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By Scott Whitlock
After a Bernie Sanders-supporting, Republican-hating gunman attempted to slaughter GOP Congressmen, CBS This Morning host Charlie Rose on Thursday wondered if it was Donald Trump who needed to show "civility." Talking to Republican Congressman Gary Palmer about violence at the congressional baseball practice, Rose suggested, “Do we begin with leadership from the White House, in terms of trying to cool down things and trying to create more civility and trying to create a more common ground?”
The co-host noted, “It is said that the Democrats at their playing field were actually praying when they heard about the shooting on the Republican side.” Co-host Gayle King, unsurprisingly, used the shooting to promote gun control.
She pushed the Alabama Congressman:
Do you think this will take on a different conversation about gun control and guns in this country? Your governor [sic], the governor of Virginia said yesterday, Terry McAuliffe, "We should have that conversation. Now is not the time." I think many people thought after Sandy Hook things would change and unfortunately very little seems to have changed.
King is just recycling her same talking points. On June 14, 2016, she used nearly the same language while talking to then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson:
But it does raise the question again about gun control. I keep wondering what it's going to take....What will it take to move the needle when it comes to gun control? People thought it would be Sandy Hook.
A transcript is below:
 CBS This Morning6/15/17 7:13:34 to
[Palmer describes what he saw.]
...
GAYLE KING: Congressman Palmer, we're all trying to process what happened yesterday. I think many people are still reeling from it. And now come reports that it might have been politically motivated. This man apparently was unhappy with the Republican Party and said many disparaging things. What do you think when you hear about that? What needs to happen based on the conversation that is happening in the country right now?
 REP. GARY PALMER (R-Alabama): I think our republic's in danger, Gayle. I think we're fraying at the edges. There’s extremes on both sides and I'm been hearing some reports of what this gentleman had posted on his Facebook page, and it's not that different from some of the things we're hearing from other people. So we have got to tone down the rhetoric. I think it has to begin with us, both parties. But it's got to come from media. It's got to come from other people who are speaking to the country. And particularly in the social media.
JEFF GLOR: Congressman, that's a pretty serious thing to say the republic is in danger and the country is fraying at the edges. Do you think it starts in Washington though? Does it start with social media? Where does — What concrete steps need to be taken many your estimation?
PALMER: I think we've got to lead by example. Obviously Republicans and Democrats differ on issues, but I think we can have a civil discussion.
CHARLIE ROSE: It is said that the Democrats at their playing field were actually praying when they heard about the shooting on the Republican side. Teddy Roosevelt used to call the White House the bully pulpit. Do we begin with leadership from the White House, in terms of trying to cool down things and trying to create more civility and trying to create a more common ground?
PALMER: I think it begins with me. It begins with my colleagues. I think all of us have a stake
in this and every one of us need to take responsibility if for what we say and how we say it.
KING: Do you think this will take on a different conversation about gun control and guns in this country? Your governor, the governor of Virginia said yesterday, Terry McAuliffe, “We should have that conversation. Now is not the time.” I think many people thought after Sandy Hook things would change and unfortunately very little seems to have changed.
PALM: Well, all I know is first of all, governor McAuliffe got his stats wrong and used a stat for the 93 violent deaths a dau. That’s inaccurate in the context he was using it. As a gun owner, I wish I had one yesterday.
ROSE: You wish you'd had a gun yesterday so you could have fired back?
PALMER: Yes, Charlie. I would have liked to have a firearm. I think Trent Kelly would have. there are a number of others that wish we would have been able to defend ourselves and come to the aid of the Capitol police who were extraordinary.
ROSE: Congressman, thank you for joining us.
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By Kevin Baker
In the wake of the fallout stemming from the attack which injured Congressman Steve Scalise and several others, the mainstream media rushed to explain away the narrative that the shooter, James Hodgkinson, was a radical progressive who hated Republicans. They opted instead to lay the blame at the feet of a toxic political environment created by none other than President Donald Trump. Co-host Mika Brzezinski obsequiously did so on Thursday’s Morning Joe when she proclaimed, “What Bill Clinton did to the issue of sex to an entire generation, I believe this President is doing on issues of decency, on issues of conspiracy theories, on issues of fake news.”
