Grumpy Editor

NEW INFORMATION ON OCT. 1 LAS VEGAS MASSACRE AT STANDSTILL

 

The massacre on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip was almost a month ago and new information is at a standstill, notes Grumpy Editor.  

 

Last Monday Grumpy Editor cited a changing timeline with the mass shooting.  Now, all is quiet from authorities on any new developments tied to the Oct. 1 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino shooting that killed 58 and injured 546.

 

Unhappy with the lack of developments, the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday came up with a full page listing 34 unanswered questions from the now mum Clark County Sheriff' and the local FBI offices.  Among them:

 

*  What was the gunman planning to do with the explosives found in his car?

 

*  Which law enforcement agency is in charge of what parts of the investigation?

 

*  When did the gunman start planning his massacre?

 

This compares with several press conferences a day immediately following the shooting, then gradually to one a day, then none.

 

There have been no significant updates in more than two weeks.

 

"It's an ongoing investigation, and unless there's something to report, there will not be a briefing," an FBI spokesperson told the R-J.  Sheriff Joe Lombardo, originally accommodating media's questions shortly after the shooting, "will not be conducting interviews," a spokesperson said late last week, adding, "Another media briefing will be held when we have new and accurate information."

 

Meanwhile, in a long-shot effort to find a clue as to why Stephen Paddock went on a killing spree, the Clark County coroner’s office this week is sending the shooter’s brains to Dr. Hannes Vogel, director of  neuropathology at Stanford (Calif.) University Medical Center.  The search will seek more than a half dozen neurological diseases that could be a factor.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

ENGLISH FADES IN GOLDEN STATE.  In California, the nation’s most populous state (almost 40 million in July, 2016), 44.6 percent of the people five years of age and older do not speak English at home, reports the Census Bureau which also mentions 18.6 percent of Golden State residents age 5 and older do not speak English “very well.”  This compares nationally with 21.6 percent who speak a language other than English at home while 8.6 percent speak English "less than very well."

 

GDP BLOSSOMS IN THIRD QUARTER.  Gross domestic product, a key indicator of economic strength in the U.S., expands at an annual rate of 3 percent in the third quarter.  The expansion defies concerns among some in Washington and others that hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico would put a damper on output.

 

JOIN THE MILITARY AND SEE THE WORLD.  Following news that four U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers were killed in Niger, it is revealed that 800 U.S. troops in Niger are among 6,000 in various missions in Africa.

 

AMAZON'S SECOND HOME SEARCH SPARKS INTEREST.  Amazon reports it has received 238 proposals from cities and regions in the U.S., Mexico and Canada hoping to be the base for the company’s second headquarters.

 

SEARS, WHIRLPOOL CALL IT QUITS.  After a business relationship of more than a century, Sears Holdings Corp. will no longer sell Whirlpool Corp. branded appliances.  Whirlpool CEO Marc Bitzer says his company no longer will supply Sears because it could not reach terms that were “acceptable to both parties.”

 

IT’LL COST MORE TO SEE THE VIEW.  The National Park Service proposes a peak season entrance fee increase at some of its busiest and most popular parks to fund improvements and hike revenue.

 

TOYS HIT.  The collapse of Toys'R'Us triggers a third quarter 13 percent drop in sales.  It also results in a $603 million net loss for Mattel that wiped 27 percent off the toymaker's shares and suspension of its quarterly dividend in the fourth quarter.

 

STILL BUILDING AFGHAN AIR FORCE.  The U.S. will provide Afghanistan with six additional A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft as efforts continue to strengthen the country’s air force and make government forces less reliant on American airpower, reports Stars & Stripes.

 

FORTUNE HEADS SOUTH OF BORDER.  Fortune magazine has been launched in Mexico where it will be published monthly, covering a range of topics from economy to politics.

 

 

 

COMMENTATOR CITES CHANGING SCENARIOS IN WAKE OF LAS VEGAS MASSACRE

 

 

A cover-up, cited by an author and broadcast personality in connection with the Oct. 1 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 and injured several hundred, is spotlighted in a Sunday commentary column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, observes Grumpy Editor.

