An obituary for The New York Times

Michael Widlanski  "When prominent people die, the press publish “obituaries,” reports of their death and a summary of their life.   I recently read a New York Times obituary that accidentally summarized the last years of The New York Times, a once-great newspaper. 

The Times obit was meant to be about Dr. S. Fred Singer, a noted scientist, prolific writer (including at American Thinker) , and prominent critic of popular climate change models that contend that man has heated up the Earth.

"The entire NY Times report -- including a snooty and biased headline -- was not a factual account but an ideological argument meant to discredit the life and work of Fred Singer, once the chief atmospheric scientist at NASA and a man who had penned a  book of more than 1,000 pages critiquing popular climate theory."

“ 'A leading climate change contrarian.”  That is how The Times headline describes Singer. The article never mentions that Singer was chief atmospheric scientist for NASA, a science-based organization not known for employing quacks.  In fact, the article never mentions NASA or quotes anyone from NASA who knew Singer.

"One positive statement about Singer is offered from a person described as a “climate change denialist” and a member of the administration of Donald Trump. This is meant to signal The Times reader to be awake and to be “woke” and to discount anything positive about Dr. Singer. 

"Written by John Schwartz, “a reporter on the climate desk,” the obituary calls Singer a “physicist.” That is true but misleading. It is intended to belittle Singer’s knowledge of climate matters.  Had the Times climate desk writer  lived in the Middle Ages and recorded the death of Galileo, he might have called him  a “contrarian star watcher” who “tried to peddle the idea that the sun revolves around man.' ” . . .  Full article

The New York Times v. President Trump  . . . "The NYT article does not mention that on January 26, 2020, during a radio interview with WABC radio host John Catsimatidis, Fauci said that the coronavirus posed “a very, very low risk to the United States” (at 25 seconds into this audio file).  According to The Hill, Fauci

said Sunday the American public shouldn’t worry about the coronavirus outbreak in China.“It’s a very, very low risk to the United States,” Fauci said during an interview with radio show host John Catsimatidis.“But it’s something that we as public health officials need to take very seriously...  It isn’t something the American public needs to worry about or be frightened about.  Because we have ways of preparing and screening of people coming in [from China].  And we have ways of responding - like we did with this one case in Seattle, Washington, who had traveled to China and brought back the infection.”

. . . 

What of Pope Francis's "infallibility" in statements of Church doctrine...

...when his edicts run counter to Holy Scripture?

Bishop [Athanasius] Schneider says Vatican is betraying ‘Jesus Christ as the only Savior of mankind’ From Aug 26, 2019

Athanasius

  "The Vatican’s decision to implement a document affirming that the “diversity of religions” is “willed by God,” without correcting this statement, is tantamount to “promoting the neglect of the first Commandment” and a “betrayal of the Gospel,” Bishop Athanasius Schneider has said.
"In an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews, on a Vatican-backed iniative to promote the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” the auxiliary of Astana, Kazakhstan, said that “however noble such aims as ‘human fraternity’ and ‘world peace’ may be, they cannot be promoted at the cost of relativizing the truth of uniqueness of Jesus Christ and His Church.” 
"The spread of this document in its uncorrected form will “paralyze the Church’s mission ad gentes” and “suffocate her burning zeal to evangelize all men,” Bishop Schneider said.

"He added: “Attempts at peace are destined for failure if they are not proposed in the name of Jesus Christ.' ” . . .

The Bishop's choice of the name Athanasius gives us a clue about his devotion to the Scriptures.

Nov, 2019: Pope Francis Again Welcomes Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to Vatican

“God, the Almighty, has no need to be defended by anyone and does not want His name to be used to terrorize people,” they said." OK; I'm good with that so far...

"The passage that caused the most furor reads, “The pluralism and the diversity of religions, color, sex, race and language are willed by God in his wisdom, through which he created human beings.”

"This Abu Dhabi declaration elicited a wave of criticism from Catholic theologians, who insisted that such a statement seemed to suggest that either God actively wills error, or that all religions are equally valid paths to God. The existence of a variety of colors, races, and languages in humanity is very different from a variety of contradictory claims about God’s identity and way of acting, they insisted.' " . . .

