Latest news with #NatashaBertrand
The Hill
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
CNN has no one to blame but itself
A funny thing happened this week. CNN published an exclusive report, and nobody cheered—quite the opposite. The cable network reported that a federal intelligence assessment concluded the recent U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities had caused minimal damage. In fact, according to CNN's report, the bombings barely delayed Iran's nuclear program by even a month. That's not the weird part. The weird part is that the cable network then issued a somewhat timid statement, defending its reporting after critics, including President Trump, characterized the story as unreliable and inaccurate. 'We stand 100 percent behind Natasha Bertrand's journalism and specifically her and her colleagues' reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities,' CNN's statement read. It adds, 'CNN's reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence. We have extensively covered President Trump's own deep skepticism about it. However, we do not believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest.' What makes this especially strange isn't CNN's pushback against the president. That kind of response was always great for ratings and subscriptions during the first Trump administration. What's odd is that CNN wasn't just responding to the president, but to a larger, more diverse group of critics. The exclusive was questioned and criticized right from the start. The broader commentariat — not just the MAGA faithful but also by other skeptics not blinded by partisan loyalties — simply skipped the usual moment when people 'ooh' and 'aah' at new information and began questioning immediately. The terms 'low confidence' and 'preliminary' were added to CNN's exclusive report only afterward, suggesting the initial report was published with only viral gold in mind, and a hostile reception is precisely what one should expect in response. CNN compromised its own credibility in pursuit of clicks, as so many did routinely during the first Trump administration. We spent two and a half years pursuing fruitless allegations that Trump is secretly working for the Kremlin. We built up Trump-related bombshells that turned out to be nothing, all the while showing a curious capacity for ignoring obvious scandals right in front of us when they involved people outside of Trump's orbit. This is not to mention the numerous questionable and poorly sourced 'scoops,' including the one alleging Trump privately called dead U.S. veterans 'suckers' and 'losers,' a remark that no one with firsthand knowledge seems to recall him ever making. Now we are going to act hurt or defensive when even the president's critics approach us with distrust? How can you blame them? It was only a matter of time before the bill came due for the media excesses of the first Trump administration. CNN had to retract a story in 2017 that alleged a member of Trump's transition team was connected to a $10 billion Russian investment fund owned by a Kremlin-linked bank. Three CNN staffers resigned after the story, which relied on a single anonymous source, was removed. CNN also issued multiple corrections for a story that falsely reported Trump's son had early access to a cache of Democratic emails hacked by Russia before they were made public, implying the son had a direct line to Moscow. CNN got the dates wrong. CNN had to correct a report that claimed disgraced former FBI Director James Comey's June 2017 testimony would contradict Trump's repeated claim that he was told he was not under investigation. Comey testified and did not contradict Trump. Even in cases where CNN published exclusives putatively beneficial to the Trump administration, it has missed the mark. Then, obviously, there's the issue of Natasha Bertrand, the author of last week's CNN report. You would be wise to take all of her reporting with a large grain of salt. Remember, she's the reporter who, in 2020, authored a report that alleged the infamous Hunter Biden laptop was most likely Russian disinformation, according to 51 intelligence officials. Hunter Biden's attorneys later confirmed that the laptop belonged to their client. Bertrand is also, as the Washington Post's Erik Wemple put it, the journalist who 'bootstrapped' credulity for that ridiculous Steele dossier 'into an MSNBC gig.' Given how much and how relentlessly this new CNN exclusive was scrutinized from the start, we might actually be witnessing the end of the often-discussed Gell-Mann amnesia effect. People are coming to a realization: If CNN's reporting is wrong so often about so many things we all understand well, must it not be equally wrong about things not as widely understood? Our press has long benefited from selective forgetfulness. However, those days may be over if the response this week to CNN's report is a sign of what's ahead. Becket Adams is a writer in Washington and program director for the National Journalism Center.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Furious Trump Spends Another Night Rage-Posting at Media
