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Newsmax Host's Brain Falls Out on Live TV
This week, Newsmax host Chris Salcedo delivered what was perhaps the most ignorant one-minute segment in television history. The topic was climate change, and Salcedo argued that “there is no proof that man’s CO2 emissions are destroying the planet.” To back up his theory, Salcedo said that if it were indeed the case that CO2 is damaging to the environment, countries would have invaded China long ago because they build so many coal-fired plants. Chris raised the question, “if China’s CO2 emissions were destroying all life on mother earth and China’s the world’s number one CO2 emitter, why would Obama, Biden and the rest of the American left leave China alone?” There’s no controversy among the scientific community on this issue: elevated CO2 levels caused by industrial activity is accelerating the greenhouse effect and is leading to a rise in global temperatures. China’s pollution is a major polluter, but so is the United States and many of the other hypothetical invaders. Climate change denial certainly isn’t as strong as it used to be, but this sentiment still exists among many in the right-wing broadcasting community, and Salcedo apparently wants to be a part of it.
It Begins: Trump Endorses Lauren Boebert
In a sign of the 2022 midterm season getting underway, Donald Trump has endorsed Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert for reelection. The former president put out a statement that read in part, “Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has done a fantastic job in her first term representing Colorado’s Third District. She is a fearless leader, a defender of the America First Agenda, and a fighter against the Loser RINOs and Radical Democrats. . . . Lauren has my Complete and Total Endorsement for her reelection.” Boebert’s district is quite red and assuming she can get past the primaries, she should easily be reelected next year. Since 1992, only one Democrat has held that seat and the district is 65% rural and 71% white. Trump is giving his full support behind Boebert believing her to be a safe bet to win so that he can continue to argue he has an excellent endorsement track record and still commands respect in the Republican Party. If Democrats are able to pull off the upset in Colorado, that could mean they’ve performed well in the 2022 midterms and a sign that the GOP will be rejecting Trumpism going forward.
From yesterday’s show:
Tucker Carlson: "In Many Ways" Trump Rioters "Were Correct"
Fox News host Tucker Carlson went on a rant Tuesday night in which he minimized what happened on January 6th and argued that in many ways the rioters were correct. Tucker said, “a year later, it’s very clear January 6th was essentially what it appeared to be. Thousands of ordinary American citizens, voters, people who believe in our democracy far more fervently than Liz Cheney ever has came to Washington because they sincerely believed democracy had been thwarted.” The fact that the rioters fell for conspiracy theories about the election and believed every word that Trump said about it doesn’t make them innocent or in the right. Carlson also said that the protesters had “the right to believe” the election was stolen. No one is denying that they had the right to believe whatever they wanted, but Tucker is using this as a linguistic trick to argue that Trump supporters are justified in storming the Capitol simply because they believe it was the right thing to do. He then went on to back up the rioters calling them “correct” and saying the election was “unfair.” It’s propagandists like Carlson who embolden Trump and his supporters and make it more likely that a similar event may take place in the future if the 45th president doesn’t get his way.
From yesterday’s show:
Kyle Rittenhouse Glorified as Hero, Gets Speaking Gig
Ever since getting acquitted on all charges involving the Kenosha shooting, Kyle Rittenhouse has been lionized by the right and has been making his rounds in the media. The latest installment in the Rittenhouse saga is that he is going to be a speaker at an event called AmericaFest 2021 put on by Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona. The right has formed a cult of personality around Kyle Rittenhouse and in so doing they are celebrating the killings. It’s one thing to believe that Rittenhouse was justified and acted in self-defense when he shot three people, killing two of them. It’s another to treat him as a hero over it and to send him around the country on a media and speaking tour. There is a question over how long this grift for Kyle will last. Certainly he’s received a ton of media attention over the last year and a half which climaxed during last month’s trial. Eventually, the right will lose interest in him unless he does something to keep raising his political profile, perhaps by running for Congress or another public position at some point in the future.
More on the show:
--Sam Quinones, author of the New York Times bestseller "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic, and most recently, "The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth," joins David to discuss opiate and meth addiction, treatment, the drug war, and more. Get the book: https://amzn.to/30AbRhG
--A shocking partisan vaccination gap has opened, with 96% of Democrats vaccinated, but only 54% of Republicans
--Notable discussions from the David Pakman Show subreddit, including about the term "Karen," the White House's COVID Omicron warning, and more
--Nancy Pelosi rejects the possibility of a stock-trading ban for members of Congress
--As Omicron takes over, COVID vaccine booster mandates begin, and the UK sets COVID case records
--Voicemail caller comments on the Air Force discharging 27 servicemembers for refusing the COVID vaccine
--On the Bonus Show: Build Back Better isn't happening this year, New Zealand's new cigarette ban, car break-ins explode in San Francisco bay area, much more...
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