Hostin Says Black Republicans Don't Exist, 'Like Looking at Unicorns'

Staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host of ABC’s The View, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) was at it again; spewing her hate on Friday’s show and claiming that black Republicans didn’t exist at all, just like “unicorns.” She was joined by the liberal white ladies who lectured black Republican Congressman Byron Donalds (FL), who they suggested was ignorant of black history and should go back to school. What had them triggered was Donalds talking to a group of black Republicans about black families and how liberal government policies work against them. They took an out-of-context, 27-second clip pushed by the Biden campaign and claimed he was romanticizing Jim Crow. Hostin, who once scoffed that black Republicans was an “oxymoron” term, proclaimed that black Republicans simply didn’t exist and were mythical creatures. She also suggested that the black vote belonged to the Democratic Party: I thought it was interesting that the framing was a room of black Republicans. Where are they? Where are they? Because if you look at the stats, 77 percent of – 81 percent, I'm sorry, of black men are part of the Democratic Party. Black voters consistently align with the Democratic Party.  Ninety -- Over 95 percent of black women are part of the Democratic Party so these black men that he was speaking with, I'd love to see them. It would be like looking at unicorns. It makes sense that Hostin would think black people belonged to the Democrats since they and her family kept them as property for a long time.     Her rant was teed up by Friday moderator and white liberal woman, Joy Behar, who condescendingly questioned Donalds’ intelligence. “So, my question to you, Sunny, is it stupidity like she says or is it something else?” she asked. Casting doubt on a black man’s intelligence was a recurring theme for Behar during the segment. “So, my question is, does Byron Donalds, does he not know the history, or is he just wanting to pander?” she asked pretend-independent and fellow white liberal woman Sara Haines. Just over a year ago, Behar scolded Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and suggested they didn’t know what it was like to be black in America. In her response, Haines argued that Donalds and the other black people in the audience needed to go back to school to be more educated like her: What’s scary is when you hear the audio there are a lot of people going, “uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.” So, it feels like a class needs to be taught to everyone in that room, segregation left you with no choice. Like, you weren't picking the family. They were literally making you go to different places. They didn't allow for -- so, talking about a black person choosing to be with your family and then looking at the greater social scheme and the injustice of that, he must not know what it is? I mean, that seems like a far leap not to understand Jim Crow, segregation, and the separation of the race. I don't understand. Of course, faux-conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin (who flip-flops between being white or Middle Eastern, depending on what role she needs to play) was useless in explaining that the clip was out of context. Instead, she took part in the Donalds bashing because he supported former President Trump. “Byron Donalds is one of many jockeying to be Donald Trump's running mate…I consider him to be kind of in the second tier,” she chided. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View June 7, 2024 11:03:54 a.m. Eastern JOY BEHAR: So, my question is, does Byron Donalds, does he not know the history, or is he just wanting to pander? SARA HAINES: Nor did anyone else in the room know – What’s scary is when you hear the audio there are a lot of people going, “uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.” So, it feels like a class needs to be taught to everyone in that room, segregation left you with no choice. Like, you weren't picking the family. They were literally making you go to different places. They didn't allow for -- so, talking about a black person choosing to be with your family and then looking at the greater social scheme and the injustice of that, he must not know what it is? I mean, that seems like a far leap not to understand Jim crow, segregation and the separation of the race. I don't understand. ANA NAVARRO: If he doesn't know, shame on him, because there is nothing worse, I think, that when people achieve certain status and certain rights and don't appreciate, take for granted the struggles, the death, the fights, the marches, everything it took to be able to give Byron Donalds the opportunity he has now. Because under Jim crow he couldn't vote, he wouldn't have been in Congress, he couldn't have married his wife. He's married to a lovely woman named Erica, who’s white. Interracial marriage was illegal in Florida until 1969. He could have not gone to Florida State University for over 100 years black students were not admitted to that university. Over 250 blacks were lynched in Florida under Jim crow. HAINES: That we know of. NAVARRO: For him to be waxing nostalgic about that era that elicits so much pain that was such a dark period in the history of the United States is offensive, and for him to be doing it as a black man, as a person of color is even more offensive. What really drives me crazy, though is that it's like every three months a Republican says something more stupid about black history and slavery, right? [Applause] I mean, last year we had Ron DeSantis saying -- defending that there was good things about slavery, skills that were learned that could be put to good use, then we had Nikki Haley who couldn't admit that slavery was the cause of the Civil War – BEHAR: So, my question to you, Sunny, is it stupidity like she says or is it something else? HAINES: I think it's pandering. I don't think it's stupidity. BEHAR: To whom? HOSTIN: It’s pandering to Donald Trump. I thought it was interesting that the framing was a room of black Republicans. Where are they? Where are they? Because if you look at the stats, 77 percent of – 81 percent, I'm sorry, of black men are part of the Democratic Party. Black voters consistently align with the Democratic Party.  Ninety -- Over 95 percent of black women are part of the Democratic Party so these black men that he was speaking with, I'd love to see them. It would be like looking at unicorns. And so I think that the sad thing is, you know, I agree with you, Ana, is that this came from the mouth of a black man, right? And so, if you're pandering yourself and your community and your history to a man like Donald Trump who is a disgraced, one-term, twice impeached, convicted felon, we get to say now, is even more despicable in this country. BEHAR: Alyssa. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: And well, in the broader context here, Byron Donalds is one of many jockeying to be Donald Trump's running mate. He’s among the names that reportedly Donald Trump has requested materials from and is wanting to look seriously into. I consider him to be kind of in the second tier. I don't think he's one of the top contenders. (…)

CBS Promotes Violence and Dismisses 'Nonviolence' for Political Change

While the liberal media have been trying to scare people into voting for President Biden by insisting Republicans were violent, anti-American terrorists looking to destroy democracy, CBS Mornings proved once again that politically motivated violence was (D)ifferent when it was coming from the left. In hyping a book about “black resistance,” the network elevated a far-left author; and together they tried to dismiss nonviolence as a way to get political change in a country. They were speaking with Professor Kellie Carter Jackson of Wellesley College about her new book We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance. Co-anchor Gayle King boasted that the book was “about hard conversations, not focused on right or wrong,” but “what works” in terms of getting results for an agenda. Carter Jackson admitted that she “wrote this book because [she] was mad” and “frustrated” that the Black Lives Matter riots weren’t “achieving the purpose that people had set out to accomplish when they wanted to reckon with all of this racial injustice.” “And so I think we have this very limited flat, like one-dimensional perspective. When we talk about protests, you know, the question is, are you going to be violent or are you going to be nonviolent? As those are the only options,” she huffed.     She also ridiculously seemed to suggest that white people had “never” experienced hate crimes: I think about the fact that we`ve never seen four little white girls killed in a church. We`ve never had a white man assassinated in his driveway. We`ve never had a black man be welcomed into a white church, and then him proceed to shoot it up. And so I really wanted to talk about these very skewed ways that we think about violence and how we don`t interrogate the violence of white supremacy enough. The network’s promotion of political violence became more obvious when co-anchor Vladimir Duthiers hyped a passage from the book denouncing how, “Our culture`s fixation on nonviolence has caused us to miss entire histories of Black responses to white supremacy. Nonviolence on its own is not at all expansive enough to rectify the harm that has been caused by racism.” Duthiers requested that she “set that in the context of the Haitian Revolution.” Carter Jackson obliged and proceeded to suggest the American Revolution was not a real revolution because slavery remained after we gained our independence: Well, when we think about revolution, I think we don`t have a proper understanding of it. Because for me, revolution is about replacing an unjust system with a just one. And so in Haiti, the whole purpose was not just to overthrow a colonial power, but to abolish the system of slavery. And that`s what was achieved in Haiti. We don`t have that in the United States, we have an American Revolution, but slavery persists almost for another hundred years after the American Revolution. Carter Jackson did say, "when we think about black resistance" it's not about choosing "between violence or nonviolence" and that there was an "array of tools." But she warned that one of the "limitations" of nonviolence was that it becomes “performative and not really achieve the goals that we set out to accomplish.” This whole exchange was eerily similar to when NBC’s Chuck Todd twice gave a platform to Antifa supporter Mark Bray in 2017; just two months after the Congressional Baseball Shooting carried out by a far-left MSNBC fan. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CBS Mornings June 6, 2024 8:18:02 a.m. Eastern (…) GAYLE KING: Wellesley Professor Kellie Carter Jackson highlights in her new book, it`s called We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance. And we`re very happy to tell you that she joins us first on CBS Mornings. Good morning to you, Professor. KELLIE CARTER JACKSON: Hi. KING: I learned so much, Professor Carter Jackson things I didn`t know it was -- it was eye opening to me. And you say in the book: We Refuse is a book about hard conversations, not focused on right or wrong, but what happens, what works when Black resistance and liberation is at the center to understand Black humanity in rage in pursuit of freedom. Wow. CARTER JACKSON: Yeah, yeah. I wrote this book because I was mad. I wrote this book because I was frustrated and because I had thought about everything that happened in 2020, not just the pandemic, but also this racial reckoning. And I didn`t feel like marches and protests and hashtags were sort of achieving the purpose that people had set out to accomplish when they wanted to reckon with all of this racial injustice. And so I think we have this very limited flat, like one-dimensional perspective. When we talk about protests, you know, the question is, are you going to be violent or are you going to be nonviolent? KING: Yes. Yes. CARTER JACKSON: As those are the only options. And when I think about the history of this country, you know, I think about the fact that we`ve never seen four little white girls killed in a church. We`ve never had a white man assassinated in his driveway. We`ve never had a black man be welcomed into a white church, and then him proceed to shoot it up. KING: Yes. CARTER JACKSON: And so I really wanted to talk about these very skewed ways that we think about violence and how we don`t interrogate the violence of white supremacy enough. VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: One of the things you write in the book, speaking of non-violence: Our culture`s fixation -- I`m quoting the book now -- on nonviolence has caused us to miss entire histories of Black responses to white supremacy. Nonviolence on its own is not at all expansive enough to rectify the harm that has been caused by racism. I want you to set that in the context of the Haitian Revolution. CARTER JACKSON: Yeah. DUTHIERS: Where we saw a revolution that was able, essentially to overthrow the shackles of slavery on what was then the world`s superpower. CARTER JACKSON: Yeah, yeah. Well, when we think about revolution, I think we don`t have a proper understanding of it. Because for me, revolution is about replacing an unjust system with a just one. And so in Haiti, the whole purpose was not just to overthrow a colonial power, but to abolish the system of slavery. And that`s what was achieved in Haiti. We don`t have that in the United States, we have an American Revolution, but slavery persists almost for another hundred years after the American Revolution. And so how should we think of revolutions? And what makes them revolutionary? What really shifts sort of the structures that we live in? And so -- KING: Because you say, they don`t require bloodshed, but they do require sacrifice? CARTER JACKSON: Absolutely. KING: And when you look at the cover of your book, We Refuse, it is a Black woman holding a gun. I thought, oh, Kellie is coming in hot. And you say, okay, everybody -- What is -- what is the message that you were really trying to send? Because I looked at it, you`re trying to highlight about black humanity. CARTER JACKSON: Yes. Yes. KING: Because so often, black people are seen through the lens of criminality. CARTER JACKSON: Yes. I wanted to push back on these ideas and say that when we think about black resistance, we have an array of tools in front of us and it is not just force and guns. I think about revolution, I think about protection. I have a whole chapter on flight and a chapter on joy. Joy, I see has been one of the most potent weapons that we have to fight against, sort of the erosion of white supremacy. And so I wanted us to have this expansive idea to understand that you don`t just have to choose between violence or nonviolence, that yes, there are certainly limitations to violence. We all understand that. KING: Yes. CARTER JACKSON: there`s also limitations to the use of nonviolence and how we think about how quickly it can become performative and not really achieve the goals that we set out to accomplish. (…)

