Pro-Terror? Sunny Hostin Demands U.S. Abandon Israel, Give Hamas the W

The View’s staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) came off as rather pro-Hamas during Wednesday’s edition of the show as she demanded that the United States abandon Israel and allow them to lose the war; giving the win to the genocidal terrorists. The ABC co-host also didn’t seem to care about the Israeli and American hostages being held hostage by Hamas. Hostin’s anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism flared during a discussion where the rest of the cast was commending Hillary Clinton for telling the pro-Hamas voters in Michigan and Wisconsin to get over themselves and vote for President Biden. Speaking “as an Arab-American,” faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin didn’t like Clinton’s verbiage but argued: “[Y]ou really think Donald Trump would handle Gaza better than Joe Biden? If he thought, it was politically advantageous he would level Gaza without a second thought.” Co-host Joy Behar warned that the Trump administration negotiated peace in the Middle East via “the Abraham Accords and he moved the United States embassy to Jerusalem. So, he is the most pro-Israel president running right now, more than Biden.” What Hostin took issue with was how the rest of the cast thought it was an easy decision for the pro-Hamas voters to side with Biden over Trump. “I don't think you can tell people whose families have been killed; whole entire lines of their families have been murdered, over 32,000 people, women and children, the majority that, ‘well, but if Trump wins it would be [worse],’” she decried.     Siding with the United Nations against America and Israel (and citing them as if they had any moral authority on anything), Hostin insisted the U.S. was “complicit” with “murder.” “[T]hat is because the United States sends $3.8 billion worth of aid to Israel and that also including arming them,” she whined. Citing unnamed “social sciences,” Hostin argued that, “if the United States stopped providing that aid, the war would be over…in three days.” The outcome she was advocating for in that scenario would allow Hamas to survive, regroup, and essentially give them a victory. In a surprisingly snappy rebuttal, Behar shot back with: “You know when the war would be over? If Hamas would release the hostages. That's when the war would be over, Sunny.” Hostin did see hope for her anti-Israel fantasy: “I think Joe Biden is listening, because now at the U.N., my understanding is that while they have voted for a ceasefire, the United States instead of vetoing that vote, they just abstained. And so there is movement. I think that pressure is working.” Questioning the “humanity” of those who disagreed with her, Hostin also falsely claimed the Israeli Defense Forces were intentionally targeting and killing humanitarian aid workers. “We had Jose Andres on our show who said, food and water is a human right. His very foundation was targeted by the Israeli government and seven people died,” she falsely shouted. “They weren't targeted…That's actually a mistake,” co-host Sara Haines pushed back. Haines also praised Clinton’s chides of Biden’s critics. “It is really nice to watch Hillary Clinton not hold back,” she boasted. “So, I get what she's saying but at this point it is ‘get over yourself!’ It's a bipartisan system and you cannot change it!” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 3, 2024 11:03:46 a.m. Eastern (…) ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Here's the thing, based on Michigan and Wisconsin results we know that the protest vote, the sort of ceasefire kind of votes in Michigan, were more than the margin of victory that Joe Biden won Michigan in 2020. So, this is very real. And I think you have a right, I believe a protest vote is part of democracy. I think it's a good way to make your voice heard, but I would say to these folks and these are Democrat, I'm a Republican, take it or leave it. But as an Arab-American you really think Donald Trump would handle Gaza better than Joe Biden? If he thought, it was politically advantageous he would level Gaza without a second thought. And I think, unfortunately, we live in a binary world. I’m conflicted right now because I don't like either option. But you have to think what are the long-term repercussions for what matters most to you. And I think it would be a mistake for these folks to sit it out because it’s not in their interest. JOY BEHAR: People need to understand he [Donald Trump] negotiated the Abraham Accords and he moved the United States embassy to Jerusalem. So, he is the most pro-Israel president running right now, more than Biden. So, these people on the left who are protesting that they should, at least, know that which is what you're saying and I'm just reiterating it. FARAH GRIFFIN: And I just want to correct; it's approaching Biden's margin of victory in Michigan. It's 100,000 votes. (…) 11:07:04 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: Now, these people who are on the fence, what are you thinking?! This is what Hillary is trying to say to people. What are you thinking?! There is no choice here! You have a man, Joe Biden is a good person. He understands grief. He's lost a child. He's lost two children. He lost a wife. He's compassionate. He feels for Americans. This guy [Trump], he's a psychopath. SARA HAINES: It is really nice to watch Hillary Clinton not hold back. And for this reason, we are seeing more actual Hillary Clinton since she stopped running and actively participating as a candidate herself. She’s literally saying, obviously, like it's a privilege to have more parties – I as an independent really wish we had more parties in general, not this election. So, I get what she's saying but at this point it is ‘get over yourself!’ It's a bipartisan system and you cannot change it! FARAH GRIFFIN: I don't think that's going to work with Michigan with really, really angry voters. And I'm on the other side of the conflict. HAINES: But the point you made about Trump being pro-Israel – really quick, Sunny. He also wouldn't send aid at all. So, it's not just that he would annihilate Gaza and everywhere else, he would be saying don't even put trucks in there so they will get -- anyone pushing back on Biden's take is going to get ten times worse with Donald Trump. SUNNY HOSTIN: That's right but I don't think you can tell people whose families have been killed; whole entire lines of their families have been murdered, over 32,000 people, women and children, the majority that, ‘well, but if Trump wins it would be better.’ The problem here is – HAINES: It would be worse. BEHAR: It would be worse. HOSTIN: It would be worse. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Worse. HOSTIN: The problem here is that they are making themselves known. Michigan has about 200,000 Muslim voters. They are losing their family members. And the United States, the U.N. has found is complicit in that; and that is because the United States sends $3.8 billion worth of aid to Israel and that also including arming them. Social sciences have found that if the United States stopped providing that aid, the war would be over – FARAH GRIFFIN: To be clear, the Israelis are – HOSTIN: Let me just finish this. The war would be over in three days. BEHAR: You know when the war would be over? If Hamas would release the hostages. That's when the war would be over, Sunny. [Crosstalk] HOSTIN: No. But the issue is, those votes matter -- will matter, and I think Joe Biden is listening, because now at the U.N., my understanding is that while they have voted for a ceasefire, the United States instead of vetoing that vote, they just abstained. And so there is movement. I think that pressure is working. And I think if you have any shred of humanity, you must understand that those people are losing their entire families, lines and lines of families, and it's a humanitarian crisis. We had Jose Andres on our show who said, food and water is a human right. GOLDBERG: Yes. HOSTIN: His very foundation was targeted by the Israeli government and seven people died. HAINES: They weren't targeted. [inaudible] That's actually a mistake. (…)

Tapper Takes on Role of Dem Party Strategist, Urges Abandoning Israel for Votes

Radio host Mark Levin said it best Wednesday night when he noted that “the Democrat Party will sell its proverbial soul for 10,000 votes.” Much was the case on that evening’s edition of The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN, when Tapper took on the role of party campaign strategist to urge the Biden administration to abandon Israel in its war against genocidal Hamas terrorists in order to secure pro-Hamas voters in Michigan and Wisconsin. In an interview with Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Tapper was in a panic over the 46,000 pro-Hamas voters who cast “uninstructed” protest votes against President Biden earlier in the week. Tapper was particularly concerned that those protest votes would carry over to November, hurting Biden in the general election and possibly handing former President Trump the victory. He warned Wikler that those people could vote for a third-party candidate; and with a rhetorical but rather obvious wink-wink-nudge-nudge, Tapper declared that “privately” he and Wikler were on the same page: So, let me posit another theory, maybe there's 46,000 people, because they are super engaged, they would turn out and vote basically a protest vote, even though President Biden is going to be the nominee, they didn't need to do that, but there are motivated and they're engaged as you say. Let's say they go and they vote for Jill Stein or Cornell West or Robert Kennedy Jr. I take your point they're not going to vote for Trump, but I if I were you and I'm sure you're very smart guy and well-respected. I'm sure. Privately, you agree with me, at least. These 46,000 or not necessarily going to vote for Joe Biden.     “Oh, no one’s saying anyone's necessarily voting for anyone. I don't think any candidate should take any voter for granted,” Wikler stated. “So, there's absolutely work to do to show voters that their voices are for being heard. And most importantly, addressed the wrenching humanitarian crisis that's playing out before our eyes on CNN and everywhere else.” Later in the show, Tapper praised far-left extremist and CNN colleague Nina Turner for her radical analysis that Biden needed to abandon another Middle East ally to terrorists: Let's talk about that because former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner today posted on X regarding the Wisconsin primary and what I was talking with Mr. Wikler about. Yesterday, she wrote, “Over 47,000 voters in Wisconsin went to the polls and voted uninstructed.” That's 47,000 Democratic voters, we should note. “President Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by a little over 20,000 votes. This president must decide if loyalty to Netanyahu is worth delivering Trump the election in November. He must decide.” “I love her,” he proclaimed. “She's a firebrand, she's a progressive. But there are moderate Democrats saying that privately, too.” Tapper also suggested that the Biden campaign should be courting Never Trump Republicans and former GOP candidates and have them join him on the campaign trail. “Um, shouldn't the Biden campaign and the White House be going after people like Liz Cheney and like I understand, you know, and saying I know you don't agree with me on 99 percent of these issues, but you agree with me on democracy,” he argued. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN’s The Lead April 3, 2024 5:06:28 p.m. Eastern (…) JAKE TAPPER: So, let me posit another theory, maybe there's 46,000 people, because they are super engaged, they would turn out and vote basically a protest vote, even though President Biden is going to be the nominee, they didn't need to do that, but there are motivated and they're engaged as you say. Let's say they go and they vote for Jill Stein or Cornell West or Robert Kennedy Jr. I take your point they're not going to vote for Trump, but I if I were you and I'm sure you're very smart guy and well-respected. I'm sure. Privately, you agree with me, at least. These 46,000 or not necessarily going to vote for Joe Biden. BEN WIKLER (Wisconsin Democratic Party, chair): Oh, no one’s saying anyone's necessarily voting for anyone. I don't think any candidate should take any voter for granted. So, there's absolutely work to do to show voters that their voices are for being heard. And most importantly, addressed the wrenching humanitarian crisis that's playing out before our eyes on CNN and everywhere else. The thing that will bring voters together is changed on the ground in Israel and Palestine. (…) 5:09:24 p.m. Eastern TAPPER: Um, shouldn't the Biden campaign and the White House be going after people like Liz Cheney and like I understand, you know, and saying I know you don't agree with me on 99 percent of these issues, but you agree with me on democracy. I mean, isn't there a case to be made? MATT GORMAN (fmr. Tim Scott pres. Campaign advisor): It would seem natural in a way. Jonathan Martin's piece might have blown it a little bit because now he has to wait a little bit. He can't go right afterwards because it's like, well, I'm taking cues from Jonathan Martin. But I think it would probably be a smart thing. I don't think it would be receptive if Nikki Haley did it or if it was two Nikki Haley per se, Chris Christie. Liz Cheney, on the other hand, maybe so. (…) 5:10:28 p.m. Eastern TAPPER: Let's talk about that, because former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner today posted on X regarding the Wisconsin primary and what I was talking with Mr. Wikler about. Yesterday, she wrote, “Over 47,000 voters in Wisconsin went to the polls and voted uninstructed.” That's 47,000 Democratic voters, we should note. “President Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by a little over 20,000 votes. This president must decide if loyalty to Netanyahu is worth delivering Trump the election in November. He must decide.” Nina Turner, I love her. She's a firebrand, she's a progressive. But there are moderate Democrats saying that privately, too. (…)

