Could you ever imagine Audie Cornish casually referring to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson as "John" and "Mike?" Rhetorical question. Yet on today's edition of CNN This Morning, Cornish spoke of "Kamala" and "Jasmine." Not surprising on the part of former NPR host Cornish when speaking of her fellow liberals! Cornish's name drops came in the context of a discussion of the popcorn-worthy infighting in the Texas Democrat primary for the Senate nomination.  Cornish got the conversation off to a confusing start, saying it was Colin Allred who had said he had expected to be in a primary race not against a "mediocre black man, but an intelligent black woman."  Cornish got things wrong on two fronts. First, it was Democrat primary candidate James Talarico who allegedly made the remarks, and even then Cornish garbled them. Talarico supposedly said that he expected to face in the primary “a mediocre black man,” referring to Allred, and “not a formidable and intelligent black woman,” meaning Jasmine Crockett -- not the other way around. After Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Illinois) corrected her, Cornish dropped her first name:   "I wondered when I watched this conversation play out if it also reflected the tension in the party over the role of black women and black men, which we saw surface with Kamala's loss and which we heard a lot because of black men in some quarters moving to Trump." "Kamala" -- how cozy! Later, speaking of Republicans donating to Crockett's race, Cornish said: "There's a conversation being had that says there is Republican interest in having Jasmine run, Jasmine Crockett, run for Texas because they don't think she can win." After going first name again, Cornish caught herself and pronounced Crockett's full name. But the Jasmine was already out of the bag. While stopping short of explicitly endorsing Crockett over Talarico, Underwood left absolutely no doubt that she supports her fellow congresswoman. Underwood lavishly praised Crockett, saying she is "Formidable. She has been an excellent representative and member of the Democratic caucus. We are sad that she's choosing to leave us, quite frankly, because she is a very strong voice for our party," later adding that Crockett is "crushing it." There is good reason for skepticism regarding the allegation by Morgan Thompson, a black political TikTok personality, that Talarico made the invidious comparison ascribed to him between Allred and Crockett. As Jeff Charles has written at Townhall: "If it sounds like I suspect [Thompson] might have concocted the whole narrative, that’s because it’s exactly what I believe. She claims the conversation happened on January 12 — why did she wait until now to say something? Moreover, Talarico has actually supported Allred in the past. He does not have a history of making racist remarks nor does he seem stupid enough to tell a black woman that another black person is a 'mediocre black man.'”  But Underwood credulously embraced Thompson's allegation, and proceeded to accuse Talarico of being "disrespectful to our elected leaders," and not "present[ing] [himself] fully and authentically." Underwood dished out a backhanded compliment to Talarico, calling him "very smooth and eloquent. Very, very smooth." Here's the transcript. CNN This Morning 2/5/26 6:55 am ET AUDIE CORNISH: I want to turn to something else, because we've got some congressional lawmakers doing some infighting down in Texas, and this has been all over social media.  These reports about Colin Allred basically being, how can we describe this, reports that he had made comments complaining that he thought he'd be in a race not against a mediocre black man, but an intelligent black woman speaking highly of Jasmine Crockett. LAUREN UNDERWOOD: Talarico. CORNISH: Talarico. I wondered when I watched this conversation play out if it also reflected the tension in the party over the role of black women and black men, which we saw surface with Kamala's loss, and which we heard a lot because of black men in some quarters moving to Trump.  UNDERWOOD: Well, in three weeks, folks in Texas are going to be going out to vote. They have a very important Democratic primary. And in the context of Democratic primaries, black voters hold a lot of power. And we are really setting the agenda and we take great pride in picking our nominees as Democrats.  And so when we see candidates who are disrespectful to our elected leaders, when we see candidates who maybe step a little bit over their skis in their assertions, when we see candidates who maybe don't present themselves fully and authentically, we take notice! And I think that black voters are very sophisticated electorate and we'll be heading out to the polls in Texas and all across the country as these primaries begin.  CORNISH: There's also been this kind of conversation around Crockett herself. I remember the comedian Bowen Yang kind of catching a lot of flak for saying that people should not donate to her. But then there's all this reporting about who is.  