The View Whines Biden 'Forced' into Border Order in an Election Year

After spending almost four years claiming there was nothing he could do about securing the U.S.-Mexico border (which echoed his claim about lowering inflation), President Biden finally issued an executive order to supposedly secure it. The purported effectiveness of the orders remained to be seen, but the liberal ladies of ABC’s The View spent the first part of their Wednesday show touting the move while simultaneously whining about Biden being “forced” into doing it by Republicans. Near the top of the segment, staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) tried to suggest Biden’s move proved that Democrats – the party of sanctuary cities and amnesty – was not weak on border security: I think we should all remember Obama was called the (…) deporter-in-chief and deported more undocumented people than ever before and Biden was his vice president. So, the notion somehow that Democrats are so light on immigration is just actually a misnomer, it's not true. And I think he's doing the right thing. She admitted it was just a political decision during an election year, “but at least he's doing something.” Faux-conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin quoted Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) in proclaiming that “it's not xenophobic to care about border security.” She added that “the left flank of the party” got it “wrong” when they made it their position that “you're bigoted and racist if you think there needs to be some level of border security.” “He's got five months to prove that he can help solve this process and I would say this: Joe Biden can't live in fear of his left wing or he's going to lose,” she stated.     Co-host Joy Behar, who recently admitted that she self-censors her criticism of Biden to help him get elected, spun Biden’s limitations on asylum claims from the left as eventually returning and claimed former President Trump wanted to put people in “camps”: What Trump said he would do is he would basically he would round them up and put them in detention camps. Total different. It's a little different. One is an extreme way to deal with this issue and one is somewhat humanitarian and it'll be changed eventually, rechanged and people able to come in here legally again. But if you put Donald Trump in there, he's going to put people in, like, these sort of camps. Pretend-moderate co-host Sara Haines also admitted Biden’s executive order was wholly intended to stop the bleeding in the polls but insisted “this is a Band-Aid like that he's been forced to do” by Republicans. She also blamed Trump for the increase in border crossings during the Biden presidency, despite Biden letting Title 42 expire. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg took on the role of parroting one of the more intellectually lazy arguments of the far-left wing of the Democratic Party: claiming red states sending illegal immigrants to the so-called sanctuary cities that were telling them to come was somehow human “trafficking”: GOLDBERG: So, here's my question. So, people arrive in a country. HOSTIN: Yes. GOLDBERG: They are then put on buses and sent to other cities and towns. Isn't that trafficking? BEHAR: They send them to sanctuary cities. GOLDBERG: Isn’t that trafficking? Last year, The View was all for “tracking” illegals out of their city. Haines demanded that they be “resettled elsewhere” in America because it’s “a massive country.” Goldberg obviously didn’t care about American sovereignty because she previously demanded other countries come into America and control our border security and immigration system. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View June 5, 2024 11:05:01 a.m. Eastern (…) SUNNY HOSTIN: I think we should all remember Obama was called the ex—the WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Deporter-in-chief. HOSTIN: I was going to say exporter. Deporter-in-chief and deported more undocumented people than ever before and Biden was his vice president. So, the notion somehow that Democrats are so light on immigration is just actually a misnomer, it's not true. And I think he's doing the right thing. He's doing it, yes, because it's a political threat. It's five months before an election but at least he's doing something. [Applause] JOY BEHAR: What is he doing? Tell us what he’s doing. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Well, he's using an executive action to basically limit the number of asylum seekers that can come in. But I'm basically just frustrated with how this debate has gone in the country and I think there’s responsibility on both sides. John Fetterman who I feel like is one of those people who is a straight shooter said, very wisely, ‘it's not xenophobic to care about border security.’ Every nation on Earth deals with this issue. I remember being in a meeting with then-Chancellor Angela Merkel saying, ‘we’re dealing with the Syrian Refugee Crisis, we’re dealing with a border crisis.’ So, I think what Democrats got wrong early in this – and especially the left flank of the party – is to basically say you're bigoted and racist if you think there needs to be some level of border security. What Republicans got wrong is that they got the best border package in decades and they blocked it because Donald Trump. It is a crisis. It ranks as the top issue for voters. And I think a lot of folks think it's a border state issue, doesn't affect us. So, New York City, this was interesting. Hotel prices have gone up because 15 percent of hotels are housing migrants in New York City. So, there are real impacts that we have. He's got five months to prove that he can help solve this process and I would say this: Joe Biden can't live in fear of his left wing or he's going to lose. BEHAR: So, Biden is saying when you reach a certain number like over 2,500, is it? HOSTIN: It’s 2,500. BEHAR: Then that's the end of asylum? HOSTIN: Yes, because – BEHAR: What Trump said he would do is he would basically he would round them up and put them in detention camps. Total different. It's a little different. One is an extreme way to deal with this issue and one is somewhat humanitarian and it'll be changed eventually, rechanged and people able to come in here legally again. But if you put Donald Trump in there, he's going to put people in, like, these sort of camps. FARAH GRIFFIN: He's talking about people who are already here, the DACA population. BEHAR: He wants to send them back too. Right? SARA HAINES: The problem with the executive order – which I feel like his has was forced because he didn't have the vote and that border bill was designed by a very conservative Republican Senator James Lankford, the one they blocked. The problem with this executive order in making Biden do that, is it doesn't include a lot of the more comprehensive parts that that bill does, which is quick -- they have antiquated systems down there. They don't have enough help, not enough judge, social workers, al the things. HOSTIN: Path to citizenship. HAINES: That bill included so much more. So, this is a Band-Aid like that he's been forced to do. And so, some people are calling it political but I'll take what Sunny said, something needs to be done because if we've watched this happen for decades and decades and decades and now it's exploded as people started, like, seeing the numbers come in – because it did get really after Donald Trump and that 42 -- FARAH GRIFFIN: Title 42. HAINES: Title 42 expired the numbers have gotten too great. But it would be really nice if they could just do their jobs. Because now you have nine senators I think it is, a group of Senate Republicans vowing to oppose legislation and Biden nominees in the wake of Trump's conviction. So, now you've got time and they're just saying I'm not going to do my job. GOLDBERG: So, here's my question. So, people arrive in a country. HOSTIN: Yes. GOLDBERG: They are then put on buses and sent to other cities and towns. Isn't that trafficking? BEHAR: They send them to sanctuary cities. GOLDBERG: Isn’t that trafficking? HOSTIN: In a way. They're processing them first. GOLDBERG: Are they, though? HOSTIN: This is supposed to be the land of the free and we’re supposed to be welcoming people. And so, they process them. But right now there are about 3,700 crossings a day over the last three weeks. And so, they want them to be about 2,500. So now, even if you have an asylum claim that's valid, you will not be heard and you have a five-year minimum ban for returning. GOLDBERG: So, you come across and you get here and they take you and they send you someplace else. They don't send money. The other states don't say, and here's some money to help you with the thing. HOSTIN: No. GOLDBERG: It feels like trafficking and feels like we only have 30 seconds so talk fast. FARAH GRIFFIN: The Biden administration has put in a policy of taking lateral flights where they relocate migrants to where there may be more places with economic opportunities and so on. But, I  mean, it just underscores how bad the crisis is. GOLDBERG: This blanket sending people wherever. HOSTIN: States aren’t necessarily helping, like Texas. GOLDBERG: Yes. Yeah.

The View’s Faux Conservative Whines Hunter Biden Trial Is a ‘Distraction’ from the Issues

Hunter Biden was finally brought to trial this week to answer for his alleged crime of lying on a federal background check form when purchasing a firearm, a felony. But ABC’s Alyssa Farah Griffin, one of The View’s faux-conservatives, finally found a trial she didn’t like. After previously cheering on the ethically dubious trial of former President Trump, on Tuesday’s show she was decrying the trials as a distraction from the real issues. For months prior to Tuesday, Farah Griffin had touted the trial against Trump because polling data suggested that a non-insignificant portion of Republican voters would ditch him if he was convicted. But now that a conviction had been scored, she was finished with all the trial coverage now that Biden was under the microscope. “I'm not particularly interested in this case but I think I am frustrated this election cycle the media coverage feels like it's trial this, conviction this, this trial, him walking into the courtroom,” she huffed. She got close to admitting the truth when she lamented that the media’s obsessive coverage of the trials was distracting from real issues like the economy: FARAH GRIFFIN: And it’s like, why aren't we talking about what people care about, their ability to afford utilities this summer, the economy, addressing border security? It just becomes this convoluted distraction that I worry is making people tune out the news and not wanting to be engaged politically. BEHAR: Well, you say the media – FARAH GRIFFIN: Yes, but it feels like – BEHAR: But everybody in the media is responsible including us because you sit here and talk about all the accomplishments of Biden administration, people tune out! FARAH GRIFFIN: Well, I’m not interested in talking about the Biden accomplishments, but what's happening in the country that voters care about. Distracting from Bidenomics is the point, Alyssa.     Near the top of the segment, moderator Whoopi Goldberg beclowned herself again by declaring, “Don't you think if he [President Biden] had that much power, Hunter probably wouldn't be on trial?” Staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) built off of Goldberg by adding that the trial showed that “no one is above the law.” This ignored the fact that the prosecutor was going to give the President’s son a sweetheart plea deal that would have avoided prosecution on the gun charges before the judge stepped in and rejected the deal. A bit shockingly, Hostin declared that she didn’t “have a problem with him being on trial” because “that's how this country should be.” “It's a case about buying a firearm and lying on your application saying that you have never used drugs and he was an active addict at the time,” she explained. “So, out of the cases that are investigated, there are 80 million Americans that have purchased firearms. Only about a thousand a year are investigated. 12 were prosecuted. That is 0.09 percent of the cases. Less than one percent of the cases are investigated but guess what, Hunter is one of them.” Back in September, The View cast decried the gun charges with fake Republican Ana Navarro arguing that all addicts “lie” and “commit crime” so Hunter was nothing special. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View June 4, 2024 11:17:01 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Don't you think if he [President Biden] had that much power, Hunter probably wouldn't be on trial? SUNNY HOSTIN: Of course. And I love that question, because not only is Hunter Biden on trial showing that no one is above the law. GOLDBERG: No one. HOSTIN: President Biden has indicated if he is convicted he will not pardon him. GOLDBERG: No. HOSTIN: Okay? Because no one is above the law. And the other thing that I will say is, this is an interesting case. It's a case about buying a firearm and lying on your application saying that you have never used drugs and he was an active addict at the time. Some people argue that you're always an addict. That you live day to day, right? SARA HAINES: Does it ask you if you've never or just if you currently addicted to something? HOSTIN: I'm not sure. I'm not sure. So, out of the cases that are investigated, there are 80 million Americans that have purchased firearms. Only about a thousand a year are investigated. 12 were prosecuted. That is 0.09 percent of the cases. Less than one percent of the cases are investigated but guess what, Hunter is one of them. And I say that's how this country should be. GOLDBERG: That’s how it’s supposed to be. Yes. HOSTIN: That's how the country is supposed to work. I don't have a problem with him being on trial. I suspect he'll get a drug diversion. (…) 11:19:11 a.m. Eastern ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Listen, let the facts play out. I'm not particularly interested in this case but I think I am frustrated this election cycle the media coverage feel like it's trial this, conviction this, this trial, him walking into the courtroom. And it’s like, why aren't we talking about what people care about, their ability to afford utilities this summer, the economy, addressing border security? It just becomes this convoluted distraction that I worry is making people tune out the news and not wanting to be engaged politically. BEHAR: Well, you say the media – FARAH GRIFFIN: Yes, but it feels like – BEHAR: But everybody in the media is responsible including us because you sit here and talk about all the accomplishments of Biden administration, people tune out! FARAH GRIFFIN: Well, I’m not interested in talking about the Biden accomplishments, but what's happening in the country that voters care about. (…)

