CNN vs TRUMP (MORE DISTRACTION MEDIA BIAS DRAMA)

CNN vs TRUMP (MORE DISTRACTION MEDIA BIAS):

CNN INTENSIFIES ATTACKS AGAINST TRUMP AS DIRECTED BY OBAMA & SOROS TO UNDERMINE HIM.

TRUMP STRIKES BACK; WARNS WH LEAKERS; DEFEATS ELIZABETH WARREN IN 2020 POLLS.


Sources: Fox News, Boston.com, CNN


******* Trump blasts ‘out of control’ media, defends agenda at heated press conference



President Trump’s feud with the media turned into an all-out war Thursday afternoon.

His early presidency beset by damaging leaks and a burst of staff turmoil, Trump used a hastily called press conference to blast the media’s coverage of his administration in his strongest terms yet. He claimed the press is “out of control,” reports on his team’s ties to Russia are “fake,” and news outlets are attacking him because they oppose his agenda.

"The media’s trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on the pledges that we made, and they’re not happy about it," Trump declared at the White House.

The president spoke and took questions for more than an hour and 15 minutes, even joking with some reporters toward the end and saying he was having fun. In a bid to preempt negative coverage of his remarks, Trump insisted he was not "ranting and raving." But he lamented that the "tone" of coverage of his administration is one of "such hatred."

"The public doesn't believe you people anymore," he said.

Trump, who is dealing with the roughest stretch of his nascent presidency so far, unleashed the battery of accusations after first announcing his newest pick for labor secretary. After his original nominee withdrew, Trump nominated law school dean and former federal prosecutor Alexander Acosta for the post Thursday.

has had a tremendous career," Trump said, noting he's been through Senate confirmation three times for past positions.

But Trump pivoted to tout his administration's record so far and to blast the media for allegedly underplaying progress made.

"The press honestly is out of control," Trump said, vowing to take his message "straight to the people."

Amid a court fight over his controversial immigration executive order, which he maintained is “lawful,” Trump said he would announce a "new and very comprehensive order to protect our people."

He also staunchly defended his administration’s work on everything from the economy to energy to security. "This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine,” he said.

The press conference was held days after Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser over a controversy regarding his past contacts with Russia’s ambassador. Those contacts emerged in news reports. Fast food chain CEO Andrew Puzder also withdrew from consideration for labor secretary on Wednesday amid deepening scrutiny of his personal and professional past.

Trump on Thursday personally denied having any contact or connections with Russia, saying: "I have nothing to do with Russia. I have no deals there. I don't know anything."

While acknowledging he sought Flynn’s resignation, he also said Flynn was just doing his job by contacting Russia. He said Flynn was asked to resign because he was dishonest about the details of the call with Vice President Mike Pence.

And he dismissed recent reports that campaign aides had been in contact with Russian officials before his election. Trump called the reports a "ruse" and said he had "nothing to do with Russia." Trump added, "Russia is fake news. This is fake news put out by the media."

In a free-wheeling event that, before Trump, would have been unprecedented in a modern presidential news conference, the president by turns teased and lambasted members of the press corps.

Toward the end of the press conference, Trump summed up his complaints by suggesting he was being blamed for problems that have existed for years: “I didn’t come along and divide this country. This country was seriously divided before I got here.”

He also blasted Senate Democrats for holding up his Cabinet nominees.

His latest pick for Labor Department might have an easier time. If confirmed, Acosta would be Trump’s first Latino Cabinet member. According to top GOP sources, Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and other Hispanic leaders are enthused about the pick.

Acosta currently is dean of Florida International University College of Law. He previously served as the first Hispanic assistant attorney general and as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, as well as on the National Labor Relations Board.

In the wake of the Flynn reports and other damaging stories, Trump also has vowed to root out those leaking sensitive information.

“We’re going to find the leakers. ... They’re going to pay a big price for leaking,” Trump said at a meeting ahead of the press conference.

