In addition to being Fox News' "champion for anti-LGBT discrimination," Liberty University's Shannon Bream is also a conduit for anti-choice propaganda and lies. Back in July, Bream validated right wing opposition to Cornelia Pillard who is one of Pres. Obama's picks for the DC Circuit Court. Ms. Pillard, an eminently qualified former CT Attorney General and Georgetown law professor, has earned the ire of the anti-choice movement because she has strong views about women's reproductive rights. During the segment, Bream took Pillard out of context in order to push the propaganda. When Bream's guest lied about Pillard, Bream validated it. Flash forward to the post-filibuster world of late November, now that the GOP no longer has a choke hold on judicial nominees, and Bream - aided and abetted by alleged "news" host Martha MacCallum - is still pimping the same old anti-choice propaganda and lies.

The New Republic has a fascinating article about how the Heritage Foundation has moved away from its think-tank roots into a political activism machine. Not surprisingly, these folks helped fuel the futile "defund ObamaCare" demands that led to the government shutdown. It's hard to think of any organization that could be less "fair and balanced." But at least, unlike Fox News, Heritage does not pretend to be. Yet, when Heritage blogged about a California couple who claim their premiums are skyrocketing thanks to ObamaCare, the Kelly File regurgitated the post and presented it as a news report. UPDATED

On today's America's Newsroom, host Martha MacCallum compared the Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare") to Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War. Guess which one she thought was more damaging to a presidency?

First it was Miss Kansas who declined Bill O'Reilly's invitation to appear on his show. Then it was Chris Christie who had the temerity to refuse to "submit" to an O'Reilly interview. And now it looks like somebody else has made it to O'Reilly's Christmas naughty list and it's none other than his fellow Christmas warrior, Sarah Palin herself. Last week, Bill told Howard Kurtz that Palin, who would have had Kurtz's timeslot, had rebuffed the great and powerful O'Reilly. 

Fox & Friends and Fox & Friends First were in lockstep with Republican leaders in sneering at President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran. Each show suggested this morning that the deal with Iran was an effort to distract from his Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare") woes. Even though just yesterday, Fox's own Chris Wallace and Republican guest Senator Bob Corker, noted that diplomatic efforts have been underway for months.

In a discussion yesterday entitled, “White House backtracks on ObamaCare pledge,” Adam Lashinsky was the lone defender of the Affordable Care Act. Neil Cavuto told Adam Lashinsky, “You know, I tell you what, you would be the guy who, the next day after the Titanic sinks is, 'All right, well you know, half of us made it.' …It’s ridiculous.”

Sarah Palin and Fox News are still polishing up her Martin Bashir/MSNBC martyr’s halo. Today, on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace called Palin’s remark comparing the federal debt to human slavery “fairly unobjectionable” while prodding Palin to attack Bashir for his over-the-top response suggesting she undergo one of slavery’s punishments – eating feces. Palin pretended to accept Bashir’s apology, but she unapologetically repeated her “slavery” analogy. There was no challenge from Wallace.

For Fox News, the Pledge of Allegiance, along with the cross of Jesus (on public property) and the American Flag, has taken on a cultic, religious significance and any attempt to curtail it (especially the "under God" part) is considered an affront to the foundations of America. Fox host Dana Perino even said that if you don't love the pledge you should leave the country. Fox's "patriotism" is laughable given that it uses these "outrages" to attack other Americans and further sow the seeds of national division which, after a recent "Kelly File," even elicited some patriotic death threats. Earlier this month, Megyn Kelly and Trace Gallagher reported that Sioux Falls South Dakota veterans are livid because a local high school has dropped the Pledge. The school board, which subsequently got death threats, claims that Kelly's show misrepresented the case and want an apology. On Friday, Kelly didn't apologize and was all set for more agitprop (the school board hates vets) when her plans went awry. 

We didn't get as many emails for Fox News as usual this week. But I think the ones we did get are worth sharing. This week, we got two complaints about Juan Williams, one about Martin Bashir and one about that old standby, ObamaCare. As always, names and other identifying information have been redacted. Grammar, spelling and punctuation have been left intact.

The Kelly File commemorated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy last night in typical Fox News fashion: by using it to advance its anti-liberal agenda. Just like Chris Wallace did last weekend, Megyn Kelly apparently thought it was extremely important – perhaps the most important fact – for Fox viewers to know that Kennedy was killed by a communist. As I have previously noted, on Fox, “communist” is synonymous with “liberal.” Then Kelly further used that “news” to suggest that liberals were engaging in some kind of cover up in order to avoid responsibility and blame conservatives.