Amid a torrent of negative press for former President Donald Trump in Rupert Murdoch-owned outlets, and a splashy new A1 New York Times story suggesting that he’s being frozen out at Fox News, one prominent host on the network insists that there’s no ban on the former commander in chief.

In a commentary on Sunday’s edition of MediaBuzz, Fox News host Howard Kurtz took umbrage with the Times report, and stated that Trump is not forbidden from appearing on the network.

“A front page New York Times story this weekend strongly suggests that Fox News has not interviewed Donald Trump for over 100 days because the Murdoch family, whose Wall Street Journal and New York Post have run highly critical editorials, is said to have soured on him,” Kurtz said. “But I can report, there is no edict whatsoever against having Trump on this network.”

Kurtz added that he recently has asked Trump to appear on his own show.

“I have reached out myself with an invitation some weeks ago and people close to the former president confirmed he has not said yes to any Fox show or been turned down after asking to be on a Fox show, just for the record,” Kurtz said.

The New York Post and Wall Street Journal editorials to which Kurtz is referring both ran on the day after the most recently Jan. 6 committee hearing. The editorial boards of both papers laced into Trump — with the Post calling him “unworthy” of office, and the Journal writing that he “utterly failed.”

Fox News also recently posted a three-minute video featuring a group of one-time Trump supporters stating their preference that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) be the GOP standard bearer in 2024. They also, on Tuesday, aired 15 minutes of a Washington speech by former Vice President Mike Pence, and ignored a Trump DC speech later in the day.

The Times report said that Trump — who has not been interviewed on Fox News since mid-April — has complained that the network has ignored him.

‘In the former president’s view, according to two people who have spoken to him recently, Fox’s ignoring him is an affront far worse than running stories and commentary that he has complained are ‘too negative,'” wrote Times reporter Jeremy Peters. “The network is effectively displacing him from his favorite spot: the center of the news cycle. … Mr. Trump has complained recently to aides that even Sean Hannity, his friend of 20 years, doesn’t seem to be paying him much attention anymore, one person who spoke to him recalled.”

Watch above, via Fox News.

President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 again, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the physician to the president, announced on Saturday.

In a statement released from the White House, O’Connor said the president had increased his testing following a positive result in the case of a “rebound” positive test result. Biden tested negative on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before getting another positive result on Saturday.

The doctor noted these “rebound” positive cases are “observed in a small percentage of patients treated with Paxlovid.” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre previously announced the president had begun taking Paxlovoid after his first infection. During the first infection, the president continued carrying out his duties while isolated and socially distanced from White House staff.

Biden is not experiencing symptoms, according to his physician, and feels “quite well.” He will not receive treatment, but will be closely observed and will isolate in the coming days.

“The President has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well,” the statement reads. “This being the case, there is no reason to reinitiate treatment at this time, but we will obviously continue close observation. However, given his positive antigen test, he will reinitiate strict isolation procedures.”

An update from Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Physician to the President. pic.twitter.com/40oqYOYTQN

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 30, 2022

The president tested positive for Covid earlier this month, but only experienced mild symptoms. The 79-year-old is fully vaccinated and twice boosted, according to White House officials.

On Wednesday, Biden announced he was “feeling great” and was back to working in-person with others at the White House.

“I got through it with no fear,” Biden said in the Rose Garden. “A very mild discomfort because of these essentials, lifesaving tools. And guess what, I want to remind everybody: They are free. They are convenient, and they are safe, and they work.”

Journalist Katty Kay got some amazed reactions from the Morning Joe cast and crew on Friday when she told the story of her Celebrity Jeopardy! appearance against Dr. Oz and CNN’s Chris Wallace.

At the time of the episode in 2012, Wallace was with Fox News, not CNN, and Dr. Oz was a talk TV host, not a GOP candidate in Pennsylvania. Kay was with BBC World News America, and the three were featured on a “Power Players” episode of the popular television trivia contest.

Kay brought up the appearance after some mockery of Oz’s Pennsylvania campaign by Jonathan Lemire on the MSNBC morning show.

Lemire turned to Kay, saying that guest Eugene Robinson had just “uttered that tired political cliché that, if you want to win a Senate seat in Pennsylvania, don’t nominate a celebrity doctor who’s got dual citizenship in Turkey and America and who lives in New Jersey. How many times have you heard it?”