And I want to mention some of the people who have been listed. Marc Andreessen, the Winklevoss twins, Brian Armstrong. There's a conversation being had that says there's Republican interest in having Jasmine run,  Jasmine Crockett run for Texas, because they don't think she can win. And that they are taking a page from Democrats' books during the sort of Trump era of pushing more Trumpy, quote unquote, extreme candidates that they don't think can win. Is that what you think is happening here?  UNDERWOODD: Well, Republicans have underestimated Congresswoman Crockett from the beginning, and we know that they were gloating when she stepped into the Senate race, thinking that she wouldn't even be competitive in a Democratic primary. And now she is head to head with Mr. Talarico.  And so I think that Jasmine is formidable. She has been an excellent representative and member of the Democratic caucus. We are sad that she's choosing to leave us, quite frankly, because she is a very strong voice for our party. And I think that whoever wins that primary, Texas is in play in 2026. And the Republicans are scared because of the weakness of their own nominees or their own candidates.  CORNISH [turning to other panelists]: Is Texas in play for 2026, reporters?  STEPHEN COLLINSON: You know, we hear this every single cycle, that Texas could be in play in '26. There have been some races where Democrats have had good candidates where they've come close. I think a lot of people are still a little skeptical, but of course it depends on the candidate in the Republican race.  UNDERWOOD: I mean, have you seen Donald Trump's numbers? Nobody likes Mr. Cornyn. You know, you've got Paxton and his scandals, and Wesley Hunt is just in the fight.  And so no matter who it is that the Texas Republicans decide to nominate, those guys are going to be bruised and battered. And then we have Congresswoman Crockett, who is crushing it. We have Mr. Talarico, who likes to say, oh, he's very smooth and very eloquent.  CORNISH: Social media sophisticated.  UNDERWOOD: Yes, very, very smooth. 

ABC’s Good Morning America curiously and unnecessarily chose Thursday in their seven minutes and three seconds covering the latest developments in the suspected kidnapping of NBC’s Today co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother to omit any mention by Savannah and her sister Annie of God, prayer, and their family’s Christian faith. And all told, there was only one mention of a prayer service Wednesday night in Tucson for her safe return. In contrast, both CBS Mornings (led by an emotional Gayle King) and NBC’s Today not only played most of the family’s video, but discussed amongst themselves the need for all of us to pray for the Guthrie family in this troubling time. Here was ABC’s story in full (with the second hour story a nearly verbatim repeat): WATCH: Notice what ABC's 'Good Morning America' curiously cut out of their Nancy Guthrie coverage... They edited out any mention of God or prayer, which Savannah Guthrie and her siblings mentioned repeatedly as well as how faith is central to their family pic.twitter.com/aENPsS4V2U — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 5, 2026 Co-host Michael Strahan tossed chief investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky on scene in Tucson: “But first, we begin with the search for Nancy Guthrie intensifying as Savannah Guthrie and her siblings plead for their mother’s safe return in an emotional message.” Katersky started off by noting it’s been “five days now since Savannah Guthrie’s elderly mother was last seen” and now Savannah “and her siblings are crying out for the woman they say who’s light is missing from their lives and addressing the possibility she is being held for ransom.” Then came the first two clips from the video: SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. KATERSKY: This morning, the heart-wrenching message from Savannah Guthrie and her siblings, choking back tears, pleading for the safe return of their mother, Nancy. SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Everybody is looking for you, Mommy. Everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again. Those two sentences were not back-to-back. Here’s what ran in between them that ABC left out: “You are God’s precious daughter Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley, He is with you.” In essence, ABC made it way too easy for us to notice what was curiously omitted. “Police have said Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her home. In their Instagram post, her children refer to her by name and as a grandmother, encouraging her captors to see her as a person,” he continued as a segue to Savannah telling the world (and possible abductors) about her mom. Savannah explained: Our mom is kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light. She is funny, spunky and clever. She has