On Wednesday, Fox News released a poll showing that, as we approach the midterms, Democrats have a 22 point lead on who can better handle income inequality, and significant leads on other issues. On his Wednesday show, Fox Business Network host Larry Kudlow, who served as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy in the first Trump administration, wasn't shy about pressing a member of the GOP leadership on the economy and moreKudlow got things started in his opening commentary, The Riff, with, "Call it swag, swagger, rizz, aura, or just plain messaging, but the GOP doesn't have it." He continued, focusing on his area of expertise. KUDLOW: No swag. They've lost their mojo. We're not draining the swamp by  getting rid of all the fraudulent corrupt spending left by Joe Biden's big government socialism. And we are not helping middle-class folks so they won't  have to pay taxes on Joe Biden's inflation....While the President is fighting a war to end the nuclear threats to freedom and civilization from radical Islam, the Republicans in the House and Senate are doing him and the GOP midterm election outlook, no favors. They are bumbling budget policy, they are bumbling affordability issues, they're bumbling the growth issue, they're concocting weird inside the beltway word salad reasons why they're not getting anything done that will actually help make life easier for hard working taxpayers. Next, Kudlow pressed Senator James Lankford, Republican from Oklahoma, the Vice Chair of the Republican Conference. KUDLOW: You, the leadership in both Houses, are bumbling everything sir. I say that with all due respect and we are personal friends. But you are bumbling everything. Nothing is getting done, your messaging is nonexistent, you've lost your swag... no one knows what you are doing sir, they have no idea.Lankford, bizarrely, then accused the conservative media of ignoring Socialist Democrats in NYC and around the U.S., and beating up on Republicans, and that didn't sit well with Kudlow. "Nobody has attacked Mamdani more than I have."He then continued pressing on the issue of economics.KUDLOW: What is it that your policy is? Senator Lankford, my friend, where are the tax cuts, where are the spending cuts....Where's the straight talk and messaging for the midterm? Where's the growth messaging, where's the we're gonna make it better for taxpayers and working folks messaging? Come on, Senator.Lankford pointed out that there were tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Congress in July of last year, and also brought up the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which became law earlier this month, Kudlow responded. KUDLOW: The One Big Beautiful Bill is good, nobody fought for that  harder than I did but that was a year ago. What have you done for me lately, this year? The tense back and forth continued, until Kudlow needed to wrap up the segment, thanking him multiple times, after not backing down, and pleading for more leadership, more economic support for the American people as the President  deals wit Iran, and a more effective messaging plan as the midterms get closer. KUDLOW: I'm saying you don't have a message and you have lost your swagger....You are part of the leadership gang, stand up and be counted. Tell people you're gonna cut spending, you're gonna cut fraud, you're gonna cut corruption, and you're gonna give them a break on capital gains and inflation. Just in general you should have sweeping tax reform. Where's the growth message? That's what I'm looking for.We could  go on forever, I've got to go and do the rest of the TV show, I appreciate you coming on Senator Lankford and we are friends...The President's fighting in Iran and we've got to help him out on that. So help him out on the home front too. Make it easier for him.... I've got to leave it there Senator. Thank you very much, with all respect.Kudlow was relentless in his attempt to not only solicit answers to his questions form his friend Senator Lankford, but in throwing unsolicited advice his way as well.  Having served as a top economic advisor to Trump in his first administration, it's easy to understand Kudlow's frustration, and passion, which made for great television as well. 