He asked about the idea of momentum for Democrats in the Senate, a theory the media has been hyping the last week or two, and whether there is reason for optimism about “reviving” Joe Biden‘s presidency.

“Yeah. Fun fact, by the way, on Dr. Oz, I did once beat him on Celebrity Jeopardy!” said Kay to start. “I don’t know if that has anything to do with the Pennsylvania race. We’ve got to find that clip somewhere.”

“Wow!” said Lemire, as other wows could be heard off camera. “Let’s just talk about that for a minute. Give us some more details, please.”

“So I was running — I did Celebrity Jeopardy! It was Chris Wallace, me, and Dr. Oz. And Chris Wallace leaned over to me at the beginning and said, ‘No offense to you, Katty, but I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about Dr. Oz.’ And I beat him,” said Kay. “There we go.”

There was an “ouch” among the assorted reactions to the story, clearly reacting to Oz’s loss, not the weird comment from Wallace about not feeling Katty Kay was smart enough to give him a run, but that Dr. Oz might be.

After all, he did say “no offense,” right?

Oz and Kay both won $10,000 for their respective charities, and Chris Wallace won the episode and 50,000 for his charity, Hope for the Warriors.

Weird story. Weird confluence of celebrities, but perhaps, if not a predictable third place turn for Dr. Oz, one might describe it as predictive.

Watch the clip above, via MSNBC.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, released a scathing statement on Friday warning the GOP of potential 2022 midterm losses that could result in the Democrats actually increasing their majority in the U.S. Senate.

Bolton’s memo was titled, “New Poll Finds Trump Hurts Republican Chances in Key Senate Races Independents’ Opposition to Trump Could Give Democrats Outright Senate Control.”

Bolton then broke down the results from a new survey conducted by his John Bolton Super PAC of “likely voters in four key Senate battleground states (Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania).”

In each of these four states, the Trump-backed candidate won the GOP primary and has since made headlines for their lackluster or controversial campaigns.

“Results indicate that Donald Trump is a significant drag on the general-election prospects of Republican candidates. Independent and undecided voters, whose votes will be critical, perhaps dispositive in November, nationally and in the four swing states, have decidedly unfavorable views of Trump,” Bolton’s statement adds, summarizing the polling data.

The poll found that among Independent voters, Trump remains at a negative ten-point differential in his favorability rating: Favorable 38%, Unfavorable 48%.

Bolton’s statement adds, “Only 12.5% of Republican primary voters identified as ‘Trump Republicans’ and 73% as moderate or conservative.”

Bolton then breaks down the individual races and notes that only in Georgia is the Trump-backed candidate leading in the polls. “Republican Herschel Walker leads Democrat Raphael Warnock by 4 points, 46% to 42%. With Undecided voters in the Georgia Senate race, Trump is Favorable 31%, Unfavorable 43%, a negative of minus 11 points.”

In Pennsylvania, Republican Mehmet Oz “trails by 6 points. With Undecided voters Donald Trump is Favorable 34%, Unfavorable 48%. An obstacle.”

In Ohio, the poll found Hillbilly Elegy author and Peter Thiel-funded Republican J.D. Vance to be trailing Rep. Tim Ryan (R-OH) by six points: 44% to 38%.

“With Undecided voters in the Ohio Senate race Trump is Favorable 24%, Unfavorable 52%. Another obstacle,” the statement adds.

Finally, in North Carolina “Ted Budd trails Democrat Cheri Beasley by 3 points, 43% to 40%. With Undecided voters in the North Carolina Senate race Trump is Favorable 33%, Unfavorable 33%.”

“Whatever Trump’s role in the nominating process, his role in the coming general elections can be fatal to GOP efforts to gain outright control of the Senate,” the statement then quotes Bolton as saying of the results, adding:

Trump’s fixation on himself and the 2020 election are poisonous to independent and undecided voters. Republican candidates who hope to win in November are risking political suicide if they stress their closeness to Trump, or allow their opponents to portray them as mini-Trumps.

The poll was conducted between July 22-24 among 1,200 likely voters, 300 in each state surveyed. The poll carries a reported margin of error of 2.8 percent.

