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Washington CNN —A pair of Democratic lawmakers from California have asked President Joe Biden to once again raise the case of a US Navy officer jailed in Japan with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima. Lieutenant Alkonis’ case remains stalled in the Japanese system,” the pair wrote. Biden raised the Alkonis case with Kishida during the prime minister’s visit to the White House in January, and the two countries agreed to establish a working group to solve the problem. “I’m not doing that good,” he wrote in a letter dated April 30, which was shared with CNN. “Lieutenant Alkonis’ service records make clear that he is an extraordinary officer, and we believe he deserves better,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

☆ CNN's CEO stands by Trump town hall but acknowledges production weaknesses, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Nearly a week after CNN's town hall with Donald Trump, CEO Chris Licht has acknowledged internally there are some things he wished the network had done differently. Licht continues to stand by the concept of the town hall, telling people both inside and outside of CNN that history will look kindly on the network's decision to interview Trump in front of cheering supporters in a live town hall format. That way, CNN could draw the audience's focus to the substance of the question rather than the spectacle of Trump. CNN could have also graphically shown each question while Trump spoke, emphasizing his answers didn't always match the topic at hand. NBC isn't likely to do a Trump town hall, given how CNN's went, said the person.

☆ Twitter appeared to limit the reach of investigative news site Bellingcat days after Elon Musk suggested its Texas mall shooter investigation was a 'psyop'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The investigative news website Bellingcat reported on the Texas mall shooter's apparent neo-Nazi beliefs. Right-wing commentators on Twitter suggested that it was fake news, and Elon Musk called it a "psyop." Days later, Bellingcat's founder said its Twitter account no longer appeared in the app's search tool. Bellingcat reported that Garcia had tattoos of a swastika and other Nazi symbols, and posted about being a white supremacist on Odnoklassniki (OK), a Russian social media site. Musk tweeted.

☆ CNN staffers were horrified watching their network conduct the Trump town hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CNN staffers were horrified watching their network conduct a town hall with former President Donald Trump. CNN staffers were horrified watching their network conduct a town hall with former President Donald Trump. They were mocking her," said one former CNN executive, also granted anonymity to speak openly, who wondered why they hadn't conducted a Trump interview separately from the town hall. The Trump interview also put the #boycottCNN hashtag back into circulation. Ahead of the town hall, anchor Wolf Blitzer asked one panelist what he was most looking forward to from the town hall and he responded: "The exits."

Washington CNN —Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have asked Harlan Crow, the GOP megadonor and friend of Clarence Thomas whose gifts to the Supreme Court justice have prompted fresh criticism about the ethical standards of the nation’s highest court, for more information about the expenditures. The letters also state that the recent revelations come amid a lack of American confidence in the Supreme Court, pointing to recent polling. Thomas had not financially disclosed the hospitality from or the deal with the Texas billionaire. Democrats have vowed to keep investigating the ethics of the nation’s highest court, and Chief Justice John Roberts declined an invitation to testify at a hearing on Supreme Court ethics. Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin said “everything is on the table” as the panel scrutinizes new ethics concerns around Thomas.

☆ Trump’s latest court loss may not hurt primary bid, but some Republicans raise alarm about 2024 viability
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

He would not win the White House. The unanimous jury verdict was vindication for Carroll and offered a symbolic win for other women who have made assault allegations against the president. Many White House hopefuls have exited presidential races for less. Nikki Haley or prospective White House contender, Florida Gov. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy characteristically dodged commenting on the verdict after leaving debt crisis talks at the White House on Tuesday.

☆ Senate Judiciary chair says ‘everything is on the table’ in response to Clarence Thomas revelations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Aileen Graef | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin said Sunday that “everything is on the table” as the panel scrutinizes new ethics concerns around Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Crow also purchased several real estate properties, including the home where Thomas’ mother lives, from the Thomas family and paid boarding school tuition for Thomas’ grandnephew, according to ProPublica. But Durbin said Sunday the recent revelations “just embarrasses me” as he called on Chief Justice John Roberts to impose a code of conduct on the court. Roberts previously declined Durbin’s request to voluntarily testify in a hearing on Supreme Court ethics. Feinstein, 89, has been away from the Senate since March as she recovers at home in California from shingles.

Programming note: The full interview with Richard Glossip will air Friday, May 5, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” which starts at 4 p.m. Lea Glossip, left, wife of death row inmate Richard Glossip, listens with death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean, right, during a news conference on Thursday, May 4, in Oklahoma City. Sneed admitted to killing Van Treese, but at trial, prosecutors portrayed the killing as a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Glossip. Ultimately, Reed Smith concluded “that no reasonable juror hearing the complete record would have convicted Richard Glossip of first-degree murder,” said Stan Perry, a partner at the firm. The Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, where Richard Glossip is set to be executed, is seen in 2015.

