MSNBC President Rashida Jones reportedly recruited Ronna McDaniel to appear on the network before the former head of the Republican National Committee (RNC) was fired amid internal backlash. NBC announced on Tuesday that McDaniel would no longer appear on the network. The announcement came days after the former RNC head was hired to be a contributor on the network‚ prompting backlash from NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd and others on NBC’s sister network‚ MSNBC.  Executives at NBC‚ seemingly bowing to the pressure‚ soon severed ties with McDaniel. Many of those executives‚ including the president of MSNBC‚ had roles in convincing McDaniel to join the network. Jones met with McDaniel via video call in March and was part of offering McDaniel a better contract to convince her to appear on MSNBC as well as NBC‚ according to The Washington Post. “No organization‚ particularly a newsroom‚ can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days‚ it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal‚” NBC Universal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde wrote in a note to staff announcing McDaniel’s exit from the network. “I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team‚ I approved it and take full responsibility for it.” Creative Artists Agency (CAA)‚ the group that represented McDaniel during her contract negotiations with the network‚ reportedly dropped the former RNC head as well‚ according to The Hollywood Reporter. The open revolt against NBC’s decision to hire McDaniel began with Todd‚ the former host of “Meet the Press‚” blasting the network on his former show‚ now moderated by Kristen Welker. McDaniel’s first appearance on NBC had been an interview with Welker‚ which was booked before McDaniel’s contract with NBC was announced. “You got put into an impossible situation‚ booking this interview‚ and then all of a sudden the rug was pulled out from under you‚ and you find out she’s being paid to show up?” Todd said on Sunday. “It’s unfortunate for this program‚ but I am glad you did the best that you could.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “Our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation‚” he added. Others at the network accused McDaniel of threatening democracy over her actions in the 2020 election and criticized her support for former President Donald Trump. News networks hiring former political officials‚ operatives‚ and others is nothing new to the media. George Stephanopoulos‚ former White House communications director in the Clinton administration‚ hosts “Good Morning America” on ABC. Kayleigh McEnany‚ who served Trump as White House press secretary‚ is now a cohost on Fox News’ “Outnumbered.” Jen Psaki‚ who previously performed McEnany’s role but for President Joe Biden‚ hosts a show on MSNBC. RELATED: Chuck Todd Blasts His Own Network On-Air For Hiring Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

On Thursday‚ House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent a formal invite to President Joe Biden to testify as part of a corruption-focused impeachment inquiry on alleged influence peddling. Comer said in a letter to Biden his panel is proposing April 16 for a hearing to occur and noted that it is “open to accommodating” the president’s schedule. The chairman also posed a series of questions‚ asking Biden to respond in writing about whether he met or otherwise interacted with specific foreign business executives‚ as well as details on the context of the contacts. House investigators accounted for $24 million that “flowed” toward Biden‚ his family‚ and their business associates from other countries such as China and Ukraine‚ but the committee has “identified no legitimate services to merit such lucrative payments‚” Comer said. Evidence including bank records and witness testimony “wholly contradicts” Biden’s denial about being involved in his family’s business activities‚” Comer said. The chairman accused the White House of taking a “position hostile” to his panel’s investigation and “refuses to release certain information or make available witnesses to testify regarding issues” to the inquiry. “In light of the yawning gap between your public statements and the evidence assembled by the Committee‚ as well as the White House’s obstruction‚ it is in the best interest of the American people for you to answer questions from Members of Congress directly‚ and I hereby invite you to do so‚” Comer said. The invitation comes a little more than a week after a pair of former Biden family associates‚ Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis‚ testified in a public hearing that Biden did participate in his family’s business dealings. The president’s son‚ Hunter Biden‚ declined to attend following a closed-door interview last month in which he insisted his father was not involved in his deals. “The public is left with two irreconcilable narratives‚” Comer said. “The first — asserted by you — is that you did not engage in influence peddling in exchange for payments to your family. The second asserted by witnesses and a body of evidence … is that you were indeed involved in these pay-for-influence schemes and that you have been repeatedly untruthful regarding a matter relevant to national security and your own fitness to serve” as president. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP When Comer announced at the end of last week’s hearing that he planned to invite President Biden to testify‚ Oversight Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) asked Comer if he would also invite former President Donald Trump to talk about his alleged emoluments violations and claimed there is no evidence of the elder Biden committing high crimes and misdemeanors. The White House also offered a dismissive response. Spokesman Ian Sams issued a post to X that started with “LOL” and an emoji of a man doing a facepalm. “Comer knows 20+ witnesses have testified that POTUS did nothing wrong. He knows that the hundreds of thousands of pages of records he’s received have refuted his false allegations‚” Sams said. “This is a sad stunt at the end of a dead impeachment‚” he added. “Call it a day‚ pal.” While it remains unclear whether the House Republicans will ultimately introduce articles of impeachment against Biden‚ let alone have enough votes to pass them in the narrowly-divided House‚ Comer recently suggested there will be criminal referrals that come out of the inquiry. The president’s brother‚ James Biden‚ is among the other witnesses to provide testimony for the impeachment inquiry. He also denied President Biden was involved in his business affairs. Some former associates‚ including Bobulinski and Devon Archer‚ have insisted there were interactions in which President Biden was the “brand” that was sold by his family.