.@AmbJohnBolton with a poll his group commissioned zeroing in on the weakness of some Trump-backed candidates pic.twitter.com/pOf5aFG2E3

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 29, 2022

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) claims he doesn’t recall speaking to former White House official Cassidy Hutchinson related to key testimony she gave to the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Hutchinson, who worked under then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in former President Donald Trump’s administration, testified before the congressional committee that McCarthy was concerned Trump would go with his supporters to the Capitol. She claimed McCarthy called her during Trump’s speech preceding the riot, saying, “the president just said he’s marching to the Capitol. You told me this whole week you aren’t coming up here, why would you lie to me?”

CNN’s Manu Raju questioned McCarthy about the claims this week and McCarthy didn’t outright deny the call, but said he has no recollection of it. He also claimed he did not watch Trump’s speech, making the testimony “confusing” for him.

“If I talked to her, I don’t remember it. If it was coming up here, I don’t think I wanted a lot of people coming up to the Capitol, but I don’t remember the conversation,” McCarthy said, after first telling Raju “there’s a recession” when the reporter brought up January 6.

McCarthy said he was “working” while Trump gave his speech, in which the then-president doubled down on his unproven claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged in Joe Biden’s favor.

“I didn’t watch it, so this is what is so confusing,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t watch the speech. I was working. So I didn’t see what was said, I didn’t see what went on, until after the fact.”

Hutchinson alleged in her testimony that Trump had every intention of going with his supporters to the Capitol. Responding to her testimony, Trump referred to Hutchinson as a “whacko” and called the hearing involving her a “Kangaroo Court!”

Watch above via CSPAN

A classic, textbook margarita is a perfect summer drink. It’s tart and boozy and just sweet enough—a true ride or die cocktail if there ever was one. But I cannot help but futz with things, even perfect things, because that is my nature. I fiddle and tweak and fuck about, because heaven forbid I experience the same…

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Screenshot via Twitter

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) believes “toxic masculinity” should be the “number one requirement” for the military, but it’s being ousted from the ranks thanks to “woke training.”

Joining Graham Allen’s Dear America podcast this week,

“They’ve purged the military. They’ve purged the military,” she said.

“The warriors are leaving,” Graham Allen, an Army veteran, added.

“Absolutely. Why do they want to be there?” Greene continued. “They’re going through woke training. Their toxic masculinity is completely not accepted, even though what are the military for? I would think toxic masculinity would be a number one requirement.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene complained that “toxic masculinity is completely not accepted” in the military.

Greene: “I would think toxic masculinity would be a number one requirement.” pic.twitter.com/NYOLrLo8ii

— PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) July 27, 2022

She added later, “They should be like, ‘are you a toxic male? Please sign up.'”

Conservatives have been critical recently of diversity training in military branches, and Greene and Allen also took issue with Covid-19 vaccine requirements for service members.

“Of course they’re leaving,” Greene said of the vaccine mandate.

She later argued there is a “war on men,” leading to staffing issues with both police departments and military branches.

The U.S. military has struggled to maintain numbers, with the Army announcing this month that they will likely fall short by about 10,000 soldiers for its planned force for the fiscal year.

“We’ve got unprecedented challenges with both a post-COVID-19 environment and labor market, but also competition with private companies that have changed their incentives over time,” Army Gen. Joseph Martin, vice chief of staff for the Army, told a House Armed Services subcommittee.

Army officials have floated the idea of lowering the strength size of their force in the face of mounting recruiting issues.

Greene chalked up recruiting issues to a “war on men.”

It’s zucchini season, and my zucc plant is going wild. The plant is prolific and the zuccs are big, which is fine, because I have several methods for getting zucchini into my mouth. Here are my favorite ways to deal with too much zucchini, should you find yourself in a similar situation.

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Across the board, Apple takes tech accessibility seriously. Their most visible efforts come via iPhone features like Voice Control, but are hardly limited to iOS and iPadOS. While accessibility features are developed to help people with physical impairments, macOS users can also access to a swath of accessibility…

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Cinnamon rolls are the epitome of a “reconsider food.” These are foods that have the special ability to make you say, “Nah, I really shouldn’t. OK, but maybe just one.” It’s a real act of strength to walk by a Cinnabon without taking two or three extra deep breaths; the aroma of that cinnamon roll is nearly thick…

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) lashed out at MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and the “Godless lying left” after Maddow and others pounced on the Republican’s recent call for the Republican Party to be the party of “Christian nationalists.”

