A former press aide of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has added her voice to the growing number calling for him to resign, claiming he invited her to his hotel room and embraced her after a work event in 2000, when Cuomo led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and she was a consultant for the agency.
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Nets Hide Blue CT Reopening Businesses, Smear GOP as Against COVID Relief
The liberal broadcast networks made a full-court press Thursday evening, smearing Senate Republicans with the suggestion that were against giving struggling Americans aid in the midst of economic lockdowns. On top of that, they bashed Republican-led Mississippi and Texas for having withdrawn restrictions and mask mandates, but completely ignoring the fact that Democratic Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced most businesses could reopen at 100 percent capacity.
NBC Nightly News was the most irritated by Americans getting their freedoms back, with anchor Lester Holt kicking off the broadcast by bloviating about how states were acting without being giving orders:
Good evening, and welcome. No one has declared the pandemic over. In fact, just 1,200 more deaths in this country just today tell us otherwise. And yet, the upcoming one-year anniversary appears to be creating a jumping-off point for more and more states from lifting mask requirements, to allowing large gatherings again. Impatience and politics some public health officials worry may be leaping ahead of reality. Especially with the virus itself shapeshifting into more worrisome variants.
“But we are clearly at an unsettling crossroad tonight,” he proclaimed.
Following Holt’s lead, anti-reopening correspondent Miguel Almaguer whined about certain attempts to loosen crippling restrictions. “Tonight, as Americans received conflicting and confusing messages over COVID safety measures, more states are now preparing to eliminate face mask mandates as top doctors plead for them not to do so,” he began.
Almaguer, who has made bemoaning the slightest lifting of restrictions his entire beat the last several months, then huffed about red states. “Mississippi and Texas didn’t just end mask mandates but caps on capacity,” he added without ever mentioning Connecticut.
Over on CBS Evening News, correspondent Mark Strassman boosted President Biden’s smear against wheelchair-bound Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) calling him a “Neanderthal.”
And omitting how California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) was facing a momentous recall effort, and the fact the state spawned its own COVID variant despite the lockdowns, Strassman touted the Governor for taking a shot at those states:
STRASSMAN: California’s earmarking 40 percent of its doses for vulnerable communities. And the Governor’s asking everyone in the state to wear two masks.
NEWSOM: We are encouraging people basically to double down on mask wearing, particularly, in light of all of what I would argue is bad information coming from at least four states in this country.
ABC correspondent Whit Johnson was also very picky about who he touted and who he called a Neanderthal on World News Tonight. “Alabama today easing restrictions on indoor dining, but keeping its mask mandate for another month,” he said. “But Mississippi and Texas dropping masks altogether. The Texas governor defending his move after the president called it ‘Neanderthal thinking.’”
Continuing to ignore the pork spending in the COVID relief bill, CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell led the way in suggesting to viewers that Republicans were against helping people. “Well, tonight the Senate is beginning what could be a marathon debate on the President’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan. Democrats expect to get it passed but Republicans are not making it easy,” she declared.
Congressional correspondent Nikole Killion backed her up: “GOP senators are hoping to stall passage by demanding that the entire 628 bill be read aloud first, which could take up to ten hours. At the core of the bill $1,400 stimulus checks.”
It was a team effort on ABC as well, with anchor David Muir and White House correspondent Mary Bruce playing off each other:
MUIR: It would appear that Republicans, at least some of them, are trying to deliberately slow this down?
BRUCE: David, Republicans still insist this bill is just too expensive and now Republicans are intent on delaying this process.
White House correspondent Peter Alexander went solo on NBC by oversimplifying the Republican position as the bill just being “too expensive.” “But Democrats vow that will not stop them from voting to pass the relief plan this week,” he touted.
The misinformation and smears was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Amazon on ABC, Liberty Mutual on CBS, and Fidelity on NBC. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the bias news they fund.
The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
March 4, 2021
6:34:26 p.m. Eastern
(…)
WHIT JOHNSON: Alabama today easing restrictions on indoor dining, but keeping its mask mandate for another month.
GOV. KAY IVEY (R-AL): The bottom line is we’ve kept the mask mandate in place for more than a generous period of time because it’s helped.
JOHNSON: But Mississippi and Texas dropping masks altogether. The Texas governor defending his move after the president called it “Neanderthal thinking.”
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): The mask requirement being eliminated isn’t going to make that big of a change in the state of Texas. Also, people in Texas will continue to wear masks, even though there’s not a state mandate.
ABBOTT: Texas has reported more cases in the past week than any other state in the country, nearly 50,000.
(…)
JOHNSON: Dr. Joseph Varon from Houston’s United Memorial Medical Center has been on the frontlines of the COVID fight for 350 straight days.
Do you think Texas is ready to remove the mask?
DR. JOSEPH WARON: Absolutely not. In April, we lifted the restrictions in the state of state Texas and guess what? May, June, and July were the worst months of my life. I signed more death certificates on those three months than ever in my entire life.