grandchildren that adore her and crowd around her and cover her with kisses. She loves fun and adventure. She is a devoted friend. She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you’ll see. Katersky conceded the video was a “scaled-down, personal video” with Savannah, her sister Annie, and brother Cameron appearing “approachable and anguished.” He then ran the only clip of Annie: “Mama, if you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you.” Here was what was missing in which she too alluded to Nancy’s faith: The light is missing from our lives. Nancy is our mother. We are her children. She is our beacon. She holds fast to joy in all of life’s circumstances. She chooses joy day after day. Despite having already passed through great trials of pain and grief, we are always going to be merely human, just normal human people, who need our mom. Alluding to her mother’s need for medicine and the possibility her kidnappers are listening, Katersky said the family made clear (as per a direct appeal from Savannah) that they “are willing to listen and to talk”: As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us. The rest of the piece concerned the possible veracity of ransom notes, a soundbite of analysis from ABC News contributor Brad Garrett, and the increased FBI presence. It was here he made the only faith mention in passing: “Overnight, her community prayed for Guthrie’s safe return.” After Katersky tossed back to the hosts in New York, co-host Georgte Stephanopoulos said, “[w]e certainly hope that she is still alive” while co-host Robin Roberts simply said, “absolutely, wow.” Along with the omitted two passages we brought up earlier, here’s a combined transcript of passages cut from ABC’s piece and see if you notice a pattern of what was cut for space: SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: On behalf of our family, we want to thank all of you for the prayers for our beloved mom, Nancy. We feel them, and we continue to believe that she feels them too. (....) ANNIE GUTHRIE: The light is missing from our lives. Nancy is our mother. We are her children. She is our beacon. She holds fast to joy in all of life’s circumstances. She chooses joy day after day. Despite having already passed through great trials of pain and grief, we are always going to be merely human, just normal human people, who need our mom. Mama... (....) SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: and she needs it not to suffer. We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media...You are God’s precious daughter Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley, He is with you...We speak to you every moment and we pray and we rejoice in advance in the day that we hold you in our arms again. We love you, mom. ANNIE GUTHRIE: We love you mom. CAMERON GUTHRIE: We love you, mom. Stay strong. ANNIE GUTHRIE: Come home. We love you. To see the relevant ABC transcript from February 5, click here.

Yet another nurse has been fired for posting a viral video wishing the harm, or even killing, of conservative Americans and federal immigration law enforcement officers. On Monday, a video of Chicago-area nurse Chad Malinowski went viral after Libs of TikTok posted a compilation of video clips from Malinowski that he had posted on social media. The montage has drawn more than six million views on the Libs of TikTok X.com account. Introducing the video, the post summarizes the healthcare worker’s on-camera malicious wishes of harm for patients who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or who support President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) goals: “Meet Chad Malinowski, a Chicago area nurse. Chad appears to suggest letting ICE agents bleed out and call on nurses to target them. He also says hospitals should fire all MAGA employees because they’re racists.” “Remember how much power nurses have in this country,” Malinowski says, noting that a conservative patient’s femoral artery “bleeds well” – if left unattended by hospital workers who oppose ICE and MAGA. “The vasculature in the leg, it really bleeds, bleeds well,” he said, adding that “Someone could bleed out very quickly from that. Probably like a couple of minutes, really.” Malinowski, who worked for Midwest Express Clinic at the time, didn’t take aim at just conservative patients, however. He appears (topless) in one clip urging all healthcare organizations to “terminate” employees he disagrees with: “I would really suggest to all the health care organizations out there that, if you have knowingly MAGA employees, that you terminate them.” Ironically, Malinowski claimed that “They are not safe people to take care of other people.” The next day, Libs of TikTok reported that it had “just spoke with Midwest Express Clinic who confirmed to us that Chad is ‘no longer with the company’ following our expose,” after which it posted an update confirming that “Chad was fired.” Malinowski’s video is just the latest case of