Crossing a line? Trump wants heads of CNN, NBC News fired

I have said since Donald Trump got into the campaign that he has every right to hit back at the media that he believes covers him unfairly.
I have said after each controversial story and each attack that while the president's language is occasionally too harsh, the relentlessly negative coverage is fair game for his counterpunching approach.
But the president crossed a line yesterday that he should not have crossed in calling for the heads of two major networks to be fired.
I knew when I said that on Fox that I would be strongly criticized by some Trump supporters. But I have to be consistent.
A president of the United States using his bully pulpit to demand the firing of corporate executives, simply because he doesn't like their media coverage of him, is unprecedented and troubling.
And if President Obama had urged Fox News to fire Roger Ailes, there would have been an explosion on the right.
At the same time, CNN in particular has given him a big target with a flawed story that it refuses to clarify or correct. The story said Michael Cohen is ready to tell prosecutors that the president knew in advance of the Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer. Cohen’s attorney Lanny Davis, who tells me he did not confirm the allegation when he spoke to CNN off the record, calls the account false.
Trump has a special resentment toward Zucker because they worked together during his "Apprentice" days, when Zucker ran NBC.
The president took to Twitter to accuse CNN of "hatred and extreme bias" against him, and then slammed CNN President Jeff Zucker by addressing the network's new parent company:
"Little Jeff Z has done a terrible job, his ratings suck, and AT&T should fire him to save credibility!"
CNN hit back hard: "Make no mistake, Mr. President, CNN does not lie. We report the news. And we report when people in power tell lies. CNN stands by our reporting and our reporters."
One of those reporters, on the hotly disputed Michael Cohen story, is Jim Sciutto, a political appointee in the Obama administration. Another is Carl Bernstein, the onetime Watergate sleuth, who has continually hammered Trump as a CNN commentator.
Bernstein has called Trump an "authoritarian," said his tenure is "worse than Watergate," and that "this is the greatest journalistic challenge of the modern era, to report on a malignant presidency.”
I know Carl and I respect him, but those are not the words of an unbiased reporter when it comes to Trump.
During the tweetstorm, Trump called Bernstein "sloppy" and "a man who lives in the past and thinks like a degenerate fool, making up story after story."
Bernstein responded that "I have spent my life as a journalist bringing the truth to light, through administrations of both parties. No taunt will diminish my commitment to that mission."
The president also went hard after Andy Lack, the NBC News chairman.
"The good news is that Andy Lack(y) is about to be fired(?) for incompetence, and much worse," he tweeted. That is purely an unsubstantiated rumor. NBC has made no comment.
And then there was this about NBC: "When Lester Holt got caught fudging my tape on Russia, they were hurt badly."
There is no credible allegation that the NBC anchor engaged in misleading editing of his interview with Trump last year. That was two days after the firing of Jim Comey, when Trump stunned the world by saying he canned the FBI director "regardless of recommendation" and brought up the Russia investigation. NBC posted the entire 13-minute interview online.
Again, there is no shortage of shoddy, hyped or inaccurate journalism for President Trump to challenge. He doesn't help his case when he makes unfounded charges or uses his megaphone to say that media executives should be fired because he doesn't like their companies' coverage.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author "Media Madness: Donald Trump, The Press and the War Over the Truth." Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.

Hey, Google, Facebook, Twitter – Trump's got a point. You need to do a better job of self-regulating