(…)
6:38:04 p.m. Eastern
DAVID MUIR: Mary Bruce with us live from the White House tonight. And Mary, the Senate divided 50/50, but the President knows what the polls are showing, that this stimulus bill still has broad support from Democrat and Republican voters across the country. But in Washington tonight, as you point out, Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats divided 50/50 and it would appear that Republicans, at least some of them, are trying to deliberately slow this down?
MARY BRUCE: David, Republicans still insist this bill is just too expensive and now Republicans are intent on delaying this process. Tonight, they are insisting that the Senate clerk read aloud all 628 pages of this bill. It could take up to ten hours. But Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is adamant they are getting this done this week. And once the President signs the bill, well, then those direct payments, those checks, could start going out within days.
CBS Evening News
March 4, 2021
6:40:31 p.m. Eastern
(…)
NORAH O’DONNELL: The U.S. Is now averaging 2 million vaccinations a day. That’s more than 54 million Americans that have had at least one shot and nearly 28 million that are fully vaccinated. But there is growing concern of yet another surge as more states lift restrictions.
(…)
MARK STRASSMAN: Governor Kay Ivey is playing it safe, extending Alabama’s mask mandate another five weeks. Contrast that with Texas and Mississippi. Republican governors there announced this week they’re lifting mask mandates, reversals President Biden calls “Neanderthal thinking.”
(…)
STRASSMAN: California’s earmarking 40 percent of its doses for vulnerable communities. And the Governor’s asking everyone in the state to wear two masks.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We are encouraging people basically to double down on mask wearing, particularly, in light of all of what I would argue is bad information coming from at least four states in this country.
(…)
6:43:17 p.m. Eastern
O’DONNELL: Well, tonight the Senate is beginning what could be a marathon debate on the President’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan. Democrats expect to get it passed but Republicans are not making it easy. CBS’s Nikole Killion is following the debate at the Capitol. Good evening, Nikole.
NIKOLE KILLION: Hey, good evening, Norah. The Senate is still at work tonight even as the Capitol remains on high alert. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to advance the COVID relief package because it had no Republican support. GOP senators are hoping to stall passage by demanding that the entire 628 bill be read aloud first, which could take up to ten hours. At the core of the bill $1,400 stimulus checks for most individuals making under $80,000 a year and $160,000 for couples, plus unemployment benefits at $400 a week for the end of August.
(…)
NBC Nightly News
March 4, 2021
7:01:44 p.m. Eastern
LESTER HOLT: Good evening, and welcome. No one has declared the pandemic over. In fact, just 1,200 more deaths in this country just today tell us otherwise. And yet, the upcoming one-year anniversary appears to be creating a jumping-off point for more and more states from lifting mask requirements, to allowing large gatherings again. Impatience and politics some public health officials worry may be leaping ahead of reality. Especially with the virus itself shapeshifting into more worrisome variants.
54 million Americans have now gotten at least a single dose of vaccine. And the all-important hospitalization number has ticked down to nearly 45,000. But we are clearly at an unsettling crossroad tonight. And it’s were we start with Miguel Almaguer.
[Cuts to video]
MIGUEL ALMAGUER: Tonight, as Americans received conflicting and confusing messages over COVID safety measures, more states are now preparing to eliminate face mask mandates as top doctors plead for them not to do so.
(…)
ALMAGUER: Mississippi and Texas didn’t just end mask mandates but caps on capacity.
(…)
7:07:02 p.m. Eastern
PETER ALEXANDER: Still, Republicans argue it is too expensive.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: Count me out for a $1.9 trillion spin fest unrelated to COVID and a partisan fashion. This is everything President Biden said he wouldn’t do.
[Cuts back to live]
ALEXANDER: At this pace, it will take the Senate clerks 15 hours to read the bill. But Democrats vow that will not stop them from voting to pass the relief plan this week.
(…)
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Stalling Psaki: WH Press Secretary Dodges Hardballs on Cuomo, Dr. Seuss, Immigration
Tuesday’s White House press briefing was more of the same with Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s continued refusal to offer substance on the cancelling of Dr. Seuss, immigration, and scandal-ridden Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY).
Fox News’s Kristin Fisher played a leading role, battling Psaki on Cuomo on the astute observation that, in addition to the fact that President Biden and Vice President Harris haven’t commented publicly on the sexual harassment claims, “Harris was one of the most vocal critics of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, of Senator Al Franken when they faced similar allegations.”
Fisher noted that, in both cases, Harris emphatically stated that she believed accusers of both men, but hasn’t done so with those speaking out about a key administration ally.
“So at what point is the first female vice president going to say something about this,” she added.
Psaki offered nothing new from days past, defending their silence because Psaki does so for them with her emphasis that “every women coming forward should be heard, should be treated with dignity, and treated with respect.”
