All posts tagged "cnn"

Todd Blanche was ordered to recuse from Trump cases — before becoming DOJ head: CNN report

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was urged by the top Justice Department ethics lawyer to recuse himself from any legal cases connected to his former client, President Donald Trump, according to a new CNN report on Thursday.

Just after Blanche took on the role of deputy attorney general in March 2025, Joseph Tirrell gave Blanche and Emil Bove, his then top-deputy, "a printed PowerPoint presentation on ethics," a former senior DOJ ethics official told CNN.

This was the first time that Blanche was formally told he would need to remove himself from Trump-related cases — something that has not been reported before.

"Around the same time, the department’s top career lawyer advised that Bove potentially had a conflict of interest by being involved in firings of DOJ lawyers," CNN reported.

CNN correspondent Katelyn Polantz, who worked on the exclusive report with senior justice correspondent Evan Perez and reporter Hannah Rabinowitz, said the question over Blanche and other former Trump lawyers' involvement at the DOJ had been on her mind.

"This question has been bugging me since the moment Donald Trump won the election," Polantz said. "It became possible that Todd Blanche and other former defense attorneys of Donald Trump would be running the show."

The new reporting confirmed what Blanche had been directed to do.

"Even if it was a case that Blanche himself hadn't worked on, if it related to Trump personally as a potential witness, having some sort of an interest there," Polantz said. "Personally, it would be something that Blanche could not work on at the department. Now he's the acting attorney general. He had signed the ethics pledge after this briefing, saying that he would recuse from cases like this. But this was the first time we really have pushed the question at the Justice Department, what's he doing about cases where Trump has a personal interest?"

Blanche has not responded to the report.

"So now what the Justice Department spokespeople are saying in response to this story, we asked, what about which cases, where is he recusing? If he is, they said that Blanche is recused from many cases before the Justice Department," Polantz said.

"In any cases that are still ongoing, where he previously represented someone, he is recused to the extent the Justice Department is investigating something related to the president, for which Todd Blanche was previously representing him. Then, hypothetically, yes, he would recuse. Is he out of this conspiracy investigation that Joe diGenova is leading? Is he out of any other so-called weaponization working group reports that would involve cases that had previously involved Trump?"

Former anchor leans on CNN to dump 'blowhard' Scott Jennings over menacing outburst

An obscene live TV outburst by CNN pundit Scott Jennings on Thursday night has led former CNN anchor Jim Acosta to call for the network to tear up the conservative pundit’s contract.

CNN host Abby Phillip had to jump in and calm the waters after Jennings got into it with liberal pundit Adam Mockler as he leaned in and blurted, “Get your f------ hand out of my face!" during a discussion about the Iran War.

Jennings' menacing manner evoked an immediate reaction from the “NewsNight” panel as well as a response from Acosta on Substack on Friday morning.

Comparing the language Jennings used to the fictional Ron Burgundy in the film “Anchorman,” which got Burgundy fired, Acosta claimed Jennings deserves the same fate in real life, stating that at any other network it would be a ‘fireable offense.”

Calling Jennings a “blowhard,” he recalled, “Jennings was a bit of a hot-head when I worked at CNN. I recall his glaring at me following one segment when I fact-checked him in real time. But wow, what happened Thursday night was next level. Mockler really got his goat.”

He said that the CNN conservative should be immediately fired.

"Of course, with the Ellisons now gobbling up Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of CNN, the new management that is likely to take over the 24-hour cable news station could simply rehire Jennings if, in the unlikely event, he is tossed overboard," Acosta added. "Make no mistake, the Ellisons, and their hand-picked executive now running CBS News and possibly CNN, Bari Weiss, would certainly relish the opportunity to rehire Jennings."

The latest Jennings controversy comes after similar complaints about the leeway the conservative has been given at the network, with CNN regular Julie Roginsky recently calling him out.

"He blathers. He talks over women with particular frequency, interrupts relentlessly, and treats panel discussions as contests of volume and obstinacy, rather than as exchanges of ideas," Roginsky said. "He mugs to the camera and rolls his eyes, while calling any fact he does not like a lie. It is performative obstruction — the cable news equivalent of flipping the board when you’re losing the game."

'They hate you guys': CNN data guru delivers stark message to GOP-led Congress

A political pundit slammed Congress after poll findings revealed historically high disapproval ratings and predicted poor midterm returns for the GOP.

"We're talking record-high disapproval of Congress," political analyst Harry Enten said on CNN on Thursday. "I am here in Washington D.C. to deliver a message: they hate you guys."

Enten shared Gallup poll findings that show 86 percent of Americans disapprove of Congress, the highest disapproval rating since November 2013.

"Just 10 percent of Americans approve of the job that Congress is doing," Enten stressed. "That is actually lower than the percentage of Americans who believe that we faked the moon landing."

Enten rubbed in that the same poll found that 12 percent of Americans think the moon landing was faked and 10 percent think that the Earth is flat. "When you can't even meet the Mendoza line of the moon landing, you know that you're in deep, deep trouble," he ribbed.

Compared to March 2025, Congress's approval ratings have dropped by 89 points, Enten added. It bodes poorly for the GOP heading into the midterms, as the party faces a 15 percent chance of holding the House, largely because turned-off Republican voters.

