CNN had to apologize to the family of the late country music icon Dolly Parton after accidentally using a photo of a Las Vegas tribute artist in a report on her death.
&#8220;We regret the error and apologize to the Parton family,&#8221; the network told <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/27/media/cnn-apologizes-to-dolly-partons-family-for-using-photo-of-las-vegas-impersonator-in-coverage-of-icons-death/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">the New York Post</a> on Thursday.
The photo featured Parton impersonator Kelly Vohnn, and aired during &#8220;Laura Coates Live,&#8221; hours after the country legend&#8217;s death had been confirmed by her family.
<div id="attachment_1167035" style="width: 470px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1167035" class="wp-image-1167035 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2252308842-460x576.jpg" alt="" width="460" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2252308842-460x576.jpg 460w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2252308842-239x300.jpg 239w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2252308842-768x963.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2252308842.jpg 817w" sizes=" (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px" />Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Focus Features</div>
Vohnn learned of the mistake shortly after the photo aired, telling The Post that her phone began blowing up with people telling her that they&#8217;d just seen her on CNN: &#8220;I started getting all these texts in from friends saying that I was on CNN, and I couldn’t believe it &#8230; I was already heartbroken at losing Dolly because of how much she has given to me as a woman and an artist.&#8221;
&#8220;But then to see these images of me on screen was just weird. Somebody at CNN really messed up and didn’t do their research,&#8221; Vohnn added. &#8220;I felt so sorry and apologetic for Dolly, because over her career there are so many wonderful images and moments that they could have chosen from — and CNN just picked something not appropriate. To be clear, I have never represented myself as being Dolly ever in my life. I have always been known as a tribute act for her and many other stars. It was quite embarrassing, to be honest.&#8221;
Vohnn told The Post that she had considered reaching out to CNN herself to address the mistake, but that she&#8217;d been so upset by the news of the icon&#8217;s passing that she hadn&#8217;t done so: &#8220;I thought about calling CNN, but was really consumed by the grief of losing Dolly [and] I just wanted to be at home with my thoughts, raising a glass of wine to that brilliant woman.&#8221;
Parton passed away after a brief battle with cancer, leaving behind a legacy of music and philanthropy that touched millions around the world. She was 80 years old.

