We ‘Need to Fix’ It: Behar Decries the Constitution as ‘Un-American’

Joy Behar, the same co-host of ABC’s The View who thought the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the military alliance that defeated Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, was back with more of her wisdom during Friday’s show. According to her, two elements of the U.S. Constitution – both present since the founding – were “un-American.” “These lifetime assignments [to the U.S. Supreme Court] have got to stop and they need to fix the Electoral College also because that's un-American,” she shrieked. Behar was triggered by newly released, years-old photos of an inverted American flag allegedly outside the home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito several days AFTER the riot at the Capitol. The latest smear campaign against conservative justices suggested – without evidence – that it was to show solidarity with the rioters. Ignoring or ignorant of the meaning of an inverted flag, Behar declared it was something wholly invented by “MAGA people”: Now, in case you don't know, this is something that the MAGA people have adopted as a stop the steal symbol. In other words, when you see that flag upside down, that means stop the steal, which they imagine happened even though Joe Biden did win legitimately. We all know it. Everybody who’s not crazy knows it.     Faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin contributed to the misinformation by misquoting the U.S. Flag Code. According to her: “…the American flag should not be flown upside down except in moments of national – dire national distress.” The code actually says: “The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” Historically, an inverted flag has been used my American ships to signal such distress. Farah-Griffin added that what the Alito’s did was “un-American” and “disturbing” especially since it was allegedly done “days after a riot at the Capitol!” But her argument didn’t make much sense either since she, and many in the liberal media, had suggested that January 6 was a day of dire national distress; much like what she said was the only correct time to fly the flag inverted. She and the rest of the cast played a round of whataboutism and pretended as though they would be equally upset if a liberal justice did it: FARAH GRIFFIN: But I would note this to my conservative friends defending this, let's just say if Justice Sotomayor had hung a flag upside down after Donald Trump was elected we would call for her resignation. BEHAR: That’s right! HOSTIN: We sure would! Since The View didn’t care to criticize Sotomayor when she refused to recuse herself and issued a ruling that directly involved her book publisher, it’s safe to say they wouldn’t have anything to say on the matter. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 17, 2024 11:15:42 a.m. Eastern JOY BEHAR: So, the Supreme Court – very iffy these days – is getting ready to deal with cases involving presidential immunity and obstruction charges against Trump. Okay? The January 6th insurrectionists also, they're ready to deal with all those cases. But a photo has just emerged from days after the Capitol Riot on January 6th showing an upside down American flag flying outside – wait for it – Justice Alito's house. Now, in case you don't know, this is something that the MAGA people have adopted as a stop the steal symbol. In other words, when you see that flag upside down, that means stop the steal which they imagine happened even though Joe Biden did win legitimately. We all know it. Everybody who’s not crazy knows it. SUNNY HOSTIN: It was proven. BEHAR: It was proven over and over and over again. Yet Justice Alito has this upside down flag. Now, he claims his wife did it. Thank you, Senator Menendez, another one. In a dispute with neighbors saying she did it because she was disputing with neighbors about their anti-Trump signs on their lawn, even that -- even that annoys me that the wife is worried about anti-Trump signs in her neighborhood. Do you believe his answer to the thing that his wife did it and he has nothing to do with stop the steal? HOSTIN: I do believe it. How about Clarence Thomas and Ginni Thomas. Ginni Thomas sent a bus to the January 6 insurrection and Clarence Thomas is sitting on that court listening to insurrection cases. He’s listening to election fraud cases. It's ridiculous! You know, what upsets me so much about it as an attorney is that the Supreme Court has always been sort of the bastion of the law. Right? It’s where we look to for guidance and now 60 percent of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court. Never has the Supreme Court been so -- and they do, right? 60 percent. [Applause] It hurts me to my core. And, you know, Justice Sotomayor has said over and over and over again, she said, “will this institution survive” – this is after the Mississippi abortion case – “Will this institution survive the stench that this creates in the public perception that the Constitution and its reading are just political acts?” I don't see how it is possible. If you have a Supreme Court justice, even if his wife did it, for days and days and days having that sign there, that is a political expression that has no place! ANA NAVARRO: I think it's incredibly sad how -- how dysfunctional -- we've seen the dysfunction in Congress and now dysfunction in the Supreme Court. So, Americans have to be watching this and just having this crisis, existentialist crisis of faith in our most important institutions and, look, I think John Roberts has lost control of this court. HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: Maybe he agrees with them. NAVARRO: Well, I don't know if he does or not but he has a duty to the American people as chief justice to make sure that this Supreme Court is at a certain level of decorum and you have Ginni Thomas and Clarence Thomas accepting all sorts of gifts from billionaires and hearing some of the cases and you've got this. I mean, it’s an embarrassment. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I don't even know -- I don't buy this description. So the U.S. Flag Code states that the American flag should not be flown upside down except in moments of national – dire national distress. I think pointing the finger – If my husband put a flag upside down, I’d say, “what are you doing?!” This is un-American, it’s disturbing. But I would note this to my conservative friends defending this, let's just say if Justice Sotomayor had hung a flag upside down after Donald Trump was elected we would call for her resignation. BEHAR: That’s right! HOSTIN: We sure would! FARAH GRIFFIN: It’s so, un-American in days – HOSITN: We sure would. FARAH GRIFFIN: In days after a riot at the Capitol! SARA HAINES: It also speaks to—When you’re married to a Supreme Court justice and you are well aware of that, elevate yourself. When responding to yard signs in your neighborhood, you're telling me you're triggered too easy. He's a Supreme Court justice. You're going to hear things. The fact that that was the act she took because she had to get her word in? It’s a really pathetic example – NAVARRO: Sounds like she belongs in Congress. HAINES: And your stat is worse, Sunny. It's worse. It's 44 percent of Americans support – have faith in the Supreme Court. HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: These lifetime assignments have got to stop and they need to fix the Electoral College also because that's un-American. FARAH GRIFFIN: They need a code of ethics. (…)

How Can Jake Tapper Moderate CNN Debate? He Trusts Hamas Propaganda

Alongside the concerning announcement, this week, that CNN would be hosting the first general presidential debate next month was the equally concerning announcement that Jake Tapper would be tapped to be one of the moderators. The expectation of moderators to fact-check the candidates made Tapper’s selection was particularly concerning. In addition to his left-wing bent, Tapper has exhibited a truly disturbing lack of discernment of who to trust for sourcing facts, including claiming that propaganda from Hamas was trustworthy. As NewsBusters reported last year, just 10 days after the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas against innocent Israeli civilians, Tapper openly suggested that “there’s no reason to doubt” Hamas figures about the death toll in Gaza. “Let's go to a major story developing right now in Gaza, what the Palestinian government is calling a war crime, the government in Gaza says the Israeli Defense Forces struck a hospital in the center of Gaza City, the al-Ahli Baptist hospital,” he announced on October 17. The purported attack was less than a few minutes old but Tapper was rushing to parrot Hamas claims that the number of people killed was “between 200 and 300” with “many more innocent people still trapped under the rubble.” His colleague Anderson Cooper would later note that it could have been a Hamas rocket that fell short, but Tapper quickly shot back: “Yeah, I know. I mean, this is always a very difficult situation, because right now, we have reports of hundreds killed and there's no reason to doubt that.”     But in the light of day, it was clear we had every reason to doubt that. Not only was it a rocket that was fired from Gaza, it landed in the parking lock and only blew out the windows of the hospital, and the casualties were minuscule compared to upwards of 300 or more. Tapper largely avoided accountability for his defense of the propaganda number put out by Hamas, but more recently (May 13) he did a segment on The Lead highlighting how “the United Nations quietly revised downward its numbers on fatalities for Palestinian women and children.” Omitting the specific detail that the number was 50 percent lower, Tapper relied on correspondent Jeremy Diamond to spin the revelation as just some necessary bookkeeping (Click “expand”): We'll Jake, this isn't about saying that fewer Palestinian women and children have been killed during this conflict. This all has to do with where the United Nations is pulling its data from. The United Nations is now listing women and children who have been killed, but only those who have been whose identities have been fully documented. That means that they you know, the names, the dates of birth, the identity card numbers of those individuals. But that brings the United Nations to more than 7,000 children who have been killed, about 5,000 women. But there are thousands more women and children that the Palestinian Ministry of Health says have been killed in this conflict since October 7. But in many of those cases, they don't have someone who has identified them by name with a specific date of birth, for example. That brings the Palestinian Ministry of Health to about 15,000 children, about 9,900 women who have been killed. Diamond went on to defend the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health by arguing that “both U.S., as well as United Nations and other humanitarian aid agencies, these officials have all said that the Palestinian Ministry of Health figures have checked out in previous conflicts.” “Right. The Palestinian Ministry of Health, obviously run by Hamas itself, and they don't distinguish between fighters and innocent civilians,” Tapper added, essentially suggesting the number was accurate and it just included Hamas fighters. But the next day (May 14), Tapper struck a far more skeptical tone regarding reports from the Israeli Defense Forces that they had struck a Hamas “war room” in a U.N. school. “Israel says it killed more than ten terrorists, though CNN cannot independently confirm Israel's claim,” he declared. Tapper was suspicious of IDF claims that Hamas was in U.N. school while we know multiple U.N. workers took part in the October 7 attack and accounts from former hostages show U.N. workers aided the terrorists. Meanwhile, we’re supposed to believe Tapper is an honest broker of facts for a presidential debate? The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN’s The Lead May 13, 2024 5:38:32 p.m. Eastern (…) JAKE TAPPER: Jeremy, though, of course we can see the horror on the ground, clearly. It's been harder to get an accurate estimate of how many Palestinians have been killed since October 7 in Gaza. Last week, the United Nations quietly revised downward its numbers on fatalities for Palestinian women and children. Tell us more about that. What led to the change? JEREMY DIAMOND: We'll Jake, this isn't about saying that fewer Palestinian women and children have been killed during this conflict. This all has to do with where the United Nations is pulling its data from. The United Nations is now listing women and children who have been killed, but only those who have been whose identities have been fully documented. That means that they you know, the names, the dates of birth, the identity card numbers of those individuals. But that brings the United Nations to more than 7,000 children who have been killed, about 5,000 women. But there are thousands more women and children that the Palestinian Ministry of Health says have been killed in this conflict since October 7. But in many of those cases, they don't have someone who has identified them by name with a specific date of birth, for example. That brings the Palestinian Ministry of Health to about 15,000 children, about 9,900 women who have been killed. And it's important to note that both U.S., as well as United Nations and other humanitarian aid agencies, these officials have all said that the Palestinian Ministry of Health figures have checked out in previous conflicts. But, of course, there is a difference between how the Palestinian Ministry of Health sees the casualty figures in Gaza and what the Israeli government is saying. We've heard from Israeli government officials, including the Israeli prime minister now saying they believe that about 14,000 plus militants have been killed and about 16,000 civilians. That's obviously a very big discrepancy with the numbers coming from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. TAPPER: Right. The Palestinian Ministry of Health, obviously run by Hamas itself, and they don't distinguish between fighters and innocent civilians. (…) May 14, 2024 5:50:29 p.m. Eastern TAPPER: And we’re back with our world lead. Israel's military claims that it struck a Hamas war room in central Gaza in its effort to root out the terrorists group following the October 7 attack on Israel. The war room, Israel says, was imbedded inside a school in Nuseirat. That's the town. And operated by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA. Israel says it killed more than ten terrorists, though CNN cannot independently confirm Israel's claim. It’s clear the IDF is pounding that area. (…)

Haines Smears Butker: Claims He's in an 'Extremist' 'Cult-Like' Religion

ABC’s The View was pulsing with anti-Catholic bigotry during Thursday’s show, as pretend-moderate co-host Sara Haines lashed out and smeared Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and his Catholic faith as “extremists” and “cult-like.” His crime? Giving a commencement address at Catholic, Benedictine College where he talked about – among other things – how some women find fulfillment in being homemakers. In addition, “comedian” Joy Behar claimed he had “big mother issues.” Haines’s bitter anti-Catholic hatred gushed like a firehose. She claimed that Butker was a member of “a very extreme religion” because he attended “the traditional Latin mass,” which she treated like a separate sect of Catholicism. Without evidence, she claimed he was practicing something “cult-like and extremist like some religions in the Middle East and Asia.” She then proceeded to lecture Butker about how he doesn’t “walk with Jesus” and oppressed people: So, what I can say to him, as a Christian, is if you're using this to oppress people or hold them down you're not walking with Jesus. If you are using the religion, if you're more obsessed with the religious rituals and practices than you are with the word of Jesus, you're not walking with Jesus. And if you’re using it for the judgment of others and as a weapon to beat people down you're also not walking with Jesus. “So, I would really encourage him, really encourage him to find the best parts of faith and not diverge into extremist beliefs,” she chided.     Faux-conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin got in on the Butker bashing (likely because he also made a joke about her idol Taylor Swift, referring to her as ‘my teammate’s girlfriend’). She chastised him for daring to talk about politics in his commencement address, as many speakers do. She decried how he called out President Biden, but then she turned around and whined that he didn’t say anything against former President Trump: ...he steps further by wading into the political. He took a swipe at Joe Biden, he brought up DEI, which has nothing to do with anything I’ve ever read in scripture, and then he leaned really heavily into talking about, like, the ideal man and being a godly man, an example; missed the opportunity to talk about the man who might be the leader of the free world, Donald Trump, and his many shortcomings. Behar chimed in to diagnose Butker with Freudian “mother issues.” Without evidence, she claimed he was big “angry” because his “super-duper,” “very accomplished physicist” mom was “probably” not home “because she was busy with her career.” Also, without evidence, she claimed he had “nothing but disdain” for Swift because he told the joke. “So get a therapist!” she shouted. Their cognitive dissonance was deafening. Later in the show, they brought on actor Nick Offerman and his female farmer friend. They praised how she went from working in the world of fine art to being a farmer and… a homemaker. “Her masterpieces are on the dinner table or in their kids' values rather than on a canvas," Offerman touted, after mocking Butker earlier in the interview.   Cognitive dissonance: After denouncing Butker for promoting women being homemakers, The View promotes a woman who studied fine art then became a farmer after she became a mom with four kids. "Her masterpieces are on the dinner table or in their kids' values," Nick Offerman adds. pic.twitter.com/aGL1bQrx5D — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 16, 2024   Shockingly, the only person making a lick of sense on the entire set was moderator Whoopi Goldberg. She pointed out the obvious that Butker was “at a Catholic College. He’s a staunch Catholic. These are his beliefs and he's welcome to them.” Goldberg compared Butker with the saga of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. “The same way we want respect when Colin Kaepernick takes a knee, we want to give respect to people whose ideas are different from ours,” she argued. “So, I'm okay with him saying whatever he says and the women who were sitting there, if they take his advice, good for them, they'll be happy. If they don't, good for them, they'll be happy a different way. That's my attitude,” she declared. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 16, 2024 11:04:58 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So, the NFL released a statement that he gave this speech in his personal capacity and they do not -- the NFL does not share his views. So, you know, listen, I like when people say what they need to say. He’s at a Catholic College. He’s a staunch Catholic. These are his beliefs and he's welcome to them. I don't have to believe them. I don't have to accept them. The ladies that were sitting in that audience do not have to accept them. The same way we want respect when Colin Kaepernick takes a knee, we want to give respect to people whose ideas are different from ours, because the man who says he wants to be president, you-know-who. He says the way to act is take away people's right to say how they feel. We don't want to be that. We don't want to be those people. So, I'm okay with him saying whatever he says and the women who were sitting there, if they take his advice, good for them, they'll be happy. If they don't, good for them, they'll be happy a different way. That's my attitude. [Applause] SARA HAINES: I agree with you and I disagree with you. GOLDBERG: That's okay. HAINES: So, I agree with you that – in the spirit of freedom speech, I don't want people shut down or fired for things they’re willing to say. I will break with you on the comparison to Colin Kaepernick, for this reason: Colin Kaepernick was standing up for the rights of many and saying in a social justice moment, this is a reminder that we're not there yet. What this man is doing is not just a devout Catholic, this is someone who’s practicing something called the traditional Latin mass, which is divergent to the majority of Catholics. It’s compared to being cult-like and extremist like some religions in the Middle East and Asia. So, this is a very extreme religion. And what bothers me about that, as a Christian, is that when people abuse Christianity, they often not only cherry-pick from the Bible, they misinterpret and lie by omission, by taking out parts that would have explained something a little better. So, what I can say to him, as a Christian, is if you're using this to oppress people or hold them down you're not walking with Jesus. If you are using the religion, if you're more obsessed with the religious rituals and practices than you are with the word of Jesus, you're not walking with Jesus. And if you’re using it for the judgment of others and as a weapon to beat people down you're also not walking with Jesus. So, I would really encourage him, really encourage him to find the best parts of faith and not diverge into extremist beliefs. [Applause] GOLDBERG: But if this is -- if this is his belief system, there are many Catholics who are staunch this way. HAINES: A small, small percentage go to the Latin mass. GOLDBERG: I’m just telling you there are many people who believe this way and I'm simply saying rather than write a petition to get him fired because this is – HAINES: Don't get him fired. GOLDBERG: That's what I'm talking about. HAINES: The Pope discourages it. Just so you know, In the Catholic Church the Pope diverges from this belief. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Just one thing, if I may. I don’t know if you guys now this, I went to a very religious college [Patrick Henry College] and a lot of what he was talking about here was largely Christian Catholic orthodoxy, but he steps further by wading into the political. He took a swipe at Joe Biden, he brought up DEI, which has nothing to do with anything I’ve ever read in scripture, and then he leaned really heavily into talking about, like, the ideal man and being a godly man, an example; missed the opportunity to talk about the man who might be the leader of the free world, Donald Trump, and his many shortcomings. (…) 11:11:14 a.m. Eastern JOY BEHAR: I was going to say something completely out of the field. I don't think that this is a political issue. I think he has mother issues. [Laughter] HAINES: He may! SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes! Yes! He Does! BEHAR: Wait. His mother is a very accomplished physicist. HAINES: Went to Smith College. BEHAR: I mean super-duper accomplished woman. His mother, now he probably was left alone because she was busy with her career. He's angry. HOSTIN: Do the therapy. Do the therapy. BEHAR: This is my armchair therapist. I agree. I'm not a professional therapist but I play one on TV. And I think that's the real issue. He has big mother issues. He refers to Taylor Swift as that so-and-so. What did he say? FARAH GRIFFIN: His teammate's girlfriend. BEHAR: Another hugely accomplished woman he has nothing by disdain for, because of mommy! So get a therapist! (…)

NewsBusters Podcast: Ad Nauseam Trump Trial, SHOCKING Debate Agreement

The hush money trial of former President Trump is the only event happening in the world, according to the liberal cable news outlets perched outside the New York City courthouse like vultures. At least The View has their cracked courthouse correspondent inside the courtroom with a pair of binoculars trained on Trump. And just before Curtis Houck and I sat down to record; BREAKING NEWS across the wires: Presidential debates were announced! I give the rundown on Sunny Hostin’s clownish and narcissistic coverage of the Trump trial. According to her, feverishly documenting every muscle twitch, eye glance, and whisper to counsel was not being don’t any other reporter in the room except for her. And no, she wasn’t joking. Curtis gives us an update on his tally of the network coverage of the trial and the embarrassing fact-check of former Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s new book proving that she lied about President Biden NOT looking at his watch during an inappropriate moment. HINT: NewsBusters was on the bleeding edge of that story! We also discuss the plans for the upcoming debates and how the coordinated icing out of the presidential commission on debates could have the democracy the liberal media purports to defend. Enjoy the podcast below or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The View Cheers Debate Limitations: Having an Audience ‘Doesn't Serve’ Biden

Shortly before ABC’s The View went to air, word was finally announced that both the Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to two debates; one with CNN in June and one in September with ABC. But it was two demands made by Team Biden that had captured most everyone’s interest: no audiences and mics would be cut off. Of course, the liberal ladies of The View cheered the rules with one saying the quiet part out loud and admitting that an audience would hurt President Biden. After spending several minutes bragging about being at a Disney party the previous night, the cast finally got around to talking about the debate. And the first thing they did was share how relieved they were that Biden’s demands were agreed to: WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Here's what I really appreciate. Biden is saying, no audience. JOY BEHAR: Good. GOLDBERG: And that the mics must be cut once - SARA HAINES: I love this. GOLDBERG: -- the time to answer the question has expired. SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes. [Cheers and applause] No one questioned the suspicious timing of the announce since it came shortly after the Biden campaign put out a highly edited video of the President challenging Trump to exactly two debates. But faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin proclaimed, “It was smart of Biden to get ahead of this by challenging Trump and I think it's a recognition that they're neck and neck in the polls.”     Of course, she was completely ignoring the fact that Trump had challenged Biden to debate weeks ago after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee. But who’s counting? Farah Griffin praised the “roadblocks” as “critical” and argued that “cutting off the mics is the most important or it can descend into absolute chaos.” Staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) proclaimed that “Biden clearly has the edge” because he could cite the charges brought against Trump by Democratic D.A.s and his Justice Department: HOSTIN: Every answer starts with, “well, my opponent, who has been criminally convicted.” BEHAR: That's right. HOSTIN: Or, “Well, my opponent who’s facing--” BEHAR: Impeached. HOSTIN: “Who has been twice impeached.” “My opponent, who is facing three other criminal trials.” I mean, it's gold. It's very easy. Co-host Joy Behar was confused and didn’t seem to understand that Trump had already agreed to the debates. “I don't think that Biden should have projected that he wants no audience and the mic should be cut off,” she fretted. “But it gives [Trump] a way to get out of it by saying ‘Look, I’m not doing it without an audience.’”   Here's 2 1/2 minutes of Joy Behar not understanding that there will not be an audience at the CNN debate and that Trump already agreed to it. She declared Trump is "going to stack the audience with Trumpers." The rest of the cast had to repeatedly tell her Trump already agreed to… pic.twitter.com/JSElATKAKl — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 15, 2024   The rest of the cast had to repeatedly tell her Trump already agreed to it, but it didn’t sink in for a couple of minutes (Click “expand”): BEHAR: We were talking about the debates and I wanted to say that I don't think that Biden should have projected that he wants no audience and the mic should be cut off. HAINES: Oh, I do. I think so. BEHAR: I think that CNN should have said to the two them, “this is the debate.” GOLDBERG: You know they're not going to do that. BEHAR: “We’re not telling you-” and also no audience. An audience distracts everybody. GOLDBERG: Yes. Well, that's what Biden – FARAH GRIFFIN: But Trump agreed to it, so that what’s happening. GOLDBERG: So, it'll be interesting. HAINES: But Biden needed to get out in front of it. I would actually disagree with Joy and say he had to project that, because if they arranged it for the best TV moment and all been in those times it doesn't serve him. BEHAR: But it gives him a way to get out of it by saying “Look, I’m not doing it without an audience.” FARAH GRIFFIN: He agreed to it. HAINES: He agreed to it. BEHAR: We'll see. Despite the insistence from the rest of the cast that were would be no audience, Behar was still leery that Trump was "going to stack the audience with Trumpers." “It’s like you have Bozo the Clown on one side and you’ve got a statesman on the other who has had years under his belt of being in the Senate. He knows what he's talking about,” she predicted. Someone get Joy a mirror. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 15, 2024 11:07:01 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Here's what I really appreciate. Biden is saying, no audience. JOY BEHAR: Good. GOLDBERG: And that the mics must be cut once - SARA HAINES: I love this. GOLDBERG: -- the time to answer the question has expired. SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes. [Cheers and applause] GOLDBERG: And I kind of -- I think it's fair and I don't -- I think it's at CNN. SARA HAINES: It is. BEHAR: CNN. GOLDBERG: So it's CNN. And I'm hoping us because the last time -- I don't know if it was CNN that was moderating it but when they -- when the moderators allowed him to go behind Hillary Clinton -- HOSTIN: The stalking. GOLDBERG: --and stalk her and they didn't say, “hey-- HOSTIN: “Get back to the podium.” GOLDBERG: -- get back to the podium.” This is -- people always say, what was it -- what was the crowning thing where -- because I always said he's gonna. He's gonna win when he was running against Hillary. I always said it was never a doubt. I said, when I saw people recognize her getting stalked and didn't stop it. BEHAR: Yeah. HAINES: Yeah. BEHAR: There were a lot of signposts. GOLDBERG: There were a lot of signposts that for me said -- then there were the people who were saying, you know, I love him because he knows what he's doing. I watch his show. BEHAR: Yeah, yeah. GOLDBERG: There was a lot of that and so we're all -- I'm hoping this debate happens. I think it's a good idea. It's good for us, you know, and D.T. will have to get his poop together. [Crosstalk] ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: It was smart of Biden to get ahead of this by challenging Trump and I think it's a recognition that they're neck and neck in the polls. And I think the Biden team is recognizing maybe the trial isn't breaking through in the way that having Donald Trump in every American living room answering tough policy questions head-to-head with him will remind them who he is, what his second term will look like. I think it's critical that they do have these roadblocks in place, cutting offer the mics is the most important or it can descend into absolute chaos. And I remind folks, I've been for debates always. I understand he's ridiculously unfit for office but this is for the Americans whether we -- GOLDBERG: For us. FARAH GRIFFIN: Who are undecided still. They need to see it. They need to hear it and need answers to questions. I think it's good for democracy. HOSTIN: I think it's good for democracy. The only thing is, if you look at the statistics, you know, a lot of people don't watch the debates and a lot of people don't make their decision based on the debates so that's a little bit disappointing but I will say this, I mean, Biden clearly has the edge. Every answer starts with, “well, my opponent, who has been criminally convicted.” BEHAR: That's right. HOSTIN: Or, “Well, my opponent who’s facing--” BEHAR: Impeached. HOSTIN: “Who has been twice impeached.” “My opponent, who is facing three other criminal trials.” I mean, it's gold. It's very easy. BEHAR: Yeah, but a lot of people out there feel like – that identify with him. They think he's a victim now. I was reading about this. (…) 11:15:19 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: You, do you remember what you were talking about? BEHAR: We were talking about the debates and I wanted to say that I don't think that Biden should have projected that he wants no audience and the mic should be cut off. HAINES: Oh, I do. I think so. BEHAR: I think that CNN should have said to the two them, “this is the debate.” GOLDBERG: You know they're not going to do that. BEHAR: “We’re not telling you-” and also no audience. An audience distracts everybody. GOLDBERG: Yes. Well, that's what Biden – FARAH GRIFFIN: But Trump agreed to it, so that what’s happening. GOLDBERG: So, it'll be interesting. HAINES: But Biden needed to get out in front of it. I would actually disagree with Joy and say he had to project that, because if they arranged it for the best TV moment and all been in those times it doesn't serve him. BEHAR: But it gives him a way to get out of it by saying “Look, I’m not doing it without an audience.” FARAH GRIFFIN: He agreed to it. HAINES: He agreed to it. BEHAR: We'll see. [Crosstalk] GOLDBERG: You're also right with this. BEHAR: I think so. HOSTIN: That he’ll back out. GOLDBERG: You know, that -- he is a backer-outer anyway. HOSITN: He is. FARAH GRIFFIN: He said he would testify in the trial. BEHAR: He’s going to come across as the low information candidate that he is! HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: That is it. He doesn't know what he's talking about. GOLDBERG: No. BEHAR: Not for nothing, President Biden has been in the Senate. GOLDBEGR: He's going to study. He's going to study. He's going to study and then he's going to get pissed and off the rails. [Crosstalk] BEHAR: It’s like you have Bozo the Clown on one side and you’ve got a statesman on the other who has had years under his belt of being in the Senate. He knows what he's talking about. So all this guy can do is stump it. Stump it. Like he did to poor Hillary that day. (…)

