Media top headlines January 24
In media news today, Bill Maher panics about 2024 Democratic presidential prospects, The New York Times says Biden is contributing to his own ‘political woes’ by downplaying inflation, and voters sound off on the economy under Biden.
The liberal media is losing their cool over former New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss’ admission that she’s had enough with COVID-19.
Weiss joined HBO’s "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Friday to express her exhaustion with the pandemic, stressing how it’s "ridiculous" the nation has not returned to normal after two years – a sentiment she said is bipartisan.
"I know that so many of my liberal and progressive friends are with me on this, and they do not want to say it out loud because they are scared to be called ‘anti-vaxx’… or to be smeared as a Trumper," she spilled. "At this point, it’s a pandemic of bureaucracy. It’s not real anymore."
('Real Time with Bill Maher'/HBO screenshot of Bari Weiss)
CBS' GAYLE KING REVEALS EXHAUSTION WITH COVID-19: ‘SO TIRED’ OF BEING AFRAID
Media pundits including CNN anchor Jim Acosta dragged Weiss for her remarks. During a segment with CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner on Sunday, Acosta considered Weiss a troll for even daring to disagree.
"I’m done with that attitude," Acosta said. "She needs to understand that trolling people to own the libs is not a sacrifice."
Dr. Reiner chimed in and encouraged Weiss to "grow up" and stop acting "like a child," likening the situation to a kid who doesn’t want to "play this game anymore."
"All that we’ve done is ask the public to wear a mask when you go out and about and get vaccinated," he said. "So, I’m glad she’s done with it."
MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan ripped Weiss for "moaning" about the pandemic as part of his high-speed "60 Second Rant" segment on Sunday.
"Oh, it’s ridiculous, is it?" he responded. "People who should be complaining right now are our overworked and burned-out healthcare workers. But no. It’s never them moaning or whining about the pandemic."
"My young children have handled this pandemic more maturely and less childishly than the likes of Bari Weiss who, I’m sorry, can’t go to as many indoor parties as she’d like to," he added.
MSNBC contributor and Washington Post opinion writer Jennifer Rubin weighed in on Twitter with her own reaction, faulting Weiss for losing her "moral compass."
"And she wants to teach your child," Rubin tweeted.
In her own remarks, Weiss was adamant that the nation’s COVID response would be remembered by the younger generation as a "catastrophic moral crime."
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"People are killing themselves," she said. "They are anxious, they are depressed, they are lonely. That is why we need to end it more than any inconvenience that it’s been to the rest of us."
But Weiss isn't the only media figure expressing her honesty about COVID exhaustion. CBS host Gayle King told "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" earlier this month that she's "so tired" of being afraid of the virus and facing the threat of being locked down.
Co-anchor of "CBS This Morning" Gayle King speaks during the TIME 100 Summit, in New York, Tuesday, April 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
"I think we all have got to figure out how we can live our lives and navigate it," she said. "I would much rather run down Times Square buck naked than go back home."