Fisher said that “it’s appreciated” Psaki briefs reporters everyday, “but it’s another thing to hear it from the Vice President or the President himself. Can we expect to hear from either of them on this topic anytime soon?”
Spoiler alert: Psaki didn’t budge.
In a surprising development, the usually-annoying Yahoo! News correspondent Hunter Walker gave it a go when it was his turn. Along with seeking comment on the calls for Cuomo to resign, he reasked one that AP’s Zeke Miller tried on Monday, which was whether Biden has spoken to the governor.
Once again, Psaki demurred, adding that, in terms of the third accuser being a former campaign worker, “I did not work on the campaign, as you know” and “I’m not aware of a personal relationship that they had or that he knew her personally.”
To Walker’s credit, he inquired about the other (and much larger) Cuomo scandal with nursing homes (click “expand”):
WALKER: As you know, Governor Cuomo is also taking questions over the nursing home situation on COVID. Currently, he’s chair of the NGA. He came up to the white house to discuss COVID with the president. His top aide Melissa DeRosa, who’s been pretty embroiled in this nursing home situation, was also advising the administration on COVID response during the transition. Does the president believe he should step aside from the NGA or is he still seeking advice from his administration on COVID?
PSAKI: Well, that’s a decision for the NGA not a decision for the President or the White House. But I would say that New York, as you know, continues to be one of the hardest hit states by the COVID pandemic. It is one of the hardest hit states by the resulting economic downturn and, of course, we’re going to continue to work with officials in that state to help the people of New York, help get the pandemic under control, and help get people back to work.
Fisher came back later in the briefing, but this time she brought up the woke mob’s canceling of Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day (and, of all days, Seuss’s birthday) and wondered why the Biden administration didn’t issue a presidential proclamation that mentioned the legendary children’s author.
Initially, Psaki followed her usual script of not answering the question by punting to the Department of Education, but then all but admitted that they agreed with the premise that Dr. Seuss’s books were racist because “the day is also a chance to celebrate diverse authors whose work and lived experience reflect the diversity of our country and….it’s especially important that we ensure all children can see themselves represented and celebrated.”
Fisher tried again on the specific omission, but Psaki reiterated the answer that implicitly sided with the mob, stating in part that “it’s important that children of — of all backgrounds see themselves in the children’s books that they read.”
On the heels of the administration refusing to state the influx of illegal immigrants was a crisis, numerous reporters returned to that subject on Tuesday’s episode.
Along with Fisher, NBC’s Peter Alexander and Real Clear Politics’s Philip Wegmann offered important questions (click “expand”):
ALEXANDER: Yesterday, you brought into the briefing room the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorakas who said the following, he said: “We are not saying don’t come” to those migrants. He said, “we are saying don’t come now because we’ll be able to deliver a safe and orderly process to them as quickly as possible. So, the message was don’t come now. It sounds like the message is come later. So, when should these migrants come?
(….)
ALEXANDER: So, for clarity, it sounds like, even if unintentionally, you’re sending the message that these migrants can come, they just got to wait a little bit longer. Is that the message you’re sending?
(….)
ALEXANDER: Is the President going to be briefed on this from the domestic policy council today? DHS assessing 117,000 or so unaccompanied children — 117,000 unaccompanied children will arrive in the U.S. by their projection this year. Will he learn about it today? And that number seems like a crisis. The secretary said it isn’t. How would we define a crisis?
PSAKI: Well, I’ll leave that to the secretary of homeland security to define. He said it was a challenge. It is a challenge. We have more than 7000 unaccompanied kids who have come into the United States and that is certainly a lot of children that we’re trying to treat humanely and safely and process through the system as quickly as we can. That’s — that’s not easy. That is a challenge. Certainly the President receives briefings and regular updates from his team and, you know, we typically don’t confirm those publicly but he is — he is briefed regularly by his team, the Domestic Policy Council and other members of his policy team.
(….)
FISHER: And one question on immigration just to pick up from where Peter left off. I know you said you don’t want to label this a crisis. Secretary Mayorkas was in here yesterday saying it’s not a crisis. But now you have Axios reporting the administration needs 20,000 beds to shelter these children. Based on our own reporting, 97 percent of the beds through the Office of Refugee Resettlement are full, so I don’t want to sound like a broken record but at what point does it become a crisis?
PSAKI: Well, I would say I don’t think we need to meet your bar of what we need to call it. We had the secretary of homeland security yesterday conveying it’s a challenge. We have provided numbers publicly about how serious that challenge is. We, of course, because we are approaching this, this humanely and we are approaching this in a way where we will the children safe in a great break from the past administration and because we’re doing this at a time of COVID, that is even more challenging because most of these facilities are at 40 percent capacity, hence the number of beds that are being — being utilized. But again, we’re going to approach this without labeling. We will approach this with policy, with humanity and with a focus on what we can do to keep these kids safe and keep them — and get them in homes as quickly as possible.