De Niro Goes on Profanity-Laced Tirade, Claims Trump Is 'Already' Hitler/Mussolini

Between co-host Sunny Hostin saying there were too many white people in Trump’s courtroom and George Stephanopoulos praising the Deep State, the Tuesday edition of ABC’s The View was already stacked with outrageous moments before Trump-hater and actor, Robert De Niro took the stage late in the show. The bitter aging actor went on an unhinged and profanity-filled tirade against the former President and asserted that he was “already” like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. “I don't understand why people are not taking him seriously [as a threat],” De Niro decried, “because you read about it historically in other countries that they didn't take the people seriously. Think of Hitler and Mussolini. They were fools and clowns. Well -- and I hear -- some people -- I mean, who does not think that this guy is going to do exactly what he says he's going to do? He's done it already.” De Niro predicted that, if Trump got elected again, at some point he and other people against Trump would be able to say, “We told you so.” He then lashed out at Trump’s supporters with a deluge of profanity that caused executive producer Brian Teta to mute the entire show, not just De Niro: DE NIRO: It's going to happen. If he gets elected it's going to change this country for everybody and they might think that it's going to make their life better or just want, excuse my French [Show mutes as De Niro curses] [Cheers and applause] Literally. Those people who support him with anger and hate because that's what he's about, they're going to see. I mean, I used to see these things -- I didn't understand how he and Rosie O’Donnell used to get – I didn’t really care. I see what a hateful, mean-spirited awful thing he is.     Wallowing in hypocrisy, De Niro argued that he wanted to punch Trump in the face because Trump once said he wanted to punch a person who was disrupting one of his rallies during the 2016 election: And why will he not do that in this country? He's already done it. Why would he not -- when I say I want to punch him in the face, it’s cause what he said to a person, a bystander, or somebody in one of his rallies, he wants to punch him in the face. You don't talk that way to people. “What kind of person does that?” De Niro asked. Well, Robert, you do. What does that say about you? De Niro would go on a much longer profanity-filled tirade, causing the show’s audio to break in and out multiple times: DE NIRO: He's done everything. What more do you need? It's almost like he wants to do the worst that he could possibly do to show this country [Show mutes as De Niro curses] His Slau [Show mutes as De Niro curses] I [Show mutes as De Niro curses] [Cheers and applause] As they were nearing the end of the segment, moderator Whoopi Goldberg chimed in to claim – without evidence – that Trump planned to take over the country and not relinquish power until he died. “Listen, he's not going to not stop being president! You understand this?! His idea is to stay in until he drops dead!” she screeched. “That's it! He's not even conceding it now so imagine if he actually did win the election. It's over!” De Niro agreed. “We're going to have such civil strife. All the things he says because everybody is now on to him where he projects what he's saying. It's what he wants, what he envisions the world to be, which is chaos and craziness, total craziness.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 14, 2024 11:50:55 a.m. Eastern (…) ROBERT DE NIRO: I don't understand why people are not taking him seriously, because you read about it historically in other countries that they didn't take the people seriously. Think of Hitler and Mussolini. They were fools and clowns. Well -- and I hear -- some people -- I mean, who does not think that this guy is going to do exactly what he says he's going to do? SUNNY HOSTIN: Right. DE NIRO: He's done it already. JOY BEHAR: Worse. [Applause] DE NIRO: And then what? We're going to sit around and say, “What? We told you so” or whoever, “I told you so?” It's going to happen. If he gets elected it's going to change this country for everybody and they might think that it's going to make their life better or just want, excuse my French [Show mutes as De Niro curses] [Cheers and applause] Literally. Those people who support him with anger and hate because that's what he's about, they're going to see. I mean, I used to see these things -- I didn't understand how he and Rosie O’Donnell used to get – I didn’t really care. I see what a hateful, mean-spirited awful thing he is. BEHAR: He was vicious to her. DE NIRO: He's vicious. BEHAR: Vicious. DE NIRO: And why will he not do that in this country? He's already done it. Why would he not -- when I say I want to punch him in the face, it’s cause what he said to a person, a bystander or somebody in one of his rallies, he wants to punch him in the face. You don't talk that way to people. What kind of person does that? [Applause] BEHAR: Makes fun of the physically challenged. He makes fun of people who have physical challenges. DE NIRO: He's done that too. He's done everything. BEHAR: Trashes the military. He says people who go to war are losers. Wake up! DE NIRO: He's done everything. What more do you need? It's almost like he wants to do the worst that he could possibly do to show this country [Show mutes as De Niro curses] His Slau [Show mutes as De Niro curses] I [Show mutes as De Niro curses] [Cheers and applause] WHOOPI GOLDBERG: And the other thing is if he becomes president again, he is never -- listen, he's not going to not stop being president! You understand this?! His idea is to stay in until he drops dead! DE NIRO: That's it. He's not even conceding it now so imagine if he actually did win the election. It's over. We're going to have such civil strife. All the things he says because everybody is now on to him where he projects what he's saying. It's what he wants, what he envisions the world to be, which is chaos and craziness, total craziness. GOLDBERG: But what isn't crazy is the fact that we love when you come here. (…)

‘Packed With Patriots’: George Stephanopoulos Praises ‘the Deep State’

Appearing on Tuesday’s edition of The View to hawk his new book The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis, ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos not only admitted to the existence of the Deep State, but he also praised them as “packed with patriots.” He went on to push a conspiracy theory against President Ronald Reagan which was debunked long ago by a congressional commission. The former lackey to President Bill Clinton was teed up to praise the Deep State by faux-conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin. She gushed about how the Deep State were the ones who make the history of America: “My favorite thing is that you interviewed Situation Room staff. I’ve always said that it's White House staff whose names you'll never know that are the writers of history. They’ll tell us so many details.” Stephanopoulos went on to lionize the unelected, busybody bureaucrats who often injected themselves into matters of the nation to influence and control what happened in the country: You know, that was my favorite part about doing the book. I interviewed about a hundred duty officers from the White House – and these are people that come – relatively young people who come from all over the government: the CIA, the DIA, Defense Department, military. And, you know, some people like to call those people the Deep State. He went on to declare “that the Deep State is packed with patriots” who supposedly “don't care about political parties” and were only “there to serve the presidency and institution” and not a particular president.     Quoting one member of the Deep State he spoke to, Stephanopoulos claimed they “serve in silence.” Meanwhile, he put a name to the quote: Mike Seelie. So much for being silent. In the second block of the interview, Stephanopoulos and moderator Whoopi Goldberg pushed a conspiracy theory against Reagan he tried to revive in his book. Falsely claiming “there’s no question about it,” Stephanopoulos asserted – without evidence – that Reagan had worked with Iranian extremists to prolong the Iranian Hostage Crisis to help him win the election against President Jimmy Carter: The Iranians decided to hold the hostages until after -- they waited until the moment that Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. You know, one of the things we also learned in the last year was there have always been questions about whether or not somehow the Reagan campaign had tried to influence the Iranians to hold; and the congressional commission said no, but last year it did turn out that John Connelly had gone to the Middle East and had meetings about it that at least suggested that something might have happened. Even Stephanopoulos admitted that a congressional commission debunked what he was peddling; and yet, the ABC “journalist” was still pushing the lies anyway so that he could sell his book and make money. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 14, 2024 11:19:58 a.m. Eastern (…) ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I also love – The book is so good! My favorite thing is that you interviewed Situation Room staff. I’ve always said that it's White House staff whose names you'll never know that are the writers of history. They’ll tell us so many details. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, that was my favorite part about doing the book. I interviewed about a hundred duty officers from the White House – and these are people that come – relatively young people who come from all over the government: the CIA, the DIA, Defense Department, military. And, you know, some people like to call those people the Deep State. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: The Deep State. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, the big thing I learned doing this book is that the Deep State is packed with patriots. FARAH GRIFFIN: Yes. STEPHANOPOULOS: People who go to work every single day on the front lines of the most intense crises the country faces and go it to serve their country and serve the presidency, not the president. They don't care about political parties. They're there to serve the presidency and institution. SUNNY HOSTIN: And they're doing it anonymously. FARAH GRIFFIN: Exactly. STEPHANOPOULOS: Absolutely. As one of them told me, Mike Seelie said, “we serve in silence.” (…) 11:28:42 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: George, one of the things that I learned in the book was that Jimmy Carter initially thought that, you know, he was going and he had nothing to do with bringing the folks home, but in your book -- STEPHANOPOULOS: The hostage crisis. GOLDBERG: You talk about the fact that he did find out the hostage crisis maybe went on a little longer to -- for him to get out of office so Reagan could take the—the – the glory. STEPHANOPOULOS: There’s no question about it. The Iranians decided to hold the hostages until after -- they waited until the moment that Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. You know, one of the things we also learned in the last year was there have always been questions about whether or not somehow the Reagan campaign had tried to influence the Iranians to hold; and the congressional commission said no, but last year it did turn out that John Connelly had gone to the Middle East and had meetings about it that at least suggested that something might have happened. (…)

Race-Obsessed Hostin: Too Many White People in Trump Trial Courtroom, Needs 'a Little Color'

The staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host of ABC’s The View, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) was again allowed into the New York courtroom for former President Trump’s hush money trial and reported back to the Cackling Coven her shocking findings. Last week, she was startled by Trump’s “radioactive orange” face. This time, she was rocking brand new “binoculars” with which she deduced that there were too many white people in the courtroom. According to the race-obsessed co-host, there were too many white people and her job was to “give a little color to the courtroom.” Even moderator Whoopi Goldberg wanted her to walk it back: HOSTIN: I was! I was in the courtroom again yesterday. Yes, thank you. [Applause] Thank you. What I want to do is give a little color to the courtroom, because a lot of people – GOLDBERG: Oh, redo that. HOSTIN: No, no, a little color. I mean that literally and figuratively. It’s worth noting that Hostin took a lot of pride in having been in the courtroom; but when the audience didn’t clap for her, she cued them to do so by declaring “thank you” to a silent room. Even though every major news outlet had multiple reporters in the courtroom reporting on every twitch, gesture, and eye movement from the former President, Hostin clownishly and narcissistically claimed "no one" had reported what was physically happening in the courtroom except for her.     "I now have access to binoculars," she bragged (pictured above). Hostin bloviated that “[w]hile other reporters are zooming in on the documents, I'm zooming in on [Trump]!” She even defended her clownish analysis when pressed by co-host Sara Haines: HAINES: Is this your serious legal analysis?! HOSTIN: Yes, it really is! It really is! Because people have been reporting that he is asleep. He is not asleep. He is enraged. And that’s why I think he’s so orange because it think it’s red underneath. To justify her use of binoculars to watch a television screen watching Trump, she started mimicking some of the facial and body movements he exhibited while listening to the testimony of his former fixer, Michael Cohen. Even though Cohen had been convicted for lying under oath and served time for it, Hostin insisted the jury found him to be a credible witness. The reason why? He spoke with a New York accent: And I will tell you there were reporters falling asleep in the courtroom, not the jury. Not the lawyer with the legal pad. He is feverishly taking notes. I think Michael Cohen came off credibly. He was charming. [Puts on a New York accent] He’s a New Yorker. This is a New York jury. He speaks like a New Yorker. Hostin also walked back her falsehood from last week when she erroneously suggested that there were “several” legal professionals on the jury, admitting there were only two. She didn’t correct her lie about there being more women than men. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 14, 2024 11:04:45 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Sunny was sitting there. So, what did you hear? SUNNY HOSTIN: I was! I was in the courtroom again yesterday. Yes, thank you. [Applause] Thank you. What I want to do is give a little color to the courtroom, because a lot of people – GOLDBERG: Oh, redo that. HOSTIN: No, no, a little color. I mean that literally and figuratively. Because a lot of people are reporting what was said in the courtroom, right? But no one has really reported about what you see when you're actually there. And I said the other day that he appeared orange, very -- in an unnatural way. I've never seen anyone that orange before. I now have access to binoculars in the courtroom. And so, I'm using the binoculars. JOY BEHAR: Why? Is it such a big courtroom? HOSTIN: Yes, it is a huge courtroom and they have a camera directly on Donald Trump because we are behind him, so we can't see his face, but we can see his face on the screen. So, while other reporters are zooming in on the documents, I'm zooming in on him. SARA HAINES: Is this your serious legal analysis? HOSTIN: Yes, it really is! It really is! Because people have been reporting that he is asleep. He is not asleep. He is enraged. And that’s why I think he’s so orange because it think it’s red underneath. I saw him during Michael Cohen’s testimony sort of going like this – [makes faces] – and I said, “oh, here he's sleeping” and he went – [makes faces and convulses] [Laughter] That is what's happening. BEHAR: You know, my dog does that when he's sleeping. HOSTIN: When he’s sleeping? BEHAR: Yeah. HOSITN: He’s not sleeping. So, that's one of my first observations. The other observation is: I learned more about the jurors from some of my now-friends in the courtroom. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: She’s going to be vacationing with these people. HOSTIN: I basically am. There are two lawyers on the jury. Two male lawyers, one is a civil litigator, the other one is a retired wealth manager. The foreperson is in sales. There's an investment banker, and a corporate attorney. What is so interesting about this jury is that – this is a documents case, let's all remember, it is not about an affair necessarily, it's about documents and payment to a porn star and the hiding of those business records. These guys understand documents. And I will tell you there were reporters falling asleep in the courtroom, not the jury. Not the lawyer with the legal pad. He is feverishly taking notes. I think Michael Cohen came off credibly. He was charming. [Puts on a New York accent] He’s a New Yorker. This is a New York jury. He speaks like a New Yorker. BEHAR: Yeah. HOSTIN: And they were giggling at him a little bit. He also talked about his love for his daughter – and, Sara, you'll get into this. He has a text message – they showed a text message change with his daughter who’s at the University of Pennsylvania and she sort of – ‘you're going through this with Donald Trump?’ and he says “Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I love you” and she says “I love you” and he says, “I love you more.” What parent can't identify with that? So, they humanized him. He was very credible. (…)

‘I Got a Contract’: Whoopi Decries Meme About Her Leaving the Country

The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg took umbrage with former President Trump during Monday’s show, because he apparently helped to spread an internet joke on his social media platform that she was moving to Canada. But despite her bitter ranting to the contrary, she had - in fact - threatened to leave the country the first time Trump was elected. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Canada doesn’t want you Whoopi, NOBODY DOES!!!” The image included a heavier Goldberg with the caption: “I’m moving to Canada for sure this time!” It’s worth noting that the words were not in quotation marks.     “You know what I'm a little agitated about? That man had something to say to me,” Goldberg decried on the show. “He saw a meme, you know who, saw a meme that said I was leaving the country. People always see these crazy memes that I'm going to leave the country if he gets in there. Somebody else thought I was leaving, was sending suggestions for people to take my place.” Goldberg snapped at Trump, calling him a “little snowflake” while she hypocritically melted down over the meme: Look, I'm not going anywhere. Okay? [Applause] And it's not for the reason, you little snowflake, it's not for the reason you think. He said nobody wanted me. Honey -- “We want you, Whoopi,” staunchly racist and anti-Semitic ABC co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) interjected. An audience member also shouted: “We love you, Whoopi!”     Goldberg argued, “It wouldn't matter if no one here wanted me… because I got a contract. So, I'm going to be here where I'm wanted for the next couple of years.” Saying you’re “not going anywhere” “for the next couple of years” because you “got a contract” and are being paid loads of cash is not the repudiation you think it is, Whoopi. Goldberg lost her cool after the 2016 elections when people were calling her out for not moving out of the country when she previously alluded to it. She’s repeatedly denied that she ever threatened to leave the country, but that’s not true. She’s on the record as saying this about Trump’s campaign message in early 2016: The minute you start pointing and saying that person is a rapist and a murderer, it pisses me off because I’ve been part of that when they just use a blanket statement to talk about black people or when they use a blanket statement to talk about white people or women or any other group. I don’t think that’s America. I don’t want it to be America. Maybe it’s time for me to move, you know. Goldberg had either chickened out or it was all bluster to begin with. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 13, 2024 11:18:47 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: You know what I'm a little agitated about? That man [former President Donald Trump] had something to say to me. He saw a meme, you know who, saw a meme that said I was leaving the country. People always see these crazy memes that I'm going to leave the country if he gets in there. Somebody else thought I was leaving, was sending suggestions for people to take my place. Look, I'm not going anywhere. Okay? [Applause] And it's not for the reason, you little snowflake, it's not for the reason you think. He said nobody wanted me. Honey -- SUNNY HOSTIN: We want you, Whoopi. GOLDBERG: Well, you know what? It wouldn't matter if no one here wanted me. AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Whoopi! GOLDBERG: Thank you! [Applause] But I know where I'm going to be because I got a contract. So, I'm going to be here where I'm wanted for the next couple of years. We'll be right back.

Haines DEMANDS Media DO MORE to Help Reelect Biden, Air Camp Events

Sara Haines is the co-host of ABC’s The View who’s supposed to be the voice of “independent” voters in the middle. But while she has defended conservatives on some things, the mask has slipped plenty of time. Such was the cast on Monday’s show when she grew frustrated with “the media” for not doing enough to help reelect President Biden – like airing his campaign events – because they were obsessed with the hush money trial of former President Trump. “I actually blame the media slightly,” she huffed talking about Biden’s slumping poll numbers. Her solution was to stop sitting outside the New York City courthouse and start airing Biden’s campaign events. Throwing away the illusion of being an independent, she particularly wanted them to focus on the events that were about “a winning issue for Democrats”: We talked last week a lot about how I don't think people are able to watch this Trump trial 24/7, like all the time. It's a still shot. It's a picture of a door. It's all this stuff. Now, we're talking about we're in a campaign. We should be hearing more. We say, why don't we hear from the Biden administration? I don't leave that all on the Biden administration's door. The media needs to cover things. For example, abortion is a winning issue for Democrats. Women's reproductive health. Vice President Harris did an event last week. I couldn't find any coverage on it. And that's a Democrat's winning stance.     “I also think that there was an asylum regulation decided on with the border. Everyone has agreed the border's a problem. Didn't see any coverage on that because we're busy watching the Donald Trump door not opening,” she decried. Haines also whined that after Biden’s speech condemning anti-Semitism last week, “They cut to the speech, came back and talked about Donald Trump.” She described the whole thing as “Donald Trump is Donald-Trumping us. It's Deja Vu from 2016, and the coverage.” “It's ridiculous!” she said of the media covering Trump. The segment was kicked off by moderator Whoopi Goldberg lashing out at CNN’s Fareed Zakaria for calling attention to new polling showing a 25-point swing in Trump’s favor on competency. His warning that it was “a reflection of people's sense that the President's age is affecting his capacity to govern. And there's very little that Joe Biden can do now to change that perception,” triggered her. “Well, what's the point of having a conversation if you're saying it's a done deal? You know, you can't do that,” she denounced. Fake-Republican Ana Navarro agreed with Haines. According to her, “you don’t have a choice” of who to vote for other than Biden because “This is a binary choice America has between good and evil…” Faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin admitted it was “hard to wrap our heads around” the fact that “a lot of voters attribute the pre-pandemic economy to Donald Trump. They don't blame him for the global phenomena that was the pandemic.” “Joe Biden has objectively achieved a lot on the economy,” Farah Griffin proclaimed while saying Biden’s messaging was too dismissive of Americans’ discontent with high inflation. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 13, 2024 11:02:43 a.m. Eastern (…) FAREED ZAKARIA: The one that troubles me the most is on the question of who was the more competent. Joe Biden led Donald Trump by nine points in 2020. But Trump now leads by 16 points in January 2024. That 25-point shift could be a reflection of people's sense that the President's age is affecting his capacity to govern. And there's very little that Joe Biden can do now to change that perception. [Cuts back to live] WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Well, what's the point of having a conversation if you're saying it's a done deal? You know, you can't do that? And it's not a done deal until the people of the United States vote. That's when it's a done deal. But, you know, we have this conversation, what, twice a week. So, you know the question. What do you think? ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: So, I've got to say I agreed with a lot of Fareed Zakaria's take. And I want to underscore: I want Trump to lose! So, it's important to me six months out with this platform that we have to talk about some very real trends and signs that Donald Trump may be far stronger than we think he is. It may be hard to wrap our heads around. I personally – as someone who has testified against him, has talked about how unfit he is – it's hard to believe he has as much support as he does. One thing he talked about was the economy. And I was trying to make sense of this because, obviously, he left office in 2020; the economy was in freefall, massive unemployment. But what I think it is is a lot of voters attribute the pre-pandemic economy to Donald Trump. They don't blame him for the global phenomena that was the pandemic. Joe Biden has objectively achieved a lot on the economy. He did the infrastructure package as well. He has things to brag about. But my problem is this: he did an interview with Erin Burnett and he said, ‘actually, you're better off than you think you are.’ That's a bad message. When people's grocery prices are up 30 percent, you're saying believe me rather than what your bank account is telling you. He's got six months to come up with an inspiring, forward-looking message and get out there and talk about it. And for us, I think it’s important – I engage Trump voters and I don't do it to make them feel shamed or to attack them for where they are but to talk about what a second term could look like and how dangerous it is. I think that's how we need to be using our voices. And the campaign – the Biden campaign just has to get more active. SARA HAINES: Yeah. I would say when you say, ‘the Biden campaign has to get more active,’ I actually blame the media slightly. We talked last week a lot about how I don't think people are able to watch this Trump trial 24/7, like all the time. It's a still shot. It's a picture of a door. It's all this stuff. Now, we're talking about we're in a campaign. We should be hearing more. We say, why don't we hear from the Biden administration? I don't leave that all on the Biden administration's door. The media needs to cover things. For example, abortion is a winning issue for Democrats. Women's reproductive health. Vice President Harris did an event last week. I couldn't find any coverage on it. And that's a Democrat's winning stance. I also think that there was an asylum regulation decided on with the border. Everyone has agreed the border's a problem. Didn't see any coverage on that because we're busy watching the Donald Trump door not opening. GOLDBERG: And don't forget Nikki Haley, her win. Didn't he win? Didn’t she pick up a whole lot – FARAH GRIFFIN: Yeah. She got like 150,000 – HAINES: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But also you’ve got, last week, our incumbent president stepped in to do a speech on anti-Semitism. They cut to the speech, came back and talked about Donald Trump. So, what's happening here is Donald Trump is Donald trumping us. It's Deja Vu from 2016, and the coverage -- the irony is the people covering that news thinks they're getting one up on Donald Trump while they're handing him a lot of votes because of the coverage. It's ridiculous! ANA NAVARRO: I’ve been saying – I agree with you. I’ve been saying from the beginning I actually think this trial is somewhat helping Donald Trump because it's keeping him off the trail and because we are not focusing on the stupid stuff he says on a daily basis. And that is helping him. On Biden, look – You know, at first it was people saying, we don't like our choices. What else? What third candidate? Well, no third candidate. No knight in shining armor appeared. Now, I'm hearing people say, is there a way in the convention they can change the candidate? That's not going to happen. I'm going to say it until I'm blue in the face. I'm going to say it until the day of election, this is a binary choice. This is a binary choice America has between good and evil, between decency and havoc, between indicted and 88 counts and not. I mean, you know? They're both old. If that's what's keeping you at night -- up at night -- you don't have a choice. (…)

