Category Fox News

Sep 29 2023

Nielsen Ratings Show 27% Drop in Audience for Second GOP ‘First Loser’ Debate


Posted originally on the CTH on September 28, 2023 | Sundance | 112 Comments

People were wondering how many people were tuned into the Fox Business RNC debate, the second GOP primary debate without Donald Trump.  The answers are in per an NBC review of Nielsen ratings.

Approximately 9.3 million people tuned in to watch the debate on Fox, Fox Business and Univision. That’s a drop of 27% from the first debate which had 12.8 million viewers.

[…] Even though it was broadcast on Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel and Univision, it still attracted roughly 3.4 million fewer viewers than the first GOP debate just one month ago, which was hosted by the Fox News Channel. That’s a decline of 27%. By contrast, the decline between the first and second debates of the 2016 cycle — both of which featured Trump — was just 4%. (link)

Sep 28 2023

FOX News Discounts Ad Prices for Second First Loser Debate


Posted originally on the CTH on September 27, 2023 | Sundance 

According to a review done by Semafor of ad rates for the second Republican debate, technically the second of the first loser debates, Fox News has massively discounted the price for a 30 second advertisement to run during the broadcast.

[…] Advertisers paid a premium for airtime during the first Republican presidential debate on Fox News, but it looks like they’ll be getting a major discount during round two on Wednesday night.

Semafor reviewed the rates the network shared with one prospective ad buyer for both the first and second GOP primary debates. For the first debate, the cost of a single 30-second spot topped $495,000.

But the same 30-second spot during Wednesday night’s contest would cost just over $200,000.

Another ad buyer did not share the rates for ads running during the first debate, but confirmed that Fox was charging $225,000 for 30-second ads during the broadcast immediately after the event, and $125,000 for 30-second spots during the broadcast before it. (link)

At this point in the contest, the Republican candidates who are not supporting Donald Trump are simply showcasing their own selfish connections to the business end of U.S. politics.  It really is that simple.  These are not patriots who care about our country. These are self-interested representatives of multinational corporations and business interests who are paying for them to oppose Donald Trump.

I saw the following brutal honesty shared via The Twitter which deserves some attention.

“Whenever you hear someone self-describe as a “principled conservative” to differentiate themselves from MAGA, Trump supporters, populists, and common-sense newcomers to the GOP, and urge for a return to the “golden years,” you can confidently laugh it off as blissful ignorance.

For decades, these so-called “principled conservatives” have overseen and actively participated in policymaking that has degraded the family unit, delivered losses on abortion, brought you a 10-yearlong “assault weapons ban,” and ceded greater authority over and involvement of the federal government in education.

Not satisfied with the piecemeal destruction of society that they now bitch about for clicks, these “principled conservatives” carry their feigned outrage and ideological purity to the economic realm, blindly devoting themselves to protecting the interests of global corporate giants while sacrificing American workers at the altar of “free markets.”

When faced with the consequences of their neoliberalism—the displaced workers and their families, once-great American small towns and cities in shambles, the industrial core of the country gutted, and all the social ills that emanate from these realities—the response from these upstanding moralists is to hawkishly scrutinize every dollar that could possibly go toward alleviating some of the pain and suffering they caused.

In other words, “f**k off! you aren’t my concern.”

The false devotion to “fiscal conservatism” wouldn’t be so offensive if it wasn’t so easily discarded when constructing a national security apparatus that violates your constitutional rights, launching failed trillion-dollar regime change wars, providing foreign aid to corrupt oligarchs and regimes in quid pro quo deals, and subsidizing the social welfare expenses of other countries.”  ~ JoMa

That’s a whole bunch of truth.

It’s the exact same thing we have been talking about on these pages since the 2012 fallacy of false choices.

Aug 28 2023

Trump’s Notoriety Turns into Popularity


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Aug 28, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Donald Trump’s notoriety is turning into increased popularity as he has become a martyr of the corrupt political system. He is receiving around-the-clock news coverage. Rallies are taking place in his favor, with a large group amassing outside the Fulton County jail that is composed of every demographic. His mugshot has been seen throughout the world and has been merchandised and sold. In many way his arrest has made him appear more civilian, instead of an elite business mogul he is now just another American battered by an unjust system.