(….)
WEGMANN: First off, something that sorta touches, I guess, on immigration and also on vaccines. We’re five weeks into the new administration and the president hasn’t named a permanent FDA commissioner and then yesterday we heard that from the DHS secretary, who said he’s trying to rebuild an agency dismantled by the previous administration but so far, the president hasn’t named a nominee for director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, a Commissioner of Border Protection, a director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. What’s taking so long?
To see the full transcript of the above exchanges as well as excellent questions from Wegmann about green jobs and EWTN’s Owen Jensen on school reopenings and doctors being forced to violate their religious conscience, click “expand.”
White House Press Briefing
March 2, 2021
12:52 p.m. Eastern
PETER ALEXANDER: Let me ask you about immigration, if I can. Yesterday, you brought into the briefing room the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorakas who said the following, he said: “We are not saying don’t come” to those migrants. He said, “we are saying don’t come now because we’ll be able to deliver a safe and orderly process to them as quickly as possible. So, the message was don’t come now. It sounds like the message is come later. So, when should these migrants come?
JEN PSAKI: The president has put forward an immigration reform package that will not only provide a pathway to citizenship but help put in place smart security measures at the border, will also address root causes in the region. There also is time and he talked but this quite a bit yesterday, as you know, that we need to dig out from the immoral and ineffective approach to immigration of the last administration. That’s going to take time, probably months for us to be able to process people at the border, to get people on the right path for consideration of — for asylum seekers and others. Now is not the moment for that.
ALEXANDER: So, for clarity, it sounds like, even if unintentionally, you’re sending the message that these migrants can come, they just got to wait a little bit longer. Is that the message you’re sending?
PSAKI: Well, we’ve been also clear as he was yesterday, the majority who come to the border are turned away. Even undocumented — even kids who come in at the border — un — unaccompanied minors who come in and we have emphasized time and time again, we want to keep them safe. We want to treat them with humanity. They are not guaranteed to stay in the United States. They still go through the processing. We just don’t want to send them back and consideration of whether they can stay here through what is — a — possible through our laws. It’s a difficult time. It’s a difficult journey. We are not encouraging people to come but we also believe different from the past administration would not going to turn away kids who were under 18.
ALEXANDER: Is the President going to be briefed on this from the domestic policy council today? DHS assessing 117,000 or so unaccompanied children — 117,000 unaccompanied children will arrive in the U.S. by their projection this year. Will he learn about it today? And that number seems like a crisis. The secretary said it isn’t. How would we define a crisis?
PSAKI: Well, I’ll leave that to the secretary of homeland security to define. He said it was a challenge. It is a challenge. We have more than 7000 unaccompanied kids who have come into the United States and that is certainly a lot of children that we’re trying to treat humanely and safely and process through the system as quickly as we can. That’s — that’s not easy. That is a challenge. Certainly the President receives briefings and regular updates from his team and, you know, we typically don’t confirm those publicly but he is — he is briefed regularly by his team, the Domestic Policy Council and other members of his policy team.
(….)
12:57 p.m. Eastern
KRISTIN FISHER: A question about Governor Andrew Cuomo. Vice President Kamala Harris was one of the most vocal critics of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, of Senator Al Franken when they faced similar allegations. She said repeatedly I believe them, the women. But she hasn’t said anything about the three women who are accusing Governor Andrew Cuomo and now this third accuser, Anna Ruch — she actually worked for the Biden-Harris campaign. So at what point is the first female vice president going to say something about this?
PSAKI: Well, I know that’s how the Vice President continues to feel, and the benefit of doing a briefing every is that I can certainly speak on behalf of the president and the vice president and so let me reiterate they both believe every women coming forward should be heard, should be treated with dignity, and treated with respect. As you all know, the New York attorney general will oversee an independent investigation with subpoena power and the governor’s office said he will fully cooperate. And we certainly support that moving forward.
FISHER: But as you know, it’s one thing to hear it from you and it’s appreciated, but it’s another thing to hear it from the vice president or the President himself. Can we expect to hear from either of them on this topic anytime soon?
PSAKI: Well, again, I’m speaking on their behalf. That’s how they feel. They’re personally both know this [sic] as the situation where both — all of the women coming for it should be treated with dignity and respect and should have their voices heard and that’s the representation of their points of view.
FISHER: And one question on immigration just to pick up from where Peter left off. I know you said you don’t want to label this a crisis. Secretary Mayorkas was in here yesterday saying it’s not a crisis. But now you have Axios reporting the administration needs 20,000 beds to shelter these children. Based on our own reporting, 97 percent of the beds through the Office of Refugee Resettlement are full, so I don’t want to sound like a broken record but at what point does it become a crisis?