Dolly Parton

SEE IT: CNN Used Photo Of Vegas Impersonator In On-Air Dolly Parton Tribute

CNN Used Photo Of Vegas Impersonator In On-Air Dolly Parton Tribute

arts

dolly parton

media error

Embattled Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) sat down with CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper on Tuesday and responded to allegations of abusing his ex-wife and daughter with a series of evasive answers that often raised more questions than they resolved.
Miller has been accused of abusing his ex-wife Emily Moreno — daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) — and their daughter, and his appearance on CNN was one of several public appearances the Ohio congressman made as he attempted to refute the accusations against him. But as Tapper questioned him, Miller offered very few concrete answers — and instead turned the questions on his former father-in-law.
Tapper began with a question about a &#8220;blue bunny doll&#8221; that Miller&#8217;s daughter took everywhere and asked whether Moreno had been telling the truth when he said Miller had refused to return it for two days: &#8220;If it&#8217;s true, that sounds like emotionally abusive behavior toward the toddler, to refuse to give into her when she can&#8217;t sleep without it.&#8221;
Without directly answering the question, Miller said that he agreed that &#8220;would be disturbing if the senator was telling the truth,&#8221; and then pivoted immediately. &#8220;However, he has taken two years to publicly acknowledge — for me to resign from my seat. Why is that, Jake?&#8221;
Then Miller alluded to damaging information he claimed to have on Moreno — about a &#8220;deeply and personal embarrassing matter&#8221; — and claimed Moreno had only called for his resignation because he feared Miller might share that information publicly on his livestream Sunday. Miller did not give any specifics on what that damaging information might be.
Tapper reminded Miller that he&#8217;d been asking about the blue bunny, asking again whether he&#8217;d held the toy &#8220;hostage.&#8221;
Miller denied that he had, and immediately pivoted again, telling Tapper that there had already been two investigations into him that had not resulted in charges. He said one investigation had found fault at a daycare center, and defended himself in the other case — which involved his daughter&#8217;s broken collarbone — by arguing that his wife had violated a custody agreement by taking her hurt child to the emergency room.
&#8220;When I was reported for child abuse for my daughter for a broken collarbone, my daughter was in my ex-wife&#8217;s care nine out of the last 11 days, and she took her to the emergency room, which is a contempt violation from our shared parenting plan,&#8221; Miller said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Rep. Max Miller: &#8220;When I was reported for child abuse of my daughter for a broken collarbone, my daughter was in my ex-wife&#8217;s care 9 out of the last 11 days and she took her to the emergency room, which is a contempt violation from our shared parenting plan.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Gc05pX2g2t">pic.twitter.com/Gc05pX2g2t</a>
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2084749681448374468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tapper continued to press, asking Miller about a Dropbox link he&#8217;d shared — ostensibly to provide evidence that cleared his name — which included a photo of his daughter in a state of undress. That link remained live for a day before it was pulled down and the image removed.
Noting that Miller&#8217;s lawyer has since fallen on the sword for that &#8220;mistake,&#8221; Tapper argued that it was &#8220;shockingly reckless&#8221; to allow that to happen in the first place.
Miller protested, explaining that the photo was part of evidence in a court case and wasn&#8217;t that inappropriate — and claimed that it was being blown out of proportion by media outlets chasing a good headline.
Tapper, clearly taken aback, asked how he could defend releasing such a photo — and Miller immediately claimed he wasn&#8217;t defending it.
&#8220;You just defended it!&#8221; Tapper replied.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TAPPER: One of the files you released was an image of your daughter naked. It was available in that drop box for a day before it was removed. Your ex-wife&#8217;s attorney says it could quality as CSAM. That&#8217;s shockingly reckless behavior.
MAX MILLER: I wouldn&#8217;t say it&#8217;s shockingly… <a href="https://t.co/l8tSilKtu5">pic.twitter.com/l8tSilKtu5</a>
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2084750725213532441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As the conversation continued, Tapper pressed Miller about his claims that his daughter had told him she didn&#8217;t want to return to her mother&#8217;s house. He then asked about competing claims from Emily Moreno, who said their daughter had said things like, &#8220;daddy kill you,&#8221; &#8220;daddy angry,&#8221; and &#8220;daddy&#8217;s house is scary.&#8221;
&#8220;Jake, I wish you could talk to my beautiful baby girl. She can&#8217;t string together sentences like that. She&#8217;s two and a half years old,&#8221; Miller protested.
&#8220;You just told me that she had said that she was scared to go to mommy&#8217;s house,&#8221; Tapper pushed back.
&#8220;She is. I have video of it,&#8221; Miller said.
&#8220;But now you&#8217;re saying that she&#8217;s not capable of saying ‘Daddy kill you?’ I mean, it seems like she&#8217;s either able to say one but not the other. That doesn&#8217;t make sense,&#8221; Tapper pointed out.
&#8220;Jake. To be very direct, this is incredibly disturbing,&#8221; Miller said, adding, &#8220;You have to look at the timing of everything that is taking place, right? What about due process?&#8221;
Tapper then noted that Miller had been accused of inappropriate — and even violent — behavior by other women prior to his ex-wife. Miller shrugged off one of the cases by saying he&#8217;d been &#8220;young,&#8221; and then suggested that the accounts were not credible because at least one of the women had not gone &#8220;on record&#8221; with her accusation.
&#8220;I guess the question is, are all three of these women who don’t know each other, are all three of them lying?&#8221; Tapper asked.
&#8220;Yes, it’s very easy, and I can tell you why,&#8221; Miller said. &#8220;Every single time — and people have asked me, &#8216;What are you gonna do? Are you gonna drop out of this race? Are you gonna resign? Are you gonna get out before the deadline?&#8217; And my answer to you, Jake, is no. And I can tell you why. In 2016, when President Donald J. Trump faced the most extreme allegations in the world that hit him day after day after day, and people in the media very much like yourself and others said that he would have no shot at winning, that he should not be the president of the United States. But guess what? He stayed in and he was resilient.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
TAPPER: Hold on &#8212; hold on, &#8217;cause I&#8217;m not done with the list of women who have accused you of violence. Are all three of them lying?
REP. MAX MILLER: Yes. And I&#8217;m not getting out of the race because in 2016, President Donald J Trump faced the most extreme allegations in the… <a href="https://t.co/gf76bMnzB6">pic.twitter.com/gf76bMnzB6</a>
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2084751783470002223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Miller also struggled to answer questions about his alleged illegal drug use when Tapper noted that he&#8217;d been inconsistent in his answers during his custody dispute with Moreno.
&#8220;Emily Moreno&#8217;s lawyers asked you a series of questions about past alleged incidents, and some of them you denied outright — &#8216;no, that&#8217;s not true,&#8217; &#8216;no, that&#8217;s not true&#8217; — and others you refused to answer at all, your lawyers claimed that they were not relevant.&#8221;
Among the questions Miller had refused to answer was whether or not he&#8217;d ever referred to the birth of his daughter as &#8220;setting my playground on fire,&#8221; as well as several related to illegal drug use.
&#8220;I can tell you that I never did any of those things, why can&#8217;t you?&#8221; Tapper asked, suggesting that his selective refusal to answer only made him look more suspicious. He then corrected himself, admitting to smoking marijuana &#8220;before it was legal.&#8221;
Miller sputtered briefly, saying he&#8217;d be &#8220;happy to&#8221; discuss those topics, but had not answered before because answering gave the question &#8220;credibility.&#8221;
&#8220;In the Mother Jones story, it says when you were picked up for drunk driving, you had ecstasy in your system. When is the last time you used illegal drugs?&#8221; Tapper asked.
&#8220;I mean, the last time — I don&#8217;t — I would have to say, I don&#8217;t know, several years ago. I don&#8217;t have a timeframe,&#8221; Miller replied.
&#8220;Two? 20?&#8221; Tapper pressed.
Miller then claimed, unsolicited, that if anyone ever found needles it was because he was using them for &#8220;testosterone therapy&#8221; — at which point he name-dropped War Secretary Pete Hegseth and his recent initiative to keep testosterone levels steady for male service members.

Ways and Means Treasury Priorities

Embattled GOP Rep Agreed To Live Interview. It Didn’t Go Well.