On Monday night, Maddow dove into the history of the term “Christian nationalist,” bringing the term back to Gerald L.K. Smith, the controversial founder of the Christian Nationalist Crusade. Maddow played audio of Greene’s call for her party to be “Christian nationalists,” and then aired various audio of Smith taking issue with Jewish organizations, mixing races, and more.

On Tuesday, Greene accused Maddow of “smearing” her and said she’s never even heard of Smith.

“Rachel Maddow is smearing me with lies about my faith and love for America and trying to connect me to someone I’ve never heard of or know anything about,” she tweeted in response to the segment. “In reality, being a Christian means I acknowledge I’m a sinner and my savior is a Jewish man named Jesus who I believe is the son of God.”

Rachel Maddow is smearing me with lies about my faith and love for America and trying to connect me to someone I’ve never heard of or know anything about.

In reality, being a Christian means I acknowledge I’m a sinner and my savior is a Jewish man named Jesus who I believe..
1/7 https://t.co/zlYwpvKnE0

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) July 26, 2022

She went on to refer to Maddow and other critics trying to paint her as racist or an anti-semite as part of the “Godless lying left.”

The godless lying left has been lying about me from day one and calling me anti-semitic, racist, fascist, and even a Nazi, which are all absolutely disgusting lies about me.

But their problem is that most people see through their lies bc their empty words don’t match the truth.

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) July 26, 2022

“They can’t beat me bc most Americans actually think a lot of the ways I do,” she later added, calling Maddow’s job a “pitiful way to earn a paycheck.”

Hopefully, this helps some of you that are brainwashed by liars like Rachel Maddow who by the way has never met me in her entire life and gets paid to lie about me by her hard left employers at MSNBC.

What a pitiful way to earn a paycheck.

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) July 26, 2022

Watch above via MSNBC

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Politico flagged a stunning poll result showing that a quarter of Republican voters oppose Congress passing a federal law to protect interracial marriage.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas raised alarm bells over rights like marriage equality, access to contraception, and private sexual activity when the Supreme Court effectively overturned Roe v. Wade with a 5-4 decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

In his concurring opinion, Thomas write that the court should “reconsider” rights recognized in other Supreme Court precedents, and cited Griswold v. Connecticut (1965, right of married persons to obtain contraceptives), Lawrence v. Texas (2003, right to engage in private, consensual sexual acts), and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015, right to marriage equality).

Thomas did not mention Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws banning interracial marriage, but that right was included as a provision in the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that seeks to codify marriage rights in the wake of Dobbs.

In the latest edition of the Politico Playbook PM newsletter, the authors noted that they polled the act in Politico/Morning Consult poll, and singled out several results, including this response to the question “Do you support or oppose Congress passing a federal law to protect the right to… Interracial marriage?”:

On interracial marriage: Federal legislation has more lopsided support here: Seventy-one percent of voters support it, with just 15% opposing. (From the crosstabs: Twenty-five percent of Republican voters either somewhat or strongly oppose such a bill.)

That result — stunning by 2022 standards — doesn’t quite explain why the Respect for Marriage Act passed in the House of Representatives last week by a 267 -157 margin, but Republican members voted against it by more than 3 to 1.

The highest opposition against the bill recorded by any Republican constituency was 28 percent among evangelicals (trailed closely by Republican men at 27 percent), yet 70 percent of Republican lawmakers voted against the bill.

But the bill also protects same-sex marriage, which a sim 51 percent majority of Republicans opposed in this poll, versus 58 percent majority support among all Americans.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reportedly tried to stop the nation’s highest court from overturning Roe v. Wade, with his efforts doomed following the leak and publication of a draft opinion that would’ve done so.

CNN’s Joan Biskupic reported on Tuesday that Roberts tried to persuade the conservatives on the court to uphold the 1973 abortion ruling, but a May leak of the draft opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, to overturn it sealed the deal for the right-wing side of the court. In the end, Roe was overturned 5-4, while Mississippi’s abortion law, which was the topic of the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, was upheld 6-3, with Roberts joining the court’s five conservatives.