PSAKI: Well, I would say I don’t think we need to meet your bar of what we need to call it. We had the secretary of homeland security yesterday conveying it’s a challenge. We have provided numbers publicly about how serious that challenge is. We, of course, because we are approaching this, this humanely and we are approaching this in a way where we will the children safe in a great break from the past administration and because we’re doing this at a time of COVID, that is even more challenging because most of these facilities are at 40 percent capacity, hence the number of beds that are being — being utilized. But again, we’re going to approach this without labeling. We will approach this with policy, with humanity and with a focus on what we can do to keep these kids safe and keep them — and get them in homes as quickly as possible.
(….)
1:14 p.m. Eastern
HUNTER WALKER: You know, obviously, this third allegation against Governor Cuomo has come out. This woman did work for President Biden during the campaign. I’m wondering what the President thinks about the calls for Governor Cuomo to resign and whether he’s spoken directly either to his former staffer or the governor about this situation?
PSAKI: The President believes, as I’ve noted, that every woman who comes forward should — deserves to be heard and treated with respect. There is an investigation, an independent investigation overseen by the attorney general, which has subpoena power and we certainly support that moving forward. In terms of any other conversations, I did not work on the campaign, as you know. I know that she did work on the campaign. I believe she was an organizer in Southwest Florida. I don’t know if they had — I’m not aware of a personal relationship that they had or that he knew her personally. But I don’t have any other engagements. I’m sure she has a number of people she still remains in touch with from the campaign but I don’t have any calls or engagements to read out.
WALKER: As you know, Governor Cuomo is also taking questions over the nursing home situation on COVID. Currently, he’s chair of the NGA. He came up to the white house to discuss COVID with the president. His top aide Melissa DeRosa, who’s been pretty embroiled in this nursing home situation, was also advising the administration on COVID response during the transition. Does the president believe he should step aside from the NGA or is he still seeking advice from his administration on COVID?
PSAKI: Well, that’s a decision for the NGA not a decision for the President or the White House. But I would say that New York, as you know, continues to be one of the hardest hit states by the COVID pandemic. It is one of the hardest hit states by the resulting economic downturn and, of course, we’re going to continue to work with officials in that state to help the people of New York, help get the pandemic under control, and help get people back to work.
(….)
1:17 p.m. Eastern
PHILIP WEGMANN: First off, something that sorta touches, I guess, on immigration and also on vaccines. We’re five weeks into the new administration and the president hasn’t named a permanent FDA commissioner and then yesterday we heard that from the DHS secretary, who said he’s trying to rebuild an agency dismantled by the previous administration but so far, the president hasn’t named a nominee for director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, a Commissioner of Border Protection, a director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. What’s taking so long?
PSAKI: You’re right and he is eager to nominate individuals to fill all of these spots. We need to find the right people and the right nominees and I hope we will have news on that in the coming weeks, but I don’t have anything to review for you, unfortunately, on personnel .
WEGMANN: Alright, very good. And then from Christian Tatoc of the Daily Caller, Interior announced yesterday it’s giving out more than $260 million in grants to help coal-production states create clean energy jobs. Is the white house launching any program to help fossil fuel workers into green tech or are they leaving that up to the governors?
PSAKI: I’m not familiar with the interior program and I’m happy to certainly check on that. As I’ve noted here before the president is committed to moving forward on the rest of his Build Back Better agenda. WE’re going to wait and work with the American rescue plan and that is signed into law, direct checks are going out to the American people, more money to get vaccines into arms, schools are starting to reopen with money. So, that’s our focus now but he believes that we can invest in areas like infrastructure and do that in a way that creates good paying, green jobs that are good-paying union jobs and so, I have nothing more to preview other than that remains his commitment.
(….)
1:21 p.m. Eastern
OWEN JENSEN: First, pro-life groups right now very concerned about the phrase pregnancy discrimination in the Equality Act. You’re familiar with that, I’m sure. That would force doctors to perform abortions even if it violates their conscience. They’re also concerns with the bill that would for doctors to perform gender transition surgeries and sterilizations again even if it violates their conscience. What does the President — President Biden say about those concerns ?
PSAKI: The President’s been a long supporter of Roe v. Wade. It’s been his consistent belief that it should be law and he will fight to continue to protect that as being law .
JENSEN: So is conscience concerns not a concern of his?
PSAKI: I’m going to state what the President’s policies are. Did you have another question?
JENSEN: Two. Will the president keep the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at HHS — the office that was put in place under President Trump, keep it in place to receive conscience complaints from those doctors ?
PSAKI: You’ll have to talk to a future Secretary Becerra once he is confirmed.
JENSEN: And then, quickly, another subject. On education, everyday that goes by, some kids are in school year round. They have been, for example, in Nebraska, kids have been in school since day one back in August. In other states, strictly virtually. The education gap is widening. No doubt about that. When fall rolls around, if some schools are still not in person full-time, will the President accept or will he have a firm deadline to get kids back in the classroom?