☆ Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak voices concerns about AI and a need for regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I’m just a scientist who suddenly realized that these things are getting smarter than us,” Hinton told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview on Tuesday. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who was one of the signatories on the letter, appeared on “CNN This Morning” on Tuesday, echoing concerns about its potential to spread misinformation. “Tricking is going to be a lot easier for those who want to trick you,” Wozniak told CNN. Hinton, for his part, told CNN he did not sign the petition. “It’s not clear to me that we can solve this problem,” Hinton told Tapper.

☆ John King passes ‘Inside Politics’ torch to Dana Bash as he takes on a new assignment at CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —John King will take on a new role at CNN and step down as the anchor of “Inside Politics,” handing the torch to Dana Bash, who will take over as anchor of the esteemed program later this year, the news network announced Thursday. Dana Bash will take over "Inside Politics." CNNBash said that she is “thrilled” to be taking over as the anchor of “Inside Politics,” which airs daily at 12 p.m. Lemon, who was a staple in the network’s prime time lineup, most recently co-hosted “CNN This Morning” alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. CNN also this month launched “CNN News Central,” two three-hour shows that comprise the majority of the network’s dayside lineup.

A series of upcoming challenges, from the ongoing war in Ukraine to a still-uncertain economy, could provide hurdles to Biden’s reelection. The Washington beltway event may be indicative of what’s to come for the Biden reelection campaign strategy. “Just like four years ago—I’m off to teach and Joe’s launched his (re-election) campaign! Obama held his first reelection campaign rally in May 2012, 13 months after announcing his bid for a second term. The wait for a Biden reelection rally could be just as long.

☆ Smartmatic wants more than Dominion’s $787 million payout, plus a retraction from Fox for its 2020 election lies, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

(But in a press release, Fox publicly “acknowledged” that the judge in that case had concluded that all 20 on-air statements that Dominion sued over were false.) “That set down a marker and it’s a marker that we think we should be exceeding,” Connolly said. “The scope of the damage done to Smartmatic is a global scale, because we operate globally… $787 million is a good start. Smartmatic wants $2.7 billion from Fox and other Trump allies that it named in the lawsuit. “We will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events when it goes to trial, likely in 2025,” a Fox spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

☆ CNN host bursts out laughing as he reads Fox News' $787.5 million Dominion settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jake Tapper laughed as he read out Fox News' statement about its settlement with Dominion. The conservative news network reached the settlement just before a trial was about to start. Dominion sued Fox for broadcasting false claims that its machines were used to rig the 2020 election. Tapper said the settlement "can only be interpreted as one of the ugliest and most embarrassing moments in the history of journalism." In a statement to Deadline, Fox News hit back, saying that "we can't look at CNN's awful ratings without laughing and we're sure Warner Bros.

☆ Lindsay Graham rips Marjorie Taylor Greene's defense of the accused Pentagon leaker, calling it 'one of the most irresponsible statements she can make'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Lindsey Graham criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's defense of the accused Pentagon leaker. Graham called Greene's stance "irresponsible" and one that puts America "in serious danger." Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 13, 2023"Jake Teixeira is white, male, christian, and antiwar. Hours after Graham's criticism of Greene, Greene posted a doctored image of him on Twitter holding a Bud Light can that featured a photo of trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 16, 2023Conservatives have blasted Bud Light's recent partnership with Mulvaney and have called for a boycott of the brew.

Brian Kemp has a message for his fellow Republicans looking to win back the White House: “We cannot get distracted.”“We have to tell people, No. “It does not give us a path for Republicans to win.”Asked by Tapper if Trump was unelectable nationwide, Kemp demurred. Tension between Trump and Kemp has been simmering for years. When Kemp refused to overturn Biden’s 2020 win in Georgia, Trump made the governor his No. 1 enemy, publicly railing against him throughout 2021 and recruiting former US Sen. David Perdue to challenge Kemp in a GOP primary.

☆ MAGA-world is rushing to defend Jack Teixeira, the accused Pentagon leaker who allegedly dumped secret documents online to impress his teenage gamer buddies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The leak represents the worst military intelligence breach in roughly a decade. To them, Teixeira is a martyr for revealing the truth about the stalemated war in Ukraine to the American people. "Tonight, the news media are celebrating the capture of the kid who told Americans what's actually happening in Ukraine," Carlson said. The leaks could hurt Ukraine on the battlefieldThe leak of the documents allegedly perpetrated by Teixeira represents the worst US military intelligence breach in roughly a decade. The secret documents offered details on US spying on friends and foes alike, many of which pertained to the war in Ukraine.

☆ Analysis: 21-year-old's arrest exposes larger classified documents problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

If the many earlier and ongoing scandals regarding classified information aren’t a wakeup call that the US government has a problem, maybe the arrest of Jack Teixeira will do the trick. Classified material scandals aplentyOne thing that should be abundantly clear from the string of leaks and improperly handled pieces of classified information beyond this story is that the system has problems. The New York Times reported Wednesday that witnesses questioned as part of the Trump investigation have been asked if he was showing off a map with sensitive intelligence information. There are additional people who have security clearance but don’t currently have access to information. Gen. Pat Ryder, compared the method by which classified information is stored to a locked house where people with clearance can get a key.

