Mediaite Newsletter

	Former Fox Guest 'Terrorism Analyst' Sentenced to Prison For Faking CIA Cred by Tommy Christopher Sixty-two year-old Wayne Simmons was once a frequent and strident guest "terrorism expert" for Fox News, until he was arrested and charged with fraud for faking his CIA and military credentials for personal gain. Well, Simmons' transition from Fox News green room to federal prison cell is now complete, as a federal judge sentenced Simmons on Friday to 33 months in federal prison for his crimes. Read More »

	Mike Pence’s Pay-to-Play Problem by Mediaite Staff Read More »

	Trump VP Pick Pence Addresses His Past Denouncement of Muslim Ban by Josh Feldman Donald Trump VP pick Mike Pence gave his first interview since being added to the ticket with Sean Hannity tonight, and he addressed his past criticisms of the Muslim ban. Read More »

	Jon Stewart Will Join Stephen Colbert During Live Coverage of the Republican Convention by Ken Meyer The stars are about to align for old fans of The Daily Show who wish Jon Stewart was still there to cover the 2016 election. Read More »

	Frank Luntz Battles Maher Over the GOP: You’re Demonizing Because It's 'Good for a Laugh' by Josh Feldman GOP pollster Frank Luntz really set Bill Maher off tonight when he attacked the host for cracking jokes instead of engaging in serious discussion. Read More »

	Turkish President Erdogan: Coup Organizers 'Will Pay a Heavy Price for Their Treason' by Josh Feldman After speaking to the country via FaceTime and flying around, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned to the Ataturk airport to deliver more comments on the attempted military coup. Read More »

	Ex-State Dept Official: Turkey Shows This Is 'Not a Time for Beginners’ in the White House by Josh Feldman A former Under Secretary of State said on MSNBC tonight that Turkey and other recent international horrors shows the importance of steady leadership in the White House this campaign season. Read More »

	Military Storms Into CNN Turk Studios, Abruptly Shuts Down Broadcast by Josh Feldman In the midst of its attempted coup, members of the Turkish military stormed into CNN Turk to take control of the broadcast. Read More »

	O'Reilly on Turkey: ‘This Is What Happens’ When the U.S. Steps Back and ‘Doesn’t Lead’ by Josh Feldman Bill O'Reilly called into his own show tonight to react to the attempted military coup in Turkey only a day after the attack in Nice, France. Read More »

	Undercovered: Court to Consider Whether Muslim Custom Violates Women's Rights by Sam Reisman India's Supreme Court will consider whether or not certain Islamic laws that pertain to marriage and divorce violate women's rights. Read More »

	WH Statement on Turkey: 'All Parties Should Support the Democratically-Elected Government' by Josh Feldman The White House issued a statement on the call between President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry over the attempted military coup in Turkey. Read More »

	CNN Airs Footage of Shots Ringing Out on the Streets of Turkey by Josh Feldman As the chaos in Turkey continued into the night, CNN broadcast live footage of shots being fired on the streets in Istanbul. Read More »

	High-Ranking Trump Supporter Sends Threat to Anti-Trump GOP Delegate by Lindsey Ellefson You can bet that this convention, with its speakers, threats, and all-around hype, is going to be one that won't be forgotten for a long, long time. Read More »

	Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Get Blocked in Turkey Amid Chaos by Josh Feldman Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were all blocked in Turkey during the attempted military coup tonight. Read More »

	American Media Runs Barrage of Negative Stories On Dr. Phil After He Files $250 Million Defamation Claim by David Bixenspan Read More »

	As Turkey is Seized With Fear, Social Media Is Alight With Jokes, Dumb Comments by Lindsey Ellefson Are we so used to seeing violence play out across our timelines that we are no longer shocked into silence by anything? Read More »

	The President of Turkey Makes Statement on Coup via FaceTime by Josh Feldman If you want another idea of just how crazy things are getting un Turkey right now, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a statement via FaceTime. Read More »

	Man Reportedly Wielding a Machete Arrested at Vigil for Nice by Josh Feldman A vigil in France for the Nice victims was briefly interrupted by a man apparently threatening people with a machete. Read More »

	Kerry Offers Brief Comment on Turkey: We Hope for 'Continuity and Peace' by Josh Feldman Secretary of State John Kerry happened to be holding a press conference as more and more reports of a coup emerged from Turkey. Read More »

	WATCH LIVE: Coverage of Ongoing Coup in Turkey by Mediaite TV There is an apparent coup going on in Turkey right now, and a lot of what's happening is still unclear. Read More »

	Clinton’s Lawyer Rips Into Judicial Watch For Wanting to Depose Her Under Oath by Rachel Stockman Read More »

	Prince Harry Gets Tested for HIV on Facebook Live to Encourage Others to Test, Too by Lindsey Ellefson This is like an updated version of Katie Couric's infamous on-air colonoscopy. Read More »

