Commentary: Stiffening the Backbone of the Right

by Matthew J. Peterson   Many people seem surprised that CNN gave a platform to white-supremacist Richard Spencer this week. They angrily decry the outrageous hypocrisy of the Left putting Spencer on the national airwave when it routinely de-platforms those on the Right for far less than giving voice to self-avowed neo-Nazis. But why? Don’t you know the rules? You know—the rules the Left is used to making, and the rules the “kept Right” is used to keeping. Did you actually think any of what is going on in Big Tech is really about stopping radical hate and violence? If that were true, all the folks from Antifa praising their terrorist lunatic who tried to shoot up a government facility this week would be de-platformed. Don’t hold your breath. The Left demands that every elected Republican official publicly apologize for a some nutjob murderer in New Zealand, but do you think that means Leftists have to apologize for Antifa’s “principled” domestic terrorism against journalists and government buildings here at home? Pfft. What are you, a racist? Spencer was deemed useful to pronounce Trump’s tweets racist. He quickly went on to complain that Trump has done nothing for white nationalists, contradicting…

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Biden On His Son’s Problems: ‘He’s The Most Honorable, Decent Person I Know’

by Chris White   Former Vice President Joe Biden said Monday night that his son is an honorable man who will overcome his mental health problems. “He’s the most honorable, decent person I know,” Biden told CNN’s Chris Cuomo about Hunter Biden and his reported mental problems. “Everybody has to deal with these issues in a way that is consistent with who they are and what they are. This guy is the most generous, honorable man that I know.” “Beau was my soul. Hunter is my heart,” he said, referring to his other son, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015. Joe Biden is among several Democrats running for president in 2020. Biden then began discussing his desire to put more money into researching mental health disorders. “We have to put more money into mental health whether it’s for our education system, whether it’s for our veterans, whoever it’s for, we have to — we have to start to look at it, talk about it and put more money into it.” Media reports suggested Hunter’s checkered private life would become a headache for Biden as the former senator considered a presidential bid. Biden’s other son, Beau, died of…

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Things Get Real for Joe Biden as CNN’s Post-Debate Poll Show His Lead Cratered to Single-Digits

Joe Biden

by Andrew Follett   Democratic presidential nominee front-runner Joe Biden’s lead over the crowded field dropped to five points in a CNN poll conducted after Wednesday and Thursday’s debates. Biden received the support of 22% of registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents in the CNN poll, conducted June 28 through June 30, down 10 points from the poll’s previous iteration in late May. Meanwhile, California Sen. Kamala Harris saw her support more than double from 8% to 17%, bringing her to second place in the field following her dominant debate performance in which she excoriated Biden’s record on civil rights and forced busing. Some 41% of Democratic voters who watched the debates thought Harris did the best job while on stage, while only 10% thought Biden performed the best, the CNN poll found. New York magazine Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi tweeted after Thursday’s debate that a source close to Biden’s campaign was “freaking out” about the former vice president’s performance on stage. “According to Biden’s staff, he isn’t listening to his debate prep and he’s ‘set in his ways,’” Nuzzi tweeted. Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield denied Nuzzi’s report in a one-word tweet Thursday. Nope. — Kate Bedingfield (@KBeds) June 28, 2019   The CNN poll’s findings…

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New Trump Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Bruised After Brawl with North Korean Guards to Ensure Press Access to Kim Jong Un Meeting

  President Donald Trump’s historic meeting with dictator Kim Jong Un, while reportedly cordial, did have some tension: North Korean guards tried to bar U.S. reporters’ way, but new press secretary Stephanie Grisham saved the day. The Guardian reported that Grisham ended up bruised in a scuffle with the guards. The jostling seen outside when Kim and Trump met worsened when North Korean guards tried to physically prevent reporters with the US press pool from entering a room inside the Freedom House on the southern side of the DMZ where the two leaders were about to start their meeting. Reports said the Secret Service had to intervene. Political commentator Edward Hardy tweeted a video of the confrontation: “This is the moment White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham got into a scuffle with North Korean security guards who were blocking US journalists”. This is the moment White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham got into a scuffle with North Korean security guards who were blocking US journalists pic.twitter.com/WSBkdDw17g — Edward Hardy (@EdwardTHardy) June 30, 2019 Sky News tweeted, “President Trump’s press secretary Stephanie Grisham ended up with bruises after being shoved by Kim Jong Un’s security guards. Donald Trump has become the first…

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Sanders: Socialism Will Spike Taxes, But Americans Will Be ‘Delighted’ to Pay Extra

by Jake Dima   Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders acknowledged a tax increase from his policies and said Americans would be “delighted” to pay extra, in a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper Wednesday. “I suspect that a lot of people in this country would be delighted to pay more in taxes if they had comprehensive health care as a human right,” Sanders said. The Vermont senator also went on to tell Cooper that he bases his principles on his 50-mile proximity to the Canadian border, where universal health care is law. What Sanders did not include in his statement was the cost of his programs. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University released a study in 2018 saying Americans can estimate to foot a $32.6 trillion bill over a 10-year period for “Medicare for All,” Fox News reported. Sanders has also omitted cost information on his campaign website. The 10-year cost breaks down to $3.26 trillion per year, according to the report. The current U.S. federal budget stands around $4.7 trillion. Sanders also told Cooper Wednesday that housing, retirement, education and a clean environment are among his staples of “human rights.” President Donald Trump was a subject of discussion in…