President Trump is speaking forcefully about fixing a growing problem affecting our national discourse. He says we may need to regulate the giant tech companies that control vast swaths of our information landscape, due to their bias.
The president tweeted this week: “Google search results for ‘Trump News’ shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake New Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal?”
Google, Facebook and Twitter all claim they do not purposely discriminate due to political viewpoints. But it is increasingly clear that this is the outcome – whatever their intentions. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admitted his firm suffers from left-leaning bias and must do more work to ensure it doesn’t affect Twitter.
The question then becomes, what can President Trump do to affect this?
The first thing is exactly what the president has been doing – using the bully pulpit to influence the social media companies to change their behavior.
Government intervention should occur only as a last resort, because this would infringe on free speech and expression.
The social media firms need to take it upon themselves to solve the problems they have created, in many cases due to their own success.
Google, Facebook and Twitter dominate the online world in the same way that ABC, CBS and NBC dominated the world of television prior to cable TV. There are really no alternatives to these social media companies. That gives them great power, but also great responsibility. Thus far they have done better wielding the first than honoring the second.
Hopefully, the social media companies will heed the president’s warning, but if not, what can he do?
In this election season, the president could direct the Federal Election Commission to investigate the practices of the social media companies. The commission could examine whether suppressing conservative ideas – including in some cases the accounts of Republican candidates – constitutes an in-kind contribution to the Democratic Party and its candidates.
Security Studies Group submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission asking for this type of investigation into Twitter with a reference to the Fact Sheet on Viewpoint Discrimination we compiled.
Another avenue is to have the Federal Communications Commission look at the immunity granted to the social media companies as Internet service providers under section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
This immunity for the companies exempts them from defamation lawsuits, because they are considered to be distributors of content rather than publishers that exert editorial control. It is reasonable to consider whether the amount of control these companies exert in deciding what content is available – or not available – changes this status.
Google, Facebook and Twitter are private companies. They have the right to have policies to promote liberal ideas and ban conservative ones from their platforms. But as publicly traded companies, they have a responsibility to speak honestly about their business practices. They can’t have their CEOs saying they do not discriminate if it can be shown they do.
President Trump could ask the Securities and Exchange Commission to examine whether the three companies are misleading their shareholders and the public.
There is also a question of whether the success of the social media companies has made them indispensable for businesses, organizations and many individuals. If so, there is the possibility that they could be declared to be public utilities and regulated that way to prevent discrimination.
This regulation has been imposed previously on electric power and telephone companies. If there is no alternative to their service and they are denying service to some businesses, organizations and individuals that is a legitimate government concern.
The goal here should not be to find ways for government to insert itself into the digital town square as some kind of referee. But right now, the public discourse is being limited and the social media companies are refusing to fairly serve some of their customers.
This refusal is dangerous, hindering the ability of people to be informed and act on the information they receive. Let’s hope the Silicon Valley crew decides to take action to make this right.
Jim Hanson is President of Security Studies Group and served in US Army Special Forces.

Man accused of stealing teen's MAGA hat indicted by grand jury

A grand jury has indicted a Texas man who was arrested in July for allegedly stealing a teen’s “Make America Great Again” hat before throwing a drink in his face at a Whataburger restaurant — an incident that went viral and caught the attention of the Trump family.
Kino Jimenez, 30, was charged with theft of person. He could serve time in state jail if convicted, Houston's KHOU-TV reported.
Jimenez was accused of stealing 16-year-old Hunter Richard’s cap on July 3. The teen captured a video of Jimenez criticizing him for supporting President Trump as he sat in the San Antonio restaurant with friends.
“You ain’t supporting s---, n----!” a man identified as Jimenez is heard saying on camera after tossing a large drink in the direction of the teen filming the video. He then walks away with the hat while muttering "b---- a-- motherf------" as one of the other teens sitting at the table appears stunned.
Authorities identified Jimenez from the video and arrested him at his home July 6 on a warrant for theft of person. He was booked and released later that day on $5,000 bond.
Police returned the hat to Richard following the arrest, but the teen also received a duplicate hat -- autographed by President Trump.
The gift from Trump came about because Donald Trump Jr. heard about the story and asked Twitter followers to put him in contact with the teen.
Later, Richard said about the incident: "I support my president and, if you don’t, let’s have a conversation about it instead of ripping my hat off. I just think a conversation about politics is more productive for the entire whole rather than taking my hat and yelling subjective words to me.”
Jimenez was set to be arraigned Friday. His trial was scheduled for Oct. 19.

Democrat Always About Race Cartoons

Kanye West: 'I'm sorry' for saying slavery 'sounds like a choice'

Kanye West on Wednesday said he was “sorry” for recently claiming that slavery sounded "like a choice."
The rapper’s apology came during an appearance on Chicago-based radio station 107.5 WGCI, in which he added that he was grateful for the chance to explain how he “was thinking and what” he “was going through.”
“I don't know if I properly apologized for how that slave comment made people feel, so I want to take this moment right now to say that I'm sorry for hurting, I'm sorry for the one-two effect of the MAGA hat into the slave comment,” West said. “And I'm sorry for people who felt let down by that moment, and also I appreciate you guys giving me the opportunity to talk to you about the way I was thinking and what I was going through and what led me to that.”
KANYE WEST SAYS 400 YEARS OF SLAVERY WAS A CHOICE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS

Kanye West on Wednesday said he was “sorry” about a controversial comment he made about slavery several months ago during an interview at TMZ, in which he said slavery “sounds like a choice.”  (Getty Images)

The contentious remarks came during a May interview on “TMZ Live” as the star was questioned about his support for President Trump, and his response veered toward the concept of freedom.
“When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice. Like, you were there for 400 years and it’s all of you all? Like, we’re mentally in prison. Like, slavery goes too direct to the idea of blacks,” West said at the time. “So prison is something that unites us as one race, blacks and whites being one race. We’re the human race.”
The comments drew criticism, including from a TMZ staffer who was nearby in the office at the time.

Kanye West was asked during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" earlier this month why he thought President Trump cared about black people.  (Getty Images)

During Wednesday’s radio interview, West also took a moment to respond to a question posed during his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” earlier this month about why he thought the president cared about black people.
KANYE WEST DENIES BEING ‘STUMPED’ BY JIMMY KIMMEL’S QUESTION ON TRUMP
West said he thinks Trump “cares” about how “black people feel about him” and wants “black people to like him like they did when he was cool in the rap songs.”
“He will do the things that are necessary to make that happen because he's got an ego like all the rest of us, and he wants to be the greatest president, and he knows that he can't be the greatest president without the acceptance of the black community,” West said.
At the time of the question on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” West seemingly took a long pause before the host suggested a commercial break. When the show returned, the rapper didn’t answer the question. He later tweeted that he hadn’t been “stumped,” but rather he “wasn’t given a chance to answer the question.”

Sarah Palin not invited to McCain funeral: reports

In 2008, she was chosen to be his running mate – potentially just a heartbeat away from the presidency.
But now former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, like President Trump, has been left off the list of invitees to the funeral of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, according to multiple reports.
“My guess is, it came from Cindy,” a source close to the McCain family told People magazine, referring to the late senator’s widow. “She is very protective of John’s memory and legacy. She’s also a grieving widow. I think she wants to get through this as best she can.”

“My guess is, it came from Cindy. She is very protective of John’s memory and legacy. She’s also a grieving widow. I think she wants to get through this as best she can.”
- Source close to the McCain family, to People magazine

The message was sent through an intermediary, not directly from the McCain family, according to the report.
An NBC reporter tweeted that a Palin "family source" said, “Out of respect to Senator McCain and his family we have nothing to add at this point. The Palin family will always cherish their friendship with the McCains and hold those memories dear.”
Palin did not immediately respond to a Fox News email sent early Thursday.
 A decade ago, it was McCain’s selection of Palin to be his vice president that catapulted Palin to the national political spotlight from relative obscurity in Alaska.
But their relationship quickly grew strained, amid accusations that Palin was often unprepared for media interviews, or had “gone rogue” by ignoring the advice of McCain campaign handlers.
Some critics charged that Palin was more interested in advancing her own career – and popularity among conservative voters -- than assuring the success of the McCain-Palin ticket, led by the more moderate McCain.
In May, McCain published a book titled “The Restless Wave,” in which he wrote that he regretted choosing Palin as his running mate instead of his close friend, former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
McCain and Palin ultimately lost the White House in 2008 to Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Ironically, Biden is scheduled to speak Thursday at a McCain memorial service in the senator’s home state of Arizona, while Obama has been invited to deliver a eulogy Saturday at a McCain memorial service in Washington, D.C.
Following McCain’s death from brain cancer last Saturday at age 81, Palin issued a pair of Twitter messages.
“Today we lost an American original,” she wrote. “Sen. John McCain was a maverick and a fighter, never afraid to stand for his beliefs. John never took the easy path in life - and through sacrifice and suffering he inspired others to serve something greater than self.”
Later, she wrote: “John McCain was my friend. I will remember the good times. My family and I send prayers for Cindy and the McCain family.”