healthcare professionals on-camera advocating the harm of conservative Americans - and even giving tips on how to harm them. Lexie Lawler - a labor and delivery nurse - was recently fired for a malicious, vulgar video in which she wished pregnant White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt would suffer serious harm while giving birth. Lawler, a Florida resident, also lost her license to practice in the state, due to her pro-harm public comments. In another example, a Virginia healthcare employee was exposed posting videos about poisoning and drugging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. “Get them sick,” the nurse advises in her video. “Let’s get them where they eat,” she says, describing a way to drug their food. She, too, was fired and police were notified after her video went viral. BREAKING UPDATE: We just spoke with Midwest Express Clinic who confirmed to us that Chad is “no longer with the company” following our expose FAFO Another one bites the dust! https://t.co/qwwVJkZEiI — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 3, 2026  

On Wednesday, significant news was made regarding the future of ICE agents in Minneapolis, and also on what those agents have accomplished during their time in the state of Minnesota. White House border czar Tom Homan announced an immediate reduction in the number of agents, and later the White House revealed that some 4000 violent and dangerous illegal aliens have been arrested in Minnesota since late last year. That news was celebrated on Fox News's The Five, but it lead to a few notable confrontations involving liberal panelist Jessica Tarlov. Kayleigh McEnany led off the show with the White House announcement on the arrests. "Listen to this, 4000 criminal illegals, removed from Minnesota. This includes violent killers, rapists, gang members and other public safety threats since the beginning of Operation Metro Surge." She then played a clip from an interview President Trump did with NBC News for this weekend's Super Bowl, where he conceded that ICE can be a little "softer", but stressed, "you still have to be tough. We are dealing with really hard criminals." Next, McEnany turned to the Homan announcement. "Tom Homan is also laying down the law, pulling 700 immigration agents out of Minnesota. Leaving about 2000 there. It's because city law enforcement is finally cooperating with local jails in order to get dangerous offenders deported..." After a short clip from Homan, it was the panel's turn. Tarlov was the last to weigh in, and she pushed some buttons. She began by talking about Tuesday's Congressional hearing on ICE, which featured a Chicago woman who had been shot by immigration agents last October in Chicago.  TARLOV: .. They also had testimony from people who have been, American citizens who have been victims of this overreach by ICE Like the woman from Chicago Marimar Martinez, who was shot five times. And DHS.. comes out and says she's a domestic terrorist, she was trying to use her vehicle as a weapon. Turns that doesn't hold up at all. And they have text messages from the agent after saying, 'I fired  five rounds and she had seven holes, put that in your book, boys.' It should be noted that although the case against Martinez was dismissed by a Judge, as noted in the above link, "NBC Chicago reached out to DHS, who said in a statement that they “stand by our press releases and statements.” And the agent who texted about his shooting testified in open court that “..I take pride in my shooting skills.” Next came the fireworks, first with Greg Gutfeld. TARLOV: You have to be honest about those kinds of messages, what you hear on these videos of how these ICE Agents are talking about American citizens... GUTFELD: Who's being dishonest?  TARLOV: You are... GUTFELD: I'm being dishonest? What am I being dishonest about? TARLOV: You have not said ICE has made mistakes.  GUTFELD: .. Would you not admit, the primary error was never cooperating with ICE And that led to the environment.. TARLOV: I would not. GUTFELD:.. You can argue over these things all you want, the fact is you have to come to Jesus and say... if you had have cooperated, we wouldn't even be doing this. There would be two people alive it will wasn't for the fact that you guys wanted them dead. You wanted the political theater. You still want it.. Tarlov could only muster a patented liberal talking point to respond with, before McEnany made a sad but brilliant point. TARLOV: They only sent ICE Into blue cities and blue states to make liberals suffer... MCENANY: ..When an American citizen is caught up in a ICE operation it is a mistake and it is rectified, and the consequence is briefly being detained.  TARLOV: She was shot! MCENANY:.. When an American citizen fell victim to the immigration policies of the Biden administration, their names were Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley, and Rachel Morin. and they are not here to tell their stories.  Enough said. 

