All posts tagged "cnn"

CNN's Kaitlan Collins in the crosshairs after Trump DOJ decision: strategist

Paramount Skydance's greenlight to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery will lead to a major shakeup at CNN, warned a political strategist.

The upheaval coming for CNN will make recent events at CBS look like peanuts, political strategist Chai Komanduri said on MS NOW. While Paramount awaited approval from the Trump administration for the Warner Bros. deal, CBS ended "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and ousted a slew of "60 Minutes" anchors and producers.

"Now, if you can replicate that on CNN, and you can diminish and downsize the voices in opposition to Trump or the criticism of moves of the administration, that gives Trump a lot more power," Komanduri said. "The stories that we have heard out of CBS News will be peanuts compared to the stories that will probably come out from CNN."

He warned Kaitlan Collins, the CNN correspondent who has been the target of Trump attacks, and said the Trump administration is "very much interested in who gets to be the CNN White House correspondent."

The Trump Department of Justice gave Paramount CEO and MAGA ally David Ellison the thumbs-up to acquire Warner Bros. for $110 billion. One of the most notable Warner Bros. properties is CNN, along with streaming services like HBO Max and Paramount+, and the Warner Bros. movie studio, MS NOW anchor Ari Melber noted.

Komanduri added, "One thing Trump wanted was control of CNN," and "that was his entire interest in the deal. Donald Trump and the DOJ weren't interested in who was going to be the next Batman."

Trump officials privately worry ceasefire being used as cover for Iran attacks: report

Trump administration officials have expressed in private that they are concerned that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran has given Tehran a chance to recover from previous attacks, CNN reported on Tuesday.

CNN senior reporter Zachary Cohen said that as President Donald Trump responded to a downed Apache helicopter that was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz and vowed to retaliate, behind-the-scenes sources said this issue had been raised.

CNN anchor Brianna Keilar asked Cohen about a recent report that Iran had started to build drones again and "re-upped its drone production during the ceasefire." She questioned if Trump administration officials were reflecting on whether "the ceasefire being dragged out now, weeks and weeks, is giving Iran these capabilities."

Cohen confirmed that was the case — but not something that Trump has acknowledged in public.

"That's something that we hear from sources and U.S. officials in private, for sure," Cohen said.

"But we have not heard the president in particular, or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, voice a similar concern, really painting a more optimistic and a more confident view of the damage that the U.S. military has inflicted on the Iranians' capabilities," Cohen added. "But as you mentioned, we reported that the Iranians have been using this time the ceasefire to reconstitute many of their military capabilities. And it's already restarted production on some of these attack drones that, as we're seeing today, are capable of taking down an Apache helicopter, also a threat to U.S. Navy ships and commercial ships alike."

Revealed: GOP insider shares what sparked bitter Trump vendetta against Kaitlan Collins

President Donald Trump has singled out CNN's Kaitlan Collins for particular harassment — and it’s not just because she asks him tough questions.

To the president, his vehemence towards the star reporter is personal, according to a former Republican strategist with insider knowledge.

Rick Wilson, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, told Raw Story in an exclusive interview that a source close to Trump told him that Trump resents Collins because he feels she owes him for her success.

Trump has gone after multiple women in the White House press corps, and has a history of attacking them with derogatory remarks and put-downs. None has come under more criticism than Collins.

"A young beautiful woman [who] never smiles," Trump said about her in the Oval Office earlier this month. "I never see a smile on her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes."

He's previously called her "stupid and nasty" on Truth Social, and told her to "be quiet."

The resentment is born from an interview Collins conducted years ago, Wilson said.

“Part of that is Trump’s head game he plays with people in general,” Wilson told Raw Story. “He aggressively messes with people — that has always happened. That’s been a character trait of his for a long time, and for Collins it’s particularly personal.”

“Trump believes that the CNN interview he did with Kaitlan Collins, that she did when she was first elevated by Jeff Zucker, Trump believes that she owes him because that ‘made her career,’” Wilson said.

Collins moderated a tense live CNN Town Hall with Trump in May 2023. In 2024, shortly after Trump's election win, Collins was promoted into a position that was “unprecedented,” according to CNN. She was now an anchor and chief White House correspondent.

And, Wilson said, Trump thinks her meteoric rise came because of the 2023 event.

He thinks "she owes him," and she has made no effort to pay that debt, Wilson said. And he has resented that.

“I think he probably does believe that,” Wilson said.

Raw Story contacted CNN, Collins’ employer. The company and anchor declined to comment.

Just hours before the Oval Office interaction between Trump and Collins on June 3, Collins appeared on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” During the late-night show on June 2, Cohen asked her if she or anyone else will ever snap as Trump pushes them.

Cohen noted that Trump has shown serious disdain for the female reporters at the White House.

"It seems to me that at some point someone is going to break," Cohen said.

"I mean, do you ever see that happening? Like, is there someone in the press corps that you look at and think they're going to break?" Cohen asked Collins.

Collins said that most reporters have focused on the questions and covering the stories at hand, and added “never say never.”

Wilson said it comes down to a few key facts — and that drives many women facing his aggressive remarks to push forward and question Trump — despite the insults.

“Notoriously, Donald Trump is not a fan of women,” Wilson said.

“That White House hard pass is pretty damn magical in making people shut up and behave,” he added. “White House correspondent is traditionally a pathway to greater prominence in the media, so people are willing to basically take the s— from Donald Trump to be there.”

Just days later, Trump berated NBC's Kristen Welker and walked off the set of “Meet the Press,” ending the interview during a heavy rainstorm beneath a tin roof barn in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, after refusing to provide any evidence supporting his claims that the 2020 election was rigged, among other false points he tried to argue. After Welker pushed back and challenged him, he had a meltdown and called it off.

"Let's call it quits, because I've had enough. Thank you, darling," Trump said.

Nick Fuentes turns on his fans after CNN segment — and his followers sent death threats

Right-wing influencer Nick Fuentes mocked his followers after they were interviewed for a CNN segment, the network reported on Friday.

CNN senior correspondent Donie O'Sullivan interviewed two men in Miami named Rich and John, who are Groypers — young, white men who are followers of white supremacist Fuentes.

"These men have come to see themselves in Nick Fuentes," O'Sullivan said. "His cancellation across social media platforms for his spreading of hate they view as part of a broader attack on men like them."

John, a 25-year-old Groyper, described what drew him to Fuentes.

"And you look at his audience, they feel like they can relate to him because they're young men," John told O'Sullivan. "A lot of them can't get girlfriends. A lot of them are struggling financially. They're not going to have the life their parents had. Their grandparents had."

But after the interview, things changed.

"Soon after I left Miami pictures, John posted of our interview on social media, got Fuentes' attention and he wasn't happy. His followers had spoken to CNN," O'Sullivan said.

Fuentes talked about it.

"How about that CNN thing? Oh my gosh, these like two absolute chuds who look at us. 'We're in our Nick Fuentes t-shirt and hat,'" Fuentes said about his followers featured in the interview.

Then Rich and John started getting attacked online.

"In online audio chats, Groypers began to turn on Rich and John," O'Sullivan said.

And John tried to defend his "Groypers honor" in a 30-minute social media interview.

"I consider myself a Groyper, and I know everyone's saying I'm not a Groyper and giving me death threats and telling me to kill myself and that they're going to rape me. And that's fine. I don't really care," John said.

Trump attacks CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins for not smiling: 'Hatred in her eyes'

President Donald Trump ranted against CNN's Kaitlan Collins and attacked her during a White House press conference on Wednesday, claiming she "never smiles."

Trump was criticizing Collins' network after a question about the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund when he turned his attention to the CNN anchor.

"Some of you will believe it, like CNN will believe it, because they knew what was going on and they're crooked as hell. CNN is a very corrupt organization," he said.

Trump started to take aim at Collins, whom he has attacked during previous press events.

"She's a young, beautiful woman. Never smiles. I never see a smile off her face, I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes, like she has hatred because we have borders, because we have a strong military, because we cut our taxes, because we do things that everybody wanted and then we win our election in a massive landslide."

He said, "The reporter should be happy," describing the war in Iran as "a detour," and part of "saving our country."

CNN told Raw Story in a statement: “Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity. She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day, which audiences around the world know they can trust.”

Trump, sounding very tired, attacks a woman reporter for not smiling more pic.twitter.com/XgeWgricev
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 3, 2026

'You can just smell the fear!' CNN analyst comes unglued at GOP pundit over Paxton's win

A CNN analyst laughed off attacks on a Texas Democrat's chances of winning a Senate seat.

Pundit Paul Begala sniffed the air as CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings listed off the problems with Rep. James Talarico (D-TX), who will challenge Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for a Senate seat in November.

"You know what I'm smelling, Scott?" Begala said, as Jennings blasted Talarico's views on transgender identity, theology, and eating meat.

Jennings's attack on Talarico's chances in Texas irked Begala, who became stirred in his seat. Begala could smell "fear, panic, your stinking panic," he told Jennings.

"You guys fear this guy," Begala said about Talarico. "He's more popular than Trump in Texas, brother!"

Jennings demanded of Begala, "Can you explain his position?"

"You know what I'm not for?" Begala said. "I'm not for $6.89 hamburgers, okay? James actually eats beef, but he can afford to. Most Texans can't anymore."

Begala accused Paxton of becoming "a millionaire" despite having "a government salary."

"How does that happen?" Begala demanded. "He can afford a hamburger. This is what it's going to be about. You want it to be about woke. I want it to be about broke."

Jennings tried to ask Begala, "Are you a normal person?"

Begala repeated, "I can smell the fear," while waving his hands in the air as if to soak in the aroma.

Trump left the door wide open for midterms with '$100 million' mistake: GOP analyst

As results came in for the Texas GOP Senate primary, CNN analysts weighed in on what the cost will be down the line.

Veteran CNN correspondent Brian Todd said that President Donald Trump's decision to endorse Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is a "$100 million mistake." Trump chose to endorse Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), whom political pundit Alyssa Farah Griffin described as a "monster fundraiser and big contributor to Senate Republicans."

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper already pointed out that nearly $130 million has been poured into the Texas GOP primary. According to Griffin, if Paxton wins and squares off with Democrat Rep. James Talarico (D-TX), "you may be having to bail out this candidate who has tremendous vulnerabilities."

Todd, meanwhile, said that one of "Paxton's biggest weaknesses is that he's a bad fundraiser." He also said Cornyn's defeat gave Democrats a "theoretical chance" of winning in the midterms, but predicted that Republicans would retain Cornyn's seat, even though doing so could be costly.

Cooper described Talarico as a "phenomenal fundraiser."

Political commentator Van Jones agreed. "Trump has taken a big gamble tonight," but it was "a reckless gamble," he said.

"He's going to wind up flushing $200 million down the drain in Texas to pull this off," Van Jones said.

'Terrible week for Trump': GOP strategist warns MAGA lawmaker to distance himself now

A Republican strategist says that Trump is hurting politically right now and warned a GOP lawmaker who appeared with the president.

"This is a really terrible week for this Trump administration," Rina Shah said during an appearance on CNN. She added that Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) "should not have trumped" the president at a campaign event on Friday.

"Lawler has been confusing in the past many months," Shah explained. "By continuing to seem like he wants to be close to the White House," despite "his colleagues in the Senate...they're reading the room."

She brought up the fiery meeting between GOP senators and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, where they "really stood up" and chewed into him regarding the "anti-weaponization" fund, Shah said.

The midterm elections are six months away, and "it's time to get tough about what matters." The senators who ripped into Blanche "aren't in full revolt. They're just in midterm savior mode," Shah added.

"So Lawler, if he knew better, he would be doing that too," she explained. "He's employing a throw-it-all-at-the-wall strategy. He thinks that maybe Trump's charisma might win out with some folks, but again, the pocketbook issues."

She tried to send the message to Lawler that "your constituents hate endless war," but Trump is "making it all about himself."

5 things to know as DNC's long-buried 2024 autopsy leaks to CNN

CNN obtained the Democratic Party's long-private autopsy of the 2024 election on Thursday.

CNN Senior Reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere told anchors Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown how he had access to the report, saying the report was "not ready" but that over time, he had discovered more information and worked with DNC chair Ken Martin to release it. CNN opted to publish the report in full.

"The plan was not to release this report. The report was released to me after I had obtained a lot of the detail and contents in there," Dovere said.

The public version published on CNN was annotated by DNC lawyers, "undercutting a lot of what was in the report," he explained. "We are publishing the full report so people can see it and read for themselves."

Here are five things to know about the "autopsy" report.

1. The release was delayed from its original release date and prompted a number of conspiracy theories.

The report was originally set to be released in spring 2025.

"Then, DNC chair Ken Martin promised members at their summer meeting last August in his home state of Minnesota, 'Three weeks,'" Dovere said. "Then October. Then after the November elections. Then, with Martin offering no explanation other than he suddenly didn’t want to look backward, he announced he wouldn’t be releasing it at all."

Conspiracy theories were mounting in the wake of the report's delayed release.

"Martin was trying to protect Kamala Harris as she considers another presidential run, Obama campaign alumni were protecting each other, high-priced consultants were trying to keep millions in fees from being revealed, or the party was trying to hide how voters reacted to the Gaza crisis," Dovere said.

"Or one of the most widespread: Maybe the autopsy didn’t even exist at all," Dovere added.

2. The Biden White House and campaign neglected Kamala Harris and her campaign.

"The autopsy accuses the Biden administration of not doing more to boost Harris long before the president’s June 2024 debate performance forced him to withdraw, particularly on immigration given the Trump campaign tying the issue to her as the administration’s so-called 'border czar,'" Dovere said.

3. The Harris campaign was in the dark on key DNC decisions — and may have taken too much for granted.

"Martin entrusted a top priority to a friend, Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, who volunteered to work on it part-time and waited several months to contact key officials with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ campaigns," Dovere reported. "Many top decision-makers in the campaigns were ultimately never interviewed, and Harris herself has expressed frustration privately that questions about the document have gone on."

4. The report revealed both campaigns — Biden and Harris — failed to define Trump.

Republicans appeared better at messaging to voters and learning from past elections. This was identified as a pain point during the aftermath of the 2024 election.

5. Not all questions surrounding the election and what happened are included in the current report.

"It gets into things about spending decisions and organizing that was done by the DNC, ways to possibly improve it," Dovere said. "But there are a lot of things in that version that are incomplete and also, it does not touch a couple of topics a lot of people are very interested in and thought were the reasons for this report not being out. There's nothing about Joe Biden and what happened in the debate, there's nothing about Kamala Harris getting the nomination without any kind of primary process and also there's nothing about the way that voters were responding to Gaza and how the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris policies and comments about it were hitting their minds."

CNN fact-checker busts Trump over 'truly bananas' claim to reporters

A CNN fact-checker called out President Donald Trump's false claims that the presidential elections in 2016, 2020 and 2024 were "rigged" against him in a rant to reporters on Wednesday.

Trump was speaking to press at Joint Base Andrews when a reporter asked him if he saw himself in Spencer Pratt, a MAGA-backed Los Angeles mayoral candidate. The president called elections in California "dishonest," which CNN Senior Reporter Daniel Dale pointed out was false.

"If we had Jesus Christ come down and count the votes, I would've won California. Because I do great with Hispanics. But it's a rigged vote," Trump claimed.

Dale described why Trump's comments were incorrect.

"Truly bananas claim President Trump has made on multiple occasions. He lost California by 30 points in 2016 (more than 4 million votes), 29 points in 2020 (more than 5 million votes) and 20 points in 2024 (more than 3 million votes). Votes are counted accurately in every state," Dale wrote in a post on X.

Trump has repeatedly argued that elections are rigged against him, which started in his complaints about the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden. These claims have been rejected by election officials and courts, although Trump has continued making allegations about other elections and voting processes.

Truly bananas claim President Trump has made on multiple occasions. He lost California by 30 points in 2016 (more than 4 million votes), 29 points in 2020 (more than 5 million votes) and 20 points in 2024 (more than 3 million votes). Votes are counted accurately in every state. https://t.co/kDPuKobjTf
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 20, 2026