LGBTQ news and entertainment
MSNBC trolls Donald Trump while reporting on his story that he saw a secret video of a clandestine cash exchange between Iran and the US.
Note the chyron: “Trump says he watched (nonexistent) video of Iran receiving cash.”
WTF!
ROTFL….
As we begin the third week of MSNBC news anchor Thomas Roberts’ run as the host of the network’s 1-3PM slot (previously held by Joy Reid and Ronan Farrow), a look at the ratings shows the left-leaning news network made the right decision.
Ad Week reports:
“Roberts at 1pm ET has increased the hour by +20% in viewers and +37% in the A25-54 demo vs. the final two weeks of Farrow’s show.
“At 2pm ET, Roberts has increased viewership +2% and has grown the demo by +14% compared to the final two weeks of Reid’s show.”
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| Thomas Roberts with husband Patrick |
With the announcement that Joy Reid and Ronan Farrow are out comes the news that MSNBC will fill their previous 2 hour block with a lean towards more news reporting to be hosted by out news anchor Thomas Roberts.
Roberts new show is slated to begin March 2.
MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts counts down the Top 5 LGBT stories of the week.
In this week’s LGBT wrap-up, attackers in Philly gay assault turn themselves in, anti-gay legislation lowers same-sex income, and more.
The Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery, who along the Huffington Post’s Ryan Reilly, were arrested in a McDonalds last night, called out MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough after the MSNBC host criticized the journalists and accused them of just wanting to “get on TV:”
“Well, I would invite Joe Scarborough to come down to Ferguson and get out of 30 Rock where he’s sitting and sipping his Starbucks smugly,” Lowery said during a Thursday morning appearance on CNN.
“I invite him to come and talk to the residents of Ferguson, where I’ve been since Monday afternoon having tear gas shot at me, having rubber bullets shot at me … I would invite Joe Scarborough down here to do some reporting on the ground, then maybe we can have an educated conversation about what’s happening here.”
Lowery and Reilly are covering the events on the ground in Ferguson, where tensions continue to rise after Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by a police officer last weekend.
Krystal Ball, host of MSNBC’s The Cycle took a live call from a man identifying himself as military personnel with an eyewitness view of the Malaysia Airlines flight that was shot down over Ukraine.
The prankster apparently identified himself as “Staff Sgt. Michael Boyd” from the “U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.”
When Ball asked him to describe what he saw, this is what transpired:
Caller: “Well, I was looking out the window, and I saw a projectile flying through the sky, and it would appear that the plane was shot down by a blast of wind from Howard Stern’s ass.
Ball: “So it would appear that the plane was shot down. Can you tell us anything more from your military training? What sort of missile system that may have been coming from?”
Caller: “Well, you’re a dumbass, aren’t you?”
Cut to a commercial break.
After the break, Ball told viewers, “We thought we had an eyewitness on the scene. That individual was not actually an eyewitness.”
After weeks of fallout following his ill-advised comments regarding the former half-term governor of Alaska, Martin Bashir has resigned from MSNBC:
“Upon further reflection, and after meeting with the president of MSNBC, I have tendered my resignation,” the email read in part. “It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments.”
In a statement, MSNBC president Phil Griffin paid tribute to Bashir:
“Martin Bashir resigned today, effective immediately. I understand his decision and I thank him for three great years with MSNBC. Martin is a good man and respected colleague – we wish him only the best.”
Bashir had been a host on the network since 2011, and had frequently raised eyebrows with his hyperbolic commentary. But his comments in November in response to remarks about slavery by Palin touched off a firestorm. Among other things, Bashir said that someone should defecate and urinate in Palin’s mouth, a punishment delivered to some slaves. He apologized, but the comments continued to haunt him.
I’m no fan of Palin, but the remarks were way past acceptable for any respectability for a journalist. This is an appropriate action that needed to be taken.
Alec Baldwin’s fledgling talk show on MSNBC has been suspended for at least two weeks due to the actor allegedly using anti-gay slurs in chasing a photographer who attempted to photograph his family.
The Advocate has the story:
The photographer approached Baldwin, who was with his wife and child, outside his Manhattan apartment Thursday morning, and Baldwin responded by calling him a “cocksucking little fag,” among other things. Video of the encounter was posted by TMZ.
Baldwin apologized for his conduct in a statement posted on the MSNBC website Friday. “What I said and did this week, as I was trying to protect my family, was offensive and unacceptable,” the statement reads in part. “Behavior like this undermines hard-fought rights that I vigorously support. I understand ‘Up Late’ will be taken off the schedule for tonight and next week.”
Openly gay CNN host Anderson Cooper didn’t take to Baldwin’s behavior or response too kindly:
Wow, Alec Baldwin shows his true colors yet again. How is he going to lie and excuse his anti-gay slurs this time?
— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) November 15, 2013
Just read Alec Baldwin’s latest excuses. They are actually so ridiculous they are funny
— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) November 15, 2013
Talking Points Memo points up a heated interview today by Thomas Roberts and the RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.
Priebus spent much of his air time decrying Obamacare saying no one in America wanted or had signed up for the new insurance exchanges. Roberts followed up with a line of questions wondering why the government has to be shut down for the House GOP to deal with making any fixes they want to Obamacare.
“Why do we need to attach the solutions or changes that go along with the law that has been vetted by the Supreme Court, by a mandate by the people reelecting the president and both houses of Congress,” Roberts asked. “Why should that be attached to to shutting down the government and as the president is saying basically writing a ransom note and asking for some type of goody bag in response for Congress doing its job to govern?”
“Those are some pretty good talking points,” the RNC chair shot back. “Let me just rewind.”
“They’re not talking points,” Roberts interjected, referring to a speech Obama gave in Maryland moments before the exchange. “That’s directly from what the president just gave us.”
“I think you should apply for a job in the Obama administration,” Priebus said later, after several minutes of sparring with the MSNBC host.
“No, I’ll come work for you guys and help you sort out what’s going on because your message is befuddled,” Roberts said.
Good for Thomas Roberts for pursuing the answers to his questions.You can watch the exchange below:
We all have folks who inspire us; who make us think “man, I wish I was that smart/talented.”
One of those guys for me is Chris Matthews on his MSNBC show Hardball. Chris is tough with his guests, Republicans and yes, with Democrats too, when he thinks they’re calling bull.
I try to keep up, get smarter and stay aware of what’s going on in the news cycle – both on the surface and underneath. Chris inspires me to understand and see what’s really happening.
Just my personal invite to tune in and learn from someone who’s been in DC a long time, and doesn’t take the “talking points” for gospel.
Chris Matthews and Hardball move to 7pm EST/4pm PST on August 26th.