The New Yorker contributor Ruth Marcus joined Friday’s edition of PBS News Hour to recap the week’s news that focused heavily on the Middle East. During a discussion about a potential nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, Marcus rewound roughly 50 years to the 1970s and claimed that the reason why the U.S. finds itself in a difficult situation with Iran today is because it made a similar deal with the shah.Co-panelist and The Atlantic staff writer David Brooks was supposed to be talking about the Saudi deal, which may now be in jeopardy because Trump has since said it is contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords. During a discussion on Trump's nuclear deal with the Saudis, New Yorker contributor Ruth Marcus tries to analogize the situation to Iran, "We are mired in this situation with Iran because we helped them get nuclear technology when the shah was in power. How did that work out for… pic.twitter.com/2l9rU12Aoa— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 However, he launched into an unrelated argument about the U.S. nuclear umbrella providing global security and what happens when that is taken away, “So you have—you could see a dozen, 15 countries not getting nuclear weapons, but considering it, because the U.S. umbrella is no longer there. So if you wonder what the effect of U.S. power is, whether it's a force of stability or not, here's your sign. It is a force of stability, and when you withdraw that force, the world gets a lot more dangerous right quick.”That led moderator Amna Nawaz to turn to Marcus and exclaim, “I mean, that's a major reworking of the global security landscape, Ruth.”Marcus agreed, “And that's precisely why this is a bad idea, this nuclear deal is a bad idea, because more proliferation is—and the risk of proliferation is worse than nonproliferation.”She then blamed the U.S. using similar logic 50ish years ago for the current problems with Iran, “And we are mired in this situation with Iran because we helped them get nuclear technology when the shah was in power. How did that work out for us? So, Trump—and it was a bad idea, by the way, when the Biden administration was talking about doing this, though it at least had the prospect of getting the benefit of Israeli recognition.”Marcus concluded by claiming Trump’s “erratic” behavior might end up saving him from himself, “Here, Trump, he's so erratic. He knows that Saudi Arabia can't at the last minute agree to the Israel recognition, and he throws it in anyway, like he's still negotiating leasing the top two floors of Trump Tower or something, and thinks he can wring something else out of people at the last minute. It's not going to work, and I think we should probably be semi-thankful for that.”While Marcus’s idea may seem to have the benefit of long-term thinking and imagination, the problem with her diagnosis is that history did not end when the shah fell. American adversaries, such as Russia and China, have been helping Iran with its nuclear program, and there’s no reason to believe Saudi Arabia couldn’t also enlist their help.Whatever one thinks of the pros and cons of a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, the reason why the U.S. is in “this situation with Iran” is because of the regime’s anti-American, clerical ideology and its unwillingness to let its neighbors live in peace.Here is a transcript for the July 24 show:PBS News Hour7/24/20267:37 PM ETDAVID BROOKS: So you have—you could see a dozen, 15 countries not getting nuclear weapons, but considering it, because the U.S. umbrella is no longer there.So if you wonder what the effect of U.S. power is, whether it's a force of stability or not, here's your sign. It is a force of stability, and when you withdraw that force, the world gets a lot more dangerous right quick.AMNA NAWAZ: I mean, that's a major reworking of the global security landscape, Ruth.RUTH MARCUS: And that's precisely why this is a bad idea, this nuclear deal is a bad idea, because more proliferation is—and the risk of proliferation is worse than nonproliferation.And we are mired in this situation with Iran because we helped them get nuclear technology when the shah was in power. How did that work out for us? So, Trump—and it was a bad idea, by the way, when the Biden administration was talking about doing this, though it at least had the prospect of getting the benefit of Israeli recognition.Here, Trump, he's so erratic. He knows that Saudi Arabia can't at the last minute agree to the Israel recognition, and he throws it in anyway, like he's still negotiating leasing the top two floors of Trump Tower or something, and thinks he can wring something else out of people at the last minute. It's not going to work, and I think we should probably be semi-thankful for that.