	D.L. Hughley Reportedly Cancelled Fox Appearance After Megyn Kelly Face-Off by Josh Feldman Comedian D.L. Hughley was apparently set to appear on Fox Business Network last night, but cancelled at the last minute. Read More »

	Military Coup in Turkey; Armed Forces Declare Martial Law by Sam Reisman Reports are coming in of gunfire in the Turkish capital city of Ankara and closures of major bridges in Istanbul, while witnesses are reporting seeing low-flying jets and helicopters passing over both cities. Read More »

	Heavy-Hitting Celebrities Join Together to List #23Ways Black Americans Can Die by Police by Lindsey Ellefson Creating choppy videos of seconds-long clips of celebrities demanding accountability and change is nothing new. Read More »

	Infamously Secret 28 Pages from 9/11 Report Have Finally Been Released by Josh Feldman The infamous secret "28 pages" of the 9/11 Commission Report have finally been declassified and released for public consumption (though not without some noticeable redactions). Read More »

	'That Thing Has to Come Down’: Yale Employee Destroys Racist Stained Glass Window by Lindsey Ellefson As it turns out, students have been trying to have something done about the lingering reminders of racism all over campus for quite some time. Read More »

	Obama Denounces Gingrich Muslim Comments: 'The Very Suggestion is Repugnant' by Alex Griswold During a White House address Friday, President Barack Obama not-so-subtly called out former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich for his comments suggesting that every Muslim in the U.S. should be questioned and/or deported. Read More »

	'Fk ABC!': More Reactions to ABC News' President Obama Town Hall on Race and Police by Tommy Christopher** ABC News' Thursday night special "The President and the People: A National Conversation" got off to a rocky start before it even aired, as Erica Garner, activist and surviving daughter of the late Eric Garner, staged a disruption at the end of the taping to protest being denied a promised opportunity to ask a question on-air. The special itself was shot through with so many glaring and often offensive flaws that I couldn't fit them all into four posts on the subject, not even close. Read More »

	Peter King Defends Muslim Surveillance: You Don’t Go Looking for the KKK in Harlem by Josh Feldman In the wake of the attack in Nice, Congressman Peter King continued to make his long-standing push for more surveillance of Muslim communities. Read More »

	ABC News’ Obama Town Hall on Race and Police Violence Completely Ignores the Solution by Tommy Christopher On Thursday night, ABC News aired a town hall event with President Obama (one which had been taped prior to the attack in Nice that killed at least 80 people) that was billed as a "national conversation" on race and policing, and even by the low standards evoked by that mission, the special was a nearly total failure, for reasons too numerous to name. Read More »

	Ex-Romney Advisor: I Commiserated With Pence About How 'Unacceptable' Trump Is by Josh Feldman Without saying his name directly, a former Mitt Romney advisor said on Twitter today that he and Mike Pence once chatted about how "unacceptable" Donald Trump is. Read More »

	Tom Brady Gives Up on Appeal, Will Serve Four Game Suspension for DeflateGate by Ken Meyer New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announced today that he will be sitting out for the first four games of the next football season. Read More »

	MSNBC's Roberts: Maybe Nice Attacker Was Just Crazy, Wanted to ‘Challenge Society' by Alex Griswold MSNBC's Thomas Roberts had an interesting take on the Nice terror attack Friday, wondering aloud whether the killer of 84 people was only mentally ill and wanted to "challenge society" by driving a truck through a crowed Bastille Day celebration. Read More »

	Katy Perry Releases Song For Olympics As If Rio Isn't in Total Shambles by Lindsey Ellefson The song is catchy. It's the sort of pop song that revitalizes a summer in mid-July and gives a push for revelers to keep cruising toward fall. The video is nice. Sure. Whatever. Read More »

	CNN Reports Trump Asked Aides Last Night If He Could 'Get Out of' Picking Pence by Josh Feldman All the reports yesterday said Donald Trump was going with Mike Pence as veep, but it turns out he may have been trying to get out of it. Read More »

	Judge Under Fire After Refusing to Officiate Secular Wedding by Alberto Luperon Read More »

	Newt Gingrich Backtracks, Says We Shouldn't Deport Muslim Citizens by Alex Griswold After backlash over his suggestion that everyone of "Muslim background" should be questioned by the authorities, former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich clarified Friday that his comments did not extend to U.S. citizens. Read More »

	Teenage Boys Get Themselves Trapped in Underground Caves Searching for Pokemon by Sam Reisman A group of teenagers in South West England had to be rescued after trapping themselves in an underground cave complex 100 feet below ground while searching for Pokemon. Read More »

	'Released From the Hostage Situation': Christie Mocked on Twitter for Losing Trump VP Nod to Pence by Ken Meyer Chris Christie lost his chance to become Donald Trump's running mate today, and the Twitterverse had a field day as they called it the latest moment of his self-inflicted humiliation. Read More »