Newscasts continue to shield Biden over motorists’ pain at the pump

NEWS AND OPINION:

Prices of gasoline in some parts of the nation are literally shocking. Consider that the current average price per gallon in San Luis Obispo, California, is now $6.08 per gallon according to GasBuddy.com, a very nimble industry source. Similar prices are found throughout the Golden State — and elsewhere to various degrees across the U.S.

Who’s to blame? Not President Biden as far as the major broadcast networks are concerned.

“Americans over the last month have been enduring painful, skyrocketing gas prices. The impacts are echoing out to all parts of the economy and squeezing already stressed wallets. But if you watched the morning and evening network newscasts, you would think almost all the blame for this falls on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Joe Biden? His role has almost entirely been ignored,” writes Scott Whitlock, the research director for NewsBusters.org, a conservative press watchdog.

He monitored the coverage for almost a month.

“From February 24 to March 21, the networks put the culpability squarely on Russia by a 11-to-1 margin. ABC, CBS and NBC blamed Russia a whopping 33 times and the Democratic president just 3 times. The breakdown by network: NBC blamed Russia 16 times, CBS 11 times and ABC 6 times,” Mr. Whitlock said.

He also noted that Mr. Biden already has promised to rid the U.S. of fossil fuels, coal plants and oil and gas leasing on federal lands.

“The networks are doing everything they can to censor his crippling energy policies,” the analyst concluded.

‘ADMIT THAT YOU HAVE ONE’

One Lone Star lawmaker is still mulling over the news that there have been an unprecedented 2.3 million apprehensions of illegal immigrants on the southwest border since President Biden took office, but just 59,000 deportations — the fewest in 26 years.

The numbers come from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recently released annual report.

“For months, the Biden administration has failed to release its annual report on immigration and enforcement for fear it would further expose the growing threat of Biden’s open border policies. The data shows a complete dereliction of duty,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, a Texas Republican who hails from Lubbock, in a written statement.

But he has some advice for Mr. Biden.

“The first step to solving a crisis is to first admit you have one. Let’s be clear, even if you don’t admit it, then it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a crisis,” Mr. Arrington noted in a news conference on Thursday.

“We are representatives, members of Congress, who represent border states. Our communities are at ground zero and our constituents are on the front lines, bearing the brunt of the lawlessness and self-inflicted crisis at the border created by the Biden administration,” he advised.

‘OMINOUS SIGN’ FOR DEMOCRATS

A Fox News poll released Thursday reveals that if the 2022 election for Congress were held today, 43% of registered voters would support the Republican candidate and 41% would opt for the Democrat. The network also reported that the Republican Party has held between a 1 to 4 percentage point advantage for the last four months.

“A more ominous sign for the Democrats is that there is an enthusiasm gap. Republican voters are 8 percentage points more likely than Democrats to be extremely interested in the upcoming elections (52% Republican vs. 44% Democrat) and 7 percentage points more likely to say the outcome is extremely important to them (55% Republican vs. 48% Democrat),” Fox News said in an analysis.

See more numbers in the Poll du Jour at the column’s end.

A FOWL UP

Yes, the traditional Easter Egg Roll returns to the White House in mid-April, but not without controversy. The folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — that’s PETA — have some ruffled feathers.

“I’m writing on behalf of PETA, the world’s largest animal rights organization, and all people who are vegetarian or vegan, whether for humane, environmental, or health reasons, to request that you replace all chicken eggs used for White House Easter Egg Roll events with Earth- and animal-friendly ceramic eggs. We would be delighted to fund the replacement of all the eggs,” wrote Ingrid Newkirk, president of the group, in an open letter to President Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

“We’ve sponsored two chickens in your honor, Joe and Jill, at Animal Place, one of the oldest and largest sanctuaries for farmed animals in the country. Both were born to be used for their eggs and flesh but luckily were spared the suffering that’s the norm in the chicken and egg industries,” Ms. Newkirk explained.

Meanwhile — on an unrelated matter — the White House seeks volunteers for the Easter event; consult Whitehouse.gov1.info/easter-egg-roll. The deadline for an application is March 31.

WEEKEND REAL ESTATE

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POLL DU JOUR

• 47% of registered U.S. voters say the outcome of the 2022 midterm election is “extremely important” to them; 55% of Republicans, 26% of independents and 48% of Democrats agree.

• 27% overall say the election is “very important” to them; 26% Republicans, 25% of independents and 30% of Democrats agree.

• 19% say the election is “somewhat important”; 14% Republicans, 32% of independents and 17% of Democrats agree.

• 6% say the election is “not at all” important; 4% Republicans, 15% of independents and 4% of Democrats agree.

• 1% don’t know; 0% Republicans, 2% of independents and 1% of Democrats agree.

Source: A Fox News poll of 1,004 registered U.S. voters conducted March 18-21.

Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.