A prominent independent writer was accused on ABC’s “The View” this week of being a “pawn” for the political Right because of his views on race in America. Coleman Hughes‚ an author and podcast host‚ joined the Left-wing show on Wednesday to discuss his book “The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America.” Co-host Sunny Hostin said that Hughes’ belief that everyone should “treat people without regard to race” was “fundamentally flawed.” Hostin tried to use quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. to argue against having a “color-blind” society where everyone is treated equally regardless of race. “So your argument for color-blindness‚ I think‚ is something that the Right has co-opted and so many in the black community‚ if I’m being honest with you‚ because I want to be‚ believe that you are being used as a pawn by the Right and that you’re a charlatan of sorts‚” Hostin said. Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin‚ who is a contributor at CNN‚ defended Hughes against the allegations‚ noting: “He’s not a Republican!” Hostin claimed that Hughes has declared that he is a “conservative‚” which he denied having said. “I don’t think I’ve been co-opted by anyone. I’ve only voted twice — both for Democrats. I’m an independent‚” Hughes said. “I would vote for a Republican — probably a non-Trump Republican if they were compelling. I don’t think there’s any evidence I’ve been co-opted by anyone and I think that’s an ad-hominem tactic people use to not address‚ really‚ the important conversations we’re having here. I think it’s better and it would be better for everyone if we stuck to the topics rather than make it about me without any evidence that I’ve been co-opted.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “No one is paying me to say what I’m saying‚” he continued. “The reason I wrote this book is because‚ in the past 10 years‚ it has become very popular to‚ in the name of anti-racism‚ teach a kind of philosophy to our children‚ in general‚ that says your race is everything. And I think that is the wrong way to fight racism‚ and that’s why I wrote this book at this time.” WATCH: • @coldxman's appearance on The View "There's no evidence that I've been co-opted by anyone. I have an independent podcast‚ I work for CNN as an analyst‚ I write for The Free Press‚ I'm independent in all of these endeavors and no one is paying me to say what I'm saying" pic.twitter.com/sFFWv42MHU — Jules Terpak (@julesterpak) March 27‚ 2024

Student protesters at Vanderbilt University who were staging a sit-in protest against Israel fell into a state of panic over logistical mishaps‚ and ended up urinating into plastic bottles and calling 911 because a woman said she’d go into toxic shock if she couldn’t change her tampon. The students rushed into Kirkland Hall‚ an administrative building on the Vanderbilt campus that was closed for construction‚ pushing past a Community Service Officer. Once inside the building‚ the demonstrators remained for about 21.5 hours‚ protesting the administration’s decision to halt a vote from the student government in favor of the Boycott‚ Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. The protest was derailed however when the students realized they couldn’t leave the hall to handle basic bodily functions without getting arrested for their protest. At one point in the protest‚ demonstrators gathered in front of Kirkland Hall and clapped while chanting “Let them pee.” UPDATE: some of the students seem to be panicking. They called 9-1-1 because they’re worried one of them could go into toxic shock. They’re also worried she’ll be arrested if she leaves the building. https://t.co/U08EzaYLG2 pic.twitter.com/NrXAQvuxeu — Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) March 27‚ 2024 Other protesters called emergency medical services for a woman who said that she was at risk of toxic shock because she was not able to change her tampon and cited concerns that she would be arrested if she left the building. Protesters also complained that “Vanderbilt administration is starving protesters” after the officers monitoring the sit-in were brought food from Panera Bread for themselves. “Vanderbilt administration prohibited students from receiving food from outside Kirkland and students are currently peeing in bottles‚” one graphic posted by students about the sit-in claims. Later in the evening‚ the students said the administration brought Panera Bread for security but was denying food and bathroom access to students. They were peeing in bottles. pic.twitter.com/NNEtcLtpiq — Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) March 27‚ 2024 Vanderbilt Spokeswoman Julia Jordan explained the reasons for the arrests in a statement‚ noting that three students pushed “a Community Service Officer and a staff member who offered to meet with them as they entered Kirkland Hall on Tuesday‚” going on to add that “a fourth student has been charged with vandalism after breaking a window on the building’s exterior last evening.” “All of the protest participants who breached the building will be placed on interim suspension‚” Jordan went on to say. “Yesterday’s protest at Kirkland Hall was not a peaceful one. It began with the assault of a Vanderbilt community service officer and continued with protesters physically pushing Vanderbilt staff members with the hope of entering and occupying the chancellor’s office.” One journalist covering the event on behalf of the Nashville Scene was arrested by the Vanderbilt University Police Department after he allegedly attempted to enter an administrative building despite being told by authorities that he could not enter. “The Nashville Scene reporter‚ after repeated attempts to enter the administration building through multiple locked doors with signs noting the building was closed and being told by officers it was off limits‚ was eventually detained‚ arrested and released without charges filed‚” a statement from Jordan reads. Scene reporter Eli Motycka (@ejmotycka) was arrested by Vanderbilt police while reporting on student protests. pic.twitter.com/5HPcRHtI7H — Nashville Scene (@NashvilleScene) March 26‚ 2024

