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George Stephanopoulos
ABC's George Stephanopoulos not only got the first exclusive interview with Mary Trump, President Donald Trump's niece, after a judge lifted the gag order stopping her from talking about her book, but asked thoughtful and pressing questions.
Mary's book has made headlines for its accusations about the president, including shady financial dealings and that he paid someone to take the SAT college entrance exam for him.
Mary, who has a PhD in clinical psychology, also includes her own diagnoses that her uncle has narcissistic personality disorder, among other issues, based on her decades of observing him. For obvious reasons, the president sought to block the release of her book, but his legal maneuvers have failed, the book is out, and Mary is finally free to speak.
Stephanopoulos sat down with Mary to discuss her book and her allegations against the president. He asked her detailed questions about her story that a friend named Joe Shapiro took the SATs for the president -- a bombshell allegation that has been the subject of much debate, especially when the widow of a Trump college friend with that name denied he had taken the test for Trump.
Mary clarified that she did mean a different man with the same name, but Stephanopoulos got her to clarify that while she was personally certain the story was true, she didn't have documentation or other evidence, and was too young at the time to have personal knowledge.
Mary is sharply critical of her uncle, and said he is so unfit to serve as president, not only should he not be re-elected, she believes he should resign now. Stephanopoulos deserves kudos for not taking her accusations at face value, but challenging her and inquiring about what evidence she has to back them up. 6.5.0 |
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Peter Navarro
The Trump administration has been engaged in a bizarre public battle with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984 who was appointed by the president to the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Over the course of Fauci's career, he has contributed significantly to our understanding of and ability to treat diseases like AIDS and Ebola, and has been one of the world's most-cited experts in scientific journals for several decades.
However, one skill Fauci has not developed is the ability to bite his tongue when the president who appointed him makes comments that contradict long-held medical and scientific wisdom, resulting in the White House not only sidelining him, but going so far as to attempt to attack his credibility.
Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser, jumped into the fray Tuesday, penning an op-ed for USA Today slamming Fauci. “Dr. Anthony Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public," wrote Navarro, "but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on."
Navarro background is in topics like economics, trade, and energy policy -- not medicine or human biology, and many of the so-called "mistakes" for which he criticizes Fauci are either differences of opinion with Trump or issues that Fauci -- along with others in the medical and scientific community -- later revised his views as we learned more about this disease. (The reason it's called the "novel coronavirus" is because it's new, folks.)
Navarro's op-ed attacking Fauci was widely and thoroughly slammed as a blatantly political hit job. It was also condemned as a rogue effort by the White House. It is unlikely to silence Fauci or tarnish his reputation, and reflects poorly on Navarro.
6.5.0 |
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| Ivanka's No Bueno Bean Tweet First Daughter and White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump jumped into the Goya Foods kerfuffle on Tuesday, tweeting a photo of herself holding up a can of Goya black beans with the caption, "If it’s Goya, it has to be good. Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno," the company's slogan.
Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue set off a firestorm when he effusively praised the president at a recent White House event, leading Trump critics to call for a boycott of the company's products, and MAGA World to embrace them.
Ivanka's tweet, however, didn't just inspire mockery -- it may have been a violation of federal ethics laws, which prohibit federal officials from using their office “for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise.” This is Fine MSNBC's Chris Hayes had some viciously snarky comments about the Republican National Committee's plans for their convention in Jacksonville, Florida next month. Amid growing criticism about the wisdom of holding such a large event as coronavirus cases spike in Florida, the RNC has decided to move the event outside.
An outside event. In Florida. In August. Besides the heat and humidity, it will still be the middle of hurricane season, and Jacksonville is on the coast.
Hayes pulled no punches in ridiculing the plan, and cited the popular meme of a dog sitting in a cafe that is engulfed in flames as he says "This is fine."
Don't Pat Yourself on the Back, Governor
CNN's Jake Tapper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta were not buying New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's coronavirus victory tour, denouncing his comments as "revisionism" and criticizing a poster the governor's office had created chronicling the “111 days of hell” New York went through during its peak of coronavirus cases.
Tapper noted that the poster included silly inside jokes but did not include any of the state's major failings during the pandemic.
“There are no illustrations, however, of the more than 32,000 dead New Yorkers, the highest death toll by far of any state. No rendering on that poster of criticism that Governor Cuomo ignored warnings, no depiction of the study that he could have saved thousands of lives had he and Mayor [Bill] de Blasio acted sooner."
Sessions Trumped by Tuberville Former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions' attempt to win back his old seat failed Tuesday night, as he was trounced by former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville.
Sessions, once a favored member of Trump's White House as Attorney General, drew the president's ire for recusing himself during the Mueller investigation, and Trump endorsed Tuberville.
The thumbs up from Trump was too persuasive for the majority of Alabama's Republican primary voters, and Tuberville will now face off against the current officeholder, Democrat Doug Jones, in November.
"Lasted One Full Scaramucci"
Politicos on Twitter had a grand time lambasting Kanye West's brief attempt at a presidential campaign on Tuesday, with even former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci -- whose own name has become eponymous for an extremely short tenure -- weighing in.
Mask Up, People of Walmart
Regardless of what your local and state governments are requiring, you will have to don a face mask if you want to go to Walmart starting Monday, July 20.
The company announced the new rule on Wednesday as coronavirus cases are spiking in multiple areas around the country.
Tucker's Blake Neff Show Draws Huge Numbers
Tucker Carlson's had his last show on Monday before embarking on a weeklong trout fishing trip. During that broadcast, he issued a response to his head writer resigning after CNN discovered he was posting viciously racist posts secretly for years. Tucker's show drew huge ratings on Monday night -- the highest on all of television in total viewers.
Read all about it at Mediaite+.
Trump's Doc Mocks Masks
Former Trump physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, who's running for Congress in Texas, appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss his victory in the Republican primary and was asked about masks. Following the lead of his former patient, Jackson was dismissive of masks, saying he didn't "wear a mask all that often to be honest with you.”
Cannon Fired
ViacomCBS has cut ties with Nick Cannon after he pushed anti-Semitic conspiracies in a June 30 episode of his podcast Cannon’s Class.
During the episode, Cannon and former Public Enemy member Richard “Professor Griff” Griffin praised Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan and made several anti-Semitic remarks.
Hello Kitty
The hazards of broadcasting from home during quarantine -- Scottish MP John Nicolson went viral this week after his cat Rojo video-bombed him during a parliamentary committee discussion on children’s television. The orange-and-white tabby's tail swished in front of the screen, to the delight of viewers.
The Taxman Cometh
Today, July 15th, is the last day to file and pay your 2019 federal income taxes, extended from April 15th due to the coronavirus pandemic. If you haven't filed yet, you need to either file online by midnight or have your returns postmarked today.
You can file for an additional extension until October 15, but that does not extend the deadline for payment, so the IRS advises taxpayers requesting an extension to also make an estimated payment to reduce the amount of any late fees or fines.
We'll leave you with these lyrics from "Taxman," by The Beatles, from their 1966 album Revolver:
Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, nineteen for me
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
Should five per cent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet 6.5.0 |
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| What About White People? CBS News’ Catherine Herridge interviewed Trump on Tuesday about the civil unrest and calls for police reform across the country, largely as a response to the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Herridge asked the president, “Why are African-Americans still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country?” “So are white people,” the president immediately responded. “So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people, by the way. More white people.” |
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