bernie moreno

child abuse allegation

jake tapper

max miller

politics

<div>
Wisconsin democratic socialist gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong is refusing to dish out a straight answer after getting caught trying to carve up one of America’s most beloved holidays.
</div>
<div>
In an appearance on CNN, Hong dodged the question when host Kaitlin Collins pressed her on a deleted 2020 social media post where the leftist politician declared that Americans &#8220;should cancel Thanksgiving&#8221; and claimed the nation &#8220;should have done this in 1621.&#8221;
</div>
<div>
Instead of giving a simple yes or no on whether she still wants to ax Turkey Day, Hong offered up a scrambled word salad about her history as a chef. She served up platitudes about &#8220;bringing folks around the table&#8221; while simultaneously validating Left-wing grievances, claiming the holiday is &#8220;incredibly painful for many people in our communities&#8221; and noting that &#8220;views can evolve.&#8221;
</div>
<div>
Hong also dodged the question when asked about her prior statement that prison should be abolished. Collins asked, &#8220;You said you don&#8217;t support abolishing prisons. Do you still hold the view that you laid out in May, which was that in a perfect world it would be a world without prisons?&#8221;
&#8220;I think talking about what may be aspirational and then understanding the role of the governor, what they can and cannot do, and what is implementable right now,&#8221; Hong answered. &#8220;These are different conversations.&#8221;
Hong&#8217;s fence-sitting dodge regarding Thanksgiving comes straight out of the modern leftist playbook, as Left-wing activists and media outlets have spent years trying to ruin the holiday for hard-working Americans. Rather than celebrating family and gratitude, the radical Left has consistently rebranded Thanksgiving as a monument to colonial oppression and violence.
</div>
<div>
Mainstream media outlets have repeatedly joined the anti-Thanksgiving choir. Headlines in Time Magazine <a href="https://time.com/5457183/thanksgiving-native-american-holiday/">explicitly branded</a> the holiday a &#8220;harmful lie,&#8221; while The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/11/23/violence-root-our-thanksgiving-myth-has-been-hemispheric/">ran pieces</a> smearing the nation&#8217;s traditional gathering by highlighting &#8220;hemispheric&#8221; violence at the root of the &#8220;myth.&#8221; Leftist publication The Nation joined the fray by <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/society/thanksgiving-debate/">insisting</a> the feast&#8217;s history is intertwined with colonial aggression, arguing that the holiday must be &#8220;decolonized.&#8221;
</div>
<div>
Meanwhile, far-Left outlets like the World Socialist Website have <a href="https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/11/27/uynt-n27.html">trashed</a> the annual feast as a bitter symbol of economic inequality and capitalist rot. Activists have even taken to Change.org to <a href="https://www.change.org/p/end-the-wall-street-journal-s-thanksgiving-insult-to-native-americans">demand</a> major newspapers stop publishing historical Pilgrim accounts, labeling them inherently racist, while radical voices across social media continue to lecture families that serving a turkey honors historical oppression.
</div>
<div>
Hong&#8217;s refusal to disavow her past comments shows just how deeply these radical anti-American talking points have taken root among leftist politicians.
</div>

Gubernatorial Candidate Francesca Hong Holds A Campaign Rally In Milwaukee

Socialist Governor Hopeful Has Kamala Moment When Asked About Canceling Thanksgiving

2026 midterm election

francesca hong

thanksgiving

wisconsin

In a stunning revelation, Dana Bash <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/rfk-jr-torches-cnn-anchor-dana-bash-press-malpractice-covid-coverage-explosive-clash">admits</a> that it&#8217;s her job to tell the American people the truth. Where has that attitude been the last five years?
On CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; this weekend, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the network&#8217;s chief fact-checker-in-residence got into it over how America responded to the COVID pandemic, and the two obviously had grievances to get off their chests. The conversation looked less like an interview and more like a holiday dinner after one too many eggnog martinis.
Things got heated when Bash pushed the line she&#8217;s pushed for years: Trump bears the blame, governors closed things because hospitals were overrun, Fauci didn&#8217;t shut down America.
RFK correctly called BS. 
 