Biskupic wrote:

Multiple sources told CNN that Roberts’ overtures this spring, particularly to [Justice Brett] Kavanaugh, raised fears among conservatives and hope among liberals that the chief could change the outcome in the most closely watched case in decades. Once the draft was published by Politico, conservatives pressed their colleagues to try to hasten release of the final decision, lest anything suddenly threaten their majority.

Roberts’ persuasive efforts, difficult even from the start, were thwarted by the sudden public nature of the state of play. He can usually work in private, seeking and offering concessions, without anyone beyond the court knowing how he or other individual justices have voted or what they may be writing.

Watch above, via CNN.

President Joe Biden is not doing enough to free Americans imprisoned in Russia, said former Marine and Russian prisoner himself Trevor Reed — only months after his own release resulting from a prisoner exchange.

WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner and corporate executive Paul Whelan have both been imprisoned in Russia — with the latter having been jailed on spying charges which he denied. Griner, on the other hand, was taken into custody after authorities discovered she was in possession of cannabis oil. There have been widespread calls for the release of both Americans.

Reed believes the White House and President Joe Biden have the “ability” to get the two prisoners released, but has chosen not to do so.

“I can’t say 100 percent what the White House is or is not doing — that’s obviously not public information, but, in my opinion, the White House has the ability to get them out extremely fast, and they clearly have chosen not to do that,” Reed told MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson in a new interview, part of which was previewed on NBC News on Tuesday.

According to Reed, the White House is “not doing enough” to secure the release of Griner and Whelan.

Reed did express gratitude to Biden and the administration for his own release, but pushed the president to “continue doing the right thing” for others.

“He ultimately makes that decision — that decision has to come from the top. And, you know, I’m grateful for that. And I appreciate that,” Reed said. “But I think that, you know, he has the responsibility to continue doing the right thing.”

Griner recently pled guilty to drug possession charges and has been detained since February. She could face up to 10 years in prison. Whelan was arrested in 2018 and convicted of espionage, now serving a 16-year sentence for charges he still says are false.

Watch above via MSNBC.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

The latest University of New Hampshire poll offered more bad news for President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Biden has fared poorly in the poll before, as it found last month only 65 percent of those surveyed in the state said they do not want Biden to seek reelection.

The July poll found that now 74 percent of New Hampshire residents do not want Biden to run again, while only 20 percent want the president to seek a second term and 6 percent are unsure.

Notably, the erosion in Biden’s support between June and July came mostly from Democrats. “As in June, few New Hampshire Independents (14%) or Republicans (10%) want Biden to run again. However, support for Biden running again has dropped dramatically among Democrats – only 31% want Biden to run again, down from 54% in June and from 74% in July 2021,” the poll’s summary noted.

In potential matchups for the 2024 Democratic Party presidential nomination, Biden is a point behind his transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg — an effective tie given the poll’s margin of error.

Buttigieg is the first choice of 17 percent of New Hampshire Democrats polled to run in 2024, while Biden is the first choice of 16 percent of those polls. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) are tied for third place in the poll at 10 percent each.

Vice President Kamala Harris comes in at seventh in the poll with only 6 percent support.

University of New Hampshire Poll. July 26, 2022

Buttigieg has the highest favorability rating among all residents in the state with 35 percent. His unfavorability rating is at 43 percent.

Meanwhile, Biden has a 22 percent favorability rating and 59 percent unfavorability rating. The poll puts Biden’s net favorability in the state at an all-time low of -37.

Of all the potential 2024 Democratic Party candidates, Stacey Abrams is the “least unpopular” candidate according to the poll. Abrams has a -6 differential between her favorability and unfavorability ratings. Buttigieg comes in second with a -8 differential and Sens. Corey Booker (D-NJ) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) come in third with a -10 differential.

“There is also broad bipartisan concern among New Hampshire residents about Biden’s age. Seventy-eight percent say that they are very or somewhat concerned about Biden’s age, including 88% of Republicans, 75% of Democrats, and 65% of Independents,” noted the polls of summary as to why many voters are concerned about a second Biden term.’

The poll was conducted between July 21-25 among 1,043 New Hampshire residents and carries a 3 percent margin of error. Among the likely 403 2024 Democratic Party voters, the margin of error is 4.7 percent.