Winner Take All: CNN Panics Over Nebraska Looking to Join 48 States

CNN’s Inside Politics was in a panic on Thursday over the “entirely possible” scenario that President Biden’s reelection (and thus the fate of America, the world, the known universe, the multiverse, and humanity’s re-admittance into Eden) hinged on one electoral vote in Nebraska. Meanwhile, the state’s proposed shift to a winner-take-all system for electoral college votes would put it in line with 48 other states, or 96 percent of states. “Now, imagine this: a 269 to 269 tie in the electoral college that could become much more likely if Nebraska changes how it awards electoral votes. This week, Donald Trump and his allies are pressuring state lawmakers to do just that,” host Dana Bash fretted, trying to stoke fear in viewers. Breaking down why she was so paranoid, Bash explained that Nebraska and Maine were the only two states in the union that proportioned electoral college votes based on congressional districts. “Switching to a winner-take-all system could strip Biden of an electoral vote that he won in 2020. And this election could very well come down to that single electoral college vote,” she said, betraying that her fear was a victory for former President Trump. CNN national political reporter Daniel Strauss tried to talk Bash off the ledge by noting that advocates for the switch were struggling with a number of procedural hurdles (Click “expand”): Just that this is a big hurdle for advocates of changing the way Nebraska allocates delegates are trying to overcome. And part of it is just the very fact that this is how they've done it in Nebraska for a while now. It's very apparent to Democrats that there is a scenario where this election is super close and it comes down to how Nebraska allocates votes. And they obviously don't want to give an advantage to Donald Trump, that would swing the election against them. At the same time though, this bill is just running into all kinds of legislative and very technical hurdles, including that it wasn't blessed with a priority cert label that in the Nebraska legislature is acquired at this point in their cycle for moving a bill forward.     “This is really important because Democrats and Republicans have been saying throughout this cycle, ‘This can be a very close election.’ It really could come down to just a few electoral votes,” he added. Insisting it was “not out of the realm of possibility at all,” Bash put up a couple of electoral maps to spook viewers about a 269-269 split: If Joe Biden wins, that Nebraska vote, that one electoral vote and he wins back again, wins the so-called blue wall, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, you have 270 to 268, so he wins the presidency. Now, let's see this scenario where that Nebraska law is changed. 269 to 269, an electoral college tie. Seemingly unfamiliar with the constitutional rules about an electoral college tie, Strauss lamented that such a situation “goes to a whole different arena and it puts us into a morass that we don't usually experience in electoral and campaign politics. Uh, that's why -- And this is entirely possible.” What they seemingly didn’t want to disclose to viewers was that in the event of a tie, House delegations vote to elect the president. And according to 270ToWin, “Republicans hold a 26-22 edge in House delegations.” “We've seen in the past few election cycles at the blue wall is breachable and that states that are usually Republican-leaning can be flipped: Arizona and Georgia,” Strauss added. “So, it really could come down to a few electoral votes. And it could come down to one congressional district in Nebraska.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN’s Inside Politics April 4, 2024 12:44:19 p.m. Eastern DANA BASH: Now, imagine this: a 269 to 269 tie in the electoral college that could become much more likely if Nebraska changes how it awards electoral votes. This week, Donald Trump and his allies are pressuring state lawmakers to do just that. Right now, it is one of two states that awards some of its electoral votes by congressional district. The other is the state of Maine. Switching to a winner take all system could strip Biden of an electoral vote that he won in 2020. And this election could very well come down to that single electoral college vote. CNN's Daniel Strauss is digging into this. Daniel, what are you learning? DANIEL STRAUSS: Just that this is a big hurdle for advocates of changing the way Nebraska allocates delegates are trying to overcome. And part of it is just the very fact that this is how they've done it in Nebraska for a while now. It's very apparent to Democrats that there is a scenario where this election is super close and it comes down to how Nebraska allocates votes. And they obviously don't want to give an advantage to Donald Trump, that would swing the election against them. At the same time though, this bill is just running into all kinds of legislative and very technical hurdles, including that it wasn't blessed with a priority cert label that in the Nebraska legislature is acquired at this point in their cycle for moving a bill forward. Look, Dana, though. This is -- This is really important because Democrats and Republicans have been saying throughout this cycle, “this can be a very close election.” It really could come down to just a few electoral votes, a few thousand votes in states that otherwise really aren't – haven't been attended to by either the big campaigns. BASH: Let's give our viewers a scenario here that is, again, not out of the realm of possibility at all. If Joe Biden wins, that Nebraska vote, that one electoral vote and he wins back again, wins the so-called blue wall, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, you have 270 to 268, so he wins the presidency. Now, let's see this scenario where that Nebraska law is changed. 269 to 269, an electoral college tie. STRAUSS: Right. Which goes to a whole different arena and it puts us into a morass that we don't usually experience in electoral and campaign politics. Uh, that's why -- And this is entirely possible. We've seen in the past few election cycles at the blue wall is breachable and that states that are usually Republican leaning can be flipped: Arizona and Georgia. So, it really could come down to a few electoral votes. And it could come down to one congressional district in Nebraska. BASH: Absolute – Absolutely fascinating. And we are gonna be watching to see what the Nebraska legislature does. Thanks so much for bringing this to us. Appreciate it.

Hostin: The Rock Has ‘an Obligation’ to Endorse Biden for ‘Democracy!’

It’s very anti-democratic and hypocritical to demand someone endorse and vote for the candidate you were supporting all in the name “dEmOcRaCy,” which was why it came out of the mouth of The View’s staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) during Friday’s show. She was supported by the far-left ABC audience that booed and jeered Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for going on Fox News and informing everyone he would not be endorsing President Biden this cycle. The audience proved how rabidly partisan and fickle they were throughout the segment, cheering wildly when his name was first mentioned and then pivoting to obnoxious revulsion when he wouldn’t back Biden (Click “expand”): BEHAR: So, this morning, besides the earthquake going on, on Fox & Friends, Dwayne "The rock" Johnson was asked about – [Audience hoots and hollers] BEHAR: He was asked about -- are his relatives here? What? (…) JOHNSON: The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time. [Transition] Am I going to do that again this year, that answer is no. I'm not going to do that. Because what I realized what that caused back then was something that tears me up in my guts. Back then and now which is division. [Cuts back to live] BEHAR: So, a couple of questions. First of all— [Audience booing and jeering] ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Maybe they're not his relatives.     Moderator Joy Behar’s take was that he shouldn’t be listened to because he went on Fox News for an interview. And with absolutely ZERO self-awareness, she rhetorically scoffed at listening to celebrity endorsements period. “So, first of all, should I pay any attention to who gives an interview on Fox where they lie every day? Number one. Number two, should celebrities publicly endorse public figures?” she asked the table.  “Now, is the time if you have a platform, you must be active. You must speak out…if you have a platform, you have an obligation,” she shouted. Self-proclaimed independent Sara Haines had the sane take. She argued that entertainers were not obligated to take sides and recalled comments from Country artist Reba McIntyre on keeping politics out of her performances: Reba McIntyre was the one, I think, who said once, “I don't want to speak about my politics because what I do is music and it's unifying. And when I go to a concert,” she goes, “I want everyone to feel welcome and together. I don’t want to divide anyone.” She also dismissed the idea that celebrity endorsements were required, arguing: “…it's so vapid to imagine just because someone says ‘I'm going to vote for this,’ that the sheep will fall in line and follow. That minimizes voters everywhere.” Co-host Ana Navarro also defended Johnson, proclaiming he’s “entitled to do whatever the hell [he] want[s].” She recounted when, during the 2000 election cycle, Johnson made appearances at both the Republican and Democratic conventions with the goal of promoting voting in general. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 5, 2024 11:15:10 a.m. Eastern JOY BEHAR: So, this morning, besides the earthquake going on, on Fox & Friends, Dwayne "The rock" Johnson was asked about – [Audience hoots and hollers] SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: He was asked about -- are his relatives here? What? [Laughter] He was asked about putting his weight behind Joe Biden in the last election. So, watch. [Cuts to video] DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON: Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer is no. Do I believe we're going to get better? I believe in that. I'm an optimistic guy and I believe we can get better. [Transition] The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time. [Transition] Am I going to do that again this year, that answer is no. I'm not going to do that. Because what I realized what that caused back then was something that tears me up in my guts. Back then and now which is division. [Cuts back to live] BEHAR: So, a couple of questions. First of all— [Audience booing and jeering] ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Maybe they're not his relatives. HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: So, first of all, should I pay any attention to who gives an interview on Fox where they lie every day? Number one. Number two, should celebrities publicly endorse public figures? [Audience shouting “no”] Or they should keep their politics to themselves? ANA NAVARRO: If they want to. I mean, celebrities are U.S. citizens – are American citizens with a -- you don't lose your rights as a citizen because you are a celebrity. But, you know, I remember -- I'm so old like I was telling Molly today, I said I remember being at a Republican convention where The Rock spoke and I remember him being at the DNC. It was in the year 2000 in Philadelphia and when he spoke, he wasn't there. It was George W. Bush that was getting the nomination. He wasn't there endorsing. He was there raising awareness for voting and getting young people and his followers to be involved. BEHAR: Like Taylor Swift is -- NAVARRO: Yeah. So look. I think for him the cause of division aspect is a real one. He also went to the DNC that year. And I think everybody is entitled to do whatever the hell they want. HOSTIN: And I think – You know, he's been quite political. I agree with you and he's been very engaged and very involved. I do think we're living in a time where we have someone running for president that is an existential threat to democracy. Right? [Audience cheering, shouting “yes”] That is where we are at, someone who has been -- has 88, you know, criminal charges, four indictment, someone that has vowed to be a dictator on the very first day he takes office. Now, is the time if you have a platform, you must be active. You must speak out. That's how I feel, and I generally don't – [Applause] I generally don't think that celebrities should be forced to be politically active. BEHAR: Not forced. You have a platform. – HOSTIN: But right now, if you have a platform, you have an obligation. SARA HAINES: Reba McIntyre was the one, I think, who said once, “I don't want to speak about my politics because what I do is music and it's unifying. And when I go to a concert,” she goes, “I want everyone to feel welcome and together. I don’t want to divide anyone.” BEHAR: She can do it at the end of the show. [Laughter] HAINES: Point is there are activists people who are entertainers, Kerry Washington, is a self-proclaimed “I’m an activist.” You have Jane Fonda, activist. When you're not an activist and happen to have a big platform I think encouraging people to vote is the most important part, because I think it's so vapid to imagine just because someone says ‘I'm going to vote for this,’ that the sheep will fall in line and follow. That minimizes voters everywhere. So, I don't think it matters who they're voting for. Its public participation is the important part. [Applause] (…)

Cuomo: 'Hostages Have Become an Afterthought' to Biden, 'Unforgivable'