Between Friday and Tuesday, ABC and NBC have spent a combined six minutes and 36 seconds promoting the claims of two fringe, former NASA officials as bright red warnings signs ahead of this year’s Artemis II launch, which will send four astronauts both further in space than any human has gone before and around the moon for the first time since 1972. Of course, the claims have been weighed in complete disproportion to the pushback from NASA officials (including Administrator Jared Isaacman), years of testing, and both internal and external reviews of the capsule. ABC’s Good Morning America predictably spent both the most time (five minutes and four seconds) promoting Camarda and Rasky and coming off like a tabloid, fully leaning into the sensationalism. In the first of two teases (not included in the time count), co-host George Stephanopoulos boasted: “ABC News investigates. NASA going back to the moon. Why two former scientists at the space agency are sounding the alarm.” Stephanopoulos promised in the second of a look at “that concern about NASA's first crewed mission around the moon in more than 50 years” with “[t]wo former scientists at the space agency...raising a red flag” and “say the mission is tempting fate.” Washington-based correspondent Elizabeth Schulze had the story poisoning the public’s well of trust in NASA ahead of this mission and ignored the fact that Camarda has a brand new memoir out accusing the agency of, in essence, not letting him run the show. “A lot of anticipation for this mission that will send astronauts to the moon’s orbit...We spoke with two former longtime NASA engineers who are worried about the safety of the spacecraft, saying that it could put the astronauts’ lives at risk,” she began. Last week, ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ really did @NASA dirty ahead of the #ArtemisII launch, holding up two former, disgruntled engineers (and one who has a book to sell, but they left that out) as canaries in the coalmine warning the mission will be a deadly failure because of… pic.twitter.com/P4rodQtn1x — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 5, 2026 After reminding viewers this mission will bring astronauts “around the moon for the first time in 54 years, she ominously said “[b]ut this morning, two veteran NASA scientists say they believe there are serious safety risks ahead of the mission’s planned launch as soon as next month.” Camarda and Rasky couldn’t have dreamt of better PR in the softballs to allow them to construct a strawman and never consider the fact that, while they certainly could be right, there’s risk in everything NASA does (click “expand”): SCHULZE [TO CAMARDA]: In your view right now, is it safe for astronauts, humans to go on this mission on Artemis 2? CAMARDA: I would say no. SCHULZE: Charlie Camarda is a former director of engineering at NASA and a retired. Astronaut who flew on the space shuttle, Daniel Rasky retired in December from the space agency after working as an engineer specializing in thermal heat systems for more than 30 years. [TO RASKY] Is this what you both expected to be doing, speaking out about in retirement? RASKY: No. KAMARDA: No, no, no. SCHULZE: Their key concern centers on the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. A system designed to protect astronauts from the extreme heat when they reenter the atmosphere. They say the heat shield uses a material from the 1960s that cracked during the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022, a finding highlighted in a 2024 publicly released report by NASA’s Inspector General that was reviewed by Rasky. RASKY: I have to say from the data I’ve seen with regard to this heat shield. If I had to rate it A, B, C, D, I’d rate it an F. SCHULZE [TO RASKY]: You’d rate it an F? RASKY: It’s an F. It’s a clear F, clear, and there’s no way you put crew on an F heat shield. You are just tempting fate. Even in providing NASA’s view, she made it seem suspect: “During a pre-launch press conference, NASA acknowledged that the Artemis II heat shield has what they called limitations.” Following a single-sentence soundbite from Artemis II flight Director Jeff Radigan, Schulze provided those lonely two sentences explaining why the concerns have been addressed. In addition, she did that bit so many Americans probably loathe about journalists in cosplaying as experts in literally everything (click “expand”): SCHULZE: We asked the man in charge of the spacecraft at NASA, Howard Hu, about those limitations and the engineers’ concerns. HOWARD HU: Crew safety is paramount, and our ability to fly our crew safely and ensure their mission success is what we do every day. And I think about it every night, every day, every waking hour. SCHULZE: Hu told us NASA conducted an extensive 18-month investigation on the heat shield and identified the root cause of the problem. He said NASA then changed Orion’s return path so the astronauts spend less time in high heat zones. HU: As part of that investigation, they were able to determine that there was limitations         that we could take on this current heat shield on Artemis II that would be safe. SCHULZE: In a statement to ABC News, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said he has full