Fauci&#8217;s own private diary entries show him actively engineering the closures he later denied under oath. March 9, 2020, Fauci advised New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to close schools in Westchester’s Orthodox Jewish communities. Six days later, he &#8220;convinced&#8221; Mayor Bill de Blasio to close New York City&#8217;s schools (de Blasio, per Fauci&#8217;s diary, &#8220;had already decided based on what I was saying on TV&#8221;), then went further, telling the mayor he should close the bars and restaurants too. De Blasio said he&#8217;d base it on Fauci&#8217;s recommendation.
I’m sure the “most famous scientist in the world” was giggling, penning that into the burn book.
Days later, Fauci advised de Blasio to push full shelter-in-place for the entire city over Cuomo&#8217;s objections, promising to lean on the governor himself. He privately celebrated convincing Trump to extend &#8220;15 Days to Slow the Spread&#8221; into a 30-day lockdown, calling it a &#8220;good outcome&#8221; that avoided ending mitigation &#8220;prematurely.&#8221; By October 2020, on CBS, he&#8217;d said the quiet part out loud: he recommended the president shut the country down.
Yet by 2022, once the learning-loss data and the empty ICUs became impossible to ignore, Fauci pivoted: he&#8217;d had nothing to do with school closures; the &#8220;default position&#8221; was always to keep kids in class. Wrong — the diary is the receipt. He was the top-down architect leaning on mayors and governors to do his bidding, while the press treated their compliance as spontaneous local wisdom.
Now Bash is doing damage control for the media’s image, but the damage is already done. Lockdowns shuttered 3.5 million businesses, cratered childhood education, and left the U.S. with some of the worst excess-mortality numbers among developed nations, because one man&#8217;s private certainty got laundered into public consensus, and nobody in the press box asked him to show his work.
Then Bash asked what RFK would do differently when the next pandemic hits (because, according to her experts, it’s going to happen within 10 years).
RFK quickly remarked that he’d protect constitutional rights and end the censorship that silenced dissenting doctors the first time around. Bash tried to pivot. RFK didn’t let her. “That was the job of CNN,&#8221; he told her. &#8220;To put the chyrons up on how many people are dying, to get people to comply.&#8221;
“You were part of the problem. There was absolute press malpractice. Your job is a fierce skepticism towards authority, and you weren’t doing that. You were beating up people who were dissenting.”
Boom.
And he’s absolutely correct. Take the lab-leak theory for example. Fauci privately noted the Wuhan market was an “amplifier,” not the source, and scientists on a February 2020 call he joined raised serious concerns about lab manipulation at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Publicly, the “Proximal Origin” paper (shaped with input from the Fauci circle) declared a lab origin “not plausible.” CNN ran with it. Lab leak was a “conspiracy theory,” “comic book” stuff, “widely debunked,” a “Trump talking point.” Then-CNN president Jeff Zucker reportedly ordered staff not to chase it. When former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said it was most likely a lab origin, CNN framed it as “controversial” and “without evidence.” Only years later, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/28/new-york-times-msnbc-cnn-slammed-over-debunked-lab-leak-theory/">once</a> FBI and court documents leaned toward the lab theory, did the network quietly soften the ridicule.
Because ostensibly it’s their job to “tell the truth to the American people,” once the truth becomes convenient.
CNN did the same with the mortality numbers. Fauci&#8217;s own February 2020 diary put the case fatality rate at 0.2%–0.3%, closer to a bad flu once mild and asymptomatic cases were counted. Weeks later, in congressional testimony, he told lawmakers the rate was 2%–3%, settling near 1% — 10 times deadlier than seasonal flu. The scarier number is the one that stuck; CNN ran the catastrophe models and sidelined the seroprevalence data that quickly told a calmer story.
The network also frightened parents silly into vaccinating their healthy kids. Which RFK rightfully pointed out. He charged that CNN’s job was “scaring people.” From late 2021 on, CNN treated pediatric vaccination as an unalloyed moral imperative; “Kids 5 to 11 can now get vaccinated. Here’s why it’s safe.” Segments pushed shots for children under 5 the moment the FDA authorized them. Jill Biden’s CNN op-ed urged parents that the vaccine was “the best way” to protect kids. Anchors and experts framed hesitation as dangerous, citing every hospitalization while downplaying the extremely low risk of severe disease in healthy children and the emerging myocarditis signal in adolescent males.
By 2022, Florida’s health department, citing the data, said healthy five- to 17-year-olds “may not benefit.” Randomized trials showed the shots reduced short-term symptomatic infection but offered negligible absolute risk reduction against severe outcomes for low-risk kids. Transmission benefits evaporated with variants. Yet CNN kept up the pressure, treating parental caution as anti-science. RFK asked Bash to present a single study proving net benefit for children. She pivoted to “data upon data” about adult mortality and “misinformation deaths.”
A master of misdirection.
If the world does see another pandemic, it’s good to know certain scientists won’t have their First Amendment right stripped away for saying an uncomfortable truth. Take Jay Bhattacharya, Martin Kulldorff, and Sunetra Gupta. In October 2020, the trio authored the Great Barrington Declaration, arguing for focused protection of the vulnerable instead of blanket lockdowns. NIH Director Francis Collins wanted a &#8220;quick and devastating&#8221; takedown. Fauci called it &#8220;nonsense and very dangerous.&#8221; On CNN, a former Harvard professor announced that herd immunity was &#8220;another word for mass murder.&#8221; The chorus followed, branding the authors reckless cranks.
Today, Bhattacharya runs the NIH. The &#8220;crazies&#8221; keep getting promoted; the experts who got it catastrophically wrong still want the benefit of the doubt.
Look, reporters get things wrong sometimes; so do experts. But there&#8217;s a difference between an honest miss and five years of &#8220;trust the experts&#8221; deployed as a gag order, while the experts secretly admitted they weren&#8217;t sure.
Fauci privately knew mortality was far lower and later walked back school closures. CNN treated lab leak as taboo and pediatric vaccines as non-negotiable. Dissenters were “beaten up.” And now that the diaries, the excess-death data, the learning-loss studies, and the intelligence assessments are public, the same network hosts are rightfully getting grilled for gaslighting us all for years.
And RFK called them on it live, to a quivering, culpable Bash. The ultimate fact-check. And it felt good to watch.

Microplastics Event at EPA

RFK Jr. Owns Dana Bash Proving Media Fed COVID Hysteria

anthony fauci

covid19 pandemic

dana bash

media bias

robert f kennedy jr

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid into CNN anchor Dana Bash during a Sunday morning interview, arguing that her network — and media across the board — had been complicit in efforts to silence anyone who raised questions about the COVID-19 pandemic orthodoxy.
Kennedy began by pointing out just how quickly Constitutional rights had been trampled as people who spoke out or refused the COVID-19 vaccines faced cancellation, getting fired from their jobs, or worse — and Bash immediately tried to move the conversation in a different direction.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This was a long-overdue moment on CNN.
RFK Jr. called out the network on air for helping to silence dissent during COVID.
Dana Bash was getting visibly irritated, after she repeatedly tried to move the conversation away from censorship.
Then he aimed his fire at Dana Bash… <a href="https://t.co/yHmIxjgz25">pic.twitter.com/yHmIxjgz25</a>
— Overton (@overton_news) <a href="https://x.com/overton_news/status/2083918836999332300?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We need to protect our constitutional rights. That is the primary obligation in our country,” Kennedy began.
&#8220;What does that mean?&#8221; Bash asked.
&#8220;Well, during COVID, we completely dismantled our constitutional rights. We began censoring people in violation of the First Amendment,&#8221; he explained, but Bash interrupted.
&#8220;You’re saying what not to do, I’m asking what to do,&#8221; she protested.
Kennedy pushed back: &#8220;Well, that’s something to do. That is the number one priority: we protect the Constitution.&#8221;
&#8220;Forgive me, but you’re talking about rights and I’m asking about a potential public health crisis that is coming. But I do want to … let’s …&#8221; Bash tried to redirect him.
&#8220;And one of the mistakes we made last time was suppressing those rights. So people weren’t being heard. Doctors who were saying, ‘You’re doing it wrong,’ were being marginalized and vilified,&#8221; Kennedy made it clear that he was not going to be deterred.
Bash tried once more, saying, &#8220;Again, I really want to move on …”
&#8220;Yeah, of course you want to move on because you were part of the problem!&#8221; Kennedy shot back.
&#8220;No! I wasn’t part of the problem!&#8221; Bash objected.
&#8220;There was absolute press malpractice. Your job is to have a fierce skepticism toward authority, and you weren’t doing that,&#8221; Kennedy continued, arguing that many in media were to blame for doing the same. &#8220;You were beating up on people who were dissenting!&#8221;

HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr Testifies At Senate Finance Hearing

RFK Jr. Unloads On CNN Anchor Over COVID: ‘You Were Part Of The Problem!’

RFK Jr. Unloads On CNN Anchor Over COVID: 'You Were Part Of The Problem!'

censorship

health and human services

<div>
A high-society doctor threw his weight behind Dr. Anthony Fauci after a fiery Senate hearing on Wednesday, taking to CNN to shield the polarizing pandemic official while declaring the public shouldn’t even care about how COVID-19 started.
</div>
<div>
Appearing on CNN’s &#8220;NewsNight,&#8221; Dr. Scott Ratzan, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Health Communication, leapt to the defense of Fauci, slamming congressional probes into Fauci’s pandemic response as a full-blown &#8220;assault on science.&#8221;
</div>
<div>
“What&#8217;s happened is this is an assault on science and scientists,” Ratzan proclaimed. “And unfortunately, Dr. Fauci is in that seat, 38 years of service to the country, one of the best known scientists for infectious disease, unfortunately, has taken a lot of heat for probably a lot of, shall we say, issues that were not fully his. &#8230; Today, we certainly didn’t learn anything from the way the hearing was held.”
</div>
<div>
When conservative radio host Jason Rantz contended that Fauci actively worked to suppress the idea that COVID escaped from a Wuhan laboratory, Ratzan dodged the origin question entirely.
</div>
<div>
Instead of demanding accountability for the deadly bug, the Harvard-educated doc shrugged off the lingering mystery.
</div>
<div>
“I think the reality is we shouldn’t be worrying about the lab leak theory today,” Ratzan brazenly claimed, insisting the focus should shift to building a “healthier America” rather than pointing fingers over where the virus came from.
</div>
<div>
Rantz immediately fired back: “You’re now saying that we shouldn’t talk about where COVID came from?”
</div>
<div>
The fiery segment only grew hotter when CNN host Abby Phillip stepped into the ring to go after Donald Trump, eager to dump the blame for America’s dark pandemic era squarely on the 45th president’s doorstep.
</div>
<div>
“I may need to remind some people &#8230; Donald Trump was president and shut the country down,” Phillip snapped, running down a laundry list of lockdown-era grievances. “He was president when the mask mandates went into place, he was president when social distancing went into place, he was president when schools shut down.”
</div>
<div>
While conceding Trump deserved &#8220;an enormous amount of credit&#8221; for Operation Warp Speed, Phillip insisted Trump can&#8217;t skate away clean from the era&#8217;s fallout. &#8220;The idea that Trump bears no responsibility if the conclusion is that it all went so wrong, that doesn’t line up with the facts.&#8221;
</div>