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Bernie Sanders Stands by ‘Fake Border Crisis’ Comments, Criticizes Trump’s Deal with Mexico

by Jason Hopkins   Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dodged questions Sunday when explicitly asked if he would call the situation at the U.S.-Mexico a “crisis.” CNN host Dana Bash asked Sanders on CNN’s “State of the Union” about a tweet he sent Wednesday in which he called the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border a “fake border ‘crisis.’” Bash, however, noted that U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered over 144,000 illegal migrants in May, the highest number in 13 years. “Border facilities are dangerously overcrowded. Migrants are actually standing on toilets to get space to breathe. How is that not a crisis?” Bash asked the Vermont senator. In response, Sanders accused President Donald Trump of wielding a political strategy that involves demonizing illegal immigrants and Muslims in order to divide the country. He then called for changes to asylum laws that bring in “a whole lot more legal staff and judges.” Bash interjected, asking again if he would call the situation a crisis. “It is a serious problem, but it is not the kind of crisis that requires demonization of desperate people who in some cases have walked a thousand miles with chair children,” Sanders said. “It is an issue we have to deal with.…

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Dean Phillips Agrees With Jake Tapper That Trump Is ‘Daring’ Dems to Impeach

  During an appearance on CNN last week, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) said President Trump’s impromptu Rose Garden speech showed a “woeful lack of leadership.” Trump apparently left a meeting with Democratic leadership after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said he was engaging in a “cover-up,” and instead went to the Rose Garden to speak with reporters. He said he would refuse work with Democrats on legislation until they “get these phony investigations over with.” “There’s no question whatsoever that the president is making it awfully difficult for us to do our jobs, which is to provide oversight over the executive branch,” Phillips said in response. “Whatever prompted his change of heart today in the Rose Garden, I’m not sure, but if that’s all it took, that’s a woeful lack of leadership.” “Do you think President Trump is daring House Democrats to impeach him?” host Jake Tapper then asked. “I got to tell you, Jake, it’s appearing increasingly evident that he may be doing just that,” Phillips replied. “It is our job to provide oversight. I think we’ve been methodical, we’ve been principled, and we’ve been awfully patient, but that patience has its limits. We surely are reaching that limit. If…

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Ohio Middle School Forced to Close After Refined Uranium Found Inside

  Zahn’s Corner Middle School was forced to close early for the summer due to high concentrations of uranium found inside. Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a nuclear plant in Pike County, Ohio, is the only known source of the high levels of uranium and neptunium-237 found in the school and air. The high levels were discovered by a U.S. Department of Energy air monitor detection building directly adjacent to the middle school. The closure has left parents and teachers in the Scioto Valley Local School District extremely concerned. Earlier this week, Ashley Day, a parent in the school district, was met at home by her son Kendon with some interesting news. Kendon informed his mother that the school will be closed for the rest of the academic year. “I felt anxiety, anger, and paranoia all at once,” she told NBC News. “It’s so scary that my child has been exposed to this because I have no idea how it’s going to affect him.” The now out-of-operation Portsmouth plant was built as part of the United States’ nuclear build up against the Soviet Union in the Cold War. It had been active for almost 50 years, from 1954 to 2001. Following the end…

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Comey Says Strzok Damaged FBI’s Reputation, Undermined Trump-Russia Probe

by Chuck Ross   Former FBI Director James Comey acknowledged Thursday that former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page damaged the bureau’s reputation and possibly undermined the Trump-Russia investigation by exchanging text messages bashing President Donald Trump. “So do you acknowledge that this whole episode with Strzok and Page, that it damaged the reputation of the FBI and perhaps tarnished the investigation?” CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Comey at a town hall event. “Definitely. Yeah, very painful,” Comey said. Comey also said that former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe deserved “severe consequences” for making false statements to Justice Department and FBI investigators regarding the authorization of media leaks. Comey blasted Trump throughout the town hall event. He also criticized Attorney General William Barr’s handling of the special counsel’s Russia report. But it was Comey’s comments about his former FBI colleagues that stood out from his normal anti-Trump commentary. “It was important that it be investigated and important that there be discipline that follows it, but, yeah, it made us all look bad,” Comey said of the Strzok-Page texts. Comey said that while Strzok was a “very talented agent,” his text messages “hurt the institution.” Strzok opened the FBI’s investigation of the…

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Kasich Calls Trump’s Latest Immigration Proposal ‘Wacky’ and ‘Just Crazy’

Former Gov. John Kasich called President Donald Trump’s latest immigration plan “wacky” and “just crazy” during a CNN interview Friday morning. The Washington Post reported Thursday night that Trump was once again considering a plan to release migrants into self-declared sanctuary cities. Trump confirmed the report in a pair of tweets Friday morning. “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong consideration to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities,” Trump said. “Only the radical left always seems to have an open borders, open arms policy—so this should make them very happy.” Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019 Trump touted the idea again during a White House event Friday afternoon, according to The Hill. “We can give them an unlimited supply [of migrants] and let’s see if they’re so happy,” he said. “They say ‘we have open arms.’ They’re always saying they have open arms. Let’s see if they have open arms.” Speaker of…

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Tim Ryan Distances Himself from Eliminating Private Health Insurance Despite Being Cosponsor of Bill That Does Just That

