CNN’s anchor Chris Cuomo said, “I’m black on the inside,” during the handover segment with his colleague Don Lemon on Friday, as he cited the words of the theme song from the 1970s program “Good Times.” Partial transcript as follows: CUOMO: I had somebody hit me with something today that hurt. She said to me, you know, I don’t have to tell you about how I’m living with my family and how setback we are by this because there was a TV show that was all about it in the 70s and it is the reality for too many people of color all over the country. And I said, what? And she said, I’ll give you a hint. She said that this was the end. Just looking out of the window watching the ash fall grow. And again, how it all looks handy down. LEMON: How do you know the words “Good Times?” CUOMO: You know I’m black on the inside. LEMON: “Good Times” any time you need a baby. CUOMO: So, good times, so Florida, who, by the way, was a hugely educated. I think she was a Yale. And of course, Florida and James Evans the portrait of being stuck in the Chicago projects — LEMON: Yes. CUOMO: — drugs, unending poverty, the anger and outrage of being incapable of getting past systemic oppression. Their son Michael, you know, being caught in revolution — LEMON: J.J. CUOMO: — and all these angry ideas. LEMON: J.J., the brother-in-law who is the basketball player that never could get it off the ground. CUOMO: Dynamite. LEMON: Yes. CUOMO: So, I look at the lyrics again and I got to tell you, it was like a reality slap in the face. Other than the fact that it was an amazing song. Any time you meet a payment, any time you need a friend. LEMON: Any time you need upbringing. CUOMO: Any time you are out from under, not getting hassled, not getting hustled, keeping your head above water. (CROSSTALK) LEMON: Keeping your head above water, making a way when you can. CUOMO: Making a way when you can. LEMON: Temporary — CUOMO: Temporary lay-off. LEMON: Good times. ...
Clips
Manchin: All 100 Senators Want to Raise the Minimum Wage
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that all 100 Senators want to raise the federal minimum wage. Manchin said, “We are going to go and do something because there is not one senator out of 100, not one that does not want to raise the minimum wage. Not one. With that said, we are going to make that happen. The $15 an hour minimum wage never felt in this reconciliation. The rules of the Senate and know that from day one. I know they made a big issue about this. I understand. everyone has their right. ” He added, “If you go to work, you should be above the minimum guidelines for poverty line. You figure the numbers it comes out to $11. That is how I got to 11. We can do that very quickly, too, within a couple of years. Once we get to $11, it should be indexed for inflation, so it never becomes a political football again. It should be the respect and dignity of work above the minimum wage of what the guidelines for poverty is and being able to lift yourself way far above that by your skill sets and your determination. That is all we are saying and what we have been trying to work to. This is the easiest lift you will. You have that many people want to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to above the poverty guidelines. Let’s do it and let inflation take us from the standpoint of indexing it, so we never fall below that.” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN ...
NBC’s Alcindor: Biden Admin Says No Crisis At the Border — ‘But the Numbers Don’t Lie’
PBS correspondent and NBC political contributor Yamiche Alcindor said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that while the Biden administration does not want to say there is a crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, the numbers of people crossing “don’t lie.” Anchor Chuck Todd said, “Yamiche, the politics of immigration have never gone well for Democrats recently. Are they ready for this?” Alcindor said, “Only time will tell if Democrats are ready for this. You have a White House that is wanting to say there’s not a crisis at the border, but the numbers don’t lie. You have a number of unaccompanied minors coming to the border that are being held in facilities that even progressive Democrats are pointing to, saying that’s what we call human, then there’s a problem there. You also have a Democratic conference that has been really stuck on the issue of immigration.” “Time and time again, they’ve tried to do this,” she continued. “This big bill sitting in the Senate, sitting in Congress. It seems as though it’s going to have to be broken up. There’s a lot of different unanswered questions on this. There’s a big problem at the border continuing to brew. This White House is going to have to contend with that.” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN ...
WH Spox Bedingfield: Biden’s ‘Preference’ Is Not to End the Filibuster
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that President Joe Biden’s preference was not to end the Senate’s filibuster. Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Raising the minimum wage is not the only thing at stake. Voting rights legislation and health care, climate change, immigration reform, and Biden laid out he wants to accomplish and all unlikely to pass with 60 votes. Now calls now to end the filibuster. President Biden historically has said he opposes ending the filibuster in the Senate. Is that still his position?: Bedingfield said, “It is. It is still his position. His preference is not to end the filibuster. He wants to work with Republicans, to work with independents. He believes that, you know, we are stronger when we build a broad coalition of support. And, look, I would say look at what we have been able to do in the first six weeks that we have been in office with the filibuster in place. We just passed a $1.9 trillion rescue plan that is going to make a massive difference in the lives of people all across the country. You know, we have been able to, but we were able to get it than do. Look, it’s a 50-50 senate. We understand that and have to navigate our way through a 50/50 Senate.” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN ...
AP’s Pace: Biden Has No Border Plan — Migrants Think They Have An Open Invitation
Associated Press Washington Bureau chief Julie Pace argued on this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday” that President Joe Biden did not have a plan for the surge underway on the U.S.-Mexico border. Based on that, Pace said migrants think they have an open invitation. Anchor Chris Wallace said, “The Department of Homeland Security put out a report this week, it wasn’t put out to the public, but it was leaked that they are now projecting 117,000 unaccompanied minors that are going to cross the border this year. Way over what we thought was a very serious surge in 2019. Is that sustainable for the Biden White House to say, well, it’s not a crisis, it’s a challenge, we are managing it, and more importantly, do they really have a plan to get this under control?” Pace said, “They don’t have a plan at the moment to get this under control. We do have the White House is dispatching some officials to the border to try to see the situation firsthand. Right now, they’re caught in this situation where they are saying that the policy steps we’ve seen Biden take on migration essentially rolling back a lot of the Trump administration’s deterrence policies should not be read by migrants as an open invitation. Do not mass at the border. This does not mean you can get across easily, but for all of their talk about that, all the messaging on that, that is not the message that is actually being received by migrants.” “So you do have this situation where people are increasingly coming to the border, families with young children do feel like this is a moment where they can get into the United States,” she continued. “They feel like that’s going to be a more receptive policy from the Biden administration. So this is the challenge that the White House has. If they don’t think that their policy actually is an open invitation, then they have to signal that more clearly because that is obviously not the way it is being interpreted at the moment.” Follow Pam Key on Twitter ...
