SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

FOX TRIUMPHS – FROM AP:   NEW YORK (AP) -- A sharp drop in cable news ratings following a presidential election is as inevitable as snow in Buffalo. Yet in the Age of Trump, so far Fox News Channel is defying that trend.  Comparing the five weeks after the election to the white-hot campaign days of October, Fox's prime-time audience is down 8 percent, the Nielsen company said. That's a much smaller drop than rivals CNN and MSNBC, and smaller than all of the networks historically following elections.  "They've really, obviously, established themselves as the go-to place for all things Trump, Trump supporters certainly," said Paul Sweeney, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. "This is their time to shine and they're making the most of it."  Post-election has been a victory lap for Sean Hannity, who made no secret of his support for Trump and was rewarded with regular interviews. Fox also enticed viewers with TMZ's Harvey Levin getting a guided tour of the president-elect's New York apartment.  Following Barack Obama's victories, Fox's post-election viewership dropped by 50 percent in 2012 and 36 percent in 2008, Nielsen said. The drop was 25 percent after Republican George W. Bush's 2004 win.  I'd also add that CNN's virtual abandonment of balanced news reporting has contributed to Fox's stronger position.  Watching many (but not all) of CNN's anchors and reporters has become psychologically painful and religiously impure.

ACADEMIC NEWS – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   Hunter College’s Matthew Lasner and his husband Daniel Goldstein reportedly were involved in verbally thrashing Ivanka Trump on a JetBlue flight earlier today at New York’s JFK Airport.  The couple (and their child) were removed from the plane as a result.  Lasner is an associate professor in Hunter’s Department of Urban Policy and Planning. He earned his PhD in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning from Harvard.  The professor had tweeted that Goldstein was “chasing down” Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner (who had their kids with them), “to harass them.” Lasner has since deleted his account.  It's inspiring to see who's teaching our college students, right?

SNOWFLAKES OF THE WORLD UNITE – FROM CAMPUS REFORM:  Students at the University of Maryland have released a list of 64 demands in their effort make the campus more amenable to “marginalized student populations.”  The project, known as ProtectUMD, is a collaborative effort between 25 student organizations at the University of Maryland, including Students for Justice in Palestine, Bisexuals at Maryland, and the Black Student Union.  There are 64 demands across 8 subsets of students—Marginalized, American Indian, Black, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, Muslim, Pro-Palestine, and Undocumented—including scholarships for “students of marginalized communities,” a ban on Columbus Day, beginning every on-campus event with an acknowledgement that “this is Indigenous Land,” that African American professors get tenure, that preferred pronouns are included on rosters, and that “queer diversity training” is required.  Muslim students also want “one room in each major building designated for prayer” and “shuttle services to [the local mosque] for Muslim students to have access to a place of worship.”   You'll be glad to know that there are more items on the list.  I certainly think that one just demand that should be added is for an unlimited supply of diapers and pacifiers.

December 22, 2016