Here it comes. The headline in the Washington Post said it all, in more ways than one.Knives are out for Vance in the GOP. His allies say it’s a coordinated ‘op.’The vice president has faced a barrage of attacks recently that are unusual for their intensity and how early in the political calendar they are taking place. In theory this was just one more boring headline in another day at the political beach.In fact, it was a totally expected early swipe at the man the liberals who run the Washington Post see as, at this still early stage, one of two potential GOP 2028 presidential nominees. Vice President J.D. Vance is one. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the other. There will be others, but these two are the expected heavyweights. Safe to say, there will be more headlines like this coming from the various outlets of the liberal media. Without doubt various reporters, acting in their real roles as liberal activists, are daily scanning their own outlets -- not to mention others -- for even the hint of a story out there that can make these candidates look bad. Like Vance scheduling a helicopter for his son's golf lesson.For those coming relatively late to the game, a look back in history can help.Way back there in the late 1940’s there was a very bright, somewhat awkward young California Congressman named Richard Nixon. Nixon, a seriously earnest young politician stumbled on the fact that there were serious communists in the U.S. government as run by Democrats Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. One that particularly attracted his attention was a young State Department official named Alger Hiss. Based on tips and serious investigative work, Nixon went after Hiss, accusing him of being a spy for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Nixon was in fact later proved to be completely accurate about Hiss. And, in fact, Hiss was eventually convicted and did prison time.All you-know-what broke loose before Hiss’s conviction, with the Democrat Establishment of the day rushing to Hiss’s defense. The whole episode thrust young Congressman Nixon into the headlines, which eventually thrust him into a race for U.S. Senator from California.Nixon won. But not before the Democrats of the day had come up with a nickname for Nixon: “Tricky Dick.” In the early days of television media, not to mention the anti-GOP newspapers of the day, the nickname stuck. It followed Nixon for the rest of his life, sometimes more boisterously than others.Moving ahead to today’s political scene, it is a reminder that when a rising political star strikes a nerve, the liberal media of the day will zero in with all manner of negative stories. Thus the headlines now of attacks on Vice President Vance can be read with a grain of salt. And it takes no imagination to understand that if some hot story surfaces casting a negative light on Secretary Rubio, his opponents in the liberal media will jump on that story. And so too will his opponents in the GOP.In truth, it is very safe to say that there are liberal activists in the media as this is written who are spending their time looking to get a headline in The Washington Post or elsewhere in the media that targets both Rubio and Vance. And if, in fact, another serious candidate rises from the GOP one can be sure that this person too will quickly be targeted by the liberal media.But why, you ask?The reason is obvious and simple. Liberal media outlets have as one of their ongoing objectives to prevent a Republican from ever getting into the White House. And when a Republican candidate does in fact overcome the liberal media opposition and wins the presidency -- a Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Trump et cetera --  one can be sure that this new President will in fact be targeted daily by this or that lefty media outlet. In fact, in this high-tech day and age that targeting would be hourly.So when a headline like the one above appears, understand well that the real game afoot is the liberal media targeting a potential GOP president. In this case, that would be Vice President Vance.But make no mistake, the “journalists” who are really liberal activists are doing their research, ready to roll with attacks on Secretary Rubio or anyone else on the GOP side of the line who is seen as a seriously possible potential GOP president.Which is to say, the media targeting of the GOP 2028 candidate has begun. 