ABC Whines Tear Gas Used to Stop Pro-Hamas Mob Trying to Ruin Graduation

With commencement season ramping up, some universities have decided to protect the rights of the vast majority of their students and put swift ends to the anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas mobs that were trying to ruin the special day their classmates had worked toward by calling in the police to break them up. But ABC’s Good Morning America took exception to their efforts and whined that police were using tear gas on the unruly crowds of terrorist sympathizers. “We’re going to turn now to the new clashes on college campuses across the country including the arrests just moments ago at the University of Pennsylvania,” co-anchor Michael Strahan clutched his pearls at the top of the segment. Correspondent Victor Oquendo put the focus on the University of Arizona and decried the cops’ use of tear gas, treating the situation as though the police gassed the crowd with chemical weapons of war: Let's start at the University of Arizona were they are gearing up for their graduation ceremony later today. Law enforcement spring what appears to be teargas on roughly 100 protesters gathered by the university's main gate. This is the second time this month that chemical irritants have been used to disperse protesters on campus.     Along the spectrum of his reaction to the different campus news, Oquendo seemed to hype the mob at George Washington University who were “shutting down traffic and setting up tents” outside the home of the university’s president. “And this comes just one day after police cleared the encampment on campus there,” he added. He also didn’t seem to have a problem with the students of the University of Southern California having their commencement ceremonies canceled: And here in Los Angeles, the University of Southern California canceled the official graduation opting instead to what they called “a celebration” at the L.A. Coliseum. Students there instead of walking and getting their diploma onstage, they were treated to a drone and fireworks show. Over on NBC’s Today, foreign correspondent Richard Engle huffed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat down with Dr. Phil for a “non-confrontational interview” and “took aim” at the students siding with terrorists. “You have a lot of ignorant people there whose sense of history, at best, goes back to breakfast, not even that,” the Prime Minister mocked them. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America May 10, 2024 7:05:13 a.m. Eastern MICHAEL STRAHAN: We’re going to turn now to the new clashes on college campuses across the country including the arrests just moments ago at the University of Pennsylvania. Victor Oquendo is tracking the very latest for us. Good morning, Victor. VICTOR OQUENDO: Good morning, Michael. Around the country this morning, tensions ratcheting up across college campuses. Let's start at the University of Arizona were they are gearing up for their graduation ceremony later today. Law enforcement spring what appears to be teargas on roughly 100 protesters gathered by the university's main gate. This is the second time this month that chemical irritants have been used to disperse protesters on campus. Over to George Washington University in D.C., hundreds of protesters gathering on a street that includes the home of the president of the university, shutting down traffic and setting up tents. And this comes just one day after police cleared the encampment on campus there. And here in Los Angeles, the University of Southern California canceled the official graduation opting instead to what they called “a celebration” at the L.A. Coliseum. Students there instead of walking and getting their diploma onstage, they were treated to a drone and fireworks show. Whit. WHIT JOHNSON: All right. Victor Oquendo for us. Thank you.

Hostin Attended Trump Trial, Startled By ‘Radioactive Orange’ Face

Apparently, someone allowed staunchly racist and anti-Semitic ABC co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) into the hush money trial of former President Trump and she reported back during Friday’s edition of The View. She said it was “shocking” to see Trump in person for the first time because his face was “radioactive orange.” She also lied about the composition of the jury and attacked one of the witnesses as “part of the Trump cult” because she had good things to say about her former boss. The liberal ladies of The View were so excited to “cross-examine” Hostin and get the “tea” of what she witnessed. Moderator Joy Behar’s first pressing was about Trump’s skin tone and since Hostin was an obsessed race baiter, she was more than happy to oblige: BEHAR: So, my first question is, what shade of orange is his face? HOSTIN: I have to tell you! I have to tell you! BEHAR: Was he like more a tangerine or more of a burnt sienna? Give us some specifics. HOSTIN: It is a burnt sienna. I have never seen him in person. I didn't realize he was that orange. Like, you know, Ana has been making jokes about how orange he is. BEHAR: Yeah. Yeah. Is it like her dress? HOSITN: You’ve said he’s orange. It’s a lot like this [points to Ana Navarro’s dress]! Yes! It's almost like a radioactive orange and it’s shocking to see in person.     Noting that “cases are won and lost with jury selection,” Hostin boasted about the jury and painted it as bad news for Trump. She claimed the jury was made up of “several lawyers” and was excited that it was a “pretty female-skewed jury.” “There are many more women on the jury than there are men,” she said. But neither of those statements were true. According to Spectrum News NY1, a local news station: “Twelve jurors tasked with deciding the outcome of former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial have been seated. The panel consists of seven men and five women.” They also note that only two had careers in the legal field. Lying about the composition of the jury meant none of Hostin’s claims about Trump’s behavior in the courtroom could be trusted. According to her dubious assertions, Trump was acting like a child: He's stretching out like this. He's like fist-bumping with attorneys. He’s like stretching. He took a little nap. Like, most defendants do not do that. They are instructed to sit there, pay attention, look with some humility. That's not Donald Trump. Hostin also lashed out at Madeline Westerhout, Trump’s former executive assistant who worked in the White House. Westerhout was supposedly “part of the Trump cult” because she enjoyed working for him and said he would wave to his wife. “She is part of the Trump cult, for sure. She described him as one of the best bosses she ever had. She described him as being very loving with Melania, that they would, like, text each other and wave to each other outside of the window. I never expected anything like that,” she scoffed. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 10, 2024 11:02:03 a.m. Eastern JOY BEHAR: So, yesterday Stormy Daniels got back on the stand at Trump's hush money trial and was grilled in a cross-examination by Trump's attorneys. BUT, listen to this, our own little Sunny Hostin was in the courtroom yesterday. So, we're going to – [Applause] We're going to cross-examine her. SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes. BEHAR: So, my first question is, what shade of orange is his face? HOSTIN: I have to tell you! I have to tell you! BEHAR: Was he like more a tangerine or more of a burnt sienna? Give us some specifics. HOSTIN: It is a burnt sienna. I have never seen him in person. I didn't realize he was that orange. Like, you know, Ana has been making jokes about how orange he is. BEHAR: Yeah. Yeah. Is it like her dress? HOSITN: You’ve said he’s orange. It’s a lot like this [points to Ana Navarro’s dress]! Yes! It's almost like a radioactive orange and it’s shocking to see in person. It really is, because he’s a tall person. And he’s also a little thinner now. I don't know if he’s taken the shot. BEHAR: He's on Ozempic, you know it! HOSTIN: He's actually looking thinner. But let me set the stage because I think people that haven't been in the courtroom don't understand the gravity of it. You know, you've got this very large courtroom and it's an older courtroom and you've got a “In God We Trust” seal next to it. The American flag – across from the American flag, the New York State flag, a judge presiding with gray hair right in between these flags. And then in front of them a former sitting president in front of all of that for the first time in U.S. history. So, that gives you a little bit of the gravity that actually I felt. But then, here's the tea. Okay? So, he is unlike any defendant sitting in a courtroom that I've ever seen. BEHAR: Because? HOSTIN: He's stretching out like this. He's like fist bumping with attorneys. He’s like stretching. He took a little nap. Like, most defendants do not do that. They are instructed to sit there, pay attention, look with some humility. That's not Donald Trump. BEHAR: So, out of all the dwarfs – the Seven Dwarfs is his Grumpy, Sleepy, or Dopey? HOSTIN: I think he’s Sleepy and Dopey combination. BEHAR: Okay. HOSTIN: That was my impression. The other think I would say – ANA NAVARRO: And allegedly farty. HOSTIN: I did not smell the farting. BEHAR: Were you sitting downwind? HOSTIN: Yeah. I was sitting downwind but I did not smell the farting yesterday. I will also say this-- NAVARRO: Windy. HOSTIN: I think that cases are won and lost with jury selection. There are several lawyers on the jury. That was very striking to me. It's a very diverse jury. There are many more women on the jury than there are men. BEHAR: Uh-oh. Not good for him. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I think there’s – HOSTIN: Even including the alternates. I mean, I couldn't tell which ones were the alternates but there are 18 people and the majority of them are women. So, that was interesting to me. Because if people drop out it's a pretty female-skewed jury. The other thing I will say is it's one of the most engaged juries I've ever seen. SARA HAINES: How was the testimony? HOSTIN: I'm talking notes and everything. The testimony, I wanted to ask Alyssa about something. Because something interesting to me there was a woman that testified, Madeline Westerhout and she was his executive White House assistant. Right? And she sat right outside the Oval Office. She is part of the Trump cult, for sure. She described him as one of the best bosses she ever had. She described him as being very loving with Melania, that they would, like, text each other and wave to each other outside of the window. I never expected anything like that. (…)

ABC Relieved Biden Abandoning Israel as Trump Leads War ‘Trust’ Poll

For weeks, the liberal media have had their eye on November as they’ve been trying to get President Biden to abandon Israel in hopes of getting the pro-Hamas votes in swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin. ABC’s Good Morning America seemed relieved on Thursday as they hyped Biden’s threat to stop sending weapons to Israel if they attacked Hamas’s final stronghold. They even noted the threat came as their latest poll showed former President Trump edged out on trust to handle the war. “This is President Biden's most direct warning to Israel since the start of this war and it could set up a historic clash with this critical ally,” boasted Biden’s chief apple polisher, ABC chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce. Biden’s latest comments about Israel also scratched ABC’s anti-American itch, because it allowed them to suggest that America had teamed up with the bad guys: BRUCE: For weeks, Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu not to invade Rafah where over 1 million civilians are seeking refuge. And he's already taking action, halting a shipment of 3,500 U.S. bombs, fearing American weapons could be used against civilians. Something Biden now concedes has already happened. BIDEN: Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers. On the timing of the threat, Bruce noted that “Biden's stark warning comes as he faces growing criticism at home over his steadfast support for Israel. Our latest poll finding voters now trust Donald Trump more to handle this war.”     To the question “Trust more to handle Israel-Hamas War,” Trump led with a plurality of 37 percent to Biden’s 29. Meanwhile, 33 percent responded “neither.”  The poll, which was conducted between April 25-30 had a margin of error of two percent. Bruce concluded the segment by trying to have her cake and eat it too: Now, the President says the U.S. will still continue to provide for Israel's defense, like the Iron Dome missile system. But after months of urging Israel to do more to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, President Biden is adamant: if Netanyahu invades Rafah, the U.S. will not supply offensive weapons to Israel. There was similar hype for the threats against Israel on CBS Mornings, where foreign correspondent Ramy Inocencio seemed to revel in how “angry reactions are flying from Israel’s far-right politicians to President Biden.” He also seemed to tout how others say “Israel may have already lost in terms of its international standing” and that it was “an incredible achievement for Hamas.” Over on NBC’s Today, Gabe Gutierrez marveled: “For weeks the White House has said that it opposes a large-scale assault on Rafah, but President Biden is now taking a much harder line, threatening to withhold more weapons from Israel…” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 9, 2024 7:10:26 a.m. Eastern MICHAEL STRAHAN: Now to President Biden delivering a warning to Israel saying he'll stop some weapons shipments as Israel invades the city of Rafah. Our chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce has the latest for us. Good morning, Mary. MARY BRUCE: Good morning, Michael. This is President Biden's most direct warning to Israel since the start of this war and it could set up a historic clash with this critical ally. President Biden now threatening to halt the shipment of additional U.S. weapons to Israel, which he acknowledges have been used to kill innocent civilians. [Cuts to video] This morning, President Biden is calling out the Israeli government. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: It's just wrong. We're not gonna supply weapons and the artillery shells used. BRUCE: Making it clear in his sharpest criticism yet that the U.S. will not provide Israel with weapons to attack Rafah. BIDEN: I have been made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet. They're not going to get our support if, in fact, they go into these population centers. BRUCE: For weeks, Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu not to invade Rafah where over 1 million civilians are seeking refuge. And he's already taking action, halting a shipment of 3,500 U.S. bombs, fearing American weapons could be used against civilians. Something Biden now concedes has already happened. BIDEN: Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers. BRUCE: Biden's stark warning comes as he faces growing criticism at home over his steadfast support for Israel. Our latest poll finding voters now trust Donald Trump more to handle this war. As some Republicans now accuse Biden of undermining Israel. SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): This is obscene. It is absurd. Give Israel what they need to fight the war they can't afford to lose. BRUCE: But Biden insisting U.S. support for Israel remains iron clad. BIDEN: We're not walking away from Israel's security. We're walking away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas. [Cuts back to live] BRUCE: Now, the President says the U.S. will still continue to provide for Israel's defense, like the Iron Dome missile system. But after months of urging Israel to do more to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, President Biden is adamant: if Netanyahu invades Rafah, the U.S. will not supply offensive weapons to Israel.

Brain Worm Aficionados: The View Spouts Off on RFK Jr.'s Diagnosis

Masters of the subject, the liberal ladies of ABC’s The View kicked off their Thursday show by sounding off on independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his past diagnosis of having a dead worm in his brain. The irony that they, of all people, were going to mock someone else for having a parasite in their brain was completely lost on the cast. Following a soundbite of Kennedy explaining that he got the parasite while in India and that he had made a full recovery, moderator Whoopi Goldberg scoffed at his confidence. “Really? But he insists he's still up for the gig, and even tweeted – and I don't know why – that he could eat five more worms and still beat you-know-who and Biden in a debate,” she said. Co-host and “comedian” Joy Behar suggested – without evidence – that the brain worm was “the reason for his irrational behavior,” but wanted to know: “what is Trump's excuse?” “Does he also have a worm in his brain?” she quipped. “We know he suffers from narcolepsy. He's always falling asleep.” Staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) was worried about Kennedy’s “cognitive function.” Pretend-independent Sara Haines reminded Hostin that Kennedy “did not have this treated;” and despite it being Kennedy’s body and his choice, Hostin bloviated that she was “uncomfortable with the worm being there.”     Faux-conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin and Behar played off of each other to suggest brain problems were what Kennedy and Trump supporters wanted: FARAH GRIFFIN: It's crazy but before you roast RFK too hard it's now showing that he may actually take more votes from Donald Trump than Joe Biden. BEHAR: Well sure, because they both have weird brains. So it makes sense. It makes sense. Kennedy might have a dead worm in his brain, but how does The View cast explain the things that come out of their mouths? In 2022, Goldberg claimed the Holocaust “isn’t about race.” She described the Holocaust as “white people doing it to white people. So, this is y'all go fight amongst yourselves.” Back in February, Behar claimed NATO was the military alliance that defeated Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. “Because I know history,” she ironically proclaimed in her rant. “And Putin will not stop at Ukraine if they don't -- if we don't help them. And Trump is saying he'll pull out of NATO. These are allies. We were all in this together in World War II, and now he’s going to pull out of this?! Outrageous!” Just last month, Hostin asserted that “climate change” was to blame for the solar eclipse and earthquakes. And in March, Haines declared: “Everyone belongs at a drag show!” As for The View’s fake Republicans, Farah Griffin cried that “sexism” was to blame for then GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s lack of endorsements. And while co-host Ana Navarro wasn’t on set to rip Kennedy, she’s denied the existence of his candidacy in the past and defends allegedly corrupt Democratic Senator Bob Menendez (NJ). The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 9, 2024 11:02:35 a.m. Eastern (…) ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Parasites are very common in India where I had done a lot of environmental work, and it comes from eating undercooked pork. [Transition] PODCAST HOST: So, you've made a full recovery. Is that fair to say? KENNEDY: Yeah. [Cuts back to live] WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Really? [Laughter] But he insists he's still up for the gig, and even tweeted – and I don't know why – that he could eat five more worms and still beat you-know-who and Biden in a debate. JOY BEHAR: Well, Whoopi. Now we know the reason for his irrational behavior, but what is Trump's excuse? [Laughter] Does he also have a worm in his brain? We know he suffers from narcolepsy. He's always falling asleep. GOLDBERG: It's crazy. He had a worm that died in his brain and I guess atrophied and is now part of his brain matter. SUNNY HOSTIN: It’s part of his brain! BEHAR: To make fun of the other two candidates, Biden and Trump, he's not exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger and now we know he has these ailments. He had other stuff years ago. (…) 11:04:25 a.m. Eastern HOSTIN: That worm doesn’t die – well, it dies in your brain and then calcified and it stays there forever. GOLDBERG: Didn't I say that just a minute ago? HOSTIN: I thought – [Crosstalk] HOSTIN: To hear Sanjay say it, for me, was sort of like – that worm is there, and I don't know how your cognitive function is still -- SARA HAINES: He did not have this treated, by the way. He did not have this treated. HOSTIN: No. HAINES: So, his is still in there like you're saying and it’s like a tumor. HOSTIN: Although, Sanjay sais sometimes you don’t have to – Now, I'm like quoting Sanjay. But Sanjay said you don't have to get it treated but he has treated it. But that worm is still there. I'm uncomfortable with the worm being there. (…) 11:05:11 a.m. Eastern ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: It's crazy but before you roast RFK too hard it's now showing that he may actually take more votes from Donald Trump than Joe Biden. BEHAR: Well sure, because they both have weird brains. So it makes sense. It makes sense. (…)

Whoopi to Trump: ‘If You Didn't Do It, Why Are You in the Court?’

The View has championed so-called “criminal justice reform” efforts, praised cases of convicted criminals getting rulings overturned, and condemned former President Trump for his past calls to convict the Central Park Five. But on Wednesday’s edition of The View, moderator Whoopi Goldberg lashed out at Trump and proclaimed that he wouldn’t be in court if he didn’t commit the crimes he was accused of. Goldberg’s bitter rant came at the conclusion of their first segment when they reacted to the court testimony of porn star Stormy Daniels. Just before going to a commercial break, she popped off about how Trump being in court was all the evidence needed to prove he was guilty: GOLDBERG: You know, I just think if you didn't do it, why are you in the court? (…) GOLDBERG: Why are you there? (…) GOLDBERG: You brought this on yourself. You did this to you. Nobody did this to you. You told the untruth. You took stuff. This is on you. This isn't them. It isn't the judge. This is yours. Faux-conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin suggested that Trump’s refusal to testify also proved his guilt and “comedian” Joy Behar added that “O.J. didn’t take the stand either.”     Earlier in the segment, Farah Griffin whined that “This whole trial” was giving her “the ick.” She was “so frustrated it's the first trial that we're seeing of Trump and potentially only before the election.” Farah Griffin lamented that Daniels’ testimony was a “mixed bag.” She claimed the porn star, who has lied publically, was “a credible person” but “hurt her credibility” by giving “salacious details” about her alleged affair with Trump. “We all met her. We had her on the show,” she reminded the rest of the cast. “I would have liked to hear from Stormy who is a mom, who wants to live a private life, wants to put this behind her, has been exploited by countless men in her life, Donald Trump, Michael Avenatti. And she’s there under subpoena just to confirm what she's able to.” Always able to prioritize the important things, Behar spouted off about how she didn’t “trust” Trump with the nuclear codes because he allegedly didn’t “think to wear a condom when he's having sex with a porn star.” Without evidence, Behar also decried the documents case in Florida getting pushed back by claiming Trump “could have given [the documents] to any dictator in the world!” “He may not go to jail for this but the American people can see what he is. He's a despicable person and we have to remember that,” she tried to calm herself down. What was actually worth remembering was that last year, The View decried the legal notion that Trump was entitled to a fair trial. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 8, 2024 11:04:58 a.m. Eastern (…) ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: This whole trial is giving me the ick. I'm so frustrated it's the first trial that we're seeing of Trump and potentially only before the election. Here’s my thing. Stormy’s testimony was a mixed bag for me. So, we all met her – JOY BEHAR: It was a what? FARAH GRIFFIN: Mixed bag. We all met her. We had her on the show. I actually don’t believe she needed to into salacious detail. I would have liked to hear from Stormy who is a mom, who wants to live a private life, wants to put this behind her, has been exploited by countless men in her life, Donald Trump, Michael Avenatti. And she’s there under subpoena just to confirm what she's able to. SUNNY HOSTIN: She said some of that. FARAH GRIFFIN: But I think if you're a juror – cause then she is showed to have lied on Jimmy Kimmel and then she gets into these salacious details. I think it hurt her credibility and she is a credible person. I absolutely believe that this affair took place. BEHAR: I thought it was very – go ahead. FARAH GRIFFIN: But my two things. There’s two things they have to prove: the campaign finance side of it. I think that's been proved. I think a consideration was how it would affect his campaign. But the falsifying business records, that’s tough. HOSTIN: Why? Why do you think it’s tough? FARAH GRIFFIN: He signed some things but he’s going to say, “I run an organization with thousands of employees, I make a lot of money, I sign things all the time my attorneys put in front of me.” (…) 11:07:25 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: I don't trust a guy with the nuclear codes who doesn't think to wear a condom when he's having sex with a porn star. I'm sorry. I think that it may – as you say, the other one down in Florida Cannon, that judge needs to be taken to task because she keeps kicking the can down the road on that whole trial – HOSTIN: It's indefinite now. BEHAR: - with the documents, which he could have given to any dictator in the world! And we’re not going to see that until after he's in office and then he’ll probably get rid of everybody who disagrees with him! But – He may not go to jail for this but the American people can see what he is. He's a despicable person and we have to remember that. (…) 11:10:47 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: You know, I just think if you didn't do it, why are you in the court? FARAH GRIFFIN: Or testifying. BEHAR: Get on the stand! FARAH GRIFFIN: He won’t. GOLDBERG: Why are you there? FARAH GRIFFIN: Because he will not be able to say “I did not have sex with that woman.” BEHAR: O.J. didn’t take the stand either. GOLDBERG: You brought this on yourself. You did this to you. Nobody did this to you. You told the untruth. You took stuff. This is on you. This isn't them. It isn't the judge. This is yours. BEHAR: Look in the mirror. GOLDBERG: We'll be right back.