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), now a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said in a recent CNN interview that he doesn’t support the elimination of private health insurance. Ryan, however, is cosponsoring a bill that would eliminate most private insurance, which is one of the explicit goals of the bill’s lead sponsor. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) introduced her “Medicare for All” bill in late February, and explicitly states in the bill that starting on “the effective date described in section 106(a), it shall be unlawful for a private health insurer to sell health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act.” While speaking with reporters, Jayapal said that her bill “really makes it clear what we mean by ‘Medicare for All.’” “We mean a complete transformation of our health care system, we mean a system where there are no private insurance companies that provide these core comprehensive benefits that will be covered through the government,” she said, according to NBC News. Jayapal’s staffers told Roll Call that the bill would eliminate most private insurance under its prohibition on duplicate coverage. Ryan joined the bill as a cosponsor on February 27 along with 107 of his Democratic colleagues…

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Kasich: ‘I’m Not Setting Myself Up to Be a Trump Critic’

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich discussed his differences with the president in a recent interview ahead of a speaking appearance at Drew University in New Jersey. After leaving office, Kasich joined CNN as a political commentator and has announced his sixth book, which will be released in the fall. As The Ohio Star reported, he’s also started a new non-profit with several prominent Trump critics, but Kasich claims that his feuds with the president aren’t personal. “Not personally. Go back and take a look at the things I’ve done. It’s been very issue-based. My difference with President Trump is he has been in a position where he’s appealed to his base,” Kasich told USA Today in a recent interview. “I’m more of a uniter than a divider. I don’t like to fight with other people. That’s kind of where our differences are. But as far as calling him names and things like that, I’ve never done.” Kasich said he’s only critical of the president when he “deserves it,” and pointed to the recent controversy surrounding federal funding for the Special Olympics as an example. “I’m not setting myself up to be a Trump critic. But if I have a voice…

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Jake Tapper: CNN Didn’t Get ‘Anything’ Wrong in Russiagate Reporting

by Chuck Ross   Jake Tapper said Sunday that CNN has not gotten “anything” wrong during the course of reporting on Russiagate, even though his network has bungled numerous stories over the past two years. “I’m not sure what you’re saying the media got wrong. The media reported the investigation was going on. Other than the people in the media on the left, not on this network, I don’t know anybody that got anything wrong,” Tapper said during an exchange with acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. “We didn’t say there was a conspiracy. We said Mueller was investigating a conspiracy.” “That’s fine, if that’s your recollection of history, that’s great,” Mulvaney responded to Tapper’s defense. “Face it, the media got this wrong. It’s okay. People get stuff wrong all the time, just not at this level.” “We need to figure out what went wrong with the Mueller report, why — in all fairness to your network — why the media got it so wrong for so long,” said Mulvaney. .@MickMulvaneyOMB tells @jaketapper that ethics are not the issue when it comes to the Russia probe on #CNNSotu https://t.co/geGGK4lD1N — State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) March 31, 2019…

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Commentary: The Cynical Liars Who Started the Mueller Investigation Must Be Punished

by George Rasley   After 300 political campaigns I can say one thing about the Steele dossier with some authority: It was no opposition research memo, at least as the term is understood by any political operative with even the thinnest ethical sense would understand the term, it was a good old-fashioned smear that no one even bothered to pretend was true, merely “credible” to its recipients. Back in January of 2017, soon after the Steele dossier story broke and before President Trump was even inaugurated, many of us were asking how such trash could justify the claim that President-elect Donald Trump was essentially acting as an agent of Moscow. Robert Romano, writing for our friends at Americans for Limited Government, summed-up the questions nicely in his article, “Did Obama politicize false intel to portray Trump as a Manchurian Candidate?” Wrote Mr. Romano: As CNN infamously reported on Jan. 10, “Classified documents presented last week to President Obama and President-elect Trump included allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump, multiple U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the briefings tell CNN. The allegations were presented in a two-page synopsis that was appended to…

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Warren Calls for Scrapping US Electoral College in 2020 TV Town Hall

Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of more than a dozen Democrats vying for the 2020 presidential nomination, on Monday called for the scrapping of the electoral college, the method used to elect U.S. presidents. It was the first time Warren has explicitly called to eliminate the system established by the U.S. Constitution, in which each state is allotted a set number of “electors” based on the combined total of the state’s representation in Congress. Warren was participating in a televised CNN town hall in Jackson, Mississippi, when she was asked how, if elected, she would expand access to voting, including for those convicted of felonies. Warren, 69, said there should be an amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing all citizens the right to vote, and called for the repeal of laws that make it more difficult to cast ballots. She then lamented that White House candidates do not spend much time in places like Mississippi, which is conservative, and therefore not considered a swing state in U.S. presidential elections. “Well, my view is that every vote matters. And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting. And that means get rid of the electoral college…