ABC’s Good Morning America had the most to say of the three broadcast networks on Saturday after President Trump addressed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner the previous evening. Correspondent Steven Portnoy got in all the usual beats, including referring to the dinner as “a celebration of the First Amendment” and lamenting Trump’s “insulting” performance. To make matters worse, Portnoy claimed the dinner was rescheduled because the April attacker wanted to target, not Trump, but “the dinner.”Before his video report, Portnoy began by hyping, “The event had White House reporters insisting political violence can't stop a celebration of the First Amendment.” ABC correspondent Steven Portnoy laments Trump's White House Correspondets' Dinner speech, "But much of his hour long remarks had the president insulting his press corps hosts." He also says the event was rescheuled because the dinner, not Trump, was targeted " 31-year-old Cole… pic.twitter.com/5XzIlVf4sN— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 That sounds nice, but the political violence was aimed at Trump and members of his administration. Sure, the journalists in that room could have been hurt or killed in the chaos should the worst have happened, and that should not be minimized, but it is still a fact that the attacker was targeting people’s First Amendment right to support Trump.As it was, Portnoy kicked off his pre-recorded report by declaring, “With fewer guests and far less glitz, the toned-down redo of the White House Correspondents Dinner still made history as President Trump spoke at the event for the first time.”Portnoy did allow for the fact that Trump told some jokes and highlighted the one about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running over the cow that provided the evening’s dinner. However, he did lament, "Much of his hour-long remarks had the president insulting his press corps hosts.”He also found it ironic that Trump was at a dinner honoring journalists, “Trump was seen congratulating the journalists who were honored by the association for work he blasted when it was published and even filed a lawsuit over in a case a judge dismissed.”Portnoy then returned to the fact that Friday’s dinner was a rescheduling by omitting the Trump-specific angle of the April attack, “The do-over dinner went off without a hitch at a different venue with a smaller ballroom. Three months after the initial event was derailed by an alleged attacker. Authorities say 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen traveled cross-country by train from Southern California with the intent to strike the April dinner. Allen has pleaded not guilty to four counts.”As for the other networks, NBC’s Today did not air on Saturday due to Tour de France coverage, while CBS Saturday Morning only devoted a few sentences to the dinner in two separate larger reports about other topics.Here is a transcript for the July 25 show:ABC Good Morning America7/25/20268:06 AM ETSTEVEN PORTNOY: The event had White House reporters insisting political violence can't stop a celebration of the First Amendment.WEIJIA JIANG: President Donald J. Trump.PORTNOY: With fewer guests and far less glitz, the toned-down redo of the White House Correspondents Dinner still made history as President Trump spoke at the event for the first time.DONALD TRUMP: Let's have a little bit of fun. You know, I said, “What do we do here? Is this supposed to be fun? Am I supposed to be serious? Am I supposed to be a comedian?”PORTNOY: Trump did come prepared with jokes.TRUMP: I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire, very delicious beef tenderloin. It's very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy is right here. Personally ran over the cow in his car.PORTNOY: But much of his hour-long remarks had the president insulting his press corps hosts.TRUMP: You can be very difficult. You can be very, very difficult people.PORTNOY: Trump was seen congratulating the journalists who were honored by the association for work he blasted when it was published and even filed a lawsuit over in a case a judge dismissed.TRUMP: This has not been an easy evening. All these awards. Do I have a say in those awards-- on those awards?PORTNOY: The president ended his speech donning a Trump 2028 cap.TRUMP: Thank you.PORTNOY: The do-over dinner went off without a hitch at a different venue with a smaller ballroom. Three months after the initial event was derailed by an alleged attacker. Authorities say 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen traveled cross-country by train from Southern California with the intent to strike the April dinner. Allen has pleaded not guilty to four counts. 

