RINGSIDE POLITICS – FEBRUARY 26, 2021

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Welcome to another edition of Ringside Politics with Jeff Crouere

Today’s Hot Topics:

1) After CNN finally covered bombshell sexual harassment leveled against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D., Thursday with a story leading with his denial, critics pointed out Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh didn’t receive the same treatment.

CNN had been stone-silent about former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan’s sexual harassment claims for nearly 24 hours, but it finally covered the story online Thursday and led with Cuomo’s denial. It broke its on-air silence on the matter with a brief John King segment on Thursday.

Anchor Jake Tapper shared the story on Twitter and critics quickly pointed out that the framing was significantly different than the way unverified claims against Kavanaugh were covered by Tapper and his network. Gov. Cuomo, of course, is the older brother of CNN primetime anchor Chris Cuomo.

2) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., placed a sign outside her office Wednesday mocking Democratic Rep. Marie Newman, whose office sits across the hall, after Newman hung a transgender pride flag next to her door in protest over Greene’s opposition to a LGBTQ rights bill.

Newman, who has a transgender daughter, tweeted a video of herself putting up the flag Wednesday after she said Greene tried to block the Equality Act on the House floor “because she believes prohibiting discrimination against trans Americans is ‘disgusting, immoral, and evil.’”

“Thought we’d put up our Transgender flag so she can look at it every time she opens her door,” Newman, of Illinois, wrote in the tweet.

In response, Greene tweeted her own video showing her putting up a large sign that says, “There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE. “Trust The Science.””

3) The U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday targeting Iranian-backed militia groups in the first known offensive military operation carried out by the Biden administration.

The Department of Defense said the strikes are a response to recent rocket attacks against Americans in Iraq, including one in which a civilian contractor working with American forces was killed and several U.S. service members were injured. Officials believe the Feb. 15 attack in Erbil, Iraq, was conducted by Shia militants.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby in a statement called the U.S. operation a “proportionate military response.”

4) At a historic hearing Thursday, Rachel Levine, President Joe Biden’s nominee for assistant secretary of health at the Department of Health and Human Services, and the first openly transgender person nominated for federal office, told lawmakers she would fight to improve health care access for all Americans if confirmed and deflected inflammatory questions from a GOP senator who likened transgender surgery to “genital mutilation.”

As the HHS assistant secretary of health, Levine would oversee the nation’s public health system amid the pandemic. A pediatrician, she recently led Pennsylvania’s pandemic response as the state’s health secretary and was the state’s physician general before that.

Just over an hour in, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky began questioning Levine about “genital mutilation” of children, which he compared to a person’s decision to transition.

“American culture is now normalizing the idea that minors can be given hormones about their biological development and their secondary sexual characteristics,” Paul said.

Today’s Guests:

1) Michael Betrus, Author of “COVID-19, Lockdowns on Trial” – joins the show in the first hour to discuss his book and the state of the pandemic.

2)Adam Weiss, Media and political strategist; CEO of AMW PR

3) Chris Holton, Vice President of Outreach, Center for Security Policy – calls to discuss the latest in the Biden administration.

4) Joan Luise Hill & Katie Mahon, Authors of  “The Miracle Collectors: Uncovering Stories of Wonder, Joy, and Mystery”

5) Donna Carol Voss, Ringside All-Star – joins the show to talk about the hot topics of the week and opine with callers