confidence in the heat shield, adding “NASA’s engineers and safety experts followed the evidence, challenged every assumption, and applied disciplined engineering judgment to understand the anomaly and mitigate remaining risk.” She closed with more sound from Hu after an emotional appeal from Camarda (click “expand”): CAMARDA: I lost three classmates, seven friends on Columbia. And so, you know, I get very emotional. You know, I understand we take risks, but we don’t have to take unnecessary risks. And I’m praying for the crew because I don’t wanna see that happen. SCHULZE [TO HU]: The engineers told us they don’t want to see a tragedy like we saw with Columbia or Challenger. Can NASA confidently say it’s done everything in its power at this point, given those risks to avoid a tragedy like that? HU: He confidently would say that. I think to a person that was part of the investigation, the technical team, I would say, would definitely say that. SCHULZE: So, both of the former NASA engineers suggest sending robots on the spacecraft instead of humans. They say that the U.S. was already first to put astronauts on the moon so that there is no rush here. We asked NASA’s Howard Hu about that. He said there is no pressure on the timeline of this mission, and if it was not ready to go, NASA would not hesitate to say so. STEPHANOPOULOS: There are such diametrically opposed positions there. SCHULZE: Such differences, and the reality is there are risks. How much risk do you take? That’s the debate here. To give support to this robots farce, weatherman Sam Champion jokingly said, “I don’t know. It seems like a good time for robots.” Schulze’s piece received three extended airings Friday on ABC’s free, 24/7 news channel ABC News Live in the 9:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. Eastern hours. In that second example, afternoon host Kyra Phillips had the courtesy to bring on former astronaut Butch Willmore — who was famously stranded in space by the Biden administration and brought thanks to President Trump — to completely reject Camarda and Rasky. But on the last airing, ABC News Live gave Schulze an exhaustive nine minutes and 38 seconds. But on the last airing, ABC News Live gave Schulze an exhaustive nine minutes and 38 seconds, including a portion in which the two insisted they weren’t doing this for partisan purposes. NBC’s Today gave Camarda his time to promote himself but, like ABC, never mentioned his book. Senior correspondent Tom Costello spent the last 97 seconds of his story on Camarda after leading with the pushback launch window. How you know a PR campaign is in full effect – NBC’s ‘Today’ joined ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ in promoting claims from two former @NASA engineers who claim the agency is willfully sending the #ArtemisII crew on a death mission to space. Only at the end of the 92-second… pic.twitter.com/eD3oWUv0oN — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 5, 2026 “But [a delayed launch] may not be the only problem. A former astronaut and thermal protection engineer is warning, the heat shield on the crew's Orion spaceship could fail as it hits 5,000 degrees on re-entry,” he ominously warned. Costello then went to Camarda, wondering aloud whether he “fear[s] this crew could lose their lives.” Unsurprisingly, Camarda said “absolutely.” This went on (click “expand”): COSTELLO: Charlie Camarda flew on the first mission following the space shuttle Columbia disaster that killed all seven astronauts after the heat shield was damaged on liftoff. Now Camarda is pointing to the heat shield on the Orion capsule, which showed burn marks, cracks, and pieces missing after the uncrewed Artemis I flight in 2022. This time, four astronauts will be on board Artemis II. CAMARDA: I don't think NASA should be flying a crew on this vehicle. It is a deviant heat shield. We know it’s a deviant heat shield. We do not know how it’s going to fail or how we can predict it’s going to fail. COSTELLO: But NASA says it is changing Orion's return angle to ensure the crew is protected. JEFF RADIGAN: We’ve changed the entry profile so that we're flying a profile that the heat shield can handle. COSTELLO: Commander Reed Wiseman on 60 Minutes. REED WISEMAN [on CBS’s 60 Minutes, 02/01/26]: We're going to come in hotter, a little bit faster than Artemis I and based on the issues that we have with the heat shield, that will keep us safe. COSTELLO: So, NASA chief Jared Isaacman says internal and external engineering teams have reviewed the heat shield analysis and they agree with NASA. But everybody knows this is one of the most dangerous moments of the mission, as we saw when the space shuttle Columbia came apart on reentry. What made Costello’s Today piece so disappointing was the fact that, on the 3rd Hour of Today, he was given more space to expound upon this and, with more than twice the amount of time, he admitted it’s “[r]eally important to note here that former astronaut Camarata is really in the minority on this issue.” Costello further undercut his entire piece with the admission NASA has had “internal and external engineering teams” review “all of the data on the heat shield and that they agree with NASA’s plan for reentry.” How convenient — in NBC’s ‘3rd Hour of Today’ on Monday, Tom Costello used the extra time to point out that the claims from two former, disgruntled astronauts is a “really...minority” view that, while there’s always risk, NASA believes they’ve done everything to address… pic.twitter.com/b7UYMUBowL — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 5, 2026   “When they come back, they’re actually going to come in a little bit more of a nose up kind of position. So that, they think, is going to help them on reentry, guys,” he added. With a set-up from co-host Craig Melvin, Costello explained how a delay in the launch window will give the astronauts even more repetitions to the point of “rote memory” and safety officials time to go over any and all scenarios (click “expand”): MELVIN: So, Tom, you mentioned that the astronauts there at NASA, they’ve gathered engineers in and outside of the agency. COSTELLO: Yeah. MELVIN: Are they going to do a final review before launch? COSTELLO: Yeah, absolutely. Just before the countdown actually begins, mission managers will conduct a final flight readiness review. That’s a final chance for engineers and mission managers to give their go or no-go for this mission. And again, now that we’re postponed for another month, they’ll look at all the data again, look at all the engineering again, give people like Charlie Camarata the chance to speak up yet again. Guys, I’ve covered Charlie for 20 years. He is not a shrinking violet. He always speaks his mind rather aggressively. ROKER: Yeah, and you got to spend time with the Artemis crew, I did too, as they entered the home stretch. And, with this delay, the safety concerns, Tom, to the best of your knowledge, does this change how they prepare? COSTELLO: No. In fact, what they will do is go back and double down and do it again and again and again. They’ll take advantage of this period to retrain again, go back into the simulator, again. Go through all the steps again and again and again. You know, as you saw firsthand, as I’ve seen it over the years, they think that there’s nothing better than committing it all to rote memory so that God forbid something happens, they automatically know how to react to that. ROKER: Muscle memory. What none of these segments did was provide extensive comments from Isaacman. Thankfully,  the local NBC affiliate WESH did in mid-January with Isaacman given the chance to emphasize the importance of safety (click “expand”): “The heat shield has to do its job. There’s no Plan B capability,” Isaacman said. “On Artemis I, our heat shield did not perform as expected. That’s normal in human spaceflight — that we’re going to engineer a solution and not get an outcome directly in line with our prediction. That’s why we do test flights.” With astronauts aboard Artemis II, safety is critical. “We have modified our reentry profile. We have regained margin to safety, and I feel very good about that with Artemis II,” Isaacman said. “Now with Artemis III, we’re rolling in different improvements. We will never stop doing that — never stop listening to the data and rolling it into subsequent designs.” Along with the ABC and NBC segments, Agence French-Presse (AFP), Boy Genuis Report (BGR), CNN.com, The Economist, and Futurism all fluffed Camarda up as the only voice of reason in the entire space industry. The AFP article joined ABC in going for the dramatic, calling it a “risky bid.” Over at BGR, they irresponsibly focused in a January 29 piece on this narrative with a headline that read: “NASA's Orion Spacecraft Has A Potentially Dangerous Flaw That Has Experts Worried.” The second sentence offered loaded language: “[T]here’s one glaring issue with Artemis II's Orion spacecraft that most experts are worried about. As it turns out, the heat shield on the craft — a special coating on the bottom of the craft to help protect inhabitants from extreme temperatures — may be faulty if the prior mission is any indication.” Futurism was similarly sensationalist in a January 23 item cross-posted at Yahoo! News: “Experts Warn That There’s Something Wrong With the Moon Rocket NASA Is About to Launch With Astronauts Aboard; ‘What they’re talking about doing is crazy.’ However, the February 1 CNN.com piece from Jackie Wattles showed plenty of nuance and far less reliance on Camarda. Thanks to its nearly 4,000-word length, Wattles was able to deliver the expound upon the years of emphasizing safety, charting alternative reentry, and a history lesson to explain that, simply put, the current NASA has been locked into this Orion capsule thanks to decisions made and technology from decades prior. Most notably, Wattles stated the seemingly-obvious reality of anything related to space travel: There’s always risk and, if NASA shirked from doing bold, dangerous things, humans would have never gone to space in the first place. And, when they did reference Camarda, they acknowledged he’s out with a memoir (and thus has a story to tell). However, if Camarda were to pop up on CNN’s coverage of the launch, one could infer they’re looking for the possibility of a disaster from Mr. I-Told-You-So. To see the relevant transcripts from ABC and NBC, click here (for ABC’s Good Morning America), here (for NBC’s Today), and here (for NBC’s 3rd Hour of Today).