Fake News Poll – What this Scandal Really is
A poll conducted by Monmouth University asked over 800 people whether they thought that TV, newspapers, and the internet report fake news stories.
Polling Questions:
Do you think some traditional major news sources like TV and newspapers ever report fake news stories, or not? [If YES: Do they do this regularly or just occasionally?]
Trend: March 2018
Yes, regularly 31%
Yes, occasionally 46%
No, do not 21%
Don’t know 3%
Do you think some online news websites ever report fake news stories, or not? [If YES: Do they do this regularly or just occasionally?]
Trend: March 2018
Yes, regularly 52%
Yes, occasionally 34%
No, do not 9%
Don’t know 6%
So, overall, 77% of people believe that major news sources, like TV and newspapers are reporting fake news and 86% of people believe that news websites report fake news. Those percentages are astonishing!
Status of Migrant Marchers
The migrant caravan is continuing their trip north through Mexico. Pueblo Sin Fronteras, also known as People without Borders, calls the march, "Via Crucis," or Stations of the Cross. Most of the migrants are still inOaxaca City as Pueblo Sin Fronteras is trying to successfully get them onto freight trains heading north. Oaxaca, the state’s capital, is more than 900 miles from Laredo, Texas on the border, which is their ultimate destination.
The group said that it plans to reach Puebla, Mexico near Mexico City this week where they plan to meet with immigration officials about their needs. Many in the caravan claim they were abused back home.
Mexico’s National Institute of Immigration (INM) said late Monday that it plans by Wednesday to disband a caravan of hundreds of Central American migrants that has been traveling through Mexico for nine days.
Gina Garibo, one of the organizers for Pueblos Sin Fronteras, said, "At the end of the day these people have the right to ask for asylum.” She denied the caravan was over. "We have to follow through with our promise" to help people gain asylum in the United States or Mexico, she said. Migrants would continue moving but in smaller groups than the caravan.
A federal delegate with INM who gave only his last name, Rodríguez, told BuzzFeed News that humanitarian visas would go to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, people with disabilities, or people with chronic illnesses like HIV. Rodríguez said people who don't receive a humanitarian visa will be expected to leave Mexico within 10 days or apply for permission to remain in the country for 30 days, during which they can file with immigration authorities to remain longer.
Permission to stay does not allow the migrants to travel to the US border, he said, though they will be allowed to move around Mexico freely.
Irineo Mujica Arzate, a Pueblos Sin Fronteras press contact, told politifact in a phone interview on April 2nd that he doesn’t expect every member of the caravan to cross the U.S. border. Most will try to stay in Mexico, with about 200 to 300 individuals ultimately crossing the U.S. border to seek asylum--a forecast that we found to be far short of published forecasts. "We’re trying to do it in a sensible way," Arzate said.
Trump using Migrant March to push for harsher Border Rules
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would use U.S. military forces to protect the nation's southern border with Mexico until there is a border wall and "proper security" in place.
"We are going to be doing things militarily," Trump told reporters at the White House, adding he had discussed the idea with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
"Until we can have a wall and proper security we’re going to be guarding our border with the military. That’s a big step," he said. "We cannot have people flowing into our country illegally, disappearing, and by the way, never showing up for court."
Trump has used the recent migrant caravan to urge Congress to use the “nuclear option” to get a border security law passed. While “going nuclear” is a specific thing Trump wants, he has not made clear what piece of legislation exactly he'd like to pass. Invoking the “nuclear option” is using 51 votes to change Senate rules, so you don't need 60 votes to cut off debate on bills anymore. The House and Senate are currently both in recess.
Out of Control Crime Rates in Chicago
The city of Chicago has seen the number of homicides and shootings decrease, however, it’s still one of the most dangerous cities in the country. 113 people have been killed in Chicago since the beginning of this year and 526 people have been shot. That is 37 fewer deaths than in 2017 and 218 fewer shootings than 2017.