Cdl. Burke: Pope’s declaration saying God wills ‘diversity of religions’ is ‘not correct’

. . . "In comments to the National Catholic Register, Burke observed how some have tried to explain the statement by saying that the pope is referencing the permissive will of God –  that other religions are an “an evil that God permits.”

"According to the cardinal, however, the Abu Dhabi document is not stating this, but rather, “that the plurality or diversity of religions is good.”

“ 'That’s a mistaken notion,” said Burke. “It’s certainly confusing for the faithful regarding salvation, which comes to us through Christ alone.' ”

"The passage contradicts the Great Commission, said Seifert, which is Christ’s instruction to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and spreading His teaching. Instead it turns God “into a relativist,” Seifert said, who neither knows there is only one truth, nor cares whether men “believe in truth or falsity.' ”

I have to regard Cardinal Burke more highly than Pope Francis. TD

The Power of Media Ignorance

Victor Davis Hanson  "Almost two weeks ago I offered at NRO a few synopses of various theories about why California — which, for a variety of reasons, had seemed so ripe for a New York–style epidemic — had nonetheless strangely been exempt at least for a while from the virus’s spread. I included the pedestrian possibility of some previously acquired “herd immunity,” given the state’s singular exposure from November to January 31 to direct flights from China, including those from Wuhan, and initial CDC and media reports last year of an unusually early and severe assumed flu hitting the state.
"Within a few days, I was hit by media inquiries and private calls asking about my ongoing “coronavirus antibody testing studies.”
"Despite ad nauseam corrections that I had never claimed in the NRO article or elsewhere to be a doctor, much less an epidemiologist or a conductor of any such study, and that the Hoover Institution is not a medical school, the fake news still spread.
"I got dozens more calls and emails were from private citizens who thought they had the virus and wanted confirmation of that supposed fact, in order to venture out and help others with antibodies. Some said they wanted “in” immediately.
"Others called saying they were scared that they had an unknown illness and wanted confirmation of what it had been.
"And some were from Chinese media sources wanting such “lab” confirmation that earlier herd immunity developing in California pre-2020 was the final proof needed of an American origin, rather than a later Chinese genesis of the virus. (Oddly they apparently assumed that if any such future study were to show some sizable herd immunity in California, and thereby suggest an earlier outbreak than what was assumed in late January 2020, it would not mean the Chinese were lying about the first dates of the infection. Would the Chinese media wish to explain why flights from Wuhan to the U.S. were open throughout January when, for mysterious reasons, the Chinese themselves had blocked travel earlier than the ban from Wuhan to other parts of China?)" . . .

Watch: Bill Maher Destroys the ‘Chinese Virus’ Outrage of Ted Lieu and Other Dems in Epic Five Minute Rant

RedState

. . . "Bill Maher, who is about as hardcore anti-Trump as a person can get, went absolutely nuclear on his fellow left wingers in an epic rant Friday, pointing out how historically viruses have been named for their places of origins. In addition to that, Maher noted, as many on the right have, that it’s important to know not just where the virus came from but also how it started – in disgusting wet markets, which Maher believes should be outlawed: . . ."

"Watch Maher unload below, where he also slams a March tweet from Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) complaining to Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) about his use of the term “Wuhan virus”:"  Video
. . . 

"The bottom line is that Trump and every member of his team know that every single person in America who has suffered from the virus or who has died from it did so because of deliberately deceptive actions from the Chinese government to keep the spread of it in Wuhan quiet.

"Republicans including Trump aren’t willing to let anyone in America forget that, nor should they be." . . .

Team Trump to CNN's Jim Acosta: Here’s Your Examples of Mail-In Voter Fraud

Acosta, being a "journalist", should have extensive knowledge on this without having to be told.

Breitbart Politics   

. . . “ 'You’ve been talking about voter fraud since the beginning of this administration and where is the evidence of it?” Acosta asked during the White House press briefing, insisting that “all the experts say voter fraud is rare.”

"Trump replied, “I think there’s a lot of evidence, but we’ll provide you with some, okay?”

"The president’s re-election campaign responded quickly to Acosta’s request, noting there were nine people charged in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas with “vote harvesting” and mail ballots, a political operative in New York stealing and submitting absentee ballots, and a resident in Pennsylvania receiving seven separate ballots in the mail.

