Sen. Rubio slams CNN: 'They desperately cater to the far left to remain relevant'

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Media top headlines July 30

In media news today, The Tampa Bay Times runs a 'hit piece' on DeSantis' press secretary, NPR gets mocked for a new policy allowing journalists to advocate for the 'freedom and dignity of human beings,' and NBCUniversal's CEO insists Tokyo Olympics will still be profitable despite massive viewership drop

Sen. Marco Rubio accused CNN of "desperately" catering to the far left to "remain relevant" after the liberal news organization claimed he "performed a remarkable dunk on himself."

The feud began Thursday when Rubio mocked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for wearing a mask and face shield when arriving in the Philippines. "Our @SecDef is vaccinated," Rubio tweeted along with video of Austin. "But he arrives in the Philippines wearing a mask AND a face shield… Embarrassing COVID theatre."

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Sen. Marco Rubio accused CNN of "desperately" catering to the far-left to "remain relevant." (Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/AP) (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/AP)

CNN’s Chris Cillizza responded with a piece headlined, "Marco Rubio just dunked on himself. Bigly," which claimed the Florida Republican was simply throwing "red meat" to the GOP base "that he needs for both his 2022 reelection race and a possible 2024 presidential run."

CNN cited a Politico editor who reported, "From the embassy: 'The Philippine government has mandated that everyone must wear full-coverage face shields together with face masks while in public places. Local governments continue to implement additional requirements to slow the virus' spread.'"

The CNN piece then declared that "wearing a mask isn’t a sign of weakness" and Rubio should know better. But the Florida senator scolded the liberal network when it shared the story on Twitter. 

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"If SecDef was just following local face shield mandate, a real news outlet would cover how our chargé & Filipino leaders ignore it, not push snarky anti-GOP narratives," Rubio tweeted. "The problem here- -aside from CNN being wrong- -is that they desperately cater to the far left to remain relevant."

Rubio’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment. 

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