The Morning Joe cast began first by seeking to equalize the rhetoric on both sides while conveniently ignoring recent instances of mock beheading and assassination of the President. They then moved in to target Trump with talk of a "new dynamic" in the political discourse:
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Mika, not only do they go home to the social media and hatred, they also go home to town hall meetings. If you're a Democrat, chances are good that if you're Nancy Pelosi and you go home to your district, everyone is going to be asking her why are Republicans so evil? Why are they so this, why are they so that? If you are a Republican you'll go to a district where everyone asks why are Democrats so evil? Because the gerrymandered districts and the facts that we are sorting ourselves out selectively, everyone goes home and they go home to a bubble.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Well, Joe, I think very carefully we have to talk about the added dynamic here because you have the right and left, the extremes on the right and the left. You have fake news, you have conspiracy theorists who are really muddying the waters and we have become desensitized. We also have a president who pushes fake news and conspiracy theories from birtherism to promoting violence on the campaign trail. This is the new dynamic here. I'm not putting anything squarely on the president, but I have to say that this is the new added dynamic to what is a very dangerous climate.
Brzezinski and Scarborough would later up the ante even further as Brzezinski compared Trump to Clinton and Scarborough mocked Trump by saying he should “try some decency” in the hopes of raising his poll numbers.
BRZEZINSKI: I know what I'm trying to say here and I'll try to give you a parallel to help you understand. What Bill Clinton did to the issue of sex to an entire generation, I believe this President is doing on issues of decency, on issues of conspiracy theories, on issues of fake news. I think it's that simple and we're desensitized if we even argue it.
SCARBOROUGH: Well, Mika, you know firsthand I have had incredibly tough meetings and incredibly tough talks with Republicans and have -- it has gotten ugly. But I do it behind closed doors when they act like this is normal. It's not normal.There is truth. We all know what the meaning of is "Is". All I'm saying is there has been a corrosiveness in political culture, whether it started Atwater gate or whether it started with Bill Clinton when he first came into office and his supporter David Gethan said lied incredibly effectively. It's been this way for some time. I'm saying it did not start with Donald Trump, but let us pray that it ends with Donald Trump.
And I am forever hopeful that perhaps this is an inflection point and one that the President and the people around him will take as an inflection point cause, Mike Barnicle, even if they want to be cynical, it couldn't get much worse for them. They're sitting at a 36% approval rating, 60% disapproval ting in Gallup as we showed yesterday. Why not try to work together with everybody on the other side? Work for what you believe in. But sit down with Democrats and Republicans alike. It can't get any worse than it is right now. Try a little bit of decency. Try a little bit of humanity. Try to bridge both sides. Bring them together. Who knows? It might even get your approval ratings in the 40s while making our republic stronger.
One underreported piece of news is that yesterday was, in fact, Donald Trump's birthday. As would be expected, the President had plans in place in order to celebrate, but shelved them so that he could go and vist Congressman Scalise at the hospital. How's that for decency, Joe? Oh, and who was it that declined to wish the President a happy birthday?
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By Alex Xenos
In the aftermath of the shooting targeting Republican congressmen in Alexandria, VA, the media has called for both sides to cool down their rhetoric. As if the vitriol and hate were equal on both sides. The truth is it isn’t. Huffington Post writer Jesse Benn is case and point. The publication has long been a place for the fringe-left to spew their venom.
Benn has defended violence against Trump supporters in the past and actually argued for violent “resistance.” So it should have come as no surprise when he tweeted the following:
I’m sure the Huffington Post is proud to have somebody representing how they truly feel.
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By Scott Whitlock
 CNN’s CEO is defiant about funding a play in which a Donald Trump look-alike is stabbed to death. Attending a shareholder meeting, National Center for Public Policy Research Vice President David Almasi on Thursdayconfronted exec Jeff Bewkes about the cable channel’s support for the Public Theater in New York, a troupe that is putting on a bloody version of Julius Caesar featuring the President.