ABC, CBS Ignore TikTok Admitting They’re Controlled By the Chinese Gov

During their Wednesday newscast, ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS Mornings boasted that TikTok was talking the American government to court because the company refused to comply with American law. The networks boosted TikTok’s claims in their legal filing that the law violated the First Amendment and their suggestion that members of Congress were hypocrites for having TikTok accounts, but what they failed to disclose to their audiences was the fact that those same filings proved that the Chinese Communist Party controlled TikTok. In their filing, TikTok admits: “Third, the Chinese government has made clear that it would not permit a divestment of the recommendation engine that is a key to the success of TikTok in the United States … By doing so, the Chinese government clearly signaled that it would assert its export control powers with respect to any attempt to sever TikTok’s operations from ByteDance, and that any severance would leave TikTok without access to the recommendation engine that has created a unique style and community that cannot be replicated on any other platform today.” ABC senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott trumpeted that “TikTok is taking on the federal government, setting up a showdown in court over free speech and national security.” Ignoring the fact the filing admitted they were taking orders from the Chinese government, Scott framed their lawsuit as an act of brave defiance. “TikTok's parent company is making it clear they cannot and will not be selling the platform,” she proclaimed. Scott concluded her report by touting: “The bottom line, TikTok will remain available in the United States as this plays out in the courts.”     Over on CBS, correspondent Scott MacFarlane parroted TikTok’s talking points that “it's being asked to do the impossible -- to be divested or sold to an approved buyer by their China-based owner ByteDance within months or face a ban in the United States.” “They say that's a violation of the First Amendment and that they're being singled out because of their ties to China,” he added. While ignoring the part of TikTok’s filing that admitted that they were controlled by the Chinese Government, MacFarlane quoted another: In their new legal petition, they say, “There's no question the act will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19th, 2025, silencing the 170 million Americans who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere.” “The company denies those allegations and has asked a court to delay or stop enactment of this law. And they note in their legal petition many of the members of Congress who passed the law, Natalie, have and use TikTok accounts themselves,” he chided. Meanwhile, on NBC’s Today, correspondent Savannah Sellers quoted the damaging part of the filing but failed to connect the dots: TikTok and ByteDance arguing the law’s requirement to divest “disregarded less extreme alternatives” and “is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally.” Going on to say: “The Chinese government has made it clear it would not permit a divestment...” Lawyers also arguing that TikTok is protected under the First Amendment's guarantee freedom of expression. The networks still refused to mention that TikTok users had threatened to kill a U.S. Senator and commit suicide after TikTok directed their users to contact their congressional representatives. The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America May 8, 2024 7:13:43 a.m. Eastern ROBIN ROBERTS: Now to TikTok suing the federal government over the law that would force its Chinese owners to sell the video-sharing app. Our senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott has the latest. Good morning to you, Rachel. RACHEL SCOTT: Hey, Robing. Good morning to you. TikTok is taking on the federal government, setting up a showdown in court over free speech and national security. It has been two weeks since the President signed that bipartisan bill into law that forces TikTok's Chinese parent company to either sell the app or face a total ban in the United States. Well, this morning, TikTok's parent company is making it clear they cannot and will not be selling the platform. So, on one end of this, you have a bipartisan group of lawmakers, even the President, they are arguing that TikTok poses a national security risk and that by using the platform the Chinese government could have access to your data, including your browsing history, even your location. TikTok denies those allegations. They say it would take years for them to find a new set of engineers to figure out how to program the platform and that it would force a shutdown of the app here in the United States by January of next year. They also argue a ban infringes on the rights of 170 million Americans who use the platform here in the United States. In this lawsuit, TikTok also points out that the Biden campaign continues to use the platform even after the President signed that bill into law. They insist that completely undermines their argument that it poses a risk to Americans’ safety. The bottom line, TikTok will remain available in the United States as this plays out in the courts. Michael. MICHAEL STRAHAN: All right, Rachel. Thank you very much for that. CBS Mornings May 8, 2024 7:24:21 a.m. Eastern NATALIE MORALES: TikTok is going to court to try to stop a new law that could lead to a nationwide ban on the social media giant. It says the law demanding that it sever ties with its China-based parent company would stifle free speech. However, supporters of the measure say it is essential for national security. Scott Macfarlane is on Capitol Hill. Scott, good morning. SCOTT MACFARLANE: Natalie, good morning. TikTok says it's being asked to do the impossible -- to be divested or sold to an approved buyer by their China-based owner ByteDance within months or face a ban in the United States. They say that's a violation of the First Amendment and that they're being singled out because of their ties to China. In their new legal petition, they say, “There's no question the act will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19th, 2025, silencing the 170 million Americans who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere.” Congress overwhelmingly and swiftly passed this law arguing TikTok’s ties to China are a national security concerned and risk the private data of its users. One House committee chair says TikTok is like a spy balloon in your phone. The company denies those allegations and has asked a court to delay or stop enactment of this law. And they note in their legal petition many of the members of Congress who passed the law, Natalie, have and use TikTok accounts themselves. MORALES: So interesting. All right, Scott. We'll be following this one.

‘Prove a Point’: The View Wants Trump in Gitmo for Violating Gag Order

No one has ever accused the liberal ladies of ABC’s The View of having rational, measured responses to political happenings. Last year, they decried the legal notion that former President Trump was entitled to a fair trial; then on Tuesday, they wanted him sent to “Guantanamo Bay” with the terrorists because he violated the gag order for his hush money trial and was held in contempt of court. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg had a bit of a breakdown after playing a soundbite of Trump outside the New York City courthouse condemning the gag order as a violation of his constitutional right to free speech. “When did you read the Constitution?” she screeched. “You know, you could’ve had – you had four years to read the Constitution and figure it out,” she added before her words broke down into indiscernible animal noises: “But I – He just read it now. He just read it. It’s a ba gah [gags and hisses].” Feigning high-mindedness, staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) bloviated that she was “conflicted over whether or not he should be held in contempt and … put in jail for it.”     Hostin came down on the side “put him in the clink” in order to “prove a point” about how it’s the judge who controls the trial and not Trump: HOSTIN: The other thing I will say. We all saw, many of us are old enough to have seen the O.J. case. Remember how Judge Ito lost complete control of the courtroom. And I think that had a lot to do with the win. You cannot let Donald Trump be a runaway train in that courtroom. GOLDBERG: No. No. HOSTIN: It's not his courtroom. It's the judge's courtroom. And so, I think to make a point, to prove a point, put him in the clink! Why not? Put him in the clink! This turn in the conversation got Goldberg so excited she started doing a little peepee dance.   peepee dance pic.twitter.com/0Y88TA05wz — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 7, 2024   “But which prison would be best?” Goldberg wanted to know. “Rikers” Island was “number one” for both Goldberg and Hostin (the latter was so excited they were on the same page that she did her own unhinged convulsions). Goldberg then floated some other prisons including reopening Alcatraz and the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay: GOLDBERG: But you know, I'm okay if he goes to Alcatraz and they re-open it. HOSTIN: Maybe. GOLDBERG: You know? What about Guantanamo Bay? Okay. (…) That's right! What about Supermax? Supermax would be interesting. El Chapo was in Supermax, you know, hey now, he wants to be with the hip people, come on. Faux-conservative Ana Navarro loved the idea of sending Trump to Gitmo because it “would be close to Mar-a-Lago. Melania can come and visit.” She followed that up with mocking laughter. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 7, 2024 11:18:20 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: When did you read the constitution? [Laughter] You know, you could’ve had – you had four years to read the Constitution and figure it out. [Applause] But I – He just read it now. He just read it. It’s a ba gah [gags and hisses] – SUNNY HOSTIN: Even if he read it, it didn't matter to him. Right, Whoopi? I'm sort of conflicted over whether or not he should be held in contempt and put in pri -- he's already been held in contempt but put in jail for it. But I do think that 71 percent of Americans have said that he should be put in jail if he is convicted. The other thing I will say. We all saw, many of us are old enough to have seen the O.J. case. Remember how Judge Ito lost complete control of the courtroom. And I think that had a lot to do with the win. You cannot let Donald Trump be a runaway train in that courtroom. GOLDBERG: No. No. HOSTIN: It's not his courtroom. It's the judge's courtroom. And so, I think to make a point, to prove a point, put him in the clink! Why not? Put him in the clink! [Applause] GOLDBERG: Ooh, ooh, oh! If – I don't want this to sound like I'm doing wishful thinking. HOSTIN: Yes. GOLDBERG: But which prison would be best? [Laughter] HOSTIN: I know which one. GOLDBERG: I’m going to give you— HOSTIN: Rikers. GOLDBERG: Well, that’s what I – That’s number one; is Rikers! But you know, I'm okay if he goes to Alcatraz and they re-open it. HOSTIN: Maybe. GOLDBERG: You know? What about Guantanamo Bay? Okay. ANA NAVARRO: Oh, that would be close to Mar-a-Lago. Melania can come and visit. [Mocking laughter] GOLDBERG: That's right! What about Supermax? Supermax would be interesting. El Chapo was in Supermax, you know, hey now, he wants to be with the hip people, come on. So, these are my suggestions in case anybody wants to know. (…)

‘Come on The View!’ MSNBC Biden Flack Defends Him Refusing Pressers

You can take the press secretary out of the White House, but you can’t take the White House out of the press secretary. Despite now being a member of the press (after her ethically dubious hiring by NBC/MSNBC), former Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki appeared on Monday’s edition of The View and defended President Biden’s refusal to do press conferences and his desire to only grant sit down interviews to friendly media outlets that give him a tongue bath. Psaki was teed up by faux-conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who framed her question about Biden’s lack of “press availabilities” as her providing free campaign advice: So Jen, you have been on both sides as working as a press secretary, but also now being in the media. And there's been a lot of criticism of Biden, most recently from The New York Times that he's held the fewest interviews and press availabilities of any president since Reagan. I personally think it would help dispel some of the concerns about his age if he did more. What would your advice be to the White House in terms of his accessibility to press? The former press secretary turned MSNBC host began by suggesting that it was so hard for Biden to pick which media outlets to give interviews to because, “the benefit of the media environment right now…is that there are so many choices” and the goal is “just trying to communicate with the American people.”     Played to her hosts’ massive egos, Psaki further advised Biden that “he should come on The View before he does a press conference.” Which got an excited “Thank you!” screech from Farah Griffin. Psaki argued that it was better for the American people to hear Biden take part in “real conversations” with hosts that love him (and shows The View co-hosts seemed to enjoy): PSAKI: He should because people want to have real conversations about issues that are happening. I think press conferences are important, but I also think him doing Howard Stern – SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes! PSAKI: -- that's an interview that reached a broader audience of people. Him talking to the guys from Smart List, which is a great podcast – SARA HAINES: Oh, I love that podcast. “So, I would say more Howard Stern. Come on The View. You know, more Smart List conversations where you’re having conversations about policy, but they're real ones that people have at their kitchen table,” she declared. Pretend-independent co-host Sara Haines even suggested that she rarely hears any important information distributed during a press conference, which she claimed were “just gotcha moments.” “Sometimes, as a citizen, when I watch I don't want just the same just like catching moment. I want to know what's going on and I don't always get that from a press conference,” she lamented. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 6, 2024 11:39:34 a.m. Eastern (…) ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: So Jen, you have been on both sides as working as a press secretary, but also now being in the media. And there's been a lot of criticism of Biden, most recently from The New York Times that he's held the fewest interviews and press availabilities of any president since Reagan. I personally think it would help dispel some of the concerns about his age if he did more. What would your advice be to the White House in terms of his accessibility to press? JEN PSAKI: Well, I think the benefit of the media environment right now – there's a lot of challenges, but I'll start at the optimistic side – is that there are so many choices. And when you’re communicating from the White House, I mean, respect for freedom of speech and freedom of the press is important, but you're also really just trying to communicate with the American people. So, my view is he should come on The View before he does a press conference. [Applause] FARAH GRIFFIN: Thank you! PSAKI: He should because people want to have real conversations about issues that are happening. I think press conferences are important, but I also think him doing Howard Stern – SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes! PSAKI: -- that's an interview that reached a broader audience of people. Him talking to the guys from Smart List, which is a great podcast – SARA HAINES: Oh, I love that podcast. PSAKI: So, if you are in the White House, you're not thinking about, “Am I checking the box on doing the most interviews?” You're thinking about, “Am I doing the most I can to communicate my message to the American people?” That's who I represent. So, I would say more Howard Stern. Come on The View. You know, more Smart List conversations where you’re having conversations about policy, but they're real ones that people have at their kitchen table. HAINES: And they're also not just gotcha moments. PSAKI: Yeah. HAINES: Sometimes, as a citizen, when I watch I don't want just the same just like catching moment. I want to know what's going on and I don't always get that from a press conference. PSAKI: Yes. Exactly. (…)

ABC, CBS Ignore Frat Bros Who Saved American Flag from Pro-Hamas Mob

Last week, a group of heroic Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill saved an American flag from being torn down a desecrated by a mob of anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas student extremists. But in the week since the incident occurred, the flagship morning and evening newscasts of ABC and CBS ignored the incident, while NBC only gave their heroism in the face of evil anti-Americanism a fleeting eight seconds on NBC Nightly News two nights later. To be fair, the broadcast networks were too busy whining about the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia University being busted by the NYPD. ABC in particular was also busy lying about the UCLA encampment being “largely peaceful.” And CBS was busy worrying that the protests could hurt President Biden’s reelection chances. ABC and CBS might argue that they thought that the flag-saving incident didn’t rise to a level that would allow it to be considered a national story, but that’s debunked by the fact that at least NBC gave it a few seconds. NBC correspondent Liz Kreutz tucked the frat bros into a much larger report on the college encampments generally. “This American flag at UNC put back in place and protected in part by a group of fraternity brothers after protesters had replaced it with a Palestinian flag,” she said.   This 8-seconds from NBC Nightly News (May 2) was all the Big Three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) could muster for the heroic frat bros at UNC who saved an American flag from the anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas extremists who gathered on campus. It's been a week. pic.twitter.com/kxtQtVnTMi — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 6, 2024   On Thursday’s edition of NewsNation’s On Balance, host Leland Vittert spoke with three of the brothers to get a sense of what it was like in the moment and what it’s been like since the video of them saving the flag went viral. “When we saw our brothers there defending that flag, there was no doubt in any of our minds that we're going to go and join them,” Zachary Serinsky explained. “I'm glad that it was able to be put to an end. And the way that it did eventually. But yeah, we were there defending our brothers and there wasn't going to be anything that was going to stop us from going to that flag.” When asked about the GoFundMe campaign set up on their behalf to pay for a party (which at the time of the interview had raised over $400,000) and the John Rich concert they were getting as a reward, Trevor Lan stated: I mean, I think that we can all agree that we didn't anticipate that that part of it would occur, but we did know that it's important to stand strong on our beliefs and to be a representation of what we hope to see for Jewish students and for students who believe in our flag and democracy across the country.     Brendan Rosenblum said that people have reached out to them about job opportunities, “But again, like, that's not what this was about. It was just to bring attention to the issue we believe in.” He was also hopeful about how their actions changed the conversation on campus. “People are talking to both sides about it and trying to have constructive dialogue because they realize that what happened on our campus is not okay and we have to figure out a way to move forward together,” he said. “And that's the biggest, the most positive thing that came out of this. And I think that's something that we both, and everyone there can be proud of.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NewsNation’s On Balance May 2, 2024 7:07:54 p.m. Eastern (…) LELAND VITTERT: I want to bring in the boys here in a second. Zachary Serinsky, Brendan Rosenblum, Trevor Lan. The guys who are in that video. Brendan, we had you we had you yesterday. Start with Zachary, real quick. You guys just did what you thought was the right thing. All of a sudden. Are you surprised by the result? ZACHARY SERINSKY: I'm not. first of all, thank you for having us. We’re all happy to be here. When we saw our brothers there defending that flag, there was no doubt in any of our minds that we're going to go and join them. I'm glad that it was able to be put to an end. And the way that it did eventually. But yeah, we were there defending our brothers and there wasn't going to be anything that was going to stop us from going to that flag. VITTERT: All right. But Trevor, I think about this. Right, okay. A couple days ago, you guys did the right thing. You weren’t doing it for fame or for glory. You were doing it because you thought it was the right thing to do. You were there with your brothers who were taking a stand and now you're on TV with John Rich, who is going to play you a concert with $400,000 worth of free beer. That's pretty cool. TREVOR LAN: Yeah. I mean, I think that we can all agree that we didn't anticipate that that part of it would occur, but we did know that it's important to stand strong on our beliefs and to be a representation of what we hope to see for Jewish students and for students who believe in our flag and democracy across the country. VITTERT: Brendan, tell me what's happened in the past 24 hours and the conversations you've had. BRENDAN ROSENBLUM: Yeah, I think first of all, we've definitely got a lot more media attention. And for us, it's not about fame, it's not about coolness. It's about bringing attention to our message. Stand up for what you believe in, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. For me, it’s when your values are questioned that’s when it matters. It's easy to believe in something when no one – it’s easy – But when people question that, that's when it's important to stand by them. (…) 1:12:57 p.m. Eastern ROSENBLUM: I think there's been a lot of outreach, there's definitely been job opportunities. But again, like, that's not what this was about. It was just to bring attention to the issue we believe in. And I think the biggest thing we saw from this is people are talking about it. People are talking to both sides about it and trying to have constructive dialogue because they realize that what happened on our campus is not okay and we have to figure out a way to move forward together. And that's the biggest, the most positive thing that came out of this. And I think that's something that we both, and everyone there can be proud of. (…)

Hostin: You Can’t Send Police to Bust Camps, Kids Had ‘Fire Drills!’

On Friday’s edition of The View, ABC’s staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) decried that administrators and states sent the police in to bust many of the illegal, anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas encampments on college campuses across the country. According to her, it was unconscionable for the police to break up the encampments because the students “grew up” doing “fire drills” in school. Hostin, completely ignoring the fact that the students she was backing employed Nazi-style tactics against the Jews on campus (including taking a Jewish student hostage), whined that “anti-protesters that have coming in and caused violence to these encampments.” “Let's not forget that part of the story,” she bitterly declared as moderator Joy Behar shot back with: “You know what, there are a lot of parts to the story.” The shrill rambling continued with Hostin bizarrely proclaiming that the police should have considered the fact that the students had participated in “fire drills” before busting the encampment: Can I just also say this? Let's also remember that these kids that are protesting are kids that grew up with active fire drills and for them to be subjected to the type of police violence that we are seeing on the nightly news is something also something to recall.     It’s unclear what Hostin meant by this and she didn’t offer any further explanation as to why “fire drills” would make her fellow anti-Semites exempt from following the law. Co-host Sara Haines pushed back and noted that the encampments were harming other students through actions, not speech. “But there are students that can’t cross campus. The antithesis of freedom of speech is threatening someone, they have to say something you believe to cross the campus,” she told Hostin off. Interestingly, Behar, Haines, and co-host Ana Navarro actually called out the encampments for being funded by shady dark money groups. “You know, can I just say one thing? Somebody is behind that with money! I’m sorry. Who bought those tents, for example?” Behar exclaimed. “There are two Palestinian rights groups that are actually – until we end Israel we will not stop. There are two agitating groups that are problematic,” Haines explained. Meanwhile, Navarro noted that “professional protest consultant” Lisa Fithian had been spotted at the Columbia encampment. “But there is actually video footage that I've seen here in New York and Columbia of a woman I guess is like a protest consultant. A professional protester or something like that appears in the video in Columbia,” she noted. “She basically has shown up in many protests that have occurred, and she knows how to make them more effective.” They got into talking about the encampment - a topic they largely avoided most of the week - because visuals of lawless campuses were hurting Biden in the polls. “Do they not remember the visuals on January 6?! Do they not remember those visuals of chaos?!” an unhinged Hostin shouted. “January 6th is ingrained in my memory and should be ingrained in every single person's memory in the United States of America!” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 3, 2024 11:07:59 a.m. Eastern (…) SUNNY HOSTIN: Do they not remember the visuals on January 6?! Do they not remember those visuals of chaos?! SARA HAINES: I think visuals – literally humans look at the recent visions so nightly image right now matters more to them than January 6. HOSTIN: January 6th is ingrained in my memory and should be ingrained in every single person's memory in the United States of America! [Applause] ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: It should be but while they’re completely different, a lot of the imagery looks similar. And it was you're going to see Republicans seeing windows being smashed, things being defaced on college campuses and it evokes that same sense of lawlessness. HAINES: And the President had to speak to it. FARAH GRIFFIN: It was wise of Biden to get out and give a – JOY BEHAR: You know, can I just say one thing? Somebody is behind that with money! I’m sorry. Who bought those tents, for example? FARAH GRIFFIN: Oh, definitely. There's agitators who have infiltrated it for sure. [Crosstalk] HAINES: There are two Palestinian rights groups that are actually – until we end Israel we will not stop. There are two agitating groups that are a problematic. ANA NAVARRO: But there is actually video footage that I've seen here in New York and Columbia of a woman I guess is like a protest consultant. A professional protester or something like that appears in the video in Columbia – [Crosstalk] No, she basically has shown up in many protests that have occurred, and she knows how to make them more effective. She knows how to -- HOSTIN: But there are also anti-protesters that have coming in and caused violence to these encampments. Let's not forget that part of the story. That part – BEHAR: You know what, there are a lot of parts to the story. HAINES: Yeah. HOSTIN: Can I just also say this? Let's also remember that these kids that are protesting are kids that grew up with active fire drills and for them to be subjected to the type of police violence that we are seeing on the nightly news is something also something to recall. HAINES: But there are students that can’t cross campus. The antithesis of freedom of speech is threatening someone, they have to say something you believe to cross the campus. BEHAR: Okay, back to the vice president. (…)

As Police Bust Pro-Hamas UCLA Camp, CBS Hints Students Will Be Killed

Thursday’s CBS Mornings was live on the scene as California Highway Patrol was busting the anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas encampment at UCLA. But from the get-go, the network seemed intent on hinting that at any moment police would turn their guns on the students and UCLA would become the next Kent State massacre. Before they even started the show, their opening tease (teed up by co-anchor Nate Burleson) highlighted a student who claimed, without evidence, that the university wanted them dead: BURLESON: Breaking overnight, police swarm demonstrators at UCLA a day after their encampment was attacked by counter-protesters. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER: The aggression that we faced shows that the university has no choice to just stand by and wait for us to get killed by Zionist aggressors. Seemingly ill-prepared to go to their live shots of correspondent Carter Evans, who at the scene, the network sloppily had their in-studio fill-in anchors try to report on what they were seeing live. Vladimir Duthiers noted: “Police fired what appear to be nonlethal rounds at some of the protesters. That was the pop, pop, pop that you just heard there.” His tone turned to what seemed like panic he seemed to suggest the highway patrol had switched to real guns. “As again, this is live pictures coming into the newsroom right now where you see looks like hundreds of police officers in full riot gear now holding up weapons at those protesters!” he exclaimed.     But they didn’t. Following the video portion of Evans’ report, co-anchors Burleson, Duthiers, and Jericka Duncan bloviated about the profound nature of what they were witnessing. “Again, Americans haven't seen scenes like this since the 1960s when college campuses erupted over protests in Vietnam. And now we're seeing this again play out on college campuses all across the country,” Duthiers suggested, inching toward a Kent State parallel. It was Duncan who hinted the strongest that they could see students get killed soon: DUTHIERS: They seem to be inching inch by inch to try to move these protesters off, but it's going to be very, very difficult. And of course the fear is that somebody gets hurts. BURLESON: Yeah. No doubt about it. DUNCAN: Or even worse. Burleson built off of Duncan by suggesting it was a real fear among the pro-Hamas mob. “And when you look at the protesters, some are speaking and saying that ‘we are protesting peacefully, and we are looking for support from the police.’ And then others are saying that the police are not offering that, they are actually doing the opposite,” he said. Duthiers did note that there was also a danger to officers from “outside agitators” and concluded with: “So, it becomes really, really difficult and, of course, the danger, as you see this police officer trying to tear down a barricade that presumably protesters put up, the danger is that somebody gets hurt.” Over 130 people were reportedly arrested and no one was seriously injured, let alone killed. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CBS Mornings May 2, 2024 7:00:22 a.m. Eastern [Opening tease] (…) NATE BURLESON: Breaking overnight, police swarm demonstrators at UCLA a day after their encampment was attacked by counter-protesters. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER: The aggression that we faced shows that the university has no choice to just stand by and wait for us to get killed by Zionist aggressors. (…) 7:02:16 a.m. Eastern [Live video of the chaos at UCLA without voiceovers] VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: Again, we just want to reiterate, this just happened minutes ago. Police fired what appear to be nonlethal rounds at some of the protesters. That was the pop, pop, pop that you just heard there. Those folks were sheltering behind a barricade. As again, this is live pictures coming into the newsroom right now where you see looks like hundreds of police officers in full riot gear now holding up weapons at those protesters! (…) 7:06:19 a.m. Eastern DUTHIERS: These pictures are remarkable coming into us right now, into the newsroom. When you see what looks like dozens if not perhaps hundreds of police officers in full riot gear, and they're trying to get in to clear this encampment. Again, Americans haven't seen scenes like this since the 1960s when college campuses erupted over protests in Vietnam. And now we're seeing this again play out on college campuses all across the country. It looks like now the police are actually moving toward those barricades that protesters have set up. You can see those pieces of plywood that they -- protesters are using to try and force the police back. They seem to be inching inch by inch to try to move these protesters off, but it's going to be very, very difficult. And of course the fear is that somebody gets hurts. BURLESON: Yeah. No doubt about it. JERICKA DUNCAN: Or even worse. BURLESON: And when you look at the protesters, some are speaking and saying that “we are protesting peacefully, and we are looking for support from the police.” And then others are saying that the police are not offering that, they are actually doing the opposite. DUTHIERS: The difficulty, of course, is that when you hear police officials – and we heard that yesterday from New York City Mayor Adams – that there are outside agitators who are taking part in some of these demonstrations, it's difficult for police to know who the outside agitators are. Look -- it's dark, there are lights, there are teargas -- BURLESON: Most people are covered. DUTHIERS: Being deployed – Exactly. People have their faces covered. So, it becomes really, really difficult and, of course, the danger, as you see this police officer trying to tear down a barricade that a presumably protesters put up, the danger is that somebody gets hurt. (…)

