NewsBusters Managing Editor Curtis Houck made three appearances on the late Friday/early Saturday edition of the Fox News Channel’s Fox News @ Night and the first couldn’t have been any more different than the others. In the first, he took on ugly smears last Sunday of Nikki Haley by New York Times opinion writer Wajahat Ali and ABC’s Joy Behar saying East Palestine, Ohio residents deserve what’s happened to them in the last month.
And in the others, Houck joined a panel of Fox correspondents and other guests for The Nightcap sounding off on the work of Jesus Christ in the revival at Asbury University and, in a clip posted Monday on the show’s social media pages, a new report on America’s astronomical number of unused gift cards.
In the first, Houck and host Trace Gallagher began with Ali’s smear of Haley, claiming “[s]he uses her brown skin to launder white supremacist talking points.” As he wrote about on Wednesday, however, CNN grew a spine and called something out on its fellow liberal channel with a segment on The Lead with Jake Tapper.
“I had to do a double take in my office, Trace, when I saw that segment...[W]ait a second. He’s going to talk about MSNBC in a negative light? Usually, when they play segments from one of the liberal networks, it’s for something positive to praise an interview or praise a segment,” Houck explained.
Houck added that Tapper “hit...the nail on the head” and “woke up on the right side of the bed” as “the old Jake Tapper” when he said “there is a very ugly side of the left that comes out when Nikki Haley runs for office.”
Gallagher followed by noting “it’s interesting because you look at MSNBC and CNN, and really, they’re kind of in a battle,” so “I don’t know why they’re both going after Fox” constantly.
To that, Houck responded that one could “often say when you want to know what’s going on at Fox News without watching Fox News...they’ll be the ones” to “tell you” and, in the ratings war, MSNBC has reigned supreme, but might not be sustainable as their audience skews older compared to CNN.
Shifting to Behar, she said Thursday on The View that East Palestine residents got what they deserved with potentially long-term health problems via the train derailment because they voted for Trump.
Gallagher couldn’t believe it, saying she “says more offensive things than anybody on television.”
Houck pointed out this was par for the course as, she said recently “that people who own firearms have a mental health problem.”
“[I]t’s hard to find a show more repulsive than The View. Imagine if someone on this network in this studio said something like that. CNN and MSNBC, they’d be talking about this forever,” he concluded.
In the end-of-show segment called The Nightcap, Houck joined Gallagher, Pulse Movement founder Nick Hall, and Fox correspondents Kevin Corke, Jackie Ibanez, and Jeff Paul to react to the 16-day revival at the small Kentucky college.
As the table setter, Gallagher explained it broke out despite the fact “that Gen Z is the least religious generation” and could be an example of “Gen Z ha[ving] a hunger for religion, maybe spiritual guidance.”
Houck closed things out by highlighting the irony that revivals are something we often “read about in history books” of a time that “this generation really seems to be repulsed by is actively embracing and there’s something beautiful about that.”
To see the relevant FNC transcript from February 25, click “expand.”
FNC’s Fox News @ Night with Trace Gallagher
February 25, 2023
12:29 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Media Spotlight]
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Highs & Lows; Debating How the Media Covered the Week’s Top Stories]
TRACE GALLAGHER: And now, it’s time to shine our Friday night media spotlight on the highs and lows of media coverage over the past week. With us now, NewsBuster’s Managing Editor, Curtis Houck. Curtis, it’s great to see you. So, your high is Jake Tapper because he went after MSNBC for going after Nikki Haley. Watch this and we’ll get your response.
WAJAHAT ALI [on MSNBC’s The Mehdi Hassan Show, 02/19/23]: She uses her brown skin to launder white supremacist talking points. And the reason why I feel sad, because no matter what she does, Mehdi, it’ll never be enough. They’ll never love her.
JAKE TAPPER [on CNN’s The Lead, 02/21/23]: These are the same people who objected to whenever Republicans would say Barack Hussein Obama. I mean, there is a very ugly side of the left that comes out when Nikki Haley runs for office.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: “Very Ugly Side”; Liberal Media Attacks on Nikki Haley Under Fire]
GALLAGHER: Did he go on to hit on Fox News at all, because I’ve never seen him just go after MSNBC?
CURTIS HOUCK: I had to do a double take in my office, Trace, when I saw that segment earlier this week. I mean, wait a second. He’s going to talk about MSNBC in a negative light? Usually, when they play segments from one of the liberal networks, it’s for something positive to praise an interview or praise a segment. But again, he hit it right on — nail on the head. He woke up on the right side of the bed for once. It was the old Jake Tapper, Trace.
GALLAGHER: You know, it’s interesting because you look at MSNBC and CNN, and really, they’re kind of in a battle. And I don’t know why they’re both going after Fox. I mean, they’re in the battle
HOUCK: Yes, you would often say when you want to know what’s going on at Fox News without watching Fox News, that’s -- they’ll be the ones that will tell you exactly what’s going on. You know, MSNBC, if you look at the ratings, they’re relying more on the older viewers, so as people get older and older, you know, they’re going to have to figure out a way to keep younger viewers.