While Bank of America and Delta Airlines have pulled funding, CNN is digging in, refusing to abandon the brutal, Trump-killing play. As quoted in the Daily Caller, Bewkes dodged while talking to Almasi. He spun, “So a couple of facts of what our involvement is…We don’t support the plays or the productions of the public theater and we are not providing individual support of the production.”
Bewkes claimed:
The point of the play is one that has been debated for probably 400 years. It’s not one that advocates…the killing of Caesar…. But again, we don’t fund this. We are certainly not going to drop our support of public theater.
For more on the National Center, go here. To watch the full question and answer, see below:
While confronting the CEO, Almasi highlighted the Media Research Center’s efforts to hold corporate sponsors of hateful speech accountable:
The Media Research Center is going to begin alerting the advertisers of news programs that peddle “smear, hate and political extremism” and pressure them to defend their continued support. Are you concerned about advertisers leaving CNN?
Bewkes also swore that CNN will try to be fair going forward:
We are trying to keep it balanced and fair.... I understand you’re thinking we haven’t succeeded, but we are trying.
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By Kyle Drennen
During a 10 a.m. press conference on Thursday, Fred Warmbier, the father of freed North Korean hostage Otto Warmbier, thanked the Trump administration for aiding in the release of his son while voicing his displease with the Obama administration’s handling of the situation. In the coverage on MSNBC that followed, Warmbier’s comments were dismissed as “rhetoric” from “someone who isn’t necessarily politically sophisticated.”
Warmbier began by telling reporters: “When Otto was first taken, we were advised by the past administration to take a low profile, while they worked to obtain his release. We did so without result. Earlier this year, Cindy and I decided the time for strategic patience was over...” He added: “It is my understanding Ambassador Yun and his team, at the direction of the President, aggressively pursued resolution of the situation. They have our thanks for bringing Otto home.”
As he took questions minutes later, one reporter asked: “You thanked President Trump and you also said that the past administration didn’t do enough. So do you feel like then-President Obama should have been doing more to help?” Warmbier replied: “I think the results speak for themselves.”
Reacting to the press conference later in the hour, correspondent Hans Nichols worried:
...what struck me is the parallels between his rhetoric, Fred Warmbier’s, and the rhetoric of the Trump administration. The Trump administration has talked about the end of strategic patience being over....You heard Fred Warmbier make a similar comment....And at several times he went out of his way to directly credit President Trump as well as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with the release of his son.
The reporter was also concerned that Warmbier “walked right up towards criticizing the Obama administration.” Nichols even admonished his media colleagues for asking about such criticism: “...we're living in incredibly partisan times, and I think at some point some of the reporters there were trying to egg on someone who isn’t necessarily politically sophisticated.”
As result, Nichols advised viewers: “I wouldn’t make too much into sort of him crediting one administration and not another.”
The liberal so-called “journalists” at MSNBC instinctively believe it is unseemly to say a single bad word about Barack Obama – even if you’re a parent whose child was held captive by an enemy of the United States for a year on the former president’s watch.
Here are excerpts of Warmbier’s June 15 comments and the reaction from Nichols:
10:03 AM ET
(...)
FRED WARMBIER: When Otto was first taken, we were advised by the past administration to take a low profile, while they worked to obtain his release. We did so without result. Earlier this year, Cindy and I decided the time for strategic patience was over, and we made a few media appearances and traveled to Washington to meet with Ambassador Joe Yun at the State Department. It is my understanding Ambassador Yun and his team, at the direction of the President, aggressively pursued resolution of the situation. They have our thanks for bringing Otto home.
(...)
10:07 AM
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You thanked President Trump and you also said that the past administration didn’t do enough. So do you feel like then-President Obama should have been doing more to help?
WARMBIER: The question is, do I think the past administration could have done more? I think the results speak for themselves.
(...)
10:09 AM
WARMBIER: We’ve been to Washington, D.C. over a dozen times. We met everyone in the past administration from John Kerry to the Swedish Ambassador Stiernlof, who lives in Pyongyang. He came in town, we met his aide when he came in town. We’ve met our senators, our congressmen. We’ve worked with Governor Richardson. So we were, those were our efforts, and we relied on this false premise that they would treat Otto fairly and let him go.
