Where's Hunter?: Media declared the Justice Department's Hunter Biden investigation over in June when the first son reached a plea deal with his father's Justice Department.
A judge's rejection of the agreement did little to change the consensus that there was nothing to see here. Nor did mounting evidence uncovered by House Republicans.
White House comms.
Politico has since deleted the tweet, presumably because it establishes the opposite of what Kate says here.
You be the judge. https://t.co/Y7ALnQ66Ld pic.twitter.com/g0Rkake9jE
— Colin Smothers (@colinsmo) August 9, 2023
So, many journalists are at a loss to explain the announcement that Biden is getting his own special counsel.
ABC is definitely riding the struggle bus after hearing AG Merrick Garland name David Weiss as a special counsel to continue investigating Hunter Biden.
Featuring chief Biden apple polisher Mary Bruce & anti-Trump author Jonathan Karl! pic.twitter.com/mHCk5gRtXP
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 11, 2023
For Republican critics, however, the explanation remains the same: It's a cover-up.
This action by Biden’s DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption.
If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?
House Republicans will continue to pursue…
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) August 11, 2023
Climate files: Gas prices are rising again as OPEC+ clamps down on the global supply. It could be a moment for journalists to question President Joe Biden's hostility to U.S. oil production or his failed Middle East diplomacy.
But instead, the media blame a more ephemeral actor for the growing pain at the pump: climate change.
Climate change plays a huge role in increased gas prices. pic.twitter.com/6vYjvbcR8p
— Dr. Jebra Faushay (@JebraFaushay) August 6, 2023
Politico: "The Heat Behind The Jump in Gasoline Prices":
It’s a glaring example of how the heat that’s been baking much of the United States in recent weeks — and which scientists say is exacerbated by climate change — is threatening the economy with new inflationary pressures, as well as public health.
CNN: "How Extreme Heat is Making Your Gas More Expensive":
Ironically, all of this shows that not even oil and gas companies — an industry that scientists blame in part for global warming — are immune from the consequences of the climate crisis.
Things were more straightforward under the previous president.
WATCH: Who’s to blame for rising gas prices? Putin tells Trump, ‘Look in the mirror’ https://t.co/P2sQ1jzQNn
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) October 3, 2018
Fear index: Speaking of Donald Trump, a fourth criminal indictment of the former president is looming in Atlanta, and journalists are manning the barricades, or at least breathlessly photographing them.
Fulton County Courthouse security heightened ahead of a possible Trump indictment in an investigation into interference in the 2020 Georgia election.
— USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) August 9, 2023
The media is 0-for-3 when it comes to hyping security concerns ahead of Trump's indictments.
The media circus outside Manhattan Courthouse.
Currently more press than actual supporters or counter protesters awaiting former President Trump’s arraignment this morning. pic.twitter.com/YXLtbtKb1D
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) April 4, 2023
TV media seem to be begging for increase in activity outside federal courthouse in Miami as journalists still outnumber demonstrators in run up to Trump arraignment.
— Eric Lisann (@EricLisann) June 13, 2023
Journalists far outnumbered the slow trickle of demonstrators who made their way to the E. Barrett Pettyman U.S. Courthouse on Thursday morning.
Media trucks lined the perimeter, and reporters took turns lounging on lawn chairs and talking to the handful of people who showed up… pic.twitter.com/AqgECv0Yot
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 3, 2023
Here's hoping for another slow news day if and when the new charges drop next week.
Profile in courage: The Washington Post sat down with a group of Palestinian terrorists to hear their side of suicide bombing Israeli civilians:
As the mayhem has spread, though, hundreds of Palestinians like Zoufi have jumped into the fight. Some are aligned with organized cells — al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad. ...
Many say they were compelled to take up arms because the Palestinian Authority has stayed on the sidelines. ...
Israel ... accuses Palestinian officials of letting militants operate freely and of allowing thousands of smuggled or homemade weapons to flood the territory. In turn, many Palestinians see their government as another arm of the occupation, sharing intelligence with Israel and arresting fighters from rival political factions to shore up its diminishing power.
It's the latest example of the media both-sides-ing a conflict between the democratic state of Israel and genocidal maniacs.
Palestinian teens, anticipating the possibility of death, are writing farewell messages in one of the deadliest periods in years in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "It’s not that they want to die, but it’s that they feel like there’s nothing else to give." https://t.co/GknPcNVzI7
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 5, 2023
Stay safe out there, and see you next week.