NewsNation primetime host Chris Cuomo dropped some major truth bombs on his eponymous show Thursday night; directly addressing the folks in the White House he’s been told “monitor” what he says and calling out how the American and Israeli hostages stolen by Hamas terrorists “have become an afterthought” to President Biden, who dropped them below reelection as a priority. He called it all “unforgivable.” At the top of his show, Cuomo noted “that people in the White House monitor what I say” and warned that since officials “won't come on the show,” he was “forced to speak at you rather than to you. This is not my choice.” Cuomo chided the Biden administration for their “half-speak” and “treating the war against Israel as if it were another political point of compromise.” He said the White House was using "appeasement in a situation that is not about balance” but “about realities.” “And I get how worried you are that you're not going have the same base year the last time. But that is not an excuse to be weak,” he directly shouted at Biden, who he declared had “forgotten” the hostages by not making their release the first condition of a ceasefire: There's a primary reality, okay? And we seemed to have forgotten it. Hamas is a terror organization. You designated them as that! They stole people. They need to give the people they stole back to us, to Israel, first! The hostages have become an afterthought! And that is wrong! And the reason it has happened is even more wrong! The reason it has happened is because other political exigencies and agendas have overtaken the relevance!     Cuomo rightfully dubbed the hostages “the most wrongfully injured victims in the entire situation,” and pointed out that Biden’s capitulation was evidence that Israel was receiving the short end of a double standard that benefited Hamas; one that the U.S. would not stand for if it was in Israel’s position (Click "expand"): Now. If Hamas gives back the hostages, which you would likely require as a sine qua non – without this nothing – in any other situation. Certainly if it were you in Israel's position. Then you have leverage. You have a basis for an exchange of wants. Not, “Stop, ceasefire, expose yourself, and then we hope to get the hostages back.” You wouldn't do that. You're asking Israel to do what you never would. And I don't know who else has: Pulling back under threat – existential threat, meaning they want you exterminated. And, by the way, you don't get your people back first. And it does feed the idea. I know you hear this, especially you, Tony. And I know I hear it cause I know who's talked to you about it. That it feeds this malignancy that Jews are treated differently. That Hamas is given more of a break, than your main ally. Why even mention ceasefire before they give back the hostages? The shellacking didn’t stop there. Looking directly into the camera, Cuomo declared that Biden was treating the war “like it's a debate about the debt ceiling. Like it’s brinksmanship. Lie it’s a fake deadline.” “There is too much blood on the floor for this to be about a typical compromise and you know it!” he exclaimed. Throughout his opening monologue, Cuomo spelled out how Biden was putting Israel in an impossible situation with his misplaced expectation for a ceasefire (Click "expand"): So stop treating this as if Israel should be the bigger person. They are convinced they were targeted for extermination. (…) You can provide no assurance that Israel would not be hit immediately because that's what Hamas has promised. That's what Hezbollah is doing. And the other Iranian proxies – now be honest – you have ignored. You have given Iran a pass. You have given them back billions of dollars. If you're going make Israel take on Iran for you, then at least give them a chance to be successful. (…) Enact a ceasefire immediately? Why, when they're not going to be safe? Cuomo kept the focus on the hostages, noting they “deserve the attention” and it’s “unforgivable” how they’ve been forgotten by the Biden administration. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NewsNation’s Cuomo April 4, 2024 8:03:32 p.m. Eastern CHRIS CUOMO: I know that people in the White House monitor what I say. Good. And because President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken won't come on the show, I am forced to speak at you rather than to you. This is not my choice. I understand. Talk to people within your party at very high levels elected and unelected all the time. I know that the war in the Middle East is a major concern for you in the election. And I think that explains why you misplayed it the way you did today. Okay? You gave a mixed message. You talked tough in what sounded like a threat to your main ally in the region and then you said you're giving them more weapons. You're treating the war against Israel as if it were another political point of compromise. This is wrong, but this is wrong and we need to do better here in the has to be change and blah blah blah ceasefire. A lot of words. A lot of conditional language. A lot of half speak. A lot of appeasement in a situation that is not about balance. It is about realities. And I get the pressure from the left. I get it and I get how tight the race is. And I get how worried you are that you're not going have the same base year the last time. But that is not an excuse to be weak. There's a primary reality, okay? And we seemed to have forgotten it. Hamas is a terror organization. You designated them as that! They stole people. They need to give the people they stole back to us, to Israel, first! The hostages have become an afterthought! And that is wrong! And the reason it has happened is even more wrong! The reason it has happened is because other political exigencies and agendas have overtaken the relevance! The aid workers being hit. Horrible. Matters, of course. Deserves attention, absolutely. But also makes the lack of attention to the hostages apparent. Hitting the aid workers, angels among us is, of course, an acceptable. Everybody knows that. It also must be explained and you should have called for that explanation today, because, you know, they already know the reason this is a very sophisticated organization at the IDF. How can you focus on the aid workers who bravely took the risk to be there – angels among us. That's why I and the team are willing to risk going there to see their work in action so people can see the need. But if you're going to say that what happened to them demands action. How do you not start with the return of the hostages as the most wrongfully injured victims in the entire situation. Every time you speak about what must happen and you do not begin with, “Hey terrorists, give back who you stole,” you are giving terrorists a pass. Every time you don't start there, you lose the Israeli ear. Now. If Hamas gives back the hostages, which you would likely require as a sine qua non – without this nothing – in any other situation. Certainly if it were you in Israel's position. Then you have leverage. You have a basis for an exchange of wants. Not, “Stop, ceasefire, expose yourself, and then we hope to get the hostages back.” You wouldn't do that. You're asking Israel to do what you never would. And I don't know who else has: Pulling back under threat – existential threat, meaning they want you exterminated. And, by the way, you don't get your people back first. And it does feed the idea. I know you hear this, especially you, Tony. And I know I hear it cause I know who's talked to you about it. That it feeds this malignancy that Jews are treated differently. That Hamas is given more of a break, than your main ally. Why even mention ceasefire before they give back the hostages? Now, there's an obvious reason. Too much death in Gaza. Too many innocence dying in Gaza. Children dying, starving in Gaza. You are right. We must all agree. But what has the best chance of motivating a mitigation? Threats to Israel? Never. Political pressure on Bibi? He loves it. All the more reason to force the main want: get the hostages back. You know what response I get to this? “Yeah. You know, but Hams, they don't want to give them back. You know, they’re bad guys. They need the leverage.” Really? So, instead you want to force Israel to relent. Imagine how much stronger the message to Bibi would be if you came in saying, “We told Hamas they have until X to hand over the hostages or else. And when they do. You need to do X, Y, and Z.” The people in Gaza are calling for the release of the hostages more vehemently than you are. They know Hamas has put them in this Hell. What do you know? Then you have a basis for telling Israel there has to be change. Otherwise you're basically asking Israel to give Hamas the win and withdraw. It will not happen. You know this, which means you went in today saying those things to Bibi, having them reported when, you know, it's not going to happen, not under Bibi – Not under any one, if the surveys are to be believed. So stop treating this as if Israel should be the bigger person. They are convinced they were targeted for extermination. Stop treating this like it's a debate about the debt ceiling. Like it’s brinksmanship. Lie it’s a fake deadline. There is too much blood on the floor for this to be about a typical compromise and you know it! The place to push is obvious: Hostages. And with Israel: aid. Several reasons. It's the right thing to do as a moral authority. People are starving. It's bad and it makes Israel look bad. There is a less aid getting in them before October 7th and there is more need for it than ever. You are making a generation ready for radicalization and that's understandable. If all, you know, is a life of squalor in death. What do you think is going to happen? And they're going to blame America's much as Israel. This is also a chance to widen the role of other allies to make this more regional with players and more stakeholders, even if they're only monitoring and securing aid, which you can argue Israel should not be in sole control. And then you will have more reason to have peace because there's much more precedent of an international coalition monitoring humanitarian aid, than there is for asking for a withdrawal without any assurance of safety. You can provide no assurance that Israel would not be hit immediately because that's what Hamas has promised. That's what Hezbollah is doing. And the other Iranian proxies – now be honest – you have ignored. You have given Iran a pass. You have given them back billions of dollars. If you're going make Israel take on Iran for you, then at least give them a chance to be successful. This is not ending anytime soon. And you should tell the American people. It will likely get worse. And you should tell the American people. Aid is the place that makes the most sense that is most needed and has the best chance of making a positive difference. What you are saying today was a mixed message that made nothing better. It may have pleased your left flank that is hyper-sympathetic to the suffering in Gaza and there's nothing wrong with seeing the humanity in that. But that's not your job. Your job is to do something about it. And if you want to help it, stop deal with the suffering and do it smart. That's why you're running for office. And if you keep it like today, you're right. This issue may beat you. So, this is the news, right? Biden first call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the aid workers were killed. And now they're saying, “strong rebuke.” What strong rebuke?! Enact a ceasefire immediately? Why, when they're not going to be safe? Look, I get it. I love the idea. Let's stop today, everybody go back to your corners, let's try to be reasonable. It's not going to happen. But the hostages deserve the attention. It is unforgivable how we have forgot. (…)

Sunny Hostin Claims the Solar Eclipse, Earthquake Caused by ‘Climate Change’