And we – Otto was held as a war criminal. They termed his confinement as a war criminal. And so that seemed to get Cindy and I’s attention. And so we knew the dynamic was changing and honestly nothing was happening in our world for Otto. No communication, no letters, nothing. So we did what we could. We tried to stay low. We were advised that it was important that you don’t upset the North Koreans, and so, we followed that logic. And then at this – there came a time where it’s – we’re tired – that doesn't seem to have any impact. So we went public with an interview on The Tucker Carlson Show and then did a couple written pieces and then very quickly we have Otto home.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Ever a face-to-face with President Obama?
WARMBIER: Oh, never, never. Absolutely not, no.
(...)
10:26 AM
HALLIE JACKSON: I want to go now to Hans Nichols, who is at the White House here. And, Hans, when you look at the political fallout of this, you saw Fred Warmbier avoid that question he was asked about the prior administration, who he said advised him to lay low after his son was taken by the North Koreans. Fred Warmbier said today the results there speak for themselves. Clearly frustrated, fed up, to say the least, with North Korea, feeling like essentially all bets are off when it comes to talking about what he called a terroristic regime.
 HANS NICHOLS: Hallie, what struck me is the parallels between his rhetoric, Fred Warmbier’s, and the rhetoric of the Trump administration. The Trump administration has talked about the end of strategic patience being over, that’s more in regards to their missile program and their nuclear weapons program. You heard Fred Warmbier make a similar comment, saying that when the new administration came in, they decided that strategic patience was over, they would work collaboratively and closely with the new administration. And at several times he went out of his way to directly credit President Trump as well as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with the release of his son.
Now he walked right up towards criticizing the Obama administration. He didn’t quite do it. He said, “I’ll let the results speak for themselves.” As we know, yesterday being an exception, we're living in incredibly partisan times, and I think at some point some of the reporters there were trying to egg on someone who isn’t necessarily politically sophisticated. He said he doesn’t work in the government, he doesn’t speak for the government. So I wouldn’t make too much into sort of him crediting one administration and not another.
(...)
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By Nicholas Fondacaro
 Americans were appalled Thursday to learn the medical condition North Korea left American Otto Warmbier in while he was in their custody. The American college student suffered severe brain damage that left Otto in a state of “unresponsive wakefulness,” according to his doctors. In a press conference, his father, Fred Warmbier, had stark criticism for the Obama administration. “Do I think the past administration could have done more? I think the results speak for themselves,” he said. And during their evening broadcasts, ABC and CBS ignored his comments while NBC downplayed them.
NBC Correspondent Ron Mott was the only journalist to mention Fred’s comment during his report. “Last night President Trump called Fred Warmbier, who suggested a change at the White House helped free his son,” he said on NBC Nightly News. But Fred did more than just “suggest” President Trump was to thank for getting his son back.
During the press conference, Fred told his family’s story about dealing with a less than helpful Obama administration. “When Otto was first taken, we were advised by the past administration to take a low profile while they worked to obtain his release. We did so without result,” he said. And he made it abundantly clear that Trump’s State Department went to work for him:
Earlier this year, Cindy and I decided the time for strategic patience was over and we made a few media appearances and traveled to Washington to meet with Ambassador Joe Yun at the State Department. It is my understanding that Ambassador Yun and his team at the direction of the President aggressively pursued resolution of the situation. The question is, do I think the past administration could have done more? I think the results speak for themselves.
In a sharp contrast to the Big Three Networks, CNN’s Jake Tapper was not afraid to give credit to the Trump administration during his show The Lead. “Otto's father, very critical of the Obama administration's handling of his son's detention and he praised President Trump,” he told his panel. “And I have to say, this is not the first time we have heard that from the family of a hostage when it comes to criticism of how the Obama administration handled these issues.”
Even Trump critic Susan Page of USA Today noted Obama’s sore history with getting Americans home safely. “You know, first of all, there were a lot of complaints about the Obama administration not seeing their interests, the United States' interests, as being totally aligned with the interests of families [of hostages],” she said. “And [Fred Warmbier] not only criticized President Obama, he praised President Trump.”