DONNA BRAZILE AXED BY CNN FOR CHEATING; BUSINESS AS USUAL

DONNA BRAZILE AXED BY CNN FOR CHEATING; BUSINESS AS USUAL:


Sources: Washington Post, Huffpost, CNN, The Wrap, Youtube


Although she was recently FIRED from her job at CNN as a Political Contributor, BLACK Journalist Donna Brazile holds her place as one of my favorite Media and Public Relations experts.

Did HILLARY CLINTON'S campaign instruct Ms Brazile to slip debate questions to Hillary's staff?

We may NEVER know the answer to that question.

If elected as President of the United States, will Hillary repay Donna Brazile's LOYALTY with a plum key role in her Executive Cabinet.

There's no guarantee.

Oh! The sacrifices one often makes to gain FAME and Prestige in the world of Politics and Entertainment.


***** ‘She was fired!’: CNN blows up with chatter of its own Donna Brazile


To its credit, CNN’s media-reporting team wrote a story for the company’s website on the resignation of Donna Brazile as a CNN contributor following revelations that in March she shared questions from a debate and a town-hall event with the Clinton campaign. It’s a bona fide scandal.
Yet the Erik Wemple Blog, a steady CNN watcher, hasn’t seen much coverage of Brazile’s actions on CNN airwaves.

Panel discussions, however, have a way of meandering. CNN host Brooke Baldwin moments ago convened former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter; commentator S.E. Cupp; and Trump supporter and former George W. Bush political director Matt Schlapp to break down the last days of the 2016 presidential race. All kinds of things got attention, including the role of women in the election, the need to shake up Washington, and reports that the race is getting tight.

Reacting to analysis that the Republicans are split over Trump, Schlapp pointed out that Donna Brazile was criticized by CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker for “leak[ing] two questions to the Clinton campaign to hurt the Bernie Sanders campaign.”

A bit later in the discussion, Nutter defended Brazile, saying, “Donna Brazile is doing a fantastic job at the DNC now and prior to that as a great political strategist and TV commentator.”

Schlapp interjected: “Hillary agrees with you!”

Nutter continued: “We can talk about questions and who got what questions. You know, I think it might not have been too much of a surprise if you’re in Flint, that you might get a question from somebody about the water.”

Schlapp: “Then why was she fired?”

Nutter: “Let me finish. She was not fired.”

Schlapp: “She was fired by CNN.”

Nutter: “You can say that three times and I’m going to say three times, she resigned on her own. That is the fact, so do not spread lies about someone’s personal business or how they conducted themselves.”

Schlapp: “Hey, Brooke, can you help me out here. I’m not lying. I’m not lying.”

Baldwin: “There was some sort of termination … That is way, way higher than my pay grade, Matt. So I really can’t address it, but I can tell you that [inaudible] did not help her out.”

The facts: CNN did indeed declare publicly that Brazile had “resigned.” Journalists everywhere, including Politico’s Jack Shafer, interpreted the timing and circumstances of the move as something other than voluntary. “CNN Dumped Donna Brazile. It Should Keep Going,” reads the headline on Shafer’s piece. Add to that Baldwin’s demi-confirmation on air, plus all the context, and it appears that Schlapp was speaking the unimpeachable truth.

Comcast Buys NBC: 5 Ways To Save The Network

Andrew Sorkin and the Morning Joe Show panel discuss Comcast's acquistion of NBC. I hope Comcast doesn't mess with Morning Joe show dynamics. I love that program.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(From an alleged Comcast Customer)

A Comcast technician came to replace a faulty modem. After spending an hour on hold with Comcast's central office, he fell asleep on my couch. I've been in my apartment for three weeks and my internet connection is still non-functional. This is my tribute to Comcast, their low quality technology and their poor customer service.

UPDATE: My service has been restored. A Comcast team spent five hours to get everything up and running. Thanks for all your advice.







5 things Comcast must do to save NBC


Congratulations, Brian Roberts!

You've just bought a $30 billion media conglomerate that includes a legendary movie studio, a huge stake in the potentially revolutionary Hulu and one of the most successful collections of cable programming assets around.

(It's all about cable, Zucker says.)

Unfortunately, you also just inherited the NBC broadcast network.

