If at first you don’t protect Democrats, try and try again.
The Old Gray Lady was roundly criticized online for editing its headline on its story about Senate Democrats blocking the trillion-dollar stimulus package intended to help businesses and families amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The New York Times’ first shot at the headline exclaimed, “Democrats Block Action on $1.8 Trillion Stimulus.”
The paper apparently took another shot at it, and wrote: “Democrats Block Action on Stimulus Plan, Seeking Worker Protections.” The current headline reads, “Emergency Rescue Plan in Limbo as Democrats Block Action.”
President Trump took to Twitter on Monday and called out the paper for changing the headline three times in order to “satisfy the Radical Left.”
“What should have been a good story got “worst & worse,” until the headline alone made it very unfair. Fake & Corrupt News that is very dangerous for our Country!” he tweeted.
Trump and his administration have had public disagreements with the media amid the coronavirus outbreak. Kellyanne Conway, the counselor to the president, engaged in a tense exchange with a CBS News reporter who claimed a White House official referred to the coronavirus as the “Kung Flu.” Conway said those kinds of unproven allegations take attention from the media that should be focused on the administration’s effort to stop the virus.
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Trump also called NBC’s Peter Alexander that he was a “terrible reporter” after he tried to stump the president at a press conference about having too rosy a view about medications to fight the virus.
In Washington, Democrats and Republicans continue to argue over the package that would deliver financial relief to many Americans. Democrats say the plan focuses too much on corporations and not enough on families. Republicans say that Democrats are exploiting the crisis for political gain.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., told CBS News that the country is burning and Democrats want to play political games. “It’s time to get this done. The American people expect us to act.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, said Democrats added new demands to the package like solar energy and tax credits.
“Are you kidding me?” McConnell said, according to CBS. He said the 11th hour demands show that Democrats decided those issues are “more important than Americans’ paychecks and the personal safety of doctors and nurses.”