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If efforts by states and cities to pass privacy regulations curbing the use of facial recognition are anything to go by, you might fear the worst for the companies building the technology. But a recent influx of investor cash suggests the facial recognition startup sector is thriving, not suffering.

Facial recognition is one of the most controversial and complex policy areas in play. The technology can be used to track where you go and what you do. Its used by public authorities and in private businesses like stores. But facial recognition has been shown to be flawed and inaccurate, often misidentifies non-white faces, and is disproportionately affects communities of color. Its flawed algorithms have already been used to send innocent people to jail, and privacy advocates have raised countless concerns about how this kind of biometric data is stored and used.

With the threat of federal legislation looming, some of the biggest facial recognition companies like Amazon, IBM and Microsoft announced they would stop selling their facial recognition technology to police departments to try to appease angry investors, customers, and even their own employees who protested the deployment of such technologies by the U.S. government and immigration authorities.

The pushback against facial recognition didnt stop there. Since the start of the year, Maine, Massachusettsand the city of Minneapolis have all passed legislation curbing or banning the use of facial recognition in some form, following in the steps of many other cities and states before them and setting the stage for others, like New York, which are eyeing legislation of their own.

In those same six or so months, investors have funneled hundreds of millions into several facial recognition startups. A breakdown of Crunchbase data by FindBiometrics shows a sharp rise in venture funding in facial recognition companies at well over $500 million in 2021 so far, compared to $622 million for all of 2020.

About half of that $500 million comes from one startup alone. Israel-based startup AnyVision raised $235 million at Series C earlier this month from SoftBanks Vision Fund 2 for its facial recognition technology thats used in schools, stadiums, casinos and retail stores. Macys is a known customer and uses the face-scanning technology to identify shoplifters. Its a steep funding round compared to a year earlier when Microsoft publicly pulled its investment in AnyVisions Series A following an investigation by former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder into reports that the startups technology was being used by the Israeli government to surveil residents in the West Bank.

Paravision, the company marred by controversy after it was accused of using facial recognition on its users without informing them, raised $23 million in a funding round led by J2 Ventures.

Last week, Clearview AI, the controversial facial recognition startup that is the subject of several government investigations and multiple class-action suits for allegedly scraping billions of profile photos from social media sites, confirmed to The New York Times it raised $30 million from investors who asked not to be identified, only that they are institutional investors and private family offices. That is to say, while investors are happy to see their money go toward building facial recognition systems, they too are all too aware of the risks and controversies associated with attaching their names to the technology.

Although the applications and customers of facial recognition wildly vary, theres still a big market for the technology.

Many of the cities and towns with facial recognition bans also have carve-outs that allow its use in some circumstances, or broad exemptions for private businesses that can freely buy and use the technology. The exclusion of many China-based facial recognition companies, like Hikvision and Dahua, which the government has linked to human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, as well as dozens of other startups blacklisted by the U.S. government, has helped push out some of the greatest competition from the most lucrative U.S. markets, like government customers.

But as facial recognition continues to draw scrutiny, investors are urging companies to do more to make sure their technologies are not being misused.

In June, a group of 50 investors with more than $4.5 trillion in assets called on dozens of facial recognition companies, including Amazon, Facebook, Alibaba and Huawei, to build their technologies ethically.

In some instances, new technologies such as facial recognition technology may also undermine our fundamental rights. Yet this technology is being designed and used in a largely unconstrained way, presenting risks to basic human rights, the statement read.

Its not just ethics, but also a matter of trying to future-proof the industry from inevitable further political headwinds. In April, the European Unions top data protection watchdog called for an end to facial recognition in public spaces across the bloc.

As mass surveillance expands, technological innovation is outpacing human rights protection. There are growing reports of bans, fines and blacklistings of the use of facial recognition technology. There is a pressing need to consider these questions, the statement added.

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Despite controversies and bans, facial recognition startups are flush with VC cash - TechCrunch

Elaine Chao was one of the last few Trump-administration longtimers left gaping at the horror of January 6the now infamous day when a supporter of the 45th President stormed into the US Capitol wearing horns and face paint and sat in the Vice Presidents chair in the Senate chamber; a fellow Trump loyalist was killed as she tried to breach the House chamber; and hundreds of other so-called patriots marauded through the building in the name of Making America Great Again after maiming police officers outside. Widely viewed as an experienced voice of conservative reason when confirmed as Secretary of Transportation in 2017, Chao had outlasted many colleagues who jumped off the Trump train well before the Capitol insurrection. It wasnt the first time she had stuck it out in a controversial administration. After heading the Labor Department through the entirety of George W. Bushs tenure, she was rewarded with a board seat at Dole Food Company, and later News Corp. and Wells Fargo, with a payout from the latter reported to potentially hit $5 million. But this time, her loyalty seems to have come with complications.

