Media top headlines August 23
In media news today, a CBS reporter instructs the White House staff to show Biden the poll about his job approval falling, Bill Maher and Andrew Sullivan pan newsrooms for caving to the 'woke mobs,' and a CNN panel blasts Biden's 'bizarre' messaging on Afghanistan
Former "View" co-host Meghan McCain scolded Vice President Kamala Harris Monday for laughing when asked about the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, comparing the "craven" veep to Joaquin Phoenix’s mentally troubled character in the 2019 film "Joker."
Harris initially laughed when asked about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the controversial evacuation process as Americans try to exit the country due to the Taliban’s swift takeover. Harris has a long history of laughing when confronted with tough questions and famously giggled on multiple occasions when she was asked about visiting the southern border.
Former "View" co-host Meghan McCain scolded Vice President Kamala Harris Monday for laughing when asked about the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. (Getty) (Lou Rocco/ABC | Ken Cedeno/CNP/Bloomberg)
"This may be some kind of real issue (like Joaquin phoenix in the joker) but she’s the Vice President and she’s hand [sic] ample time and resources to media train herself out of reacting to every SINGLE crisis situation like she’s walking onto a late night show. She comes off so craven," McCain tweeted to accompany video of Harris’ latest laughing fit.
KAMALA HARRIS' LAUGHING ANSWER TO BORDER QUESTION SPARKS BACKLASH
Joaquin Phoenix’s "Joker" suffered from uncontrollable laughter, sometimes at inappropriate times. (Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
Phoenix’s "Joker" also suffered from uncontrollable laughter, sometimes at inappropriate times. He was eventually driven insane and became a psychopathic murderer. McCain made the comparison after Harris burst into laughter when a reporter shouted a question seeking her response to reports of Americans being trapped in Afghanistan.
"Hold on, slow down everybody," Harris said while laughing. She eventually answered the question but critics slammed her for appearing to find humor in the questions.
The Federalist Senior Editor Mollie Hemingway said on "America's Newsroom" in June that Harris "nervously" laughed when challenged by journalists.
"She does that thing where she laughs nervously when she gets the slightest difficulty or a question or topic and it is making a lot of Americans nervous," Hemingway said.
Harris has laughed multiple times when faced with hard questions or difficult situations, including during a speech in the Senate Chamber, during high-profile interviews with Lester Holt and Norah O’Donnell, and in the middle of remarks about kids returning to school amid the COVID pandemic.
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Fox News host Jesse Watters has said it seems liked a "glitch" and once enlisted psychologist Brian Russell to analyze the situation.
"For many people, laughter is a defense from anxiety they feel when a situation or topic makes them uncomfortable or unsure of themselves," Russell said.
Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.
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