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When we have been wronged by someone, common advice usually includes us forgiving the wrongdoer. As we know, that means we must seek to “cease feeling resentment against (an offender)” or “to give up resentment of or claim to requital.” Many times, our collective imagination about what forgiveness looks like includes…

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Last week I shared my own experience learning how to benefit from meditation, even though I feel like I’m pretty bad at it. But what makes someone “bad” at meditation? Many people who try to meditate feel as if they failed. A lot of “failures” in meditation are in fact completely normal and a part of the process.…

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Reality Winner, the former intelligence contractor, explained to CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday why she leaked a top-secret document, an act that landed in her prison for over 4 years.

Winner, who is also served in the Air Force for 6 years, said she felt compelled to leak the document, which detailed Russia’s activities to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to help then-candidate Donald Trump.

“I am not a traitor – I am not a spy,” she told CBS, adding, “I am somebody who only acted out of love for what this country stands for.”

CBS’ Scott Pelley played a clip of Donald Trump “raising doubt that Russia attacked the 2016 election,” noting, “His interview with John Dickerson was typical of the time.” Pelley then played a clip of Trump’s comments during the interview.

“I’ll go along with Russia, could have been China, could’ve been a lot of different groups,” said Trump.

“But it was Russia and the NSA knew it. Reality Winner had seen proof in a top secret report on an in-house newsfeed,” Pelley adds.

Winner then tells Pelley during the interview, “I just kept thinking, ‘My God, somebody needs to step forward and put this right. Somebody.’”

“I am not a traitor. I am not a spy. I am somebody who only acted out of love for what this country stands for.” Reality Winner explains why she leaked to the media classified information on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. https://t.co/OoCNsP9343 pic.twitter.com/xz6xhK7emE

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) July 24, 2022

“I knew it was secret,” Winner said of the report she leaked. “But I also knew that I had pledged service to the American people. And at that point in time, it felt like they were being led astray.”

She adds that she did “did not betray” the country’s “sources and methods” when leaking the document.

The document, which she reportedly tucked into her pantyhose underneath her dress to sneak out of the office detailed how Russian military intelligence hacked “at least one supplier of voting software and tried to break into more than 100 local election systems before the polls closed in 2016,” according to the Guardian.

“The truth wasn’t true any more,” Winner added, concluding that she had to do something as “The public was being lied to.”

The word “phobia” is often used frequently to describe a general fear, in the same way “bipolar” gets thrown around to describe someone’s mood swing or “OCD” is used to reference someone’s dedication to cleaning. Like bipolar or obsessive-compulsive disorders, however, phobias are actually serious, diagnosable, and…

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Fox News Anchor Bret Baier discussed how damning the January 6th House select committee hearings are becoming for former President Donald Trump on Sunday.

Last week, the select committee held its eighth hearing investigating the Capitol riots of January 6th, in which it called on former Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger and former Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Matthews to the witness stand in front of Congress. The hearing was framed around the 187 minutes Trump spent in the White House in the midst of the riots, prior to speaking out against them. The committee additionally aired outtakes from a video speech Trump made the day following the Capitol attack.

Following the hearing, Trump took to Truth Social and angrily ranted about the two-and-a-half-hour hearing.

When asked how much the recent testimony impacts public opinion of Trump on Sunday’s edition of Fox’s MediaBuzz, Baier said that “I think there are some questions that remain, and the biggest is what exactly did he say about the National Guard on January 4th.”

“If that’s the case and that testimony comes out,” continued Baier, “it kind of squelches or downplays the thought that he wanted this insurrection.”

The Fox News anchor dug into Trump saying “laying out all of these 187 minutes makes him look horrific. It really does.”

“And it’s for everybody to see, and the president’s inaction and the vice president’s action getting on the phone is very telling,” remarked Baier.

Baier argued, however, that he’s not entirely convinced “how much it moves the needle with Republicans,” noting that it could be possibly impactful for moderate Republicans and Independents.

According to Baier, the most “powerful” part about the January 6th select committee hearings is that the most damaging testimony has come from Republican witnesses.

“All of these people who season testifying at one point or another wanted Trump to win,” argued the Fox anchor, continuing that “They served under his leadership. They wanted him to be a success.”

“I think it’s having an effect, and his decision-making of whether he’s running or when he announces may tie somehow to this January 6th committee and its actions,” concluded Baier.