Although she resigned in protest on January 7, until very recently Chaos only publicized post-Trump gig was a slot at the right-leaning Hudson Institute; in late June, she was named to the board of a maker of self-driving truck technology. Her association with Trump, along with an inspector generals finding that she used agency resources to help her wealthy familys shipping business, will mess with her ability to get on the board of a Fortune 500 company, says a former Republican strategist: They need people with pristine reputations.

Such has been the fate of the Always Trumpers who stayed until the cataclysmic end, or at least through the 2020 election. Whereas a number of insiders who got out early found their way in the private sector, seven months out from the transition, the die-hards are still branded with a scarlet T. Trump attorney general Bill Barrs former firm, Kirkland & Ellis, has not rehired him, compared with Covington & Burling, where Barack Obamas AG Eric Holder returned as partner. And while Colin Powell joined the venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins and accepted multiple board seats, including at the Council on Foreign Relations, after he was Secretary of State under Bush, Mike Pompeo is doing Fox News hits and serving as a fellow at the Hudson Institute. (I guess he could go to the MyPillow board, the former GOP strategist quips.)

Some Trumpies were never considered terribly qualified to begin with. (See: press sec Stephanie Grisham, adviser Hope Hicks.) As for others, if they were really Trump boosters, they knew what they were getting into, says Doug Heye, a former communications director for the RNC and top aide to exGOP majority leader Eric Cantor. This is the natural progression of the orbit that theyre in. They werent necessarily expecting gigs with a Washington or Wall Street imprimatur, the theory goes, because they saw their future in the land of Keeping America Great.

Still, the stain of January 6 is making post-administration life harder than usual for former powerbrokers who could otherwise expect softer landings. The publishing industry has faced open revolt from its own authors who petitioned to keep Trumpers from cashing in on tell-all memoirs. After Mike Pences $3-million-plus, two-book deal with Simon & Schuster went public, the company was hit with a petition signed by more than 200 employees and 3,500 supporters (including its own authors) calling for the deal to be killed. Three months earlieron January 7S&S had canned a slated book by Missouri GOP senator Josh Hawley, who had sought to overturn Joe Bidens election.

Out of the public eye, meanwhile, other institutions are redlining Trumpers who endorsed the former Presidents stolen-election claims. The Council on Foreign Relations, the bipartisan think tank with a long embrace of administration formers, has four exTrump political appointees from Treasury and State (including former ambassador to India Kenneth Juster) serving as fellows and hasnt received any blowback. If we did get pushback, we would be prepared to defend our decisions . . . with the quality of their scholarship and the depth and range of their experience, a council spokesperson says. But its highly unlikely we would hire someone in any capacity who was promoting the factually incorrect idea that the election was stolen.

Sean Spicer and Reince Priebus were fellows at Harvards Kennedy School of Government despite their Trump ties, but when New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik became a congressional figurehead of the stolen-election movement, the institution removed her from a committee.

Will the ostracism last? Some are convinced there will never come a moment of forgive-and-forget for the Trump 2020 crowd. Anybody who knew [the President] and still thought it was a good idea for him to be in the Oval Office, says the former GOP strategist, they either have utterly broken judgment or were solely interested in advancing their own interests independent of what the national interest should have been.

But others believe the 2022 midterms will be a tell. If theres a red wave and Trumpers are newly empowered, K Street would come to see a lot more value in, say, a former congressman turned Trump chief of staff like Mark Meadows who could play nice with the incoming leadership. Proximity to power is a great way to launder a reputation.

Veep, 201721

Settling into his new 10,000-square-foot home north of Indianapolis, making moves for a 2024 run. Writing two books in a $3-million-plus deal. Launched the Trump-backed Advancing American Freedom, a dark-money political group. Distinguished visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Planning to podcast.

Speechwriter and senior adviser to the President, 201721

Launched America First Legal, an ACLU-style conservative legal watchdog created to challenge Biden-administration initiatives in conflict with Trumpian agendas. Reportedly living in Arlington, though still owns his CityCenter condo in DC; has been spotted at Cafe Milano with wife Katie Miller.

