Media top headlines October 6
In media news today, ESPN's Sage Steele gets pulled off air after knocking the company's vaccine mandate, a new study suggests that Critical Race Theory is infiltrating America's 25 most elite private K-12 schools, and Hillary Clinton announces a new fiction book
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., was sharply criticized Wednesday after being caught on video claiming she was only wearing a mask at an event because a Republican tracker was present.
The video, posted on Twitter by the Washington Free Beacon, showed the masked "Squad" member mingling with a group of mostly masked people outdoors. Tlaib briefly walked out of site behind someone before one of the unmasked individuals can be heard apologizing for not wearing his mask as he puts it on his face.
"I'm just wearing it because I've got a Republican tracker," Tlaib says, laughing and pulling her mask away from her face while speaking and pointing in the direction of the camera.
Democrat and Republican trackers, usually a campaign related position, operate in close proximity to opposing candidates and politicians, following their every move with the hopes of recording blunders or mistakes that could be used against them politically.
RASHIDA TLAIB SAYS SHE'S ONLY WEARING A MASK BECAUSE OF A ‘REPUBLICAN TRACKER’ NEAR HER
Critics took to social media to blast Tlaib, with some questioning if she thought masks were actually really needed, and others suggesting she shouldn't wear one at all if she felt that way.
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FreedomWorks, a grassroots organization advocating for smaller government, suggested Tlaib's statement was proof that "masks are a political theatre acted out by leftists."
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Tlaib isn't the first Democrat to be criticized for being hypocritical when it comes to the wearing of masks to protect against the coronavirus. House Speaker Nany Pelosi was criticized for going maskless to a California fundraiser in August, as well as for removing her mask for a photo on the House floor in July despite her staunch advocacy for people to wear masks and for instilling a mandate for House members to wear a mask while in the House chamber.
Over the summer Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe was seen riding an Amtrak train from New York to Washington, D.C. without a mask despite a mask mandate for passengers while on board.
CDC guidelines state that people do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings, with the exception of areas with high numbers of coronavirus cases. In this setting, people should consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings when in close contact with unvaccinated people.
The guidelines also recommend that fully vaccinated people wear a mask indoors in public settings while in an area with a high number of coronavirus cases.
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Tlaib’s office did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment on the video.
She also came under criticism in August when she was caught maskless on a dance floor in Dearborn, Michigan, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance called for indoor masking due to high coronavirus case counts.
Fox News' Houston Keene contributed to this report.
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