Inside the Beltway: CNN obsessed with Trump, but not in a good way

NEWS AND OPINION:

“CNN is completely obsessed with Donald Trump — and not in a good way,” says Rich Noyes, senior editor of Newsbusters.org, which has conducted an ambitious study of more than 13 consecutive hours of recent CNN coverage that reveals the network’s true fascination: 92 percent of it was devoted to President Trump, primarily dwelling on his firing of FBI director James B. Comey.

Only 68 minutes were devoted to the news of the day. Of the on-air guests featured in the time period, 96 were “anti-Trump,” while only seven were supportive of the president, Mr. Noyes says.

“The imbalance in guests was amplified by the frequent editorializing of CNN’s own hosts and anchors,” Mr. Noyes continues, citing Chris Cuomo, who said White House explanations of the Comey events were “filled with lies,” and John King, who declared them to be “a heap of falsehoods.”

The focused study provided some telling information about the network, which claims to be politically moderate, Mr. Noyes notes.

“This review looked at just a single day, but the pattern is overwhelming: CNN is providing nearly wall-to-wall coverage of the Trump presidency, and is anything but down-the-middle in their approach,” he concludes.

BILL O’REILLY’S NEW GIG

Two former Fox News anchors have joined forces. Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly will offer a weekly exchange each Friday on The Blaze, Mr. Beck’s national radio show.

“We’re going to do that every Friday until Beck gets tired of me. It’s a good outlet for me to discuss things back and forth with Beck, who is a good friend. We don’t agree on everything, but it’s very lively,” explained Mr. O’Reilly on his personal podcast.

PRESIDENTIAL CONVENTION WORKERS SUE THE DNC

A federal class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Democratic National Committee by disgruntled workers who toiled at campaign events for the organization in six states.

“Everyone’s reaction is the same. It’s obscene,” says Justin Swidler, a Pennsylvania-based attorney who filed the a lawsuit on behalf of some 50 “field organizers” who lost out on overtime.

“One of the arguments that the Democrats are making is that they just don’t have the money to pay overtime to their workers,” Mr. Swidler tells CBSPhilly, a local affiliate.

The named defendants are the Democratic National Committee, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and five other state party organizations. The Democratic National Convention host committee — which staged the mammoth presidential event last year in Philadelphia — was not named. The committee, however, paid out more than $1 million to its own staffers and local nonprofits using surplus funds.

Mr. Swidler says his clients “believed in the Democratic platform and ideals, and put in 80-to-90-hours a week in the last stages of the race to support Hillary Clinton.”

He tells CBSPhilly that the lawsuit seeks “fair pay for fair work,” and holds the Democratic Party to the workforce ideals that it champions.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Resistance Summer”

— New name for the Democratic National Committee’s upcoming nationwide program to bolster state parties and “mobilize grassroots energy.”

A MOST PLEASANT HISTORIC RESOURCE

A note for those in the throes of vacation planning: consider the nation’s extraordinary historic hotels. The National Trust for Historic Preservation offers a guide to 295 of them; these evocative spots are on the National Register of Historic Places and have “faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity.”

Hurrah for that. The organization maintains a handsome website that reveals all and offers deals, tours and “experiences” so important to contemporary travelers. Find it all at HistoricHotels.org.

THE GOP GETS A LITTLE APPLAUSE

The Grand Old Party has some fans: Support for House Republicans’ proposal to allow Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines has increased, and is now very strong indeed. A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 76 percent of likely U.S. voters think employers and individuals should be allowed to buy health insurance plans across state lines. That’s up from 66 percent since last June.

And one for the doctors too: the pollster also found that 93 percent of voters also trust the doctor they see regularly.

CHANGING, CONVOLUTED

On Wednesday, the Federalist Society hosts a daylong “Executive Branch Review Conference” examining the relationship between Congress and the executive branch of government. The group describes this relationship as “changing and often convoluted.”

Yes, well. Among the 30 speakers assembled at a historic hotel just north of the WhIte House: Sen. Mike Lee, Budget Director Mick Mulvaney and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers. Topics include “What is Congress Doing to Reassert its Power Over Agencies?” and “Is the Modern Congress Doing More Harm Than Good?”

POLL DU JOUR

• 57 percent of Americans want the news media to remain “neutral”; 59 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Democrats agree.

• 52 percent do not trust the media; 71 percent of Republicans and 29 percent of Democrats agree.

• 46 percent say the media wants President Trump “to fail”; 79 percent of Republicans and 23 percent of Democrats agree.

• 39 percent trust the media; 26 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of Democrats agree.

• 26 percent say the media is neutral; 4 percent of Republicans and 48 percent of Democrats agree.

• 8 percent say the media wants Mr. Trump “to succeed”; 7 percent of Republicans and 10 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A YouGov/Huffington Post poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted May 11-12.

• Murmurs and asides to jharper@washingtontimes.com