ABC Claims UCLA Mob Was ‘Largely Peaceful’ While They Gassed Police

CNN proved themselves to be biased fools in the summer of 2020 when they claimed the Black Lives Matter Riots were “fiery but mostly peaceful.” Well, ABC News told them to hold their beer Thursday morning as they had correspondent Trevor Ault assert that the anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas encampment at UCLA was “largely peaceful” with no sign of “fighting back” against police while admitting that they were throwing stuff and using fire extinguishers to gas them. The California Highway Patrol crackdown on the UCLA encampment, where they employed Nazi-style tactics against the Jews on campus, was already underway as ABC’s Good Morning America came on the air at 7:00 a.m. and was the first story they got to. Ault was live on the scene where he reported “So far, we haven't seen a lot of physical resistance other than standing their ground.” But he did admit: “If anything, we’ve seen a few demonstrators who were throwing bottles, tossing water, and you actually at some points see some smoke that we believe is from fire extinguishers.” According to Poison Control, the contents of fire extinguishers can be very harmful: People with lung conditions like asthma or someone deliberately sprayed at close range can have more serious respiratory effects and might need medical attention. Contact of these powders with the eyes, nose, throat, and skin can cause irritation, which should improve after rinsing the exposed area. Deliberate inhalation or ingestion can cause serious symptoms such as pneumonia, seizures, irregular heartbeat, and kidney failure.     Throwing things and spraying chemicals in the face of law enforcement doesn’t sound like what non-violent demonstrators do. And Ault might have had someone give him a strong talking-to about disclosing those facts because it was the last time they were mentioned all morning. In his 7:30 and 8:00-a.m. live shots, Ault dropped all mentions of the anti-Semitic mob throwing anything and using fire extinguishers. “They have said to me that their plan is never to fight back. That is not how they go about things,” Ault defended them in the 7:30 live shot. “Although, at least from what I have seen on the ground, we haven't been seeing people fight back. It's more about standing their ground.” “So, they’ve been saying they're going to be peaceful,” he reported around 8:00. “We haven't seen violent clashes but you have to anticipate at any moment law enforcement is going to begin making a lot of arrests.” Ault’s next report didn’t come until after ABC broke into The View to air President Biden’s address condemning the encampments. After the address, they went to Ault for an update on the situation at UCLA. Possibly in response to those calling him out online for his earlier ridiculous description of the peaceful violence, Ault tried to have it both ways: Now, I do want to specify from at least what we saw. This was a largely peaceful demonstration, at least in terms of the protesters not fighting back against the law enforcement presence that was there. But they also didn't necessarily give themselves up. “And what we've heard from California Highway Patrol so far is that at least 132 people have been arrested here for this unlawful gathering,” he added. The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America May 2, 2024 7:03:51 a.m. Eastern (…) TREVOR AULT: So far, we haven't seen a lot of physical resistance other than standing their ground. We’ve seen some of them very distressed but screaming that they don't have weapons but still not giving up their ground here. If anything, we’ve seen a few demonstrators who were throwing bottles, tossing water, and you actually at some points see some smoke that we believe is from fire extinguishers. But mainly we’re watching as these protesters are standing their ground after what has been many, many days here on campus of very intense situations that has escalated significantly just in the past 45 minutes or so. And this is probably one of the most intense clashes that we’ve seen as these campuses have been playing out all over the country. (…) 7:30:44 a.m. Eastern AULT: We have been watching over those several days as they’ve basically been preparing for this moment. You’ll notice, if you look closely, that a lot of these demonstrators have hard hats, a lot have gas masks, a lot have eye-protective wear, too. They have said to me that their plan is never to fight back. That is not how they go about things. But when I was asking them about it, it was largely about counter protesters; it could be a different thing with law enforcement involved. Although, at least from what I have seen on the ground, we haven't been seeing people fight back. It's more about standing their ground. The big question now is how does law enforcement move forward? (…) 8:02:51 a.m. Eastern AULT: Those protesters have been preparing for any kind of law enforcement tactics; they have hard hats; they have gas masks. So, they’ve been saying they're going to be peaceful. We haven't seen violent clashes but you have to anticipate at any moment law enforcement is going to begin making a lot of arrests. These are perhaps the most intense moments we’ve seen of what have been many days of tense moments at campuses across the country. (…) The View (Break in for President Biden’s address & follow-up reports) 11:13:03 AULT: Now, I do want to specify from at least what we saw. This was a largely peaceful demonstration, at least in terms of the protesters not fighting back against the law enforcement presence that was there. But they also didn't necessarily give themselves up. And so, law enforcement basically pushed them up against that library till it was one on one. They pulled them apart, put them into zip ties and took them away. And what we've heard from California Highway Patrol so far is that at least 132 people have been arrested here for this unlawful gathering. (…)

Cuomo: Pro-Hamas Camps the ‘Intersection of Ignorance and Arrogance’

NewsNation host Chris Cuomo was on a tear this week; using his prime-time show to call out the anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas extremists encamped on college campuses across the country. He called the encampments the “frightening intersection of ignorance and arrogance” and raised the legitimate concern that the students were being radicalized into doing something much worse than occupying a building. In the hour before the NYPD busted up the encampment at Columbia University Tuesday night, Cuomo shared a soundbite from a press conference where one of the terrorist sympathizers demanded the administration give them food and water. “But this is like basic humanitarian aid asking for. Like, could people please have a glass of water?” the student whined. Cuomo rubbed his face in frustration (above) and asked: “Seriously? Seriously? You want to break the law and then get catering?” He correctly diagnosed the problem as “privilege” and noted “she wasn't even aware of it.” He argued that what we were seeing on these campuses was the “frightening intersection of ignorance and arrogance.” And speaking directly at the students, he called them out for wanting to “appropriate the suffering in Gaza as if that were you; just not the suffering part.” “What happened to hunger strikes, getting arrested, taking a prosecution for the cause? Change doesn't come easy. Change doesn't come without cost,” he told them off. “You are being treated with kid gloves and you better hope it stays that way.”     On Monday, Cuomo struck a similar tone when he called out the cowardly students for hiding their faces when they claimed their cause was so just: Who put them in this position? The kids should offer up their names. Don't hide behind the scarves. You want the light? Take the heat! Own it! Be accountable for your outrage. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yeah. You may get thrown out of school. What matters if it's a genocide? Right? If ‘we are Hamas,’ right? Don't hide! “Give up your parents’ names,” he also demanded. “‘Oh, they shouldn't have to answer for me.’ The Hell they shouldn't. I got one of you. If my kid was running around on campus doing what you guys are doing, I'd be answering for it. I promise you that.” The focus stayed on what the pro-Hamas students were capable of and Cuomo feared their radicalism could drive them to do things far worse. He recalled the case of John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban. “Well-to-do, converted to Islam as a teenager, went overseas, became radicalized, wound up helping terror organizations,” Cuomo recalled. “How do we know that people aren’t being radicalized today that it ends on campus? How do we know?” Cuomo cautioned that social media – particularly TikTok – was to blame for how Generation Z has seemingly taken up the banner of Radical Islam in mass. “We never had people shouting ‘We are the Taliban’ after 9/11…We didn't have social media, but we didn't have whoever is guiding these things and funding these things being as active, as well-equipped, and as effective as they are right now,” he said. The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: NewsNation’s Cuomo April 29, 2024 8:07:50 p.m. eastern CHRIS CUOMO: Who put them in this position? The kids should offer up their names. Don't hide behind the scarves. You want the light? Take the heat! Own it! Be accountable for your outrage. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yeah. You may get thrown out of school. What matters if it's a genocide? Right? If ‘we are Hamas,’ right? Don't hide! Give up your parents’ names. “Oh, they shouldn't have to answer for me.” The Hell they shouldn't. I got one of you. If my kid was running around on campus doing what you guys are doing, I'd be answering for it. I promise you that. That's my kid. Doesn't matter how old you are. You're not paying your way there. You're under somebody else's roof, somebody else's influence. And it's time they step up. And the people who are funding these protests. Where are you? Where are the organizations? The invisible hand that is motivating what we're seeing on social media, who is it, where are they? Where's the investigative reporting on that? This has to be exposed. And to the parents and to the people out there who say, “Hey look, these kids are angry, we saw it during BLM, it's going to be summer. This will dissipate. They're going to go home to their internships and all the other bull – B – you know, stuff they do.” Maybe, maybe not. I'll tell you why. I don't see it that way. My last point. Three words for you. That is a lesson from the past that I don't know that we learned judging by what I'm seeing right now. Johnnie Walker Lindh. Look them up; L-I-N-D-H. Young kid, I forget where he grew up. Maybe California, something like that. Well-to-do, converted to Islam as a teenager, went overseas, became radicalized, wound up helping terror organizations. Put in prison 17 years. Got out a few years earl, everybody got angry about it. How do we know that people aren’t being radicalized today that it ends on campus? How do we know? We never had people shouting “We are the Taliban” after 9/11. Right? Do you remember that? Are you old enough to remember? If not, not Google it. We didn't have social media, but we didn't have whoever is guiding these things and funding these things being as active, as well-equipped, and as effective as they are right now. How do you know it ends with talk? (…) April 30, 2024 8:03:34 p.m. Eastern PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER: But this is like basic humanitarian aid asking for. Like, could people please have a glass of water? CUOMO: [Rubs face in frustration] Seriously? Seriously? You want to break the law and then get catering? You talk about privilege. And she wasn't even aware of it. That is frightening intersection of ignorance and arrogance. You want to appropriate the suffering in Gaza as if that were you; just not the suffering part. What happened to hunger strikes, getting arrested, taking a prosecution for the cause? Change doesn't come easy. Change doesn't come without cost. Go look at what happened during BLM. How blacks and their allies were treated when they destroyed property. And that was in poor areas, let alone some fancy place like a rich college campus. You are being treated with kid gloves and you better hope it stays that way. (…)

Networks WHINE About Columbia’s Pro-Hamas Camp Getting Busted By NYPD

Overnight, the anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia University was finally broken up after the NYPD outsmarted the barricaded protesters by breaching the second floor of occupied Hamilton Hall. But on Wednesday morning, the whining from ABC, CBS, and NBC was almost as bad as the shrieking coming from the terrorist sympathizers as they recounted the horror of the 100 people arrested without injury being loaded onto a bus for booking. “We were standing right here late last night as more than 100 police officers descended on Columbia University,” announced ABC correspondent Stephanie Ramos on Good Morning America. She seemingly tried to downplay the illegal break-in and occupation of Hamilton Hall by noting it’s “a building with a history of student takeovers.” Ramos spoke to a ridiculous college professor who didn’t even work at Columbia (she worked at Queens College) who praised the students for breaking the law to help stop a purported “genocide in Gaza”: RAMOS: What were your thoughts about those student demonstrators that pitched tents and set up that encampment demanding that the university divest from companies profiting from Israel? What are your thoughts on that? SUSAN BARANOWSKI: So, the students believe passionately in this cause and they're willing to break the all rules and risk sanctions to draw attention to the genocide in Gaza. And they are willing to come out here even though the university is punishing them for doing so.     There seemed to be a bit of emotion in the voice of correspondent Lilia Luciano during CBS Mornings. She recalled how she “saw dozens upon dozens of protesters in zip ties taken into city and police buses as their peers, protesters, and even faculty members cheered them on from the outside.” Luciano sounded as though she was taken aback by the “Dozens of NYPD officers in riot gear” entering the university “through locked gates, others seen here coming through a second-floor window of the building occupied by demonstrators Tuesday night.” She promoted an unnamed professor who was “upset” by the scene and who falsely asserted that “the military” had stormed campus to take the kids away: LUCIANO: Many faculty members were outside like this professor we spoke to who was visibly upset over seeing so many students handcuffed. UNIDENTIFIED PROFESSOR: I'm devastated that this is happening to every single campus in this country! By letting the military in, letting the police in! These are just students! Over on NBC’s Today, correspondent Erin McLaughlin huffed that “dozens of police dressed in full riot gear entered the campus;” and touted that “Crowds gathered outside of the university chanting and booing.” After griping about the “SWAT-style truck” used to circumvent the barricaded doors of the first floor and the 100 people taken into custody, McLaughlin played the now infamous clip of a Columbia student demanding the university give them “basic humanitarian aid” so they don’t “die of dehydration and starvation.” Instead of laughing at it as most sensible people did, since it was ridiculous, McLaughlin treated it as a serious matter. And the chyron for the report read "police clash with college protesters" despite the fact the students were the aggressors who were breaking the law and threatening Jewish students. The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America May 1, 2024 7:03:17 a.m. Eastern (…) STEPHANIE RAMOS: We were standing right here late last night as more than 100 police officers descended on Columbia University. Police clearing Hamilton Hall, which is right behind us, a building with a history of student takeovers. [Cuts to video] Overnight, hundreds of New York City police officers in riot gear moving into Columbia University. SWAT teams rolling in, one-by-one police officers seen filing in on an extended ramp into the second floor of Columbia’s Hamilton Hall. In the late night hours, police forming a line around the perimeter, clearing protesters, blocking the entrance. Once inside, going floor-by-floor, room-by-room. NYPD using flash banks. At least 100 people arrested, led away, hands tied behind their backs with zip ties and loaded onto a police bus. The university president allowing the NYPD to move in, saying the group who broke into the building includes students but led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university, and that the administration was left with no choice. (…) 7:05:08 a.m. Eastern RAMOS: What were your thoughts about those student demonstrators that pitched tents and set up that encampment demanding that the university divest from companies profiting from Israel. What are your thoughts on that? SUSAN BARANOWSKI: So, the students believe passionately in this cause and they're willing to break the all rules and risk sanctions to draw attention to the genocide in Gaza. And they are willing to come out here even though the university is punishing them for doing so. (…) CBS Mornings May 1, 2024 7:04:28 a.m. Eastern (…) LILIA LUCIANO: Yesterday, before police showed up here at Columbia, students received a shelter-in-place warning. Hours later, we saw dozens upon dozens of protesters in zip ties taken into city and police buses as their peers, protesters, and even faculty members cheered them on from the outside. [Cuts to video] Dozens of NYPD officers in riot gear entered Columbia University around 9:00 p.m. Some through locked gates, others seen here coming through a second-floor window of the building occupied by demonstrators Tuesday night. The officers entered Hamilton Hall at the request of the university. Inside police cleared barricades, conducted multiple arrests, eventually clearing the building. Police also began clearing the tent encampment that had been the symbol of the protests on campus for nearly two weeks. Then NYPD moved further north in Harlem toward a city college campus. We were there when dozens of officers breached a gate to clear the encampment and began arresting protesters. Dozens more students were loaded onto city buses and detained by the end of the night. Many faculty members were outside like this professor we spoke to who was visibly upset over seeing so many students handcuffed. UNIDENTIFIED PROFESSOR: I'm devastated that this is happening to every single campus in this country! By letting the military in, letting the police in! These are just students! (…) NBC’s Today May 1, 2024 7:03:50 a.m. Eastern (…) ERIN MCLAUGHLIN: The NYPD says it took them nearly two hours to clear Columbia University of protesters. I was there overnight as dozens of police dressed in full riot gear entered the campus. Crowds gathered outside of the university chanting and booing. This morning, police say more than 200 were arrested. [Cuts to video] Overnight, in New York City, a tense drama unfolding at Columbia University. Police in riot gear swiftly taking back a building occupied by antiwar protesters. NYPD officers using a SWAT- style truck to enter Hamilton hall by force. UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: The building was very heavily fortified. MCLAUGHLIN: Police video showing officers clearing the building, eventually taking about 100 people into custody. (…) 7:05:38 a.m. Eastern MCLAUGHLIN: Students there, before the police came in, asking Columbia to allow food into the building. UNIDENTIFED PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER: Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation? UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So, it seems like you’re saying, ‘we wanted to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building. Now, will you please bring us food and water.’ UNIDENTIFED PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER: Nobody is asking them to bring anything we're asking them to not violently stop us from bringing in basic humanitarian aid. (…)

Networks BLACKOUT Columbia Students Wishing ‘Glory to All Our Martyrs’

Overnight, anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas extremists at Columbia – who’ve been chanting for the murder of Jews – took over an academic building. Come Tuesday morning, the liberal broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) hyped the development but conspicuously omitted the nastier details reported throughout the night: wishes for “glory to all our martyrs” (a.k.a. Hamas), assaulting other students who locked arms to stop them from breaking down the doors, and a report that they took a facility worker “hostage.” “Despite warnings of suspension and expulsion for students involved in the encampment here at Columbia University, some pro-Palestinian protesters set up more tents on campus and stormed that academic building overnight. They say it is all in support of Gaza,” boasted ABC correspondent Stephanie Ramos during Good Morning America. Adding: “Video capturing students slamming desks, breaking windows, and barricading themselves inside.” Over on CBS Mornings, co-anchor Gayle King tried to downplay the illegal occupation of Hamilton Hall by noting the “building has been occupied many times over the years.” But she did tout that the pro-terrorist mob “hung a banner renaming Hamilton Hall for a little girl killed in Gaza;” while ignoring their “intifada” banner. King also called it "the War on Gaza" as if the Palestinians didn't start the war with Hamas's October 7 terrorist attack. “Social media footage shows dozens of masked protesters using a hammer to take over Hamilton Hall, a building at Columbia University, just before 1 a.m. The group can be seen inside running around, with some placing chairs and tables in front of the doors, barricading themselves in,” reported CBS correspondent Tom Hanson.     For NBC’s Today, correspondent George Solis noted the “intifada” banner but failed to explain that it meant the targeted killing of Jews. He also framed the occupation of the building as just a response to university officials suspending students for not dismantling the encampment: Overnight, campus protests escalating. Demonstrators occupying a building at Columbia University smashing windows, barring the doors, and unfurling banners – including one reading intifada – after protesters circled the campus earlier in the night. The unrest coming just hours after the university started suspending students who refused to leave an encampment after a deadline had passed. All three of them used the “social media footage” that was going around last night, but they all sanitized their reports by refusing to show or mention some of the more heinous things that occurred during the seizure of the building. In addition to multiple reports that a message of “glory to all our martyrs” was put out by organizers of the encampment, there were videos of their leader Khymani James whipping up the crowd into a frenzy to violently assault three students who linked arms in an attempt to keep the mob from storming Hamilton Hall.   Here is video of him leading the mob to assault 3 students trying to protect the building. pic.twitter.com/du3OlsCqUo — AG (@AGHamilton29) April 30, 2024   James was supposedly expelled from the university after a video circulated online of him giving a blood-thirsty rant against Jews. Other videos showed 63-year-old “professional protest consultant” Lisa Fithian suggesting the students protecting the building were the “assholes” (above) and directing other students to flip large metal tables to barricade the doors.   BREAKING.🚨 All charges have been *DROPPED* against Pro-Hamas rioters who took over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Monday night. Columbia U. refused to let NYPD in despite protesters allegedly committing unlawful detention, vandalism & assault.pic.twitter.com/kwgFxWtmv6 — Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) April 30, 2024   Further excluded by the broadcast networks, Hen Mazzig, founder of the Tel Aviv Institute reported that the students held a university facilities worker “hostage” for a time   Protesters inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University have hung banners reading “Intifada" after they vandalized and took over a university building last night. A Columbia facilities worker was “held hostage” as students occupied the hall. The university asked those "who can… pic.twitter.com/atUhOZq88G — Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) April 30, 2024   The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America April 30, 2024 7:02:58 a.m. Eastern (…) ROBIN ROBERTS: Take a look at the scene right now. Protesters on campus there in North Carolina. And then overnight protesters here in New York at Columbia barricaded themselves inside the school and now the university is taking more action. Stephanie Ramos is there on the scene for us. Good morning to you, Stephanie. STEPHANIE RAMOS: Robin, good morning. Despite warnings of suspension and expulsion for students involved in the encampment here at Columbia University, some pro-Palestinian protesters set up more tents on campus and stormed that academic building overnight. They say it is all in support of Gaza. [Cuts to video] Overnight, pro-Palestinian protesters gathering outside Columbia University's Hamilton Hall and then storming the building. Video capturing students slamming desks, breaking windows, and barricading themselves inside. Just after 12:30 a.m. this morning, dozens left the encampment and entered the hall. Students, defiant. Refusing to dismantle their encampment. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER: You need to stop bombing. You need to stop the indiscriminate killing, massacre of Palestinians in Gaza. That's how you end the war. (…) CBS Mornings April 30, 2024 7:06:27 a.m. Eastern GAYLE KING: Now to breaking news overnight, a major escalation in the protest at Columbia University where demonstrators against the War on Gaza have now broken into a building on campus. The group hung a banner renaming Hamilton Hall for a little girl killed in Gaza. That building has been occupied many times over the years. Tom Hanson is there at a very tense moment with police standing by. Tom, good morning to you. It was tense all afternoon, yesterday. My heart was racing, watching that video on the campus yesterday afternoon. TOM HANSON: That is an understatement. Gayle, good morning to you. Protests at Columbia University continued well into the night after the school began suspending protesting students refusing to leave their encampment, but those demonstrations escalated to an outright occupation of this campus building just behind me. [Cuts to video] Social media footage shows dozens of masked protesters using a hammer to take over Hamilton Hall, a building at Columbia University, just before 1 a.m. The group can be seen inside running around, with some placing chairs and tables in front of the doors, barricading themselves in. They also took the second floor, unraveling the building and reclaiming the building as Hind’s Hall in honor of a six-year-old girl who was killed in Gaza this year. (…) NBC’s Today April 30, 2024 7:03:28 a.m. Eastern (…) GEORGE SOLIS: Tensions here at Columbia University reaching a fervor pitch. Columbia Public Safety officials issuing that public advisory to most students and faculty urging them to avoid campus today after demonstrators took over the building on campus. It comes as that deadline for the voluntary dispersement of the encampment here on campus came and went. All this, as the campus clashes continue nationwide. [Cuts to video] Overnight, campus protests escalating. Demonstrators occupying a building at Columbia University smashing windows, barring the doors, and unfurling banners – including one reading intifada – after protesters circled the campus earlier in the night. The unrest coming just hours after the university started suspending students who refused to leave an encampment after a deadline had passed. (…)

ABC Boasts Crackdowns 'Hardening the Resolve' of Pro-Hamas Students

The anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas encampment continued to spread to other university and college campuses like a disease over the weekend and ABC correspondent Trevor Ault responded on Monday by boasting that crackdowns were “hardening the resolve” of the student extremists. He even suggested that they were the ones being threatened and not the ones causing the problems. Right at the top of the segment, Ault and fill-in anchor/transportation correspondent Gio Benitez bantered about how the crackdown seemed to be having the opposite effect on the encampments: BENITEZ: And here at home, amid the Israel/Hamas War there is growing unrest on college campuses. Police arresting hundreds of people this weekend at protests there with high schoolers making their decision on where to go to college in just two days. Trevor Ault is at USC in Los Angeles with more on this. Good morning, Trevor. AULT: Good morning, Gio. So, the heightened response from police and from universities seems to really only be hardening the resolve of a lot of these protesters. And what's especially notable is we have people on all sides here, outside and inside the demonstrations who say they don't feel safe.     Without showing any of the anti-Semitic incidents caught on camera, particularly the videos of students chanting for the murder of Jews, Ault portrayed the anti-Semites as victims of unfair characterizations and free speech crackdowns: AULT: Saturday demonstrations from Northeastern to Indiana, Washington University in St. Louis, and Arizona State, many demanding their schools divest from companies believed to be profiting from the war and calling for a cease-fire. Several accusing police and their universities of infringing on their right to protest. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 1: We want to feel supported by our institution and we want to feel like they're meeting us. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 2: We will not be leaving until those demands are met. AULT: Cornell University suspending several students. School officials also accusing some protesters at rallies on campus of chanting anti-Semitic phrases. Ault also tried to cast doubt on who could be behind pro-Hamas vandalism. “Officials at USC accusing some demonstrators of harassment and vandalism, ‘say no to genocide’ painted on this statue,” he gawked. Yeah, it’s a real mystery, Trevor. Who could have spray-painted that? Meanwhile, over on NBC’s Today, correspondent Erin McLaughlin hyped how pro-Hamas extremists tore down an American flag and replaced it with a Palestinian one. “At Harvard, protesters put up Palestinian flag where an American flag would fly,” she said. ABC concluded the segment with Ault seemingly suggesting that the students weren’t responsible for what they were doing. “And it has been noted that some of the people at these campus demonstrations, including some arrested, are not students,” he argued. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America April 29, 2024 7:09:08 a.m. Eastern GIO BENITEZ: And here at home, amid the Israel/Hamas War there is growing unrest on college campuses. Police arresting hundreds of people this weekend at protests there with high schoolers making their decision on where to go to college in just two days. Trevor Ault is at USC in Los Angeles with more on this. Good morning, Trevor. TREVOR AULT: Good morning, Gio. So, the heightened response from police and from universities seems to really only be hardening the resolve of a lot of these protesters. And what's especially notable is we have people on all sides here, outside and inside the demonstrations who say they don't feel safe. [Cuts to video] This weekend, hundreds of protesters arrested at college campuses across country. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations escalating further, along with counter-protests and the police response to these accelerating tensions. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I support the right for people to protest, always, as they should have. I think it brings in a lot of outside, like, antagonists. AULT: Saturday demonstrations from Northeastern to Indiana, Washington University in St. Louis, and Arizona State, many demanding their schools divest from companies believed to be profiting from the war and calling for a cease fire. Several accusing police and their universities of infringing on their right to protest. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 1: We want to feel supported by our institution and we want to feel like they're meeting us. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 2: We will not be leaving until those demands are met. AULT: Cornell University suspending several students. School officials also accusing some protesters at rallies on campus of chanting anti-Semitic phrases. At UCLA Sunday, pro-Israel demonstrators holding a counter-protest. PRO-ISRAEL PROTESTER: They don't know what is going on in Gaza. They don't know what is going on. And they need to learn. AULT: Thousands showing up. The university saying a group breached the barrier separating the two groups leading to some violent altercations. The LAPD issuing a citywide tactical alert through the weekend. Officials at USC accusing some demonstrators of harassment and vandalism, “say no to genocide” painted on this statue. And this morning, with no end in sight for these demonstrations, more and more colleges and universities grappling with how to move forward. KIM WEHLE (ABC contributor, University of Baltimore School of Law): Public universities and colleges and the police don't have the right to stop a message. They have a right sometimes to stop the manner in which the message is being conveyed. Hate speech is not protected. There are certain kinds of speech that are protected, but protesting the government's involvement in a conflict overseas is classic first amendment protected activity. [Cuts back live] AULT: And it has been noted that some of the people at these campus demonstrations, including some arrested, are not students. And here at USC, still, the students, the faculty, the staff, they all still have to show their ID just to get on campus.