"The campaign also shared a Heritage Foundation document of over 1,000 proven cases of vote fraud.

“ 'Democrats and the mainstream media always scoff at claims of voter fraud, but then completely ignore evidence from across the country,” Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. “The obvious reason is that Democrats are just fine with the possibility of voter fraud. And many in the media just see the world their way.' ” . . .

Long after this President, how can we ever - ever - trust the American news media such as CNN and MSNBC?

Jim Acosta of CNN, an embarrassment to village idiots   . . . "The once-vaunted international television network was once known for its brave reporters who covered wars under falling bombs from inside the war zone. Once known for its fearless correspondents who went behind enemy lines to shine a bright light on evil dictators. Once known for its serious reporters who brought attention to atrocities and famine in the farthest corners of the world. Now, Jim Acosta — preening before cameras like a wounded peacock who doesn’t know his plumage has all fallen out. The only feathers left are soggy, wet and dull.

"Yet on he preens and struts and clucks — a sad display and an embarrassment to all the other birds." . . .

Tony Branco

Trump destroys Jim Acosta for callously calling daily briefings ‘happy talk’  "President Donald Trump fired back at CNN opinion reporter Jim Acosta after he callously characterized the daily White House coronavirus briefings as “happy talk.”
"Trump blasted the showboating Acosta for once again trying to hijack a press briefing to make himself the focal point of the event. Acosta has done this countless times before, but to do it during a national health crisis is mind-boggling.
"Trump said Acosta’s tone-deaf dismissal of the coronavirus briefings as “happy talk” was a slap in the face to the countless people working nonstop to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
" 'Mr. President, we hear from a lot of people who see these briefings as sort of ‘happy talk’ briefings,” Acosta said. “Some of the officials paint a rosy picture of what is happening around the country. If you look at some of these questions — do we have enough masks? No. Do we have enough tests? No. Do we have enough PPE [personal protective equipment]? No.”
"President Trump replied: “I think the answer is yes. Who said no to that?' ” . . .

 Also at Weasel Zippers  
 The President faces CNN and MSNBC

Reporters are not just biased, but incompetent  . . . "For the first time in decades, we have a president who does not sit still for political attacks disguised as journalism.  He understands what the presidents named Bush did not — that playing nice with one's enemies does not make the enemies nice.  Rather, it encourages them to intensify their attacks.
"Gradually, the general public is beginning to become more skeptical of reporters.  That is actually a bad thing, but the fault lies not with the public; it lies with a press corps that has seriously betrayed the trust we once placed in it." . . .


Acosta failed to impress Jonathan Turley  . . . "Jim Acosta's interruption of Dr. Birx is an example of how CNN's echo-journalism model is destroying the media's credibility. Every question from Acosta is an effort to score points rather than elicit information. It is a press pandemic that continues to rage without relief," constitutional lawyer Jonathan Turley said." . . .
So imagine Acosta finally realizes he needs to be more professional in his reporting; how can anyone ever trust him again? He's the idol of Trump-hating celebrities.

White House Reporter Rips Acosta for Acting Like ‘Opposition Party’ . . . "Poynter's Al Tompkins wrote that Acosta became the news story rather than doing his job. Wallace also said in February he was "horrified" by Acosta's conduct at press conferences."
. . . "Acosta has received some praise for his performance in the Trump era, including from former ABC News reporter Sam Donaldson, who told the Daily Beast in 2018 Acosta was "as good as it gets.' " . . .

Nobody seems to hate President Trump more viciously or obscenely than Colbert but even he took issue with Acosta  . . . “And when fake news CNN’s Jim Acosta got a chance to ask a question, he made a suggestion to the president,” Colbert said about six minutes into his Wednesday monologue. Colbert then showed the clip of Acosta’s interaction with the president.
"After the clip, Colbert dismissed Acosta’s grandstanding saying, “That being said, kind of a dick question, Jim Acosta.” Colbert then needled Acosta adding, “We get it. You’re woke.”
"During the president’s press conference, Acosta made to act as if President Trump would never call on a female reporter during a press conference by urging Trump to take questions from one of Acosta’s female colleagues.
"Colbert, though thought Acosta’s aside was eye rolling, at the very least, The Hill reported." . . .

