Authorities apprehended a terrorist suspect Monday after he orchestrated an explosion in downtown Manhattan, but CNN and MSNBC decided to pivot from the breaking news to cover a much more pressing story: President Donald Trumpâs TV habits and love of Diet Coke.
Initial reports indicate that the explosion is a probable terror attack, but as details of the attack were still being fleshed out, both CNN and MSNBC spent a significant amount of time covering a New York Times story about a day in the life of POTUS.
CNN talked to Michael DâAntonio, a CNN contributor, about Trumpâs TV-watching habits and how much diet coke he drinks every day from 8:40 am ET to 8:47 am.
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âThis is not, okay, what doctors would recommend!â anchor Alisyn Camerota exclaimed about the diet coke.
âThe thing that would concern me more is this consistent consumption of fats and sugars and all sorts of stuff thatâs bad for you,â DâAntonio argued. âAny physician would tell you thatâs a recipe for problems.â
Meanwhile, on MSNBCâs âMorning Joe,â a panel talked about the same story for nearly nine full minutes from 8:40 am to 8:49 am.
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MSNBC contributor Nick Confessore dragged Trump for watching four hours of TV a day as the rest of the panel chuckled.
âHow does this affect the work flow of a White House?â Confessore asked.
âYeah, no question itâs a lot of TV time for any one of us probably,â Peter Baker, a reporter on the NYT piece, laughed. âHeâs got it on when heâs going through papers or having a relatively casual meetingâŠwhen he doesnât catch something right away heâs got what he calls his âsuper Tivo.’â
During the same timeframe, Fox News was covering the apparent terror attack, which injured four people, without commercial breaks.
Witnesses say a man near Port Authority had a bomb strapped to him, and the bomb either didnât function properly or went off prematurely. Preliminary information indicates that the attack was âISIS-inspiredâ and the suspect may have ties to Bangladesh. (RELATED:Â BRATTON: NYC Attack âISIS Inspired,â Suspect âPossiblyâ Bangladeshi Immigrant)Â