White House Chief of staff, 202021

On the board of Millers legal organization; senior partner at the Conservative Partnership Institute, an advocacy group/think tank founded by former senator Jim DeMint. Still has his Alexandria condo.

Office of Management and Budget director and other appointments, 201821

Founded the Center for Renewing America think tank to fight critical race theory in schools, voting-rights expansion, and Big Tech. Part of Millers legal watchdog and Pences political group.

White House legislative director, 2017-18; chief of staff to the VP, 201921

Co-chair of Pences political group. Cofounded his own group (the Coalition to Protect American Workers), which is buying ads to fight the Biden tax agenda and tax hikes on businesses.

VPs communications director and other appointments, 201721

Popping up on the right-wing airwaves recently, flacking as comms director for the Coalition to Protect American Workers, Shorts new group.

Assistant to the President (Office of American Innovation) 201820; Acting director, Domestic Policy Council, 202021

Founded the America First Policy Institute to promote the Trump agenda. The new think tank has put a bunch of Trumpies to work.

UN ambassador, 201718

Founded a dark-money group that focuses on border security, tax reform, and other pet issues for conservatives. Recently met with the ousted Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and sparked outcry after referring to him as prime minister on Twitter. Expected to go for the Oval in 2024 . . . as long as her ex-boss doesnt run.

Acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security and other appointments, 201921

Representing congressmen Louie Gohmert and Andrew Clyde in a lawsuit challenging new security measures in the House. Leading an initiative to prevent expansion of the Supreme Court and push for states rights when it comes to voting laws.

Counselor to the President, 201720

Her pitch for a tell-allwhich may even include juice about the domestic dramas that dominated her latter years in powerreportedly snagged a multimillion-dollar advance from a conservative imprint at Simon & Schuster. Adviser for Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, a car dealer. Has registered a consulting business in DC with cousin Giovanna Pence.

Attorney general, 201920

Formerly of counsel at Kirkland & Ellis, Barr isnt back to billing by the hour for the firm but reportedly has a deal (with an unspecified publisher) for a memoir about his time heading DOJ.

White House communications director, 201718; counselor to the President, 202021

Though she had a stint as a Fox News executive vice president after her first White House departure, shes been off the grid since her second exit this past January.

White House Press secretary and other appointments, 201721

The first press sec in history never to hold a press conference, she was largely invisible to the public while on the job . . . the same as now.

Advisers to the President, 201721

Serving out their exile from the Acela corridor in a waterfront condo in Surfside, Florida, about an hour south of Dad and two blocks away from the condo building that recently collapsed. Reportedly informal advisers to Brooke Rollinss new think tank. Jared just landed a deal for a tell-all that a conservative imprint at HarperCollins will publish in 2022.

An unscientific ranking of Trumpie book deals by payout, sales, and publisher prestige

1. John Bolton $2 millionplus advance

2. Mike Pence* $3 millionplus advance

3. Kellyanne Conway* multimillion-dollar advance

4. Anonymous/Miles Taylor

5. Cliff Sims seven-figure advance

6. Jared Kushner* seven-figure advance

7. Nikki Haley

8. Sarah Huckabee Sanders

9. H.R. McMaster

10. Omarosa Manigault Newman

11. Anthony Scaramucci

12. Kayleigh McEnany*

13. Scott Atlas*

14. Mark Meadows*

15. Peter Navarro*

*Not yet published

Surgeon General, 201721

Medical expert/contributor for Wish-TV, an Indianapolis affiliate of the CW network; practicing anesthesiology at OrthoIndy Hospital; a deans fellow at UVAs business school. On the board of an antiviral-drug company banking on a pill to fight Covid.

Secretary of Homeland Security and other appointments, 201719

Founded a consulting firm, Lighthouse Strategies, to advise the tech sector on security threats. Sold her Old Town townhouse and moved to California.

Secretary of Energy, 201719

On the board of LE GP, a Texas-based energy transportation company. (He was on the board of an affiliated firm before coming to DC.) A chairman at Brooke Rollinss America First Policy Institute.

Secretary of Health and Human Services, 201821

Named to the Aspen Institutes Health Strategy Group, ex officio.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 201721

Launched the American Cornerstone Institute think tank and the Think BIG America PAC. Consulting for a biotech (Galectin Therapeutics) thats developing a cirrhosis treatment and recently joined the board of a homebuilding company (D.R. Horton).

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The Trumpies: Where Are They Now? - Washingtonian

President Biden is in a tough spot: He campaigned on the ideas that he had the team to manage a pandemic and that his five-decade career as a Washington deal maker was just the ticket to overcome the countrys political polarization.