After three weeks of different timelines presented to the public, Wayne Allyn Root focuses on the third scenario --- as does MGM Resorts, the casino's parent company and its lawyers and crisis management team, he points out, because that version "would lessen MGM's potential legal liability, saving the company a significant amount of money." The third version has a security guard arriving simultaneously with the start of shooting.

"The way MGM is handling this case looks and smells bad," Root declares.  "The questions and suspicions exploded when MGM security guard Jesus Campos 'disappeared' minutes before interviews with Sean Hannity and other serious media (professionals bound to ask serious questions). But it turns out he didn’t 'disappear' at all.  Apparently, MGM just didn’t want Campos being asked tough questions."

"Yes, the only witness to the worst mass shooting in America’s history would do only one media interview — and comedian Ellen Degeneres was the chosen interviewer. Ellen isn’t just a comedian. She is a comedian who has her own line of slot machines at MGM casinos.

"Anyone with a brain can figure out this is all about the timeline. Billions of dollars in lawsuits and legal liability are on the line."

Meanwhile, London's Daily Mail sums it up with:  "MGM was behind the decision to call off all the interviews and did a deal with Ellen, knowing she would not play hardball on the timeline as long as she had the exclusive."
 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

URANIUM SCANDAL IGNORED.  Old media continue to ignore a Senate probe into a Clinton-uranium scandal.  That's the case where the FBI finds evidence of a Russian bribery plot before the Obama Administration’s controversial 2010 nuclear deal with Moscow. The scandal reportedly involves millions of dollars in kickbacks to the Clinton Foundation.

NURSING FIELD SEES GROWTH OF MALES IN RANKS.  Latest nursing field figures (2015) show men make up 13 percent vs. 2.2 percent in 1960.

SO WHAT DO NORTH KOREANS WATCH ON TV?  NBC News reports that military officials in North Korea tune in MSNBC's "Morning Joe" specifically for reports and discussions about their country.

GIs WITH PINKISH BROWN TROUSERS?  Soldiers are sporting proposed outfits, with pinkish-brown trousers and dark olive jackets modeled after World War II-era uniforms known as “pinks and greens," designed for everyday office wear. If adopted, the existing blue Army service uniform would be used only for formal occasions.

ANOTHER DRILL AS "BIG ONE" STILL AWAITED.  Millions of Californians go through an earthquake drill --- including going under tables for protection --- continuing a routine started nine years ago in preparation for "the big one" which scientists claim is long overdue. 

MOST PEOPLE FEEL ITS FABRICATED NEWS.  Editor & Publisher reports 46 percent of voters believe news media fabricate stories about President Donald Trump and his administration, while 37 percent think the media do not manufacturer stories.  Remaining 17 percent are undecided.

COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL.  Jonathan, at 186 years old and considered the oldest giant tortoise in the world (and probably the oldest creature on earth) could be gay. Living on St Helena island in the south Atlantic since the 19th century, experts in the British Overseas Authority recently discovered the old-timer’s girlfriend of the last 26 years is probably a male.  Seems tortoises do not have easily identifiable differences between males and females. Gender generally is determined by subtle clues like notches in the shell or shape of stomach.

POLICE AID SENIOR CITIZEN SEEKING TO WITHDRAW FUNDS FROM BofA

Picture this:  Police answer a disturbance call at a bank --- and wind up helping an agitated customer.  With no scuffle, no handcuffing and no shots fired, media ignore the event, thus missing a good story, notes Grumpy Editor.

Robert Josett, a Montebello (Calif.) Police Department officer responded to a public disturbance call at a Bank of America branch where he faced a 92-year-old man with a cane who was upset because tellers wouldn’t give him his money.

With a BofA policy requiring a valid government-issued identification card be presented before a customer makes a withdrawal, the problem was that the senior citizen’s ID card had expired and the bank was going by the book.

So officer Josett comforted the white-haired customer and suggested they take a ride, not to the police station, but to the nearest California Department of Motor Vehicles facility to get a fresh ID card.

