Charges? What charges?
When it came to praise for actions the governor of the nation's fourth most populous state took in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, some actions of which now have him in deep trouble, the broadcast and cable networks couldn't get enough of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. When it came to sexual harassment charges made against him last week, the same networks were silent.
That's how biased those networks have become.
According to transcripts, ABC, CBS nor NBC, nor CNN and MSNBC, made mention of the charges by the state's former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, Lindsey Boylan, who said Cuomo went "out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs," forcibly kiss her on the lips during a one-on-one briefing and suggest they "play strip poker" during a plane ride.
The aide said she resigned in September 2018 due to the harassment. The governor's office denied the charges, calling them "simply false."
Whether the incidents happened, the charges and the denial are news - unless, of course, the governor and the media are playing on the same team.
Nominee is all in
Just how far the Biden administration will go to allow abortions hasn't become clear yet, but U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, tried to get California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to answer that question during his confirmation hearing last week.
Since the Department of Health and Human Services deals with such matters and since the nominee has no medical background, it was incumbent upon him to explain his thinking since the issue is vital to so many people. But he wouldn't do it.
Was there any restriction, any limit at all, Daines wanted to know, where Becerra would say no, where he would say abortions for that reason weren't acceptable?
For eliminating Down syndrome children? For sex selection? For children born alive in the process of an abortion?
Becerra just wouldn't say, instead noting his mother had prayed for him, that his doctor wife had seen many women struggle to bring children into the world, and that he would follow the law.
Following the law is generally the right thing, but Daines - and the American people - just want to know how far the longtime abortion advocate planned to push the law.
Uh, I just don't know
Cabinet and judicial nominees by presidents of both parties have become past masters at not answering questions, at answering something that wasn't asked or at just spinning when queried about tough issues, but rarely has one been bold enough to verbalize the kind of whopper attorney general nominee Merrick Garland did last week
The jurist, who famously was nominated to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 but was not given a hearing by the then-Republican Senate, has been a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge since 1997, has served in posts in the Carter and Clinton presidential administrations, and has been an attorney for nearly 45 years.
Yet, when Garland was asked by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, whether he believed "illegal entry" in the United States - which is already a crime - should remain a crime, he with a straight face said he'd never thought about it.
"I haven't thought about that question," he said. "I just haven't thought about that question. I think the president has made clear that we are a country with borders and with a concern about national security. I don't know if a proposal to decriminalize but still make it unlawful to re-enter [is the answer]. I just don't know the answer to that question. I haven't thought about it."
Garland's answer was either a gigantic whopper, or he is the most incurious man ever to sit on a high court.
Whose Black history?
On Amazon Prime, apparently what was important during Black History Month depended on your political party. During the recently completed month, viewers couldn't choose to watch the popular PBS documentary on United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is Black, conservative and the longest serving justice on the court.
Amazon claimed it is "building an inclusive culture," but the documentary, which had been No. 38 of all documentaries on the site (and well ahead of one on liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which was not in the top 100), could not be streamed. Yet, ones on Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice, and Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual harassment during his Senate confirmation hearing, were available.
The video had earned a 99% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.9 star rating (out of 5 stars) from customer reviews.