Thats not happening, not even a little.

Not only are Republicans resisting Mr. Bidens push to end the pandemic, some of them are actively hampering it. Republican governors slow-walked vaccination efforts and lifted mask mandates early. In Washington, G.O.P. leaders like Steve Scalise, the second-ranking House Republican who himself didnt get vaccinated until about two weeks ago mocked public health guidance that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors as government control.

Theres little Mr. Biden can do. Nearly a year and a half of pandemic living has revealed precisely who will and wont abide by public health guidelines.

Just in the last week, in my Washington neighborhood, which has among the highest vaccination rates in the city and voted 92 percent for Mr. Biden, people began re-masking at supermarkets and even outdoors in parks.

In places like Arkansas, hospitals are over capacity with Covid patients and vaccination rates remain stubbornly low. The anti-mask sentiment is so strong that the states General Assembly passed legislation forbidding any mandate requiring them. On Thursday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, declared a special session of the legislature to amend that anti-mandate law he signed in April so that schools would be allowed to require masks for students too young to receive a vaccine. Good luck with that, his fellow Republicans in the legislature replied.

That leaves the president in a pickle. As the Delta variant shows itself to be far more contagious and dangerous than previous iterations of the virus, the people he most needs to hear his message on vaccines and masks are least likely to.

Six years of Donald J. Trump largely blocking out all other voices in his party have left Republicans without a credible messenger to push vaccines, even if they wanted to. Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, may be using his campaign money to air pro-vaccine ads in his native Kentucky, but he is hardly a beloved figure within the party and is viewed by its base as just another member of the Washington establishment.

Coronavirus Pandemic and U.S. Life Expectancy

There are certainly other communities of vaccine resisters, including demographics of people who have historically been mistreated by the federal government (and also a small-but-vocal minority of professional athletes and Olympians), but it is Republicans and Republican-run states that have emerged as the biggest hurdle in Americas vaccination efforts.

With little ability to persuade the vaccine-hesitant and little help from the party he had pledged to work with, Mr. Biden and the federal government were left with a move he had resisted for weeks: make life more difficult for the unvaccinated, to try to force them to change their minds.

Which brings us to the presidents news conference on Thursday. Mr. Biden said that, for the first time, all federal employees would have to show proof that theyve been vaccinated (or else wear a mask at work), submit to weekly testing and maintain social distance.

He stopped short of a vaccine mandate, saying such a requirement was a decision for local governments, school districts and companies. He said that if things got worse, and those resisting vaccines were denied entry from jobs and public spaces, maybe then things would get better.

My guess is, if we dont start to make more progress, a lot of businesses and a lot of enterprises are going to require proof for you to be able to participate, Mr. Biden said.

This maneuver essentially a shifting of responsibility away from the federal government is consistent with the way that Mr. Biden often tries to project a hopeful tone while airbrushing the reality of a starkly divided nation.

July 31, 2021, 7:40 p.m. ET

The market for disinformation in America is larger than ever, with Mr. Trump, despite starting the program that has led to the full vaccination of 164 million Americans, leading the charge to discredit the same program during the Biden administration.

But it wasnt Mr. Trump and Republicans who ran last year on ending the pandemic it was Mr. Biden and Democrats who successfully made the election a referendum on managing a once-in-a-century global public health crisis.

Now, just weeks after he celebrated the great progress made against the pandemic, Mr. Biden faces a new wave. And it probably wont be long before Republicans who have done all they could to resist measures to combat it start to blame the president for not getting the country out of the crisis he pledged to solve.

SO EXCITED. SO PROUD, Ka Lo, a Marathon County Board member, wrote in a series of jubilant text messages on Thursday. ITS SOOOOOO GOOD!!!

How much of a boost Ms. Lees triumph gives to local efforts for Hmong recognition in Wisconsin remains to be seen. Both Marathon County and Wausaus City Council have rejected Community for All resolutions, leading to a proliferation of Community for All yard signs and yet another effort to pass the measure at the county board.

The next vote of the county boards executive committee is scheduled for Aug. 12.

Sometimes even presidents get some schmutz on their chin.

Thanks for reading. On Politics is your guide to the political news cycle, delivering clarity from the chaos.

On Politics is also available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Is there anything you think were missing? Anything you want to see more of? Wed love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.