At the DMV, staffers quickly renewed the bank customer’s ID , then Josett drove him back to the bank where he received his requested funds --- just before bank closing time.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

CONSUMER SENTIMENT AT 13-YEAR HIGH.  Some media are quiet as U.S. consumer sentiment surges to a 13-year high.  Americans’ perceptions of the economy and their own finances rebound following several major hurricanes, shows a University of Michigan survey that also notes repeated record highs for the stock market and a 16-year low in unemployment.

N.Y. TIMES SEEKS TO CUT BIAS.  The New York Times editorial staff gets new guidelines on appropriate use of social media, urging reporters to avoid making any public comments on social platforms that would suggest political view or bias.  “Social media presents potential risks for The Times,” notes the paper.  “If our journalists are perceived as biased or if they engage in editorializing on social media, that can undercut the credibility of the entire newsroom."

FILMLAND PREACHES GUN CONTROL YET PROMOTES VIOLENCE.  Hollywood is calling for more gun control, yet features much gun violence, including 100 uses of automatic weapons in four of its most profitable movies in theaters today, observes Media Research Center President Brent Bozell.  “You just knew the Hollywood celebrity crowd would jump all over that issue in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre. Yet in just four of the biggest movies showing around the country at this very moment – Kingsman: Golden Circle, American Assassin, It, and Mother! – there are no less than 212 incidents of gun violence,” points out Bozell.

STAFF GETTING TRIMMED.  Disney/ABC-TV  layoffs start, triggering insiders to say it is part of a broader restructuring of the broadcast business with rumors that bigger moves, including possible sale of ABC, are coming.

PRINT EDITIONS REDUCED.  Time Inc. reveals it will cut print editions of Fortune to 12 from 16 a year while Money will be reduced to 10 from 11.

STUCK ON RUSSIA.  CNN doesn’t give up on the long-running Russia saga, with a Friday headline and discussion noting “Priebus interviewed by special counsel in Russia probe.”

MOST NATIONAL MEDIA DON’T KNOW VEGAS.  Print and TV stories relating to the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas often refer to the location as city of Las Vegas.  Mandalay Bay hotel and casino, where the shooter was based, along with most of The Strip is in county territory.  Downtown Las Vegas, a few miles north, is in the city of Las Vegas --- which, unlike the county, has a mayor who is delighted to serve as spokesperson for an event outside her domain.

GOODYEAR BLIMP HEADS WEST.  A new Goodyear airship --- Wingfoot Two --- left Akron, Ohio, for its new permanent base in Los Angeles.

VEGAS GETS NEW SLOGAN AFTER SHOOTING RAMPAGE

 

Grumpy Editor says look for a new, widely circulated slogan in print and on TV for Las Vegas following the Oct. 1 shooting rampage on the Las Vegas Strip.

Advertising experts say the 14-year-old rallying cry --- “What Happens Here, Stays Here ” --- is among the more famous tag lines in modern tourism marketing, one of the most quoted, talked about and recognized.

Las Vegas ad agency R&R Partners develops a new advertising campaign that starts to run over the weekend for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.  The new ads build on the grass-roots #VegasStrong social media hashtag, says Billy Vassiliadis the ad agency’s CEO. 

The campaign aims to express gratitude for everybody in the community who responded to the tragedy, including police officers, paramedics and doctors, while highlighting how much Las Vegas has come together.

“We’re going to let people know that we are strong, and that we’ll be coming through this and coming out of this in a strong fashion,” points out Vassiliadis.  “A lot of people spent a lot money and a lot of years building this world-class destination. We’re not going to let one lunatic ruin it.”

As a motive continues to be sought by authorities, Time magazine's Oct. 16 cover story on the Las Vegas shooting rampage provides a one-line food for thought --- "The glitzy (Las Vegas) boulevard is a symbol of our culture of decadence: there's a reason that the Islamic State released a 44-minute propaganda video in May calling for supporters to conduct attacks there."

Meanwhile, CNN reports Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock didn't spend all his time in casinos --- he also took at least 20 cruises that sailed to Spain, Italy, Greece, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Las Vegas Strip marquees went dark at 10:05 for 11 minutes last night in honor of the 58 victims killed during the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival. 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

MOST MEDIA SOCK IT TO TRUMP.  An analysis of 3,000 stories across 24 media organizations during the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency finds reporting on the president has been the most negative over the past quarter century compared to other presidents. Findings show only 5 percent positive media coverage during the period with 62 percent  negative and 33 percent neither positive nor negative.

