I don’t know what happened to the news.

It used to exist — I remember, because I hated it. It was boring.

But I sure do miss it now. Frequently, if you’re not hearing outright opinion, you’re being served a narrative strong enough to chop a giant redwood.

Case in point: Ahead of Trump’s Phoenix rally, reporter Vaughn Hillyard was on the scene for MSNBC Live.

Here’s what he had to say:

“We’re Democrats. We’re Democrats. We’re Democrats. We’re Democrats.”

Sorry, that’s just what I heard. This was some of his actual words:

“[W]hat we’re talking about — a slow-down in testing. The President of the United States is already coming to a place where folks that are asymptomatic may not get a test. … [I] was just…attempting to get a test myself. The wait was five and a half hours on Saturday afternoon. It is 104 degrees. You have folks waiting outside with masks on, a good number of them clearly not in the best of conditions. And so the President of the United States suggested not slowing down. At a time in which the state acknowledges that we are not on a downward trajectory. And when you hold events like this, the unfortunate reality…my folks live just three miles down the road from here. A family friend’s restaurant…they’ve already shut down out of concern about folks coming to the restaurant. This is the issue here…in the heart of Phoenix, you have the President coming in here, at a time where there’s not testing capacity and folks, frankly, are not adhering to a policy in which the state and the city of Phoenix put a mask requirement in just this weekend.”

MSNBC's Vaughn Hillyard talks to some Trump supporters in Phoenix about why they refuse to wear masks. pic.twitter.com/GHLGcQirp3

— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) June 23, 2020

Somewhat strangely, no similar kind of coverage was given to thousands upon thousands in the streets not long ago — many who were peacefully protesting, it should be made clear, a horrific killing of an American citizen by four law enforcement officers.

But in terms of public health, do germs have a soft spot for justice?

As Vaughn spoke into his lapel, some at the Trump rally called baloney:

“But it’s okay to riot?
“It’s okay to protest?”
“Rioting and protesting’s okay! Rioting and protesting’s okay!”

The news man was directed by his in-studio colleague to ask the folks “precisely why they’re not wearing a mask.”

A lady in a MAGA hat explained:

“It’s not about the mask. It’s about the hypocrisy that it is okay for tens of thousands of people to go and riot, to go and protest, but you cannot have a group of a thousand? Or, I don’t know how many people are here. This is not okay?”

The reporter wasn’t interested in that:

“Are you concerned about your guys’ own health?”

A man replied, “Why don’t you cover the protestors and ask why they aren’t wearing a mask?”

Back to Vaughn:

“[T]he protestors at those events are wearing masks.”

It devolved a smidge:

“I’m asking you a question.”

“I’m asking you a question.”

The guy repeated, “Why aren’t they wearing a mask? Why isn’t the liberal news media focusing on them not wearing a mask? I’m asking you a question. You didn’t answer my question. Answer my question…”

Ms. MAGA said she wasn’t worried about the coronavirus.

Vaughn attempted to take the conversation elsewhere:

“Did you hear about the ionization system that the church implemented in here?”

Hilariously, a voice off-camera asked, “Are you talking about for that COVID-1984 bulls–t?”

In studio, host Craig Melvin asked political commentator and former Republican David Jolly how we got “to a point where wearing a mask has become an open act of defiance.”

David:

“Craig, it’s like having a conversation with my 15-month-old — the logic that’s being used for not wearing a mask.”

To hear Jolly tell it, the President’s kind of a menace:

“Donald Trump could have everybody in that crowd wearing a mask if he spoke to responsible public health policy and the notion that wearing a mask will help prevent the spread of this pandemic.”

I could explain a lot of things here, but you already know ’em all.

You surely recall some recent media flip-flops:

Sometimes I think that, if consistency was candy, some in the media wouldn’t need dental insurance.

Back to MSNBC, here’s more of the network’s profile of Trump, his rallies, and his supporters. Listen and learn about those Republican nuts:

And:

Man…it’s gonna be a really interesting election.

-ALEX

See 3 more pieces from me:

History, You’re History: Prominent Prep School Jilts George Washington for Not Being ‘Relevant’

In Response to a 22-Year-Old’s Complaint, Merriam-Webster Revises Its Definition of ‘Racism’

Due to COVID-19, New York City Issues a Guide to ‘Safer’ Sex – and All I Can Say Is Wow

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