Commentator Mary Katherine Ham recalled how Trump’s administration also managed to recently retrieve an American who was imprisoned in Egypt. She then complimented Trump by saying: “And Obama was very quiet on those things and I don't think it's very controversial to say he put a lower priority on that type of thing than President Trump seems to be doing with some pretty good results.”
The omission of Fred Warmbier’s complete thoughts about Obama and Trump did a disservice to the viewers and the Warmbiers because it censored their story. But they would prefer to preserve Obama’s legacy than report anything negative about him.
Transcripts below:
NBC Nightly News
June 15, 2017
7:09:13 PM Eastern
(…)
RON MOTT: The U.S. sent a team to North Korea to negotiate the release of Otto and three other Americans still held there. Last night President Trump called Fred Warmbier, who suggested a change at the White House helped free his son.
FRED WARMBIER: Question is: Do I think the past administration could have done more? I think the results speak for themselves.
MOTT: Warmbier said the ex-basketball star Dennis Rodman's recent trip to North Korea played no role in his son’s release. What was supposed to be an adventure with other students, seen here in North Korea, has ended in a tragic mystery. Ron Mott, NBC News, Cincinnati.
...
CNN
The Lead
June 15, 2017
4:44:23 PM Eastern
JAKE TAPPER: I want to turn to an issue that's pretty significant about the family of former North Korea detainee and U.S. college student, Otto Warmbier. Tragic story. He's finally out of North Korea, but appears to have serious neurological problems. He spoke today, his father-- Otto's father, very critical of the Obama administration's handling of his son's detention and he praised President Trump. Do we have that sound?
 FRED WARMBIER: When Otto was first taken, we were advised by the past administration to take a low profile while they worked to obtain his release. We did so without result. Earlier this year, Cindy and I decided the time for strategic patience was over and we made a few media appearances and traveled to Washington to meet with Ambassador Joe Yun at the State Department. It is my understanding that Ambassador Yun and his team at the direction of the President aggressively pursued resolution of the situation. The question is, do I think the past administration could have done more? I think the results speak for themselves.
TAPPER: And I have to say, this is not the first time we have heard that from the family of a hostage when it comes to criticism of how the Obama administration handled these issues. Susan.
SUSAN PAGE: Yes, I think that's right. First of all, no parent -- every parent's heart breaks when you see the father of Otto talking there and wearing the jacket that his son wore during his show trial in North Korea. So, first of all, our thoughts are with the family. But, absolutely.
You know, first of all, there were a lot of complaints about the Obama administration not seeing their interests, the United States' interests, as being totally aligned with the interests of families who had family members being held hostages in places like North Korea. That's happened with other administrations, as well, but I think it was pretty pronounced in the Obama administration and you certainly see the anguish. And he not only criticized President Obama, he praised President Trump.
MARY KATHERINE HAM: I think this is something that the Trump administration has actually done fairly well and sort of quietly and competently. There was an Egyptian-American aid worker that was in prison for three years in Egypt who was able to come home in April. He's done a public event, I remember, with Leopoldo Lopez's wife. Or had photos taken at the White House.
TAPPER: At Marco Rubio’s request.
HAM: With Marco Rubio to bring some light to that. And Obama was very quiet on those things and I don't think it's very controversial to say he put a lower priority on that type of thing than President Trump seems to be doing with some pretty good results.
(…)
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By Nicholas Fondacaro
 The Trump administration recently announced that they planned to reinstitute some of the travel restrictions to communist Cuba that were dismantled by the previous administration. The liberal media has been up in arms, declaring Trump was rolling back Obama’s legacy. As though she was anticipating it to be her last trip there, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell frantically lobbied for travel to persist during her report on NBC Nightly News. She even parroted unsubstantiated claims made by the Cuba government to try and back herself up.
Right out of the gate, Mitchell began her report by whining about the President. “Havana tonight open for business. But now on edge, afraid President Trump is about to shut the door once again to most U.S. travelers,” she bemoaned.
Appearing to do her best Michael Moore impersonation, Mitchell allowed herself to be guided by members of the Cuba government as she sung their praises. “In a last-minute appeal, Cuban officials are touting they’ve made America safer from cyber attacks and drug traffickers,” she hyped. “Taking us to what looked like a normal house but is really a cyber command post.”
