Editors Note: Barring breaking news, our next blog will be next week.
On Script and Off:
The President has followed his off script speech in Phoenix Tuesday night with an on script one to veterans on Wednesday. It went well. So let’s see, Monday and Wednesday on script and all is well. Tuesday off script and all kind of issues. The man simply won’t learn what works and what he should do. It’s beyond our ability to understand.
How Does This Feel?
So in New York City, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said that the 76-foot-tall monument honoring Christopher Columbus (located at Columbus Circle) should be among the statues reviewed by the city for potential purging. She said, “There obviously has been ongoing dialogue and debate in the Caribbean — particularly in Puerto Rico, where I’m from — about this same conversation that there should be no monument or statue of Christopher Columbus based on what he signifies to the native population. . . [the] oppression and everything that he brought with him,” she added.
So let me understand, there should be no statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus Circle, that is named after him.
Now for readers not in the NYC area, this is from the City Council President who invited the just pardoned FALN leader to be the honorary chair of the Puerto Rican Day Parade a few months ago.
Comment: If anything, this illustrates how far the other way we have gone. There will be a political price for the Speaker or Mayor, who likely backs her, to pay.
Peace In The Middle East Is Not Easy:
The President, as most of you know, put his son in law, Jared Kushner, in charge of trying to find a middle east solution. The task has proven impossible to every administration and diplomat forever. Well yesterday, due to U.S. cuts, the task got more difficult. Here’s a story from The Washington Times:
“White House adviser Jared Kushner and visiting U.S. officials were snubbed by the Foreign Ministry in Cairo on Wednesday in apparent protest over the Trump administration’s move to cut and delay aid to Egypt.
Egypt’s top diplomat, Sameh Shoukry, was to meet with the U.S. delegation headed by Kushner, but a modified version of the minister’s schedule showed the meeting had been called off, shortly after the Americans landed in Cairo.
The protest came after the Trump administration on Tuesday cut nearly $100 million in military and economic aid to Egypt and delayed almost $200 million more in military financing, pending human rights improvements and action to ease harsh restrictions on civic and other non-governmental groups”.
Comment: Just another roadblock and issue added to the pursuit of peace.
The Ratings:
For Monday night’s address to the nation on Afghanistan it was FoxNews that dominated. They did so again on Tuesday when the President was in Arizona.
The Sunday news show race was won by Meet The Press.
Below those numbers is a recap of the progress of FoxBusiness and the growth of Lou Dobbs show.
Total Viewers (Live +SD) MONDAY — Presidential Address at Night
- Total day: FNC: 1.958 | CNN: 1.199 | MSNBC: 1.335 | HLN: 214
- Primetime: FNC: 3.572 | CNN: 1.940 | MSNBC: 2.443 | HLN: 208
| 4p: | 5p: | 6p: | 7p: | 8p: | 9p: | 10p: | 11p: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNC | Cavuto: 1.647 |
Specialists: 1.607 |
Baier: 2.185 |
MacCallum: 1.952 |
Carlson: 3.143 |
TrmpAdrss: 5.113/4.440 |
Hannity: 3.124 |
Carlson: 1.925 |
| CNN | Tapper: 1.360 |
Blitzer: 1.101 |
Blitzer: 1.069 |
Burnett: 1.130 |
Cooper: 1.410 |
Trump/Ryan: 2.390/2.288 |
Tonight: 1.601 |
Tonight: 1.246 |
| MSNBC | Wallace: 1.142 |
MTPDaily: 1.200 |
Melber: 1.201 |
Matthews: 1.693 |
Hayes: 1.985 |
Trump/Mdw: 2.694/3.125 |
O’Donnell: 2.424 |
Williams: 1.762 |
| HLN | MichaeLA: 102 |
Files: 118 |
Files: 171 |
Cupp: 106 |
Banfield: 256 |
TheHunt: 180 |
KillingMe: 188 |
Files: 364 |
Total Viewers (Live +SD): Fox Wins Tuesday with President in Arizona. Check Hannity’s number as President spoke at 10:00.
- Total day: FNC: 1.874 | CNN: 995 | MSNBC: 1.278 | HLN: 202
- Primetime: FNC: 3.378 | CNN: 1.546 | MSNBC: 2.503 | HLN: 266
| 4p: | 5p: | 6p: | 7p: | 8p: | 9p: | 10p: | 11p: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNC | Cavuto: 1.456 |
Specialists: 1.570 |
Baier: 2.121 |
MacCallum: 2.047 |
Carlson: 2.711 |
Five: 2.844 |
Hannity: 4.578 |
Carlson: 3.545 |
| CNN | Tapper: 764 |
Blitzer: 917 |
Blitzer: 958 |
Burnett: 1.040 |
Cooper: 1.323 |
Cooper: 1.305 |
Lemon: 2.006 |
Lemon: 1.929 |
| MSNBC | Wallace: 1.185 |
MTPDaily: 1.243 |
Melber: 1.339 |
Matthews: 1.676 |
Hayes: 1.879 |
Maddow: 3.088 |
O’Donnell: 2.535 |
Williams: 2.013 |
| HLN | MichaeLA: 99 |
Files: 112 |
Files: 141 |
Cupp: 91 |
Banfield: 159 |
Files: 265 |
Files: 373 |
Files: 386 |
The Sunday News Shows for August 20:
| Network | Program | Total Viewers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | Meet the Press | 3.274 M | |
| CBS | Face the Nation | 3.186 M | |
| ABC | This Week | 2.803 M | |
| FOX | Fox News Sunday | 1.174 M |
Fox Business Network: This story from The Hill publication.
Note: Check CNBC’s reaction to Fox Business winning. If you’re not satisfied, fire the research company!
Fox Business Network’ “Lou Dobbs Tonight” marked one straight year as the most-watched program in business news this week, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The show, hosted by staunch President Trump supporter Lou Dobbs, averaged 285,000 total viewers, making it the highest-rated program over other business networks including rival CNBC.