PSAKI: Well, the President wants school back in the classrooms. His wife is a teacher. He believes not only do students want to be in school, but teachers want to be in school and he wants them open five days a week. He put — there were CDC guidelines put out and we now have a secretary of education as of yesterday. This will be his number one priority and certainly the President looks forward to having schools open across the country .
JENSEN: But he doesn’t have a firm deadline in mind for when kids should be back? I know he can’t demand it. He can’t do that. I realize it’s up to the school districts but certainly he can create a sense of urgency, right?
PSAKI: Well, one of the steps you can advocate for his how any of these folks can advocate for is the signing of the American Rescue Plan which has $160 billion to ensure schools and make the changes to their facilities, can hire enough teachers so that they can have socially distant kids in classrooms, so that they can have enough bus drivers and that’s an important component of getting this done as well.
(….)
1:29 p.m. Eastern
FISHER: A question about Dr. Seuss since this is the only day you can bring up Dr. Seuss in the briefing. It is National Read Across America day. It’s also Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Both former presidents Obama and Trump mentioned Dr. Seuss in their read across America day proclamations but president Biden did not. Why not?
PSAKI: Well, first, the proclamation was written by the Department of Education and you could certainly them about more specifics about the drafting of it, but Read across America day which, as you’re right, has not existed forever, as only been around for a short training of time to celebrates a love of reading among our nation’s youngest readers and the day is also a chance to celebrate diverse authors whose work and lived experience reflect the diversity of our country and that’s certainly what they attempted to do or hope to do this year. And as we celebrate the love of reading and uplift diverse and representative authors, it’s especially important that we ensure all children can see themselves represented and celebrated in books that they read.
FISHER: So, does the omission have anything to do with the controversy about the lack of diverse characters in the author’s books?
PSAKI: Well, again, I think it’s important that children of — of all backgrounds see themselves in the children’s books that they read, but I would point you to the Department of Education for any more details on the writing of the proclamation.
WHAT?! AP Reporter to Psaki: Should Cuomo Resign to Avoid ‘Distractions’ from COVID?
Monday’s White House press briefing provided a list of noteworthy moments as Press Secretary Jen Psaki was joined by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, including a number of questions on scandal-plagued Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY). While Psaki continued to largely deflect, she had help as an Associated Press reporter wondered if Cuomo should resign to avoid unwanted “distractions” on COVID.
White House Correspondents Association head and AP correspondent Zeke Miller led off Psaki’s portion with one question wondering if the Biden administration had been in contact with Cuomo or his staff following the latest sexual harassment claims and if, more broadly, the negative headlines were distracting from fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
“And then is the President concerned that this could serve from Governor Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic and should he potentially step aside while this investigation, so that there are no distractions handling the pandemic,” he wondered.
The horror!
Psaki reemphazied the ironic premise that Biden’s “view has been consistent and clear, that every woman coming forward should be treated with dignity and respect” and thus they’ll “wait to see…through” the investigation by New York AG Letitia James (D).
A few minutes later, The Washington Post’s Ashley Parker was much tougher, pressing Psaki on what would Biden consider to be a “red line” when it comes to the harassment and mistreatment of women (and specifically a boss and subordinate) (click “expand”):
PARKER: My question for you, in general, when it comes to sexual misconduct, where is the red line for this president and the administration? Is it only at unwanted physical overtures or is it at unwelcomed language between a boss and subordinate with a power differential?
PSAKI: Well, Ashley, as I — as O said yesterday, that story was incredibly uncomfortable to read as a am would. And we certainly believe every woman coming forward, Charlotte, Lindsey, have – should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to tell their story and treated with respect. There is a process of reviewing, as you noted, an independent investigation. We will leave it to that process through the attorney general to make a determination on the path forward.
PARKER: But just in general, not about this specific case, but can you explain — I mean, your White House discussed the resignation of someone who used simply language that was inappropriate and abusive. Is there a red line when it comes just to language or is President Biden’s red line — does it have to be something else?
PSAKI: I’m not sure a red line for whom? I am not sure what you mean. For what outcome?
PARKER: For — if the review shows that governor Cuomo asked her questions. That it’s not — you know, as also has been alleged in other instances of forcible kiss or an unwelcomed physical overture, but just mere questions about someone’s personal life or sex life or romantic life or anything that makes someone feel uncomfortable, especially in a subordinate relationship with someone in power, is that someone that has to resign or should there be other consequences? That’s what I mean by the red line.
PSAKI: Look, the — the language — the — you know, the President has a bar for what is expected in his administration, which you referenced. Treating people with civility, treating people with respect and that’s what bar he holds in his administration. In terms of the path forward and the outcome of the investigation, we will leave it to the attorney general and others to conclude that.
Also on the topic of transparency, Real Clear Politics’s Philip Wegmann inquired about the White House release of virtual visitor logs (seeing as how they’re not taking as many in-person vistors due to the pandemic) as an act of “important” “transparency” that’d “be really easy to do,” but Psaki replied with snark.
