However, even for the Sanger story, the New York Times headline writers bury the irony of Trump's embrace of bin Salman.

Could anyone please explain why the Times appears to be deliberately muting the meaning of a shocking and attention-getting story? (4/4)

On the front page of the NYT's print edition, it's all hugs and kisses for bin Salman. While highly informed readers would grasp the irony, the headline buries the main point.

To be fair, the Kashoggi killing is mentioned in the story by Katie Rogers, and in a separate story by David Sanger. (3/4)

The Post's headline also captures the most important point, although a bit less vividly. Top of page one of the print edition, with the story running alongside a large photo. Now let's look at the Times... (2/4)

Mike Johnson’s repeated claim that he knows *NOTHING* about what Trump illegal or unethical behavior makes some sense - MAGA Republicans are the Neo-Know Nothing Party.

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/immi...

Let’s try a outrageous fictional example of the same nasty rhetorical trick if it were used against Mike Johnson: “Being the Speaker of the House doesn’t give you the right to abuse young children, if indeed that is what he is doing.”

Note the duplicity of Mike Johnson’s syntax: “Religious freedom does not extend and give you the right to get in the face of an ICE officer and assault them, if indeed that was what happened there.” He insinuates that clergy assaulted ICE, then quietly admits that he doesn’t know if that’s true.

This is why we see Bovino’s face while his thuggish minions wear masks to hide their identities. Who knows if his cartoonish antics make for great propaganda (certainly not the amateurish video I saw), but it really doesn’t matter because his ultimate target audience is one indiscriminating man.

Why does national network TV news show so extremely little of such footage? It seems to have the right elements for the medium - arresting visuals, masked men attacking civilians, etc.

Is it just cowardice? Pressure from ownership fearing retribution by Trump? Other ideas?

Every hard-fisted authoritarian wants to rule from a golden throne.