Hostin Backs Pro-Hamas Camps: ‘Anti-War Protests’ Against ‘Apartheid’

Finally, back from their spring break, Monday was the first day the liberal ladies of ABC’s The View were able to spout off about the anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas encampments sweeping across college campuses. Staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) didn’t disappoint as she threw her lot in with the students chanting for the murder of Jews. She decried those who told the truth about the students and whined about the anti-Semitic designation. Most of the other co-hosts (Alyssa Farah-Griffin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro) denounced the antisemitism on full display at the encampments and wanted it gone. But when it was her turn to speak, Hostin bloviated about how “we need to shift the framing of these college protests” and call them “anti-war protests” instead of “pro-Palestinian protests.” She championed their calls for schools to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel, suggesting they could be as successful as the campaigns against South African apartheid: I think college campuses have been the place for anti-war protests for as far as I can remember. I think recent protests haven't even reached the scale of the major student protests that we saw in the late 1960s against the Vietnam War or even the 1980s against South African’s [sic] -- South Africa's practice of apartheid. We saw calls during apartheid to divest from South African companies, and that was very successful. Nelson Mandela said he believed that's what led in many respects to, you know, South Africa being freed from that system. “The students are telling me, this is a humanitarian crisis,” she proclaimed as if pampered Ivy Leagues students who want the student debt they signed up for canceled knew anything about the real world. She parroted the long-debunked claims from the Hamas Ministry of Health that 35,000 civilians “mainly women and children” have been killed, and the United Nations’ unsupported claims of Israeli “war crimes.”     She ridiculously asserted that no one has acknowledged that Palestinians “are people.” Hostin rounded out her support for the anti-Semites by whining about using that term. She insisted that people who use “antisemitism” to describe the protests are “far-right” with “authoritarian leanings” who oppose free speech. “They don't want students on these campuses to voice their opinions,” she decried She received backup from moderator Whoopi Goldberg, who assumed a Jewish-sounding name when she entered show business. According to Goldberg, any media reports about the rampant rabid antisemitism in the encampments were just “clickbait.” Without evidence, she suggested that outlets were just recycling images of antisemitism from one location and claiming it was at multiple places. “Part of our problem is the media takes what is the best clickbait. So, you see the same posters or you see the same people, but you don't see the folks who are doing peaceful stuff and saying, here's what we want to do,” she asserted. “I would caution the media to be very careful about what they're doing, and how they're handling this because what they seem to be doing is pushing a narrative,” she scolded outlets. But as NewsBusters reports proved,  last week, liberal media outlets largely carried water for the anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas encampments. While faux-conservative Navarro denounced the antisemitism, she did scold them for thinking about hurting President Biden in November. “There is not one group that anybody is protesting over that will be better off under Donald Trump. So, be very careful that you don't cut off your nose to spite your face by not showing up to vote in November,” she warned. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 29, 2024 11:07:51 a.m. Eastern (…) ANA NAVARRO: The only thing I want to remind Americans though as they're protesting is, you know, and we heard it. We've heard it. We heard them call Joe Biden, you know, a genocidal assassin and all sorts of things. There is not one group that anybody is protesting over that will be better off under Donald Trump. So, be very careful that you don't cut off your nose to spite your face by not showing up to vote in November. Because the first thing that Donald Trump did when he became president was issue a Muslim ban. And if you think not showing up to vote is not going to help Donald Trump get elected and Donald Trump will give Palestine any justice, I want what you're smoking. [Applause] SUNNY HOSTIN: I think it's, you know, I think we need to shift the framing of these college protests in fact, in my view. I think college campuses have been the place for anti-war protests for as far as I can remember. I think recent protests haven't even reached the scale of the major student protests that we saw in the late 1960s against the Vietnam War or even the 1980s against South African’s -- South Africa's practice of apartheid. We saw calls during apartheid to divest from South African companies, and that was very successful. Nelson Mandela said he believed that's what led in many respects to, you know, South Africa being freed from that system. And so I think these are anti-war protests, and I think it's very distressing -- distressing that we are framing these as pro-Palestinian protests or pro-Israeli protests. These are anti-war protests, and what they are -- the students that I have spoken to at many of the ivy league schools and a student I did speak to at Emory – where a professor was thrown to the ground simply for asking the police, what are you doing to these peacefully protesting students? The students are telling me, this is a humanitarian crisis. What we also don't talk enough about is the fact that 35,000, mainly women and children that are Palestinians have been murdered. What we also don't talk about, I think enough is that for some reason the discussion of against Israel's policies which the U.N. has called war crimes, which the international criminal court is investigating as war crimes. What we don't say is these are people, these are civilians, and we must protect them. Even President Biden at this point has said, you have gone too far. So, it has never been in my life, in my career, the – criticizing policies of government is equated with anti-Semitism. And that, I think, is a far-right -- it comes from the far-right. It comes from the authoritarian leanings, where they don't want students on these campuses to voice their opinions because they want to change the narrative going forward. And I think we have to be very, very careful about that. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Since I haven't said anything – I'm sorry, I do have to do this. [Pauses] It is one of the great rights as an American to stand up and say something's wrong. Regardless of what your color is, if you are a woman, man, it doesn't matter. And we must teach our people how to be on the lookout. Part of our problem is the media takes what is the best clickbait. So, you see the same posters or you see the same people, but you don't see the folks who are doing peaceful stuff and saying, here's what we want to do. I would caution the media to be very careful about what they're doing, and how they're handling this because what they seem to be doing is pushing a narrative that people are pushing against, which students are pushing against which I'm thrilled to see because I like when students get mad and say, “we want a change made.” (…)

Networks Ignore Columbia Camp Leader’s Blood-Thirsty Rant Against Jews

All week, the Big Three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have been trying to gaslight Americans into believing that the anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas encampments sprouting up like weeds across the country were peaceful gatherings where nothing bad was going on. But video resurfaced of the leader of the Columbia University encampment going on a blood-thirsty diatribe where he called for the murder of Jews. Between their morning and evening newscasts, the Big Three dedicated a whopping ZERO minutes and ZERO seconds to the story. While the networks all acknowledged that Columbia University was the “epicenter” of the current encampment trend to support Hamas (they’d falsely label the students as just “pro-Palestinian”), they didn’t want to put a spotlight on the camp’s dangerous leader Khymani James.   Meet Khymani James, a student leader of Columbia University’s anti-Israel Gaza Solidarity Encampment who openly states that "Zionists don’t deserve to live" He made the comments during a meeting with the school that he live-streamed. We put together the highlights: pic.twitter.com/JFlxnRkNC2 — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) April 25, 2024   The video in question came from a live-stream James did of a months-ago hearing he had with Columbia’s Center for Student Success and Intervention about his disturbing conduct. In the interview, James proudly announced he felt “very comfortable, very comfortable, calling for those people to die.” He also enthusiastically declared that “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and he was willing to kill them with his bare hands: These were masters who were white supremacists. What is a Zionist? A white supremacist. So let’s be very clear here, I’m not saying that I’m going to go out and start killing Zionists. What I am saying is that if an individual who identifies as a Zionist threatens my physical safety in person, i.e., puts their hands on me, I am going to defend myself and in that case scenario, it may come to a point where I don’t know when to stop. “Zionists don’t deserve to live comfortably, let alone Zionists don’t deserve to live…Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists,” he added. The hearing was in regard to an Instagram post in which James talked about meeting up with Zionists to fight and how “I fight to k***.” Despite these threats, Columbia decided against further disciplinary actions. Instead of reporting on James during Friday’s Today show, correspondent Emilie Ikeda scoffed at the idea that anti-Semitic rhetoric was a staple of the encampments. “But what protesters are defending as free speech, some Jewish students call hate speech,” she downplayed the intent of students like James.     Ikeda actually feared for the Columbia encampment: “And overnight at the epicenter of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations, Columbia University ramping up security. As counter-protests from outside groups March near campus, demonstrators clashing on campus.” While the liberal broadcast networks were ignoring the blood-thirsty Columbia leader, NewsNation’s Leland Vittert was exposing him to the world during On Balance throughout the week. In addition to sharing part of James’s rant to Columbia’s conduct board, Vittert unearthed audio of him defending his racism against white people.   A couple of nights ago, Vittert also exposed James's racism against white people. "I too hate white people," he proclaimed while defending what he was saying. pic.twitter.com/IYSic7iD6q — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) April 26, 2024   This was the biggest story to rock the Columbia encampment, but CBS couldn’t even be bothered to write a story for their website. Instead, they wrote one boasting about the students “filed a federal civil rights complaint against the school, accusing the university of discriminating against Palestinian students and pro-Palestinian protesters.” Meanwhile, there’s a video of James infringing on the free-speech rights of pro-Israel counter-protesters by rallying his pro-Hamas ilk to run them out of campus. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NBC’s Today April 26, 2024 8:10:21 a.m. Eastern (…) EMILIE IKEDA: But what protesters are defending as free speech, some Jewish students call hate speech. JEWISH STUDENT: Freedom of speech is very important, and I'm very for that, but I think [Transition] there's a point where the university itself has a duty to protect all of its students, including the Jewish ones. IKEDA: And overnight at the epicenter of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations, Columbia University ramping up security. As counter-protests from outside groups March near campus, demonstrators clashing on campus. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 1: You guys should be sent back to Europe. IKEDA: The clock is ticking on negotiations with students on site of the encampment, though with no clear deadline from the university. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 2: I'm absolutely worried what happens at the university brings in the NYPD, it's going to change the university forever. [Cuts back to live] IKEDA: And it does appear Columbia University is still preparing to hold its graduation scheduled to happen in less than three weeks. Walking around campus you'll see stacks of chairs, signs, bleachers, but many of the students I talked to are doubtful it will actually happen. A sore point for some, part of a class that graduated high school four years ago in 2020, that also cancelled by the pandemic.

ABC, CBS Whine About Schools Cracking Down on Pro-Hamas Encampments

While NBC’s Today was praising the resolve of the anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas students encamped at Columbia University on Thursday, ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS Mornings lamented that other schools were cracking down and forcefully removing the encampments. They were also dismayed by the hundreds of arrests that were made. “Now, to another tense day of protests over Israel's war in Gaza. Those protests taking place on college campuses now all across the country. From coast to coast, hundreds of people have been arrested in Massachusetts, Texas, and California,” decried CBS Mornings co-anchor Natalie Morales. Completely ignoring the video evidence of the crowd chanting their “love” of Hamas and the signs saying Jewish counter-protesters should be murdered, CBS correspondent Nancy Chen reported: “Here at Columbia University, students say their encampment is peaceful.” According to Chen, the police were the problem. “Overnight, chaos erupted as police tried to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College in Boston,” she said. “On Wednesday, demonstrators clashed with school security at USC in Los Angeles after school police ordered students to move their encampment.” Chen also decried the rallies authorities were able to shut down. “By nighttime, police shut the gates to the school and pushed pro-Palestinian protesters out. Also on Wednesday, hundreds gathered at the University of Texas at Austin where they were met with a show of force, as well,” she lamented.     Over on Good Morning America, correspondent Trevor Ault also bemoaned the successful crackdowns. He huffed that “up to 100 protesters [were] arrested at Emerson College after they “attempt[ed] to form a human wall to stop police.” “Police at the University of Southern California arresting 93 people while removing tents and clearing protesters from a Gaza solidarity camp, one precinct now full of arrested protesters,” he noted. He reported that one of ABC’s reporters, Mireya Villareal, was caught up in the crackdown at the University of Texas at Austin where they “used horses to disperse crowds.” “A cameraman filming the demonstration, grabbed by police and thrown to the ground,” he added, editing out the part where the Fox 7 Austin cameraman named Carlos ran up and used his camera as a weapon to ram into an officer.   What NOT to do, as a member of the press: Ram a police officer with your camera.pic.twitter.com/V1iiEl7XKX — Bree A Dail (@breeadail) April 24, 2024   Ault didn’t seem to like that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) threatened to pull federal funding from the schools that were allowing anti-Semitism and threats to Jewish students, nor Johnson’s encouragement to bring in the National Guard: AULT: The Speaker telling our Linsey Davis schools could lose federal funding. JOHNSON: They've been camped on the campus. They are threatening people with their lives and they are preventing them from exercising their freedom. That's the limit. That's the line. [Cuts back to live] AULT: And Speaker Johnson even said it's possible they could call in the National Guard to these schools if needed. At least when Chen reported that Johnson had said Columbian had been “taken over by a radical and extreme ideology,” she admitted he was, “Citing several recent incidents of anti-Semitic language by protesters on and off campus.” The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America April 25, 2024 7:08:16 a.m. Eastern (…) TREVOR AULT: This morning the nationwide movement of campus demonstrations leading to sometimes violent. Overnight at Emerson College in Boston, protesters attempting to form a human wall to stop police moving in, up to 100 protesters arrested. Police at the University of Southern California arresting 93 people while removing tents and clearing protesters from a Gaza solidarity camp, one precinct now full of arrested protesters. These tense moments after a scuffle between officers in riot gear and a pro-Palestinian group, the university now closed to anyone but students. JAKE PUZEL (USC student): It makes me feel threatened and intimidated and I think the anti-Semitic rhetoric must be condemned by the university. AULT: An unauthorized protest breaking out at the University of Texas in Austin. Dozens arrested as officers used horses to disperse crowds. Some nearly crashing into our Mireya Villareal, who was on the scene. A camera man filming the demonstration, grabbed by police and thrown to the ground. Similar encampments springing up at Brown University and Harvard. And at Columbia, university officials extending a deadline to remove this large encampment to Thursday night as negotiations with students continue. SPOH ASKANASE (Pro-Hamas Barnard College student): Myself, my peer, my colleagues, my friend, we're not going to stop. We're not going to rest. We will stand here until the university divests from Israeli apartheid and their genocidal campaign in Gaza. AULT: House Speaker Mike Johnson visiting campus, criticizing school officials for allowing the continued demonstrations. SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We just can't allow this kind of hatred and anti-Semitism to flourish on our campuses. [Transition] They have chased down Jewish students. They have mocked them and reviled them. They have shouted racial epithets. AULT: The Speaker telling our Linsey Davis schools could lose federal funding. JOHNSON: They've been camped on the campus. They are threatening people with their lives and they are preventing them from exercising their freedom. That's the limit. That's the line. [Cuts back to live] AULT: And Speaker Johnson even said it's possible they could call in the National Guard to these schools if needed. (…) CBS Mornings April 25, 2024 7:07:47 a.m. Eastern NATALIE MORALES: Now, to another tense day of protests over Israel's war in Gaza. Those protests taking place on college campuses now all across the country. From coast to coast, hundreds of people have been arrested in Massachusetts, Texas, and California. Nancy Chen is at Columbia University once again for us. It has been a flashpoint there for more than a week now. Nancy, good morning. NANCY CHEN: Natalie, good morning to you. Here at Columbia University, students say their encampment is peaceful. Meantime, at colleges across the country it has been a very different picture over the past 24 hours. [Cuts to video] Overnight, chaos erupted as police tried to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College in Boston. As the latest flashpoint in a growing movement at campuses nationwide protesting Israel's war in Gaza. On Wednesday, demonstrators clashed with school security at USC in Los Angeles after school police ordered students to move their encampment. RANDA SWEISS (Pro-Hamas protester): Both sides of my family were displaced from Palestine, and I'm here using my voice because my grandparents couldn't. CHEN: By nighttime, police shut the gates to the school and pushed pro-Palestinian protesters out. Also on Wednesday, hundreds gathered at the University of Texas at Austin where they were met with a show of force, as well. In New York, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson was interrupted by loud booing during his visit to Columbia University. The epicenter of demonstrations calling for cutting all school financial ties to Israel and amnesty for students punished for participating in protests. He claimed the university is being taken over by a radical and extreme ideology. PRO-HAMAS ANTI-SEMITIC PROTESTER: Go back to Poland! CHEN: Citing several recent incidents of anti-Semitic language by protesters on and off campus. (…)

‘Aren’t Going Anywhere’: NBC Praises Resolve of Anti-Semitic, Pro-Hamas Columbia Students

NBC’s Today kicked off their show Thursday by hyping up and lionizing the anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas extremists calling for the murder of Jews at Columbia University. Completely ignoring the video evidence of the crowd chanting their “love” of Hamas and the signs saying Jewish counter-protesters should be murdered, NBC correspondent Stephanie Gosk boasted of their resolve to stay encamped on campus “until their demands are met.” “Columbia University extended the deadline from the tent encampment here by 48 hours, but that deadline runs out tonight at midnight and the students I’ve spoken with here say they aren't going anywhere,” she touted at the top of her report. Gosk did fret that “tension around the country is growing, it's spreading, it's leading to dramatic confrontations with police and dozens of arrests.” She seemed disheartened that people were growing tired of the pro-Hamas rallies with some schools cracking down: The temperature this morning on some college campuses reaching a boiling point. A growing number of protests forming over the ongoing war in the Middle East at campuses across the country, some leading to standoffs including the University of Texas at Austin. Students and police clashing during protests Wednesday. More than 30 were taken into custody. Protesters gathered outside the jail, with some faculty saying in a statement they would not work today. And overnight, police and protesters clashing at the University of Southern California. Officers hit with objects arrested more than 90 people, though it's unclear how many were students.     Ignoring videos of the Columbia students chanting things like “Hamas we love you! We support your rockets too,” Gosk tried to water down their anti-Semitism with propaganda from the terrorist-linked Center for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) about the rise in Islamophobia. “The tensions rising nationwide as reports of anti-Semitism and islamophobia have skyrocketed since last October, with the Anti-Defamation League and Center for American Islamic Relations each reporting record high complaints,” she reported. In wrapping up her report, Gosk marveled at the Columbia encampment and commended the anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas extremists on “how well organized they are” and how “they have a lot of food coming in, they have good tents, the weather is not that bad.” “They say they are willing to stay here until their demands are met even if it means weeks,” she beamed. Gosk didn’t seem to show enough journalistic curiosity to ask who was paying for all that food and those good tents. But she did anticipate that a clash between the extremists and the police would soon occur, noting: “And in three weeks, this campus is going to have its graduation and it takes place exactly where that tent encampment is set up right now.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NBC’s Today April 25, 2024 7:04:07 a.m. Eastern (…) STEPHANIE GOSK: You know, Columbia University extended the deadline from the tent encampment here by 48 hours, but that deadline runs out tonight at midnight and the students I’ve spoken with here say they aren't going anywhere. As you mentioned tension around the country is growing, it's spreading, it's leading to dramatic confrontations with police and dozens of arrests. [Cuts to video] The temperature this morning on some college campuses reaching a boiling point. A growing number of protests forming over the ongoing war in the Middle East at campuses across the country, some leading to standoffs including the University of Texas at Austin. Students and police clashing during protests Wednesday. More than 30 were taken into custody. Protesters gathered outside the jail, with some faculty saying in a statement they would not work today. And overnight, police and protesters clashing at the university of Southern California. Officers hit with objects arrested more than 90 people, though it's unclear how many were students. And back on the east coast a dramatic scene at Emerson College; where students are encamped on an alleyway in the middle of downtown Boston. Police and demonstrators facing off. The tensions rising nationwide as reports of anti-Semitism and islamophobia have skyrocketed since last October, with the Anti-Defamation League and Center for American Islamic Relations each reporting record high complaints. (…) 7:06:39 a.m. Eastern HODA KOTB: Steph, it seems like every day we're reporting on another campus where these protests are breaking out. So, what happens next? GOSK: Well, they're here to stay, according to the students I've spoken with here at Columbia. And we were walking around that encampment yesterday Hoda and I was struck by how well organized they are, they have a lot of food coming in, they have good tents, the weather is not that bad. They say they are willing to stay here until their demands are met even if it means weeks. And in three weeks, this campus is going to have its graduation and it takes place exactly where that tent encampment is set up right now, Hoda. KOTB: All right. Stephanie Gosk for us there at Columbia. Steph, thank you. (…)