The View Has Suspicion COVID’s Origin ‘Wasn’t in this Country,’ Maybe a Lab

ABC News is not sending us their best. That much was obvious during Tuesday’s edition of The View when the Cackling Coven went to bat for Dr. Anthony Fauci following a House hearing the previous day. Mid their rambling, one of them shared their new sneaking suspicion that the origin of the COVID-19 virus lay outside the United States. Not only that, another heard rumors that it came from a laboratory somewhere. Staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) huffed that the House had “15 months of an investigation spending real taxpayer dollars” and “They say they cannot find out what happened here in the United States in terms of the origin of COVID.” It was then that Hostin floated her suspicion, which most Americans already understood for years by this point: “Well, maybe because the origin wasn't in this country. Maybe it was in another country and maybe they need to now start looking for – at other countries.” What made Hostin’s apparently new theory even more ridiculous was the fact that at no point was there a serious idea that it originated in any place other than Wuhan, China. But the dumb didn’t stop there. Co-host Joy Behar added that she heard it originated someplace more specific. “Didn’t they say it possibly came out of a lab?” she asked, to which Hostin responded with a “Yes.”     The irony of this exchange was that Behar had just finished mocking Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene for being stupid. “The other thing about it is that Marjorie Taylor Greene has no business being on a committee about science,” she proclaimed. “She's really dumb!” Earlier this year, Behar suggested it was NATO that defeated Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Just adding to the pile of stupidity, moderator Whoopi Goldberg seemingly went on a rant talking about Republican on the committee supposedly suggesting that the coronavirus wasn’t even real: GOLDBERG: Can we point this other thing out too? Real people died during this. This was not something people made up. This was not something that, you know, people were fooling around with. So, if you're concerned – because I listened to a bit of it. This is why I don't turn the television on, because all I want to do is put my foot through the TV because I don't understand real people died. BEHAR: Yeah. GOLDBERG: Families lost love – lost children, lost grandparents and you're questioning the validity of this thing saying people made it up. Of course, she provided no evidence of her claim. And she may not have even seen it herself since she huffed: “This is why I don't turn the television on…” Faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin whined that Republicans were grilling her best friend. “This has my blood pressure like through the roof, today. Dr. Fauci is my friend. It was my honor to serve with him,” she said. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View June 4, 2024 11:05:40 a.m. Eastern (…) JOY BEHAR: The other thing about it is that Marjorie Taylor Greene has no business being on a committee about science. First of all – [Laughter] This is the woman who says – [Cheers and applause] SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: Let me finish. She says that Jewish space lasers cause fires. That was the first thing. But first of all, she has skipped seven of the ten hearings. Okay? That's another point. But this is something that she said that I think is just hilarious. She has publicly questioned this, “If the Earth spins at a thousand miles an hour why can't we feel ourselves moving?!” [Laughter] She's really dumb! HOSTIN: Did she say that during a committee meeting? BEHAR: She's dumb. It's a quote. She's really stupid, you know, and so disrespectful to Dr. Fauci. And, by the way, science evolves. What you know on Monday, what -- WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Can change. BEHAR: Can change on Thursday. This was an evolving disease also we didn't really know anything about. SARA HAINES: It was changing as well. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: This has my blood pressure like through the roof, today. Dr. Fauci is my friend. It was my honor to serve with him. (…) 11:08:36 a.m. Eastern HOSTIN: And the other thing that I will just say is, 15 months of an investigation. We have real problems in this country. 15 months of an investigation spending real taxpayer dollars really, really just gets to me. GOLDBERG: Yeah. HOSTIN: And I think that people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and other people need to start doing the work of the people as opposed to try to send these messages. They say they cannot find out what happened here in the United States in terms of the origin of COVID. Well, maybe because the origin wasn't in this country. Maybe it was in another country and maybe they need to now start looking for – at other countries. BEHAR: Didn’t they say it possibly came out of a lab? HOSTIN: Yes. GOLDBERG: Can we point this other thing out too? Real people died during this. This was not something people made up. This was not something that, you know, people were fooling around with. So, if you're concerned – because I listened to a bit of it. This is why I don't turn the television on, because all I want to do is put my foot through the TV because I don't understand real people died. BEHAR: Yeah. GOLDBERG: Families lost love – lost children, lost grandparents and you're questioning the validity of this thing saying people made it up. (…)

The View’s Fake Republican Compares Rubio to a ‘Dog’ for Defending Trump

Ana Navarro claims to still be a Republican despite actively campaigning for President Biden’s reelection effort and repeatedly defending allegedly corrupt Democrats such as New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. And on Monday’s show, in the wake of former President Trump’s felony convictions under questionable circumstances, she raged at Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio for defending Trump by comparing him to a “dog.” In the midst of The View’s whining about Republican politicians speaking out in support of the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Navarro bloviated about how, “You know, some people have emotional support dogs. Donald Trump has emotional support senators.” She suggested they were fighting among “themselves as to who kisses his ass more” to become his vice president. “But worse amongst them is the senator from my state of Florida, Marco Rubio,” she declared. After playing a soundbite of Rubio comparing the Trump trial to the show trials of communist Cuba after the revolution, Navarro exploded: NAVARRO: How dare you, Marco?! How dare you?! GOLDBERG: Oh, God! NAVARRO: 5,600 Cubans, at least, were shot in front of firing squads! Another1,200 were shot and died because of extrajudicial hearings! How dare you use their name in vain so you can suck up to this man! I know you want to be his vice president, but don't you dare use the name of these people who died protecting freedom and compare our U.S. judicial system to what happens in Cuba, what happens in Nicaragua, what happens in Venezuela!     Moderator Whoopi Goldberg built off of Navarro and lectured Cuban-Americans about supporting Trump; insinuating that they were either hypocrites or stupid for doing so: Let me ask, because I don't understand. All my life I have heard the Cuban people say, “we never want to see that. We're going to make sure it never happens here.” How can -- how can they not recognize when the man says, ‘I'm going to be this guy?’ What's -- what are we missing? “And the reason I was so curious about Marco Rubio saying something like that is because you heard all these stories. Who do you think they were talking about? A dictatorship that ate the country. I don't understand how you think it's going to be different,” Goldberg bloviated. Navarro was still fuming: “He knows better. He knows exactly what he's doing. He just thinks that the person that says the most outrageous thing will be rewarded by being Donald Trump's vice president.” The hypocrisy of their outrage was on full display as pretend-independent co-host Sara Haines opined about how Trump and “the people around him have to stop sowing mistrust in our systems.” “The percentage of trust in our institutions right now is down so low, only 27 percent of Americans have confidence in the Supreme Court,” she decried. “And I do mention the Supreme Court because it's also important to remember, you're not going to agree with everything everyone does…So, we have got to stop teaching people that when it doesn't go your way, something's wrong with the system.” But just last week alone, The View ran multiple segments where they actively tore at the fabric of American institutions by attacking the legitimacy of the court. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View June 3, 2024 11:05:36 a.m. Eastern (…) ANA NAVARRO: You know, some people have emotional support dogs. Donald Trump has emotional support senators, and they have been outdoing themselves as to who kisses his ass more. Who can kiss the ring? Who can – [Applause] And I get it. They're trying to audition to be vice president, and that is a big part of being his vice president is who can suck up to me. But worse amongst them is the senator from my state of Florida, Marco Rubio. I would like us to take a look at what he said. [Cuts to video] SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): This is the quintessential show trial. This is what you see in communist countries. This is what I grew up having people in this community tell me about that happened in the days after the Castro Revolutions. Now obviously, those led to executions. This on the other hand, is an effort to interfere in an election. [Cuts back to live] NAVARRO: How dare you, Marco?! How dare you?! GOLDBERG: Oh, God! NAVARRO: 5,600 Cubans, at least, were shot in front of firing squads! Another1,200 were shot and died because of extrajudicial hearings! How dare you use their name in vain so you can suck up to this man! I know you want to be his vice president, but don't you dare use the name of these people who died protecting freedom and compare our U.S. judicial system to what happens in Cuba, what happens in Nicaragua, what happens in Venezuela! [In Spanish: tells Rubio he should be ashamed of himself] [Applause] GOLDBERG: Let me ask, because I don't understand. All my life I have heard the Cuban people say, “we never want to see that. We're going to make sure it never happens here.” How can -- how can they not recognize when the man says, ‘I'm going to be this guy?’ What's -- what are we missing? (…) 11:09:50 a.m. Eastern SARA HAINES: I think Trump and the people around him -- Trump won't stop, but the people around him have to stop sowing mistrust in our systems. Sometimes you lose, and the other person didn't cheat and the system's not always rigged. The percentage of trust in our institutions right now is down so low, only 27 percent of Americans have confidence in the Supreme Court, eight percent in congress, less than 20 percent in the media. And I do mention the Supreme Court because it's also important to remember, you're not going to agree with everything everyone does, and our systems are not perfect. They have a dirty history of not being perfect, but they are perfect by comparison to a lot of other places in this world, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. So, we have got to stop teaching people that when it doesn't go your way, something's wrong with the system. GOLDBERG: Everybody doesn't always win. HAINES: Yeah. GOLDBERG: Isn't that what we have been talking about for years? But I just hope that people recognize history. This is why history's so important to know because if you don't know what happened, you don't know what can happen. And I just -- And the reason I was so curious about Marco Rubio saying something like that is because you heard all these stories. Who do you think they were talking about? A dictatorship that ate the country. I don't understand how you think it's going to be different. HOSTIN: There's a lack of world – ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: He knows better. NAVARRO: He knows better. He knows exactly what he's doing. He just thinks that the person that says the most outrageous thing will be rewarded by being Donald Trump's vice president. (…)

NewsBusters Podcast: Media React to Guilty Trump: Faux Sobriety, Gleeful, Hunger for More

The last 24 hours have been like drinking water out of a firehose for us here at NewsBusters as the liberal media have been sounding off nearly non-stop on former President Trump being found guilty on 34 felony counts. Managing Editor Curtis Houck and I pour out the media reactions into their respective buckets ranging from gleeful to a hunger for harsher punishments to a faux-sobriety that everyone can see through. Houck notes that the faux-sobriety bucket was occupied by the likes of CBS’s Special Report where the panel of anchors and correspondents opined on the “extraordinary” moment America could herself in and the “enormous gravity” of the situation. In that bucket, I include CNN’s Jake Tapper who has a personal hatred of Trump but pretended like he was dispassionate about the outcome of the case. I also point out that CNN legal analyst Karen Friedman Agnifilo soiled their coverage with the contents of the second bucket: the hunger for the harshest punishment. As we discussed, Friedman Agnifilo was joined by the Cackling Coven of ABC’s The View who call for Trump to be sent to Rikers Island and anything short of a prison sentence was somehow special treatment. As for the third bucket, MSNBC was treating it like a swimming pool. We discuss the blog written by NewsBusters Analyst Alex Christy about the far-left cable outlet waxing poetic about the verdict. This podcast is chalked full of treats, like Christy’s peace about many liberal outlets falling for a dramatic and buffoonish Trump supporter who turned out to be a phony. Take a listen for the rest! Enjoy the podcast below or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The View Was 'Leaking' in Excitement After Trump Was Found Guilty, Want Prison

