs behind Cruz’ right shoulder - the favored revolutionary version of Puerto Rico’s flag, most easily distinguished by the pale blue field in which its lone star rests, in contrast to the more conventional, long-standing version of the flag that features a dark blue field (matching the dark blue of Old Glory).
Note especially the clear separatist language used by Mayor Cruz in referring to the United States not as her nation, but as some other - a language which in fact frames her previously cited incorporation of Puerto Rico into Univision’s broader, preferred anti-Trump narratives:
SAN JUAN MAYOR CARMEN YULIN CRUZ: What we expect from the American nationthat we know through her generosity, the amiability and solidarity of her citizens is that the head, who represents that nation before the world, express the values of that nation.
...
Of course, he hasn't respected the lives of Latinos in the United States. He hasn't respected the lives of Mexicans in the United States. He hasn't respected the lives of women in the United States.
…
It is a profound disappointment, because I know that this does not reflect the values of the North American people and it does not reflect the love, the affection and the devotion of 25 men and women that Mayor Bill de Blasio sent from New York over here to San Juan, and that they are doing an extraordinary job.
…
I truly regret the President’s statements, they are outrageous, they are irresponsible, and they do not represent the best of the North American nation, nor (do they represent) the affection and respect for life that that nation has shown throughout the world.
This othering talk of “the American nation” and “that nation”, when framed with the revolutionary flag, clearly demonstrates a separatist inclination that Univision is all too willing to normalize and portray as mainstream. Recall that it wasn’t that long ago that Gov. Ricardo Rosselló had to chide Ramos for misrepresenting Puerto Rico's independence movement as somehow having widespread support, despite never exceeding single digits in any referendum.
By lionizing Cruz, the media clumsily splits Puerto Rico’s issues into two camps. Univision should know better - yet insists on portraying a dangerous separatist demagogue as the face of Puerto Rico, doing the Puerto Rican community a grievous disservice in the process. Beware socialists bearing friendly talking points.
It is very fitting, though, that Ramos and Cruz have now found each other. Neither of them represent who they say they represent.
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