“[A member of the Cuban military] told us that in the past 18 months, Cuba has handed over intelligence on at least 17 cyber-crime cases tied to the U.S. Evidence like internet addresses used in a suspected identity theft,” she touted. Via a translator, the military official told her they shared information with the U.S. and that “Yes, the addresses we traced to the United States for both the suspected attackers and potential victims.”
“Cooperation they say is now at risk,” she emphatically declared with absolutely no mention of whether or not she attempted to corroborate their claims with U.S. intelligence officials. One of the Trump administration’s concerns was that since the military owns many of the hotels and other tourist spots, the money spent there would go to fund them. Mitchell blew off that fact dismissing it as just White House complaints.
She then misrepresented the popularity of trips to Cuba saying: “The rollback hits American travelers hard. Last year nearly 300,000 came here, a 74 percent jump over the year before.” Of course, there would be a jump in travel numbers. Travel to Cuba only began in November 2016 and before that time there were very few allowed to travel there. What she failed to mention was that airlines have actually cut the number of flights to Cuba because the demand was just not there.
“The problems, say Cubans we talked to, is the crackdown would hurt small business owners including many women. The very people President Trump says he wants to help,” she then asserted about Trump. The only thing Trump promised the people of Cuba was to help them fight “Communist oppression.” And beyond that, Mitchell seems to not understand what Trump’s motto of “America first” means.
And if that wasn’t enough, she tried to scare the viewers with the specter of Russia. “But if the music stops, Vladimir Putin is ready to step in. Russia recently forgiving billions in Cuba government debt and winning the bid to build Cuba’s new railroad,” she reported. “There’s even talk of reopening a Russian military base only 90 miles from the U.S.”
Mitchell has a long history of being a shill for communist Cuba. When Fidel Castro died in November 2016 she went to Cuba to essentially cover and mourn his death. “[Castro] was a voracious reader … And very, very aware of everything that was going on, very, very smart and very wedded to his revolutionary ideology,” she opined at the time. And in 2001 when she visited Castro, she touted his good health saying: “Approaching his 75th birthday this August, the world’s longest surviving leader also believes he is politically strong, partly as a result of that struggle over a seven-year-old boy.”
Transcript below:
NBC Nightly News
June 15, 2017
7:13:19 PM Eastern
LESTER HOLT: In Miami tomorrow, President Trump is expected to announce a major change in this country's relationship with Cuba. He'll make it a lot harder for Americans to travel or do business in Cuba fulfilling a campaign promise and rolling back some of the openings made by President Obama. The changes will have a big impact on airlines, hotels and potentially intelligence sharing. NBC's Andrea Mitchell has our report from Cuba.
[Cuts to video]
ANDREA MITCHELL: Havana tonight open for business. But now on edge, afraid President Trump is about to shut the door once again to most U.S. travelers. In a last-minute appeal, Cuban officials are touting they’ve made America safer from cyberattacks and drug traffickers.
Taking us to what looked like a normal house but is really a cyber command post. There we met exclusively with its military chief. She told us that in the past 18 months, Cuba has handed over intelligence on at least 17 cyber-crime cases tied to the U.S. Evidence like internet addresses used in a suspected identity theft.
So, in that case, you did provide those addresses to U.S. authorities?
YOHANKA RODRIGUEZ (via translator): Yes, the addresses we traced to the United States for both the suspected attackers and potential victims.
MITCHELL: Cooperation they say is now at risk. The rollback hits American travelers hard. Last year nearly 300,000 came here, a 74 percent jump over the year before. The White House complains that pumps dollars into hotels, airports and cruise ship terminals owned by the government, largely the military. The problems say Cubans we talked to is the crackdown would hurt small business owners including many women. The very people President Trump says he wants to help.
(…)
MITCHELL: The owner of this dance school is counting on teaching salsa to a steady stream of Americans. But if the music stops, Vladimir Putin is ready to step in. Russia recently forgiving billions in Cuba government debt and winning the bid to build Cuba’s new rail road. There’s even talk of reopening a Russian military base only 90 miles from the U.S. Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Havana.
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