Latest news with #TheBriefing
The Hill
30-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Senate Democrat: Emil Bove ‘genuinely bad guy'
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) condemned Tuesday confirmation of controversial nominee Emil Bove to serve as a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, after a series of whistleblowers accused him of a history of malfeasance. 'This is a genuinely bad guy,' Whitehouse said late Tuesday in an appearance on MSNBC's 'The Briefing.' 'He was in the Department of Justice for all of six months and managed to rack up three separate, significant episodes of prosecutorial misconduct,' he told host Jen Psaki, adding, 'I mean, most prosecutors go a lifetime without doing that.' Bove has been the subject of three different complaints in recent weeks. Two alleged he encouraged others to violate court orders, and another accused him of misleading Congress on the Justice Department's (DOJ) dropping of bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D). 'This was like big deal, first principles violated, real problems. A fake criminal investigation, dangling another investigation over the head of an elected official to try to get him to comply on policy stuff, and then the famous, 'You know, you got to be ready to tell the courts F you if they disagree with Trump,'' Whitehouse said, referring to a whistleblower report alleging Bove used expletives to direct DOJ employees not to comply with court orders. 'And then, aside from those three prosecutorial misconduct episodes, he wouldn't say a word about what he did with the Epstein files during all those months when he was their prime custodian,' the Rhode Island senator added. Many of his Democratic colleagues agreed and were outraged after Bove's confirmation succeeded in a vote along party lines. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) voted against his appointment. 'They reward a man, credibly accused of wanting to lie to judges, with a black robe and gavel of his own,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor after the vote. 'And they're confirming him for one reason only: Mr. Bove is loyal to Donald Trump, therefore Donald Trump wants him on the bench,' he continued. 'The calculus is as simple as that.' Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said in a post online ahead of the vote that the confirmation process was rushed to prevent any additional reports of Bove's misconduct from being unveiled. He also blasted his GOP colleagues after his confirmation. 'Republicans just voted to confirm Emil Bove. Despite whistleblowers confirming he urged them to ignore court orders,' he wrote later Tuesday on social platform X. 'Despite it being clear he lied to the Judiciary Committee. And despite the danger he poses to the rule of law. The corruption of the bench continues.' More than 900 former DOJ attorneys had also urged the Senate to reject Bove's nomination to the lifetime judicial appointment.
Fox News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
MSNBC's Psaki struggles to fill Maddow's lofty shoes, trails CNN in key demo through two months in new slot
It has been a mixed bag for MSNBC's Jen Psaki, two months into her new gig. Psaki, the press secretary for former President Joe Biden — who has insisted she never witnessed signs of decline while she worked for him — saw an increased role as part of MSNBC's overhaul when programming changes were announced earlier this year. Psaki took over MSNBC's coveted 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Tuesday through Fridays in May as "The Rachel Maddow Show" returned to only airing on Mondays. Maddow had temporarily returned to airing five nights a week during President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" averaged 1.1 million total viewers from its May 6 debut through July 3, losing 44% of the 1.8 million that Maddow – and a few January shows hosted by Alex Wagner – pulled in at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday through Fridays throughout 2025. Psaki wasn't expected to compete with Maddow, who is MSNBC's biggest star by a wide margin, from a ratings standpoint off the bat. However, "Alex Wagner Tonight," which aired in the 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Tuesday through Fridays throughout 2024, also topped Psaki. "Alex Wagner Tonight" averaged 1.2 million total viewers from May 6 through July 3 last year, which is 17% more than Psaki's 2025 viewership. Psaki also shed "Alex Wagner Tonight" viewers among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, as "The Briefing" has averaged only 90,000 viewers from the critical group. Last year, "Alex Wagner Tonight" averaged 123,000 demo viewers from May 6 through July 3. But MSNBC aired three primetime specials during that time and Maddow's presence on the panel shows significantly boosted "Alex Wagner Tonight" ratings among both total viewers and the demo. Through two months, Psaki has drawn less than half the audience of Fox News Channel's 9 p.m. ET offering, "Hannity," which has averaged 2.9 million viewers since May 6. Psaki has managed to thump timeslot competition on ratings-challenged CNN among total viewers, as "The Source with Kaitlan Collins" has averaged a dismal 543,000 viewers since "The Briefing" debuted on MSNBC. However, the former Biden press secretary is trailing CNN in the key demo. "The Source with Kaitlan Collins" outdrew MSNBC's "The Briefing" by managing 108,000 demo viewers on Tuesdays through Fridays since Psaki moved to 9 p.m. ET. Fox News' "Hannity" averaged 344,000 demo viewers during the same time period. Psaki also trails cable news competitors among younger viewers aged 18-49, averaging 62,000 compared to 219,000 for "Hannity" and 70,000 for CNN's "The Source." MSNBC insiders point to "The Briefing" being the network's No. 3 most-watched daily program despite only being on-air for two months as a sign that Psaki will find success at 9 p.m. ET. "The Briefing" has built on the audience of its lead-in, "All in with Chris Hayes," which "Alex Wagner Tonight" failed to do in 2024. This has occurred as MSNBC has lost viewers overall. Psaki improved in her second month in the timeslot, as "The Briefing" averaged 973,000 total viewers in May compared to a smidge over one million in June for an 8% uptick and gained 17% in the demo. Despite the loss to CNN, "The Briefing" is MSNBC's No. 2 program in the demo, while Wagner's show was the network's eighth best in the critical category during the same time period last year. Psaki served as Biden's first press secretary from January 2021 until May 2022, and her defense of the White House made her popular with MSNBC progressives before she landed at the network. CNN also had discussions about bringing her on board. The launch of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" coincided with a news cycle that wasn't particularly flattering for former Biden officials, as anticipation for the book "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," put questions about Biden's fitness for office at the forefront. It remains to be seen if Psaki can fill the shoes of Maddow, but the latter certainly hurt MSNBC by deciding "The Rachel Maddow Show" would only air on Mondays. Ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mamdani says his platform would be successful with candidates outside of NYC