CNN fires back at Trump, stands by controversial story: ‘CNN does not lie’

A full-blown war of words between the first family and CNN broke out late Wednesday on Twitter, with the cable network mounting an unprecedented attack on President Trump in a jarring official statement defending a widely questioned story.
The statement from CNN came after the president mocked Watergate legend Carl Bernstein, who co-wrote the disputed report that Trump’s former lawyer was prepared to give damning information about the president to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
CNN continues to stand by the story despite growing skepticism.
“Make no mistake, Mr. President, CNN does not lie. We report the news. And we report when people in power tell lies. CNN stands by our reporting and our reporters. There may be many fools in this story but @carlbernstein is not one of them,” CNN’s public relations department sent.
The scathing message was a response to Trump’s criticism of CNN for standing by a report on the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting, despite ex-Clinton aide Lanny Davis admitting he was an anonymous source and recanting key details he provided CNN for the story. Davis, the high-powered attorney of Trump’s longtime “fixer”-turned-foe Michael Cohen, admitted Monday he was an anonymous source after The Washington Post outed him as a source for its own version of the story.
Bernstein weighed in late Wednesday: “I have spent my life as a journalist bringing the truth to light, through administrations of both parties. No taunt will diminish my commitment to that mission, which is the essential role of a free press. @CNN stands by its story, and I stand by my reporting.”
Jim Sciutto, Marshall Cohen and Bernstein wrote CNN’s original story that particularly was damaging to the president, and resulted in countless cable news segments that provided ammunition for anti-Trump pundits.
Davis told BuzzFeed News that he regretted being the anonymous source.
The CNN story, which cited multiple “sources,” claimed Cohen said Trump knew in advance about the Trump Tower sit-down. However, Trump repeatedly has denied any advance knowledge of the meeting, and CNN has stood by its reporting amid widespread criticism.
“CNN is being torn apart from within based on their being caught in a major lie and refusing to admit the mistake. Sloppy @carlbernstein, a man who lives in the past and thinks like a degenerate fool, making up story after story, is being laughed at all over the country! Fake News,” Trump tweeted earlier in the day, apparently drawing the ire of CNN execs.
While CNN responded to Trump via social media, the network has remained stone-silent when asked by reporters throughout the industry about Davis recanting his story.
CNN published a new report on Tuesday that acknowledged the changing stories of Davis, but critics were quick to point out that it left several key questions unanswered. Some feel the piece revealed Cohen as a source, while others noticed that the follow-up failed to explain why the original report claimed Davis declined comment when he was actually used as a source.
Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son, immediately took to Twitter to defend his father in a series of messages.
“CNN you just lied again by saying you don’t lie. You said Lanny Davis declined to comment when he was in fact a source,” Trump Jr. wrote. “Are you kidding me with this BS. Do you have any journalistic credibility at all? I mean seriously??? You’re a joke!!!”
He continued: “This is @CNN. Quadrupling down when even the likes of buzzfeed and the Amazon WaPo have acknowledged the story was #fakenews. Ballsy... Stupid, but ballsy. You do you CNN.”

Trump says 'no reason' for costly US-South Korea war games, relationship with Kim Jong Un is 'very good'

President Trump on Wednesday tweeted that there was “no reason” for joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, dubbing them costly while describing his relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as “very good” and “warm.”
However, he signaled that he could restart them if he wanted to, promising that they would “be far bigger than ever before.”
The president tweeted a White House statement, in which he said he believed the rogue regime was experiencing “tremendous pressure from China” amid “trade disputes” with the U.S. Simultaneously, North Korea was acquiring “considerable aid” from China, which “is not helpful,” Trump continued.
“Nonetheless, the President believes that his relationship with Kim Jong Un is a very good and warm one, and there is no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games,” Trump tweeted. “Besides, the President can instantly start the joint exercises again with South Korea, and Japan, if he so chooses. If he does, they will be far bigger than ever before.”
The statement went on to insist that any issues between the U.S. and China would be taken care of by Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who have a “very strong” relationship.
Earlier Wednesday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis issued a statement that three military exercises were suspended “in order to provide space for our diplomats to negotiate the verifiable, irreversible and complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”
"Our military posture has not changed since the conclusion of the Singapore summit and no decisions have been made about suspending any future exercises," he continued, adding that the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea was "ironclad."
Following his June meeting with Kim Trump promised to end the war games with South Korea.
Earlier this week, Trump said he’d asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to cancel a planned trip to North Korea, citing insufficient “progress” towards denuclearization, while also faulting China.
“I have asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to go to North Korea, at this time, because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Trump tweeted. “Additionally, because of our much stronger trading stance with China, I do not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were (despite the UN Sanctions which are in place).”