☆ Powell is leader of the free world – for now
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

As former President Donald Trump will attest, Powell will do what he thinks it’s right. This month, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, a left-wing firebrand, went on TV and called Powell a “dangerous man,” saying she doesn’t think that he should be Fed Chair. CNN television host Jake Tapper asked her if she had told Biden that Powell should be fired. Then Trump called Powell “a golfer who can’t putt, has no touch.” Trump wanted economic growth. Powell resisted and later responded saying that the Fed chair, more than anyone else, needs to be free from political pressures.

☆ Fed official: People ‘hate’ inflation. That trumps bank stress and job loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The Federal Reserve faced a particularly vexing decision this week: Should it raise interest rates during a bank crisis? But the economic reports heading into this week’s Fed meeting suggest the economy remains too hot. The Fed ultimately reached a unanimous decision to raise interest rates for the ninth meeting in a row. “The one thing that I hear loud and clear from everybody is that they hate inflation. They find inflation to be unfair,” Barkin said, referring to talking to residents in his Fed district.

☆ Sen. Mark Kelly flew with Russian pilots in the Navy and with NASA, and he said the Russian fighter jet running into a US drone shows 'how incompetent they are'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A US drone crashed after a Russian fighter jet clipped its propeller over the Black Sea last week. Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot, said it was an example of Russia's incompetence. He said the incident last week where a Russian fighter jet dumped fuel on and then clipped the propeller of a US military drone shows how "reckless" and "incompetent" they are. I mean, I flew with Russian pilots, fighter pilots who couldn't fly formation. Kelly compared the fighter jet incident to the "incompetence that we see on the battle field every day in Ukraine."

☆ NYT reporter Maggie Haberman says Trump is 'very anxious' about a possible indictment because he doesn't 'want to face getting arrested'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump is "very anxious about the prospect of being indicted," the New York Times's Maggie Haberman said. Trump isn't "excited" about being arrested, fingerprinted, or asking for bail, Haberman said. He said on Truth Social that he expects to be "arrested" next week in the Manhattan DA's investigation. "You saw that start yesterday, although I don't think that his Truth Social posts yesterday morning calling for protests was part of a grand plan. On CNN on Sunday, Haberman said there may be "potentially multiple indictments" as Trump makes his 2024 presidential bid.

☆ Bill Maher said he's afraid of Trump 'on a very personal level' and thinks Trump wants to take revenge on him
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bill Maher said he's scared about Trump on a "very personal level." Maher has often mocked Trump on his HBO show 'Prime Time.' "I am afraid of Trump on a very personal level because I don't think he likes me. In the run up to the 2020 presidential election, Maher successfully predicted that Trump would refuse to concede defeat if he lost. "If it's Biden against Trump, Biden will win – that's a good bet," Maher said.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO apologizes to Ohio townspeople, vows to 'do what's right'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shaw sat down with people from the town of 4,700 people for the CNN event, repeatedly apologizing and saying, "We're going to do what's right for the community." U.S. and Ohio environmental regulators and the company hired experts who say testing shows the water and air are safe. Norfolk Southern reported net profit of $3.27 billion in 2022 when it paid nearly $1.2 billion in dividends to shareholders and bought back $3.1 billion worth of shares. Insurance will help offset those costs, including a liability policy that will cover up to $1.1 billion in certain situations. Stewart said he was planning to sell his house so he could retire but now his property value had plummeted.

☆ Israel's Netanyahu offered to mediate the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, a bloody fight is breaking out 'in his own backyard.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN Tuesday that he would mediate the war in Ukraine if the US asked him. Netanyahu said he was previously unofficially asked to mediate at the beginning of the war. Netanyahu also told Tapper that he was previously tapped to mediate "early on in the breakout"of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, clarifying that it was an "unofficial" request. He deferred to Israel's sitting prime minister at the time. In January of this year, more than 30 Palestinians and seven Israelis have been killed in West Bank raids and other shootings.

☆ The Fyre Festival fraudster is launching his latest thing, and it looks like a party on an island
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jake Traylor | Jake Traylor Is An Associate Producer For Msnbc. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

He’s using different words, but he’s selling the same thing,” said Shiyuan Deng, a former product designer at Fyre Media, the company behind Fyre Festival. Deng resigned from Fyre Media shortly before it collapsed. Another former Fyre Media employee who asked to withhold their name out of concerns of retaliation also said PYRT reminded them of Fyre Festival. “The similarities are there around the vague mysterious promotion,’’ said the former employee of Fyre Media. McFarland said he believes PYRT will look considerably different from Fyre Festival.

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