 

PBS AND NBC TAKE HONORS. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences names PBS and CNN winners in the business and economics news categories for the 38th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

 

CHINA THROWS CURVE TO HOLLYWOOD.  China has been underreporting audience figures, screenings and box office ticket sales, the latter by about 9 percent last year, says the Motion Picture Association of America.

AROUND, AROUND SHE GOES.  The Senate Intelligence Committee expands the long-running Russia probe despite a lack of evidence, points out Lou Dobbs on Fox Business.

 

NBC SETS SAN JUAN BUREAU.  NBC News plans to open a bureau in San Juan as a base to report on recovery activities from hurricanes.  The network is renting a house where news crews will be based.

 

HOWARD STERN GETS TOP PAY.  Howard Stern, heard on SiriusXM, tops Forbes’ list as the highest-paid radio host, earning about $90 million in the year ended June, 2017.  Premiere Networks’ Rush Limbaugh placed second on Forbes tally with an estimated $84 million.

DODGING WIND, RAIN --- AND CHAIR.  Mike Seidel, Weather Channel meteorologist and field reporter, standing outside in 85 m.p.h. wind and rain nearly gets smacked by a beach chair Saturday night while covering Hurricane Nate as it made landfall near  Biloxi, Miss.

TWO DADS COMMENT OUSTS POPULAR RADIO TALK SHOW HOST

 

 

Grumpy Editor notes popular conservative radio talk show host Heidi Harris, after two years on CBS’ KXNT in Las Vegas, is suddenly bounced from the station after commenting on her Facebook page that “it would be better for a child to have a mother and a father, rather than two fathers.” 

 

The comments followed an ad showing two men teaching a baby how to walk.

 

Her listeners, backing her comment, then take to the local newspaper’s “Letters to the Editor” page to express their unhappiness with 50,000-watt KXNT, vowing to boycott the station.

 

Harris is a two-time winner of the Electronic Media Award for "Best Local Radio Talk Show.” 

 

She also is among  "America’s 100 Most Influential Hosts” tallied by Talkers Magazine.

 

The executive vice president, communications, CBS Corp. in New York did not respond for comment. 

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

ILLEGALS COST MOUNTS.  Swelling population of illegal immigrants is costing American taxpayers $135 billion a year, the highest ever, driven by free medical care, education and a huge law enforcement bill, according to a report cited by the Washington Examiner.

 

STOCK MARKET BEHAVES IN SEPTEMBER.  The stock market sets the least volatile September on record.  But stock watchers caution this month historically has been the most volatile of the year.

 

WSJ CLIPS EDITIONS.  The Wall Street Journal is ending publishing European and Asian editions.

 

NFL PLAYERS KEEP POLICE BUSY.  On average, one National Football League player is arrested each week and the longest time on record that the NFL has gone without one of its players being arrested is 65 days, reports CNSNews.com.  It points to NFLarrest.com that says the average time between arrests is seven days.  Players get arrested, it adds, "for a variety of crimes: drunk driving, drug offenses, domestic violence, assault and battery, gun violations, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, theft, burglary, rape and even murder.”

 

BILL CLINTON NOVEL SET FOR TV.  Showtime secures television rights to “The President Is  Missing,” a mystery novel being co-written by former president Bill Clinton and author James Patterson.

 

MOVIE SCRIPT BEATS ESTIMATED VALUE WITH SALE.  Actress Audrey Hepburn’s personal shooting script for the film, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” sells for $846,610 at Christie’s.  That’s seven times its pre-sale estimate.

 

CBS MULLS SALE OF VAST STUDIO.   CBS Corp. is pondering the sale of its historic site --- known as CBS Television City — in Los Angeles’s Fairfax district, reports the Los Angeles Times.  The complex is known for its state-of-the-art television production, The city’s construction boom propels developers to seek new places to build.   

 

HEFNER REMAINS CLOSE TO MARILYN.  Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who died Wednesday at 91, made plans to be buried next to Marilyn Monroe at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.