Friday’s edition of ABC’s The View was exactly what one expected it to be after former President Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts. Between TMI admissions that they were “leaking” with excitement in the aisle of a store and pearl-clutching exasperations of how far America had fallen and the obligatory demands he be sent to prison, the Cackling Coven’s reactions had it all. From the get-go, things were out of the ordinary as moderator Whoopi Goldberg was on set. “Now, do not adjust your TV set. Yes, I'm here on a Friday. Because this is a very unique moment in history. That's why we're all at the table,” she announced, showing off all six co-hosts. With co-host Joy Behar telling her not to “choke” when announcing the news, Goldberg had to stifle a laugh and flubbed when she proclaimed Trump was a “confected” felon before correcting herself. She also uncharacteristically used Trump’s full name (Donald John Trump) instead of her usual “you-know-who.” According to Behar’s own admission, news of Trump’s conviction (via her smartwatch) left her so excited that her incontinence kicked in and she wet herself in the aisle of her local Costco: BEHAR: Well, my reaction I was at Costco buying ten boxes of Keurig coffee and my watch started to buzz and I got so excited I started leaking a little bit. [Laughter] But wait, this is what I had to say! GOLDBERG: So, you're the leaker. BEHAR: I'm the leaker.     Faux-Republican Ana Navarro self-diagnosed her reaction with schizophrenia: I really felt and still feel like I'm in a surrealist Fellini movie. Is this really happening? And I was schizophrenic because part of me was like, “yay” and part of me was like, “you know, this is really serious,” “yay,” “this is really serious,” now this is a man – “yay” – This is a man who made my life a living Hell for four years, has made the life of our country a living Hell for six years, so he deserves to be accountable. Pretend-independent Sara Haines lamented how she was going to explain all of this to her son. “Because to sit here as a parent or a teacher or an auntie or any leader in this and try to explain to your child that someone who could not vote in this country because they’re a convict could run and rule the country,” she bemoaned. “More questions are coming and I don't know if I’m ready for them, but it’s scary.”   Sara Haines says it's "scary" to think about how to explain to her kids how a felon who can't vote (Trump) could be allowed to run for president. pic.twitter.com/UG0IAF7dOq — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 31, 2024   On the more serious end, staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) proclaimed, “I felt like I won” and hinted that she had sources in the district attorney’s office that said they were going to try to get Trump sentenced to a year in prison. “And that is because when you spend a year in prison in New York or under, you serve in Rikers Island,” Hostin boasted. She was also eager to see Trump inevitably fail his probation check-ins when he got out and be sent back: And finally very, very quickly. When you violate parole, there's something called a VOP, a violation of probation hearing. You have to show up to probation. A man with a temperament of a toddler cannot withstand the -- all of the things that you would have to do to be on probation and that means he could be sent BACK to Rikers!   She also looks forward to Trump violating his parole and being sent back to Rikers after his prison sentence: "a man with a temperament of a toddler cannot withstand all of the things that you would have to do to be on probation and that means he could be sent back to Rikers!" pic.twitter.com/hx3aSnCpd2 — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 31, 2024   Further, Goldberg chimed in with a common refrain among some in the liberal media that anything less than prison time would be Trump getting special treatment: But I want the judge to give him six months. Can I tell you why and then you tell me everything? I want him to give him six months, because one of the things that we're hearing from all these young men that we've been talking to is that they love him because he has no consequences. He's a man -- they keep talking about how manly he is. He doesn't have to do anything -- And I feel like if we're going to treat this man who used to be president like everybody else, you're convicted of felonies, you got to do a little bit of time and then you have to say to the judge, “You know, I did this, I'm sorry.” He has -- you know, this is what you would all have to do if you were trying to get out. She was also hoping that Merchan wouldn’t give Trump any time to prepare and send him straight to prison after sentencing. “He could say, ‘Yeah, you're going to do this and you're going in tomorrow,’” she declared, pretending to the judge. Faux-conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin was nervous that the conviction would give Trump an extra push to win the election and he “get away.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 31, 2024 11:02:29 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Now, do not adjust your TV set. Yes, I'm here on a Friday. Because this is a very unique moment in history. That's why we're all at the table. [Cheers and applause] So, I'm going to say something you've never ever heard me say before, but [dramatic pause and stifled laugh] Donald John Trump [dramatic pause] JOY BEHAR: Don't choke. [Cheers] GOLDBERG: Is a confected – convicted felon. [Cheers and applause] (…) 11:05:09 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: Well, can I say one thing? GOLDBERG: Yeah, what was your reaction? BEHAR: Well, my reaction I was at Costco buying ten boxes of Keurig coffee and my watch started to buzz and I got so excited I started leaking a little bit. [Laughter] But wait, this is what I had to say! GOLDBERG: So, you're the leaker. BEHAR: I'm the leaker. (…) 11:07:33 a.m. Eastern ANA NAVARRO: I really felt and still feel like I'm in a surrealist Fellini movie. Is this really happening? And I was schizophrenic because part of me was like, “yay” and part of me was like, “you know, this is really serious,” “yay,” “this is really serious,” now this is a man – “yay” – This is a man who made my life a living Hell for four years, has made the life of our country a living Hell for six years, so he deserves to be accountable. (…) 11:09:49 a.m. Eastern SARA HAINES: I'm trying to be open and honest and teach him how to have his own opinions and things. And as I'm sitting there I'm thinking, “Thank God he asked me on Saturday or Sunday.” Because to sit here as a parent or a teacher or an auntie or any leader in this and try to explain to your child that someone who could not vote in this country because they’re a convict could run and rule the country. He understands criminal, he understands jail, he understands policemen. If you say man is doing this and try to explain how it's possible -- more questions are coming and I don't know if I’m ready for them, but it’s scary. (…) 11:10:49 a.m. Eastern SUNNY HOSTIN: I didn't feel somber! I felt like the Knicks won the tournament! I felt like America won! BEHAR: Yep. HOSTIN: I felt like New York won! I felt like the Manhattan DA's office won! I felt like I won! (…) 11:17:40 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: So, welcome back. These are the things that I wanted to ask y'all about because I want -- because this is great to see that our justice system can work. It does work because we haven't seen this for a while, and particularly with him. But, you know, the judge is going to have to sentence him and one of the things that's been bothering me is, I keep hearing all these pundits saying, “You know, he’s a first-time offender. You know, it's not going—”  And I'm thinking to myself, “Wait a minute, you got 175,000 cases where people are coming for you, so you're not a first-offender and wouldn't this go to the kind of habits that you have in terms of your rhetoric?” But I want the judge to give him six months. Can I tell you why and then you tell me everything? I want him to give him six months, because one of the things that we're hearing from all these young men that we've been talking to is that they love him because he has no consequences. He's a man -- they keep talking about how manly he is. He doesn't have to do anything -- And I feel like if we're going to treat this man who used to be president like everybody else, you're convicted of felonies, you got to do a little bit of time and then you have to say to the judge, “You know, I did this, I'm sorry.” He has -- you know, this is what you would all have to do if you were trying to get out. NAVARRO: Show remorse. GOLDBERG: Show remorse. HOSTIN: Can I answer that question because – BEHAR: So, lock him up basically at least. HOSTIN: -- I think it's a very important point. Judge Merchan has -- I think he has really done a good job in terms of keeping that courtroom together. I spent the morning speaking to someone in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. They’re called street fighters. He believes they will recommend a one-year term in prison. And that is because when you spend a year in prison in New York or under, you serve in Rikers Island. Okay? [Applause] Also, I did some research. The other thing I'd like to say is the other reason that they will do this is because he has shown an utter disregard for our institutions. And prosecutors, when you are recommending a sentence, you are not just recommending a sentence so that they can be rehabilitated or so that they can be punished, you are sending a message to the community. GOLDBERG: Yes. HOSTIN: That this is not going to happen again. This is not okay. The other thing I want to say is that there's another thing that they will likely recommend is a six-month split. Six months at Rikers and then the rest, five years, 4 1/2 years of probation. That is under New York law. BEHAR: And six months at this table! [Laughter] HOSTIN: And finally very, very quickly. When you violate parole, there's something called a VOP, a violation of probation hearing. You have to show up to probation. A man with a temperament of a toddler cannot withstand the -- all of the things that you would have to do to be on probation and that means he could be sent BACK to Rikers! (…) 11:21:33 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: You know, one of the things that we always have to remember is the judge, this is at his discretion. He will make this decision. HOSTIN: Yes, it is. Yes, it is. GOLDBERG: He could say, yeah, you're going to do this and you're going in tomorrow. HOSTIN: And sentencing is July 11th. And I think that he has the chutzpa to do that. (…)

CNNer Frets Trump Will Get Special Treatment and Not Be Sent to Prison

In the wake of the consequential ruling that saw former President Trump convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, CNN’s tone was mostly sober as they went through the play-by-play of what happened in the courtroom and what procedures needed and were to unfold in the coming days, weeks, and months. However, legal analyst Karen Friedman Agnifilo had a pretty major concern: that Trump would get special treatment and not be imprisoned. She explained that Trump would have to “report to probation” so they could put together a “pre-sentencing report where they take certain information.” Included in that “certain information” was “whether or not he expresses remorse” for his crimes because Judge Juan Merchan factors that into his consideration for sentencing. According to her, anyone else not named “Trump” would “absolutely without a doubt” get thrown behind bars and he could get special treatment: If you removed the name Donald Trump from his consideration, and it was somebody who came before him pre-sentence that also had three open other felony indictments in three other jurisdictions in both state and federal court. He is somebody who has been convicted of 34 felony counts, was held in contempt ten times for disobeying Judge Merchan's orders. He would absolutely fall within that 10 to 30 percent who would be sentenced to prison. But because his name is Donald Trump, who knows what will happen. But those are the exact factors that any judge in New York State would take into consideration. And those are the people who are convicted of E felon - felonies that would go to prison.     “There are a wide range of options he could get up to four years,” she elaborated. Friedman Agnifilo also suggested that Trump could be sentenced to “do weekends in jail … where you literally report to jail for weekends.” On the lighter end, she said Trump could be sentenced to “probation. He could do community service where he has to pick up trash on the subways … He could do home arrest.” Citing her “30 years” working a district attorney’s office and having “seen hundreds of thousands of cases and sentences,” she was convinced that if Trump – a first-time, non-violent offender – got anything less than a prison sentence, he would be getting special treatment: And absolutely without a doubt, any other defendant who was similarly clearly situated to Donald Trump, who is not going to show remorse and who, I am sure, will push the bounds of the still-remaining gag order after this, we'll see what happens. But anyone else in that position would get - would get prison. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN’s The Situation Room May 30, 2024 6:08:40 p.m. Eastern (…) JAKE TAPPER: Karen, the sentencing process tell us more about that. KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO: Yes. So, what will happen is that Donald Trump will have to report to probation and probation will prepare what's called a pre-sentencing report where they take certain information and this is something they do in every case before sentencing. Certain information about him, including whether or not he expresses remorse because that is something that is normally taken into consideration for sentencing. When Judge [Juan] Merchan actually sentences any defendant, he takes many factors into consideration. If you removed the name Donald Trump from his consideration, and it was somebody who came before him pre-sentence that also had three open other felony indictments in three other jurisdictions in both state and federal court. He is somebody who has been convicted of 34 felony counts, was held in contempt ten times for disobeying Judge Merchan's orders. He would absolutely fall within that 10 to 30 percent who would be sentenced to prison. But because his name is Donald Trump, who knows what will happen. But those are the exact factors that any judge in New York State would take into consideration. And those are the people who are convicted of E felon - felonies that would go to prison. Now, he could he could – he could – There are a wide range of options he could get up to four years. He could also do weekends in jail there's – there's – that’s as option if Judge Merchan wanted to do that, where you literally report to jail for weekends. He could do probation. He could do community service where he has to pick up trash on the subways. JAMIE GANGEL: Could he do home arrest? FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO: He could do home arrest. Every option is on the table with a class-E felony like this. But I wanted to just put a perspective for people of what any other defendant – Because I worked in the DA's office for about 30 years. I've seen hundreds of thousands of cases and sentences, and those are the factors that would’ve gone into that equation. And absolutely without a doubt, any other defendant who was similarly clearly situated to Donald Trump, who is not going to show remorse and who, I am sure, will push the bounds of the still-remaining gag order after this, we'll see what happens. But anyone else in that position would get would get prison. (…)

The View & Jill Biden: ‘We Will Lose All of Our Rights’ If GOP Get Elected!