President Donald Trump launched into an all-caps tirade against his favorite media targets over their reporting of an official assessment that a U.S. bombing raid failed to destroy Iran's nuclear program. After spending the day in NATO meetings at The Hague before flying back to Washington on Wednesday night, Trump self-soothed by taking aim at CNN and The New York Times over the disputed raid. He logged onto Truth Social to post, 'FAKE NEWS CNN IS SO DISGUSTING AND INCOMPETENT. SOME OF THE DUMBEST ANCHORS IN THE BUSINESS!' He was reacting to CNN's report that an early U.S. assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency demonstrated that America's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities last weekend had only set the country's nuclear program back by months, despite Trump claiming it had been destroyed. The president also blasted CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand, demanding she lose her job over the story, which has since been confirmed by various other news outlets. 'I watched her for three days doing Fake News,' Trump said of his hate-watching of CNN in an earlier Truth Social post on Wednesday. 'She should be IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out 'like a dog.' She lied on the Laptop from Hell Story, and now she lied on the Nuclear Sites Story, attempting to destroy our Patriot Pilots by making them look bad when, in fact, they did a GREAT job and hit 'pay dirt' — TOTAL OBLITERATION!' The president continued, 'She should not be allowed to work at Fake News CNN. It's people like her who destroyed the reputation of a once great Network. Her slant was so obviously negative, besides, she doesn't have what it takes to be an on camera correspondent, not even close. FIRE NATASHA!' CNN issued a statement said it '100 percent' supported Bertrand, which the reporter reposted on her X account. It added, 'However, we do not believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest.' In another Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump teased a news conference due to take place on Thursday morning at the Pentagon 'to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots.' He continued, 'After 36 hours of dangerously flying through Enemy Territory, they landed, they knew the Success was LEGENDARY, and then, two days later, they started reading Fake News by CNN and The Failing New York Times. They felt terribly! 'Fortunately for them and, as usual, solely for the purpose of demeaning PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, the Fake News (Times and CNN) lied and totally misrepresented the Facts, none of which they had (because it was too soon, there were no Facts out there yet!). The News Conference will prove both interesting and irrefutable. Enjoy!' The New York Times also defended its reporting, releasing a statement that read, 'President Trump called this 'fake news.' But he and his entire national security team subsequently confirmed that the Defense Intelligence Agency did in fact produce the preliminary assessment described in a report by the Times and others. So their statement was fake, not the Times' reporting.'
Daily Mail
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump ramps up feud with NYT, CNN over Iran coverage criticism
President Donald Trump is now threatening to sue The New York Times and CNN over the outlets' reporting on a preliminary intelligence report that assessed the U.S.'s strike on Iran did not completely destroy the country's nuclear facilities. The Times reported Thursday that Trump's personal lawyer Alejandro Brito had reached out to the newspaper and said the article had damaged the president's reputation. The letter demanded The Times 'retract and apologize for' the story, calling it 'false,' 'defamatory' and 'unpatriotic.' The newspaper's lawyer responded by noting that Trump administration officials had confirmed the existence of the report after The Times published its findings. 'No retraction is needed,' The Times' lawyer David McCraw said in a letter. 'No apology will be forthcoming. We told the truth to the best of our ability. We will continue to do so.' A spokesperson for CNN told The Times that the cable news network had responded to Trump's lawyer in a similar fashion. Trump had continued his criticism of the coverage throughout Wednesday and Thursday, using all caps to criticize the reports, accusing the outlets of intentionally publishing 'fake' stories. Trump and his officials, particularly Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth criticized the reports, targeting one of the lead reporters of the story, Natasha Bertrand, of being dishonest. 'Natasha Bertrand should be FIRED from CNN! I watched her for three days doing Fake News. She should be IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out 'like a dog,'' Trump wrote on social media. 'She should not be allowed to work at Fake News CNN. It's people like her who destroyed the reputation of a once great Network,' Trump continued. 'Her slant was so obviously negative, besides, she doesn't have what it takes to be an on camera correspondent, not even close. FIRE NATASHA!' During Thursday's White House press briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt also called out Bertrand, who covers the Pentagon for CNN, by name. 'So this is a reporter who has been unfortunately used by people who dislike Donald Trump in this government to push fake and false narratives,' Leavitt alleged. 'She should be ashamed of herself.' Trump's post about CNN firing Bertrand appeared to be wishful thinking, as CNN issued a statement standing by Bertrand and her reporting. 