March marked the 13th consecutive month of declining gun violence, the Chicago Police Department said. Shootings dipped 17% and murders dropped 25% compared to March 2017, figures show.
Year-to-date, Chicago police have recovered more than 1,900 guns, which is up 3% over last year, according to the department.
Police said 86 new officers were deployed in March to bolster the 720 officers already hired as part of a two-year plan to add nearly 1,000 positions.
Roseanne Ratings Continue to Soar
Over 29 million people have watched the Roseanne reboot since its premiere last Tuesday, according to Nielsen ratings. The 6.6 million viewer add-on from the premiere night is a time-shifting record. That doesn't include the additional 4.3 million viewers who tuned into an encore telecast on Sunday night, or the growth it will see from Hulu and ABC streaming. Those numbers out-distanced the ratings for the original series finale in 1997. They also were the best for any scripted broadcast program this season, with the exception of the episode of NBC’s “This Is Us” that immediately followed the Super Bowl.
Even with its wide-ranging success, Roseannehas been receiving some critiques. One of the biggest critiques of the show was that it “inaccurately represents Trump voters.” As a result, many viewers are left with the false impression that most of the president’s supporters were white, working-class Americans in small, Midwestern towns like Roseanne’s.
Last Man Standing Making a Comeback?
With the recent success of Roseanne, the idea of bringing back the sitcom, Last Man Standing, which starred Tim Allen has been floated among networks. One of the networks that is considering the sitcom is Fox.
"The support from all the fans to bring back Last Man Standing is truly overwhelming to me and so appreciated," Tim Allen told Fox News in August. "I, along with the talented writers, wonderful crew and terrific actors, would definitely entertain the idea of bringing the show back as there is so much gas left in the tank, more to be said, and laughs to be had."
Last Man Standing, was canceled in May of 2017. The reasons for the cancelation still are unclear. The comedy seemed to have good ratings, even though their Friday night timeslot is usually reserved for less watched shows.
“Last Man Standing was a challenging one for me because it was a steady performer in the ratings, but once we made the decision not to continue with comedies on Fridays, that was where we landed,” said ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey.
Star, Tim Allen had a different response to the cancellation, saying that it was canceled due to his political views.
Franciscan University Claims Facebook Rejected Ad Because it Shows Jesus on the Cross
The Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic university in Steubenville, Ohio, posted a series of ads to Facebook on March 29th to promote their online courses, such as, MA Theology, MA Catechetic and Evangelization programs.
One ad was rejected by Facebook because they said, “Your image, video thumbnail or video can’t contain shocking, sensational, or excessively violent content.”
The rejected ad featured The San Damiano Cross. Jesus in glory, reigning from his cruciform throne. In the blog post, the university acknowledged that Facebook is correct to say that the Crucifixion of Christ was "sensational and excessively violent," but they castigated Facebook for rejecting the image. They used multiple Bible verses to describe the Crucifixion:
“And it was certainly excessively violent: a man scourged to within an inch of his life, nailed naked to a cross and left to die, all the hate of all the sin in the world poured out its wrath upon his humanity.”
"But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews, an absurdity to Gentiles. But to those who are called, both Jew and Gentile, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
Mail Time!
- I agree with you that what is happening to Laura Ingraham is not just an assault on Ms. Ingraham, it is an assault on all of us who hold conservative views. I will personally boycott the advertisers who withdrew their ads from Ms. Ingraham's show. The advertising companies' withdrawal of commercials shows weakness that empowers Media Matters.
- Bill, aren't you glad that instead of a few large sponsors you now have thousands of sponsors (Premium Members) who each pay you? And these are the kind of sponsors that Media Matters nor George Soros nor anyone can influence. Gotta feel pretty good.
- Bill, "Take Your Country Back" is a great slogan, and we traditionalists need to get that message out to the rest of the nation better, so we can save the USA. Will you be putting out any "TYCB" merchandise?
Word of the Day: Scurrilous |
