It’s hard to imagine there could be a more sickening display of sucking up to Sean Hannity and his cause celebre - the defense of George Zimmerman - than there was in a segment the night after Hannity’s interview with Zimmerman last week. While Fox News attorneys Megyn Kelly and Greta Van Susteren as well as other attorneys were blunt in their assessment that Zimmerman had harmed his case with his appearance, Fox legal analysts Peter Johnson Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle fell over themselves suggesting that Hannity had just helped acquit him.

While Democrats cower over gun control, Rupert Murdoch - of all people - is speaking out. He tweeted last night: We have to do something about gun controls. Police license okay for hunting rifle or pistol for anyone without crim or pscho record. No more 

Kirsten Powers was absolutely magnificent discussing gun control on Fox News Sunday today - and a picture perfect example for spineless Democrats - one of whom, former Senator Evan Bayh, was sitting at the table with her. First, she forcefully argued that assault weapons make mass casualties more likely, then she noted that police departments agree with her and when host Chris Wallace tried to argue that Democrats are not doing much on behalf of gun control, she shot back that the NRA and similar organizations "own the Republicans and the Democrats cower in fear.” Even worse for gun-rights advocate Liz Cheney, her fellow conservative, Bill Kristol agreed with Powers.

The U.K. Telegraph is reporting that Rupert Murdoch has resigned from several News Corporation boards in England and the United States. "Companies House filings show that Mr Murdoch stepped down from the boards of the NI Group, Times Newspaper Holdings and News Corp Investments in the UK last week. He also quit a number of News Corp’s US boards, the details of which have yet to be disclosed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission," the Telegraph said.

According to a recent guest on Fox & Friends, Christians are unfairly accused of being stupid. One has to look no further than Fox News to see why rational people might have this opinion. As part of their advocacy for the religious right, Fox News provides a platform for the discredited theory of "intelligent design" (Bill O'Reilly), revisionist religiously based history curriculums (Fox & Friends) and outright hatred of atheists (Eric Bolling). And while Fox's Mike Huckabee doesn't appear to lack cognitive processes, those processes can result in amazingly, extraordinarily, and stupendously STUPID statements such as those he made regarding the horrific massacre in Aurora, CO. While the motivation for the shooting is not known, it is probable that the shooter was exhibiting ideation related to mental health issues. In linking the behavior to other societal problems (including, he believes, abortion), Mike Huckabee attributes it to - ready for it - sin! Yup, you heard it right.

Even if you think George Zimmerman acted reasonably, there's something shocking about the gleeful response to the death of an unarmed teenager from the Fox Nation readers. Not only that, they seem eager to start a race war. (h/t Bryce D.)

During his Talking Points Commentary last night, Bill O’Reilly strenuously argued that the mass shootings in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater were “nobody’s fault.” But he suggested otherwise during a later segment when he gratuitously “explained” that the reason children were killed at the midnight showing of Batman was because “their parents didn’t want to pay for babysitters.”

I’ll give props to Fox News for their overall tasteful coverage of the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, at least in the 24-hour aftermath. I’ll bet that by Monday they’ll have figured out a way to attack liberals and/or President Obama over it. But in the meanwhile, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Jon Scott all managed to work in comments letting viewers know that there's no need to consider the shooter’s easy access to guns and whether that had anything to do with the slayings that killed 12 people and wounded 58 more during a midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie.

There are times to put aside differences and the tragic shootings in Aurora, CO is one of them. In that vein, we liked what Neil Cavuto said today about these horrific events in his commentary segment: “Sometimes on days like this, life just stops, right? The arguing over politics. Maybe the arguing, period.”

It's a testament to how deeply our nation has been impacted by the mass shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado that even Fox News has (mostly) suspended their partisanship. Here's an open thread where we can all share news, thoughts and emotions about this awful event.