The liberal media loved to portray conservatives, Republicans, Trump supporters, and pretty much anyone right of center as crazy conspiracy theorists who shouldn’t be allowed a platform anywhere. But during Monday’s edition of The View, staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) proved just how dim she was when she asserted in all seriousness that Monday’s solar eclipse, Friday’s earthquake, and the coming cicada breeding season were all caused by “climate change.” Hostin’s unhinged conspiracy theories may have been the wildest, but they were not the first during the episode. Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin rhetorically scoffed at the idea that the Friday earthquake in New Jersey was a sign that Jesus was returning, but suggested former President Trump’s gold club had something to do with it: So, what’s kind of crazy is with the earthquake on Friday and then the eclipse today, people are having all sorts of conspiracies about the end of the world. And then I read online that the earthquake epicenter was actually at Bedminster in New Jersey. Fun fact. So it originated with Trump. Hostin, a self-proclaimed devout Catholic, laughed about how their studio makeup artist “put on her coat” and “ran down the hallway” during the earthquake saying “Jesus is coming” and “the rapture is here.” She also bloviated about how it was the first time in 100 years that two different cicada broods were emerging for their mating seasons at the same time.     Apparently, all the pieces were on the table and only Hostin was smart enough to put them together, and “climate change” was the answer. “All those things together would maybe lead one to believe that either climate change exists, or something is really going on,” she proclaimed. You knew things were bad when Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg were the voices of reason. “Except earthquakes are not at the mercy of climate change. It's underground. It can’t,” Behar pushed back. But Hostin wouldn’t listen to reason. “How about the warming of the planet?” she huffed in what she seemingly thought was a checkmate, without evidence of how it would cause earthquakes miles below the earth’s surface. “No, it happens. And the eclipse, they've known about the eclipse coming because eclipses happen and they actually can say when these things are going to happen,” Goldberg argued. She also went off on how God would not give a warning about when the end times would occur: So, all these folks who are saying, “You know, it's a sign from God,” God doesn't give you warning. Okay? You think he gave people at the Tower of Babble warning? “Oh, I'm about to jack y'all up.” No. God does stuff and then you figure, “Oh, that's probably because I just – uh” [pretends to die]. You know? Goldberg and Hostin also got into it over the cicada brood emergences occurring because of climate change. Goldberg noted that their breeding cycles have been known for a while and they’re sticking to it (Click “expand”): HOSTIN: Cicadas. For the first time in like 100 years, there’s two different kinds – GOLDBERG: No. No. No. No. No. No, No. No. That’s not – No. No. HOSTIN: Well, that is what I read. Two different kind of -- GOLDBERG: There's two different kinds of cicadas coming. HOSTIN: Yeah, two different times are coming. BEHAR: The good cicadas and the bad cicadas. GOLDBERG: No. HOSTIN: This is for the first time in many, many years. GOLDBERG: No. Every 17 years this happens. Hostin’s defense basically came down to “that's not what I read” online. It’s worth mentioning again that The View is under the ABC News umbrella. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 8, 2024 11:03:39 a.m. Eastern (…) ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: So, what’s kind of crazy is with the earthquake on Friday and then the eclipse today, people are having all sorts of conspiracies about the end of the world. And then I read online that the earthquake epicenter was actually at Bedminster in New Jersey. JOY BEHAR: Right! FARAH GRIFFIN: Fun fact. So it originated with Trump. [Laughter] SUNNY HOSTIN: I know, right? I have to say, Karen Dupiche our wonderful makeup artist, when the earthquake was happening, she put her coat on and she was, “Like, Jesus is coming. I'm out. I’m leaving. We got a solar eclipse. We got the earthquake.” SARA HAINES: She ran down the hallway. HOSTIN: She ran down the hallway. FARAH GRIFFIN: The rapture is here. HOSTIN: The rapture is here. And then also, I learned that the cicadas [mispronunciation] are coming. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Cicadas. [Crosstalk] HOSTIN: Cicadas. For the first time in like 100 years, there’s two different kinds – GOLDBERG: No. No. No. No. No. No, No. No. That’s not – No. No. HOSTIN: Well, that is what I read. Two different kind of -- GOLDBERG: There's two different kinds of cicadas coming. HOSTIN: Yeah, two different times are coming. BEHAR: The good cicadas and the bad cicadas. GOLDBERG: No. HOSTIN: This is for the first time in many, many years. GOLDBERG: No. Every 17 years this happens. HOSTIN: Well, that's not what I read, but maybe, you know, maybe you know better. GOLDBERG: But either way -- HOSTIN: All those things together, would maybe lead one to believe that either climate change exists, or something is really going on. BEHAR: That’s more on point. FARAH GRIFFIN: Or Jesus is returning. BEHAR: Except earthquakes are not at the mercy of climate change. It's underground. It can’t. HOSTIN: How about the warming of the planet? GOLDBERG: No, it happens. And the eclipse, they've known about the eclipse coming because eclipses happen and they actually can say when these things are going to happen. So, all these folks who are saying, “You know, it's a sign from God,” God doesn't give you warning. Okay? You think he gave people at the Tower of Babble warning? “Oh, I'm about to jack y'all up.” No. God does stuff and then you figure, “Oh, that's probably because I just – uh” [pretends to die]. You know? I mean – It's -- No, but the cicadas come -- we have them every 17 years. There are some we get every 20-some-odd years and they just go under and they come back up, and now there's BEHAR: What do they do? GOLDBERG: They make noise and they have sex. SARA HAINES: And sing. HOSTIN: And this time both types are coming. BEHAR: They have sex? GOLDBERG: Yes. They make new cicadas. BEHAR: What's the noise when they’re having sex, “Oh god?” (…)

The View ‘Stopped Asking’ Trump to Be on Show, Expect Biden Appearance

In an interview with Deadline published last week, Brian Teta [pictured right], the executive producer of ABC’s The View, admitted that they have “stopped asking” former President Trump to be on the show, and requests would resume on a “case-by-case” basis depending on who he picked as vice president. On the flipside, Teta expected President Biden to make an appearance to get a tongue bath from the co-hosts sometime before the election. Unironically, he claimed their main sticking point was “disinformation” and “misinformation” making its way onto the show. Deadline broached the subject by way of NBC’s snafu with former RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. “Would you have on as a guest a [Trump] true believer, maybe even McDaniel?” Deadline wondered. “You know, I have to look at it,” Teta said. “But we made the choice not to consider election deniers when we did our co-host search. The disinformation part of it is something to consider always.” On whether or not they planned to have Trump on the ABC News program, Teta admitted that they’ve “stopped asking” him to come on the show because he keeps declining, but also added that his “misinformation” played a key role in their decision too: DEADLINE: Given that we’re getting further and further into the election year, are you considering having Trump or any of his surrogates on the show? TETA: Again, it’s case by case. We’ll see who the VP is, when they’re announcing. We’ve invited Trump to join us at the table for both 2016 and 2020 elections, and he declined, and at a certain point, we stopped asking. So I don’t anticipate that changing. I think he’s pretty familiar with how the co-hosts feels about him and doesn’t see himself coming here. There’s no question we reach an important audience. This season we had Tim Scott on. We’ve had prominent Republicans on often and will continue to. We had Ted Cruz on last year. That’s what the show is. That’s the genius of what Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie put together here, a show of different perspectives. And I think that it’s an important thing for us to do that. But at the same time, we’re not going to put people on there to [spread] misinformation. In another part of the interview, Teta claimed that The View was still held to ABC’s “news standards.”“Even though we’re an opinion show, we’re governed by news standards, so we would call out anything like that in real time [sic],” he defended the show. Apparently, the spreading of “disinformation” and “misinformation” on the show was something reserved for the co-hosts to do. In regards to Monday’s solar eclipse and the previous week’s earthquake in New Jersey, staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) asserted, without evidence, that both were caused by “climate change.” She said the same thing about the coming cicada mating season despite them being on a known breeding schedule [video below].     The show’s other forays into “disinformation” and “misinformation” in recent weeks included claiming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was trying to “buy” the election, pushed the “bloodbath” hoax against Trump, claimed migrant women don’t get raped in or near the U.S., Hostin claimed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley didn’t really miss her deployed husband, and Joy Behar claimed NATO was the military alliance that beat Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Just to name a few. Being on top of The View’s lies and calling out their hypocrisy like this was important because, as the Deadline article noted: “The show has been up 3% in total viewers season to date, and has continued to top daytime talk shows and news programs in viewership and households.”

CBS, NBC Ignore ISIS-Inspired Terror Plot Targeting Idaho Christians

One would think the liberal broadcast networks would be eager to give President Biden a counterterrorism win during an election year, or at least praise the FBI for finally stopping an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack before it happened. But during Tuesday morning’s newscasts, CBS News and NBC News ignored the story of the FBI foiling a plot to target Christian parishioners in multiple Idaho churches last weekend. Instead of talking about the Christians who were in the crosshairs of a radical Islamic terrorist, NBC’s Today freaked out about A.I.-generated images in advertisements. Meanwhile, CBS Mornings was lauding the removal of a dam to boost salmon numbers. ABC’s Good Morning America was the only broadcast network to dedicate any time to the story; not only did they cover it, but they led their newscast with it. “First the arrest of an Idaho man on charges of plotting to carry out deadly attacks on churches in support of ISIS. The FBI director calls it a truly horrific plan,” co-anchor George Stephanopoulos announced at the top of the show. While the attack wasn’t planned for the recent Easter services, chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas noted that the plot was planned around a Muslim holiday. “The suspect was arrested on Saturday just hours before the alleged planned assault on Sunday. Authorities say he had picked a specific church where he would start his attack, set for the end of Ramadan,” he reported.     Thomas showed a picture of the alleged terrorist, Alexander Mercurio posing with an ISIS flag. He was allegedly planning to attack “multiple churches in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.” “The FBI says his plot involved a murderous rampage using knives and firearms to kill parishioners. He also planned to set their houses of worship on fire, going from church to church until he was killed by police. It's a plan eerily similar to that ISIS assault on that concert hall in Moscow,” Thomas added. In addition to the evidence of Mercurio buying the supplies to start the fires, there’s also a recording of him pledging his allegiance to ISIS. The recent ISIS attack on the Moscow concert hall was apparently an event that got law enforcement officials in the U.S. nervous about other Islamic radicals with delusions of grandeur: Mercurio's arrest comes at a state of heightened alert by U.S. law enforcement. Authorities have been concerned about rage ignited by the Israel/Hamas War, and late last week they sent out an urgent bulletin warning that ISIS was trying to use their horrific attack on that Moscow concert to inspire radicals here to conduct U.S. attacks. “In announcing this arrest last night, we received statements from both the attorney general and the FBI director, both expressing deep concern. Their statements a sign of just how serious this case is and just how dangerous the threat environment is right now,” Thomas concluded. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America April 9, 2024 7:03:02 a.m. Eastern GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: First the arrest of an Idaho man on charges of plotting to carry out deadly attacks on churches in support of ISIS. The FBI director calls it a truly horrific plan. Chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas has the latest. Good morning, Pierre. PIERRE THOMAS: George, good morning. The suspect was arrested on Saturday just hours before the alleged planned assault on Sunday. Authorities say he had picked a specific church where he would start his attack, set for the end of Ramadan. [Cuts to video] This morning, the FBI claims this 18-year-old was on the verge of conducting a terror plot involving attacks on multiple churches in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Alexander Mercurio, seen here knife in hand, expressing his allegiance to ISIS. The FBI says his plot involved a murderous rampage using knives and firearms to kill parishioners. He also planned to set their houses of worship on fire, going from church to church until he was killed by police. It's a plan eerily similar to that ISIS assault on that concert hall in Moscow. BRAD GARRETT (former FBI special agent): He talked about using knives, fire, and possibly weapons. And so the combination of all three if, in fact, he did launch that, had the possibility of harming a lot of people. THOMAS: According to criminal charges unsealed last night, Mercurio had bought a number of items for his attacks including butane canisters for setting fires. And those charges say, on Saturday, Mercurio sent an audio file to an FBI confidential informant; 20-seconds long, it says in part: “I'm answering the call for the Islamic State for jihad…and to kill.” The charges against Mercurio lay out a chilling plan where he would quote, “incapacitate his father, retrain him using handcuffs and steal his firearms to use for maximum casualties in his attack.” Sources tell ABC News his father had dozens of weapons including an AR-15 style assault rifle. Mercurio's arrest comes at a state of heightened alert by U.S. law enforcement. Authorities have been concerned about rage ignited by the Israel/Hamas War, and late last week they sent out an urgent bulletin warning that ISIS was trying to use their horrific attack on that Moscow concert to inspire radicals here to conduct U.S. attacks. [Cuts back to live] In announcing this arrest last night, we received statements from both the attorney general and the FBI director, both expressing deep concern. Their statements a sign of just how serious this case is and just how dangerous the threat environment is right now. Michael. MICHAEL STRAHAN: We’re happy they were able to stop him though. Pierre, thank you very much for that.

