Media top headlines August 3
In media news today, CNN's Jake Tapper defends Nancy Pelosi after Sen. Susan Collins knocks speaker for 'partisan' Jan. 6 committee, PBS' Yamiche Alcindor lobbies Biden to extend eviction moratorium, and the Washingtonian attempts to cover for DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's photo scandal
Atlantic writer Tom Nichols was ripped for trying to steer the conversation away from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to attack Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis following New York Attorney General Letitia James' conclusions that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and created a "toxic" and "hostile" work environment.
Following interviews with 179 people, James' office found that Cuomo harassed current and former staff members from 2013 to 2020, she revealed at a Tuesday press conference. Cuomo later issued a statement denying the allegations.
Instead of joining other analysts in expressing their shock in the governor's reported actions, Nichols appeared to encourage his followers to instead demonize DeSantis, accusing him of "killing thousands of people" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the media has targeted DeSantis over the past year for his handling of the pandemic, which some observers muse has to do with his rising star in the Republican Party and the increasing likelihood of being a top contender for the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination.
"Prepare for more ‘but Cuomo’ excuses now that he's been investigated (and should resign), as the anti-anti-Trump folks try to excuse DeSantis and other GOP governors for killing thousands of people on the rationale that reigniting a pandemic is okay because Cuomo is a dirtbag," Nichols tweeted.
CUOMO ACCUSER GIVES DETAILS OF ALLEGED GROPING INCIDENT: 'HE SLAMMED THE DOOR'
"Tom Nichols is clearly just parodying Tom Nichols at this point," Grabien editor Tom Elliott tweeted.
Other critics noted that Nichols' comparison backfired because Cuomo has been accused of having a hand in the devastating number of COVID-related nursing home deaths in New York after issuing a mandate that forced recovering COVID patients back into nursing homes last year. A report from The New York Times revealed that his office also attempted to downplay the true death tolls, with senior aides trying to prevent New York state health officials, including Commissioner Howard Zucker, from releasing the accurate numbers.
"Desantis didn’t send thousands of Covid patients to nursing homes," reacted former Michigan congressional candidate and veteran Travis Wines. "He’s giving his constituents a choice, and what they choose to do is on them."
DESANTIS' TEAM REACTS TO HEADLINES ACCUSING HIM OF BEING ANTI-VAX: ‘UNFAIR AND BASELESS’
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