The scent of desperation permeated the set of ABC’s The View on Wednesday as the liberal ladies teamed up with First Lady Jill Biden to shriek like banshees about how, if Republicans won in November and got to put another conservative justice on the Supreme Court, “We will lose all of our rights!” Co-host Joy Behar also shrilly vented to Biden about people questioning her husband’s mental acuity. Near the end of the second of three segments, Dr. Biden implored everyone to “think of the Supreme Court, for God's sake!” “Talk about things getting worse,” she added, “Can you imagine if we put any more Republicans on the Supreme Court?” “We’re finished,” Behar announced. Biden then fear mongered that “We will lose all of our rights” and got resounding agreement from moderator Whoopi Goldberg: BIDEN: So, we're talking about women's rights, gay rights, I mean, we will lose our rights and freedoms! GOLDBERG: Voting rights! BIDEN: Voting rights, yes! GOLDBERG: Voting rights. All of this is up at stake. Earlier in the first segment, Behar lamented that the American people didn’t trust President Biden’s mental fitness for office. She defended him by boasting about how he once told her he exercised “every day.” “Yes, every day,” the First Lady agreed.     “What do we have to do to tell people that the man is competent, alert, and doing the job and it's not about his age?” Behar raged. Ignoring all of Biden's senior moments, she lashed out at former President Trump, declaring: “The other one is doddering and doesn't remember anything and can't put a sentence together and has like brain farts in the middle of a paragraph and they go after Joe.” Biden suggested that the election was “not about age” because they were similar in age, but rather “about character.” Further in the interview, pretend independent Sara Haines shared her enthusiasm for how heavy CNN would be with their “guardrails” during the debate because they would have control of Trump’s microphone. “Donald Trump will gaslight, he over-talks,” she griped. Asked about “what is the strategy” her husband would be using, Biden laughably suggested that her husband doesn’t “scream” at anyone. “No, they built that in where they’re gonna turn off the mics so that somebody can't ramble or scream at somebody, you know, not that my husband would be the one doing that,” she asserted. But according to an Axios article from the summer of 2023, “Biden angrily yells, curse at aides in private.” “Behind closed doors, Biden has such a quick-trigger temper that some aides try to avoid meeting alone with him. Some take a colleague, almost as a shield against a solo blast,” national political reporter Alex Thompson wrote. Of course, faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin was her usual useless self and didn’t push back on any of it. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 29, 2024 11:18:17-11:19:07 a.m. Eastern (…) JOY BEHAR: But I know, I have met him a couple of times. He seems right on top of it. I said last time he was here, “do you work out?” He said, “Yes. Every day.” JILL BIDEN: Yes, every day. BEHAR: What do we have to do to tell people that the man is competent, alert, and doing the job and it's not about his age? The other one is doddering and doesn't remember anything and can't put a sentence together and has like brain farts in the middle of a paragraph and they go after Joe. BIDEN: Well, you know - This is – This election is not about age because like you said -- I mean Donald Trump's going to be, what, 78? And Joe is 81. They're basically the same age. BEHAR: Right. BIDEN: But it’s about character. (…) 11:19:35-11:20:43 SARAH HAINES: Donald Trump will gaslight, he over talks- there are no guardrails. So- BEHAR: He stalks. HAINES: Yeah, well I happen to believe it's really important more than ever to have a debate with guardrails. What is the strategy that the president has going into this, any tips you’d have for a debate that we could pull off where we could actually hear our candidates? BIDEN: No, they built that in where they’re gonna turn off the mics so that somebody can't ramble or scream at somebody, you know, not that my husband would be the one doing that. And so, that's already been negotiated and, you know, I think -- but I think the American people deserve a debate because you need to see your choices. You need to see Trump and you need to see the President and you need to see the differences. And my husband -- and you're going to see how smart he is and the experience he has and then you'll see somebody who, like you're saying, I'm gonna use Joy's words, can't put a sentence together and everything is beautiful and it is wonderful- BEHAR: Tremendous. SUNNY HOSTIN: Bigly. BIDEN: Yeah, yeah tremendous. (…) 11:23:09-11:23:39 BIDEN: But we cannot take things for granted because they can – And think of the Supreme Court, for God's sake, talk about things getting worse. Can you imagine if we put any more Republicans on the Supreme Court? HOSTIN: No, no.

Author John Grisham Fantasizes About Killing SCOTUS Justices 'Again'

Almost two years after a far-left extremist attempted to assassinate conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, ABC’s The View invited author John Grisham on the show to fantasize about a follow-up to The Pelican Brief where even more justices would be assassinated. Of course, the liberal ladies rushed to his defense. He also pushed long-debunked conspiracy theories about the 2000 election being decided by the court. Being that their guest had written about the Supreme Court in the past, co-host Joy Behar teed him up to give his two cents about the current media smear campaigns. “I mean, let's take the Supreme Court right now. A lot of people have issues with them. There are some scandals plaguing the Supreme Court. Do you have any thoughts on that and maybe write a book or make a movie out of that?” she wondered. “I wrote a great book called The Pelican Brief… In which two Supreme Court justices were assassinated,” he boasted (it was also turned into a movie in 1993). “You sure did!” staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) commended him. Seemingly inspired by Behar’s question about the current Supreme Court, Grisham then floated the idea of writing another book about justices getting assassinated, which immediately prompted the cast to jump to his defense: GRISHAM: And I thought about doing it again! BEHAR: No. No. No. No. [Crosstalk as they try to explain what he meant] WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Writing part two! He's talking about writing part two! GRISHAM: It's all fiction. HOSTIN: It's all fiction! GRISHAM: It’s all fiction. GOLDBERG: It’s all fiction! GRISHAM: Don't get upset. BEHAR: It's just fiction. It's made-up stories.     “The court has never looked this bad in my lifetime,” he proclaimed. “Some of the rulings, the ethical challenges…” Grisham dove into election denialism when he suggested the court started going “downhill in 2000 when five Republicans on the court chose to elect a president.” His debunked conspiracy theory got agreement from Behar as he doubled down on the false claim: BEHAR: Oh, yes. Al Gore. GRISHAM: That was the most political – Bush v. Gore and that's when it all started really going downhill. BEHAR: I agree with that. GRISHAM: The 5-4 decision and the court – it gets worse every term. It was a false claim because even with the court’s decision – for a case brought to them – George W. Bush had the votes to carry Florida. It was a fact even supported by a recount funded by the left-leaning The Miami Herald and USA Today. “So, I have no solution because you can't get rid of them,” Grisham added. “The solution is make them all retire at the age of 75. Every federal judge should have to retire at the age of 75.” And by total coincidence (not really), 75 was how old Justice Clarence Thomas was and how old Justice Samuel Alito would be next year. It’s worth noting that The View cast were among those in the liberal media who encouraged mobs of liberal radicals to assail the conservative justices at their homes and denounced calls for increased security after the assassination attempt. And a little over a year ago, far-left liberal extremist Jane Fonda was on the show and proposed “murder” as the final solution to the Pro-Life problem. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 29, 2024 11:50:36 a.m. Eastern (…) JOY BEHAR: You're art imitating life, really, I think is what you're doing. But life right now in a courtroom is getting a little scary. I mean, let's take the Supreme Court right now. A lot of people have issues with them. There are some scandals plaguing the Supreme Court. Do you have any thoughts on that and maybe write a book or make a movie out of that? JOHN GRISHAM: I wrote a great book called The Pelican Brief. SARA HAINES: Yes! SUNNY HOSTIN: You sure did! [Applause] BEHAR: Yep. GRISHAM: In which two Supreme Court justices were assassinated. BEHAR: I know. HOSTIN: Yes. GRISHAM: And I thought about doing it again! BEHAR: No. No. No. No. [Crosstalk as they try to explain what he meant.] WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Writing part two! He's talking about writing part two! GRISHAM: It's all fiction. HOSTIN: It's all fiction! GRISHAM: It’s all fiction. GOLDBERG: It’s all fiction! GRISHAM: Don't get upset. BEHAR: It's just fiction. It's made up stories. GRISHAM: The court has never looked this bad-- BEHAR: No. GRISHAM: -- in my lifetime. Some of the rulings, the ethical challenges, the -- It went downhill in 2000 when five Republicans on the court chose to elect a president. BEHAR: Oh, yes. Al Gore. GRISHAM: That was the most political – Bush v. Gore and that's when it all started really going downhill. BEHAR: I agree with that. GRISHAM: The 5-4 decision and the court – it gets worse every term. HOSTIN: Wow. GRISHAM: So, I have no solution because you can't get rid of them. The solution is make them all retire at the age of 75. Every federal judge should have to retire at the age of 75. BEHAR: How about term limits like everybody else? The president gets term limits. Why do they have these lifetime jobs? [Crosstalk] ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I did want to ask about the book. (…)

NewsBusters Podcast: Deconstructing ‘Detrans’ With Mary Margaret Olohan

Detrans: True Stories of Escaping the Gender Ideology Cult is out Tuesday and we spoke with its author — 2023 MRC Bulldog Award winner and Daily Signal senior writer Mary Margaret Olohan — about what she’s discovered in speaking with several young men and women who had fallen victim to transgender ideology. We also discussed the Orwellian doublespeak in media style guides from groups like GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign and received an update on the many lawsuits filed against allegedly unethical medical providers. One of the country’s most connected and esteemed pro-life reporters, Olohan has spent years accruing sources and cultivating relationships with Americans the liberal media ignore on topics such as abortion, the Catholic Church, culture, education, freedom, life, protecting children, and, as we discussed, defending the simple fact that men are men and women are women. After the interview, we discussed our takeaways from the book. Nick pointed out the unethical nature of the apparent psychiatrist-to-hormone/surgery pipeline, which industry professionals bragged about as very lucrative. He also highlighted their insistence that transitioning was a silver bullet to treat gender dysphoria. As for Curtis, he observed how the book points to the high correlation between autism spectrum disorder (or ASD, which sometimes goes undiagnosed), the deceitful pull of transgenderism, and the lack of mental health resources for treating children with ASD or other developmental challenges.