How long must we live under the thumb of Democrats

American Thinker

Democrats seem to be enjoying this authoritarian moment   "Various Democrat politicians are competing to be the most proactive in enforcing social distancing in his or her community, so the internet is awash with stories of decidedly anti-American government behavior. This post will bring you up to date on some of the more egregious things that are happening in Democrat-run communities across America.

"For sheer shock value, there’s really nothing to equal a short video that’s come out of Philadelphia. The video, which has been viewed almost five million times, shows a rider being forcibly torn from a bus in Philadelphia, although not arrested, because he was not wearing a mask (language warning, because the man’s really angry):" . . .

Economic shutdown: It's time to end it  By Patricia McCarthy  . . . "When President Trump banned incoming flights from China on Jan. 31, he was eviscerated by the left, Joe Biden in particular. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci argued against Trump’s travel ban but the president went with his gut and did it, likely saving thousands of lives.  That his gut instincts are smarter and wiser than the entrenched bureaucracy of D.C. makes them hate him all the more.  Trump has exposed the blinkered thinking of the swamp.  The initial response to the virus, even after the travel ban, was hampered by the ridiculous red tape imposed on the president and the rest of us by the CDC and the FDA.  The CDC insisted only they could provide or approve tests.  They had none and slowed the development of such tests by others.   It was the CDC that was caught flatfooted.  Then, like the climate crisis alarmists, they operated on computer modeling without admitting that there was obvious bias infused in every computer model.  Garbage in, garbage out.  Fauci and Birx are both lifelong Democrats who, despite their expertise in their field, may have wittingly or unwittingly seen this virus as an opportunity to disparage Trump." . . .  

Pence Blocks Fauci, Birx from Appearing on CNN after Network Stops Airing Full White House Coronavirus Briefings

National Review  "Vice President Mike Pence has blocked Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, as well as other top U.S. health officials, from appearing on CNN following the network’s decision to not air the White House coronavirus press briefings in full.
“When you guys cover the briefings with the health officials then you can expect them back on your air,” a spokesman for the vice president told CNN.
"Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force, led by Pence, have been giving daily briefings to the press for several weeks after rising numbers of Americans have been infected. A CNN executive said that the network has sometimes cut away from the briefings after Trump speaks, and turns to a panel to fact-check the president. However, the network usually broadcasts only the president’s question-and-answer session.
"Fauci and Birx regularly appear at the briefings to give updates on the status of the coronavirus epidemic within the U.S. Fauci has also appeared on CNN virtual townhalls on the coronavirus for the past five weeks, but will not be present this Thursday.
"The New York Times, another outlet that has been a target of the Trump administration’s ire, stopped airing the briefings on its website entirely.
" 'We stopped doing that because they were like campaign rallies,” Elisabeth Bumiller, the paper’s Washington bureau chief, told the Washington Post. “The health experts often have interesting information, so we’re very interested in that, but the president himself often does not.' ” . . .

Fake News: In the coronavirus crisis, the press covers itself in glory

Jack Hellner  "Where do we go to get real news these days?

"To judge by the current press coverage, it's not the press.  Media outlets have dished up nothing but one-sided criticism of President Trump and have now ended up serving us just fake news.

"For example:

"In mid-January, the experts at the WHO repeated Chinese propaganda that the virus wouldn't spread from human to human, and the press repeated that as if it were fact.  That was a lie.  Instead of excoriating China for its duplicity, all they say is that President Trump should have known. 
"Here's another:
"On Jan. 31, Trump implemented a travel ban from China.  The mainstream press and its Democrat allies called that xenophobic, racist, and an overreaction.  Now the critics say he reacted too slowly.
"Sometimes, the press goes full fake news, based on its urge to snipe at Trump.
"ABC loudly ran a false story on Wednesday, with no evidence, claiming that Trump was warned in November about the virus.  On Thursday, the network started to bury it quietly." . . .

Not content with just that kind of fake news, the New York Times then decided to do a hit piece on Trump for a minuscule financial interest in a drug company, Sanofi, that happens to make a promising drug he cited as a potential COVID-19 treatment.