The casts of MS NOW and CNN were not thrilled with President Trump’s Friday speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner as they reacted to finding themselves on the receiving end for once of the dinner’s more pointed jokes.MS NOW did not even let Trump finish his speech before The Briefing host Jen Psaki interrupted, “Okay, in case you've had enough for this moment, we're going to break in for a moment. This has felt so far to me, like one of those awkward wedding speeches where the bride's father thinks he's funnier than he is and goes on way too long telling stories.” Jen Psaki interupts Trump's WHCD speech, "Okay, in case you've had enough for this moment, we're going to break in for a moment. This felt so far to me, like one of those awkward wedding speeches where the bride's father thinks he's funnier than he is and goes on way too long… pic.twitter.com/SWuS6HcLJX— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 Psaki lamented that Trump is “a man who has spent his presidency attacking, threatening, and suing the very media organizations who are in the room as he is speaking tonight, which I think we all have to talk about and acknowledge.”A few minutes later, former ABC reporter Terry Moran opined that “I think he's on his best behavior in some ways, you know, he's not ranting at the press. And once again, I think that's evidence, whatever his poll numbers, he's in charge. And I don't think he thinks he's going to lose power. He's going to — whatever happens in the midterms, he's going to attack the results if they don't go his way.”Moran further claimed Trump is “a megalomaniac now, filled with authority, and he is making his mark on the country physically, legally, morally, in every way. There will be an age of Trump that will be remembered. I'm sure that's the way he thinks about it.” Later, former ABC reporter Terry Moran says, "I think he's on his best behavior in some ways, you know, he's not ranting at the press. And once again, I think that's evidence, whatever his poll numbers, he's in charge. And I don't think he thinks he's going to lose power. He's… pic.twitter.com/f0G3NEYd53— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 Psaki disagreed, “I have a very opposite view on this. I think he feels quite weak inside and under threat because of his poll numbers, and because he can read a poll and sees what's happening out in the country and knows that if there's a take back of even part of Congress, that there's going to be a lot of attention paid to his administration, and it's not going to be as easy for him to avoid scrutiny.”What Moran and Psaki did agree on is that, in Moran’s words, “He'll attack the elections and I think he's got a plan to prevent anyone taking power.”Later, correspondent Eugene Daniels, who had the not-so bright idea to invite Amber Ruffin to the 2025 dinner before that idea fell apart, decried Trump’s speech, “The reason it's not funny is because Donald Trump has kicked the Associated Press out of the pool. He has taken over the pool. He is — he has — they have subpoenaed journalists. They have knocked on their doors and taken things for doing their jobs so he can act as if this is normal, right?” Eugene Daniels, who was the one who had the bright idea to invite Amber Ruffin last year before that fell apart, claims "At the end of the day, the reason it's not funny is because Donald Trump has kicked the Associated Press out of the pool. He has taken over the pool. He is. He… pic.twitter.com/viWh4Ihfei— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 A few minutes later, Daniels compared Trump to a schoolyard bully, “I think to your point earlier about him feeling weak, like he's very insecure. And so like bully, you know, I was bullied as a kid… but the bullies as I got older, what I realized is that they were insecure, they were fearful about—and they were learning the wrong lessons about what it means to be a man. And I think that's what you see with Donald Trump a lot of the times is that he is — sees one way to be a leader.” Daniels also claims "I think to your point earlier about him feeling weak, like he's very insecure...As I got older, what I realized is that they [bullies] were insecure, they were fearful about—and they were learning the wrong lessons about what it means to be a man. And I think… pic.twitter.com/dfjOiol85O— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 Over at CNN, John Berman led off that network’s response by reading the company press release in response to Trump saying Kaitlan Collins looks like Dylan Mulvaney, ‘The statement reads, quote, “Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional, trusted journalist being honored tonight for her depth of knowledge in the context she provides to audiences all over the world. She reports every day from the White House and the field with real strength and tenacity, and skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day. We stand by her to the fullest extent.’ And we do.Co-anchor Laura Coates agreed and declared, “And we should. And we must. And the president, just talking about the respect he has for journalists in this room, frankly, I didn't see much of it in the last hour of his speech.” After Trump concluded, CNN's John Berman and Laura Coates began by reading the company press releases with Coates also claiming "And the president, just talking about the respect he has for journalists in this room, frankly, I didn't see much of it in the last hour of his… pic.twitter.com/dScWUlG9gy— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 She then read a second statement from CNN patting itself on the back, “But the president made additional attacks on some of our other colleagues, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper and given that, I want to read this from CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson, ‘We stand by our journalists and the integrity and fair mindedness with which the CNN team reports the news. Honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our right to report and present that reporting to the public without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution. CNN will continue to exercise this right.’”Minutes later, media correspondent Brian Stelter declared, “You