Trump won the first GOP debate without attending as the most discussed candidate was not present. Former President Donald Trump declined the invitation to debate other GOP candidates and instead appeared on Tucker Carlson for a private interview. Trump’s interview was posted to the internet minutes before Fox aired the official debate. Trump received more views on social media than the entire primary, receiving nearly 11 million views within the first four minutes of going live. Candidates who speak unfavorably on the president lose support, as we have seen the opposite with Ramaswamy who has gained favor after proclaiming Trump was a great president. His interview has become one of the most shared videos on social media, ever, and views have surpassed that of the last Super Bowl.

Some of the most prominent historical figures amassed notoriety and popularity after prison. This has been both negative and positive, with Nelson Mandela or even Adolf Hitler as examples of leaders whose popularity spiked after being jailed. A poll by FiveThirtyEight reported by the BBC shows that Trump’s popularity is on the rise. In February, Trump held a two-point lead over Ron DeSantis (41% v 39%). Now, Trump’s support has skyrocketed to 53% while DeSantis is a distant second at 16%.

The people want Trump. The powers that be will not allow him to retake office, which will only cause increased civil unrest. So brace yourself as all hell is going to break loose come 2024.

Aug 24 2023

Perfect – Everything in the First Loser Fox News Debate Summarized in One Singular Moment – Clowns to the Left, Jokers to the Right


Posted Originally on the CTH on August 23, 2023 | Sundance 

There’s no reason to chase down soundbites of Adderall Ron taking Casey’s meds again and nodding wide-eyed like a bobblehead going over a railroad track, or Chris Christie taking coordinated payments from the corporations to hit Trump, or wind-testing Nikki looking to formulate her positions based on audience cheers and jeers, or Mike Pence waxing philosophically about distractions to his swamp defense, or any of the other myriad of transparently obvious motives and intentions of the corporate consulting class.

A person really only needs to watch this one segment to see all of the machinations from Fox News in alignment with the actors on stage.

Starting with the ever-insufferable Martha MacCallum teeing up the pretense with the oft familiar Bret Baier raise your hand question.  There is so much in this segment, you guys -super smart and full of intellectual honesty- just write about it in the comment section, and I will enjoy a non-pretending review.

Full credit to Ramaswamy for his non pretense, and the brilliant stare at Adderall Ron as he awaits the poll testing followers.  Ramaswamy leads, then the South Carolina coalition join, then Bergum goes limp up, then Ron looks over and realizes he better join, which triggers Pence and finally Krispy.   It’s all perfect.  All of it. Perfect in the way it encapsulates the entire field of followers. Just perfect.

Additionally, I cannot stop laughing at the human cabbage patch doll, Bret Baier, needing to turn around to the audience to protect Krispy from the jeers.  Too much funny – all of it.  WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9JlWvp4R0i0%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Vivek Ramaswamy singing:

 …”clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right – here I am, stuck in the middle with snooze”…

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Aug 24 2023

Rupert Murdoch and Fox News Implement the Strongest Corporate Broadcast Controls, All Intended to Control Debate Discussion


Posted originally on the CTH on August 23, 2023 | Sundance 

The multinationals and corporate media conglomerates all have a vested stake in the outcome of the 2024 election.  The parent corporations are all aligned with the Wall Street globalist agenda. As a result, all of the broadcast and cable outlets have a singularity of focus to support the elimination of President Trump.

Yes, when you drill corporatism down to its least common denominator, it’s the money motive – every single time.

Fox News is hosting the GOP first-loser debate, and Fox News is worried about their scripted theatrics being destroyed by the new media apparatus that now dominates the discussion.  The old guard are trying to flex, trying to maintain control, but the insurgent rebellion is much stronger.  The corporate media are squeezing Jello tightly in a closed fist…

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I’ve got two words for the Fox News Corporation, and they ain’t Merry Christmas!

Rebellion members need to double down hard and destroy these clowns.

Jul 26 2023

Three Minutes of Visible Rupert Murdoch Sadness


Posted originally on the CTH on July 26, 2023 | Sundance 

Perhaps the best 3 minutes of visible Rupert Murdoch anxiety in the past few weeks. ENJOY:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xst9NhAmKSU%3Ffeature%3Doembed

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Google gonna be big mad at me today…

Jul 20 2023

Murdoch Outlet Promotes Corporate Chair Ronna McDaniel Warning Trump Not to Avoid Murdoch Outlet Debate


Posted originally on the CTH on July 19, 2023 | Sundance 

The transparency of the puppeteers continues.  The latest example is the New York Post (Murdoch outlet) promoting a story of the RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, appearing on Fox News (Murdoch outlet) to warn President Trump not to avoid the RNC debate hosted by Fox News, the Murdoch outlet.