"Remember that Republicans control the House and Senate," Enten said. "Despite the fact that Republicans control Congress, Republicans themselves absolutely despise Congress at this point."

GOP senator worth an estimated $20M complains he can't get past The Atlantic's paywall

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) made a surprising remark on Tuesday during a CNN live broadcast about how he couldn't access an explosive report about FBI Director Kash Patel in The Atlantic, complaining about the publisher's paywall.

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt asked the GOP lawmaker, whose net worth is by some estimates about $20 million, if he had read the report citing accusations from Patel's colleagues who had expressed concerns about the FBI director's alleged alcohol consumption and asked if he was worried about Patel's ability to do his job. Patel this week filed a lawsuit against the publication following the story.

Kennedy's response was surprising, considering the senator earns a base salary of $174,000 per year, according to the Senate's website. The Atlantic's digital subscription is $79.99 per year.

"I don't know if the article is true, Kasie," Kennedy said. "I tried to go read it, but but The Atlantic has, it was The Atlantic, right? They're blocked by [the] paywall. They want something like $250."

Hunt offered to send the Republican her own login for him to access it, but he appeared to disagree with paying for the story.

"Yeah, something like 250 bucks to subscribe. And I'm not going to do that," Kennedy added. "I don't know whether the stuff is true or not. I mean, the director says he's going to sue them for defamation. So we'll find out. I haven't. I've never seen him drunk, if that's your question."

'He's a moron!' CNN conservative fumes after ex-Fox News host apologizes for Trump support

MAGA commentator Scott Jennings had a stinging response to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson's comments that he was regretful for supporting President Donald Trump.

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt asked Jennings to comment on Carlson's remarks that he would be "tormented" by his decisions to endorse Trump, which led to a heated exchange between the two during the live broadcast. Carlson had issued a public apology Monday for having supported Trump in the 2024 election, telling his millions of followers that he was “sorry for misleading people.”

Jennings shared his thoughts on the move.

"I mean, is his preference that Kamala Harris had become the president of the United States?" an indignant Jennings asked. "That will come as a surprise to, I'm sure, a lot of people who used to view Tucker Carlson as a conservative and someone who, you know, had certain kinds of values. And what's he sorry for? That we got a new engagement here that might ultimately lead to taking away nuclear weapons?"

Hunt pushed back on Jennings' characterization of the war.

"We got into engagement, Scott? That is quite a way to put it," Hunt said. "We started a war with Iran."

"Is he now claiming he had no idea that Donald Trump held the position that he would never permit Iran to have nuclear weapons, if that's what he's saying today?" Jennings asked.

"He's kind of a moron," Jennings added. "I mean, I don't know how else to put it, or he's willfully misleading people. The president was clear he'll never let them have nuclear weapons. We just saw on '60 Minutes' on Sunday night, a broad agreement among the experts. They have 970 pounds of enriched uranium, enough to make 10 or 11 nuclear bombs. This is not acceptable to the president. He had that position back in 2024. He had that position back in the first term. He has that position today to say now that you're sorry, that you elected a president that wanted to take away nuclear weapons from this terrorist regime. I don't get it."

CNN's 'remembering' tribute sends shockwaves as Michael J. Fox clarifies he's still alive

Actor Michael J. Fox made it clear on Wednesday that he is very much alive.

Fox was responding to a CNN article and video titled "Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox" that led to questions about his health and confusion over whether he died, TMZ reported. The post has since been removed.

"Michael is doing great. He was at PaleyFest yesterday. He was on stage and was giving interviews," his representative told TMZ.

Fox attended the festival and made a surprise appearance for the wrap party of the Apple TV series "Shrinking." He appeared as a guest star during the show's third season.

A CNN spokesperson shared the following comment with Raw Story:

"The package was published in error; we have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J. Fox and his family.”

'Real Housewives' star may hold key to unlocking Ghislaine Maxwell's prison secrets: Dem

A top Democrat had a direct message for former "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah, who was recently released from the same prison as Ghislaine Maxwell.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) told CNN anchor Pamela Brown that House leaders want to talk to Shah, who recently sat down with People and broke her silence for the first time since she was behind bars. In the interview, Shah described Maxwell's lack of remorse for her sex trafficking victims, and now members of the House Oversight Committee want more information.

Brown asked Garcia, who is a fan of the popular Bravo series and has appeared on the network's "Watch What Happens Live" show, what lawmakers were planning next.

"Well, I never thought that my interest and love for the Real Housewives franchise and my work on Oversight would collide. But actually, we reached out to Jen Shah yesterday," Garcia said. "I'm not sure if that's been reported or not, but we actually reached out to her through a representative. We actually want to talk to her. Look, at the end of the day, she is someone that's interacted with Ghislaine Maxwell in that prison. She clearly has information about what Ghislaine Maxwell was saying to others, and we have not had access to folks in that prison that have been interacting with Ghislaine Maxwell. So we think that might have important information. And so if she is watching, please respond. We definitely want to talk. I think she's got critical information."