The once-proud Peacock in recent years has become the poster child for people who believe the network TV business model is just a few heartbeats from extinction.Before today's announcement, more than a few pundits wondered aloud whether you might simply chuck NBC altogether.

But let's assume you're not ready to give up on the notion of broadcasting. Let's imagine you still think there's value in owning a brand with 70 years of history and entry into just about every home in America.

If that's the case, there's no reason NBC couldn't yet find salvation.

Here are five suggestions for how to bring the network back from the brink:



1.) Part ways with Jeff Zucker -- or at least ban him from any oversight of the network.


Business historians will ultimately decide if Zucker was a good steward of the overall conglomerate known as NBC Universal. This much is true: Take out the performance of the broadcast network, and Zucker's tenure at the Peacock has seen plenty of successes (and profits).

There's a reason he's risen so high in the GE culture:

Zucker knows how to make money. And while he didn't put Bonnie Hammer in charge of cable giants USA and Syfy, he wisely left her alone to expand her previous success (and tapped the awe-inspiring Lauren Zalaznick to transform Bravo into a powerhouse in its own right).

But this story is about what can be done to save the NBC television network. And quite simply, Zucker has done far more harm than good to that part of the business.

He needs to be taken out of the NBC Entertainment equation.

The problem began when then-NBC chief Bob Wright shipped Zucker from New York to Burbank and put him in charge of programming. It was a move not unlike Disney's decision two decades ago to install a young Bob Iger at ABC Entertainment: You want your future leaders to understand the ins and outs of your core business.

But Iger wisely relied on the talents of programming deputies Ted Harbert and Stu Bloomberg, empowering them to run the day-to-day of the network. Peter Rice, another CEO-in-training, appears to be on a similar track at Fox right now.

Not Zucker. He didn't get Hollywood, and Hollywood didn't like him.

Not trusting any of his subordinates, Zucker micromanaged and second-guessed at every turn early on during his tenure. He extended the Peacock's ratings supremacy in the short term-- keeping "Friends" on the air two more seasons was a huge deal-- but did nothing to build any new long-term franchises.

Things didn't get better when Zucker moved back to New York. He wisely hired the talented Kevin Reilly to run development, but never empowered him to completely run the network.

Zucker finally appeared ready to cut the apron strings when Ben Silverman arrived. Unfortunately, while Zucker thought he was hiring Silverman to develop hits, Silverman was never interested in being a mere D-boy. It was an epic miscommunication, one that extended NBC's losing streak another two years.

As many talents as Zucker possesses -- he's super-smart, forward-thinking, quirkily charismatic and unafraid to take risks at a time of monumental change in the entertainment business -- being responsible for the revival of a broadcast network just doesn't suit him.

It's hard to see how Zucker could stay on as CEO of the new company and yet somehow not have any say in the direction of NBC Entertainment. But if Comcast really thinks Zucker's skills elsewhere in the company are worth keeping him, it should find a way to let someone else (Jeff Gaspin?) oversee the network.


2.) Don't make any hard and fast rules.

The last decade at NBC has been marked by a series of epic pronouncements from on high about the future of television: Reality shows and newsmagazines must air at 8! Dramas at 10 don't work! Cable is the future! No more dark and depressing shows -- viewers only want "blue sky" programming!

The only thing these mandates have accomplished is to create artificial boxes for NBC's West Coast executives, who too often have found themselves developing in an effort to live up to some bogus corporate mandate.

NBC needs to stop trying to fashion itself as some radical reformer of the broadcasting business and should instead get back to its basic mission: entertaining viewers with the best possible programming.



3.) Become the HBO of broadcast TV.

Toward that end, NBC should -- without actually ever saying so -- do all it can to transform itself into a network of ambitious, extraordinary and critically worshipped programs.

You know, the sort of stuff HBO does every day.

Making a move toward super-quality would immediately reconnect NBC with its 1980s and '90s brand, when it was known mainly as the home of "Must-See TV" and the best shows on television. Even if ratings didn't immediately soar, NBC's sales teams could sell Madison Avenue on the upscale eyeballs first-rate programming tends to attract.