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Biden, Republicans and the Pandemic Blame Game - The New York Times

About 47 percent of Republicans believe that a time will come when patriotic Americans have to take the law into their own hands, according to a George Washington University poll on Americans faith in election systems and democratic values.

The GW Politics Poll, conducted among more than 1,700 registered voters from June 4 to June 23 and released this week, found that support for principles like free and fair elections, free speech and peaceful protest were nearly unanimous among Democratic and Republican voters. Approximately 55 percent of GOPrespondents, however,said they support the potential use of force to preserve the traditional American way of life, compared to just 15 percent of Democrats.

Only 9 percent of Democrats agreed with the statement that "a time will come whenpatriotic Americans have to take the law into their own hands."

Additionally, Republicans were significantly less likely to have a strong amount of faith in local and state elections.

Eighty-fivepercent of Democrats expressed trust in local election officials, with 76 percent saying the same of state officials, compared to 63 percent and 44 percent, respectively, for GOP voters.

University researchers measured a drop in Republicans confidence in the 2022 elections compared to the period leading up to the 2020 elections, with just 28 percent of Republicans saying they were confident in the upcoming midterm elections compared to 46 percent measured before the 2020 general elections.

Comparatively, 76 percent of Democrats said they were confident going into the 2020 elections, and close to 75 percent say the same going into next years political contests.

Republicandoubt in the integrity of U.S. elections has been growing in large part due to unsupported claims from former President TrumpDonald TrumpMeghan McCain: Democrats 'should give a little credit' to Trump for COVID-19 vaccine Trump testing czar warns lockdowns may be on table if people don't get vaccinated Overnight Health Care: CDC details Massachusetts outbreak that sparked mask update | White House says national vaccine mandate 'not under consideration at this time' MORE and his allies that widespread voter fraud resulted in inaccurate 2020 election results.

Efforts to restrict access to the ballot box have been passed or advanced in GOP-led states nationwide in the wake of the November vote.

Danny Hayes, professor of political science and co-director of the GW Politics Poll, said in a statement,Most of the state and local officials who run our elections are long-time public servants whose goal is simply to help our democracy operate smoothly.

But if weve gotten to a place where voters trust the electoral system only when their side wins, then that undermines the idea of non-partisan election administration, which is essential for democracy, Hayes added.

Some of the diminished trust in elections has culminated in violent threats being made toward election workers, prompting the Department of Justice on Thursday to launch a task force aimed at combating such threats.

The GW poll, conducted by YouGov, was the final wave in a four-wave panel that began in October with 2,500 voters.

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47 percent of Republicans say time will come 'to take the law into their own hands': poll | TheHill - The Hill

Republicans have long faced uphill battles against mainstream media pundits, especially since many are so sympathetic to Democrats.

"The media are enforcers for the Democrats. If Democrats step out of line, they immediately attack them," Dan Gainor told Fox News.

However, every so often there are a few Republicans who appear to actually receive admiration from mainstream journalists, even after years of scorn. That only happens when they oppose someone the media hates or go against their own party. Its a pattern that has become increasingly clear over the past few years.

Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois are the latest examples as the media had nothing but love this week for these Republicans when they stood front and center as the only two elephants on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Democratic-led committee to investigate the Capitol riots on January 6.

Cheney was once the object of constant disdain from journalists not only for her father Dick Cheneys record but her own politics.

In 2013, MSNBC host Chris Hayes said the following of Cheney: "[She] boils up a stew of the most repugnant factless fear-mongering propaganda to rile up the darkest forces of the far political fringe."

In 2019, CNN analyst Chris Cillizza referred to her as "nonsensical" for arguing on behalf of President Donald Trumps decision to pull troops out of Syria. "Cheneys argument would be funny if she wasnt serious about it," he wrote.

The Washington Post also featured multiple articles and opinion pieces against Cheney, including "Liz Cheneys empty words."

However, these opinions changed when Cheney placed herself in direct opposition of Trump and his claims that 2020 presidential election was "stolen."

"The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system," Cheney wrote on Twitter in May.

CNNS JOHN AVLON PRAISES CHENEY, KINZINGER FOR STEPPING UP ON JAN.6 COMMITTEE: THIS IS ABOUT PATRIOTISM

Republican lawmakers ultimately voted to remove Cheney as House GOP Conference chair. Amid the strife, Hayes came to Cheney's defense, referring to the Republican Partys treatment of her as "Orwellian."

"The tendency on display hereto turn a simple statement of fact, of reality, of what happened into a political litmus testis unnerving to say the least," Hayes said.