She replied: “He’s meeting with members of the senate virtually today. There. I’ve released it for you. What else would you like to know?”
If Kayleigh McEnany did that to, say, Jim Acosta, Resistance-types would have melted down.
After Fox News’s Peter Doocy’s week of news-making exchanges, Doocy’s colleague Kristin Fisher took a turn in the briefing room and likewise made an impact, pressing Mayorkas on his notion that there isn’t a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
And during Psaki’s portion, Fisher sough comment on former President Trump’s insistence Biden has sold his soul to teacher’s unions. On both counts, neither strayed from their talking points (click “expand”):
FISHER: Do you believe that right now there is a crisis at the border?
MAYORKAS: I think the — the answer is no. I think there is a challenge at the border that we are managing, and we have our resources dedicated to — to managing it.
FISHER: And so a lot of the things that you are talking about, you admit takes some time to implement but right now, you’ve got about 200 migrant children crossing the border every single day. CBP protected a peak of 1,000 unaccompanied children in the month of May, according to a report in Axios. What is being done between now and then when you’re able to implement all the things that you’re talking about that will say will take time?
MAYORKAS: Let me answer that with tremendous pride. The men and women of the Department of Homeland Security are working around the clock, seven days a week, to ensure we do not have a crisis at the border, that we manage the challenge as acute as the challenge is, and they are not doing it alone. This is a challenge that the border communities, the non-governmental organizations, the people who care for individuals seeking humanitarian relief, all understand it is an imperative. Everyone understands what occurred before us, what we need to do now, and we are getting it done.
FISHER: Respectfully, sir, though, one of predecessors, Jeh Johnson — he said that 1,000 illegal border crossings a day constitutes a crisis, that it overwhelms the system. We’re at between 3,000 to 4,000 now, according to CBP officials. So, how is this not a crisis?
MAYORKAS: I have explained that quite clearly. We are challenged at the border. The men and women of the Department of Homeland Security are meeting that challenge. It is a stressful challenge. And we are — that is why, quite frankly, we are working as hard as we are, not only in addressing the urgency of the challenge but also in building the capacity to manage it and to meet our humanitarian aspirations in execution of the President’s vision.
(….)
FISHER: And one more question from former President Trump over the weekend speaking at CPAC —
PSAKI: I heard that. I heard he spoke there.
FISHER: He said — part of Joe Biden’s sold out America’s children to the teachers union. How has the white house responded to that?
PSAKI: I think we’re going to spend our time communicating to the agenda for the American people than responding to criticisms from the former president.
Speaking of Doocy, ABC’s Karen Travers followed a thread Doocy started last week about having reporters visit illegal immigrant detention facilities (read: cages or, as Nick Fondacaro has dubbed them, “kiddie kennels”) because HHS denied requests for reporters to visit them under the guise “of COVID restrictions.”
Travers took that to Mayorkas, who said he’d “happy to take a look at that,” and proceeded to wax poetic about the greatness of the media:
I will share with you something — another principle to which I intend to adhere throughout my tenure and that’s openness and transparency and that includes the — I grew up as a journalism student but apparently, I wasn’t a good enough writer to make it the whole way. Let me share with you what I communicate to the workforce and we’ll leave it at that because it’s in the service of openness and transparency: Don’t shrink from criticism. Just work very hard not to deserve it.
Good call, Mr. Secretary. If you don’t feel like answering questions, just suck up to liberal journalists and, next thing you know, they’ll be eating out of your hand.
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Meghan McCain Shames Psaki on Biden’s Kids in Cages, Before Joy Behar Comes to Her Rescue
On The View Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki faced tough questions from conservative co-host Meghan McCain about the administration reopening a border detention facility for migrant kids, which was heavily chastised by the media and the left during President Trump’s years.
Psaki was grilled by White House reporter Peter Doocy this week over the treatment of migrant children by the Biden admin, and she scrambled to rationalize how these kids in “containers” were different than how the left described the kids in “cages” during the Trump years. As Meghan McCain repeatedly pressed her on the hypocrisy, Psaki repeated the same excuses and refused to admit this was the same as what Democrats blasted under Trump (click “expand”):
MCCAIN: [I] feel like this is the same thing, and that you’re still detaining kids at the border and it’s not meaningfully different than what President Trump was doing.
JEN PSAKI: Well it’s absolutely not the same, Meghan. We are not ripping children from the arms of their parents. That is horrible and immoral and that’s something we saw in the last administration, but we’re seeing kids are fleeing prosecution. They’re fleeing really difficult circumstances in their home country and they’re coming to the border and we need to figure out how to treat them humanely and keep them safe, and in a time of COVID, that means we had to open up an additional facility so we could have educational services, so we could have legal services and medical and health services and have those kids there treated humanely until we can find proper homes, family placements for these kids….