He’s ‘Trash’: The View Tries to Pressure Radio Host to Endorse Biden

For the second time in a week, the liberal ladies of The View were told to go pound sand by a guest after they tried to pressure them into becoming a shill for President Biden’s reelection effort like they were. On Wednesday’s show, they spoke with radio host Charlamagne the God and wanted him to do more for Biden than say former President Trump was a danger to democracy and unfit for office. Proclaiming she wanted the conversation to “get real,” staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) decried Charlamagne for not endorsing Biden this time around: Now, you have a massive platform reaching millions of listeners – and you and I have talked about it before – you endorsed Joe Biden back in 2020, but this time around you say you're not going to endorse anybody. Charlamagne, now is not the time in my opinion to sit this one out! “I didn’t say that. I never said I was sitting it out,” Charlamagne shot back. “I'm definitely voting on November, but what I like to focus on issues not individuals…”     Hostin interrupted and continued to harangue their guest about not endorsing their candidate (Click “expand”): HOSTIN: But why not endorse? CHARLAMAGNE: Huh? HOSITN: Why not endorse Biden? CHARLAMAGNE: Because if I'm sitting here telling my listeners that you have somebody out there who is a threat to democracy, you have somebody out is there who said they want to, you know, suspend the Constitution to overthrow the results of an election; and you saw this person try to lead an attempted coup of this country and I'm telling people this guy is a threat to democracy, have you ever read "Project 25." There's only two candidates out there. So, if I'm saying that about this individual, the choice is clear, right? And I – [Applause] And I've seen you do this on The View before. I saw y’all do this to Killer Mike when he was on The View… “Why do y'all need us to say this if we don't feel comfortable saying it?” he wanted to know. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg interjected to explain “It's not that we need you to say it but other folks need to hear…” Without evidence, Goldberg whined that the media was somehow not helping Biden out enough. She asserted that “getting facts out through the media has been very -- seems to be very difficult…” “I feel like I've just spewed some facts,” Charlamagne scoffed; drawing swift rebuke from Goldberg and Hostin: GOLDBERG: Yes, but we need you to do it on your show. HOSTIN: Yes, but an endorsement from you will matter. “Well, the reality is I think both candidates are trash,” Charlamagne announced. “I am going to vote in November and I'm going to vote my best interest and I'm going to vote who I think can preserve democracy. So, if I think both are trash and don't feel like endorsing one, would you rather me endorse the individual or endorse the fact that we need to go out here and protect democracy?” At one point, he noted that “it feels like [Biden’s] base is pretty pissed off at him for a number of reasons” and that it could hurt his chances of getting reelected. “Help him out! Help him out!” Hostin shouted at him. Charlamagne laughed and asked: “Help him out by doing what?” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 22, 2024 11:36:58 a.m. Eastern (…) SUNNY HOSTIN: Let’s get real. Now, you have a massive platform reaching millions of listeners – and you and I have talked about it before – you endorsed Joe Biden back in 2020, but this time around you say you're not going to endorse anybody. Charlamagne, now is not the time in my opinion to sit this one out! CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: I didn’t say that. I never said I was sitting it out. HOSTIN: What you going to do? CHARLAMAGNE: I'm definitely voting on November, but what I like to focus on issues not individuals, like, you know, when you have – HOSTIN: But why not endorse? CHARLAMAGNE: Huh? HOSITN: Why not endorse Biden? CHARLAMAGNE: Because if I'm sitting here telling my listeners that you have somebody out there who is a threat to democracy, you have somebody out is there who said they want to, you know, suspend the Constitution to overthrow the results of an election; and you saw this person try to lead an attempted coup of this country and I'm telling people this guy is a threat to democracy, have you ever read "Project 25." There's only two candidates out there. So, if I'm saying that about this individual, the choice is clear, right? And I – [Applause] And I've seen you do this on The View before. I saw y’all do this to Killer Mike when he was on The View and Killer Mike literally sat here and said, “Hey, you know, I supported Keisha Lance Bottoms, I supported Ralph Warnock, I supported Jon Ossoff in Georgia.” He said, “you should support the people that I've supported -- You should support the person who the people I supported are supporting.” That's y'all opportunity to say, “Well, clearly, he's talking about President Biden.” Why do y'all need us to say this if we don't feel comfortable saying it? WHOOPI GOLDBERG: No. No. It's not that we need you to say it but other folks need to hear because, you know, one of the things -- I'm sorry, I just jumped you. I’m sorry. But one of the things that we've been talking about is the fact that getting facts out through the media has been very -- seems to be very difficult, because -- CHARLAMAGNE: I feel like I've just spewed some facts. GOLDBERG: Yes, but we need you to do it on your show. HOSTIN: Yes, but an endorsement from you will matter. CHARLAMAGNE: Well, the reality is I think both candidates are trash. So, because I'm -- but I am going to vote in November and I'm going to vote my best interest and I'm going to vote who I think can preserve democracy. So, if I think both are trash and don't feel like endorsing one, would you rather me endorse the individual or endorse the fact that we need to go out here and protect democracy? ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: By the way, I think it's incredibly powerful to use your platform just to draw the contrast. I actually tend to agree that I don't think an endorsement is somehow more powerful than reminding folks the other person tried to overturn our democracy. That breaks through. But I got to ask you, because you're kind of one of these, we call them double haters. I don't like to – use the phrase. CHARLAMAGNE: Double haters? FARAH GRIFFIN: Double haters. Like not thrilled with Biden or Trump. HOSTIN: I’ve never heard of that! [Crosstalk] CHARLAMAGNE: I thought that was just being called an American nowadays if you look at the polls. People don't seem to be too pleased with either one of them. FARAH GRIFFIN: I’m right there with you. You've called this a race between crooks, cowards, and the couch. CHARLAMAGNE: That’s right. FARAH GRIFFIN: And Democrats are losing the messaging game. CHARLAMAGNE: Well, let’s be clear about who I say are the crooks. I say Republicans are the crooks, I say Democrats are the cowards, and I say the couch is voter apathy. And I feel like, you know, right now it looks like voter apathy may win. But who’s fault is that? It that our fault or is it the candidates? FARAH GRIFFIN: Well, I'm curious at this juncture, six months out, who do you think wins? CHARLAMAGNE: Oh, I have no idea. I mean, that's like -- it's a toss-up at this point. I really don't know. I think the person who goes out there and probably energizes their base the best at this point. And, you know, when you look at somebody like President Biden, it feels like his base is pretty pissed off at him for a number of reasons. HOSTIN: Help him out! Help him out! CHARLAMAGNE: [Laughter] Help him out by doing what? (…)

Hostin Blasts WNBA Star Caitlin Clark for Being ‘White’ and ‘Pretty’

If beauty is only skin deep, that explains the ugly heart of the staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host of ABC’s The View, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners). During Wednesday’s show, she lashed out at WNBA star Caitlin Clark “because she's white, because she's attractive,” and because she’s not a lesbian. Hostin, who sits on the board of advocates for the WNBA’s Players Association, seemed to resent that Clark was poised to bring a bunch of new fans and sponsorship opportunities to the league that WNBA star Brittney Griner couldn’t and chalked it up to her skin color because of it: At all. And the WNBA started in 1996. First games played in 1997. It's 2024, and we're just really now talking about it and so if Caitlin Clark is the vehicle that will bring this sport that I have loved so much and so long to little 5-year-old girls playing in Harlem, I say yes, bravo. I have no problem with that. [Applause] With that being said, I do think that there is a thing called pretty privilege. There is a thing called white privilege. There is a thing called tall privilege. And we have to acknowledge that, and so part of it is about race because if you think about the Brittney Griners of the world, you know.     I don’t know Sunny, maybe people don’t like her because of her anti-American comments. Just a thought. The chronically bitter View host doubled down and deduced that Clark was able to do all this because she was white, pretty, and straight. “But I do think that she is more relatable to more people because she's white, because she's attractive, and unfortunately, there still is that stigma against the LGBTQ+ community,” she declared. Hostin suggested that one of the reasons people didn’t like the WNBA was because “70 percent of the WNBA is black,” which was a ridiculous claim because it’s a similar statistic for the NBA. “And we have to do something about that stigma in this country. I think that people have a problem with basketball-playing women that are lesbians. Who cares?! They are great athletes!” she screeched. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 23, 2024 11:06:35 AM (…) SUNNY HOSTIN: You know I've been a basketball fan since I can remember. I played basketball with my dad in Harlem when I was 5 years old. So, I remember loving the game, and the game not necessarily loving women back. Right? WHOOPI GOLDBERG: At all. HOSTIN: At all. And the WNBA started in 1996. First games played in 1997. It's 2024, and we're just really now talking about it and so if Caitlin Clark is the vehicle that will bring this sport that I have loved so much and so long to little 5-year-old girls playing in Harlem, I say yes, bravo. I have no problem with that. [Applause] With that being said, I do think that there is a thing called pretty privilege. There is a thing called white privilege. There is a thing called tall privilege. And we have to acknowledge that, and so part of it is about race because if you think about the Brittney Griners of the world, you know. Why did she have to go to play in Russia? GOLDBERG: Because they wouldn't pay her! HOSTIN: Because they wouldn't pay her. GOLDBERG: Because they wouldn’t pay. Not because she was black, but because they didn't believe in the WNBA. HOSTIN: Well this is part of my point. So now, Caitlin Clark is bringing this money, these sponsorships— GOLDBERG: We hope. HOSTIN: We hope, into the league and other players will benefit from it. But I do think that she is more relatable to more people because she's white, because she's attractive, and unfortunately, there still is that stigma against the LGBTQ+ community. 70 percent of the WNBA is black; a third of the players are in the LGBTQ+ community. And we have to do something about that stigma in this country. I think that people have a problem with basketball-playing women that are lesbians. Who cares?! They are great athletes! (…)