The Washington Post also allowed Cheney to defend herself in an op-ed on May 5.

Cheney's sudden hero status in the mainstream media was only elevated when she agreed to be part of Pelosi's January 6 committee.

Former foe Cillizza suddenly praised Cheney in his analysis titled "Every Republican should be required to read Liz Cheney's opening statement."

"Because of Cheney's willingness to risk her career to take a stand on something she believes in deeply, it's worth listening when she talks," he wrote.

The media's portrayal of Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger has followed a similar pattern. Although not a high-ranking Republican, he originally received some backlash from media pundits for defending Trumps border wall initiative. In an MSNBC interview in 2019, Kinzinger argued in favor of the wall.

"How is a wall immoral? I have four walls around my house. They keep bad people out and critters out," he said.

The Washington Post later ran a piece with a headline claiming that Kinzinger compared immigrants to "critters." CNN responded in a similar way. "What is the proper context for comparing people to critters?" Kinzinger was asked.

All was forgiven with Kinzinger after the Jan. 6 riots when he emerged as the first Republican to demand Trump's immediate from office and joined Democrats in a call to invoke the 25th Amendment. Trump is the common denominator for Cheney and Kinzinger - the more they opposed him, the more the media loved them. Their decision to go against their party and serve on the January 6 committee only further fueled their newfound popularity in the press.

CNN analyst John Avlon later complimented both Kinzinger and Cheney for their actions, claiming they were "stepping up."

"Kinzinger and Cheney are stepping up," Avlon said. "And it's very clear that, you know, this is about patriotism. This is not about party."

Dan Gainor, VP for Free Speech America, Business and Culture for the Media Research Center, said the media's change of heart on Cheney and Kinzinger is standard procedure for a Republican in the public eye.

"The only respectable figure on the right has to say what the media wants. If you do, they boost your career," Gainor told Fox News. "That only escalated during the Trump era. As figures would go out there, the media would skewer them until they stabbed Trump in the back."

PELOSI INSISTS ON NO PARTISANSHIP IN JAN. 6 COMMITTEE AFTER REJECTING 2 REPUBLICANS

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and late Arizona Sen. John McCain had similar experiences with the media.

McCain, a Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war, faced intense scrutiny and disgust during his presidential run in 2008 against Barack Obama. As Larry Elder noted in 2018, the New York Times had described McCain as "running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism."

However, after McCain's death in 2018, the Times lauded the Arizona senator, saying he "gave hope for the future. His example still does." This praise came after McCains frequent feuds with Trump as well as hiss vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Romney likewise faced severe attacks from the press during his 2012 presidential run. CNN previously reported three times as many negative stories compared to positive ones. CNN correspondent Jessica Yellin at the time implied Romney was sexist, claiming his comments "made it sound almost like working women are some mail-order product you can order out of colored binders."

However, in 2020, after Romney was the only Republican senator to vote in favor of convicting Trump during his first impeachment trial, CNN correspondents found a newfound respect for the Republican politician. Jim Acosta referred to his vote as a "profile in courage." Avlon agreed, saying, "That was the sound of a man who had wrestled with his conscience, who tried to think bigger than partisan politics, and ultimately kept faith with his oath, his promise to God."

The one lesson learned in the cases of Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, John McCain and Mitt Romney is this: The mainstream media love rogue Republicans who align with their ideology and further the Democratic Party's goals.

"When people agree with them, they get attention. When people dont agree with them, they get no attention," Gainor told Fox News.

By contrast, Republicans who criticized the committee or other Democrat initiatives continued to face harsher treatment, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. In the meantime, Democrats have faced criticism from media pundits only when diverting against Democratic goals, such as West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and his opposition to ending the filibuster.

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"The media use Republicans who want to be popular with them as foils against the right, but they dont do the same with the left," Gainor explained. "They use liberal people to drag the Democratic party to the left, and they use wild card people within the Republican party to bring their party to the left."

In Cheney and Kinzinger, their addition to Pelosis committee gave credence to her claims that the investigation would have "no partisanship." Meanwhile, Kinzinger has emerged as a new national figure as an outspoken Trump critic among his fellow congressmen.

Despite this fame on CNN, MSNBC, and the New York Times, these Republicans continue to face criticism from their fellow Republicans in both Congress and the media.

"Theyre simply jockeying for book deals and future career opportunities, and the media are helping them. As long as the Republican Party will exist, this will be their tactic," Gainor said.

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Cheney and Kinzinger: The latest turncoat Republicans the media suddenly loves - Fox News