The Fox News anchor has been vocal in his shock at the evidence that has come forth from the House select committee, comparing details of Trump’s behavior to the events of Watergate. Baier has additionally been skeptical of Trump’s claims on Truth Social following bombshell testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.

Watch above via Fox News

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos got into a tense standoff with a local reporter questioning him about being booed by his home fans.

The awkward confrontation happened in the Phillies clubhouse following the team’s 6-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Castellanos, a high-priced free agent acquisition who has struggled in recent weeks, has gotten jeered by the crowd for his lackluster performance.

Jim Salisbury, a writer for NBC Sports Philadelphia, asked Castellanos “Did you hear the boos?” after striking out at one point in the game.

“Nah man, I lost my hearing,” Castellanos shot back.

Salisbury laughed and said, “So you didn’t hear them.”

“Come on, man,” Castellanos shot back. “That’s a stupid question.”

Things got a bit contentious in the #Phillies clubhouse tonight during and after Nick Castellanos' media availability and our @6abc cameras were there. Thoughts on this exchange? pic.twitter.com/DcqmbIpz2e

— Jamie Apody (@JamieApody) July 24, 2022

“Why’s that a stupid question?” Salisbury asked.

Castellanos turned to the other reporters gathered around him and asked, “Can anybody else answer that for him? Anybody? Yeah man, it’s a stupid question.”

Salisbury defended his query in a heated reply.

“It’s a not a stupid question,” Salisbury said. “It’s a stupid question you should be equipped to answer.”

At that point, a representative for the Phillies stepped in and tried to cut off the confrontation. But the reporter and the player kept going at it.

Watch above.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) slammed the Department of Justice over the conviction of former Senior Trump advisor Steve Bannon on two counts of contempt of Congress, while others remain unpunished.

On Friday, Bannon was found guilty of contempt of Congress charges for his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the January 6th select committee and faces a minimum of 30 days in prison. The advisor to former President Donald Trump is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 21, however, Bannon and his attorney have expressed their intent to appeal the decision which could prolong the legal dispute.

On Sunday following Bannon’s verdict announcement, Gabbard posted a video with an accompanying tweet in which she thoroughly expressed her concerns with the ruling:

Steve Bannon has been charged with contempt of Congress & found guilty, while Brennan, Clapper & others who lied to Congress have never been charged or prosecuted. This just shows yet again how the DOJ has been weaponized by those in power to go after their political opponents. pic.twitter.com/aJXJGUqOTb

— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) July 24, 2022

“No matter what you think or feel about Steve Bannon the fact that he has been found guilty of contempt of Congress,” said Gabbard, “yet others have faced no consequences at all.”

The former representative of Hawaii invoked names like former National Security Agency Director James Clapper and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan, claiming that they lied to Congress but “kept their jobs and to this day still have faced no consequences at all.”

Gabbard argued that Clapper “lied directly about an NSA program that was conducting mass collection on millions of Americans.” Yet Clapper maintains that in his Congressional hearing in 2013 that he did not lie during his testimony.

As for Brennan, Gabbard claimed that “he spied on Senate staffers, lied about it, and also broke into Senate computers to read emails from whistleblowers to members of Congress.” Brennan responded to allegations of this nature years ago arguing against the notion that the CIA was taking part in illegal surveillance of congressional members.

Gabbard concluded her video post by saying “Now this is just the latest example, unfortunately of how our Department of Justice has become a political weapon being used by those in power to go after their political enemies.”

The former House Representative also took to Twitter earlier in the weekend, just hours after Bannon’s verdict was announced, calling out the Biden Administration for ‘weaponizing’ law enforcement and using power to create a “political hit squad.”

Whatever you think of Bannon, the fact he was charged with contempt of Congress, but Clapper, Brennan & others who lied to Congress have never been charged, shows how the Biden admin / elite have shamelessly weaponized law enforcement into a political hit squad.

— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) July 23, 2022

Gabbard has been vocal in her criticism of the White House and President Joe Biden, blaming the administration for the Russian waged war in Ukraine, as well as, claiming that former President Barack Obama maintains power in Biden’s White House.

Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D) continues to express his dissatisfaction with Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and others in holding people accountable for the response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.

