All three cable news networks carried Arizona Governor Jan Brewer‘s press conference last night announcing her veto of a controversial bill that would allow businesses’ and people to refuse service to LGBT people based on religious beliefs.
After the announcement, Anderson Cooper replayed parts of an interview he did the night before with one of the bill’s sponsor, Arizona State Senator Nancy Barto.
Cooper asked her six separate times if she could name one example that had already happened where people of faith had been forced to do something against their religious beliefs. “I can raise a hypothetical,” Barto said, citing a hypothetical same sex marriage where a photographer who didn’t want to provide service wouldn’t have protection.
Governor Brewer, shown above vetoing the bill, had similar phrasing to Cooper during her announcement: “I have not heard of one example in Arizona where business owners religious liberty has been violated.”
Fox News broke into “On the Record” with Shepard Smith reporting on the press conference. “I think Governor Brewer did the right thing,” New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte told Greta Van Susteren when FNC whipped back to “On the Record.” Megyn Kelly led “The Kelly File” interviewing Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on the news out of Arizona. On Tuesday night, Kelly and Brit Hume wondered whether the bill was an “overreaction” by religious conservatives.
Over on MSNBC, Chris Hayes took over for Chris Matthews coming out of the press conference at 7:51pmET, still during “Hardball.” Hayes spoke with the Arizona Democratic Minority Leader Anna Tovar via phone on her reaction to the veto. Rachel Maddow led her show with news of the veto, covering the other states who are considering similar bills to Arizona. Lawrence O’Donnell noted the media’s impact on forcing a veto: “They got away with it until we focused on it…we the national media.”
And a little humor this morning on “New Day,” with Chris Cuomo protecting himself from the wrath of his wife during a debate with Catholic League President Bill Donahue.
“Marriage is not about love?” Cuomo asked Donahue after he said marriage is about family, not love. “You say love isn’t part of marriage…thank God I didn’t say that because my wife would want to kill me.”