The private corporation (RNC) has a vested interest in Trump delivering credibility to the organization.  The Fox News corporation has a vested interest in Trump delivering credibility and ratings to the organization.  Whether President Trump decides to attend or not, the desperation expressed by the two corporations is a little funny.

The Freudian slip in this soundbite “20 million dollars” is also funny.  WATCH: 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pXDWxA_wDdU%3Ffeature%3Doembed

[NEW YORK POST] – Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has cautioned that it would be a mistake for GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump to skip the party’s primary debates.

“I think he should be on the stage. I want everybody on the stage that qualifies, obviously,” she told Fox News Wednesday. “It’s a mistake not to do the debates, but that’s going to be up to him and his campaign.”

McDaniel cited two main reasons why she feels it’s in Trump’s best interest to jump into the upcoming verbal slugfest despite holding a massive polling lead over his rivals. “One, short-term, you want to win the nomination, you got to get in front of the whole primary voters,” she said. (read more)

There’s only one thing these three corporations care about, money!

Jul 14 2023

Murdoch Outlet – Struggling DeSantis Discounts Admission Price for Rich People to Meet Him in Hamptons


Posted originally on the CTH on July 13, 2023 | Sundance 

I don’t know what’s funnier, that Team DeSantis is now providing discounts for people to meet him, or that Rupert Murdoch is the one telling everybody.

Next up, coupons.

However, I qualify this article sharing by saying the Big Club doesn’t put $250+ million into a political construct and give up this easily.  Until Casey DeSantis publicly renounces her quest for a bigger tiara, Super PAC operators Ken Cuccinelli and Jeff Roe will never concede.  Reference Cindy McCain in Arizona for comparable context.

[NEW YORK POST] – When it comes to campaign fundraisers, Ron DeSantis has been relegated to the “discount section” as his chances of winning the White House continue to fade, sources told On The Money.

The cost to attend the Florida governor’s July 20 fundraiser in the Hamptons has dropped to $3,300 per person — less than three weeks after the Republican hopeful on June 29 charged $6,600 a plate at the Yale Club in Manhattan, according to invitations reviewed by On The Money.

“DeSantis is now in the discount section,” one source close to the campaign told On The Money.

“He seems to have lowered the entry fee to meet him, which is often a sign that he has already milked most of the ‘big money’ from New York.” (read more)

Jul 7 2023

Fox News Celebrates the DeSantis Campaign Fleecing Florida Donors in Gleeful Outline of Massive Fundraising Haul


Posted originally on the CTH on July 6, 2023 | Sundance 

Against the backdrop of 1,000,000+ small donors each contributing an average of $34 to President Trump last quarter, Rupert Murdoch’s media outlet quickly jumped to the typeset to proclaim Ron DeSantis, as measured by billionaire contributions, as the richest political candidate in U.S. history.

Buried near the end of their article they note this, “A significant portion of Never Back Down’s fundraising was money transferred from funds originally raised to support DeSantis’ 2022 gubernatorial re-election.”  [Funny enough, after we mocked them on the Twitter, Fox News stealth edited the article to note the $82 million.]

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis brought in an impressive $20 million in fundraising during the first six weeks of his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, his political team told Fox News on Thursday.

Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting the Florida governor’s presidential run, in a separate announcement told Fox News that they’ve hauled in $130 million in fundraising since the committee launched in early March.

[…] Nearly half of the governor’s haul – $8.2 million – came in the first 24 hours after DeSantis declared his candidacy, his team announced in late May.

The DeSantis campaign highlighted in a release shared first with Fox News that their haul was the “largest first-quarter filing from any non-incumbent Republican candidate in more than a decade.” (read more)

Note something they don’t brag about?  The average contribution amount.

Nowhere in the article do they want to even touch the issue of average contribution amount, which is likely in the $300/$500 range because it’s mostly BIG DOLLAR donors and professional political bundlers.  Hence the Yale Club dinner in New York City last week.

The $6,600/plate appearance was the latest effort by Team DeSantis to connect to the ordinary working-class voter he needs to try and regain footing after his effort has fallen short of the Sea Island billionaires’ expectations.

Despite the combined efforts of Rupert Murdoch, Ken Griffin, Elon Musk, the Sea Island billionaires, hedge fund managers, Wall Street groups and a host of multinational corporations, recent polling shows the richest fundraiser in the GOP field has failed to gain traction with the lesser controllable voters.

Additionally, the purchased right-side media, Daily Wire, Salem Inc. and a strong coalition of “conservative influencers” are producing diminishing returns.

