logo
ENع
#

Latest news with #MediaBuzz

Fox News' Howard Kurtz rips ‘60 Minutes' host Scott Pelley for anti-Trump commencement speech: ‘Wildly inappropriate'
Fox News' Howard Kurtz rips ‘60 Minutes' host Scott Pelley for anti-Trump commencement speech: ‘Wildly inappropriate'

New York Post

time02-06-2025

  • Politics
  • New York Post

Fox News' Howard Kurtz rips ‘60 Minutes' host Scott Pelley for anti-Trump commencement speech: ‘Wildly inappropriate'

Fox News host Howard Kurtz took aim at CBS journalist Scott Pelley over a fiery commencement address the '60 Minutes' correspondent delivered at Wake Forest University, criticizing it as a partisan broadside disguised as a graduation speech. During his 'MediaBuzz' program Sunday, Kurtz called out Pelley for what he described as a 'harsh rhetorical attack' on President Donald Trump, delivered before an audience of students and their families. 'I just think it's wildly inappropriate to use a commencement address to say such things,' Kurtz said. Advertisement 4 Fox News host Howard Kurtz took aim at veteran CBS journalist Scott Pelley over a fiery commencement address. Fox News Kurtz argued the speech was not only out of place but emblematic of a broader ideological slant at CBS News. 'Doesn't that reinforce the notion that the network is incredibly biased against the president?' he asked. Pelley, a fixture on '60 Minutes' since 1999, didn't hold back in his May 19 address to the graduating class at Wake Forest. He warned of what he described as a rising tide of fear and suppression in American public life, tying the climate directly to Trump-era politics. Advertisement 'This morning our sacred rule of law is under attack,' Pelley told the crowd. 'Journalism is under attack, universities are under attack, freedom of speech is under attack and insidious fear is reaching throughout schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts.' He went on: 'The fear to speak — in America? If our government is, in Lincoln's phrase, 'of the people, by the people, for the people,' then why are we afraid to speak? Ignorance works for power. Power can change the definition of the words we used to describe reality. This is an old playbook, my friends. There is nothing new in this.' Advertisement 4 Pelley gave the commencement address at Wake Forest University on May 19. WFU Pelley's sweeping address, which drew applause from some in the crowd, was panned by critics online as overwrought and politically charged. One social media user slammed the veteran anchor for 'raging at Trump in an angry, unhinged commencement address,' while another called him 'a self-important, sermonizing propagandist.' Conservative commentator Juanita Broaddrick, who has long accused former President Bill Clinton of rape, labeled Pelley 'a pompous POS' in response to the speech. Advertisement 4 During his 'MediaBuzz' program Sunday, Kurtz called out Pelley for what he described as a 'harsh rhetorical attack' on President Donald Trump. AP Others pointed to the timing of the address, coming as CBS parent company Paramount Global is reportedly in settlement talks with Trump over a $20 billion lawsuit related to a controversial '60 Minutes' interview aired during the 2024 campaign. Trump's legal team alleges the show deceptively edited its sit-down with then–Vice President Kamala Harris to aid her candidacy. Lesley Stahl, another veteran of the broadcast, recently told The New Yorker that some '60 Minutes' staffers considered resigning in protest over the potential payout, which could reportedly reach $15 million. 4 Pelley is a correspondent for '60 Minutes,' which is at the center of a lawsuit filed by Trump against CBS corporate parent Paramount Global. 60 Minutes / CBS News 'Did Scott Pelley mention that 60 Minutes edited Kamala's campaign interview, and they helped her answer questions???' one critic wrote on X, formerly Twitter. 'Until he does that, his credibility is ZERO.' Despite the backlash, Pelley made a direct appeal to the next generation in his remarks, telling the graduates: 'Your country needs you — the country that has given you so much is calling you, the class of 2025, your country needs you and it needs you today.' Advertisement It's not the first time a broadcast journalist has drawn fire for injecting politics into a graduation ceremony, but Kurtz suggested the moment underscored what he sees as a pattern at CBS. Pelley and CBS News have not publicly responded to the criticism. Meanwhile, mediation efforts in Trump's lawsuit against the network began earlier this month.

Whatley claims Comey social post was intentional and should be investigated
Whatley claims Comey social post was intentional and should be investigated

The Hill

time18-05-2025

  • Politics
  • The Hill

Whatley claims Comey social post was intentional and should be investigated

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley said in a Sunday interview that there's 'no way' former FBI Director James Comey didn't realize his '8647' social media post would be interpreted as a call for violence, as the former FBI director asserted when he took down the post hours later. The RNC chair said Comey should be investigated for his since-deleted post but stopped short of calling for the FBI director to be locked up, when asked whether he agrees with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that 'Comey should be in jail.' 'What I agree [with] is that this should be investigated,' Whatley said in response, in an interview on Fox News's 'MediaBuzz.' 'There is no way that this is unintentional,' he continued. 'James Comey knew exactly what he was putting up. He thought it was funny. It's not funny.' Comey — a longtime foe of the president's — posted a photo earlier Thursday on Instagram of seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers '8647.' The post garnered significant blowback from much of Trump's base, with many understanding the numbers to be a call for violence against the 47th president, Trump. Others suggested the '86' could be calling for the president to be impeached or removed from office. Comey removed the photo Thursday evening and clarified in a new post that he did not intend to call for violence and didn't realize his message would be interpreted that way. 'I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,' Comey wrote on Instagram. 'I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,' he continued. 'It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.' Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, however, accused Comey of calling for Trump's 'assassination' and said federal law enforcement authorities were investigating the 'threat.' 'Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,' Noem wrote on the social platform X on Thursday evening. 'DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.' Gabbard told Watters that Comey should be in jail and that she is 'very concerned' for the president's life. 'We've already seen assassination attempts. I'm very concerned for his life,' she said. 'And James Comey, in my view, should be held accountable and put behind bars for this.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store