GALLAGHER: So, Joy Behar says people in East Palestine got what they deserved by voting for Trump. Watch.
JOY BEHAR [on ABC’s The View, 02/24/23]: You want to know why they would ever vote for him, for somebody who put — by the way, he place someone with deep ties to the chemical industry in charge of the EPA’s Chemical Safety Office. That’s who you voted for in that district. Donald Trump, who reduces all safety. He did.
GALLAGHER: That is a woman who says more offensive things than anybody on television.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: “That’s Who You Voted For”; Behar Blasted for Criticizing East Palestine Residents]
HOUCK: Right, exactly. Earlier this month, she said that people who own firearms have a mental health problem. It’s fine -- it’s hard to find a show more repulsive than The View. Imagine if someone on this network in this studio said something like that. CNN and MSNBC, they’d be talking about this forever.
GALLAGHER: Yes, it really was. Curtis Houck, stay around for the Nightcap. Thank you for coming on. We appreciate it.
HOUCK: Yeah! Thanks, Trace.
GALLAGHER: Yep.
(....)
12:51 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Religious Revivals; Surveying Gen Z Hunger for Religion, Spiritual Guidance]
GALLAGHER: We are back with the Nightcap crew. Jeff Paul, Jackie Ibanez, Kevin Corke, Curtis Houck and Nick Hall. Tonight’s topic is revival. Polls show that Gen Z is the least religious generation and yet we continue to see revivals at college campuses across the country. So, what is it? What’s going on here? Do you think Gen Z has a hunger for religion, maybe spiritual guidance? Interesting, Kevin Corke, because I want to talk to you about this first, because it really is -- I mean, all these kids that you talk to, even the ones who are somewhat cynical and skeptical are in and they think it’s legit.
KEVIN CORKE: I think it’s true. And I think what happens is you look for answers and you can find fun, and you can find ways to fill empty spaces in your heart and in your soul, that eventually if the right persons there at the right time, it might just spark your interest. And I’m very fascinated by the story.
GALLAGHER: Yes, we talked to a girl named Haley Anderson and she was at Asbury. And she said she went to chapel and she was there for an hour and she had to go do some errands, and so she left. And then her friend called her about three hours later and said you need to come back. And she came back and she stayed, Nick Hall. And that’s kind of what you’re seeing around the country.
NICK HALL: Yes, I mean, I had to come and experience it for myself. And it was one of the most life-changing encounters I’ve ever had. This generation is hungry. I think we’ve mislabeled them, we’ve misunderstood them. They’re way more spiritual than we thought. And we just have to be honest, it is the teenagers that are leading the charge in this revival. And we’re having this conversation because of a bunch of kids that many people have written off.
GALLAGHER: Yeah, and these kids really are. I mean, they’re having an impact, Jackie Ibanez, on the entire country because we’ve been watching this thing and it just started out in Asbury, and then we had them on the show, and then you start getting into it, and you think this is phenomenal. Your thoughts?
JACKIE IBANEZ: Yes, you know, I agree with everybody. I think we’re all born with a light of Christ. Some people burns brighter than others. But right now, especially the last three years with everything that’s been going on, there’s something about the truth that just like the gospel of Jesus Christ, you can feel it. It’s palpable where the world has so much confusion going on, but there’s really something solid in Jesus Christ.
GALLAGHER: So, we asked Twitter and Instagram followers, do you think Gen Z has a hunger for religion and spiritual guidance? The results are pretty dominant right there. Yes, 65 percent, on Twitter 68 percent on Instagram. I mean, it’s kind of interesting. One of our followers, Audrey Brower said the following: they are looking for true honest leadership in their life. Jeff Paul, your thoughts on this?
JEFF PAUL: You know, I think anytime you see young people getting together, whether it’s for religion or sports or something that’s off the screen, and with humans -- human interaction, I think is good in my book. And I think this just shows that kids miss being around each other and talking and really trying to understand life.
GALLAGHER: And it’s a very good point because, you know, when Damar Hamlin was hurt, it seemed like the country came together for those few minutes, right? And this is one of those things where the country is kind of coming together because of this. Curtis Houck, your thoughts on this?
HOUCK: Yeah, I think, Trace, this is a throwback to something that we saw, you know, in yesteryear, the 19th century, those revivals that you read about in history books. That kind of part of the part of our history, that you know, this generation really seems to be repulsed by is actively embracing and there’s something beautiful about that.
GALLAGHER: Deb Vader says that would be affirmative, Trace. I see it here in Loudoun County at my church. Amazing the comments we get. Kevin, Curtis, Jeff, Nick, Jackie, thank you all.