The former Team Cruz crowd is pushing hard, but it becomes a complicated dynamic of influence when they must pretend they are not aligned with Jeb and the Bush clan.

DeSantis is now promising to use tariffs against Mexico, break up the federal government, attack the FBI and DOJ and start shooting Mexicans at the border in a last-ditch effort to convince the suspicious crowd that his association with the spooks from Skull and Bones is only an optical illusion.

The tiaras of Casey are contingent upon selling a carefully branded narrative, that thus far has not captured enough of the sheeple masses for success.  Today the campaign announced that Casey DeSantis would take the place of Ron in public appearances.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NewsNation) — Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’ wife, Casey, appeared in Iowa on Thursday to launch the grassroots group “Mamas for DeSantis,” hoping to boost his presidential hopes with a charismatic flare critics say the candidate himself lacks. (read more)

May 24 2023

Epstein Tried to Blackmail Gates – JPMorgan v Murdoch News Corp?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Conspiracy Re-Posted May 23, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

News outlets are reporting that Jeffrey Epstein allegedly attempted to blackmail Bill Gates after discovering he was having an affair with Mila Antonova, a Russian bridge player. Epstein wanted Gates to join him in creating a multi-billion dollar “charitable” fund with JPMorgan Chase. Epstein attempted to use Gates’ affair with Mila as leverage but failed. It is peculiar that they are now releasing this story to the mainstream media.

Boris Nikolic, a close adviser to Gates, introduced Mila Antonova to Epstein. Epstein went on to pay for her to attend coding school and even provided her with housing. “I just thought he was a successful businessman and wanted to help. I am disgusted with Epstein and what he did,” Mila told reporters. There is a good chance this young woman did not know she was being used as a pawn.

Gates did not want to join forces with JPMorgan Chase and Epstein, but they were adamantly requesting a $100 million contribution from him. “In essence, this [fund] will allow Bill to have access to higher quality people, investment, allocation, governance without upsetting either his marriage or the sensitvities [sic] of the current foundation employees,” Epstein penned in an email to executives from JPMorgan on August 16, 2011.  The following day, Epstein emailed the executives to say: “Bill is terribly frustrated. He woud! [sic] like to boost some of the things that are working without taking away from thoses  [sic] that are not.” The banking executives and Epstein agreed they could not create the fund without Gates.

The fund flopped after years of attempting to lure Gates into the scheme. But Epstein refused to let it go. In 2017, Epstein reached out to Gates and asked him for reimbursement for putting Mila through school. Tuition costs mean nothing to these men; he wanted to remind Gates that he could blackmail him. It appears Epstein took this grudge to the grave. Days before his alleged suicide in 2019, Epstein appointed Nikolic as his backup executor. “He couldn’t have listed Bill because that would have been too obvious, so he chose me,” Nikolic told the WSJ. “I have come to believe it was likely a retaliatory move against Bill Gates.”

Why are they releasing this information in 2023? Gates already lost his wife for a 20-year affair he had with an employee. While the article does look bad for Gates, it is even more incriminating for JPMorgan Chase. Let’s follow the money. First, JPMorgan Chase and CEO Dimon is under investigation for its dealings with Epstein. The Wall Street Journal who broke the story is owned by News Corp, which is owned by the Murdoch family. The Murdoch family owns 42% of FOX, and has attempted over the years to combine News Corp with FOX. Rupert Murdoch personally defended JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in the past when his bank was amid scandals. Murdoch called Dimon “One of the smartest, toughest guys around.”

So, what happened? It is no secret that FOX is one of the only conservative news outlets available, and Dimon is a self-described Democrat who is also a member of the World Economic Forum. FOX consistently criticizes the ideals Dimon and JPMorgan support. I do believe these articles are intended to paint JPMorgan in a negative light. The WSJ paints Gates as almost a victim and says he was “threatened.” The same publication also published an article at the end of April entitled “JPMorgan’s Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Were Deeper Than the Bank Has Acknowledged.”

Could this be political? Perhaps Rupert Murdoch, a personal friend of Bill Gates, wanted to expose the story to sugarcoat his friend’s ties to Epstein. There is speculation that the Murdoch press giant is a huge proponent of vaccinations, a cause near and dear to Bill’s heart. Murdoch has made numerous donations to the Gates Foundation as well. Microsoft once intended to compete against News Corp but then decided to work a deal over Sky Global Networks. The connections between Dimon, Murdoch, and Gates are deep. However, it appears that Murdoch and Gates may be against Dimon and are using the power of the media to undermine America’s biggest bank.