Media top headlines January 20

In media news today, Biden appears to lose his cool after a reporters question on divisiveness, NPR stands by mask report as three SCOTUS justices refute its claims, and MSNBCs Rachel Maddow says Biden used his long press conference to show Putin he has stamina.

President Biden was met with heaping praise from members of the liberal media Wednesday following a rare White House press conference that lasted nearly two hours.

Although Biden took heat for remarks suggesting Russia could get away with a "minor incursion" into Ukraine, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2022 elections, and lashing out at a reporter for questioning his stark rhetoric at his Georgia speech on voting, various reporters and commentators who are known for boosting Democrats were quick to applaud Biden.

They argued the nearly two-hour event was evidence he wasn't "senile," and they continued to contrast him with former President Donald Trump, despite the latter having been out of office for a year.

President Biden gestures as he speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

BIDEN'S PRESS CONFERENCE GETS PANNED BY CRITICS: TOTAL DISASTER

"To go for an hour and 50 minutes and not screw up, really demonstrably not screw up really at all. Really hard to do that," MSNBC analyst John Heilemann said during an appearance on "Deadline: White House" following Biden's press conference.

"The best answer to that real jerk who thought that you could make news by asking the President of the United States, Hey, are you senile? You're not going to make news on that. And the president did the right thing, which was to say, I dont know what you're talking about. Let's move on,'" Heilemann said.

President Biden listens to a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"But the best answer was, Hey, if you think Im senile, and I'm doddering, you get up here and try and do an hour and 45 minutes in front of you and your colleagues and not screw up. He didn't. I thought it was the best demonstration of the fact that the president's mind is perfectly fine," he added.

Heilemann's obsequious remarks came after Biden drew criticism for suggesting Russia could make a "minor incursion" into Ukraine and cast doubt on the 2022 elections, which both drew criticism and required walkbacks.

TRUMP ON BIDEN'S FIRST YEAR, SAYS HE HAD NO IDEA THE COUNTRY COULD GO DOWN SO BADLY AND SO QUICKLY

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow guessed Biden was trying to show Russian President Vladimir Putin a sign of his own stamina with the lengthy conference.

Left-wing MSNBC correspondent Yamiche Alcindor fawned over Biden's press conference in tweets applauding him for pushing back on his critics and taking responsibility for his mistakes. Like others, she framed Biden's performance against Trump, with whom she often sparred, gushing it was "quite the change."

Trump was known for pushing back heavily on media in hostile exchanges with liberal reporters like Alcindor and CNN's Jim Acosta.

Former President Trump and President Biden (James Devaney/GC Images | Alex Wong/Getty Images)

"Pres Biden, in the longest news conference in presidential history, made news, pushed back on critics, called out lies, took responsibility for mistakes he believes he made, expressed surprise at GOP, talked foreign policy and didn't lash out on reporters. Quite the change," Alcindor wrote.

BIDEN APPEARS TO LOSE HIS COOL AFTER REPORTER'S QUESTION ON DIVISIVENESS: GO BACK AND READ WHAT I SAID

Left-wing MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin criticized Trump more directly as he commended Biden.

"President Biden did not praise or defend Putin during his press conference. President Biden did not tout unproven treatments for COVID during his press conference. President Biden did not insult journalists during his press conference. President Biden did not lie about the 2020 election during his press conference," he tweeted.

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Other reliable Biden boosters like Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, journalist Brian Karem, and commentator Tom Nichols also fawned over him afterward; Karem proclaimed, "He never once tried to belittle us."

The rest is here:

Liberal media members heap praise on Biden following first solo press conference in months: 'Quite the change' - Fox News