Thursday, October 15, 2020

UP FIRST 10/15/2020

First look:

Biden campaign doesn't rule out Joe may have met Ukrainian man
Twitter CEO says company's "crackdown" on story was "not great"
Don Lemon, Rachel Maddow are not happy about Trump's Town Hall
Poll: More voters blame Pelosi than blame Trump for lack of relief

Biden campaign won't rule out Joe may have met with Ukrainian man

Headline: Biden campaign lashes out against Russian disinformation, doesn’t rule out that Joe Biden might have met with Burisma exec

What's Up: The biggest story of the week dropped on Wednesday morning with the New York Post breaking the news of a computer alleged to belong to Hunter Biden and containing possibly damaging emails linking the Democratic nominee to his son's very profitable business deals around the world.The Biden campaign initially claimed there was no meeting based on the Vice President's formal schedule at the time. However, it appears the campaign is hedging its' bets, saying Joe may have met with the Burisma executive.

Quote: "Biden’s campaign would not rule out the possibility that the former VP had some kind of informal interaction with [Burisma adviser Vadym] Pozharskyi, which wouldn’t appear on Biden’s official schedule." — Twitchy.com

The First take: The Biden campaign put a "lid" on Joe early Wednesday morning as the Trump campaign went into overdrive, preparing to maximize this opportunity. There is still much more to learn and confirm regarding this story. We will keep our powder dry until all sources and stories are verified. That said, we find it very interesting that the Biden campaign is not ruling out the possibility that "some kind of informal interaction" may have happened. That statement feels like 2020's version of the Bill Clinton classic, "It depends on what your definition of is, is."

READ IT ALL HERE

Bonus: Meet the computer repairman who may have leaked the Hunter Biden emails to Rudy Giuliani

Twitter CEO says company's crackdown on story "not great"

Headline: Jack Dorsey Says ‘Communication’ Around Twitter’s Crackdown on New York Post Report Was ‘Not Great’

What's Up: Social media's reaction to the New York Post story about the alleged treasure trove of emails on a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden was muted almost immediately when Twitter and Facebook both placed restrictions on sharing or linking the story. Facebook said it was fact-checking the story. Twitter was tougher, completely denying users the ability to re-tweet the story. At one point, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany had her account temporarily suspended. Eventually, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded to complaints.

Quote: "'Our communication around our actions on the @nypost article was not great. And blocking URL sharing via tweet or DM with zero context as to why we’re blocking: unacceptable.'" — @Jack via Twitter.com

The First take: We have seen social media's very left-leaning bias in the past. This is nothing new. However, we believe yesterday's blocking of a story featured in a major newspaper was the most egregious abuse of power by the people controlling one of the most powerful tools of communication available to Americans. Jack Dorsey's half-hearted admission of bad behavior by his company does not unring the bell and does nothing to correct the problem of censorship of Conservative voices.

GET THE WHOLE STORY HERE

Bonus: Remember this one? Kamala's former Press Secretary is an executive at Twitter

Killing Crazy Horse: The Merciless Indian Wars in America

Bill O'Reilly's latest book in the Killing series is here: "Killing Crazy Horse."

Don't miss this bestseller! Plus, order it now and get five (5) free "Stand up for Your Country" stickers.

GET THE BOOK AND YOUR FREE STICKERS!

Don Lemon and Rachel Maddow rail against NBC for Trump's Town Hall

Headline: CNN's Lemon, MSNBC's Maddow rail against NBC for Trump town hall: "Embarrassing ratings ploy"

What's Up: Tonight's simultaneous town hall meetings with the two major candidates on competing broadcast networks has certainly caused a stir among cable news hosts. Both MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and CNN's Don Lemon are both voicing their disapproval.

Quote: "'How does that help the American people?,' Lemon asked of the scheduled event. 'How does that inform the electorate, by putting those two people on at the same time and making people choose from one to the other? And don’t give me that BS about ‘well, you can tape one.’ That’s not what this is about.'" — TheHill.com

The First take: We offer a little reality check for these two very well-paid, privileged anchors who have given Joe Biden the benefit of the doubt on virtually every story while railing against President Trump since before he was even elected. Ratings are like elections. The people will vote tonight with their eyeballs. We're predicting a Trump trouncing of Biden in this dead-to-dead ratings battle. Stay tuned for results tomorrow.

SEE THE WHOLE STORY

Who's to blame for lack of COVID-19 relief? Voters say Pelosi

Headline: Voters Blame Pelosi Over Trump For Stimulus Impasse: Poll

What's Up: For months, a stalemate over the needed additional government relief to help us survive the pandemic has been bogged down due a party line disagreement on the amount of money. Democrats have demonized President Trump and the Republicans while Republicans have placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats. A new poll appears to place most of the blame on the Speaker.

Quote: "According to a poll conducted Oct. 9-11 by left-leaning YouGov, 43% of those polled blamed Pelosi for failing to reach a stimulus deal, while 40% blame President Trump. 17% were unsure." — ZeroHedge.com

The First take: While we agree with this survey, what would please us more is for both sides to get together and actually take action to benefit the tens of millions of Americans in dire need of assistance to survive the financial malaise caused by the pandemic and GOV'T imposed shutdowns.

CHECK OUT THE POLL RESULTS