CNN Analyst Demands Colleges ‘Allow Space’ for Anti-Semitic Rallies

Anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas rallies have been spreading like hateful wildfire across American universities, with encampments spouting up in UT Austin and Harvard on Wednesday. And on CNN News Central that afternoon, Harvard professor and former Obama DHS official Juliette Kayyem demanded that universities like hers “allow space” for those mini-Nuremberg rallies. “And I'm pretty clear about this,” Kayyem declared. She demanded that schools “allow space for students to protest” in favor of Hamas. Essentially her defense of the students was ‘kid will be kids.’ “This should not be a shock to anyone with teenagers or young, young adult children. They have strong feelings and they’re passionate,” she argued. Coddling the anti-Semites, Kayyem said they needed to be given “off ramps” before the schools cracked down on any violent rhetoric or other misconduct. As if the students didn’t agree to a Student Code of Conduct when they joined the school, she huffed: “You've got to give students rules about what they are and are not allowed to do. And maybe this happened at USC, but they have to be clear about, ‘Yes, you can protest. No, you can't block a building and this is what's going to happen if you block the building.’” She did admit that at some point the schools might need to consider when to get police involved. “I mean in other words, these kids who are violating these rules these students then have some sort of punishment and whether you need the police or something less than that is each college and university’s decision,” she said.     But a few minutes later, Kayyem proved herself to be a hypocrite and declared schools “cannot” get the police involved at all. She whined they were “terrifying students" who were just "expressing their dismay with the war”: What are the rules of engagement? We cannot put police officers, especially non-university police officers, as we've seen in some of these jurisdictions, just out there fully armed, terrifying students who are maybe they just viewed themselves as just expressing their dismay with the war or their criticisms of the Biden administration. That wasn’t the only way Kayyem was a hypocrite on the issue. In 2022, she opposed the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” that was protesting their county’s COVID restrictions by blocking critical roads. She lashed out at them and demanded authorities “slash the tires” of their semi-trucks. “Slash the tires, empty gas tanks, arrest the drivers, and move the trucks,” she wrote. “The notion that these are rational people that will change if asked is long gone,” she sneered in a follow-up post. “This disruption is an irrational gang and, again, we should stop being so nice.” Kayyem also used to have a hair-trigger when it came to antisemitism. In 2019, she accused former New York City Mayor Ruby Giuliani of “antisemitism” when he called out Democratic Party dark-money donor George Soros. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN News Central April 24, 2024 3:10:55 p.m. Eastern (…) JULIETTE KAYYEM: And so, colleges and universities have to do three things. And I'm pretty clear about this. One, is they do have to allow space for students to protest. I said you've got to give them an outlet. The students are allowed to protest. This should not be a shock to anyone with teenagers or young, young adult children. They have strong feelings and they’re passionate. Because if you just immediately go to arrest, it's going to cause I think some of the what we're seeing on air which is nothing's happening. And then lots is happening. You want to give students space as long as you're protecting students who want to go to classes, Jewish students, if they’re targeted. The second is you have to have off ramps. You have to, in terms of these colleges and universities you've got to give students rules about what they are and are not allowed to do. And maybe this happened at USC, but they have to be clear about, “Yes, you can protest. No, you can't block a building and this is what's going to happen if you block the building.” And then third is, of course, then exert your outcomes, right? I mean in other words, these kids who are violating these rules these students then have some sort of punishment and whether you need the police or something less than that is each college and university’s decision. (…) 3:14:13 p.m. Eastern KAYYEM: What are the rules of engagement? We cannot put police officers especially non-university police officers, as we've seen in some of these jurisdictions, just out there fully armed, terrifying students who are maybe they just viewed themselves as just expressing their dismay with the war or their criticisms of the Biden administration. So, what are the rules of engagement? The second is, is there – is there a reach out as we're seeing in some of these colleges and universities to these student organizations to engage them on what is and is not appropriate activity? In other words, we don't have to treat the protesters as enemies. They just disagree with the institution or they disagree with the government. And that can help de-escalate as well. And then third, is the punishment that we're talking about. If someone is violent, if someone is threatening students, if someone ought not to be there and is exacerbating the tensions. (…)

Networks Praise Pro-Hamas ‘Solidarity Movement’ Spreading, Promote BDS

The three major American broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) were out in force Wednesday morning as all three of them took to praising the pro-Hamas extremists taking over college campuses across the country. Ignoring the raging antisemitism that was on full display and captured on videos circulating on social media, they praised the “solidary movement” that was spreading to more campuses. They also promoted the so-called “boycott, divest, and sanctions” movement, omitting its anti-Semitic roots. “Pro-Palestinian protests have spread across university campuses from coast to coast. Columbia here at the center of this solidarity movement,” ABC correspondent Stephanie Ramos boasted on Good Morning America. In something of a skeptical tone, Ramos seemed to cast doubt on Jewish students who felt unsafe and threatened by the pro-Hamas crowd that was literally calling for Jewish blood: “Columbia University offering virtual learning for the last week of class after some Jewish students said they felt unsafe on campus…” Noting that it’s been 200 days since the start of the war, Ramos cheered that pro-Hamas rallies were “spreading” with “protesters digging in” across the country. She also promoted their anti-Semitic demands of divestment. “Protesters demanding colleges divest from companies they say profit from ties with Israel,” she said.     Over on CBS Mornings, they abdicated the moral high ground they occupied on Tuesday when they called out the antisemitism. On Wednesday, correspondent Nancy Chen promoted divestment as “one of the most crucial components [of their demands]”: PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 1: Our first demand is complete divestment from anything related to Israeli settler colonialism, apartheid, and genocide. CHEN: The words apartheid and genocide are loaded but the idea of divestment is a refrain echoed over and over by protesters we spoke to on campus. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 2: Financial divestment, financial transparency. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 3: Is financial divestment from any companies that profit off of Israeli apartheid. After noting that Columbia students “remained defiant,” Chen hyped: “From coast to coast, California to Massachusetts, demonstrations expressing anger over Israel's bombardment of Gaza.” Correspondent Erin McLaughlin was back on NBC’s Today to cheer Columbia University for capitulating to the pro-terrorist mob. “Now, it seems the deadline has extended; as this morning university spokesperson telling NBC News they'll be in talks with students for the next 48 hours. And we're hearing they made progress,” she touted. She too was excited by how the anti-Semitic crowds were taking over other campuses. “Columbia's encampment inspiring protesters at at least 15 other universities, including at Cal Poly Humboldt where dozens occupied a campus building and at the University of Minnesota where nine were detained trespassing. Students at NYU walking out of class Tuesday,” she said, omitting the violence at CPH. What none of them dared to show was the video of Columbia students chanting for the murder of Jews. In a video shown on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper on Tuesday, the pro-Hamas students were clearly heard chanting: “Al-Qassam you make us proud, take another settler out!" and "Hamas we love you! We support your rockets too!"   This morning, @ErinNBCNews suggested there were no chants or acts of antisemitism at Columbia University. You should watch this Erin: "Al-Qassam you make us proud, take another settler out!" "Hamas we love you. We support your rockets too!" pic.twitter.com/KHnXKaLUh1 — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) April 23, 2024   The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America April 24, 2024 7:10:11 a.m. Eastern (…) STEPHANIE RAMOS: Pro-Palestinian protests have spread across university campuses from coast to coast. Columbia here at the center of this solidarity movement. [Cuts back to live] This morning, images showing protests turning violent at Cal Poly Humboldt. Police struggling to control hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the college campus. The school, now closed today. This comes on the heels of demonstrations across the country. NYU ramping up security with a new barricade after clashes with police. Columbia University offering virtual learning for the last week of class after some Jewish students said they felt unsafe on campus, like Aiden Hunter who tells us he understands why people are protesting. AIDEN HUNTER: I don't mean to diminish that. But I'd say the majority of my friend, especially my Jewish friends, feel a sense of insecurity at this time. RAMOS: It's been more than 200 days since the start of the Israel/Hamas War prompting pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, which are spreading. Protesters demanding colleges divest from companies they say profit from ties with Israel. MIRYAM ALWAN (Pro-Hamas protester): We’re not planning on packing up and going home. Because people in Palestine are going through so much worse. RAMOS: Protesters digging in from Berkeley to the University of Michigan to the University of Minnesota, where police took down tents and made arrests. (…) CBS Mornings April 24, 2024 7:02:54 a.m. Eastern (…) NANCY CHEN: Outside of Columbia University's campus, demonstrators continue to rally. After the school's administration warned students on campus to dismantle their camps or face consequences, some were seen breaking them down, while others remained defiant. From coast to coast, California to Massachusetts, demonstrations expressing anger over Israel's bombardment of Gaza. (…) CHEN: Earlier in the day at Columbia, protesters reiterated their demands including an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. And one of the most crucial components – cutting off any financial interest connected to Israel. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 1: Our first demand is complete divestment from anything related to Israeli settler colonialism, apartheid, and genocide. CHEN: The words apartheid and genocide are loaded but the idea of divestment is a refrain echoed over and over by protesters we spoke to on campus. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 2: Financial divestment, financial transparency. PRO-HAMAS PROTESTER 3: Is financial divestment from any companies that profit off of Israeli apartheid. (…) NBC’s Today April 24, 2024 7:07:26 a.m. Eastern (…) ERIN MCLAUGHLIN: It appears the situation here at the university is changing by the hour. Now, originally the university had called for the student encampment to be taken down overnight. Now, it seems the deadline has extended as this morning university spokesperson telling NBC News they'll be in talks with students for the next 48 hours. And we're hearing they made progress. [Cuts to video] This morning, Columbia University – a flash point in the nationwide unrest at college campuses across the country – reporting progress in negotiations with pro-Palestinian protesters who’ve been encamped on campus since last week. A Columbia spokesperson telling NBC News this morning, students have committed to dismantling and removing a significant number of tents and have agreed to prohibit discriminatory or harassing language. The school has been flaring with unrest with a growing pressure on its president Minouche Shafik, amidst allegations that the university is not doing enough to de-escalate tensions or adequately protect the safety of Jewish students. (…) MCLAUGHLIN: Columbia's encampment inspiring protesters at at least 15 other universities, including at Cal Poly Humboldt where dozens occupied a campus building and at the University of Minnesota where nine were detained trespassing. Students at NYU walking out of class Tuesday. (…)

ABC Tries to Brush Aside Evidence of Antisemitism at Columbia University

While NBC was busy trying to discredit Jewish students who were victims of anti-Semitic attacks and threats caught on camera at Columbia University on Tuesday, ABC’s Good Morning America thought they could get by without admitting there was antisemitism coming from the pro-Hamas crowd. Instead, correspondent Stephanie Ramos simply said Jewish students “don’t feel safe” with no explanation as to why. Instead of focusing on the anti-Semitic attacks and rhetoric that caused classes at Columbia’s main campus to go virtual for the rest of the year, Ramos huffed about university administrators who allowed an increased police presence on campus and the crackdown on trespassers: RAMOS: Security heightened at Columbia University where student protesters pitched tents at the center of campus. The encampments still in place this morning. Classes there going virtual Monday. University president Minouche Shafik authorized the NYPD to make arrests last week. MIKE GERBER (NYPD deputy commissioner, legal matters): They informed us they had students who were trespassing. They asked us to come on to campus and we did. RAMOS: Demonstrators demanding institutions divest from companies with ties to Israel.     At those gatherings, far-left, pro-Hamas students chanted anti-Semitic slogans like “Go back to Poland” and held up signs calling for Jewish student counter-protesters to be killed. But instead of showing the ABC audience the far-left’s hatred of Jews, she highlighted one of the students arrested: RAMOS: Columbia PhD student Linnea Norton tells us she was one of the arrested and just wants her voice to be heard. LINNEA NORTON: We were all just sitting cross-legged together in a circle and then the NYPD came in and arrested us one by one. Immediately zip-tied us with our hands behind our backs. Ramos did note that “Many Jewish students telling us they don't feel safe on campus,” and interviewed one who explained: “It's not only mentally exhausting. I found these past few days it's been like physically affecting me. And I got told that an Israeli flag is a Nazi flag.” But that didn’t do justice to show how dangerous the situation actually was. Over on CBS Mornings, correspondent Meg Oliver showed a video of the “go back to Poland” chant. “Like near Columbia University where some demonstrators chanted anti-Semitic slogans. In one video, a protester can be seen holding a sign near Jewish students that reads ‘Al-Qasam’s [sic] next targets.’ A-Qassam is Hamas’s military arm,” she added. “Columbia announced that, to ensure safety, most classes on its main campus will be hybrid for the rest of the semester. It has also more than doubled security after a recent series of anti-Semitic incidents,” Oliver reported. At the end of her report, Ramos concluded by noting that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (an alum of Columbia) was “reconsidering his support for the university” without noting it was in regard to the antisemitism. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America April 23, 2024 7:04:39 a.m. Eastern (…) STEPHANIE RAMOS: Security heightened at Columbia University where student protesters pitched tents at the center of campus. The encampments still in place this morning. Classes there going virtual Monday. University president Minouche Shafik authorized the NYPD to make arrests last week. MIKE GERBER (NYPD deputy commissioner, legal matters): They informed us they had students who were trespassing. They asked us to come on to campus and we did. RAMOS: Demonstrators demanding institutions divest from companies with ties to Israel. Columbia PhD student Linnea Norton tells us she was one of the arrested and just wants her voice to be heard. LINNEA NORTON: We were all just sitting cross legged together in a circle and then the NYPD came in and arrested us one by one. Immediately zip tied us with our hands behind our backs. RAMOS: Tensions have been mounting at universities since the Israel/Hamas conflict began last October. Many Jewish students telling us they don't feel safe on campus. How has this hit you, the demonstrations over the last couple of days? UNNAMED JEWISH STUDENT: It's not only mentally exhausting. I found these past few days it's been like physically affecting me. And I got told that an Israeli flag is a Nazi flag. (…)

NBC Tries to Discredit Jewish Victims of Antisemitism at Columbia University

In recent days, the pro-Hamas gatherings at university campuses across the country have grown more violent and more brazen with their anti-Semitic rhetoric; causing Jewish students to feel unsafe and universities to advise them to stay away as they shift to virtual learning. But despite all the videos of these incidents, the Tuesday edition of NBC’s Today (via correspondent Erin McLaughlin) worked hard in an apparent attempt to discredit the Jewish students who were trying to get the world’s attention and expose the far-left. At the top of her report, McLaughlin lamented that police were cracking down on violent pro-Hamas riots. “Overnight, a tense scene at New York University after pro-Palestinian protesters were forced to leave a campus plaza. NYPD moving in with riot gear, police breaking down encampments as a sea of protesters marched through the city streets,” she mourned. McLaughlin actively tried to discredit the accounts of Jewish students who witnessed the crowds chant anti-Semitic slogans, and were assaulted and chased from pro-Israel protests: MCLAUGHLIN: Students like Andrew Stein who said he was on campus late Saturday night for a pro-Israel counter-protest, but left terrified by an angry mob. ANDREW STEIN: They started say in Arabic: “Hamas, Hamas our beloved please bomb Tel Aviv.” MCLAUGHLIN: Stein says this video shows him being followed off campus. STEIN: Me and my friend had water poured – physically poured in our face. MCLAUGHLIN: At the pro-Palestinian encampment in the heart of the university, heated confrontations. UNNAMED FEMALE STUDENT: “Go back to Poland” is not anti-Zionism, it’s anti-Semitism and that’s what was said.     She tried to contradict them with claims from the pro-Hamas side who, as she put it, “say they have no knowledge any antisemitism on campus Saturday night.” “Anyone who makes any thread to any Jewish student, we oppose you, we do not associate with you,” a pro-Hamas student told her. It was the same student who was confronted about the “go back to Poland” chant in the block quote above (included in the embedded video). While McLaughlin wanted to suggest there was no evidence of the antisemitism, over on CBS Mornings, correspondent Meg Oliver showed a video of the “go back to Poland” chant. “Like near Columbia University where some demonstrators chanted anti-Semitic slogans. In one video, a protester can be seen holding a sign near Jewish students that reads ‘Al-Qasam’s [sic] next targets.’ A-Qassam is Hamas’s military arm,” she added. “Columbia announced that, to ensure safety, most classes on its main campus will be hybrid for the rest of the semester. It has also more than doubled security after a recent series of anti-Semitic incidents,” Oliver reported. While McLaughlin was trying to discredit and ignore the violence and anti-Semitic incidents caught on camera, she was more concerned about Islamophobia: “Meanwhile at Rutgers University on Monday, a 24-year-old man was charged with a federal hate crime for allegedly breaking into that university's Islamic center during the Eid celebrations earlier in the month.” “Many are left wondering if this will continue to spread,” she feared. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NBC’s Today April 23, 2024 7:04:16 a.m. Eastern (…) ERIN MCLAUGHLIN: Overnight, a tense scene at New York University after pro-Palestinian protesters were forced to leave a campus plaza. NYPD moving in with riot gear, police breaking down encampments as a sea of protesters marched through the city streets. It comes as tensions flair at Columbia University, now entering its seventh-consecutive day of pro-Palestinian protests; with the school announcing main campus classes will be hybrid until the end of the semester, stating “safety is our highest priority” after the university president's call to “de-escalate the rancor.” A massive NYPD presence was around the campus as a growing number of Jewish students report feeling unsafe. Students like Andrew Stein who said he was on campus late Saturday night for a pro-Israel counter protest, but left terrified by an angry mob. ANDREW STEIN: They started say in Arabic: “Hamas, Hamas our beloved please bomb Tel Aviv.” MCLAUGHLIN: Stein says this video shows him being followed off campus. STEIN: Me and my friend had water poured – physically poured in our face. MCLAUGHLIN: At the pro-Palestinian encampment in the heart of the university, heated confrontations. UNNAMED FEMALE STUDENT: “Go back to Poland” is not anti-Zionism, it’s anti-Semitism and that’s what was said. MCLAUGHLIN: The pro-Palestinian students we spoke to say they have no knowledge any antisemitism on campus Saturday night. SHERIF (Columbia University Student): Anyone who makes any thread to any Jewish student, we oppose you, we do not associate with you. MCLAUGHLIN: Patriots owner and Jewish alum Robert Kraft, a major donor, announcing he is pulling his support until corrective action is taken. (…) 7:06:26 a.m. Eastern MCLAUGHLIN: Meanwhile at Rutgers University on Monday, a 24-year-old man was charged with a federal hate crime for allegedly breaking into that university's Islamic center during the Eid celebrations earlier in the month. Many are left wondering if this will continue to spread. CBS Mornings April 23, 2024 7:08:05 a.m. Eastern (…) MEG OLIVER: The mood on campus is tense. Columbia announced that, to ensure safety, most classes on its main campus will be hybrid for the rest of the semester. It has also more than doubled security after a recent series of anti-Semitic incidents. But on many campuses, police trying to contain the demonstrations have been met with resistance. [Cuts to video] [Video of pro-Hama rioters beating police] A chaotic scene at Cal Ploy Humboldt in northern California as police in riot gear clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters. And at New York University last night, the NYPD broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment. The demonstrations have spread to campuses across the country with Palestinian supporters angry over Israel's war in Gaza and many Jewish students expressing fear after incidents of anti-Semitism. [Video of pro-Hamas man yelling “Go back to Poland”] Like near Columbia University where some demonstrators chanted anti-Semitic slogans. In one video, a protester can be seen holding a sign near Jewish students that reads “Al-Qasam’s [sic] next targets.” A-Qassam is Hamas’s military arm. UNNAMED JEWISH STUDENT: Jewish students are petrified to go onto campus. (…)

PBS Host Smears Republicans as ‘Influenced By Russia’ and Neo-Nazis

PBS likes to pretend they have a conservative host on staff, but Firing Line’s Margaret Hoover is anything but. Between being married to Democratic congressional candidate John Avlon (also a former Republican for CNN) and her Monday comments on CNN News Central, Hoover proved it. And in those comments, she lashed out at one sitting Republican member of Congress and a famous YouTuber looking to unseat a Republican incumbent from the right. Joining CNN host Kate Bolduan to speak about the House passing massive foreign aid packages and the fallout, Hoover lashed out at Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) over her threat to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) from that position: HOOVER: Look, he didn't get it done to his point. And then to this question of whether Marjorie Taylor Greene is actually going to pull the trigger on this motion to vacate the threat. BOLDUAN: What’s the threat? What's the lingering threat do, do you think? HOOVER: Well look, she wants to have power and she's a chaos organizer. I mean, that's that's her end game. I mean, she just wanted to have power and be relevant. But Hoover’s criticisms went too far when she claimed that Greene was “not here for public the policy” but rather “she's being influenced by Russia.” Without evidence, she asserted, “perhaps there's an argument there.”     With the topic shifted to Republicans who opposed Greene, Bolduan wanted to talk about embattled Republican incumbent Tony Gonzalez of Texas who was forced into a runoff against popular gun YouTuber Brandan Herrera. Hoover parroted a lie that Herrera was a “neo-Nazi”: BOLDUAN: I'm wondering what the fight looks like. What's the “stand up and fight” look like from this, he [Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX)] was suggesting kind of the more moderate Republicans who are serving in the House in an election year. What does that look like now in the six months to? HOOVER: Well look, for Tony Gonzales, he's got he has a primary – a runoff election coming in several weeks against a Trump-endorsed neo-Nazi. He might – Meanwhile, he’s in the largest segment of the border. I mean, the only fight he cares about is the border question. Not only was Herrera not endorsed by former President Trump, but one of the Gonzalez campaign talking points was that Herrera had mocked Trump’s youngest son Barron (which was false) in an apparent effort to get support from Trump voters. And while Hoover was trying to suggest a Trump endorsement of Herrera meant Gonzalez was ‘the good one’ in the race, Gonzalez was endorsed by Trump in the 2020 election. On Hoover’s accusations of Herrera being a “neo-Nazi,” fact-checks of that claim came back as disinformation. That accusation stems from dishonest claims about his YouTube content. In addition to Gun Meme Reviews and gun safety videos, Herrera also makes videos that examine guns through a historical lens to talk about their manual of arms and what role their country of origin designed them for. As part of that series, he’s reviewed a lot of firearms from WWII (you can probably see where this is going) and showed images of soldiers using their weapons as B-roll footage. In addition to highlighting guns used by American, British, and Soviet forces, he’s covered guns used by the Germans. Essentially, Herrera has been accused of using “Nazi images” in his videos in the same context that would allow the accusation to be leveled against the History Channel. Hoover’s antics on CNN were another reason to defund PBS. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN News Central April 22, 2024 7:54:54 a.m. Eastern (…) JIM MESSINA: And now we're saying to the rest of the world, look America can walk and chew a little gum at the same time. KATE BOLDUAN: But what does it look like? I mean, it's like really gross, gross gum. [Laughter] MARGARET HOOVER: Well, the sausage making is never pretty, Kate. Look, he didn't get it done to his point. And then to this question of whether Marjorie Taylor Greene is actually going to pull the trigger on this motion to vacate the threat. BOLDUAN: What’s the threat? What's the lingering threat do, do you think? HOOVER: Well look, she wants to have power and she's a chaos organizer. I mean, that's that's her end game. I mean, she just wanted to have power and be relevant. She's not here for public the policy, although to the extent that she's being influenced by Russia to influence their public policy, perhaps there's an argument there. (…) 7:56:53 a.m. Eastern BOLDUAN: I'm wondering what the fight looks like. What's the “stand up and fight” look like from this, he [Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX)] was suggesting kind of the more moderate Republicans who are serving in the House in an election year. What does that look like now in the six months to? HOOVER: Well look, for Tony Gonzales, he's got he has a primary – a runoff election coming in several weeks against a Trump-endorsed neo-Nazi. He might – Meanwhile, he’s in the largest segment of the border. I mean, the only fight he cares about is the border question. (…)

Networks Decry House Passing Bill to Protect America from China, TikTok

The liberal broadcast networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC finally found something they disapproved of amid all the foreign aid packages passed by the House over the weekend: a bill that aimed to protect Americans from the influence of Chinese propaganda. During their Monday morning newscasts, each of the big three threw their own hissy fits about the bill that could “ban” TikTok in the U.S. if their China-owned parent company didn’t sell it off. And again, they omitted the TikTok users threatening to kill lawmakers. “Meanwhile, a sweeping national security funding package that will provide aid to Ukraine and Israel and Taiwan as well also includes a possible ban on the popular app TikTok,” NBC Today co-anchor Craig Melvin announced at the top of the segment. “The social media platform could disappear from app stores nationwide unless its Chinese parent company sells it.” Lauding how the Chinese propaganda and spy app had “become engrained in American culture,” NBC correspondent Emilie Ikeda began her report by touting how “some TikTok users using their platform as a call to action hoping to save the app…” She fretted: “This morning, the fate of TikTok in a race against the clock. The House passing a bill that would force the app's Chinese parent company Byte Dance to sell the platform within a year to a new owner, up from the original six months, or face a national ban of the widely popular social media app with 170 million American users.”     Instead of mentioning how the app was responsible for harmful trends such as eating Tide Pods, cooking chicken in Nyquil, and promoting the writings of terrorist Osama Bin Laden, Ikeda blamed the bill for the “escalated” tensions between the U.S. and China. “On Friday, Apple said China ordered the company to remove Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads from its app store there,” she blamed U.S. lawmakers. Over on ABC’s Good Morning America, correspondent Janai Norman mourned that the “clock could be ticking” for the “170 million users and countless of those who rely on TikTok for their livelihood now concerned their financial security could be at risk.” Norman did throw those upset by the bill a lifeline. She cheered that if the bill became law it would be immediately challenged in court: NORMAN: The Senate is expected to take up the legislation tomorrow, and if passed, President Biden has already indicated he will quickly sign it into law. But, not so fast! Experts say don't expect the app go away any time soon. KATIE NOTOPOULOS (Business Insider, senior correspondent): It's not like the app is going to delete off your phone right away. It could be months. It could be years of wading through regulatory and legal hurdles to actually get this done. CBS Mornings was dry in their reporting on the matter since they tucked the TikTok news into the end of a larger report about the foreign aid packages. “It has huge bipartisan support, but now that it is part of this foreign aid bill, it could move more quickly than the similar bill passed in March,” correspondent Scott MacFarlane warned. None of the networks mentioned that members of Congress received death threats after TikTok told users to contact their representatives. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America April 22, 2024 7:31:58 a.m. Eastern ROBIN ROBERTS: Michael, the new fallout for TikTok after the House passed a bill over the weekend that could potentially ban the popular social media app within a year. Janai Norman is here with what this could mean for content creators and the more than 170 million users. Good morning, Janai. JANAI NORMAN: Good morning, Robin. 170 million users and countless of those who rely on TikTok for their livelihood now concerned their financial security could be at risk. But for lawmaker, the concerns they say are about data security and personal information about all those millions of users. [Cuts to video] NORMAN: This morning the clock could be ticking for popular app, TikTok. TIKTOK USER: Breaking news right now, the House of Representatives has officially passed another TikTok ban. NORMAN: Over the weekend, the House of Representatives passing legislation that could see the app banned in the U.S. if Chinese owner Byte Dance doesn't sell within a year. KATIE NOTOPOULOS (Business Insider, senior correspondent): The two options are sell to a U.S. owner or cease operating in the U.S. NORMAN: An unprecedented move that sparked serious concerns for some content creators. (…) NORMAN: The Senate is expected to take up the legislation tomorrow, and if passed, President Biden has already indicated he will quickly sign it into law. But, not so fast! Experts say don't expect the app go away any time soon. NOTOPOULOS: It's not like the app is going to delete off your phone right away. It could be months. It could be years of wading through regulatory and legal hurdles to actually get this done. [Cuts back to live] NORMAN: Right.  And so for now, TikTok is not for sale but if and when that bill passes, it would likely kick off a lengthy legal battle. So, Robin, Michael and George’s dance video on TikTok, good shape. NBC’s Today April 22, 2024 8:04:24 a.m. Eastern CRAIG MELVIN: Meanwhile, a sweeping national security funding package that will provide aid to Ukraine and Israel and Taiwan as well also includes a possible ban on the popular app TikTok. The social media platform could disappear from app stores nationwide unless its Chinese parent company sells it. NBC's Emilie Ikeda is here with more on this. Emilie, good morning. EMILIE IKEDA: Hey, there. Good morning to you. This is likely the closest the U.S. has come to banning TikTok with Congress lumping the measure in the foreign aid bill, which is headed to a Senate that’s eager to send funding to our allies. Now, some TikTok users using their platform as a call to action hoping to save the app that’s become engrained in American culture. [Cuts to video] This morning, the fate of TikTok in a race against the clock. The House passing a bill that would force the app's Chinese parent company Byte Dance to sell the platform within a year to a new owner, up from the original six months, or face a national ban of the widely popular social media app with 170 million American users. (…) IKEDA: The vote passing with the resounding 360 to 58, but online, some are rallying against the ban. (…) IKEDA: Urging their followers to take action. (…) [Cuts back to live] IKEDA: And TikTok is already banned on federal government devices. And even the potential for a forced TikTok sale may have escalated the U.S.'s tense relationship with China. On Friday, Apple said China ordered the company to remove Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads from its app store there.