Networks Rally to Run New Alito Conspiracy Theory Up the Flagpole

The liberal media seem determined to declare anything a “symbol” of January 6 if they could use it to smear a conservative U.S. Supreme Court justice and manipulate upcoming rulings involving former President Trump. That much was clear during the Thursday morning newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC when they rallied to try to run a new conspiracy theory about Justice Samuel Alito up the flagpole to force him to recuse himself. All three networks leaned heavily on a The New York Times report that Alito’s vacation home sported the Revolutionary War-era “An Appeal to Heaven” flag. But since two of the flags were seen during the riot at the Capitol, suddenly it was the “symbol” every “insurrectionist” was rallied behind. It was the second such “symbol” the media had declared to have discovered in as many weeks amid their effort to remove Alito. NBC Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie gave away the game during her lead into the segment. “Also this morning, the calls are growing louder for Supreme Court Justice Alito to recuse himself from any cases related to January 6. This comes after another image has surfaced showing a second controversial flag on display at one of his properties,” she declared. Senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson boasted: “We are seeing a fresh chorus of criticism from Democrats this morning…” She quoted Senator Dick Durban (D-IL), who claimed said the flag was, “Yet another example of apparent ethical misconduct.” “The flag, rooted in the Revolutionary War, has more recently become a symbol of support for Christian nationalism and for Donald Trump,” she added, without evidence. Interestingly, the “insurrectionist” Appeal to Heaven flag could be seen on the desk of the Libertarian character Ron Swanson on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. Swanson was certainly not a "Christian nationalist."     Over on ABC’s Good Morning America, co-anchor and former Clinton lackey George Stephanopoulos suggested that the flags were really only ever aligned with the rioters: And there are new questions and criticism for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after The New York Times published pictures of a flag associated with the January 6 insurrection flying outside his summer home. This comes after the revelation last week that another flag associated with January 6 had been flying at his primary home. ABC chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas also took part in the conspiratorial highlighting of the flag among the rioters and downplayed its long history before January 6: Take a look at these images and you’ll see both flags clearly on display on January 6th as the mayhem unfolded. It's unclear who posted the pine tree flag and what kind, if any, statement was being made. The pine tree flag date back to the Revolutionary War and was flown on war ships commissioned under George Washington. But in recent years, the symbol has been associated with Christian nationalism. “This morning, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito faces new calls to remove himself from cases tied to the former president and the assault on the capitol,” proclaimed CBS Mornings co-anchor and Democratic Party donor Gayle King, also broadcasting their intent with covering the story. “The New York Times reports a second flag used by January 6th protestors was seen flying at Alito's vacation home.” January 6-obsessed correspondent Scott MacFarlane accidentally tipped their hand in showing how much of a non-story it was when he admitted that, “the Appeal to Heaven flag also hangs outside the office of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.” If an indisputable “symbol” of the “insurrection” was being flown by the Speaker of the House all this time, why was this the first time it was mentioned? And why didn’t the other networks mention it? It appears they’re taking swings without being educated on the matter. Do you know which flag was being flown at the Capitol in larger quantities than both the upside-down and Appeal to Heaven flags? Normal American flags. How long until the liberal media condemn them too? Too late. The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America May 23, 2024 7:09:17 a.m. Eastern GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And there are new questions and criticism for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after The New York Times published pictures of a flag associated with the January 6 insurrection flying outside his summer home. This comes after the revelation last week that another flag associated with January 6 had been flying at his primary home. Chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas has details. Good morning, Pierre. PIERRE THOMAS: George, good morning. Everyone knows Justice Alito as a staunch conservative, but this morning more questions are being raised about whether he has political bias with two critical January 6 cases now before the U.S. Supreme Court. [Cuts to video] This morning, only days after it was revealed that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito flew a flag associated with January 6th rioters at his Northern Virginia home, he's facing new questions about another flag tied to supporters of President Trump. The New York Times publishing images of a pine tree flag outside of Alito’s New Jersey beach home last summer with the words “Appeal to Heaven.” Like the upside-down flag, which had become synonymous with the Stop the Steal movement and flown in Alito's home, the pine tree flag was carried by some pro-Trump supporters on January 6th as the Capitol was attacked. Take a look at these images and you’ll see both flags clearly on display on January 6th as the mayhem unfolded. It's unclear who posted the pine tree flag and what kind, if any, statement was being made. The pine tree flag date back to the Revolutionary War and was flown on war ships commissioned under George Washington. But in recent years, the symbol has been associated with Christian nationalism. Supreme Court justices are supposed to avoid the appearance of political bias and Democrats have already argued Alito should recuse himself from the January 6th cases now before the high court, including one which will resolve whether President Trump has immunity from prosecution. This week, Democrats pounced on Alito's upside-down flag controversy, raising questions about political bias. SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: (D-NY): Look, I think what he did was really the wrong thing to do, and it casts some doubt on impartiality and I'm discussing with Senator Durbin where we should go from here. PIERRE: Alito has said the upside-down flag was placed at his home by his wife, who was in a dispute with a neighbor. [Cuts back to live] Justice Alito has yet to comment on the latest flag questions, though Supreme Court decisions on January 6th are expected in the coming days and weeks. Michael. MICHAEL STRAHAN: All right, Pierre. Thank you very much for that. CBS Mornings May 23, 2024 8:13:22 a.m. Eastern GAYLE KING: This morning, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito faces new calls to remove himself from cases tied to the former president and the assault on the capitol. The New York Times reports a second flag used by January 6th protestors was seen flying at Alito's vacation home. Scott McFarlane looks at the modern message of that Revolutionary War banner. [Cuts to video] SCOTT MACFARLANE: You can see the white and green Appeal to Heaven flag amid the rioters who surged into the Capitol January 6th. PROTESTORS: USA! USA! MACFARLANE: The siege helped make the flag a symbol of support for former President Trump and the conservative Christian nationalist movement. According to this New York Times report Wednesday, an Appeal to Heaven flag was photographed flying at the New Jersey vacation home of conservative Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito last summer. The report comes days after Alito acknowledged an upside-down U.S. flag, also associated with the January 6th attack and the Stop the Steal movement, flew outside his Virginia home days after the deadly Capitol riot. Alito argued he “had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag” that was hung by his wife amid a dispute with neighbors. And recently, Alito argued free speech is under attack. [Cuts to speech] JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO: Troubled waters are slamming against some of our most fundamental principles. [Cuts to video] MACFARLANE: The controversy comes as the court is deciding if Trump should have immunity from prosecution, which led some Democrats to call for Justice Alito to recuse himself from those cases. [Cuts to Interview] SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-MAJ): What he did was the wrong thing to do and it casts some doubt on impartiality. [Cuts to Video] MACFARLANE: As the Appeal to Heaven flag also hangs outside the office of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson issued a statement in support writing he, “Has long appreciated the rich history of the flag as it was first used by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. [Cuts to Live] Justice Alito has not responded to request for comment about this flag report. We do know that Senate Democrats want to vote on new Supreme Court ethics rules, but stands no chance of becoming law, Nate, without sufficient Republican support. NBC’s Today May 23, 2024 7:10:10 a.m. Eastern SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Also this morning, the calls are growing louder for Supreme Court Justice Alito to recuse himself from any cases related to January 6. This comes after another image has surfaced showing a second controversial flag on display at one of his properties. NBC's senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson has the story this morning. Hallie, good morning. HALLIE JACKSON: Hey Savanah, good morning. We are seeing a fresh chorus of criticism from Democrats this morning, and it comes as the Supreme Court is set to decide key cases this term related to the Capitol attack and election interference, including whether former President Trump is immune from prosecution for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. [Cuts to video] Another Supreme Court controversy this morning involving Justice Samuel Alito over a new report of a flag flying outside his New Jersey beach house. According to The New York Times the so-called “Appeal to Heaven” flag, a green pine tree on a white background. A symbol carried by some rioters outside the capitol on January 6th. You see it here and here. The Times citing three photographs it obtained from outside Alito's property from last summer, along with accounts from a half a dozen neighbors and passersby as well as this Google street view picture from last August. The flag, rooted in the Revolutionary War, has more recently become a symbol of support for Christian nationalism and for Donald Trump. But now, renewed calls from the Democratic Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee for Alito to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election. Calling the incident, “Yet another example of apparent ethical misconduct.” Other Democrats agree. SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): At a very minimum, he has to recuse himself from these cases now coming before the court that will determine whether or not Trump is held accountable. SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-RI): It really encapsulates all the problems we've had with this rogue Supreme Court and its refusal to accept any rule of law. JACKSON: It's the second time in less than a week Alito’s faced questions, after the Justice confirmed another provocative flag, an upside-down American flag, flew outside his Northern Virginia home in the days after January 6th. Telling The Times, "I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag” and that it was briefly placed by his wife in response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. The upside-down flag, long considered a distress signal, but's been adopted by some Trump supporters backing the former President's election fraud lies. Some Republicans after that report dismissing calls for recusal. SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I don't think he should be recused. I think it was a mistake, but leave it to them to explain it. [Cuts back to live] JACKSON: We should note here that Justice Alito did not respond to The Times’ request for comment and the Court did not respond to NBC News.

MSNBC’s Ruhle: The Poors Should Shut Up, Wendy’s Has $3 Breakfast!

If your goal was to find some of the most tone-deaf analyses of how Americans were feeling about living under Bidenomics, look no further than MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle. After previously asserting that Americans’ “dirty little secret” was that they were weathering President Biden’s inflation just fine, she was back during Tuesday night’s The 11th Hour to tell the poors that they needed to shut up about not being able to afford basic necessities because Wendy’s was rolling out a $3 breakfast option. Ruhle started off fair enough by noting: “Consumers have been sounding off about price fatigue for a while now. And now, a new report from the Fed shows people are still struggling to cover day-to-day expenses even as inflation has slowed.” But she followed up by suggesting relief was in sight because – in addition to one store change lowering prices – some unhealthy fast food chains were coming out with cheap meals the poors could stuff in their mouths: But some big consumer brands are beginning to take action. Target says it is cutting prices on 5,000 essential items, things like milk, butter, pet food. Wendy's is now offering a $3 breakfast deal and rivals like McDonald's are offering lower-priced value meals. Maybe she was hoping the fatty food would muffle their whining.     She then brought on her “old friend,” President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Austan Goolsbee and lamented to him that “we need an economic explainer” because “people are confused” and don’t understand “they are also doing quite well” financially. Goolsbee, a former economic advisor to President Obama, suggested “inflation slowed in 2023 actually, quite a lot…almost as much as it’s ever come down.” He falsely claimed, “we didn’t have a recession while that was happening, which was quite unusual.” He admitted that “prices are still higher than they were before” and noted he can still hear “people complaining about that.” Near the end of the interview, Ruhle wanted him to examine “the psyche of the American consumer” and diagnose what their deal was. According to Goolsbee, they were harshing his mellow with their bad “vibes”: RUHLE: Before we go, the psyche of the American consumer. Right? Lots of things that were not considered luxuries before, now are because things have gotten expensive. However, we have more purchasing power today than we did in 2019. What's going on with the American consumer psyche? GOOLSBEE: Like, the vibes! There’s never been a bigger difference between the vibes and the actual numbers than we’re facing right now. And I don't think we totally understand that. “And I don't think we totally understand that. Maybe it is rooted a little bit in, if you ask people how is your personal situation and they say pretty good. How is the national economy?” he gawked. Goolsbee did have a brush with sanity as he stated the obvious that inflation was “very unpopular.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: MSNBC’s The 11th Hour May 21, 2024 11:50:11 p.m. Eastern STEPHANIE RUHLE: Consumers have been sounding off about price-fatigue for a while now. And now, a new report from the Fed shows people are still struggling to cover day-to-day expenses even as inflation has slowed. But some big consumer brands are beginning to take action. Target says it is cutting prices on 5,000 essential items, things like milk, butter, pet food. Wendy's is now offering a $3 breakfast deal and rivals like McDonald's are offering lower-priced value meals. Here to discuss, an old friend of mine, Austan Goolsbee, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. We need an economic explainer. People are confused, they're exhausted, but they are also doing quite well. So, I want to start with prices. They’ve been an issue for everyone. What is your take when you hear about big consumer brands actually cutting prices? AUSTAN GOOLSBEE (president/CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago): Good! But, you've had inflation that got way too high in the U.S. and in other countries around the world. Incomes didn’t keep up with that. Now, inflation slowed in 2023 actually, quite a lot. Inflation came down almost as much as it’s ever come down and we didn’t have a recession while that was happening, which was quite unusual. But prices are still higher than they were before and so you see people complaining about that. (…) 11:54:33 p.m. Eastern RUHLE: Before we go, the psyche of the American consumer. Right? Lots of things that were not considered luxuries before, now are because things have gotten expensive. However, we have more purchasing power today than we did in 2019. What's going on with the American consumer psyche? GOOLSBEE: Like, the vibes! There’s never been a bigger difference between the vibes and the actual numbers than we’re facing right now. And I don't think we totally understand that. Maybe it is rooted a little bit in, if you ask people how is your personal situation and they say pretty good. How is the national economy? They don't like it at all. I think a lot of that comes from inflation being very unpopular and there is a bit of lag behind conditions. But like I say, it has these cross currents going. There are some things that are very strong in the economy. There are some things that are very aggravating in the economy, and that melts into a little bit of this vibe situation where people are more upset than you would think they would be when the unemployment rate is low and the economy is growing. (…)

