News: I watch PBS and BBC. They tend to less sensational and more focused on journalism vs entertainment and shock.

Americans are terrible at assessing risk. We are afraid of the wrong things. There were pilots on this very thread ready to go to their bunkers in full-blown panic mode over the coming Ebola-zombie apocalypse just a few short weeks ago.

As far as briefs go I never understood briefing aborts on every trip. Unless there are unusual circumstances that need to be emphasized (windshear) shouldn't everything be Delta standard? "We'll abort for this, but not for that, you do this, I'll do that, you make the PA ..."