could hear a president who wants to talk about the power of the media. He knows the power of the media. He loves it. He resents it. He craves it. He wants to control it. So, he insults the journalists that he can't control. He gives shout-outs to the media executives who he thinks are his allies, whether they are or not.”Brian Stelter claims "You could hear a president who wants to talk about the power of the media. He knows the power of the media. He loves it. He resents it. He craves it. He wants to control it. So, he insults the journalists that he can't control. He gives shout outs to the… pic.twitter.com/LGVYhhoap4— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 Stelter then sort of admitted that CBS and Paramount have not suddenly become MAGA TV, “Paramount executives don't always feel the same way that the president does about the vision for the company. But, you know, Trump thinks he has them in his pocket, and that is problematic, that he has that impression.”He also compared Trump’s remarks to “a comedic speech in high school and I totally bombed. And it was humiliating. And I kind of feel like that's what I watched. It was giving me flashbacks to 11th grade in high school tonight.”Eventually NewsNight anchor Abby Phillip took over and, after playing a clip of Trump denouncing reporters with Trump Derangement Syndrome, mourned, “There were a lot of other attacks on the press that were much harsher and nastier and undignified.” After a clip of Trump denouncing Trump Derrangement Syndrome, Abby Phillip laments "And, you know, there were a lot of other attacks on the press that were much harsher and, nastier and undignified." pic.twitter.com/9j32hRrBhv— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 25, 2026 Over the years, the WHCD has had comedians wish death upon conservatives, call them racist, and accuse conservative women of being the female version of an Uncle Tom, among other things. If the media wants to turn the WHCD into a made-for-TV spectacle, then it can’t complain that what goes around eventually comes around.Here are transcripts for the July 24 shows:MS NOW The Briefing with Jen Psaki7/24/20269:57 PM ETJEN PSAKI: Okay, in case you've had enough for this moment, we're going to break in for a moment. This has felt so far to me, like one of those awkward wedding speeches where the bride's father thinks he's funnier than he is and goes on way too long telling stories. I mean, I have been to countless White House Correspondents’ Dinners. I have worked for two presidents who have spoken at these dinners, and it's always stressful to come up with funny jokes. But here we are. Now, the backdrop again, we've been talking about this, but the backdrop of tonight's speech was not just that this is a man who is somewhere between 30 and 32 or 33 percent in recent polls for overall approval rating. It's a man who has spent his presidency attacking, threatening, and suing the very media organizations who are in the room as he is speaking tonight, which I think we all have to talk about and acknowledge. And as for the speech itself, and if you've been listening, you've heard from a lot of this, but just in case you're tuning in now, or you're just trying to make sense of what's happening, he spent a good chunk of time talking about his favorite topic of all time surprise, surprise, his job as an interior decorator, musing about the chandeliers in the Palm Room and new windows. Everyone. We're in the middle of a war, but new windows and the chandelier. And of course, about his second favorite job as White House events coordinator from the recent fight on the White House lawn. That was quite a horror show that we all saw two plans for the future and his events he's planning in the future.…9:59 PM ETTERRY MORAN: That said, I think he's on his best behavior in some ways, you know, he's not ranting at the press. And once again, I think that's evidence, whatever his poll numbers, he's in charge. And I don't think he thinks he's going to lose power. He's going to — whatever happens in the midterms, he's going to attack the results if they don't go his way. And I think he's riding as high as he can. He's a megalomaniac now, filled with authority, and he is making his mark on the country physically, legally, morally, in every way. There will be an age of Trump that will be remembered. I'm sure that's the way he thinks about it.PSAKI: Well, see, I have a very opposite view on this. I think he feels quite weak inside and under threat because of his poll numbers, and because he can read a poll and sees what's happening out in the country and knows that if there's a take back of even part of Congress, that there's going to be a lot of attention paid to his administration, and it's not going to be as easy for him to avoid scrutiny. And that's part of it. And yes, he will certainly do everything you said.MORAN: He'll attack the elections—PSAKI: Of course he will.MORAN: —and I think he's got a plan to prevent anyone taking power.PSAKI: But that's a sign, I think, of feeling weak, not feeling strong.MORAN: Possibly.