US-POLITICS-CONGRESS

Top Doc Defends Fauci, Urges Americans To Forget Lab Leak Theory In Fiery Debate

Abby Phillip

While publicly urging Americans to avoid family gatherings and maintain &#8220;social distance,&#8221; Dr. Anthony Fauci was also busy behind the scenes cultivating a chummy friendship with CNN anchor Jake Tapper.
Fauci&#8217;s meetings and family dinners with the longtime CNN personality were revealed in a series of <a href="https://www.paul.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026.07.24_Tonys-Diary-Package.pdf">diary entries</a> made public on Saturday by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who uncovered them during his lengthy and thorough investigation into Fauci and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former White House chief medical adviser thoroughly documented his actions throughout the pandemic — with a heavy focus on his own media appearances and coverage, particularly when it was overly flattering — and referenced an interview with Tapper that took place on April 12, 2020. During that interview, Fauci conceded that Tapper had asked tough — but reasonable — questions, and then had called him directly afterward to make sure that the interview had not caused him &#8220;any problems.&#8221;
&#8220;Potential big problem (we shall see). NY Times reporting on an answer to a question that I gave on CNN yesterday (see above). Jake Tapper asked me if we had closed down earlier, whould (sic) that have saved lives. I said it is complicated; he persisted and I said obviously, if you close earlier there would have been lives saved, but the decision was complicated,&#8221; Fauci wrote. &#8220;I could have answered the question better and with more clarity, but the Times is now saying that I was implying that the POTUS was to blame for additional deaths according to me. The far right is tweeting to fire me. The POTUS even re-tweeted the tweet that said to fire me. We shall see how the day goes &#8230;&#8221;
Fauci said that he later met with President Donald Trump, who said that he did not have an issue and business continued as usual.
Of the press briefing that followed, he said, &#8220;I went out and explained that I was being hoest (sic) in my answer to Jake, but that I was not implying that anyone was responsible for more deaths &#8230; Phone call with Jake Tapper. Jake wanted to make sure the interview did not cause me any problems.&#8221;
Later that month, Tapper spoke with Fauci about an interview he&#8217;d done with Coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx. Of that exchange, Fauci wrote, &#8220;I was not on Sunday shows. Deb was on CNN with Jake Tapper and did not answer the question of whether it was a mistake for the POTUS to talk about injecting or swallowing bleach. Jake wrote me a text afterwards and said: “Birx has lost her way I fear. She has chosen to focus on defending the president and attacking the press. Odd.&#8221;
On May 4, 2020, Fauci referenced a CNN interview in which Tapper had been hard on the Trump administration&#8217;s &#8220;inadequate&#8221; response to the pandemic — but had spared him the ire reserved for the president: &#8220;Jake Tapper did a segment last night on the inadequate response of the Trump administration to the pandemic. I came out relatively well.&#8221;
Later that month, when Katie Miller, a spokesperson for Vice President Mike Pence, tested positive, and Fauci was directly exposed to SARS-CoV-2, he got a call from Tapper making sure that he was all right.
&#8220;Jake Tapper called me and asked whether I was going inot (sic) quarantine. I explained to Jake that I would do a “modified quarantine” since I was a low risk exposure to Kstie (sic). Thid merans (sic) that I will get tested every day, would wear a mask ontinually (sic), and would spend most of my time either alone in my home office or alone in my NIH office and would go to White House or Congress with precautions of universal mask wearing and phycial (sic) distancing. I tested negative yesterday and will get tested every day for 14 days and then 1 time per week,&#8221; he wrote, adding in a subsequent entry that Marc Short was not taking enough precautions.
&#8220;Marc Short (whom I resally (sic) like) practically sits on Katie’s lap and he is vey (sic) close to the VP. Yet he is not even wearing a mask. He actually should be self-quarantining. He was at a much greater risk than I.&#8221;
On July 1, Fauci mentioned a dinner with Tapper and his wife: &#8220;Had dinner over Jake Tapper and Jen Tapper’s home in DC. Terrific couple. Friendship building.&#8221;
By late July, Fauci was feeding questions to Tapper ahead of interviews with other officials: &#8220;Brett Giroir on Tapper (State of the Union) talking bullsh*t about testing with Jake pressing him. I gave Jake some questions to ask him.&#8221;
And Tapper was calling Fauci to complain about President Trump: &#8220;Jake Tapper woke me up at 11:23 AM (I went to bed early) furius (sic) at POTUS for tweeting about the fact that Jake severly (sic) questioned Brett Giroir on SOTU CNN show today. Jake was really pissed at the craziness of it all.&#8221;
In later entries — into the fall of 2020, as Americans were preparing to host holiday dinners via Zoom — Fauci mentioned another dinner at the Tapper home: &#8220;Had dinner at my home with Jake and Jennifer Tapper. Relaxed, good time. Jake clearly believes that Trump is totally nuts.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tapper texts Fauci to attack Laura Ingraham and defend the integrity of Dartmouth <a href="https://t.co/pLW5c1zuja">pic.twitter.com/pLW5c1zuja</a>
— Emily Jashinsky (@emilyjashinsky) <a href="https://x.com/emilyjashinsky/status/2081488487337906438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In a later exchange, after Fauci appeared on Fox News with host Laura Ingraham, Tapper texted to mock Ingraham, saying it was a shock that she&#8217;d graduated from Dartmouth.

Anthony Fauci

Inside Fauci’s Behind-The-Scenes Bromance With Jake Tapper

covid-19

donald trump

Legacy Media

Mainstream Media

media

Pandemic

rand paul

Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed to delay closing their proposed $110 billion merger until at least June 2027 as they battle a multistate antitrust lawsuit, extending uncertainty over a deal that could reshape the American media landscape.
The agreement allows both sides to avoid a court fight over a preliminary injunction while the case proceeds toward trial.
A coalition of 12 Democratic state attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued to block the transaction. The lawsuit claims the merger would &#8220;extinguish competition&#8221; in the media and entertainment industries.
If approved, the merger would unite major media brands, including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming platforms, CBS News, and CNN under one corporate umbrella.
Rather than continue fighting emergency motions, the companies agreed not to close the transaction until June 2027 or until the court reaches a final decision.
Bonta celebrated the agreement as a major victory for the states challenging the merger.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today’s agreement is great news for audiences, movie theaters, and the many people who write, build, and create the art, news, and entertainment so many of us enjoy.
We are eager to continue to make our case in court and celebrate another tremendous win in our effort to ensure… <a href="https://t.co/m4LFxiA5tP">pic.twitter.com/m4LFxiA5tP</a>
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) <a href="https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/2080754504388259849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Today&#8217;s agreement is great news for audiences, movie theaters, and the many people who write, build, and create the art, news, and entertainment so many of us enjoy,&#8221; Bonta said. &#8220;We are eager to continue to make our case in court and celebrate another tremendous win in our effort to ensure this unlawful merger never sees the light of day.&#8221;
New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James also praised the decision, <a href="https://x.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/2080742874610626683">calling</a> it &#8220;a critical victory in our efforts to uphold the law and protect the film and television industries.&#8221;
Paramount defended the merger and said the delay would allow the company to make its case in court.
&#8220;This is the fastest and clearest way to prove that this transaction is good for competition, good for consumers, and good for creators, a conclusion dozens of competition authorities around the world have already reached,&#8221; a Paramount spokesperson <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/paramount-skydance-agrees-halt-warner-bros-merger-june-2027-rcna589137">told</a> NBC News. &#8220;We look forward to proving our case at trial.&#8221;
The merger has attracted attention beyond Hollywood because Paramount is now controlled by Skydance founder and CEO David Ellison, 43, whose acquisition of Paramount was backed by his father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, a longtime ally and supporter of President Donald Trump. Since Skydance took control of Paramount earlier this year, Ellison has overseen significant changes at CBS News, including bringing in journalist Bari Weiss to overhaul the network&#8217;s news division.
Ellison has drawn praise from President Trump, who has expressed optimism that new ownership could restore credibility to CBS News after years of criticism from conservatives and Republicans.
If this merger happens, one company will control CBS and CNN under ownership that conservatives believe is moving in a different editorial direction.