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Christopher Steele’s Deposition Shows How Little Research He Did on Dossier Target

by Chuck Ross   Christopher Steele acknowledged in a July 2018 court deposition that he relied on a “random” article posted to a CNN website as part of his research for his infamous dossier. In the July 13, 2018, deposition, Steele was asked about the research he did into Aleksej Gubarev, a Russian tech executive who Steele accused of hacking into Democrats’ computer systems. According to a transcript of Steele’s deposition unsealed Thursday, Gubarev’s lawyer asked Steele what information he had gathered on Gubarev or his companies, Webzilla and XBT Holdings. Gubarev sued Steele and BuzzFeed News for defamation for publishing what he claims are false allegations that he hacked Democrats. Steele responded to the lawyer, Evan Fray-Witzer, by citing a July 28, 2009, article published at CNN’s iReports website. Fray-Witzer pointed out to Steele that CNN’s iReports articles “are nothing more than any random person posting things on the Internet.” Steele said he was not aware of that. “No, I, obviously, presume that if it is on a CNN site that it has some kind of CNN status. Albeit that it may be an independent person posting on the site,” said Steele, who admitted the iReports article was the…

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Democrat Rep. Jim Himes Pushes Back on DNC’s Decision to Bar Fox from Hosting Debates

by Nick Givas   Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut on Monday disagreed with the DNC’s decision to bar Fox News from hosting primary debates, saying it was a wasted opportunity for the party. “Well, with all due respect to the DNC, no, I don’t think it was the right decision,” Himes said on CNN’s “New Day.” “You know, look, it’s no surprise to anybody, including the Fox News watchers, that Fox is largely an instrument of the right-wing of the Republican Party. It’s a propaganda arm for the White House. However, and the reason I go on Fox, is that it’s watched by millions and millions of Americans.” The DNC announced Wednesday that it would not allow Fox to host any of the party’s primary debates and claimed the network is unable to maintain proper impartiality. Himes said Democrats should seize the opportunity to appeal to Fox’s vast audience to help push their agenda on heath care and education. “I’m a big believer that if you put our ideas, Democratic ideas, which are about universal healthcare, making it easier for kids to go to college, making retirements more secure against whatever the nonsense is on the other side, cutting taxes for corporations and very wealthy people.…

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Nicholas Sandmann’s Lawyer Says He’s Likely Going After CNN Next, And the Stakes Could Be Higher

by Evie Fordham   The lawyer for Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann will likely sue CNN next, and the stakes could be higher than their suit against The Washington Post. L. Lin Wood is representing Sandmann in another suit against WaPo calling for $250 million in compensatory and punitive damages over its coverage of the student’s interaction with Native American activist Nathan Phillips, according to Fox News. “I expect because of the way [CNN] went after Nicholas so viciously, that the claim for his reputational damage will be higher than it was against The Washington Post,” Wood told Fox News host Mark Levin. “CNN was probably more vicious in its direct attacks on Nicholas than The Washington Post. And CNN goes into millions of individuals’ homes,” Wood continued during an interview that will air on Fox News Channel Sunday. The suit will likely be issued Monday or Tuesday, Wood told Levin. Wood said that Sandmann did “absolutely nothing wrong.” “But you have a situation where CNN couldn’t resist the idea that here’s a guy with a young boy, that Make America Great Again cap on. So they go after him,” he said, adding, “The CNN folks were online…

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CNN Leak During Michael Cohen Testimony Recalls Memories of Network’s Bungled Don Jr. Story

by Chuck Ross   In the middle of Michael Cohen’s private testimony to the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, CNN reported the former Trump fixer provided the panel with documents allegedly showing President Donald Trump’s attorneys edited false statements that Cohen made to Congress in 2017 regarding efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. The leak harkens back to another provided to CNN that led to an embarrassing retraction for the network. CNN reported Dec. 8, 2017, during the middle of Donald Trump Jr.’s testimony that he had received an email Sept. 4, 2016, with a link of unreleased WikiLeaks documents. CNN had wall-to-wall coverage of the scoop, which would have been the first evidence that Trump associates received WikiLeaks materials before their release. But CNN got the story entirely wrong. The email was actually sent to Trump Jr. on Sept. 14, 2016, a day after the same WikiLeaks documents contained in the email had been released to the public. CNN corrected its story but previously declined The Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests to explain the error. It remains to be seen whether the CNN report during Cohen’s testimony will suffer a similar fate. According to CNN’s anonymous sources,…

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Ilhan Omar Snaps at CNN Reporter: ‘Are You Serious?’

by Peter Hasson   Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday snapped at a CNN reporter who tried to ask her about the fallout over her recent comments blaming Jewish political donors for Republicans’ support of Israel. President Trump on Tuesday said Omar should step down either from Congress or the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and called Omar’s apology “lame.” The congresswoman on Wednesday shot back a tweet that accused the president of “trafficking in hate,” but then dodged questions twice when asked about it by CNN’s Manu Raju. “Rep. Ilhan Omar in no mood to talk about her controversies this week. First, she said: ‘No thank you’ when asked to comment on Trump saying she should resign. Second time I saw her, she yelled: ‘Are you serious?’ when I tried to question her,” Raju wrote on Twitter. ‘What’s wrong with you” the congresswoman reportedly asked him. Before I even got my question out the second time I saw her, Ilhan Omar angrily said: “Are you serious? What’s wrong with you.” https://t.co/uhQ2stdrsF — Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2019 Omar, who has been known to be cold towards reporters in the past, has come under fire for some of her…