We're not suggesting you go all artsy-fartsy.

HBO (and, to a far lesser degree, Showtime) has proven that quality and populism can co-exist: Critics have raved about "True Blood" and "Dexter," even as both shows have inspired sizable (and passionate) fan bases.

And NBC's biggest success story in the past five years? Not "Heroes," which faded fast. Nope, it's "The Office" -- the little comedy that spent its first year struggling to find a pulse.

The strategy of Quality First might not have made sense a decade ago, when hit shows regularly drew more than 20 million or 25 million viewers. But in an era when a mid-3 rating in the key demographic is considered reason for celebration, NBC doesn't need to worry that it's passing up big numbers by defining its brand as first-class all the way.



4.) Move Jay Leno to 8 p.m. -- or move on.

Despite the fierce whining from writers and agents, the problem with NBC's grand Leno experiment wasn't the decision to eliminate five hours of scripted programming. No, that actually made sense -- especially for a network that has trouble slotting even a dozen worthwhile hours of TV each week.

And installing Conan O'Brien as successor to Leno on "Tonight"? Also smart: Dave and Jay won't be around forever, and when they're gone, NBC will have the biggest star in late night.

The problem with Leno is that he rejected NBC's initial idea, which was to have his primetime show kick off the night at 8 p.m.

It's still too soon to make a definitive statement about Leno's primetime performance. But The Chin's weak ratings are clearly hurting local newscasts and, worse, deny O'Brien any chance at success (CBS' 10 p.m. shows give David Letterman three times as many viewers as a lead-in and promotional base).

In addition, the lack of a 10 p.m. timeslot means NBC has just five hours per week to do serious, groundbreaking drama. Right now, that's not really a problem, but if the network starts a creative rebound, it soon would be.

So why not move Jay to 8 and make him the ringmaster of a big, funny variety show -- an Ed Sullivan for our times?

Why not introduce some reality show concepts as regular features, much the way Oprah Winfrey shamelessly apes "American Idol" with her annual singing competitions?

If Leno objects, NBC should simply break up with him. Even if it means eating the cost of his contract, Leno at 10 p.m. just isn't a long-term play for the Peacock.


5.) Think like a loser, spend like a drunken sailor -- and expect recovery to take a while.

One of Zucker's fatal flaws as an overseer of NBC has been his legendary impatience (and short attention span). The man who cut his teeth in the fast-paced world of morning news could never understand that you can't turn around a broadcast network overnight.

Comcast needs to accept and embrace this go-slow reality if it truly wants to rehabilitate NBC.

Leslie Moonves took nearly five years to turn CBS into the frighteningly efficient ratings machine it is today. Steve McPherson had some success at ABC right out of the gate, but five years later, he's still trying to recover from the mess he inherited.

There's simply no quick path back to ratings glory. Networks are built show by show.

The Moonves and McPherson models also demand network chiefs act as if they have nothing to lose. And, perhaps, an unlimited amount of cash to spend.

Devoting millions of dollars to "Survivor" and "Big Brother" in the summer of 2000 probably struck most of Moonves' peers at the time as a bit, well, desperate. Both shows now are part of CBS' very foundation.

Moonves also was painted as a fool by many for shelling out crazy cash to convince Bill Cosby to return to the sitcom format. The show was never a megahit, but it brought buzz and viewers back to a network that seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

Likewise, it takes guts to schedule four new comedies on one night -- but McPherson did just that this fall. So far, so good.

NBC in recent years has been all about maximizing profits and minimizing creative risk-taking. It was a philosophy that fit well for a network wholly owned by GE.

But the GE days will soon be over. In order to bring NBC back from the brink, Comcast needs to be willing to commit the time and money to doing the job right. It needs to pick a leader for the network it trusts and then give her or him plenty of time to turn things around.

Otherwise, Comcast might as well just pull the plug and let the Peacock die with dignity.



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Sources: The Wrap, MSNBC, Money Central, Morning Joe Show, Comcast, NBC, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps