All posts tagged "wolf blitzer"

CNN hosts called out for softball Dr. Oz interview: 'High five?'

CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown were criticized Friday after a bizarre live interview — and high five — with Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television health expert made popular by his association with Oprah Winfrey and now a Trump administration official. During the CNN interview, Oz described why he believed Americans should work longer and postpone retirement, as well as gave other remarks on the state of American health care. He also talked about weight loss drugs, prices and how Brown didn't need them because she looks like a "gazelle."

It appeared throughout the conversation with Oz that Blitzer and Brown did not push back on any of his claims or comments.

People watching mocked the interview and Oz's view points. They had plenty to say on social media.

"Trump admin act normal around women journalist challenge (IMPOSSIBLE!?)," Adam Mockler of MeidasTouch wrote on X.

"This is adorable. But Dr. Oz? Really ? High five in Dr. Oz? I’m disabled and he wants me to continue working? CNN omgggg," user Braver Music wrote on X.

"Dr. Oz: Every American should get to experience the joy of dropping dead at work," user Chris Robinson wrote on X.

"Dr. Oz rolling onto the CNN set to let you know if you’re willing to pay cash you can get 48 different medications CHEAP. No word yet, whether these particular drugs are out of date. Also, you really need to put off that retirement for a few years to help pay off the national debt," user Jim Carey wrote on X.

"When you really shouldn't say anything, but you say it anyway," Dianne McKenna wrote on X.

"What a sleazeballl," user Spencer Ryan wrote on X.

"Who tf cares what Dr. Oz says? Half of his life has been spent pedaling BS drugs on daytime TV," user Alex Kane wrote on X.

"The guy who made a fortune off of scamming seniors with weight loss pills and snake oil enemas. This turd has never had a hard days work in his life," user Chief Keiff wrote on X.

"Easy for the wealthy and elite to encourage the average person to work earlier and longer," user Rayvn wrote on X.

"From kids working sooner to seniors retiring later, and now body-shaming a CNN host on live TV — this is what happens when a TV doctor runs public health: vibes over science, austerity for the many, condescension for free," user Ashok Dadhwal wrote on Bluesky.

"F--- CNN and their softball ass questions," user Jen R. wrote on Threads.

Trump move is admission that top aides ‘have created a disaster’ in MN: Ex-FBI director

A former FBI director said Monday that President Donald Trump has realized he has a problem as criticism grows over the fatal shooting of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Andrew McCabe told CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer that Trump's announcement that he's sending his designated "border czar" Tom Homan to oversee the ongoing immigration crackdown in Minnesota is a sign that he's growing frustrated and suggested he could be losing confidence with federal officials Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino.

"And he should lose confidence in those leaders," McCabe said. "They have created, essentially a disaster for him. They've victimized the citizens of Minneapolis. They have absolutely lost any semblance of trust that they had with the general public. And with this, with the state and local law enforcement community. So I'm not sure that the leadership team that's on the ground in Minneapolis for the feds is even capable of righting the ship and you know, turning this thing around. So they definitely need someone else who's going to be able to influence the situation and speak on their behalf."

The public frustration has been fueled over the "lack of transparency and the blatant dishonesty," McCabe added, although the Trump administration has not announced any plans to change its aggressive approach.

It's also unclear if Homan would break from what Noem or Bovino have said publicly, he explained.

"I think it's unlikely that we'll see him come out and directly contradict the the misstatements that have already been made. But what we might see from Mr. Homan is an emphasis on the investigative posture going forward," McCabe said. "We've heard a lot from Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, from Kristi Noem, from Greg Bovino, about the fact that they're investigating. But we have no details as to who's investigating, whether it's an internal investigation for potential misconduct or whether it's actually a criminal investigation.

"So Mr. Homan would be, well, would be getting off on the right foot if he would become more transparent with the public about exactly what steps the federal government is taking to determine the possibility of wrongdoing in this terrible tragedy."

'Absolutely hate it!' CNN data guru warns GOP reps about to be 'eaten alive' by voters

CNN data analyst Harry Enten claimed Friday that constituents hate President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill so much that the issue is threatening to eat lawmakers alive this summer.

All across the country, voters have been voicing their displeasure with the bill that gives tax breaks to the rich and puts conditions on Medicaid and Social Security, among other provisions.

In addition, the bill is expected to add $3.4 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

"Yeah, they hate the Big Beautiful Bill. They absolutely hate it," Enten told Wolf Blitzer on Friday, showing major disapproval from multiple polling results.

Enten's point was illustrated by a town hall appearance by Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) that devolved into heckling and booing over the bill and President Trump's tariffs.

Enten listed four different polls to prove how much voters disapprove of the bill.

"The Big Beautiful Bill, the net favorable rating, minus 22 points; CNN, minus 22 points; CBS, minus 19 points; Fox and Wall Street Journal — the best of the bunch — minus 10 points," Enten said, adding, "All way, way under water!"

Enten also compared the unpopularity of the bill to the 2017 tax cuts.

"Minus nine points. Not too hot to trot, but clearly much better than the average of polling right now in the Big Beautiful Bill," Enten said, adding, "18 points underwater. This bill is twice as unpopular as those tax cuts were."

"That town hall ...in my mind, is just the beginning of what we're going to see: Constituents just eating those representatives alive on the Big Beautiful Bill," Enten said. "Simply put, it's one of the most unpopular, if not the most unpopular bill I've ever seen passed and signed into law when it comes to the budgetary process."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'No doubt!' Wolf Blitzer stunned as Israeli official calls CNN starvation pics propaganda

CNN's Wolf Blitzer continuously challenged Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, for claiming the charges of Israeli-imposed starvation in Gaza were fabricated.

During a lengthy interview Tuesday, Blitzer confronted Leiter with a video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denying reports of wide-spread starvation, and another of U.S. President Donald Trump admitting, "That's real starvation stuff, I see it. And, you can't fake that."

"Nobody could avoid seeing the pictures we're seeing coming out of Gaza, although many of them are in the service of Hamas propaganda and some of them are are doctored in A.I., but there is definitely a crisis in Gaza," Leiter said.

He continued, "I think what the president was referring to was the pictures of hunger. There is no large-scale starvation. There certainly isn't a policy of starvation; I think there's a lot of confusion on that issue."

Leiter then ripped CNN for broadcasting "pictures of children who are suffering from cerebral palsy or cystic fibrosis, not from hunger, and yet, we're condemned for it."

Leiter added that there's "a long history of pointing the finger at the Jewish state, and really has to stop."

Blitzer interjected, "Yeah, but but you heard the president of the United States, President Trump, say, 'There's no doubt that there is starvation unfolding right now in Gaza."

He then confronted Leiter with claims of "genocide" made by two Israeli human rights groups.

"As you know, ambassador, that's a very, very sensitive word for Israel and for Jews worldwide because of the horrors of the Holocaust. How do you respond to that?"

"We absolutely condemn these reports, which are fallacious," Leiter shot back. "Anybody is welcome to come and see the amount of aid that we're pouring into Gaza."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'This may be the big one': CNN host stunned by 'quick moving' case against Trump

CNN's Wolf Blitzer was stunned Friday by analysis of Harvard University's lawsuit against the Trump administration's decree that international students are no longer permitted to attend the institution.

The Department of Homeland Security, under Kristi Noem, announced Thursday that it was barring Harvard from admitting international students as punishment for defying the president on DEI and alleged antisemitism on campus, among other things. Trump has already banned the university from receiving $2.2 billion in federal funding.

Justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz characterized the suit as being a huge test of the administration's powers over U.S. academic institutions.

"Well, Wolf, this may be the big one," Polantz began. "The administration of Donald Trump versus one of the most significant cultural institutions in the United States — academic institution — Harvard University. This is a case where Harvard says what the administration has already done, yesterday, by revoking its ability to have foreign students as part of its programs on campus — that it is an immediate and devastating effect to this university."

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Polantz said Harvard has more than 7,000 students on its campus with visas, and that the Trump order will "throw into disarray" its academic programs, research laboratories, and clinics.

She classified the suit as "very fast moving," as international students prepare to return to campus for summer programs.

"The Department of Homeland Security does have a statement in response to the lawsuit so far," Polantz continued. "They say, 'This lawsuit seeks to kneecap the president's constitutional vested powers under Article II.' What that means? The president's the president; he should be able to do what he wants here on visas, immigration, even related to this university."

Polantz said Harvard's "argument in court is that it's a constitutional encroachment of their ability to decide what their curriculum is and what they do as a university."

The case was assigned to a judge Friday morning, according to Polantz — Judge Allison Burroughs, "an Obama appointee on the federal court in Massachusetts."

Blitzer remarked that the international students being affected, "can't believe this is happening here in the United States of America."

Watch the clip below via CNN or click here.

'Please, don't': Jewish hate expert not impressed as Pam Bondi attacks antisemitism

The founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism name-checked attorney general Pam Bondi on CNN Thursday for pledging to do everything the Trump administration can to stop anti-Jewish violence.

Bondi appeared on Fox News, where she lamented the deaths of two young people outside of a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night by a man who shouted "Free Palestine" when he was arrested.

"No parents should have to be called and told their children were violently murdered leaving a religious event at the Jewish Museum. That should never happen in this world and not in our country. And this person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Bondi said. "We will ensure everyone, America will be safe. We will do everything we can. This violence has to stop."

Brian Levin told Wolf Blitzer Thursday that his organization's research showed "record anti-Jewish hate crimes in major American cities in 2024 after a previous record the year before — four consecutive increases."

EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade

"And if I may, Wolf, just give me one second here. I'm talking to Attorney General Bondi now," Levin said. "You just cut the hate crime training grants and projects for American law enforcement yesterday! So, please, don't say that you're you're doing everything you can when you cut those grants, and you also cut the grants related to domestic extremism."

Levin blamed an increase of online anti-Jewish rhetoric for fomenting the violence.

"These social media companies are horrible!" Levin exclaimed. "And what has been allowed on both sides of the political spectrum has been an ecosystem that allows antisemitism to to reign unabated because it serves certain people's political ends. We have to come together in a bipartisan way with regard to religion hate crime, which even as we saw a flattening, of hate crime overall, religion hate crime has continued to go up."

On Wednesday night, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim with the Israeli embassy were shot and killed outside Washington, D.C.'s Capital Jewish Museum.

Police identified the suspect as Elias Rodriguez. He shouted "Free Palestine" when taken into custody, witnesses said.

Watch the clip below via CNN.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer slaps down GOP senator as he claims Europe will thank Trump

CNN's Wolf Blitzer slapped down an eyebrow-raising claim made by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) Tuesday as he spoke about President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office.

Blitzer began, "One hundred days into President Trump's term, just 41% approve of the job he's doing in our new CNN poll, and just 37% approve of Republicans leading Congress. Are those serious warning signs for your party?"

"It's hard to find the the honey in the rock and the water in the stone in 100 days," Kennedy said, using Biblical references. "But having said that, I think President Trump's done some things right in his first 100 days. He's secured the border. He's been very aggressive in abolishing racial quotas. He's deregulating the economy, getting rid of rules and regulations. He's changed the national conversation about the federal budget.

"Under President Biden, the question was, 'Who needs to pay more in taxes?' Now, thanks to Trump and Musk, I think the question in Washington and elsewhere is, 'What the hell happened to the money?'"

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Kennedy then moved on to Trump's handling of foreign policy.

"The final point I would make, you may find a little strange, but it has to do with Europe. President Trump, as we all know, exists loudly. And his his loud existence has awakened Europe, with respect to its economy and its national defense, national security. We're seeing dramatic changes there. And i think it's possible that a decade from now, the Europeans — they may not say it — but they'll look back and actually thank Trump for awakening them from their economic and national security slumber."

As Kennedy spoke, a furrow-browed Pamela Brown indicated with a hand gesture that Blitzer should handle that assertion.

"We'll see. We'll see how that unfolds, senator," Blitzer responded doubtfully.

Watch the clip below via CNN.

Democrats in danger of losing Gen Z voters over latest controversy: analyst

The Democratic National Committee's recent dustup with vice chair David Hogg could be off-putting to the younger generation of voters if they don't tread lightly, according to analysis by CNN.

Anchor Wolf Blitzer introduced a clip of DNC chair Ken Martin Thursday by saying the committee was issuing an ultimatum to Hogg to give up his purported "threat to primary Democrats he deems ineffective, or give up his leadership position."

On the clip, Martin said, "No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger. I have great respect for David Hogg. I think he's an amazing young leader who's done so much already to help move our movement forward. And while...certainly you know, I understand what he's trying to do, as I've said to him, if you want to challenge incumbents, you're more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC."

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Hogg is an outspoken gun control activist who survived the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, that killed 17 students and staff.

CNN Senior Political Analyst Mark Preston said on Thursday's Situation Room said that Hogg was trying to "infiltrate the Party from the inside and try to enact change that he wants to see. Now, I will say he is going to be very unlucky, I would suspect, in his efforts to do so. But this is going to cause the Democratic National Committee a lot of headache, a lot of heartache, over the next four-and-a half months."

Co-anchor Pamela Brown asked that since Hogg represents this new young generation of Democratic leaders, "is there any risk, concern about pushing him out and hurting the Party's outreach to those younger voters that we know Trump surprisingly did well with in 2024?"

Preston said Martin was obviously being very careful when talking about the situation.

"[Martin] was very effusive about him," Preston said. "The DNC wants to make sure that they put this out there as something that is not about David Hogg — that it is just simply about incumbency. And, as he said, if you want to take on an...incumbent Democrat, then do it from outside the party."

Watch the clip below via CNN or click here.

'Pick up the phone': CNN's Blitzer questions why Trump won't take action after 'error'

CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked Friday why President Donald Trump doesn't just "pick up the phone" to speed up the process of bringing home a man who was mistakenly deported from the U.S.

On Thursday, The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate the return” of Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was accidentally deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador last month.

However, the Supreme Court sent the case back to a lower court, so any possible date for Abrego Garcia's return remains up in the air.

The Trump administration later acknowledged that an "administrative error" led to the erroneous deportation, but continued to link Abrego Garcia to the violent Latin American MS-13 street gang. Abrego Garcia has denied the allegation.

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"There's a relatively decent relationship between the Trump administration and the government in El Salvador," CNN's Wolf Blitzer said Friday. "What I don't understand is, why doesn't the president simply pick up the phone, tell the leader in El Salvador, 'We made a mistake; we need this Maryland man back in the United States'?"

Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez added, "It is more than a decent relationship, it is a very good one. The Salvadoran president is a Trump-friendly president, and the administration has also given money to El Salvador for this effort."

The Trump administration struck a deal with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to pay the Central American country $6 million to hold more than 250 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, along with 23 suspected MS-13 members.

On MSNBC's Morning Joe Friday, contributor Pablo Torre claimed that neither the Trump administration nor El Salvador's president had much incentive to send Abrego Garcia back anytime soon.

"To be very blunt about it, this is clearly one country that is not really in favor of the rule of law cooperating with another country that is not really in favor of the rule of law," Torre said. "And it's hard to distinguish, is there a good guy in that dynamic?"

Watch the clip below via CNN or click here.

'I don't even like the Democratic Party': Even James Carville mad at post-Trump Dems

Democratic strategist James Carville sounded off on CNN about the current defeatist attitude consuming the Democratic Party following Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) capitulation on the GOP-crafted funding bill.

"I'm mad at the Democratic Party," Carville told Wolf Blitzer. "You see, when you lose an election — a party exists for one reason, and one reason only. And that is, to win the election. We lost, but there's nothing permanent about this."

Carville said he believed that Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) do have a plan.

"And, look, if this is not evident here in the next three or four months, then there will be an uprising within the Democratic Party. But, let's give 'em a chance, let's see what their plan and their strategy is," Carville said.

Blitzer asked about a new CNN poll showing just 29% of voters have a favorable view of the Democratic Party.

"That's an all-time low. What does this say about your party right now?" Blitzer asked.

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"Don't lose an election because Democrats will get mad at you," Carville quipped. He then declared, "I don't even like the Democratic Party. I do not like losing, and most Democrats feel the same way. If we start winning elections, that's going to come back."

"Trump's head of his council of economic advisers said growth in the first quarter was going to be 2.5%. Well, let's just, I don't know what it's going to be. Predictions about the future are especially hard, but I got a feeling these guys have no idea of what they're doing. And when these opportunities come forth, you have to seize these opportunities, and hopefully we do."

Carville pointed out, "The way to get the base back is to be clever and win, and show them that we got something going in our favor, and I think we can do that. But you you can't be emotional about this; you have to be strategic. We're in a really sticky wicket here. And I'm hopeful that Senator Schumer and Leader Jeffries, I think that is a good plan brewing in there. I really do. But the best plan is not going to be very good because we don't have the vote, we don't have the power."

Watch the clip below via CNN.