Speaking with CNN on Saturday, Gutierrez said he was disappointed over the recent delay to a vote to determine whether district Police Chief Pete Arredondo would be fired. Arredondo was the on-scene commander at the shooting and has come under fire for a delay of over an hour to breach a room where a shooter was continuing to fire on children, some of whom were even calling 911 for help. A total of 21 students and teachers ended up losing their lives. In one interview after the shooting, Arredondo claimed he was not aware he was in charge of the scene.

Footage from the school has caused further outrage as numerous officers can be seen waiting in hallways with little to no direction on how to handle the situation.

“I think his termination is a foregone conclusion,” Gutierrez told CNN’s Fredericka Whitfield about Arredondo. “But to your point earlier, the community itself wants to have greater accountability at every level, including state police. Here we had the report last week indicate that each and every law enforcement that had superior firepower, training, and manpower, should have been able to go in and make the appropriate decisions. That didn’t happen here.”

Gutierrez is also demanding accountability from Texas Department of Public Safety head Steve McCraw, who has come under fire for his early descriptions of the police response to the shooting.

“I think that there needs to be a revamping of the school police. I think that the city is going to have to look at restructuring their own police department. But we at the state level, this governor needs to demand accountability of Steve McCraw and his agency,” the state senator said.

At the end of the day, however, Gutierrez places blame for the fallout from the shooting at the feet of the governor, calling his response to the shooting as big of a “colossal failure” as the initial police response to Robb Elementary.

“All of this falls on Greg Abbott,” he said. “These people directly report to Greg Abbott. And he has failed to ask for accountability and he has failed to provide adequate resources to this community. People of Texas need to be very aware of that failure.”

On the potential of the attorney general indicting police officers, Gutierrez seemed to suggest other officials should be indicted as well, though he did not specify who he was referring to.

“When she goes to indict somebody, I hope she remembers the law of parties in Texas, if you indict one, you better be ready to indict them all,” he said. 

Watch above via CNN.

Former federal prosecutor and current MSNBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner tore into Secret Service agents who have “lawyered up” amid the January 6 hearings and a criminal probe over deleted texts.

After news broke last week that Secret Service text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021 were deleted by the agency after they were told to preserve them, the January 6 Committee demanded all relevant evidence from Secret Service Director James Murray.

This week, the Department of Homeland Security opened a criminal investigation into the deletions, and instructed Secret Service to cease all internal probes into the matter. Key Jan. 6 member Zoe Lofgren also announced that Secret Service personnel have retained private counsel, including Robert Engel and the driver of then-President Donald Trump‘s SUV, as well as Tony Ornato.

On Saturday morning’s edition of MSNBC’s The Katie Phang Show, host Katie Phang asked Kirschner to weigh in on the “message” being sent by these agents lawyering up:

KATIE PHANG: What do you think about the fact that individual agents as high up as Tony Ornato have now lawyered up. Now, getting counsel is your right. You can do that. But what message is that sending to you about the absence of evidence? There’s none. There’s no phone call logs. There’s no photographs of the president now. There’s no text messages. And it sounds really suspect this idea about this phone data migration, the fact that people are getting lawyers at the Secret Service, what does that tell you?

GLENN KIRSCHNER: Yeah, Katie, listen, I embrace anybody’s 6th Amendment right to counsel, just like I embrace anybody’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. These are important constitutional rights that we have, at least until the Supreme Court chooses to take them away. But there is an incongruity here when a law enforcement agency like the Secret Service, lawyers up, or members of the Secret Service lawyer up because they are afraid of the consequences to come, or just the questions that will be put to them about why they erased their text messages.

And you’re right, Katie, I worked criminal cases with the Secret Service, including a case where a senator had his cell phone stolen and we had to use technology to track the thief through the city until we found him, caught him and put him on trial and convicted him. And here is the thing that really gets me so frustrated. The Secret Service is the premier law enforcement organization when it comes to investigating cyber crime. When I had cell phones or computers seized as part of my criminal investigations and I needed forensic searches done on them, particularly if evidence had been deleted and needed to be retrieved.

I didn’t go down to the FBI lab at Quantico. I went to the United States Secret Service Forensic Sciences Division, and they’re the ones who retrieved deleted information off of cell phones and computers. So now what? They can’t retrieve their own deleted information? I’m not buying it. I believe there’s adequate predication, that is, enough evidence to open a criminal probe. And if the Secret Service did nothing wrong, they should welcome that criminal probe.

Watch above via MSNBC.