Maher Embarrasses Hostin With the FACTS of Hamas’s Hatred for Jews

Comedian Bill Maher completely embarrassed the staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host of ABC’s The View, Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) on Tuesday with the facts of Hamas’s anti-Semitism while they spared over the Israel-Hamas War. Hostin repeatedly questioned if Maher cared about civilian lives, to which he left the audience stunned when he said the solution was to “stop attacking Israel.” Venting his frustrations with many on the progressive left, Maher lamented: “It's just astounding to me that they can't tell the good guys from the bad guys. I mean, just morally.”     He told them to “just live in [pre-war] Gaza for a day” and that Hamas would not tolerate their liberal values. “Trust me, you would go running and screaming and begging to live in Tel Aviv, a place that has your values,” he implored them. Maher called out people like Hostin who ridiculously claimed Israel was an “apartheid” state by noting the “gender apartheid” in Gaza “and a lot of majority Muslim countries around the world.” He even got support from co-hosts Joy Behar and Alyssa Farah Griffin on that point. Hostin then chimed in to spew the debunked statistic that most of the people killed in the war were innocent women and children. She tried to grill Maher with that false stat and the actions of hypocritical international organizations who target Israel, and Maher told her off: HOSTIN: Are you at all concerned about the innocent civilians that have been collectively punished and murdered, largely children and women? MAHER: Of course. HOSTIN: And are you at all concerned about the fact that the International Criminal Court just today issued a subpoena for Bibi Netanyahu. MAHER: Well, that's ridiculous, but it's a war. HOSTIN: Why? MAHER: Because it's a war and they were attacked and they're defending themselves. “So, Hamas needs to be destroyed because they are a terrorist organization who say openly that they want to commit genocide on the Jewish people, on the state of Israel. That's what ‘from the river to the sea’ means,” he explained to her. The history lesson continued with the comedian recalling that Hamas had “started five wars since they were given that land back. They could have chosen to turn that place into any place they wanted to and they took a lot of money that they took from the international community and they spent it on bombs and guns and building tunnels.” Hostin was embarrassed and backed into a corner, so she defaulted to asking again if her guest was “concerned for the innocent lives?” Of course, the implication was that his impassioned defense of Israel meant he wasn’t. “Of course, everybody is,” he exclaimed. “But that's what happens in a war. Here's a way to stop that: Stop attacking Israel!” With Maher staring down Hostin, there was a moment of silence as the cast and the audience sat stunned before the latter erupted in applause. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 21, 2024 11:38:56 a.m. Eastern (…) SUNNY HOSTIN: Well, I had a different question but it struck me that in the first segment you used the term “woke” and you said that woke is what was sort of ruining everything and I know that you're -- BILL MAHER: No, I didn't say ruining everything. I said that's why Trump could get re-elected. HOSTIN: Trump could get re-elected. So – The term woke has been, in my view, co-opted by the right and weaponized and bastardized. And so, I was surprised to hear you use the term, because historically as you know – cause I think you’re quite brilliant – that woke is a word used by the black community to note that we must be aware of social injustices. MAHER: But words migrate. HOSTIN: Why is that a bad thing? MAHER: It's not a bad thing and originally that was actually a great thing. Alert to injustice. Who is not for that? But words do migrate. Now, I'll use any term you want. HOSTIN: Okay. MAHER: Because maybe that is a word that’s triggering so let's not use that word. I don’t now, want to call it the super-far-left? But don't tell me the left. HOSTIN: Or maybe the super-far-right. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN (to Hostin): Well, he's talking about the left. JOY BEHAR (to Hostin): But they’re not woke. MAHER: But we talked about that. I think we agree about the danger of the super-far-right and, you know, I can't say it enough. I think they're the bigger threat. But don't tell me that the left hasn't changed? I mean, I'm old enough to remember when it was the conservatives who hated the Jews. BEHAR: Yeah. MAHER: Okay? That was a joke, but – [Laughter] FARAH GRIFFIN: Too dark. Too dark. MAHER: Maybe it is but it's true. I mean, you know, if I had any doubt that I was right about the change that's happened to the left, watching people protest for a terrorist organization like Hamas, that straightened me up pretty quick. (…) 11:41:05 a.m. Eastern MAHER: It's just astounding to me that they can't tell the good guys from the bad guys. I mean, just morally. I mean, let me tell you, if you're for Hamas, just live in Gaza for a day. And I'm not talking about while the war is on. I mean before the war. Trust me, you would go running and screaming and begging to live in Tel Aviv, a place that has your values. I mean, women have no -- I mean, this is a show watched by a lot of women. Women have no rights in this place, and a lot of majority Muslim countries around the world. I mean, there's no equal rights as far as speech, dress, opportunities for education. BEHAR: Nothing. MAHER: Reproductive rights, freedom from sexual violence, freedom from sexual harassment. FARAH GRIFFIN: The LGBTQ community. MAHER: You -- that too. But you throw around the term “apartheid,” there is a gender apartheid in a lot of the world where women are second-class citizens, at best. HOSTIN: Are you at all concerned about the innocent civilians that have been collectively punished and murdered, largely children and women? MAHER: Of course. HOSTIN: And are you at all concerned about the fact that the International Criminal Court just today issued a subpoena for Bibi Netanyahu. MAHER: Well, that's ridiculous, but it's a war. HOSTIN: Why? MAHER: Because it's a war and they were attacked and they're defending themselves. Now, this is a war. Do you think Hamas needs to be destroyed? This is the question. HOSTIN: Yes. MAHER: You do. HOSTIN: Yes. FARAH GRIFFIN: So, how could they do that with a ceasefire? MAHER: All right. So, Hamas needs to be destroyed because they are a terrorist organization who say openly that they want to commit genocide on the Jewish people, on the state of Israel. That's what “from the river to the sea” means. Okay? And they say it very openly. They say we've did this attack. They’ve attacked Israel five times. They’ve started five wars since they were given that land back. They could have chosen to turn that place into any place they wanted to and they took a lot of money that they took from the international community and they spent it on bombs and guns and building tunnels. So, if they need to be destroyed, how do we do that? It's a war. I don't know how to do that and you don't know how to do that. I assume – HOSTIN: But are you concerned for the innocent lives? MAHER: Of course, everybody is. But that's what happens in a war. Here's a way to stop that: Stop attacking Israel! [Silence then applause] BEHAR: And stop calling for the annihilation of Israel and all the Jews. They're calling for the annihilation of the Jews. And so, you can't really defend that on the other side very easily. MAHER: No, you can’t. (…)

Behar Admits She Self-Censors Criticism of Biden Lest It Elect Trump

The cast of ABC’s The View has made it clear for a while now that they’re in the tank for President Biden. But while they denounced even the Democrats who challenged him, co-host Joy Behar admitted to guest comedian Bill Maher on Tuesday that she self-censors her criticism of Biden because she was afraid she could help elect former President Trump by pointing out the truth. Behar was in a bit of disbelief that Maher would dare to call out “the crazy stuff on the left” and admits she was afraid to do so: BEHAR: I'm nervous about saying anything against Biden because I feel – not that I have so much power and you have some more than I do obviously, but -- MAHER: oh, I don't know about that. BEHAR: Are you afraid that you might influence the people who are on the fence? Maher argued that if you don’t call it like you see it, “you lose all credibility.” “My bond with my audience has always been I don't pull a punch. My bond with my audience is you're not going to like everything I say but you know I'm saying what I really think is true,” he said. He went on to lament that “Biden just presents as old. It's not really fair.” Recalling a recent speech Biden gave, he described the President as “cadaver-like.” “But his brain is good. He’s still great,” Behar clownishly pushed back.     Earlier in the show, before Maher was on the set, Behar proclaimed that people who wore MAGA hats should “put a swastika on the hat.” Maher decried the idea because it involved hating half the country and he didn’t want to do that: Look, I'm not going to defend Donald Trump ever but I would never say that we should put the swastika on the cap because I think you can hate Donald Trump. You can't hate everybody who likes him. It's half the country. I don't want to live in that country. I don't want to live in the country where I hate half the country. And I don’t hate half the country. “How dare you disagree with me in public,” Behar quipped. Coming to Behar’s defense later in the show, Maher said: “Joy is a wonderful human being and she should not be afraid that people are going to attack her because she said the thing about the swastika on the cap. She does not think that all -- as you said to me in the break, you do not think that all the people who are for Trump are Nazis.” Behar said that she didn’t think all of Trump’s supporters were Nazis, but she wanted “them to pay attention to words like ‘vermin’ and ‘poisoning the blood.’ And the Third Reich. That’s all. That's really what I'm asking.” “You can hate Trump. You can't hate everybody who likes him. It is half the country,” Maher reiterated. “I have some in my family. I don't think they're Nazis,” Behar added. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 21, 2024 11:09:43 a.m. Eastern (…) JOY BEHAR: By the way out there, that hat that you keep wearing – that red hat that says Make America Great Again, that tells people that you go along with this so might as well put a swastika on the hat. (…) 11:27:26 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: I'm nervous about saying anything against Biden because I feel, not that I have so much power and you have some more than I do obviously, but -- BILL MAHER: oh, I don't know about that. BEHAR: Are you afraid that you might influence the people who are on the fence? MAHER: I think you lose all credibility. I do. My bond with my audience has always been I don't pull a punch. My bond with my audience is you're not going to like everything I say but you know I'm saying what I really think is true. BEHAR: Right. MAHER: And that's – [Applause] Okay. And, look, Biden just presents as old. It's not really fair. BEHAR: No. MAHER: Because he's almost the same age -- Trump is almost the same age as him but Trump doesn't present that way. You look at somebody right away, you can kind of just sum them up. We are not young, but we don't present as old? Biden does. I saw him yesterday making that speech. I mean, I'm sorry, he's cadaver-like. BEHAR: But his brain is good. He’s still great. (…) 11:30:00 a.m. Eastern MAHER: Look, I'm not going to defend Donald Trump ever but I would never say that we should put the swastika on the cap because I think you can hate Donald Trump. You can't hate everybody who likes him. It's half the country. I don't want to live in that country. I don't want to live in the country where I hate half the country. And I don’t hate half the country. BEHAR: How dare you disagree with me in public. [Applause] [Laughter] (…) 11:43:46 a.m. Eastern MAHER: Joy is a wonderful human being and she should not be afraid that people are going to attack her because she said the thing about the swastika on the cap. She does not think that all -- as you said to me in the break, you do not think that all the people who are for Trump are Nazis. BEHAR: No, I don't. I don’t. I just want them to pay attention to words like “vermin” and “poisoning the blood.” MAHER: Of course. BEHAR: And the third Reich. That’s all. That's really what I'm asking. MAHER: They see Trump as a comedian. They see him as a clown who says crazy things. BEHAR: They saw Hitler like that. MAHER: Right, okay, but – You can hate Trump. You can't hate everybody who likes him. It is half the country. BEHAR: I have some in my family. I don't think they're Nazis. (…)

ABC Ditches ‘Hardline’ Label After Confirmed Death of Iranian President

Over the weekend, the world was spared the rule of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (a.k.a. The Butcher of Tehran) after the helicopter he was riding in became a smear on a mountainside in northern Iran. But after accurately calling him a “hardliner” during Sunday’s World News Tonight coverage of the search for the crash site, ABC’s Good Morning America ditched the label after his death was confirmed Monday morning. Foreign correspondent Lama Hasan delivered the report for World News Tonight. Nearing the end of the pre-recorded portion, Hasan noted: “Elected in 2021, President Raisi, a hardliner, is the second-most powerful figure in Iran. Seen as the top contender for replacing Ayatollah Khamenei.” While she did accurately use a negative label to describe Raisi, Hasan omitted the darker nature of his presidency. “Now, Raisi is an extremely divisive president. He was elected in the lowest turnout in the country's history. He’s a conservative hardliner who’s overseen a violent crackdown on dissent,” correspondent Ian Lee said for CBS Weekend News. Over on NBC Nightly News, correspondent Keir Simmons recalled that anchor Lester Holt pressed Raisi last year on the Americans held hostage by Iran. “[Iran’s] leadership has seen a brutal crackdown during mass protests after the death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman,” he noted.     But even that simple mention of “hardliner” was apparently too much information to share for Good Morning America since correspondent Britt Clennett dropped its use during her Monday report. “President Raisi took office in 2021, the country’s second-most powerful figure was considered a top contender for one day replacing Ayatollah Khamenei,” she stated. The only other political context she added around Raisi’s demise was that “The crash comes as turmoil grips the Middle East with the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the militant group backed by Iran.” Simmons kept the pressure on during NBC’s Today. “Ebrahim Raisi ran a government at launched missiles and drones at Israel just last month, and in 2022, brutally crushed protests over the death of a young woman Mahsa Amini,” he recounted. Even CBS senior correspondent Holly Williams had criticism of The Butcher of Tehran. “President Raisi took office in 2021 after an election that excluded more moderate candidates,” she said. “In 2022, his government carried out a deadly crackdown on mass protests by women, many tearing off their compulsory Islamic head coverings as they demanded greater freedom.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s Good Morning America May 20, 2024 7:06:28 a.m. Eastern MICHAEL STRAHAN:  And we are going to turn now to the breaking news overnight. Iranian President Raisi was declared dead, as well as the foreign minister, after their helicopter crashed Sunday. Foreign correspondent Britt Clennett has the story for us, at this crucial time in the region. Good morning, Britt. BRITT CLENNETT: Good morning, Michael. In a region where tensions are already running high, the news that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash along with the foreign minister. [Cuts to video] This morning, Iranian officials confirming the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and several others after their helicopter crashed in Iran's mountainous northwest, forced to make a hard landing in heavy fog. Iranian Red Crescent rescue teams seen in new video from Iranian state media carrying bodies from the crash site. Drone footage released by the IRC shows the crash site on a steep wooded hillside. Iranian state TV broadcasting from what appears to be the charred wreckage. A massive search operation to locate the helicopter lasted more than 12 hours. Hampered by poor weather. Raisi seen in the helicopter with other top officials coming from the border with Azerbaijan, where he just opened a new dam he just opened. Images show the helicopter leaving the site. COL. STEPHEN GANYARD (UMSC, Ret.): We don't know if it was some sort of a mechanical issue. But whenever we see mountains, bad weather, low visibility, the first cause that we look to is probably weather-induced mishaps. CLENNETT: President Raisi took office in 2021, the country’s second-most powerful figure was considered a top contender for one-day replacing Ayatollah Khamenei. The crash comes as turmoil grips the Middle East with the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the militant group backed by Iran. [Cuts back to live] And Iran's supreme leader, he has expressed his condolences. He's appointed the first vice president to serve as the country's acting president until elections are held in the next 50 days. George? GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay, Britt. Thanks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

NewsBusters Podcast: Ad Nauseam Trump Trial, SHOCKING Debate Agreement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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