Big Promotion for Watters. A Lame Dunk on AOC. | Winners & Losers in Today’s Green Room
THE DAILY NEWSLETTER – MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022
MEDIA WINNER: Jesse Watters
Jesse Watters has been named the permanent host of the 7 PM hour on Fox News. The announcement comes after previous host Martha MacCallum was moved to 3 PM about a year ago, and a rotating cast of hosts filled the 7 PM hour.
Watters got his break as a former producer and on-the-street host doing ambush-style interviews for The O’Reilly Factor, parlaying that into increasingly prominent roles at Fox News, including a co-hosting gig on The Five and his Saturday evening show, Watters’ World. The promotion to primetime is his biggest break yet, putting an end to that weekend gig, but Watters will remain on The Five.
No stranger to controversy, Watters’s rhetoric has often been the subject of heated debate, but he seems to be approaching a Tucker Carlson-esque Teflon job security, in no small part due to his ratings successes.
In making the announcement, CEO Suzanne Scott touted Watters’ “versatility and hosting acumen” and “deep connection to the audience” on his various shows. “We look forward to watching him expand his connection even further through this new solo weeknight hour.”
Watters said that he was “thrilled to take on this new challenge” and “grateful for the opportunity.”
Alex Wong, Getty Images
MEDIA LOSER: Conservatives Dunking on AOC for Getting Covid
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has confirmed that she tested positive for the coronavirus. That news drew a great deal of mockery and giddy celebration from her right-wing critics.
Ocasio-Cortez, who is triple vaccinated for Covid, released a statement through her office saying “she is experiencing symptoms and recovering at home.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s diagnosis comes shortly after her vacation to Florida, where she made headlines by snapping at Republicans and accusing them of attacking her as a projection of their “deranged sexual frustrations” about her.
Hugh Hewitt wished her a quick recovery and encouraged everyone to “choose life” by getting vaccinated. Far too many of his compatriots on the right, however, took a much less graceful approach, openly attacking and mocking her, with many of the tweets taking the exact misogynistic tone they claim it’s outlandish for her to complain about.
How about we just don’t attack people for catching a contagious respiratory virus? True, Ocasio-Cortez is young and healthy, and protected by the very vaccines that many of her critics scorn, but there’s no reason to cheer someone catching a disease that’s killed over 800,000 Americans.
Links We Like:
‘More soul searching:’ Facebook’s former elections boss speaks out about the platform
– Ramishah Maruf, CNN Business
Ted Cruz’s Humiliation Isn’t the Worst Part
– Amanda Carpenter, The Bulwark
A Drive-Thru Window Saved His Business, but Now He’s Being Forced To Shut It Down
– Christian Britschgi, Reason
The Criminal Justice Issue Nobody Talks About: Brain Injuries
– Melissa Bickford as told to Maurice Chammah, The Marshall Project
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