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Emails: Jake Tapper Tore Into ‘Irresponsible’ BuzzFeed Editor for Publishing the ‘Steele Dossier’

by Chuck Ross   After BuzzFeed published the infamous Steele dossier, CNN anchor Jake Tapper lit into BuzzFeed editor Ben Smith for the decision, calling it “irresponsible” and “uncollegial,” according to emails released Friday. “I think your move makes the story less serious and credible[.] I think you damaged its impact,” Tapper wrote to Smith on Jan. 10, 2017, just after BuzzFeed published the dossier in full on its website. The emails were released in response to a federal judge’s order to unseal documents from a lawsuit against BuzzFeed, which was sued in February 2017 by a Russian businessman who was accused in the dossier of being a Russian agent. Lawyers for the Russian, Aleksej Gubarev, picked out the Tapper-Smith exchange in hopes of showing BuzzFeed failed to do its due diligence before publishing the dossier, which was funded by Democrats and compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele. BuzzFeed noted in its initial report that the dossier remained unverified. Smith defended the decision to publish the document on the grounds that numerous policymakers, government officials and journalists were aware of its salacious rumors, which included that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government to win the 2016 election. Tapper was seemingly upset…

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Matthew Whitaker: ‘Deeply Concerning’ That CNN Was at Roger Stone Raid

by Chuck Ross   Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Friday that he found it “deeply concerning” that a CNN crew was present at the FBI raid of Roger Stone’s home in late January. “It was deeply concerning to me as to how CNN found out about that,” Whitaker told the House Judiciary Committee during a Justice Department oversight hearing. Whitaker says he was concerned that a CNN crew was camping out outside Roger Stone's house when he was arrested pic.twitter.com/V3RSmSuzkx — Yahoo News (@YahooNews) February 8, 2019 Stone was indicted under seal on Jan. 24 in the special counsel’s investigation and arrested at his home in Florida the next day. A CNN camera crew filmed as 29 FBI agents stormed Stone’s house around 6 a.m. local time. Stone has alleged that CNN was tipped off to his indictment and arrest, while the network has denied the claim. CNN says it sent reporters to Stone’s home after its Washington-based journalists noticed a flurry of activity at the federal courthouse on the day Stone was indicted. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham asked for an FBI briefing on the raid Tuesday. Graham asked whether CNN had advance knowledge of the raid…

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Ilhan Omar Included Among Those Listed in First Step of Covington Catholic Libel Case

Dozens of prominent media outlets and politicians, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), were issued legal letters Friday in the first step in the lawsuit against those who defamed the Covington Catholic High School students. The Minnesota Sun reported in January that Omar was at risk of being sued after she claimed that the boys at the center of the incident “were taunting five black men before they surrounded Phillips and led racist chants.” Video of the exchange showed that precisely the opposite occurred. In fact, the Covington Catholic High School students were approached by members of the Black Hebrew Israelites and repeatedly taunted as “dirty ass crackers,” “dirty animals,” “racists,” “bigots,” “faggots,” “incest kids,” and more. Attorney Robert Barnes, who is helping with the case, told The Minnesota Sun in January that if Omar “doesn’t retract what she said, she will be sued next week.” She did later delete the tweet in question, but offered no apology or correction. Now, Nick Sandmann’s attorneys have sent letters to those who potentially libeled him and his peers. The letters offer steps to take to avoid being sued, and direct all offending parties not to delete any communications related to the case. According…

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Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown: I Can Beat Trump in Ohio and New York

Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown may not be officially running, but that’s not stopping him from making some bold predictions. In a surprisingly aggressive statement, the third term senator declared: I would say that I will beat Trump in Ohio, where they know me best. I’ll beat him in my home state and I’ll beat him in his home state of New York, where they know him best. Brown made the statement during a wide-ranging interview on CNN’s “The Van Jones Show.” The senator has not officially declared that he is entering the race. He is presently in the middle of a listening tour that he has dubbed the “Dignity of Work” Tour. He will be visiting Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. While declaring that he is capable of winning both his home state as well as one of the most progressive states in the country would leave him two-hundred and twenty-three electoral votes short of winning the presidency, the statement suggests something broader than just those two states. It can be inferred by his approach that Brown is attempting to execute on a rather unique campaign strategy. Brown believes that he is capable of harmonizing a Democratic-Socialist platform with a moderate, populist…

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Black Radio Host David Webb Speaks Out After Being Accused of Benefiting From White Privilege

by Nick Givas   Black radio host David Webb spoke out on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday after he was accused of benefiting from white privilege by CNN analyst Areva Martin. Webb was interviewing Martin on his show Tuesday about diversity in media when she mistook him for a white male and said he had “the privilege of doing what people of color don’t have the privilege of.” When Webb asked for an explanation she said, “David, by virtue of being a white male, you have white privilege.” “Areva, I hate to break it to you, but you should’ve been better prepped. I am black,” Webb replied. “You’re talking to a black man who started out in rock radio in Boston.” Webb accused Martin of launching into a false attack against him and said she failed to gather the facts before speaking out. He also said there is no such thing as white privilege. “We were on the radio. Which is what makes this really interesting to me. Forget tone, voice, being prepped as I said to her. She immediately defaulted to an attack, which is a false narrative,” he told “Fox & Friends.” “There is no such thing as white…

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Veteran Says Mainstream Media Reports Claiming End to Border Wall Fundraiser are ‘Blatantly False,’ More Than $20 Million Raised