'We stand 100 percent behind Natasha Bertrand's (pictured) journalism and specifically her and her colleagues' reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities,' the news outlet said in a statement. CNN denounced the criticism targeted at Bertrand as irrational. 'We do not believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting on the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest,' they wrote. The Trump administration continues to criticize the media for questioning the success of the mission after U.S. pilots aboard seven B-2 bombers dropped 14 Massive Ordinance Penetrator (MOP) bombs on the nuclear facilities in Fordow and Natanz. But the president continued posting criticism of both CNN and the New York Times, describing them on Thursday morning as 'bad people with evil intentions.' 'These reporters are just BAD AND SICK PEOPLE,' Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday. 'You would think they would be proud of the great success we had, instead of trying to always make our Country look bad.' Trump and his officials singled out Bertrand for her reporting on the infamous Steele Dossier and a 2020 Politico report reporting that 'former senior intelligence officials' believed that the Hunter Biden laptop was 'Russian disinformation.' 'She lied on the Laptop from Hell Story, and now she lied on the Nuclear Sites Story, attempting to destroy our Patriot Pilots by making them look bad when, in fact, they did a GREAT job and hit 'pay dirt' — TOTAL OBLITERATION!' Trump wrote on social media. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held a press conference on Thursday, complaining about the media reports based on 'biased leaks to biased publications.' 'How about we take a beat, recognize first the success of our warriors, hold them up, tell their stories, celebrate that, wave an American flag, be proud of what we accomplish?' he asked.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tapper: Trump call to fire CNN reporter ‘preposterous'
CNN anchor Jake Tapper defended his colleague Natasha Bertrand after President Trump called for her firing in response to her reporting on leaked intelligence relating to U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend. 'Today, President Trump and his administration are going after shooting the messengers in an increasingly ugly way,' Tapper said Wednesday on his evening newscast. 'They're calling journalists 'fake news' for true stories. They're calling for an excellent CNN reporter, Natasha Bertrand, to be fired, which is preposterous,' he added. 'The Trump administration is also accusing any news media who reports on this intel assessment as not being patriotic.' The anchor's comments were first highlighted by Mediaite. Trump in a Truth Social post earlier in the day called out Bertrand by name and said she should be fired by the network over her reporting showing Saturday's strikes on Iranian nuclear sites set back Tehran's nuclear program by only a few months. Trump and his allies have sought to discredit news reports and journalists, including at The New York Times, The Washington Post and NBC News, who have reported on the leaked preliminary assessment. In a statement Wednesday afternoon, CNN said it stood behind Bertrand's reporting. 'We do not believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest,' the network said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump calls for firing of CNN reporter over Iran nuclear damage report
President Trump on Wednesday called for the firing of CNN correspondent Natasha Bertrand, who reported on air that an internal U.S. intelligence assessment found Saturday's strikes on Iranian nuclear sites set back Tehran's nuclear program by only a few months. 'Natasha Bertrand should be FIRED from CNN! I watched her for three days doing Fake News. She should be IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out 'like a dog,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Bertrand, the president argued, was 'attempting to destroy our Patriot Pilots by making them look bad.' Trump said earlier Wednesday that the preliminary classified U.S. report wasn't complete, while members of his administration vowed to investigate the leaked assessment, which was also reported on by The New York Times, The Washington Post and others. But the president took particular issue with Bertrand's reporting, writing in his social media post that 'she should not be allowed to work at Fake News CNN.' 'It's people like her who destroyed the reputation of a once great Network,' he continued. 'Her slant was so obviously negative, besides, she doesn't have what it takes to be an on camera correspondent, not even close. FIRE NATASHA!' Despite the internal report, Trump and his administration have doubled down on earlier rhetoric suggesting the nuclear enrichment sites were 'totally destroyed' in the strikes, while pushing Israel's assessment that the attacks would delay the nuclear program by at least a few years. In a statement to The Hill on Wednesday, CNN said it 'stands 100% behind Natasha Bertrand's journalism and specifically her and her colleagues' reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.' 'CNN's reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence,' a network spokesperson said. 'We have extensively covered President Trump's own deep skepticism about it.' 'However, we do not believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest,' they added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