"According to National Review:

A New York Times story highlighting President Trump's "small personal financial interest" in a French pharmaceutical company that sells the brand-name version of hydroxychloroquine went viral Tuesday, as pundits and activists ignored the fact that Trump's holdings likely amount to less than $1,000 and that the company does not sell the drug in the U.S.

"This story was widely repeated by journalist puppets." . . .

What Do You Do With Your 401(k) During the COVID-19 Crisis

As hard as it can be to look this far down the road, doing so is paramount. Too much focus on the short-term might help you for two or three months, but it could also cripple you for two or three decades. Practice discipline and play the long game*, regardless of what everyone else is doing.

*I'm eighty now; for me, the long game is 2021

Larry Alton  "Financially, things are tough right now. These aren’t words you thought you’d be reading eight or nine weeks ago, but it’s true. And before you go tapping into your 401(k) plan, it’s helpful to understand what’s at stake.

"What the New Coronavirus Stimulus Package Means for 401(k)s

"The recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is unprecedented in size, support, and reach. And while most people are talking about how the $2 trillion bill provides stimulus checks for millions of working Americans and forgivable loans for small businesses, there’s another element that has some buzzing.

"Under the CARES Act, people no longer have to wait until they reach a certain age (59½) to start pulling our retirement funds without penalty. For a limited time, you’re actually able to withdraw as much as $100,000 in retirement assets as qualified distributions if the withdrawal is linked to COVID-19 (such as a layoff or diagnosis). Investors are also able to take up to $100,000 as a loan against their 401(k), which is an increase from the previous maximum of $50,000.

"Under normal circumstances, savers face a 10 percent penalty when assets are prematurely withdrawn from a retirement plan (meaning prior to the age of 59½). This is no longer the case. This is one of those rare moments where investors can tap in and avoid getting hit with a massive fee. And though savers will still be required to pay taxes on the money they withdraw, the tax burden can be spread out over a period of three years.

"Timely Tips, Strategies, and Suggestions:"  . . .

More...

Gavin Newsom is the new Democrat heartthrob

Don Surber  "Cuomosexuality is so last week. The wet dreams about Fredo's brother, the governor, becoming president died fast and hard when people realized he is one big jerk. He is almost as bad as those women who cut office donuts in half. And it always is a cream-filled donut. The rule is you touch any of the donut, you eat the whole thing.
"It also dawned on people that under Andrew Cuomo's leadership, New York state became the epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States.
"Enter Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. He declared California a nation-state and liberals are swooning. Never mind how nationalistic the phrase is, Newsom is the new White Obama that Democrats seek.
'Francis Wilkinson of Bloomberg News declared Newsom this week's savior of the republic.

Wilkinson wrote, "California this week declared its independence from the federal government’s feeble efforts to fight COVID-19 — and perhaps from a bit more. The consequences for the fight against the pandemic are almost certainly positive. The implications for the brewing civil war between Trumpism and America’s budding 21st-century majority, embodied by California’s multiracial liberal electorate, are less clear."

"Newsom declared California a nation-state, which is problematic for liberals be they multiracial or lily white.
"First, nationalism is the anti-thesis of communism's globalism." . . .More...

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Sally Kohn, a professional leftist, attacks employers for COVID-19 layoffs.

Kohn is a cliched leftist: They all operate in a world entirely made up of theories untethered to facts. The loudest leftists have never held real jobs. Instead, they've spent their entire lives in leftist bubbles consisting of politics, academia, media, and funded organizations.

"I'm a good person, but beat me, I'm white!"

Andrea Widburg  "Sally Kohn is a professional leftist. Although she claims she’s been an employer (more on that later), a review of her career reveals that she’s spent almost her entire life working for leftist organizations, none of which ever rely on the free market for money. They all get funds from corporations, government grants, foundations, or wealthy individuals.

"When she hasn’t been working for these outfits, she’s been employed by or freelanced for media organizations. She is not someone who’s run a small, mid-sized, or even large business that’s dependent on the vagaries of the marketplace to pay for operations.

"The fact that Kohn knows nothing about the private sector hasn’t stopped her from having an opinion about those employers who have had to fire or temporarily suspend employees because of cash flow problems:" . . .

CNN hosts display own controversial 'hands up'  "CNN hosts Margaret Hoover, Sally Kohn, Sunny Hostin and Mel Robbins get the viral community talking with this gesture."