Shah had described the moments she spoke with Maxwell, a former confidant and co-conspirator of late financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, at the Texas federal facility.

"I had interactions with her, limited interactions with her," Shah recalled during the wide-ranging interview. "I mean, I worked at recreation, right? And so she would come in and work at recreation, or I mean, to work out."

"Um, but her experience there is, uh, it's very different from anyone else's, even Elizabeth [Holmes] and I, um, she is treated very differently there," Shah added. "And honestly, I chose that. I chose to have very limited interaction with her."

Garcia said lawmakers were aiming to learn more from Shah, adding that "we're engaged in a communication with her representatives. And we're hopeful that she'll come and speak with us."

'Abandoning Donald': CNN data guru reveals Trump's lost crucial voting bloc

CNN data expert Harry Enten revealed how working class Americans have turned on President Donald Trump.

Enten described during a live broadcast on Friday how polling shows working class voters — classified as people who make $50,000-a-year or less — were a major swing vote bloc that helped elect Trump in 2024. But now, they've been left disappointed.

"That was a very important part of his coalition," Enten explained. "But look at this now. Look at the net approval rating that he has with those making under $50K. Down it goes. Look at that. That's a 26 point switcheroo in the latest average of polls. Look at that -24 points. The working class voters are abandoning Donald Trump. Those who helped put him over the top in 2024 are saying, you know what? Not for me right now."

The struggling economy has left them dissatisfied with the president.

"His net approval rating with them right now is absolutely atrocious when it comes to the economy," Enten added. "They have seen what has happened. They have seen what has happened on tariffs. They have seen what has happened with the war. They have seen the gas prices go up. And you just say to yourself, if you're a voter making under $50K, you know what the economy, it is not where we want it to be. And therefore we are turning against Trump on the economy and we are turning against him overall as well."

'Let me finish!' Senate Republican loses his cool as he's fact-checked on his own bill

Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) clashed in a conversation with CNN host Brianna Keilar that left the GOP lawmaker tongue-tied during a live broadcast on Thursday.

The Republican got in the fiery back-and-forth with Keilar after the anchor started asking Husted about the SAVE America Act and raised questions over whether the legislation backed by the Trump administration and conservatives would disenfranchise voters. Husted was reacting after a vote on his voter ID amendment failed, while President Donald Trump has pressured Republicans to end the filibuster, fund the Department of Homeland Security and pass the SAVE America Act.

Keilar pointed to Husted's previous experiences investigating voter fraud, calling out how few cases of fraud would potentially justify the now-stalled legislation.

"If you're going to let me finish so I can get the facts, my bill doesn't have any registration requirements," Husted said. "My amendment that we just voted on, that no Democrat voted on was photo ID exactly what we have in Ohio. The exact same tools that they have in Georgia that they have in other states, Wisconsin, we use the same tools. They still are unwilling to say 'yes' to the most simple part of election integrity. And that is a photo ID."

But Keilar pushed back — and kept cutting off the senator.

"Can you be a little clear on that?" Keilar asked, pressing the noticeably frustrated lawmaker again while they both continued to interrupt each other.

'Train wreck': Senator fed-up as 'flailing' Trump admin can't keep its Iran story straight

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) pointed out on Wednesday that after he questioned National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, it appeared that the Trump administration still couldn't get its story straight on what prompted the Iran war.

The top Democrat and veteran spoke with CNN anchor Kasie Hunt after the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing with Gabbard and several other senior intelligence officials, who were asked about global threats as the Trump administration has continued to send mixed messages about the military operation in the Middle East and its objectives.

Lawmakers pressed the administration members to clarify whether the Trump administration knew the pending economic fallout, including rising gas prices or the Iranian regime's move to close the vital shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz. They also wanted clarification over claims that Iran posed an "imminent threat," something the Trump administration has cited in the last several weeks.

Hunt asked Kelly if the Trump administration had underestimated how Iranians would respond to the military strikes.

"They're flailing. This has been a train wreck," Kelly said. "They have not been able to tell the American people, you know, why we are in this fight. You know, what is the strategic goal? What is the plan? What's the timeline? How do you get out of it? And today we were trying to figure out what did the president know and when did he know it? And was he briefed on something pretty basic, which was the Strait of Hormuz, whether or not the Iranians would try to shut it down. And we've gotten different answers from the White House."

Kelly also pointed out how the word "imminent" means something is about to happen, yet the Trump administration had gone back and forth, saying Iran was expecting to strike the United States and its allies in "the near future," which is not what the word "imminent" actually means.

"And I even got to the point I was trying to make this very simple for the DNI, for Tulsi Gabbard," Kelly said. "Was there a request for a brief, or did you offer a brief on the Strait of Hormuz? I didn't even ask her if it was given or what was in it. She would not even answer that question."

He explained that getting to the truth hasn't been a problem with just Gabbard, but also with other Trump cabinet members and White House insiders.

"And this is what happens when you put a lot of yes people in an administration where their number one priority is to please the commander in chief," Kelly added. "And when you do that, this is why this is a lot different than Donald Trump's first term with a lot of very professional people around him. This is what you get. You get a lot of non-answers, you get a lot of just trying to get around some pretty basic things."