Whoopi Goldberg Couldn’t Remember What Years Trump Ran for President

As moderator for ABC’s The View, Whoopi Goldberg made it a point of pride to never say former President Donald Trump’s name; preferring to call him “you know who” like he’s Voldemort from Harry Potter. She’s also been one of President Biden’s biggest defenders when it came to criticism about his age and mental acuity. But during Tuesday’s show, Goldberg apparently couldn’t remember which years Trump ran for president and had to be walked through it. Kicking off the show with Trump’s recent comments about his position on “abortion rights,” Goldberg wanted to make fun of how “it landed with a thud with a ton of conservatives.” She noted that “anti-abortion activists are slamming it as a betrayal to people who voted for him in 2016 and 2020,” before pausing and asking: “What does it--? voted for him in 2016 and 2020? How did that—?”     Co-host Joy Behar had to walk her through the fact that Trump had run and received votes in those years: BEHAR: Well, they voted for him in both – people who voted for him voted in those elections. GOLDBERG: Okay. Gotcha. SUNNY HOSTIN: Real Trumpers. GOLDBERG: But he lost, right? BEHAR: Yeah. Yeah. He lost big. Yeah. HOSTIN: Bigley. BEHAR: The second time. Bigley. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wrong here,” Goldberg tried to downplay her confusion and eventually put the focus back on Trump’s abortion comments. But before giving Behar kudos for helping Goldberg out, be warned that later in the segment she suggested that conservative leaders were competing to see who could cook up policies to hurt women the most: Number one, first of all, Pence, Lindsey Graham, and Trump are fighting to see who could make women's lives more miserable. That's like what they're really fighting for. How can we really destroy women in this country? That's it. “Lindsey Graham will be on his knees flying down to Mar-a-Lago -- if he had a spine he could sit upright on the plane but he doesn't have a spine, so what's he going to do? I mean, he just goes back and forth trying to get his pension,” she chided. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 9, 2024 11:02:14 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: He's kicking abortion rights back to the states. It's not landing well -- it landed with a thud with a ton of conservatives and his former VP, his minion Lindsey Graham, and anti-abortion activists are slamming it as a betrayal to people who voted for him in 2016 and 2020. [Pauses] What does it--? voted for him in 2016 and 2020? How did that—? JOY BEHAR: Well, they voted for him in both – people who voted for him voted in those elections. GOLDBERG: Okay. Gotcha. SUNNY HOSTIN: Real Trumpers. GOLDBERG: But he lost, right? BEHAR: Yeah. Yeah. He lost big. Yeah. HOSTIN: Bigley. BEHAR: The second time. Bigley. GOLDBERG: I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wrong here. (…) 11:06:17 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: Number one, first of all, Pence, Lindsey Graham, and Trump are fighting to see who could make women's lives more miserable. That's like what they're really fighting for. How can we really destroy women in this country? That's it. Lindsey Graham will be on his knees flying down to Mar-a-Lago -- if he had a spine he could sit upright on the plane but he doesn't have a spine, so what's he going to do? I mean, he just goes back and forth trying to get his pension. (…)

ABC Disinformers: Alito Appointed By Trump, GOP Wants ‘Slavery Back’

Disturbingly, The View was under the ABC News umbrella and was not classified as an entertainment show. They’ve also bragged about being held to the same standards as every other ABC journalist. They flouted this on Wednesday’s episode when moderator Whoopi Goldberg falsely asserted that Republicans were clamoring to bring back slavery, and co-host Joy Behar falsely claimed Justice Samuel Alito was appointed by former President Trump. In the wake of the Arizona Supreme Court upholding an abortion ban from the 1860s, staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) suggested that Alito had hidden secret language in his majority opinion that gave the power to the states to regulate abortions how they sought fit: Justice Samuel Alito is the person who wrote for the majority, and he said, “Roe's failure even to note the overwhelming consensus of state laws in effect in 1868 is striking.” So, to be very clear, he wrote a road map for the states so that they could look in their books and go back to the 1860s, even before Arizona was founded, which was in 1912, and gave them the game book.     In reality, returning abortion law decisions to the states was the entire point of Dobbs V. Jackson. Hostin being a former federal prosecutor made that analysis and what followed even more disheartening. When Behar falsely claimed that Trump was the president who appointed Alito (when it was President George W. Bush), Hostin backed her up: BEHAR: And he was appointed by Donald Trump. HOSTIN: Yes, he was. The next bit of disinformation that was spewed came from Goldberg building off the abortion discussion. According to her twisted brain, not only were Republicans interested in “rolling back” so-called “abortion rights,” “in their minds they want to bring slavery back. They're okay with it.” She proclaimed all that without any evidence whatsoever. Goldberg followed up by praising progressive activist justices on the bench. “One of the good things about the Supreme Court is you can fight to make sure you make stuff better. You don't generally fight to make stuff worse,” she said. “So, how is that going to roll? How is that going to roll? What's the next thing? Because, you know on this -- with all of this comes birth control. With all of this comes everything that you need as a woman to have had put in place to make sure that we were doing better than we were before,” she added. It was only then did Behar issued a correction for her misinformation about Alito. “Just let me make a correction. It was George W. Bush who appointed Alito, not Trump,” she said. Hostin also backed her up on that as well, agreeing, “It wasn’t Trump.” At least Hostin was a ride-or-die no matter what comes out of their mouths? The View’s executive producer, Brian Teta recently did an interview with Deadline where he made a big deal out of how they don’t want to give people like Trump a platform to spread disinformation and misinformation. Apparently, that right was exclusive to the co-hosts. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 10, 2024 11:06:27 a.m. Eastern (…) SUNNY HOSTIN: Justice Samuel Alito is the person who wrote for the majority, and he said, “Roe's failure even to note the overwhelming consensus of state laws in effect in 1868 is striking.” So be very clear, he wrote a road map for the states so that they could look in their books and go back to the 1860s, even before Arizona was founded, which was in 1912, and gave them the game book. JOY BEHAR: And he was appointed by Donald Trump. HOSTIN: Yes, he was. BEHAR: Who took the credit for overthrowing Roe V. Wade. (…) 11:07:53 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Take a look at -- Take a look at the things that they're rolling back. Remember I said ages ago, you know, in their minds they want to bring slavery back. They're okay with it because –You see, things change. One of the good things about the Supreme Court is you can fight to make sure you make stuff better. You don't generally fight to make stuff worse. HOSTIN: Or to roll back. GOLDBERG: Or to roll back. And to me, if you're okay rolling that back when things were not even a state, when we had no say. HOSTIN: Yeah. GOLDBERG: So, how is that going to roll? How is that going to roll? What's the next thing? Because, you know on this -- with all of this comes birth control. With all of this comes everything that you need as a woman to have had put in place to make sure that we were doing better than we were before. [Crosstalk] BEHAR: Hold on because I have to make a correction. ANA NAVARRO: Hold on. I haven't spoken on this and I’d like to. BEHAR: Just let me make a correction. NAVARRO: Go ahead. BEHAR: It was George W. Bush who appointed Alito, not Trump. HOSTIN: It wasn’t Trump. NAVARRO: Well, but – BEHAR: Trump just got the others in which helped Alito. (…)

Cuomo Frets NPR Will Target ‘Whistleblower’ Who Exposed Their Liberal Bias

25-year NPR veteran Uri Berliner recently came forward to call out his employer and colleagues for being liberally biased in a way that was harming the credibility of their reporting. And in a Tuesday night appearance on NewsNation’s Cuomo, host Chris Cuomo shared his concern that NPR would target him and “kick [him] to the curb.” But Berliner said he was getting a lot of support from colleagues, including from surprising sources. “On that issue of media trust, there was a bombshell today, a whistleblower in effect on bias in the media,” Cuomo announced at the top of the show. “Among his claims: NPR was stacked with like-minded people who appealed to an ever-narrow, progressive worldview catering to a select audience and losing its audience as a result.” Cuomo agreed with Berliner’s assessment that “political diversity” was not something newsrooms prioritized, adding that it was one of the reasons he chose to join NewsNation: 87 Democrats, not a single Republican. Does he have a point? Yup! Do newsrooms lack diversity? Well, depends what boxes you want to check. Political diversity. It's a big at NewsNation. We've got all kinds here. The disagreement is organic and so are the common concerns.     When asked about what the response was in-house at NPR, Berliner said he got the expected pushback from the managers he called out but was getting a lot of support from many others, including some surprising individuals: I'm not surprised by the response that, you know, came from management and the same managers that I’ve been making a lot of these points about. And they're certainly entitled to that perspective. I will say, I've had a lot of support from colleagues, many of them unexpected, who say they agree with me. Some of them say this confidentially, but I think there's been a lot of response saying, “Look, these are things that need to be addressed. We haven't. We've been too reluctant, too frightened, too timid to deal with these things. And I think that this is the right opportunity to bring it all out in the open. This seemed to preemptively relieve Cuomo of some of his concern for Berliner’s future at the station. “I hope you saved up your money. You are a business editor, so hopefully you’re good with your own investing because they're going to kick you to the curb and nobody’s going to want you,” he quipped. “I’m not worried. You know, I think people want open dialogue. I think people want to have honest debates,” Berliner replied. On how NPR had gotten so liberally biased, Cuomo wondered: “Are you saying that's the truth or are you saying it's something that has evolved? What do you want people to feel about NPR and what you feel about the media in general?” Berliner felt that NPR had “a liberal orientation” at first but “evolved” to be a place of “much narrower kind of niche thinking, a group think that's really clustered around various selective progressive views.” He added that “they don't allow enough air and enough spaciousness to consider all kinds of perspectives.” Reminiscing about how things used to be, he suggested they used to be “kind of nerdy and really like[d] to dig into things and understand the complexity of things.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NewsNation’s Cuomo April 9, 2024 8:09:54 p.m. Eastern CHRIS CUOMO: On that issue of media trust, there was a bombshell today, a whistleblower in effect on bias in the media. One of the most, you know, the biggest, most respected names in the news, National Public Radio. Today, senior business editor Uri Berliner published a story in Free Press, Substack. The headline? “I've been and NPR for 25 years. Here's how we lost America's trust.” Among his claims: NPR was stacked with like-minded people who appealed to an ever-narrow, progressive worldview catering to a select audience and losing its audience as a result. He also says stories were ignored, mistakes made, corrections never issue, and that all, quote, “shatters trusted and engenders cynicism about the media.” And when he dug into voter registration at NPR in Washington, guess what he found. 87 Democrats, not a single Republican. Does he have a point? Yup! Do newsroom's lack diversity? Well, depends what boxes you want to check. Political diversity. It's a big at NewsNation. We've got all kinds here. The disagreement is organic and so are the common concerns. So, I want to bring in brother Berliner because that was a brave thing he did, man. Your competition is your critic base in this business. And you knew when you wrote this, you aren’t going to get a chorus of amens, you're going to get people probably digging garbage and saying it's not true. And sure enough, colleagues came forward to do what you had to expect that we're going to do, which is say, ‘We disagree. Uri’s entitled to his opinion. But we disagreed about the nature and quality of our reporting.’ What do you make of their response? What do you make of the attention? URI BERLINER: I'm not surprised by the response that, you know, came from management and the same managers that I’ve been making a lot of these points about. And they're certainly entitled to that perspective. I will say, I've had a lot of support from colleagues, many of them unexpected, who say they agree with me. Some of them say this confidentially, but I think there's been a lot of response saying, “Look, these are things that need to be addressed. We haven't. We've been too reluctant, too frightened, too timid to deal with these things. And I think that this is the right opportunity to bring it all out in the open. CUOMO: So, for those who are sitting there saying, “I knew it! NPR, those laconic lefties, you know, with the slow delivery and just feeding us all of this.” Are you saying that's the truth or you saying it's something that has evolved? What do you want people to feel about NPR and what you feel about the media in general? BERLINER: I think it's evolved. You know, I've been at NPR a long time. 25 years. You could say I'm a lifer. And it's a place that always loved working. But when I started there was a liberal orientation. But I think we were more guided by curiosity, open mindedness. You know, you said talked about policy. We're kind of nerdy and really likes to dig into things and understand the complexity of things. I think that's evolved over the years into a much narrower kind of niche thinking, a group think that's really clustered around various selective progressive views that don’t – they don't allow enough air and enough spaciousness to consider all kinds of perspectives. CUOMO: So, you used some very powerful words that people kind of see as sacrosanct. Whether it's, you know, indicating bias of what people call “woke” these days or “political correctness” or “cancel culture.” You know, these are often seen as instruments of the left. One, were you worried that – I hope you saved up your money? You are a business editor, so hopefully you’re good with your own investing because they're going to kick you to the curb and nobody’s going to want you. Especially as you a white guy, you know, who's not 18. So, what do you make of going after these sacred cows? BERLINER: I’m not worried. You know, I think people want open dialogue. I think people want to have honest debates. (…)