New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, the apparent winner of New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, said Wednesday that his platform would be successful with candidates outside of his city. 'Do you think that is a platform that would work for other candidates running in other parts of the country?' MSNBC's Jen Psaki asked Mamdani in an interview on 'The Briefing.' 'Absolutely,' Mamdani responded. 'I think, ultimately, this is a campaign about inequality. And you don't have to live in the most expensive city in the country to have experienced that inequality, because it's a national issue. 'And what Americans coast to coast are looking for are people who will fight for them. Not just believe in the things that resonate with their lives, but actually fight and deliver on those very things,' he added. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, shocked political observers Tuesday by leading New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by 7 points before New York even began initiating the ranked choice calculations, drawing a concession from Cuomo and declaring victory himself. The primary results will be final by July 1. The 33-year-old progressive immigrated to the U.S. from Uganda as a child and has spent most of his life in the nation's biggest city. If he clinches New York City's top job, Mamdani would be its first Muslim mayor, and its first Asian mayor. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a recent interview that former Vice President Kamala Harris would be president if she had used the same campaign playbook as Mamdani. 'Look, he ran a brilliant campaign. And it wasn't just him. What he understood and understands — campaign's not over — is that to run a brilliant campaign, you have to run a grassroots campaign,' Sanders told Politico Magazine in a piece published Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Mamdani says his platform would be successful with candidates outside of NYC
New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who appears to have secured a win in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, said Wednesday that his platform would be successful with candidates outside of his city. 'Do you think that is a platform that would work for other candidates running in other parts of the country?' MSNBC's Jen Psaki asked Mamdani in an interview on 'The Briefing.' 'Absolutely. I think ultimately, this is a campaign about inequality, and you don't have to live in the most expensive city in the country to have experienced that inequality, because it's a national issue,' Mamdani responded. 'And what Americans coast to coast are looking for are people who will fight for them, not just believe in the things that resonate with their lives, but actually fight and deliver on those very things,' he added. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, shocked American political observers Tuesday as he seemed to be on the path to winning the Democratic nomination for the Big Apple's mayoral race over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He immigrated to the U.S. from Uganda as a child and has spent most of his life in the nation's biggest city. If Mamdani clinches New York City's top job, he would be its first Muslim and Asian mayor. The results will be final by July 1. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a recent interview that former Vice President Harris would be president if she had used the same campaign playbook as Mamdani. 'Look, he ran a brilliant campaign. And it wasn't just him. What he understood and understands — campaign's not over — is that to run a brilliant campaign, you have to run a grassroots campaign,' Sanders told Politico Magazine in a piece published Wednesday.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jen Psaki: Escalating tensions fuel questions about Trump's endgame in the Middle East
This is an adapted excerpt from the June 17 episode of 'The Briefing with Jen Psaki.' Since Israel launched attacks against Iran, and Iran responded in kind with its own attacks against Israel, there has been a growing list of questions and concerns about what is actually going on and what might happen over the next few months, days or even hours. Last week, at the onset of the strikes, the Israeli military said that Israel's objective was to take out Iran's nuclear capabilities. However, since then, the Israeli military seems to have widened its targets, striking Iran's oil and gas refineries and killing many of the leadership and intelligence officers inside Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Netanyahu has notably not ruled out any actions that would bring about regime change in Iran, and that has set off alarm bells and raised the specter of the United States officially joining Israel in this war. Fears about that prospect are not unfounded. Reuters has reported that the U.S. military has begun bolstering its forces in the Middle East, including sending more fighter jets to the region. So now the bigger question is this: What is Donald Trump's endgame? Because, remember, for years Trump has branded himself as an anti-war peacemaker. He has repeatedly claimed that, right from the start, he was against the war in Iraq (which is a total lie), but in 2016, Trump stood out in part because he admitted the war in Iraq was a mistake that cost a lot of money and a lot of lives. Trump continued to label himself a 'peacemaker' in his first term and ran on that message in the 2024 election. During the campaign, he reiterated — time and again — that he was not only against the wars taking place around the globe, but that he would also use the power of the presidency to stop them. Well, fast-forward to last week, and within an hour of Israel attacking Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released this statement: 'We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region … Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.' The Trump administration was declaring, loud and clear, that the U.S. had zero involvement in this dramatic escalation. But that arm's-length distance only lasted a few hours. The following morning, Trump the 'peacemaker' started to send a different message, saying Israel's attacks against Iran were 'excellent' and that there was 'more to come!' Fast forward again to Monday, following a bloody weekend of crossfire between Israel and Iran, Trump abruptly left the G7 summit in Canada a day early after posting an ominous message online that appeared to suggest more carnage was to come in Iran. 'Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' Trump continued to post his escalations online Tuesday — using the pronoun 'we' to describe Israel's apparent success in targeting Iran. He also appeared to threaten to kill Iran's supreme leader. Now, there's a very real issue at hand here that goes beyond just rhetoric. NBC News reports that Israel is eager for the U.S. to join this war because it wants to attack what's considered the heart of Iran's nuclear program, the Fordo fuel enrichment plant. The plant is heavily fortified and built deep inside a mountain, which means only a 30,000-pound, American-made bomb carried by an American B-2 stealth bomber can even attempt to reach Fordo. So, once again, I have to ask: What is Trump's endgame here? Will the president deliver those bombs and thrust the United States into war? And is the goal just to destroy Fordo — or is it something larger than that? This article was originally published on