A GoFundMe set up for slain New York Police Department officer Jonathan Diller has raised more than $500‚000 for his family after he was killed on Monday. On Thursday‚ a statement on the crowdfunding site for the fallen 31-year-old NYPD officer said it has raised more than $573‚000 — through nearly 8‚000 donations — ranging anywhere from $25 to $5‚000. “Thank you everyone for your continued donations‚” a message on the site read. “What started off as an attempt to put together $10‚000 has exploded to over 10x that in less than a day.” “It’s almost overwhelming to see‚” the message added. “The amount currently raised seems almost life changing‚ but unfortunately the only life changing part of this story is life that was lost. Every penny counts for the Diller family at this point‚ please keep spreading the word. Thank you.” Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy raises $1.5M for family of slain cop Jonathan Diller https://t.co/cF2EkZlvPt pic.twitter.com/mDNVQkeEZA — New York Post (@nypost) March 28‚ 2024 Barstool’s Sports founder Dave Portnoy also stepped in to raise money for Diller’s family after raising $1.5 million‚ as of this publication. On Wednesday‚ Portnoy went viral when he made a plea for donations in a video on X about Diller and said‚ “I’m sure everybody has seen the story. Tragic. The New York City cop‚ Jonathan Diller‚ who was murdered.” “Routine traffic stop‚ pulled over two guys‚ a million priors‚ been in and out of jail a million times and they just open fire on him‚ basically‚” Portnoy said. “Tragic. Leaves behind a one-year-old child‚ his wife. We put T-shirts on sale. We’ve raised about $240‚000 directly for the family.” “Every penny that we make goes to the family‚” he added‚ as he promised to match that total. “I know money doesn’t cure this. Nothing can cure this‚ but it’s the least we can do and Barstool‚ myself‚ we’ve got a long history supporting the cops‚ supporting the boys in blue‚ supporting first responders.” “You know‚ it’s tragic‚” the media personality continued. “These guys go out‚ risk their lives. … It’s just awful‚ so whatever we can do to support it‚ we will.” In a follow-up post on Thursday‚ Portnoy wrote on X‚ “Thanks to everybody who donated. We raised [$750‚000]. With the matching of the funds that brings the total to $1.5 million that will go directly to the family.” Diller‚ a husband and father to a 1-year-old‚ tragically died Monday after he was shot by a career criminal during a traffic stop in Queens‚ according to law enforcement. A 34-year-old man named Guy Rivera was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle during the traffic stop. As police attempted to get Rivera to vacate the car‚ he allegedly pulled out a handgun and shot Diller in the stomach‚ the New York Post reported. Witness Deon Peters told the Post that he saw Diller fall to the ground after being shot‚ yelling‚ “I’m hit‚ I’m hit!” Zach Jewell contributed to this piece.

Idaho Republican Governor Brad Little signed a bill into law on Wednesday that prohibits taxpayer dollars from being used to pay for transgender surgeries and procedures. The measure‚ which easily passed both the state House and Senate‚ prohibits Idaho public dollars from going toward transgender procedures and stipulates that those procedures cannot be done in a government owned building or properties. It passed the House by a vote of 58-11 and the Senate by a vote of 26-8. “The proposed legislation ensures taxpayer dollars are not used to provide medical treatment or surgeries for the purpose of changing the appearance of a person’s sex in a way that is not consistent with their biological sex‚” a statement of purpose on the legislation said. “These medical and surgical interventions can cause irreversible physical alterations; and some render the patient sterile or with lifelong sexual dysfunction‚ while others mutilate healthy body organs.” Included in the law is a prohibition of using Idaho Medicaid funds for transgender procedures‚ as well as blocking doctors employed with the government from performing the procedures in the scope of their government work. Little‚ whose signing of the measure was first reported by the Daily Caller‚ was widely expected to support the measure after it made its way through the legislature. “If the government continues to send our tax dollars towards false answers to real questions‚ we do a terrible disservice to our citizens‚” said Senator Ben Toews during debate on the bill. The measure was opposed by Democrats and liberal groups like the ACLU‚ but backed by conservative organizations like the Alliance Defending Freedom. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “There are only two sexes—male and female—and public funds shouldn’t be used to deny this basic truth‚” said ADF Senior Counsel Matt Sharp in a statement praising Little’s decision. “Now and always‚ our loved ones deserve the loving embrace of family members who guide them toward this reality‚ along with access to safe and effective counseling. People should not be subjected to harmful—often irreversible—drugs and surgeries that block healthy development‚ alter hormonal balances‚ and remove healthy organs and body parts.” “Idaho‚ through the leadership of sponsors Rep. Julianne Young‚ Rep. Bruce Skaug and Sen. Ben Toews and with the support of the Legislature and Gov. Little‚ now rightly joins a growing number of states that have enacted similar protections from these experimental procedures and bad science‚” Sharp added. While nearly two dozen states have banned transgender procedures on children‚ only around 10 have blocked state funds from being used to fund the procedures on others.