Purple Heart veteran Brian Kolfage came out swinging against the mainstream news media over the weekend after multiple outlets falsely sounded the death knell of his border wall fundraiser and attacked his honesty. The triple amputee veteran took to Twitter and at least one other outlet to refute false reports that GoFundMe would refund $20 million collected for the wall because Kolfage’s goal had not been met or that he was funneling the money elsewhere. The media campaigns used half-truths to question the honesty of Kolfage, who has been transparent in changing his goal from giving the donations to the shut-down government to build the wall to instead planning to use the money in a nonprofit to buy land on the border and build the wall faster and more inexpensively. Kolfage said on a video on his website that to counter the Democrats – who do not want the wall – he changed his charity’s mission, and gave it the name “We Build the Wall.” The GoFundMe page is here, and shows donations of all amounts continuing to pour in at more than $20.4 million. Kolfage says people who donated before Jan. 11 can either receive a refund or opt-in…

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Commentary: Journalists Dropping the Ball to End 2018

by Julie Kelly   This is almost too good to be true: Several American journalists will be in Times Square on Monday night to drop the New Year’s Eve ball and signal the end of 2018. The “esteemed group comprises a broad spectrum of journalists to be honored as the international event celebrates press freedom and journalism,” gloated the official press release. CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota, NBC News host Lester Holt, and Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal are among the prestigious ball-droppers. The symbolism is perfect—but not for the reasons these self-promoters think. After another year of embarrassing and sometimes bizarre behavior, the American news media will shamelessly celebrate themselves as 2018 draws to a close. The irony of people representing media outlets that have polluted our public discourse with some of the most flawed, biased, and conspiratorial news coverage in modern times dropping a ball together in midtown Manhattan is delicious. And their lack of self-awareness makes it even more spectacular. “It is fitting to celebrate free press and free speech as we reflect on where we’ve been during the past year and what it is we value most as a society,” puffed one of the event’s organizers. LOL. So,…

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CNN Contributer Ezekiel Emanuel says Obamacare Ruling ‘Defies Constitutional Logic’

by Nick Givas   CNN contributor Ezekiel Emanuel said on “New Day” Monday that a recent court ruling declaring Obamacare unconstitutional “defies constitutional logic.” “That is a ridiculous ruling and you don’t have to rely on a doctor like me,” Dr. Emanuel said. “Lots of conservative legal scholars think it’s a silly ruling. The main logic there is the mandate is so essential to the law that nothing in the law can stand without the mandate.” A federal judge in Texas ruled Obamacare’s individual mandate to be unconstitutional Friday and said it can no longer be viewed as a congressional tax. “The Individual Mandate can no longer be fairly read as an exercise of Congress’s Tax Power and is still impermissible under the Interstate Commerce Clause — meaning the Individual Mandate is unconstitutional,” District Judge Reed O’Connor wrote in his decision. “And the reason you know it’s a silly ruling is we haven’t had a mandate with any enforceability since we passed the tax law because there’s no penalty anymore and much of the law is going forward. Laws like changing how doctors are being paid, improving the quality in hospitals, investing in better workforce for the health care system,”…

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CNN’s Zucker: Running for Political Office is ‘Something I Would Consider’

CNN president Jeff Zucker made news Monday hinting he would consider running for office in a five-year timeframe. The comments came at the end of an hour-long, wide-ranging interview by former Obama campaign manager David Axelrod on his CNN-hosted podcast, “The Axe Files.” “Look, I still harbor somewhere in my gut that I am interested in politics,” Zucker said. “… it would be something I would consider.” The 53-year-old veteran television executive has gone on the record several times over the years with his interest in political office – going so far as pondering a bid for the New York’s Mayor’s office in 2015 in an interview with AdWeek, FoxNews reported. For the moment, however, those aspirations seem to be on hold as he grapples with the sinking ratings of the former leader in cable television news, CNN. Here is a transcript of the exchange between Zucker and Axelrod, made at 1:06:24 in the podcast: ZUCKER: And with regard with where I’ll be in five years… umm… AXELROD: You had a chance to leave to potentially take over at ESPN – which, you’re a big sports guy. The timing wasn’t right for you, but– ZUCKER: Well to be clear, I…

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Jeff Ballabon Commentary: CNN’s Lawsuit Is An Admission of Its Anti-Trump Activism

by Jeff Ballabon   CNN likes to masquerade as an objective news outlet, but its lawsuit against President Trump and the Secret Service makes its partisanship more nakedly obvious than ever. From the very beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, CNN has used its platform to demean, denigrate, and deride the president at every opportunity. Their Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, who grandstands on and off the air as Trump’s chief antagonist, is merely the most notorious manifestation of CNN’s rampant bias. Recently, his behavior so violated every norm of White House press corps etiquette that the White House withdrew his access to the White House grounds. CNN sued President Trump and a judge temporarily reinstated Acosta’s access pending outcome of the case. CNN’s legal case rests on the contention that the First Amendment’s freedom of the press guarantees Jim Acosta permanent access to the White House grounds. The judge declined to rule on those grounds, ruling instead that Acosta may have been denied his Fifth Amendment due process rights because he did not have an opportunity to formally appeal the revocation of his pass. CNN likes to pretend it serves a vital public interest through “objective” reporting, and their…