Millionaire Whoopi Dismisses High Food Prices, Whines About Commute

ABC’s millionaire moderator, Whoopi Goldberg was in a foul mood during Thursday’s edition of The View because former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain dared to say President Biden should focus his reelection message on issues that average Americans were concerned with such as inflation and high grocery prices. She repeatedly shouted down any attempt to suggest he had the power to curtail inflation but then went on about how expensive her commute was as if Biden could deal with it. According to big brain Goldberg, who recently couldn’t remember which years former President Trump ran for office, Biden wasn’t responsible for inflation at grocery stores; rather, it was the stores just raising prices for the hell of it. “I think our kvetch is not with him for grocery prices. I’m mad at the grocery stores, because if all of the things have been open why are you still raising prices?” she shouted. Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin tried to argue that prices were the top concern of the undecided voters she’s spoken to and that there was a way for Biden to address it, but Goldberg repeatedly shouted over her, suggesting if those “people knew civics” as she did they’d know they were wrong (Click “expand”): FARAH GRIFFIN: What I hear when I talk to undecideds is “the grocery bills are--” GOLDBERG (interrupting): Yes, but if the people knew civics they would know that is not his -- FARAH GRIFFIN: There are absolutely things that Biden can do to address it and grocery prices have jumped 25 percent over four years. JOY BEHAR: What can he do? [Crosstalk] FARAH GRIFFIN: Hang on real quick. This is the reality. It’s the most immediate and repetitive thing. You have to buy groceries every week. GOLDBERG (interrupting): We get all that. But the question is what do you want him to do? What can he do? FARAH GRIFFIN: He can challenge the major grocery chains if he wants to. There are things that he could do with – that he could encourage the Fed to do. Goldberg insisted Biden was “doing stuff he’s supposed to be doing. He’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing,” but never explained what that “stuff” was.     Farah Griffin tried to reiterate that “Americans are spending 11 percent of their income on food” but Goldberg interjected with her own problems. “I'm an American. I'm a little pissed off about over-the-price stuff, but I’ll tell you what I'm really pissed off about,” she shrieked. “I wanted to talk about why the people in New Jersey now are facing not just getting the prices raised on the buses and trains…” Suggesting that Biden was in a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t scenario, Goldberg argued that he was just a busy guy getting pulled in different directions: Listen, he can do what he did with the gas people. He can do everything but then he's not going to be able to take care of what he needs to do in Israel, then he's not taking care -- I mean, it's like, there's a lot of stuff to do but we get it. We know there's a lot to do. Backing up Goldberg through all of this, was staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners), who was blaming the high prices on grocery stores. Without evidence, she accused all grocery stores of “price gauging.” “Maybe we just need corporations like these grocery stores to be good corporate citizens and stop gouging! Stop trying to make money off of our backs!” she shouted. A little over a year ago, Hostin bragged that she hadn’t gone grocery shopping in years, ever since the COVID pandemic. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 11, 2024 11:05:49 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: I think our kvetch is not with him for grocery prices. I’m mad at the grocery stores, because if all of the things have been open why are you still raising prices? (…) 11:07:07 a.m. Eastern ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: What I hear when I talk to undecideds is “the grocery bills are--” GOLDBERG (interrupting): Yes, but if the people knew civics they would know that is not his -- FARAH GRIFFIN: There are absolutely things that Biden can do to address it and grocery prices have jumped 25 percent over four years. JOY BEHAR: What can he do? [Crosstalk] FARAH GRIFFIN: Hang on real quick. This is the reality. It’s the most immediate and repetitive thing. You have to buy groceries every week. GOLDBERG (interrupting): We get all that. But the question is what do you want him to do? What can he do? FARAH GRIFFIN: He can challenge the major grocery chains if he wants to. There are things that he could do with – that he could encourage the Fed to do. SUNNY HOSTIN: Challenge how? Can he take them to court? BEHAR: So far, we're in a free country. GOLDBERG: Let her answer. FARAH GRIFFIN: There are a number of things to be done but to say, “I wash my hands, it's not my problem you can’t afford groceries.” HOSTIN: But what can he do? Can he take them to court because they’re price gauging? FARAH GRIFFIN: No, it's not a matter of taking them to court. [Crosstalk] SARA HAINES: I see what you’re saying. Even campaigning on things like that helps. Because I think also making room for immigration would be helpful here. One of the things, if you're looking towards the election if you want to grab people and get them voting, immigration is one of the most agreed upon problems. GOLDBERG: But here's the problem, he does -- He goes and he takes care of what he's supposed to be taking care of, which is the bridge and how to open – just hold on. FARAH GRIFFIN: I don't think that's what Ron Klain was saying. He was talking about him going to – [crosstalk] infrastructure projects – [Crosstalk] GOLDBERG: But here's the thing, you know, people are bitching if he does stuff, they bitch if he doesn't do stuff. Listen, he’s doing stuff he’s supposed to be doing. He’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing. But I'm pissed off. [Crosstalk] FARAH GRIFFIN: Americans are spending 11 percent of their income on food, the most – GOLDBERG (interrupting): I'm an American. I'm a little pissed off about over-the-price stuff, but I’ll tell you what I'm really pissed off about. I’m really pissed out that people seem to think that the American citizen is a wallet where you can just get your hand in through. That's what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to talk about why the people in New Jersey now are facing not just getting the prices raised on the buses and trains— HOSTIN: Congestion pricing. GOLDBERG: No, no, this is on the Jersey side. HAINES: Yeah, I know, but it's all part of the same -- GOLDBERG: But the congestion pricing isn't making me as nuts as -- FARAH GRIFFIN: I just want to underscore. I think it's a fair point. There's not one box he can check and suddenly grocery prices go down. That would be ridiculous to suggest but what is being told by advisers is, “You need to speak to what people are feeling. You need to speak to this very real reality.” I make a lot of money. I put a red onion back the other day because it was $4.99. That's ridiculous! GOLDBERG: Yeah, but, again, he can talk -- Listen, he can do what he did with the gas people. He can do everything but then he's not going to be able to take care of what he needs to do in Israel, then he's not taking care -- I mean, it's like, there's a lot of stuff to do but we get it. We know there's a lot to do. My kvetch with him is – Listen, Ron, if there's something you want him to talk about, let's say, listen, we know you're doing all this stuff but when you say, “I don't want him to be talking about bridges anymore,” it sounds to people who live and need that bridge like they're being dismissive. HOSTIN: Maybe we just need corporations like these grocery stores to be good corporate citizens and stop gouging! Stop trying to make money off of our backs! (…)

Hostin: O.J.’s Acquittal Was Fine Because Cops Kill More Than He Did

Following the death of former football player and murderer O.J. Simpson, the dumb and racially charged hot takes from the cast of ABC’s The View were inevitable. Of course, it was staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) who dredged up the unfounded racial aspects of the case applied by race-hustlers. She even argued that Simpson’s acquittal was fine since, collectively, cops have killed more people than he did. According to Hostin, the case “was less about his guilt or innocence” in the brutal murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, but “rather about the system and how the system treated African Americans and continues to treat African Americans in this country.” Despite the cases not being related in the slightest, Hostin insisted that a full “context” recounting of Simpson’s trial must include what happened to Rodney King years earlier. “You have to remember in putting it into context the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King almost to death in front of the world's eyes was in 1992. This happened in 1994,” she said. Hostin argued that for the black community, which she identified with, the Simpson trial “was less about whether or not O.J. did it” and more about using it as a stand-in for race relations in America. She went on to admit that Simpson may have “got away with it,” but “police officers have killed many more people than O.J. Simpson.”     The race card was also played by faux conservative Ana Navarro, who recalled following the case as a law school student, saying: “It was the first time I was confronted in my lifetime with the racial divides and the painful racial gaps in America.” Navarro said she spoke with former CNN host Don Lemon about Simpson’s death and trial, and he seemed to agree with Hostin’s take. “And I do think, Don Lemon was saying to me yesterday, it was not about guilt or innocence, it was about race. It was so much about race,” she recounted. Co-host Sara Haines injected a bit of sanity into the discussion by refocusing the conversation on to Simpson’s two victims: HAINES: There were innocent people involved here and I'd like to take a moment them. Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were brutally killed and murdered. And I think that the legal system failed Nicole over and over again. She had called 911 nine times, the crap beaten out of her, bloody in bushes and always released her domestic abuser. BEHAR: Who was O.J. HAINES: Yeah. I just want to not say his name like everyone is because I think the people we need to be focused on are Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman who were more than victims in this. She had kids. She was a beloved woman that missed out on major parts of her life. The Goldman family still longs for their son who was funny, kind, and outgoing. “For whatever went on in the mess of this, my heart continues to go out for those families who lived beyond and without their loved ones,” she said. The silence from Hostin was deafening. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 12, 2024 11:03:00 a.m. Eastern (…) SUNNY HOSTIN: You know, I think it was less about his guilt or innocence and rather about the system and how the system treated African Americans, and continues to treat African Americans in this country. You have to remember in putting it into context the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King almost to death in front of the world's eyes was in 1992. This happened in 1994. And I think for the black community, it was less about whether or not O.J. did it, because I think even today you'll go to, you know, barber shops and beauty salons and people will say “he did it,” but he got away with it and the police officers, you know, police officers have killed many more people than O.J. Simpson. JOY BEHAR: Probably I think they didn't trust that the police did not plant evidence because -- HOSTIN: Well, Mark Furman said on the witness stand, “I never used a racial slur.” By the way, people, when a lawyer in cross-examination in a courtroom says, “have you ever done this?” they know that you did it. [Laughter] Right? And so then they come up with tapes and he's using the "N" word like Christmas. BEHAR: But don't you think some of the reason he got away with it was because he was famous not just that he was black? ANA NAVARRO: There were so many reasons. The prosecution had a lot of failures. And, yes, I think part of the reason that it's so fascinating. Look, it's fascinating because it was O.J. Simpson. He was a celebrity, he was rich, he was a successful athlete, we all knew who he was, and he was in car rental company commercials. But it's one of these instances in American history where if you're of a certain age, everybody remembers where you were the day that the verdict was read. HOSTIN: And when the Bronco chase was happening. NAVARRO: Everything. BEHAR: Well, it was covered extensively. NAVARRO: Like with 9/11, with the JFK death, with Challenger explosion. HOSTIN: Michael Jackson’s death. NAVARRO: It reaches that level because I think it's had such cultural significance. It launched so many careers. It changed the way we cover courts. HOSTIN: Camera were in the courtroom. NAVARRO: For me it was the first time and I know it sounds naive to a lot of people but I grew up in Miami in a bubble. I went to a school that was 98 percent Latina immigrant Catholic girls. It was the first time I was confronted in my lifetime with the racial divides and the painful racial gaps in America. And I remember watching it. I remember I was at the student union in law school and the black students were on side and the white – non-blacks were on the other side. The black students erupted into cheers, the white -- everybody else was with jaws agape, and it's something that still is happening in so many cases. And I do think, Don Lemon was saying to me yesterday, it was not about guilt or innocence, it was about race. It was so much about race. SARA HAINES: There were innocent people involved here and I'd like to take a moment them. Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were brutally killed and murdered. And I think that the legal system failed Nicole over and over again. She had called 911 nine times, the crap beaten out of her, bloody in bushes and always released her domestic abuser. BEHAR: Who was O.J. HAINES: Yeah. I just want to not say his name like everyone is because I think the people we need to be focused on are Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman who were more than victims in this. She had kids. She was a beloved woman that missed out on major parts of her life. The Goldman family still longs for their son who was funny, kind, and outgoing. BEHAR: He was really an innocent bystander. HAINES: They both were innocent. BEHAR: She was not a bystander, but – HAINES: For whatever went on in the mess of this, my heart continues to go out for those families who lived beyond and without their loved ones. (…)

Will NewsGuard Demote NPR’s Perfect Rating After Revelations of Liberal Bias?

On Tuesday, National Public Radio business editor Uri Berliner blew the whistle on the station’s “assembly line” of liberally biased reporting, which he said was being cranked out “one story after another” framed with the leftist worldview. The expose put NPR under the microscope and put a serious blemish on the organization. But the question now is: will that blemish finally force media-scoring agency NewsGuard to downgrade NPR’s perfect 100/100 rating? In his essay entitled “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust,” Berliner explained: “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.” Berliner appeared on NewsNation with host Chris Cuomo Tuesday night and described the current company culture as “a much narrower kind of niche thinking, a group think that's really clustered around various selective progressive views that don’t – they don't allow enough air and enough spaciousness to consider all kinds of perspectives.” That certainly didn’t sound like the type of environment that would be conducive to fair, objective, and unbiased reporting. Especially if their default framing for reporting was that Republican policies were considered a “dire threat” to the country. But as of the publication of this piece, NewsGuard still had NPR rated at perfect 100/100. As MRC Associate Editor for Business & Free Speech America Joseph Vazquez recently reported, NewsGuard can reluctantly downgrade legacy liberal media outlets when they have terrible reporting held up under their nose. NewsGuard was seemingly forced to recently downgrade The New York Times from a perfect 100 to 87.5/100 after the Media Research Center repeatedly called out The Times’ shoddy reporting and NewsGuard’s refusal to act on it. As 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. This time, the calls were coming from inside the preverbal house with a 25-year NPR veteran being the one to cry foul. Berliner also told Cuomo he was getting – while not public – internal support from some of his NPR colleagues. And a recent Times article noted Berliner was getting backup from former NPR ombudsman Jeffrey A. Dvorkin. The article also reported that internal pushback to Berliner rejected calls for ideological diversity in the newsroom: “In one group, several staff members disputed Mr. Berliner’s points about a lack of ideological diversity and said efforts to recruit more people of color would make NPR’s journalism better.” Clearly, NPR was not deserving of a 100/100 rating. So, how will NewsGuard react?

CNN Finally Puts ‘King Charles’ Primetime Show Out of Its Misery

After six months, CNN finally took their poorly-rated primetime show King Charles out back and put it out of its misery. Airing just one night a week on Wednesdays, King Charles was one of the last vestiges of the Chris Licht era of CNN leadership, which purportedly tried to achieve a more fair and balanced approach to reporting the news before an internal revolt of the network’s radical liberals quashed it. Since you’ve likely never heard of the show since its ratings were so poor, no, the show was not hosted by the king of England, but rather CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King and NBA on TNT personality Charles Barkley. CNN thought they were being clever by splicing their names together. Since the November premiere, the show has been a ratings disaster. “The long-hyped premiere of the new weekly primetime series, which aired Wednesday at 10 pm, drew just 501,000 viewers, according to same-day Nielsen ratings,” reported the New York Post. “It finished a distant third among the biggest cable news channels in total viewers, ranking as the smallest of any of CNN’s primetime debuts this year.” The Post also reported that in the months to follow, their numbers continued to fall off: “Since its debut in late November, viewership has dropped 20% for ‘King Charles’ … But the Jan. 31 broadcast, the most recent airing as the program was off this past week, brought in just 400,000 total viewers and 89,000 in the 25-54 demographic, Nielsen figures show.” King and Charles were “even losing out to reruns of old ‘Friends’ and ‘South Park’ episodes.” A problem with CNN’s apparent plan to buy primetime market share by bringing in big names to draw in viewers was that big names come with packed schedules. As The Post noted, Barkley’s hindered how often they could put out episodes since he’d have to fly to New York to do the show every Wednesday between his obligations for TNT’s Inside the NBA: An industry source told The Post that the show was limited by Barkley’s schedule. The NBA Hall of Famer could only do the show on Wednesdays due to his other commitments — namely his role as a co-host of the popular “Inside the NBA” on CNN’s sister station TNT, according to a source close to the network. Barkley had mentioned that his crowded schedule made it more difficult for the show to attract a loyal following. Another possible factor in the show’s cancelation could have been that Barkley’s political ideology didn’t adhere to liberal dogma as staunchly as most CNN hosts. In late February, on the show, Barkley told then-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley: “Governor, I’m dying to vote for you. I want to give all my energy and all my heart behind your campaign.” His hang-up was her comments about America never being a racist country. King, on the other hand, has a history of ultra-liberal punditry and has donated to the Obama campaign and vacationed with them as though she was part of the family. 

NBC Wonders: Why the ‘Average Person’ Doesn’t Understand the Climate Crisis?

Open contempt for average people and attempts at influencing the election. That’s what was on display during NBC’s Today 3rd Hour last Friday when the co-anchors sat down with far-left climate alarmist Al Gore. They huffed about how “the average person just doesn't get it” when it came to the so-called climate crisis. They also urged him to speak about how crucial the upcoming presidential election was for battling climate change. Obviously, they couldn’t get into the topic of climate change without first having co-anchors Dylan Dreyer, Craig Melvin, and Sheinelle Jones shower Gore with obnoxious gooey praise: DREYER: We're back now with a special edition of Today Climate, joined by one of the world's most prominent voices on this crisis. MELVIN: And one of the earliest as well, I would add. For eight years, Al Gore served, of course, as vice president of these United States. And after leaving office, his work to educate people about the climate crisis was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. JONES: His advocacy earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Now, he's organization The Climate Reality Project is training thousands of climate leaders this weekend here in New York. It was soon followed up with Melvin lamenting “the average person” and their seeming lack of understanding about the so-called “climate crisis.”     After they noted Gore was in New York “to train leaders and advocates” and commended those people for how they “get it,” Melvin seemed to suggest the “average person” just couldn’t understand. “Do you think that the average person in this country understands the urgency of the crisis?” he wondered. “Is that an area where you see that we made some headway? Or do you still think that the average person just doesn't get it yet?” Gore said he felt that “most people” understand and that “mother nature is the most persuasive” in getting them to understand. He then went on a brief unhinged rant about how “the extra heat energy” being trapped by pollution each day equaled “750,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every day.” “Wow!” Jones exclaimed while not asking for any evidence for such a wild claim. “It’s hard to wrap my head around a number that big,” Gore added. Pivoting to the fast-approaching presidential election, Dreyer wanted to know it how the results “will impact where we're at with climate change right now? Not just here but around the world.” Initially, Gore bragged that the outcome didn’t matter because, “in some ways, what you might call a big wheel moving in the right direction that's kind of unstoppable.” But seemingly realizing that his answer didn’t carry enough hysteria that would lead people to get out and vote, he changed his tune: “Those trends are going to continue. But it’s not enough. So, the outcome of these elections in the U.S. and elsewhere in The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NBC’s Today 3rd Hour April 12, 2024 9:20:47 a.m. Eastern DYLAN DREYER: We're back now with a special edition of Today Climate, joined by one of the world's most prominent voices on this crisis. CRAIG MELVIN: And one of the earliest as well, I would add. For eight years, Al Gore served, of course, as vice president of these United States. And after leaving office, his work to educate people about the climate crisis was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. SHEINELLE JONES: His advocacy earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Now, he's organization The Climate Reality Project is training thousands of climate leaders this weekend here in New York. (…) 9:23:16 a.m. Eastern MELVIN: Mr. Vice president, again, you are here to train leaders and advocates. Obviously, they get it. Do you think that the average person in this country understands the urgency of the crisis? Is that an area where you see that we made some headway? Or do you still think that the average person just doesn't get it yet? AL GORE: Well, I think most people do. And mother nature is the most persuasive – the voice on all of this. I mean, you guys talk every day on the weather news about these extreme events. We were talking about it this morning. MELVIN: Right. GORE: We're still put 162 million tons of manmade heat trapping pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere that surrounds the Earth every single day. It builds up – it lingers there for about 100 years, molecule-for-molecule. And the total amount now traps as much extra heat energy every day as would be released by 750,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every day. JONES: Wow! GORE: It’s hard to wrap my head around a number that big. (…) 9:25:03 a.m. Eastern DREYER: So, with the presidential election, you know, less than seven months away, how do you think the outcome of that, whatever happens, will impact where we're at with climate change right now? Not just here but around the world. GORE: Well, I think in some ways there’s, in some ways, what you might call a big wheel moving in the right direction that's kind of unstoppable. What I mean by that is, if you look at all the new electricity generation installed worldwide last year, 87 percent of it was renewables. It’s the cheapest electricity in the history of the world. One in five vehicles are electric now and it will rise rapidly. Those trends are going to continue. But it’s not enough. So, the outcome of these elections in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world this year really will make a difference. (…)

Hostin Fears Trump Voter Will ‘Sneak’ onto Jury By Saying ‘I Hate Trump’