…10:01 PM ETEUGENE DANIELS: So he knows the people in that room do have a kind of power, right? They do have a kind of influence. So he's constantly kind of auditioning to you. When you're when you meet Donald Trump, you talk to him, he's selling himself to you, right? And that's why he makes the jokes. He is a little bit self-deprecating. And I think at the end of the day, he can be as self-deprecating as he wants. He can make as many jokes about Bobby Kennedy as he wants. At the end of the day, the reason it's not funny is because Donald Trump has kicked the Associated Press out of the pool. He has taken over the pool. He is — he has — they have subpoenaed journalists. They have knocked on their doors and taken things for doing their jobs so he can act as if this is normal, right? He's going to keep going. And he's — he might be ranting about the press at this point, but he's ranting and raving and raving, right?…10:09 PM ET               DANIELS: I think to your point earlier about him feeling weak, like he's very insecure. PSAKI: Yeah.DANIELS: And so like bully, you know, I was bullied as a kid. They said I was gay. They were right. But they were still mean about it. But—PSAKI: You’re still six foot five. DANIELS: Correct. Exactly. PSAKI: So, there's that. DANIELS: Exactly. I can tussle, but the bullies as I got older, what I realized is that they were insecure, they were fearful about—and they were learning the wrong lessons about what it means to be a man. And I think that's what you see with Donald Trump a lot of the times is that he is — sees one way to be a leader. And I think there are a lot more ways than maybe or maybe even more effective than the way that he views it. And so it's attack, attack, attack, be mean to the people who you feel like are being mean to you. When he has all the power, he has consolidated more power than any other president in, definitely, modern history, possibly in history. Right? We'll have to look at the end of the day when this is all over and see. But someone with all that power, with access to all of the information, with access, he could call anyone on Earth right now and they would probably pick up. And yet he still has to tussle with people because they said something mean about him.***CNN News Night with Abby Phillip7/25/202610:39 PM ETJOHN BERMAN: Before we bring in the panel, I want to read you a statement from CNN in the wake of the president's remarks tonight about CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who was honored tight for her breaking news reporting. The statement reads, quote, “Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional, trusted journalist being honored tonight for her depth of knowledge in the context she provides to audiences all over the world. She reports every day from the White House and the field with real strength and tenacity, and skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day. We stand by her to the fullest extent.” And we do.LAURA COATES: And we should. And we must. And the president, just talking about the respect he has for journalists in this room, frankly, I didn't see much of it in the last hour of his speech. But the president made additional attacks on some of our other colleagues, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper and given that, I want to read this from CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson, “We stand by our journalists and the integrity and fair mindedness with which the CNN team reports the news. Honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our right to report and present that reporting to the public without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution. CNN will continue to exercise this right. …10:45 PM ETBRIAN STELTER: You could hear a president who wants to talk about the power of the media. He knows the power of the media. He loves it. He resents it. He craves it. He wants to control it. So, he insults the journalists that he can't control. He gives shout-outs to the media executives who he thinks are his allies, whether they are or not. He repeatedly mentioned the Ellisons, the owners of Paramount who were trying to buy CNN, and our parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery. Today, Paramount was dealt a big setback. They've had to agree to a timeline that will delay that merger for many months, probably into 2027, a big setback for Paramount. But he was praising Larry and David Ellison, calling both men his friends and saying he believes they're going to make good changes to CBS. Paramount executives don't always feel the same way that the president does about the vision for the company. But, you know, Trump thinks he has them in his pocket, and that is problematic, that he has that impression. He wants to control the media. But listen to the conversation we're having right now and the conversation on other networks and all across social media, people are open and able and free to criticize the American president. And that's what this night's actually all about, that celebration of the First Amendment. John, Laura, I once had to give a comedic speech in high school and I totally bombed. And it was humiliating. And I kind of feel like that's what I watched. It was giving me flashbacks to 11th grade in high school tonight.…11:03 PM ETABBY PHILLIP: And, you know, there were a lot of other attacks on the press that were much harsher and nastier and undignified. But I actually think, you know, because, Arthur, you brought this up about his press coverage being very negative in his perception. He acknowledges that even in spite of that, he won the election. And then at another point, he actually talked about how often he talks to reporters. He gives them his number freely. They call him. And he does that because his philosophy is, well, if you talk to them, you have at least a slim chance of getting your POV in.