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CNN Calls for Emergency Hearing in Response to White House Threats on Acosta

by Hanna Bogorowski   After receiving a letter from the White House saying CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s press pass could be revoked again by the end of November, CNN has asked the U.S. District Court for an emergency hearing. CNN won a temporary restraining order Friday after suing President Donald Trump and several members of his administration after they suspended Acosta’s access to the White House after an incident in which the reporter refused to hand over the microphone to an intern during a press conference. A judge temporarily restored Acosta’s access Friday and told CNN and the administration to reach a settlement, but CNN’s Brian Stelter revealed Sunday night that “White House officials sent Acosta a letter stating that his pass is set to be suspended again once the restraining order expires.” The letter, signed by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Bill Shine, announced the “preliminary decision” to suspend Acosta’s press pass again once the court’s restraining order expired, CNN reported. CNN asked a U.S. district court Monday for an emergency hearing. The White House’s letter reportedly says it will make a decision on the fate of Acosta’s press pass by 3 p.m. ET on Monday, the report states. .@CNN's Jim @Acosta returns…

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Commentary: A Profile in Absurdity as Jim Acosta the First Amendment Hero

by Mark Pulliam   The latest theatrics involving Jim Acosta, the left-wing political activist posing as a CNN reporter, perfectly illustrate the reasons why ordinary Americans despise the Beltway swamp: anti-Trump propaganda masquerading as journalism, rude and arrogant “reporters” engaged in 24/7 “resistance,” a federal judiciary so thoroughly dominated by liberal opinion that even Republican-appointed judges parrot the views of their ideological captors, and vain lawyers so eager for praise by the Acela Corridor establishment that they are willing to betray principle and common sense to receive accolades from fashionable elites. The underlying facts are by now well-known: The insufferable Acosta, surely the most obnoxious “correspondent” ever to hold a White House press pass—a dubious distinction in a competition that includes Sam Donaldson (ABC) and the late Helen Thomas (UPI), among others—had his credentials suspended after a particularly abrasive encounter with President Trump at a November 7 presser. In a widely publicized incident, Acosta harangued at length, refused to relinquish the microphone when directed to do so, and pushed away a young female intern who was trying to pass the mic to another reporter. White House press passes have always been viewed as discretionary and subject to regulation, in order…

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As CNN’s Acosta Returns, White House Seeks Decorum for Press

by Fred Lucas   CNN reporter Jim Acosta is back in the White House, and the Trump administration is working on rules for “decorum” during press conferences. “People have to behave. We’re writing up rules and regulations,” President Donald Trump told reporters Friday afternoon, when asked about the court ruling. He said other reporters were treated unfairly, “because you had somebody interrupting you. With the rules and regulations, we will end up back in court and we will win.” U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, of the District of Columbia, granted CNN a temporary restraining to halt the Trump administration from blocking Acosta’s access to the White House, and ordered his press pass to be returned. Asked what he meant about rules, Trump said, “decorum.” “You can’t take three questions and four questions. You can’t stand up and not sit down,” Trump said. “We want total freedom of the press. It’s more important to me than anybody would believe. But you have to act with respect when you’re at the White House, and when I see the way some of my people get treated at news conferences, it’s terrible. So we’re setting up a certain standard, which is what the court…

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Tennessee Star Report-Knoxville Edition: According to CNN, ‘Everyone Get’s a Pass’ as MSM Bands Together Claiming First Amendment Rights to White House Press Corp

On Wednesday’s Tennessee Star Report: Knoxville Edition – broadcast on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville – Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill talked about Megyn Kelly’s inability to create a base and keep it, CNN’s lawsuit against the White House, and how the usual ‘liberal’ suspects are joining the MSM band wagon in support of CNN’s ‘friend of the court brief’ claiming it’s a First Amendment right. A couple of quick items for you.  The Today Show has apparently seen a ratings increase after they fired Megyn Kelly.  That’s right, ratings for the 9am hour of the Today Show increased after they let Megyn Kelly go.  Now this was after they let her go because she had apologized for comments where she was accused of defending ‘black face’ for purposes of Halloween costumes. The problem that Megyn Kelly has had, and she’s beautiful, she’s bright, she’s articulate, she’s an excellent news caster it’s just she doesn’t understand how to create a base and keep it. I mean when she was at Fox, she seemed to go out of her way to make it clear that she wasn’t a Conservative.  And then when she went to NBC she couldn’t overcome the fact that…

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CNN and Jim Acosta File Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

by Joe Simonson   CNN and Jim Acosta are allegedly suing the Trump administration for removing the press credentials of the controversial reporter following a tense incident Wednesday during a news conference at the White House. According to ABC’s former White House correspondent Sam Donaldson, Acosta and his employer filed a lawsuit and are expecting a court hearing in the upcoming week. The news came during an episode of CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” when Donaldson told host Brian Stelter that he had been asked by the network to give an affidavit in support of Acosta. Yet a CNN spokesperson would not say that it was going ahead with any legal action against the Trump administration, telling The Hill that “no decisions have been made.” The White House decided to revoke Acosta’s credentials after a back-and-forth between Acosta and President Donald Trump erupted when the reporter refused to hand a microphone back to a staffer when the president told Acosta he would no longer be answering questions from him. [ RELATED: Trump Addresses Revocation Of Jim Acosta’s Press Pass: ‘Acosta’s A Very Unprofessional Man’ ] Trump then referred to Acosta as a “rude” and “horrible” individual in the latest episode of a growing feud between the White House and CNN.…