On Tuesday’s edition of The View, ABC’s staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) proved once again why she’s a former federal prosecutor. Speaking about the upcoming hush-money trial against former President Trump, Hostin proclaimed that she feared the impartial jury would be infiltrated by a Trump supporter who would “lie” by telling the court the contradictory statement: “I hate Trump. But I can be impartial.” Hostin admitted she was “excited” for the trial, calling it “a legal nerd's Super Bowl.” When faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin noted “They haven’t even picked a juror,” Hostin boasted about the jurors who said they couldn’t be impartial: “But that's exciting to someone like me because 50 people said ‘I can't even be impartial,’ which I admire them for their forthrightness and their honesty because you have to be honest when you're a juror.” But while claiming she “still believe[d] they will be able to find an impartial jury,” Hostin contradicted herself by adding: “They’re never going to find that.” She then went on to hype how the legal teams were going to comb through the social media accounts of prospective jurors for signs they support Trump: They are never going to find someone that doesn't know about the former twice-impeached loser president. Right? They're never going to find that. But what I did find also interesting about my Super Bowl that the legal teams will be checking the jurors’ social media profiles to see if they can access the truthfulness and intention of what they said during voir dire, which is their questioning.     “And I think that’s really, really important because, if you start liking Trump, you follow Trump stuff on social media, are you going to -- can you be impartial? I don't think so,” she declared without a consideration to keeping Trump haters off of the jury. In fact, her fear was that a Trump supporter would “sneak onto that jury” by lying about hating Trump: HOSTIN: You get one person that sneaks onto that jury with untoward feelings, that person can hang that jury. BEHAR: How do you sneak onto a jury? You have to be called to a jury. HOSTIN: Well, you lie. You lie. You say, “I hate Trump. But I can be impartial. And I this and that.” BEHAR: I see. HOSTIN: And then, all of a sudden, that’s the person who won’t vote to convict. While she’s worried someone biased in Trump’s favor would be allowed on the jury, she was blinded by her unhinged hatred for him to think a prospective juror announcing “I hate Trump” was the impartial position. “Where are they going to find a jury of his peers, how many bloated orange psychos are out there?” so-called comedian Joy Behar quipped. “Yeah. It’s going to be tough,” Hostin agreed. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 16, 2024 11:04:40 a.m. Eastern (…) JOY BEHAR: Oh, it’s just beginning. SUNNY HOSTIN: I'm not trumped out at all. SARA HAINES: I’m so Trumped out. HOSTIN: This is a legal nerd's Super Bowl. Right? Like, I'm kind of excited about this. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: They haven’t even picked a juror. HOSTIN: But that's exciting to someone like me because 50 people said “I can't even be impartial,” which I admire them for their forthrightness and their honesty because you have to be honest when you're a juror. But I still believe they will be able to find an impartial jury. They are never going to find someone that doesn't know about the former twice impeached loser president. Right? BEHAR: Yeah. HOSTIN: They're never going to find that. But what I did find also interesting about my Super Bowl that the legal teams will be checking the jurors’ social media profiles to see if they can access the truthfulness and intention of what they said during voir dire, which is their questioning. And I think that’s really, really important because, if you start liking Trump, you follow Trump stuff on social media, are you going to -- can you be impartial? I don't think so. And I think what could happen in a case like this, if you have someone – and we were talking about it this morning, someone named Clay Travis sort of telling people to get onto that jury. You get one person that sneaks onto that jury with untoward feelings, that person can hang that jury. BEHAR: How do you sneak onto a jury? You have to be called to a jury. HOSTIN: Well, you lie. You lie. You say, “I hate Trump. But I can be impartial. And I this and that” BEHAR: I see. HOSTIN: And then, all of a sudden, that’s the person who won’t vote to convict. BEHAR: Where are they going to find a jury of his peers, how many bloated orange psychos are out there? HOSTIN: Yeah. It’s going to be tough. (…)

CBS Admits Legalizing Weed Doesn’t Stop Black Market Sales, Boosts Them

One of the major talking points the left and the liberal media used to sell Americans on legalizing marijuana was that it would eliminate black market operations. But in a Tuesday report, CBS Mornings admitted that Maine’s weed legalization had not stopped possibly hundreds of illegal grow houses from sprouting up all across rural parts of the state. They also reported that China was behind most of them. Co-anchor Tony Dokoupil opened the segment by boasting that weed was “legal for recreational use in 24 states plus Washington, D.C.” But he admitted that “that does not mean illegal growing operations have gone away. In fact, they're still booming.” Teeing up the investigative report by correspondent Nicole Sganga, Dokoupil noted that illegal “operations are expanding, particularly in rural parts of the U.S., and they're surprising backers overseas who are tied to other deadlier drugs including fentanyl.” Sganga’s report focused on the liberal state of Maine, which legalized weed but was seeing a disturbing surge in the number of illegal growing operations being funded by China. She spoke with Ray Donovan, a former chief of operations for the Drug Enforcement Agency, who explained the situation with Chinese organized crime: SGANGA: Just one flashpoint in a billion-dollar black market marijuana boom now sinking its teeth into less populated states like Oklahoma, Colorado, and Maine. DONOVAN: If I can go into Maine and buy a house for cheap that's rural, is very isolated. (…) SGANGA: But perhaps more shocking than the budding number of illegal grows: who is behind them. DONOVAN: By and large, we see Chinese organized crime behind black-market marijuana.     There was apparently one grow house that was staffed with men who were human trafficked from China to tend to the plants while being trapped in the house. One of the apparent takeaways CBS wanted viewers to have was that legal marijuana was still viable, there just needed to be an investment in enough law enforcement to crack down on the black market: SGANGA: Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but a majority of Americans now live in a state that has legalized weed. With some states still limiting cultivation and others imposing steep taxes, the marijuana underworld thrives. DONOVAN: It is not something that's going to go away, especially if you are investing in legal marijuana statewide, then we're going to have to pursue the black market marijuana organizations. While arguing that “people were tired of the war on drugs,” he admitted that “counterintuitively, when you legalize you actually need a big, strong law enforcement push in order to push the black market into the legal market, because people don't naturally want to volunteer to pay taxes, get regulated, fill out paperwork and forms.” Cracking down on crime? What a novel idea! Destroying the serious nature of the problem, they ended the segment with co-host Gayle King proclaiming, “I just want to try it one time before I die. Co-hosts Dokoupil and Vladimir Duthiers seemed more than happy to oblige: DUTHIERS: We can make that happen, Gayle! Somebody around here can make that happen! KING: I’ve never tried – I just want to try it one time. DOKOUPIL: I don't want to fund the black market, but there are a lot of trucks just sitting around here in Times Square. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CBS Mornings April 16, 2024 7:30:06 a.m. Eastern TONY DOKOUPIL: There’s a growing acceptance, of course, of marijuana use across the country. It’s legal for recreational use in 24 states plus Washington, D.C. But, that does not mean illegal growing operations have gone away. In fact, they're still booming. A CBS investigation finds those operations are expanding, particularly in rural parts of the U.S., and they're surprising backers overseas who are tied to other deadlier drugs including fentanyl. Nicole Sganga takes us now to an illicit marijuana farm in the beautiful state of Maine, which is one of the states where the drug is actually legal. [Cuts to video] NICOLE SGANGA: Nestled along Maine’s rocky shoreline, the sleepy town of Machias. CHIEF KEITH MERCIER (Machias Police Department): People lobster fish, they clam, and they log. SGANGA: Population, about 2,000, It’s sleepy. MERCIER: Sleepy, very quiet. SGANGA: But last fall, a pungent smell and a stream of vans darting to and from this barn woke up neighbors triggering a six-week investigation by local police and chief Keith Mercier, and unearthing more than $1 million in black market marijuana. MERCIER: They had irrigation systems setup, they had heating systems, humidifying system. It was quite an impressive operation. SGANGA: Hanging from the rafters, flowering under a sea of grow lights. A maze of more than 2,600 plants seized by police. How in the world did black market marijuana set up shop here? MERCIER: Well, I think that was one of the draws was being rural community, it could go undetected. SGANGA: Just one flashpoint in a billion-dollar black market marijuana boom now sinking its teeth into less populated states like Oklahoma, Colorado, and Maine. RAY DONOVAN (former DEA chief of operations): If I can go into Maine and buy a house for cheap that's rural, is very isolated. SGANGA: Ray Donovan is the former chief of operations for the DEA. DONOVAN: That would allow them to continue to grow the marijuana crops uninhibited. SGANGA: Law enforcement now cracking down, with at least 34 busts statewide. Since last June, more sites dotting the I-95 corridor now undergoing investigation. This is not just a Machias problem. MERCIER: No, this is a statewide problem. The information we have says that there is over 200 that are actively working right now. SGANGA: But perhaps more shocking than the budding number of illegal grows: who is behind them. DONOVAN: By and large, we see Chinese organized crime behind black market marijuana. SGANGA: In February, 50 lawmakers penned a bipartisan letter to Attorney General Garland demanding answers about China's role in thousands of illicit marijuana grows nationwide. SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): They're unregulated. They’re illicit. They're destroying homes. MERCIER: Marijuana all over the place lying around. SGANGA: Operators allegedly stealing more than $10,000 in power. Just how much power was running through? MERCIER: Substantial amount. Probably four or five times what a normal house would run. STEVE ROBINSON: These locations consume huge amounts of electricity. SGANGAL So, this is the spread sheet. ROBINSON: Yes. SGANGA: Native Mainer Steve Robinson meticulously tracks suspected illegal marijuana grows statewide and took us to one identified in court records. This looks like a suburban dream home. ROBINSON: If you look on this garage right here, there's a newly installed 400-amp service. SGANGA: Purring over power records, findings published on his website, attracting the attention of lawmakers and law enforcement. Why would anyone need that much power? ROBINSON: If you’re running say, a car wash, a grocery store. SGANGA: Or? ROBINSON: Or if you're growing a lot of marijuana. SGANGA: In some cases, the suspects arrested may have been victims. MERCIER: We encountered three Asian males. They were being paid $1,000 a month to work 24-7. SGANGA: Trapped inside sparse living quarters with blacked out windows. DONOVAN: Some of the people have been brought here from China under the auspices that they’re working under a legit business. SGANGA: It sounds like you're talking about victims of human trafficking. DONOVAN: Yes. SGANGA: Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but a majority of Americans now live in a state that has legalized weed. With some states still limiting cultivation and others imposing steep taxes, the marijuana underworld thrives. DONOVAN: It is not something that's going to go away, especially if you are investing in legal marijuana statewide, then we're going to have to pursue the black market marijuana organizations. SGANGA: You think it’s time to sound the alarm? DONOVAN: I do. [Cuts back to live] SGANGA: Donovan and other law enforcement sources told us some of the same criminal groups behind illicit weed are part of a larger criminal network tied to a deadlier drug trade: fentanyl. In fact, Donovan said the DEA first connected Chinese organized crime to these illegal weed grows by following some of the same criminals profiting off the fentanyl supply chain. Tony. DOKOUPIL: What ever to make money. Nicole, thank you very much. So, of course, one of the reasons why weed is legal in 24 states is because people were tired of the war on drugs. But, counterintuitively, when you legalize you actually need a big, strong law enforcement push in order to push the black market into the legal market, because people don't naturally want to volunteer to pay taxes, get regulated, fill out paperwork and forms. We're seeing that process play out in places like Maine. GAYLE KING: I just want to try it one time before I die. [Laughter] DOKOUPI: Well, Gayle— VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: We can make that happen, Gayle! Somebody around here can make that happen! KING: I’ve never tried – I just want to try it one time. DOKOUPIL: I don't want to fund the black market, but there are a lot of trucks just sitting around here in Times Square. KING: Okay. DUTHIERS: We're going to make that happen, Gayle. KING: It’s bucket list. Bucket list.

‘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. (…)

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.

'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? (…)

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?! (…)

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. (…)

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.

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. (…)

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. (…)

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. (…)

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. (…)

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. (…)

‘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. (…)

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. (…)

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.

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.” (…)

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.

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. (…)

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. (…)

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. (…)

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. (…)

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. (…)