MCCAIN: I just wanted to know are you or are you not detaining children in a separate facility?
PSAKI: Well, Meghan, this is a facility that was reopened. It was revamped and it was redone to have these kids in a place where they could have access to educational services, health services so they could find proper homes. We can’t send them directly to families that haven’t been vetted. We’ve seen issues with that in the past. We can’t have them all in the same HHS facility because of COVID, and we need to make sure there are safety protocols so they’re not in beds next to each other.
MCCAIN: There’s criticism all the way around including from people within your own party like AOC, and I think theres’s a lot of people see this as hypocrisy, and that it’s just sort of potato, potato. Kids in cages or kids being separated from their families–Kids are being separated from their families!
As Psaki waffled some more, Joy Behar had enough and cut in to defend the Biden administration:
Jen, I was reading this morning that many of the children have been reunited with their parents already, that this is an ongoing thing. Isn’t that so? That the Biden administration has already taken that step to reunite children with their parents? How is it in anybody’s mind the same as what went on before? It’s outrageous.
A thankful Psaki wholeheartedly agreed with Behar that it was “absolutely not the same.” Remember, this is the same Joy Behar who constantly moaned about horrible it was that kids were separated from their parents that she even defended Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez calling the facilities “concentration camps” and Behar compared the treatment of migrant kids to the Holocaust.
The other questions to Psaki were a mixture of softballs from the most liberal hosts, Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin, attacking Republicans, and neutral or critical questions from Sara Haines and Meghan McCain on schools reopening, and compromising on minimum wage raises to pass COVID relief.
Carmax and Downy sponsor The View, contact them at the Conservatives fight back page here.
Read the transcript below:
The View
2/25/2021
MEGHAN MCCAIN: Hi, Jen. This week a migrant facility that operated under the Trump administration for only a month in September of 2019 is being reactivated to hold up to 700 children ages 13 to 17 throughout the campaign. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly spoke out against kids in cages. I feel like this is the same thing, and that you’re still detaining kids at the border and it’s not meaningfully different than what President Trump was doing.
JEN PSAKI: Well it’s Absolutely not the same, Meghan. We are not ripping children from the arms of their parents. That is horrible and immoral and that’s something we saw in the last administration, but we’re seeing kids are fleeing prosecution. They’re fleeing really difficult circumstances in their home country and they’re coming to the border and we need to figure out how to treat them humanely and keep them safe, that means we had to open up an additional facility so we could have educational services, so we could have legal services and medical and health services and have those kids there treated humanely until we can find proper homes, family placements for these kids. This is incredibly difficult. It’s heart-wrenching and it’s a really difficult decision and it’s the best decision we could make to keep these kids safe until we can get them to the right places and the right homes.
SUNNY HOSTIN: You know there are mounting calls—
MCCAIN: That’s the same question that I think everyone has.
PSAKI: I’m sorry. Can you say that one more time?
MCCAIN: I just wanted to know are you or are you not detaining children in a separate facility?
PSAKI: Well, Meghan, this is a facility that was reopened. It was revamped and it was redone to have these kids in a place where they could have access to educational services, health services so they could find proper homes. We can’t send them directly to families that haven’t been vetted. We’ve seen issues with that in the past. We can’t have them all in the same HHS facility because of COVID, and we need to make sure there are safety protocols so they’re not in beds next to each other.
MCCAIN: There’s criticism all the way around including from people within your own party like AOC, and I think theres’s a lot of people see this as hypocrisy, and that it’s just sort of potato, potato. Kids in cages or kids being separated from their families–Kids are being separated from their families
PSAKI: Well Meghan what’s important, and what we all have the responsibility to do, is communicate clearly about what this is, and what this is not. This is kids going to a facility run by HHS and we had to open a new one to make sure we have the safe protocols in order to address the COVID needs and the health and safety needs because we can’t have as many kids in the former HHS facility. That’s exactly what we did, but our objective is to get these kids into safe homes with their families as quickly as possible, and we are absolutely not doing what the former president did, and what frankly the current president and the current vice president objected to, which is ripping kids from the arms of their parents. That is not the policy of this administration, and not something we would do.
JOY BEHAR: Jen, I was reading this morning that many of the children have been reunited with their parents already, that this is an ongoing thing. Isn’t that so? That the Biden administration has already taken that step to reunite children with their parents? How is it in anybody’s mind the same as what went on before? It’s outrageous.
PSAKI: It’s absolutely not the same, and that’s our objective. You know, we want these kids to be safe. We want them to be treated humanely. We can’t send them back on the journey they just went on. That is not the right choice, but we need to make sure that we are finding their families. That’s hard too. There’s not the data and the history thanks to the last administration. So this is incredibly difficult, Joy. We want these kids to be with their families, to be reunited. We want them to be with family members. It’s going to take some time, and we also want them to be safe during a time where there’s a global pandemic, and that required the opening and revamping of this facility.