In this photo illustration, the Paramount logo is seen

One Of Hollywood’s Biggest Deals Just Hit A Wall

business

cbs news

david ellison

entertainment

HBO Max

hollywood

letitia james

paramount

Rob Bonta

warner bros

Warner Brothers

Former CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin has gone from interviewing political leaders to sleeping with them, then blogging about it.
Baldwin, 47, spent more than a decade behind the anchor desk and in the field at CNN. But since her ouster in 2021, Baldwin has taken to posting her own thoughts via Substack — and the most recent entry details her novel forays into &#8220;casual sex.&#8221;
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbBSf1DEYS9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
&nbsp;
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
&nbsp;
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbBSf1DEYS9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Brooke Baldwin (@brooke_baldwin)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
In the entry, Baldwin said that she&#8217;d recently tried a dating app — and had &#8220;lasted approximately three minutes&#8221; before she deleted it and moved on, or so she thought.
&#8220;Very recently, I gave it another shot,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Why? Maybe I wanted a distraction. Maybe I like to kiss. Maybe I’m a grown-ass woman who can do whatever the hell she wants. This time I made it&#8230; five whole days.&#8221;
And then &#8230;
&#8220;But here’s what’s fascinating. Over the last month or so, I’ve had the opportunity to sleep with four different men. This is not a humblebrag. Nor have I suddenly become Samantha Jones. (Though if that’s your lane&#8230; Do you, boo.),&#8221; she said, referencing the hyper-sexual character played by Kim Cattrall in HBO&#8217;s &#8220;Sex and the City.&#8221;
She then went on to describe the men.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I wonder what former head of state Brooke Baldwin is having “casual sex” with?
Trudeau is taken&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/r7DcoQy9F1">pic.twitter.com/r7DcoQy9F1</a>
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) <a href="https://x.com/SteveKrak/status/2079556787439583613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;One literally flew in just to take me to dinner and spends his days trying to save our democracy one congressional district at a time,&#8221; she said, adding, &#8220;One used to run a country. One is just &#8230; hot. That’s all you’re getting for now.&#8221;
Baldwin pivoted back to &#8220;Sex and the City&#8221; briefly, comparing herself instead to Sarah Jessica Parker&#8217;s character Carrie Bradshaw because she was sleeping with men and then blogging about them.
Baldwin&#8217;s &#8220;casual sex&#8221; entry came just weeks after another <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/media/fired-cnn-anchor-brooke-baldwin-comes-forward-with-shocking-sexual-assault-account/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;amp;utm_medium=social">post</a> detailing a sexual assault she said she experienced when she was just 20 years old.
&#8220;I woke up on the cold, hard bathroom tile floor of my Los Angeles hotel room with a man I did not know,&#8221; she wrote, adding, &#8220;For years, I did not have language for what I believed may have been done to me.&#8221;

2018 DVF Awards

Former CNN Star Reduced To Posting Risqué Photos, Blogging About Sex Life

Apps

Brooke Baldwin

dating

journalism

Sex And The City

sexual assault

Substack

Former CNN host Don Lemon announced that he has been considering a 2028 presidential run, and has talked with his friends in politics about how to make a successful bid.
The &#8220;Can’t Be Censored&#8221; podcast hosts <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNccbHsqgWY">interviewed</a> Lemon at his New York City home on Wednesday, where Lemon was asked whether he was considering running for president.
“People keep asking me if I’m running for president, and I don’t know, I might, because people keep asking me to do it and if I’m going to do it,” Lemon said, later adding, “I actually think I would be a really good president of the United States. I’m being totally serious.”
Lemon also believes that the state of the economy and the quality of other candidates could spur a presidential run.
“I look around, you know, and I see the folks who are, you know, possibly in the running, and some of them are impressive,” Lemon said. “Many of them, most of them, are not. And it seems in this day and age you don’t have to have a ton of political experience because our current president has none — had none.”
Looking directly at the camera, Lemon continued. “The current president is not doing a great job for the working-class people, for the American economy. He’s doing a fantastic job for his rich friends,” he said.
When asked whether he has considered the logistics of a presidential run and if he has formed an “exploratory team,” Lemon said “I’ve stuck my toe into it.”
“I’ve talked to people about it, people who have been in politics before, and asked, what would it take? When would I have to get in to do it?” Lemon said.
Lemon stated that he would prefer not to rely on big donors and he wants to keep his unfiltered way of speaking if he were to run for president.
“They tell me, ‘You can’t tell these types of stories during dinner parties if you want to be president of the United States. Because I like to have fun. And I have a potty mouth,” Lemon said.
“I would like to run, and I don&#8217;t know if this is realistic or not, without having to beg for money. I would like it to be a voter, citizen-driven campaign for as much as it can be,” Lemon said. “I would rather the people of the United States to say, ‘That’s the guy that we want. I’m gonna give him five dollars or ten dollars.’”
“As we get closer to 2027 or 2028, I’ll see, I’ll decide. But I have enough on my hands right now,” Lemon concluded.
Lemon was fired from CNN in 2023, and while no official reason was ever given, most news sources such as AP news <a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-lemon-cnn-departure-204c35dea8e4bb1151c6cce0bf833182">attributed</a> it to his off-color remarks about then-51-year-old Nikki Haley not being “in her prime.” If Lemon were to mount a presidential campaign in 2028, he would be 11 years older than Haley was at the time he made those comments.
Lemon attributed his termination to racism and homophobia among CNN’s higher-ups.
“I didn’t think that they treated me with any dignity and respect. I blame the management and the people who are in control … They wanted to get rid of me as the gay black guy. 100% what it was,” he said.