Navarro Defends Menendez, Blames Wife, Argues ‘Costco Sells Gold Bars’

Faux-conservative ABC News co-host Ana Navarro was back to defending her close friend Democratic Senator Bob Menendez (NJ) from credible allegations of corruption on Friday’s edition of The View. Despite insisting she doesn’t “excuse him,” she was quite busy blaming Menendez’s wife for getting him into the situation that he was in, and seemingly tried to suggest he might have bought the gold bars hidden in his suit pockets at Costco. She also praised Democratic senators for not forcing him out of office. At least Navarro started off by acknowledging she was not going to be operating with honesty and good faith on the issue. “And look, and every time we talk about this I always want to start by saying, I think I'm biased. I try to be objective but I've known Bob Menendez for almost 30 years. I’ve worked with him on countless issues, Cuba, Nicaragua, immigration, Central American free trade,” she admitted. She immediately followed up by going after the credible allegations against him. “This Menendez that I read about here just does not jive, does not square away with the man I've known for all of this time. It's hard for me to understand all of these facts,” she decried. One might argue that she admitted to possibly facilitating some of Menendez’s alleged corruption when she bragged: “I’ve went to him with 100 issues with very rich clients, he never ever did anything like this.”     Throughout the segment, Navarro tried to blame Menendez’s wife and argued that she and his other friends didn’t know who the woman was before he married her: NAVARRO: And I will say this last thing, a lot of his friends, including me, when he saw this case, thought this is not the Bob we know. Who is this woman and how has this happened? I mean, she suddenly showed up like in the middle of COVID saying that she didn't know he was a senator. SARA HAINES: At IHOP. NAVARRO: At an IHOP. “And I did tell you the first time I read about this case, I think this woman -- I think Bob was completely smitten, enamored. He was a lone wolf for a long time. This happened during COVID,” she defended him. Navarro went on to praise Democratic senators for not forcing her friend out of office, citing the “reservoir of goodwill” Menendez had with them: And I think part of the reason that he hasn't been made to resign, that Schumer haven't forced it, his colleagues haven't forced it, is because there is a reservoir of goodwill towards him and respect towards him that there wasn’t toward like a George Santos, for example. And also I think it's because he's up for re-election now this November. And so, it's not like he's got another four years to serve, right? And the case is coming up -- is coming up now. On the flip side, she lashed out at Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman (D) for daring to demand her friend resign. “The difference with John Fetterman is that John Fetterman is new in the Senate. And so, he probably doesn't have the collegiality and friendship and history with Menendez that most of the others do,” she chided. Near the end of the segment, Navarro inexplicably proclaimed: “I read that Costco sells gold bars and they're sold out.” It was unclear if she was suggesting that Menendez bought the gold bars at Costco or that gold bars were readily available thus it didn’t matter. Costco does not sell the 1-kilo bricks stamped “Swiss Bank Corporation” that Menendez squirreled away. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 19, 2024 11:03:27 a.m. Eastern (…) ANA NAVARRO: His trial begins in a couple of weeks, I think, in two or three weeks. And look, and every time we talk about this I always want to start by saying, I think I'm biased. I try to be objective but I've known Bob Menendez for almost 30 years. I’ve worked with him on countless issues, Cuba, Nicaragua, immigration, Central American free trade. This Menendez that I read about here just does not jive, does not square away with the man I've known for all of this time. It's hard for me to understand all of these facts. I’ve went to him with 100 issues with very rich clients, he never ever did anything like this. And I will say this, and I don't excuse him, I don't justify him because Bob is one of the smartest people in Congress. It is a low bar but he really is one of the smartest people that I know, that I've worked with Congress. I think there needs to be more regulation of family members lobbying because it's not just Bob Menendez's wife, it's siblings, it's spouses, it's all of this thing. And they do have an advantage that other people don't have and a lot of lobbying firms have them on the firm and they don't even work. They don't even show up. It’s just have the names. The people of New Jersey are going to have a say on this. Bob has not said if he’s running again? JOY BEHAR: Is he running again? NAVARRO: He's not running as a Democrat. He hasn't said if he's running as an independent. And I will say this last thing, a lot of his friends, including me, when he saw this case, thought this is not the Bob we know. Who is this woman and how has this happened? I mean, she suddenly showed up like in the middle of COVID saying that she didn't know he was a senator. SARA HAINES: At IHOP. NAVARRO: At an IHOP. (…) 11:07:06 a.m. Eastern ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: He’d been charged previously and he did get off. HAINES: In 2015. FARAH GRIFFIN: He already had very similar charges that he was able to get by before he ever met the woman, so the fact that similar activity is taking place -- HAINES: She needs to be there too. NAVARRO (interrupting): I’m actually very familiar with that first case. I knew both of them. I knew Dr. Melden because he was always with Bob. And, I mean, Bob’s a guy who's been in my house. I've been at his mom's funeral. I know him very well. And I think part of the reason that he hasn't been made to resign, that Schumer haven't forced it, his colleagues haven't forced it, is because there is a reservoir of goodwill towards him and respect towards him that there wasn’t toward like a George Santos, for example. And also I think it's because he's up for re-election now this November. And so, it's not like he's got another four years to serve, right? And the case is coming up -- is coming up now. This case to me feels different than the first case. And I did tell you the first time I read about this case, I think this woman -- I think Bob was completely smitten, enamored. He was a lone wolf for a long time. This happened during COVID. Again, I don't excuse him. He is a smart guy. He should have known better. He's not something stupid gullible ingenue. SUNNY HOSTIN: The gold bars are a giveaway, right? [Crosstalk] HAINES: First time, shame on you; second time it's shame on me. In 2015, there was a close enough trial. If he’s coming back knowing, “Oh my gosh, I almost got caught” and he is so smart, dabbling in what he is dabbling in is dangerous and almost felt like he feels he was above it. NAVARRO: It seems to me gold bars for a gold digger. FARAH GRIFFIN: There are Democratic senator who’ve called for his resignation. HAINES: Fetterman. FARAH GRIFFIN: Including John Fetterman. So, I think the senator who served multiple times should stand on his own two feet, not blame the woman. NAVARRO: The difference with John Fetterman is that John Fetterman is new in the Senate. And so, he probably doesn't have the collegiality and friendship and history with Menendez that most of the others do. FARAH GRIFFIN: But that often blinds judgment. HAINES: Gold bars and you’re hiding them in your suit pockets and you’re giving your wife a car and they have text messages. I’d say, collegiality aside, you've crossed over. FARAH GRIFFIN: That's where the good old boys club gets in the way. It’s like, “oh, we like him. He’s such a such a nice guy.” Well, if he's committing crimes it doesn't really matter. NAVARRO: Which is why I tell you I feel like I know that I'm biased. I like the guy and I keep hoping against hope there is some reasonable explanation. I hope -- Listen, I hope the truth comes out. You know, I read -- I read that Costco sells gold bars and they're sold out. HOSTIN: Really?! NAVARRO: Yes! HAINES: You can buy gold bars? HOSTIN: I don't know about some gold bars from Costco. (…)

ABC News Refuses to Ask Granholm About Corruption Allegations, Ties to EV Companies

Earlier this week, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was grilled in a Senate hearing about allegations of corruption after it was discovered that she had financial ties to some of the very electric vehicle companies she was tasked with regulating and forcing Americans to eventually buy. But none of that was addressed by ABC News in an interview conducted by The View cast on Thursday. Instead, America was treated to questions about how energy companies read meters, how stupid Trump voters were, and when she was running for president. The first question out of the gate came from co-host Sara Haines, which only served to promote next week’s Earth Day celebrations and to give Granholm the opportunity to lecture about how to shrink their “carbon footprint”: And as we're all gearing up to celebrate Earth Day, from your perspective, what is the single most important thing people watching – watching this right now can do to fight climate change and reduce or lower our own carbon footprint? Granholm also used the question to promote the electric vehicles she had a financial stake in, before divesting in response to conservative media scrutiny and an ethics complaint being filed. At no point did she receive any questions – let alone serious ones – about her financial ties or allegations of corruption and ethics violation. Instead, moderator Whoopi Goldberg asked about EVs in “the projects” and people without homes to charge them.     Goldberg also wanted Granholm to explain how her electricity company can read her meter: People are getting … electric bills that are insane and I don't understand how you can – Because I watch these guys. And they come and look at the little thing going around then they read the number. How do you know $300 is on there? How do you know to charge me that? Faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin was as useless as ever since she didn’t grill Granholm either. Instead, she teed up the Secretary to blame the rise in gas prices on something other than President Biden. “Gas prices. They’re are somewhat on the rise, but they did go down significantly…What is the administration doing to lower those prices, and should we be worried about the conflict in the Middle East contributing?” she clownishly wondered. For her part, co-host Joy Behar proclaimed President Biden “cares about his grandchildren” because he was “working very hard” to stop climate change, while former President Trump “couldn’t care less about his grandchildren” because he wanted to “drill, drill, drill” and pointed out that off-shore wind turbines were harming whales. She panicked that “a new Washington Post poll shows that nearly half of Republicans now believe Trump that climate change is a hoax,” and wanted Granholm to answer: “How do we convince these people to start believing the truth?!” Behar also asked one of the final questions, pushing Granholm to run for president. “Jennifer, when are you going to run for president?” she quipped. The View’s refusal to hold Granholm to account was important to call out because the show is under the ABC News umbrella. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 18, 2024 11:32:45 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Welcome back. Our ABC news series, The Power of Us: People, Climate, and Our Future is kicking off just in time for next week's Earth Day and joining us now to weigh in on hot topics from rising temperatures and gas prices to how we can all do our part to save the planet, please welcome U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. [Applause] SECY. JENNIFER GRANHOLM (Department of Energy): Thank you so much. GOLDBERG: Welcome. Sara. SARA HAINES: Madam secretary, thanks for joining us. GRANHOLM: Yes, of course. HAINES: And as we're all gearing up to celebrate Earth Day, from your perspective, what is the single most important thing people watching – watching this right now can do to fight climate change and reduce or lower our own carbon footprint? (…) 11:35:02 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: What if you live in the projects? What if you don't have a home, what do you – (…) 11:36:48 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: Okay, so while President Biden who cares about his grandchildren – GRANHOLM: Yes. BEHAR: -- is working very hard on this as you just pointed out, he has record climate investments, former president -- can't even say it, former p – p – p[resident] Trump he says he would be a dictator on day one and drill, drill, drill! You know, he couldn't care less about his grandchildren and he spreads conspiracy theories that wind turbines are killing whales and causing cancer. But here's the problem that makes me nuts. A new Washington Post poll shows that nearly half of Republicans now believe Trump that climate change is a hoax. How much more evidence do these people need when they see what goes on with hurricanes, et cetera, how do we convince these people to start believing the truth?! (…) 11:39:47 a.m. Eastern GRANHOLM: Whoopi, you don’t look convinced. GOLDBERG: I am convinced but I do have questions, because people are getting bills, energy bills. HOSTIN: Electric bills. GOLDBERG: Electric bills that are insane and I don't understand how you can – Because I watch these guys. And they come and look at the little thing going around then they read the number. How do you know $300 is on there? [Laughter] How do you know to charge me that? HOSTIN: Good point! (…) 11:40:10 a.m. Eastern ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: More specifically, I did want to ask, Madam Secretary, gas prices. They’re are somewhat on the rise, but they did go down significantly. We’re seeing them rise a bit. Former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain had encouraged the President to focus on pocketbook issues to voters. What is the administration doing to lower those prices, and should we be worried about the conflict in the Middle East contributing? GRANHOLM: Yeah, we should and thank you for raising that. (…) 11:41:22 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: Jennifer, when are you going to run for president? GRANHOLM: Oh, my lord. What were you saying? HOSTIN: Shouldn't gas companies be better corporate citizens and lower the prices and stop gouging the American people?! (…)

'They're the Commies!' ABC News Claims GOP 'In the Bed' With Russia

On Thursday, ABC News moderators Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar took to The View to spew disinformation about Republicans on national television during an election year. The lies included accusations of being “afraid of history,” being communist and “in the bed” with Russia, and wanting to make women property again. Goldberg lashed out at “these little snowflaky people” and, without evidence, accused them of being “the ones that are afraid of information. They're the ones who are afraid of history.” “It's not us,” she sneered. “It's y'all. Y'all are afraid that what's happening is happening without you and it shouldn't be, but you're letting it happen. You're letting all of these decisions be made without you being taken seriously! No one is taking you people seriously! And you should be worried about it.” She was followed up by Behar, who seemingly longed for the return of the House Un-American Activities Committee of the Cold War era to “ruin” the lives of ALL Republicans by having them “blacklisted” from society: BEHAR: Why are they in the bed with the Russians? I mean, we grew up in a time when if you were pro-Russian in any way you were hauled before the UAC Committee and your life was ruined and you were blacklisted. Now all of a sudden these people are all about the Russians. HOSTIN: Trump. BEHAR: I know, but why are Americans accepting that all of a sudden?     “They call the Democrats commies, they’re the commies!” she decried. As usual, faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin was absolutely useless and refused to push back on any of the false accusations her friends were leveling without evidence. Further, Goldberg asserted it was “hard to figure [Republicans] out” and suggested “they’ve forgotten that we, the people, make the decisions about what goes on in this country” as if Republicans were not elected by the people. Without evidence, Goldberg went on to insist that Republicans were trying to turn back the clock to make women property again: I was listening to a book today, just talking about women's rights in the early part of this century, and, you know, women could do nothing. You had to be married or you didn't exist. Why would you want to go back to that? Why are we allowing -- This is the thing, I don't understand why we didn't get angrier sooner – and I know people are angry now because I hear it – but why are we going backwards in a way that is not good for the economy, it's not good for the country? What made Goldberg’s claim even more ridiculous, was that she said she was learning about women’s rights “in the early part of this century.” We’re almost a quarter of the through the 21st century, which meant she was living in the past and didn’t know what century it was. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 18, 2024 11:07:20 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: You know what's offensive to me? SUNNY HOSTIN: What, Whoopi? GOLDBERG: I don't – These little snowflaky people, they're the people who said, you know, ‘Oh, you can't take it, huh? You can't take the heat?’ I'm discovering that most of the folks on the other side are the snowflakes, they're the ones that are afraid of information. They're the ones who are afraid of history. It's not us. It's y'all. Y'all are afraid that what's happening is happening without you and it shouldn't be, but you're letting it happen. You're letting all of these decisions be made without you being taken seriously! No one is taking you people seriously! And you should be worried about it. JOY BEHAR: Why are they in the bed with the Russians? I mean, we grew up in a time when if you were pro-Russian in any way you were hauled before the UAC Committee and your life was ruined and you were blacklisted. Now all of a sudden these people are all about the Russians. HOSTIN: Trump. BEHAR: I know, but why are Americans accepting that all of a sudden? They call the Democrats commies, they’re the commies! (…) 11:08:50 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: You know why it's so hard to figure the other side out? Because they’ve forgotten that we, the people, make the decisions about what goes on in this country. And every time they try to usurp it – You know. I was listening to a book today, just talking about women's rights in the early part of this century, and, you know, women could do nothing. You had to be married or you didn't exist. Why would you want to go back to that? Why are we allowing -- This is the thing, I don't understand why we didn't get angrier sooner – and I know people are angry now because I hear it – but why are we going backwards in a way that is not good for the economy, it's not good for the country? (…)

NewsGuard Maintains NPR’s Perfect Rating Despite Berliner's Suspension, Resignation

Last week, now-former NPR business editor Uri Berliner drew the ire of the station’s new, far-left CEO after he called out NPR for allowing the liberal worldview to dominate the newsroom. Berliner’s act of journalistic integrity ultimately cost him his job; he was suspended and ultimately resigned. But despite NPR’s retaliation against a whistleblower and others coming forward to corroborate Berliner’s claims, left-wing media rating organization NewsGuard maintained NPR’s perfect 100/100 rating. In his essay for The Free Press, Berliner exposed NPR as a factory churning out content that catered to the liberal worldview: “There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed. It’s frictionless—one story after another about instances of supposed racism, transphobia, signs of the climate apocalypse, Israel doing something bad, and the dire threat of Republican policies. It’s almost like an assembly line.” Earlier this week, Berliner was suspended without pay by the station under the guise of it being punishment for publishing something with another outlet without getting permission first (as if NPR would have allowed him to publish something critical out them to begin with). NPR did give permission for Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep to publish a Substack defending the station and attacking his long-time colleague. Berliner subsequently resigned; posting his resignation letter on X. “I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years,” he wrote. “I don’t support calls to defund NPR. I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay.”   My resignation letter to NPR CEO @krmaher pic.twitter.com/0hafVbcZAK — Uri Berliner (@uberliner) April 17, 2024   Despite NPR seeking retribution against one of their journalists for publically blowing the whistle on how they were allowing their liberal bias to poison their newsroom, thus forcing said journalist to publically resign, NewsGuard has so far maintained NPR’s perfect 100/100 rating. Berliner’s criticisms of NPR weren’t business or employment-related (such as pay or working conditions) and had everything to do with the politics influencing the news product the organization was putting out. And thus, was an issue NewsGuard should’ve been taking seriously, especially considering that Berliner was getting support from other former NPR staffers. At this point, a lack of action by NewsGuard to downgrade NPR’s score appeared to be in defiance of the facts and in opposition to the support Berliner was receiving from many right-wingers. As MRC Associate Editor for Business & Free Speech America Joseph Vazquez noted in the 2023 study of NewsGuard’s rankings, the point of the whole system was for it to be used as a “cudgel” against right-leaning news organizations: NewsGuard wields its ratings as a cudgel, attempting to scare away advertisers from doing business with media and organizations that have been accused of promoting so-called “misinformation” or wrongthink on a whole host of issues like abortion, climate change, COVID-19 and elections. In so doing, NewsGuard effectively strips media outlets with which it disagrees of their ad money, slowly bleeding out their coffers. NewsGuard can reluctantly downgrade legacy liberal media outlets when they have terrible reporting held up under their nose. They recently downgraded The New York Times after the Media Research Center called them out multiple times. They need to do the same now with NPR.

‘Wonderfully Poetic’: Joy Reid Cheers 'My DEIs' for Prosecuting Trump

Elements of the liberal media don’t see the lawsuits and trials against former President Trump as just tools to score wins for their electoral politics, they also see them as tools to score wins for their racial politics as well. MSNBC host Joy Reid made that abundantly clear during the network’s Monday lovefest for the hush money trial in New York when she praised “my DEIs” for bringing so many charges against the former President. Delving into her usual race-baiting, Reid described it as “wonderfully poetic” that black people were prosecuting Trump. Without evidence, she suggested that it would upset Trump and his inner circle because they supposedly didn’t want black people going to law school: But for me, there is something wonderfully poetic about the fact that despite the fact that even if convicted, he's not going to go to prison. The first person to actually criminally prosecute Donald Trump is a black Harvard grad. The very kind of person that his former staff, the people who worked for him, Steven Miller et cetera, want to never be at Harvard Law School. But he was. And he came out and graduated and he's prosecuting you, Donald. “And a black woman is doing the same exact thing in Georgia,” she boasted. “And a black woman forced you to pay a $175 million fine that's out now also in question because the people who put it up, that might not be legit.”     Reid was absolutely giddy that “Donald Trump is being held to account by the very multicultural, multiracial democracy that he's trying to dismantle.” She added that “there's something poetic and actually wonderful about that” and said it was proof of “something good about our country that we're still capable of having that happen.” “Go, DEI! My DEIs are bringing it home on today!” she cheered, referring to left-wing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Just before lauding Trump’s prosecutors for their skin color, she compared Trump to one of his lawyer’s former clients, a mob boss: But to the point that you all were just making, I mean, one of my favorite facts about one of Donald Trump's lawyers, Susan Necheles, is that one of her former clients was the notorious New York mobster Benny Eggs. And I will just assume and presume that old Benny Eggs was not attacking the judge. So, Donald Trump is at this point outdoing actual mobsters in his attacks on the judge's family, the daughter. And he's doing it to the point that Lawrence made. “He knows he will never spend a day, a second, a moment in prison,” she decried. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: MSNBC’s Trump on Trial: New York v. Donald Trump April 15, 2024 7:44:32 p.m. Eastern (…) JOY REID: But to the point that you all were just making, I mean, one of my favorite facts about one of Donald Trump's lawyers, Susan Necheles, is that one of her former clients was the notorious New York mobster Benny Eggs. And I will just assume and presume that old Benny Eggs was not attacking the judge. So, Donald Trump is at this point outdoing actual mobsters in his attacks on the judge's family, the daughter. And he's doing it to the point that Lawrence made. He knows he will never spend a day, a second, a moment in prison. But for me, there is something wonderfully poetic about the fact that despite the fact that even if convicted, he's not going to go to prison. The first person to actually criminally prosecute Donald Trump is a black Harvard grad. The very kind of person that his former staff, the people who worked for him, Steven Miller et cetera, want to never be at Harvard Law School. But he was. And he came out and graduated and he's prosecuting you, Donald. And a black woman is doing the same exact thing in Georgia. And a black woman forced you to pay a $175 million fine that's out now also in question because the people who put it up, that might not be legit. Donald Trump is being held to account by the very multicultural, multiracial democracy that he's trying to dismantle. And for me, there's something poetic and actually wonderful about that. It says something good about our country that we're still capable of having that happen. Go, DEI! My DEIs are bringing it home on today. (…)