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Marco Rubio Dings Journalist Who Said Donald Trump Radicalized More People Than ISIS and Then Was Invited Back on CNN

by Hanna Bogorowski   GOP Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida took to Twitter on Tuesday to condemn comments made by GQ Magazine correspondent Julia Ioffe, who has been in the headlines for making claims about President Donald Trump and his supporters, saying it’s wrong for people to think inflammatory language is only coming from the right. Ioffe said on CNN’s The Lead With Jake Tapper Monday afternoon that Trump has radicalized more people than the Islamic State (ISIS). This president has radicalized so many more people than ISIS ever did, she said. Ioffe continued the anti-Trump rhetoric Monday night with CNN’s Don Lemon, saying she believes a silent majority of Trump supports believes racism is okay. It’s also kind of the silent majority of Trump supporters that think this is okay, they continue to support this president despite what he said, she added, referring to what she called Trump’s half-hearted condemnation of racists after the deadly mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Rubio responded to Ioffe’s comments on Twitter, referring to her as a journalist in quotes, and adding that it’s inaccurate for people to believe incendiary rhetoric is not apparent on the left as well. So many keep pretending inflammatory…

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Dan Bongino Claims Explosive Devices Sent to CNN and Democratic Politicians Were Amateur on Purpose

by Nick Givas   Fox News commentator Dan Bongino said the explosive devices sent to CNN’s New York bureau and various Democratic politicians were “intentionally amateurish” on Fox & Friends Thursday. “Let me just get this out, because there’s no easy way to explain this. When you’re this amateur and these devices are amateurish at best, they show all the hallmarks of someone who had absolutely no idea what they were doing,” Bongino said. “One of the things you see in incidents like this in the past is that when you’re so amateur the bomber typically blows himself up, or there will be some kind of a signal they let out,” he continued. Anyone who has experience in this has seen that before. But you don’t see this. No one called the cops, no one obviously busted this guy or woman in advance. So, you have these two contrasting bits of information. Bongino said it was odd to see the bombs find their way to their targets, but fail to detonate. He deduced that the bomber knew what he or she was doing and never planned for the devices to go off. “It’s so rookie and amateurish. But then on the other hand, they…

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American Bar Association Quietly Closes Kavanaugh Assessment: Report

Brett Kavanaugh

by Kevin Daley   The American Bar Association (ABA) will not revoke its “well qualified” rating for Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, after allegations of sexual and professional misconduct prompted the group to reopen its review of Kavanaugh’s record. An unnamed ABA official told CNN that the ABA rules provide that the review process should close with the nominee’s confirmation. “Per the published policy and historical practice of the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, once a justice or judge is confirmed, the Standing Committee’s rating process is closed,” according to the ABA’s standing committee on the federal judiciary. The standing committee’s evaluations are separate and distinct from the Bar Association, though the ABA itself urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to postpone its consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination pending the completion of an FBI investigation. The ABA is the largest professional lawyers organization in the United States. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will lead a separate inquiry into 15 separate complaints lodged with Kavanaugh’s former court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The complaints allege Kavanaugh gave false testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee and failed to maintain a judicial temperament. Kavanaugh’s former colleague,…

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What a Turn Off: NFL Fans, MSM, and Hollywood Viewers Tune Out Politically Biased Programming

On Monday’s Gill Report – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 1510 WLAC weekdays at 7:30 am – Star News Digital Media National Political Editor Steve Gill talked about the recent decline in ratings due to the political agenda of the NFL, MSM outlets, and Hollywood award shows. He was saddened that it hits the small businesses in the pocket book, however gleeful that this will hopefully be a lesson to the big corporations’ continuous mistake at making almost everything political.  Gill observed, “But viewers are paying attention, and tuning them out!” He continued: Does it make me a bad person that I like seeing the ratings absolutely crater for CNN when they engage in their left-wing propaganda on a constant basis and their ratings are slipping behind the cooking channel on cable? Of course, having their host out standing in ditches trying to make the flood waters look worse show that they’ll even lie about weather so why should we be surprised when they lie about politics or business or anything else that comes along. And then you’ve had the NFL with their Monday night football ratings reaching a new low. The second week of Monday night football, some of…

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Object of Deception: MSM Forgets the Facts as ICE Arrests Illegal Wanted for Murder in Mexico

Steve Gill

On Monday’s Gill Report – broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville – Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill was repulsed by the MSM’s coverage, or lack thereof, regarding the recent arrest of illegal alien and murder suspect Joel Arrona Laura and his illegal wife by ICE while speeding  to the hospital to deliver their fifth anchor baby. Gill said: On Saturday, dozens of media outlets across the country breathlessly reported that federal immigration custom enforcement agencies ICE, arrested an illegal alien who was simply taking his wife to the hospital to deliver their baby. They were appalled that ICE would be so irresponsible, so cruel, so heartless as to arrest this man when all he was doing was taking his wife to deliver a baby by c-section. Now interesting they left out a big detail. A huge detail. Some might even say a ‘bigly’ detail. Seems the man was a wanted murder suspect. Agents arrested murder suspect Joel Arrono Laura when he stopped to get gas when taking his wife, Maria del Carmen Venegas to the hospital so she could give birth to their fifth anchor baby. Yeah, both of them are illegally in this country, both of…

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