Screenshot 2026-07-16 at 10.00.19 AM

Disgraced Ex-CNN Anchor Eyes Presidential Run

2028 presidential election

Don Lemon

Israel has shared intelligence with the United States indicating that Iran has developed a new plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the matter.
The warning, first reported by <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-hatched-fresh-plot-to-kill-trump-israel-told-u-s-1511d9d2">The Wall Street Journal</a> and later corroborated by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/09/politics/trump-assassination-plot-iran-israel">CNN</a>, marks the latest in a years-long series of Iranian threats against Trump following the 2020 U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
According to CNN, one source said Israel relayed the warning to U.S. officials this week, while another said American intelligence agencies had already been tracking a steady stream of threats against Trump in recent weeks. The Israeli intelligence reportedly described a more specific assassination threat than previously known, though no details have been made public. 
Neither the White House nor Israeli officials publicly commented on the reported intelligence. Iran&#8217;s mission to the United Nations also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Instead, the White House referred reporters to <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/08/world-news/trump-says-iran-peace-deal-likely-dead-he-no-longer-will-deal-with-sick-people/">remarks</a> Trump made Wednesday. 
&#8220;They want to take out the U.S. leader — me,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I&#8217;m on every list. I saw this morning, I&#8217;m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I&#8217;ve been a little bit lucky, but maybe that doesn&#8217;t last very long.&#8221;
Trump added that Iran&#8217;s leaders are &#8220;evil, sick people&#8221; and compared the regime to &#8220;cancer&#8221; that must be confronted before it spreads. Iran has repeatedly vowed revenge against Trump since the January 2020 strike that killed Soleimani, one of the Islamic Republic&#8217;s most powerful military commanders and the architect of many of Iran&#8217;s regional proxy operations. Calls for Trump&#8217;s assassination have remained a recurring feature of official Iranian rhetoric. 
During recent funeral ceremonies following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, mourners chanted &#8220;Death to Trump&#8221; while <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/09/world-news/iranians-unfurl-banner-with-trump-assassination-threat-at-ayatollah-khameneis-burial/">banners</a> declared, &#8220;We Will Kill Trump.&#8221;
The Justice Department has previously <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/member-irans-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-irgc-charged-plot-murder-former-national">charged</a> individuals linked to Iran&#8217;s Revolutionary Guard in assassination plots targeting former Trump administration officials, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
While U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed the specifics of Israel&#8217;s intelligence, the reported warning underscores that threats against Trump remain an ongoing concern for American security agencies.

Donald Trump Campaigns For President In Georgia Ahead Of November Election

Key U.S. Ally Warns Of New Iranian Plot To Assassinate Trump

Death Threats

Executive

iran

israel

wall street journal

CNN ran with a quote from a parody account during a segment about Republicans who say they have spoken with ailing former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) during his recent hospitalization.
Host Audie Cornish introduced the segment, which came as speculation continues to swirl about McConnell&#8217;s health. Cornish noted that several prominent Republicans had spoken up in recent days to say that McConnell was still recovering but doing well.
&#8220;You have a lot of Senate Republicans coming out, we&#8217;re going to show some onscreen, all saying, &#8216;I talked to him,&#8217; &#8216;I talked to him,&#8217; &#8216;I talked to him for 20 minutes,&#8217; &#8216;I talked to him for 45 minutes,'&#8221; she said. &#8220;We&#8217;re hearing these pundits talk not just about his potential health, but what they think the issue is: a special election deadline.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
OOPS: CNN This Morning cites parody account of fake congressman <a href="https://x.com/RepJackKimble?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJackKimble</a> on list of quotes about Sen. Mitch McConnell&#8217;s health. <a href="https://t.co/GBXJ37bkoe">pic.twitter.com/GBXJ37bkoe</a>
— Nick (@nspin310) <a href="https://x.com/nspin310/status/2074860431240298947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But as Cornish spoke, the posts on the screen were from former McConnell adviser and CNN commentator Scott Jennings, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Majority Whip John Barrasso. A fourth post, attributed to &#8220;Rep. Jack Kimble,&#8221; was found to be a parody account.
The quote that appeared on the screen read, &#8220;I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 45 minutes.&#8221;
But the full quote posted by the parody account took the joke a bit further: &#8220;I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 45 minutes. He&#8217;s so sharp. Just like always he let me do all of the talking. He&#8217;s a great listener. After that we prayed silently for awhile and had a staring contest. Just like always, he beat me. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 45 minutes. He&#8217;s so sharp. Just like always he let me do all of the talking. He&#8217;s a great listener. After that we prayed…
— Rep. Jack Kimble (@RepJackKimble) <a href="https://x.com/RepJackKimble/status/2074570956467577094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Other posts from Kimble&#8217;s account might have given it away as a parody as well.
July 6: &#8220;Donald Trump had no choice but to get Balogun reinstated. He’s a birthright citizen and The Supreme Court just ruled we can’t take away their citizenship or give them red cards. Blame the liberal judges.&#8221;
June 30: &#8220;The Supreme Court is just a regular court with sour cream.&#8221;
Kimble&#8217;s X bio should also have given CNN a clue, as it claims that he represents California&#8217;s 54th Congressional District. The state of California only has 52 Congressional Districts.

CNN World Headquarters

CNN Cites Fake Congressman’s Account Of Conversation With McConnell

CNN Cites Fake Congressman's Account Of Conversation With McConnell

mitch mcconnell

Menu

cnn